Chapter Six
Neith
M y eyebrows rise, I had absolutely no idea that Raiden's father was on the Reaper Council.
Raiden's laugh holds no warmth as he replies, his voice sharp, "Yeah, I always questioned how he was deemed a worthy leader."
Sully nods, "Exactly, but then you could say that about all of the council members, could you not?"
Raiden nods, "Absolutely, and knowing that none of them were in power or at least in charge in Trieneliea makes so much more sense." He pauses and then asks, "So, it wasn't run like this in Trieneliea?"
Sully shakes his head, "No. Don't get me wrong, they were strict, but there was none of the stupid hierarchy shit that they have now. In fact, one of the members of the original council and a dear friend of mine had a tier twenty-five as his apprentice and was teaching him to take over his place."
Raiden's eyes widen, "No way." Sully nods, and Raiden continues, "The thing is that they know that it was done differently in Trieneliea, and the original council members wouldn't have led the reapers this way. It makes me wonder if the originals were deliberately left behind."
Sully taps the side of his nose, "That is the general assumption. But there is no way to prove that is the case. The originals are stuck in Trieneliea."
"Well fuck," Raiden curses.
Sully nods, "Until the portal opens, we won't be able to sort out the mess that the reapers have created for themselves."
"It figures, I am glad that I know though."
Sully nods, "Don't forget that it is information that you shouldn't have, and that they don't want it to get out. You need to be careful with how you handle your knowledge of it."
Raiden nods, "I am always careful how I handle my knowledge."
"Sounded dirty," I snicker, and then immediately clamp my lips shut when I realize I said it out loud.
Sully and Raiden stare at me for a moment before they both shake their heads and chuckle. I may not have meant to make the comment, but it has successfully broken the tension that the serious conversation was causing.
Sully becomes serious again, "The new council didn't help their species at all by keeping themselves so separate and secretive; it freaks the humans out and the younger generation of supernaturals as well. Everyone has been taught about the reapers that lose their shit, but whereas that was just knowledge in Trieneliea and didn't paint all reapers with the same brush, here it's bred fear."
"In the older generation as well, although I don't understand why, if they know how it used to be in Trieneliea," Raiden replies.
"It's all the doing of the new council," Sully replies, a dark and unimpressed look on his face.
"I hope that I'm still around when the door reopens to Trieneliea. I would love to see the council answer for their stupidity," Raiden practically growls.
"We all would," Sully agrees. "The new council has taken the fear that those few reapers that have gone rogue have caused and have fanned the flames instead of proving that there is nothing to fear like the original council spent centuries doing. They have used Teivel as an example. He tried to take over all of Trieneliea for the reapers because he thought that they should rule. A lot of lives were lost in that war, and the new council has made sure that it's taught in the magical academy. They also ensured that the reapers were taught lessons separately to the other students, which also bred fear. Originally, they wanted them to be completely separate, but thankfully, enough reapers kicked up a fuss that they backed down and only had some lessons separately."
I know that he is explaining this for my benefit since Raiden obviously went there and experienced it first-hand.
"I always thought that their ways were because they were stuck in the past and following unnecessary traditions, but it turns out that actually the old ways were better, and they're just being assholes. Their treatment of those they feel are less powerful than they are, is cruel and unnecessary. That's just the tip of the iceberg as well."
Sully smiles, looking impressed, "I agree, and so do many other people. Unfortunately, it's not something that anyone can fix, only a reaper can, and it would have to be an uprising or civil war or something because of the tight control that the new council of reapers keeps over everyone."
We all fall silent as we think about what Sully has said.
River must have started to feel better because he chimes in, "You know, I always wondered why the reapers had separate lessons from everyone else. It seemed counterproductive to me then."
Raiden grins, "Well, you were in enough of them to see for yourself what they were about."
"He was?" I ask.
River grins, "Not officially."
"None of us wanted to leave Raiden with no backup. Even though he was more than capable of taking care of himself, it got to the point where they were threatening to kick Raiden out because of the number of fights that he got in," Doc explains.
"Ransom developed a spell that allowed us to become undetectable, and we would all take turns sitting in on his special reaper lessons, just in case," Evander explains with a grin.
"As soon as anyone attempted to start something, we would mess with them and freak them out because we were invisible," Griff chuckles.
"The students that come to the Training Academy still talk about how haunted the place is, even though we haven't been there for years," Ransom chuckles.
"Coen was the funniest," River smiles, his legs bouncing in excitement, "he wouldn't wait for them to mess with Raiden before he fucked with them. He was always fiercely loyal," River frowns, "which is why it never made sense that he chose their team."
"It didn't, but there wasn't anything that we could do about it," Reed says, still lying on the floor.
"I hate it," River says, all of the previous laughter and happiness gone.
I don't like that he's sad, although I understand why. I want the happiness back though, so I say, "Tell me a story about one of the things that Coen did, I bet it was entertaining."
River smiles and nods, "Oh, for sure. Coen used to be able to keep up with me and my crazy plans, hell he came up with half of them."
"They were an absolute nightmare together," Evander smiles fondly.
"They always kept us entertained, though," Doc adds. "I miss it."
River's smile is sad, "Not as much as me."
"Hopefully, we will get him back soon," Ransom says, determination in his tone.
"Something I should know about?" Sully asks, "Or more accurately, something that Draith should know?"
I shake my head, "Not yet. We need evidence first."
Sully nods, completely understanding what I'm talking about, he should, he has known Draith longer than I have and was the one that taught me that rule.
"Understood," he replies and then looks at River, "I'd love to hear what Coen got up to, he was always one of my favorites, it's been far too long since I have seen him."
River nods, "I think it's been too long since anyone has seen the real him," he pauses for a moment and then grins, his eyes lighting up with laughter already. "Okay, so there was this one time when Ransom was running out of the potion that accompanied the spell, and we didn't have enough time to make more before Raiden's lessons."
"I remember that," Raiden says. "I told you guys not to worry about it, but you all knew that one of the reapers had made it their mission to get me kicked out and had up his game recently. Coen outright refused to let me attend classes without someone, so he took the potion knowing that there was a strong chance that it would wear off while he was still in the Reaper lessons, and he would get in some serious shit."
I smile, "Yeah, that sounds like Coen."
River nods, his knee bouncing again, "Yeah, that's it. The potion lasted the whole lesson, but as you guys were crossing over from the reaper side, that dickhead cornered you with like eight of his friends." River carries on explaining, and Raiden nods, smiling sharply, and River continues, "Before they could lay into you, the potion suddenly wore off, and Coen punched the guy straight in the face without any fucking warning and knocked him out cold. The others were so fucking shocked that Coen had appeared out of nowhere that they all froze and gave you guys a chance to get to us."
"We were already on the way because Coen had messaged us," Evander says. He chuckles, "I will never forget how quickly they changed their fucking minds when they rounded the corner and saw us all standing there and more than fucking ready for a fight."
"They forgot that unlike everyone else, we weren't fucking scared of them," Doc grins.
"Reed let a flare of power loose, and they fucking turned tail and ran," River grins.
"That's fucking awesome," I grin. I can just imagine them freaking everyone out, and I can picture the exact smile that Coen had on his face as he punched the fucker.
But what really makes me smile is that they all did it to protect Raiden and make sure that he didn't lose his place at the academy.
They're not just friends, they're a family, and knowing that Coen used to be a part of that, I am even more confident that Kylen and his team have done something to him. I have no idea what, but I will find out.
Sully chuckles and says, "If you guys are feeling better, then you should probably get going. I know that Ty is waiting for that flash drive."
"We actually had a couple of questions for you," I say, as I try to get back onto the here and now and away from murderous thoughts involving the Draconian Team.
Sully nods, "I thought you might." He leans back in his chair, "As always, I will try to answer what I can, but I can't make any promises. The silencing spell covers more than I realized, and I have a feeling that the extent of it wasn't disclosed to your parents because the person that commanded it to be cast knew that they wouldn't agree."
I smile. I like that. It's nice to know that if my parents knew that I would be kept in the dark at this stage in my life when I'm thirty-odd fucking years old that they wouldn't have agreed.
"That's good to know," I reply. "Just answer what you can."
He nods, "That I can do."
"First, the Choosing," I start, "we figured that the best way to get the information that we need as quickly as possible is to talk to a Warrior Team. We know that it's difficult to talk to the ones that were formed in Choosings that have happened since the realm closed, but we were wondering if you knew of any Warrior Teams from Trieneliea that may be willing to help us?"
Sully frowns, "I can reach out, but don't get excited. Any of the Warrior Teams that I knew have moved to the fringes of our society. They want to be left alone. Even if I can get someone to talk to you, the chances that they can help are slim. Every Choosing is different, it's tailored to the specific teams that are involved, and it changes every time."
"That makes sense actually," Raiden says. "The Choosing is broadcast to any supe that wants to watch it. It always has been. If it were the same every time, then anyone who has watched the Choosing would have an advantage that previous contestants didn't have, and it would also mean that it would be able to be manipulated."
"Exactly," Sully agrees with a smile. "The magic ensures that it can't be changed or manipulated in any way."
"Okay, I understand," I reply as disappointment dims my smile. We knew that it was a long shot that we would even be able to find a Warrior Team, but I was hoping that if we did, they would be able to give us some sort of advice now that's not looking likely that it's going to happen and we're still going to go into the Choosing in the dark.
"I'll still try. They might be willing to offer some advice or tell you what happens after the trials, what the rooms are like, or something. None of that is broadcast. When it's over and the scroll has made its decision, the teams go into the temple where the scroll resides, and something happens in there to tell everyone the decision. No one is sure exactly what happens. The winning team is announced from within the temple, but that isn't shown to anyone but those in the room," Sully explains.
"That's interesting," Reed replies, looking thoughtful.
"You know who would be amazing at helping you deal with all of this?" Sully asks, and then immediately continues without waiting for any of us to guess, "Ro, he was the Warrior Team trainer and fucking formidable."
I frown slightly and ask, "Do you mean Kyrous?"
Sully looks shocked for a moment, then smiles, "Of course, you had the vision. Yes, he was only really called Kyrous in formal situations or by his students. Everyone just called him Ro."
"Did you ever find him?" I ask as I think back to when they were all talking about him, and Draith said that the team he went with reported that he was dragged off and most likely dead. Just like when I watched it unfold the first time, the same feelings of sadness and this time anger too floods through me, confusing me even more.
For some reason, Sully's answer really matters to me. I think it's because it was obvious that Draith was really affected by the fact that he was missing, and Draith doesn't care about a lot of people like that. He likes to keep his circle small. Which is why I am so privileged to be a part of it and why his offer of support that he gave me at the poker game, should I need it, was such a big deal.
Sully shakes his head, sadness flooding his eyes, "We never found him. I have to assume that he is dead because he would have found his way back otherwise. He could always find his way back."
The sadness that confuses me makes my heart hurt for a moment, and I frown.
"I'm sorry," I say to Sully, trying not to show just how upset I am about it. My sadness would probably make them ask questions, and I don't have the answers for them. It doesn't make any sense.
Sully nods, "Thank you."
"What happened to the king and queen?" Raiden asks, changing the subject. "Did they both stay behind?"
Once again, sadness crosses Sully's features, but he nods, "Yeah, they stayed behind to protect Trieneliea. They ensured that we were sent through to the Earth Realm to protect and advocate for the supernaturals here, and they also made sure that trusted supernaturals went through to the other realms as well."
I smile, "From what I witnessed in the vision, that doesn't surprise me. They seemed like they were extremely good leaders. You can easily tell that they cared about their people."
Sully's eyes light up, and he nods, "They were the best and are very missed. I am sure that they are still fighting if the war is still going on. While I hope that it isn't, if it is, then they will be out with their people, helping to rebuild Trieneliea and supporting them in any way that they can. The room is silent for a moment before his expression clears, and he asks, "How did it go with the kelpies? Did they come?"
I nod, "Yeah, they did actually. I was surprised that they did since we haven't really been bonded for that long."
Sully smiles, "I'm not. You saved their lives. That's more than most used to do in order to gain their trust."
"Neith didn't just call Mael. She ended up calling the whole herd by accident," Evander chimes in with a grin.