Capítulo 541: Surrender
Aurora only vaguely knew what Taran looked like, and she had met the nobleman's father only a handful of times. He lived far to the east of Valiant, and it was somewhere she had not often traveled. But as a pair of people came up with the white wolf, there was no mistaking Taran's identity.
The nobleman was tall, almost as tall as Junayd in his abominable form, with very wide shoulders which came to an odd point under his clothing. His skin was ashen grey and a dark beard and head of hair obscured much of his handsome face. He looked emaciated, his cheeks sunken in and his eyes were extra sharp and clear.
As Taran strolled toward them with a confident swagger, Aurora noticed Junayd silently hold up both his pointer fingers and bring them together. The other person with Taran was obviously someone important, and Junayd's signal told her that they were related.
'Lady Livie?' Aurora had assumed the woman was dead, yet from the family resemblance, this was clearly the leader who had attacked Oblivion.
The Empress could not recall ever meeting the woman before, but she did not really fit the description that Renat gave. She was very pretty, but her skin was also grey like her brother and her gait was awkward, reminding her of Colvyr's childish toddling.
She was not the picture of charm and elegance her son-in-law had described. 'Gandr must have really hurt her for there to be such a change.'
The only thing that spoke of her wit was the focus she had not on Nurlan, but on Aurora and Zan behind him. Having been forced into the back most of her life, she knew just how dangerous those behind a leader can be. The Empress fully averted her eyes and listened to the events as they developed.
"You are trespassing!" Taran began with an accusation to intimidate them. Although his voice boomed, Aurora had heard better threats and seen scarier beasts. She was not moved in the slightest. The two men with him were equally unbothered.
"Trespassing?" Nurlan's scoff was inherent in his question. "We are not the ones trespassing."
'Be careful,' Aurora pressed her lips together. Although she would not have taken that tack, she trusted the general to read the situation and act accordingly. While the goal was clear, the path to get there was based on Taran's moves. And he did move.
The Empress did not need to see the slap as the sound reverberated through the trees. Nurlan went to the ground and for a moment, Aurora thought Taran might murder him then and there.
"How dare you!" Taran seethed with rage. "Do you have any idea who you are addressing?"
"Do you have any idea who I represent?" Nurlan's words were not only to irk the snotty nobleman, but to let Aurora know he was not seriously harmed. "You have struck a representative of Her Majesty without cause."
"Bold, very bold." Taran's voice was suddenly subdued, which sent a small chill down the Empress's spine. "Trying to make me upset and lose my temper. I should kill you just for that."
The nobleman was not exactly wrong. The goal had been to see how stable Taran was and force him into making a mistake. The more he focused on them, the less he would be paying attention to what was going on inside his camp.
Nurlan spat and stared up in disgust. "Then do it, Sir Taran."
Sensing Aurora's growing concern, Zan stepped forward to intervene, only to be waved off by his ruler. But Taran had already noticed the move.
"Stop right there," Taran ordered. "Take off your cloak. Now, Guardian."
This was a problem and a great debate that had happened before. The Guardian's cloak was an invaluable asset, but also very recognizable for those who knew the signs of a Guardian. They had thought to leave it behind for the meeting, but in the end Devrim was unwilling to leave Zan unarmed.
Along with the cloak, Zan's silver eyes were striking, and virtually unheard of among common people. Aurora wondered if Zan's eyes had flashed to give Taran extra clues to his identity. Not that it mattered. Whatever the cause, Zan had been spotted.
At least he had not been identified as the Chief Councilman. That would have been far worse.
As it was, Zan was clearly not happy with the turn of events. His closest companion was about to be taken from him again. "Why should I?"
With her head still lowered, Aurora glanced up to see Taran bear his sharp teeth. His canines seemed unusually long as he growled. "Because if you do not, I will tear it off your dead corpse instead."
The imperial abominations rumbled and enveloped Taran and Livie as they formed a vicious ring. Their cries seemed to be aimed at Nurlan, but Aurora knew better.
Even Junayd who was positioned right next to Taran seemed ready to surge forward and wreak havoc should the nobleman try to harm any of the people he cared about.
Without his knowledge, Taran had just been successfully cut off from his army. His threats had much less backing than he realized. Still Aurora was not done, so she would concede to his demand.
With a gentle nod of assurance from the Empress, Zan slowly reached up and reluctantly unclasped the band. Gandr shifted his position quickly, and when Zan held out the garment with one hand the halfling eagerly snatched it away.
"Be careful with that!" Zan hugged himself, pretending to be suddenly cold.
Gandr got the message. He mockingly draped the cape across his shoulders so he could access the resources inside himself.
Setting his jaw in a stern line, Zan stepped forward with dogged determination and helped Nurlan to his feet.
Taran allowed the action. "Now, before I kill you three, why are you here?"
Nurlan easily took on the part of a herald. His artistry mimicked the court fops he often had to shield the Empress from. If not for the gravity of the situation, Aurora would have laughed. "We have a message from Her Majesty, Empress Aurora, Ruler of Valiant."
While Nurlan was focused on the temperamental Taran, Aurora couldn't help but steal glances at the woman by his side. She was less taken in by the general's courtly gestures. Something else was on her mind.
"How did you even find us?" Livie wondered.
'She's smart.' Aurora could appreciate that Livie had not just concocted her own theory as they had hoped. As a woman, Livie did not feel any shame in asking an awkward question to which she did not know the answer.
Aurora held her breath. The wrong answer would mean the ruse was over.
Nurlan turned up his nose. "I was sent by Her Majesty. She provided this location to me."
The answer only bothered Livie more, but Taran simply shrugged. "Let's get this over with. Give me the message."
Nurlan turned to Aurora for the message. No one had seen what Aurora wrote before sealing it shut except maybe Devrim. In fact, the Empress did not think they would actually get this far. Now she almost wished she had written something more profound. Almost.
Handing over a roll of parchment which was tightly bound, Aurora hid her smirk. Nurlan looked at the page for a long time. Then he cleared his throat.
"Well?! What does it say?" Taran screamed.
"Surrender." From the way Nurlan's shoulders were moving, Aurora could see the general was stifling laughter. The man loved it even more than if he had written it himself.
The pair of siblings struggled to comprehend how Aurora could have sent such a message. Zan, who was well versed on the conditions of surrender, explained the message in more detail, but that only made things more tense.
Taran went off on a ridiculous tirade about humanity needing power. Aurora wanted to break in and speak on the power of love, emotion, and ingenuity, but she held her tongue. In the end Taran rejected their offer on the grounds that the Empress's words was false.
"If the Empress had been the least bit sincere then she would have come herself." Taran guffawed.
Aurora sighed. And Livie narrowed her gaze. Calling her brother a fool, she shook her head with disappointment. "You have been talking to the lapdogs instead of their Mistress."
Taran was startled. "Mistress?"
"The looks for confirmation, the silent orders. They have only been doing as they were told. You really didn't see it did you?" Clicking her tongue as she laughed, Livie looked deep into Aurora's hood. "Overlooked and ignored unless they need us. Men never do see us unless we have cleavage or a crown, do they, Your Majesty?"
Time was up. Aurora could not deny her identity. Removing her hood, she couldn't help but smirk.
"Perceptive," she said to the lady. To Taran she arched her brow. "Do you still think me insincere, Sir Taran? I will place my offer with my own lips. Let us end this now peacefully and let us cure your people of the madness overtaking them."
Of course Taran refused her. She had expected it. But since she had not anticipated Livie being there, the offer was made to the woman as well. Although Livie was a wicked and crazy, Aurora could not help but feel a little compassion for the events that had brought her to this point. The woman had certainly suffered at the hands of those around her.
Yet the lady was too far gone to see any chance of redemption. The only way out was to end up on top.
Because Livie was not even remotely considering the Empress's offer, her mind had wandered elsewhere. Livie's eyes opened wide, coming to a realization. "It's a trap!"
'Time's up!' The trio could stall no longer. In less than a breath, Junayd had captured Taran and had his claws pressed up against the nobleman's neck. Livie took a step back to flee only to find the abominations behind her as well as in front of her.
"Now," Aurora said calmly. "Surrender."
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