The Non-Human Society

“Vim, what do you think of her?” Lord Trivo asked me with a whisper.

Following his point, I studied the female knight. She wore a thicker dress than most of the other women here tonight, and she had a sword on her waist. It was a decorative sword, one for such occasions as this. Not for war.

“She’s a warrior, yes,” I said as I studied the way she stepped around a pair of men. She was walking slowly, just kind of meandering, and had a small glass of wine in her hand.

“Hm… and him?” the Lord pointed at another man. This one I had to scan for a moment, and wasn’t really sure who he was talking about.

“The one near the pillar? With those other women?” I asked him.

“Yes, with the red cuff-links, the ones made by the southern artisans,” he said.

I smiled at the item upon the man he had chosen to use as a descriptor. He really was a man of the upper echelon. What other man would know fashion so well in such a way?

“No,” I said after studying the man for half a moment.

“Really?” the Lord frowned and turned to look at me, as if he didn’t believe me.

“Really. That man has no spine,” I said.

Lord Trivo shuffled a little. His fluffy cloak, some kind of feather duster looking thing, made noises as he inched closer to me.

“You sure?” he whispered quickly.

Frowning, I nodded. “The man now leaning up against the pillar right?” I verified. Maybe I had gotten the wrong man.

“Yes. Lord Holfsen,” Lord Trivo nodded.

“Then yes. I’m sure,” I said.

“Hmm….” My current employer hummed happily, amused.

He turned to study the one I had just deemed not a warrior, and I wondered where this was leading to.

Was this just a passing fancy? Something to occupy his time at a party he didn’t seem too interested in? Or was he maybe testing me?

I sighed softly as a woman walked up to us. I made sure to step back half a step as she went to talking to Lord Trivo. Talking to him about her son, whose business venture Trivo had invested in recently.

The conversation was interesting, or rather… would have been, if I hadn’t been hearing the same thing basically for the last two days straight.

That’s all this was. A large business meeting. Just… fancied up and with music and food and drinks.

It was interesting though to find that although a hierarchical society, with something of a caste system, it wasn’t a sexist one. Half the people who’ve come up to Lord Trivo, speaking to him as equals, had been women. And not just because they were trying to earn his affection, or were the wives of his fellows. Half of them were the rulers of their perspective houses or business enterprises.

“Of course. Send him over… say, next Tuesday. After breakfast, please,” Trivo said to the woman.

She smiled and nodded. “Make sure you yell at him a little, Trivo! Don’t let him grow too big for his shoes!” she said happily as she turned away.

Trivo laughed and waved a light goodbye to her. Then he stepped back, as to return to standing next to me.

“What about him? The one with the pointy hat,” Trivo flawlessly returned to our previous conversation, and pointed to our right.

It took me a small moment to find the one he was pointing at. Many of the men here were wearing hats, for some reason, and more than not were what I’d consider pointy.

Yet the one in question was definitely pointy. It was basically a giant cone on his head. Was that in fashion, or was he making a statement?

I only needed to study the man for a few moments. He was leaning on a cane, and not just because of his fashion sense. He had an old injury, in his right knee. “He used to be. Some would inter that he is a warrior, since he had been one, but he’d not likely be able to do much anymore,” I said honestly.

“You mean his injury,” Trivo noted.

I nodded. “His right knee. Yes.”

“Fascinating!” Trivo seemed overjoyed at my answer, and drew closer. His giant feather duster cloak brushed against me, and I was half tempted to make him remove it. Wasn’t he hot in that thing? “Could you teach me Vim? How you tell?” he asked.

Teach…?

Is that what he wanted? To be able to tell if someone was a warrior or not?

“I… I can try, yes,” I said, though wasn’t sure if I actually could.

You could make someone a warrior, but that didn’t mean you could make them the kind to tell warriors apart from the each other.

It was more an innate skill than not, honestly. I’d known many who were as helpless on a battlefield as Trivo would be, yet still had been able to tell who was powerful and who wasn’t.

“I’d like that. So interesting. Who would you say is the strongest warrior in the room?” Trivo asked, expectantly.

Giving the Lord a tiny look, I wondered if he expected me to tell him the truth and say myself or not. Sometimes men like him enjoyed hearing such bravado.

Deciding not to, I sighed as I pointed above us. To a balcony to our right near a large dangling chandelier.

Trivo followed my point, and I realized I was going to have to specify. There were a few dozen people lingering near the banister, talking amongst themselves and overlooking the crowd below.

“That woman. In white. She’s standing near that man with red hair,” I said.

Lord Trivo’s face shifted a little, and I realized I might have answered incorrectly. At least to him.

“Saint Yallsi?” Trivo asked with a whisper.

“Saint?” I asked, perking up at the title. I focused again on the woman, and wondered if that title and word meant to them what it did to me.

“You’re sure? You’re serious?” Trivo asked, and actually grabbed my left forearm. He didn’t sound or look too panicked, but I could tell he was genuinely unsettled and startled.

“Well… yes. Within reason. I noticed her yesterday. If I had to fight everyone here, she’s the one I’d likely have the hardest time with,” I said.

I wasn’t entirely sure the reason as to why I believed such a thing, but my instincts were normally correct on things like this.

Not that she was actually a threat. None of the people here were. Not a one was non-human. It was almost a little concerning that of the hundreds here I not only hadn’t seen a non-human, but hadn’t smelled the scent of one either. Not even a lingering scent on a human, from a past interaction with a non-human individual.

Hopefully that was simply because everyone here had gotten very clean and dolled up for the party. Many of them smelled as if they had bathed in oils.

Trivo seemed very bothered by my answer, and I realized I had probably made a mistake. Maybe I should have said myself, or one of the more burly looking men. There were a few that looked like genuine warriors, some even battle-hardened. But…

Glancing up to the banister, I noted she was now looking at us.

She or the man she was talking with must have noticed my point, and our stares.

Great.

Looking away from her scrutinizing look, I wondered how much longer I’d be able to put up with all of this. This was just the afternoon of the second day, and supposedly these festivities were going to last the entire week. With even more weeks of so called business talks and charity drives.

Humans were always busy. Too busy.

“Well, at least you look the part.”

The voice came from behind, and made me instantly smile. Turning, I felt like a little puppy as I found Celine.

She too was dressed in the same ritzy lace as all the other women, but somehow she made it beautiful and not gaudy to me. How’d she do that?

“Oh? What’s this?” Lord Trivo turned as well, and Celine formally bowed her head just enough to be polite in greeting.

“This is Celine, she caught me licking the pages of books in the library the other day,” I introduced her.

Trivo laughed. “I hope she spanked you good!” he said.

Celine went red in the face, and although I felt bad for in a certain way putting her in such a position to become the brunt of a joke like that, I couldn’t help but be thankful he had made it. That blush was gorgeous.

Trivo snickered at her and then leaned to me. “I don’t mind you flirting, but don’t do it here. I need the women to think you’re available,” he whispered seriously.

Celine must have heard his whisper for her blush immediately died off, and her eyes narrowed a tad. Not enough to be rude, but enough that I bet even he noticed.

“I’m starting to wonder if I was hired as a guard or for breeding stock,” I said.

I had expected him to take offense to such a thing, but instead he smirked and chuckled. “Don’t tempt me,” he said, then turned his attention back to the woman I was currently locked eyes with. “Celine, I remember you. You accompanied your father a few times during our meetings. How have you been?” Trivo asked.

“Well, my lord. Much to my parent’s annoyance, at least,” she said.

He paused a moment, and out of the corner of my eyes I noted his look at me. “They don’t approve of her career in the library,” I said to him.

“Ah.” Trivo shifted a little, and I realized he likely shared the same sentiment. If he did though, he put it aside quickly and abandoned it. “Just wait until they’re so old they can’t read anymore. Then they’ll be jealous,” Trivo said to her.

Celine laughed, a little too much at his joke, but I knew it was because she enjoyed it when someone else agreed with her. Even in half-jest.

Studying the woman, and the way her dress hugged her body, I wondered how no other man had tried to claim her yet. She was beautiful… though maybe the current perspective of beauty was different than my own.

“I’ll leave you two be. I just wanted to tease him, my lord. Next time get a lighter color, that’s far too dark for your skin tone,” Celine pointed at me, or more specifically what I was wearing, and then smirked and turned away.

Watching her go, I regretted not being able to follow after her. I could, but it would cost me the Lord’s favor. But…

Did that matter…?

Trivo nodded. “What is that? The fourth woman to say so?” he asked me.

“Fifth,” I said. He hadn’t heard that little girl say the same thing earlier. He had been in the middle of talking to her father, so had paid her no mind.

He chuckled. “My wife’s lovely, but she does indeed lack an eye for such details. I hope you forgive her,” he said.

“I’ve never cared for fashion,” I said.

“So what do you care for?”

Another woman approached, and before I could sigh, I noticed it was the one I had pointed out to the lord earlier. The supposed saint.

As I turned to greet her, and also slightly step back as to let the lord and her talk to one another… I was a little startled when it was Trivo who actually stepped back a step.

Glancing at him, I realized he wanted me to talk to her. He had a stiff smile on his face and was looking away, and I could tell by the man’s eyes that he was begging and searching for anyone else to talk to as to give him a reason to run away.

With a small smile I nodded. “The sea for one. A strong sail on a clear day is a balm on the soul,” I gave her an honest answer.

The Saint… what had he said her name was? Something with a Y…

She smirked at me, and I noticed she was a little younger than I had thought her before. Old enough to be Celine’s mother, maybe, but not by much. She had a tiny white line of a scar on her left cheek, from something sharp, and her eyes were even sharper. I kind of liked the way she glared at me.

“Now now, Trivo. Introduce me, or I’ll go tell your wife that you’re being mean to me again,” she said to my employer before he was able to snag someones attention and get away.

He flinched, and his dust feather cloak jolted a little. With a small cough, he stepped back over to my side and gave the woman a stiff smile. “Yallsi. This is Vim. I found him working in the mines, and being the man with an eye of talent as I am, I scooped him up before anyone else could,” Trivo said with a gesture to me.

Yallsi’s smirk grew as she shifted a little and put her hand on her hip. It was the kind of stance a woman took to tell the world she was amused and at the same time, having none of it.

“It’s true. I washed ashore, broke and destitute, so went to enslave myself for a bowl of soup. Lord Trivo was generous enough to save me from myself,” I said gently, in hopes of maybe defending the man who was supposed to be my lord.

Yallsi scoffed, and I noticed her eyes hardened a little. In a way that told me I had either just lost all of her interest, or gained more of the wrong type.

“Careful Yallsi. He’s odd, but his strength is the real deal. If you must know, he declared you to be the most dangerous person in the room,” Trivo said defensively. Seemed he had interpreted her scoff as an insult to him, and not me.

The Saint’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t scowl. Instead she actually smiled. “Did he now?”

Great. I had her interest again. The type I hated to have by people like her.

I used to kill those who smiled at me like that on the spot. She’s lucky the sea had smoothed my edges.

Pondering the fact that I was actually very collected and calm right now, I actually stopped paying attention to the world around me. By the time I returned to paying attention, Yallsi and Trivo were now in a heated argument.

“Just because I turned down your request, doesn’t mean you can just come in here and step on my toes!” Trivo said.

“If I was stepping on your toes Trivo, you’d know. I’m wearing heels,” she said with a gesture to her feet. She had to move her dress a little for them to be visible.

Smiling at her, I decided I might actually like her. Not only had that been something I’d have said in her position, she had nice legs too.

“Vim, you may speak with her. Find me when you’re done, I don’t want my blood to boil tonight I plan to make love to my beautiful wife later, and this ugly-hearted wench isn’t worth the time,” Trivo said to me, then without waiting for any kind of response from me or her, turned and walked away.

Watching him go, I noticed his shoulder rise up in anger… and then lower as if from a great sigh. Before he even got a dozen feet away, he went to talking to another group of people. He laughed loudly, and it was clear he had just tossed all memory and knowledge of what had just happened away. Forgetting it as I would a bad dream.

“Such a child. To think he actually rules this whole area. It’s a miracle this place isn’t a cesspool of sin,” Yallsi mumbled as she crossed her arms and huffed.

Seems there wasn’t just bad blood, but a long standing relationship. Maybe they were past lovers or something.

Yallsi turned to her attention to me, and for a… very long moment we just stared at one another.

Then she smiled. “So you claimed me to be the strongest here?” she asked.

“Rather he had asked me who was the greatest warrior. Not so much the strongest,” I said.

“A distinction indeed. Still, why would you choose me? I’m younger than I look, and a woman,” she said with a gesture at herself.

A few of the people around us were glancing our way, but I noticed that most were doing all they could to pretend they could neither see nor hear us. The intentional attempt at ignoring us had actually begun the moment this woman approached, so I wasn’t too surprised.

“Do I need a reason?” I asked her.

Glancing behind me, I made sure my employer was still nearby and fine. He was. He was now a few more dozen feet away, near a table of drinks and cups. He was talking with a pair of women.

“Not really. Since after all it’s only understandable that a non-human beast like you would consider me to be the most dangerous.”

Yallsi now had my full undivided attention, and she knew it.

The woman slowly grew a smirk, and I quickly re-evaluated her.

She looked human. She was human. She smelled human. A little shorter than me. A scar on her cheek. A tight-fitting but smooth and classy dress. One not meant to show off her body, which was too bad. She was actually rather fit yet plump in all the right places. She was wearing sleeve long gloves, which reached her arm-less dress. Were they hiding scars? Now that I noticed, there were definitely little white line scars on her arms and neck too. Was she covered in them?

Yallsi giggled, and nodded. “Shall we?” she pointed behind her. Back towards the upper banister where she had been before.

I nodded, and didn’t even bother to glance over at my employer as I followed her through the crowd. We passed tables, and servants… and even Celine. She waved at me, and I did my best to not seem too weird as I waved back at her.

Although a little upset and bothered, I was actually a little excited. A few others had mentioned and knew of the existence of non-humans, but none had seemed to even think about them. Implying there were none here, and none around anywhere. Maybe even for great distances.

Walking up some large stairs, Yallsi made a small comment to a pair of women we passed as we climbed. It was a little interesting to see that most of the people here all knew each other, even if only distantly.

Trivo had not known who Celine was originally, yet had remembered her. And seemed to know her parents, maybe even rather well.

It wasn’t too surprising. Smaller human communities were normally like this… but…

This was still a town with hundreds of thousands. In a world without strong communication methods, it was odd.

Though I was probably just looking too closely into it. The reason all these people knew each other, was simple.

They were all nobles. The higher class. Their numbers were small enough that they could know everyone, if even only by name and association.

Following Yallsi along the banister balcony, we passed a small contingent of people. They were all talking around a small circular table that had snacks and drinks on it. One of them was the man she had been seen talking to earlier. I noticed the way the glanced at us as we passed.

Eventually we went crossed the balcony, and reached a smaller hallway. Not far down it was another door, which led out to a smaller balcony. A true one, that was outside the mansion and overlooking some of the orchard of trees. The ones with the orange looking things hanging on their branches.

There was a small bench on the balcony, that was just barely big enough for both of us. She went to sit in it, and did so in a way that told me she wanted me to sit next to her.

I declined, and instead leaned against the railing in front of it, as to face her.

“Why the secrecy?” I asked her once we were both settled.

Yallsi frowned at me. “Don’t you want to keep it a secret?” she asked.

“Keep what a secret?”

“That you’re a spy?”

A…

Yallsi must have seen my obvious confusion, as she crossed her arms and frowned. “You’re not a spy of the northern alliance?” she asked.

I sighed as I realized I was very ignorant of the current world.

Really I shouldn’t be as surprised as I was, but I definitely felt shocked.

A hundred or more years really was a long time. Even if I didn’t seem to think it was.

“No. I’ll be completely honest with you, I don’t even know who or what that alliance even is,” I said.

Yallsi went quiet a moment as she pondered me, and what I had said. Then she nodded. “I see. Yet… I’m right, aren’t I? You’re not a human?” she asked.

“You are,” I said. There was no point in specifying to her the how or why.

“Figured. Which is odd, since you don’t look it. Must have something under your clothes huh? I wonder what it is,” she said with a glance down.

“And you a supposed Saint,” I said, not caring for the way she was now looking at me.

“Hm. A former one,” she said as her eyes returned to my own.

Former…? Then she wasn’t what I thought she was. Their meaning of saint was a far cry from my own.

She then started to laugh. “I see! I wonder what you think a saint is!”

My mind went still, as I forcefully stopped myself from thinking more.

“Ah… Wow. You really do know what we are. That’s interesting. Most only think we can heal injuries, or bless people. You’re likely the only one in this whole city who knows what a Saint really is,” she said with a knowing smile.

I stood up a little straighter, and before I could think my next thought she raised her hands and lost her smirk.

“Hold on. I’m not trying to fight you. Really. Do you really think I’d have brought you here alone like this if I was?” she said quickly.

Blinking, I realized I was about to debate killing her.

“If you can hear my thoughts, why did you think I was a spy?” I asked.

“Because you were studying everyone in such a way. You basically studied everyone here, intently. In a way that told me you were either searching for something, or taking note of who was here and stuff,” she said as she sat up straighter. She was now on guard a little, and weary… but not to the point that she didn’t still seem willing to talk and be here with me alone.

Crossing my arms, I replayed every moment since I saw her and till now. To remember and find all the things I had thought of, and what she had heard and now knows.

It was hard, since I hadn’t really been on guard for such a person. Plus who knows to what degree she could…

“I can basically hear everything. The only flaw is I can only hear one person at a time,” she told me, interjecting my thoughts.

Some flaw.

She giggled. “It is!” she didn’t care for my sarcasm.

“Why say you’re a former saint then?” I asked. If she still had her god’s ability, then there was nothing former about it.

Her giggling slowly died, and her smile died to a tiny frown. One that was sad, and hurt. As if I had just brought up a painful memory.

“I… don’t know exactly what you think a saint is, or their purpose. But in today’s era, we saints exist for one purpose. To give birth to more,” she said.

Birth to more…

She nodded. “Exactly.”

“So what? You only need to birth another saint and you’re done? If you’re forced to do such a thing why stop at one?” I asked.

She took a small breath and nodded. “I didn’t exactly fulfill the requirement, Vim. My failure was another type. I can’t give birth. I’m infertile,” she said to me.

Ah. That made more sense.

“Actually no,” I said aloud, continuing my thoughts. There was really no point thinking them when she could hear them just as well as if I said them aloud. “Saints should be able to heal such anomalies of the body,” I added.

She nodded. “You’d think so. But five others have tried. No luck.”

My eyes narrowed, and then she shifted. Her shoulders became taught, and her lips thin. “Please. Never say that aloud. Ever. If you do I’ll be killed,” she whispered.

Blinking, I realized the look in her eyes.

That wasn’t just fear; it was a heart filled plea. She was begging me not to say aloud what I had thought.

Which was funny. She could read my inner thoughts easily, yet couldn’t read my heart.

I’d never reveal such a secret as that willingly. If her life had been so horrid that she had to go through such lengths, pretending to be unable to bear children, just to survive or be happy… then…

“You’re a kind one. For a non-human,” she said softly.

“I am sometimes. Tell me, this nation you spoke of… is it a nation of those like me?” I asked her.

“No. There you are slaves. Soldiers. Servants. The royal family in that nation somehow made a Monarch their pet, and with it they rule your people like the old gods used to,” Yallsi explained.

Before I could shift, and sort my thoughts enough to produce my next question, Yallsi lifted her hand and frowned at me. “Wait. Stop….” She said stiffly.

Hm? I glanced around, expecting to see someone else. Maybe she had heard the thoughts of another, approaching us or something.

But no. There was nobody. I could hear far off voices, but nothing else.

“Not that. No one’s coming here. My brother will make sure we’re left alone. Your mind is… not necessarily a mess, just very strong. Your voice-the voice of your mind- is very loud in my head. Honestly it’s concerning, I’ve never heard someone as clearly as I hear you,” she said with an apologetic smile.

“I’ve heard that before, yes,” I said. That little boy long ago, who had the same ability as her, had said the same thing. He kept asking me to stop yelling at him, even though I had never said anything.

She smirked at me. “I see. You’re… unique. In more ways than one. Who was that boy?” she asked.

“No one. He’s long dead. Tell me, why aren’t there any non-humans here? In this place?” I asked her, forcing her to stay on focus.

“Because they were all hunted. The last war was brutal. During my grandfather’s time after the war was over, your kind was outlawed. Some nations were kind enough to let you leave; deporting you from their lands, but most chose the crueler method. So this area is mostly devoid of your kind, even though today there’s no laws or hunts for you anymore,” she explained.

About to ask another question, she flinched as if I had just yelled at her.

Woops.

“How would I know how long ago that was? Just how old are you? Maybe that’s why your thoughts are so loud…” she reached up to rub a temple, and I wondered if that was the case.

How old had I been when I met that young boy? I felt as if I hadn’t been that old at all, but…

“Jeez. Listen, I don’t mind answering your questions but we need to get something out of the way first,” she said before I could say anything more.

I nodded and waited for her to say whatever she felt needed to be said.

She sat up a little straighter, and rolled her right shoulder. As she did I noticed again the little white lines of scars all over her body.

“They are scars. My church blessed them unto me, alongside the scars you don’t see,” she said stiffly.

“I meant no ill will,” I said.

“I know. I just wanted you to know who gave them to me, for some reason,” she said, and then seemed to ponder what she had just said aloud.

“Is that what you wanted to say before I asked my questions?” I asked her.

She smirked and shook her head. “Of course not. No… I need you to understand that no one here is worth destroying. This city is distant from any real conflict and the people although mostly living lives of servitude are happy and healthy. The only corruption in this region is of those in power not sharing more of their vast wealth,” she said.

“And why would you think I had wanted to destroy this place?” I asked her.

“You thought of it a few times in the last two days,” she said plainly.

Oh.

Well. Yes. But not because I hated this place or found it disgusting. Rather…

“Oh. You want something in the library? I can help you get it. If that’s what it takes to stay your hand,” she said.

“I already found them. And have access to them. But… with what you’ve told me, and can tell me, I may not need those anymore,” I said.

She frowned at me. “I may have been educated, but most of that was from the church that created me. The knowledge granted to me was biased and full of holes,” she admitted.

“I’m sure. Humans don’t get to claim such cruel incompetence to themselves. Not only do non-humans do the same thing, so had the gods,” I said as I pondered what to ask her first. About this supposed nation where they enslaved non-humans? And their Monarch? Her church, which by her words interred was creating saints and doing all it could to birth more? Maybe I should find out more about the human’s society, and why they all could live so freely without even worrying over Monarchs and non-humans.

Which was more important? Which should I dedicate my attention to first?

What to destroy first, and what to ignore?

“Are you a god?” she whispered a question in-between my thoughts.

“No. Why would you think so?” I asked.

“You didn’t just consider destroying everything… you did so with full confidence. You have no doubt you could accomplish those things, do you?” she asked unsurely.

“Rather I’m the type of man who sees through with his choices. Even if they’re impossible. You don’t know what you can do until you try,” I said.

A bird chirped to my left, and I quickly found it. It flew down from the high roof of the mansion and to the trees below. A moment later I heard the many chirps of chicks from somewhere inside the trees. A nest of some kind.

“Can I ask what line you descend from?” the Saint then asked me.

“No. You can’t,” I said, and I made sure to not think it either.

She smiled in a way that told me she had a few assumptions as to the why.

“This nation in the north. How far is it?” I asked her.

“Well it’s more west than north, to the honest. But they’re slowly conquering territory. It won’t be long until all of the human nations will have to actually declare war. I’m no longer a part of the church, so I don’t get updates or any plans… but even ten years ago they were already putting plans into motion for that inevitability,” she said.

Wonderful. So not only would I have to save them from this Monarch and nation that enslaved them, but the humans who would eventually hunt them down.

“You defend your people with a furor unlike I’ve ever seen. I wish we had someone like you on our side,” she said softly.

“You used to,” I said.

She blinked, and I noticed a tiny tear slide out from her eye. I wonder how she had taken my words for her to have shed a tear over them.

“Is it far? This nation?” I asked.

“A few months at a steady pace will take you to their border. But if you wish to reach any of their main cities it might take longer. I’ve never been there. My Parish region was here. These southern coastlines,” she said. “I could draw you a map, if you’d like,” she added.

“I can travel quickly. If you hope to lure me away with false information, it’d not save you,” I warned her.

Although I had expected my warning and threat to shake her, it instead made her laugh. She actually giggled at me and covered her mouth with a hand. “Of that I’m sure! I promise, I vow it… though I guess I can’t vow under my Gods anymore, so you’ll have to just accept my word,” she said after a small moment of laughing.

She was cute when she laughed.

The Saint sitting before me went a little red in the face, and I frowned at both her and myself.

Really?

Maybe something had happened on those islands. Maybe I had changed in those hundred or so years. Usually women weren’t so receptive…

As the saint looked down and got herself under control, I sighed and glanced around. I’d been out here for enough time now that it was time I returned to my Lord and…

Wait… Why would I? What point was it to play the guard dog any longer, now that I’ve found the information I needed? Or rather the best source for it. I could ask this Saint all I needed to know, then be off and…

My thoughts drifted a little as I thought about what I wanted to do. What I needed to do.

I was slightly enjoying this life. I was looking forward to spending time with Celine. And although this Lord Trivo was odd, he didn’t seem like a monarch I would have to kill anytime soon. The people here were upbeat. Affable. And not just the higher rank and file either. I didn’t like the disparity between the ruling class and those below, but it wasn’t massive enough to keep me up at night either.

Yet… I knew most of my attraction to this place, and its people, was from something obvious.

I had been alone for over a hundred years. Alone in one of the farthest corners of the world, too.

Of course I’d be enjoying myself. Of course I’d want to spend more time here.

But…

A part of me desired to search out the non-humans. I’d been keeping an eye out for them since arriving. I had instinctively gone to this lands repertoire of knowledge and history, to find any and all traces of them.

It was my duty, although not one imposed onto me by anyone other than myself. My responsibility.

For what I had done.

For what I did.

I killed their gods.

Sent them low. Made them fall from glory, and all the safety and luxury that position gave them.

The reason the humans could even think about waging war or killing them at all, was my fault.

So I had a responsibility and…

“You are a god.”

I flinched at the whisper of shock and awe, and didn’t like the eyes of pure reverence I found staring at me.

Really. What was wrong with me? Maybe my century or so in exile had made me soft and weak.

“As I’ve said. I’m not a god. You may have been banished or whatever from your holy-see, but surely you could still tell if someone or something had divinity within them?” I asked her.

“Divinity…” she whispered the word in a way that told me she knew full well what I meant, but at the same time didn’t.

Oh? “Don’t know how to tell?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I… I knew some could. But I had never been taught or shown how. If I even could. You’re serious then? You’re really not a god?” she asked.

“I’m not. If I was I’d be a very poor one, I think,” I said. Especially since that meant I’d have committed matricide…

Before she could say or ask anything more, I stood away from the railing I had been leaning against.

She sat up straighter, and her shoulders went stiff. She calmed down quickly though, and I realized she wasn’t really so much afraid of me as she was unsure of herself and me. She wasn’t sure what to think or do right now.

Funny since she had been so confident earlier.

“Mind walking with me as we talk? Just in case I decide to stay here, I need to make sure I don’t screw up my job and stuff,” I said to her.

“Oh… sure,” she accepted my request quickly, and went to stand up.

Heading back into the mansion, to the banister and balcony, I sighed as I realized what choice I was going to make.

Like always my instinct and heart made my decisions for me. Before I even had a chance to ponder the options.

Stepping over to the balcony’s banister, I sighed as I leaned against it as I overlooked the party below. It was still busy, but now there was a small section of the ground floor with dancing people. Light music filtered through the room, drowning out most of the conversations happening.

Lord Trivo was over near the dancing circle. He wasn’t a part of it, but I doubted it’d be long before he was. His wife was next to him, and was tugging on his arm.

Once sure he was fine I searched the crowd… for the other person I…

There. Not far from the stairwell we had used to come up here. Standing alone, resting against one of the pillars near it. She had a small glass in her hand, but it was empty… and…

She looked sad. Upset.

At first I was a little bothered by that look of resigned defeat on her face, and was about to search out the one who had placed such a look upon her… but then realized the source of it rather quickly.

It had been me. She had seen me climb the stairs with the Saint.

“Hm… she misunderstood, maybe,” Yallsi said as she stepped up next to me. She didn’t lean on the rail as I was, but got close enough we could talk easily with whispers, even through the music.

“Likely. Trivo also made an offhanded comment earlier that would have spurred it too,” I said.

“He is unable to think beyond his nose, so that’s no surprise,” she said with a frown.

She really didn’t like him, did she?

“Why would I? She’s a human isn’t she? Why are you thinking about her as if she was your lover?” Yallsi asked with a point towards Celine.

“Because she could be, if I allowed it,” I said simply. There was no point lying to someone who could read my true thoughts.

“Hm…” Yallsi hummed lightly as she continued to study Celine. Then she went quiet, as we watched Celine glance around. Likely for me. “You’re going to break her little heart, aren’t you?” she whispered after a moment.

“I always do,” I said softly.

Better broken hearts than souls.