Once Verdan had given Elliot the designs he wanted, he stepped back outside, enjoying the cool breeze that came down from the mountains. The smithy was cosy at first, but rapidly became uncomfortable for mere mortals like him. It was times like this he envied the Idrisyr and their resistance to fire and heat.
Thankfully, Verdan hadn’t been inside long enough to overheat too much, and a few moments enjoying the wind was enough to leave him feeling refreshed. As he looked up at the sky, though, his gaze was drawn to a trio of black shapes moving towards the city. They were high, very high, but were clearly moving toward the city from the mountains.
It didn’t take much for Verdan to guess what they were, and almost immediately he felt a headache flare in his right temple. No matter what came next, there was going to be problems with the city council. Verdan was sure of that much.
Hurrying back to the estate, Verdan cast quick glances up into the sky on a regular basis, watching with growing concern as the shapes grew larger. They seemed to be flying directly toward him, which could go badly.
“Nikau!” Verdan shouted out for the Captain the moment he was back in the grounds of the estate. Thankfully, the Captain was at the newly built guardpost next to the gates and stepped out with a guarded expression.
“Boss?” Nikau’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword, clearly picking up on Verdan’s unease.
“If I’m not mistaken, we’re about to get some unexpected visitors flying in,” Verdan said, pointing up at the approaching black shapes, which were now clearly a trio of Vespa. “Considering everything, we really need to avoid someone shooting them, understood?”
Nikau’s gaze followed his to the approaching Vespa, his eyes widening as he realised what was happening. “Right. Yes. Neld, Barb, get out here!”
The other two guards hustled out of the small building, Nikau quickly rattling off instructions as he hurried off.
That done, Verdan moved to the centre of the small courtyard that sat between the mansion and the workshop. The Vespa were clearly heading his way now, so he might as well stand in the open and make things easier for them.
Sure enough, barely a minute later Kraujas landed in front of him, the ground shaking with the heavy impact and Verdan’s clothes fluttering with the final beat of the Vespa’s wings.
“Wizard,” Kraujas said as the two younger male Vespas landed behind him. The Elder Vespa spoke in High Imperial, as always, and his words were slurred slightly from the limited motion of his jaw. Verdan had spoken enough with the Vespa to have an ear for their particular speech issue, though, and understood him well enough. “I bring greetings and tidings from Queen Adelarna.”
Verdan nodded, unsure of quite what the correct response was for Vespa etiquette. If in doubt, politeness was usually a good response, though. “My thanks to the Queen, and I hope she is settling in well to her new home?”
“Our new Hive is well situated, and the Web grows strong,” Kraujas said proudly, the two Vernals behind him making a low rumbling sound. “We have been securing the area around the Hive, which is why the Queen has sent me to you.”
“Oh, do you have a problem?” Verdan asked, his heart sinking at the thought. He had a lot to do, and hiking up or being flown up into the mountains was not on the list.
Kraujas cocked his head to one side. “No. We have driven away the immediate threats. My Vernals have seen your people beyond the mountains, though. I recognise one of them from when you freed me. He fights Darjee, and the Queen believes he is hunting them. Is this true?”
“Yes, that’s right. We believe there are a few hunting groups in the area so Ciaran is tracking them down.”
“No, not several, just one.” Kraujas flared his wings slightly. “Darjee always try to steal our Queens when they find our Hives, so the Web watches for their camps. They threaten all, so we shall help.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Verdan said, a little surprised by the forthright offer. “What do you need from me?”
“You are the only one who speaks our language, so I will carry you to the forest. You will interpret and we will slay the Darjee.” Kraujas held out his claws, clearly intending to fly away with Verdan.
“I can’t do that,” Verdan said, speaking quickly before Kraujas could pick him up. He had things to do, and the chance of someone not coming to talk to him about this visit was nonexistent. “But I can still help you pass along that message. I will contact Ciaran and let him know you are coming. You can then lead him to the camp and help kill the Darjee.”
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Kraujas considered Verdan’s suggestion for a long moment before nodding. “The Queen is gathering a hunting party. I will return and lead them out to your allies. If they follow us, we shall lead them to the Darjee.”
“Very well. I will contact Ciaran immediately.” Verdan waited a moment in case Kraujas wanted to discuss anything else, but the Elder Vespa simply nodded and leaped up into the air, wings snapping out as he did. The powerful gust of wind from the beat of Kraujas’s wings kicked up dirt and dust, and then he was rising into the sky.
“I know you said you can converse with them, but this is still impressive,” Natalia said, emerging from the workshop and watching the three Vespa fly away with a conflicted expression. “It feels odd to see them act like this, when I’ve known them to be dangerous all my life.”
“They are very different from us, and yet, at the same time, not so far away,” Verdan said, mentally composing the message to Ciaran. He was sure that it would be a surprise, so he wanted to take the time to craft it properly. This would be an unusual situation, so extra care to avoid conflict was definitely key.
Sadly, Ciaran’s grasp of Aether wasn’t sufficient to send a return message, even a basic one that would be little more than intent. Still, Verdan trusted that he’d act appropriately.
That done, Verdan went to get a coffee and waited for the inevitable visitors to arrive.
-**-
“Boss?” Neld called out, opening the door to the room Verdan was sitting in and poking his head in. “The Captain sent me to let you know there are some people heading this way. Looks like Commander Silver and a handful of guards.”
Finishing his drink, Verdan got to his feet and waved for Neld to lead the way. Neld was Alden’s brother and while his brother had shifted over to work exclusively with Natalia, Neld had remained a full guard.
Like his brother, Neld was in his late thirties with short dark hair and brown eyes, but that was where the comparison ended. Neld kept himself to a higher physical standard and had a far more martial bearing to the way he moved. Nikau only had good things to say about him as well, which was encouraging.
With Ruan moving away from a fighting role, Nikau needed a good second-in-command. Barb had been their initial thought, but she was acting more and more as Verdan’s personal guard.
Neld would be a good second choice as far as Verdan was concerned, but the final choice would be Nikau’s to make.
Stepping out into the courtyard, Verdan saw the Captain at the gate, a pair of his old comrades at his side as they faced down Command Silver and his guards.
There was a level of tension to the moment that Verdan hadn’t expected, and he took a second to really look at the situation before approaching.
As far as he was concerned, the city guard was a firm ally and they had worked together many times to great success. This tension was new, and he wasn’t sure what exactly had given rise to it. Then again, their conversation about exploring the Brotherhood tunnel in the city hadn’t exactly gone well as well.
“Commander Silver,” Verdan said, pitching his voice to carry as he walked over to them. “What can I do for you?”
Nikau shot Verdan a relieved look and stepped back, letting him take the Commander’s full attention. Silver looked like he was at the end of a long shift and gave Verdan a tired look.
“I think we both know why I’m here, Wizard Blacke. Some of my people reported a trio of Vespa fly into the city. They didn’t seem immediately hostile, but the patrol moved to intercept them, all the same, only to find that they landed here.”
Verdan frowned, he didn’t appreciate the tone Silver was taking with him. “That’s correct.”
Silver waited, clearly expecting more. When it was clear that Verdan wasn’t going to elaborate, Silver gave him an impatient look. “That’s all you have to say?”
“What more do you want?” Verdan resisted the urge to snap at him. “The Vespa came to speak with me about the Darjee in the area. We discussed the problem and they went on their way.”
“What do you mean you ‘discussed’ the problem?” Silver demanded before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Vespa are monsters, Verdan. Just tell me how you controlled them or if they’ll be a threat.”
“They are not monsters, and I did not control them. We rescued Kraujas in the Kranjir lands and his Queen more recently."
“Kraujas?” Silver’s expression turned incredulous. “I remember when Vespa descended on this city to slaughter indiscriminately. They are bloodthirsty beasts, and you are telling me that they were actually intelligent all this time? That you’re know on first name terms with one of them?”
“You’re taking all the wrong information from this,” Verdan said, keeping his tone even. “The Vespa were incited to attack, remember? The Brotherhood orchestrated it, and we finally found where they were holding the Queens hostage so they could harvest from them.”
“Who you then freed…” Silver’s eyes widened as he made the connection. “So the talk of going to search some ruins was a lie, then. You actually went to provoke the very people you think are responsible for several atrocities?”
“Did you think I’d just let them get away with what they’ve done without pushing back at all?” Verdan’s voice rose as he felt frustration bubble over in his core. “They are responsible for the death and corruption of tens of thousands of innocents!”
“But rather than try to talk to us or include us in your thoughts you did it all on your own.” Silver was shouting now as well, his hands curled into fists at his side. “Did you even stop to think about the cost to this city, about the potential response?”
“You wouldn’t even let me search the tunnels, and you expect me to believe you’d help me raid their safehouses?”
“Of course we wouldn’t, because we would have known that it would make this city a target!”
“You think it wasn’t already?” Verdan scoffed openly, shaking his head. “Look around you, Commander. Look at what happened merely as a side effect of one of their schemes. Everyone is at risk!”
“You’ve blinded yourself to consequence by clinging to the idea that you have the moral high ground,” Silver said, shaking his head as he turned away. “Keep those monsters away from my city, Verdan. If they stray, I will have them shot.”
“You say that I’ve blinded myself, but you’ve buried your head in the sand so you don’t see the wolf at your door. We’re at war, Commander. Ignore it all you like, but one day you’ll wake up and realise that you wasted the time you had to prepare.”
Silver’s back tensed as he walked away, but he said nothing in response.
