Chương 17: Chapter Seventeen: Coffee Before The Storm

As they plummeted down, the wind roared in Serena's ears and Amelia's grip almost crushed her hand that was covered in second-level aura. Seven hells! The human was strong when she wanted to be! The ground rushed up to meet them and Serena smashed through a wooden table, denting the stone floor underneath and throwing up dust and splinters. To her right, Amelia had somehow gone through the table head first, face-planting the stone floor. Her legs wiggled in the air as she made weird whimpering noises.

Serena pried her hand from Amelia's crushing grip and pulled the struggling human upwards by her ankle.

"That was amazing!" an upside-down Amelia exclaimed when her face appeared.

"Can we do it again!? Oh my, the adrenaline rush! I feel wonderful!" Serena rolled her eyes and opened her hand, letting Amelia fall into a crumpled heap. At least the idiot was okay.

"Old man?" she called out, turning to see Lord Yulan clamber smoothly out of a bed of soil and plants. She wasn't sure how it was possible to look dignified in such a situation, but Lord Yulan managed it. He dusted his legs and adjusted his shoes before rubbing his knees.

"A little hard on my joints, but I still have it in me, Serena!" Lord Yulan's face broke out in a proud smile as he crossed his arms and straightened his posture.

"These old horns still have some fight left in them! Hmm…" He narrowed his eyes at the pile of blond hair and limbs.

"Is your human alright?"

"She's fine," answered Serena, climbing out of the wooden table. A crowd of market-goers had started to form. Amelia's screaming certainly hadn't helped divert their attention.

"Dear, do you think they're okay!?"

"Must be pretty skilled to survive a fall like that!"

"They didn't fall, they jumped! I saw it!"

"Seven hells! That's Speaker Halen! The captain in the news!"

"Come on," Serena said, helping Amelia stand. The trio pushed their way through the crowd, and, after turning a few corners, they escaped from prying eyes. Behind them, the piercing sounds of whistles blown by the city guard could be heard. Serena guided the pair into a quieter part of the city before dipping into an empty café at the end of an alley. She shut the door behind them and turned the closed sign around. Two young demons in work uniforms stood awkwardly behind the counter, watching Serena.

One of them was casting a nervous look at her captain's uniform and marbled sword, while the other stared at her with wonder.

"It's Captain Halen! The war hero!" the teenage demon spluttered. He gave a shoddy but enthusiastic salute.

"It's an honour to meet you! Bless the seven hells!"

"You are… cadets?" she asked, eyeing both of them carefully.

"Yes, Captain! I'm Trainee Yin, and this"–he elbowed his nervous-looking colleague–"is Trainee Meng! We're second-years at the academy! You're a legend amongst the officer staff, Captain!"

"Is that so? Well then, Trainee Yin, would you be able to do me a favour?" The youthful face lit up as he beamed with sudden pride.

"Of course, Captain!"

"My friends and I require some privacy. Would you and trainee Meng make yourself scarce for the time being?"

"Y-Yes! We can do that!"

"Before you go, is there anyone else in the building?" Serena asked, noticing a door behind the two employees.

"No one else! The boss won't be back until the end of the day."

"Good. Now take this…" Serena fumbled about in the pockets of her uniform. She was looking for her family insignia but she had already given it out to the hotel employee.

"Amelia," she called out, "do you have the Halen insignia on you?"

"Mmm! Of course! I'll never take it off!"

"Well, take it off now. I need it."

"Aww, alright." Amelia pulled at her neck and removed the necklace she had fashioned from the insignia and a piece of string. Serena took it, pausing slightly at feeling how warm the metal was. Warm from Amelia's body heat. She cursed quietly. She needed to sort through this bizarre and unnatural attraction that was building. She let her eyes wander over the girl's face for a moment. Amelia was a friend, and that was all she needed to be. A beautiful and annoying friend… with soft pink lips that-"Tsk! Idiot!"

she muttered.

"I didn't do anything!" Amelia protested, puffing her cheeks out.

"Not you," she said, shaking her head. This time, she was the idiot for getting distracted and letting her mind think about such… inappropriate things.

"Trainee Yin. Take this and stand at the edge of the street. Hold it so it's visible to the passing crowd. If you're approached by somebody, ask them if their accent is from Ichtaca, no matter what they sound like. If they answer yes, then point them to this café. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Captain!" Another shoddy salute.

"And sort your salute out, Trainee. Like this." Serena saluted the youth with all the experience and practice of the seasoned captain she was. The boy looked like he could die happy.

"Yes, Captain! I'll practice all night!"

"Good, now go, both of you." After receiving a pair of slightly improved salutes, the two workers exited the shop and vanished from sight. Serena turned and inspected the room behind the work area. It was a storeroom filled with bags of beans and leaves. Satisfied they were alone in the building, she returned to the table and positioned herself so she could face the doorway.

"What's the Ichtaca thing about?" Amelia asked.

"An old intelligence trick for two agents to identify if they're both part of Centralis Intelligence," Serena explained.

"It's not really used anymore as the war has forced intelligence techniques to become more sophisticated. However, I know there's an intelligence group monitoring us, and they know I know, it should be good enough." She was overdue for a refresher course. New cryptographic methods had been invented, and some ships now had dedicated cryptographers to work alongside the sensors and communications officers.

The only reason the Vengeance hadn't had its protocols modernised already was because it filled a unique role in the navy and did not participate in normal fleet operations.

"Why would Centralis be monitoring you?" Lord Yulan asked.

"Because of the ship?"

"Because of this one." She gestured to Amelia who gave a small shrug.

"Our meeting was unexpected, and she entered a contract with me before I could run things through the house proper. You can imagine why a human Speaker who specialises in healing is going to cause a few waves." Lord Yulan scratched his cheek.

"That is most unusual. I thought Cascadia had banned humans from the military. Even before I was bedridden, they were blaring warnings throughout the city to be aware of human spies in the demon districts." He turned towards Amelia.

"Where do you hail from?"

"Karligard," Serena answered before Amelia could say anything.

"She's a talented healer and has spent most of her time travelling, not wanting to be sucked into the church's grip. She was looking to settle down, so I made an offer. I'm sure you can understand why." Lord Yulan nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. Serena didn't like lying to the old man, but it was too dangerous to share the truth of the situation.

"Also, she's not part of the military. Remember, she's part of my personal retinue. She's not in the chain of command," Serena explained, making sure to drive the point home. As important as it was for Amelia to understand her place in the world, it was equally important for everyone else to understand where she stood.

"I see." Lord Yulan rubbed his chin thoughtfully before placing his hands on the table and standing up.

"Would anybody like some coffee? Looks like this place has quite the collection."

"You seem awfully relaxed," she pointed out.

"Considering everything that just happened."

"Oh, I'm thoroughly furious, but if it's true that I've been bedridden for a year, then that means I've gone an entire year without coffee! This is a problem that I endeavour to fix immediately!" Lord Yulan began opening some cans and sniffing their contents.

"Some good variety here! We have some Yameni beans and even some from Shiloh! If a little café like this has Shiloh beans it means they must have fixed the processing issues they were having."

"Do they have anything from Jimar?" Serena asked. A cup of coffee did seem appropriate, and it had been a while since she had tasted anything other than military-rationed coffee onboard the ship. Serena generally consumed the same things as the rest of the crew, with the only exception being an extra portion of sardis here and there.

"Let's see…" Lord Yulan mumbled as he investigated further, "Ah! Here we go! What brand is this… Jimar Gold? Sounds familiar…"

"That's a good one," she said, perking up.

"That's what we used to serve you when you visited us at home." She started to get up but stopped herself. It was better if she kept an eye on the front of the shop.

"Amelia, would you mind helping Lord Yulan grind some beans?" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Okay! But I want a cup too!" Amelia bounced up and began helping Lord Yulan prepare three cups of coffee.

"So…" Serena mused.

"Why did you never share anything about this nephew?"

"Well, he was estranged," Lord Yulan grumbled as he poured beans into a hand grinder.

"He always had a selfish personality, but I was amenable to the idea of him working in the hotel. I figured a career servicing others would help sort him out. It seemed to be working, too. Speaker Thornheart, my dear, would you put that kettle on?"

"Sure! You can just call me Amelia if you want!" Amelia said with a grin.

"Uh, how do I turn this on?"

"It's a gas stove, turn that knob, yes, that one. Turn that and use one of those matches to light it," instructed Lord Yulan before turning back to the topic at hand.

"So the job seemed to be helping him, but then we had a tremendous… snake of a woman stay in the hotel. Some trumped-up daughter of a Fengra Highlord. Well… the boy fell head over heels for her."

"What was her name?" Serena asked.

"Haneul was her name. Haneul San. Her father was Manwese, and her mother was Ainese, hence her surname. Remnants of some old family from the East. She was ambitious and manipulative. I could see it from the start. She was using him to get to the hotel. I tried to get the man to see reason, but he always had a stubborn pair of horns." Lord Yulan put the ground coffee in a coffee press and added hot water. A pleasant mouthwatering aroma filled the room.

"That smells amazing! Mmm!" said Amelia.

"I've never had coffee like this before!"

"See if they have any snacks around there, dear Amelia?" Lord Yulan gestured to the other end of the work area.

"Any biscuits or small cakes will be fine! Anyway"–he turned back towards Serena–"eventually, the arguments got so bad I estranged the lad. He ran off to Fengra with his bride-to-be. I didn't hear from him for the next fifteen years until he reappeared.

"He seemed to have turned a new leaf. Haneul had died, and his Ainese family didn't want much to do with him. I took it at face value, but now I wonder if that was all a lie…" Lord Yulan shrugged and began pouring out three cups of coffee.

"I became weaker and weaker as the weeks went on. He helped get me treatment, and while each vial of medicine seemed to help at first, I would become even worse afterwards. Now I realise he was just feeding me more Dust."

"Dust and some kind of poison to wear away at your constitution," Serena pointed out.

"I suppose so. Ah, excellent work, Amelia." The blonde-haired girl reappeared with a bundle of wrapped biscuits and cakes.

"On the table, if you could." Amelia dumped everything onto the table. A dozen and a half packets of paper-wrapped biscuits and cakes formed a tempting pile.

"Ooh," Amelia said, examining one of the biscuits.

"Shortbread!" Lord Yulan brought three cups to their table, gently placing them down. The steamy aroma made the atmosphere rather pleasant, and for a moment, Serena took the time to relax and think of simpler times.

"Feels like we're at House Halen, doesn't it?" Lord Yulan asked, sipping from his cup.

"Oh, how I've missed that taste."

"Wow, it's… so bitter!" Amelia exclaimed, scrunching up her nose.

"You get used to it," Serena said with a smile. Everyone thought Jimari coffee was too bitter at first, and then they'd ask for another one, and then another, and soon it became their standard to measure all other coffees from.

"Centralis cut coffee exports to the Federation and their allies, sanctions for the human support to the Republic," she said to Lord Yulan.

"So coffee has become cheaper within the Empire."

"I bet they didn't like that…" Lord Yulan grumbled, sipping his coffee. The trio of them sat in silence, drinking their coffee. After a minute, Amelia piped up, asking, "So… what's this darkblade thing everyone keeps thinking I am?"

"Ack!" Lord Yulan spluttered his coffee.

"Ahem," he said, using a napkin to clean himself.

"You don't know? Surely even in Karligard those heretics have their grubby little fingers poking and prodding?" Amelia looked at Lord Yulan, and then at Serena with eyes that said help me.

"Darkblades are followers of Anathema, the chaos god whose armies were defeated by the Empress so long ago," Serena said, coming to Amelia's aid.

"They are also called lifecheaters as they use heretical magic to unnaturally extend their lives. The upper echelons of their group have a way of transferring their souls into another body, which makes them hard to track and kill." Serena had originally thought Amelia was a darkblade, after she had so candidly admitted to being transported into a different body. Thankfully, the truth-teller had helped calm things down, although she had panicked and almost Spoken on the ship.

Of course, now she knew Amelia better, she was certain that no one this idiotic could be a part of that organisation.

"I see…" Amelia said, looking thoughtful.

"What's their objective?"

"To win the war that they lost so long ago," Serena said, shrugging.

"To try and replicate the powers of Empress Elana."

"Powers?"

"The Empress is immortal, forever young. She is powerful enough to ascend into the realm of godhood if she wants to. However, she stays here, guiding demonkind and Cascadia to prosperity."

"Wow! I bet she's really pretty! I can imagine her now…"

"Oh?" Serena said with a smile, "And what do you imagine Empress Elana, a Shard of Infinity, to look like?"

"You know… tall, with excellent posture. Horns like this." Amelia motioned a familiar shape of horns on her head, "Black hair like this." Amelia placed her hand palm down at a familiar level of hair.

"Pretty crimson eyes that you could get lost in. Bet she struts about giving orders all the time as well." Serena felt herself grow hot. This damn idiot was really pushing her luck. She would definitely find a way to punish this kind of behaviour. After all, Amelia wasn't subtle, and Serena was finding it harder and harder to… Resist. She sighed.

"Well, look over there; that's a painting of her." She gestured to the wall where a depiction of the Empress stood, leaning over a table with several other subordinates looking at a map of the Eastern Terra-Firma.

"That's her!?" Amelia jumped up to examine the painting.

"She looks… so normal! I thought her horns would be huge! I was right about the black hair, though!"

"Hmm…" Lord Yulan leaned in, reading the Imperial tag on the painting.

"Looks like this was three hundred years ago, when she came here to contain the monster waves after the Samino civil war. She takes a different form now."

"She takes a different form?" Amelia turned, eyeing Lord Yulan in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Not only is she immortal, but our divine Empress can change her appearance at will. She does so often, matching her figure to the people of the lands she visits. It is a generous and tactful reminder that she embodies all of demonkind."

"You know that portrait in my quarters?" Serena asked.

"The woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and small horns? Next to the moose's head?" Seeing Amelia nod, she continued, "That's the Empress. One of her many forms."

"That… that…" Amelia waved her arm about…

"That's crazy! Does she actually change physically? It's not illusion magic?"

"Not illusion magic, my dear," Lord Yulan said, shaking his head.

"After she communed the Third-Word, over the next few centuries, she communed even greater powers. It would be strange if she couldn't change her form."

"There's also a rumour," Serena added, "that she sometimes visits random parts of the Empire—a pub here, an inn there—in full disguise that no one can see through or detect."

"It's not just a rumour," Lord Yulan said.

"Cascadian officials have made enough comments about those activities that it's more considered an open secret than a rumour."

"So she could be anyone!? At any time?" Amelia asked, eyes open in surprise.

"That's right," Serena said.

"This is why you need proper etiquette lessons. I don't want you to be impolite to that bartender who is actually our divine deity on her night out! Ha!"

"Fine! I'll take them seriously!" Amelia protested.

"So what does she actually look like? Her original form?"

"Hmm…" Lord Yulan said.

"It sounds like the portrait Serena owns displays her true appearance. She was originally born in Celle, and like all people of Cerulean heritage, she would have…" His eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked at Amelia.

"Golden hair and blue eyes. Just like you…" A moment of silence enveloped the trio as Amelia looked more and more awkward.

"Don't worry," Serena said, "I've long since decided that if this idiot is the Empress in disguise, then all hope is lost and we should surrender now."

"Hey!" Amelia protested.

"I'm very capable when I need to be!" Her cheeks were puffed out in that way that Serena had come to find very cute. Suddenly, she found that she wanted to ruffle that silky blonde hair. Messing Amelia's hair up so it took on the appearance of bed hair did… strange things to Serena's mind.

"The problem is that when you're not capable, you're a walking disaster!" she exclaimed. She felt herself smile. It was enjoyable, pushing the smug human's buttons a little more.

"Well then!" Amelia huffed, hands on hips.

"I cannot wait for our next martial arts lesson. I think it's time I started to get serious! Hmm!? How about I tie you up like a knot and leave you hanging from the mast! Bet I can do it!"

"Idiot. If anyone's tying anyone up, it's me!" Serena glared at Amelia who for some reason gave a strange giggle and started to blush.

"Well, if you say so…" Amelia said quietly.

"You…" Serena trailed off, the blushing human suddenly made her feel like blushing. Damn it!

"Well, I must say, Serena," Lord Yulan intoned smoothly, "I am thoroughly delighted to see you've made a friend you can be comfortable with. You used to be so cold and now your heart's warmed up, hasn't it?"

"Tsk! Stop speaking nonsense, old man," Serena mumbled, looking to the side. After a moment, she looked back to see Amelia grinning smugly at her and so she was forced to look away again! Damn it, now she looked like a nervous idiot!

"You two lock horns like an old married couple. How envious I am of your youthful energy!" Lord Yulan said cheerfully.

"Alas! What can an old set of bones like me do but guide the younger generations into happiness?"

"I think we get on great!" Amelia mused.

"Serena pretends to be this serious, scary captain, but she actually has a big soft side! That's my favourite part!"

"Stop saying unnecessary things… both of you," Serena muttered, feeling herself blush even more. How was she supposed to deal with this two-sided attack!? Luckily, she was saved by a pair of figures entering the doorway. Two demons with their faces shrouded in masks stepped through. As the door swung open, one of them raised the insignia she'd given the employee.

"Is this yours?" the masked figure asked. Serena stood up, gripping her marble sword. She stood between the two groups. The demon that spoke carried a long-hafted mace in his other hand, while his partner – who had a womanly figure – carried a short sword and shield. She could sense their aether frothing inside them and reflexively spooled up her own.

"Who are you?" she asked, already suspecting the answer. She moved her free hand behind her back and gestured a series of military hand signals. Prepare. Fight. She didn't know if either of them would understand—another thing to teach Amelia.

"We found this hidden in the sock of a whimpering little rat," the man said, dropping the insignia on the floor.

"It was a nice plan you made, Captain Halen. Don't worry; we've dealt with those interfering agents hovering about. Also…" The man removed his mask, revealing a thin mouth with scars running up both cheeks, forming a morbid smile.

"We found a pair of teenagers at the end of this alley. They were so eager to help." Serena blinked, trying to stay calm.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

"Does it matter? Can we just get started?" said the female demon in annoyance, gripping her short sword tightly. Yellow aura spread across her body and her weapons. The male demon did the same, his long mace glowing yellow. It was third-level aura, and skillfully done too. Which meant…

"Amelia!" she yelled, not taking her eyes off the pair in front.

"Ward Yulan! Now!" Serena forced her aura to manifest, pushing it straight to yellow. She was just in time." Salinas," Spoke the man." Taruna," Spoke the woman. And everything exploded.