Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 736: Impersonation ()
"No one is going to die." Neveah clarified, passing Xenon a look before she returned her attention to the Mer Cardinal. "If you have nothing to say, you can just listen. While you cause a ruckus here, a storm is brewing at sea,"
"I can tell from the scent of the wind. To be carried this far, my guess is, the storm will be great enough to overflow the banks and flood Sea City... perhaps even beyond it. I will not be naive enough to believe this is a natural disaster... your people are behind this." Neveah paused, taking a few steps forward, closer to the Mer Cardinal but she stopped when Xenon growled out his displeasure.
"The Sea City is the closest human settlement to the Mer Seas. By all reports, the inhabitants of this city have good rapport with the Mer folk. Now, why would you want to flood the Sea City, risk the lives of thousands precisely while I am in the vicinity?" Neveah asked directly.
The Mer Cardinal was momentarily taken aback by Neveah’s conclusion, but it only took a moment before he sneered. "Good rapport?! That was until you got into their heads and fed them with lies and evil aspirations!" He snarled, confirming Neveah’s suspicions.
"I did that?" Neveah asked, exchanging a baffled look with Xenon. "Have you met me before this time? I do not recall ever being by these parts of the stronghold." Neveah pointed out.
"Does the Dragon Queen ever need to move her own hands to carry out her will? Your emissaries arrived at the Mer Seas a few days ago and since then, our people have been thrown into chaos!" The Mer Cardinal accused.
"Emissaries?" Neveah murmured, her brows furrowed into a frown.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Veah was back in Fort Scabbard and has been on the road ever since! When did she have the time to send any emissaries?!" Estelle snapped at the Mer cardinal.
The Mer cardinal hissed, visibly outraged by Estelle’s words. He attempted to summon his magic but Neveah’s glowing gaze deterred him.
"Cardinal, who were these emissaries received at the Mer Seas?" Dante asked, also stepping forward.
"Lord Lodenworth and Lady Keila of the rider council. By their words, they were acting on royal authority. In the absence of the Dragon King, who else could have given such orders?!" The Mer cardinal hissed.
At the mention of Keila and Lodenworth, Neveah winced visibly and Xenon hissed beneath his breath. The rider council sought confirmation that the respected pair had betrayed their vows, Neveah also had hoped that she was wrong in her suspicion, for once she hoped Adrienne would be right but here came the confirmation, slapping them right in the face.
Neveah admitted she had let her guard down. Of all things, even as traitors, she had not once considered the possibility of Lodenworth and Keila impersonating royal authority... the council had decided to keep Lodenworth and Keila’s betrayal quiet until it was confirmed.
Which meant to everyone who was not on the rider council in Dragon Keep, including a few of the fortress Lords, Lodenworth and Keila were still the loyal and trustworthy Lord and Lady of the fourth squadron.
"What... orders did they bring you in my name?" Neveah asked in concern. She had never even met a single Mer in her life, to think that they already knew her and even detested her for orders she had no knowledge of.
"Are you truly feigning ignorance?! Is this the dignity of the Queen of the Dragons?!" The Mer cardinal Xenon gripped by the throat forced out the words, earning himself a deadly growl from Xenon.
"As you have said, I am Dragon Queen, and at the moment, the highest authority in the Asvarian stronghold," Neveah began, keeping her tone composed. "Would I have any reason to deny anything? You can do me no harm, regardless of my guilt in this."
The Mer cardinal opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it when Xenon’s grip tightened and the other whom Neveah had been speaking with was quiet, regarding Neveah thoughtfully.
"You truly were not aware of the emissaries from the Dragon Court visiting the Mer Seas?" He asked suspiciously.
"If I saw a need to send word to the Mers, it would be to invite you to Dragon Keep to ascertain your loyalty after the supply of channeling gems you were meant to have delivered to Dune City was delayed by months, endangering thousands of my people."
"You are the ones who need to explain your incompetence, cowering in the face of the Fae royal guards and failing to uphold your part of the alliance...why would I seek you out myself? You will come when I say to come." Neveah replied blankly.
The Mer cardinal frowned slightly, but he slowly eased his stance and then passed a look to Xenon who still held his companion in a death grip.
"Xenon, let him go and rouse the rest. We will have a talk..." Neveah’s gaze roamed around the inn, or what was left of it.
As her gaze moved from one part of the inn to the next, the signs of the battle disappeared and the tables, chairs and even the roof returned to how it all had been before the Mer Cardinals had arrived, save for the small pool of water that now covered the ground.
"Your turn." Neveah said, turning to the Mer cardinal.
He hesitated for a moment but then he waved a hand and the water covering the ground of the inn slowly came together and flowed out of the open door. The storm overhead stopped abruptly and the silence of the night returned.
Neveah walked over to the wooden table and took a seat, before gesturing across from her. "Please, sit... obviously, there is a lot you have to say to me. I prefer a civil conversation to a show of arms... sometimes." Neveah said calmly.
