"This is actually my first visit to your Emberbloom Palace, Spirit King, and I must say I am very impressed with your décor. If my Saltkiss Keep was not even more dazzling, I might actually consider owning a chamber here." Elisha sipped her wine slowly, a slight smile on her face.
"You flatter me too much, Elisha," Aliadam spoke calmly, his expression stoic. "And to what do I owe the honor of your visit?" he asked.
"You know very well why I am here, Aliadam. Please do not make things difficult for the both of us," Elisha stared directly into his eyes as she spoke, trying to catch as many stray expressions as she could from them.
"To be honest, I do have an idea why you are here, but I must tell you, I have no wish to get myself involved," he sighed.
"Oh, spare me the righteousness, Aliadam. You already got yourself involved the moment you offered them your protection. It took me a lot of effort to get the opportunity to visit you today. Good thing my siren shoal still extends to the river and water bodies here. Your blazing fire still surrounds Spirit Kingdom and even as I am here, I cannot fully use my powers because of the restrictions you have hovering around Spirit Kingdom, and yet he gets to roam free and at peace. These restrictions do not apply to him—you let him leave and come in freely whenever he wants—showing you are totally in support of his unrightful claim over Sheba. Tell me, Aliadam, does that not show that not only have you gotten yourself involved in this, you clearly have also picked a side." Her blue eyes sent him death stares; he did the bare minimum in avoiding them by looking away.
"Well, Elisha, since you already believe I have chosen a side, why then are you here?" he sipped his wine.
"Because I believe I can make you switch sides," Elisha's eyes held determination. "I believe you and I would make a better alliance than you and Lucifer."
"And how are you so sure about that?" he furrowed his brow.
"Think about it this way…" she put down her wine goblet. "If Sheba awakens, do you believe she would be pleased by having Lucifer as her mate? Of course not. She would let hell loose just to be separated from him and would come against everyone who aided Lucifer's claim over her, including the witches of the First Order who made the deal with Lucifer. She would spare absolutely no one, and when that time comes, you would be an enemy to her too. You know how irrational and merciless Sheba can be—she might even go as far as spiraling a brutal war between the witches and the spirits. Now tell me, Aliadam, is this not enough reason to make you switch sides and agree with me? You already have a pending war with Moist; stirring another with Sheba would be very unwise." She kept her gaze fixed on him the whole while she spoke.
Aliadam paused. He was not thinking, however; he only wanted to make it seem as if he was. He already had an answer to give her from the moment she started talking but had given her the lease to finish. His answer was still the same and it was going to remain the same forever.
He was not going to take sides with either of them. In fact, he found it rather disturbing that two very powerful beings were fighting for the affection of the most unsparing, obstinate, domineering person he knew. Were they out of their minds?
It was general knowledge that Sheba was not one to be swirled by love. Yes, she did have a connection with Elisha, but that did not make her subject to affection. She was mulish, brutal, power-hungry and only sought her own pleasure and satisfaction.
It was no secret how much Elisha had poured into her relationship with Sheba, even offering her ultimate control over the sirens, but Sheba never reciprocated the devotion. She was only about taking—taking and taking—draining until there was nothing left for her to feed on and enrich herself. In his opinion, she was not deserving of any of their affection: not Lucifer's and not Elisha's. They totally deserved better, but what did he know.
He knew he was on the right track by not picking a side, but Elisha's words held so much truth. Sheba might, in frustration, come against him because it seemed like he was helping Lucifer. However, he chose to remain unchanged. He was not helping Lucifer covertly to court Sheba or anything; he only made him comfortable in his territory because of the fondness that sprouted between them when he returned. He was still the one who helped him break free from his egg form; he was only trying to water whatever bond was growing between them, and if Elisha wanted to see it as him supporting Lucifer's claim over Sheba, then he would simply let her.
"I have said this before and I will say it again," he began slowly after the long pause that left Elisha in indefinite suspense. "I am not taking sides with any of you and I do not wish to. You and Lucifer are more than capable of coming after each other—please do not get me involved. My primary concerns now are rebuilding my kingdom, destroying Moist and living the rest of my life in unending peace and solemnity."
"You are really a tough nut to crack, Aliadam," she sighed, reluctantly returning to her wine.
"Fine then. Hope you don't mind me quenching your wall of fire with the strongest tidal waves while trying to attack Lucifer as he remains hidden in your kingdom. I am sure you handle damages well—this," she waved her hand referring to his palace, "is proof of that. Remind me, Aliadam, how long did it take you?" she bit her lip, feigning thought. "Three days, a week? I am not quite sure."
"Ten hours," Aliadam's tone was grim.
"Oh, impressive," she looked genuinely amazed. "Wonderful indeed. Seems like handling damages is one beautiful talent you possess, Spirit King, and trust me, Sheba would do well to make you put it to good use." She wore a smug expression.
"You know the amount of damage she is capable of causing, and mind you, I will not consider the safety and well-being of your beloved spirits when I launch a head-on attack on Lucifer. If you want to feign righteousness so badly, how about you consider the lives and well-being of your people. A war is coming, Aliadam, and I do not plan to be reasonable—neither does Sheba." Her blue orbs glowed with the terror she was willing to bring upon Spirit Kingdom if Aliadam did not act sensibly.
All while she spoke, he was thinking—this time, for real. His people were still recovering from the trauma of slavery; risking their lives one more time was not wise at all. Besides, he had already promised to put their needs first, and what they needed most now was safety and security.
He had already made it clear that he was not siding with Lucifer, but Elisha had just made plain how much ruthlessness she was prepared to unleash against Lucifer, and if Lucifer remained within the borders of Spirit Kingdom, his people would suffer with him, even more. Lucifer was capable of protecting himself from any attack Elisha would send, but his people were not. Elisha's powers were far above every spiritual power in all of Spirit Kingdom apart from his.
If he chose to remain stubborn and let Lucifer stay in his territory with Sheba, there was no way he would be able to protect them all. She was right—they would suffer great damages, and not to mention the wrath Sheba would wreak on them when she woke to find herself in his kingdom.
No—he could not risk it, not again.
"I will speak to Lucifer before nightfall," he breathed. "You're right, I do know how to manage damages, but I would rather avoid them."
"Good. I will await pleasant developments. Sheba will wake the day after tomorrow; time has long left my side. Till nightfall." She stood to leave.
Aliadam no longer spoke; he only watched her back strut away, and just when she reached the entrance, she turned to him, as if remembering something.
"Oh, I almost forgot—your recent feats have gotten to Moist's ears and she is definitely not happy about it."
"She has woken from her coma?" his eyes widened.
"Yes, just this morning. War is definitely coming, Aliadam; your fire better be strong enough to burn her to ashes the next time you meet, else her deadly formations would subdue you to dust. Either way, one is bound to happen. Good luck igniting your flames." She finally left.
Aliadam remained quiet and alone for long minutes after she departed.
Moist was awake; she would definitely come for him. Should he wait until she did, or should he attack her first? He could not decide. However, one thing was certain: Moist was never going to spare her number one enemy a chance to breathe—she would definitely come after him.
Wait—he had an important thought.
Moist might not spare her number one enemy, true. But was he really her number one enemy, or was it someone else? Someone else also making a comeback? Sheba…