“How will you keep the crystals from being used by the snakes as a bargaining tool to create an alliance with Brandor?”
“I’ll hide the crystals deep within the Serpent King’s underground city. Seth won’t know he has them.” George paused for effect and enjoyed Senchae’s smile. “I have things to do, and I won’t be able to be found for the next 15 Peaks. I’ll be creating other alliances. We still need to gather enough of an army to crush Brandor.”
“Where will you go?” Senchae asked.
“My King, this is a matter best left between you and me. These brave men around us do not need to worry about such details. They have much to do to prepare for war. With your permission, perhaps we could speak of this during some other series of moments.”
Senchae liked the diplomacy displayed by his consulate. “Agreed. We’ll speak of this later.” He knew George had no intention of telling him anything, but the mage made everyone feel he respected the king’s position, and this was good enough for Bloodvain.
George looked into the eyes around the room. He watched to ensure that every barbarian took to the idea of using the snakes as a force against Brandor. After a brief question and answer session, he made his exit.
“Sounds like George is worried that Brandor will defeat the barbarians,” Mosley said after watching the mage vanish. The wolf turned to face Lasidious. “Let’s meet back at the Hall of Judgment to discuss this.”
Everyone agreed, and then they vanished.
Soon, Lasidious lifted his feet onto the table. He leaned back, enjoying his position of power. The Book of Immortality took its place on the golden stand while Mieonus stood behind the God of Mischief, rubbing his shoulders.
Mosley spoke first as he lay across the top of the table. “As I said, it sounds like George is worried that the barbarians will be defeated by Brandor. I believe the human wants to ensure that he doesn’t lose the crystals, and hiding them in the Serpent King’s lair is a decent plan. Sam will never know where they are. I wonder where George went after he left the meeting? Why does he need 15 Peaks before he can make another appearance in Bloodvain?” Mosley lifted his leg to scratch behind his ear.
“That’s what I want to know,” Lasidious responded. “I say we find out.” The god waved his hand, and a map of Southern Grayham appeared on the table. He told the map to search for George, and it quickly responded. The parchment rolled itself out and revealed the mage’s location. “Hmmm, Gessler Village.”
“I like your new toy,” Mieonus complimented after seeing how efficiently the map found the mage.
No one acknowledged Mieonus. Instead, they all vanished.
The Goddess of Hate stomped her lifted heel against the marble floor of the hall. “Ewwww! I hate them!” The goddess vanished.
When George appeared with the cats, they were underneath The Bloody Trough, and it was good they had appeared where they did. Four horses were there that night drinking beneath the inn, but as luck would have it, they were on the opposite side of the wall that fed water to the troughs. The presence of the three jaguars would have scared the horses half to death, but since the demons were masters of the shadows, there was no cause for alarm. They just simply hid.
The mage gave instructions for the cats to wait, and then he walked through the swinging doors of the inn. He surveyed the establishment. The bar was filled with barbarians, but what he had hoped for most was also present. Six humans from the south were also drinking. All of them were rugged looking, and none of them looked approachable. They were perfect.
Satisfied, the mage found a seat at the bar and ordered an ale. He would wait for Lasidious’ signal and then begin his charade.
Mosley was the first to appear outside the Bloody Trough. Once the others had arrived, the gods entered together. Like before, they remained unseen to the mortals. They quickly found a spot to sit and then looked to see what George was up to.
“Why would we want to watch him drink?” Mieonus whined. “This isn’t worthy of a god’s attention.”
Lasidious shook his head. “We don’t know why George is here. He must have a reason. Perhaps he’s meeting someone. Let’s just see what happens. It’s not like we have anything better to do. I’ll summon us drinks.”
Lasidious waved his hand across the table, and