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Realms Converge	By : Candice Category: +G through L > Legacy of Kain Views: 3562 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Legacy of Kain, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.Don't get to Nosgoth itself til chap 5

Chapter List
- 58
- 59
- 60
Small reference snuck in here if you guys can spot it. To give you all a clue, it references a fav parody group of mine, teamfourstar. Digital Cookies for those that spot it!
Thank you to Rymann for your kind review. I do hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Deception
The half-shimmer moving about in the depths of the water was relatively easy to track and I eased back a step as it rose high enough to breach the surface of the water without distorting the natural ripples. I turned to the side enough that, if I dropped my Gift, it would not seem as if I knew just where the Parasite's limb was. Again it took a moment for it to shift and seemingly follow my movements.
~Well then... we've confirmed that he cannot see me when my Gift is active,~ I mused over the Whisper. ~Kain, should I show myself or just leave the area?~
~Hm,~ I could practically see him tapping a talon-tip against his bicep, his arms crossed and his face thoughtful. ~Show yourself. Let us see if he will attempt to coerce you and make you see me as an enemy or not. You have been gone for quite some time now. I doubt that he is aware of just how much knowledge you actually have regarding Nosgoth's history.~
~Be careful as you converse with him. He can affect the physical realm if he so chooses,~ Raziel added. ~He may be a bloated, egotistical creature, but he would likely see through any blatant attempts to... hmm...~
~'Sweet talk' him into giving me information?~ I asked with a dark chuckle. ~No worries there. I've never considered myself capable of pulling off a passable 'sycophant' role and would not have attempted such a thing at any rate. It is not in my nature. A Queen who has returned to find the land in ruins and is seeking answers, however? That is a simple enough thing to be.~
~Still, guard your words carefully mine own,~ Kain rumbled. ~If we are able to pull this off, then we will have a way to get close to the beast without him realizing that the deceiver has become the deceived.~
~I will be mindful,~ I responded and I let go of my focus upon my Gift.
I stood slowly and looked about as if expecting an attack from any direction whilst also seemingly searching for the source of the voice. Keeping my eyes peeled for that half-shimmer of movement lest he try to strike at me, I moved toward the center of the platform. Kain's bat form remained pressed tight and un-moving against my wrist, as if part of an elaborately designed portion of my bracer rather than a living creature. The bat's eyes had slid half-shut and the glow of those eyes appeared like nothing more than that of a pair of magical jewels shining with an internal power.
Best that the Parasite not realized that his current audience was made of more than just myself...
"The better question is this; what manner of being resides unseen in these underground ruins claiming to be Divine?" I asked in a stern voice. I crossed my arms and flared my wings in open threat-display. "Most would call such actions cowardly. Not 'Divine'."
There was a flash of movement to my left followed by the soft sound of something moving. The noise was akin to that of a snake slithering over stone. From what I could see out of the corner of my eye, another half-seen limb had extended from a large hole in the wall. I ignored the movements of the limb as it shifted closer to my form and instead turned full-circle to seemingly examine the 'empty' room with a wary expression upon my face.
"True gods do not need to surround themselves with opulence and finery," the Parasite said patiently...
Mockingly...
"There are no temples or luxuries that I need to surround myself with," he continued, "all that I am and will be, is the Wheel and Hub of Nosgoth. My body is the very world, though it is only here at the Pillar's that I might speak to my Children, damaged as they may be."
"Funny. In my time here as Queen, I have not once heard you speak to me or to Kain," I said, keeping my words vague, yet truthful, even as I fought not to scoff in derision.
I knew damn well that the Parasite had set up a number of different 'divine' pools for him to speak to his sycophantic servants. I let a small amount of that disbelief cross my face, not enough to show my blatant scorn but enough that it was plain that I was not yet buying into his bullshit. The longer limb that had extended from the wall abruptly brushed against my wing in a light caress. I twisted about with a hiss. I allowed my stance to falter faintly and looked around in seeming confusion, as if I didn't see the half-shimmer that was only a foot away from my face. A low, mockingly-kind laugh abruptly filled the air.
"Ah, I hope you will forgive me my rudeness My Child," the voice all but purred. "I had given up hope that you might one day return and had thought you lost. The Queen of the Vampires. The Mother of Mercy. The Half-blood Angel. The Lady of the Skies. Welcome home My Child."
~Oh yeah, work the shaft,~ I Whispered to my Mate's with a mental roll of my eyes.
Kain immediately burst into dark mental laughter, the sound reverberating in my mind and Raziel's own mental touch briefly devolved into incoherent, incredulous stutters of disbelief at my crude comment.
"You know me then, creature-that-hides?" I said and this time I did let out a scoff of disbelief. "Many can claim as such. If you truly are Nosgoth, then why were you not aware that I had returned to this world? You should have felt my return, the dimensional fluctuations, no?"
~Lady Katrina!~ Raziel had finally managed to work past his incredulity enough to speak coherently. ~By the Pillars, why would you say such a... a...?~
It took everything I had to maintain a straight face and not burst into laughter at his tone. Kain had long ago gotten used to the rare bursts of crude speech that came from me. Well, crude by Nosgoth's standards at least. Given the prim, proper and Shakespearean... nigh on princely mannerisms that Raziel had, I realized that I would probably be shocking him more often in the future. His reaction was... cute really. I would enjoy seeing if I could get such reactions out of him in the future. I wished at that point that I could see his face.
~He is doing the verbal equivalent of sucking on my metaphorical...~ I started with a mental smile.
~MY LADY!~ Raziel cried out as I had expected and in a suitably scandalized tone that set Kain off into roaring laughter once more.
I tuned the two out as the Parasite started to speak once more, but the mental background noise was highly amusing. I had to raise my hand to press a knuckle against my lips to fight down my urge to smile. Hopefully, I would simply appear to be pensive about the conversation...
"Alas My Child, I am not as strong as I was before the fall of the Pillar's," Faux-sorrow filled the air, though the tendriled limb made no move to touch me a second time. He had neatly ignored my earlier question about his not talking to me or Kain. As I expected. "You have flown the skies since your return, have you not? You have seen the ruins of the once vibrant land? You have been gone for far longer than you might realize."
~Oh hells,~ I sighed. ~I am listening to Grade-A Bullshit right now. He seems quite skilled at spinning elaborate stories...~
~Indeed,~ Raziel said. A flash of bitterness briefly flared bright along the connection despite his continued sense of flustered upset.
~This is proving to be far more fruitful than I had hoped mine own,~ Kain said, amusement still tinging his mental voice. ~If we can continue to make him think of you as a viable pawn that he can cultivate, then we may well be able to trick him into leading you down to where his main body is. As long as I can see a location in my mind's eye, then I can teleport there and if my bat is with you, then that will be make things far easier..~
~You are still wary of trusting the Hylden Seer to lead us there via the path she saw in her visions?~ I asked, simply to clarify.
~Yes,~ he responded in a grim tone. ~She has proven herself thus far, but recall how long Moebius kept up his own deception before revealing his true colors to me. To Raziel. We have been playing a long game indeed mine own and I will not risk that to a casual ally that I have only known for a handful of months all told.~
~Especially one that you did not groom yourself,~ Raziel added in a dry tone.
~Precisely,~ he responded with a dark rumble.
~Very well. I will continue with the act,~ I Whispered to them and I hummed aloud, seemingly in thought.
"There are odd beasts about the land," I said slowly as if in contemplation. "And the land itself has changed far more than I had expected... drastically so. Tell me then, 'Wheel', what happened whilst I was gone?"
"Corruption happened," came the seemingly lamenting voice. "The decay of the cycle of life itself. I am certain that my ever faithful servant, Janos Audron, taught you that all things return to the Wheel, to me, yes?"
"You will leave my Sire out of this!" I snapped out abruptly with a downwards slash of my hand. I allowed the sorrow that I felt at the knowledge that I would never see Janos again fill my voice. I wanted the Parasite to believe that the Eldar had been lost in truth whilst on my world.
"Ah, is he lost then?" faux-sorrow filled the false-god's voice, thick enough to almost choke upon. "I am sorry My Child. That he cannot return home to the Wheel is a tragedy indeed."
~The only reason that you are sorry is because he is beyond your reach now, you vile beast,~ I thought with a vicious mental hiss.
~Calm, my Katrina,~ Kain said soothingly in the back of my mind. ~As you say, Janos is safe from his grasp.~
"Perhaps I should begin a different way?" the Parasite offered softly. Again the tendriled limb brushed my wing. I twisted about and allowed a frown to curl my lips downwards as if I did not see the half-shimmer of the limb that had touched me so. "I do not wish to distress you, but I fear that it is unavoidable. You mentioned the odd beasts roaming the land? I am sorry to say this My Child, but those beasts... are Vampires."
"You lie," I growled out, allowing myself to bristle in supposed disbelief.
"Ah, but how I do wish that it was a lie," came the faux-mournful response. "Sadly, my Champion has failed me and in doing so, he has doomed us all... even you."
"Your 'Champion'?" I repeated with a frown. I started to pace as if agitated. "Whom do you speak of voice?"
"I speak of your King; Kain. He who is now known as the Demon Emperor. The fallen Guardian of Balance," he answered in a low purr.
I froze as if shocked.
~Shall I head back? Leave in a huff of disbelief?~ I asked over the Whisper. ~Or shall I subject us to his version of events?~
~Hm... stay a bit longer my Katrina,~ Kain responded. ~Let us see how he twists things to try to gain your favor.~
~Speak carefully,~ Raziel warned. ~He will be quite attentive of your reactions given that you are Kain's Queen.~
~Of course,~ I responded.
"You... you lie, Voice," I said hesitantly and I shook my head. "Those creatures were no more than animals and whilst I did hear a handful of humans speak of a Demon Emperor, Kain was well respected by the humans when I left! He is no Demon!"
"He had been, for a time," the Parasite said agreeably. "But you will find out for yourself as you travel that your once-beloved King fell from grace and doomed the world in creating a strain of demon-twisted vampires. His own Sons devolved into monstrous beasts and their get became just as twisted and deformed."
"Sons?" I echoed as if confused. "He was able to create his own Children then?"
"He did indeed..." the Parasite purred.
The following version that I received was a highly twisted version of events that was... upsetting in a way. He wielded portions of the truth with vicious precision that would have angered the unawares. He spoke of Raziel and his Brother's being made shortly after my own departure. He spoke of the rise of Kain's Empire. He spoke of Raziel's Gift of wings so like, yet unlike, my own. He even twisted events to make it seem as if Kain had torn Raziel's wings from him in truth, but did not outright lie about what happened. He spoke of 'saving' Raziel from his doom in an effort to stop Kain's 'growing madness' and the degradation of the world. He then spoke of Raziel's willing sacrifice with the Reaver and turned it into a seemingly epic battle that resulted in the 'callous destruction of a hero's noble soul', not once mentioning that Raziel was the Soul Reaver.
Honestly, if I had not known the truth, and was not as stubborn a creature as I am naturally... this trickery of his might have worked. As it was, I wanted to laugh in his face at the absurdity of his version of events... that or puke. The beast kept touching my wings lightly, small brushes that mimicked that of a hand being placed comfortingly on one's shoulder. I rubbed at my forehead as if greatly upset and then turned to look at the Pillars themselves.
"I... cannot believe this..." I said, keeping my voice low as I spoke. Morose... disappointed... "I... I need to leave... to think."
"Please... take all the time that you need to absorb this information My Child," the Parasite said consolingly. "I will be here if you have any further questions for me. If I may suggest something to you however?"
"What?" I snapped out even as I started for the edge of the platform and the path out.
"Mayhaps you can take some time to examine the ruins of his fallen Sons?" he offered. "You will likely find written documentation there regarding the history of Nosgoth."
"Mayhaps I will..." I responded darkly and I left, coiling my Gift about myself like a cloak in the process.
I waited for a brief moment and eyed the half-shimmering tendril before leaping across the water to the other side. I sent a silent question Kain's way.
~The tendril is still following you. I will tell you when it is gone,~ he said in answer.
Ten silent minutes were spent making my way back along the winding tunnel. Finally Kain advised me that the Parasite had ceased following my movements and I growled a single word under my breath as I closed my eyes.
"Dominus."
I dropped my Gift after the sense of teleportation spell twisted about my form and sent me to Kain's location. I wobbled unsteadily as the sensation faded and Kain's hands were almost immediately on my shoulders in order to help steady me. I leaned into that touch and took in a deep breath of his scent in order to help calm myself. Pulling back a few moments later, I turned to look at the Seer.
"Please tell me that you have a bathing chamber somewhere in here..." I said in a dry tone.
She grimaced sympathetically as she spoke.
"Yes, I do Lady Katrina," she said. "I will ready the supplies for a bath for you and Lord Raziel if he decides to join you. There is a naturally flowing hot spring within these caves, so you will not have to wait for hot water."
"I would greatly appreciate that, thank you," I said with a small smile. She nodded her head and left the room and I let out a growling, upset sigh. "Being stuck listening to that piece of filth for an extended period of time was... ugh... I feel dirty..."
"Just by listening to him?" Raziel asked with a warily raised brow.
Kain's hands started to move lightly over the same areas that the damned squid had been touching. I twisted away from the touch for a brief moment and then relaxed when he let out a deep purring rumble of sound as he persisted. I shot him a brief, dark look before I turned my attention back to Raziel.
"It was not merely that, no," I said, a low growl in my voice. "He also kept using one of his tendrils to offer up 'otherworldly and comforting' touches as he spoke, adding in another layer of his attempt to seem 'divine' whilst he spoke. Those touches were focused around my shoulders and wings."
Raziel stiffened, face twisting in a grimacing snarl of upset and he started to say something. I held up a hand to forestall him from offering any kind words or from going off on an angry rant at the Parasite's actions. Kain continued to stroke talon-tips over those same areas as if to wipe away the memory of the Parasite's touch.
"It was a rather... foul... situation to have been in all the way around," I continued with a twitch. "Still, it was a predictable action on his part."
"My Lady?" Raziel queried as the grimace faded from his lips.
"Is it not obvious what she means mine own?" Kain asked with a chuckle and his hand moved to rest at the base of my wings. "As soon as our enemy realized who had approached the chamber, he immediately started to test her to see if he could make use of her and trick her into turning against me."
The Seer returned before Raziel could say anything, a basket filled with bottles on her arm. His face turned thoughtful as she led us down another tunnel to where the hot springs that she used as a bathing chamber lay. Raziel hummed thoughtfully as we walked.
"Can we truly use this?" he asked. "Use his hubris against him so?"
"Possibly," I answered with a shrug and a glance Kain's way. "If we play this right. I could allow him to believe that that he has swayed my perceptions and then we can act from there. Perhaps I should openly visit the areas that he suggested. There is the likelihood that he is already moving his limbs towards those locations to see if I actually do go."
"Indeed," Kain let out his own thoughtful hum of sound. "He might not yet be aware of my own return to this point in the Time-line. I have not made a trip to the Sanctuary nor anywhere close by in this time as of yet. If we must interact with each other in a way that helps maintain the illusion we are trying to convey, then we will be able to do so."
"I can easily remain in Reaver form as well if we proceed with such plans," Raziel pointed out.
I contained a happy sounding cry, mostly reducing it to a contented chirr of noise at the sight of the massive hot spring pools in the large cavern that the Seer had led us to. I eagerly started forward and Kain let out a low chuckle behind me.
"Is the Parasite aware of you, Seer?" I asked thoughtfully as I reached back for the hooks that held my top in place.
"He knows that I am not his ally, but he is not aware of the extent of my actions over all," she said as she set the basket next to the natural stone rim of one of the pools. She moved to my side to assist me a moment later. "I would not be able to assist you in such a ruse."
"Yet you now know that the tunnel that you Saw is likely to be the path that we need to take that leads to his 'core'," I hummed thoughtfully to myself and then smirked. Kain and Raziel were both idly watching my movements. I shimmied out of my clothing and slipped into the hot springs. "Perhaps... ahh, but the water feels good."
I let out a contented little sigh and closed my eyes as I eased the rest of the way into the almost-too-hot water. Lowering my wings so that they could be enveloped in that heat sent a shudder through me. Even though they would even up being water-logged for a time afterwards, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Clawed fingertips lightly brushed my arm and I opened my eyes to glance at the Seer who had taken a seat on the rim of the hot springs. She was holding up a vial of what looked to be shampoo of some kind. I let out a noise of assent and then glanced to the side when movement caught my eye.
Raziel and Kain had both settled down on the rim of the pool as well and were watching me, and the Seer, closely. I chuckled and then outright started to purr when the Seer started to massage the shampoo into my hair. I knew that if she made one move to harm me, that they would be upon her in an instant... and yet I felt that we would be able to continue to trust her. Still, it was a good idea to be somewhat cautious even with that gut feeling.
"You were about to suggest something mine own," Kain said in reminder and I laughed softly.
"Yes," I stretched contentedly. "Perhaps at some point as I 'explore', the Seer could potentially be caught following me? Given that I would know of the 'Hylden Threat' from events shortly before my arrival, such a confrontation could also be seen as furthering the Parasite's seeming manipulation of my viewpoint."
"Hnn, I doubt that such action would be needed in truth," Kain pointed out and he looked at the water thoughtfully, glancing at the Hylden Seer narrowly out of the corner of his eye.
I smiled faintly. His continued wariness regarding water despite his new immunity was clear for me to read. That and the fact that he did not want to reveal that immunity to the Seer as of yet. Another hum of sound escaped me at the Seer's continued ministrations as I thought to myself. Kain might be hiding it successfully from the other two, but I knew that he was not comfortable as of yet with the Gift that he had received when Raziel had purified him. Millennium of having to be wary of water was not something that would disappear overnight, even for one as stubborn and oft bull-headed as my Mate.
"You may well be correct Kain," I said as the Seer started to rinse my hair of the shampoo and started to apply a conditioning oil under the watchful eye of the two males. "We may well not have to do such. However, I do believe it prudent to have some back up plans in place in case the Parasite begins to doubt my 'conversion' to his cause. As it is, if this ruse of ours is unsuccessful, then we will need to rely on the Seer to lead us down the path that she has seen in order to reach his core."
"He may simply guide you down there himself the next time he speaks with you," Raziel said darkly.
Both Kain and I looked at Raziel in surprise.
"You believe that he will be so foolish my Raziel?" Kain asked.
"His hubris is such that he might," Raziel said with a shrug of shoulder and wing. "He led me to many a place that he perhaps should not have."
"Hmm, it is likely that he will lead us down there for a final confrontation as it is," I said as the Seer's hands moved to wash away the conditioner. Kain raised a brow at me.
"Ah?" Kain let out a questioning noise.
I smiled at him playfully.
"Of course," I said in an equally playful tone. "All that water in the area. We have our little 'domestic' and then he tries to use me as bait for you after leading me down to his domicile. The Parasite would then try to use that to his advantage to do away with you..."
"Only we would be aware of the danger," Kain nodded, "and would be able to stage our attack immediately."
~It helps that I am now immune to water's acidic burn,~ Kain Whispered to us.
"It will likely not be that easy," Raziel pointed out.
"We are aware of that Raziel," I said soothingly. "We will plan for the worst and be surprised by the best. The Parasite may very well have seen through my play-acting. Or he might see us speaking together later on. He might even see you as you are now."
"Or I might prove to be your enemy," the Hylden Seer offered softly.
We turned as one to look at the woman with narrowed eyes and she chuckled at our darkened expressions. She reached into the basket and pulled out another bottle of blood-wine. She held it out to Kain and he examined it openly, almost rudely so, before handing it back to her. She then pulled three goblets out and poured a measure for each of us before handing us the goblets, Kain first and foremost.
"I am only putting a voice to that which, each of you, have already thought or are thinking this very moment," she said as she moved to sit demurely on the rim of the springs next to me. "I do not begrudge you your wariness regarding my person."
"Your assistance has proven to be useful," Kain said in a dry tone, eyes still narrowed upon the woman.
"I am glad," she said with a small smile. "I do not expect you to trust me in full though."
I let out a faint huff of amusement.
"Perhaps it might help matters if you explained what you intend to do once the Parasite has been defeated," I said.
"You speak just as confidently as your Lord," she said with a small chuckle. "It is heartening to hear. Once the Parasite is defeated, then my people would no longer need to be sealed away in the Demon Realm in order to protect their souls from his hungry gullet. I would hope at that point that the portal could be opened to allow those within the City to return to Nosgoth."
Kain spoke and his voice was cold and filled with deadly warning.
"And what guarantee would I have that your people would not come through said portal armed for war?" he asked. "Once already I have had to put down a Hylden invasion. I will not tolerate another such invasion of my world."
"So possessive you are, my Lord Scion," the Seer said with a low bow of her head.
"You speak as if he should be anything else," I said with a chuckle, amused despite the tension in the air. Raziel also let out a faint huff of amusement.
"Katrina," Kain growled out, yet my name came out in a good-natured rumble of noise that belied the usual upset when he spoke my name without any endearments.
"Oh hush," I said with a purring laugh. "You know that you are a possessive bastard."
"Again you insult my parentage," he said with a raised brow. "Must we have this discussion again?"
"Maybe later," I chuckled, relieved that much of the tension had drained from his shoulders as he turned back to the Seer.
"Well then, what say you?" he asked. "Who are you to your kith and kin that you might be able to speak for this 'City'?"
"First an explanation will perhaps help things," she started as she folded her hands in her lap. "Seers are rare amongst my people. The ability is also a hereditary one."
"Ah?" I saw Kain's eyes narrow faintly in interest.
"Mmm," she nodded her head. "Hereditary, and by this fact, bound to the line of Hylden Royals."
"So you claim to be a Queen?" Kain asked.
"No, merely one of the Royal Advisers," she answered with a bemused shake of her head and her expression turned sad. "It was my Non-identical Twin Sister whom was the Queen at the time. She had been swayed by the Parasite's words and my own visions did not make sense to me until it was too late to make a difference. All I could try to do at first was mitigate some of the damages caused by the war, but thanks to the Parasite, my sister drew away from my counsel. Ignored it. I was only able to retain any influence thanks to her own daughters..."
"Also twins?" I asked as a guess.
"Yes," she chuckled. "My line was blessed, or perhaps cursed if you'd like, to always have non-identical twin girls. One a Seer, one not. Because of this Gift my family, originally distant cousins of the Royal line, managed to move things in their favor and eventually claimed the Hylden throne for themselves. Ever since that time, the twin that is the Seer becomes one of the Royal Advisers whilst the other becomes Queen."
"You do not sound pleased with your own history," Raziel said. "May I ask why?"
The Seer grimaced.
"Not many can say that their line came into power through... proper channels if you will," she said and she shook her head. "Ours is not precisely a history to be proud of, but I will not deny the bloodshed that occurred to put my family line into power. Unlike others. Still, the following generations managed to help our people prosper..."
"Until the events involving your own generation," I said softly and she nodded.
"Correct. My Sister's actions were deplorable. Monstrous if I am being truly honest," she let out a soft sigh and looked away from us. "Eventually her eldest daughter deposed her, but with the war already in full swing and the Ancients under the rule of one also converted to the Parasite's control, she could not end it. We could only plan ahead."
"You have no children of your own?" Kain asked.
"No," the Seer shook her head. "Not because I am unable to, but because I did not feel it an appropriate time to have a family. Not with the war going on. Not with the extensive efforts that would be made across time itself. Not with the fact that I would be physically travelling to multiple points in time. Rearing a child in that kind of life... I felt it unwise."
"And by now, you'd have outlived the family that you knew," I said softly.
She nodded her head.
"With the curse affecting us at this time, we can still have children, but they are few and far between," she said with a small shrug. "If I activated the communications crystal that I have at this point in time, then I would be speaking to a grand-niece of mine roughly fifty times removed from my sister. To them, I am now known as the 'High Adviser' or 'She whom paves Time for the Scion'."
"Lofty titles indeed," Kain said in a dry tone.
"Indeed," she chuckled weakly. "Still, they heed my advice above all others since my people withdrew to the Hylden Realm. Even the Consulate will listen when I call."
"What happens if the current generations Seer does not agree with your orders or if there is an internal conflict?" Raziel asked curiously.
"In all honesty, most conflicts are over before I am even aware that there has been an incident," she said with a sad shrug. "My traversing time has left me outside of the loop with regards to my people many times. I rely as much as I can on the other Seer's to maintain their roles. This... does not always work of course and sometimes there are many years of strife as a result. Events that are drastic though, such as those that allowed the Hylden Lord and his followers through to this side, come through as Visions and I can act upon those Visions to the best of my own abilities. My family and the City itself was placed at great risk thanks to the war that he waged both here on Nosgoth and in the Demon Realm. There are also times that a Seer may choose to obtain power for themselves, forgoing traditional norms in raising the other Sister to the throne. In those instances, it is usually the Usurper's own children whom bring about the traitor's downfall."
"Knowledge gained through visions of the past, present or future that reveal their Mother's crimes?" I asked.
"Precisely," she nodded her head in acknowledgement of my words. She turned to Kain, who looked thoughtful. "I know that you have every reason to doubt my words Lord Scion, but my people, those within the City at the least, only wish to return to their original home world. To end the long, necessary exile that was called for. Can I promise that there will be no fighting as my people readjust to life on Nosgoth? No. Can I ensure that there are none currently within the walls of the City who might harbor hatred for you and yours, for what was necessary in order to save our people? No. Can I promise that even if such a transition does go smoothly that there will not come to be malcontents later on as the years pass? Those who might rise against you? No and no. I can only ask that if you are successful in this final battle with the Parasite that you take the change and restore the Third of the Triumvirate species of Nosgoth. To allow us to come Home."
Kain eyed the woman with narrowed eyes as she finished speaking. He let out a faint hum of noise and took a slow sip of his blood-wine. Raziel shifted where he sat and whilst he seemed relaxed, there was a wariness in his eyes as he watched Kain and the Seer. I picked up a cleaning cloth from the basket that the Seer had brought in and indicated for him to enter the spring. Considering that his own immunity to water was already known, we would not be revealing anything by having him join me. He tilted his head at me in a small nod and then slipped his own armor and clothing off before slipping into the hot spring. Kain eyed him for a long moment, seemingly distracted as I moved to clean Raziel's wings, but when he spoke it was clear that he had not lost his focus on the conversation at hand.
"You are wise not to promise anything," he purred in a low, yet deadly tone. "I will continue to consider the situation. Much will be dependent on your continued good behavior."
"I understand," she said with a bow of her head, "and I thank you for your honesty."
"Hn," Kain held out his goblet to her silently.
She moved to refill the goblet with a polite bow of her head. I continued to clean the joints of Raziel's wings, containing a chuckle as he started to let out a low, thrumming and contented purr. Kain did not bother to hide his amusement and his low laughter filled the air. He turned back to the Seer after she had refilled his goblet and waved his free hand.
"Go," he ordered. "I wish to speak in private with mine own."
"As you wish," she stood and bowed respectively to each of us. "Please call for me if you have need of anything."
After she had left, Kain turned his attention back to myself and Raziel. Kain's eyes darkened with hunger as he watched me tend to Raziel's wings but he made no move to approach or slip into the hot spring pool with us lest his secret be revealed. He shifted where he sat upon the rim of the springs and took another sip of the blood-wine. Raziel turned with a contented hum and took the cleaning cloth from me, turning me about to where I could lean against the edge of the pool and allowing him access to tend to my own wings. Talon-tips gently carded through my soaked feathers and the cloth passed over them a moment later to clean away any dirt and muck. A happy sigh escaped me. Kain chuckled and the noise drew my attention back to him. He waved a hand in the direction that the Seer had gone.
"Opinions Dear Katrina?" He asked, voice low and thrumming with more than one kind of hunger.
"I believe that her intentions match her words," I said in an equally low voice. My wings mantled upwards when Raziel started to clean at the base of my wings and I purred. He was certainly being attentive! Warmth had pooled low in my belly a while ago, but now that warmth turned into a low, simmering heat. "I agree that it was wise of her not to make any promises. At this point, she is heavily disassociated from her people and has been an independent agent for much of the time after the others in her group passed away."
"Nor can she guarantee that there are no others like Hash'a'gik hiding in wait to make their own attempts at taking over Nosgoth," Raziel pointed out. "With our world as She is now, such an attack from an organized foe would be... difficult... to contend with. The sheer number of Wildling vampires is high enough that it would hinder our own defenses drastically."
"Fighting a war on two fronts with low numbers is never wise," I said and then let out a choked purr when Raziel's talon-tips started to card through the more sensitive spots at the base of my wings. "Worst comes to worst though, would we be able to use the Wildlings and turn them on the Hylden if they turn hostile?"
"The Wildlings of this time do not readily obey the commands that I send them," Kain said, voice going blank. "In truth, until Raziel's reappearance, it was all that my other Son's could do to keep their own Clans in line and within their respective territories. As it stands now..."
"With the deaths of my Brothers, the Clans are running rampant and unchecked," Raziel finished in a stiff tone. "The only thing that stops them from spreading like wildfire is the fact that the other Clans are there to hinder them simply by existing."
"True," Kain inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of his First's words. "While it has not been long since you slew your brethren, the Clans are expanding outwards swiftly and fighting has broken out along the borders of the various territories."
"In summary; it will take centuries to deal with the corrupted, Wildling vampires," I let out a soft, sad sigh. "You said that the madness seeps into the fledgling's minds nigh on immediately now?"
"Yes," Kain responded stiffly.
"Would it not be possible to share Raziel's Gift of purification through blood rather than what we attempted?" I asked. I straightened and leaned back against Raziel when his hands moved to rub my shoulders with the cleaning cloth.
"As I mentioned, we have discussed the situation," Kain responded with a heavy sigh. His lips quirked upwards in a faint smile but his eyes were dark. Serious. "To explain our reasoning mine own, Gifts shared via blood take time to develop in an individual as you are aware."
"I am aware," I said with a nod.
"There is also the fact that it is not a guarantee that the Gift that you are trying to share is the Gift that will develop in the individual," Raziel pointed out, a slight purr marring his otherwise serious tone. "The process would take too long for something we would not even be able to guarantee to produce results."
"And holding one of them captive until such point and time would be pointless," I said sadly.
"Correct," Kain nodded his head.
I let out an assenting, understanding hum of noise and shifted back against Raziel with a soft sigh. It was a tough situation to be in, writing off the Wildling Vampires the way that they had. But even I could not see a path to take that would lead to restoring them their sanity. Raziel could not do a mass purification and on an individual basis... well, we might be able to try but my own reaction might have been mild reaction. I shook my head. I would not put the situation from my mind completely. I would keep an eye out for a potential resolution, but... now was not the time to review this particular problem. We had a bigger threat to deal with first.
Sighing, I tilted my head to the side to allow Raziel to scrub the cleaning cloth against my neck. I shivered when his talon brushed over Kain's Mark. I smiled faintly when, instead of a sickly sensation, a lesser pleasurable sensation flitted through me. That piece of Kain's Aura bound to that Mark recognized and welcomed Raziel's touch. There were a number of things I wanted to do after that touch, but this was not our home nor the proper time. I tapped the tip of my claw lightly against the rim of the pool and then looked over at my silver-haired mate instead.
"Have you decided how we will proceed from here?" I asked as Raziel lifted my hair and started to tend to the back of my neck.
"Yes," he responded in a serious tone. His expression mirrored my thoughts though. "We will use your idea for the time being mine own. The Seer's vision and the path that she states she saw can be our back up plan in the event that our attempt to 'trick the trickster' fails. This course of action will be as much a test for her as it will be an attempt to deceive our Foe. Raziel..."
"My role will be to remain in Reaver form," Raziel said knowingly. "I am well aware that we will have to be careful."
"Indeed," Kain hummed. "The Parasite is a boastful creature, so we know that he is not yet aware of your ability to change forms. If that changes and he reveals that he knows about that ability or even the Eldar Raziel..."
"We know who to look to," I finished with a knowing nod.
I turned to look over my shoulder at Raziel and frowned at the guarded expression on his face. Shifting, I reached back to trail my fingers over my Mark where it lay hidden and he shivered.
"You are wanted, sweet Raziel," I said softly and his gaze met my own. "You are needed. Even now, your Eldar self rests safe and protected from harm whilst we plan. You are safe and you are ours, Raziel."
There was another brief flickering in his eyes. It was easy enough to read. It was the expression of someone who had believed themselves to be lost and, while they had been found by those who would help them, they did not yet truly believe what was in front of them. It was the same look that I'd had upon my face those first few months on Nosgoth's soil when I yet thought myself dreaming. Kain reached out abruptly and caught Raziel's chin in his hand, turning his head so that their gaze's locked. He then moved his hand along Raziel's jawline and down his throat to rest the tips of his talons on his own Mark.
"No matter your continued doubts my Raziel, mine Empress is correct," Kain said in a low, thrumming voice laced with the power of his Aura. "You are ours and have always been so. Set aside your doubts."
Raziel's eyes fell shut and he leaned into our comforting touch for several long moments. His doubts were understandable and like Janos it would take him time to come to terms with the differences of the past and the uncertainty of the future. He shook himself, visibly throwing off his uneasy thoughts. He leaned back and away from our touch. His voice was steady when he spoke, but I knew as did Kain, that Raziel's mental wounds would take time to heal despite our Marks.
"So to confirm, I will change into the Reaver form and remain with Kain to perpetuate the illusion that I am yet trapped," Raziel said. "What then?"
"I will fly out to the heart of each Clan territory," I said as I lifted myself to sit upon the rim of the pool. "I will show a growing sense of panic or disgust at finding the territories so torn apart. Though I must ask, if the Parasite refrains from communicating with me in that time, how long should I wait before I go back to the lower level platform?"
"Hn," Kain tilted his head thoughtfully. "It will take time for you to visit each territory. Wait no more than a week at the most. Take the time needed to peruse the libraries that remain intact. Most know that you were, and still are, an independent creature. I do not think he will risk his hand too soon. Nor should we."
"Be careful if you do choose to explore the libraries though," Raziel warned. "I would not put it past him to have tendrils laced throughout such places of knowledge in order to watch over what histories have been written by the scribes. Or what has been hidden. He may well also attempt to collapse a building upon your head if you are about to delve through texts that would prove his lies."
"Wisely spoken," I responded with a nod. "That reaction would fit his usual modius operende. From there we can arrange for a 'confrontation' for him to 'manipulate' to his seeming advantage."
"If the ruse holds," Kain said as he raised a talon pointedly.
"As you say," I said with a chuckle. My lips curled downwards in a frown a moment later. "If things do not go as we expect, hopefully we will still have a 'plan b' with regards to the Seer's vision. I... would like to avoid that if at all possible as I would not like her to be harmed if she continues to prove true. So far working with her has been.. beneficial."
"We shall see mine own," Kain rumbled in a low voice. "We shall see."

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