Chapter Ashborn 384: Idle Gossip (Maiya)

Maiya practically pranced her way back to her orb room. Yes, Maiya had an orb room, whose sole purpose was to hold Vir’s communication orb. Not only was it guarded at all hours of the day, she’s even assigned a squad of trusted handmaidens—the regular kind, not the elite warrior kind—to keep it charged and let her know if Vir ever called.

If that wasn’t the definition of luxury, Maiya didn’t know what was. As it so happened, the call came just as she was preparing for the day’s activities.

She had Hema cancel or postpone her meetings—Maiya didn’t know, that was Hema’s headache to figure out—and so, her morning was wide open for Vir.

It had been weeks. Weeks, since she’d last spoken with her beloved. As Maiya’s stress and the pressures of her station grew, she found herself pining for Vir more than ever. He was her support, and without him, Maiya felt like she’d collapse under the weight of the mountains that sat upon her shoulders.

“I got her as soon as I could,” Maiya said, breathless as she opened the door wide. “Is he still there?”

The pair of maids bowed respectfully. “Of course, milady,” they said in unison. There was no hint of amusement on their faces, yet Maiya flushed nonetheless.

Gods, I must look like a swooning girl…

Maiya’s cheeks flushed, but she got it under control. She might very well be swooning, but she was definitely not a girl. Not anymore.

“Thank you,” Maiya said, nodding to her maids. “You may leave now.”

Though her staff questioned the identity of her secret confidante, they kept it to themselves. Maiya wasn’t oblivious. She knew the gossip that went around her manor’s mess hall. Everyone chatted. Some thought Vir was a distant noble, and that Maiya was angling for a political marriage, while others felt hers was a taboo relationship.

She was lucky the orb’s resolution was somewhat limited—otherwise they’d have seen Vir’s red eyes and gray skin.

As it was, not one doubted she was madly in love with the person on the other side, however, and so Maiya made no effort to hide it. Let them speculate. They’d never, not in a million years, guess that her lover was the very demon the Children of Ash spited.

“Hey, you!” Maiya said, almost before she’d collapsed on the luxurious down pillows. Their conversations, though far too infrequent, tended to last long as a result, often consuming hours. Why not make herself comfortable?

“Hey, Mai,” Vir said, in that adorable, soothing voice of his. Was she the only one who recognized how irresistible it was? How had other women not caught onto it? What if they did?

A knot formed in Maiya’s stomach, before quickly dissipating. No, Vir wasn’t that kind of guy. He wouldn’t frolic with other women, even if such occurrences were normal for royalty. What about demonic royalty? Were they allowed to take on multiple wives? Why had she never asked? No, that was silly. How could she simply ask about that out of the blue?

“Uh, Mai? Something wrong?” Vir asked, his cute face full of concern. If he were really there, Maiya would’ve planted a kiss on his full lips…

Stop, Maiya! What will he think?

Flushing with embarrassment, Maiya quickly stammered out, “Nothing!”

Vir smirked. He knew. Oh, gods, he knew!

“It’s okay, Mai. You’re allowed to be attracted to this dashing face, you know?”

Maiya pouted. “Shut up. Seems you’ve developed quite the ego lately. I’ll have to beat that out of you when you return.”

Instead of the flirty response she’d expected, the playful smile slipped from Vir’s face. “Ego, huh? I’m afraid ego might well be the poison arrow that cripples my rebellion.”

Vir went on to narrate his woes with Raoul, the mysterious cult leader who’d recently joined forces.

“You can’t trust him,” Maiya said almost before Vir had finished. “Keep a close eye on that one, you hear? Cultists are all devious, and you can never predict their next move. They’re not rational actors.”

Vir nodded. “I’ve made arrangements. Even then… It doesn’t sit well.”

“I’d get rid of him, to be safe,” Maiya said. Vir was acting like he always did. Respectfully and cautiously. But there can be no respect for these types. She knew that firsthand. He had to nip this in the bud… Or else. “The Garga Lavani worship you, Vir,” Maiya said. “As uncomfortable as that is, it gives you extreme leverage. You can oust Raoul, and they wouldn’t bat an eye.”

“True,” Vir said, pondering her words. “I’ll have to think on it. It feels wrong to oust him before he’s done any wrong… And he is quite the capable tactician. He’d be a useful commander on the field. How am I supposed to weigh that merit against the possibility he might have other agendas?”

Maiya sighed.

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“What’s the matter?” Vir asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Why must we always talk about our troubles?” Maiya asked. “Why not talk of mundane, trivial matters, for once?”

Vir smirked. “You know that answer as well as I, Maiya.”

“We’re not mundane, trivial people…” Maiya admitted.

“No, we certainly are not. Sadly, my life is chock-full of the weighty and the serious. Why don’t you fill me in on your goings-on, instead?”

Maiya laughed. “What, did you expect my story to have any more levity? Well, Vir, it may come as a surprise to you, but planning the downfall of three countries at once doesn’t leave much room for frolicking.”

“No, I imagine it doesn’t,” Vir said, pursing his lips. “How go the preparations? I find it odd that everything has gone so smoothly for you. I feel like I hit rocks at every turn.”

“Oh, believe me, I do too. It’s… getting dangerous, Vir. I won’t lie. Every day that passes makes me more comfortable. Secret messages can be hidden by choosing trustworthy people and adhering to protocol. Some things, though, just can’t be concealed. Moving food and equipment, organizing troops, that sort of thing. We take every precaution, sending small shipments through well-isolated proxies, keeping everyone in the dark. But even then, it doesn’t take a genius to see the broader picture. We’re mobilizing en masse, and someone’s bound to notice, sooner or later.”

“The only question is what happens when they do,” Vir completed. “And whether any leaks reach far enough to poison the entire root system.”

“Precisely,” Maiya said, shaking her head. “Sometimes I forget you’re planning a rebellion of your own. I imagine you’re going through much of the same thing.”

“If you mean endless meetings, endless paperwork, and endless decisions? Then yes,” Vir said with a small, weary smile.

“Have you ever felt we were fated for each other?” Maiya asked, staring wistfully into the distance. “More than just how well we get along, I mean. What are the chances, huh? Both of us, responsible for planning rebellions, realms apart. At the same time, no less.”

“Had we not known of these Fateweavers, I’d have laughed,” Vir said, his voice tinged with suspicion. “Now… I’m not so sure.”

“You think we were placed here? By them? That all our actions were guided by some unseen, almighty force?”

“No,” Vir said. “I don’t think that. Because if I did, I’m afraid I’d stop functioning. It’s… too depressing, thinking none of my decisions ever mattered. That those who lived and died were pre-ordained, as if we were just puppets on a stage.”

Maiya fell silent. Wasn’t that exactly what Janak had told her? Deep beneath Ksaia’s sewers, where no light reached? Hadn’t he said that she had no free will? That only Vir, for some reason, might? And that staying by his side was her only path to freedom?

She’d told Vir about her foray into Sai, and of her meeting with Janak, yet for whatever reason, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal that bit to Vir. Probably because it was too depressing that none of her actions ever mattered. Because unless she shelved that knowledge into a deep recess of her mind as she had, she’d second-guess her every move. As Vir had just said, she’d fall apart.

If only he knew how close to the mark his words had been…

“When will you come here?” Maiya asked out of the blue. She hadn’t even meant to—the words had just come out of her traitorous mouth. Worse, her tone had been broken, full of anguish.

Don’t notice. Please don’t notice!

It was a fool’s hope.

Vir grasped his orb, holding it closer. “Mai! What’s wrong? Are you in danger?”

“No!” Maiya said. She knew it was too late.

Tell him! A voice screamed at the back of her mind. Tell him everything!

But was it her voice? Or the voice of the Fateweavers? As their Blessed Chosen, did they control her thoughts now, too?

She wrangled her panic under control. No. That was ludicrous. She felt no different from before.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, Maiya had regained her composure.

“I’m fine, Vir,” she said, giving him the warmest smile she could muster. “Truly. Just taken by the stress, is all.”

Vir sat back, deflating. “Don’t scare me like that, Maiya. Believe me, charting a path to the Human Realm is always at the top of my thoughts. Soon. The rebellion will be over soon. The moment it is, I’ll make my way to you. I swear this on my life. Can you wait? Just a little longer? I’m talking months, now, if not sooner.”

Maiya brightened. “Months, huh? I can do that. My own rebellions will be over by then, too. Funny how perfectly they lined up…”

“Indeed,” Vir said darkly. “So tell me, what are your next steps?”

“We need Riyan’s Saian rebellion to happen first, so that’s where most of my attention’s currently at. With Sai’s precarious state with the rebels already there, no one will bat an eye at an all-out uprising.”

“No doubt Imperator Andros has been expecting that,” Vir said.

“Exactly. We’re counting on that, actually. Ira’s intelligence has learned that Andros is possibly eyeing a limited incursion into Sai, should the rebels win. Not a total invasion—just enough to carve out a bit more territory when they’re weak.”

“Ever the opportunist,” Vir said wryly. “If only he knew how badly that would come back to bite him.”

Maiya grinned. “Right? Hiranya will be next. That one’s a bit trickier. Andros can’t outright invade Hiranya without risking an Altani response. That is something he definitely doesn’t want. But he may choose to invade more of Sai, to take further advantage of the chaos while this is all going down. Either way, we win.”

“Because his forces will be committed to an invasion, just as Princess Ira begins her own coup,” Vir finished.

“Yep,” Maiya said, her mind already racing with the ludicrous list of tasks that had to be done to get even just the first of the three rebellions off the ground.

“Where will you be in all of this?” Vir asked.

“Everywhere… I’ll be in Sai with my handmaidens, working to overthrow that government alongside Riyan. Once that’s done, I’ll head to Hiranya to lend Prince Sanobar a hand, before finally flying back to Sonam for the main event.”

“That sounds… unreasonable,” Vir said, shaking his head as he opened and closed his eyes. “You really don’t have any subordinates you can trust to handle at least one of those for you?”

Maiya sighed, thinking of Hema, Yamal, and Bheem. “I do have capable aides, but none that could butt heads against Riyan, or guide a fledgling prince to the throne…”

“I see…” Vir said, and the conversation trailed off, with both lost in their own heads. It was a comfortable silence, though, and Maiya didn’t mind. She was happy she could just lounge with Vir like this. She wished she could do it more.

The conversation finally turned to the more mundane matters Maiya had suggested earlier, from clan quirks to handmaiden gossip, and hours had passed before Maiya realized. As usual, their time to say goodbye had come once more, and as usual, Maiya stalled as long as she could, loathe to say the words.

It was Hema’s knock that finally forced her hand.

“It seems our time is finally up,” Vir said with a smile.

“It is,” Maiya sighed. She was doing that a lot lately. “Chat again in a few days?”

“After my upcoming trip. Definitely.”

“Good. That’s… good,” Maiya said, idly running her fingers over her lips.”

“Goodbye kiss?” Vir asked with an all-knowing smile, and of course, Maiya’s eyes lit up. They brought their faces to the orb, and kissed it at the same time.

The cold crystal wasn’t the same as Vir’s lips—not even close—but it still set Maiya’s heart aflutter.

Then it happened again, when Vir ended the call and Maiya turned to find Hema, staring at her with a mix of shock, confusion, and embarrassment.

Oh, gods, Maiya thought, her cheeks flushing madly. What have I done!