Chapter 181: White Masks in Neverland
The Reverend Mother Superior looked as composed as if she had slept in a proper convent instead of a demon crater.
Nancy entered a moment later and dropped to one knee.
"Master. Runners returned before the cycle fully turned. Three messages."
Levi gave a short nod. "Speak."
Nancy rose. "The Red Spires send formal acknowledgment of the Black Maw’s change in ownership. They request a meeting on neutral ground to discuss ’continued independence under revised terms.’ Their language is polite. Their scouts are already on the northern approaches."
Lucy snorted. "Polite with knives behind the back. Classic."
Nancy continued. "The Drowned Market sent a sealed chest and a letter. The letter offers substantial tribute in exchange for being left alone. The chest contains samples of what they are willing to pay. I had it checked. Nothing inside is cursed. Much of it is valuable."
Isha perked up. "I vote we at least open the chest. For research."
"The Hollow Choir sent nothing written," Nancy finished. "One of their white-masked representatives stood at the outer marker stone until dawn, recited a single sentence, and left. The sentence was: ’The song has already changed. Come hear the new verse if you dare.’"
Serakel’s third eye glowed faintly. "That one is the most interesting."
Vespera’s voice was cool. "And the least predictable. The Red Spires want to negotiate from strength. The Drowned Market wants to buy safety. The Hollow Choir is inviting a test."
The Reverend Mother Superior folded her hands. "Invitations from things that wear white masks in Neverland are rarely wholesome."
Levi looked over the three options while the five women waited.
’The Red Spires would take the longest and give the cleanest military example. The Drowned Market would be quickest and fill the ledgers. The Hollow Choir is the one that might actually be dangerous in a new way.’
He made the decision without prolonged debate.
"We go to the Hollow Choir first. The Red Spires can keep their polite scouts. The Drowned Market can keep its chest for now. The Choir invited us. We will answer."
Lucy’s grin returned immediately. "I like the ones that dare us. They make better stories afterward."
Isha sat up straight, slime already more animated. "White masks and strange sentences. I am going to enjoy this."
Vespera gave a small nod. "Better to deal with the unpredictable piece before it decides to become a problem behind us."
Serakel rolled the map and stood. "The eastern trenches are three cycles from here at a steady pace. Less if we push."
The Reverend Mother Superior sighed, but there was no real protest in it. "I will prepare myself for regrettable architecture and worse hospitality."
Nancy waited for further orders. Levi glanced at her.
"You remain here. Hold the Black Maw. If the Red Spires or the Drowned Market send more than words while I am gone, you will answer them the same way I answered this city. Clear?"
"Clear, Master."
Levi turned to the five women. "Gather what you need. We leave within the hour."
The group moved with practiced speed. Lucy checked her blade and the spare knives she kept hidden.
Vespera sealed a small set of cold-forged implements into her cloak. Serakel took a compact case of tools that interacted poorly with most living things.
Isha simply stretched, slime already adjusting itself for travel. The Reverend Mother Superior accepted a clean cloak from one of the silent attendants Nancy had assigned and looked faintly grateful for it.
Outside, the pit-wyrm hybrid rose as soon as Levi appeared on the lower terrace. Gold light flickered across its black scales. Captain Reth and Forgemaster Drak waited with a small escort at the eastern gate, heads lowered.
The eastern gate of the Black Maw opened onto a road of cracked volcanic glass that pointed toward the deeper trenches of Neverland. The air beyond the crater smelled of old stone and distant water.
Levi stepped through first. The five women followed. The hybrid came last, claws scoring the glass.
Behind them the Black Maw continued its work under new ownership. Ahead of them the Hollow Choir waited with its white masks and its single, inviting sentence.
Lucy matched Levi’s pace, voice light. "Do you think they will sing at us or try to stab us first?"
Isha considered the question seriously. "Why not both? Harmony."
Vespera’s living eyes stayed on the dark horizon. "Stay close when we arrive. Places that speak in riddles usually have teeth."
Serakel’s third eye opened fully as the crater fell behind them. "The map marks the Choir’s territory as stable. The map is probably lying."
The Reverend Mother Superior pulled her new cloak tighter. "I already miss the relatively honest violence of the Black Maw."
Levi listened to them and felt the Sovereign Sigil pulse in quiet anticipation.
’Three cycles to the eastern trenches. Then we see what kind of song the Hollow Choir intends to sing. And who will still be standing when it ends.’
The group moved east across the volcanic glass, gold light traveling with them like a low, certain banner. The next free court of Neverland had issued its invitation.
...
The road east left the volcanic glass behind after the first half-cycle. Black stone gave way to long stretches of gray dust and low, jagged ridges that looked like the ribs of something that had died on its side and never finished falling over. The air grew colder and carried a faint metallic taste.
Lucy walked with her usual restless energy, occasionally kicking a loose stone into the dark. "Three cycles of this and I am going to start stabbing the scenery."
Isha’s slime formed a small walking companion that mimicked Lucy’s stride for a few paces before collapsing back into her boot. "The scenery would probably deserve it."
Vespera’s living eyes stayed on the horizon. "We are being watched. Distant. Multiple points. They are not approaching."
Serakel’s third eye glowed faintly. "Agreed. The watchers are disciplined. No scouts trying to get closer for a better look. That is either confidence or fear."
The Reverend Mother Superior adjusted her cloak against the chill. "In Neverland those two often feel the same from a distance."
Levi set a steady pace. The pit-wyrm hybrid followed like a moving wall of black scales, gold light occasionally flickering across its hide when the dust grew thicker. The Sovereign Sigil pulsed in a low, even rhythm, tasting the territory ahead.
’The Choir is letting us come. No harassing attacks. No false guides. They want us to arrive intact. That is more interesting than another gate fight.’
They made camp at the end of the first cycle in the lee of a long ridge. No fire. The hybrid curled on the open side of the group and made a better barrier than any wall. The five women divided the watch without discussion. Conversation stayed light and sharp.
Lucy polished her blade by the faint gold light of the domain. "If the Hollow Choir starts singing at us I am cutting the loudest one first."
Isha grinned. "I will dissolve the second loudest. Fair division of labor."
Vespera’s voice was dry. "Try to wait until we know whether the song is the attack or just the greeting."
Serakel looked mildly amused. "You are both assuming the song is optional."
The Reverend Mother Superior closed her eyes as if praying for patience. "I miss the forges. The forges only tried to burn us."