Olimpia

Kanieta eyed Joro, the Faction Leader of the Blue Sky. She had hardly looked at him for more than a second before his eyes slid from the Master of Ceremonies to lock with her own. He might have given the smallest of dips to his head, but she could be mistaken as the movement was so slight it could have just as easily been the shadows playing tricks. There was no mistaking the knowing tilting of his lips and the wink he sent at her.

Giving a slight but noticeable nod of her head in reply, Kanieta acknowledged the help he provided. Few would have taken it well if she had stood up and questioned Scout Green.

They would have looked upon the scene as if it had all been arranged. Honestly, it would have been quite the compliment to her abilities to think she could pull that off, but the effect of the testimony would not have been as great. If no one had stepped forward for another second longer, Kanieta would have done exactly that, but the impact wouldn't be the same.

The Blue Sky Faction was largely looked upon as a neutral faction. As such, getting them to go to any side of an argument was a monumental task that only heroes of legends could take on and have any real hope of accomplishing.

That was, so long as you didn't have their weakness spilling out of your hands. What better way there to entice a merchant faction than to offer them gold?

There is truth in the statement that merchants make a killing in war, which was great for them because this generation will be judged on whether they can win the greatest war in the People's history, but there were only so many Kin. Only so many items that could be used.

And with their shrinking nation being hemmed in by an existential threat on one side and a country that viewed — or will view them soon — as the apex of an enemy they had fought for untold generations, the war was currently looking bleak. So long as they had to fight on both sides.

One force would kill every single Kin they saw, and the other appeared to be waffling between war and peace as political factions jockeyed for position.

If a merchant faction had the chance to tip the balance, it only made since they would choose the side which would open up trade with an entire nation.

The act was entirely self-serving on the side of the Blue Sky, but that didn't negate that it also helped the Red Tail Faction. Green's presence proved that there was a definite faction within the Olimpians that was willing to accept peace with the People.

Right now, blood was running hot, with them taking over two-thirds of the Triad, but there were no insurmountable differences yet. But peace was looking like a real option if they played their cards right.

And now the entire Conclave knew it.

Smugly turning to look at Derg, like everything was going according to her plan, her smile froze, and she felt a cold hand grip her heart.

The shadows in the chamber were thick, but to her eyes, they were only a slight hindrance.

Derg sat back in his chair, his face set into a placid mask. There was no anger. His jaw wasn't clenched, causing the vein on the side of his head to pop out as he suppressed his urge for violence. Derg looked relaxed, as Green's existence undermined his entire faction's position of conquering Olimpia.

If there was one thing Derg was known for, it was his dogged pursuit of a goal. Not his calm and collected appearance when things weren't going his way.

Something was wrong.

Kanieta couldn't help herself. She took a quick glance around the room as if someone were hiding in the corner of the circular room, preparing to jump out at her and attack.

"What's wrong?" Lurta asked.

"Derg isn't concerned," Kanieta answered, her eyes still searching the shadows.

There was a moment where Lurta said nothing, then she spoke, "Ahh, I see. This could be a problem."

"Do you think that he would try something here?" Hartloe asked, sounding concerned

"He would be pitting himself against the entire Conclave if he did," Kanieta answered, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"There have been others," Lurta murmured. "Nothing has changed, though. The plan remains the same, keep our open and look for an opening."

The drums stopped, and the dancers, who were wearing masks and covered in pain, froze in place. Some were positioned to look like they were fighting looming monsters, while others looked like they were fleeing. They were acting out the story of how the People's ancestors first escaped from the Letairry and fled into the Broken Peaks.

The performance was meant to remind all of them of who they were and where they had come from. What the consequences would be if they ever stopped fighting.

After a few more seconds, one last beat of the drum sounded, and all the dancers stood straight before bowing as one. They then began filing off the platform.

When the center platform was empty, the Master of Ceremonies stepped into the light again. "We are here to ascertain the validity of the accusations made in an emergency session of the Conclave held over a month ago. According to Faction Leader Kanieta, an Elder of the Crescent Moon Faction has cast the forbidden spell Soul Harvest. More than that, Captured Olimpians witnessed the spell and escaped to tell their own people. The White Paw clan was chosen to send out investigators to confirm the truth of the claims. If the investigators would be so kind as to come forward and speak to what they have found." The old rabbit-kin gestured to the White Paw section, and a ray of light broke off the center column showing their faction leader.

Karlonu's smile was motherly as she sat with her back straight, her hands clasped over each other on her lap, "It would be our pleasure." She gestured to the center of the room with a wave of her fingers as she spoke.

At the motion, a man and woman rabbit-kin stepped into the light around her and continued forward. When they stepped onto the center platform, they bowed to the Master of Ceremonies before turning to face the darkness. Then the woman started speaking, "Because of the concerns of Faction Leader Kanieta, we were sent to investigate the site where the supposed forbidden spell was cast. To help us verify the truth, we were granted access to records detailing how the spell is cast and the aftereffect it causes on the ambient mana. From a physical inspection and sensing the echos of magic, it is our determination that the spell Soul Harvest was indeed cast."

The young rabbit-kin woman stopped at this point as a surge of murmurs erupted from the gathered chieftains. She waited until the explosion of talking died down before speaking again. "Because the spell was not finished, and the ambient mana was disrupted from battle with the Olimpians, some portions of the spell's echoes were distorted. But we were able to pick out the spell signature of Elder Jolten, which we could determine thanks to a sample provided by the Conclave." There was more talking, but the woman never stopped cutting them off, "However, we were unable to question the elder, as he, along with his disciples, were already dead and scattered around the spell sight."

At this point, the male stepped forward, "We had already gathered reports of the Olimpians moving down the river, so we set about determining to what extent Elder Jolten had broken our laws. In our search through the Crescent Moon clans, we were unable to find any other use of the forbidden spell. There were no soul stones. There were no diagrams or hidden books containing the details of casting the spell. So far as we were able to determine, no one else was even aware that Elder Jolten was in the process of casting the spell with his people. While there could undoubtedly be proof back in our old homes, we cannot search such locations. As such, we are forced to conclude that Elder Jolten acted of his own accord." The male stepped back, and both of the two stood together as the Master of Ceremonies stepped up to say something.

"What is that…" Looking behind her, she saw Green. Even with the darkness of the chamber, she was able to tell that he was pale. And he was slightly swaying back and forth in his seat as if he was so drunk he couldn't stand properly.

If she couldn't already guess, a sniff of the nose told her everything. The smell of blood had grown stronger. It wasn't to the point that more blood was outside of his body than in, but multiple punctures and lacerations were leaking blood and had been for a while.

We might have to change our stance on keeping everyone who has entered the chamber from leaving. At least so long as Olimpians have a chance of becoming a common fixture. They aren't as robust as us. Pulling her mind from idle thoughts, Kanieta asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I smell… blood," he said.

"Humph!" Snorted Lurta, "Well, I would hold so. Otherwise, you would be making only us smell it." Green rolled his eyes — which was more of a roll of the head — at the comment murmuring something even her hearing couldn't make out before he went back to staring off into space.

Turning back to the stage, her eyes immediately narrowed in anticipation of annoyance. "I do not mean to question your authority on the subject." Preened the Deer Bitch in her soft and lilting voice as she questioned their authority on the subject. Horrible time to start paying attention, grumbled Kanieta mentally, "But are you certain that it was the Soul Harvest Spell? I mean, how can any of us be confident? That spell has been forbidden for so long that no one can really say what its spell structure looks like. From what I have heard, some of the documents about how to cast it are outright contradictory. The only one who was there — which has yet to be verified — and can testify to what the spell looked like was Chieftain Ka— oops, I mean Faction Leader Kanieta. But if she was really there, then how could she leave one of the People to be ruthlessly slaughtered by the Olimpians?"

Kanieta's hand clenched and shook slightly as her rage flared. Because he was casting the Forbidden Spell, and I recognized it! Why would I help someone breaking our laws!?

The idiotic Deer made her face into a mask of mourning and disappointment while she shook it slightly, "I know I would never leave an Elder — those who looked over us while we were young and guide us with their wisdom now — to die while I fled, saving my own life. But if someone did flee a battle, you can always tell from their singed tail. I would never suggest that Kanieta was such a person, either. I think it is far more possible that Kanieta was never there, nor did she see the actual spell the honored Elder Joltan was casting, and only assumed it was forbidden from a brief glance? Maybe she fled and had read the same description of the forbidden spell that the investigators had read, a document that has already been established to be suspect, with no definitive example remaining."

Fucking bitch! Kanieta shifted in her seat, resisting the urge to check on her tail. It was mostly normal by now, but the tip wasn’t quite as thick as the rest. Either I left an elder to die, or I am an idiot who can't recognize a spell?! And how is your statement of not seeing the real spell definitive proof that no documented copy exists! Kanieta internally fumed when a soft but insistent humph drew her eyes to the side. Lurta placidly looked into Kanietas eyes, weathering the fury they contained like it was nothing more than a summer's breeze.

After a few seconds, she was able to contain her mounting irritation at the blatant lies and misrepresentation of the facts. Everyone knew that the Deer looked at Derg with eyes as big as the moon filled with longing every time she saw him. Lurta's eyes slowly slid to the side, following the look, a vindictive smile spread over Kanieta's face.

A tranquil calm overcame Kanieta, and she held her hands loosely in her lap. Her time would come soon.

"Are you saying you believe the Soul Harvest Spell wasn't cast?" Asked the Master of Ceremonies.

"I am saying that we cannot be sure what the spell actually does until we cast it. And with the cost of casting the spell being so high, casting such a spell can never be considered. The investigators said themselves a battle had taken place, so whatever remnants that might have remained by the time they got there would have been distorted. A spell was cast, but any decision that we come to must be mitigated by the fact that we cannot be confident that Forbidden Magic was even used." The Spotted Prancers leader's voice sounded like she was pleading with them to be reasonable. Like they were in the wrong for trying to judge someone who had broken their law.

The old rabbit was silent for a moment, with his eyes closed. When they opened, their inner light had dimmed like someone had just poured a bucket of water on a fire. "The Faction Leaders point is valid. There is no proof that anyone else was involved or knew of the events before they transpired. And without us casting the Forbidden Spell and no evidence to the contrary, there will remain a reasonable doubt to the validity of the Investigators' claims. As such, we—

"Excuse me," Kanieta called out while standing up.

The Master of Ceremonies did not seem to mind her cutting him off, but the Deer's head snapped to the side, a pout of annoyance already marring her delicate features.

"You have something to say, Faction Leader Kanieta?"

"I do," Kanieta replied, her head turning and giving Jovum a radiant smile that only made her pout into an ugly scowl. "As luck would have it, we have the victim of the Soul Harvest spell with us today." She turned and waved to Green behind her. "Any competent healer can feel the scarring on his soul. Scarring that could only be made by the Forbidden Spell."

Explain that Bitch, Kanieta thought, not even looking at the Deer.