Chapter 82 The Autumn Court.

  “History has proven, my Lady, that fey have been involved in almost every major turning point in every race’s history. They were there when Grindleden fell, when the Vistra Conclave was annihilated, when Klestis, Hokkeden, and Jardennaddar were buried under Mount Ghestraza. They were there when the Great Library of The Celestial Kingdom was reduced to ash and thousands of years of history went up in smoke. My Lady, if there is one thing that our meeting leaves you with, I pray that it is the awareness of the ill omens that are the fey.” Professor Gnosis finally took time to breathe after finishing his rant.

  “And yet you were still willing to do a job for me?” Lenna’s comment was more of an open question than just a comment and the professor seemed to be aware of that.

  “It is also proven, time and again, that whoever works with the fey comes out on top, or at least unharmed. After leaving, the first thing that I was going to do was contact my family and warn all of them out of the capital. Next I would consult all of the Foresight Eyes and see if anyone has had a vision that seemed out of place.” Professor Gnosis explained.

  “Specifically avoiding breaching the contract while still protecting your own family, smart.” Isaac commented.

  “However, he specifically would not inform the royal family or have any of his family members do so. To do that would be to actually attempt to trick a fey and that is the height of folly.” Lenna added. “Isn’t that right, professor?”

  “You saw right through me.” Professor Gnosis confessed. “I would save as many of my family members as possible but the rest of the country would be left to burn. I am not a greedy man, a coward by nature, but I also pride myself in my wit that has only grown with age just in case I am ever in the presence of a fey. It is about time that they show themselves, historically speaking. They usually make themselves known in some multiple of four hundred and forty four or nine hundred and ninety nine years. The separate time tables implies that it is actually two specific fey who are responsible for most of those great cataclysms of the past.”

  “Two specific Archfey, huh?” Lenna hummed. “That is certainly an interesting theory. Which one is scheduled for this year?”

  “Nine hundred and ninety nine.” Professor Gnosis explained. “And if my theory is correct, then it is the Archfey Ohezesha, of the Autumn Court.”

  “Again, the Autumn Court, why?” Isaac wondered. “And what is the difference?”

  “The fey are as governed by the seasons as they are a part of them or in control of them.” Lenna began but then waved towards the professor so Isaac could get the full picture from someone who made a living teaching others.

  “The Autumn Court is the only one that I will be going over in the short time that we have today as it has come up multiple times.” The professor began to which Isaac nodded his consent to receiving teaching from the man at that moment. “As Autumn is the time for Harvesting, it is also the time for Reaping, Preparing, and Rotting. Those make up the Head and the three Supporting Archfey of the court. Under them there are six Nobles: Dusk, Transition, Withdraw, Deceleration, Wilting, and Loss. There are plenty of minor fey that live in the Autumn Court but they are of suitably minor things like Red Maple Leaves or the Smell of Rotting Pumpkins.”

  “Which fey do you think it is? Which one is Ohezesha?” Isaac wondered.

  “Rotting.” Professor Gnosis explained. “I named them each in order for a reason. There are four Heads of the courts. We often call them Queens and Kings if we are aware of their gender or are only talking about a singular one of them. Under them there are twelve Supporting Archfey which are the ones that mortals often have interactions with when they do things like bargain for power or boons. They are listed in order based on month. That makes Reaping month seven, Preparing month eight, and Rotting month nine.”

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  “Nine, nine, nine.” Isaac said with understanding. “Which is why you believe it to be her.”

  “Yes.” The professor agreed.

  “But, Lenna, why did you think that he expected you to be of the Autumn Court?” Isaac questioned his wife.

  “I assumed that he expected me to be the Noble of Transitions, as it is a notorious shapeshifter. No one is sure of their gender, simply that they always appear as the opposite of whoever they are dealing with.” Lenna explained.

  “That would have been a fine assumption, and considering how quiet they have been since Lord Space erected the Veil, it would make the most sense, but I am still firmly of the belief that Ohezesha is going to make a move at some point this year.” Professor Gnosis stated.

  “Even with so many demigods running around?” Lenna questioned the professor.

  “I imagine that they will try to either align with the demigods or hide from them. Being impartial is not a luxury that they have during this cycle.” The professor explained. “In previous eras they attempted to maintain a ‘healthy distance’ from the demigods. From the few sources that have managed to survive the most recent dragon surge, and the burning of the library twelve hundred years ago, it appears that they have come to blows and acted alongside demigods in the past with neither side ever coming out of the situation with good feelings. The demigods are always ready for the fey to trick them and sometimes even manage to trick the fey only to find themselves tricked as well. During battles, the fey cannot stop a demigod but a demigod will have a very difficult time catching or putting down a fey. It is a lose lose situation almost every time, with a few rare cases of a victory on one side or the other. Unfortunately I do not have any first or second hand accounts to back up that statement. It is just from an essay on the topic that had managed to survive the burning.”

  “Well, thank you for the information on the fey.” Isaac told the professor. “I am interested in meeting one of them at some point, but I will not go looking for them. If we ever happen to cross paths then I am sure that it will be an interaction that I will never forget.”

  “I am sure that it will be. “ The professor agreed. “Now, I have to teach my next class, but I will be willing and able to run your errand afterwards.”

  “That is agreeable.” Lenna replied. “And we will leave you to your work. When you return, stop by a tavern for dinner and let us know which one, we will meet you there. If you bring some form of truth enforcing device, then I am sure that Isaac will be more than willing to begin his recounting of his battle with Jallen V’Nova over dinner.”

  “I will.” The professor said and got to his feet which was the quartet’s cue to leave.

  “Then, until this evening, I bid you farewell.” Lenna offered the professor another curtsy.

  Lucius led Isaac and Lenna towards the exit after a quick goodbye to Esmerelda, who had to be at the professor’s next class, and then the five had become three. “Well, that was fruitful.” Isaac commented.

  “It would appear so, though I believe we should still be cautious.” Lenna warned him.

  “I agree.” Isaac stated. “But it was still nice that we didn’t have to talk to half a dozen different professors.”

  “Agreed.” Lenna said with a nod.

  “Well, I still have an hour or so before I need to worry about my next class, would you like to see the warrior’s side?” Lucius questioned the duo.

  “We would love to.” Isaac agreed. “Though I wish we were in more comfortable clothes for sparring. I think it would be nice to spar with some of the young talents like yourself.”

  “Swordsmanship only?” Lucius questioned.

  “Of course.” Isaac agreed. “Sparring against what amounts to fresh recruits and rich kids, with a few actual soldiers and talents thrown in, with magic would be unnecessarily mean at this juncture.”

  “But not a general rule?” Lucius asked the man who had a reputation for chaos.

  “As a general rule? Hmm…” Isaac actually had to think about it. “Maybe as a general baseline, sure.” He nodded in confirmation. “Though there are plenty of factors that can push it out the window.”

  “Oh, I believe I am aware.” Lucius replied. Sometimes he really did forget that Isaac fit his roles as both a double platinum adventurer and the Lord of all that is Dark almost seamlessly.

  Isaac turned and locked eyes with Lucius. There was a sadness that spoke of horrors that should never be done, horrors that he had witnessed. There was an annoyance that a child raised in the sheltering care of a high noble heir would be so bold as to say that they knew every horror that could push one’s morals out of the way entirely. The knowledge that new recruits had done some of those horrors in the past, had been the reason some had suffered through things that should never be spoken about in polite company, had been as guilty and deserving of a torturous death as one could be, but also the knowledge that these recruits were not such people.

  Isaac turned from Lucius and then recentered himself. It was not the time to be speaking of things that could bring down the mood, even if it already had been brought down by a decent degree. Instead, he just picked the first thing that came to mind and turned back towards Lucius with a questioning look. “Have you met any Heidenburgs? Are you going to be taking part in their tournament on the first of summer?” He asked the young noble who jumped slightly.

  “I have.” Lucius confirmed as the answer to Isaac’s first question. “I was not planning on it, no. It would look bad if I got my ass handed to me in another duchy.”

  “More for me then.” Lenna commented with a smirk that told Lucius all that he needed to know. He might not want to take part in the festivities but watching them would be a treat for sure, if he could manage to get himself there without it causing any problems. The Arbencrofts and Heidenburgs had already been at each others’ throats for generations at that point. He, his father, and his mother were the last people that the Heidenburgs would ever willingly send an invitation to.