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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 3997535" data-attributes="member: 812">Frying Pan, Fire: 9The Inner Sea sparkled as the sun rose above the eastern horizon. Isaac shielded his eyes. Somewhere past that horizon lay the ancient land of Lohan-El, where creatures like Matai Shang and Madame Yuek came from. Were they somehow searching for he and his friends? Would they return yet again with their weird pronouncements and superhuman powers?Isaac hoped not.Their ship travelled almost due north, so off the other side he could see the early stars twinkling in the growing gloom. Elena came up beside him. They leaned against the stern rail in silence for a while, listening to the masts and cables creak overhead."So."Elena turned to her old friend."Old Collette's on the payroll, huh? You know what they say about office romances."Isaac growled. His hand tightened on the hilt of his father's sword.Collette de Maynard had manipulated him more than once, made a fool of him and nearly gotten him killed. He thought about her mocking, sharp-featured face nearly every day."That's not funny.""What do you think it means? I warned you we shouldn't trust those del Maraviez bastards.""Well, now we know."Isaac watched Nevid sitting with Etienne and Zuleika nearer the bow of the ship. Getting aboard had been as straightforward as the del Maraviez youth's contact had promised, and they were now half-way into their two-week voyage north across the Inner Sea to Saijadan.Saijadan. Home to him and Elena and Nevid. At last. But also home to the del Maraviez family, at whose bidding they had first travelled to the Narid.He sighed."There must be an explanation. Or else it was a mistake.""Didn't sound like a mistake.""Yeah, well, at least we don't have to worry about it for another week. Nothing much can happen out here, right? It's kind of nice, actually. A couple of weeks without prison breaks or armies or sorcery or vampires all over the place."The deck erupted in a sudden fountain of black shadowy tendrils and Madame Yuek seemed to rise up from the planks themselves. Tall and forbidding and seemingly amused by the panic her appearance caused in the crew."Well, one week at least."*****Madame Yuek's new spells had engrossed Arrafin during the trip. She spent almost all her time in her tiny cabin, reading and reviewing the documents she'd received from the vampire sorceress.Certain principles of sorcery were becoming clearer to her, but it was still mostly memorization and repetition. The girl's quick brain understood that there were broader truths behind these examples, though, and she longed for more knowledge.At times she collapsed, snoring in the midst of papers and notes, only to thrash awake in strange dreams. She grabbed brief meals on deck, retreating to her cabin with only the barest conversations with her comrades. Days flew by.Gral sat on a lantern hook in her room and watched, going out at night to search for mice and other tiny vermin on board the ship. She could speak with him now, actual sentences, and she understood how his presence made her abilities safer, more predictable. They worked together to hold on to Shadow's dark power and to shape it to Arrafin's will.The girl lay sprawled on her cot, scroll tube clutched to her thin chest, twitching faintly in her sleep.Her big eyes popped open and she shot up, scattering papers on the floor. Gral flapped and leapt from his perch, zooming tight circles around the room.Sorcery. Here.She ran from the room onto the main deck of the ship, nearly colliding with Isaac and he and Elena descended the companionway from the stern.In front of them Madame Yuek stood, looking freakish and crazy and very pleased with herself. Her hair stood up in an elaborate tower of arches and gold bands, laden with tiny gold bells that rang in a constant shimmering drone. White as purest marble, her smiling face topped a gown of crimson and gold that glowed in the dawn."I hope I didn't wake anyone."Isaac pushed Arrafin behind him. The Naridic girl frowned and strained to see around her burly friend."What do you want? Madame."The towering vampire gestured and a low table appeared, strewn with cups and bowls and plates. Sizzling sounds and warm smells reached everyone."I wish only to talk. I brought breakfast."To everyone's amazement, Madame Yuek gracefully lowered herself and knelt beside the table. She gestured for them to join her.Nobody moved.Madame Yuek grinned at Arrafin. She held up a gold carafe."Coffee?""Ooh. Coffee."Slowly, the group converged on the table and seated themselves around it. Cushions appeared beneath them as they sat.Isaac prevented Arrafin from moving past him and made sure to sit between her and Madame Yuek. To his discomfort, this put him right next to the bizarre creature.The food did smell good, though. Zuleika shrugged and filled a plate. She held out a cup and Madame Yuek, with a smirk, poured coffee. The others followed suit, trying to act as though being served by an insane vampire goddess was normal.Arrafin appeared unperturbed, at least. She sipped at her coffee and smiled at their hostess."So. You wanted to talk?"The answering smile raised hairs on the backs of many necks around the table."Yes, my dear. I have been investigating Matai Shang's interest in your friend, and I think there are some things you should know."Madame Yuek lifted a hand in Nevid's direction."Your friend carries within him a fragment of the soul of Tsing Kwan, the last Blood Mother."Confused looks passed around the table."I will explain for you some history. First, you must understand that there is always a Blood Mother. At least, there was until a century ago. Until Matai Shang figured out how to remove her without spawning a new one."Isaac frowned, intrigued despite himself."What do you mean, 'a new one'?""When the Blood Mother dies, a new one always emerges. Shang realised it had to do with the soul of the Blood Mother. When the Blood Mother dies, her soul passes to the new Blood Mother, and the tradition is passed on.""So... he kept her alive?""No. He destroyed her soul. Shang is an expert in working with the human soul. He understands it as well as anyone alive or dead. He was able to blast the Blood Mother's soul into pieces."Silence greeted this information. Arrafin had grabbed a napkin and was making hurried notes."Magic designed to work upon a complete soul has... unpredictable effects on partial souls. A new Blood Mother did not emerge. The Blood Council has been without guidance for a hundred years now."Zuleika sniffed. She took a pastry and scowled."So what does that have to do with Nevid? This Shaeric girl says he has a spike in his head."Madame Yuek studied Kaley. The Shaeric girl seemed unaware of the scrutiny."That is not a girl. I'll warn you not to treat spirit creatures as though they were human. They are not."Her gaze turned to Nevid."A partial soul must find a complete soul to act as its... host, if you will. It cannot maintain itself and so is drawn to a complete soul. Perhaps you have dreams you don't recognize?"Nevid nodded. The vampire stared at him."Yes. Those are Tsing Kwan's memories."Arrafin put up her hand, realised she wasn't in a classroom, and cleared her throat."Um. Madame. Yuek."The vampire smiled warmly."You may call us Man Chong, my dear. Our full name is Yuek Man Chong.""Okay. Oh. So. Uh. Madame. Man Chong. Does this mean there must be more people like Nevid? With, uh, chunks of this woman's soul in their heads?""Exactly, Arrafin. How clever of you.""Oh, it just. I thought."Arrafin busied herself with her notes. Elena came to her friend's rescue."What does Shang care, though? He's destroyed the Blood Mother, and now she's gone. Why's he chasing after Nevid?""This I do not know. Not yet. It confuses me, and that frightens me. Shang only exposes himself to risk when the need is very great.""Why's he so paranoid? Isn't he, like, head-crushingly powerful?"Madame Yuek smiled at Etienne's scorn."You don't understand what the power of sorcery means. No matter how much power one holds, one can always overlook something. Something vital. Only the most paranoid, the most suspicious, the most fiendishly devious ever survive."Isaac scowled."Except you, of course. You're a paragon."The smile disappeared."I crack open ribcages and eat people's hearts while they still beat."But I will not ignore something Shang has been willing to risk himself so greatly for. He must be trying to save the world.""What?"The smile returned."Of course. What else could convince him to go up against me directly? He knows better than anyone what I am. He must think the world is at stake.""But... if he's trying to save the world, what are you doing? What are we doing?"Madame Yuek sighed and gestured airily."Everyone is trying to save the world. I. Shang. The Tyrant's Shade. The Blood Council. We're all trying to save the world from each other.""Oh.""Now, you folks were really quite reckless in Al-Tizim, weren't you? Don't you know the Tyrant's Shade has been tearing apart the city looking for you? You realise that if he finds somebody who knows who you are, or even who met or spoke with you, he can track you down?"Worried glances hadn't even begun to go around the table when Madame Yuek spoke again."But not too worry. I killed everyone you spoke to in the city and made sure no sorcerer can question them."Her smile was bright and charming."But honestly, you people just don't think these things through. I won't always be able to clean up after you, you know. Now I hope you enjoyed breakfast. I know I greatly enjoyed our little chat. Arrafin, my dear, I hope you've been studying. Another time."Blackness yawned up all around them and she, and the table, were gone.And the cushions. Etienne rubbed at his tailbone."Ow."The others looked around at each other. Elena shrugged."Great. So I guess we're saving the world, then."</blockquote>

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