Oxylus

Upheaval

Manabound

Copyright © 2023 by Oxylus

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This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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Tremors of War

Some time ago

The Empire of Vlaredia was in many ways a lesson in opposites. The nation and its people were simultaneously warlike and isolationist. When faced with what they perceived as existential threats, they riled up their citizens into an almost bloodlust-like furor. This was compounded by the fact that the people resisted outsiders almost religiously and thus saw any attempt at foreign control as existential. They lived by a very simple mantra: leave me alone, or I will burn down everything you hold dear.

Some could say that conflict between the Empire and the Sovereign Cities was inevitable. The Sovereign Cities played host to the Guilds at a level not seen in other regions of the continent, and the Guilds used that ubiquity to push their influence and agenda with little impunity. Such an infringement of Imperial culture and sense of self, ironically made the Empire seem more sovereign than the very cities they found themselves at odds with.

For the Sovereigns had long been manipulated and led to believe that the Guilds were an integral part of the independent mindset of the Cities. The Guilds surely ensured that those who had a craft were able to resist being trampled by those above them. Right?

It was this idea that lay at the foundation of why the Sovereigns seemed befuddled when the Empire pushed back on the Guilds’ attempt of imposing their authority within the nation. For it seemed minor deviations of viewpoints were all that caused such a drastic and visceral reaction.

A viewpoint being discussed by the Imperial war council. The emperor had summoned his economic and interior ministers, his generals and their advisors, key commanders, and even the priests.

Commander Ressa sat off to the side and quietly observed as they spoke of skirmishes, disposition of forces, economic impact, and potentialities. The empress, in her role as the head of the imperial intelligence ministry, discussed opportunities and the weaknesses her agents had found. The surprising weakness and corruption at the heart of their other longtime rivals could potentially cause those forces to either take advantage of hostilities or simply dismiss the Sovereigns outright. A risk the council was willing to take, but not without approving a mission for the diplomatic ministry to undergo. For just because one was filled with bloodlust, didn’t mean they couldn’t enact a failsafe and strategy.

Ressa knew that they discussed all this for one reason. For the economic war that the Guilds waged in the shadows had gone too far. The Guild of Blades had struck at Imperial Free Merchants, and absconded with their goods as a tax.

Those gathered had all worked tirelessly into the night while the council discussed options, using their aids to supply needed context. Ressa herself provided desired information based on her position within the military arm of the Empire.

In the end, only one solution could be made. The Guilds had drawn their line in the sand, and the Empire would not acquiesce to the demands of foreigners willingly.

To any other nation, such a reaction would have provoked a different response, they would have seen the Guilds as the entity they were. They would not have associated the actions of one power-hungry Regional Head of the Guilds with an act of all of the Sovereign Cities. Ressa considered if perhaps that was a failing of the Empire, or maybe her countrymen had the keen ability to identify a rot that could not be allowed to afflict them again. Whatever the reason, her leaders had made their decision.

As the meeting concluded, small discussions broke out amongst various members, while others yawned, desiring sleep, the empress called upon the elite soldier.

“Commander Ressa.”

The orkun woman stood up from where she sat, saluted, and bowed her head. “Your Majesty.”

“Walk with me”

Ressa followed her Empress as she was led out of the war room. She kept her head forward, walking behind the woman, taking note of the imperial guard that trailed behind them. The man moved past the two of them and opened a door. The guard bowed his head as the empress and Ressa walked inside.

What they entered was a small sitting room with a large set of windows that overlooked the private imperial gardens. She quietly sat next to the woman and waited to be addressed.

“These gardens were originally planted by my mother-in-law just before my husband was coronated. She did it out of spite because while she permitted our marriage, she never liked me. She felt like giving me this garden would require me to take my attention away from the duties I have given myself.”

Ressa didn’t quite know how to respond, so she remained silent. The empress looked up as if contemplating and continued.

“The woman had very different thoughts on how an empress should act. When I became empress, I had the entire garden burned. I then had it replanted in the way that you see now, and have people maintain it for me. They know to keep it this way, and I let them do their duties. I have zero intention of micromanaging a garden. My purpose isn’t to be some socialite that keeps apprised of the pulse of the nobility. My husband prefers the social aspects of ruling and the day-to-day minutiae, whereas I thrive in sculpting and perfecting the big picture. In this way, we are different. I understand this. As does he. We do not care.”

She must have seen the confusion on Ressa’s face because she smiled softly. “The reason I tell you this is simple. I do not care about ‘the way things have always been’. I will burn the past to the ground and rebuild something greater. I will appoint those who fit any given situation best. The future is uncertain. Our very way of life has been threatened by the changes brought by the Flash and the appearance of these terrans–or humans as some call themselves.

“You belong to one of these situations. I require you to assemble a team. You will ascertain the extent of changes and research the Sovereigns have put into this new reality we find ourselves in. Your own changes have been followed with great interest, and I expect you to take note of how to counter others such as yourself.

“If the Sovereigns field any such individuals. You will track them down and eliminate them. I predict that we are only just skimming the top of the potential of what is to come. Underestimating those with abilities could spell the downfall of our armies.”

Ressa slowly nodded her head. “I will do as you command, Your Highness.”

Her eyes narrowed as her thoughts went to everything she would need to accomplish.

“Good. You will have access to whatever you require, and you report directly to me. If you encounter the need, you have the authority to redirect any assets along the front. Do not abuse this. Ensure you requisition couriers, as I expect monthly reports.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

“The guard will give you your orders on the way out.”

She stood and bowed to her Empress. Thoughts already moving to how best to prepare, her team would likely move into enemy territory. This would need to be accounted for.

Ressa smirked as she received the orders from the man outside. She felt her magic ripple within her chest as a feeling of resolve overcame her. She would not fail her empress.

✦ ✦ ✦

Far from the Imperial Palace of Vlaredia, in the city of Marketbol, members of the Church of the Celestials were hard at work. The high priest for the city’s primary temple had been changed by the Flash. Insight from the gods had graced him and a few others. The church had once again been blessed by the ones they worshipped.

However, while the temple was awash with activity, the Paladins of Alos were on a mission.

There had been several villages attacked recently, and the shrine priest had called for aid since the Sovereign cities had not sent any. Shalas rode with six other men and women of the order.

They were nearing the mountains south of Marketbol. All of the villages hit were within half a day’s ride from the range. Based on descriptions they had received from the villagers, this was the only place where the thing that had attacked could hide. The first signs of it came when they had stopped for the night. Fortunately, it did not choose to strike.

Normally, this was not a task that would befall the Paladins of Alos. However, due to the fractured state of the Sovereign Cities, Shalas knew that she had a responsibility to protect the innocent when the leaders dithered. After all, it was her decision as the Praetor of Marketbol and the surrounding region.

That responsibility of protection was a core tenant of the order. Their purpose was to have the strength and initiative to protect the innocent and bring impartial justice to those who would violate the decrees.

She had been a member of the order for most of her life. Yet, in all of that time, none of it compared to the challenges brought upon them since the Flash.

Beasts changed by something new. Something within the very air. Praetor Shalas was another such person who had been changed. Her changes, however, did not help her with her current predicament.

As they neared the mountains, they spread out. Searching for any signs of their quarry.

It did not take long.

“Praetor.”

Shalas looked over at where Evocati Mori was standing. “Yes, Evocati?”

“I have tracks,” the man said, indicating the ground in front of him.

When she approached, what she saw was surprising. The tracks were massive. They were easily two hands wide.

She called the others to them and they readied their weapons. Following their tracker, Mori, they made their way into the mountains.

It took them much of the day, but they eventually found the cave in which the tracks led.

The smell hit them almost immediately when they entered.

Shalas instinctively gripped her spear tighter when they saw the first pile of bones.

Gesturing to her people, they spread out a line abreast. Two of her people had their bows out, arrows already nocked with more held at the ready.

A growl resounded from deep in the cave. The group slowly made their way through the tunnels until they opened into a large chamber. Across a small pond, on a hill, was what could only be described as a monster. Shalas suspected that it had once been a wolf. It stood over two meters tall. Its mottled black fur shimmered yellow. She knew then that it too had been touched by the Flash. It had been changed. Twisted.

Whatever it was now, it was feasting on the bodies of a family.

Shalas said a prayer to Relena to spare their souls.

She brought her hand up, ready to signal the attack.

They moved forward.

The monster turned its head toward them.

She brought her fist down and two arrows went flying. Another two quickly followed.

Shalas let out a battle cry as she charged.

✦ ✦ ✦

Marketbol was an important city. Due to this, it was host to several temples like any other major city.

It, of course, had a temple to the Family: the Temple of the Celestials. Although much smaller than Strathmore’s great temple, the Golden City of the Plains had a beautiful structure dedicated to the four major gods. Unlike Strathmore–which was the seat of the Church of the Celestials–Marketbol’s primary temple did not have dedicated facilities for each major god.

However, like most other places, Marketbol had temples for select members of the remainder of the pantheon. Marketbol chose Dylenia the goddess of commerce and Erbium the god of crafting as its patron gods. These two minor gods had two small dedicated temples within the city, while the other minor gods were represented within the consolidated Temple of the Stars.

It was rare that members of the Family had their own dedicated temples. This was by design, for it was as They desired when they spoke the First Decree. Alos, Eona, Relena, and Tenera were all to be worshipped together. In fact, there were only five locations in the world that had individual temples for them. In addition to the great temple within Strathmore, there were the Seats.

Relena’s Morthenon had been rebuilt by the ancient raithe after the Loreni Diaspora in the northeastern mountains of Ikios a millennia ago. The goddess visited the Archpriest of the time in her raithe avatar and pronounced her Decree.

Tenera’s Templum Tenebris sat in the frozen north of the elven continent, Loren. The oldest of the temples, it sat within the ancient home of the night elves.

The World’s Womb, the Seat of Eona, sat deep within the Solana Rainforest in central Loren. The location was said to be the birthplace of all life–or at least that of the Loreni.

Alos’s Sedes Solaris sat on the island of Torid between the southern coasts of the two great continents–Loren and Ikios. It was also the home of the Paladins of Alos.

It was Shalas’s home and it was times like today that she missed it. She hated the rain, and there was plenty of it outside. Marketbol rained far too often and today it appeared as soon as she and her paladins had returned from their hunt. While the others left to perform other duties, Shalas had to clean up to meet with the high priest.

Praetor Shalas grabbed a towel from one of the attendants of the temple and wiped her face. As she cleaned up and fixed her hair, two other attendants dried her armor. She bowed her head and thanked them for their service and headed to where she knew the high priest would be.

Most temples had private chapels where the members of the church could worship in private. The high priest had one of three such chapels within the temple cleared out of all furniture. Shalas walked into the empty room and noticed a new fixture centered within. A pedestal, elegantly crafted and decorated with various likenesses of the Family’s Avatars on its shaft.

The high priest stood next to it as he awaited her.

She bowed respectfully to the man as she approached and he smiled.

“Praetor, welcome back. How did your hunt go?”

Shalas reached into the sack she carried and pulled out a large yellow core. “It went well in two ways. We ended the monster that preyed upon the innocent, as Alos wills. And we procured an orb I believe will suit the ceremony.”

She handed the orb to the high priest and watched as he channeled his gift into it. The orb swirled with a yellow mist and the man smiled.

“This will work perfectly. Now, we should work out the details of the ceremony.”

He placed the orb at the top of the pedestal and moved so that it stood between them. Gesturing to the side closest to her, he said, “Come, Shalas. Let us establish the Ceremony of Paths. You will be the first.”

She bowed. “It would be my honor, High Priest.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Present

Shalas walked into the meeting chambers within the temple. The high priest was present, as were two dwarves that she did not know. One was obviously a priest, while the other may have been a temple guard.

It was rare that she saw dwarven priests. While the dwarves did worship the same pantheon as the rest of the world, they quite often placed more prominence upon Erbium, the god of crafting, and Lysstus, the god of the hearth.

The high priest held a solemn expression, but she’d worked with the man for many years now. There was a hint of sadness in him that he was attempting to hide. “Praetor, thank you for joining us. Please, sit. We have some grave news,” the high priest said.

Shalas nodded and took the indicated seat. The dwarf priest glanced at the man with him and then took a deep breath. “Praetor. Thank you for coming. We have come from Dheg Malduhr. It…” the priest choked up and the other man placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in close. She couldn’t hear what was said but the priest soon nodded.

“Dheg Malduhr is no more.”

Shalas gasped in surprise. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but could not speak. A city… gone? A natural disaster? The mountain? What…

The priest continued. “A terran created a weapon. A weapon that uses the energy of the gods that was brought by the Flash.”

“A weapon?” she managed to ask.

The man nodded. “Yes. There was an accident. I know not what exactly occurred, but the result was that the city was destroyed completely. That we lived was due to visiting the shrine near the pass.”

So the other man was a guard.

The guard turned toward her. “There is more. The Vlaredian Empire approached the pass. They are currently helping survivors, but I do not doubt that they will soon use it.”

Shalas’s eyes widened. If the Vlaredians get through the pass, they’ll attack Goosebourne…

The high priest sucked in a breath. He looked at Shalas. “You know the Decree. We are to remain neutral.”

Clearly, he knew what she was thinking.

“High priest–”

“Praetor. We must not interfere within the matters of nations.”

She bowed her head. “Of course, high priest. However, as Praetor, I must protect the church. After this meeting, I will send out the paladins to the temples of the region. They will have orders to provide security to our people.”

“Of course, I would expect nothing less,” the high priest agreed. He turned back toward the dwarven priest. “Now, please, tell us everything you know about these terrans. We had many here in Marketbol, but they recently left. Some are with the army.”

She heard the guard gasp lightly. It seemed that the thought of terrans with the army did not sit right with him.

After some of the promises she’d heard them make, she didn’t blame him.

✦ ✦ ✦

A knock sounded at the door to her small office. Shalas looked up to see the high priest entering with one of the priestess-in-training behind him.

“Shalas, I am glad I caught you.”

She tilted her head. “Of course, where else would I be, high priest?”

“Were you not going to prepare the rest of the order?” he asked.

She smirked. “It is done, high priest. They have already departed.”

He nodded absently. “My apologies, Praetor. How long was I in seclusion?” He glanced at the young girl.

Shalas looked toward the window, gauging the time. She didn’t remember when the last bell had sounded.

“No more than a few bells, high priest,” the girl, Mariel, said.

The older high elf looked weary. He sat in the extra chair she had off to the side and leaned his head against the wall behind him. “I have drafted a request for the Archpriestess on behalf of the Church within the Sovereign Cities.”

Shalas gasped. “High priest, is that not… beyond your station?”

He actually shrugged. “Perhaps. However, due to the seriousness of the situation, I feel that I am within my bounds. These terrans pose a greater danger than we know. Her Holiness must enact a Decree to protect the people of our world.”

“…What are you suggesting, high priest?” She glanced at the girl, wondering why she was present.

“We must limit how much influence they can hold over our world. Particularly when it comes to weapons. What happened at Dheg Malduhr cannot be allowed to happen again.”

Shalas agreed. Some terrans remained within the city. She’d had some of her people subtly reach out to them, and what they’d learned was… a lot. Terrans came from a variety of different societies and cultures. That was not inherently dangerous, but what was, were the ones that came from civilizations that were far more advanced. They were dangerous.

The high priest was right. They had a duty to uphold.

“I agree, high priest. I have two men that can act as couriers. However, if I may, why is the priestess-in-training present?”

A hint of yellow flickered across his eyes.

“I have begun performing the Ceremony of Paths upon members of the temple. Mariel shows great… promise. I would like you to work with her, however, I believe her gift may require her to seek experts.”

Shalas scrutinized the girl. “What is her gift?”

The high priest’s eyes closed. “I am not entirely certain. I just know that she has been blessed by more than one of the gods.”

That caused Shalas to pause.

The girl fidgeted slightly. “They have not spoken to me, high priest.”

“Ah, my girl. They speak to us in many ways. They have given you their gifts. In time you may hear their voice.”

“Where would she go for an expert? Strathmore? Unfortunately, it will be some time before I can arrange travel. I simply do not have paladins to spare.”

Surprisingly, he shook his head. “No, I do not think there is any need for that. There is an… order… within Calling that I believe would suit our needs.”

Shalas squinted her eyes, trying to remember anything about a holy order within the city of Calling. The Kingdom of Rosale was small, fairly wealthy, but not necessarily noteworthy for the church. “I am unaware of any order within Calling, high priest.”

“That is expected. It is small. We will simply have to look out for a way to get her there. In the meantime, I would like for her to train with you.”

Shalas glanced at the girl and nodded her head. “I can do that, high priest. In my spare time at least.”

“Good, good. We will have need of your gift as well, Shalas. We will need to prepare for what is to come. Now, about the Decree…”

She took a deep breath.

“You are correct in that one will be needed. If Dheg Malduhr is any indication, it is that we must be prepared. However, we cannot let ourselves become blinded. We will ensure the trustworthiness of any terran that enters our city. There are bound to be some that we can work with. We do this to ensure the safety of our people.”

The high priest nodded. “Good. Let us get to work. We need to prepare the Ceremony for use by the public. The guards will need to be aware and know their role.”

“I will see it done, high priest.”

He nodded and stood up to leave.

Shalas glanced at Mariel one last time before the young raithe girl followed the high priest out.

She glanced back down at what she was working on. A list of known terrans and their origins. Along with how dangerous they were to their world.

Upheaval

West Ikios has seen its fair share of wars, but the war that began between the Empire of Vlaredia and the Sovereign Cities set alight a wildfire that would tear nearly the entire region asunder for many years to come. It became what is now the most studied war in history due to being the earliest modern example of arcane warfare. As the use of mana increased, the greater cost of warfare in lives quickly became evident. Subsequent research into both offensive and defensive uses of mana created a foundation that lasts to this day.

- Mana and War: The Many Parties War. 179 SA

Just outside of the borders of the Kingdom of Westaren, a small caravan of wagons had stopped for the night. They had slowly traveled for weeks since the fall of Thirdghyll, whose survivors were even now making their way to a small town called Vilstaf.

Shaken by the appearance and assault by beings that could only be called monsters, the members of the caravan were alert. A group of weary knights sat off to the side, discussing their future as the knight-captain of their order spoke with the woman who led the other half of the caravan. That woman’s House had grown, now including five others, and would only increase from there as she sought a way to sustain all that was required to effectuate her mission.

The caravan was in an area of dry rolling plains where little civilization lay. There were some sparse ruins of old towns and villages that could be found from a time when Westaren was part of the Sovereign Cities. Now, after the brutal war to form their own nation, only empty wilderness remained in the area along the border.

In a camp alongside the only road that led out of the Kingdom of Westaren, Baroness Sloane Reinhart calmly stood and scrutinized the map sprawled out before her.

“We’re still a couple of weeks from the town, but Tiberius noticed troops here, here, and here,” she said, pointing her dagger at areas she had seen forces blocking their route to Goosebourne. The bird was able to cover the vast distances involved quite quickly, making scouting almost comically simple. Nothing is gonna be able to sneak up on us easily. Well, unless invisibility magic is real… or Tiberius isn’t flying. Yeah, I’ll let Gisele handle everything.

Gisele nodded slowly as she examined the rough map that Sloane had sketched. It depicted the area in between where they currently rested and the immediate surroundings of Goosebourne. A town they had planned on stopping in for resupply, and for Sloane to pass on a message.

Before the events that led to the fall of Thirdghyll, Sloane had met with a man who was from the secretive order of spies and assassins that the Kingdom of Westaren maintained. That Order of Secrets had condemned an entire city to monsters, solely to ensure they could end the reign of the corrupt count who ruled it. She wondered what had happened to Giallo, who had mentioned that his people would take advantage of the chaos to enact their plan.

I never saw what happened to the count after the monsters attacked his small army.

She knew that there were survivors from the city. After learning how to do it, Sloane sent Tiberius back and used her Golem Sight to watch the East Fort. The soldiers under Captain Jorin had repelled five attacks by the monsters, finally evacuating survivors from the city on the third day. She had Tiberius drop off a note to the captain explaining what they knew of Goosebourne, hoping it would find its way to Giallo.

In reply, Captain Jorin had passed along a message for Nemura, containing orders that provided a discharge of honor from the Thirdghyll Guard. Orders that released her of any oaths or commitments to the group to which she had dedicated over half a decade of time. He also provided access to funds within the Banking Guild for the former guardswoman.

The big telv had definitely teared up a little when she had read the message. I need to discuss the future with her and the others.

Sloane shivered and pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself as she waited for Gisele to come to a decision.

Finally, the orkun woman sighed. She looked up from the map. “We do not have a choice, really. If what you described is true…” she lifted a hand to stop Sloane from interjecting. “and I do not doubt that it is, Goosebourne has already, or nearly fallen. We have noncombatants with us, nor would nine people make any true difference. Plus, neither we nor your House should take a side in this war. I believe we should try and bypass the city by going… here,” she said while indicating at a point on the map.

Sloane leaned forward, seeing that their path would come close to where she saw troops.

“Why there?”

“The land further west is rocky and not suitable for the wagons. There is a small road here that we can take to bypass Goosebourne. Then we will need to skirt the edge of the forest down to Marketbol,” she explained.

“We may run into troops here though.”

“There is nothing we can do about that. We will show that our origins are from Blightwych and as such are not part of either side. Explain that we are simply heading through to Rosale.”

Sloane squinted. “Rosale? But…”

Gisele shook her head. “We do not want to tell them we are staying in the Sovereign Cities. Rosale is a safer option. They don’t need to know where we are actually heading for us to get past them.”

“Ah, yes. That makes sense.”

Gisele pushed off her knees and stood up. “You should discuss with your House members. We’ll set up watches. I would appreciate it if you could have Nemura and Stefan take shifts to patrol inside the camp itself.”

Sloane nodded. It seems she is already trying to distance herself.

She watched as the woman walked away, and was about to stand up when Adaega sat down next to her. She gave the woman a once over as she shuffled around, trying to get comfortable. Observations since leaving the city had revealed an unsurprising amount of trauma due to the time Adaega had spent in the count’s dungeon being tortured, but the dark-skinned woman was getting better, seemingly, day by day, and it was due, in no small part, to Ernald.

“Lady Sloane? May we talk?”

“Ms. Merbaker. Please, call me ‘Sloane’. What can I do for you?”

The woman fidgeted slightly, seemingly nervous. “…Sloane, Ernald has told me some, but could you tell me more about yourself? Where do you come from?”

Sloane relaxed a bit and smiled.

“Of course.”

What followed was a talk that lasted nearly an hour. Sloane told her all about her version of Earth and about Gwyn. They finished with the plans and goals Sloane had. It felt good getting most of it out, especially to another human. Even if that human was from somewhere vastly different. The calendar in the woman’s world was another point of divergence, but she was able to guess that the world was at somewhat the same stage of development as hers from the fifties.

Adaega shook her head. “It is just so hard to believe. We’re here, in this fantasy world but come from such dissimilar worlds ourselves.”

“You don’t say.” Sloane chuckled. “Your nation is a mouthful! The Unified Kingdom of…”

The woman next to her huffed in amusement. “The Unified Kingdom of Yoruba and Dahomey. We simply call it the UK.”

The woman’s world had some crazy divergences compared to Sloane’s, and her nation was an African nation on a continent that vaguely resembled the one she knew. The nation sat within a large area surrounding the Gulf of Guinea–which they called the Yoruba Gulf–that occupied land as far west as Ghana in her world, to Niger in the north, and even as far south as Cameroon. The massive divergence from Adaega’s Earth was that Europe had a cataclysmic volcanic event occur that caused it to be pretty uninhabitable. Evidently, it was a very active volcano zone still to the day that Adaega lived. That led to cooler temperatures over Africa, volcanic ash that settled into the soil, and an ironically better climate overall. It also shifted the landscape fairly substantially such that the Mediterranean and Europe as a whole was barely recognizable.

“What did you do for a living, Adaega?”

That made the woman straighten her back. As if they had finally reached the purpose of coming to meet Sloane. “I was the Director of Operations at the Lokoja University.”

Sloane perked up. “Oh? That sounds fascinating. What does your university specialize in?”

Adaega launched into an explanation of her institution, speaking about the many different colleges of study that made up the school and how it was one of the preeminent universities in the world. As the woman described it, Sloane realized why it sounded so familiar. It was essentially their world’s version of Oxford.

“What are your goals, Adaega?” Sloane asked, trying to cut to the heart of the matter.

“I-I want to be safe. I can’t follow the knights. They do not know where their path will take them, and it will likely be dangerous. As much as I sympathize with your search for your daughter, I… I just can not do it. Maybe in the future, but I do not want to put myself in danger again. Ernald says that Marketbol is a well-developed city and most importantly, safe.”

Sloane understood completely. It’s what she wanted for her and her daughter. After finding her, that is. Safety was important, and not everyone was cut out for what the knights could do. Sloane didn’t think she was either, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to do it anyway.

“I see. The knights will be with us until Marketbol. It’s okay, Adaega. Just ask what you wish to ask.”

The woman nodded and took a deep breath to compose herself. “You are correct. I am prevaricating, my apologies. I believe I would be a beneficial addition to your research center that Ernald described to me. Looking at those you currently have in your employ, it seems that I am uniquely suited to manage it.”

Sloane raised a brow. She had expected something after hearing what the woman did for a living but outright asking to manage her center wasn’t. I will have to discuss this more with her. I hope she will be a good fit because it would be nice to already have someone lined up. Elodie can’t do everything.

Adaega must have taken her silence as hesitancy instead of the contemplation that it was because she glanced back at where the knights were and then leaned forward.

“I know it’s a bit forward of me. Ernald suggested I talk with your… retainers, and I did. They all seem genuinely nice. I think I can do some good there. I have experience with running something like this, and with Ms. Elodie’s financial acumen, we can really expand your business and pursue some great things. Especially into materials research.”

Sloane thought back to Giallo and how the man had seemed especially concerned about Adaega. He had asked her to bring the woman, to get Adaega to safety. Sloane wasn’t sure why she was hesitating, she’d quickly agreed to add everyone else. It’s not like she’s the first person to be uniquely qualified for what I need.

Sloane took a deep breath. “Let’s get there first and see what we can set up. There’s no telling what we can start with.”

Adaega’s shoulders sagged as she seemed disappointed. Sloane quickly clarified, “I’m sorry, that came out a bit differently than I had intended. I think we can come to an arrangement, Adaega. I’m not sure what position will fit the center best just yet, is all I mean.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Thank you, Sloane.”

The woman went silent for a moment and looked away before turning back. “I have had a lot of time to contemplate the existence of magic. Especially during my time with the count…”

Sloane remained quiet as the woman collected herself. Waiting for her to continue her thought.

“Ernald has told me a lot about what you have discussed with them. I wanted to pose a question, and you don’t have to answer now, but think about it.”

“Sure, anything. What’s your question?”

“You designed the rings to help people with their magic, right? And help them awaken it or what mind you.”

Sloane wondered where the woman was going with this line of questioning, but went along with it. “I did, yes.”

“Then why do only a few of you have access to magic and mana? Is there a connection you haven’t seen yet between a person and the domains you spoke of?”

Sloane froze. With all of the stuff that had happened, she had never truly gone back and worked with the knights on their magic.

“I…” she started.

Adaega held a hand up. “I had a thought, what if a connection to these domains you discovered were what facilitated someone to perform magic? Like a genetic disposition, for example. Otherwise, mana is just affecting them physically.”

“That… seems sound. I will need to test that.”

Adaega smiled. “Absolutely, I suggest testing on someone who hasn’t been practicing as much as the knights have. Then let them know what you find, I believe they’re working under the assumption that they can all eventually do it.”

Sloane instantly felt guilty but didn’t say anything. She definitely owed the knights enough to put in the effort to figure it out.

The woman searched Sloane’s face for a moment, then added, “I believe the Reinhart Center can expand into mana research such as that in time. Or you could even establish a second center dedicated solely to that.”

Sloane’s head whirled as she considered everything. She definitely felt better about Adaega, and she could see how she may have been incorrect in her initial theory. Yeah, definitely need to test that, and I know just the person to use.

Sloane smiled. “You know, I think you’re going to be great for the center. I will test this now. Let me know if you think of anything else.”

She stood up and held out a hand, Adaega smiled and got up as well. The two women shook and parted. Sloane walked to her wagon to where she could find her guinea pig.

✦ ✦ ✦

Stefan leaned against the wagon as Elodie spoke with the former Thirdghyll guardswoman. Nemura was asking about finances that she could use to hire more guards, and it seemed that they would have enough to maintain a standing guard for the center, but not much beyond that for some time. Stefan and Elodie both knew that the situation would be changing, especially if the Banking Guild approved Lady Reinhart’s project. He only hoped the terran noble was prepared for that meeting.

He had discussed their plans with Elodie extensively. The two of them felt that with the baroness’ pivot toward the Guilds in general, Stefan should stay with the woman after she moved on from Marketbol. He would work with the local guild there to provide protection for Elodie, but her safety would be well in hand if what he heard from Nemura was going to happen.

Romaris’ niece had a level of excitement in her that amused him. It seemed the prospect of running the Runecard business for the Lady, along with managing the finances of the Reinhart Center, was enough for the sun elf to all but pledge her firstborn to the terran.

He heard footsteps and glanced over and noticed the Lady herself approaching. He pushed off of the wagon and stood up straighter.

“Hey guys, how is everything going?” Lady Reinhart asked in her typical informal way of speaking.

“It is well, My Lady. We were just discussing security requirements for the center,” Nemura explained.

“Oh! That’s good.” She squinted, focusing on Elodie as she paused. “We can afford that. Right?”

Elodie smiled. “We can. The House has funds to support a modest research facility within the merchant quarter.”

The Lady tilted her head. “Is there an education quarter? Uhm, something with a place of learning like an Academy?”

“There is the Scholar’s Quarter. It hosts the Marketbol School of Economics. It is smaller than Thirdghyll’s but it is still a fairly respectable institute,” Stefan assured her.

“Good. We should find a location within that quarter,” she said.

Elodie seemed confused. “But, why? Isn’t the center meant to create opportunities for investment and business?”

Sloane smiled. “Yes, it is. However, the center can create a relationship with the school. It is primarily a place of research in nature. This will allow us to attract talent from graduating students, who can immediately go to work in the center. You should purchase a small location in the merchant’s quarter solely for managing the customer relations business. Then expand from there.”

Elodie nodded. Stefan glanced up at Nemura and saw the woman seemed bored. I can not blame her there.

He was about to try and excuse himself when the Lady changed topics.

“I actually came over here for another reason. Ms. Merbaker had a thought that I wish to experiment on… err, test with Nemura and Stefan,” she said.

Stefan raised a hand and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

The glint in the terran’s eye was a bit disconcerting as he lowered his hand. “She theorizes that mana affects physical users differently than mental ones.”

She lifted her hand to stop Nemura from saying something. “Basically, I am going to give you a ring that helped me access my magic. I want to see if it does the same to you. If it doesn’t, I want to know exactly what you feel.”

“How will this affect us?” Nemura asked.

That is a great question.

“I do not know, other than potentially letting you use magic? If not, then we’re going to find out!”

Stefan groaned. “Fine, I’ll go first. Nemura, you get my sword if I die.”

The big telv grunted. “I don’t want that toothpick.”

He feigned hurt but smirked and turned his back toward her slightly. “Here’s my back if you want to stab it again.”

“No need. You are about to die anyway. Waste of energy.”

Lady Reinhart did not look amused. “Really guys? You’re not going to die. If anything, it’ll just make you… uhh… better?”

“Was that a question or a statement, My Lady?” Elodie asked.

Nemura chuckled and Sloane groaned. “Not you too. Here, Stefan, try this on,” she said, holding a diamond ring out toward him.

He pretended to hesitate, then grabbed the ring. “Just put it on?”

“Please.”

Nodding, he slipped it onto his index finger, when nothing happened he looked at her. “You have big fingers. This fit easily.”

Nemura started laughing.

“I Altered it to make sure it fit you!” she said with exasperation.

“I don’t… Wait.” Stefan felt a slight change. It almost felt like he had more energy than normal. He bounced on his feet, and his eyes widened when he went a bit higher than he thought he would. He would have fallen if it wasn’t for Nemura placing a bracing hand on his shoulder.

He huffed. “Huh. That’s different. It’s slight but it feels like it’s giving me a bit more energy. Barely noticeable though, kind of like when one stair is slightly lower than the rest and you misjudge it. And…” He hopped again. “Yes, already used to it.”

Sloane was staring at him with her arms crossed. “No magic?”

He shook his head. “None.”

“Do you mind if I examine you?”

His eyes shot wide, and he glanced at the other two women. “Uh. Excuse me, My Lady?”

She raised a brow. “Stefan. You know very well that is not what I meant. Focus on yourself. Try to trace the feeling inside of you. Remember the rushes that we’ve gotten? Try to remember how they felt.”

He did what she said, and tried to feel… something within. Lady Sloane was peering at him and suddenly her eyes started glowing and any concentration he had vanished. “W-what are you doing?”

The glow disappeared and she snapped her head up. “What? I was trying to see if any mana was flowing within you.”

“Ah. My apologies.”

She threw her hands up and stomped away.

He looked at Nemura. “Did I do something wrong?”

She shrugged. “Nobles. I don’t try and guess at what is going on in their minds.”

Elodie sighed. “Just look.”

He and Nemura turned and he noticed Sloane was returning, carrying Nemura’s shield and a sword. She handed the shield to Nemura, three symbols that Sloane had engraved in it were glowing white with a hint of blue. “Step back, hold it up, ready to take a hit. Don’t worry, any damage can be fixed.”

She turned to Stefan and flipped the sword around then held it out hilt first. “Take this.”

He grabbed the sword and looked down at it. It was her sword and he noticed that the symbols on the blade glowed a bright blue.

“Now what?”

“Focus inside again. Feel for the mana; it’s there. You want it to make you hit harder, faster, and better. Nemura, be ready.”

The telv nodded and settled into a stance that would let her withstand the hit. Lady Reinhart stood back and her eyes started glowing again as she watched. Elodie took a few extra steps back to observe and he scowled at her.

Stefan bounced on his toes and took a couple of practice swings. This is going to be embarrassing. I swear if Nemura laughs, I am going to sprinkle floren root in her food. She’ll be shitting nonstop for weeks.

“Swing already,” Nemura taunted.

He narrowed his eyes. Remember the rush. Mana is making me better. Faster…

Stefan struck, feeling a rush even as he felt his arm become stronger. His Sudden Strike caused the entire sword to take on a shadowy appearance as it lashed out faster than he could comprehend. It struck against the shield with such force that his arm jolted, and he heard a grunt from the guardswoman.

Lady Reinhart’s eyes were big and round, and Stefan froze in shock. Nemura was the first to react. “That was a good hit! We’re gonna work well together, blade. Later, we spar.”

Stefan groaned. That was not the intent. Maybe the root is still an option.

Sloane smiled. “That was great! Thank you!” She pulled out her notebook and started flipping through it. Then turned around and started walking away, before stopping and turning back to them. Stefan smirked and held out the sword with one hand and the ring with the other. The woman grabbed them, going back to her notebook as she walked away.

“Didn’t she want to test both of us?” He asked with a chuckle. He turned and looked up at Nemura. “You want to take the first shift tonight?”

She set her shield down and rolled the arm that had held it. “I can. I will go ask the knights where they would like us.”

“How much do you want to bet she was supposed to tell us?”

Nemura shook her head, smiling. “I wouldn’t take that bet. But I do want to get her to let me put on that ring,” she said offhandedly as she too walked away to meet with the knights.

Stefan looked down at his hand and flexed it before glancing up at the departing noble.

Looks like I am in for the long haul.

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

As the caravan moved south to bypass the besieged Goosebourne, Tiberius pinpointed increased signs of activity. The falcon had proven its worth by assisting the group in avoiding three sets of patrols. Unfortunately, it seemed that the luck would not hold.

The forces from the Empire of Vlaredia had moved a massive force into the area, and the knights were not sure how everyone had managed to miss it.

“There is no way they were able to bypass Dheg Malduhr so easily. The dwarves there would have been able to hold the pass for years without support. Sloane, did the man from the order say anything else?” Cristole said.

Nemura looked surprised from where she sat next to Sloane. “I knew you received information from somewhere, but them?” The woman asked, referring to the Westari Order of Secrets.

Sloane nodded. “Yes, Giallo gave us the information I used to warn Captain Jorin. I do not think the man will hold a grudge, but he specifically told me to only inform Guildmaster Romaris.”

Nemura took a deep breath and her eyes narrowed as she realized what was left out of Sloane’s words. That the organization could have retaliated against her for going against their wishes.

Sloane looked over at Cristole. “Nothing. They obviously knew the army was meant to make its way through the pass. He didn’t mention anything about them actually accomplishing it.”

The high elf shook his head. “I have no idea how they could have managed to even make it through the pass with such a large force. The dwarven fortress should have stopped them, or at the very least diminished the numbers substantially. They then somehow also managed to make it all the way to besiege Goosebourne without the Kingdom of Westaren even knowing.”

“At least they know now,” Gisele said.

During their initial trek over, in addition to messages concerning how everyone was doing and messages for Reanny and Guildmaster Romaris, she had sent notice to Captain Jorin about the Vlaredian troop movements, and the fate of Goosebourne. While her experience in the Kingdom of Westaren had been quite rough, there were some positive connections that she had made. Giving Jorin information would hopefully allow them to make whatever preparations they need since the war had clearly moved into their neighborhood unexpectedly.

“For all of the good it will do them,” Cristole added with a scoff.

“You did say that this ‘Giallo’ mentioned that the crown had mobilized an army. Perhaps the true reason for such was not just to stop the monsters, but to discourage any actions of the Empire,” Nemura said.

Gisele nodded. “That is possible. Your kingdom is–”

“A mess,” Stefan said from behind Sloane.

Sloane sighed. “This is all fascinating, but it does not help us right now. What are we going to do tomorrow? We’re going to run into at least one squad of troops.”

Gisele shrugged. “We stick to the plan and hope for the best. We will handle it if they prove belligerent. Hopefully, they understand that we are not from here.”

Deryk huffed, having remained quiet during the meeting thus far. “If we are lucky.”

Gisele shrugged again. “I did say, hopefully.”

Sloane’s raithe guard moved into the circle and glanced at her. “I believe we should have Lady Ismeld ride with Lady Sloane tomorrow in her wagon. No offense to your order, but it’s a bit better equipped for two nobles. I will drive it, and Nemura can ride the wagon with Koren. Then the remaining members of House Reinhart can ride inside the knight’s wagon as well,” Stefan suggested.

Gisele nodded. “That is a good idea. We’ll continue as if we are employed by House Reinhart. We need to ensure everyone keeps cool heads. We act the part, and it should be fine. Hopefully with no more than some toll or fee.”

“Is it common in these situations to obtain documents from them that will allow us past any other troops we run into?” Sloane asked.

Cristole shook his head. “That is not a common thing unless it’s through their actual front lines. With luck, we will only have to make our way past one group. We are moving away from the front. That is another thing we can claim. We had no idea we were near any front lines and wish to avoid the war.”

“With how covert they managed to keep their movements, that is believable. Or rather, because they have been so secretive, they will wish to keep that secret,” Stefan said.

“Then we will deal with that situation if it arises. For now, we have a plan. The order will split off into two shifts for maintaining an outer watch. Guardswoman Nemura, could you and Stefan please split as well?”

“We will do that, Ser Gisele,” Nemura said.

With a nod, both knights stood up and made to walk back toward their wagon. Sloane got up and rushed behind them. “Gisele? Cristole?”

They stopped and turned around. She tilted her head, her eyes flicking back and forth between them. “Why are you separating yourselves?”

Cristole turned and pointedly stared at Gisele, gesturing as he did. Gisele took a deep breath and looked at Sloane. “Walk with me?”

Sloane nodded and fell into step with the woman as they walked to the edge of the camp. The camp sat on a hill next to the road that dipped down before it continued south. All around them was nothing except hilly grasslands with sparse trees that lined a small creek that snaked in between the hills. She knew that in the distance there was a forest that they had to avoid. Cristole had asked her to send Tiberius to scout it and she had seen evidence of monsters within, along with strange concentrations of mana visible to the naked eye. She wanted to investigate them but knew that such an expedition would be very dangerous.

The two of them stood there and looked out into the twilight upon the plains. The first bit of frost was starting to settle during the night. It seemed winter would soon be upon them. Gisele seemed to hesitate so Sloane nudged her. “What’s wrong? Why are you avoiding me?”

Gisele sighed and rubbed her arms together, her breath visible as the woman exhaled. “I realized that we were becoming too attached. Ernald is already considering staying in Marketbol with Adaega. The woman has traumas that will likely never heal, and he has been doing what he can to help her. He believes she needs someone she is comfortable with for a while longer.”

She sighed again, her eyes searching the darkening horizon as if the answer she was searching for lay beyond. “He says he isn’t sure, but we know. That man was never meant to be one who traveled all over the world fighting other people’s battles in search of some lost glory and honor. That made us… me realize that we lost our way. We came here searching for something that was missing, only to find–”

She turned her head and looked Sloane in the eyes. “We found you. With you, we found an entirely new world it seems.” Gisele flexed her fist, a shimmering of red energy surrounding it, and traveled up her arm creating a thin shield that reminded her of something out of science fiction. “This is all so new. It’s also something we need to take back to our home. They need to know about all of this.”

Sloane nodded. “I understand. I am truly grateful for all you have done for me, especially for helping me look for Gwyn. I know it’s difficult for all of you to continue on nothing but my blind faith. I have no proof she’s here, I have no proof she’s safe. There are monsters showing up everywhere, what if some of them attacked wherever she is..? Then there’s this whole war, will she be somewhere that’s attacked? Is she safe..?” Sloane trailed off, taking a deep breath and collecting herself.

She continued consciously avoiding that emotional rabbit hole, “Still, I get it. Even if I constantly bury these worries down and force myself to ignore them, I know you guys had to have been thinking about them.”

“Sloane, I…” Gisele’s eyes fell to the ground and her shoulders drooped. “I will admit that there have been doubts. The world is so vast. Humans have appeared all over, some have even been killed. I know you do not like to hear it, but anything could have happened. Still, I–I believe in you. We know you have been doing everything you can…” She smirked. “Even if your swordplay hasn’t improved as much as you’d like during all our training sessions,” she said, clearly trying to relieve the tension that was building up.

Sloane huffed a laugh, again forcing her thoughts into their tiny box in the corner of her soul. “I feel so stiff when I fight like that. I keep naturally going back to my bad habits from fencing. Ugh. I don’t think I’ll ever be good at using a sword.”

“Don’t worry. If all else fails, just hide behind a wall.”

Sloane raised a brow. “A wall? Is that a joke about that wall I destroyed?”

Gisele laughed. “No! I had forgotten all about that… I meant Nemura.”

Oh! Sloane gave a halfhearted laugh, mostly directed at herself. “She is definitely a wall, but she’s a softie once you get to know her,” Sloane said, feeling a need to defend her guardswoman.

The orkun woman nodded, turning serious. “I know. We are leaving you in good hands. Stefan, as well. That Blade isn’t half bad. He turned out differently than I had originally imagined. I… I am not looking forward to saying goodbye, Sloane. I know I have to, but I am going to miss you.”

She stepped closer to the woman and put her arm around Gisele’s shoulders. “You guys are my friends. It’s not goodbye. It’s just a ‘see you later’. We still have months together. Let’s make the best of it, yeah? I am sure there is much more we can figure out together. Plus, I still need to figure out a way to give Ismeld magic.”

Gisele snorted and nudged her with a shoulder. “You have no idea. That woman has been insufferable in training. I expected her to point out you being wrong long before now.”

Sloane smiled. “Ah yes, the old ‘I told you so’. Of course, it’s a universal concept. I guess I deserve that. I… I tend to get caught up in my projects. Has anyone else been showing magic use?”

“I figured out how to use mana to strengthen myself and my attacks. Deryk and Ismeld have as well,” she said.

“That’s a type of magic. Eh? Eh?” she said, squeezing Gisele’s shoulder.

“If she can’t make magical shields or shoot purple orbs of exploding death, she won’t be swayed. I know Ismeld wants it desperately, she has trained incessantly since departing the city.”

Sloane sighed and pulled her arm back. “I’ll figure something out. I owe her. Especially after Thirdghyll.”

She lifted a hand and formed several orbs of arcane energy. Letting them orbit each other, as she stared into the soft light they emitted. Considering what she could do to help Ismeld.

Gisele placed a hand on her forearm. “You do not. You fought together, as warriors should. That woman trusts you. She’ll appreciate anything you do, but she’ll simply show it in her own way. She feels inadequate right now. J-Just do not tell her I told you.”

Sloane shook her head. “I won’t, but I will come up with something. Then she’ll have until I see you all again to become the biggest badass fighter in the world.”

Gisele laughed. “That will never happen.”

She raised a brow and looked at the orkun woman. “Why not?”

Her friend puffed her chest out. “Because that is clearly me!”

Sloane snorted.

“I’m glad we’re friends, Gisele. Just don’t pull away again. I’ll have to kick your ass.”

Gisele reached over and squeezed her arm. “I won’t. I’m sorry. Come on, let’s go make fun of Cristole.”

The woman turned away, and Sloane smirked. “You know, making fun of him doesn’t hide the fact that you like him. You know everyone knows, right?”

Gisele froze. “Who is gonna kick whose ass, again?” The shielding spread out around the woman’s entire form, giving her an almost spectral look with the hazy energy tinted with a light red hue.

Sloane lightly punched Gisele’s shielded arm. “I ain’t afraid of no ghost! That’s all show, I know you can’t keep that up. Wait–Shit. Gisele! Stay away!” She dodged the woman’s hand that swatted at her and ran toward the other knights, laughing the entire way, her emotional compartments holding strong.

✦ ✦ ✦

Commander Ressa walked into the command tent, her second a step behind her. The general’s presence was expected, but it wasn’t with so few attendants and others. The man looked up from the map he was examining and at her as she entered. His bushy grey brows scrutinized her with the same level of attentiveness that he was giving the effects in front of him.

“Commander, thank you for joining me.”

She looked around, taking note of the others in the room then came to a stop in front of the man and saluted.

“General, am I early? I was not expecting a… private meeting,” she said, giving her second a glance, who gave her a small shake of his head. Hmm. He thought the same as I did.

“This should be quick, Commander. I have been looking for opportunities to assist you with your mission for my cousin, and I think I found one,” he explained.

The old general was notably a second cousin of the empress and was appointed to his current position due to his loyalty to her. This did not mean he was any less effective at his role. General Razane was a highly skilled tactician who was selected for both his ability to command an army and his ability to maintain operational security. Those with loyalties to other Clans or Houses may be tempted to report back to them on their movements. Especially when the Empress herself planned this prong of their assault into the Sovereign lands.

After several secret envoys, the Empress had planned a suitable bribe for the dwarves of Dheg Malduhr to utilize their pass. They had all felt the event before arriving, the ground shaking and flash of light emitting from just over the mountains, and they had entered the entryway to the pass on guard. When the army arrived and found the ruins of the city, it–while horrific–provided a boon they could not ignore. The army had saved who they could and then sent for specialists to assist the survivors–of which there were few.

She looked down at the map he was examining, trying to see what he meant. Little figures marked the disposition of his troops. Another small figure was placed on a road that bypassed Goosebourne; it was heading straight for two separate groups. The first was a light cavalry detachment that had been sent ahead to create a checkpoint and hopefully catch any fleeing from the siege. The second was a more recent addition that was sent ahead to build a small watch tower at a key intersection in the merchant road.

He pointed at the small figure. “Here, my scouts have been tracking this group here. They have been avoiding Goosebourne and my troops rather effectively. They never came within sight of the city so I am inclined to let them go, but they will be stopped pending your arrival.

“Who are they?”

“I am not sure, they have been effective–to an almost excessive amount, mind you–at avoiding any patrols. Only two squads have even seen them from a distance, but none have gotten close enough to stop them. They will meet the light cavalry I have set up here tomorrow. They have orders to waylay any group that comes upon them.”

Ressa nodded, following along. “How does this assist in my mission?”

General Razane pointed at the second group. “That will give you time to get here. Pass orders to the unit there to let the wagons go, then head southwest. Set up a believable way for them to come upon you naturally. Then pay to join their caravan. That should get you into the Sovereign Cities with little scrutiny. You just need to make sure they come upon you, not the other way around.”

She looked up at the man. That… Is a surprisingly good plan. “I think we can make that work. Thank you for your assistance, General. This was outside what was requested of you, and I am sure Her Highness will be pleased,” she said.

He chuckled ruefully. “This is my last campaign. There is no need to expound my usefulness to my cousin. Just make sure you get what she needs. I know I do not command you, but if you could send a runner with any information that would affect my men… I would appreciate it.”

She nodded slowly. “I understand. I will keep an ear and eye out for anything that may affect your forces, here.”

“That is all I ask, Commander.” He turned and one of the aides moved forward with a scroll case. General Razane grabbed it and then handed it to her. “These are the orders for the watch tower. Please pass it to them on your way through.”

She turned and handed the case to her second then gestured toward the door. The man nodded and quickly exited the tent. Commander Ressa scrutinized the little figure once more, then looked up at the General who stood silently watching her.

“We will prepare and move out tonight.” She reached out her hand. “For the glory of the Ror, General.”

Razane grasped her wrist. “And the longing of Vlaredia skies, Commander. Be safe, and return with honor.”

Ressa gave the man a curt nod. We have a way in. Now to take advantage of it.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane sat with Ismeld in her wagon as the caravan moved toward where Tiberius had seen a few scouts camped out the night prior. The woman seemed calm, but Sloane knew she was ready to go charging out of the door into action. It was obvious in the woman’s body language that she was a bit on edge. She bounced a knee and tapped against her other leg with a finger while looking toward the small window to her right.

Sloane sighed. “Ismeld. Relax. Everything will be fine. There were only four men. They will let us by after Gisele shows all of our documents.”

The elven woman looked at her. “I know it will be fine. I am just… I am at war with my thoughts currently.”

Sloane lifted a brow. “At war with your thoughts, Ismeld? Really?”

“Yes. I do not wish to discuss it,” she said.

Shrugging, Sloane said, “Alright. Then don’t.”

“I will not.”

“Fine.”

The woman shifted and pointedly looked out of the window, for a moment before shifting back. “Gisele told me about your talk.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. What else were you wrong about?”

Sloane sighed. It seemed the woman had wanted the ability to use magic more than she had known. “I don’t know what I don’t know, Ismeld. It’s always been nothing but theories and experimenting. I heard you got something.”

Ismeld’s eyes narrowed. “It is not the same.”

“Ismeld, you are a brilliant swordswoman. What does it help you do?”

The woman tilted her head. “I feel a surge of energy and can react more quickly and my movements are more fluid. I don’t know how but I know it is Arcane Control. I felt what was almost a click in my mind and knowledge of what it was and its function filled me,” she explained.

Sloane nodded. “I have always felt something similar when I learned new things. You focus and push your intent on what you want to happen, pulling at mana as you do. Mana then fills you to perform the function you want. It doesn’t always work, but I know that every time I really pushed myself, it has. My Runic Knowledge is a good example of this, I know more about the runes I work with than I have any right of knowing. It’s like mana is giving us these—”

Her eyes shot open. No. There’s no way.

She channeled mana, feeling it fill her. Sloane looked around. “Menu.” She paused. “Screens. Status. System… Framework?”

Ismeld looked confused. “What are these things? Are you ill, Sloane? Should I get Maud?”

Sloane squinted as she thought. Why didn’t I see it before? How do I test this? Think.

She blinked as Ismeld snapped her fingers in front of her. “I am getting Maud. Are you having a… what was it you called it? A stroke?”

Sloane narrowed her eyes. “I’m fine, Ismeld. I just had a revelation that is both world-shattering and making me question… everything.”

The high elf just crossed her arms. “Dramatic much?”

What if this is just some simulation? Am I hooked up to some computer?

“You wouldn’t understand. There is no parallel in this world.”

Ismeld gave her a look. “Are you calling me stupid?”

Sloane jerked her head back. “What? No. What?” Oh.

Ismeld must have noticed her expression because she huffed a laugh. “Good. I know you did not mean anything by it. Please, explain your thoughts. You were nearly spiraling there.”

Sloane considered how to respond, then decided to just keep it simple instead of launching into a long drawn-out explanation as was her instinct. “This whole time I’ve known mana has intent. What if that intent is because there is an underlying system guiding everything? These spells? Your ability? Could it all be a part of this system?”

“System? You mean like one of your computers?”

Sloane groaned. Of course. They have no true concept of the idea. “Yes. Essentially.”

“You believe mana is controlled by a computer?”

Is it? No. The cores aren’t technology. They’re organic.

“I don’t believe so. I have zero way of testing this.” Wait.

She looked down at her watch and had an idea. Sloane pushed mana into it, trying to give a general idea of the intent she wanted. Nothing was happening so she pulled more blue mana, filling her with as much as she could then pushed it into the watch with one thought. Show me my attributes!

The usual swirl of mana appeared, but this time… it moved and formed a shape. It looked like a rough scalene triangle. She glanced up at Ismeld who was watching her intently. “What did you call your ability?”

“Arcane Control.”

“Control.” Is one of these points, control? What are the other two points then? Why can’t it just list the damn things? Hmm…

She pushed more mana, focusing on her intent. Tell me my–

A bang at the wall made her jump and she lost all of her focus. The small shutter opened and Stefan’s head poked through. “There’s a group ahead. They’ve set up a checkpoint. Be ready, Miladies.”

Ismeld thanked the raithe and pulled on her glove inserts then her gauntlets. Sloane looked down at her watch, seeing it swirling with the usual mist as it searched for mana use.

“It is so fascinating to watch you in these moments. Grand revelations usually follow,” Ismeld said quietly. Sloane ignored her.

So close, it’s something though. I have attributes, and one has to do with my control.

She was lost in her thoughts when Ismeld spoke again. “Sloane, it’s time.”

Sighing, Sloane looked up and, too focused inward to respond verbally, nodded. Now to just figure out what it meant.

Just one more thing for the list.

Your Grievances Are Of No Concern

”Relax and breathe. You’re tense, now. You were much calmer when you were distracted by your thoughts.”

Sloane glared at Ismeld. “I am not tense. I am… nervous. There is a difference.”

The woman shrugged. “If we have to go bursting out of the wagon to fight off people, you want to do so as relaxed and confident as possible. Breathe. Can you hear what they’re saying?”

Sloane put her head closer to the door, cupping her hand over her ear. After a moment of only hearing muffled voices, she pulled back and shook her head. “Nope. At least no one is raising their voice. That’s a good sign, right?”

Ismeld nodded and went back to cleaning and oiling her sword. The soft glow from the runes that Sloane had engraved into the blade reflected off of the woman’s gauntlets.

“Should you be doing that right now?” Sloane asked her.

The high-elven woman simply shrugged. “We will hear if things get to a point where we are needed.”

Sloane sighed deeply then sat back. She had just managed to relax when a light knock came at the door and Stefan poked his head in the door. He cleared his throat and glanced toward the front. “Miladies, if you could spare a moment to speak with the captain of this checkpoint.”

Sloane smiled. “Certainly, Guardsman Stranca.”

She shifted in her breastplate a bit, adjusted her cloak’s hood onto her head, and then exited the wagon. Sloane squinted into the sunlight as she moved out of the way to allow Ismeld to descend as well. She nodded at Nemura who stood next to the entrance. The woman smirked and returned the nod. That smirk alone eased a lot of her tension. Nervousness, not tension.

They followed Stefan to the front where Gisele was standing with Deryk and Ernald. She glanced around, catching Stefan’s eye who nodded behind them. She quickly glanced back and saw Cristole and Maud standing near the third wagon with the orkun alchemist, Rel, and her crossbow.

In front of Gisele were seven armored men, but were clearly equipped to be light and quick. She noticed horses were tied to a wooden hitching post that had been set up to the side of the makeshift barricade the men had made. Next to the horses were another four men who were also armed. It seemed the majority of the soldiers were orkun, but there were some telv as well.

Every fantasy stereotype that she had seen didn’t prepare her for how professional and… normal the orc-like orkun seemed. She had thought Gisele and Deryk were mainly different due to being from a predominantly elf nation. The imperials wore a mail hauberk, conical steel cap, and were equipped with a shield and spear. Seeing soldiers from a nation built around the orkun culture wear what could have fit in a European military from a similar era was interesting. The more she saw, the less threatened she felt. The only thing to worry about at this point is whether any of them could reasonably get away to call reinforcements.

That… was not something the Sloane of Earth would have ever even considered worrying about. Oh, how things change.

“Ser Gisele,” she said with a nod to the woman.

“Lady Reinhart, thank you for joining us. Captain Mor’rek and I were just discussing our business,” she said with a quirked brow.

“Ah yes.” She turned toward the man standing in front of Gisele and tilted her head at him. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Captain. What can I do to alleviate any concerns you may have?”

“We are simply inquiring as to your purpose in this area, milady. We do not wish to hold you longer than necessary,” he said, with a hesitant glance toward Gisele.

“So you do wish to waylay us? For what purpose?”

“What is your business in the Sovereign Cities land, Milady?”

“That is none of your concern, Captain. However, in the interest of transparency, we are simply traveling through. I have business in Avira before we return to Blightwych. The events of the past season have been a bit much for my constitution.”

“Surely, you do not plan to reach Avira before wintering?” He looked round them at the caravan. “I do not believe you will make it in time.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Of course, we would not make Avira by land before winter, Captain. Do you believe me a liar? We will make it to Rosale, however. Our ship will be there awaiting us.”

“So you have no business within the Sovereign Cities?”

“I believe I have answered that question, Captain. The Sovereigns are an acquired taste, one that I do not wish to partake in.”

One of his men snorted from behind and mumbled something to the man next to him, who chuckled.

Sloane tilted her head and scrutinized the two men. “Is something I said funny, Sers?”

The first man shuffled in place. “Not a ser, Milady.”

She raised a brow, internally laughing at the situation. “Oh? So you must be a Lady. Surely. There is no other reason you would believe it your place to interject into our conversation.”

“Uh… Yes–No… What?” The man next to him jabbed him with his elbow and he shut up.

The captain glared at the two before turning back to Sloane. “My apologies, Milady. I have one more question. Could you lower your hood?”

Sloane slowly turned her head from the two chucklers and regarded Captain Mor’rek. “Excuse me?”

“We have also been asked to look for certain individuals. Could you please lower your hood?”

Ismeld stepped forward. “Captain Mor’rek. My cousin here, Baroness Reinhart, has a delicate constitution. The weather has become quite chill and she would like to return to the warmth of the carriage. Now, would you like to check my identity? I am Lady Ismeld d’Argin of Blightwych. I am fully aware of why the empire is here. Your grievances are of no concern to me,” she told him with an air of superiority.

The man’s eyes widened slightly. “My Lady–”

Why is that still such a big deal, and she really dislikes discussing it, let alone using it? I bet she’s cringing on the inside.

Sloane took over from there to give Ismeld a break from acting in a way she was not comfortable. Sloane on the other hand enjoyed acting imperiously. “What is my concern, is that you are hindering our ability to reach our destination before we are caught in the middle of a conflict we are not party to. I do believe Ser Gisele has shown you all of our documents that speak to who we are. That should be all you require. Anything else is simply criminal. Are you bandits, Captain? Or are you professionals from the Empire?” Sloane asked.

Captain Mor’rek stood straighter. “We are professionals. I am simply following orders, Milady.”

“Many great atrocities were the result of men simply following orders, Captain. As my cousin said, Blightwych is not a belligerent in this conflict. I have nothing against you personally; however, we will not be deterred.”

The captain sighed and looked between his men who stood lazily awaiting his word, then back toward the knights. Sloane scanned the four with her and saw all were at the ready. Nemura and Stefan stood next to the wagons behind her, also in a professional stance. Nemura’s looking intimidating as usual.

“Fine. You may go.”

Sloane nodded. “Thank you, Captain.” She spun on her heel and returned to the wagon without a glance behind. She heard the quiet chuckle coming from Nemura as she walked by.

I think I am getting the hang of this noble shit.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane groaned. After leaving the checkpoint, everything had been going smoothly. That is until she had sent Tiberius up to scout ahead. The falcon had quickly seen something that they hadn’t seen previously. Standing on a hill that overlooked the road was a wooden watchtower about seven to eight meters tall. Below the hill on the opposite side of the road looked like a traveler’s area for rest and camping. The area had a small stone wall that surrounded it, which seemed more like something to deter wildlife than anything defensible. The tower was likely built there deliberately.

Around the tower were a small fenceline and a storage overhang, likely to just keep anything under it relatively dry in the rain. There was a camp set up next to it with tents and several cooking fires going. Some men were out and about doing various tasks while others sat together near the fires talking and eating.

About half a kilometer away from the rest area and the road was the forest they sought to go around. With her Golem Sight, Tiberius was able to show her where trees had been cut down. Fresh logs and an area where men had cut planks out of some were still able to be seen. The tower is clearly new and a rushed job.

The line of sight for the tower allowed it to see fairly far down the road around the forest and then to the east along the northern border of the tree line. Its vantage point would allow the soldiers stationed there the ability to have ample forewarning of any approaching forces. Good spot to put a frontier fort. She had her falcon take note of the number of soldiers and some basic positioning of their patrols and guards while he was overhead. One thing she saw was surprising.

When Tiberius turned back, she dropped her Sight and noticed Stefan staring at her.

She put her hand up to her cheek. “What? Is there something on my face?”

The man snorted. “No. Your eyes are eerie when you use that magic. What did you see?”

“One sec.” She lifted slightly on the bench and looked around, seeing Gisele on her horse alongside the second wagon. “Gisele! Come here, please!” she called out.

Gisele had her horse catch up at a trot and slowed as she reached them. “Welcome back. You found something?”

Sloane nodded. “Up ahead at the next traveler’s rest area. There’s a watchtower and thirty-two soldiers. Six archers at the top of the tower, twelve in groups of three patrolling. Last fourteen are working on building up the camp and the area, including what seem to be support functions,” she explained.

Gisele tapped a finger as she held the reins of her horse. “We should be able to get by them. We just let them know the previous captain let us pass. Was there anything else of note?”

She smiled. “Yes, there is no one watching the road in the direction we are coming from.”

“So, they aren’t expecting to stop people from behind their area necessarily. That could be good news. Perhaps they must simply stop anyone from arriving and watch for retaliatory forces. If true, it makes our approach easier,” Stefan said a bit loudly so that Gisele could hear him from next to Sloane.

Gisele nodded sagely. “That is the ideal outcome. We should prepare for the worst, however. Sloane, I believe you should be out here ready, this time. If it turns to hostilities, I want you to–what was the phrase you said?”

Sloane tilted her head. “Uh, shock and awe?”

Gisele snapped her finger. “That is it. I want you to pound them into submission. From what Ismeld tells me, you held off a lot more people than this with just the two of you. Don’t hold back.”

“Why does everyone tell me to not hold back?”

Stefan chuckled. “You are not a fighter, Sloane. Despite your apparent propensity for overwhelming attacks.”

“I… resemble that remark.”

“We know you do, Sloane. But you also get inside your own head. If it comes down to it, always do what you need to in order to keep your people safe,” Gisele said.

Sloane nodded. “Fine. I will.”

✦ ✦ ✦

The caravan came within sight of the watchtower within the next couple of hours. Seeing something that she had seen through the sensory gems installed into Tiberius was always interesting. It was almost like when you got your phone out to video a concert or something, but then looked away from the screen to see it naturally. That feeling that it just felt… right.

As expected, the number of people looking their way was… zero. They were about fifty meters to the area when the sound of the wagons and horses caught the attention of one of the archers.

“Troops from behind! Knights!”

“Peace, friends! We are just passing through!” Cristole yelled out from in front.

What happened next was chaos. Soldiers from the area all came rushing back toward the tower and those up all drew bows and aimed down at the group. The soldiers from the camp formed up in their chainmail armor along with their spears and shields. All yelling at each other in a completely disorganized way.

Cristole backed up and called out behind him. “Shields! Gisele! Get up here!”

The knights rushed to get in front of the caravan and brought out their shields. Stefan grabbed the large one from the back of the bench and set it up in front of himself while Sloane brought out the buckler from behind her. She wasn’t sure what was going on, so she turned to Stefan. “Why aren’t they listening?!”

“They were surprised! I don’t know what has them on edge, but we need to stop this now!”

Sloane nodded and stood up, holding her buckler in front of her, then held her other hand up to her mouth and yelled. “Stop! We don’t want to fight!”

“Form up! They want to fight!”

“That’s not what I said!”

The men formed up but then an orkun man who looked like an officer of some sort came rushing out of the tower, yelling at the soldiers. “Hold! Hold! Do not attack!”

Sloane took a deep breath and sat down. She heard a twang, then at the corner of her eye, an arrow came flying toward them. Stefan shoved his shield up and the arrow slammed into it with a thud. Her eyes went wide. “They shot at us!”

The yelling started on both sides, and Sloane could barely hear what was said on the other side except snippets in between the knights’ yelling.

“Shields up!”

“I said hold! Do not fire!” The man frantically trying to get his men to back down, those on the ground seemed to be listening. Some even started lowering shields, but there was yelling at the top of the tower.

“Maud! Form up!”

A telv stood at the top of the tower, she could just make out the fear on his face. He looked young, and he was pointing at them. He clearly wasn’t listening or hadn’t heard the officer on the ground.

“Loose!” She heard him order.

“Arrows! Shields!”

“No! Hold! Hold your fire!” The officer looked up at the top of the tower and yelled one last time for his men to stop. Those on the ground became more confused as their archers continued firing on Sloane and the knights.

Six arrows went flying, each aimed at a different person, and shouts from the soldiers in front of her told her that they were not backing down. Four of the arrows missed their targets, the last two hit the shields of Ismeld and Deryk. Suddenly she heard another, louder twang that came from behind her and a bolt went flying and hit one of the archers. The man twisted and then fell over the side of the tower, bouncing off of the side as he tumbled before landing on top of a soldier who was standing below.

The chaos went from bad… to worse. The soldiers around the officer who was yelling to hold remained where they were but soldiers returning from patrol came running from the side and charged at the caravan, shouting as they did. Six soldiers came from the side and Sloane knew it was time to stop this mess. She stood up and channeled some mana, and then fire off a Flashbang at the charging men.

The men cried out but were stopped.

“I said, stop!” Sloane yelled as loudly as she could.

“Sloane! Get down!”

Stefan yanked her back down to the bench and behind his shield just as more arrows hit it. Her buckler fell away as she lost her grip on it. She moved to get it and saw another man grab a javelin and pull his arm back to throw. He took a step forward, and a bolt appeared in his chest.

Gisele yelled for Rel to stop firing, but that was it.

The orkun officer who had formerly tried to halt his men must have changed his mind after a second soldier was hit by a crossbow bolt. He yelled and the men brought up their shields and started to move forward, cautious of the mounted knights.

Gisele looked at Sloane with a helpless expression on her face. Sloane called out to her, “Do we fall back?”

The orkun woman ducked under an arrow as soldiers on the ground started taking potshots from a distance of just over half a football field. Another arrow caught Ernald’s horse just in between the armor, causing it to rear up and cry out in pain. The sun elf nearly managed to hold on but then the horse came down hard and Ernald fell from his saddle. The man managed to roll out of the way from another arrow and then hopped up, seemingly alright.

“Shit! That’s it. This ends now!” Sloane yelled.

Stefan looked at her with wide eyes. “What are you doing?!”

Sloane ignored the raithe as she stood up and channeled mana. Sloane had made a new spell specifically for grenades, but that first attempt at using it inside of the inn’s tavern area was… pitiful. She knew that she had looked at it incorrectly, and attempted to change it to fit a medium it was never meant for.

The spell wasn’t meant to be contained in a small grenade, it was meant to be fired. It wasn’t the type of explosive spell she had needed. That failure had helped her realize that there were different types of spells. She focused on the ones more relevant to her currently.

With her new theory of a system-like framework to mana, she had started thinking of her spells in similar ways. More and more, it seemed to just fit. There were Sustained spells that also gave passive effects. These fell into their own categories like Knowledge or Utility. Which for her, meant her Runic Knowledge, Golem Sight, or like Ismeld’s Arcane Control. These seemed to always give her an innate ability, but then there was an increased effect if she was focusing on them. The effect provided added benefits but it seemed to mentally drain her as the spell was sustained.

Then there were the active spells. Of these, her Mana Bolt and Arcane Barrage were Missile type spells, while her Flashbang was a Utility one. While she was sure there were more, another type she had learned… was Artillery.

Sloane felt the mana churn in her core as she pulled more and more into her, pushing it into her spell. She raised her hand as if she were going to throw a baseball next to her and pulled her mana into an orb. She then Altered the Artillery spell the way she wanted and threw it, or rather, she simply performed the motion. A blob-like orb the size of a basketball did not need to be physically manipulated as it launched into an arc high above everyone.

All of the yelling and movement halted as everyone gaped up at the large pulsing purple blob of a ball. Impossibly, the spell seemed to speed up as it reached the apex. That momentum continued to increase until it burst straight through the wall of the watchtower. A moment later, the Arcane Explosion went off, and any remaining noise in the area ceased.

The resulting blast was centered on the tower, which bore the brunt of the force. That log structure did nothing to save the men in the vicinity. In fact, it barely did enough to protect the caravan. Gisele hastily put up the largest shield Sloane had seen her do yet, and just in time as the dust and dirt from the blast slammed into the wall of red energy. The caravan seemed to enter a wind tunnel as the shield directed all of the force and dirt around the wagon train almost perfectly.

She wasn’t sure how long it took, but eventually, the air and the area calmed. The dust settled, and the result of the blast became apparent.

The tower was no longer there. Well, the pieces were simply there… and there… and a bit over there. The camp was gone, the fabric of the tents simply disintegrated. What she didn’t see immediately were people. It took Maud gasping and Sloane following her eyesight to see the first body. They were buried in dirt and some… weren’t fully there.

Sloane froze as she took in the scene.

As she stood there, a feeling of deep exhaustion seemed to bore into her all the way to the bone. Every muscle in her body ached and she started to feel dizzy.

She remembered holding her breath. She didn’t remember when she finally breathed again. She didn’t remember when she closed her eyes.

When she finally opened them, it was dark. The caravan was moving along a road with the only light coming from lanterns swinging from the wagon. They slowly passed the forest to their left, and Sloane’s breath caught as she realized Gisele drove the wagon next to her. She felt something on her shoulder and realized then that she was crammed into the center of the bench. A bundle of red hair and soggy fabric on her shoulder was the only way she could tell Maud was there asleep and drooling on her shoulder.

“Gisele?”

“Shh. It’s late. We need to get as far away from the area as possible.”

“What happened?”

“You went into shock. I–I am sorry. I pushed you too hard,” she whispered.

“Would they have stopped before attacking us?”

“No. They were panicked by something, and their archers took their own initiative. Then especially not after Rel also panicked. They may have fired first, but we killed first. There was no turning back from there. We would have ended up dead or as prisoners.”

Sloane took a deep breath. “Then I did the right thing.”

“You did the best you could do under the circumstances. That’s all I can ask. Right? Wrong? It’s best if we do not focus on it. The world is not black and white, and it is not nearly as civilized as your world sounds.”

Sloane tried to nod, but couldn’t move without bouncing Maud’s head around. She felt a pit in her stomach start to form.

“Gisele?”

“Yes, Sloane?”

“If that was the best option, why does it feel so bad?”

“You are not used to this life. You’ve never killed before coming here. That you are managing so well is a testament to yourself. There will be more situations like this in the future; that is certain. You will not always pick the correct option, but you must choose something.”

“I don’t think that’s it. I think–I am struggling to see the Sloane that I was, with the Sloane that I’ve become. My daughter is out there. If I have to kill a thousand people to get to her, I will. I just… I never thought it would be this easy to do it, or this difficult to rectify my actions with my sense of self. I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize myself, Gisele.”

“You’re a strong woman, Sloane. You have more tenacity and perseverance than anyone else I know. I wish I could say that it gets easier. It won’t. I don’t mean to be blunt, but you need to figure that out. You have persistently been able to act in the moment. It’s these moments afterward that are going to get you or someone else killed.”

Sloane leaned her head back against the wagon. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Gisele.”

“Don’t tell me sorry, Sloane. That’s something you need to fix within yourself. This didn’t happen in the inn, or as we were escaping the city. Why not? What are you doing, feeling, or thinking differently, that is causing this reaction? Don’t tell me, but that’s what you need to figure out.”

Sloane closed her eyes. What is it? I didn’t freeze in the city. I had a reaction after the thugs that attacked me in the alley, and now this. Why?

She sat and tore through her thoughts and emotions. Struggling to figure out why she felt–Guilt. I feel guilty for killing them so… easily.

She turned her head slightly, looking at the bundle of hair that was shifting to a more comfortable position. Sloane looked at Gisele from the corner of her eye, seeing the woman smirk as she watched Cristole ride ahead of them. I shouldn’t feel guilty about that. My actions are keeping them safe. I am the same woman I was before. Guilt won’t help me find Gwyn. I swore to myself that I would turn this world upside down if I had to.

No more. I am coming, Gwyn. It’s time I stopped standing in my own way from doing what needs to be done.

Sloane felt determined for a moment. But that feeling passed quickly because then she felt something Sloane didn’t want to feel at that juncture of deep introspection.

She squirmed. “Gisele?”

“Yes? Did you figure it out?”

“Yes… But…” Sloane started, before coughing slightly.

“I can’t move, and I have to pee.”

Gisele let out a deep sigh.

The Val Forests

In the earliest days after The Flash, mana caused minimal changes to the various fauna. Like all beings, the wildlife of Eona gained a core and access to mana. However, as was later discovered, mana was not spread over the world equally. It pooled in places, and these ‘wells’ caused numerous mutations within beings local to the areas. This, luckily, predominantly occurred far from civilization as those effects were even more disastrous.1

The prevalence of the mana wells within the Val Forests is subject to many debates, including how much they contributed to the extreme changes in its denizens.

1 Suya, A. (168SA). Ch 4 - Examples within Civilization. In Mana and its Effects (pp. 142–168). text, Royal Academy of Avira.

- A History of Monsters. 173 SA

Sloane walked back from doing her business to find Deryk and Ismeld with Cristole at the edge of the forest. She looked around in confusion before walking up to them, stepping over some brush as she exited the tree line. The wagons were in a decidedly different position than when she had just left, too. The remaining knights and her guards were armed and spread out around everything.

“Hey, what’s up? Why’s everyone on edge?”

Cristole continued looking at what was in his hand but Ismeld turned toward her. “Sloane, there you are. We called for you, are you okay?” The woman’s face was full of concern.

Sloane tilted her head. “I didn’t hear anyone. I wasn’t that far, I just had to go relieve myself.”

Cristole stood and turned toward her, something that looked like a scale the size of his fist was in his hand. “Did you hear anything at all?”

She shook her head. “No…” She let out a nervous chuckle. “You guys are worrying me. What is wrong?”

“We heard something, it sounded like a large growl coming from the tree line. There was rustling and then it disappeared. I thought I saw something move toward where we saw you last. We yelled, but nothing. We were just about to enter the forest to search for you.”

She squinted her eyes. “Uh… Yeah guys, sorry. I got nothing.”

Cristole looked around. “We should move away from the forest. Come on, back to the wagons.”

Nemura and the knights stepped forward as the four of them walked up. Everyone started talking over each other, beginning with Gisele.

“You found her. Everything alright?” she asked.

The group entered into a rapid-fire conversation that confused Sloane.

“She just came walking out. Didn’t hear anything.”

“Strange.”

“Did you see a place to stop for the night?”

“I’m not sure we should. There’s something out there, and it doesn’t seem small.”

“Lady Sloane didn’t see anything either?”

“She said she didn’t. She also didn’t hear us–”

“I even heard it, and we were over here.”

“Guys. I am right here,” Sloane said, starting to get exasperated.

Everyone paused and looked at her. She decided to push some organization into the conversation. “Look. There are way too many people trying to interject in this. Gisele, do you think we should stop for the night? No? Okay. Let’s get moving. If there is something hostile out there, standing here is helping it. Cristole, do you think it’s a big animal or is it a monster? Is it alone?”

He shrugged. “From the size of the scale and the prints I saw, I’d say a monster. I only saw one set of tracks.”

“Good. No one stays alone. Buddy system. Let’s load up and move out. Now.”

Gisele huffed out a laugh and looked around. “Lady Reinhart has spoken. Let’s go I am sure she means that we should all stick with at least one other person.” The woman waited for Sloane to move closer then leaned over to her as they stepped toward Gisele’s horse. “Well done. You’re becoming comfortable in your new role in life.”

“What’s that? Lording over people?”

Gisele shook her head ruefully. “Being a leader. Seriously, thank you for interjecting there.”

Sloane nodded. “You’re usually the commanding one. Figured you were a good person to emulate.”

Gisele smirked but then her eyes narrowed as she looked at something over Sloane’s shoulder. “Sloane, do not move.”

She felt something crawling on her. “Oh my god, oh my god. What is it?”

Gisele’s hand shot forward and she pulled back something that had… wings.

Sloane’s eyes went wide. “What is that thing?!” She screeched.

Gisele raised a brow at her and opened her hand. A small winged reptile rested in her palm. It had no front legs, but it had two little claws on its wings. The thing was staring up at Gisele and shaking slightly. “You don’t recognize your cloak’s clasp? This is a wynver. They’re native to this area. Little guy is probably cold.”

“A wynver?” Sounds awfully similar to a… She leaned closer and examined the little thing. Yup, it looks like a palm-sized wyvern. She then looked down at the clasp on her cloak. “Huh. That’s a funny coincidence… He’s cute with his little squiggly tail. Do they get bigger?”

“No, this is about as large as they get.”

Gisele smiled as she placed the reptile onto the wagon. The tiny wynver crawled closer to the lamp that hung from the corner, trying to feel the heat. The knight then untied the reins of her horse from the side of the wagon.

Hopping on, she pointed down at Sloane. “Let’s head out. Keep an eye on that watch. It’s saved us more than I care to admit.”

“Wrryaat!”

Sloane and Gisele looked up at Tiberius who was perched on the wagon’s roof. “What is it, buddy?”

She used Golem Sight and looked around through the falcon’s eyes. In the forest, off in the distance, she noticed movement. Something large and filled with black mana was moving away from them, heading south.

Sloane gasped and let go of the spell. “I saw it. It’s out there deep in the woods and is heading south.”

Tiberius chirped a few times, bouncing as he did.

Gisele glanced between her and Tiberius then sighed. “It seems Tiberius is proving to be a valuable team member. Can you point to where you saw it?”

Sloane scrutinized the tree line, trying to estimate where it was based on where Tiberius was been. When she thought she had it, she indicated at a point slightly southeast of them. “That way.”

Gisele nodded. “Please have Tiberius fly ahead and above us. Can he notify you somehow if he sees something?”

Sloane nodded. “Yes, we figured out a way.”

That way included her watch. She had managed to connect it to Tiberius so that if he noticed something deemed a threat to her, the watch would pulse. She looked at him and gave him the orders Gisele requested. Tiberius chirped as he took off, seemingly understanding the necessity to remain quiet.

“Sloane, get up on the bench. Stay alert. If there is anything big, you’re going to be our heavy hitter.”

✦ ✦ ✦

It was several hours later when the caravan had finally found a place to stop for the night. There was a campsite set up on top of a hill with a steep face parallel to the road and the forest beyond. The area was dark with the overcast sky blocking most of the dual moonlight. A fire was lit and the horses were tied close by.

The camp was mostly silent, with everyone drained after the long night on the road. Adaega, the two alchemists, Koren the smith, and Ernald had commandeered the center of the camp. The group spoke quietly as they ate their first warm meal in a day. The rest of the knights and the two Reinhart guards had already set up a schedule to sleep and keep watch so those who needed to rest could do so without feeling like they might miss something. Sloane was relieved that they had finally stopped; she wanted to be somewhere somewhat defensible during the night if there was something out there.

Tiberius occasionally caught sight of the monster in the forest but as the night dragged on, Sloane was finding it more and more difficult to stay awake and Gisele had told her to go to sleep. Still, Sloane made sure Tiberius knew to come back as quickly as possible to warn the knights if the monster moved toward the camp.

Sloane climbed into the wagon and her cot, and she reflected on how poorly the day had gone. This day really sucked.

Exhaustion quickly settled in and her thoughts slowly drifted as she felt herself falling asleep.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane blinked into wakefulness as a small stream of light shone on her face. She let out a yawn and covered her eyes for a moment to adjust to the brightness within the wagon. Sloane turned her head away from the sun laser attempting to burn her eyes out and stretched. After getting up, she looked around and noticed Maud sleeping close by. She gingerly stepped over the redhead and made her way out of the wagon.

It was early morning and she was immediately noticed by Nemura who was standing right outside. “Good morning, My Lady. Did you sleep well?”

“I did. Why didn’t anyone wake me? I should have been up just before sunrise, right?”

The muscular telv woman waved her off. “It was nothing. We didn’t see any more signs of whatever was stalking us for the rest of the night.”

Sloane nodded. “That makes sense. Thank you. Have you slept?”

Nemura nodded. “We swapped on and off. I am good.”

“Good. How long until we leave?”

“A couple of hours. Ser Gisele wanted to let everyone eat first,” Nemura said.

“Gisele! Get over here!”

Sloane jerked her head toward the noise. “Was that Cristole?”

Nemura turned as well. “I think so.”

“Let’s go see what’s wrong.”

“Follow behind me please, My Lady. Just in case there is danger.”

Sloane nodded and was content to let the woman do what she knew best and fell in behind her. Looking at the woman’s muscled arms, she thought, Plus, if there really is a system, she’s got to be the tank.

They made their way to the edge of the camp where Cristole sat on his horse. Gisele and Ismeld stood next to him. Cristole glanced at Nemura and her as they approached, causing the other two to turn and look as well.

“Everything alright, Cristole?” Sloane asked.

“No. There’s something everyone should see,” he said.

“Everyone, everyone? Or just us?”

“I will remain here. Unless it is dangerous?” Ismeld said.

“We will be fine with just the four of us. In fact, I suspect the danger has passed. Ismeld, you may want to wake the others.”

Ismeld looked at Gisele, who gave her a slight nod.

“We will return as quickly as possible,” Gisele said.

Cristole got down from his horse and handed the reins to Ismeld. “We won’t need to ride, it’s just up ahead.”

Ismeld led the horse away as the rest of them followed Cristole up the road. Sloane was able to get a good look at her surroundings as they walked. It seemed like they were leaving the rolling plains area that had been all they’d known since leaving Thirdghyll. The fields of grass here were drier, yet the forest to her left was full of greenery and life. It seemed that the road they walked on provided a stark contrast in the environments.

Twenty minutes later, Sloane was wondering why they hadn’t just ridden some horses. “Cristole? Why did we walk? How much further?”

The elf looked at Gisele and they seemed to have an unspoken debate because then Gisele answered for him. “Sloane, you are terrible at riding horses.”

Sloane gasped. “What? Et Tu? I fell off… one time.”

Nemura turned and gave her a look. “You do not know how to ride a horse? There… there are stirrups… How?”

“Look. Riding horses isn’t something most people do often on Earth,” she explained without admitting how… painful that occurrence had been.

Nemura looked confused and opened her mouth to speak, but Cristole cut her off with a raised hand. “Later, please. We are here.”

Sloane looked around and immediately noticed a difference in the area. It was damaged, almost like a tornado had gone through. Trees were broken and leaned on each other. Dirt seemed to be upturned everywhere, and as they walked around the crown of a tree that lay along the side of the road, she saw it.

“What. Is. That?” she asked. No way. What?

“That is a mutated drakyyd lizard,” Cristole explained.

Nemura narrowed her eyes. “That looks different than the monsters that were in the city. I thought those were drakyyds,” she said.

Cristole shrugged, moving to the side as Gisele stepped aside and approached the dead monster. “It is different, but it’s clearly mutated from the same animal.”

Sloane was staring wide-eyed at the beast. “That looks like something we know of in stories on my world.”

That seemed to surprise Cristole slightly. “Really? What do you call them?”

She thought. “It’s called a drake, or as many people would know it, a wingless dragon,” she said, still disbelieving what she was looking at. “The closeness of the names is surprising. Oh hey! Just like the wynver, Gisele!”

Gisele turned her head and gave Sloane a look from where she was examining the thing.

Cristole tilted his head. “Those are small.”

Sloane nodded. “Yeah, just imagine if one of those were as big as this!”

Cristole grimaced and shook his head as if considering the potential. Nemura slowly turned toward Sloane. “You have monsters like this in your stories… that have wings?”

Sloane nodded. “Yes, they were bigger too. Many stories had them as sapient and incredibly intelligent. Others simply considered them apex predators. They would–”

“There are piercing wounds all over. The core was cut out as well,” Gisele said from where she was examining the drake.

Slone lowered her voice. “I can tell you more stories later.”

Nemura just nodded once.

They joined Gisele in examining the wounds. Sloane was a bit squeamish when looking at dead animals, but even she could notice that it had indeed been killed by what seemed like man-made weapons. Elven made. The wielders of those weapons, however, were nowhere to be seen.

“Cristole, are you thinking what I am thinking?” Gisele asked.

The man nodded and pulled out his sword, looking back toward where they had come from. Gisele also pulled out her side sword, which prompted Nemura to also pull a blade out.

The telv spoke up after doing so, “What are you two thinking? What is it?”

Sloane placed her hand where her sword should have been, and mentally cursed herself after realizing she had left it behind. Compromising, she channeled mana through her and prepared to cast a spell if needed.

“Wryyaaattt! Wrryyatt!”

Sloane heard Tiberius’s cries from behind her and the thwap of a bowstring being released. The three of them quickly turned and Sloane saw an archer loose an arrow. Almost instantly after it was released, a blur snatched up the arrow and let out a cry. Tiberius flapped his wings and flew higher, avoiding another arrow as he did so. Sloane followed the trajectory of where the projectile came from and saw five elves. Tiberius snapped the arrow in two and flew down to land on her shoulder.

“Hey, buddy. Good catch. Thank you.”

Tiberius turned his head slightly and chirped at her before turning to focus on the elves.

Gisele must have noticed them as well because her hand shot up and she cast a shield between them and the other group.

Sloane looked at Gisele. “Who are they?” she said a bit loudly.

“They’re Valeni. The Guardians of the Val Forests. They hate outsiders.”

Sloane used Golem Sight and looked through Tiberius’ eyes to see the group closer. Immediately she noticed that the five weren’t elves but telv. They wore leather armor, were armed with bows, and wore curved blades on their hips. They were all men, and each had a bow drawn but seemed to be discussing something. Likely, what to do about us and Gisele’s shield.

As if summoned by her thoughts, another one drew back his bow and let an arrow fly, hitting the shield dead center to no effect. Nemura looked at where it hit then glanced at Gisele. “Your shield alright, Ser Gisele?”

The orkun nodded. “It is fine. We need to make sure they do not try and flank us though. We should get–”

Sloane turned as she heard a commotion behind her again. Her stomach dropped, thinking that they had been flanked, only to see the caravan approaching. Ismeld and Deryk led the way on their horses, with Stefan driving the first wagon. Ernald and Maud rode two other horses on either side of the three wagons.

Gisele seemed conflicted, and Sloane understood. On one hand, they had more people there to help them, and on another, it simply gave more targets for the Valeni to hit. We need to resolve this without attacks.

“Gisele! Where do you need us?” Deryk called out.

The woman turned her head slightly and looked at Sloane. The knight-captain was still maintaining a shield, so Sloane responded for her. “Just come pick us up, then we are going to move forward really slowly.”

The wagons slowed as they reached Sloane and Nemura, with the guardswoman helping Sloane up onto the wagon with Stefan. Sloane watched the Valeni who seemed hesitant to do anything and just kind of stood around, arguing.

“Gisele, hop up here with us. Keep focusing on the shield. I’m going to do something. I’ll tell you when to drop it.”

As she stood up, Tiberius took off from her shoulder and flew up to the roof of the wagon. Sloane cast a series of weak Mana Bolts and Altered the ten of them to hover and follow them. She then aimed away from the Valeni and fired off a weaker Arcane Explosion. The siege spell arced and exploded away from everyone, but with a large enough blast, that dirt fell near both groups.

The five Valeni’s surprise was evident in how their arms simply dropped to their sides and stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at where the spell had gone off. Sloane narrowed her eyes. “Gisele. Drop it.”

The woman nodded and lowered her hand, the shield collapsing as she did. Sloane had her Mana Bolts move in large circular patterns as the wagons started moving forward. The Valeni stepped backward off of the road, and Sloane was finally able to get a good look at them as the caravan passed them. The five men each had short pointed ears like a telv, except unlike most of the people she had seen, they had beards. Two of the men in the back whispered to each other with one pointing at Sloane. Another raised his hood, almost as if he were trying to hide from her sight.

She almost said something but then the man in the front said something in a language she did not understand. The man to his left said something as well then the first gave her a slow nod of his head. The Valeni’s eyes never left her own, and she nearly gasped in surprise. They have cat eyes!

There was no conflict as their caravan passed, but the knights on the horses made sure to follow from behind and keep an eye on the five who remained where they were. When Sloane looked back after Ismeld rode by on her horse, there was no sight of them.

The group seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief after that. Sloane leaned back and looked behind a tense Stefan over at Gisele. “Did you see their eyes?”

Gisele nodded. “Yes. That… That was strange. I have only seen a few Valeni in my life, and none had anything like that.”

Sloane nodded. “It was wild. Who are the Valeni?”

“They are the natives of the continent. They are a collective of telv, orkun, and raithe who were never conquered by the Loreni. They retreated from the Old Empire to the Val Forests, and defend them to this day from any outsiders,” Stefan interjected.

“Only one Val Forest has ever been conquered. It is said that Eona herself provides for the Valeni in their forest homes and they have become her guardians in return. Most who venture into the forests, do not return,” Gisele said.

“How many are there?”

Gisele shrugged. “Many. There are five such forests in the Sovereign Cities region alone. Four in Avira. Even two in Lymtoria.”

Sloane shivered. “Tiberius saw many of those areas that had high concentrations of mana in the forest. The monsters were animals adversely affected by mana…”

“What are you saying, Sloane?” Stefan asked.

Who knows how much they were changed, and how much more they will be just by living close to those mana… wells.

“The Valeni… I think they may have been affected as well.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Ressa looked up at the approaching cavalry as it slowed to a stop and the captain dismounted. The remaining men very deliberately found other things to look at, that is, until her second ordered them to assist in the collection duties. Our deceased will be treated with dignity and respect.

Captain Mor’rek glanced hesitantly around the scene as he approached her. She heard the man take a deep breath before coming to a stop, going down on one knee, and lowering his head.

“Commander, I have failed Vlaredia. I accept any punishment you deem necessary,” he said. Good. He accepted responsibility. She had sent a rider as soon as she reached the scene with orders for the light cavalry squad to make their way here with all due haste. The rider then continued to Goosebourne and General Razane, as she awaited the man in front of her.

“Stand up, Captain,” Ressa ordered. She waited until he stood then continued, “Look around. What do you see?”

“Death and destruction. It looks like an army assaulted this location.”

“Yes. This would have happened to you as well. If you had provoked them.”

The man looked surprised and glanced around. She gave the man a moment to process the scene around them. There was no sign of the tower that had been constructed other than scattered rubble that gave no impression of what its previous form had been. The campsite was simply… gone. There was rubble where a storage shed had previously been. Her team had set up a collection point where they attempted to sort through the remains of thirty-one of the soldiers who had been stationed here. That was going to take a lot more time. Some are just… parts.

“What can you tell me of a tanned woman with curly brown hair, Captain?”

The man’s head tilted and his eyes squinted. “There was one woman who had hair like that, her name was Baroness Reinhart. She wore a cloak, however, so I could only see what peeked out from the sides.”

Ressa nodded. “Baroness Reinhart. Tell me about her.”

“She was very confident and a bit overbearing. The Baroness said that she had business in Avira. When questioned, she stated they would be traveling through Rosale.”

“You said she wore a cloak? Did you not ask her to remove it?”

“I did, however, her cousin, Lady d’Argin of Blightwych joined the conversation and objected. They had five knights, the two ladies–of which Lady d’Argin was well armed as well–and two guards. Both guards also looked professional. I did not feel confident in forcing any issue…”

Ressa pointedly looked at where the watchtower once stood. “It is well that you did not.”

She paused as she considered what the man related. She knew of Blightwych’s royal family. She knew of the families for every kingdom. Lady d’Argin was not well known, but she was in the line of succession for the throne. Sixth if I remember correctly. She was also a knight of a small order, mainly due to her friendship with the woman who formed it. One notable thing about the noblewoman though… She had no baroness cousins from a House Reinhart.

Ressa wasn’t sure of what to make of that, but there was seemingly something more there. The sole survivor of this attack had described what he had seen. The man had been returning from patrol when he saw the action. From what she was told, the entire event was chaotic. He wasn’t sure what happened, only that their archers were firing on the caravan and a woman with a crossbow fired back–killing two men. Then as the Commander of the Vlaredian forces finally made up his mind and organized his troops to attack the small group, the curly-haired woman–Baroness Reinhart–used magic and obliterated the tower and all but one of the men stationed there.

There is no reason to be on this road if they were traveling to Rosale. The only place this road goes to is–Ressa’s eyes widened. The caravan wasn’t traveling to the coastal kingdom to the south. Why? Are they attempting to warn the Sovereigns? That doesn’t make sense, they hadn’t been anywhere near Goosebourne. The scene around her worried her, though. If one woman could do this, what feats could her nation’s actual enemies perform?

I cannot allow her to assist the Sovereigns.

She turned back to the captain who had been waiting patiently. “Captain Mor’rek, my team, and I will be leaving immediately. You and your men are to take control of this scene until the General sends adequate forces to relieve you. Once you are relieved, you will pass a message along to the General from me, along with a full report.”

The man saluted. “What is the message, Commander?”

“I have found a target and will be tracking it. The potential for threat against Vlaredia is high. Target has already spilled Vlaredian blood, and could single-handedly tilt any battle against us. Please inform your cousin of my initial destination.”

She felt her magic flow through her body as her determination rose. That woman was a problem. One that would need to be handled carefully.

Captain Mor’rek nodded. “Understood. Where are you heading, Commander?”

Ressa’s eyes narrowed. “Marketbol.”

Preparations

Gwyn took a deep breath as she put the quill down next to her notebook. She smiled and looked up at Mr. Branigan who nodded his head and walked to her. The old sun elf picked up the notebook and examined her work, the man nodding along as his eyes scanned over the essay.

“This is well done, Ms. Gwyn. However, I would suggest you read Stanza’s Treatise on Political Relations. It would give you more insight into inter-House politics.” She nodded once, and he continued, “Now, let us delve into proper etiquette when meeting fellow royals. You have improved much since we have worked together. When we arrive in Avira, it will only be a matter of time before you are required to meet the Crown and the family.”

Gwyn narrowed her eyes. “Do I have to? The Crown Prince seems like a jerk,” she said.

The professor gave her a sad smile. “Trust me, I understand, Princess. Those of your station have to meet with people they do not like quite often. That is the way of things. You must learn to wage a war of words. They will be doing the same thing with you.”

She groaned. “It’s always talk, talk, talk.” Raising her hands, one turned icy as she called a mist of frost from it, while the other hand lit up in flame. “It’s so much easier to just use magic.”

Mr. Branigan chuckled and her fire reflected in his kind eyes. “I imagine it is, for you at least. How are your magic tests with Ms. Rolfe going?”

Gwyn smiled. Her practicing with his wife had been going great. She’d already learned a few new spells in the last month. After spending so much time with her fire, she knew she had to try other things. Now she could do several things with her ice magic, and one of the first things she had tried was to use it to make a snowman. Just like Frozen! It just stunk that she only ended up with three big ice balls. She giggled. “Sorry, I was remembering something from home. A movie about someone who had ice magic, too. She used to be so cool. Elsa didn’t have fire magic though. I’m…” She looked at her frozen hand and let her magic dissipate. “Cooler.”

The sun elf groaned. “Is your mother fond of these puns you have?”

Gwyn tilted her head and adopted a lopsided smile. “Where do you think I got it from?”

Mr. Branigan just shook his head, but the mirth in his features was evident. Gwyn went back to how her time with Ms. Maya went. “My practice has been really good. I think Ms. Maya is really getting the hang of it. She’s been so helpful in helping me learn new things. There’s a new type of magic she wants to practice. Ms. Maya is also asking a ton of questions about magic and stories from home. She’s trying to make sense of it all, I think. Just between you and me, I think she has some magic too. I can see it moving around as she’s thinking. Kind of like you.”

The man who was taking a few notes while she spoke suddenly jerked up in shock. “Excuse me? Say that again, Ms. Gwyn?”

She squinted her eyes. “The magic you use. It’s all blue, but it’s weird and isn’t like the magic I do. I’ve tried to use my magic as you do. Ms. Maya’s magic is close to yours too. Hers is yellow and blue. Your blue is a bit deeper though, maybe because she has two? Well… wait, I have four and those are about the same as yours. Yeah, I have no idea. Something else to talk to Ms. Maya about!”

Mr. Branigan’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “I-I think that may be all for today, Ms. Gwyn. We will resume tomorrow. Please read the first twenty pages of this book.” He moved a book from the side over, and then stood up. “Now, if you will excuse me.”

Gwyn raised a brow as the man hastily retreated from the room. She shrugged as she turned and looked at Sabina who had been reading a book as she sat by the fireplace. Do you think he didn’t realize he has been using magic this whole time? Gwyn thought.

Sabina snorted. ~Probably not. I didn’t realize it at first, either. I suspect that those with magic that works on your mind simply feels different… until it doesn’t.~

I guess so. I remember him using it when we were learning about languages. Your magic is so cool. I wish I could talk to others like this.

Sabina turned and looked at her. “Do you want to?”

“What do you mean?” She thought and spoke at the same time.

Sabina winced. “Ouch.”

Gwyn gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry, I struggle to switch between the two. Which I bet is confusing for you.”

“It is no bother. We will practice. I may be able to use magic to let you talk to someone else,” she said.

Gwyn narrowed her eyes. “I am not sure, Sabina.”

Sabina tilted her head. “Why not?”

She considered how to reply and took a deep breath. I think this should stay quiet for now. The colors all feel like they have different uhh… meanings? No… that’s not right…

Sabina furrowed her brows. ~Concepts?~

Exactly! The colors have different concepts. My blue is different than my red. Then my black is different. It’s what you have. I don’t think black can do that. It feels more…

The mind mage’s face dropped. ~Evil? Insidious?~

Gwyn quickly shook her head. No! It simply feels like it is meant to… affect things. Not uhh ugh why are words hard? Facilitate! I don’t think black can connect things and facilitate a conversation. You can use it because you are able to read my mind.

Sabina nodded slowly. ~That… makes sense. Did you think of all of that yourself?~

Gwyn nodded. For the most part. Ms. Maya and I have a lot of talks about magic. She’s really good at helping figure out what it does. I think if you had blue magic, it would work differently. It seems to be more the concept that would be required.

She chuckled as she remembered something else from home. A blue mind mage would be like a wifi router! Just sit there and connect with everyone. Now to find someone who has perfect memory from Earth and they can transmit movies straight to the brain!

~Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Gwyn.~ Sabina thought-spoke with a laugh. ~That makes sense, though. Thank you.~ Her knight quickly looked out of the window. ~Ready to go? We need to meet up with Lady Roslyn.~

Her mood suddenly got a lot better, and she couldn’t reel in her thoughts before her excitement leaked through her connection with Sabina. “Oops! Sorry.”

Sabina stood up and reached for her. Gwyn went over and hugged her knight. The woman pulled her tight as she said, “It’s quite alright, Gwyn. I enjoy your excitement. You’ve been practicing on getting your Mental Fortress?”

“Yes, it’s really tough, but I think that’s because I don’t have mind magic. I have been working on a different way to do it. I’ll figure it out,” she said with surety. She knew she could do it. It was simply a matter of time.

She pulled away and led the way out of the room, nodding to the guards that stood outside. These guards had been assigned to Sabina full-time and had been told privately about Sabina’s magic. Siveril and Theran had worked out a way to limit the number of people who knew about each person’s magic. They had decided to assign guards to the knights instead of Gwyn, those guards would then protect Gwyn when their knight was with her. It was a roundabout way of doing it, but it also allowed the knights to practice with specific guards who could be trained to work with that magic.

As it stood now, each of her knights had a team of four guards assigned to them. The remainder of the House Guard worked around the manor and filled in wherever required. The three teams were considered the elite of the House. They were very good at what they did. Theran and Taenya had trained them extensively.

Her head knight had been training so much since her duel. However, now she was actually meeting with Mr. Onas about the magical stuff he had found. They were trying to work out a deal with someone to get a shipment in before she had to leave for the Academy. Mr. Onas had assured her she would have at least something.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn smiled as she walked with Sabina into the market. It was a busy day, but the four guards that escorted them made sure everyone moved out of the way. While her guards didn’t have full shiny armor like her knights, they still looked really good with what they did wear.

Both the men and women of her guards wore armor on their left shoulder that had a dragon on it. The shoulder harness had a large circular clasp that had the crest of her House on it. The guards also had some metal protecting the forearm that carried a spear. The other hand carried a shield reinforced with metal that had a small cut out for them to rest their spear on. The dragon painted onto the front was beautifully menacing.

Their clothing was a heavy piece of fabric that looked like a quilt with metal buttons that dropped down to a little bit below their waist. Over that was a sleeveless blue coat that had silver trim. Their helm covered everything except the front of their faces, however, there was a way to attach a facepiece if it was needed. It was engraved with pretty designs and had an edge that went from their temple to a point at the top of their heads where it formed into a shallow cone. They wore regular pants, just with a thicker piece of fabric and what Taenya had called cuisses covering their thighs. Also, their boots had metal attached to the front to protect their shins.

Basically, they looked amazing, and when they had one of her knights around them, everyone knew to back away. Taenya and Siveril had done well and put in a large order with Mr. Onas after a lot of meetings. It was clear that they knew how to make a statement with something as simple as appearances.

Gwyn noticed Evocati Khalan first. Roslyn’s Paladin of Alos guardian stood out with his gleaming red armor and spotless white tabard. The golden sun centered on his chest glimmered in the mid-day sun. The Church of the Celestials had promised a paladin to Gwyn as well, but she and her knights did not wish to cozy up to them quite yet. Siveril had worked hard to build up the influence of their House, they needed to stand on their own now.

The option is there though. Evocati Amari seemed so serious.

Roslyn’s two knights stood behind her friend with their backs to Gwyn as she and Sabina approached. She could just make out the high-elven girl as she looked at some items on a table.

She smiled and held a finger up to her lips as Khalan noticed her. The man rolled his eyes and quietly shook his head at the other two guards as they turned their heads and saw her. The female knight’s face lit up as she realized what Gwyn wanted to do.

Gwyn quietly stepped up behind Roslyn with her arms wide, with a final step to get into position… she pounced and grabbed her friend’s sides. Roslyn jumped and shrieked and Gwyn started laughing. “Hey there, Roslyn!”

Her friend scowled at her then her eyes narrowed and focused on her knights as the realization of her protectors’ betrayal hit her. “Greetings, Princess Gwyneth. What a pleasure to see you.”

Gwyn snorted. “Don’t use your noble voice on me, Roz. We gonna shop or what?”

Roslyn took a deep breath and looked around. Her head dropped. “Fine. You win. How are you today, Gwyn?”

“Better now! Whatcha looking at?” She peered over her friend’s shoulder down at the table, noticing the wide-eyed vendor who looked as if he didn’t know what to say. An older woman who sat off to the side just sat with a big grin. Gwyn winked at her, which just elicited a fit of giggles from the woman.

Gwyn shivered as she felt Roslyn’s exaggerated sigh brush past her neck. The ducal heiress nudged Gwyn away gently and looked up at her. “I was waiting for you, and noticed these beautiful pieces here,” she said.

The man regained composure and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your kind words, My Lady.”

Roslyn smiled at the vendor and nodded. Gwyn looked down and saw various styles of jewelry made from metal and pretty stones. They reminded her of stuff people would make and sell at markets and festivals back home in Italy. She went to pick up an earring that looked pretty but hesitated. “May I?”

The man smiled and bowed. “Of course, Your… Highness.”

She smiled as she picked up the pretty earring that had a blue spherical stone as big as her thumbnail dangling from a short silver chain. As she picked up the piece, the little orb swirled and glowed. Gwyn gasped and nearly dropped the earring but regained her composure and lifted it toward the man. “What is this?”

“They’re made from the chest stones of a couple of squirrels, Your Highness. They say they’re magical. It seems the rumors were true!”

The old woman stood and approached, reaching out for the earring. Gwyn handed it to her, and looked up as the woman spoke, “They would be absolutely beautiful with your House colors if you don’t mind me saying, Princess.”

Gwyn looked at the jewelry in the woman’s hand, then looked down and scanned the table. “Do you have any more like this? Small cores? Preferably in red?”

“Cores? I like that name. Yes, I do actually. One moment.”

The woman turned and walked to a chest which she opened and pulled out a small box. She quickly opened the box and nodded before coming back to the table. She showed Gwyn two earrings that also had small cores but were red. Gwyn smiled and glanced at Roslyn who looked confused. “I’ll take both pairs, please!”

The woman smiled. “Thank you, Your Highness!”

The man nodded and stepped forward. “Now, these are fairly priced–”

Sabina stepped to the table. “I can handle the cost negotiations for Her Highness.”

Gwyn grabbed the box with the red earrings and backed up while Sabina started discussing money. She turned toward Roslyn and smiled. “Here! These will be really pretty on you.” She really liked Roslyn’s piercings. The high elf had five, small silver loops that were evenly spaced up the length of each long narrow ear.

Roslyn’s eyes widened, but she accepted the box. “For–For me? For what occasion?”

Gwyn tilted her head. “Because you’re my friend, silly.” She reached over and grabbed one of the earrings then held it up next to the bottom piercing on Roslyn’s ear. She nodded with a smile. “Yup, it’s gonna look great!” She leaned in close and whispered, “Plus, it may help you use magic. We’ll have to go to our practice yard.”

Roslyn’s mouth opened slightly but then she closed it and nodded quickly.

Gwyn was happy. She couldn’t wait to hopefully help her friend learn magic.

It would be so cool to have someone else my age with magic!

Sabina quickly finished the transaction for the earrings and turned around, holding a box with Gwyn’s. “All done, Your Highness.”

“Perfect.” Gwyn looped her arm into Roslyn’s. “Come along, Lady Roz! More shopping!”

“We’re just here to purchase things for the Academy, Gwyn.”

Gwyn clicked her tongue at her friend. “And that’s shopping. Let’s go!”

Roslyn’s resulting sigh was definitely dramatic.

Incidentally Intimidating

Ilyana walked next to Ser Taenya as they made their way to Onas Fenren’s business. She had been tasked with acting as the knight’s assistant as they prepared to leave for the capital. It was frustrating that she was unable to be there to assist the princess but saw it as a chance to increase her position within the House.

The princess herself was at the market with her friend, Lady Roslyn. It had irked Ilyana slightly that she and the ladies-in-waiting hadn’t been able to foster a closer relationship with Princess Gwyn, at first. She had come to realize that there was no way such a relationship would hamper her own influence within the House. As the second-in-line to the Tiloral Duchy, Lady Roslyn was a powerful connection for the House to maintain.

It seemed that the princess, while not inconsiderate, had trouble relating to her two older ladies-in-waiting. It was to be expected. I’m much older than her. More and more her interactions with the terran were relegated to formal situations. That did irk her. She wanted to maintain a closer relationship with the girl. She had such an aura about her. Never mind the actual aura that seemed like a blizzard that the girl had learned to cast just this past week. Ilyana shivered as she remembered how cold the training field had become.

I wish I could cast magic. Oh, the things I could do. She could be casting spells side-by-side with Gwyn as they fought against scantily clad barbarians. Flaming balls of fire would rain down around them as Ilyana cast lightning from her fingertips. She smiled as she imagined the barbarians charging them with massive swords and axes with nothing but a loin cloth covering their–

“Lady Ilyana. We are here.”

She jerked from her reverie and lifted a hand to her face as she felt her cheeks heat up. “My apologies, Ser Taenya.”

The knight scrutinized her with a raised brow, but then just shook her head and opened the front doors for her. Ilyana nodded her thanks and walked in. The inside was as she remembered it, and it always amazed her how well off the Fenrens were. They may not be the largest merchant house within the duchy, but they were within the top five wealthiest.

The Fenrens were extremely wealthy and had connections throughout the duchy and into the surrounding nations. As far as she was aware, that the patriarch had staked his merchant house to the princess had been the deciding factor in her father’s decision to pledge her to the rising House. He now only had to look at the soon-to-be Viscount of Larton to realize he had decided well. She was sure there was more to it but… her parents did not discuss such things with her. Or anything, really.

Indeed, Baron Iemes had both the Fenrens and the princess to thank for his rising station. She had heard rumors of all that the baron had invested into the House and agreed that such political gambling had paid itself tenfold. House Reinhart’s gains from the Telford Fiasco alone spoke to that.

The man himself was waiting for them as they entered the lobby. The shrewd businessman was dressed impeccably in a bright blue tunic that seemed to be made of silk. He looked more like a noble than a commoner; a fact that constantly warred with her sense of self. When does the nobility no longer matter if even the commoners can gain more wealth and influence than us?

“Taenya! Welcome, my friend,” Onas Fenren said.

“Hello, Onas. How are you?” Taenya asked, adopting a kind tone and an affable smile.

“I am well!” He grinned. “What brings you here, today? With Lady Ilyana, as well, I see.”

Taenya smirked. “You know why I am here, Onas. Have you managed to fill the list Siveril sent?”

“Yes, of course. You know me. Also, it’s good you’re here, now. I expected you later,” he said.

Taenya tilted her head and then slowly asked, “We were in the area. Why?”

“I have to meet with someone about the other item we were hoping to obtain. You joining me will help,” he explained.

The knight straightened. “Do they have it?”

Onas nodded. “Yes, and he is asking for an obscene amount of coin. Your joining will help me negotiate from a better position. Lady Ilyana will just be icing on the cake.”

Ser Taenya sighed before giving the merchant a curt nod. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“Good!”

“I’m not your intimidator anymore, Onas…”

“Yeah, yeah. Now you’re the Princess’ intimidator. Everyone has heard about your duel.”

Ilyana’s eyes widened. That duel was still the talk of the House. The knight had literally challenged a marquess in a duel to the death. She then went and killed his only heir by cutting off his head and managed to incinerate a guard with a magical item the princess had given her. Since then, the House guards remained on alert for any reprisals. Ilyana wasn’t even allowed to go anywhere without a guard attending her.

It was only a bit unnerving.

✦ ✦ ✦

Taenya emerged from the House Reinhart carriage in the port district with Ilyana in tow. Onas’ new head guard stood next to another guard off to the side and waited for her and Lady Ilyana. Wailant was a sun elf she knew and one that had been with Onas’ family and company for many years. The only reason Taenya had gained the position over him many years ago was that she was more willing to travel with Onas on his annual route. Former… yearly route. Talani shut that down.

That same man and all of the other guards kept sneaking peeks at her when they thought she wasn’t looking. While she wasn’t wearing her full armor, she was wearing enough to protect her in case of any attacks. She basically wore the same thing the other House guards wore, except she didn’t wear gear with the expectation of using a spear and shield. She did wear her sword and board, though. Her pauldrons were exquisitely decorated with the dragons of the House as well. I am certainly glad they aren’t real. Despite the objections of a certain princess.

“Ser Taenya,” the man nodded at her as she and Ilyana stepped up to the group. She nodded before glancing back, satisfied as the two House guards stepped from the sides of the carriage and neatly fell into step behind them.

She looked over at Onas and narrowed her eyes. “Where are we going, Onas?”

“Just down here. There is a warehouse that sells temporary space to merchants from Maireharbora. He is meeting us there.” He turned and started walking down an alley, his head guard moving behind him. Taenya gestured with her head to her people and followed along. The port district was right next to the merchant district of the city and was filled with warehouses and other storage facilities next to the riverfront.

Ilyana looked around before leaning close to Taenya. “Ser Taenya, is this… legal?” she whispered.

Taenya turned, her brow raising at the girl. “Yes, of course, it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“This all seems really… shady.”

She snorted. “It’s fine. These types of deals are common. Especially with rare merchandise. It’s always a big production and merchants tend to bring the biggest, baddest guard they can to try and intimidate the other.”

“Are–are we going to have to fight?”

Remembering what the girl liked to do in her free time, she said, “Lady Ilyana, I do believe you have been reading those books a bit much.”

Ilyana’s eyes went wide and she mumbled under her breath. “I thought I kept it secret.”

Shaking her head, Taenya followed the merchant as they made their way through a second alleyway. It wasn’t much further before they reached a particularly worn-down warehouse.

“Onas…”

The man turned slightly and shrugged. “It’s fine. The man already had to spend money to travel all the way here. It’s likely a coin-saving measure.”

Taenya sighed.

The building wasn’t quite falling apart but it definitely had seen better days. There was a pair of double doors that looked like they would fall off of their hinges at the slightest gust, as did the cockeyed wooden awning that covered the entryway. The roof was made of thatch about two years past needing replaced. The only thing that looked serviceable was the large double doors at the end of the path from the street to the side for wagons.

Onas’s head guard walked up and banged on the door three times before stepping back, hand resting on his sword’s pommel. Three heartbeats later, the door opened and a big orkun stepped out. “What?”

“We’re here to see Stoval. He’s expecting us,” Onas said.

The man’s gaze flicked over Onas and his guards before pausing on Taenya and her group. His eyes widened fractionally before setting into a scowl. “Who’s this?”

Taenya stepped forward. “I am Ser Taenya Shavyre of House Reinhart. Onas is one of my liege’s retainers. I am here to ensure any deal made is done honorably,” she stated.

The man’s eyes narrowed further as he looked her over. Finally, he simply nodded before turning and opening the door. The merchant’s head guard, Wailant, ordered the rest of Onas’ guards to remain outside, and after a gesture, one of Taenya’s joined them. The group followed the orkun into the warehouse and Taenya was surprised at how organized it was. Mind you, the structure was by no means better inside than out. However, the operation of those who utilized it was not as shoddy as the building.

There seemed to be four different merchant groups set up inside, with the guard they followed leading them to the area in the back right of the warehouse. There were five more guards present that stood around several crates and a single wagon. A flamboyant moon elf, in a long coat that fell below his knees and a colorful hat, stood with his hands on his hips. The guard that led them in walked over and spoke in the man’s ear for a moment that caused the merchant… Stoval to scowl.

“Onas Fenren. This is not what we agreed upon. You did not mention anything about a noble House,” he said.

“Stoval, friend. Surely you know better. When the House has an interest in something, they pursue it. She will not interfere with our business unless you give her cause. This is all above board, so of course, that wouldn’t happen. Right?”

The man hesitated and glanced at Taenya. She smirked slightly. His brows scrunched together but then he sighed. “Yes. Of course, of course. You know how it is. People tend to try and change deals last minute.”

“Oh, trust me. I am well aware. Do you have what you promised?”

“I do, over here,” he said and gestured to the side where an elaborate wooden chest was set up. It was glossy, had gold embellishments and hardware, and was completely unnecessary. The moon elf pulled a key out of his coat and opened a lock on the front of the chest. He paused, glanced at Onas one more time then opened the lid and reached in. A small box was retrieved that had a similar glossy sheen to it as the chest. He turned and walked to a table set up next to the crates and set the box down.

Onas and Taenya stepped forward and she looked down at the box. Stoval opened the box, revealing a silver ring. There was a single diamond that was interestingly set flush into the band, the more interesting feature of the ring though was the strange glowing… runes… etched into the band on either side of the diamond. The four symbols of a language she had never seen emitted a soft blue light which proved one thing… This is going to be ridiculously expensive.

Onas reached down to grab the ring but the box was shut by the moon elf just before he was able to touch it. “No. You may look,” Stoval said.

“That isn’t how this works, Stoval.”

“It is with this, Mr. Fenren. One hundred gold and you may touch it all you like.”

Onas choked. “O-One hundred? That’s enough to fund a noble House itself!”

The man picked up the box, held it protectively against his chest, and narrowed his eyes. “This is one of a kind in Avira. I have the supply and there is plenty of demand.”

Onas recovered from his initial shock and fired back. “I know you did not purchase the ring for one hundred gold. That is against the law.”

The merchant’s guards all took a step forward and placed their hands on their weapons. Stoval raised a hand, chuckling. “You can claim whatever you wish. The fact is, you are not getting this magical ring without paying. I do not have to sell to you. So, are you attempting to steal from me? Because anything less than what I am charging is theft.”

Onas scowled and crossed his arms. “You will never sell another thing in the duchy, again,” he sneered.

“You–”

Taenya sighed exaggeratedly, causing the moon elf to pause and look at her. She placed a hand on Onas’ shoulder and gently pulled him back. Time to take a page from Gwyn’s book. She focused and channeled magic into her fist, causing her hand to glow with a red mist. She was sure her eyes were shining as well as she slammed the glowing gauntlet onto the table with her Empowered Strike. The table shattered beneath her hit, causing everyone around to jump back in surprise. Taenya raised her hand and pointed at the merchant. “I told your guard that I was here to ensure any deal remained honorable. Let me see the ring.”

The moon elf’s guards started to draw their blades but Taenya channeled more magic and drew her blade and had it against the nearest guard’s neck before any of them managed to get theirs more than halfway. She narrowed her eyes and swept her gaze over the guards. “Do not.”

Taenya slowly withdrew her sword and then returned it to its scabbard. With one more pointed look at the guards, she reached out her hand to the moon elf. The man had wide eyes and was shaking, but he dropped the box into her palm. She nodded at him. “Thank you.”

She opened the box and pulled out the ring. Examining it, Taenya frowned when she realized it would be too big. Setting it back into the box, she took off a gauntlet and handed it to Onas. Taenya picked the ring back up and slipped it onto her index finger wiggling the oversized ring around as it settled onto the digit. She felt movement and her breath hitched when the ring slowly shrunk until it fit perfectly.

Taenya glanced up with slightly widened eyes at Stoval and then Onas who were both transfixed. The moon elf didn’t say anything but had a noticeable scowl on his face.

Onas searched her face questioningly. “Do you feel anything?”

She shrugged but then tried channeling magic into the ring and gasped when she felt a surge of magic rushing to her. It suddenly felt as if her ability to use magic were stronger.

“Taenya…”

She looked up at Onas. “What?”

“Your eyes.”

She squinted and gestured for him to continue.

“They’re… glowing red.”

She looked back down and let go of her magic, feeling the connection dissipate to nothing, again. Glancing at the moon elf’s guards, they satisfyingly took a collective step back and she smirked at the fearful expressions on their faces.

With a nod, she took the ring off, placed it back into the box, and then looked up at Stoval. “We will take it.” She turned to Onas. “How much were you prepared to give him?”

“Ten gold.”

Stoval opened his mouth, but Taenya raised a hand. Without looking at Onas, she said, “Pay him twenty, Onas. We’ll take it.” She narrowed her eyes at the moon elf. “Unless you have an objection?”

“Ye–No. No, I do not,” he replied contemptuously.

“Good. Take the money and leave the city. You will not attempt to defraud anyone in Strathmore, again. Her Highness will appreciate the business.”

Stoval’s eyes widened. “H-Her Highness?”

“Did you not do your research before attempting to swindle Fenren Merchant House? They have pledged fealty to Her Highness, Princess Gwyneth of House Reinhart.”

The moon elf paled.

Taenya smirked before continuing, “Also known as the dragon princess.”

She handed the box to Onas and stepped back as the merchants finalized the sale. The scowl on Stoval’s face said enough. His guards stared at her warily, but the merchant himself looked as if he would stab Onas at any minute.

“Do not do anything stupid, Stoval. If you do, you will not like the response that House Reinhart will bring down upon you.”

He turned his scowl on her as he ground his teeth together.

“I will not forget this.”

“Good, maybe next time you enter into business outside of the city, you won’t try to extort a client.”

The man clenched his fists, but he did not say anything further as they finalized the sale. Still, Taenya made sure to keep an eye on the guards and moon elf as they left.

When they emerged from the warehouse, Onas handed the box to one of his guards, who put it into a chest.

“Shall we go show Gwyn?” Onas asked.

Taenya smiled. “Let’s do that.”

She glanced at Ilyana who had been quiet this far.

“You alright, Lady Ilyana?”

The girl nodded and spoke excitedly, “The look on the guards’ faces when you started glowing and yanked your sword out and… swish!” She said, moving her hand as she acted out the motions. “…right to the man’s neck. They were so intimidated. It was amazing!”

Onas chuckled at the girl’s enthusiasm, but Taenya just shook her head. “I think you may have been reading a bit too many of those types of books, Lady Ilyana.”

The girl flushed brightly and her head jerked to face straight ahead.

Taenya chuckled. She glanced at the small chest one of the guards held.

Gwyn’s going to love the ring, incidental intimidation notwithstanding.

Strength Comes in Many Forms

“Have you heard from Friedrich?” Gwyn asked Sabina.

The elf shook her head. “Not since last time. I know they arrived in Drakensburg safely. Niles purchased some more supplies and they should have left soon after.”

Gwyn nodded. “Hopefully we hear something else soon. What do we have to do today?”

“You have nothing on your agenda today, Your Highness,” Emma said from behind her.

Sabina shrugged. “Siveril made sure everyone knew you were preparing to leave for the Academy. We still have a few weeks, so that is why we are doing everything needed this week. You will be inundated with last-minute meetings for the next two weeks.”

Gwyn looked down at her feet as she followed Sabina through the manor. “Oh. No studies either?”

Emma replied instead, “Mr. Branigan and Ms. Rolfe are preparing everything you will need for the Academy. They are also assisting with Lady Lorrena’s studies so that she may pass the entrance exams.”

Gwyn nodded again. She knew Lorrena was struggling with learning everything needed before the Academy would accept her. She was glad they were giving her more help. Siveril and the girl’s parents were adamant about ensuring Lorrena was able to attend as her majordomo had insisted that having a retainer join her there was expected. Everything had become almost too much for Gwyn and she continually questioned her immaturity when first meeting Onas. It is just so difficult doing this whole princess thing. At least it’s not pretending anymore… I really do know how to act now.

The three of them walked into the main hall where Siveril spoke with Taenya and Onas. She noticed them staring down at a small box that lay on the table next to them while they conversed amongst themselves. Gwyn couldn’t make out what they were saying but caught sight of Ilyana standing alone off to the side near where she entered. Ilyana waved and walked over when she noticed Gwyn. After a curtsey, she crossed her hands in front of herself and said, “Greetings, Your Highness! It is a pleasure to see you today!”

Gwyn gave the girl a lopsided smile and tilted her head. “You see me every day, Ilyana! What are you guys up to?”

Ilyana stepped next to her and leaned closer. “We… I mean, Ser Taenya and Mr. Fenren got you a present!”

Gwyn smiled. Of the three, Ilyana tried really hard to be her friend. It was sad that it felt… fake. It wasn’t that the girl was trying to take advantage of her or anything, it just seemed that Ilyana did not know how to be friends with someone almost six years younger. It made her act in a way she thought Gwyn would want her to act. The reality was, Gwyn just wanted the older girl to be herself. In fact, it was the biggest problem with all of her ladies-in-waiting, or the crew as she’d come to call them. They were stuck in performing to the expectations of their parents and how they thought they should act around a princess. Meanwhile, Gwyn just wanted them to be her friends.

“What did you get me?” She lowered her voice slightly. “Don’t worry I won’t tell!” she asked conspiratorially.

Ilyana hesitated. “Uh. I–”

Gwyn giggled and patted the elf’s arm. “It’s okay. I’m joking. Come on, let’s go see what they have to say. They’re acting all serious.”

“Oh… about that.”

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the high elf. “What happened?”

“Nothing… bad?”

Gwyn pressed, but it was clear Ilyana did not want to say. “Okay, come on. I’ll get Taenya to tell me.”

She walked over to the group with the rest in tow, amused that the three were so distracted that they didn’t even see her arrive.

“Hey everyone, what’s got all of you acting super serious?”

Taenya jumped slightly. She immediately noticed and narrowed her eyes at Sabina. “You could have warned me.”

“Could have. This was more fun,” Sabina said.

Gwyn loved the way her two aunts acted ever since Taenya’s duel. Something had changed between them and she could tell that they were closer because of it. She suspected that it had something to do with Sabina’s magic. She glanced at Sabina, You two talk like you and I do, don’t you?

The woman smirked. ~We do. Thank you for the boost in my confidence, Gwyn. I would never have even tried if it weren’t for you.~

Gwyn reached over and playfully punched Sabina in the arm. Don’t mention it, auntie.

Sabina rolled her eyes. ~Have you told Taenya about that yet?~

Nope! Have you?

~No, I thought you would.~

Well, aren’t you two… like girlfriends, now?

Sabina’s eyes went wide and it caused Taenya to raise her brow and look between the both of them. “Ahem. You two can have your secret messages, later.”

Gwyn looked at Sabina and giggled because her eyes were still wide open. “Sorry, Taenya. Whatcha guys got there?” she asked innocently, but quickly glanced at Ilyana and winked at her. Her lady-in-waiting just shook her head with a smirk.

Taenya sighed and Onas looked between those present with an amused expression. “Remember when we spoke of getting you a magical item, Your Highness?” he asked.

Gwyn nodded.

“Well, with Taenya’s timely assistance, we were able to purchase one,” Onas said.

He reached over and picked up the box. She looked expectantly at the small glossy wooden box and mentally guessed what it was. Bit obvious. Gwyn was proven right a moment later when he opened it and a… large… ring was gently placed inside. It was pretty and silver with a diamond that was set into the ring. Looks like something that would be done in my world. All of the rings she had seen here hadn’t had a gem like that. It seemed everyone wanted to show off as big of a gem as possible, instead of almost hiding it in the band. Actually, that’s pretty similar to Earth, as well. They weren’t common.

What looked genuinely pretty though, were the four little glowing… symbols on the band. They were a pretty blue and glowed softly.

Do they expect me to wear that? Uh… Is it a ring for my big toe? She glanced between the ring, her hand, and the adults around her and struggled with what to say. Surely they know, right?

Taenya chuckled and reached down, plucking the ring from the box. “Hold out your hand, trust me.”

Gwyn furrowed her brows but did as she was told. Her knight slid the ring onto her index finger and she gasped as she felt a small surge of magic signal a connection between the ring and herself. The magic in the ring seemed to flow into her as if it knew her and her magic connected with it excitedly. She felt a sudden rush as her connection to the magic around her expanded, an act that caused her to gasp. Gwyn looked down at the ring and cried out in surprise as the ring shrunk onto her finger. “It’s shrinking!”

Taenya laughed. “It’s resizing itself to fit you!”

“That’s so cool! Wait… you knew this would happen. Jerk, you coulda told me,” she said, her eyes narrowing at the woman who held a smug smile.

“That’s what you and Sabina get for startling me!”

“Hey! She did that, I just walked up. Aren’t you a knight that should be aware of her surroundings?”

Taenya gasped exaggeratedly. “Hey now! I will have you know that–”

Siveril cleared his throat. “Ser Taenya, it seems that your duel has raised your confidence as of late. Please remember how to act when not in private.”

Gwyn narrowed her eyes but noticed Siveril looking at Onas. “Don’t worry, Siveril. Mr. Onas is part of the family, too. He won’t tell anyone how we act in the House. Right, Mr. Onas?”

The merchant elf adopted a serious expression and bowed his head. “Of course not, Your Highness. I am honored you think so highly of me. I would not betray that trust.”

Gwyn smiled and looked at Siveril. The man seemed to scrutinize Onas searchingly, but he finally nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Fenren.”

Taenya shrugged slightly, just enough so Gwyn would see and Siveril would miss it as he glanced at her finger. “How does the ring feel, Your Highness?”

She flexed her hand and probed at the ring with her magic. It quickly answered her and seemed ready to surge her with magic as she wished it. She channeled magic normally and the ring automatically connected with it and helped pull even more into her. It felt as if any magic she used would be stronger and more controllable.

“It feels great, actually. It is really comfortable and I think it’s going to make all of my magic stronger! I can try some of the new stuff I have been wanting to do, now. Probably. Oh! I can try to do some of those magics like you, Taenya! The ones where it makes me stronger. Or–”

Sabina chuckled from behind her. “Slow down, Your Highness. Let’s not get too carried away. We’ll make time for your training.”

Gwyn sighed. “You’re right. I’m just excited to be as strong as you two.”

Taenya chuckled. “Strength comes in many forms, Your Highness. You’ll get there.”

Gwyn nodded, smiling as she looked at Taenya and Onas. “Thank you both for the ring. I really appreciate it.”

Onas returned her smile and reached out a hand. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the ring.

Gwyn shrugged and took it off of her finger. She noticed that the ring remained the same size as she did. Onas turned it over and showed her the inside. There were more tiny gemstones hidden inside the inner ring of the band. Four, to be exact, with three on the top and one on the bottom. “There is more in here. These gems help what the makers call mana to connect with you. The little opal here at the bottom is what does it. At the top we have…”

He glanced down at a piece of paper that was in his other hand. “The blue sapphire is what allows it to do what it does, and how it tells the mana what you want it to do. The amethyst helps you use the ring for the shaping of mana, and the ruby allows your ring to use the mana it connects with. The diamond amplifies everything the ring does for you.”

He pointed to a small marking inside the band. “Then finally, on the side here, is the maker’s mark of the people that made it. The Farum Merchant Company made this. I am trying to connect with them further. I think our House would do very well if we were able to secure sole rights to import their products into Avira.”

Gwyn nodded. Truthfully, she had started to tune him out after he explained what the different gems meant. It sounded like when mom explained how her different gadgets had worked like her watch. It was cool to look at the inside of the watch, but usually, everything seemed to go blurry and she grew more tired as her mom described each little chip. I wish she was here to explain this though. I would listen to everything.

“That’s really interesting, Mr. Onas. Thank you,” she said as he handed the ring back to her. She slid it back onto her finger and sighed as the connection was established. I don’t think I ever want to take this off.

The man nodded and backed away. They all seemed to look at her expectantly, so she decided to say something. “Thank you so much, everyone. I am excited to see what we can do with all of these. Between Ser Taenya and Ser Sabina, I think getting more magic items will be just what the House needs. It would also be good for us to be the only ones to bring these things to the kingdom.” She looked at Siveril, who nodded slowly.

“I agree. This is a good venture for the House if we can manage it. I will write up something for you Onas, and you can enter House Reinhart into a contract with this Farum Merchant Company if possible. Avira is a large market, surely they would want easy access through its only port. I will also send a letter to the duke. I think we can obtain a deal for it. Use it to sweeten any deal with the owners.”

Onas tilted his head in thought. “That should work. I will leave that in my pocket, just in case. I have just the person for it.”

Gwyn smiled.

The House is going to be in a good spot for when we find mom.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Good evening, Maris,” Emma greeted the telv guard next to the door to the Princess’ rooms. The woman was one of the four guards assigned to Ser Sabina’s team. The Ravens was what they had taken to calling themselves. Three women and a man who trained heavily with the knight in secret. They seemed like a strange bunch. Especially after having been working more closely with Ser Sabina.

Emma knew it was because of Ser Sabina’s magic, and they had been sworn to secrecy as to what it entailed. However, Emma knew. She was always with the princess; she could see the magic in the way the knight acted. Ser Sabina had used it when we first met. She shivered involuntarily, remembering the feeling she had felt at the time. She had won the woman’s begrudging respect since then, and the knight had won hers.

“Evening, Emma. How are you tonight?” the woman asked.

“I am well. A bit tired, tonight. Been getting ready for the big move.”

“Aye! Me as well. I’ve got everything packed. Ser Sabina has been working extra to prepare for it. Not much longer! I hear it’s only a few more weeks. I heard that the Wynvers have come back to the manor exhausted almost daily. Ser Taenya has been running them all ragged from what I’ve heard.”

Emma nodded as the woman gossiped about Ser Taenya’s team of guards. The Drakyyds named their group after the large reptile that roamed and hunted in the forests near the forest regions to the west. She recalled that Gwyn had said it looked like a dragon without wings. She tilted her head as the woman finished talking about her fellow guards. “Is that why Ser Sabina has been staying with Her Highness more often? I thought it was something else.”

Ser Sabina’s group was named after the small flying reptile that they thought was sufficiently similar to the dragon that adorned the House crest. I wonder if they know exactly how large the princess has described a dragon as being.

Maris nodded. “Yes, Ser Taenya has been very busy and every spare moment she has spent practicing with her team. The only ones that have gotten rest are the Apcerosi.”

Ser Theran’s guards had chosen a large reptile called the Apceros for their emblem. The animal was not native to this region of Ikios and could only be found in the deserts or dry regions of the continent, where it was used as a beast of burden. The large beast had a hardened shield-like back and its tail looked similar to a mace. The same mace that those guards had tried to use as their main weapons… until Ser Theran shut that down and admonished them for leaning too hard into the image.

She refocused on the guardswoman as the telv continued, “Ser Theran continues to strengthen the defense of the House, but his guards don’t have as much training to do to… acclimate to our leaders.”

Emma could understand that, and it was likely the reason for the guards having so much time to come up with antics. Ser Taenya and Sabina both had magic while Ser Theran did not. She knew that the lady knights were working with their guard teams in a way that took advantage of that magic. She could only imagine what the Wynvers had to go through. Emma shivered again.

The woman seemed to realize what she was thinking for she said, “It’s not as bad as it sounds, Emma. We have our duty, and we respect it. We are Her Highness’ shadow. Her protectors in the dark.”

Emma and Maris heard noise from within. Maris looked at her. “I believe she’s ready for you.”

Emma straightened her back and then nodded to the guard. Maris opened one of the double doors, and with one last glance at the… shadow guard, she walked into her liege’s room.

She walked into a sight she had seen more than once. Jagged stalagmites of ice dotted the edges of the room and at the center stood a girl red-faced and fists clenched in frustration. Emma sighed and turned back to the door. “Guard Maris?”

The guard peeked her head in, eyes going wide as she took in the sight. “Yes, Ms. Emma?”

“Could you please retrieve, Ser Sabina?”

“At once.”

The guard hurried off and Emma turned back to the girl. “Your Highness, perhaps it is time for a break. Why don’t I get you some tea? Maybe something to warm you up? It seems someone must have left a window open, winter is coming sooner than normal this year.”

Gwyn tilted her head and then looked up at her slowly. Emma smirked at her joke as the girl glanced around, groaning as she did. “I almost had it, Emma. I am so close!” the princess said.

“What are you close to, Your Highness?”

“Dream-me was able to turn everything frozen in a flash! I tried it a different way and that’s how I made my Aura of Winter. That wasn’t right though. I need something like uh… Flash Freeze, but I can’t get it,” she bemoaned.

Emma was certainly not the one to discuss the finer points of magic with. It was utterly beyond her. She wished Ms. Rolfe was here, that woman had done miracles with the young royal. Still, she had to say something. “Perhaps this Dream-you, was not an insight into what you should be able to do now, but something you may be able to accomplish when you grow stronger? Maybe there are other things you need to learn first?”

Gwyn perked up. “That makes sense! It’s like the games back home. I have to level up! I’m not high enough to get that spell, yet. Wait, no. That’s silly.”

“It’s not silly, Princess. You are just relating it to what you know. It’s like when you practice your sword with Ser Theran. He made you do all of those stances and movements before even touching a sword, right?”

The princess’ eyes widened. “You’re right! He called it fundamentals. I don’t have the fundamentals of ice magic, yet. You’re so smart, Emma. Thank you!”

The girl was always so sweet.

She hoped that never changed.

Emma smiled and took a step to the side as she heard Ser Sabina enter behind her.

As Ser Sabina spoke quietly with the princess, Emma simply got to work. The room would be ruined if they didn’t remove everything before the ice melted.

She had barely moved some books when she heard noises from outside. Emma peeked up at Ser Sabina who had frozen more still than the spikes of ice around them. After a moment, the knight’s eyes shot wide.

“We’re under attack.” She quickly glanced at Emma and Gwyn before darting to the doorway. “Maris! We’re under attack! Warn the others! I have the princess!”

Emma looked at her princess even as her hand slid down her dress to the dagger she had hidden on her leg. She glanced at Ser Sabina, the woman wore a face of determination.

She turned toward the door. Her own determination rose, and she was ready to meet whatever came. The ‘it’ arrived quicker than she had imagined.

Emma saw movement and instinctively jumped to protect the princess. She managed to knock the girl out of the way but then felt a pinch in her ribs.

She looked down, seeing a rod coming from her side.

“Oh.”

Then she fell.

How Innocence Dies

Gwyn was just standing back up, with everything sounding muffled, when she saw her. Emma lay there on the ground where she had knocked Gwyn away. A bolt lodged in her side. No… She felt empty as she took in the sight. Emma wasn’t moving, and her chest didn’t rise and fall as it should. Her handmaiden’s body was still, and blood pooled around her from the wound on her side. We were just talking. Everything was fine.

A burning rage started building up inside of her, threatening to overwhelm her senses. She looked up and saw that Sabina was fighting two elves, and they were forcing her backward, one step after another. One of the two had a quiver hanging from his belt with bolts in them. The other had none.

Him.

She focused and called on the blue magic to shut down almost every emotion within her. Cold fury and determination took over where the fire had sought to consume her. She had failed. Again. Another one of her family was dead, and she didn’t stop it.

Him.

Gwyn demanded her magic come to her, the colorless magic all around them. She reached out and felt it constrict around the elf that had killed her family. She closed her fist and then with a thought, Altered the mana around him so that it grabbed and threw him away from Sabina. Her knight would handle the other. This one must die.

She stepped toward him. “You,” she snarled at the man. Her hold over the blue magic faltered. She felt the fire licking her skin as her eye sockets became nothing more than a route for the flame to escape the inferno raging within her. Her eyes were fire and everything she saw was tinted in red. She focused and used her Mana Sight, her vision took on a new hue as all of the mana around them came into focus. Yes. The ring makers were right. This is what it is.

The killer got up from the ground and lifted his sword. Sabina called out in impotent fury from where she fought the other guard, unable to push the man back.

The man in front of her narrowed his eyes. “It is nothing personal, Princess. Your knight started a war. We are here to finish it.” His voice quivered, and he hesitated. That was his last mistake.

“It’s personal for me.” She lifted her hand. Him. “Burn.”

Her magic rushed at her order and her Pillar of Flame instantly ignited on the man. The flame was white with a tinge of black at the edges, and it engulfed the elf. The man screamed. Oh, how he screamed. A primal howl of pain that died out within seconds, but she didn’t stop. When she did let go of the magic, a molten mass of metal and ash spilled to the ground. She turned, regaining control over the blue magic. The other man was already on the defensive as he held his sword up and kept his front focused on both Sabina and Gwyn.

She looked at Sabina. “You have magic. Finish this.”

Her knight’s eyes widened slightly. ~Gwyn…~

Kill him, Sabina. Now. She ordered mentally.

Sabina narrowed her eyes but nodded and focused on the man. The elf started backing away but then Gwyn saw his eyes go wide and then suddenly glaze over as he froze in place. Slowly, the man released his sword, letting it clatter to the ground. Sabina gave her one last questioning look, to which Gwyn nodded once. Sabina’s eyes turned black as they reflected the knight’s mana. The man’s hand shook fiercely, but he reached down with jerking movements and withdrew a dagger from a sheath on his belt. The man fought it the entire way, but the outcome had been determined as soon as Sabina committed.

Gwyn didn’t look away as the man brought the blade over and down into the hole in his chest plate where his neck protruded. She didn’t look away as he plunged it to the hilt and collapsed.

Even with eyes as black as an abyss, she couldn’t help but notice the look of concern that showed within as Sabina peered at her.

Gwyn ignored it. “We need to make sure everything else is okay.”

To her credit, Sabina didn’t press. Gwyn kept her blue magic moving throughout her mind, shutting down any chance of the situation catching up to her.

Sabina knelt next to the woman, feeling at her neck and mouth before she glanced at Gwyn and subtly shook her head, eyes clearing as she did. Gwyn took a deep breath and let her magic settle throughout her body. I am frozen. My emotions are ice. Now is the time to protect my family.

Gwyn took one last look at Emma’s still body.

She could let it all crash into her later.

Turning toward Sabina, she resorted to thoughts instead of speech, knowing her voice would betray her. Let’s go. Lead the way. I will protect us.

Sabina nodded. ~We will need to move quickly.~

The two of them exited the room and moved down the hall. They found Maris near the stairs. The woman was also dead, but two of the attackers were also dead next to her. Gwyn looked up at Sabina, her eyes already black again and her hands clenched tightly around her sword. They will all burn.

They continued down the stairs, hearing yells and fighting throughout the house. There were guards and staff dead down the stairs. How? How did they do this?

~I do not know. I didn’t feel anything until it was too late. It was like they all hit at once, everywhere. They moved quickly. Overrunning everything as soon as they committed. My… range didn’t catch them until they were already entering the manor. I am sorry, my Princess.~

Do not be sorry.

They moved toward the great hall and a crash resounded to their right, Sabina lifted her sword and a man and a woman burst through a doorway. Gwyn saw a flash of mana inside and threw up an Ice Wall. It was a weak thing that barely covered the entrance to the door, but it was enough to stop the bolt that slammed into it.

The wall collapsed almost immediately and Sabina called out to the two. “Get out of the way! Hurry!”

They quickly moved behind Sabina and Gwyn, huddling together. Sabina glanced back at Gwyn. ~Three men. Two crossbows.~

Can you?

~Not without excessive focus. It takes a lot out of me… I can… distract them. Can you–No. I will–~

Distract them. I will not hesitate. My people are dying.

Sabina seemed to war with herself, but she nodded. ~Be ready. As soon as you hear them yelling.~

Gwyn channeled mana and got ready to move. Orbs of fire formed over her shoulders. Her hands burst into flames and she nodded to Sabina. She saw the woman tilt her head and squint her eyes in concentration.

She heard the scream of surprise from within. The thwack of a crossbow firing. Gwyn moved. She entered the room and without care of any damage, launched her Fireballs at where she thought the men would be. Three of the four fireballs missed, but a scream of pain came from one she had sent to the left. Her hands lifted and forced the fire to launch out in a Gout of Flame. She sprayed the fire left and right and she slowly walked into the room.

She barely had the presence of mind to jump backward as a form came barrelling at her from the right. A man crashed into the wall but quickly lashed out with a sword that narrowly missed her. Her eyes widened and she almost let her blue mana drop as her focus was nearly torn away. Gwyn did the only thing she could think of and dug deep into the frozen rage within her. She shaped that rage into the same spell that she had given to Taenya to protect herself, letting it loose.

A Blast Wave exploded from her and consumed everything within five paces of her with white flames of incinerating fury. The man didn’t even get a chance to scream as he burned.

Gwyn turned and looked at the last man alive in the room. The telv quickly dropped his sword and raised his hands. His eyes were wide with fear as he scrambled backward.

“No. No No No… Please!”

“Burn.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Sabina stood impatiently as waited to move into the room, the heat was unbearable, and she knew that it would not discriminate in who it consumed. While she waited for the inferno to die down, she felt at the emotions throughout the manor, feeling guards and servants alike fighting their attackers. She knew many had died, but House Reinhart was not overrun yet. Sabina went on alert the moment she felt the slight crack forming in the ice that held Gwyn’s emotions at bay.

She heard a shrill shriek coming from the room, which caused her to raise her blade and look through the door just in time as all of the flames were pulled from the walls and furniture back into Gwyn’s outstretched hand.

She glanced back at the two servants who remained huddled together in fear. “Lock yourself into a room. I believe the upstairs is clear. Be careful. Run if you have to.” They quickly nodded and moved away.

Sabina looked at the girl that emerged and tried to Sense Emotions from her and felt… nothing. Gwyn was completely blank to her senses and it scared her. She scrutinized the princess who was moving back into place behind her, seeing nothing except calm determination. She reached out mentally to her. Stay close.

Gwyn stumbled slightly but nodded. ~I will.~

Sabina moved quietly but deliberately through the manor as they made their way to the great hall. She felt four people entering through the front door just up ahead and moved her sword into position. Four.

Gwyn’s Fireballs formed over her shoulders and the girl glanced around, settling on a guardswoman who lay slumped against the wall with a bolt protruding from her neck. The princess moved over and closed the woman’s eyes, but then drew the woman’s dagger out from its sheath. She turned and nodded at Sabina. ~Ready.~

Sabina narrowed her eyes. Magic. Not dagger. Understood?

Gwyn scowled at her for a moment but then acquiesced, dropping the blade to the floor. ~Fine.~

Sabina turned and made her way toward the four she sensed, flattening her back against the wall next to the corner near where she felt them. She moved her sword slowly to the edge and used the mirrored finish to try and see around the corner without exposing herself. She wasn’t able to see much, but she caught sight of two men looking away from her.

With swift movements, she quickly moved her sword to her left hand and drew a throwing knife. Taking a deep breath, she stepped around the corner and threw the blade at the first man she saw. Another man jerked in surprise and shouted out, but wasn’t quick enough in warning her target. The blade flew through the air and embedded itself just behind the man’s ear.

She brought her blade up, but then immediately jumped back behind the corner, pushing Gwyn away as she did. Not even a heartbeat later, two bolts came flying past the corner, punching into the wall behind her. Sabina felt at their minds and used Conjure Hallucinations. Her magic caused the remaining attackers to see two House guards rushing at the men from around the corner. In her sight, she saw two shadowy forms with swords and shields rush the remaining three men. Sabina rushed from behind the corner and raised her sword. All of the attackers rushed the apparitions and were thrown off guard when their attacks simply passed through what they thought were guards. One of the men stumbled as his swing caused him to almost fall from overextension.

The spell collapsed immediately, but then Sabina was there. She swung and caught one of the men at the weak point where his breastplate overlapped with his cuisses, or thigh plates. Since the man had almost fallen, a gap just large enough for her blade opened up, and she quickly took advantage.

Her blade bit deep and she knew that the man was done even as she yanked back to move toward the next two men. Both of them yelled out, and she had enough presence of mind to Detect Emotions letting her feel two more presences coming in the door. Sabina raised her sword and took a step back, two large knights entered. Each held a longsword and settled into stances as they confidently moved toward her.

Shit. Gwyn. Her charge had been using a lot of magic, and she wasn’t sure how much more the girl could handle. She had to get her away.

One of the knights lifted his visor and gestured behind her. “Give us the terran, and all of the death ends. You need not die for an outsider. The only two who must die are her and the knight that killed Lord Nicolas.”

“You’ll not have her, you bastard. You chose the wrong House to attack, and your lord will die like his son,” Sabina sneered.

The knight frowned but set his visor back into position. “Very well then we will purge this entire House.”

She felt another presence approach and Sabina settled into a stance. Be ready. I will need your fire. Hit the first to approach me with all you have, unless you see a crossbow. Those need to die first.

Gwyn moved out from the corner, her hands alight with a fluttering flame. ~Understood.~

Sabina narrowed her eyes. She’s reaching her breaking point. The strain is getting to her as it does me. Just one more fight. You can do this, Sabina. With a deep breath, she took a step to the right to give Gwyn room to cast her spells, but then she heard the princess gasp. ~Wait!~

What is–

A spear came flying through the front door behind the two knights and impaled the one that had talked to her. Someone in silver and blue armor came striding through the door with a sword. Theran?

Theran raised his sword and then launched it at an impossible speed toward the second knight who was just turning around. The blade seemed to glow yellow as it pierced through the knight’s armor like paper. Sabina took advantage of the shock and rushed forward, bringing her sword up and across one of the guards who had nothing but a surprised look on his face. She followed up by moving toward the last guard but the man managed to get his sword and shield up to block her attack. He swung back at her, but she parried and stepped back. She moved to swing at the man again, but Theran appeared behind him, grabbed him by the armor, and threw him to the side. The guard crashed into the wall, his weapons clattered away as he crumpled to the floor.

Her fellow knight stepped forward and knelt behind the man, grasping at the man’s neck and head as he did. The guard struggled, punching and batting at the elf’s armor and helm, but Theran was able to position his hands where he wanted. With a quick, final motion, he snapped the man’s neck.

Letting the body fall, Ser Theran picked up his sword, turning toward them as they stood. He removed his helm and saluted. “I was training and came as soon as I could. Are you injured?”

“We are fine, Theran. I’m happy to see you,” Gwyn said.

Sabina felt more presences approaching with her Detect Emotions. She gestured to Theran and warned, “More coming, prepare yourself.” Sabina shifted to face the front door, Gwyn’s hands reignited into flame, and Theran turned and lifted his own blade.

Sabina sighed in relief as she heard a familiar voice call out.

“House Reinhart! We’re coming in!”

Taenya and… a paladin came in followed by Siveril and what seemed like all of the remaining guards. Her friend’s eyes widened but then seemed to sag in relief as she recognized Gwyn. Her sword fell to her side, blood dripping from the blade onto the floor as she exhaled a large breath of air. “Your Highness, Sabina, you’re both safe. Are you injured?”

Gwyn did not say anything so Sabina shook her head. “Her Highness and I are not injured. Emma saved the princess, and one of my guards died, and I do not know where the rest are. I have no idea if the House is secure, but for now, we are alive.”

Sabina’s gaze narrowed as she took in the presence of the paladin. “What are you doing here?”

They removed their helm, showing a sun elf woman, one that Sabina had seen before. Sabina instantly went on guard, but the woman bowed toward Gwyn. “Your Highness. The church could not ignore this attack. I… was already nearby and decided to assist.”

Sabina narrowed her eyes. “You were spying.”

The woman gestured at herself. “Hard to spy when you stand out so much. We have been watching the manor since Her Highness met with the Archpriestess. Yet even my small team was surprised at the ferocity of this assault.

The paladin… Amari… saluted. “I am here to protect Her Highness. I sent my team to the temple. A full contingent should be coming soon. We will help you secure the grounds.”

“We will speak of this later. For now… Guardsmen, teams of four, secure the House. Theran, stay with the paladin,” Taenya ordered.

Sabina gasped and clutched her chest as she felt a storm of emotions surge from behind her. It seemed the girl let go of whatever magic was keeping it contained.

She turned and saw the girl collapse to her knees as she broke down in sobs. Sabina rushed to her side.

It’s alright. You’re safe. We’re safe.

✦ ✦ ✦

Taenya walked into the office with two of her guards right behind her. Theran was already inside along with the paladin, Evocati Amari. Siveril was at the ducal palace with Sabina meeting with the duke.

While that left Gwyn without a knight at her side currently, she had ten guards upstairs protecting her. The other two of Taenya’s guards and all four of Theran’s along with four others from the House. The remaining members of Sabina’s team had all been found as Theran cleared the manor after the attack. The missing three were found surrounded by eight dead bodies of the attackers from Marquess Angwin. One of the guards was dead, and one more had died of his wounds later that night. The last was still recuperating from her wounds, but the surgeon had hopes that she would be on her feet within the week. The guard was adamant that she would be ready in time for the trip to Avira.

The attack itself had claimed many lives and not just the guards. It seemed that the attackers had killed indiscriminately and almost forty percent of the House had died either to a blade or bolt. None of them had expected such a response from the marquess, and it caught them completely off guard. They had been outnumbered by the attackers twofold, and that was including the servants.

The servants didn’t go down without a fight though. Even they had claimed many kills against the attackers.

“What can you tell me?”

Theran shook his head. “We are as secure as we can be.” He gestured to the paladin. “With the paladins here, it is a sufficient deterrent for anyone who thinks they can attack. This show of force cannot be good for us, however.”

“I do not care about appearances right now. Evocati, how long are your forces able to remain on the grounds?”

The sun elf glanced toward the window. “I can justify a presence until the duke acts. After that, it returns to an Aviran issue. I would be able to remain, but if there is no active threat to an Honored One, the rest cannot stay.”

Taenya jerked in surprise. “An Honored One? When did this occur?”

“Her Holiness decreed it this morning. Lady Roslyn had already been recognized. The Archpriestess recognized Princess Gwyneth officially which is what authorizes her protection to this level.”

She sighed and glanced at Theran. “We need to move up the timetable. One week, then we make for Avira. Whatever guarantees Siveril gets from the duchy will not be enough. The marquess doesn’t have influence within the capital, and the princess will be safe at the Academy. The Polite War is forbidden upon its grounds.”

“We can have people ready by then. Ser Sabina…” He glanced at the paladin.

Evocati Amari sighed. “I know of Ser Sabina. Not fully, but I know enough. Her Holiness has ordered our silence on the matter. You can trust us.”

Taenya narrowed her eyes. “How?”

The paladin tilted her head. “How… what?”

“How do you know?”

“I–I cannot say.”

Taenya shook her head. “If you cannot trust us, then we cannot trust you. You will not be coming with us.”

Amari’s eyes shot open. “I have been ordered–”

“No. Unless Her Highness overrides me, you are not coming. Not to mention you are not conspicuous at all.”

“Your armor and sigil are widely known at this point as well, Ser Taenya. You too will stand out.”

She scoffed. “I do believe that red–”

“Taenya. You may need her. It’s just her. Not all of them. More protection for her highness is a good thing. Just being near, Evocati Amari may dissuade some from attacking. No one wishes to go against the Church.”

Taenya narrowed her eyes, but with a sigh, she relented. “Fine. You will answer to me in absence of any direct orders from Her Highness. I will not have you get in the way.”

Amari smirked. “That is no problem. The Paladins of Alos only chaff at taking orders from those we do not respect. After what we’ve seen of you? You have it.”

“And don’t start kissing my ass. That won’t make me like you,” Taenya said.

The smirk fell, but the paladin nodded. “Understood.”

“Now, please excuse me. I have a traumatized princess to go prepare.”

Both nodded to her before she turned and walked out.

Taenya took a deep breath as she reached the door to Gwyn’s suites. Pausing and leaning into her arm as she placed a hand on the doorframe. She closed her eyes, ignoring the concerned guards near her.

She thought back to when Sabina had explained what had happened in Gwyn’s rooms when they were attacked. The woman explained what Gwyn had ordered her to do. While Taenya may dislike it, the attack was within the conditions she had set with Sabina for use of her powers in such a way. Yet, it seems that it had disturbed even the elven knight to use her magic in such a fashion.

Gwyn had gone through much since arriving on Eona. Through it all, she had maintained a level of innocence and hope that was admirable. After this, Taenya had to trade duties with Sabina. The mind mage hadn’t been able to withstand the feelings coming from the princess. Sabina confided her suspicion that her connection with the girl had made her too susceptible to any overwhelming emotions emitted. Since then, Sabina had described it as a dark storm, an emotional tempest filled with grief, guilt, and rage.

“Ser Taenya? Are you alright?” one of her Drakyyd Guards asked.

She nodded once then turned the handle and entered the suite.

I just hope that happy, kind girl is still in there somewhere.

The Sovereign Cities

The caravan had traveled slowly, making sure to settle for each night in defensible locations in case of attacks–even if that meant stopping earlier. In the end, it hadn’t been necessary, yet Sloane was still glad they’d done it. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but the Valeni had really caused her to rethink many things. How dangerous is mana to us? What other changes are we undergoing? Those cat eyes were beautiful.

When the city of Marketbol was in sight, what stood out to her was how amazing it looked. Here was a city in stark contrast to the other one she had seen; its wealth was on display from the moment you could see it. The walls were almost pearl white with red painted accents and red roofs on the towers and a covered section near the gate. In fact, it was as if the entire city had required every construction to maintain the same aesthetic. Roofs of red and gold trim peeked above the wall.

A strangely out-of-place butte not far inside the wall hosted the most fantasy-esque building she’d seen yet. On top of the grassy, tree-covered butte was a massive structure that sat across the entirety of the feature’s peak. There was even an overhanging covered terrace that was about a third as wide as the structure. The nested roofs and the angular overhangs and sharp peaks reminded her of old architecture in the Nordic countries.

Sitting on a large hill further back from where the butte sat could only be the city’s palace.

“Hey, Stefan. What are those buildings?” Sloane asked the raithe sitting next to her on the wagon’s driving bench.

He shifted so he could squint and look in the distance, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. “Ahh, that building there by itself on Market Rise is the Banking Guild’s headquarters. The bigger palatial structure on Bol Hill is the City’s Hall of Governance.”

“Really? That’s where they get the name? Wow.” she said drolly

Stefan chuckled. “Yes, there have been attempts to rename it in the past. Apparently, the people that live there refuse out of principle at this point.”

Sloane nodded along as he spoke. She could understand it. It’s their home, and some people love their cities deeply, faults and all. Looking at the structure on the cliff, she imagined how difficult it would be to go up any stairs to it. “I can imagine getting up to the headquarters is a pain…”

Stefan scoffed. “Scholars and workers hired and brought from the Eastern Reaches of the continent devised an ingenious method of lifts. Oh, look. You can see it now,” he said and pointed toward the structure.

Sloane squinted and her eyes widened as she saw a small–or what seemed small from their distance–platform being lowered from the overhanging terrace. So that’s what it is used for.

“Huh. An elevator.”

Stefan glanced at her but did not reply.

“It sure is beautiful. Looks expensive to live in though. Everything is so… planned.”

“It is that. Elodie would know more, though. If she says we have enough to purchase a location for a center, we do.”

She and Elodie had come up with a plan to purchase a building as close to the city’s Scholar’s Quarter as possible. It seemed that the city had a fairly important School that was specialized and focused on merchants, economics, and trade skills. Precisely the types of people and experts she would want to hire for the Reinhart Center.

Adaega and her had spoken more on the subject, and the more they spoke, the more Sloane was convinced her fellow human was the woman for the job. Adaega had ideas about the project as a whole and had spent many nights speaking about them with her, Elodie, and Ernald. The Reinhart Center, Marketbol, would focus on materials research and their interactions and use with mana. In her journey to Avira, Adaega had convinced her to be on the lookout for other opportunities to start another center. One dedicated to magic would be ideal. Setting these centers up would provide her House with a steady source of income, influence, and networking in the region. Elodie had agreed wholeheartedly, and she was sure that the Romaris family would gladly join in any venture with a profit potential.

Speaking of profit, Sloane sighed. Elodie and she had finished the Rune Card terminal with the help of her smith–Koren–and she was ready to test it as soon as they reached the city. Elodie had explained the importance of setting everything up properly, and an especially important thing they needed was at the suggestion of her uncle. They needed a lawyer.

She shrugged. “I trust her. The first thing we need to do is locate this Baker person, and then find the House one of these esquires.”

Stefan gave her a side-eye. “Can we settle into an inn, first? A bath would be nice.”

She paused. They had been on the road for two months, with only intermittent stops. The only cleaning they’d been able to do was with stream water that was freezing. The group was tired and worn out from the travels. Relaxing for the rest of the day would be a smart decision. “That’s… probably a good idea,” she agreed.

The raithe smirked and when Stefan refocused on the road ahead of them, Sloane quickly and subtly sniffed her armpit–under the guise of looking out and around the wagon, wincing and trying to not jerk her head back the moment she took a whiff.

He was talking about a bath for himself… right?

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane walked down the road, Nemura to her right and Deryk to her left, as they made their way to Drury Lane. She felt much better after taking a bath. It wasn’t as long or relaxing as she may have wanted but at least she felt… clean. It was definitely the right choice. Not that I’ll admit it to Stefan.

She was about to move around a group of people standing and talking, but one of the elves glanced at her and almost shoved the others out of the way. Sloane raised a brow at the action but then understood after a glance at her two escorts. She was sure they were an imposing sight, Sloane in her well-made clothing with a knight and guard who looked like they could and would break anyone in two. In fact, she shouldn’t have been surprised in the least that a group of people standing on the sidewalk had moved. With a thought, she noted that everyone else that caught sight of her had subtly moved out of her way as well.

The city was beautiful and immaculate. Everywhere she looked, she saw people sitting and enjoying the various gardens, parks, and fountains. Statues of exquisite make adorned the public spaces with people sitting on steps or benches relaxing. People moved in and out of shops shopping and enjoying the day, even with the afternoon chill. They even had people dedicated to cleaning the streets and alleys from all of the refuse that came with a city such as this with as few modern amenities. It was so refreshing to see it all. The safety, the prosperity… She wanted this for when she found her daughter.

She could see her breath as she walked, but the dryness of the day kept any chance of snow away. The seasons were shifting to winter, and everyone was bundled up for warmth, but that didn’t keep the children indoors. Children ran around and played various games, with one group kicking what looked like a leather ball around. An elf boy kicked it away from a girl and she smiled as the telv girl ran harder to catch up to him. Other boys and girls jumped up and down, calling out for him to pass it to them. I bet Gwyn would love to play soccer.

She considered Adaega and the woman’s prior request. This will be a good home for her.

Sloane smiled as she noticed a group of people lounging in a park they were passing. An older telv couple was sitting on a blanket, a little basket filled with what looked like lunch and snacks. A wine bottle sat between the two and the man was placing grapes and cheeses onto a plate while the woman read a book. The woman said something as she turned a page and the man chuckled. She couldn’t help but giggle as she watched him pluck a grape from his plate followed by reaching over and placing one of the grapes into her open mouth. It was so… cute.

Deryk nudged her shoulder and gestured to one of the streets across from where they stood. She nodded and waited for several carriages to pass before crossing the road. The street was lively and seemed to feature many produce stores, a butcher, and many bakeries of all types. One seemed to focus on bread, while another had little pastries.

She saw a sign and smiled. This couldn’t be more obvious. Ahead and to the right was a sign that said simply… Baking Company. Zero effort guys. Come on… She heard Nemura huff a laugh as they got closer. They entered the bare bakery and she looked around. The first thing she noticed was the lack of any decorations. A counter sat in front of them with a large stone oven in the corner. There was a door to another room, and a raithe sat in front of it on a stool leaning on the counter. To the left on a set of shelves that took up the entire wall was an assortment of bread of numerous types. Half of them looked nearly burnt.

The worker was a thin raithe with vibrant teal skin. His eyes were the color of storm clouds and were shaded by his shoulder-length purple hair. He wore simple clothing and seemed bored as all get out. The man looked up as the three of them walked in. His surprise at having customers was evident because his mouth kind of just dropped open without saying anything.

Sloane waved and stepped up to the counter. “Good afternoon! Are you the Baker?”

Deryk groaned behind her.

The raithe shook his head. “No, no milady. I am not. May I assist you?”

Sloane shook her head sadly. “I do not believe so. I wished to go over a large order with the baker. I want to discuss if it is possible.”

The guy nodded along as she spoke. “A-a large order? How large, milady?”

She nearly froze. I haven’t gotten that far yet! “Uhh… Let’s see… Nemura? How large of an order would you say we require?” She stepped to the side to look at the woman.

Nemura narrowed her eyes. “We require an order to cover at least one hundred. Possibly more.”

The telv gasped. “I understand! Let me get the baker right away.” He started to move to the back door, but then froze and turned. “When did you need this all done?”

Sloane smiled and answered, “As soon as possible. This a very valuable order.”

His eyes widened. “Understood! Thank you, milady!”

The man ran into the back, Nemura and Deryk both gave her a look. She shrugged. “What? Clearly, he took it at face value.”

Nemura shook her head. “You are about as subtle as a rockslide.”

Sloane sniffed. “Thank you!”

She turned her head as the raithe man returned, followed by a moon elf. That man instantly appraised the three of them. He narrowed his twilight blue eyes and glanced at his worker. “Go clean up the back. I have this.”

The raithe’s eyes darted back and forth between Sloane and his boss but then he hung his head. “Alright, boss.”

After the raithe left the elf crossed his arms. “You’re not here to buy bread.”

Sloane raised a brow. “Why not? Your bread looks delicious.”

The man scoffed. “No one comes here to buy the bread. It’s shit. All of that is made by my apprentice, and I don’t have the heart to tell him he’ll never make it as a baker. If they want the good stuff, they know how to order it. Now, what do you really want?”

“Can you make… muffins?”

He scowled. “What?”

He seemed to be adjusting his sleeves, and she guessed he wouldn’t appreciate her jokes any longer. The way Nemura and Deryk shifted their stances confirmed it.

“Nevermind. You are the Baker?” she asked, ensuring to emphasize the name.

His eyes narrowed. He hesitated slightly but then gestured around. “That is why you are here. What is it to you?” He shifted his arms.

“I was told to tell you, ‘Vlaredia moves for the Malduhr Pass.’ But that no longer matters.”

The man froze.

“Who told you that?”

“We recently had business with the Academy in Thirdghyll.”

He brought one hand up to his chin in thought. “You have my attention.” He turned and yelled into the back, “Oi! You’re done for the day. Head home. Now.”

The raithe yelled back and came to the front to gather his things. Without a word, he left them alone but not without constantly throwing curious glances their way. The elf walked to the front door, flipped a small sign in the window, and latched the door shut. When he turned around, it was almost as if he had turned into another person.

His stance was different, his posture, the way his muscles relaxed all seemed different. It was a bit disconcerting. “Who are you, and why does that message no longer matter?”

Sloane took a deep breath. “I am Baroness Sloane Reinhart. I worked with a man named Giallo on a… project. Can you verify your affiliation with… the Academy?”

The man nodded. He walked to the counter and reached underneath, bringing out a… very familiar hat, but of a different color.

“Does the name Giallo have a special meaning to you?” he asked.

She nodded. “It means ‘yellow’ in a language I know.”

“I am Cerulean. His hat would have been like this, but yellow. I can give no other confirmation that you would understand. However, if that is not enough, I suggest only giving me easily verifiable information. Which was the intent of the message you gave. No secrets.”

She nodded. That made sense. Sloane wasn’t a spy, and as Nemura had said, she didn’t quite have the skillset for it. “Thirdghyll has fallen. Monsters attacked it. Goosebourne has fallen. Vlaredia has taken control of it.” The man’s eyes widened and opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand. “Vlaredia is just north of the Agenval Forest. We wiped out a watch tower that was set up, but they are definitely moving south with a large army.”

He paused, waiting for her to continue, and when she didn’t he spoke. “The monsters from Valesbeck made it to the city? What of the people?”

Sloane scowled. While she wasn’t sure if the man knew of the plan, she was still bitter about it. She was just happy she was able to facilitate the evacuation of the amount she had. She gestured to Nemura.

“I am Nemura, formerly a Senior Guardswoman of the Thirdghyll Guard. I was released from my service to join Lady Reinhart’s House and assist to spread the message. There were many survivors from the Guilds as well as most of the Guard Garrison of East Fort including their families. The fort was able to hold out for several days, but then they had to retreat to Vilstaf. We saw no survivors from the nobility. We are not aware of what happened to the Count. We have reason to believe he was ambushed as he attempted to escape a battle in which his personal guard was decimated by monsters.”

Cerulean nodded. “And the army? You suspect it is coming here?”

“I am Ser Deryk of Blightwych. The Vlaredians made no indications of moving toward Westaren, their forces were clearly moving to secure south and seem to be setting up Goosebourne as a secure point from which to launch attacks into this region of the Cities.”

The elf sighed. “That… is not good news. Lady Reinhart, do you have any pressing business to attend to?”

“I have some business, yes.”

“I would like to request that you join me in meeting with the city’s leadership, and include any of your retainers who could give pertinent information. Marketbol sent its army East. They should be almost to Laudenwych by now.”

Deryk tilted his head. “Laudenwych? That’s over one hundred and fifty kilometers from here.”

Cerulean nodded. “Yes. They’re heading to the front. Every City in the region has sent its armies. Valecan, Laudenwych, Wardenshirst, and Marketbol. There are fears that the Vlaredians will take the border City of Constanden before they can be reinforced. The closest City, Valecan sent its armies to attempt and relieve the sieged army. Laudenwych sent its armies to reinforce the Valecani army. The remaining armies are being sent north to reinforce Sacksburn to hold the plains west of the Farum mountains. However, if the Vlaredians made it through the pass, they will have attacked Sacksburn and possibly even taken it already.”

She felt a bit overwhelmed by all of the location names. Sloane would definitely need to get someone to show her a map back at the inn. She knew the region very broadly. North of them was the Agenval Forest, but East was a lake just below the southern edge of a long mountain range. The pass that the army had gone through was the only way through the mountains without going all the way south and around. East of the mountain range was a decently large plains area that ended at another, smaller, mountain range where Reanny and her brother were from. Beyond that was a valley, where the city that was fighting sat closest to the Empire.

She knew there was a large town with a massive fort in a narrow opening between the mountains east of them that had another Val Forest to the east of that. Shit man, so much stuff is east. Absolutely need a map.

She sighed. “So, basically, you have an army on the way here, and you have no army to defend yourself with?” Sloane asked.

The man nodded. “It is the Sovereigns that do not, but you are correct. We need to meet with the leadership and pass this information on. There may be time for them to get word to the nearby Cities. Then all we can do is hope an army can make it here in time.”

Deryk looked at Sloane. “We should get Ser Gisele and Ser Ismeld.”

Sloane nodded. “Agreed.” I certainly do not want to explain this alone.

She turned back to the moon elf. “Okay, Cerulean. We’ll go with you. I have a vested interest in this city remaining safe. Let’s see what we can do.”

The man let out a hesitant chuckle. “That is… if they listen to us. I am a spy after all.”

“Oh… Yeah. There is that.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry. They won’t throw us into the dungeon or anything… I hope.”

She looked around at the bakery. I have a feeling they already know he’s a spy.

Bearer of Bad News

Returning to the inn and retrieving those that wished to attend had gone quicker than suspected. Ernald had made more inroads toward his decision to stay when he spoke to Sloane and stated that he would guard the other members of her House to allow Stefan to join. Elodie had taken advantage of that and planned a sightseeing trip with all of the House members. She said they would take time to scout out several locations for the Center so that it would be easier and quicker for Sloane to review and approve.

They made their way through the city in two fairly large carriages the moon elf Cerulean had procured. The inside of the carriage was fairly luxurious and had a wraparound bench that was tufted with a soft burgundy-colored fabric. The man in question sat across from her, while Stefan sat to her right, and Nemura sat next to him facing the door. The carriage following them held the knights and Tiberius–who she had kept hidden from Cerulean up until then.

“This could go any number of ways. General Irileth should be within the Hall. I just have to gain a meeting with them,” Cerulean said.

The man was dressed in a fine, all-black outfit that was pretty similar to the one Giallo had worn. His cerulean accented hat complimented the look quite well. His nervous demeanor, however, was nothing like the man she had met in Thirdghyll.

“You know, your bakery isn’t that subtle. It all but screams ‘this business is a front’. I will be supremely surprised if they don’t realize who you are. I will take the lead first, that way if they somehow do not know who you are, you can maintain your cover,” she said.

Cerulean leaned back. “I would appreciate that, but how will you gain an audience?”

Sloane smirked and looked at Stefan. “We’ll do it live.”

Stefan shifted uncomfortably where he sat. “What does that mean?”

“Don’t you worry. I’m just going to be the bearer of bad news.”

Nemura turned and looked out the window. “We’re here.”

Sloane smiled. “Let’s do this. Time for me to earn my keep, and pretend whatever I do is normal.” She looked at Nemura. “Please watch me, I don’t think this will tire me out, but just in case, catch me if I fall over?”

The large woman tilted her head. “What is ‘this’?”

Sloane smiled and channeled her mana to her eyes. Focusing on the blue mana, she felt the energy fill, then exhaust from her eyes in just the way she wanted. She looked at a mirror that hung on the wall of the carriage and watched as her eyes turned into a glowing blue then a mist exited from the corner of her eyes. The act itself wasn’t much, but she knew it would take effort to potentially maintain it for hours.

Nemura raised a brow but nodded.

Cerulean’s eyes were wide and she just smirked as she reached for the door and opened it. “Let’s go. Remember, this is normal.”

He quickly nodded and she exited. Sloane glanced at the Westari spy as he stepped out of the carriage behind Nemura and Stefan. The knights had already taken up positions outside and Tiberius sat on Ismeld’s shoulder. The falcon eyed her, but otherwise kept fairly still. She huffed a laugh.

He squinted his eyes at her. “What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Sloane raised her arm and Tiberius took off from Ismeld’s shoulder and flew over to her, took a slow, lazy circle, and landed on her right shoulder. Gisele gave her a look, shaking her head, and Sloane heard gasps and murmurs from numerous passersby. Several guards at the front had shocked expressions and one had even gone running inside.

Cerulean seemed to be rethinking some previously held notions.

“Alright, fall in, and let’s go. Ser Gisele, if you will,” she said.

Gisele nodded and moved to the front. Sloane followed behind the orkun knight and looked around. Luckily, none of the guards moved toward them, but more than one stood with open mouths as they stared at Tiberius and her eyes. More whispers and pointing confirmed that, yes, her eyes were performing the function she wanted.

The first people to address them were the guards at the entrance who stood with a telv official of some type in a tunic of fine make. The telv’s tunic was red with gold trim over some dark brown trousers and leather boots. She appreciated the theme that was going on in the city. The people here clearly had a style and they stuck to it.

“Greetings. Welcome to the Hall of Governance. Do you have an appointment or how may I assist today?”

Sloane noted that the man did not give a name, but she paid it no mind. Gisele stepped to the side and Sloane addressed the man. Satisfied in how he gasped when he caught sight of her glowing, mist-filled eyes, she spoke before he could. “I am Baroness Reinhart of Blightwych. We have traveled here from Westaren on business with the Banking Guild and the Guilds at large. I also bring news that is of utmost importance to your General Irileth and ruling council.”

The man struggled to regain control over himself, but finally, he managed to gain a semblance of composure. “Do you have an appointment?” he said, but with a much smaller and more forced tone.

Sloane shook her head. “I do not. However, I am sure the General at least will appreciate my… warning. The safety of your city depends upon it.”

“Wryyaaatt!”

Tiberius emphasized her point, causing the man to jerk in surprise.

“Uh. Right.” The telv looked around, then settled on the closest guard. “You, come with us. We must escort the baroness to the council chambers.”

Sloane tilted her head. “Is the council in session? Will the general be present? It is important that the general attends.”

The man gestured to the entrance, and Sloane and her party started following as the man led them into the building hastily. “Yes, My Lady. He is there. I sincerely hope your message is as important as you say because we will be interrupting.”

“Do not fear. It is,” she assured the man.

She glanced back at Cerulean and gave him a nod. Her smile expressed her satisfied feelings at the ease they were able to obtain an audience. Or at least get through the door. The man removed his hat and gave her a bow of his head, the hat moving into a satchel that he had put on before leaving the carriage.

The group moved through the Hall and Sloane was barely able to keep up with the telv as he speed-walked through the halls. The telv guard he had directed was half walking, half sprinting to stay next to the man. They reached a set of ornately engraved wooden doors. The engravings themselves were filled with gold filament and the trim was painted in that same red that pervaded the entire city.

The official that led them quickly walked over to the guards and spoke quietly to the one on the left. After a hasty back and forth, the guard walked over and opened the door. He gestured a signal to wait at the official then slipped inside.

Sloane shifted her stance to wait, but the guard returned not even two minutes later. When he emerged, he gave the official a single nod and then opened the door wide.

The telv motioned for them to follow, and they entered the council room. When she entered, the first thing she noticed was the large circular table in the center of the room. Seven chairs surrounded it equidistant from each other. Each chair was masterfully crafted of wood and trimmed in gold. She glanced at one of the ones to her left and was satisfied to see that the fabric was tufted and featured the red to finish the aesthetic. This city is going to make me so tired of that color. Each chair was filled with either a telv or high elf except for a single sun elf woman on the opposite side. They all wore extravagantly adorned robes and jewelry. Each was older than her. The sun elf seemed to be the one closest to her age. Each had a shocked expression on their face as they noticed her.

There was an old telv man in armor that had a golden finish on it standing next to the table. His armor was as ornate as everything else around her and clearly was more ceremonial than functional. What caught her eye was the two birds of prey that were engraved on his chest piece. By the expression on his face, he must have noticed the parallel as well, because his eyes were locked onto the falcon on her shoulder. In fact, he was the only one who wasn’t staring at her eyes. Interesting.

The official moved to a location above a spot on the floor that had a painted crest of what she assumed was the city’s. The man bowed his head and addressed the leaders of his city. “August council. Allow me to introduce Baroness Reinhart of Blightwych. She comes with urgent news from Thirdghyll.”

The man moved away and motioned Sloane forward. She nodded and moved to the crest, centering herself on it as he had. “Good afternoon. As he said, I am Lady Sloane Reinhart. In case it is not obvious, I am a terran. Now, I say this because I wish to note that I am not an agent of any government. I do not care for your politics or maneuverings.” She paused, letting the assembled group absorb that.

She glanced at Nemura behind her, then turned back to the group. “Thirdghyll has fallen. It has been decimated by monsters, and its survivors managed to retreat to a nearby town. Guildmaster Romaris is there stabilizing the town for members of the Guilds. However, that is not why I am here.”

The members at the table started murmuring to each other and the General narrowed his eyes. “Then why are you here, Lady Reinhart?”

“Vlaredia has taken Goosebourne and even now is consolidating to move forces south.”

The council room erupted in noise. Who knew eight people could get so loud as they tried to speak over each other. She waited. They kept clamoring for attention, but she ignored it. Finally, an older high elf slammed his hand on the table and yelled out, finally silencing his colleagues.

She gave the man a nod, and he addressed her, “Lady Sloane. First, allow me to speak for my fellow council members, and thank you for bringing this to our attention.” That got her nods from all of the other council members. The old, grey-haired elf looked around before continuing. “What proof do you have of this?”

“I have seen it.” She pushed mana into the connection she had with Tiberius then she lifted her hand, pointing at the table. Tiberius took off and flew around the room, before crying out and coming back in for a landing in the center of the council. He looked around and all of them peered at the falcon in fascination.

The sun elf leaned forward as she peered at Tiberius. “What is that?”

Sloane stepped forward. “This is Tiberius. He is an experimental scout golem that I constructed. I am…” she paused, remembering her conversation with Maud and Gisele. “I guess you can say, an Artificer. I use the mana that was introduced by the Flash to create magical items. Tiberius here is one such example.” She lifted her hand and showed off her watch. “I am able to connect with him as he flies and see what he sees. I was able to see the Vlaredian army as it entered Goosebourne. I saw the forces moving from it and heading south.”

She gestured to Gisele. “Ser Gisele is the Knight-Captain of the Order of Haven’s Hope. She can explain more.”

Gisele nodded and stepped forward. “I greet you council members of Marketbol.” She saluted the golden-armored telv. “General Irileth.”

“Welcome, Ser Gisele to Marketbol. Please,” the old elf councilman said, gesturing for her to continue.

Gisele took a deep breath. “Our caravan was forced to avoid eight patrols of six or more. As we neared the Agenval Forest, we were intercepted by a large light cavalry scout force but were able to get through unhindered. Our attempt to avoid any conflict with the Vlaredians lasted until we reached a hastily constructed watchtower just before the forest. We were attacked by a force of thirty-two that were garrisoned there. Lady Reinhart was forced to utilize her magic to protect the caravan… After the watchtower and all of the combatants were dealt with, we moved here as quickly as possible. The lady’s golem was utilized to maintain a scout behind us and monitored the Vlaredians. It was able to observe a force of around five thousand moving from Goosebourne. By our estimates, that is merely a fifth of what remains in the city.”

There were several gasps. Sloane glanced at the general who seemed to be grinding his teeth. She addressed him, “General Irileth, I do not wish to overstep, but my purpose in Marketbol was to establish relations with the Banking Guild and to purchase property within the city to settle members of my House here. I have a vested interest in the prosperity and safety of this city because of this.

“It has been suggested to me by elements from Westaren that your defenses may be… out of pocket. They also intimated that getting this information to you as soon as possible may allow you to reach out to other nearby Cities to request aid. While I am not one of your soldiers, I may be willing to assist in defending any interests I can establish here, should it come to it.”

The general narrowed his eyes. “Were you perhaps a military leader of your people?” Sloane shook her head in confusion, but the man continued before she could respond. “Then, while I appreciate the knowledge, I do know my job, Lady Reinhart. I do not require you to remind me of it. After all, you are not a soldier. We will seek you out if your aid is needed, especially since you have so freely offered it.”

Sloane nodded, internally wincing. “Very well.” Let the soldier do the soldiering Sloane.

The sun elf tilted her head. “What are your interests in Marketbol?”

“I am unsure if this is a suitable time or audience for such discussions. I do not wish to waste your time.”

The woman shrugged. “You are already here, you may as well tell us what it concerns.” The other members of the council nodded along.

Sloane squinted, surprised. Well, that’s different. “I have a reference from Guildmaster Romaris on a business venture concerning the whole of the Banking Guild. I also have other plans concerning a venture for my House in particular that I wish to purchase a facility for.”

One of the old high elves let out an airy chuckle. “Well, then you will be requiring a meeting with me, Lady Sloane. I am Grandmaster Markus of the Banking Guild.”

Sloane raised a brow. “Oh. Well, do you have any availability in your schedule?” She smiled.

The man shook his head. “I do believe we can work something out, My Lady. It is the least I can do for warning our city of this threat.” He glanced around the table. “I also believe General Irileth has much to do, so I motion that we end this meeting to let the good general get to work on protecting what we hold dear.”

The other members nodded, and the other old elf that had spoken earlier stood up. “Thank you, Lady Reinhart. We will be in touch, perhaps you could join us for a meal sometime soon. If you will, please excuse us.”

Sloane nodded, recognizing a dismissal.

“Thank you.” She lifted her hand and Tiberius took off from the table and returned to her shoulder.

The sun elf raised a hand. “Lady Sloane, one last thing. I would love to meet with you concerning your… golem, was it? Please leave the information on where you are residing within the city with the adjutant that escorted you. We will contact you.”

Sloane bowed her head. “I will.”

She turned and followed everyone out of the room. Stefan spoke with the telv from before, giving the requested details. When they exited the Hall, Sloane sighed and let go of her constant channeling of mana. Nemura stepped next to her and whispered, “How are you feeling?”

Sloane rolled her shoulders. “I feel good. That wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.”

It was all pretty anti-climactic, to be honest.

✦ ✦ ✦

It wasn’t long before they made it back to the inn. Cerulean had thanked her for not giving away his cover, and she had to admit she was a bit surprised it didn’t even come up. When they walked inside, Gisele stepped up next to her.

“You needed help, yeah?”

Sloane huffed a laugh. “I expected a bit more, to be honest. You guys were there for moral support. Although, I think the general definitely appreciated your report over mine.”

“Well, you did play into your role quite well,” Gisele said with a shake of her head.

Sloane raised a brow. “What do you mean?” She walked around a server who was setting some mugs down on the big table where the other knights were sitting. She moved to the two empty chairs at the end, her and Gisele sitting down to continue their conversation.

“Well, you acted like a noble who came in and tried to make demands outside of their experience. The general looked like he was going to pop a vein.”

Sloane winced. “I just wanted to…” She sighed. “Yeah, that wasn’t a good look. Oh well. He doesn’t need to like me, just make sure our people here stay protected.”

Gisele shrugged. “I agree. Although, I hope you understand that they will want to see what you could do in case the city itself comes under siege. You did offer to help.”

With a groan, Sloane buried her hands in her hands. “Shit. I didn’t think that through. It’s fine. We’ll deal with it if it comes to it.”

She felt Gisele’s hand patting her shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine. We should get back to training.”

Sloane nodded. “Yeah… We should. First–”

An elf man stepped up to the table, Sloane and Gisele looked up at him. “Lady Reinhart, Grandmaster Markus requests your presence tomorrow at the tenth bell. He will receive you at his office.”

Sloane glanced at Gisele. “Huh. That was quick.”

She turned back to the man. “I will be there with my retainer. Thank you.”

The man nodded and turned, almost walking into another woman who was waiting. Something seemed to pass between the two before the telv woman moved to the side and let him pass. She glanced at the table, but then focused on Sloane. “Lady Reinhart. I, too, come with a request for a meeting. Lady Emerys requests a meeting at your earliest convenience. May I suggest after midday so that you may refresh yourself when you have completed your meeting with the Grandmaster.”

Sloane squinted her eyes and glanced at Gisele, who shrugged. “Who is Lady Emerys?”

The woman raised a brow. “She is a member of the council? Lady Emerys expressed a desire to discuss your… uhh… Your bird?”

Oh! Her! “Oh! Yes, I would be happy to meet with her. Thank you.”

The woman bowed her head and proceeded to give her instructions on how and where to meet the sun elf council member. After she left, Sloane pointedly looked around before leaning toward Gisele.

“See anyone else ready to pop up out of nowhere and invite me to some meeting?”

Gisele snorted. “Better you than me.”

Sloane smirked and raised her brow.

The woman shook her head and pointed at her. “Don’t you dare even ask. I’m not going. I’ll make you take Ismeld.”

“But Giseeeele. It’ll be fun!” Sloane said in a singsong voice.

She tried to put her arm around Gisele’s shoulders but the woman ducked under her.

“I swear to Alos, woman. Don’t make me. I know where you sleep.”

“Don’t tease me with a good time, Gisele.”

She cried out as the woman jabbed Sloane so fast in the ribs that she didn’t even have a chance to try and dodge. “Ow! Damn it, Gisele!” She said and rubbed at her side. That’s going to be a bruise by morning.

Gisele scowled. “You want to start?”

Sloane remembered how long the knight had held a grudge against the guys. Yeah… That’s probably a bad idea.

“Alright, alright. Point made. You’re too good at holding grudges.”

Gisele nodded. “I appreciate the compliment.”

Expanding Operations

“Welcome, Lady Reinhart. Please, right this way. We have reserved the lift for your use.” A high-elven woman greeted her as she arrived at the Banking Guild headquarters.

Sloane looked up, the headquarters was at the top of a three-hundred-and-fifty-meter high butte. A large lift was the only expedient way to reach it. There was a spiraling staircase that reached the top… You won’t catch my ass walking up there. That’s a nah from me.

The lift exited a building that was at the base, and one that had plenty of guards. Security here was higher than anywhere else she’d been yet. She was happy that she’d only brought along Stefan and Elodie, it didn’t look like they would allow more than one guard to accompany her.

“Thank you, that wasn’t necessary. I am sure you are very busy.” Sloane said.

The woman blinked. “Nevertheless, the Grandmaster has ordered it, so we will abide,” she stated.

Sloane nodded “These are my retainers–”

“Yes, Ms. Romaris and Mr. Stranca. We were expecting them as well. Here we are, My Lady.”

Sloane blinked. Well then. They followed the woman onto the lift, which was large and easily room for twenty to thirty people. She stepped up to one of the corners so that she could gaze out of the glass as everything jerked and then started to move. The city was gorgeous and looked completely different than anything she had seen or heard of on Earth, then it surprised her at how well-maintained it was. Everywhere she looked, it completely defied all expectations. If this is what this world has to offer, I need to protect it. A place to fall back on when I find Gwyn.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Elodie said from beside her.

Sloane nodded, not taking her eyes off of the view. The rolling plains in the distance, the gleaming white and gold towers of the wall, including two towers that sat beyond it, it all was picturesque. “It certainly is. Why did your uncle ever want to leave here?”

Elodie huffed a laugh. “I have asked myself and him that many times. He would never have risen to the point he has without leaving, though. I still enjoyed it every time we would come here.”

Sloane peeked at the woman, who was also glued to the glass and staring out at the city. “I never asked, do you have family here?”

Elodie smiled and turned her head. “I do. Some distant relatives. My uncle took me in after my parents died in a fire when I was young. He felt it was his duty. Unfortunately, his duty to the Guilds precluded familial interactions most of the time. Most of my rearing was done by a nanny that he hired. He paid for my education here in Marketbol, even. I attended the Academy here and was one of the top students in my class. It was only right that I joined him.”

Sloane nodded. “I can understand that.”

The remainder of the ride passed in silence, and then the lift settled into place at the terrace above. The elven woman smiled as the gate was opened. “Please, this way, My Lady.”

Sloane and her retainers followed the woman through the headquarters, and she was surprised at how few people were around. “It does not seem too busy.”

“Oh, that is because this is where decisions are made for the whole of the Banking Guild. There is another location down in the city for actual banking needs,” Elodie said.

The assistant nodded. “Quite right, Ms. Romaris. Here we are, Grandmaster Markus will be here momentarily.”

Sloane thanked the woman and walked into a room with a large table and large glass windows that spanned almost the entire wall. A single seat was positioned on the side in front of the glass and three chairs were positioned on the side closest to her. Behind that tall backed chair sat a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and its Hall of Governance. I imagine this would be pretty intimidating to most. While the view was certainly something, she’d had the opportunity of seeing other such views on Earth in various meetings.

Sloane sat in the center of the three seats and several attendants stepped forward, setting a glass of water with what looked like thin slices of lime inside in front of each of them. They were left alone and Elodie prepared herself by removing all of their needed documents from a satchel and placing them on the table. Stefan also took the time to grab the case with the Runecard and terminal from his own bag.

She took a sip of water. Then satisfied they were ready, Sloane cracked her knuckles, folded her hands together, and set them on top of the table.

A few minutes later, the door behind her opened and the old elf that she recalled from the council meeting entered. Sloane stood and turned. “Grandmaster Markus. Thank you for having us.”

The man smiled and held out a hand, “Please, call me Markus, My Lady.”

Sloane smirked and grasped the man’s hand, the old man responded with a surprisingly firm shake. “As long as you call me, Sloane.”

“Wonderful! Now, I see you have Ms. Elodie with you, so I am assuming you come highly recommended by my friend Lanthil.”

Elodie pulled out the rolled-up letter that Guildmaster Romaris had written and sealed. “I have a letter written personally by my uncle for the Guild Council. I-I did not expect us to meet with you personally.”

Markus chuckled as he accepted and broke the seal on the letter. “For the warning you gave, I could do no less.”

“Will the city be able to get aid in time?”

“We aren’t sure. General Irileth sent out riders the moment we finished the meeting. We also sent scouts toward Agenval. I suspect he will also ask to meet with you,” he said.

Sloane nodded. “I will ensure I am available for consultation.”

The old man snorted softly before his eyes scanned over the letter, a brow raising before his eyes darted to the case that Stefan had placed on the table. “Hmm.”

Sloane tilted her head, but let the man take his time.

With subtle nods, he placed the letter on the table and tapped a finger on top of it. “May I see it?”

Sloane glanced at Stefan and nodded. The raithe got up and walked around the table with the case, opening and removing the items inside then placing them in front of the Grandmaster.

He gently lifted the runecard, examining it, humming to himself as he did. “Do you know why the Banking Guild has the influence it does, Lady Sloane? Why more often than not we are the ones in each region and district that run Guild affairs?”

Sloane shook her head. “To be honest, no. I assumed it was due to the availability of personnel and logistics capability. Or the fact that you hold most of the money.”

He smiled. “That is a very logical supposition, it certainly helps. One could say that the Merchant’s Guild has a better handle on logistics. It is, after all, a core part of their profession. Holding the money has less to do with it than you’d think. That cannot affect anything we do. As soon as it looks like we are holding an entity’s money hostage, we lose credibility. That is one aspect that by its very nature, will remain neutral. Even in this war against the Empire, we will not freeze Vlaredian Assets.”

Sloane blinked. “That–That is very commendable. I cannot say that nations in my world would remain so neutral even in the face of such threats.”

“Oh, we aren’t entirely neutral. We are simply able to segregate that aspect of our business. We do more than simply hold everyone’s money. But, the reason we hold such influence is that we pride ourselves in reacting to trends more quickly than any other Guild. We have to. Trends can make or break an economy, and the economies of the nations that reside on Ikios are more fragile than most would have you believe.”

“I think I understand. Your adaptability is what makes you valuable, you’ve trained your people to be as well. That is an ideal leadership trait. It also explains Guildmaster Romaris’ ability to react quickly to the knowledge of the monster swarm.”

Markus nodded with a smile. “Precisely. Lanthil is one of my pride and joys. I expect great things from him. He will gain a not insignificant amount of influence and credit within the Guild from this. I agree with him that this is a game-changer. I do have one question, however.”

Sloane tilted her head. “Yes?”

“I have heard reports of terrans, and the many different origins of them. How advanced is this concept you have created?”

Sloane squinted. When were credit cards invented? The seventies? Shit, I don’t know.

“Admittedly, Markus, I do not remember. They were so ubiquitous in usage that I never really thought about it. I have an idea of when it was, but it may be incorrect. The idea behind this concept is based on different materials and factors that cannot be easily replicated here. Mana and magic make that unnecessary, however. The cards we used in my world were from a society hundreds of years more advanced. That fact will only matter for so much longer.”

The grandmaster took a deep breath. “Why is that?”

“Because mana and magic change everything. We can do things here that my world could only dream of. I intend to make the most of it,” Sloane stated.

Markus nodded. “I think Lanthil was right about you. Alright, Sloane. Let’s discuss how to change the world.”

✦ ✦ ✦

“Thank you for meeting with me, Lady Sloane,” Lady Emerys said as they walked through the sun elf’s garden terrace that sat overlooking the city.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to pass up a chance to show off my friend here.”

Tiberius chirped from where he sat on her shoulder. Giving her a skeptical look. Or at least I assume it’s a skeptical look. His eyes don’t blink. Maybe I can create a–focus, Sloane.

Emerys chuckled softly into her hand. “Do you get distracted often with thoughts of work?”

“Wryaattt wryyyyat.”

“Shush you. Traitor,” she deadpanned to her bird.

The woman looked back and forth between Sloane and Tiberius with a glint in her eye. “Fascinating. I would love to discuss golems and other uses for them if you would.”

Sloane smiled. “Allow me to tell you about the Reinhart Center.”

✦ ✦ ✦

“Lady Sloane?”

Sloane turned away from the tea and pastry she was enjoying, seeing Elodie and Adaega approaching. The day was clear and despite the relative chill, she was currently sitting outside at one of the tables the inn had outside. Bundled up in warm clothes and her cloak, she felt content as she set down her mug of warm black tea.

She smiled and waved. “Elodie, Adaega! Please, join me,” she said, gesturing toward the empty seats at the table.

Stefan inclined his head as he stood and moved out of the way to let the two women by him. Elodie smiled and greeted the guild Blade before she and the other terran sat with Sloane.

Stefan set up off to the side to give them some space and to ensure no one else bothered them. Sloane nodded at the man, and he lightly scoffed to hide a smirk in reply before turning and focusing on their surroundings.

The raithe had started to settle into his new role as one of her fighters and guards. He wore black fitted armor with some blue accents of the House colors. His dark blue cloak completed the look and she knew that he too enjoyed the not-so-subtle looks numerous women around the city had given him. She was glad that he seemed to appreciate the role, and was working to settle into it. Sloane smiled as she remembered the look of glee on the man’s face when he tried out his two daggers after she had enchanted them.

Adaega smiled. “Sloane, you are just the woman we were searching for. We have some news!”

Elodie nodded and pulled out a stack of yellow-tinted paper, the stuff made of materials that were uncommon to her. The elf placed the stack on the table and looked up at her. “Just you and Stefan?”

Sloane shrugged. “Ernald and Nemura went to try and recruit guards for the House and center.” She glanced at Elodie. “I assumed you knew?”

Elodie tilted her head, a look of realization came over her and she snapped her finger. “Oh, that was going to be today. I got so caught up in going through all of our options these last few days, that I forgot. That’s why Ernald wasn’t with us today.”

Adaega nodded. “He did say he would be busy today. I too was excited that I forgot to ask what he had planned.”

Sloane smirked. “So, what news do you two ladies have?”

Elodie’s eyes went wide. “Lady Sloane, I am not–”

She held up a hand to stop her financial advisor. “Sorry, lady not Lady. It’s a holdover from my world. I didn’t mean to insinuate. I’ll be more conscientious. Please, continue.”

The elven woman relaxed, then glanced down at the stack of papers. “We have narrowed down three locations for the Center.”

Sloane raised a brow. “Oh? Three is less than I thought.”

“We discussed everything we wanted and would need, which helped us cross off eleven facilities. With us just starting, we felt that having a location that also accommodates your Runecard business should be an option. Two of the three allow for this. The third simply fits all of the requirements you had originally set forth perfectly, but is not ideal for the other business,” Adaega explained.

“They are all within budget, however, we would be slightly over budget if we chose the third, due to having to find another location for the Reinhart Runic Company. I have four locations for that, should you choose that option. Lastly, I do have a small location in mind for the ‘customer relations’ suggestion you had for the Merchant’s Quarter.” Elodie added.

Sloane nodded. “Show me what you have.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

Ressa turned just as three arrows slammed into one of her men. The telv grunted, took two steps, trying to raise his sword but then let out a final gasp, collapsing.

“To the left! Shields! Shields!” She called out, pulling her shield up just in time to feel the thumps of two more arrows pound into it.

We need to end this and get away from the forest.

She pulled in magic from the air around them, it filled her, strengthened her. Ressa turned her head, seeing one of the Valeni archers moving from behind the trees. She slammed her sword down into the ground and then used her Fracture World spell around them. Reality itself seemed to crack, as her yellow magic took hold. The Valeni cried out and stumbled in fear as her illusion held up, creating an area where her yellow magic would be stronger. She lifted her hand and pointed at the four archers that had flanked them. She cast her Create Illusion spell to form a mass of shimmering, translucent arrows, followed by pulling at the blue and yellow magic pouring into her and using Alter Conjuration to make her illusions real. With a flick of her wrist, the objects flew out. Ending any further threat from the archers.

She grabbed the hilt of her sword, yanked the blade from the ground, and turned, seeing the rest of her men finishing off the remainder of the Valeni attackers.

Ressa surveyed the area, ensuring no more Valeni remained nearby. Satisfied that they were finally alone, she walked to the team. Her second, Alexi, stood over one of the Valeni while the medic of her team closed the eyes of the man who had been killed. The telv caught her eye and shook his head. “I’m sorry, commander. He’s dead.”

She sighed. “Alexi, the scouts should be this far soon. Choose two and stay back until they get here. Ensure his body is treated with dignity.”

“Understood, commander. Here, you should look at this,” he said, concern lacing the telv’s voice.

She walked over and looked down at the Valeni. Ressa narrowed her eyes and bent next to the Valeni telv. Lifting his eyelid, she was started by the look in the man’s eye, then confirmed the other was the same. “Are they all like this?”

A cursory look confirmed that all of them had similar features. Their eyes were more feline, and their nails were longer and sharpened into almost claws. “What does it mean, Commander?”

She shrugged. “I am unsure. Have the scouts take the bodies as well. The army will want to know.”

“Understood, I will–”

“Commander!”

They looked up at where one of the men had rolled over one of the Valeni. “You need to see this!”

What followed, defied everything she thought she knew.

“What is that, Algor?” She asked her team’s medic as the team all stood around looking down at the… rear of the body.

The telv shook his head, stumbling over his words for a moment. “I-it’s a tail.”

She sighed, looking down at the furred tail connected to the Valeni’s lower back and what seemed like fur going up the man’s spine. “I know that much, but why is it connected to a telv?”

His eyes were wide, and he shrugged. “I have no idea, commander. I have never seen anything like this.”

“Alexi, it is even more important that the army gets these bodies. If the Flash caused this somehow, we need to know. We also need to know how it occurred.” She raised her voice, ensuring every one of her team could hear her. “Everyone, we are nearly to the plains. From now on, I am Ressa. No more ranks. We cannot be found out by the Sovereigns. Is that understood?”

A smattering of yeses and yes, ma’am’s satisfied her that the group had heard her. It would not do if they slipped up and got caught. That will be a fight I do not wish to be in.

With a nod, she sheathed her sword and strode back to her horse. Her people would settle things here. It was time to get to Marketbol.

Open House

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Ser…”

“Ser Luven, milady. It is quite fortuitous that your retainer contacted our House when she did. I was just on my way here to inspect the property.” Ha! Too bad he’s missing the ‘Mc’.

Sloane smiled. “Fortuitous, indeed. What can you tell me about it?” she asked before glancing at the three women that accompanied her. Elodie and Adaega had joined since she valued their opinion on what was essentially a place that would be for them. Nemura followed behind and kept looking around as if she expected trouble. The telv knight was a middle-aged man that filled some low-level administration position within the city. He was well dressed, and Elodie had mentioned how polite and helpful the man had been when she was inquiring about the location. Sloane followed the man through a gate to a large courtyard with a beautiful fountain centered in the area. A cobblestone driveway that led back to the main street of the central district wrapped around, and was lined with flowers and hedges.

The structure standing in front of them was… something. From what Elodie had told her, it seemed to be a former estate of some type that had been converted into a government building, and now put up for sale again. Sounds like something may be wrong with it.

The building itself was nice to look at. It adhered to the city’s aesthetic with its white stone exterior and red shingled roof followed by gold painted trim. Huh, if it were made of wood instead of stone, it would definitely give some Scandinavian vibes. With its tiered overhanging roofs and centered arched entrances. It did have a weird golden spire that many buildings had within the city and wondered what it denoted.

“What do the spires mean on the buildings in the city?” she asked, curiosity winning over.

The knight glanced up as they approached. “One lord of the city had a brilliant idea of placing these on top of the roofs of every government location. Now they’re just decorative.”

Sloane hummed. That’s an interesting fact.

They walked into the building and Sloane was taken back by the wide open entryway that expanded into a lobby. There was a stairwell off to the right side along with doors to the left and one at the base of the stairs to the right. There was a set of double doors in the rear of the lobby.

“Interesting. I thought this was built as an estate?” she asked.

Elodie answered, “Yes, the city had some work done here to make it work better for its function. Walls were removed there to expand this area, and doors were added.”

“What was the purpose of this building before it was put up for sale?” Adaega asked.

Elodie looked over. “It was the Banking Guild’s headquarters. I remember coming here when I was younger.”

The woman from an alternate Earth simply nodded.

The knight smiled. “The current location of the Banking Guild took a decade to construct. It was a very task-intensive process. I dare say it is a memorable landmark of our city now.”

“Interesting,” Sloane said.

Ser Luven led them around the building and explained all of its amenities for the next hour. Adaega, however, didn’t think that it would work due to a lack of ability to add smithing capabilities, as the city did not want such noise and smells in the central district. Sloane agreed and in the end, they had to pass on the location. She had to admit that while it wouldn’t work well for the Center, its former role as a Guild headquarters had her thinking about something else.

The next two hours were filled by viewing the location in the Scholar’s Quarter. That location was found in an area with other buildings dedicated to the economics school of the city. It was more of a campus-style property with ten structures of varying sizes, which was a former part of the school with fields of study no longer available. Frankly, Sloane thought it was perfect. One of the buildings was even a large foundry that had been used to teach the craft; the interior needed some work, but it was almost functional. The only issue was the price and the fact that the quarter did not want a large commercial presence in the quarter. The school seemed almost reluctant to let go of the property, but Adaega had discussed the possibility of some shared uses. Sloane also discussed the overall goal of the Center and that seemed to assuage some of the hesitancy on part of the gentleman that showed them around. As they left, she sighed. They would need to purchase another location for the Runecard business if they chose here. The school simply would not want that part of the House business run there… but that didn’t mean they couldn’t fabricate the cards there…

When they arrived at the final location in the Merchant’s Quarter, Sloane could see its appeal. The structure was a large building nestled into a long row of merchant headquarters and Guilds. It was another old Guild location and she finally gave in to her curiosity and pulled Elodie off to the side.

She quickly looked over to Adaega and the high-elven woman that was showing them the location. “Adaega? Could you start looking around, please? I need to talk to Elodie for a moment.”

The woman nodded and gestured to the high elf woman showing them the property. “Please, I have some questions if you do not mind…”

Elodie tilted her head as she looked up at Sloane. “My Lady?”

“Elodie, I have a question for you. If you don’t know, it’s alright. How are guilds… formed?”

The woman raised a brow and tilted her head in thought. “As far as I know, any profession can create a guild. There would need to be enough members of that profession to require it, however. I believe the founder would need ratification and admittance into the Guilds as a whole. That just seems logical.”

“How many is enough?”

Elodie shrugged. “I am unsure. There hasn’t been a new guild since I have been alive.”

Sloane was nodding along as she thought. “Alright. Something for later then. I think we may have something, Elodie.”

The woman seemed confused for a moment but then her eyes opened wide.

“You mean to start an Artificer’s Guild?”

Sloane shrugged. “If we can find other Artificers? Why not? I am sure we can get Reanny involved. This is more long-term, though.” She glanced at the entrance to the building. “Let’s go see what Adaega thinks of this place, yeah?”

Elodie nodded quickly, but Sloane could tell the cogs were turning in the woman’s head.

Nemura placed a hand on her shoulder as they walked toward the building, and Sloane let the woman bend down and whisper into her ear. “It is a good plan, My Lady. We shouldn’t do it here in Marketbol. Wait until we reach somewhere more neutral with fewer competing interests.”

Sloane gave the woman a subtle nod to show she was listening. “Understood. We’ll talk more later.”

When they reached Adaega, the woman did not seem happy.

“What is wrong, Ms. Merbaker?” Sloane asked.

“This location will not work. The documents stated there would be space for a foundry. It’s in the basement, there’s poor ventilation and no way to cool it. Koren would be miserable. Alchemy facilities are abysmal as well. We would need a separate location for both. It’s large like we want, but it is more office space than research space.”

Sloane glanced at Elodie. “Is this too large for the other business?”

Elodie looked around before nodding. “Yes. It will be some time before we need something larger. The product will be made elsewhere and then moved to us for final touches and etching.”

Sloane took a deep breath and then focused on the high elf woman that seemed a bit uncomfortable. “Thank you for your time. Unfortunately, this location simply will not suit our business.”

✦ ✦ ✦

The group made it back to the inn fairly quickly, and Sloane was ready for a nap. She was tired but knew she shouldn’t go to sleep for fear of sleeping the night away. She yawned, and Adaega chuckled. “I hope we aren’t boring you too much, Sloane.”

She shook her head and looked at the two women at the table with her. “No, sorry. I am just a bit tired. So, have you two decided?”

Elodie nodded. “The location in the Scholar’s Quarter is the best option. It’s the only one that will allow us to have a dedicated site for Koren. Having a separate building for the alchemists is a good thing as well. The only concern is having to deal with the Marketbol Guild School.”

Adaega shook her head. “That will not be an issue. I agree with Sloane, being in that quarter is ideal. We have one problem that we haven’t considered.”

Sloane tilted her head. “What is that?”

“You are currently the only one that makes the Runecards work. We have no one else with…” She looked down at her notes. “The Artifice Domain for their magic.”

Sloane froze. “And I have to leave.”

Adaega nodded. “Precisely.”

Sloane swore.

“Don’t worry. I think that will be a fun project for Ernald and me to undertake.”

Sloane tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“We will find someone. Give us a couple of weeks, I know you want to move on as quickly as possible, but…”

Sloane shook her head. “We need to get everyone settled into the center. Elodie, can you work on purchasing the scholar’s location? Also decide on the Runecard location, as well. You will be running it, so I trust you. There’s also the Vlaredian army to worry about. I should meet with the General.”

Nemura looked up from where she had been poking at a bowl of greens. “Lady Sloane. I don’t think that is a good idea. You recall how he reacted when you had offered… suggestions the first time.”

“You’re right. You can ask him for me.”

Adaega and Elodie observed their conversation, choosing to remain silent.

Nemura narrowed her eyes. “Fine. I will meet him. Will you please take Stefan with you?”

“He should stay with the others. Speaking of, how goes recruiting of guards?”

“Ernald has narrowed down the requirement to twenty guards and two senior guards. He expects to have everything finalized and prospects chosen within the week.”

“Good. We will meet with them once he has selected the team. They can take over security for our people then and we can slowly transition everyone to the Center.”

“We will be ready. I can work with Koren and Rel about moving the wagons to the Center after Elodie finalizes the purchase. Then I can start searching for staff,” Adaega added.

“Good.”

Elodie looked up from her notes. “I will also make the other purchases, although I believe those locations will not be utilized at first. They will sit dormant for some time. Is that acceptable?”

Sloane nodded. “Of course. As long as we have them ready as soon as we need them. I should be able to assist anyone Adaega and Ernald find in setting up the initial batch of cards. We only need one thousand within the year for the test run that Grandmaster Markus wishes to do.”

Elodie wrote some notes down but squinted and looked up. “Will the House require a manor or some type of residence for you in the city? I apologize, I did not consider that.”

With a shake of her head, she said, “No. It will be some time until I can return I believe. Ensure everyone in the House can have somewhere to live. If this is where I choose to settle after finding Gwyn, then I will find something then.”

Sloane sighed. The group continued discussing the details of what needed to be done before they could leave the city. It was a lot, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to fit it all in. She was a bit surprised at how calm and unconcerned she was with the prospect of an army approaching the city. She considered if it had to do with her growing ability with mana. No one else she’d seen yet had been able to cast spells like her. Could I be becoming overconfident? No. I still can’t fight worth a shit. Maybe I should start training again.

She glanced at Nemura, seeing the woman’s muscles ripple as she stretched and yawned. Perhaps I can wait until after we leave. We’re too busy right now.

Elodie and Adaega left after finalizing details and last-minute needs, each heading to perform their assigned tasks. Soon Sloane would actually own something in this world and her connection to Earth was steadily falling further and further away. Her thoughts moved to her daughter as she sat there silently. Brooding over what all Gwyn could be doing.

One of the first things Sloane had done after settling into Marketbol was to make inquiries into any terrans or even just sightings. Surprisingly there were many sightings but not many had been in the city. It seemed like no matter where she went, she was just missing other humans. This time a large group of them had formed up and decided to join the Marketbol army, leaving several weeks prior as the force moved east to reinforce the Sovereigns under attack there. Another group had evidently left as well, not desiring to be in a ‘nation’ at war. When she inquired as to where the group was going, it seemed they were going to a kingdom named Rosale.

It was a kingdom she’d heard about and knew it would be one of her stops on the way to Avira. She wondered if she would see any of the humans there. With her leaving Adaega behind, ostensibly in Ernald’s care, she was leaving the only other human she knew. While she had come to consider the knights her friends and companions, it wasn’t the same. Maybe it was that connection to home. Even if Adaega’s Earth was different, she was still relatively used to many of the same things Sloane was. If only seventy years behind her. She could discuss a lot more commonalities with the woman than with the knights. It was refreshing.

Sloane sighed.

“Everything alright?” Nemura asked.

Sloane nodded. “Just thinking. There’s so much to do. So many places to search. I keep wanting to second guess myself on if I am doing this right. If my priorities aren’t misplaced.”

Nemura glanced over Sloane’s shoulder, her eyes focusing on something behind her. Sloane turned and saw Maud looking at her with concern.

“How do you always find me when I’m feeling this way?”

Maud sat down in the vacated seat to Sloane’s right.

Nemura glanced between the two of them and stood up. “I am not good at these talks. I will go and try to gain an audience with the general.” She rested her hand on Sloane’s shoulder. “That said, Sloane? You’re doing the right thing. You have a goal, one that takes you through many key locations. This allows us to get as much information as possible about Gwyn from as many places as possible. Your decision to set up the Center and the other business is sound. You need funds, but you need to also be taken seriously. With enough influence, it will make dealing with other parties smoother. We’re here to help you, but you are helping yourself at the same time. I respect that, and I am sure others will as well. If you keep beating yourself up, it will make it much more difficult. You have a plan, stick to it.”

Sloane patted the woman’s hand. “For what it’s worth, you are pretty good at it.”

The woman huffed a laugh as she removed her hand. “I will let you know what he says if I can even meet with the man.”

“Thank you.”

Nemura nodded at Maud. “Ser Maud, I leave her in your care.”

Maud smiled. “Don’t worry about her, Nemura. We’re gonna have some fun.”

The woman nodded. Seeming to relax slightly as she walked away.

Sloane turned and looked at the red-headed telv after her guardswoman left. “So, what’s up?”

“Ismeld is off handling some business for the Order, but the rest of us were about to go grab some drinks at a tavern down the way. Would you like to join us?”

Sloane leaned back in her chair, balancing it on the rear two legs, as she thought. “You know what? Sure. Let’s go. Everyone else is busy, and I have nothing else to do until tomorrow at the earliest.”

Maud smiled and clapped her hands. “Perfect! We haven’t had a chance to chat over ale in a while! You can tell me some more about your Earth stuff. I vaguely recall you saying something about a treat called gelato.”

Sloane snorted as she stood. “Girl, let’s go. It’s time I told you about a delectable and divine dessert that we need in our life right now. I am unsure if I have asked, but do you know what chocolate is?”

Maud shook her head, and Sloane followed the knight out of the inn.

Sloane gasped. “Oh no. You’re telling me this world doesn’t have chocolate?”

“No? What is that?”

Sloane smiled. “Let’s get an ale, because girl, we have so much to talk about.”

They walked down the sidewalk toward the tavern, moving through the evening crowd. The sun was slowly going down earlier as the seasons changed and there were workers already lighting the oil lamps that lined the street. Sloane followed Maud and the two talked about different types of desserts they enjoyed. Maud pointed out the tavern’s sign and Sloane caught sight of Cristole standing outside waiting. The man waved and Sloane was about to return the gesture but hesitated as she noticed an orkun woman across the street. The woman seemed to be watching Sloane intently, but when she noticed Sloane’s gaze she turned her head and started talking to a telv man that was standing with her.

“Sloane, you came!” Cristole said, causing Sloane to jerk her head back to the front.

“Yeah! Maud told me she’d buy me an ale if I told her all about something we have called chocolate on Earth.”

Cristole tilted his head. “Chocolate? We have that here too. It’s made from cacao, correct Sloane?”

Both Sloane and Maud’s eyes shot open. “Yes! That’s it!” Sloane said excitedly.

Maud looked confused. “We do? What?”

“Yes, it’s a luxury food from Zhaoloka.”

Maud groaned. “Of course, it is.”

Sloane looked between the two. Any thought of the orkun woman left her mind as she got excited about the possibility of something familiar.

“What’s Zhaoloka?”

Cristole gestured to the door of the tavern. Sloane followed along as he explained. “It is an island nation off the coast of the continent to the southwest.”

Sloane perked up, thinking about how she would be taking a ship from Swanbrook to Avira and its route along the southern coast. “Oh? Will my ship stop there you think?”

Cristole looked at her with sympathy and shook his head. “No. They are fiercely xenophobic and completely isolationist. I am afraid that you may never get that chocolate.”

“W-What? Never?” she stammered.

Maud patted Sloane on the back. “Come on, Sloane. Let’s get you that drink.”

Sloane sighed. “I think I may need more than one.”

Explosive Introduction

Sloane followed Cristole into the tavern with Maud right behind her. She was struck by the noise of people talking and yelling even in the early evening hour and the large diversity of people within. There were many telv but she also saw orkun, raithe, and even a few dwarves.

The remaining two knights were sitting at a table next to the side wall of the large room with a hallway leading to the back of the building behind them. Gisele sat with her back to the room, while Deryk sat opposite of her. Sloane smiled as she rushed past Cristiole and put her arms around Gisele.

With a deep voice she whispered, “Hey, how’s it goin’? What’s a pretty girl like you doing here? You come ‘round these parts often?”

Gisele snorted and turned her head. “Really? Sit your rear down.”

Sloane laughed as she plopped down into the chair next to the woman. “My rear?”

Cristole sat down on the opposite side of Gisele and Sloane looked at the woman before giving him a wink. He just shook his head with a smile, which caused her to laugh more… and get an elbow to the ribs from Gisele. “Sloane…”

Maud giggled as she sat in the chair on the end next to Sloane. “You two are adorable.”

Sloane smiled and nudged Gisele with her shoulder. “You hear that, Gisele? We’re adorable.”

Her friend groaned. “You are insufferable.”

“Ah, but you love me,” she said with another nudge.

“You’re in a good mood today, Sloane,” Cristole said.

“I am! We found a location for the Center and Elodie, Adaega, and Nemura are finalizing everything for the House.”

“That is good. Ernald is almost done selecting your guards?” Gisele asked.

“From what Nemura tells me, yes. I need to get with him soon. I keep getting pulled every which way but I’m glad you guys invited me out.”

Deryk pushed a mug toward her. “Here.”

“Thanks!” She took a swig of the ale, wincing and trying not to cough because of how strong it was. “Shit, this is strong.”

The orkun man shrugged. “It is what I drink.”

Cristole laughed. “We don’t drink whatever Deryk gets for that reason.” The man took a drink of his ale.

She nodded. “It makes sense. That’s gonna put hair on my chest.”

Cristole started choking until his drink came out of his nose and the table erupted in laughter.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Wait, so you’re telling me your gelato is that easy to make?” Maud asked.

Sloane gave Maud a thumbs up, taking another swig of her ale. “Yup! The only problem is it needs to be frozen. Which… is probably a large problem for around here.”

“Yeah. I could see that being an issue. I take it this was a luxury item for your world?” Cristole asked.

“No, it was quite common. There were small businesses that only sold gelato of different flavors and styles. They were quite cheap as well. Uhm, cheap enough so that it was reasonable to assume anyone could afford it, no matter their station in life. We had appliances called freezers that would keep everything inside frozen. So you would freeze your ingredients, work with them, then put them back into the freezer. Almost everyone had one,” she explained.

Maud had wide eyes. “Fascinating. Wait, I bet we can do it now!”

Sloane raised a brow, but Gisele asked the question, “How? We have ice sellers, but those are usually just from the mountains to the cities at the base of them.”

The telv shook her head. “No!” She leaned forward and spoke quietly, “Magic!”

Gisele huffed. “Magic.”

“We haven’t seen magic like that, Maud,” Cristole added.

Which was true, the only magic they’d seen had not been elemental… if Sloane had to classify it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. I would be surprised if it wasn’t, actually.

“We could. It seems quite likely a possibility. Fire? Water? Stone? Air? Magic seems rare, despite initial suggestions otherwise, but I do not doubt that there is magic that can manipulate the core elements,” Deryk added.

Sloane groaned and pointed at the man. “First off, yes, I was wrong about the magic thing. I was still trying to figure everything out and got excited by a new discovery. Second, your idea of what constitutes an element is way off.”

Deryk crossed his arms. “How?”

“Well first off–”

A door was forcibly yanked open down the hallway in front of Sloane, and some people entered. Everyone at the table looked at the newcomers as the door slammed shut behind them. Leading the group of six was an orkun woman, one that made Sloane widen her eyes in surprise. It’s the same woman from across the street.

The woman had pale green skin, and what looked like rough brown leather and fur clothing. Her tusks were small, really just nubs that jutted a few centimeters above her bottom lip. Her hair was long on the right side and while not quite shaved, short on the left. It made Sloane smile because it was becoming a popular hairstyle back on Earth. Nice to see people with edgy haircuts here too! Maybe one day…

She wore what looked like hardened leather armor protecting some of her vital spots, but nothing crazy. The woman did wear a shield on her back and a sword at her hip. As Sloane scrutinized the rest of the group, she noticed that each of them was armed and wore varying levels of armor. Mercenaries? The man to the woman’s left was a telv with a scar going down his face. He held a professional demeanor despite his look. The remaining mercenaries were a mixture of telv and orkun men who all looked serious as well.

The woman caught sight of Sloane and the knights and her eyes narrowed, before making her way directly to the table. She came to a stop and scowled at the group.

“Can we help you?” Gisele asked from next to her.

The woman’s gaze stopped on Sloane. “Are you Lady Reinhart?”

Sloane furrowed her brows in confusion. “What is it to you?”

The woman seemed to calm herself as she took a quick breath, then repeated. “Are you Lady Reinhart?”

Gisele placed a hand on her wrist but Sloane gave the woman a nod. “I am. Who are you?”

“I am Ressa. We have been… contracted to bring you to pay for your crimes.”

Sloane raised a brow and Deryk stood up, his hand moving to his hilt.

The woman raised a brow as she looked up at Deryk. “Try it, Blighter.”

That caused everyone to tense up. Sloane looked up at the woman. “What are my supposed crimes?”

“You murdered thirty-one men and women.”

Sloane’s eyes widened as she realized what the woman was speaking about. The soldiers at the watchtower. How? The first scouts. They knew our names. The Vlaredians hired mercenaries to find her? Before she could say something. Gisele spoke, “The soldiers that died were an unfortunate consequence of an act of self-defense. We were simply passing through and were attacked without provocation. The right to protect yourself is as inherent as breathing air.”

Wait, there were thirty-two. That means someone survived.

“Someone survived. They reported what you did.” There it is…

“Then they acknowledged how we were targeted by multiple archers, first?” Cristole sneered, tension starting to rise.

Ressa scanned those at the table again as her people spread out slightly. This is going to come to a fight.

Sloane felt at her sword, ready to draw it. She channeled mana throughout her body, knowing she would need to act fast. It was just unfortunate that she didn’t have her breastplate or her grenades. This city was supposed to be safe… Sloane glanced around the tavern and saw a bunch of people watching what was happening, and even more were leaving. It seemed that everyone else also knew what was coming.

“You approached aggressively and did not halt when ordered. You could have retreated after the first arrow, you kept approaching. You could have retreated after another, but you killed a man. Still, the watch commander tried to de-escalate. Instead of attempting to resolve anything, you then used… magic to kill everyone.”

“We did not approach aggressively. I personally called out a greeting. I was ignored, and the soldiers instantly went hostile,” Cristole said.

“You were in the middle of an active area of war! What did you think would happen? That you could prance right through the front lines without consequence?”

Sloane took a deep breath, she’d had enough. “We were trying to avoid the war! They. attacked. First.”

“So that gives you the right to kill them all? I personally spoke with the scout captain. He stated how hostile you were with him. How he had to reluctantly let you go because he was afraid you would all attack. That he hadn’t is probably the only reason he is alive. Just because you have magic, does not mean you may use it without consequence, Lady Reinhart. You are a murderer, and you will come with us.”

The knights stood, and Sloane followed them. The mercenaries moved to their blades. Gisele pointed at the woman. “If you think we will willingly come with you, you are out of your mind. Tell your Vlaredian overlords they should train their soldiers better.”

Everything went quickly from there. The orkun woman drew her blade with a quick movement, followed by her people. “They trained us just fine,” the woman said confidently.

Shit.

Sloane moved to draw her blade, and Gisele flipped the table at the orkun woman who raised an arm to protect herself as it smashed into her, forcing a grunt from the mercenary. The telv and two other mercenaries moved forward, lashing out with their blades at Deryk. The man deftly moved backward to avoid the attacks while Cristole moved up to support the man.

The last two moved forward and Maud grabbed a chair and threw it at one of the men, followed by rushing forward and slamming her mace onto the man’s shield. The orkun buckled and went down to one knee, Maud swung her mace to the side, hoping to catch the other mercenary off guard but was blocked by a shield. Gisele moved around Sloane to assist Maud, sword at the ready.

Sloane drew mana and poured it into her hand, raising it to cast a Flashbang spell just as the world, for just a moment, lost all sound… and shattered.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ressa cast her Fractured World, creating a mirror-like illusion of everything around them, one filled with cracks and shards. and startled the terran woman from casting her spell. Unfortunately, the knights were not so hampered, and the only reaction she noticed was a twitch from the redhead. She knew she had to incapacitate the woman quickly or her magic would become an issue. The female orkun knight pivoted from where she was helping the red-headed telv and swung at Ressa.

She brought her shield up and blocked the attack then launched into an aggressive series of swings, forcing the knight backward. The woman managed to parry a thrust and then followed up with one of her own. Ressa caught it on her shield, shoved the blade to the side, and kicked out at the woman, catching her in the knee.

“Alexi!”

Her team next to her second pushed forward at the command in her tone, launching into a series of aggressive attacks, allowing Alexi to disengage from his fight with the two men. Alexi rushed over, circling around from behind her, and took over the fight with the orkun woman. She glanced over at the telv mace wielder and her eyes widened in surprise at how the woman somehow held one of her men’s shields and was holding both men off.

The orkun woman moved forward just as Alexi moved to attack, giving Ressa time to focus on the terran that was looking around at Ressa’s spell. Amateur. Pay attention to your team.

Ressa raised a hand to cast, but then the terran looked at her and narrowed her eyes. She brought her sword up and the blade glowed blue with runes. The woman plunged the sword into her spell and with a flash of blue, the illusion… shattered.

Ressa gasped and then jumped to the side just in time to dodge a crackling purple orb. The magic orb hit the wall behind her and exploded. The sound startled everyone in the tavern and caused the remaining bystanders to rush toward the exit. She turned toward the human and cast Create Illusion to form her arrow attack, then immediately used Alter Conjuration to solidify the objects. She gestured with her sword and launched the arrows at the terran but a large shimmering wall of red… energy formed in front of the attack and stopped her conjured arrows dead. The arrows fell to the ground in a clatter, and she looked up at the orkun woman in surprise.

The big orkun man to the left kicked out at her man and connected with his chest, sending him tumbling. He then rushed over to assist the woman fighting Alexi who had taken advantage of the woman’s spell-casting to push her further back. The renewed attack from Alexi distracted the woman enough to cause her to drop her shield spell. Taking advantage of the moment, Ressa snarled as she focused on conjuring individual arrows rather than barrages of them, using that to fire at a more steady rate at the terran.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane grunted as she dove to the side to dodge the magical arrows the woman was conjuring out of thin air. She quickly got up and noticed Cristole fighting two men. She moved forward and swung her sword at the man who was closest to her. The man still managed to get his shield up to block her swing, but the blade glowed and thrummed with the power the runes gave it. The hit was hard and nearly caused her to drop her blade. The man grunted and was forced off balance, she brought her hand up and cast a Mana Bolt but the man turned his stumble into a roll and dodged it. Sloane fired another one but the man evaded again. She cried out in frustration and channeled deeper, forming four Mana Bolts around her.

She raised her arm to cast, but then her eyes widened as she saw a hand coming at her from the corner of her eye. Sloane tried to block it but then the fist connected with her jaw, pain shot through her face as she felt it snap. Her vision blurred, and tears streamed as she fell back, blindly firing the bolts, then she tried ineffectively to cry out as she felt more pain drill through her shoulder.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ressa stood up from behind the shattered table. She had managed to get a solid hit on the terran, but the woman’s erratic spell-casting forced her to dive behind the table, just in time for three of the bolts to explode against it. That she managed to fire off a conjured arrow that somehow lodged itself into the woman’s shoulder was attributed more to luck than intent or skill.

A yell from her left required Ressa to refocus on the fight while the terran staggered backward in a daze. The high elf knight was pushing two of her men back and she had to stop him before they gave him an opening. She used her illusion, alter combination of spells to launch another arrow, this one slamming into the man’s side. His look of surprise caused him to almost miss the attack coming from one of her men, but he still managed to stop it. He stumbled backward, reached down, and ripped out the arrow with a yell. She narrowed her eyes, wishing that creating more complicated arrows with barbs or the like wasn’t so intensive for her magic.

Ressa was about to cast more when a green glow surrounded the man, then a flare of green erupted from the point her arrow had pierced, and she watched the wound close in front of her eyes. The high elf scowled before launching another attack on her team.

Her eyes widened and she looked to the right and saw the telv woman with glowing green eyes pointing her mace at the high elf. The weapon also emitted a bright green light from an orb set inside of the head. Ressa snarled as she cast her Conjure Object spell to send shards of metal at the woman. The woman swore but she yanked up her stolen shield just in time to stop the spell.

This is taking far too long. We need to end this.

She lifted her hand–

✦ ✦ ✦

Gisele looked around. Sloane was already hit and she could tell the human had a broken jaw from how loosely it hung. There was an arrow sticking out of her, just below the shoulder, and her arm did not seem functional. The woman seemed to be lost as she slowly looked around, it became clear she was all but out of the fight. She’s not a fighter. She wasn’t made for this.

Cristole had been hit but luckily Maud had been able to heal him, but even now the woman was being pushed back by a renewed assault by the two men fighting her. That woman is proving her worth today. She glanced and saw that Deryk was busy fighting the skilled telv man.

The fight was too even, and they were outnumbered. With Sloane out of the fight, it left them at a severe disadvantage in terms of magic users now. She and Maud couldn’t use their magic in the same way Sloane or this Ressa woman could, and she wished their adversaries weren’t so effective at disrupting them. To tilt the odds in their favor, she needed to do the same and give Cristole a break. He was struggling to keep up with the two people, and healed or not, she saw how the arrow had taken a lot out of him. She raised a hand and cast her Protective Barrier spell, separating one of the men from her lover. The man’s eyes widened in surprise as he bashed against it ineffectively.

Gisele’s head jerked to Ressa and noticed the woman lifting her hand to cast more arrows. Knowing she had to stop her, she rushed the orkun woman, hoping to catch her off guard and interrupt her from casting.

Gisele smashed into the enemy caster, lifting and carrying her forward before slamming the shorter woman into the wall. Gisele’s sword fell away but she ignored it and focused on the mercenary. She grabbed the woman and shoved her against the wall again, a satisfying thud as the woman’s head snapped back against the wall. As Ressa fell, Gisele punched the woman twice in her side, then kneed her in the groin. Ressa threw a left-handed swing that Gisele ducked under and pushed the arm up and out of the way. With a curse, her vision went white as the woman brought her elbow down onto Gisele’s face.

Bringing her hands back up, the knight-captain shook her head and looked into the woman’s calm-filled eyes. She didn’t even see it coming when the woman brought her fist up beneath Gisele’s chin. Pain shot through her, but before she could block any follow-up, Ressa grabbed her and headbutted her. Another blossom of pain erupted from her glabella and she stumbled backward as the woman let go of her. She shook her head again and lifted her hands to fight the approaching woman but then a blinding flash exploded right in front of her.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane was pissed. That bitch broke her jaw. Ressa was shielding her eyes and trying to move back toward the hallway, after taking Sloane’s Flashbang to the face. Satisfied she was no longer pummeling Gisele, Sloane took stock of her situation.

Her left arm was limp at her side, and her entire being was pain. She knew she couldn’t function like that, so she channeled mana throughout her entire body, sighing in relief as she felt the rush of the energy fill her like adrenaline. Her vision tinted blue as the mana vented from her sockets like before, and with some Focus, she was able to filter through the hue. The pain she was experiencing lessened into discomfort as she pulled on more mana than she had ever before.

A heartbeat after she’d fired her Flashbang, she looked around, seeing where she could best help. Deryk parried a blow from the telv fighting him, moved forward, and managed to get his hands on the man. He lifted him off of the floor and spun before throwing the man back into the hallway. The orkun knight caught her eye and nodded, before rushing forward and helping Gisele, pulling her back to safety. Sloane cast two Flashbangs, one at the men attacking Maud and one at the men with Cristole. Both groups cried out, but quickly and professionally collapsed together in the hall, the three with shields raising them protectively.

Sloane focused on the orkun woman. Fury roiled inside of her. Ressa was just someone else trying to prevent her from finding Gwyn. Sloane raised her hands and screamed out in pain as she channeled even more mana into herself, knowing she didn’t have much longer before she collapsed from her injuries. Ressa’s unfocused eyes widened as if she felt Sloane force the mana to coalesce in front of her.

With a glare, Sloane channeled her rage into her Arcane Barrage.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ressa felt as if the air suddenly got thick, then felt her connection to the blue mana flicker ever so slightly, as it seemed to pull from the surrounding area toward the terran. The feeling strengthened and focused on a single point as the mana all formed into being in front of where Sloane had been standing. She didn’t even think, she rushed out her spells one after another, using her spell to first form a thick wall and then another to make it solid. The new wall blocked the hall entirely and she glanced at her people, with her slowly clearing vision. The blurry blob that was Alexi was already pushing himself up from where he had been thrown by the orkun knight.

“Move back! Now!”

The first impact on the wall shook the building. Ressa’s eyes widened and she conjured another wall, moving backward. More bursts slammed into her walls, and she felt her connection to the first wall drop as it was reduced to rubble. The next series of walls were hit one after another in a crash of noise that evoked the thought of an erupting volcano. She knew then that trying to conjure smaller walls to block individual attacks would be futile and too dangerous.

In fact, it was all she could do to put up more walls before the woman tore them down, knowing that even now the terran was showing a form of restraint. That is if the aftermath of the watchtower was anything to go by.

Ressa hastily raised another wall just as the exterior wall exploded outward and her second shattered. She dropped her sword and shield and raised her hands as she felt the ability to cast Fracture World return.

Reality in the hall muffled and then cracked. The feeling of her magic strengthening filled her as she settled in to weather the assault. She cast another wall, and not a moment too soon. More explosions sounded as the terran’s magic continually slammed into every barrier she erected. She had seen things, her people and she were professionals, and they’d fought in the war. The feeling she felt now was the same helplessness as those in a city under siege. Is this how the men at the watchtower felt? No. They didn’t have a chance. The terran killed them all with a single spell. She redoubled her efforts, forced more and more mana into her workings, conjuring stone to brace the wall. Her hearing was muffled, dust and debris were everywhere. She felt blood stream from her nose, but she ignored it all as she attempted to hold back the woman’s fury.

A final flash and explosion that she barely made out, sounded. She waited. Her people stood, fear on their faces as they hid behind their shields. The orkun without a shield huddled close to one of the others, a telv standing in front of and shielding the vulnerable orkun man with his body.

When she was sure the terran’s spell was complete, she looked around.

“Be ready. I am going to drop it.”

She bent down, grabbed her shield and sword, getting into a stance. Ressa took a deep breath, and cast Conjure Illusion, letting as many arrows as she could float above her. She then felt her connection to the conjured wall in front of her and used her Dispell Conjuration.

The wall collapsed into a mist of yellow energy, and Ressa squinted as she tried to peer through the darkness, rubble, and dust; seeing nothing. Her men moved forward warily, eyes darting, searching for the enemy.

“They’re gone,” Ressa said with a sigh. Exhaustion from using a prodigious amount of magic sat at the edge of her perception. She knew as soon as the battle fervor wore off, she would sleep like the dead and awake hungrier than normal.

“Ressa, we should go.”

The terran’s magic was even stronger than she had imagined, but she was no fighter. If it wasn’t for the knights protecting her, Ressa would have easily captured her. Ressa may have surprised the woman with her magic, but she knew that even if the woman had some idea of her capabilities now, Ressa’s ability to fight was better. She reflected on the fight and what could have been done differently. What they could have done differently. They had outnumbered the knights and still, they hadn’t been able to gain a decisive advantage. We underestimated these knights… They’re veterans as well.

“Commander.”

Ressa was startled from her thoughts and looked at Alexi.

“We need to go, guards will be here soon.”

Ressa nodded and took a last glance at the tavern. Next time.

She looked at her team. “Let’s go. We need to lay low. We will have more opportunities soon.”

Change of Plans

Sloane jerked back to consciousness, shooting pain filling her as something tore at her shoulder. A primal reaction to scream only brought more intense distress as her broken jaw ground together. Her first thoughts were filled with panic. Her eyes darted around until Gisele’s face came into view, speaking softly to calm her down. Then the pain returned as her friend removed the arrow the mercenary had somehow conjured.

Maud came into view and immediately poured her healing into Sloane.

Sloane whimpered as she felt her flesh stitch itself back together, and her shoulder seemed to almost writhe inside as everything wriggled back into place.

With a final burst of green mana, the redhead nodded and then moved to heal Sloane’s jaw.

Sloane continued her pained whimper; her injury itched as if something was crawling around inside her skin. She tried not to cry out as she felt it, but her grip on Gisele’s hand tightened, and she reflexively jerked once she felt the snap of her jaw resetting itself with nothing but Maud’s magic.

“Breathe. She’s almost done. You’re doing so good, Sloane,” Gisele comforted her.

Sloane nodded as much as she could, letting the healing flow through her two injuries. The shooting pain eventually lessened as the healer fussed over the damage to her body. A soothing relief of magic passing through her entire body signaled the woman was finishing up.

When her jaw was finally able to move, she pushed to look around Maud, as the redhead got up and moved over to Cristole.

“W-what the fuck was that?” she asked no one in particular, her jaw still a tad stiff.

“Empire’s Fist,” Deryk said as if it explained everything.

“I do not know what that is, but that isn’t what I was asking,” Sloane ground out, wiping the tear streaks from her face.

Gisele was looking at Cristole with concern but a nod from the man had her taking a deep breath before turning to Sloane. The orkun shrugged and handed her a wet cloth. “I have no idea about the magic.”

Sloane sighed and wiped at her face, followed by the dried blood on her shoulder. “Her magic. It was based on illusions that she could somehow make real.” She felt at her shoulder and placed the now red cloth into Gisele’s outstretched hand. “That arrow is real.”

Cristole nodded sympathetically from where he leaned against a wall, his face in a frown. His hand was hovering over his side while Maud stood next to him and poured more healing into his wounds, likely from lingering internal injuries that hadn’t been fully resolved by the telv’s battlefield healing.

Gisele looked down at the arrow, then between Sloane and Cristole. “You two are lucky the woman’s magic uses a bodkin arrowhead.” She narrowed her eyes at Cristole. “Especially you. Ripping it out, mid-fight?”

The man grimaced. “I knew Maud had my back.”

Maud pulled away, her magic dissipating, and punched him in the shoulder. “I was in the midst of fighting two people, healing your idiotic self almost got me turned into a pincushion by that woman. Never again pull an arrow out without me right there. You had no way of knowing if the head was barbed or not.”

Deryk gave Maud an approving nod. “You fought well today, Maud. You kept your trophy?”

Maud nodded and gestured to the shield leaning against the wall next to the door. “Of course. They tried to hide it with some paint, but this is clearly a well-made shield used by Vlaredia. It will go well with my collection.”

Gisele was staring down at the arrow, her expression one of contemplation and concern. She looked up and around the group. “This is magic, right? Can she feel where this is, somehow?” she asked, nudging the offending object with her boot.

Sloane followed her friend’s gaze to the arrow and then reached down to pick it up. She channeled her mana into her eyes and used Mana Sight, making the object glow yellow in her vision. It was as if the entire object was mana. She returned the arrow to the floor and grabbed her sword. With a swing, she brought the blade down on the shaft of the arrow, the [Spell-Piercing] rune flared as the blade sliced through the fake wood, and the ‘real’ arrow dissolved into yellow mist.

“I think it would be safe to say, yes,” Sloane replied.

Gisele looked at Deryk, who nodded. She rapid-fired off orders to the group, “We need to relocate. Change inns. Tonight. We need to warn the guard.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Sloane, please work with your guards and Ernald. Your House needs its guard up, and they need to be prepared. If the Fist is in the city, they need to be constantly on alert.”

Sloane nodded. “I’ll talk with Nemura, now.”

She rubbed at her jaw, then glanced around one more time as everyone was bursting into motion, before walking out of the room herself.

* * *

“You are not going anywhere without me, again. You realize this right?” Nemura said.

Sloane sighed. “Yeah, I figured you’d say that. It was rough, Nemura.”

“Wrryatt!”

“Yes, yes. You too, Tiberius.”

Her bird chirped but then went back to watching the door. It seemed even her little golem was on edge. Unfortunately, she was worried that he would get hurt in any fight. He did not have a way to truly fight.

Tiberius was a scout. Not a fighter. Perhaps that is a design for the future. Something to keep both Gwyn and I safe.

Nemura narrowed her eyes and leaned down in front of Sloane. “We are also going to work on your fighting and ability to react in a fight. You stand still too much. You are lucky to be alive.”

The guardswoman pulled out a cloth and dipped it into the glass of water that Sloane was drinking from. “Hey!”

Nemura reached over and grabbed Sloane’s chin, moving her head back and forth as the big telv examined her. “Maud missed a spot. Hold still.” Nemura gently moved her hair out of the way before she dabbed at her temple.

Sloane winced as the woman lightly applied pressure to her head.

“Don’t be a lamb. This isn’t bad.”

She scowled up at the woman, but then sighed when she saw the pink splotches on the cloth when Nemura moved her hand away.

“You do realize none of the guards Ernald has been working with will be able to fight the Empire’s Fist?”

Sloane shook her head. “No? I am not even sure what they are.”

Nemura nodded. “The Empire’s Fist is the organization of elite soldiers that the Vlaredia Empire fields. We–They are some of the best fighters in the region. If they were the Fist, we need to prepare. They will not give up so easily.”

Sloane tilted her head. She had not missed what the woman had said. “We?”

Nemura sighed. “I was once a member before I was discharged and left the Empire for the only place that was likely to accept me, Thirdghyll. I would ask you to keep this between us, if possible.” She hesitated, biting her lip, then looked Sloane in her eyes. “You have my allegiance, My Lady.”

Sloane’s eyes widened. “Is this going to be a problem? Fighting your former countrymen?”

Nemura’s eyes peered into hers. “The only problem will be if they attempt to harm you again. Because I will end them.”

“Nemura, if–”

The telv lifted her chin again and moved closer. “I left for a reason, but I am not ready to discuss it. You accepted me without question and have given me nothing but respect. I will give you the same courtesy. Please continue that.”

“I understand,” Sloane said with a slow nod. Nemura returned it and pulled away to stand.

The woman looked like she had some conflicting thoughts, so Sloane decided to change the topic. “Did you speak with the General?”

“Yes. He said he would meet with you if needed, and did not give me any information on his messengers.”

Sloane sighed.

“Alright. Let’s go find Ernald and move everyone to a new inn.”

“You know, we could move everyone to the Center. It won’t be as comfortable, but we can set up the dormitory to use while we get everything else set up. With everyone there and with its wall, we will be in a far more defensible position.”

Sloane considered it. It could work, and it would allow them to focus on having the Center up and running as soon as possible. She could see the benefit, even if it meant not staying in an inn and having the comforts. It would just cost money to get completely set up.

“Okay, I’ll talk to Elodie and Adaega, also.”

* * *

A crack resounded as Ressa’s fist hit the wall. “Damn it! That was so stupid.”

She was angry. The plan had gone completely awry after she’d started talking to the woman. Why did I do that? She was an officer, and her lack of foresight had her acting like a fresh recruit.

It had taken them hours of slowly moving around the city and avoiding the guards, but they found somewhere to lie low for a while.

Some clever use of her magic, and they were private.

“We can fix this…” Alexi said. Her telv second in command was disappointed. The man had tried to stop her from approaching the woman in the tavern. She should have listened and stuck to the plan of ambushing the woman outside. I just–She–Ugh! She killed our people! And with no effort. They had no chance… no way to prevent what was coming. Just… gone…

I need to be stronger.

Ressa closed her eyes. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down.

Can we fix this? The entire city knows we are here now.

“The plan to capture the woman is out of the window. I… blew it. I am sorry, everyone. That was my fault.”

“Commander. Stop. We cannot change the past, we have to focus on where we go from here. What is the plan?”

She sighed. What is the plan? Everything has gone wrong since we got these orders… First the watchtower–which pissed me off. The Valeni. Then my screw up in handling the Reinhart situation. ‘Come with us?’ What was I thinking?!

A quick glance around at her people helped her calm down. They stood silently and let her vent her frustrations. Alexi tried to steer her onto the correct path. It was unprofessional of her, she knew, but all she felt was disappointment and anger at herself. You vented. It’s over. Move on.

Sloane Reinhart killed so many of their people–like… it was nothing, and Ressa knew that the woman warned the city. Their goal had to change. She had to speak to the general. The terran was too entrenched in the city at this point. The guard would be aware of them, so any strike would not be easy.

She knew what they had to do.

“We pivot. We’re going to support the army. The plan is for a siege. If we can do whatever we can to shorten it, the better. We will disappear. Focus on targets of opportunity. Keep the terran paranoid, but we primarily look for ways to weaken the city. Even if individual attacks fail, as long as we aren’t captured or killed, we can provide material benefit. We will reassess how to approach the terran situation… later.”

Alexi looked around the small room. “How do we avoid capture?”

Ressa took a deep breath.

“I have an idea for that.”

* * *

It had been two and a half weeks since the attack by the Vlaredians and neither the knights nor the city guard had seen any sight of them. General Irileth had put his forces on high alert, but it seemed that the Empire’s Fist had vanished into thin air.

Elodie had finalized the purchase of the Center and Ernald had finished selecting members of her new House guard coincidentally on the same day of the tavern attack. Meeting the guards later had gone well, and it was a relief when she found out that the two senior guardsmen were both former officers in Marketbol’s army. Ernald was certain that they would be able to work well together.

Sloane looked around as she walked up to the campus of the Reinhart Center. There were members of the staff working to move newly purchased furniture and equipment into the various buildings, but none of them stopped her as she walked past the visitor center which would be used to ensure only those approved would be let within the grounds–with an appropriate escort, of course–and approached the main entrance of the Center itself.

She nodded at one of the guards who opened the door for her and stepped inside. The reception area was large with several desks set up where guests could be further directed to the appropriate location within the building. The receptionists would also handle appointments of those that worked there.

As soon as she entered, Sloane stopped and took a deep breath. Tiberius shifted from where he perched on her shoulder.

“Are you okay? You look exhausted.”

Sloane turned to see that Adaega was standing next to her. The woman looked concerned, but Sloane just smiled and gave her a nod.

“I am fine. It will take time for everyone to get used to the changes and the fact that everyone that has moved here is relying on me. It is a lot more stressful than I expected, but it will be worth it.”

“It has definitely been busy. We have it well in hand though, Sloane. The esquire, Nadia, is working on a contract to recruit a scribe. I’ll have more on that for you if we get him.”

“Nadia? Have I met her yet?” Sloane had been meeting so many people over the last two weeks that she was struggling to remember names.

“Yes, Stefan’s sister.”

“Oh! Yes, I remember now. The big sister who treats our scary, roguish Blade like she has to take care of him.”

Adaega laughed. “That’s the one. She is a lovely woman. I do need to get you in with her for another meeting, but we’ve been busy and you’ve been busy. We all keep missing each other.”

“I know. I am sorry. With everything that has happened, I have dove into my work and have been torn between a bunch of different projects.”

“We understand. Remember, you have a team now. If you need something from us, that is literally why we are here. For now…” Adaega gestured to one of the offices with her thumb. “…are you ready for the meeting?”

Sloane nodded again and allowed Adaega to lead her inside. She waved to the guardsman who stood outside and motioned for him to follow.

Inside, Sloane saw that the room was sparsely furnished. Only a few tables and chairs were set up together to create a larger space for everyone to sit around. Next to the fireplace in the room, Nemura was in the middle of a conversation with General Irileth, another elf she didn’t know, and Gisele.

Ernald and one of his senior guardsmen, a telv, stood with two other telv from the army that she didn’t recognize. None of the other knights were present as Sloane knew they were working to ensure the Vlaredians did not catch them off guard.

The guard with Sloane took a position outside the door to prevent anyone else from entering or eavesdropping.

Sloane looked around and held in a sigh.

With a nod to Adaega, the woman stepped forward. “General Irileth, officers of the Marketbol Army, I apologize for the lack of amenities, but please, have a seat so we can discuss the purpose of your visit.”

The general turned and nodded to his men. Everyone found a chair and sat, with the General taking the center seat across from where a small nameplate indicated for Sloane to sit.

Sloane smiled. “General, now that we are all here, what can House Reinhart do for you?”

The grey-haired telv was in his armor, and she had to wonder if he wore anything else. It certainly did not look comfortable. “Lady Sloane, I notice that your eyes are not filled with magical mist any longer.”

She shrugged. “I needed to make sure I wasn’t dismissed. I do not regret it.”

He smirked. “I do not believe you should. It certainly worked,” he said ruefully, but then he leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I would appreciate it if what we discussed did not leave this room.”

Sloane looked around at her people, knowing they wouldn’t spread anything, but attempting to alleviate the man’s concerns nonetheless. “It will not. What is it, General?”

His face grew serious. “Mogagale is calling its bannermen to arms… now. That is a slow process. As such, they will not be here in time.”

Sloane froze. She knew what that meant, but she had to ask. “Here in time for what?”

“Scouts report that the empire’s army will soon be on the move. The council requests you to make good on your word, for we will have to hold out until our reinforcements can arrive.”

The room was silent. Sloane glanced around and saw everyone was tense. She caught Gisele’s eye, the woman giving her a slow nod.

She turned back to the general. Trying to think of everything that she could do to help. It was probably easier to simply ask where her skills could be applied. General Irileth sat there, scrutinizing her patiently; giving her time to reply. His subordinates were also stone faced as they too awaited her answer.

Sloane took a deep breath and leaned forward. “How can we help, general?”

He nodded, and the other men instantly pulled out scrolls, notebooks, and a map.

It’s time to work.

Securing Advantages

Another four weeks had gone by since they had started preparing for the Vlaredian Empire’s army. Scouts reported that the army would arrive within the week, as the army had actually been attacked when it tried to go around the Agenval Forest. Those Valeni give no shits.

While the attack itself did not seem to do much in the way of damage, it was apparently enough to delay the army an entire week as the army had to move further west and trudge through the hills. Which caused more delays, due to a storm that had passed through and filled their route with mud.

She knew the army was ecstatic each time she relayed information about another hindrance to the Vlaredians.

That excitement was dulled by the notification that the other Sovereign army had also been delayed due to weather. In fact, just the marshaling of the force had been delayed. The city it seemed had wholly dismissed the war with the empire and had been caught so off guard that the only standing forces they had were their city guard.

Delay after delay was holding them up, and Sloane was worried about how any force mustered would fare against the professional formation the empire fielded.

Despite the approaching army, the general and his men did not seem as concerned as she felt they should have. The city would be coming under siege, and while the remaining forces of the city were constantly preparing, she felt they did not take the threat seriously. It’s starting to affect me as well. I keep catching myself almost becoming complacent.

The fact that no one had seen or heard from Ressa and her soldiers was the only thing keeping her on edge.

Nemura was a constant presence, and she had warned Sloane numerous times to not let her guard down. The former Fist was certain that Ressa was simply looking for targets of opportunity that would put her people’s army in a more advantageous position when they arrived. At Nemura’s insistence, she had relayed concerns to the army that Ressa and her team may seek to target food supplies in some way.

She looked up, catching sight of Tiberius as her falcon flew overhead, keeping sight around her.

Nemura and some guards had escorted her from another meeting she’d had with Lady Emerys. The woman had wanted to have more discussions about possibly designing golems to use as scouts for the army. She had promised to look into it. If I can remember how I did it.

She had made it back just in time for another meeting she had.

The four guards at the front gate to the Center saluted her and Nemura as they approached, quickly opening the gate to allow them into the campus.

Sloane stepped into the courtyard of the campus and observed the work that was being done for the Center. Staff that Elodie and Adaega had hired were moving all around performing their various tasks. Their storage warehouse and even many of the other facilities were filled to the brim with dry goods and even barrels of clean water, all in preparation for the siege.

Meanwhile, guards from both her House and the city were patrolling the grounds, several catching sight of her and nodding as they continued along. Listening, she could hear the hammering from the forge at the rear of the campus from here. It was a sign that Koren and his two new apprentices were hard at work preparing weapons and armor for enchanting.

“Sloane, behind you,” Nemura said from her right. Sloane turned and saw more people and supplies approaching the gate.

She moved to let a wagon filled with crates of silden ferns roll by and to the right, heading to the alchemy hall where Rel and Kemmy were making large quantities of enchanting ink.

It was that reason that she was here, she needed to enchant some equipment for the city. Sloane stretched and yawned. When she opened her eyes, her Director of Reinhart Center was approaching.

“Every time I see you, you look exhausted,” Adaega said.

Nemura coughed, before giving Sloane a pointed look. “She has been working nonstop. I have had to force her to go to sleep. You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to convince her that sleeping on a cot in a workshop wasn’t proper for a baroness.”

The terran woman frowned. “I believe all of the work you’ve been receiving is partially my fault. Admittedly, I am not used to working with the nobility.”

Sloane sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I am still not used to how nobility is done here.”

Adaega nodded sagely. “Shall we?”

Sloane gestured toward the entrance to the main building on campus. “After you, director.”

She followed Adaega into the facility, amazed at the progress that had happened in just one day. The place was now a well-oiled machine of activity and efficiency, with everyone working together to provide support to the city’s defenders. She couldn’t help but feel proud of the House she’d come to create, even if it was still new.

Elodie and Adaega were amazing at their jobs, and she wished there was time to do more to help them. As it stood, Sloane wasn’t sure what would happen when the Vlaredians attacked, let alone have enough time to leave and travel to Swanbrook before winter arrived. They were running out of time.

“Sloane.”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry.”

Adaega shook her head, but Sloane’s ability to get lost in her thoughts was well-known by those closest to her at this point. “In here.”

They entered the same office where she had met the general and his commanders. Except for this time, the tables were rearranged, and there were now chairs in front of the fireplace. Bookshelves also lined the walls, filled with books. Sloane wished she had time to peruse at her leisure.

A young telv was sitting behind one of the tables. He looked to be no older than seventeen or eighteen and had dark brown hair. His face was clean-shaven and his eyes were a vibrant hazel.

The boy stood up at their entrance.

Adaega greeted the young man. “Hello, Orthan. This is Lady Sloane Reinhart.

Orthan nodded but didn’t say anything.

Sloane glanced at Adaega who sighed, her arms crossed over her chest.

Adaega tried again. “Good afternoon, Orthan. Would you like to introduce yourself?”

Orthan made a face and stepped forward. He bowed from the waist before straightening and speaking.

“My name is Orthan Barat. I am the second son of Lord Amil Barat and the youngest person on this continent to be considered a master scribe. My father is a former member of the Ruling Council and my brother is currently in training to become a paladin. When he finishes, I will be the next in line for House Barat.”

“What is a master scribe?” Sloane asked.

Orthan’s eyes squinted and his face scrunched up in a way that told Sloane he thought her question was obvious. In fact, Adaega had to answer for him after a soft sigh.

“It means that his ability in creating official records and documents is skilled and well-regarded. He can speak and write in all of the major languages. More, it means that he could be called upon to work in official ceremonies between heads of state and nations.”

“So, you can write… well?” she asked, not really understanding the difference.

The boy seemed to be getting flustered.

“There is more to a scribe than simply writing, Lady Reinhart. A scribe creates works that are intended to withstand the test of time. A master scribe pens documents that are intended to last and be scrutinized by scholars for centuries.”

Sloane frowned. There was something off about the boy’s speech. His voice sounded strained and unnatural. It was as if he was uncomfortable speaking and was simply reading from a script, which seemed odd for a noble since it was likely he had grown up around others for most of his life. Sloane waited for him to continue.

“My father has been searching for a way for me to gain experience and assistance with my… abilities.”

Sloane looked to Adaega for an explanation, and the woman shrugged. “Orthan also has an attunement to blue mana and an artifice affinity. With a little work, I think he will be able to take over the assistant rune scribe position.”

She squinted her eyes. “Assistant rune scribe?”

Adaega stepped forward and lifted onto her toes to whisper into her ear. Sloane tilted her head to make it easier for the shorter woman. “His father’s House is in decline. They wish to tie their fortunes to your House by some process that makes them subordinate to yours. The boy will work for us until it is time for him to take over his House.”

Sloane raised a brow. “There’s a lot in that, Adaega. What does it mean for them to tie their House to mine?”

Adaega shrugged. “Ernald tried to explain it to me, but the most I got out of it was that they would pledge their House to yours. Your House would have authority over them, but apparently, there is more nuance since you are both technically the same rank. In the end, I am not entirely sure. That may be a question better handled by esquire Nadia or one of the knights.”

So, they will be sort of like a subsidiary? So this kid won’t become a competitor when he leaves the House?

It was confusing, and something she needed more clarification on. “This does not seem ideal. Can we expect him to not become a competitor when he leaves?”

The woman sighed. “Trust me, I know. It will have to do for now. We will keep searching for someone else. However, we do have a contract that will protect us from the worst of your worries. Yet, even that may not be needed. We really need to figure out what it means for the Houses.”

She sighed. This world is so confusing.

Sloane turned to look at Orthan. “I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

The boy nodded and returned to his seat, pulling out a book and opening it once settled.

Adaega sighed. “It will be some work, but trust me… he’s a genius.”

After she met with the boy, Sloane and Nemura followed Adaega to the Center’s auditorium. It was the second largest building on the campus and hosted several small classrooms that were being converted into research rooms. The main focus of the building, however, was its massive auditorium and hall that could easily be converted into an area to host a gala or other events. A consideration that had Adaega quite excited.

As they entered, they saw a hive of activity. Numerous soldiers and smiths from the Smithing Guild were in the room preparing everything and bringing even more supplies. The chairs that made up the sloped floor had been moved in favor of workbenches and quilts. On those lay spears, bows, shields, and all sorts of weaponry needed to defend the city. Jewelers had even been acquired to etch the runes that she would need to power, as there were simply far too many for her to do herself.

The city had sent countless hunters and soldiers to scour the countryside for any animals worth killing. The meat it brought would be beneficial during the siege, but the cores they brought back would be paramount in the work she was attempting to accomplish.

To Sloane’s dismay, the city had also expedited the execution of quite a few criminals to obtain their cores as well. She didn’t know how to feel about that, but since the value of the cores had been paid out to the families of those the criminals harmed, Sloane felt less conflicted. At least, that’s what she told herself.

Maud, though, had a deep aversion to the act and had spent more and more time at the local temple. This led to her providing her healing services and assisting the church with helping the masses. The church simply accepted the knight’s assistance with a level of appreciation that surprised Sloane.

She looked toward the center of the hall and saw a table that had been made for the purpose of empowering runes. The table was made of steel and had numerous engravings and runes of its own. On each corner blue cores had been inlaid into it so that she could draw mana from them after placing her hands on two points she had designed. The table itself was the brainchild of Koren and a team of scholars from the city. Sloane had taken their idea and made it a reality with the House smith’s assistance.

She settled into the chair and sat down. Glancing around, at all of the work, she took a deep breath. One of the officers of the city’s army stepped forward.

“Lady Reinhart. We have had a chance to test the various combinations of runes you suggested. I would like to share feedback,” the high-elven woman said.

“Please, what have your people found?”

The woman took out a notebook, opened it up, and read from it. “Based on tests, we believe that the ballista bolts should utilize the [Arcane Explosion] runework. While we agree with your initial assessment of its efficacy, the magic’s burst would be strong enough combined with the force of the bolt to critically damage the walls of a siege tower. This, along with the [Lighten] rune would allow our ballistae to outrange anything the Vlaredians can field. We would also like the [Strengthen] rune on the ballistae themselves.”

Sloane raised a hand. “One note, [Lighten] alone will not do what you want. You will need two additional runic chains at least. We want to [Strengthen] the bolts, the more force you can put on the bolt, the more kinetic energy you can transfer. We’re going to cheat standard physics a bit as well, and use mana to affect our propulsion with a [Speed] rune with a trigger that detects when it is fired. Something like, [Detect: Momentum]—[Increase: Speed]. Now the last one is important because a light bolt will struggle with penetration. Therefore, we want to use [Detect: Impact]—[Amplify: Mass] on the bolt head, which will then negate the lightening rune and increase the density of the bolthead. That, along with the [Spell: (Arcane Explosion)], which we’ll also combine with a detection rune, will ensure that you are causing the most damage possible. That will also destroy the bolts, so that we don’t provide this runework to our enemies.

“Oh, actually, the ballistae are made of wood, this will likely affect the ability of the enchant. Also, this is a lot of mana draw within the bolt. This may require us to change the end design, but let’s start with it.”

The woman seemed as if she struggled to follow, but she nodded once she appeared to catch up. “Your explanation of the… physics behind the enchants is something we do not have adequate knowledge of. However, we agree that enchanting the wood may prove difficult along with using the enchants you described, which is why we have had our woodworkers place a green mana core into each of the siege engines. We believe a…” the woman’s eyes scanned her notes. “…a runic chain of [Renew: Wood] would be beneficial in case the ballistae are damaged.”

“Oh! That is a good idea.” She glanced at Nemura. “Can you please get me some wood?”

Nemura raised a brow. “Would you like a rod, and how big do you like it?”

“It doesn’t matter, the bigger the better, so I can practice this work.”

Nemura laughed as she shook her head and walked away.

Sloane glanced up at the officer, the woman was very deliberately staring into her own notebook and not looking up.

Oh! That bitch!

Nemura returned with her request, carrying a fifteen kilo ballista bolt as if it was but a small stick. The high elf raised a brow as Nemura dropped the two-meter-long bolt onto the table. Sloane gave the woman a look, but then just shook her head, ignoring the smirk of the woman.

The soldiers had the right idea, but their simple runic chain wasn’t the one that would work. It had no way of detecting damage, but [Renew] instead of [Repair] or [Alter] was an inspired choice. The bolt would allow her to easily test their idea on something a bit more maneuverable than an entire siege engine.

Sloane grabbed her inscribing pen and went to work, doing a modified working that should repair damage to the wood itself. Channeling her blue mana, she pushed and inscribed the runic chain for [Detect: (Durability: <DAMAGED>)] – [Draw: (Power) - (Mana: Green)] — [Renew: (Element: Wood)] - [Amplify].

She quickly stood up, running over and grabbing one of the green cores that were in a crate to the side. She came back and looked over the bolt. Tilting her head, she considered how she would add it. Well… this is a test. She grabbed the metal head and pushed her mana into it, focusing on Altering it. The bolt’s point collapsed inward and then she rounded it and placed the orb onto it. With some more Alteration, she solidified the orb onto the head. Now that’s a staff worthy of a half-giant druid. She thought with a smirk. Sloane quickly reworked her conduits to ensure it all connected and looked at the telv who stood observing her work.

“Hmm… Nemura, we need to break this now.”

The telv nodded and moved the staff to the ground. She pulled out her sword and Sloane watched her use her own mana-infused ability. After a beat, the sword glowed faintly red and the woman brought it down onto the staff, a resounding crack causing the entire area to go quiet.

Sloane stared down at the bolt that had neatly cracked in half. She watched and waited, the green core pulsed in light and then a surge of that light rushed down the conduits and then spread out through the wood. Within five seconds of being cracked, she watched as the wood neatly stitched itself back together.

“Perfect. I will use this runic chain on the ballistae and I believe there are a few other enchants I can accomplish to improve the power and ability of the siege weapon itself. After all, it is much more important than its individual bolts in transferring energy,” Sloane explained to the soldier.

The soldier who had been observing, stood wide-eyed before she furiously scribbled down some notes.

Sloane smirked, looking down at the meter-long bolt. “Okay Nemura, the rod’s all yours. Feel free to test it in private.”

She winked at the woman.

Sloane’s eyes went wide as she lurched forward at the sudden slap on her back; Nemura’s booming laughter filled the hall.

With a shake of her head, she joined in, laughing and letting the tension that had been building up release ever so slightly.

Not much longer until we’re in yet another fight for survival. Have to take the positive moments as they come.

Not a Goodbye

Gwyn slowly walked out of the temple, her magic keeping her emotions down. Taenya walked in her gleaming silver armor on her right, looking as ceremonial as possible, while the paladin Amari had joined her and was to her left. Sabina and Theran were around, but they were ensuring that her people were safe.

The church had provided a private setting for the ceremony and Siveril had made sure that every family member of those that had died, and any member of the House who wished it could attend. It was the third funeral she had gone to in her life, and they did not get any easier. She had to sit in the front and look both sad and not too sad, and then respect the privacy of the families, but still show she cared and appreciated them.

Nineteen. Nineteen people of her House had been killed by the attack, and it did not matter who they were. Guards. Staff. Emma. It made her so… angry. The worst part was, they couldn’t do anything about it except wait.

Nothing like this happens at home.

They would be leaving soon at least. All of the preparations were done, and she was going to meet with Roslyn to tell her friend bye, today. Roslyn was leaving and would see her again in the capital. It seemed that the heiress to the duchy had much to do to get set up before they attended the Royal Academy which caused her to change how she was traveling.

Gwyn was upset that they couldn’t travel together. It would have helped get her mind off of things. At least she would have her ladies-in-waiting. I can’t wait to leave this city.

She thanked the guard that held the door for her as she took the man’s offered hand to get into the carriage. As she placed her foot into the carriage, she glanced back at her two escorts. Taenya gave her a nod before moving to her horse whose reins another guard had held. Amari saluted her and turned, heading back to the temple. The woman did not have the same requirement as Khalan in staying with Gwyn at all times and would be back to the manor later.

The door to the carriage shut and Gwyn sat down, alone, letting out a pained whimper as she let her Frozen Heart thaw. Emotions of the day crashed into her; the side effect of using the spell for extended periods was that all of the emotions she would have felt, hit her at once.

The only difference this time was that she had no more tears left to cry.

All that remained was an inferno that sought to consume.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn stepped into Roslyn’s wing of the ducal palace, thanking the guards that had guided her. She had come so often at this point that it was refreshingly normal and required little fanfare. The duke had given her permission to come and go basically as she pleased which meant that there did not need to be any ceremony or other stuffy practices.

Her friend wasn’t in the sitting room, which was surprising to Gwyn; the girl could usually be found snuggled into a crook or couch reading a book.

“Roz? Where ya at?” she tried calling out.

“Here! Ah!!”

Gwyn jerked and threw her hand out at the noise to her left. Time seemed to slow as Roslyn slipped and fell from the ladder that was attached to the large bookcase along the wall. Gwyn quickly pulled at the white mana around her and used it as she had before, forcing it to catch Roslyn. The Telekinesis spell clicked in her head and she felt a rush of energy fill her, just as she pulled it all around the falling high elf.

Roslyn’s descent slowed and then stopped completely just before the girl hit the wooden floor. She lay there, hovering a few hands length from the floor, with wide eyes. Roslyn looked at Gwyn then looked down at the ground… and screamed as the realization of everything caught up to her.

The shrill noise caused Gwyn to jerk in surprise, her concentration lost, causing Roslyn to fall the remaining distance to the floor with a thud.

“Ow!”

Guards came rushing into the room, followed by Khalan and Roslyn’s lady knight rushing from one of the offices in the wing.

“My Lady!” the female knight cried out as she rushed over to her charge.

“I am fine! I am not hurt! I was just startled,” Roslyn reassured them as she rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up.

Gwyn gave her friend a weak smile. “Are you sure? You landed on your butt pretty hard there at the end.”

Roslyn stood up, waving off help from her protectors, and put a hand on her hip. “That is only because you dropped me!”

Khalan and the Tiloral knight had confused expressions as they looked back and forth between the two girls.

“Well, it’s not my fault you screamed after I saved you. Who does that?” Gwyn said, throwing her hands up.

“It was so quick! I barely realized I was falling off the ladder until you caught me! I was not even aware that you could do that! Why did you do it so high?”

The female knight’s eyes went wide as she parsed what Roslyn had said.

“My Lady–”

“I didn’t know you were there! Would you prefer I let you fall all the way?” Gwyn huffed and crossed her arms.

“No! But! Ow!” Roslyn sighed, and walked over to Gwyn, ignoring the others around them. She took a deep breath, her tone relaxing. “Thank you for catching me, and I apologize for startling you, although I believe my rear has accepted the punishment for screaming.”

Gwyn snorted, grabbing her friend and hugging her. “I am glad you are okay.”

“You caught her?” Khalan asked.

Roslyn turned around but moved in a way to keep one of Gwyn’s arms around her. “She did! I was startled by her entering the room, and fell from the top of the ladder.”

The paladin looked at the ladder, before turning his head toward Gwyn. “How..?”

Gwyn sighed. “I used white mana in a way that I did… in the attack… and made a new spell.”

The sun elf stared at her. “You made a spell… just like that?” he deadpanned.

She shrugged. “Yeah..?”

The man shook his head. “Is Evocati Amari with you today?”

“Nope! Taenya and Siveril are here talking to the duke, and my guards are out front. I think Amari is coming by the manor tonight, though.” She shrugged.

The man glanced up in thought and gave the other knight a pained look. The woman gave him a small nod, and it seemed that he took that as a cue for him to leave.

Gwyn stepped back, letting Roslyn talk to them as they expressed how they were glad she was safe and unharmed. The paladin told them that he would need to go to the temple, seemingly unhappy to have to do so. It can’t be because of my magic, right?

She considered suggesting that he just wait to talk to Amari, but then stopped herself from saying anything. They’re leaving today. He may not see Amari. That makes sense now.

“Would you like some tea, My Lady?” Roslyn’s knight asked her charge.

Roslyn glanced at Gwyn. With a smile, Gwyn gave her friend a quick nod. She remembered her conversation with the Archpriestess. It was polite, and well, she may be a bit thirsty.

“Please, thank you.”

With the situation calmed, their lady safe, the guards left and returned to their former positions, but not without one of the guardswomen taking a spot, inside, by the door.

“My Lady, I will go check on the status of our departure while you have your tea. I will return soon.”

The knight left, speaking softly to one of Roslyn’s servants before stepping out of the room.

Gwyn glanced around at the now nearly empty room. “So…”

Roslyn huffed a laugh. “Indeed.”

“You leave today?”

“Yes. We were going to leave this morning, but you had…”

“I know.”

“Roslyn?”

“Yes, Gwyn?”

“It gets better right? It isn’t always like this?”

Roslyn came closer, grabbing and pulling Gwyn into another hug. “Even if it doesn’t, I will be here for you. I have a secret to tell you.”

Gwyn wiped at her eyes and pulled back slightly so that she could look into her friend’s eyes. “What is it?”

“I have Ser Roderick performing a task for me. Well, you,” she said, speaking of her other knight who wasn’t there right now.

Gwyn squinted her eyes. He’s doing something for me?

“What is he doing?”

The high elf lowered her voice to a whisper. “He is looking for your mother. Discreetly.”

Gwyn’s eyes widened, and her chest heaved as she fought down the pull of emotion. She grabbed Roslyn and squeezed her tightly, smiling at the small noise of surprise coming from her friend. “Thank you, Roz.”

“Of course, what are friends for?”

“Finding your missing parent, but of course!” Gwyn said as she huffed an airy chuckle.

Roslyn smiled, looking quite chuffed with herself. “Precisely.”

A servant entered the room, carrying a platter with their tea, and set the dishes out on the small table in the corner by the window. Gwyn and Roslyn sat down and she looked outside, watching a brown leaf fall to the ground, as the man served them the cups of tea to their desired tastes. While they waited for their tea to cool down to a proper drinking temperature, they returned to their talk.

“Now, I remembered what you said about Mr. Fenren’s search. Ser Roderick is using the House’s contacts to search in areas we may have more access to. He says there may be a difficulty due to the war going on right now.”

Gwyn didn’t remember anyone in her House talking about a war. I may have forgotten, though.

“What war?”

Roslyn waved it off. “The Empire of Vlaredia invaded the Sovereign Cities and are even now fighting each other.”

Gwyn’s eyes widened. “But my mom may be in the Sovereign Cities!”

“Gwyn, as a terran, your mother will not be a citizen of any of the cities, or in the off chance she arrived in the empire itself, not one there either. If she is anything like you–”

“She will be right in the middle of every possible bad thing and will have to constantly fight bad people who are trying to hurt her! This isn’t making me feel better, Roslyn!” she said, frantically thinking of everything that had happened, if her mom was like her, she could only imagine what she was going through. She doesn’t even have a House to protect her! She’s not a queen! I lied!

Gwyn started hyperventilating.

Roslyn grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Gwyn? Gwyn. Breathe. Your mother is going to be fine. I have faith. I have prayed to Alos for her safety every time I have gone to the temple.”

Gwyn nodded. “It’s so hard, Roz. No one else knows that we don’t know where she is.”

Her friend gave her hand another squeeze and pulled it away. “I know. We will keep it a secret and help you. Cenphine has blessed you with family, and I feel like you are the sister I never had. We will help you find your family in truth.”

Gwyn felt oddly disappointed with what Roslyn had said. “Cenphine?” she asked weakly.

Roslyn squinted her eyes. “The goddess of family.”

Maybe I should go talk to her? Oh, maybe we won’t have time to go by the Temple of the Stars before leaving.

Gwyn sighed. “Thank you, Roslyn.”

The high elf girl beamed and slowly tried sipping on her tea, the quiet slurping noises making Gwyn smile. The girl winced and put the cup back down. She is finally starting to feel comfortable enough around me to actually do that.

Before, Roslyn would always wait until her tea was nearly cold because according to her it was improper to make such noises while trying to test the temperature of the tea. At this point, Gwyn knew almost exactly how long the tea needed to sit before it cooled enough for her friend to drink.

Roslyn leaned closer and whispered, “So, I have been practicing. I feel the magic…”

Gwyn hissed in surprise. “You–” she glanced back at the guard who was standing at the door, then leaned in, whispering as well. “You can feel mana and use it? Can you do magic, yet?”

“Not yet… but I feel it. I am going to learn magic like you, and we will stand side-by-side against the world if we have to.”

That one sentence made Gwyn’s stomach twirl like a ballerina on a stage. It made her happy and she couldn’t wait until she could practice with the girl. She loved spending time with Roslyn, it made her happy. She was her best friend and someone she trusted completely. She felt herself smiling without realizing it as she watched Roslyn absently slide her finger along the rim of the plate that her teacup rested on.

“We will have to find somewhere to practice when we’re both in the capital together,” she stated.

Roslyn nodded. “Yes! I will make sure to find an adequate training location while I await your arrival.”

Gwyn smiled, feeling a strange contentment as she knew that Roslyn would definitely spend an inordinate amount of time finding the perfect location just for the two of them. “I can’t wait.”

She glanced down at the tea in front of them and gestured to the cup in front of her friend. “Your tea is ready.”

The girl squinted. “Really?” She picked up the cup and took a sip without hesitation. Her face lit up as she realized it was just how she liked it. “Perfect!”

Perfect.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn stood outside of the ducal palace, waiting quietly off to the side as Roslyn spoke to her grandfather, Duke Tiloral. Siveril and Taenya stood next to her, while her four guards took up positions behind her with their spears and shields. Taenya’s drakyyds looked perfectly coordinated and the wingless dragon… drake… that they used as their emblem shone in the midday sun. It made Gwyn so happy at the level of attention to detail Taenya and Theran had spent making sure her House looked fabulous.

She turned her head and looked up at Siveril. “So, what did you guys talk to the duke about?”

The old high elf glanced down at her, his serious expression told her more than he likely would. “With your permission, I feel like it would be better to discuss it at the manor, Your Highness.”

She sighed. “I understand. Is it going to delay us leaving?”

He shook his head. “No. You will be able to leave on time. This concerns… wider and future interests.”

Gwyn nodded but did not respond because Roslyn had finished talking with her grandfather. The blonde elf turned and smiled with a wave when she caught sight of her. Gwyn couldn’t help but feel happy and smile as she caught the loving look the duke gave her friend behind her back. They are such good people.

The heiress hastened to her as she got closer and finally crushed against Gwyn in a hug.“Gwyn! I am going to miss you. I hate goodbyes.”

With a chuckle and a smirk, Gwyn gently pried herself away from her friend, holding her arms, and looked into her pretty violet eyes. “I will be leaving soon, and then we will get to see each other in the capital. It’s like my mom says, ‘this isn’t goodbye, it’s a see you later’.

“Plus, you have to get everything ready for when I get there! Oh, and get with Friedrich! Mr. Niles should have a place for us to live in the city by the time you arrive, since you are going the quick way, now. So, you can work with Friedrich to help you with whatever you need.”

Roslyn glanced back toward her female knight, who nodded in support. “I will do that. Thank you, Gwyn. I cannot wait until you arrive.” The girl looked like she wanted to say more, but didn’t. A tear started falling down her friend’s face, so Gwyn quickly reached out and caught it, before pulling Roz into another hug.

Gwyn whispered into her ear, “Hey. Hey! None of that. We’ll be back together soon, like the best of friends. Then we’ll stand side-by-side and face down the Academy. Together. Deal?”

Roslyn pulled away and nodded. “Deal, but not friends. Sisters.”

Gwyn felt a tug, and her lip twitched at her friend’s words. Her eyes teared up as emotions she couldn’t place filled her. I should be happy about that.

Roslyn gave her a sad smile, and Gwyn tried to blink away the tears as she stared down into her friend’s eyes, seeing her reflection tinted in violet. Roslyn lifted her hand to Gwyn’s face and cupped her cheek, wiping away Gwyn’s tears with a thumb. Her hand lingered just long enough for Gwyn to lean into it, her eyes instinctively closing, her cheeks heating up. It was a feeling Gwyn couldn’t ever remember having, and she never wanted it to go away.

She pulled Roslyn in for one more hug.

“I will see you soon, Roz.”

As they separated, Gwyn took a deep breath and held a hand out for her friend.

“Come on, let’s get you to your carriage.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Taenya waited, and gave her princess her privacy, as Gwyn walked hand-in-hand with Lady Roslyn to her carriage. The girl’s knight stood by, while the other knight was nowhere to be seen, Taenya knew that he would likely meet them before leaving the city. The man had requested a meeting with Taenya in the past week and had asked several very pointed questions about Gwyn’s mother. Gwyn has a good friend if she’s willing to push her retainers that far to assist.

The paladin Khalan caught Taenya’s eye and dipped his head in her direction. She sighed. I will have to work with him again in the future. She wasn’t particularly religious, and the zealous Paladins of Alos were a bit too self-righteous for her tastes. To be fair, Khalan and Amari don’t seem that way. Perhaps that was by design.

“You need to learn to work with the paladins,” Siveril said from beside her as they watched the princess say her goodbyes to the Tiloral heiress.

Taenya nodded. She sincerely hoped that the capital would provide some respite while Gwyn attended the Royal Academy.

“I am aware. I will discuss the particulars with Evocati Amari tonight,” Taenya replied.

Siveril glanced over at the duke, before replying, “Good. You will need to leave. Soon. We cannot give the Angwins time to prepare, or know your plans.”

“And what about the news we received from the duke?”

“That… is more long term.”

“The princess will be in the capital.”

The man sighed. “She would not be the target. Lady Roslyn, would. The duke will warn us if he believes he must recall the girl.”

The war between the Sovereigns and the Empire was heating up, but there were those within the kingdom who wished to take advantage of the situation. The duke believed that was the source of the crown prince’s newfound confidence. If they join the war…

“That doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

“It’s why you need to get closer to the paladin. I am not sure how much longer we can tie ourselves up with Aviran politics, especially with the direction they are heading.”

Taenya nodded. She watched Gwyn pull away from the girl and wave as Lady Roslyn stepped up into the carriage. Her princess turned and gave Taenya a sad smile as she returned to the group.

She’s having to grow up so quickly.

Saying Farewell

“And remember, there will be those who seek to use their higher status as a snub against you in the capital. Or against the princess for having such low-status ladies-in-waiting, you are to be the voice and hand of royalty. The princess has no siblings, which means she is a Crown Princess, even if her nation does not place such titles on an heir. Do not forget.

When the Crown Prince eventually calls to meet her, your liege will be joining him as equal in status, if not in influence. Additionally…”

Nora sighed internally and mentally tuned out from her mother’s lecture. It was not anything that she hadn’t heard before, and while she knew her mother meant the best for her, it could be such a bore to be repeatedly instructed on the duties she had trained so long for.

“…still cannot believe that Her Highness has not chosen you as her principal lady-in-waiting, yet. I have spoken to Ser Siveril and expressed my–”

“Mother. It is no concern. Gwyn–Princess Gwyneth, simply does not ascribe to such a practice. If there ever becomes a need, I suspect she will do so, but as of now, we do not have enough tasks as it is. Her Highness is still young, as is Lady Lorrena.”

Her mother narrowed her eyes. “How well is Lady Lorrena performing? Is she still struggling with what is required of her to attend the Royal Academy with Her Highness?”

Nora grimaced. Lorrena was struggling, but everyone had taken their time to help her. The girl needed to attend with Her Highness as the princess needed to have a retainer there. The only other option was to find one amongst those already attending, and no one had to tell Nora how poorly that would look.

“She is a most studious young lady,” she replied diplomatically.

“I will send word ahead to the capital, while we do not have much in the way of influence there, I do have a few contacts that we can lean on. Perhaps–”

“Mother. Please, we will handle it. Ser Siveril and Taenya have everything well in hand,” she said with exasperation.

Her mother sighed. “Very well. Ah, Aleanora, it seems to have slipped my mind, but I was speaking to Ser Siveril and he mentioned you were working to attend the Academy yourself in two years when you turn sixteen. I simply do not recall us discussing that, previously. Will Lady Ilyana be attending this upcoming year?”

Aleanora Olacyne groaned.

I cannot wait until we leave.

✦ ✦ ✦

The Trenlore family was made up of nine children, a family of three girls and six boys. Even now, Ilyana Trenlore sat at her customary seat far down the long table from her mother and father. She had come to spend one last dinner with the family and tell everyone goodbye. Instead, as the youngest girl, and the third youngest overall, Ilyana was invisible.

Her two younger siblings were twins and completely ignored her as they spoke excitedly back and forth.

Meanwhile, her next older brother was a complete loner who would rather sit in his room and play with his little wooden statues of knights and soldiers. Now, he sat just staring at his food and ignoring everything around him.

Ilyana had been cursed. Being chosen to join Gwyn had been the best day of my life.

She drummed her fingers on her leg as she sat waiting for dinner. Her siblings were all chatting away, but she just felt… bored. She wanted to go back to the House and work on her studies or read, even spend time with… Nora.

In her new House, she had people who appreciated her, and even if she wanted privacy to read her… stories, no one in House Reinhart would bother her or begrudge her for wanting to be alone.

Instead, she was here listening to… she glanced up the table for the current topic.

“…Laura, we must absolutely discuss the entertainment for your wedding feast! I saw the most adorable fool the other day, and he was simply delightful. I do believe I could introduce you,” one of her older brothers asked.

“Oh? That sounds just wonderful. I have a troupe coming overmorrow to let me view their performance. Perhaps I could meet your fool then?” her older sister asked, giggling behind her hand. The woman was twenty-two and only just now engaged. It was a bit of an embarrassment.

Just like the way her siblings spoke. Which was as if they all were these high-class nobles with powerful demesnes. Instead, House Trenlore was a small barony relegated to a minor area not far from Strathmore. A barony that consisted of a town that was barely more than a village, two actual villages, and one hamlet.

She ignored the responses and conversation between her siblings until, finally, she’d had enough. She glanced down at her mother and father, seeing them deep in conversation. They hadn’t even spoken to her once.

She decided it was time to leave, unfortunately, that simple act was as convoluted as her siblings’ attempts at being more than the poor country nobles they were.

Ilyana gestured and a servant stepped forward. “My Lady?”

“Could you please convey my wishes to the lord and lady?”

The man nodded. “Of course, My Lady. What would you like me to pass along?”

“I believe it is time for me to depart. I must retire for the night. I have a long day of traveling ahead of me, tomorrow.”

The servant tilted his head in confusion. “May I tell them where you are going, My Lady?”

Ilyana froze. I must have misunderstood. “Could you please repeat yourself?”

He must have realized he had erred because the servant also froze as he attempted to reconcile his thoughts.

“I… I will tell them, My Lady.”

She watched as the man strode down to her parents and bowed. Ilyana observed as they spoke almost tiredly before the servant bowed again and hurried to her. She sat a bit straighter as she expected her parents to call upon her.

“Lord and Lady Trenlore express their desire for you to represent House Trenlore well and will see you soon as they eagerly await a dinner with your new liege. They suggest next week will be an appropriate time for your lady to be available to attend the manor for a repast.”

She instantly seethed with rage. They. Forgot.

“It is Her Highness. You will utilize her proper title or you will not speak in my presence, again. Is that understood?”

The man’s eyes widened in terror at her icy tone. He quickly bowed and started backing away, muttering apologies and begging for forgiveness as he did.

Ilyana dropped him from her mind as she stood up and stomped down toward her parents. The entire room quieted and she would have relished the blessed silence from her siblings if she weren’t SO ANGRY.

She came to a halt near the head of the table, just behind her oldest sibling and brother, Ewan. If glares could cause harm, her parents would have instantly frozen as solid as Gwyn’s ice magic.

“You forgot?”

Her father’s face started to turn red as his own anger rose at her disregard for the House etiquette. Relena, damn his etiquette.

“Ilyana, dear. What has you so out of sorts?” her mother asked.

Ilyana turned her glare on her mother. “Out of sorts? Did you forget I am a lady-in-waiting to a princess? Or are you just daft?”

Her father started to rise from his chair. “Now you–”

“No, Baron, you knew I was coming to dinner because I leave for the capital tomorrow and will not return for years. However, now? I do not suspect I wish to return at all. And, as a reminder, Baron, you pledged this House’s fealty to my liege, and I have her ear.”

“You are leaving?” her oldest sister asked from where she sat next to her mother.

Ilyana looked at all of her siblings with wide eyes. “Did anyone even realize I was gone? I am going to attend the Royal Academy! The first in this family and ALL OF YOU JUST FORGOT?”

She felt tears start to form, but she forced her emotions down, such was the effect of her fury.

“You forget your place, daughter. How dare you speak to your family in this way? You will return to your room, and we will determine your punishment in due time,” her father chastised.

“Did you simply throw me away at the first House you could in an attempt to gain influence? Did you, mother?”

“Ilyana, you are speaking nonsense. Of course, not. You are being silly. Now, sit down. You are embarrassing yourself. Our House simply used its good name to assist a small House of no name.”

“This House is an embarrassment,” she sneered.

“Enough! You will leave this instant or I will have you removed.” her father yelled, banging a fist on the table with a thud.

She was being ignored. Again. Ilyana’s vision started to whiten until she snapped. A rush filled her as she slammed her fist down onto the table in a Fierce Strike. The solid wood table, an heirloom that had lasted the family generations, cracked from side to side, and through the leg closest to her. With a resounding crash, the entire thing toppled onto its now legless corner and then collapsed to the floor. The shattering of eleven place settings worth of tableware filled the dining hall.

Ilyana nearly froze, but to do so would invite further calamity, instead she rounded on her father. “You will hear from House Reinhart on your obligations to your liege, Baron Trenlore.”

Her father dared scoff. “You are no longer a daughter of mine. You will be nothing without us.”

Laughter erupted from her as she listened to a man with no influence and no power. A man who had ignored her. She resolved to not be the one ignored again.

Instead, she ignored the gasps and clamoring as her siblings fought for her attention as she moved with a fluid poise toward the manor’s entrance.

Her newfound confidence filled her lithe steps with a deadly grace that, despite her smaller stature, forced even the servants and guards to wisely remove themselves from her presence. She smirked when noticing more than one look of alarm in their eyes. They are nothing compared to House Reinhart’s guards. Now those are men and women of strength.

As Ilyana stepped onto the path that carried her away from House Trenlore, she smiled, feeling as if she could glide and dance all the way to her new home.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Goodbye, Papa!” Lorrena called out as she readied to leave her family’s home again for a long time.

Her father laughed as he and her sisters walked up behind her. “Oh my silly Lorrena, this is not goodbye. We will come to visit you in the capital! We are so proud of you for all of your hard work, and you do credit to our House by attending the Royal Academy.”

Lorrena blushed at the unexpected praise. While she enjoyed spending time with Princess Gwyn, she would miss her family. She rushed over one more time and hugged her father, followed by her two sisters.

Her oldest sister bent over and whispered in her ear, “Mother would be so proud, Lore.”

She couldn’t help it, she cried. She missed her mother so much and knew she would miss her family when she was gone.

“I love you all so much!”

Her sisters and father laughed softly.

“We love you too, little Lore. Remember, you serve a princess, every action you take reflects upon our family. Continue to make us proud, my daughter.”

Lorrena trembled. The weight of expectation pressed down upon her as it always did. Her family was everything, she didn’t want to disappoint them. She had worked so hard in her studies. Lorrena was feeling more and more confident that she would pass the exams to enter the school. An achievement that was exceedingly rare for a small baronial family such as hers, as Mr. Brannigan had said.

She had to get accepted. Lorrena was the only one who could be with Her Highness during the Academy. Princess Gwyn would need her.

As she walked toward the carriage with the guard from House Reinhart, she blinked away the tears.

I will become something that will never disappoint them. Just like mama would want.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn was busy writing a letter.

For a while, she had simply gone with the flow and trusted those around her to help her determine the best way forward. They had done well, and everyone in her House was continually proving how lucky she was to have such amazing people that wanted to help her.

It was time she did something to give back. Back when Gwyn had been the center of attention at the duke’s court with Count Telford, she had learned something. Even a duke would pay her if he felt obligated. Now, it helped that the duke seemed like a genuinely kind man, especially when she saw him interacting with Roslyn. She didn’t want to take advantage of that. However, there came a time when you had to… in her mom’s words, ‘pony up or shut up’. Her House had been attacked and her people had been killed, in the duke’s city. In a way that was far too blatant.

So Gwyn wrote a letter. One that wouldn’t fix all of the wrongs, but one that would help one, and maybe after some time, help her.

A knock at her door sounded and she called out, to which one of Sabina’s guards opened and stepped in.

Sabina hadn’t been avoiding her, per se, but it was clear the attack had affected the woman. Gwyn may have forced her to go too far.

“Your Highness, Keston requests an audience,” the wynver woman asked. One of the new ones. She closed her eyes briefly, the attack and her people’s lifeless stares as they lay in the halls still haunted her dreams.

She opened her eyes and put on a smile. “Keston never needs to request an audience, please tell him to come on in.”

The high elf entered and seemed almost hesitant for some reason. After the guard left the room, she tilted her head. “Keston, what’s wrong?”

He shuffled from side to side. “Your Highness–”

“Gwyn.”

Keston sighed. “I’m trying to be formal here, Gwyn.”

She rolled her eyes and pointed to a chair.

“Sit. We don’t do formal. You’re my friend.”

His shoulders dropped and he slumped into the chair. “Fine. I have a request, oh, and I volunteered to inform you.”

She raised her brow. “Volunteered? That makes it seem like no one wanted to do it.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t mean that, I just mean that I used it as an excuse to come talk to you. Onas and his daughter are here, but I wanted to request something of you, as my liege, because I know what he’s here for.”

That made her curious. “Okay, now I’m curious. Spit it out, Keston. What do you want?”

He took a deep breath. “Onas is here to say his farewells to you since you are leaving tomorrow. He is also here to talk about how his daughter is leaving to head to Westaren in search of those dwarves that made your ring,” he said, pointing at the ring on her right index finger. “I would like to go with her.”

Gwyn’s eyes opened wide. “What? But what about your training? You’re going to become a knight, isn’t that what you wanted?”

He seemed conflicted. “Yes.” Then he hastily added, “and I still do!”

Keston took another deep breath. “It’s what Raafe would have wanted, but you are leaving, and so much has happened. Did you know that during the attack, I was with Ser Theran training? That’s why we were gone. I wasn’t here to protect you and luckily you didn’t need it. Your current knights have everything well in hand, and I feel like I should be doing something, right now.

“You are liege to the Fenrens as well, but they are currently only sending their own guards with Kerala. I believe it would be beneficial for you to send someone as well. Also, you need someone who knows you with her because I can search for your… mom on the way. If I find her, I can give her information on how to find you.”

He closed his eyes, the entire request seeming to affect him, before opening them and continuing, “Then, when I return, I can resume my training. That is if you still wish for it.”

She stood up and walked over to him, giving him a quick hug before stepping back. “Of course, I still want it, Keston. Are you sure this is what you want?”

He gave her a sad smile. “It’s what Raafe would have wanted, and for now, that’s good enough for me, Gwyn.”

She nodded. “Okay. In that case, make sure you get a full set of armor like Taenya’s Drakyyds.”

He seemed confused. “But I’m not one of them.”

She smiled. “No, but it will be the easiest to add to because you’ll need to add some wings to that little lizard they like.”

He huffed a laugh. “Gwyn, you know those aren’t little at all, right?”

She giggled. “If you saw how big dragons are, you’d think they were.”

He smiled and shook his head, but then he stood and bowed.”Thank you, Your Highness.”

She nodded her head respectfully.

“Thank you, Keston. For being my friend. I hope your trip goes well.”

“And yours, Gwyn.”

She hesitated, making him pause mid-turn.

“Actually, I have one last job for you before you leave, Keston.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn looked back one more time at the manor that had been her home for almost the entire time she’d been in this world. It had provided so much for her, and she would miss it. It would be a while before Gwyn returned to Strathmore.

It was for the best, the memory of Emma’s sacrifice was still too fresh. Her handmaiden had saved her, and now she was gone. Just like Raafe. Two people now had died so that she could live. It–It did not feel right.

Why was she here and they weren’t? All I want to do is find mom. Why does this sick world have to be like this? Why does everyone close to me have to keep getting hurt?

She felt her eyes well up.

Why did I live? Why did they think I was worth it? I’m just… me. Who else will die before this is all over?

Gwyn had nightmares every time she closed her eyes at night. Visions of Emma and Raafe dying over and over. Standing there, taunting her. Telling her that it should have been her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, using her Frozen Heart spell. Her spiraling thoughts ended.

Gwyn smiled at Sabina who looked down from her horse. The knight would ride alongside the carriage. She gave her people standing outside another glance and wave before she turned and stepped into the carriage. The three girls inside gave her short greetings, before going quiet in the early morning.

As she sat, she eyed her three ladies-in-waiting. They all sat quietly, each seemingly deep in their thoughts, or perhaps just tired. She sang a small song to the mana around them and really looked at them. Searching for subtle clues.

Aleanora was happy as if going off on an adventure was all she wanted. Ilyana seemed determined, with a bit of tension and anger. Something had changed about her, and Gwyn would have to talk to her more. She did know that the girl had spoken with Siveril for a while the night before. Lorrena was sad but also determined, but her determination seemed different than Ilyana’s.

Gwyn took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”

The crew all turned toward her, each giving her a nod, but every one of those nods said something different.

She knew one thing.

When Gwyn did return to Strathmore; Marquess Angwin would burn.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ser Siveril Norric headed to the parlor of Reinhart Manor, where his expected guest awaited. The princess, Sers Taenya and Sabina, and the royal’s entourage had left that morning just before daybreak.

The first frost of winter had set in and the caravan needed as much daylight as possible to ensure they would make it to Drakensburg before travel became nigh impossible. It was unfortunate that Lady Roslyn would not stop in Drakensburg herself. It had, indeed, been the original plan, however machinations by the Crown Prince had forced the duke to take other precautions.

The itinerary would remain the same, publicly at least, however, Siveril knew that the ducal heiress now intended to travel through Dirn Loduhr, the dwarven city within the Loduhr mountains. A city that historically had a strained relationship with the kingdom that surrounds it. While he was not privy to the particulars, he could only imagine the price of that transit.

As he walked into the parlor, he took in his visitor. The old man wore his usual attire that spoke of understated status and in the old Loreni’s House colors of scarlet and gold. The man’s two knights stepped away and nodded their heads respectfully to Siveril as they made their way out of the room. The unsaid message was clear; Siveril was favored and trusted explicitly.

“Your Grace, I did not expect you to come by today,” Siveril said as he performed a perfect bow.

Duke Tiloral smiled as he stood.

“You did not expect me to visit ever, Siveril. Alas, circumstances and a certain letter require it.”

Siveril did not raise his eyebrow as a certain princess loved, but he would have if his guest were anyone else. “A letter, Your Grace?”

The man chuckled. “We are alone, Siveril. You have earned my respect enough to know what that means.”

Siveril sighed, propriety and a vast gulf in status clashing with the man’s wishes. Still, he would oblige. “Of course, Dasovron. What business brings you by Reinhart Manor?”

The man’s eyes crinkled as he silently reveled in his small victory. “One of your guards arrived with correspondence.”

Who and why? Did Taenya… no, she would have informed me.

Siveril’s confusion must have been apparent because it made the duke laugh. “She’s more shrewd than you give her credit for, it seems. Your Princess penned the letter herself. She believes that I have been remiss in my duties.”

His eyes widened. She… what?

“According to her, and I cannot say that I disagree, the blatant attack on your House could only occur if my guard failed in their duty to uphold the peace within the very city that I run my duchy. As such, I should be required to pay reparations to House Reinhart as compensation for her… family and people that she lost. She goes on to state that her House will provide compensation as expected to the families of those who lost someone, but I should amend the ‘strained relationship with the one I respect the most’.”

Siveril’s thoughts whirled in his head. On one hand, the princess was correct, yet on the other, they could not afford a strained relationship with the duchy. He warred with himself over how to respond, but he went with his gut and put his faith in the young girl that had impressed him, so.

He sighed. “I trust you have investigated the lack of a response by the city guard?”

Duke Dasovron Tiloral’s face grew predatory and Siveril considered that he had made a mistake… for a moment.

“We have found the issue, and it seems my son has not been as strict in rooting out corruption as befits one of House Tiloral. While he did not do anything directly, his lack of holding those in the city accountable led to this. That has been rectified.

“I was awake late in the night considering how to approach this. The attack by Angwin was not within the customs of the Polite War, however, he is even more entrenched with the Crown Prince than I had imagined. I cannot overtly attack one who owes my duchy fealty, but I also cannot risk an escalation with the Crown by censuring him as his liege. I have found myself with my hands tied in a… frustrating way. Your princess, again, provided a clue on what path to follow. Do you know what she asked for?”

Siveril shook his head slowly. He could not fathom what she would have requested.

The duke nodded. “She stated that Ser Siveril Norric is an honorable man who should not be ‘a mere knight.’ It seems that Angwin has made quite the lasting impression on the young royal, and not a good one.

“So, I suspect you have heard that old Normen Varence recently died without an heir. As such his lands passed back into the hands of the duchy. I believe I have come to a decision.”

Siveril’s eyes shot open, but before he could respond, Duke Tiloral pulled out a scroll from a case that had been sitting on the floor next to the chair he stood at.

“I know you hate being in the center of attention if you are the subject. So we will keep this informal. The town of Galehaven is the seat of a small county, however, it lies on an important route into the Kingdom of Meris. I expect you to increase the prosperity of that county and build something that I can trust to defend the duchy, should I request your aid. In fact, due to increased tension along the borders, I may need to provide the county with soldiers who in turn must be beholden to the House that governs it. It is much too burdensome for me to manage that many separate armies.

“Do you believe your liege would approve of her majordomo becoming a Count? I personally think it is more fitting for one of royalty to have someone of higher station run her affairs. Angwin was not entirely incorrect in that regard. Where he erred, was disregarding the man, which to me is always a more important factor in the end. So, what do you say? Count Siveril Norric?”

Siveril held his breath. He had never dreamed of rising above his station, and all it took was believing in a young girl from another world. He straightened his back and gave the duke a deep bow of respect.

“I agree and accept, Duke Tiloral.”

Count Siveril Norric knew exactly what his first act would be. It was time to right a wrong that had been committed against one of the other young ladies in his care. After that?

What came next would not be so polite.

Final Stand

One of the most often used examples of monsterized species is the drakyyd lizard. This is mainly due to the terran reaction to the mutated appearance of the species. According to many of the Displaced, the one variant of the monsterized drakyyd highly resembled what their people called Drakes. A name that spread quickly and started the trend of renaming monsterized creatures. A fact that was later reinforced by discovering that the monsterization process caused by high concentrations of mana actually created and introduced an almost incalculable number of entirely new species to Eona.

- A History of Monsters. 173 SA

House Reinhart was on the move, or at least the entourage and guards of Princess Gwyneth were.

They had made it out of the city without fanfare, and the roads had been fairly clear of people. They traveled north from Strathmore and over the Strath River, along the road to the Naro Pass. A deliberate name because it was a narrow strip of land between the Loduhr Mountains and the Ayeval Forest. The pass was also the quickest way to get to the capital from the Duchy of Tiloral.

Its importance and vulnerability to the Valeni or even the dwarves of Dirn Loduhr were why a large castle was built many years ago by the Crown on the duchy’s side of the pass just before entering the Duchy of Avira. Eventually, the current Crown Prince decided that funds for maintaining it would be better spent elsewhere. So, he convinced his father to organize a token force to oversee the castle and have the Tilorals pay for it.

The Tilorals happily took on the burden… and stationed their own troops alongside the small unit of royal army soldiers. Castle Naro now held a garrison designed to hold out against both a dwarven or Valeni incursion just long enough for the Tilorals to respond with a greater force.

As they traveled along the road, the occasional travelers smoothly moved out of the way for the group of two carriages and two wagons, along with the contingent of guards on horseback. Of those on horses, two were knights with magical abilities, while eight more were members of the two specialist teams of guards.

These were things that Ser Taenya Shavyre had to keep track of. That, and the three ladies-in-waiting, two scholars, seven servants, and twelve other House guards. Not to mention the princess herself. Luckily, the guards were extremely competent, and all it took was for her to give general direction to one of the three senior guardsmen that had accompanied them and they would see it done, whether that meant settling in for the night in one of the many villages or towns along the route or organizing a watch shift.

Evocati Amari had ridden ahead on some temple business and promised to meet them on the road within the next few days or so. Taenya wasn’t sure what that business entailed, but the woman had said that it would be worth it.

The great thing about the route was that there was at least one village or hamlet within half a day’s travel of everywhere they stopped up to a small town that lay a day’s journey from the pass. Beyond that, it was a few days’ trek to the castle, followed by a week to exit the Naro route.

It would take them another three or four weeks to reach the city of Drakensburg.

They were currently on the road after leaving one of the many villages along the route. The stop had been nice, with the group nearly filling the sole inn within the small central plaza. They had been able to relax and plan the route without trying to rush out of the city.

Taenya rode ahead of the caravan with Sabina to her right. Two more guards were ahead of them while the remainder either positioned themselves alongside the carriages or behind the wagons.

She glanced over at the raven-haired elf riding next to her. Sabina looked calm and collected, but Taeya could tell that she was still attempting to reconcile her feelings about the attack on the manor. The high elf had been deeply disturbed by the way she had killed one of the two knights that had attacked her and the princess.

“You alright?” she asked her friend.

Sabina nodded. “I am. Just lost within my thoughts.”

“Do you wish to talk about it?”

“Ask me again in Drakensburg.”

Taenya nodded. I’m here. Okay?

The elf’s ear twitched. ~I know.~

They fell into a contemplative silence for the next hour. The scenery dragged on and the clouds seemed to fill more and more of the skies. Taenya figured they had a few more hours until they reached the next village. It seemed like it would storm soon. Hopefully, it would hold up until they were safely inside the next inn.

With luck, it wouldn’t delay their travels the next day.

She did her rounds and rode along the caravan, making sure everyone was alright and didn’t need anything. They had to stop and allow some of their passengers to relieve themselves, but they soon returned to the journey.

The first sign of potential trouble was the circling birds.

Taenya searched the area, trying to see anything, but all she saw were the sparse trees and the cloudy sky. There was a slight fog rolling in from the distant hills, but still no sign of anything amiss. She looked at one of her Drakyyds, the telv was one of the three senior guardsmen that they had brought with them and one of the men who had been one of the former Tiloral soldiers she and Theran had recruited. Which said a lot, because the duchy soldiers were worth their weight in gold compared to the less-trained royal army men and women. It was rare to poach active soldiers from the duchy, and she knew that a recommendation straight from the duke had a lot to do with it.

“Oren, grab someone and scout ahead. Something is wrong.”

The man nodded, looking in the direction she was looking. “I see the birds. We’ll figure it out and be back soon.”

“Be safe. Any issues and you come back immediately.”

The man saluted and pushed his horse into a gallop, calling to one of the other guards to join him as he passed. She called out to one of the other guards to have her bring word to the others, she would not have her people caught unprepared.

Taenya glanced at Sabina, and the woman caught her eye. ~I do not feel anything.~

That made Taenya feel better. The caravan continued, not slowing despite the potential for danger. There just wasn’t anything that made the knight-captain need to stop. Not yet, at least.

She saw the two guards returning in the distance and moved forward to intercept them. Sabina remained right at her side.

“Ser Taenya! There was an attack ahead. An entire force is… they’re dead, Knight-Captain. Several wagons, horses, and bodies were strewn about. The road is fairly clear though.”

She had a thought, and asked the senior guardsman, “Can you tell how long it has been?”

The man shrugged. “No later than this morning I’d say by the way everything has settled. It… smells. The carrion birds have been feasting all afternoon it seems.”

Taenya nodded and looked at Sabina. “Can you warn the passengers? I’d like for them to remain inside while we investigate. We will keep pushing, perhaps halt the caravan within sight, but far enough away that they do not have to be right near the scene. I will take some with me and investigate.”

“I’ll let them know,” Sabina told her

~Be careful, Taenya.~

I will. After all, my early warning has my back.

Sabina’s returning smile was small as if she didn’t quite believe her.

As the woman moved toward the carriages, Sabina turned back to the guardsman. “Sabina’s Wynvers will remain close to the carriages, grab the rest of the Drakyyds and some of the others, we’ll move ahead.”

It did not take them long to make it to the scene, and the short description Oren had given her did not prepare Taenya for what she saw.

What lay before her was nothing short of carnage. Two wagons were wrecked as if hit by a siege weapon. Bodies were everywhere, arrows, and the very ground was scorched in many places, including around blackened bodies of guards. She got down from her horse and handed the reins to one of her men, before slowly moving toward the wreckage of the wagons, trying to find some sort of identifying marking.

There were still cinders from where one of the two wagons had burned. The other was the site of a final stand it seems. Six bodies lay protective around one other body, their spears and swords scattered–their shields and bodies broken. She glanced at the Drakyyd guard next to her and nodded to the elf woman. They walked closer, and Taenya squatted down next to one of the dead men. His armor had massive tears through the chest plate; gouges that looked like… claws.

She heard the woman gasp, and Taenya turned her head. “What?”

“Ser Taenya, come look… is this..?”

Taenya stood and walked over to the body of the man who the others had tried to protect. He wore an elaborate silver armor with remains of yellow and green fabric lightly blowing in the wind. The armor was dirtied and dented, and drying blood fell from the holes in the helm. The man’s breastplate was pierced in the stomach by three holes almost as large as her fist. It would have taken time for him to die, but Relena had claimed him nonetheless.

She looked at the woman. “Who is it?”

The colors and the armor of the man that had died in such a brutal way weren’t recognizable to her.

In answer, the guard reached down and pulled off the helm in an almost angry way before she discarded the offending piece of armor as if it had personally attacked her.

The face of the revealed corpse answered what her guard had not.

A man who had started a sequence of events that had ended with Taenya dueling the son of Marquess Angwin and the manor being attacked in return. A man who had tried to manipulate Gwyn into an illegal arranged marriage.

A sick man who only wanted more power, and would do whatever it took.

Count Agrond Telford lay dead.

She stood and looked around, the scene becoming more clear in her mind. Here sat a force meant to ambush them. They would have too and it would have been a fight that she wasn’t sure they could have won. Tens of bodies lay dead. Fire had ravaged the scene of battle, and whatever had inadvertently assisted House Reinhart was nowhere to be seen. I am unsure I would want to know what could do this, even if I could.

Of course, that was when she heard it.

In the distance, a massive roar let loose. Something that chilled her to her bones.

A primal cry of rage seemed to shake the very ground she stood on. Her eyes widened and she looked around, the guard with her already grabbing her shield and readying her steel spear.

“We need to get back. Now.”

The woman nodded and they jogged back to the others, everyone was looking around, spears angled so that they could bring them on target quickly. Their heads were on a swivel and Senior Guardsman Oren was calling to her, “Ser Taenya. It came from the northwest.”

She was nodding when she heard someone calling from behind her.

“Taenya!”

Her eyebrows rose and she felt her stress rising. This wasn’t…

“Taenya! Did you hear that?”

She turned, seeing Gwyn rushing over. Her wool kefta of dark blue with an elegant design of flame embroidered in silver thread along the seams. The high collar pulled close just under the girl’s jawline as the chilling breeze gently caught and waved through the young royal’s hair. The coat itself was buttoned together down the front to just below the waist. At her waist was a black belt with a silver buckle that had the sigil of House Reinhart engraved into it. The coat continued until it fell to Gwyn’s shins, where the leather boots could be seen, simple and made to keep her comfortable and warm no matter the weather.

“Gwyn? What are you doing out here? This is not a scene appropriate for a young girl,” she said while giving a pointed look at Sabina.

~She insisted. You know how she can be.~

Taenya just glared at her friend.

“Taenya, be nice to Sabina. I made her. What happened here? Did you hear that sound?”

The telv knight ground her teeth together. “An attack. It seems like… something attacked those here, and I suspect that they were here for us.”

Gwyn’s eyes narrowed and her head darted around as she took in the sight. “Who are they?”

“Count Telford and his men.”

The girl nodded. “Good.”

Another roar sounded and Taenya jerked her head around toward the northwest. “I think you should get in the carriage, Your Highness,” she stated as professionally as possible.

Contrary to her wishes, Gwyn did not agree.

“I am fine. Do you see those wagons? Staying inside did not help them. I can help out better when I can use my magic.”

Taenya raised her hand, but Gwyn cut her off.

“You know I am right, Taenya. Come on, let’s go.”

The telv squinted her eyes in confusion. Go where?

“Where are we going?”

“Toward the sound.”

Taenya’s eyes sounded as another roar sounded, this one sounding almost pained.

“No. That is not a good idea whatsoever.”

The girl sighed. “Taenya, either we go now when we know where the noise is coming from or it surprises us like it did Telford. I would think that us going in prepared is the best idea.”

It stung that the girl had a point, but that didn’t mean Taenya liked it. She was ten. It was Taenya’s job to keep her safe, but the girl kept showing that her use of magic was nearly indispensable.

Gwyn had saved lives when she had swept through the manor like a flaming Hand of Alos. She didn’t know what temperature was needed to burn a body to ash within seconds, but the girl had done it.

Taenya still remembered how the girl had slept for a day straight afterward, over exhaustion from pushing herself to use too much magic and mana. It was something Taenya had resolved to look more into when they reached the capital. Right after they found a doctor for the House. One who could be trusted with magic alongside the two professors.

She sighed. The girl wouldn’t let up, and despite her misgivings, it may be better to have Gwyn with her.

“Fine. You stay close, and if it gets bad, we run. Whatever this is, it took out tens of men.”

Gwyn nodded.

“Understood,” she said as fire built up and started to escape from the corners of her eyes.

She looked around. “House Guards remain back. Wynvers and Drakyyds will join us. Stay in formation. We’re looking for something large and importantly, able to fight an entire force, and from the looks of it, win.”

The group mounted up. Sabina assisted Gwyn with getting up on the horse behind her. She gave some last orders to the senior guardswoman remaining behind, and the woman gathered the rest of the guards into defensive positions around the wagons and carriages.

She could just make out Ilyana peeking her head out from the carriage door with wide eyes and a disappointed frown. That girl may need training. Gwyn needs another close to her that can defend her.

Taenya took the lead as they moved toward where the roars were coming from, the sound not having changed much other than in pitch. It sounds like it isn’t moving away or even closer.

It took them five minutes of slow riding, but then they came upon the source. A blackened, charred land lay in a cone area easily thirty meters at its greatest width, centered on something that chilled her to her bones. At the center, she saw two things. A massive beast that had a passing resemblance to a drakyyd, and the collapsed armored body of a knight by a downed horse.

The beast was massive. Its shoulders were as tall as Taenya’s head… if you included her sitting on her horse. It looked over at them with pained eyes, the red eyes burned as Gwyn’s did. The monster’s deep scarlet scales looked as hard as plate, with fierce spikes that ran down its spine. Its head had a small horn at the tip of its snout, and a crown of fierce horns protruded from the top of its head that rested on top of a long neck. It had a long tail that ended in a diamond-shaped spike. The monster let loose a bellowing roar in their direction, but it didn’t move. It lay curled up and she saw why. A long lance pierced its side, and it seemed just out of reach of both the beast’s massive taloned feet and its maw.

The monster drakyyd drew its head back and then let loose a massive gout of flame in their direction, that fell short almost ten meters.

It roared again, this time the pain was obvious. It lay its head down and closed its eyes, and Taenya thought it may die right then. She heard a gasp and looked over and saw Gwyn staring at the monster, but then Taenya’s heart fell. Gwyn quickly jumped down from the horse, landing in a low crouch, before she got up and started walking toward the monster. Sabina reached down and tried grabbing the girl as she moved to pass, missing and almost toppling over before she caught herself.

“Gwyn!” Sabina cried out.

The girl ignored her as she kept going. Taenya quickly jumped down and moved after the princess just as the monster opened its eyes and let out a roar more furious than any it had done yet. The fierce sound scared the horses, causing them to rear up in fear. The act had a couple of guards tumble from their mounts in a crash.

Taenya turned toward the senior guardsmen for her and Sabina’s teams. “Check them! I got her!” She saw Gwyn jogging toward the monster, and Taenya’s eyes shot open. She started sprinting. “Gwyn! No, come back!”

The girl sped up, fire sprouted around her, and she saw the eyes of the beast widen ever so slightly. It drew its head back.

“No! Gwyn!”

The monster let loose its burning fury and Gwyn disappeared into a massive spout of flame.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn pulled at the red mana and raised her hand as the drake bellowed its flame at her. It was strong, so strong but mana sang to her. She let her Fire Shield flow around her and as the drake’s deep red fire met her orange, she pulled.

The fire rushed around her and then bent back toward her, joining in with the shield that surrounded her. The fire became hers. The drake was hurt, it was just trying to protect itself. Gwyn would help it.

She moved closer, ignoring the screams from Taenya, knowing that the woman wouldn’t let her leave the carriage for the rest of the trip. I have to do this.

The beast lifted its head, growing as she got closer. She put out her hand, fire engulfing her. “It’s okay. I am a friend. I won’t hurt you.”

The drake blew more fire, and she easily caught and subsumed it into her own. There was strength in the fire, but it had a weak connection to the mana. The beast could create fire on its own, with but a small sliver of a song to the red mana. It was impressive in how strong it could be, but its weakness was glaring. Anyone able to manipulate fire could take control of it. If they can sing to the mana well enough.

She felt the fire pour into her shield and felt the flame that was merging with her own. It was different. It was as if the fire itself was not the same as what she could create. Her own fire felt more mundane, as fire should. Gwyn could feel it within the mana, the drake’s fire had an almost regal quality to it. As is fitting.

Dropping her shield, she said, “You are gorgeous. Your fire is so powerful. Strong.”

The drake let out another growl.

Gwyn sighed. “If only you had a better connection to the mana. It was almost enough though, wasn’t it?”

She was within only several paces now, and still, the drake did not move. It seemed to tighten its tail closer to its body. It looked at her warily, as if expecting an attack. There was an intelligence there, one that reminded her of cats.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

She looked back at where the dead man lay. His silver armor was blackened by soot and flame. The man had fought to the end, and though he had not survived the confrontation, he had ensured the drake would die with him. She could respect it if he hadn’t followed such a bad man. Gwyn didn’t know the knight, but she felt you could understand someone by those they followed.

She turned back to the drake. “I am sorry he hurt you.”

The monster let out a rumbling noise, but then it rested its head down and closed its eyes. Gwyn let out a sad chuckle. “You can’t just pretend I am not here, you know.”

A single eye opened and the monster moved its head away.

Gwyn laughed. She took another step and reached out her hand, trying to touch the drake. It turned and nipped at her.

She jerked her hand back.

“Hey!”

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She pulled on the memory of the drake’s fire and sent out a weak burst of a similar flame. Fire lightly flowed over the monster’s face and the drake jerked its head back. It regarded her and drew its head back, before sending a small puff of fire back at her.

Gwyn laughed as she caught the fire and let it curl around her hand and took control of it. A familiar rush filled her, but then the mana surrounding them sang. Red mana filled her unbidden and something inside of her seemed to change. Pulling at it, she lifted her hand in front of her and brought her flame to bear. She could instantly see and feel the difference. Where before was a simple orange fire as you would see in any campfire, now was a flame of deep red with golden lines.

As she stared at her new fire, what sounded almost like distant chimes being rustled by wind filled the surrounding mana and the very core of her being. It was a beautiful melodic sound of bell-like ringing that was nowhere and everywhere. A noise that she had thought was something only she could hear if it weren’t for the sight of the drake also hunting for the sound.

She jerked her head around searching for the source and saw Taenya.

Her telv knight also seemed as if she had heard the ethereal sound, and was looking around. She noticed Gwyn staring and pointed at her.

She waved at her knight just as the woman’s eyes went wide and her arm reached out.

Gwyn felt a shove, and let out a surprised yelp as she fell face-first into the sooty dirt and grass. Rolling over, she looked up at the drake who seemed to have a smug look on its face as it pulled back its head. Pained, but still smug. That jerk pushed me over!

She sighed. Just like a cat would if it could.

Wiping herself off as she stood up, she placed a hand on her hip. “That isn’t nice.”

The drake winced and let out a pained cry. It looked at Gwyn helplessly and then turned and looked toward its stomach where the lance had pierced it.

“Do you want help?”

A growl was its response. It almost whimpered as it shifted itself and moved its head closer to its tail. Gwyn moved so that she could see what it was doing and gasped. The drake looked at her and then looked back down at another drake. This one was small.

It was the same dark red, that was more black with a red sheen, and was about the size of a really big dog, like a great dane. The little drake was also not moving.

The big drake nudged the small one softly with its snout, trying to get it to move. It turned and looked at Gwyn almost expectantly. Gwyn felt tears form as she knew then what had happened.

“You were just protecting your baby.”

A sorrowful sound came from the big drake and it lay its head on top of the small form. Gwyn moved closer, but the drake turned and growled. “Stop. I am trying to help.”

It narrowed its eyes but then moved slightly. Gwyn moved closer and pulled at her Mana Sight. The surrounding arcane energy lit up in her vision and she saw the red of the drake, the green swirling through the ground. With a glance, she noticed her knight had been slowly moving closer, the woman’s deep red shining bright as if the woman was strengthening herself with it.

Gwyn peered down at the baby drake and let out a sob as she realized that there was nothing. She could see the small red core in its chest, but it wasn’t connected to the baby anymore. It was just lifeless.

She looked at the mother and rushed to it. Hugging just behind its eyes, pushing herself against the drake. “I am so sorry. Those mean men did this.”

A rumble vibrated her to her bones as the drake made a sound before it moved and lay its head down. Its eye opened and turned toward her, its feline-like slit gazing at her as she held it.

It drew its head back and she let go. The drake turned and brought its head closer to her. Tilting its head to the side, it closed its eyes and leaned forward. Gwyn reached out and brought her hand and forehead against the drake’s.

“You beat them.”

The drake huffed and heat filled the air around them as if that fact was never in question. Only its ability to survive as well.

She took a step back as the drake lay down fully on the ground. Its breath starting to become more rapid. It looked up at Gwyn with pained eyes and let out a small whimper.

Gwyn placed her hand on its snout, tears streaming down her face. “I am right here. I won’t leave you.”

She didn’t. Eventually, she felt Taenya’s hand on her shoulder, but Gwyn didn’t move. Resolving to remain by the mother’s side, she moved closer to the regal red drake.

Making a pained sound, the mother eventually turned its head and lay down next to the baby. One last look was all she gave Gwyn before it lay there, pointing its head toward its offspring. A position that the drake didn’t leave until it took its last breath; the gaze never moving away from the body of its child.

Gwyn fell to her knees, sobbing. She felt Taenya wrap her arms around her.

They sat like that for who knows how long.

She finally tilted her head up at her adopted aunt. “Why is this world so cruel?”

Taenya gazed down lovingly at Gwyn.

“We have not yet learned the true value of a life. Eona needs people like you to guide it into a future we could have never dreamed of. You and other terrans like your mother have lived better lives. Listening to your stories and tales, and hearing about your world, makes me hope for something better. You are better. No matter what has happened, you have remained strong. Don’t give up on us yet.”

Gwyn nodded. “It’s so hard. There are so many bad people, Taenya.”

The woman smiled sadly. “I like to think that there are some good people too.” Taenya looked at the drake. “Good beings. You have a heart of gold, Gwyn. No one else I know would have rushed to this thing and tried to comfort it in its last moments.”

“She was just a mother, trying to protect her baby. I just saw, mom. I can only imagine what she’s feeling, knowing I am gone. Do you think she is okay?”

Taenya took a deep breath. “If she’s anything like you? Your mother will never stop searching for you.”

Gwyn nodded, before looking at the drake. “Taenya?”

“Yes?”

She took a deep breath. “What will people do when they find her?” she asked, gesturing toward the drake with her head.

“Well–”

“Tell me the truth. Please.”

“They will harvest her for her parts. Research her. See what makes her what she is, and how to effectively kill others like her.”

Gwyn’s breath hitched in her throat. She turned and gave the drake a long look. Trying to think of what the red drake would want. They would never be able to bury her, she was too big. As large as a large van, like those that used to deliver packages.

“Can we bury her baby? And… And I think we should take her core.”

Taenya’s eyes softened. “Of course. I will gather the guards and we will bury her baby with respect. Are you sure you wish for us to… retrieve the core?”

Gwyn nodded.

“Yes. I think I have her fire now. I think it is only fitting that we use the core.” She felt the tiny core attached to her earring. “These have helped me with my magic. In stories in my world, there were people like me. Mages and wizards of great power. They all had something in common, I think.”

Taenya’s eyes scrunched up in thought.

“What is that?’

“A mage staff and a drake’s core will make it stronger than anything else around.”

Then, when I use fire against men like this… It will be like you are helping me, and all the evil will burn. Just like you did in this field.

She placed her hand one last time on the drake’s snout, just behind its horn.

Gwyn walked away as Taenya gathered the guards to set on the task Gwyn had given her. Sabina helped her up onto the horse and started riding back to camp.

She glanced behind them, seeing the guards moving the baby.

The big drake mother’s body lay there, a sorrowful end to what should have been a happy story. Ruined by one who only sought power. Thank you for taking care of that evil man for me. I wish I was here to help you. Maybe we could have been friends.

Sabina reached back and gave her a small squeeze. Gwyn smiled and hugged the woman’s back. I hope you’re okay. I am sorry I pushed you.

~I will be alright. It has just taken time to… reconcile my feelings. I do not blame you. I would do such a thing over again if it would protect you. It’s just difficult on my mind.~

Gwyn squeezed Sabina again. I’ll protect you.

She felt a mental nudge in reply and it made her smile.

Gwyn looked ahead, ready to continue the journey. Sad and happy to have been able to make it to the drake in its last moments, hoping that it had brought a small amount of comfort to not be alone.

The drake also proved something else to the princess. If drakes are roaming the land, surely there are dragons somewhere.

Now, I just need to find them and show off my new flame.

Nothing will be able to harm my family when that day comes.

Avoiding Delays

“Taenya.”

The telv knight stirred in her bed, ignoring the voice calling out to her.

“Taenya. Wake up,” the voice hissed. Closer this time.

Taenya opened her eyes and looked at her friend’s face which was nearly touching hers. She groaned. “What is it, Sabina?”

“Get up.”

Taenya lifted her head enough to look past Sabina at the window, seeing nothing except darkness.

“Why? It’s still night, and why are you in my room?”

“I have a bad feeling. I think… I think we need to leave as soon as possible,” the high elf stated seriously. That yanked Taenya free of any last vestiges of sleep, and she sat up.

“What is wrong?”

Sabina stood up from her crouched position and went over to the oil lamp, lighting and turning it up. The elf turned around. “I do not know. I just have a feeling that we need to move.”

Taenya nodded. She trusted her friend, and whether it was wrong or not, did not matter. If the woman was just being paranoid, well they added more time to get further.

“Let’s get everyone up. Do you want to deal with a grumpy princess or should I?”

Sabina sniffed in response. “I don’t want to be the bad guy, so please feel free.”

The knight-captain of House Reinhart rolled her eyes. “Fine. Have Oren get the guards ready and you get the others.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Taenya yawned as she looked around the caravan from atop her horse. The first rays of the morning were coming up above the horizon and they had already been on the road for easily a bell or two. Her guards were quiet, but alert and the distant sounds of birds or the occasional snort from the horses were the only noises coming from the Caravan.

She knew that most of the passengers were asleep again in the carriages, although she caught small flashes of light coming from the one in which Gwyn resided. The girl is practicing her magic early.

Who was she kidding, nearly every waking moment that didn’t involve duties saw the girl either with her nose in another book or improving her magic.

Sabina rode ahead, her paranoia from before keeping the woman focused. The telltale signs of the woman’s magic emanating from where she rode. Two of the Wynvers rode alongside her as silent protectors. The elf had jerked her head several times as if reacting to feelings, but soon after she had refocused ahead of her. Taenya had asked after the first time, but Sabina had just waved her off, telling her she would alert the group at the first sign of trouble.

An inability to predict or to give enough warning of the attack on the manor had sat uneasily with her friend.

The caravan continued moving along the road, and as the sun started to rise, the conversations began. They broke for breakfast soon after that. It was a quick thing, simply some porridge one of the servants made for the group. While the food wasn’t bad, it wasn’t something fantastic or even really fitting for a princess. Gwyn though had made it seem like the perfect breakfast with how much she had eaten and thanked the chef.

Taenya smiled knowingly. The girl was simply starving from her magic training. She was aware that Gwyn had been working more on control, rather than large and flashy spells. The princess had confided that the process itself was frustrating and took more out of her. She had also encouraged Taenya to work at it. Something the knight had taken to heart. I can’t let a child constantly outdo me.

They were currently on the way to the final town before the pass, a small town called Mardale. It was also where she expected to meet the paladin, Amari.

Turning her head as she heard a horse coming alongside her, she looked over to see Oren approach. “Ser Taenya?”

“Yes, Oren?”

“I would like to request that we use the spare time we will have in Mardale to rest, instead of immediately moving on. I believe it would be prudent for everyone to be at their best before we enter the pass, Ser.”

She nodded. “I agree. While I doubt there will be an incursion, it does help to be ready.”

He glanced to the side. “Not just the Valeni, Ser Taenya. We were talking this morning, and we believe the entrance to the pass may be the most likely place to–”

“To arms!”

Taenya’s head jerked toward Sabina who was in mid-turn. The woman’s eyes were pure black and filled with alarm.

Taenya looked at Oren. “It seems that the pass was too obvious. Get archers onto the carriages. Have them tie themselves down.”

The man nodded. “Understood.”

As he rode off, she turned to the approaching Sabina. “What is it?”

“Riders. I make at least twenty.”

“Where?” Taenya asked as she searched the still-dim morning light.

“They will be coming from behind that hill rise shortly.”

Sure enough, a group of horses came trotting from around the distant hill in formation. The force itself numbered closer to forty than twenty. The caravan hadn’t been spotted yet, but Taenya was wary. The guards were already moving to get ready. They hadn’t identified the force yet, but Taenya knew that cavalry didn’t just move on a whim and the last she knew, the duchy wasn’t relocating any of its soldiers.

Taenya quietly called for the caravan to move slower, and hopefully quieter. She knew it was a long shot because carriages, wagons, and animals were anything but. Sure enough, it was not long until they were spotted.

She called out to the guards, “Prepare yourselves!” Looking over at the four guards that had tied themselves down to the top of the carriages, she was satisfied that they had set shields up that they could hide behind if needed.

Oren shouted orders to the archers, “Do not fire unless you hear me or Ser Taenya call the command! This could be nothing.”

Taenya nodded. No matter how much she believed otherwise, it was good to keep everyone focused on potential outcomes. If she was wrong, it would not do her House service to have an archer fire at an innocent man-at-arms.

The column of horses turned and started riding over the field of grass that lay between them directly toward the caravan. The morning light was still somewhat dim, so she was unable to make out any details of the group, but it was clear that they all had similar armor. Luckily, it did not seem like the full plate of knights such as what she and Sabina wore.

“Let’s move!” she called out and started picking up the pace. The carriages and wagons started bouncing and Taenya swore she heard a shriek from inside one of them.

She kept her eyes on the approaching riders and pulled out her shield. Oren must have seen her because the telv called out for the rest of the guards to do the same. As soon as the riders came within range, she saw a number of them pull out bows and nock arrows.

“Arrows! Cover!”

All of the exposed guardsmen watched as the first volley was released. Taenya observed the arch of the arrows and moved to avoid where they would hit. She squinted her eyes as she realized that the aim was extremely poor.

Another volley was released and it too was poorly fired. Every arrow missed completely. The senior guardsman in charge of the archers called for a return volley and the four on top of the carriages, and the other six on horseback with bows all fired. Her people’s aim was much better and of the ten arrows, six found a target. Unfortunately, of those six, only one managed to hit something other than a shield. One of the riders’ horses went down as the arrow hit it right in the shoulder.

She heard a voice yelling at the riders and the group turned as one and moved to stay parallel with the caravan but at an extreme range. What came next was a back-and-forth firing of arrows. After five volleys from her men and only two more of the riders hit, she yelled for a cease-fire. The riders kept taking individual shots at them, but they weren’t moving closer.

Taenya turned her head. Sabina! Can you hear me?

The elf responded quickly. ~Yes! What is it?~

I need you to read their minds. What are they thinking?

Sabina called out for her wynvers to all move in formation around her. Taenya couldn’t see the woman but it did not take long for Sabina to give her an answer.

~They are corralling us! We’re heading toward a large force directly ahead of us.~

Shit.

~What should we do?~

How far?

Sabina took a moment to respond, but when she did, it sounded alarmed.

~We’re almost there. We need to stop or turn back now! They know about Gwyn’s fire.~

Taenya’s eyes widened and looked forward. All she saw was an early morning fog in the still dim light. Most people would just be getting to work now, how did this force prepare for this?

How did they know? She asked, referring to their travel plans.

~These do not know, they were simply told to meet with the force today and would be used to ride down anyone trying to run. This group did not expect to find us. They’re using what they see as good fortune to ensure we cannot escape.~

She turned and called out. “Slow! Prepare to circle the caravan!”

They needed to create a defensible position. If she could force them into a fight, they could win. After that, who knew? She just needed to get them off of their horses. A spear line would only do so much until they were picked off by arrow fire or simply encircled. That would not do the wagons any favor. If they lit their arrows and targeted the carriages… Shit. I know what I have to do.

Sabina, get to Gwyn. You’re the last wall. We’ve discussed this. Do you remember Gwyn’s code word?

She could almost feel the mental wince that returned.

~I do.~

Taenya glanced at Oren. “Circle! Now! All guardsmen, prepare to defend Her Highness!”

The wagons all rushed to a halt, and the guards quickly moved to take up a position between them and the riders. The riders obviously didn’t expect the caravan to stop and had to make a looping turn to move back in front of them. Taenya moved in front of the two wagons which were positioned in a way to try and provide more cover to the carriages.

“Drivers! Protect the carriages! Archers, volley!” She commanded.

The House Reinhart archers started firing at the riders even as she turned to look around. The four drivers and those that sat with them had already disembarked and were positioning themselves in front of the carriages. Return fire came, and this time they seemed to target–her eyes widened. The horses!

“Protect the horses!”

Twenty arrows were loosed, followed by another twenty, and her men tried to interpose their shields between the volleys. Five still managed to fly true and strike their mounts.

The guards riding the struck horses went down hard, but the remainder quickly reacted and managed to cover them as they were checked. Oren moved the horses out of the way even as her archers kept their exchange of fire. Why aren’t they committing?!

~Taenya! The army is coming!~

Taenya looked back toward the fog and her eyes widened. A battleline emerged from the fog. She felt her heart sink. They’re just keeping us pinned here.

She looked around at her men, who also noticed the approaching army. Oren looked at her. “Ser Taenya, your orders? Should we charge the riders?”

She glanced between him, the riders, and the distant army. Taenya closed her eyes, listening. She heard the arrows coming. She heard her men calling out where volleys would land, her archers calling out their targets. One of the archers yelled for another bundle of arrows. What happened surprised her, there was no despair, no resignation in their voices. If it was possible, the guardsmen seemed even more determined.

Taenya pulled deep, the mana and magic she had been working on, in secret, building. It had been taking shape, and the chance encounter days previous had changed it even more. Her drakyyds knew what was happening and moved to support her. She placed her hands on either side of her body, letting the spell build, feeling rather than hearing the mana growl. As the build-up of mana reached a crescendo, she raised her hands and bid it to form.

Her Summon Animal Spirit spell created a massive cloud of red mist that rose from the ground. The spell itself had two different ways of working, she had learned. The first was that it could summon the form of an animal that had no true spirit. It was made from mana and would act as she demanded.

The enemy riders stopped firing and stared. A man pulled a sword and started shouting orders, but Taenya disregarded him. Her drakyyds formed a line in front of her, raising shields in an act of protection. She still focused on the spell building, the mana swirling within the mist.

The second form of her spell sought a contract or oath with a true spirit of an animal. One that had recently fallen within a certain range from her. She felt a pull at something inside her as a connection sought to form. The animal was still forming, and its spirit fought her summoning. Realization set in that the beast was almost beyond what she could control, and as such, the spell would not last long once it finished. It would take all she had to maintain the connection, and she would be completely vulnerable afterward.

She slammed all of her strength into the spell, forcing her intent and desire onto the spirit of the animal. It growled a deep rumble that caused the nearby horses to rear. It startled some of her men, but Oren quickly ordered the remaining horses back to protect them. The riders dismounted and formed a line with spears at the ready.

Taenya closed her eyes. You will answer to me.

She felt its emotions, felt it fight back. The desire to not submit was strong. Its spirit bowed to no one.

Still she pressed, sending what she wanted from their contract. You are a protector. Help me protect the one I am sworn to.

A bellowing roar came from the still-growing mist. The other senior guardsman shouted a warning of inbound arrows and their focus on the mist. Taenya knew it was folly.

Give us your aid. Answer me.

The animal spirit was angry. It wanted to rest. A feeling of resentment washed over her, and she knew it wanted nothing more to do with the people of the waking world. They had killed it and killed that which it held dear. It did not want to return.

Arrows continued to rain down on the mist, and her guardsmen took advantage of the enemy’s misplaced focus and returned fire. She heard angry yelling from behind her, but was concentrating too hard to turn around.

She again threw her desire at the spirit. They needed it. People would die if it didn’t answer her. Taenya yelled as she pulled more mana into her working, she felt her insides straining. Her core pulsed followed by shooting pain filling her, but still, she focused even as she cried out.

Gwyn needed her.

Protect the one who holds your fire. Protect her from the allies of those that harmed you. Harmed your child. Once they are gone you can return to your rest.

A sorrowful howl signified the choice that was made. Stillness fell over the area for but a heartbeat, but then a roar cut through the silence, a primal sound, filled with hate and rage. One that reverberated through all the mana around them and chilled her to the bone. The red mana of her spell flashed brightly and even she had to shield her eyes until the mist solidified.

In its place stood a red spirit in the shape of a drakyyd, its translucent form was not fully solid, but not quite ethereal. It was no ghost, for it was a being of mana, and its spirit had merged with the red.

It was angry.

The drakyyd stood as tall as the wagons, looking every bit as regal and fierce as she knew it had in life. The massive drake-like animal turned its head and gave her a look, questioning.

She answered.

Them. We do not have much time. They seek to delay us, to let others kill us. They fear us. Take them.

The drakyyd needed no further instruction, and with a furious roar, charged.

The group of riders made to move out of the way, but the drakyyd was too quick. It crossed the distance between them in three leaps, crashing into one of the horses and its rider. While the spirit may not have been made of flesh and bone, it was solid enough that when it hit, the horse and rider went flying. The riders scattered, but they weren’t broken. Those with bows launched arrow after arrow at the drakyyd. While any with spears lashed out with their weapons. Taenya felt every hit as if it were raindrops falling on her, her connection giving her awareness of how stable the Drakyyd Spirit was.

The riders and spirit seemed to almost be playing a game. They tried to ride circles around it while peppering it with arrows or stabbing at it with their spears, and the spirit would leap and take down a rider and swat another one as it passed. Already it had taken down five and it had not even been fifteen seconds, but Taenya knew she didn’t have much longer.

She felt exhaustion start to set in. The connection to the spirit was too much for her to handle due to its large size. Every spirit she had summoned before had been much smaller. The largest being thus far had been no bigger than a large jungle feline. Oren saw her faltering and called for the archers to increase their firing.

Taenya watched several more horses go down, and it seemed that the drakyyd itself felt the connection waver. It glanced at her before it narrowed its eyes and roared. It lowered itself and then put everything into a single leap. It crashed right in the middle of five riders and bowled them all over. Another quick leap and swing of its tail managed to knock over more.

“Target the horses! Force them to ground!” Her telv senior guardsman shouted. The archers deliberately focused on the riders’ horses, with more and more being hit by their combined arrow fire as the drakyyd rampaged through their ranks.

Taenya swayed on her saddle as she tried to maintain the connection, pulling more and more mana into herself. She knew it was too much. She had managed to maintain the spell for nearly another thirty seconds before two of her team caught her as she toppled over, and her connection to the spirit was lost.

~Taenya!~

As her guards moved her behind the line, she noticed the riders moving their way. She looked over at Sabina, seeing Gwyn standing behind the elf and being held back by one of the guards. Wide blue eyes filled with fear stared back at her.

Taenya thought of one thing, even as she felt her vision going black, overexertion taking her.

She remembered the word that Gwyn had taught them. A word that would tell Sabina that she had to do whatever she could to protect the princess. Taenya said it in her mind as loudly as she could.

Pandora.

As her vision faded and she felt herself falling asleep, the sky itself blotted out into inky blackness.

Pandora

Gerard just knew that they had to act.

The enemy knight had fallen from her mount after that damned magical beast was finally slain. He had been warned about the princess’ fire magic, but she had yet to use it. He hadn’t been warned about a knight that could create magical beasts bigger than a carriage. Now, his men were in a poor tactical position. Half of the men were now dismounted, a quarter were injured or dead, and the enemy archers were picking his horses off.

He had meant to force the caravan toward the army so that the princess could be overwhelmed. That opportunity was gone. Now they had to strike as hard as they could to hopefully stop the girl before she could bring her magic to bear.

He paused, staring at the sky. The morning light… was dimming.

Gerard looked around, confused. His men were speaking nervously.

The sky turned black.

A third magic user? They need to act immediately. They couldn’t give the small caravan time to breathe. If his unit didn’t overwhelm them now, they risked not only becoming combat ineffective, but letting them escape.

Gerard glanced at his men and raised his blade. “Attack!”

The dismounted men started running. He had his horse move in a circle so he could check on his men, then kicked it into a gallop toward the caravan.

A black mist surged from the knight that stood with the princess until she was quickly lost in the expanding abyss. The mist grew so quickly that he had no time to even yell as it overtook his entire group.

Gerard’s eyes went wide as all of the horses suddenly skidded to a stop and reared up, screeching in fear as they did. His world turned upside down as his horse balked and the saddle failed him. Gerard’s hand grasped at air as he toppled and lost the sword in his fall. He tried to twist only to have his breath forced from his chest when his side slammed into the ground.

Gerard was groaning even as he quickly rolled to the side so that his horse wouldn’t trample him.

All of the horses made the most terrifying noises as they attempted to do whatever they could to get away from the blackness around them. Gerard watched helplessly from the ground as two of his men were crushed under the stampede of the fleeing mounts.

He stood up warily. Pain shot through his torso and he knew one of his ribs was broken. Staggering a few steps, Gerard reached down and picked up his sword, wincing as he did. His eyes darted around before he saw his shield laying nearby. Quickly grabbing it, he pulled it onto his arm and strapped it tight before taking in the battlefield.

Gerard’s eyes went wide and his hearing seemed to muffle as his ears filled with ringing. He winced and rubbed at his ear with his sword hand. He tried calling out to those around him, but it was as if no one could hear him. Several were also rubbing at their ears, so he assumed whatever was plaguing him, also affected them.

It became obvious what was happening as soon as the demonic whispers and hissing filled the air.

All around his people, forms started appearing in the thick mist. The origin of the hissing and whispers, demons that looked as if they were made of shadows had materialized from thin air, each with their own sword and shield. They looked vaguely like Loreni, but sprouting from their heads was a crown of horns. Their swords were gripped by hands that sported massive claws. Their shimmering black form seemed to constantly shift as if they weren’t fully solid. Their weapons look solid enough.

Before his men could freeze in fear, he cried out, “To arms!”

No one seemed to hear him, it was almost as if–

“Attack! Focus on the demons,” he yelled, waving his hands to get the attention of those around him.

Several of his people caught his eye and he motioned with his hand to attack.

With a collective screech of maws that opened unnaturally wide, the demons sprung into motion. They attacked as if each were watching and awaiting his orders. Even before his people could move, they were upon those closest to them.

The men and women under his command around him instantly went on the defensive. Gerard himself had to bring his shield up as a nearby demon brought a mace down on it hard. The muffled sound was unfortunately not indicative of the force behind it, and his legs nearly buckled as he blocked the strong strike.

One of the female high elves from his unit nearby said something, but it came out quietly. It was as if all he could hear were whispers of those around him. The black-haired woman called out again, but then just shook her head as he looked at her with confusion, and darted forward. Quickly adjusting his movements to work with the skilled soldier, they launched themselves at the demon with sword and shield. The demon was surprised as both Halon and the woman worked together to quickly bring it down. He nearly cried out in shock as the demon seemed to dissolve into the black mist right in front of them.

He could just make out what the woman had said as he strained to hear her speak again.

“Good job! There are more, I’ll get these.”

Gerard shook his head as she committed to an attack on other demons around them. It seemed weird, but it was almost as if the woman’s lips did not fully match up with the words that came from her.

We need to end this quickly before the demons affect us too much.

He looked around, trying to gauge how well the fight was going.

Even as he watched, four of his soldiers were quick in rushing the demon’s exposed backsides. He actually stopped and focused on their fight, such was the efficacy of their assault. A telv woman tore into the demons with reckless abandon while the two high elf men with her spread out and also launched into their own fights. The last of the four, a high elf woman moved slowly and with a methodical precision that he could respect as she proceeded between other groups of the unit attacking the demons already being fought. I need to reward those four after this.

“They have their fight in hand. Focus on those around you!”

The sound of battle crashed into him, the sounds of his people yelling and fighting assaulted his ears. He gasped and looked at the high elf soldier that had spoken before. “Was that you?”

She looked slightly frustrated. “What?”

He shook his head, but then his eyes went wide as he saw a form appear behind her. “Look out!”

The woman turned and parried a strike from one of the demons while a second rushed another of the soldiers near them. Her movements seemed to almost blur as she attacked with a ferocity that surprised him. He found a target and swung at it, but a deft dodge allowed the demon to throw a counter at him. Gerard caught its counterattack with the edge of his shield, throwing the monster off balance, and lashed out, catching the demon off guard.

As it turned to mist, he thought he caught sight of the high elf woman taking a hit to her arm, but then she just shrugged it off and struck back, killing the demon. She isn’t wearing armor, that should have cleaved her arm off. Maybe she dodged it?

He turned just as the other soldier with them was pushed off balance. The demon lifted its sword to strike and Halon moved to shove the telv out of the way. Pain shot through his ribs at the movement and he stumbled, forcing him to watch helplessly as the demon’s blade came down on the man’s shoulder. Screaming out in pain, the man fell away. Knowing he had to move quickly to help the man, Gerard knocked the demon’s sword away and stabbed out. The thing tried to parry, but missed and let out a guttural hiss as Gerard pierced its side.

With barely enough time to remove his blade from the one he had just pierced, a large demon snarled as it charged him. Gerard dodged at the last moment and swung his sword at the abyssal thing as it passed. It too collapsed back into mist as his sword removed its head from its shoulders. There are so many…

Gerard turned, heavily breathing, and went to find the man, but he wasn’t where Gerard thought he would be. His head jerked left and right as he searched, but all he found was a demon that appeared to be injured. Gerard’s eyes narrowed, it was the one that had attacked his soldier. The abyssal creature was currently on the ground grabbing at its shoulder and hissing.

He shook his head. I thought I stabbed its side.

“Don’t stare at it! Kill it before it kills another one of us!” The high elf soldier shouted. The woman used the free moment to quickly pull her hair into a ponytail, her eyes darting around as she did, searching for another target.

As the captain of the unit, it stung to be called out twice in one fight, but the woman was right. Gerard had to kill it, then he would go assist others. He moved forward and quickly stabbed down at the demon, ending its hissing as it collapsed into the mist.

He glanced behind him and saw one of his telv men desperately fighting a demon and stealing looks his way as if he needed assistance.

It was like every time a demon killed one of his men, another was summoned. Gerard was barely keeping up.

“Another. To your right.”

The high elf woman yelled out again, and Gerard was thankful as he got his shield up just in time to block a strike. A parry and a dodge of a follow-up swing were all he had to do before he managed to thrust his blade through the demon’s stomach. It dissipated just like the others.

He turned to go assist the telv who had been getting pushed back… just in time to see a demon approach the telv from behind.

“Behind you!”

“Captain! There are too–” The man called out before getting stabbed through the back. The high elf woman then grabbed the demon by the chin and exposed its neck before stabbing it hard. He started to turn away, but he narrowed his eyes and quickly glanced back. The woman was already moving to fight another demon, but everything seemed fine. I could have sworn she was wearing different armor a second ago.

She turned her head toward him, pointing ahead. “We have to get through the mist.”

He looked around at his people, repeating the sound decision. “Form up! We have to get through this mist. Protect each other!” He barked out.

Gerard nearly snarled as he parried another attack just in time. It was all he could do to protect himself, let alone pay attention to his men. The demons, unfortunately, did not let them form together as the attack on his men intensified.

Fortunately, that aggression left the demons overextended, and his men took advantage. With the high elf at his side, they started to push the demons back. At least what few men he had left were, and as they moved forward, he caught sight of a small shape in the distance with a larger one next to it. It’s her!

He pointed the two out to the woman at his side. She nodded, lowering her voice to a snarl. “There she is. Get her.”

“We almost have them! Push forward!” He yelled to everyone around them.

He rushed ahead, slicing through another demon as he did, the high elf doing all she could to keep up and cover him. The shapes became more visible the closer they got, and he saw the knight, her black eyes widening in surprise as he approached sword in hand.

She said something with fear in her voice, but he ignored her. They had to get to the girl. Stop her before she could bring her magic to bear. The knight lifted her hands as if she were surrendering, but he knew it was a ruse, her magic still hadn’t ended. Gerard quickly thrust his blade through her armorless stomach and moved to the girl as the elf fell.

~Kill her!~

He didn’t even hesitate as he swung at the screaming princess.

“I got her. Take the rest, we have won!” Gerard shouted out, his sword lifted to the sky. His comrade saluted him with her sword, before gazing around with a content look. She looked proud and happy. He felt the same. They had done well this day. Lord Angwin would bestow a princely reward upon them for this act.

He turned around and looked down at the knight as she took her last breath. A satisfying expression of both fear and surprise was frozen on her face.

The mist started to disperse, and the demons all dissolved into black clouds that dissipated almost immediately. That woman used demonic magic. This House was filled with pure evil, but they’re dead now.

He said a quick prayer to the Goddess of Death, Relena. May you pass final judgment on their evil souls.

As if the goddess had heard him, the morning light returned with a vengeance and cut through the darkness. The field became brighter, and relief filled him as he realized that the demon summoner’s magic would die with her.

He closed his eyes briefly as he felt the wind rush by him, reveling in the feeling. They had won. The House that had killed his liege’s son was gone. The princess that had used magic against loyal nobles of Avira was no more. The knight that killed Lord Nicolas, where is she? Her head would be mounted on a pike.

Gerard opened his eyes. He froze at what he saw.

What? No…

The men and women of his unit were strewn across the field in front of him. The caravan was in the distance as if he had turned around completely and run the opposite way. Confusion overwhelmed him as he saw the princess standing there with one of her knights, the one that had fallen from her horse was at her side. The high elf demon summoner was nowhere to be seen.

Quickly jerking around, he looked at the two he had just killed. On the ground were two of his soldiers. The unit’s medic was dead with a stab wound in her stomach, and another soldier’s body tumbled over from where the man had been on his knees being tended to.

Swinging back around, he took in the sight of his men and women. They all seemed to be in various positions as if they’d fought each other. His mind went blank.

It wasn’t possible.

~You did this. You killed your own men. Betrayed them.~

A voice taunted him. Mocking him. Even now he heard it as if it were speaking directly into his mind.

How? The demons… The demons, he’d killed them. They’d won. His mind whirled. Gerard’s breathing quickened.

~You were quite skilled as you slaughtered them with such fervor. It’s too bad that you follow such an evil man.~

“No no no…”

“Yes,” came a sneer to his left. He turned and the high elf woman from before was there. His eyes went wide and he tried to bring up his sword but the woman stabbed through his chest before he could do anything. Gerard gasped, but he still tried to raise his blade.

The woman’s form shifted, and a wave of black mist revealed the demon summoner. Eyes that seemed like two pools of the blackest ink stared into his. His eyes darted to the right, movement catching his attention, the four he had seen before strode between the prone forms of his people like acolytes of evil. They looked different, a single pauldron with an engraved wyvner gleaming in the renewed light as the disciples of the summoner stabbed at any of his people that so much as twitched.

His eyes turned back to the woman holding him up by her blade.

“How?” He choked out.

The woman simply looked down in response. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened. Gerard stood over a pit of pure black. Souls of the damned reached up at him.

Terror filled him. “Relena save me!”

The woman yanked her sword back.

Gerard’s arm dropped and his sword slipped from his fingers.

He fell into the abyss.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sabina turned around, letting the cavalry captain fall to the ground, and dispelled her hallucination as she did.

Her wynvers stood and saluted her and she gladly returned it. They had performed admirably, and she was proud of them. She was proud of herself. Sabina smiled as she lifted her hand, looking at the ring Gwyn let her borrow. It had helped so much and provided her the strength to act without having to resort to manipulating anyone’s mind directly.

She approached the carriage where Gwyn and Taenya stood and the girl ran up to her, hugging her.

“You’re okay! That was scary, Sabina.”

Sabina nearly froze.

Gwyn noticed and squeezed her tighter. “I was scared that you would get hurt. There were so many of them and just you five.”

Taenya nodded and reached out. “You did well. I am proud of you.”

Sabina clasped the woman’s arm, feeling her friend’s usually locked-up emotions leaking out. She was tired, happy that Sabina was alright, and worried, but determined.

Sabina smiled, dipping her head. “Thank you.”

The telv knight sighed as she looked around at the gathering guards. Sabina pulled back from the two and looked around.

“We still have the approaching army. We need to leave, if we head back toward Strathmore, we should be fine,” Taenya said, uncertainty lacing her tone.

“No.”

Taenya and Sabina looked down at Gwyn in surprise.

“No? What do you mean, Your Highness?” Taenya asked, formally for the benefit of the guards surrounding them.

Gwyn stood straight and stepped forward, turning as her gaze bored into all of those gathered. She took a deep breath and gestured toward where the army was in the distance.

“No more. Those people have harmed us and attacked us. Twice. They think they can do whatever they want. Back in my world, actions have consequences. Our people… Our family has been killed. They will not stop until we are dead.” She pointed at them and swept her finger across all those there. “…until all of you are dead.”

“Your Highness… Gwyn, we cannot fight that army. There aren’t enough of us.”

Gwyn shook her head sadly. “You two… my wonderful knights. You have both pushed yourself. You have shown them what magic can do. Taenya, you are our sword and shield, our defender.”

Sabina’s back straightened as the young girl looked away from the telv knight and at her. “Sabina, you are the darkest night. The shadows that cover us in the day.” She turned around and looked at the guards. “All of you. You are brave and you have overcome all odds. Every time you have fought, it has been against more people than we have. You are the best House Guard anyone could ask for, and I am proud that you have chosen to be with me.

“That drake that we found was a mother protecting her baby, her family. And those people attacked her. Killed her and her baby. She fought to her last breath and took Count Telford and all of his men down with her.

“I want to find my mom. I miss her, but I can’t do that if we are constantly having to fight evil men. This is our stand, and like that drake, we are going to kill everyone that tries to hurt our family. I don’t want us to die, but I am sick and tired of this Polite War.

“Those monsters believe they can win. They have sent so many people to fight us. Do you know why? Because they are scared! Taenya, Sabina. We have all used our magic, but we haven’t used our magic together. I know you are both tired. You have pushed so much. There is no time to rest, and there is nowhere to run from this. We end it now.” She punctuated the end with a gesture.

Oren and the other guards looked between each other and then down at the princess. All of the guards lowered themselves to a knee as one. The telv senior guardsman spoke up. “Your Highness… My princess, we are with you. We are at your command.”

Sabina glanced at Taenya and nodded. The woman closed her eyes, a tear falling. She’s scared, but not about herself. She’s scared for Gwyn.

Gwyn looked between Taenya and Sabina.

“Sabina? Bring back the night. Taenya, I need something that will make them pause. Can you bring her back again?”

Taenya nodded. “Not for long, but yes. I think so. Oren?”

“Ser?”

“I will need to be watched. I… I do not know how this will go.”

Sabina looked down at her hand, took a deep breath, and removed the ring. “Gwyn, you will need this.”

The princess smiled as she returned the ring to her finger. “Thank you, Sabina.”

“What would you have of your Guard?” Oren asked.

“First, we need to get the wagons and carriages back. I want our people safe, I am sure Sabina knows how scared they must be. They have been locked in there since all of this started.” Sabina nodded, confirming the emotions she felt emanating from the two carriages. Gwyn continued, “After that? All any of you have to do is cover me.”

Sabina heard Taenya’s breath catch in her throat.

“What are you going to do?” Sabina asked.

The princess’s expression turned almost sad. ”It is time Angwin learns the consequences of attacking House Reinhart. That army?” She said, pointing again.

Gwyn lifted her other hand in front of herself and formed a fist, a deep red flame with golden edges engulfing it. “It will burn.”

Overcoming Obstacles

Gwyn stared at the army arrayed against them with fury. They continued toward them slowly, as if their victory was inevitable. As if the fact that their other force was defeated meant nothing. It reminded her of the arrogance Count Telford had shown. They believed they were superior, and thus they were. No question, just absolute belief. It grated at Gwyn. The whole system was broken.

Gwyn knew it needed to be torn down. Taenya had said she could be the change those of this world needed. She didn’t see how. All she could see was a path of death and destruction. Perhaps that was what her knight meant. That it should be burnt to ash so that something new could arise from it. Something better.

That was something Gwyn could do.

Starting now.

With a severe feeling of deja vu washing over her, she looked to the right, seeing Taenya in her armor, helmet on with the visor down. The knight’s armor wasn’t quite gleaming as in her previous vision, but the dragon on her shoulders was immediately recognizable.

To her left stood Sabina, her armor matched that of Taenya’s except that her helmet was formed to accommodate her long elf ears. There was no army at her beck and call. Just twenty guards and her two knights. Approaching them were over two hundred soldiers of House Angwin.

Still, her people stood resolute. They had complete faith in her, and she would not fail them. There would be no army to defend her as she cast magic, no flaming phoenixes to send at the enemy to lay waste. There would be no talking. No negotiations. When those who took up arms against them entered her range, she would attack. She just needed Taenya and Sabina to get them to pause.

Then they would burn.

✦ ✦ ✦

Taenya took a deep breath. She knew she should be resting. Her mind felt… strained as if she were mentally exhausted. Her connection to mana was taut and felt like it could snap if she pulled too hard.

Still, I have to do this. Just enough until Gwyn can start. Enough to make them hesitate.

The army was nearly at the point where she needed to cast. She felt for her connection to the Drakyyd Spirit. It was there, strong. The spirit wanted to be unleashed, to wreak havoc upon those of House Angwin.

One last time. Then you may rest.

A rumble came from the mana around them.

Taenya started casting her Summon Animal Spirit.

Red mana flowed through her and at a position in front of their line. The guards didn’t even flinch as the mist grew and the drakyyd’s deafening roar emitted from the red cloud. Her spell reached the point where it no longer needed her to fuel its summoning, so she lowered her hands. The spirit was fueled by the mana she provided it, and her connection through her core was tenuous at best. Until the connection was severed and the drakyyd returned to the mana, she simply needed to pour mana into the working.

For the first time, Taenya felt a pang of jealousy for Sabina and Gwyn. Their connections were so much stronger. She knew the why. Taenya had a lot of time to figure out the nuances of her magic.

Taenya wasn’t a pure magic user.

Sure, she could summon animal spirits and some other lesser magic, but she was also able to use her magic in a similar way to Theran. Mana seemed to affect the people of her House in three ways. There were pure magic users like Sabina and Gwyn, and physical users, like Theran. That knight could use mana to strengthen him physically, and he was able to do so much to great results.

Taenya could do both. It was both frustrating and exciting. She could use mana to augment her physical attacks as she had done in the duel with Angwin’s son, or she could use magic. That, unfortunately, had revealed that she would never be as strong in a single area as those of a pure connection. Sure, she was a bit more versatile, but something could be said for big, flashy spectacles such as Sabina’s dismantling of the cavalry and what Gwyn was surely about to do.

One positive was that Sabina’s magic had less of an effect on her. Not that she didn’t trust her friend, but it meant that other mind mages would struggle as well. Perhaps that was a benefit of having a more mental connection to mana as well.

Whatever it was, she knew that her abilities were getting stronger with each rush she felt.

Her spell started to solidify, the contest of wills negligible with the spirit already entering into a bond through oath and contract.

With the same flash of red mana, the Drakyyd Spirit erupted from the mist with a roar. A surge of emotions came from it. The spirit felt protective of Gwyn, it had felt the girl’s fire. It bowed its head toward the girl, and Gwyn smiled as she nodded in return.

As soon as the beast spoke its fury, a black mist rushed from Sabina. The sky turned black, as the woman added her own spells to the mix. Then, Taenya saw what they’d all been waiting for. The ripple of troops halting of their own volition.

✦ ✦ ✦

It was time. The army stopped, and she could just barely hear people shouting orders as day turned to night and the drakyyd rushed at them. Shields were raised and spears were lowered.

Exactly as she wanted.

Gwyn felt her connection to her mana sing, she pulled at the mana and formed her spell.

She closed her eyes, feeling at the mana. It sang and it listened, but it was without direction. It reached out to her, and she reached back with a nudge. Gwyn sang her desire, putting her intent into her spell. She needed the army to hesitate more. To make them freeze in place.

Her Aura of Winter was a spell that normally would center on herself–at least from the times she’d practiced with it. She needed something that worked like Sabina’s Obfuscating Mist. Gwyn felt her connection to mana strengthen as it started to realize what she wanted. Her hands frosted over and she raised them, the mana felt heavy almost like she was lifting weights.

The air around her grew frigid and she focused on the direction the spell would go. She imagined the swells of water in the ocean as they crashed against the rocks. Gwyn then took that image and chilled it until the spell would form the way she wished. She knew that her connection to mana was strong, but trying to force too much into her spellwork would leave her defenseless and vulnerable like Taenya when she had pulled too much.

It was a concept that she had been delving into, and it seemed that mana itself desired to provide answers. Her connection to mana was like a rubber band. Normally, when she wasn’t using it, it was loose. However, the more she pulled at it, the stronger the tension. If she used too much mana, it would do one of two things to her. It would either snap back and hurt her, or it would break. A forceful breaking of a connection is what happened to Taenya.

Likewise, using too much mana for extended periods could cause other issues. These resulted in things that Ms. Rolfe liked to call Mana Sickness or Mana Exhaustion. It seems her knights would also need to join their lessons.

That can come later, Gwyn. Don’t get distracted.

She breathed in deep and exhaled a nice foggy white breath. She pulled her fists into herself and then… pushed. A Wave of Frost as wide as the army in front of them started just in front of the drakyyd spirit that Taenya had summoned. Sweat was already forming on her knight’s head.

“Now, Taenya!”

The only indication that she heard her was the drakyyd leaping into motion. The massive drake launched itself after the wave of frost, using it as a screen. It was as if it could see through all the black mist and the frost because as it neared the army, it leaped right over the front line and landed in the center of the formation.

Gwyn smirked and focused on the outsides even as the drakyyd started laying waste to the center. She pulled at her favored mana and felt the air around her instantly heat up. Gwyn knew her eyes were burning, and it filled her with glee as she imagined how she looked.

Her draconic flame swirled inside of her and she cast Pillar of Flame on both outer wings of the enemy’s formation at the same time. Twin pillars of red and gold fire surged upward in the midst of the enemy.

Instantly the formation collapsed. Those in the center were fighting desperately against the drakyyd, who, if Taenya’s condition was any judge, would dissipate any time… And there it goes.

Gwyn quickly formed as many Fireballs as she could and launched them at the army even as the men tried to turn around from where they had been fighting the large animal spirit.

Scarlet fire exploded all along the front lines causing men to cry out as they fell into smoldering heaps and she aimed two more Pillars of Flame in the center areas of the formation that were still trying to regroup. Gwyn instantly followed up by aiming another one where a group of archers was attempting to form up. The men wore fabric that seemed to simply ignite as the pillar burst around them. The act caused those around them to have to try and help them.

A shout came out from the enemy and suddenly all sense of order collapsed. The army surged forward at them, but Gwyn and Taenya had already thinned their numbers significantly.

Gwyn pulled at her mana, remembering how she had formed her Wave of Frost and applied her red mana to the concept. She felt her connection with mana tighten significantly as she cast the spell. She narrowed its focus slightly and then let loose an Inferno Wave. The spell was only a third as wide as the one of frost and it moved a bit slower, but its effect on the army was far more immediate. The charge halted immediately and turned as everyone sought to flee the oncoming flame.

~They have called for a retreat.~

She watched as the wave caught the rear of those trying to run, and felt satisfaction as even more of their enemies fell, burning.

Gwyn was about to turn and speak to her people when she heard horns. Her eyes widened. “Sabina? What is that?”

Taenya looked up wearily, the knight swaying slightly on her feet. “I don’t see anything.”

Sabina’s eyes closed and her black mist fell away and the day returned.

What she saw made her gasp. “More people?”

A large group of people on horseback were charging the army. From what Gwyn could see, they easily numbered about three-quarters of what remained of those on foot.

“Look at their armor!” Senior guardsman Oren yelled out.

Gwyn squinted as she tried to look close and what she saw made her eyes go wide. She heard Taenya suck in a deep breath.

“It’s the Paladins of Alos. It seems that Amari got tired of waiting on us,” Taenya said.

Angwin’s army tried to form a line, but their disorganized retreat had left them in no position to prepare for any size force attacking them from the rear. The paladins in their shiny red armor crashed into the army in a way that her spells never could. Two lines of men and women were simply trampled before a single paladin even made to swing their blades.

What had been a defeat for the army, turned into a slaughter and within five short minutes, over two hundred people from Angwin’s forces were dead and not a single paladin was even injured.

Taenya took a deep breath and Gwyn saw her look at Sabina. “It seems that we should be nicer to Amari.”

Gwyn huffed a hesitant laugh. “You better after this.”

Sabina nodded. “Let us get to the carriages and wagons. We should meet up with her.”

Gwyn took one last look at the battlefield and turned around. She needed to check on her people.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sabina looked around and sighed in relief as she took in the sight of the entrance to the inn that they would be staying in while in Drakensburg. It was considered one of the nicest locations for traveling nobles to reside within the city. Aleanora’s mother did well.

The paladin, Amari, raised a brow and gave her a look as she stepped around her and entered the inn. Two of Sabina’s wynvers walked by behind the woman, staying close as she’d ordered. They would move to shadow Gwyn as she got settled in and assist her in whatever she needed.

Sabina had so much to do, but all she could do was just stand there.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and the lack of any emotion emitting from the source told her who it was.

“You going to stand there or go in?” Taenya asked.

“I… I am going in.” She tried to take a step but Taenya pulled her back, moving close and whispering into her ear. Sabina shivered instinctively as a chill went down her spine.

“Are you alright?”

Sabina nodded. ~I am. Just relieved to be here. Will the capital really be safer?~

~If it isn’t… we will face it together. We just need to look after that girl.~

“You’re right. This is going to be a long winter, isn’t it?”

Taenya squeezed her shoulder and pulled her closer. “It will only be long if you snore.”

Sabina squinted her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Her friend chuckled. “Did I forget to mention? You and I are sharing a room.”

Sabina groaned. “You’re the one that snores!”

This is going to be a long wait until the Festival of Love.

As if her friend could read her mind she chuckled. “It’s only forty days or so, Sabina. The Festival of Hearth begins next week. I think Gwyn will enjoy it.”

I hope so. She definitely could use something to take her mind off–

Sabina’s eyes shot open. She just had an idea and one that would help her with all of her issues as well as others like her.

~Taenya? I think I have something to discuss with you during this time. In secret. I could use your help.~

Taenya paused and looked into her eyes, seeing the seriousness on her face. She reached forward and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I will always have your back, my friend.”

Sabina smiled. It felt good to have those that cared for you.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn sat on her bed. Her knees to her chest. Tears stained her cheeks and she just rocked herself back and forth. I’m sorry, mom. I had to. They were going to hurt us. I’m sorry.

She cried. People kept trying to hurt them, and take advantage of her.

They were lucky that no one had been killed. A few guards had been hurt, but nothing serious. She felt like she was getting stronger, but it still felt like it wasn’t enough.

People are aware of what I can do now. Every new group seems to try and be ready for me.

All it would take was for an adult with magic and she would not be able to protect her people. She knew she could only do so much. She was a kid. Her magic wouldn’t be enough one day.

And that day everyone will die, and it will be my fault.

They were stuck here in this new city for over forty days… and she hated it. She wished she could do something. Instead, she constantly had to do whatever the adults planned for her. Why can’t I just be older? I wish I wasn’t so… small.

She squeezed her eyes shut as more tears came.

Mom could be out there right now, and I won’t know. I can’t help her. I need to help her. What if she’s… dead?

Gwyn played with her ring, rotating it on her finger as she rocked herself, trying to calm herself down. Trying to not use her magic.

I wish I had proof. Anything.

Just knowing she was alive would be enough.

She couldn’t even be the one to go look for her. Gwyn had to go to school. A stupid academy, and not even able to see Sabina and Taenya except for the weekends. Lorrena would be there, but that’s it. Ilyana may be in the other part of the school, the one for older kids… that just meant she’d be close enough to know she was there, but still not able to see her.

It was horrible.

There’s Roslyn. She’ll be there.

Gwyn took a deep breath. That one fact made everything better. She’d have Roslyn with her at the school. Her best friend. Someone who would make waiting for any information about her mom better. A person who wouldn’t judge her in moments like this.

A person whose shoulder she could cry on.

I miss you, Roslyn. I’ll be there soon.

She wiped away the snot and tears and pulled at her mana, letting her Frozen Heart settle into her.

Gwyn Reinhart put her smile back on and stood up.

She had to be strong just a little while longer.

She could continue to fake it until she makes it.

Just a little while longer.

Mommy? Please hurry.

✦ ✦ ✦

Roslyn heard the knock at the carriage door and sat up as Ser Roderick stuck his head in. “My Lady, we have arrived.”

She nodded and brushed her dress down and pulled her cloak tight as a slight breeze slipped through the crack. “Thank you, Ser Roderick.”

The man nodded and exited. She shivered and grabbed the blanket next to her, pulling it over her legs. It is freezing!

After leaving the dwarven Under-Nation of Dirn Loduhr, they had continued their journey nearly without pause to the capital despite the weather. They brought numerous carriages and wagons with supplies to ensure they would be alright during the journey. An absurd amount of guards had joined them, and Roslyn was not sure why they were needed. I never needed that many to travel to Maireharbora.

It had been so cold. They had traveled straight through the Festival of Hearth, choosing not to stop for winter, and made good time to the city. The guards had set up so many campfires during the night to keep them warm. The ovens in her tent barely kept her warm and if not for the furs she slept under she would have frozen.

I wish Gwyn was here. She’d keep me warm… Roslyn blushed, mentally swatting away the errant thought.

She waited as the carriage moved and stopped again, before jerking into motion once more. Roslyn glanced out of the window as they entered the city, gazing up at the massive gate they were moving through. The Gate of Kings. It was the gate that moved directly into the noble ward of the city, and then from there to the palace and the royal administrative center.

There were few people out and about, but the city seemed to be well maintained with street sweepers shoveling and removing snow from the boulevard. I wonder how Gwyn is doing in Drakensburg?

I hope her trip was peaceful and warmer than mine.

Roslyn snorted. Of course, it’s warmer. She can control fire!

Her hand absently moved to the earring that Gwyn had gifted her. She smiled.

She closed the curtains to the window as the carriage moved through the gate of the Tiloral Estate within the city. Palatial in its own right, it was second only to the Crown’s.

As they came to their final stop, Roslyn stood up and moved to the door. It opened just as she reached for the handle and Ser Roderick pulled it back and held out a hand for her. Ser Janine bowed as Roslyn stepped down from the carriage.

Her paladin protector, Evocati Khalan, was standing with another knight. One who was dressed in familiar armor. Very familiar.

“Thank you, Ser Roderick, Janine.”

She looked over at the paladin and the knight, the human’s mustache just as meticulous as she remembered from when she had visited Gwyn’s manor. Roslyn stepped forward and gave the man a respectful dip of her head.

“Sir Friedrich, is it?”

The man bowed and smiled as he stood, his mustache scrunching up amusingly. “It is, My Lady. Sir Friedrich von Boden of–previously of the Holy Roman Empire, now sworn to House Reinhart in this new world. Her Highness requested that I meet with you when you arrived.”

His accent was thick, and she remembered Gwyn telling her that he had learned Common since arriving on Eona. Roslyn enjoyed it.

Roslyn giggled. “That is funny. She told me to find you after I arrived.”

The man chuckled. “She is fond of you, it seems.” He looked around at her knights and large guard contingent. “You also have many protectors, but Princess Gwyn wanted me to join you if you would have me.”

Both Khalan and Ser Roderick looked as if they were about to protest but Roslyn smiled. “I would love to have you join me until my friend arrives, Sir Friedrich.”

The man gave her a nod and looked to Ser Roderick. “I will take your lead, Ser Roderick.”

Her knight gave the man an appreciative nod.

Roslyn took a moment to really look at the knight and his armor and glanced back at Roderick and Janine. She remembered how much Gwyn loved talking about armor and knights, and the painstaking detail her friend had gone into to make sure what her knights wore was perfect.

She sighed.

They really do have better-looking armor than ours.

Not that I’ll ever tell Gwyn that.

The Siege of Marketbol

Tiberius landed next to Sloane as she stood on the ramparts of Marketbol’s outer walls. She had worked with the city to have her falcon scout the approaching army, and the assistance had been well received. With the threat near, the city was wary of sending more scouts out, and only had a few remaining teams attempting to gain more knowledge of their enemy. Unfortunately, those scouts could not bring information back quickly enough for whatever they learned to be utilized effectively.

She glanced over at the army commander with her, the high elf man stood resolute but she could see the subtle signs of nervousness in his features. The city had a high opinion of their defense, but in the face of an opposing army, and when yours was gone… it was understandable to feel hesitation.

“It seems their rear force caught up to them. The army now numbers closer to ten thousand. I hesitate to send Tiberius further away, I would rather keep him close. They are also beyond the point you mentioned,” she said.

The man nodded and sighed. “If the army is past the fork, then it is very likely that they will be here by nightfall. I will relay the report. Will you be attending the meeting, My Lady?”

Sloane glanced at Nemura, who nodded.

“We will.”

The man saluted and thanked her for her assistance before closing the notebook he had been writing in and leaving.

Sloane looked over the parapet staring north along the path of where the army would arrive from, considering everything that had happened to this point. It was as if some new calamity would rear its head no matter where she went, and it was all she could do to stay afloat. She had to keep getting stronger, she needed to keep making contacts. And where the hell is that woman?

They still hadn’t heard anything about the Vlaredian woman named Ressa and the other Empire’s Fist that were suspected to still be somewhere within the city. Not even hints, for the second time, she reflected on the fact that it seemed they just seemed to vanish. It was almost as if they had assistance in remaining hidden this long. She had to admit that the thought of fighting that woman again made her nervous. Her subsequent training with Nemura that she’d been doing for the past month had shown her just how far the gap would be.

As a former Fist herself, she had a unique insight into the mindset and ability of their mysterious adversaries. Sloane had been put through a ringer of training that had left her exhausted and gross five nights a week. Just last night, Nemura had given her an assessment of how far she’d come. Apparently, after four weeks of grueling training that made everything she’d ever done in college seem like child’s play, Nemura had deemed her… ‘no longer a lamb facing a lion’. Sloane didn’t even know what the hell that meant. Was she now a sheep facing a lion? A goat? What was with the animal metaphors?

It was frustrating. She wanted to improve, she had thought her experience in fencing would be beneficial, but even Stefan had laughed. Her two guards had much different ideas on fighting than Gisele and the knights. The entire experience just continually frustrated her until, finally, Nemura patted her shoulder and told her to stop trying so hard to become a master swordswoman and focus on her magic followed by staying behind her. She’s definitely the tank of the group, so it makes sense. I guess the spellblade life isn’t for me.

She turned and sighed. “Have you heard anything?”

Nemura shook her head, knowing exactly what Sloane meant, for it had been a conversation they’d had many times since that day. “Nothing. They will show themselves soon though.”

“How do you know?”

The woman’s face grew dark. “It is what I would do. Knowing my army was approaching, I would want to do what I could to ensure they could take the city. Her priority changed when the fight was not as easy as they thought it would be.”

Sloane huffed. “Sure seemed easy for them.”

“No one died. You were the most injured person there and that is only because they were focusing on you. I have to admit, the knights are much more trained than I had first given them credit for,” Nemura said.

“Have you heard of her before?”

Nemura shrugged. “Ressa is a fairly common name. It has been some time since I was there, I won’t know until she makes her move and I am there to stop her.”

Sloane sighed. “I’m glad one of us is confident.”

“Just make sure to use as much magic as possible if multiple people come for us. After the meeting, I am having Stefan stay with you as well. The center will be fine with Ser Ernald and the guards.”

“I believe it was you that stated that the guards would not be able to stop them.”

The tank of a woman turned fully toward her.

“They wouldn’t, but having Stefan here will ensure that we can. From this point forward, everyone wears their armor and weapons, and you do not leave within shouting distance of me.”

Why is the waiting so much worse?

✦ ✦ ✦

Gisele and Ismeld joined them heading to the city’s Hall of War–which was the headquarters of the Marketbol Army, and the meeting between all of the defending army’s commanders.

Sloane wasn’t sure what had caused General Irileth to change his mind concerning her, but she suspected it had something to do with all of the work she had put into shoring up the defenses of the city. The improvements that were made to the ballistae would likely be critical in anti-siege warfare. This meant that all the city had to do from there was wait, and hope that the reinforcements would be enough to lift the siege. Because we’re stuck here without it.

Sloane and the two female knights stepped into the crowded meeting, while Nemura and Stefan remained just outside. Ismeld had accompanied Stefan on the way back from the Center and noted how it was fully locked down with all of the guards armed and alert. The remaining knights were also geared up and ready, just in a nearby park that was outside of the hall.

They entered a fairly large circular chamber that had what were essentially wooden bleachers curving around the outside of the room. An adjutant guided them to their seats near the rear of the room, and after a quick bow of his head, left them alone. Sloane looked around, trying to gauge the atmosphere of the room, and was surprised at how calm it was. She, on the other hand, had to place a hand on her leg to stop the urge to anxiously bounce it.

To distract herself, she looked down at the center of the chamber. In the middle of the room sat an interesting table with another surrounding it. The inner one was a large circular table with an impeccably detailed wood carving of the entire surrounding area and city that seemed as if it was a part of the table itself rather than just perfectly set into position. There was a surrounding walking space where three young officers stood within, holding poles. It was curious, but when she was able to peer down, she noticed that there were figurines all over the map. They are there to move those little people.

Another much narrower table circled around that, with a small gap to allow people inside. This table had seven places, however, only four seemed to be set up to be used. Perhaps the other three people are with the army that left.

Movement at the door caught her eye.

“When the general enters, make sure to stand,” Gisele whispered from her right.

Sloane nodded, seeing two soldiers in gleaming gold armor. Another entered right after them and announced the commanding party. Sloane stood as everyone in the room did and watched as General Irileth and three other people in elaborate armor entered with him. Of the three, two were telv men and the last was a high elf woman, and all seemed nearly as old as General Irileth. The four took their places at the ring table, and the general nodded, clearly an invitation for everyone to sit.

As the room quieted and settled into their seats, General Irileth remained standing. He took a long moment as he stood there, looking around the room. Eventually, he nodded to himself, looked down at the map table in front of him, and crossed his hands behind his back.

“Scouts have confirmed, the Vlaredian army will arrive tonight. As of now, Marketbol is officially joining the war against the empire.” He paused to let it sink in.

As if that was ever in doubt.

“Our army is gone, left two months ago to go support our fellow Sovereigns at what we thought was the front. The empire has outmaneuvered us, but it matters not. With the timely assistance of a new citizen of our fine city…” He caught her eye and smirked.

Her eyes widened. Say what now?

“We have improved our ability to hold out against the approaching army and hold we shall. Even now Mogogale marshalls its forces to relieve us. Our city is a bastion of the plains, and we will not fall. Now, Commander Varka, please go over the initial plan,” he gestured to one of the men sitting down.

The telv man stood up, his scruffy, long beard and bald head seeming odd to her as he stood up.

“Brothers and Sisters, Alos himself smiles upon us. Erbium, as well, blessed this city by sending one who could only be his pillar, the god of crafting has aided us through sanctified weapons of war that will turn the tide in our favor.”

Sloane did not like where this was going. She glanced at Ismeld and saw that she too had a conflicted expression on her face. Gisele, on the other hand, seemed to be delighted. Oh, she’s going to give me such hell.

She went back to listening to the man speak, who she now assumed was affiliated with the church in some fashion.

“…now, these weapons are key, and we must take the imperials by surprise for the greatest effect. We will allow them to get set up and in position before we let loose our arcane wrath, and the fury of the Guilds under the watchful gaze of Erbium, himself!”

This is not good. Religious fervor is something I wish to avoid.

The bald telv proceeded to go into more details surrounding the overall strategy that the city would enact upon the arrival of the imperials. When he finished, the other telv commander stood and thanked the… zealous commander for his speech.

What came next was a more tactical explanation of assignments and duties for the various squad leaders, garrison commanders, or whatever other leadership positions and titles were filled within the room.

The man even addressed positions for Sloane and the knights, which Gisele accepted for them. Sloane would be supported by a team of soldiers and her own two guards on the walls in front of where the army would be, and the knights would be patrolling key locations due to the lingering threat of Vlaredian elites within the city–at least, unless it seemed the walls may be breached.

Her role seemed like a fairly large reversal on the general’s part, but she could just barely see the influences of others in the action. Perhaps the council wishes to make a statement.

Whatever it was, She wasn’t sure how she felt about all of it. Or…

She leaned closer to Gisele and whispered, “Psst, what do you–”

The woman gave her a silencing look, but responded, “You are the bait. It’s the only thing I can think of.”

Sloane leaned back against her chair.

Fuck.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane stood with Nemura on the wall again that late evening. It was almost time. The army wished to take advantage of the waning daylight to cover their attack. A massive army was approaching, and the city was already locked down. Soldiers stood at ready, siege weapons were loaded. Her job was to help ensure the main gate did not fall in the opening fight. The city’s military wanted it to turn into a siege. They did not have the forces to attempt a breakout. So all they could do was force the attackers into a stalemate. One that Sloane knew would be paid by the less fortunate of the city if food stores started to run low or if fuel for fires ran out.

Tiberius sat on the perch that had been set up for him at the wall so that he could use his sensors to observe the army. He was in what was almost a standby mode while she would connect with him on and off with her Golem Sight. The falcon was essentially acting as a more advanced camera system at the moment instead of a golem.

She took a deep breath as the soldiers started to call out orders. People were running toward the edge of the walls and she saw teams of people load the ballistae with the bolts that she had enchanted. They had changed some of the plans they had originally thought of, but not by much. She had still enchanted the bolts themselves, but not nearly to the extent she had originally considered. There just simply wasn’t enough time. All they had managed to do to the bolt was reinforce them and a series of runic chains that allowed the bolt to be manipulated by the ballista itself.

In the end, she and the city’s engineers worked out various ways to enchant the ballistae even further than originally envisioned. One innovative thing they had managed to accomplish, was to create a way for the ballista to feed power and spells into the bolts before they were fired. This saved them time by having preset runes they could be selected to change the type of bolt from either penetrating or exploding. Other small improvements were added as well, such as simple enchants on the cocking mechanism that reduced the time needed to reload by nearly half. The work they had done had turned the siege weapon into an even more potent weapon.

They were already planning physical design changes that could be done in the future. Options such as a bolt feeding mechanism that held a magazine with several bolts. Unfortunately, that was something they simply did not have the time or resources to put into action.

Several of the nearby siege teams were shifting the weapons into position and she and Nemura were left alone in their position while the soldiers that were around them moved to assist or to head forward to the wall.

“It’s time. The ballistae are preparing,” Nemura said from beside her, the woman with her scaled plate armor vambrace over her right arm and a leather vest and red shawl that hid a layer of chainmail. She wore a pair of scaled greaves that were in the same burnt gold color. A black band held her copper hair in place.

Sloane nodded. In her mind, this absolutely needed to work, otherwise, this siege could quite possibly turn into the fall of the city. The first ballista fired. It was a loud sound that was followed by commands for others to also fire. Explosions of purple arcane energy lit up the set

She took a deep breath and stepped forward intending to go check over everything at the siege weapons nearest to them, only for Nemura to yank her back. “Look out!”

An arrow darted past where she would have been and Sloane didn’t even think when she cast two Flashbang spells in the direction it came from. Nemura pushed her back as she practically threw herself in front of Sloane. Her shield was up just in time and took on this almost quick flash of a white sheen as two more arrows literally broke against it.

The nearby soldiers at the wall heard the commotion and turned, only for a mass of arrows to slam into them. Two black armored soldiers came up the steps onto the wall. A sword in their hands and a shield with the symbol of the Empire’s Fist on the front. The same one that had been hastily painted over on the shield that Maud had stolen.

Of the two, one was shorter and clearly female. Based on the magic, it was definitely Ressa.

“Ressa, I presume,” Nemura said from where she stood in front of Sloane. She nearly groaned but held it in. Of course, it’s Ressa, Nemura. She’s the only one who can make arrows appear from thin air…

The two soldiers paused, and Ressa spoke, “Lieutenant Nemura Kho’lin. So this is where you deserted to.”

“Ressa Ka’ai. I should have known it would be you,” Nemura replied icily.

Of course, she knows her. ‘Oh, I don’t know. Ressa’s a common name!’ Common… my ass!

Sloane looked to her right and saw a group of three Marketbol soldiers standing with them, shields in position and short spears at the ready. They watched the two Vlaredian soldiers warily but had yet to make a move.

Ressa ignored them.

“So, not only are you guilty of the crime of desertion, but you add treason and murder to the list.” The woman clicked her tongue. “How the mighty have fallen.”

There wasn’t even a hint of a warning as what looked like throwing knives were conjured and launched at them. That same white flash appeared over Nemura’s shield and every dagger was stopped.

Nemura cracked her neck. “Sloane, I’ll get the tiny orkun woman. You get the man.”

Sloane quickly pulled her sword out, the runes shining brightly, and cast two Mana Bolts. They flew at the man but then two circular shields appeared right in front of their path and the bolts burst against the conjured defenses. Ressa had angled the shields just right and they were launched to the side. One of the shields clattered loudly onto the wall, while the other flew right into the helmeted face of one of the Marketbol soldiers. The helmet may have saved the man’s life, but it did not protect him from getting instantly knocked out and falling.

The other two guards rushed forward, and one was quickly put down by more conjured arrows that found every weak point in the man’s armor.

Nemura launched into motion, she seemed to move at an almost impossible speed as her form nearly blurred. The big telv slammed her armored shoulder into Ressa’s shield and the woman flew backward, turning what could have been a crashing fall into a roll that she used to springboard herself back to her feet with a sliding stop. Ressa hurled herself at Nemura, who swung the bladed side of her war hammer at the approaching orkun woman. Deflecting the block with a sweeping move of her shield, Ressa and Nemura began a dance of steel with a ferocity that Sloane definitely did not have.

At the same time, Sloane launched another Mana Bolt at the telv, but the man dove to the side, slicing upward as he was getting back up, catching the last guard in the groin.

The man stood up and rushed Sloane. She cast a Flashbang and the man simply raised his shield to cover his face and kept running. Sloane had to dive out of the way to avoid the man’s attempt to trample her. She was not nearly as graceful, but she managed to keep hold of her sword and launch an awkward Mana Bolt as she was attempting to get up.

The bolt flew by the man, but it caused him to hesitate, giving her enough time to get up and position her buckler in front of her. As the telv approached she settled into the stance Nemura had taught her, letting the man commit.

He threw a feint before he swung at her unprotected side. Sloane brought her sword up and parried the blow before she twisted around and moved behind the man. He stumbled forward, turning the movement into a duck as she tried to swing for his exposed back. He turned around and bounced on his feet, seemingly a bit more cautious of her.

She took advantage of his hesitation and threw her hand up to cast two more Mana Bolts. Even as the spells formed, the man was diving out of the way, and both bolts flew right by him, only to burst against some barrels near Nemura and Ressa. Both women dove out of the way of the flying shrapnel, and Nemura came up yelling, “Watch where you are firing that shit!”

Sloane fed mana into her sword and threw herself at the man, swinging hard. He had managed to get up to a knee and got his shield up just in time for her sword to bash against it. Her runes flashed and the force of the strike amplified, causing the man’s arm to buckle inward, bashing the edge of the shield against the man’s helmet.

He grunted, and swung his sword wildly, forcing her to curse and jump backward or risk running right into it.

She snap-fired another Mana Bolt that caught the man’s shield as he was getting up, and it caught the shield just right, and at the perfect moment, causing it to jerk his arm awkwardly in a satisfying snap. The telv cried out in pain as his arm broke, and Sloane took advantage. She fired two more Mana Bolts and this time, both hit the man. The man was flung to the side like a ragdoll and she heard Ressa cry out.

Sloane didn’t even look or hesitate as she cast an altered Arcane Explosion, centered directly on top of herself. The detonation of mana didn’t go far, but it was enough that she felt only splinters of what remained of the arrows spray against her as she quickly moved her buckler to cover her face.

As the spell dissipated and she lowered her shield, she saw Nemura lurch forward and grab Ressa. In a motion, the guardswoman twisted and spun, before she threw Ressa off of the wall. The woman yelled out in surprise as she windmilled her arms in almost slow motion, cursing the entire flight over the edge.

Sloane rushed forward as she lost sight of the woman.

She heard Nemura curse as she quickly reached the edge of the wall and looked down back into the city.

On the ground, ten meters below was a massive stack of… pillows.

“Archer! I need an archer!” Nemura shouted out, but by the time a group of men with bows arrived, they had lost sight of Ressa.

“I will kill that woman,” Nemura complained.

“My Lady Reinhart!”

Sloane turned and looked at where several soldiers were standing around the man she had hit with her spells.

“This one is still alive!”

Sloane looked at Nemura, whose eyes narrowed.

“It is time we got some answers,” Sloane said, sheathing her sword and attaching the sling back to her buckler so she could slip it over her shoulder.

The big telv woman nodded. “I could not agree more.”

She looked up just as more explosions sounded in the distance. Shouting from behind her made her jerk back in surprise, her first thought was to consider if Ressa had returned.

Instead, soldiers came rushing up the stairs. A telv woman stopped and saluted. “My Lady! The gate was hit! We need your help to repair it.”

Sloane looked at Nemura. “The knights were patrolling near there.” She looked at the soldiers surrounding the Vlaredian. “Take him. Do not harm him, and make sure he does not die. He will be needed for questioning.”

The soldier closest to her saluted “It will be done, My Lady.”

“Let’s go. Stay behind me,” Nemura ordered.

Sloane sent a ping through her connection to Tiberius and the bird’s chest pulsed blue. His head turned toward her and tilted as it observed the scene.

“Wryaat!” He cried out as he took off and flew over to her, landing on her shoulder.

“Sorry, buddy. There wasn’t time to wake you up.”

His series of chirps were a bit derisive, and she wasn’t sure if she appreciated the tone he was using with her.

Nemura gestured toward the stairs and the two of them broke into a jog behind the soldiers as they made their way down the stairs and toward the gate. As they approached, a scene of a fight was clear. What looked like normal civilians were running with buckets of water to put out fires. Bodies of soldiers littered the area. She caught sight of Maud’s red hair and saw the woman moving between the wounded, healing them.

Gisele was standing with a soldier and seemed to be giving orders. Ismeld caught sight of Sloane and Nemura’s approach and jogged over to them.

“Sloane! Thank Alos. Are you two alright?”

Sloane nodded. “Yes, Ressa attacked us. Nemura threw her off the wall.”

Ismeld’s eyes widened and she looked up at the telv woman. “How did she get away?”

Nemura shook her head. “The woman managed to cast a spell to create… pillows that… cushioned her fall, then got up and fled. We did capture her partner.”

I’ve never heard anyone speak of pillows with such disdain before.

“What happened here?” Sloane asked.

Ismeld looked around, rubbing her arm, where Sloane saw several large bruises. “The rest of the Empire’s Fist attacked here. They nearly took out the gate. Which, you should really come to see if you can repair it before we speak more.”

Sloane nodded and followed the woman to the massive doors of the gate. She gasped as she saw that the hinges were nearly about to snap. Rushing forward, she used her Mana Sight and placed her hand against the steel-reinforced doors. She pulled at the blue mana around them and altered the steel until it reformed into place. Reaching into her ever-present satchel, she pulled out her enchanting pen and moved to the hinges.

She turned to one of the soldiers. “I need a ladder! I have to get to each hinge.”

The man quickly nodded and moved away, shouting at others to help him.

Sloane started with the two bottom hinges on either side while she waited. She quickly inscribed the runes for |Strengthen| and a runic chain that would |Repair| the hinges upon damage. A ladder was brought and set up, and she quickly finished her work, even taking the time to inscribe |Renew|-based runic chains into the wood of the door.

With a nod, she stepped back, nearly bumping into Nemura.

Ismeld stepped up to her. “I think they have it in hand, now.”

Nemura tilted her head. “What happened here? How did they do this?”

“They managed to get their hands on some Marketbol armor and got here just before us. Deryk realized something was off and we immediately attacked. They fought us as one of them placed several alchemical objects that exploded. Gisele managed to contain the blast for most of it with her magic. The damage you fixed is what she couldn’t contain. Then a barrel with some sort of mixture that spewed what looked like a liquid fire went off, and Gisele was able to stop it with her magic. While she focused on that, they moved to leave.

“We managed to injure three. The one I injured should be mortally wounded. However, that telv of theirs is very good at what he does. He kept them together and covered everyone as they disengaged. They started to escape, and a team of city soldiers rushed after them, so we stayed here to secure the gate. That team was cut down by arrows.”

Sloane glanced at Nemura and noticed her scowling. “She came straight here, Nemura.”

“Yes. That telv is her lapdog, Alexi Zil’vost,” Nemura said and winced slightly as she glanced at Ismeld. I can ask later.

Ismeld looked between the two, her eyes narrowing slightly on Nemura. “This woman and her soldiers completely outclass what remains of the army here. Marketbol sent its elites away to the front. What remains is their reserve and enough to protect the city. We cannot be everywhere, and inevitably they will try to hit somewhere we are not.”

“I am starting to see that,” Sloane said.

“Lady Reinhart?”

Sloane jerked and turned, seeing General Irileth there.

“My apologies, general. I did not see you approach,” she said.

Ismeld and Nemura both adopted complicated looks. The knight decided to speak up. “General, why are you out here in the open? With no guards at that?”

“I ordered my guards to assist with the injured and to recover those who had died.”

“Did you need something from us, general?” Sloane asked.

He looked… tired. “I overheard what you said. You are not wrong, lady knight. About our remaining forces, that is. With that, I would like to thank you all for your quick action. This could have been devastating, but with the gate still standing, the Vlaredians did not attempt to push through our attacks on their army. They have pulled back out of range of our ballistae.”

She sucked in a breath. “So, that part of the plan worked?”

The old telv nodded. “It did. We will see what the morning brings. For tonight, at least, we are safe. Especially if the saboteurs are back in hiding.”

For some reason, that didn’t make Sloane feel much better. They needed to figure out how to find Ressa. And we need to figure out how to break this siege.

“Did we get any word from Mogogale?” Ismeld asked.

The telv sighed. “No. We do not know… anything.”

Shit.

Settling In

“Where the fuck is she? How is it that you can literally search door-to-door and still not find her? Don’t you have the man I disabled held prisoner?” Sloane asked.

The telv officer that had come to the campus to update her on the search for Ressa and the rest of the Empire’s Fist fidgeted.

“The prisoner escaped.”

“What?” Gisele’s head snapped in the soldier’s direction, her hand raising as she pointed at the man. “You had one job! How in Alos’s name did he get away?”

“And why are we only hearing about this now?” Nemura demanded icily.

The man looked up at the woman and visibly gulped, but the telv woman at his side stepped forward. “My Lady. While we are giving you the courtesy you are due, unfortunately, we cannot prioritize you over the protection of the city. We are under siege.”

“When it–”

Sloane raised a hand. “It’s alright, Nemura. She’s entirely correct. As long as they continue to provide security to the campus as it is vital to the defensive efforts, and inform us promptly of the saboteurs, we will make do.”

The woman dipped her head. “Of course, My Lady. I have taken the liberty of increasing patrols within the quarter. While we must maintain a presence on the walls, with the enemy settling into a protracted siege, we can pull some forces back to maintain the peace.”

“Be careful. They will easily take advantage of that to strike there. Ensure that any patrols that do locate them do not engage without a vastly overwhelming act. Especially with the magic user,” Nemura cautioned.

“Of course, Senior Guardswoman.”

Sloane wracked her brain at how they could be hiding. It just seemed impossible. Then the attack on the wall had been too perfectly planned. If it wasn’t for Nemura, the woman’s magic–her eyes widened.

“Her magic.”

Everyone turned their heads toward Sloane. “What was that, Sloane?” Gisele asked.

“She’s using her magic to hide them. She created those walls in the tavern to block my attack. I would bet every gold I have that she’s doing the same thing right now.”

Sloane turned and looked at the telv woman. “You will need to consult the building plans for everything. Compare the actual room sizes with what is on the plans. She is putting up false walls to hide them, then moving in disguise when they need to. That may even be how she got into the city. Find a wagon, sneak in and hide under a false floor that she can conjure from literally thin air.”

The telv’s eyes opened wide in shock. “Her magic can do such things? That–”

“It makes sense. If I had her magic or even a subordinate under me that did, I would do that. Be wary of small variations as well. They will sacrifice comfort to secure themselves even more,” Nemura added.

The telv looked at her male counterpart and whispered something to him. He nodded quickly and rushed out of the room.

“My Lady, if you will excuse me. You have given us information that may help us catch these Vlaredians. Thank you,” She said with a salute.

Sloane nodded. After the woman exited the room, Gisele turned to Ernald. “You will want to warn the House Guard. Their patrols will not be enough.”

“No. While I wouldn’t bet on an attack here, do not count it out. Ressa is shrewd. She has already proven she will wait however long is needed to create an opportunity,” Nemura agreed.

Ernald sighed. “I will do so. I will also speak with Adaega and Elodie about trying to hire more guards.”

Sloane tilted her head. “Do you think that will even be possible right now?”

The sun elf knight huffed. “Absolutely not. I need to try, though. The guard has been running ragged since the first attack. We need enough for at least one more shift or we risk them being too tired to be effective at all in an attack.”

She nodded. “I trust you. Take care of our people, Ernald.”

“I will, Sloane. I will.”

Sloane looked at the two remaining women in the room. “What now?”

Gisele sighed. “Now? We settle in. I suggest working on whatever you can to improve our odds.”

Her telv guard nodded. “Agreed. Sieges aren’t fun, but they also are pretty boring once it settles into this state. The Vlaredian army is building a fortified camp, and I assume their supply route through Goosebourne is safe now. There are signs they are redirecting the road further to the west. Likely to avoid any further confrontations with the Valeni.”

Sloane sighed. “That sounds similar to how sieges were done in my world. However, the thing with the Valeni still bothers me. Why are they attacking? I thought you said it was rare for them to attack.”

Gisele glanced at Nemura, who gestured for her to speak. “The Valeni have indeed historically kept to their forests. Small raids or skirmishes are seen as an unavoidable thing. What is most common, is their younger generations that do the attacks, as if it was some right of passage. Their attack without warning was a surprise. What typically happens is well documented. First, there is a chance for travelers to establish their superiority. Then it is up to the leader of the Valeni party to either proceed or withdraw. If they choose to attack, we are then forced to kill them or subdue them completely.

“Usually, if you can avoid killing any of the Valeni, then those that you didn’t see will simply let you go without further action. That action often ends up affecting the innocent people that travel through after you have already left. That is why you choosing to not kill them was a good idea and why once you established superiority with your magic, those Valeni just kind of stepped aside. They realized that we were not to be trifled with, and that we respect their people enough to not engender any reprisal. Which makes me believe the surprise attack was done in error. At least I hope. As you mentioned, they are changing.

“While not many people have gone into the forests themselves, few have lived to tell the tale. Those that have though? There are rumors of towns and villages or even entire cities within the forest. We know their population is vast, otherwise, they would not repel the attempted invasions with such ferocity. How they support those populations isn’t widely known. Thus, each Val Forest is treated as their own nation, similar to the various dwarven enclaves.

“If your theory of mana concentration is true, then we will be faced with yet another new race in our world. The difference between them and your people is that these are fully secured in their locations.”

“That is a lot of good information. Thank you.” Sloane sighed. “I guess we will see what the future holds.”

She hesitated, and then changed the subject. “What are you two going to do, now?”

Gisele shrugged. “I am going to train.” She looked up at Nemura. “Would you like to join us?”

“I will need to work a schedule with Stefan and Ernald, but yes. I want guardsmen to be with you wherever you go, Lady Reinhart.”

“Thank you, Nemura. I think there are a few projects I need to work on, so I shouldn’t be going off campus too much. I need to set up the backend of the Runecard system and get our new scribe set up to work on them.”

The two women nodded, but she was clearly about to lose them if she went into too much detail.

Gisele smiled. “I cannot wait to see what you come up with when you are stuck and bored. Last time you created a metal falcon.”

Sloane groaned. “Don’t even get me started on that. I still don’t know what I did that night. That tea–”

“Clearly has a strange reaction with terrans. Or at least some terran variations. Other substances react differently with the various races of the world. I would be careful,” Nemura stated.

Gisele nodded. “Yes… I have to admit that I did not consider that.”

Sloane sighed. “Information that would have been useful much earlier in my arrival.”

The orkun knight shrugged. “It is rare, but at least you are aware of it. Now, I should update the others. Nemura, should I expect to see you at the training pad later?”

Nemura nodded. “Yes. I will be there.”

Gisele looked at Sloane. “Don’t expect much to happen for some time, but be prepared for something to happen at any time. You are building a valuable relationship with the city, and if we make it through this siege intact, it will serve you for a long time to come. Focus on your projects; let us and the army focus on defending the city and our people.”

“Okay. You’re right. Let’s get settled in and get some work done.”

✦ ✦ ✦

Weeks went by, and Sloane settled into a groove. The siege had not let up, but at the same time, the Vlaredians had only tried several times to attack. Once with a set of siege weapons that were essentially trebuchets. They had just about the same range as the city’s enchanted ballistae, but in the end, the sheer numbers the city was able to bring to bear had destroyed that attempt. More troops arrived to reinforce the Vlaredians, and they started construction on a second fortified camp that was built to cut off any reinforcements to the city. There were discussions of attempting to build counter trebuchets and enchant them so that they could attack the camps directly, but the city’s leadership had decided to delay that plan until the second more thorough search of the city was completed.

Ressa and her team of saboteurs had only shown up once. It happened when one smart officer found a clue. One that led them to the city’s sewers and catacombs. Unfortunately, over the years it had expanded so much that there were no clear plans for its entire layout. Still, the officer, the same telv woman that had met with Sloane weeks prior, managed to track down where the Empire’s Fist had set up a location to hide. She planned an ambush and had a large team of soldiers with her. Instead of capturing or killing the team, somehow the Vlaredian elites had figured out what was happening and ambushed the ambushers.

Eighteen dead, six wounded, and zero casualties inflicted on Ressa’s team later, and the city finally decided to take the threat seriously. Curfews were now implemented, and checkpoints within the city were erected. Nemura had been appalled that it took the city leadership that long to do so. She had complained about the arrogance exhibited for hours.

The city militia had even been called up and was patrolling the streets all hours of the day even through the snow. I didn’t even know there was a city militia.

Her occasional foray with Tiberius had helped her to glimpse the first signs of scouts from the south. After she had reported it, the army had given her a missive to have the falcon deliver, but the scouts had run without hesitation. The general had cursed nonstop at the incompetence exhibited for hours.

She found the situation amusingly ironic.

Sloane, herself, had worked almost nonstop on her various projects. Which was what she was working on now. She and Orthan were coming up with a way to streamline the process to fabricate the Runecards.

“Lady Reinhart, I want to have stamps made,” The young scribe, Orthan Barat, said.

“Of course, Orthan. What type of–”

“Could you please commission a stamp for each rune that you know of, in at least five sizes for each? Additionally, I request you explain the runes to me and their function. I will write a manual for reference.”

“That is a great idea. Do you think you could also create a manual that I can take with me as I travel? Preferably one with everything that we know now, and has room for me to add additional runes.”

The boy scrunched his brows in thought and drummed his fingers on his legs.

“That is a task that I can accomplish.”

“Fantastic! Maybe you could make it out of–”

“I will handle the details. For the Runecards, the stamps will allow me to create the cards quickly,” he stated.

She suddenly got an idea. “Actually, Orthan, I have an idea for a mana-powered press. What we’re going to do is create a machine that uses mana to power it. We will fit it with these stamps, but instead of just using individual runes, we will create a large stamp that is the exact size of the card. The stamp will then stamp it with everything except the name of the person.”

Sloane heard a gasp from behind her and turned her head. Adaega was standing there. “You mean to start an industrial revolution using mana as the source of power? What about electricity?”

Orthan looked between the two women. “Electricity?”

Sloane glanced at the boy. “It is a form of energy that comes from the existence of charged particles either statically or dynamically.”

His eyebrows scrunched up and was about to ask another question but Adaega jumped in. “I will show you later, Orthan. There are a few small experiments we can accomplish to show you what it means.”

Smiling, Sloane answered the woman’s earlier question. “A lot of this will be on you. If I find any other humans… err, terrans. I will send them your way. At the very least, we need to create a way to quickly stamp and fabricate the cards. The more I work on them, the more I believe I bit off more than I can chew. We are working with a much earlier technological level than we are used to, and it is a bit difficult to realize the vast gulf between our civilizations.”

“Mana will allow us to traverse this gulf?” Orthan inquired.

Sloane nodded. “Yes. I believe it will in many ways. We are at the cusp of a revolution, and I mean to ride the wave. This will put us all in a position where we are secure. I won’t say safe… at least not with the army sitting outside of the city–”

“Or the threat posed by these people targeting you,” Adaega helpfully added.

“Yes. Her, as well. What I mean is, I can get this started. We’re going to have to scale back our initial goals for the Runecard business.”

“Elodie will be happy, and I agree with her. We should focus on the nobility and merchants. That will cut down on the numbers required dramatically. Orthan, can you please start drawing something Koren and his smiths can use to create this stamp for the cards? You have the prototypes that Lady Reinhart has been working with.”

The boy nodded. “Yes, Ms. Adaega.”

He gathered his notes and satchel before he walked out of the room.

“Now, let’s go meet with Koren and go over this press. I know he has been working on a way to quickly make the cards.”

The two women gathered their things and walked across the campus to Smithing Hall. As they walked in, the young orkun man that had been hired as essentially a receptionist and assistant to Koren was sitting at the desk just inside the entrance.

He quickly stood up and bowed. “Lady Reinhart, Ms. Adaega! Welcome. Are you looking for Mr. Koren? He’s currently inside the foundry, should I retrieve him?”

Sloane chuckled. “Adaega and I will just go over there. I am sure you are busy.”

“It is no problem, milady. I can–”

“Relax. The Lady and I can walk there. You should return to your duties. Lady Reinhart does not require people to drop everything they are doing to work at her bidding. It is quite alright,” Adaega gently admonished.

Sloane smiled. “She’s right. Thank you, though! I appreciate your willingness to assist us.”

The orkun bowed deeper. “Thank you, milady.”

She and Adaega left and walked the short distance to the foundry, passing a group of her House Guards on the way. The men and women moved to the side and saluted her, and she dipped her head in acknowledgment. As they approached the entrance, two more guardsmen were standing outside with a soldier from the city. The soldier made to stop her but then a look of recognition came over him and he quickly moved back.

Her guardsman closest to him laughed and greeted her, “Welcome, My Lady. Koren has been busy today. I suspect a distraction from you will be welcome.”

“I may be giving him an even larger headache.”

The other guard huffed a laugh. “Thank you for the warning, milady. In that case, I think we will ask to be relieved for the next few hours.”

Adaega shook her head, but Sloane laughed. “I don’t think it will be that bad. It will help us make money, though!”

They walked inside the large foundry building and almost immediately had to weave around the many people inside. It was a hive of activity, with smiths and metalworkers from the city using the facility.

One source of funding had come from renting the use of the foundry to the city so that weapons and armor for the city’s soldiers could be repaired and have runes engraved into them, ready for her or now Orthan to enchant. Adaega had learned and then informed her that their foundry was one of the largest in the city. Two others were larger but with the amount of work that was constantly being done, more space was required. She had even heard word that the city had purchased nearly every store of metal that was within the city, regardless if it had been promised to others by the merchants that had owned it.

Koren quickly caught sight of the two women amidst the hustle and bustle going on. The orkun man approached and wiped his hands off on his apron. “Lady Reinhart! Good day to you,” He greeted her and then dipped his head at the shorter woman. “Ms. Adaega. What can I do for you two?”

“I want to go over a project I have for you.”

The man took a deep breath and quickly glanced around. “Please, right over here.”

He led them to a small table and cleared it off. One of his apprentices must have seen because the young man came running over, bringing paper and a writing utensil.

As they sat, he looked between them. “Alright, I am ready. What do you have for me?”

“Well, you have been working on a way to quickly make the Runecards, correct?”

He nodded. “Yes, My Lady. We have been making molds that we will then pour the metal into, then let it cool. We can currently make about twenty of the cards at a time,” He explained.

Adaega gestured at the apprentice and grabbed his paper and quill. Her director started taking notes.

“That is a solid start. Right now Orthan is drawing up a stamp you will need to fabricate. You will need one for every spot you have for the molds. We will then have a plate that goes above these with holes to slot–”

“Are you speaking of something similar to a coin press?”

Sloane’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Exactly. However, instead of hammers or anything, we are going to have this powered by mana. You will pour the metal into the molds and simply press a switch and the press will be lowered to hot stamp the cards and let them cool. Now, this is how we are going to build the press…”

The man leaned in as she started describing her vision. The apprentice had to run and grab much more paper by the time they were done. Adaega had left the notes for the man to peruse, but at the end of the discussion, she was sure they had a solid plan.

Sloane left Adaega a bit later. She joined Stefan and four guards to take a carriage out of the campus. Tiberius sat perched on Stefan’s shoulder and chirped out a greeting as she approached the group.

“How are you, Stefan?”

“I am sore. I swear Nemura does this on purpose. It is like she has something against me.”

“What is ‘this’?” She asked.

He sighed. “Kick my ass during spars.”

She chuckled. “You’ll get her soon enough. Remind me to tell you about how the archetype in my world’s stories known as ‘rogue’ works. Perhaps it will help you as you practice and create more mana abilities.”

“I am open to literally anything that will give me an edge against that woman.”

“You know Nemura is only pushing you because she respects you and knows she has to work closely with you.”

“Tell that to my bruised arse.”

“So to speak!” She said with a laugh, ignoring his confused look in response. She held out her arm for Tiberius to transfer to before shaking her head and stepping into the carriage.

The group made their way back to the small manor within the Upper Quarter that the city had gifted her after the initial assault was repelled due to the siege weapons she had enchanted. The quarter itself was where the social and political elites lived within the city. She appreciated the act, and it seemed that the Council wanted to gain a long-term relationship with her and the House. Granting her citizenship had been something completely unexpected and while it had granted many benefits that not all people living within enjoyed, it was still second to land ownership inside of the city.

Almost every door was open to her. She had priority access to nearly anything she wanted within the city. Sloane was sure that if there wasn’t a siege currently, her ability to push her House forward would be unencumbered by just about any obstacle. She needed to cultivate that relationship, and ensure that her House maintained that level of influence. Possibly even increase it.

As the carriage slowly drove through the streets, they came upon a large crowd. She looked out of the window and squinted, trying to see what the commotion was about.

She banged on the wall and the small window opened and Stefan’s face appeared.

“What’s going on ahead?”

“Something at the temple. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Sloane squinted her eyes. She had been told a lot about the religion here by the knights, but she had yet to actually experience it. She knew that Maud had been to the temple numerous times to use her magic to heal. Contrary to her initial worries when she had first arrived, the church hadn’t sought to coerce her into their service or anything. If anything, they just seemed thankful. It fought every instinct and notion she had of the concept. You know… no time like the present.

“Stefan, let’s go check it out.”

His surprise was pretty evident. “Are… you sure?”

“Yeah. Let’s go check out the temple. It’s about time I learned more, we have plenty of time this evening.”

He took a deep breath. “Alright. I will have the driver park, then we will go.”

Sloane nodded.

A short while later, the carriage jerked to a halt and the door opened. Sloane stepped out with Tiberius on her shoulder.

She followed behind Stefan as he and two of the guards helped clear a path for her through the crowd to the temple. Several priests stood outside and were speaking to the masses. A high-elven woman she suspected was a priestess of some sort walked up to them as they neared the entrance.

“May I help you, My Lady?”

Stefan stepped to the side and stared at Sloane with an expectant look that basically said ‘now what?’

“Hi! I am Sloane Reinhart. If it isn’t obvious, I am a terran.” She chuckled nervously. “I was hoping to come and learn more about your temple, especially since I seem to be here for a while. A friend of mine comes here regularly to help with healing.”

A flash of recognition fell over the woman and she smiled. “Ser Maud! She has been an absolute blessing. Of course, please, right this way. I would be happy to introduce you to the High Priest.”

Sloane smiled. “Lovely! Thank you.”

She fell into step behind the woman and she heard Stefan’s sigh as he walked at her side.

“I hope you’re ready for this,” he whispered.

“It sounds like you aren’t. That crowd seems to be enjoying whatever they’re doing,” she replied.

The raithe hesitated for a moment. “That is fair. They’re simply too stuffy for my tastes.”

She just shrugged. It was clear that the blade was not religious. Sloane preferred to make her own impressions of new things. They were clearly not surprised about the use of magic. Perhaps they had magic users, or even knowledge that she could utilize or trade for. Whatever came from this, it was sure to be interesting.

A Step… Wait, what?

Sloane and Stefan followed the priestess into the temple. Almost immediately guards wearing white gambesons stepped in their path.

“Priestess, you know we cannot have so many armed guests enter at this time,” A voice said from Sloane’s left. She looked over and she heard Stefan lightly gasp as a sun elf woman appeared. The woman wore red plate armor that shined in the fire cast by the oil lamps. She wore a tabard that was white with sparkling gold stitching used both in the border and in the large geometrically shaped sun just below the woman’s chest. She had a large kite shield strapped to her back and a flanged mace on her right hip and a dagger on the left. Huh, I bet she’s left-handed.

The high elf woman smiled. “Oh, Praetor. My apologies you are absolutely correct.”

The woman… Praetor? That is a strange name. The woman looked over Sloane and her guards. “I am Praetor Shalas. Your House Guards will remain at the entrance with the Temple Guard. Your personal guard may remain with you. However, your weapons are to remain sheathed, Blade.” Ohh, it’s a rank.

Stefan quickly saluted and bowed his head. “Of course, Praetor.”

Sloane’s mouth fell open as she looked at the raithe in shock. Just a moment ago he had been talking about how he was not religious and felt the church was stuffy. The hell?

The woman’s lips turned upward and she looked at the priestess. “I will escort them from here, priestess.”

The high elf looked slightly taken aback, but she recovered quickly and bowed her head. “As you say, Praetor. I will return outside.” She looked at Sloane. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Reinhart. Please pass along my regards to Ser Maud.”

Sloane smiled. “I will do that.”

She woman inclined her head again before hurrying away. It was strange.

“You wear your curiosity and confusion quite openly. Is that a trait that other terrans hold?”

Sloane turned her head toward the sun elf, examining her. What she saw was a woman who appeared about her own age, but spoke with a confidence and surety that Sloane could not match. Not yet.

“I imagine it is as common as with any other race,” She said diplomatically.

“Hmm,” Was all she responded with. The woman gestured and started walking. Sloane quickly moved to stay beside the woman while Stefan followed behind.

They moved along the outer aisles of the temple which reminded her of many cathedrals within France and the like. In fact, the interior layout was similar to the Amiens Cathedral. The only difference was the pure white marble used throughout and the abundance of green plant life in the form of vines circling the pillars that flanked both sides of the nave.

The ceiling was lined with a series of roof lanterns that allowed sunlight to shine down, giving a lovely natural light to the area.

“Your temple is lovely,” Sloane said.

The woman nodded. “Mmm.”

They exited the area she assumed was available for lay worshippers and moved into the rear where she saw groups of the clergy. Everyone was speaking softly, and Sloane lowered her voice as she asked another question, “Are we meeting the High Priest?”

Praetor Shalas turned her head slightly but again did not acknowledge her.

They walked through a set of doors where another sun elf wearing similar armor to the woman stood. The only difference was that his armor was slightly less ornate, which she took as denoting his rank or status.

Another gesture indicated which room they should enter.

Sloane sighed. “You do not communicate well. Is that a trait that other members of the church hold?”

She heard slight choking from behind her and a breathy chuckle from the woman. “I imagine it is as common as with any other race.”

Sloane couldn’t help it. She huffed in amusement while entering the room. Cheeky bitch.

Inside was a decently sized room that seemed as if it had functioned as another small chapel before everything was removed. The only furniture remaining in the room was a pedestal that held a large crystal ball.

“This isn’t ominous or anything…” She murmured.

“I imagine it would seem that way. I am satisfied.”

Sloane groaned. “Can we get the other priestess back? She was much more lively.”

“Sloane!” Stefan whisper-shouted at her. She ignored him.

“Tell me, Lady Reinhart. Why have you come today?” The woman asked. No one else was in the room, just them and the red-armored sun elf. She appeared serious, and to Sloane, it seemed almost like a test. Fine. I will respond to directness with directness.

“I saw a crowd and got curious. The apparent lack of surprise or anything overt concerning my friend and her use of magic also has me curious. I expected a much different response from the religious organization in this world to the appearance of mana and magic. I suspect that is because you have discovered your own members can utilize it. If true, I would like to seek what knowledge you have and am willing to trade for said knowledge with my own.”

Praetor Shalas narrowed her eyes as if she was appraising Sloane all over again. After seemingly coming to a conclusion, she nodded. “Fair enough. You are not like the other terrans I have met.”

Sloane couldn’t hide her surprise. “You have met other terrans?”

The woman’s eyes widened slightly. “That is what I have said. It seems you wear your emotions like one does clothes. You will need to school that if you wish to survive the level of society you have placed yourself within.”

“I will take that under advisement.”

“But yes. I have met other terrans. Many, in fact.”

Sloane took a deep breath. Should I? She searched the woman’s face, wondering if the question would be worth it, or if it would give too much away. Sloane had made numerous errors in how she had interacted with people in the past, and she knew that she needed to be wary, but she needed information. She decided to go with it.

“Have you met or seen any children?” She asked, almost hesitantly.

The woman cocked her head to the side, and her eyes darted back and forth as if reading Sloane like a book. She very well could be with magic.

“I have. I suspect that none of the children I have met is the one you are searching for.”

“How do you know?”

“None bore even a passing resemblance to you. Your tone was not one of a passing curiosity. You are searching for someone who holds a deep connection to you. A child? You are too old to be searching for a sibling, I believe. A son?”

Sloane winced ever so slightly.

“No. A daughter. I am sorry. There were two young girls, but they were both siblings and were with an older relative. Their grandfather, I believe.”

She couldn’t help herself, Sloane let out a sob as her shoulders sagged. The woman quickly moved forward and supported her by holding her arms. The praetor leaned close and whispered, “Alos will protect her until you can be reunited. Of this, I am certain. You keep hold of your strength and wear it well. I know not of your terran gods, but Alos sees not race in those of his followers. He shines down upon us all, but I am not here to convert you. In time, I suspect you will see his and his pantheon’s value.”

Sloane nodded. “Thank you. I apologize. I am here for other reasons.”

The woman tilted her head slightly but then nodded. “Yes. For magic.”

“I have learned a lot since arriving in your world. I… I apologize, I am not sure where to begin. Do you have someone that I could sit down with and we could discuss findings?”

The woman’s lips curled upward. “I suspect I know a way we could begin. Please, over here.” She gestured toward the pedestal in the room.

“Um, okay. Sure.” Sloane walked with the woman and stepped toward to the pedestal.

Praetor Shalas turned her head to the side and rested her hand on the hilt of her mace. “She is in position and we are ready,” The sun elf called out.

Sloane jerked her head to the side, hands coming up to form two Mana Bolts. She started slowly backing away as a high elf entered in elaborate robes. The sun elf looked at Sloane and curled her hand around her mace’s haft. “I did not realize you were so easily startled. Please cancel your spells.”

With a scowl directed at the woman, Sloane lowered her hands, letting the bolts dissipate back into mana. “I cannot believe you are not aware of what is happening within the city right now, Praetor Shalas. I have been ambushed twice now by a magic-wielding Vlaredian,” she sneered.

“I am aware. I simply felt you had more control than you now appear to. That was my mistake. I will endeavor to ensure the wind announces its presence before it scares you into burning down the city.”

Sloane’s scowl deepened as her mind whirled. The woman had shown true kindness when Sloane had spoken of Gwyn, but had immediately returned to antagonizing her after. “You are deliberately provoking me. Why? We do not know each other. What have I done to you?”

The woman let out an exaggerated sigh, but the priest spoke, narrowing his eyes at the falcon on her shoulder. “Terrans. Your people have come into our world like a storm. It seems that every other one of your people believes they can change our society ‘for the better’.”

“I have not done anything that has not been welcomed by those of this world.”

The praetor opened her mouth but was again cut off by the priest. “Of course. What reasonable person would not be swayed by such honeyed promises? Yours are benign and do seemingly seek to provide benefits. It is not solely altruistic of you, I am aware of your true desires, and before you say anything, I do not blame you. Others of your kind have not always done as you.

“This army that lay at our door. Do you know how they were able to arrive? A terran was working with the dwarves of Dheg Malduhr. He promised them a new sort of weapon, a new technology. One fueled by what you have named mana. By magic. The city is no more. Destroyed in a large flash that tore down a mountain.”

Sloane gasped as her eyes widened and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hands. He didn’t… Did he make… No…

“I can see by your expression that you may be aware of what possibly occurred. That is the problem. Other terrans have promised more and have either died or gotten innocents killed for it. The church received this information from a priest that survived. As such, the church within the Sovereign Cities has sent a request and we now await a Decree to be enacted by Her Holiness, the Archpriestess. One that will ban any-and-all terran designed weapons from being used.”

Sloane let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Good.”

“W-What?” Praetor Shalas was shocked. Serves her right.

“I know what weapons of my people can do. I still do not know where the terminology ‘terran’ came from, but every thought I have on the subject scares me. If there are humans–terrans that are more advanced than my people here? Then I can only imagine what destruction they could cause. You spoke of a city that had been destroyed? My people had tens of thousands of such weapons. Enough to destroy civilization across the entire world. I do not wish for your people to live under such threats. One where one man could end life as everyone knew it.”

A small gasp could be heard from behind her, Stefan likely taking in the knowledge she was openingly presenting.

She looked the Praetor in her widened eyes. “So, again, good. I have made some weapons that I have used to protect myself and those with me, but even those are not as effective as magic itself. I see so many other options, like Tiberius, here,” She said, shaking her shoulder where her bird sat.

“Wryaat!”

“I wish to establish positive relationships. You both know why. I want to find my daughter, and creating enemies will only hinder that. Granted, that ship has sailed with the Vlaredians. So if you will excuse me, I will not tell you my daughter’s name for fear she may have arrived within their Empire.”

The praetor dipped her head. “It would be unconscionable for me to use a child against you. It goes against every belief I hold dear. Whatever the High Priest and my own beliefs on your people, please trust that.”

Sloane inclined her head. “Thank you.”

The high priest took a deep breath. “You truly seek to help instead of harm?”

“I believe my track record in that regard may not be as obvious as I’d like, but yes. I have people here and only one of which is a terran, mind you. I want them protected. No matter where they hail from. As I said, I wish to establish positive relations with various contacts to fund what may be a weeks or years-long search for my daughter. I will travel anywhere I have to, but I cannot do so if I am broke.”

The praetor looked at the high priest and nodded. “She is telling the truth.”

Sloane’s eyes widened and she quickly used her Mana Sight. “Did you just cast a truth spell? A lie detection spell?”

The sun elf sighed. “She’s a scholar through and through. Yes, I used magic that allowed me to ascertain the veracity of your words. It is why I have been provoking you.”

Dropping her sight spell, Sloane scowled at the woman. “What is this,” She asked, indicating the large yellow orb sitting on the pedestal.

The high priest stepped forward. “You have been making your strides in discovering this new existence we live in, and so have others. This room is the beginning of something new. Something that will one day fill an integral part of our society.”

Sloane tilted her head, and the praetor laughed. “I do not believe I even needed to utilize magic to read you.”

“Watch it. Just because you have broken my guard somehow, doesn’t mean I am scared of you.”

The woman’s eyes grew predatory. “I am a Paladin of Alos. I have risen to the rank of Praetor by spilling the blood of those who sought to harm innocents. The Empire’s Fist are naught but mewlings that aspire to live in our shadow. Do not confuse my current demeanor with weakness. If you seek to harm me or any innocents, I will cut you down before you can cast a single spell. No matter how strong you believe it to be.”

Sloane smirked. “It seems you can be provoked just as easily.” …Bitch.

Shalas scowled, but the high priest just laughed. “You two can settle this over an ale after we have finished.”

The paladin sputtered, and Sloane scoffed. “Members of the church can drink here?”

“Why could we not?” The high priest asked.

Sloane shrugged. “Huh. Fair enough. Please, continue.”

The man gave her another searching look but then continued, “As I was saying. This room is the beginning of something new. A ceremony that will be conducted by certain priests and priestesses. This orb, combined with our magic, allows us to learn about what changes mana has bestowed upon you by the will of the gods. We can gain details of your person, and we will use this to help the people of Eona find their lot in life. To help give direction to those who may otherwise be lost or unfulfilled. We–” Holy shit.

“Holy shit. You can read my status.”

A satisfying look of confusion came over both members of the church as her outburst interrupted him.

“You… know what I wish to do?”

“If I am translating all of your religious jargon correctly? Yes. You are going to use magic to identify or learn information about me, as it pertains to mana and the changes that have happened since the Flash.”

The two glanced at each other and the man nodded. “Yes. That is essentially it.” He looked around, and it seemed like she threw off his presentation.

“Should we start?”

“Yes. Yes… Please, come place your hands on either side of the orb. There are markings. I will place mine on the opposite side.”

She stepped up and looked down at the orb, which is when she finally noticed the yellow swirling within it. Sloane gasped and looked up. “This is a core! Where the hell did you find one so large?” The core was as large as her head!

Shalas adopted a smug look. “My paladins and I hunted down a beast in the mountains south of us that had been preying on several villages. The beast was massive but slow. This is the orb that was inside it.”

Sloane shook her head. “These are called cores. We all have them. Animals have them, including the monsters that have been mutated by excessive mana. It is your mana core that connects you to mana and allows you to channel it.”

The high priest nodded. “Your core… Yes. I can see it. Thank you for this freely given information, Lady Reinhart.”

Sloane raised a brow, muttering, “I’ve passed on a lot of freely given information since being here…”

Shalas scowled, indicating how unamused the woman was. I do not understand this woman.

She gestured from her eyes to the core. “May I?”

The high priest nodded and Sloane used her Mana Sight as she placed her hands on the indicated spots, and the high priest did the same.

Praetor Shalas quickly moved to a shelf that was along the wall and gathered a wooden plank, a scroll, and a quill. She rushed back over and set herself up. “Ready, high priest.”

The man closed his eyes and Sloane felt a small burst of mana flow from the orb into her and then back into the orb. She looked down and the orb went from yellow to white before a swirl of colors started to form. The high priest opened his eyes and looked down, unable to contain his surprise as he took in what he saw.

“Praetor, record this. Affinity: Blue, Red, and Yellow.”

She heard a strangled noise coming from the paladin.

His voice seemed to deepen, and his eyes glowed yellow and became unfocused. The paladin recorded as the man dictated what he learned of her.

Sloane Reinhart
"The Enchantress"
Terran
Path: Artificer
Purpose: Innovator
Alignment: Mental
Steps: 41
Key Attribute: Control

The praetor gasped but still dutifully documented what had been said. When he finished, the glow in his eyes dimmed and his focus returned.

Steps? Forty-one? Wait… Holy shit. I’m level forty-one?

“Did you get all of that, Praetor?”

The sun elf spoke softly. “Yes, high priest. Her steps… they’re the highest of anyone we have seen yet.”

He glanced at her. “What were they?”

“Forty-one, high priest.”

The man turned and looked at Sloane. “That is indeed significantly higher than anyone else we have performed this on. What step were you on, Praetor?”

“Twenty-eight, high priest,” The woman said, almost whispering. Take that, bitch!

“Hmm.”

“Why do you call them steps?” Sloane asked.

The man looked at her as if she were a child he was ready to teach how to walk. “Because they represent the key steps you take on your path of life as you attempt to fulfill your true purpose as decreed by the gods.”

She winced. “But they’re levels,” she mumbled

The praetor scowled. “The gods have given us this great gift. They seek to elevate all people of Eona. To bestow great power upon them. The steps show how far you have reached toward the heavens.”

“So, they are steps up the staircase to power?”

The woman nodded. “Precisely. I see that you are understanding.”

“So these upward steps… If only there was a term that would better explain that feeling you gain. Like reaching a new…”

Shalas gave her an unamused look.

Sloane continued. “I mean, why go up a flight of stairs in the first place? It’s as if we are attempting to reach a higher…” She snapped her fingers a few times. “I know there is a word for it.” She glanced at Stefan. “Help me out here, Stefan. A new floor? No, that’s silly…”

The blade’s eyes darted between her and the sun elf.

“Leave.”

Sloane turned back to the paladin. “I’m sorry, what was that, twenty-eight?”

The woman took a step forward. “You–”

“It doesn’t feel good, does it? In the future, you do not need to be an asshole just to get someone to express themselves truthfully.”

Sloane paused before saying anything else as she got an idea.

The high priest sighed. “Lady Reinhart, please. Praetor Shalas, why don’t you–”

“Can we perform this on my guard?” Sloane asked.

Stefan started choking, and Shalas looked like she was about to have an aneurysm.

With a cough, the high priest glanced between her and the paladin. “Very well. If you would, Mr…”

“S-Stefan, high priest,” her raithe guard said as he stepped forward.

Sloane slapped Stefan on the back. “Come on, buddy. Don’t be shy. This is an opportunity we may not get to experience again for a while.”

He nodded and stepped up to the pedestal with the high priest. Both men placed their hands on the core and Sloane settled into place beside Shalas, and just to be petty, moved closer to be inside her personal space. The sound of grinding teeth was like sweet music.

The core again changed colors and settled into a mist of black, denoting the raithe’s affinity.

Then the high priest spoke what she assumed to be the basic version of Stefan’s status sheet. The paladin dutifully wrote it down. That paper will be coming with me when we leave. No matter how benign this information is.

Stefan Stranca
"The Blade"
Raithe
Path: Infiltrator
Purpose: Rogue
Alignment: Physical
Steps: 22
Key Attribute: Capability

Control and Capability. Two out of three… But only level 22? Come on man. No wonder Nemura is kicking your ass. Those are rookie numbers.

The priest came to and Stefan was looking between the paladin and Sloane with wide eyes.

“Was that informative, Stefan?” She asked the infiltrator.

The man nodded quickly. “Yes, My Lady.”

She sighed. Shit. I’m going to have to talk with him about how this isn’t the work of the gods, aren’t I?

Shit. I can’t do that… ugh. Don’t get involved in religion, Sloane.

Sloane inclined her head toward the high elf. “I appreciate the knowledge you have given us, high priest. This has been very informative. If you do not mind, I would like to hold onto that paper Praetor Shalas wrote. If you would indulge me, I would like to tell you about something my world calls privacy protection. Despite Praetor Shalas and my interaction thus far, I believe you two to be honorable. If you are going to be performing this task, I suggest the church treat this ceremony and the information you gather as worth more than gold, and more dangerous than any blackmail of a Queen, for example. You will have access to very private information that will be usable against a wide array of people. The church must keep this knowledge neutral and separate from every entity. You must be trusted completely with information of what people will eventually discover is more personal than any secret they could ever hold.”

The paladin grew serious. “What do you mean, Lady Reinhart?”

Sloane nodded, appreciating the woman putting aside any dislike for her to perform her duty. “High priest, you do not have to give me an answer, but I suspect that you are around the same level–sorry, step–as either Stefan or Praetor Shalas.”

The man nodded slowly. “I am.”

“Good. I suspect that as you use this spell more often, and increase your level…” Shalas coughed. “…You will gain the ability to learn more information from a person’s status. This information could very well tell you everything you need to know to harm said person. What abilities or spells they may have, for example. Knowing this knowledge is dangerous, and could put a target on you or your priests that know it. What if one of your priests gained knowledge of a prince or princess, and then when they ascended the throne of their nation, they wished to purge all that knew of their status?”

Shalas’ eyes widened as she realized the ramifications of what Sloane was intimating.

“That… is extremely valuable information to know, Lady Reinhart,” The woman said.

“I agree. I will work with the Archpriestess to set up a new order within the Church to ensure this information is closely guarded and remains private. The church must be a neutral beacon in the dark. One that any can come to for aid. We cannot enact the Celestials’ will if we are corrupt. I thank you for this knowledge, Lady Reinhart.”

He chuckled ruefully. “Amusing how something can seem so obvious in hindsight.”

“We have a saying in my world, or well, a similar enough saying… but hindsight is always clear. Basically, things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset. I believe it is sometimes beneficial to evaluate something new by evaluating what all could go wrong, than just focusing on the one thing that would go right.”

The high priest bowed his head. “Wise words, My Lady.” Eh, I kind of pulled that from my arse.

Paladin Shalas cleared her throat. “High priest, I apologize, but I believe it is nearly time for your next meeting. Perhaps the lady could schedule a future meeting to further discuss magic?” Oh? Now you want to play nice?

“Ah, yes. Lady Reinhart. Thank you for coming, I hope you will return. I do believe we can discuss magic in a more open conversation that would benefit both of our organizations, and I hope you will come to see that the Church strives to do good in our world. Until then, I wish you many safe days.”

He grabbed the paper from the paladin, rolled it up, and handed it to Sloane. She accepted it gratefully. “Thank you, high priest. I look forward to meeting with you again.”

Stefan started to turn, but Sloane couldn’t help but get one last shot in as the high priest left the room.

“So, Praetor Shalas?” She said with as sweet a voice as she could manage.

The woman gave her a blank stare. “Yes, Lady Reinhart?”

“Still up for that ale?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She huffed. “Not on your life.”

Sloane smiled. Knew you were still a cheeky bitch.

In Good Hands

The weeks went by, so much so that Sloane would have called them months on Earth. Alas, the calendar on Eona did not lend itself well to describing the passing of time. As the month and thus the season of Winter faded and Spring neared, it was as if the city had grown accustomed to the fact of being held prisoner by their enemy.

Strict rationing and management of supplies had forced even the wealthiest to adjust their standard of living. Beyond probing actions that happened occasionally, the Vlaredian army never truly attacked. They were content to wait the city out, for they knew a city of such size would eventually capitulate. Its own citizens would force it to do so. The city, it seemed, was on a time limit. One that if asked before the siege, was a situation the city would inevitably win. Yet, beyond the rare sighting of Sovereign scouts, the promised army from Mogogale did not show. Oh, the city leadership and army spoke of what could only be the reasons, such as a harsh winter, or any number of other lies they liked to tell the masses to keep them hopeful.

Sloane had spent the entire month working on her projects, and the remainder was spent locked down either within her small manor or on campus. Ressa had only attacked twice in the long season. Once on a supply warehouse that held materiel for the army, and another on a random government facility in the Central Quarter. One within a short walking distance of Sloane’s new house. She’s clearly trying to make a statement.

Her idea of checking the buildings for false walls had not panned out. In fact, everyone was completely stumped at how the woman could continually hide with such success.

Frustration hit her. Would have lost that bet…

She sighed as her thoughts almost broke her Meditation. A spell she had learned over the winter, one that let her relax and helped her after strenuous uses of mana. She could contemplate during the spell, but she couldn’t get too worked up, otherwise, the spell would break. Her people’s near-constant use of mana had led her and the alchemists to make two very important discoveries. However, before that, they had learned several things.

Most of her House had taken her and the church’s offer up on performing the ceremony on her people. They had learned all of the key attributes. Ernald had jokingly called them the Three-Cs and it happened to stick amongst the guards and some of the others. They were capability, constitution, and hers, control. More and more, she scrutinized everything through the lens of what she knew from roleplaying games, seeing ways to direct their research toward possibilities. Research into these attributes led them to learn that everyone had all three of them, but they had one that was the primary focus of their path.

Capability affects the physical or magical ability of the person. Physically, it meant they were stronger, and while Sloane had long realized her magic strength was variable based on her needs, capability seemed to affect its potential.

Constitution changed the body. The strength of someone’s skin and how much it could be abused before being damaged were the first things they noticed. Those with higher constitution also seemed less likely to get sick according to her alchemists and Maud. Another aspect they noticed the attribute affected, was one’s stamina. There were also two types of stamina. The typical physical stamina, which dictated how long someone could exert themselves, and mental stamina. Mental stamina was tricky to research. However, Maud and she had quickly realized that mental stamina was linked to their ability to cast spells, and why she had worked to learn her Meditation spell to help… regenerate it quicker. It definitely helps with the migraines I get from the overuse of mana.

Huh. This makes it quite similar to what I would consider a mana pool if mana actually accumulated within us in such a way. I wonder if there are mana related illnesses that come from pushing too hard for too long.

The last attribute was control, and this also affected the body. It made someone more perceptive and have finer control of their body and reactions. For the few magic users they had, it allowed for increased mana and spell efficiency.

Sloane wished they had more magic users to test with.

The first thing she did when learning this was to consult her watch. While she wasn’t able to figure out exact numbers, she had figured out that her control was significantly higher than her capability or constitution. For her at least, her second most attribute was two-thirds the value of her control, while the least was a third.

This unfortunately did not hold up after testing others, and she was not sure what contributed to the attributes. They learned the most when they focused on people with a physical alignment. It gave them a larger sample set to measure. What they learned was that paths seemed to affect the key attributes of people, while the core quality seemed to affect how many attributes they had. The core quality seems awfully close to rarity. Perhaps rarity affects how many stats you gain per level–step.

When they looked at core qualities, they discovered three different ones. Common, Uncommon, and Rare. She was the only person with a rare core, while only six members of the House and knights combined had uncommon. Nemura and Ismeld were the only fighters of her inner circle with that quality, while the alchemist Kemmy was the only artisan with one. The remaining three were two guards with one of the senior guardsmen having a leader purpose. The last was one of Elodie’s managers she had hired for the Runecard business. That telv had a bureaucrat purpose, which had prompted Sloane to ask Adaega to organize a list of people with their purposes, but was surprised to find out the woman had already done so.

Of their members, they had leaders, bureaucrats, artisans, workers, fighters, two rogues, a healer, and of course, an innovator. She suspected there were more, but that would come in time.

Additionally, when testing the guards, they learned that people with the same le–step and path or purpose had similar levels of stats. They weren’t exact, but they were close enough to do tests. They then included people with similar purposes but different steps. What they learned here was… incredible.

Attributes affected people differently. Someone with similar capability, but was already stronger than another person, would maintain that difference. That said, someone who had previously been weaker, may be stronger if the difference in levels was enough.

Testing this had brought on another revelation. Sloane knew that she was at a much higher level than Deryk. Her core quality was at first glance two levels higher, which meant her attributes were higher… or so she had believed.

She’d tried competing against him by lifting a series of weights that Koren, their smith, had made.

Deryk had demolished her. While Sloane definitely lifted more than she ever even considered on Earth, his was more. What that had allowed them to realize, and after testing Maud and Gisele, was that the alignment affected the attributes more than they had first considered. It seemed that alignment dictated how mana affected someone, and whether the attribute would affect someone mentally or physically. As Gisele was a hybrid alignment, they suspected that her attributes equally contributed to both her mental and physical improvements.

Even with Deryk’s lower level and core quality, her stats were not enough to overcome his physical capability.

A knock resounded on the door to her office and she opened her eyes and turned her head. Sloane felt her Meditation recede as the door opened and the young telv woman that Adaega had assigned as her assistant popped her head in.

“I apologize for disturbing you, m’lady.”

Sloane smiled and pushed off the ground to help herself stand. “It is no bother. What can I do for you?”

“Your meeting with alchemist Kemilla is scheduled to begin soon.”

Sloane squinted and glanced out the large window of her office. Huh. More time passed than I had thought. She had been meditating for almost four hours or bells it seemed.

“I will be right there, please allow me to clean up.”

“Of course, m’lady,” the young woman said with a bow of her head.

Sloane looked around and then moved to grab her cloak. It was still chilly out, even if it was early spring.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Lady Sloane! Welcome, welcome. We’re ready for you in the back,” Rel said as she entered the Alchemy Hall. Nodding to the young high elf man who occupied the front desk as she passed, Sloane followed Rel through a set of double doors into the heart of the hall. Inside was a hive of activity. She immediately noticed Kemmy moving around directing the alchemists and the apprentices in their various jobs. She saw several apprentices working on batches of what looked like enchanting ink. Another group was working with large beakers that had a small glass tube at the top that led into another, larger, collection jar.

“Kem! Lady Sloane’s here,” Rel called out.

“Thanks, Rel,” Sloane said to the orkun woman, smiling. The woman was slowly warming up to the idea of working with the other alchemists. For all that Rel enjoyed spending time with others from the campus, she surprisingly did not transfer that to her work life. She was very solitary and only preferred to work with her partner, Kemmy.

The raithe woman perked up and looked over from where she was standing next to one of the bubbling beakers that appeared to be filled with boiling water. Huh, is she distilling the water?

Kemmy took off her thick gloves and walked over. “Lady Sloane! Perfect! Just in time too.”

Sloane smiled. “What is your team working on? I see you have moved the apprentices to enchanting ink production. And… Distilling water?”

The raithe seemingly lit up. “Yes! So, enchanting ink is fairly easy to produce, and with the greenhouses you had the city set up, our source of silden fern is pretty secure. Now, what we are working on here is something truly magical. The distilled water is being used for an elixir that Rel accidentally discovered. We are refining the process and attempting to make a more potent and effective product.”

Sloane’s brows knit together. “What did she accidentally discover?”

Rel sighed. “I was attempting to make a tonic and grabbed the wrong items to filter the water with. Since I was absolutely exhausted, I confused two of the canisters. Instead of crushed stone and sand, I used our supply of crushed crystals that had been infused with mana…”

Sloane’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

Kemmy chuckled. “It created a weak tonic that when ingested–”

“Wait! You drank it?” Sloane asked, concerned.

The raithe waved her off. “Yes, of course. We know that it will not harm someone. We have tested it before.”

Sloane’s mouth dropped. Just what kind of unsafe operations are they… Oh, yeah… safety regulations wouldn’t have formed for a long time yet. The thought of what they were doing without proper precautions did not sit right with her. Adaega would need to implement safety standards throughout the campus. Sloane sighed lightly. More stuff for that poor woman.

“Okay. So, what happened?” she asked, lightly massaging her temple.

“It gave me energy! It did not help much, but it was like I was ready to work more.” So she made an energy drink? Mana-based caffeine substitute?

Kemmy was nodding along. “We did more tests. Remember our discussion about stamina and how mana affects it?”

“Yes…”

“This tonic replenishes it. We created two different versions with different ingredients. Also, the crushed mana crystal has to be infused with mana from different sources. So we used different cores to infuse the crystals. We now have a supply of crushed crystals of every type of mana. However, the two that are most important for us are green and blue,” Kemmy explained.

Sloane thought about it but came away with nothing. Chemistry was not her area of expertise. The raithe directed her over to the table where a telv alchemist was pouring the freshly distilled water through a filter made from crushed stone that glowed slightly blue. Below that was a jar filled with an assortment of plants.

“Here we have some other plants that have been saturated in mana-infused soil similar to the ferns we use for the enchanting ink. The House herbalist–”

“We have a House herbalist?” Sloane asked, not aware they had hired someone specifically for that function.

“Yes. I asked Ms. Adaega to hire one just after the first greenhouse was erected. He has been cultivating the House’s supply of magical plants for some time while also working with the City to improve methods. He is the one that took your idea of saturating the soil with powdered and crushed mana crystals and then using green cores to channel mana into them during the process.”

“Huh. I thought that was you,” she admitted. It had been some time since she had discussed the subject with the alchemists, and Sloane had been busy since. It was one of those things where she came up with initial ideas and simply let her people run with them. There were far too many projects to manage every aspect herself. Especially with how hands-on she had to be with the runework.

“At first it was, then after we hired the herbalist, he and I worked together to improve the process. We started with what we knew, then moved on to a variety of other plant types. Some seem to work well with mana, while others do not have a noticeable reaction. Oh, here, observe,” she said, indicating the alchemist working on the elixir.

The telv mixed the heated water and the plants together. As he did, the water started taking on a glow. After a few minutes of mixing, the man grabbed the large jar with his gloved hands and carefully poured it into a funnel and strainer set into a small glass bottle. Once he filled up the bottle nearly full, he moved down the row of more that had been set up for that purpose. Kemmy put a glove back on and grabbed the first bottle.

“Now, we use a bit of magic…”

Sloane knew that Kemmy was one of the few in the House with both a mental alignment and an uncommon core quality. Her attunement was green, and her domains were artifice and abjuration. Rel, herself with a common quality core, was another mental aligned person also attuned to green mana but had the alteration domain.

She watched as the raithe’s eyes seemed to have a glowing tinge to them. Her fingertips also gained a subtle green glow as she held onto the bottle. The liquid inside swirled and then took on a brighter glow, one that reminded her of a blue glow stick in the dark. Kemmy placed the bottle back into the wooden rack. Sloane couldn’t help but grin as she saw the big smile on the woman’s face.

“So, that’s it? What did you do with your magic?” Sloane asked.

“That’s it! We have found that magical alchemical substances will work on their own, but when guided and strengthened with our spells, they will last longer and become more potent. Would you care to test it?”

Sloane squinted as she looked between her two trailblazing alchemists. Ah, what the hell.

“This blue liquid, I presume this is the mental stamina elixir?”

Kemmy nodded. “It is!”

Sloane took a deep breath. “I will need to exhaust myself first, and that may be difficult in here.

Rel chuckled. “We already suspected. Come, we had Koren set up a testing area for you, specifically.”

“What?” She asked, finding herself confused yet again.

The two women laughed and Kemmy asked her to go with them to somewhere they had set up. She sighed as she found herself following the two partners out the rear of the Alchemy Hall and along the perimeter wall. They turned to the right and headed in the direction of the Guard Hall.

As they entered the small tree-filled area between the two halls, she noticed a newly cleared area back near the outer wall. There was a new stone pad in the area with a wall that was erected along the rear. There were lines painted onto the stone floor at set intervals that lined up with the obelisks placed along the edges of the roughly ten-meter-long area set a meter apart. The wall was made of solid stone that appeared to be around six meters wide, half as thick, and was set into the ground where it rose five meters.

She glanced at the raithe woman next to her. “What is this?”

The woman nodded. “This was built with you in mind. You should be able to use just about any spell you have on it. We had Orthan practice some of his enchanting on it. He placed several runes that should help withstand your magic.”

Sloane perked up. She remembered Adaega mentioning that the young man had been practicing his runework. With a pep in her step, she stepped onto the pad and walked past a circle curiously painted onto the stone as she moved over to the wall.

Along the wall were thin bands of steel placed every half meter. Sloane whistled as she saw the runic chains written into the bands. She saw a plethora of runes in each of the bands. The immediately obvious ones were |Strengthen| and another that she had only just recently theorized about: |Spell-Resist|. One she hoped would dampen the effects of magic against armor utilizing the enchantment. A must for the knights, but one that unfortunately would not do as much against the conjured objects that Ressa utilized. Ironically, it would help them more against someone like her with her arcane-based spells.

“What do you think?” A voice called out from her right.

Adaega walked up, with several other people in tow. With her were all of the main people of her House and the knights. Another group of people was behind them, and she caught sight of General Irileth and several other officers of the army she recognized. A smaller group included several members of the City Council. They all held expectant expressions… suspiciously so.

Sloane narrowed her eyes. “This is suspicious.”

The dark-skinned terran laughed. “We all planned this. This is officially the spell-testing area. It was quite expensive in materials, but I think it will be worth it.” She glanced at the young telv and smiled. “I am especially proud of the work Orthan put into it.”

“Thank you, Ms. Adaega. Lady Reinhart, I hope it meets your expectations,” the boy said.

Sloane chuckled. “Seeing as how I had no idea that it was being constructed, I’d say I have none.”

“You should see what it can do. The obelisks in particular! I want to take this concept and use it back home,” Gisele said with excitement.

Sloane glanced over at the little obelisks that she had originally ignored as simple markers. They were almost a meter tall, and clearly had runes designed into them. As she walked closer, she noticed red cores built into them. She narrowed her eyes and looked closer as she squatted in front of one, seeing two runes she recognized followed by one she didn’t. Glancing up at Orthan, she asked, “You used |Store:(Spell)|? I do not recognize the spell…”

“I did, Lady Reinhart. Ser Gisele provided aid,” he said.

Her eyes widened as she realized what that implied. “No… Is there a mana crystal in here?”

Adaega nodded. “Yes. Each obelisk is powered by crystals. This is not just a testing area, it’s a test bed for an entirely new way of defending cities. It was also a way for us to test our ability to design these experiments without your direct involvement. However, you are currently the only one that can test the effectiveness.”

Giddiness rose within her as she looked around. The large group of people was gathering at the front of the pad as they patiently waited on her. She turned back toward the group and saw a little pedestal off to the side.

Adaega gestured at the small pedestal and Sloane approached. “This is the control for it. Would you like to do the honors?”

Sloane shook her head. “No. Orthan? Come here.”

The boy tilted his head but then nodded. He stepped next to her and looked down at it, before pressing a button that had a |Trigger| rune built into it.

The entire pad thrummed with power as the runes on the obelisks glowed red and those on the wall glowed blue. The obelisks flashed once but then walls of red energy that were identical to those that Gisele utilized rose on either side of the pad. Everyone present gasped as the walls rose to the same height as the rear wall and stabilized. Sloane was impressed. Her people had built this without her knowing and managed to deliver an entirely new mana-based technology. Actually, she was really impressed. While Sloane immediately saw several ways to improve upon the design, what they were doing wasn’t about that.

This was about her people standing on their own, and showing her that they could do something she could be proud of. That she didn’t need to worry about them after leaving on her search for Gwyn. Her friends and members of her House here knew that. She felt tears forming as she turned and gazed at the faces of those in the crowd. What she saw was pride, fascination, and hope. Sloane glanced at the woman with a beaming smile.

“Was this your doing, Adaega?” Sloane asked.

She didn’t miss Ernald squeezing the woman’s hand before standing straighter, her happiness grew. The two had entered into a relationship and Sloane enjoyed watching the two lovers interact. She still remembered the day that they announced it to everyone. Adaega’s glow would not go away. Sloane and Ismeld had, of course, given Ernald no shortage of hell when they’d found out Adaega had to finally be the one to make a move because the sun elf knight was a bit… slow in realizing his own feelings. You go girl.

Nadia and Elodie stepped up behind the woman, with Elodie resting a supportive hand on Adaega’s shoulder, another act that made Sloane smile. The sun elf and raithe had become close friends of her director, the three of them could always be seen together either working or simply enjoying each other’s company.

Adaega nodded. “Yes, Lady Reinhart. After we gathered the data concerning all of the members of the House I sought a way to really showcase what the House and the Reinhart Center could do. This was a collaborative effort from everyone, and each person gave valuable inputs and insight into how their abilities would make it work.”

“Speech!” a female voice called out from the crowd.

Sloane fake glared in the direction it came from, looking for Gisele. That rascal. She knows I hate public speaking.

Sloane stepped forward, addressing all those gathered, “This is impressive. Truly, I am astonished at how polished and well-done this technology is. Never mind the fact you managed to do it in between all the other stuff I have been bothering the lot of you with.” She chuckled as a not-insignificant amount of laughter came from the crowd.

She took a deep breath, the words that would mean the most coming to her. “Reinhart Center was a concept that I thought would allow like-minded people to come together and bring an improved quality of life to everyone, everywhere. A place of learning and research that would dive into the mysteries of this strange, fantastical phenomenon called Mana. A place that could be a refuge of safety for other terrans like myself and Adaega. A hub where new friends can come together to create wondrous items and works of true magic.” Other members of the House approached, gathering together as she spoke. A smattering of applause made her pause.

She smiled as her eyes skimmed over the growing crowd. Sloane continued, “My fear since arriving has been of what I leave behind. As all of you know, my time here in Marketbol is not permanent. I have a journey I must undergo, one that leads me far from here.

“In a short amount of time, this center has grown from a mere idea and a small group of people, into a respectable institute of development and progress. I could not be more proud of each and every one of you. What you all are doing to support each other and this city is simply inspiring. With Adaega Merbaker and Elodie Romaris, House Reinhart and its Marketbol Center are in capable hands. However, we could not have gotten this far if it were not for all of you. To those of House Reinhart and those who support what we have built here, I thank you. To those within the city’s leadership that took a chance, I hope you see the potential of what is to come. You took a chance on a few women who wanted something more. This is only the beginning, and I cannot wait for the world to see what House Reinhart has in store. Everyone, from the bottom of my heart… thank you.” She crossed her hands over her heart and bowed her head. People started clapping, but she raised her hands and everyone quieted.

She grinned. “Now, who wants to see how well this works?”

Sloane spun around and snap-fired a Mana Bolt at the wall. The crackling purple orb flew out and burst against the wall in a flash of energy and light. A cascade of shimmering blue energy spread from the focal point as the wall’s enchantments performed their function perfectly. Not even a smidge of damage appeared. She smirked as she pulled at her mana, letting it build, before casting an Arcane Barrage. Blast after blast slammed into the wall, and she swung her hand to the side, letting several of the bolts burst against the shielding in a satisfying crackle of energy. She formed a series of Mana Bolts over her shoulders even as her barrage continued and launched them on a spiraling path that slammed all down the length of the shields and into the stone wall.

Cheering erupted from behind her and she laughed. The wall and the shield stood resolute. Let’s see how much abuse this can take.

She launched into a series of spells, pulling more and more at her mana. The wall held up, but she saw that the shimmering had dimmed very slightly. As she continued, she felt the slow inexorable arrival of exhaustion. Easily half a bell of casting was starting to take its toll, and she glanced, seeing everyone still glued to the impromptu show she was giving them.

A tap on her shoulder brought her head around, seeing Kemmy. Rel stepped right behind Sloane next to Adaega, blocking her view of the crowd.

“Lady Sloane. Here,” the raithe whispered.

She handed Sloane a cloth, and Sloane squinted her eyes.

“For your nose.”

Dabbing her nose, she winced as she saw the small drops of blood. “Did anyone–”

“No. Here, drink this.”

Kemmy handed Sloane the bottle and Sloane’s eyes widened. In the excitement of the spell-testing area, she’d forgotten about the elixir. It was the whole reason… Oh… no wonder she’d been working so hard on it. She was trying to make sure it was done before this event.

Well played, Kemmy.

Sloane pulled out the glass stopper and lifted the bottle to her lips. Closing her eyes, she tipped it back and drained the entire thing. Sloane wanted to gag at the taste, it reminded her of cough medicine, but… smoother. She winced but then her eyes widened as she felt it. A warm feeling raced toward her body’s connection to mana. When it reached her core, it felt as if someone had massaged a soothing cream on a sore muscle. A sensation of relief followed along her core’s pathways and spread throughout her body. She pulled at mana and felt as if she could cast nonstop all over again.

Sloane laughed loudly. Darting to the small woman next to her, she grabbed Kemmy in a hug, before lifting the smaller raithe woman and spinning her around. Rel quickly raised her hands in surrender as Sloane set her partner down. Sloane chuckled and turned back toward the crowd.

She knew she wore a big goofy grin as she addressed everyone, and she didn’t care. “Wonders never cease within House Reinhart. I am sure all of you know them, but for those who do not, allow me to introduce Kemilla Bratianu and Rel Sha’rak. Kemmy is the department head of our Alchemy Hall. She oversees all of the center’s efforts concerning the field of alchemy and now herbalism. For those that aren’t aware, these two amazing women discovered the formula for enchanting ink. The same ink that is used throughout all of the city’s defensive efforts provided by the center.”

A collection of satisfying gasps came from the crowd. General Irileth took a step forward, seemingly realizing that Sloane was about to drop another big discovery.

She motioned both of the women forward, and they stepped to either side of her. “Mana. It affects us all in different ways. Now, one of the main ways it does affect us is physically or even mentally. Every time we perform actions, we exert ourselves and use up our stamina. Every mana ability used or spell we cast, uses either physical or mental stamina.”

Sloane pointed at the second bottle that Rel held. “Rel discovered, and then Kemmy helped formulate elixirs that will replenish this crucial resource within ourselves. Just now, I was pushing myself to my limits as I cast my spells. I nearly drove myself to exhaustion… Something that I think the knights here can tell stories of the times that I have done so before. Drinking one of these elixirs completely reversed that. Imagine, the army is on the walls, fighting for days as the Vlaredians attempt to breach. Give the soldiers these elixirs and while they may eventually tire, their capacity to use their abilities or even spells would not diminish. They would outlast the enemy.

“Elixirs… potions… there are so many other potentials in the field of alchemy. Ser Maud has been seen using her magic to heal at the temple. Imagine, a potion that channeled that same kind of magic, and let anyone heal themselves with a concoction. Imagine the possibilities if you supplied your army with healing potions, stamina, and mana elixirs. Imagine the potential of every doctor who had these for treating people who before now had to wait for a miracle. What would this world look like?”

The crowd stood stunned. No one spoke for a moment, and then it erupted in a cacophony of voices. She heard Kemmy whisper to her side, “Is that truly possible?”

Sloane nodded, glancing at the redheaded knight healer. “Yes. If mana can allow Ser Maud to use magic to heal almost any wound? I am positive it is possible with alchemy.” Never mind the fact that I am literally just pulling from fantasy stories back home.

Rel took a deep breath from her other side. “This is going to be a lot of work.”

Kemmy laughed. “I can’t wait.”

Sloane shook her head, grinning. “I can’t either.”

For Everything Else

It was a late summer night, and the Vlaredian army had launched another one of its ill-fated probing attacks to test the reactions of the city’s defenders. The siege had gone on for several seasons now, and still, the army had not yet devised a way to counter the terran’s enchanted ballistae. Reports of Sovereign armies from the south had been coming in more frequently, and Ressa knew that General Razane feared that they would need to withdraw soon. In fact, scouts reported a decent-sized army merely a month away. If the army withdrew, she would need to reassess her mission and figure out how to proceed without the support it provided.

“Wait. Allow the patrol to pass by,” she ordered her team. They all dropped to the ground and shuffled to avoid view by the soldiers above them on the wall. Every patrol at this time of night took approximately ten minutes to get out of sight.

These soldiers are so predictable. They had long memorized the various patterns those on the wall would undertake. With the army patrolling the streets and searching for her team, it left most of the wall relatively defenseless in just about every area except the sides facing the army. That didn’t mean the army could take advantage, because unfortunately, the Sovereigns had a respectable response time. Especially in the areas facing the army.

As she usually did, Ressa used the next ten minutes to run through the situation.

A quiet fluttering whistle sounded and she glanced up. The section of the wall closest to them was clear.

“Quiet. Move out,” she whispered.

The group slowly made their way to the wall and followed it for another twenty meters. She moved to the front of the group and felt at the remnants of her magic. She cast her Dispel Conjuration. Yellow mist appeared in front of her and quickly dispersed. A small tunnel materialized in its place on the outer wall of Marketbol. The same method of entry they’d used nearly the entire time. Although, her magic naturally dissipated after about two days, depending on the size. It required them to re-enter the city, or at least reapply the magic at least that often.

She waved her team on and one-by-one they moved into the tunnel. Ressa glanced around one last time then moved in and used her Conjure Illusion and Alter Conjuration to replace the missing wall perfectly. The soft sound of slowly scrapping stone tiles announced that her team was entering the building that was butted up against the outer wall. She pulled herself up and into the small room, then followed the team to the next spot. Another round of magic removed part of the ceiling and created a basic ladder. The team scrambled up into the small space between the ceiling and the roof of the structure. As she replaced the missing ceiling piece, Ressa let out a deep breath. We may need to relocate soon.

She glanced around and saw her people already settling in for the rest of the night. Two would stay on watch, while the remainder would sleep. They had brought enough food and water for two days. The building was used solely as storage for a small merchant company, however, the siege left it relatively barren. Alexi handed her a blanket and she quickly, and quietly, placed her things to the side so that she could attempt to get comfortable.

As she lay there, waiting for sleep to take hold, her mind wandered.

Ressa and her team had spent the entire time attempting to sabotage the city and draw out the terran. She was lucky that the Empress had understood the difficulty she was having due to the terran. In fact, if it wasn’t for the war going so well elsewhere, she was sure there would be more of a push for her to end things. As it stood, they had managed to keep the terran bottled up in this city for some time. Their armies in the east had moved south, out-maneuvering the Sovereign reinforcements to take the city of Valecan and crush one unprepared army from the plains. Even now the bulk of the Vlaredian forces moved south toward the strategic bastion of Earthenwilde where they would meet the remainder of the central plains’ armies.

Her status within the army afforded her knowledge that many would not be aware of. Such as the fact that they could only commit so much of their forces to this war, and that a lot of it was currently moving to the border with the Kingdom of Avira. They needed to project strength to their other rivals.

She didn’t have an in-depth awareness of what was happening west of them, but she did know that the fleet and transports with another of their armies should be assaulting the Sovereigns by sea. The thing Ressa was most worried about was whether her nation could keep its momentum going. If they got dragged into a wider war, she was not sure the empire could weather it. In her opinion, they needed to make their point by expanding their borders and then consolidating their gains.

If the army currently sieging Marketbol managed to hold out until the eastern forces arrived to relieve them, the empire would be in a solid place to make demands. After all, the strongest armies of the Sovereigns had always been those within the southern cities.

A few days later, they retreated out of the city, their attack on another warehouse complete. Observations of the terran’s manor taken. All told, a complete success.

No one had seen a thing.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane walked past four guards, two of which were from the Banking Guild, into the Runic Hall. Her place of solace. Her sanctuary of craft. A place she’d used to escape the world and her thoughts. The old temple to Erbium, the dwarven God of Crafting, had been replaced by a grander location after the campus had shut down a decade ago. Now, the former place of worship would one day play host to dozens of enchanters, runecrafters, and artificers.

As she made her way into the main area of the hall, she noticed Orthan sitting at a table, focusing on something. Sloane smiled as she observed the young man at work. His pens and quills were lined up neatly, in a row, smallest to largest. He had two inkwells near the corner of the table, perfectly angled and spaced with the corner and each other. He had a clean stack of specialized parchment they had specially made on the left, just out of the way of his resting arm. A single piece was in front of him as he worked on an elaborate-looking design with a rune centered on the parchment. She instantly knew what he was working on.

They had previously discussed a project that seemed ideally suited for the boy. Attempting to take a specialized piece of paper that included a small amount of metal filament and create a spell scroll.

As she watched the boy work, she used her Mana Sight and noticed that his designs were not just to improve the look of the scroll. They would likely help the scroll hold its magic longer. The enchanting ink flowed smoothly and his magic worked to dry the ink almost immediately. The current runework was set up for a Mana Bolt spell.

She tilted her head in thought, and seeing he was nearly done, she spoke up, “Orthan–”

“Do not interrupt,” he cut her off and finished the last bit of the rune. He wiped the head of the enchanting pen off with a small cloth that he had on his right side before returning it to its assigned place. He did a thorough check of his work before nodding once and turning to face her.

“Lady Reinhart. I have completed the first spell scroll.”

She smiled. “I see that, Orthan. How long did this one take you?”

He looked around and then down at the scroll. “I believe it required four bells, Lady Reinhart.”

She hummed. “That will drive up the price if they are that difficult to make. Maybe–”

“A moment.” He reached down and grabbed another piece of paper, setting it next to the completed spell scroll. His hands hovered over the two papers and she watched as mana flowed through him and into the papers. A blue glow seemed to transfer from the completed sheet to the blank one, and then, after but a moment, an exact copy appeared.

“I forgot that you could do that.”

“It does not work with the Runecards. Thus this would be the first time you would have seen it, Lady Reinhart.”

“Still, Adaega had mentioned it. May I?” she asked, gesturing to the copy.

The boy nodded and handed it to her. She gazed down at the paper and examined it with her sight. Grabbing the original, Sloane realized that she could not tell any difference in any of the material. Including the ink…

“Orthan, could you please make another copy and ask Ms. Kemmy to analyze the enchanting ink? I would like to make sure it is indeed the same material.”

“Yes, Lady Reinhart,” he said. Orthan glanced around. “What are you working on today?”

She smiled, his curiosity was always high when she got to work. He loved runes and everything that could be accomplished with them. His one sore point was that he could not alter materials as she could, so he had to etch and engrave runes the old-fashioned way into metals or other materials. Another project of hers would hopefully fix that limitation, and she hoped to give it to him before leaving the city.

In her spare time, she was working on two true enchanting pens. These would be enchanted themselves, and have gems inside of them to perform true magic. Ideally, the tool would allow the enchanter to use the pen to alter any material they wished to inscribe.

“I am going to finish the Runecard database for the Banking Guild. I received something that I had been waiting for, finally.”

Orthan jumped up and followed her as she walked over to her workbench. The Guild’s guard that stood by the wall nodded to her, and she to him. On the table was a box that had been delivered, and was the reason for the guards.

Opening it, Sloane removed five softball-sized blue cores. Another elaborate container inside contained a massive black diamond, along with other large gemstones that she would need. The diamond though was easily over five hundred carats. It was staggering how much wealth lay in front of her. Well, at least on Earth. Gemstones are more abundant and less valuable here.

She took a deep breath. She looked at the pedestal that stood to her left, the outer casing open and showing what work she had done thus far. Behind it was a more functionally designed version that she had used to test the concept. Things she had learned in that process were… interesting. That model would be functional enough for some small town somewhere. The one that Sloane was completing now, was the main database. The one that would control everything.

The slots for the cores were visible, and the casing for the diamond was also ready. Grabbing her notebook from her ever-present satchel, she flipped to the page where she had worked on the design. She had chosen a pedestal option because it was something readily known here, a familiar design.

Looking back down at the gems, she pulled up her stool and got to work under the observant eye of Orthan and the respectful security of the Guild Guard. The central database of the Runecard system required a lot of details she had not initially accounted for. As always when dealing with complicated runecraft, she fell back to a source of knowledge that was readily available. Namely her watch. Using it as a reference, she had created a complicated series of systems that worked together to create a large device that would allow someone to input, display, and modify information about someone’s account.

She fitted a topaz, sapphire, and a small pink sapphire into their slots below a glass panel. The display would be powered by its own mana crystal and had a dedicated blue core. The display itself had a series of runic chains dedicated to displaying information within the database based on whose account they were working on. The Guild would maintain a copy of each Runecard, except theirs would be a management card.

A separate panel sat below the display with runes and letters, the world’s first keyboard. It had taken a lot of work with Orthan to develop this world’s version of QWERTY, but between the two of them, they had figured out the most efficient order of the alphabet. The boy had immediately requested her to build him a typewriter that she had described.

The management card would be used with the pedestal to select which account would be worked on. Next to the screen sat a card tray where the Guild’s staff would place the card. There was a small set of matching gems that would connect with the card and facilitate the data pull.

All this went into the top of the pedestal. Next, she worked on the heart of the system. She put the oversized sapphires, diamonds, and other gems into the main board. Etched runes for |Intent|, |Knowledge|, and |Calculate|, and finalized the last remaining runic chains for the system.

After slotting the board into place next to the large black diamond used as the main storage that she had inserted earlier, it was ready. Opening the final panel inside the base of the pedestal, she slowly pushed a mana crystal the size of her hand into its slot. When the bracket snapped into place, the entire thing started to make a low humming sound.

Sloane stood up and stepped back as the runes lit up across its surface. The display came to life with a satisfying swirl of mana before it settled into blackness, while the letters and runes of the keyboard glowed up in a soft blue color. She grinned. Finally!

Sloane looked over at the guard who stood nearby. She needed a final piece that would test it.

“It’s ready.”

The man stepped forward. “Please give me one moment, Lady Reinhart.”

She nodded. The guard walked to the entrance and spoke to the guards that were just outside. He returned and asked her to wait while they retrieved what was needed. While she waited, she grabbed the other items that would be at the Guild. She prepared her workbench with two separate terminal devices. One allowed viewing someone’s account, while the other imbued cards for new accounts. That device was a small steel box that had two small trays for cards, along with a half-sphere with a smooth opal set into the top. The first terminal had gone through several designs, with the final one looking like an oversized calculator almost. It had a decent-sized screen that would pull data from the pedestal and display it, then it had a series of keys that allowed the teller to input values or perform other minor functions for the account.

Orthan stepped forward and looked over her work as they waited. When he turned around he noticed her smile. “I can see that you are excited, Lady Reinhart,” he stated a bit flatly.

She nodded. “I am! This is finally done. Now I just need to make sure it works, and train members of the Banking Guild in its use. What is your opinion of it, Orthan?”

He glanced back at the pedestal and then returned to look at her. “It is an interesting tool. I look forward to seeing other objects that you make.”

Her smile grew slightly. “Thank you, Orthan. I can’t wait to see more of your own work. The spell-testing platform has been simply marvelous.”

He fidgeted. The young man never really seemed comfortable being praised. “Thank you, Lady Reinhart. I simply contributed.”

“Your contributions were pivotal in its function.”

His head bobbed slightly.

She smiled again and turned back to her workbench, tidying it up while awaiting their next guests.

Within twenty minutes, a group of five people and two more guards from the Banking Guild arrived. A well-dressed high elf led the others and gave her a bow. “Lady Reinhart. We have brought the up-to-date records of an account that the Grandmaster would like to utilize as a test.”

She folded her hands together in front of herself. “Wonderful! Collectively, what House Reinhart specializes in is what we are calling magitek. A hybrid of magical and physical means to create a new form of technology. If you will look over here, I have every device that will be needed to establish a Runecard system within the Banking Guild’s Marketbol Branch,” she explained. A telv woman dutifully started taking notes.

Sloane continued, “I have also created detailed schematics that will allow members of my House to construct more of each device to fulfill your needs. Each location will have at least one of each. I would suggest the larger branches have multiple of each type of terminal,” she said, indicating the two different devices on the table. “Although you will ever only need to have one pedestal in any given location. This is important, and I will help set this up at the Banking Guild location here, but you must have each pedestal within seventy-five meters of each terminal. This will allow the devices to pull and update information within the database. I hope to expand this limit in the future, but as of now, that is all we have. The pedestals themselves utilize blue cores to increase their strength and connection to mana. This has the lovely side effect of allowing each pedestal to connect with each other.”

She resumed detailing the functionality of the system. The details of the wireless capabilities were something she had discovered late into the process. It was a welcome addition, that she did not know existed within mana, but in hindsight, she should have. Mana was everywhere, and when she put her intent into the devices, that intent allowed them to work together. She had a core within the pedestal dedicated solely to gathering and sending data between each device. These cores were pivotal in learning more about how the system’s Intent worked.

Since each terminal did not have cores, they did not have the capability to project their data and intent far, which limited their range. After testing with two prototype pedestals, she had learned that the core-powered devices seemed to be able to connect with each other no matter their range. Well, at least as far as within the city is concerned. Testing did show that it functionally has no limit as long as mana exists. I guess we’ll see.

That was something she did not know would happen. It was also the basis of another project she was working on with Adaega. The Archive. She just needed to figure out how to create a usable network without large blue cores facilitating a connection. I will at least have the main system done before leaving, I can connect to it later when I figure it out.

Maybe after Gwyn and I settle down somewhere if I can’t make time during the journey.

Finally, after she explained what each device did, and how to best implement them, they moved on to operation.

One of the guards stepped forward and opened a small chest. Inside was a scroll, that when unrolled showed information for a single guild account. Hers.

She looked up at the high elf. “You intend for me to use mine? Is that not–”

“Do not worry, Lady Reinhart. We are all here to observe, and the Grandmaster is certain of your integrity. Now, please, walk us through the process of setting up a new card, withdrawing funds, and closing an account. Then I will do each step myself, followed by once more establishing an account which is where we will stop with your account.”

Sloan looked down at the information written. “This seems incorrect. Orthan,” she glanced at the young telv. “Could you please go retrieve Elodie?”

He quickly nodded. “At once, Lady Reinhart.”

As he rushed out of the hall, the high elf glanced between the paper and her. “I assure you, Lady Reinhart, this is the most up-to-date information we have on your account.”

She gave him a slight shrug. “I believe you. I would just feel more confident having the person who manages my House finances present. I apologize for not considering this sooner and having her present when you arrived.”

He dipped his head. “I understand. Apologies are unnecessary. You are doing the Guild a great service.”

She raised a brow. “The Banking Guild is paying me for it.”

“Of course, Lady Reinhart.”

Elodie walked in not long later, followed by Adaega. Orthan was not with them, and it seemed that the boy did not want to remain around all of the people.

“Lady Reinhart, you requested me?” Elodie asked.

“Could you please verify this information concerning our Banking Guild account?”

She glanced at Adaega with an expression that made Sloane think the two had a bet or something. Elodie’s smile as she lifted a book she had in the nook of her arm told her who had won.

“Certainly, My Lady.”

She looked down at the paper, furled her brows, and flipped through her book to a page toward the middle. Elodie tilted her head and gave the high elf a look. “This number is not correct, where are all of these extra funds coming from?” Wait… extra?

A telv stepped forward and whispered into the high elf’s ear. The man nodded and then looked between Elodie and Sloane. “The Grandmaster authorized the release of more funds to your account due to your completion of the first batch of required objects to establish the Runecard business.” The telv whispered again. “We were also made aware that you have a sufficient quantity of cards available?”

Sloane nodded slowly. “We do. We have enough for five hundred accounts.”

Elodie’s face was still filled with a mixture of complicated emotions as she flipped through her notebook. “This number still does not add up. I have right here the amount that should have been paid upon this milestone…”

“Ms. Romaris, your records are correct. The Grandmaster considers the remainder… a bonus, for continuing this project while the city is under siege.”

Huh. Hazard pay.

Sloane placed a hand on Elodie’s forearm and gently pressed down. The woman got the hint and closed her book, a slight frown still on her face. I bet she’s simply upset because she wasn’t aware. She’s usually aware of everything.

“Thank you. Now, let’s begin. First, you grab two cards.” She opened two different boxes. “One from the stack of management cards, and one for the customer card. You place both in their slots on the issuing terminal and press this rune here. It will start the process. When it flashes four times, it is ready for the customer.” She let the card get imbued and synchronized with the pedestal. “Now, have the member place their hand on the sphere with the opal. The terminal will flash twice when it is done.” She did so, feeling a slight rush as the system registered her mana signature.

The terminal flashed and she removed her hand and smiled. “Alright! Their card is ready. You can now do the next steps. Each card is ready to accept a gem based on the member’s tier and you can stamp their names and nation onto it. Meanwhile, another employee will take the management card to the pedestal.”

She handed the Runecard to Elodie and grabbed the paper from the workbench before leading everyone to the pedestal, where they all circled around it. “Now, you place the management card into its slot and let it connect with the database.” A series of flashes came before it settled into a nice solid blue glow. The screen swirled blue and then recognizing that it was a new account, entered into a series of prompts that would allow someone to input the initial information. She gestured to the telv woman. “Please, come here. I’d like to guide you through the process. It would add some peace of mind to me since it is my information.”

The high elf smiled and motioned the telv woman forward. She stepped to the front and looked at the display and keys. “It is asking me for the member’s name.”

Sloane nodded. “Yes! Now, this is what we call a keyboard. You simply press each key to input that letter of the alphabet.”

The woman pressed the first key in the Common alphabet that would spell out Sloane’s name. She guided the woman through the process and she quickly got the hang of using the keyboard, pecking at each letter as she read the display’s prompts. Sloane showed her the ‘enter’ button and the process continued, going through recording key information for each account that the Guild had requested her system maintain. When they had finished, she showed the woman how to finalize the card, which cued a series of flashes that signified the completion of the process.

Sloane removed the card from its slot and handed it to the woman. “Now, you would stamp this card with its relevant information and store it somewhere safe. This card will signify that my account’s origin is based in Marketbol itself. If I enter a branch elsewhere and their pedestal does not have my information, my personal card will tell their system to pull data from the Marketbol database. Which brings us to this terminal over here.”

She returned to the final terminal. “You will want one of these per position at your counters for the tellers. Your staff will request the member’s card and place it into the slot here. You have the member place their hand over the sensor to check their mana signature. The terminal will verify that they are who they say they are. Now, this is key. Once this process is complete, the terminal will display information about their account. You can only do minor changes to their account with this terminal. The keys here are numbers only, along with these buttons that shift through the functions available. You can add authorized users, remove authorized users, add funds, and remove funds.

“You press the button for the service you want to provide and go through the prompts. For example, we are going to add an authorized user.” A new prompt showed up on the small display for the terminal. “This will allow me to add Ms. Romaris here to my account to utilize my House funds. She will be able to use my card and this will allow you to see her as an authorized party able to withdraw funds directly from the account without the card. The pedestal will then update the system within every Pedestal in the system. There is a dedicated system of runes and gems present to ensure the security of the connection so that it cannot be subsumed by another entity.

“Instead of updating every single account across the entirety of the Banking Guild, you will then only have to update the accounts on each pedestal. Every time I pull funds from my account in say, Swanbrook, my account is updated to my card, and information is synchronized with the database in this pedestal. Every time Elodie adds or removes funds here in Marketbol, my account will be updated everywhere.”

For everything else… there’s Runecard…

She pointed at another card that was slotted into the side of the pedestal, just below the keyboard. “It is imperative you maintain the security of this device. If anyone steals it, they will have access to everything. This is the slot for the security cards. Each designated personnel will have a card keyed to themselves–this function is possible on the pedestal itself–and the system will not work unless one of these authorized cards is present. I will explain that more when we set it up at the Guild. The card in it will be destroyed after we issue one to the branch manager.”

The high elf nodded. “This is well thought out, Lady Reinhart. Thank you. Now, may we run through this process a few more times? We have a few other accounts we can use to test the functionality.”

“Absolutely! We can actually go through the process for everyone you’d like. Then I can make time to come over and help you get set up.”

The telv woman taking notes looked up. “Lady Reinhart, how many terminals do you have available?”

Sloane glanced at the ceiling as she counted in her head. “I have enough for fifteen tellers. I believe the branch here has… twenty?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, Lady Reinhart.”

“Fifteen will be enough for now,” the high elf stated.

Sloane smiled and launched into teaching mode. She ended up showing each person how to use the systems, answering all of their questions as they went. As the group packed up and several more guards entered to move the devices to a wagon for transport, she handed the high elf a notebook that she’d asked Orthan to help her write. It was an instruction manual. One that would help with each system.

“Thank you again, Lady Reinhart. When should we expect you?” The elven man asked.

“Give me a few–”

One of the senior guardsmen for the House, Gregor, rushed in. “My Lady! Your presence is requested, urgently.”

Sloane, and everyone else present, turned toward the guard who seemed winded. “Take your time.”

The man nodded as his chest heaved while taking deep breaths.

Sloane raised a brow, and then looked at the high elf. “It seems that I must apologize again. I am unsure when I will be able to meet. I will make arrangements.”

“Lady Reinhart?”

Sloane turned her head toward Adaega. “Yes?”

“Elodie and I can go with the guild members. We can help them get set up. You showed me all of this with your test version. Plus, I will have your instruction manual,” the woman offered.

“Are you sure?”

The two women looked at each other and both nodded. “Yes. We’re sure, we can handle it,” Adaega said.

“Very well, I leave it in your care. Please let me know if you require assistance,” She said, eliciting a series of affirmations from those present.

Adaega and Elodie stepped forward and started speaking with the high elf. Sloane motioned the guard to follow her off to the side, away from prying ears.

She kept her voice low. “Are you alright now? What is wrong?”

The man nodded, more in control of his breathing. He must have sprinted here. “A moon elf is here, a man named Cerulean. He spoke with Ser Ernald and I was ordered to find you. I was told to tell you that he has vital information.”

He glanced around at those gathered and leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear. “He found the Vlaredian woman.”

Her eyes shot open.

Finally.

Outmaneuvered

The Reinhart Senior Guardsman, Gregor, left Sloane at the entrance to the meeting room. When she entered, Sloane was not surprised that the knights, Stefan, and Nemura were already present. The moon elf, Cerulean, stood in front of the barren fireplace. He stood confidently. The others stood poised, as if ready for action.

Gisele noticed her first. “Sloane, good, you’re here. Now we can start.”

She nodded to her friend, before focusing on the Westaren spy. “Cerulean, welcome. I was told you have information for us,” Sloane said.

The moon elf nodded. “I do. In my late-night strolls, as one likes to do. I–

“After curfew? Hmm…” Nemura mumbled.

The elf ignored her. “I came across a peculiar sight. A group of soldiers exiting an empty warehouse caught my eye. So, naturally, being the concerned resident of this fine city that I am…”

Sloane sighed. “Cerulean, no need for dramatics.”

The man gave her a level look and stood in silence for a moment. “Fine. Yes, your Vlaredian Fist has a way through the wall or they are residing in that warehouse. Due to its location along the wall, I would assume the former.” He pulled out a map, walked over to the table in the room, and unrolled it, showing the city along with a bunch of circles.

Sloane facepalmed. “Cerulean, spies aren’t supposed to show their maps to those outside their organization that clearly show evidence of the spying they’re doing.” She pointed at all of the circles along the wall and the various streets. Their purpose was obvious. “Why are you even showing us what I assume are the patrols of soldiers.”

His brows knitted together as he grew frustrated. “You are not a member of the government, Lady Reinhart. You have a Westari in your retinue. You do not owe them loyalty, that–”

“That isn’t the point… You know what, fine. You do you. Where is this warehouse?”

He snapped his finger to a building against the northern side of the wall. “Here.”

Gisele and Nemura both scrutinized the map and the location before nodding. “We have it. Thank you, Cerulean. We appreciate your assistance in this matter,” Nemura said diplomatically.

The man nodded. “Then I will take my leave.”

He started to walk out, but then he paused near Sloane and leaned close. “I do know what they say about us, Lady Reinhart. We do try to do our duty. We train from a young age in the art of killing. Never in the art of spycraft until we are asked to perform it.”

Sloane turned and looked the moon elf in the eyes. “Clearly, Cerulean, your government has failed you. If your enemies and the cities where you work had any sense, they would have taken you into custody already.”

The man lightly scoffed. “We are not as inept as many may think. Do you think we want to be spies? Those of us that are good at it are taken away from the role we truly love. It is often just much easier to take what we need off of dead men. Good luck in your hunt, Lady Reinhart. It sounds tantalizingly full of challenges.”

After the man was escorted out, she looked around at those present. “So, what now?”

Nemura crossed her arms. “Now? Now we wait for an opportune time to strike. Ser Deryk?”

The orkun looked over at the tall telv woman. “Yes?”

“Would you join me in observing the location?”

He nodded. “I will.”

“We cannot alert the city’s army until we are sure the Empire’s Fist squad will not get word. Nor can any of the House people that know discuss it,” Gisele said.

“I will inform Gregor. He is the only one that knows. I am sure he will not spread it,” Ernald assured them.

Sloane took a deep breath. “Time for the hunters to become the hunted. This time, it’s going to go much differently.”

Stefan glanced at Nemura and the two nodded at each other. He turned back to Sloane. “Until it is time to strike, you and I will train together.”

✦ ✦ ✦

It was late at night. Just over a week had gone by since they had learned of this location. It had been filled with planning and coordination for a large operation. While the army knew a bit of what she was doing, she hadn’t told them precisely what they had to do before enacting their big plan. She’d kept this part held closely. They would not risk Ressa and her people learning of what was to come.

Sloane stood next to Cristole, Ismeld, and a liaison from the army. They held position just across the street in an alley from the warehouse. Deryk was positioned to alert them when the targets had entered the building proper. Another surprise awaited once this portion of the plan was completed. Once she fulfilled her part, she would have to move quickly. The next phase was pivotal and she had a key role to play.

An officer from the city’s army spoke quietly.

“General Irileth would like to express his irritation in your lateness in informing him of your find,” the telv man spoke quietly.

“They clearly have a way of finding out. Whether it is because they have people watching yours, or something else. We know they will soon be in that warehouse,” Ismeld said, pointing at their target.

Sloane took a deep breath. “The building is by itself. I am going to hit it with almost everything I got.”

Sloane pulled mana into herself, waiting for the signal.

The man’s eyes widened. “Lady Reinhart, I don’t–”

She heard a noise. Everyone quieted. That was Deryk.

“They’re here,” Ismeld whispered.

The high elf pulled two objects off of her belt. She drew her arm back.

And threw.

Next, Sloane rapidly pulled even more mana into herself. She had to hurry, because after her opening, the next phase of the plan called for her to rush off. Nearby, some horses were being held, ready for her to use.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ressa walked down the small tunnel that led to the warehouse. She climbed up into the small room. As assigned, her men were checking the perimeter as well as they could without leaving the building. They moved slowly and quietly between the few windows. Moving to the correct spot, she created the ladder for her people to reach their hiding space, as usual.

Alexi tapped the shoulder of the group’s telv medic, Algor, and pointed up. Ressa moved past them into the center of the room as they started climbing up.

She looked over at one of the men peeking through a window.

“Anything?” Ressa asked with a low tone.

The man glanced back at her. “No, I don’t see–”

Glass shattered in front of one of her other men.

A small object thumped against the floor and came to a stop next to the man’s foot. “What–”

Everyone looked down at it in confusion. There were glowing symbols on its outer shell, and Ressa’s eyes widened in surprise.

The object exploded.

Ressa was thrown back by the blast of purple energy. Pain shot through her causing her to cry out. She heard another window shatter. Another thump.

“Look out!” Alexi yelled.

Ressa tried to roll and cover her head. She felt someone jump onto her and cover her with their body just as another explosion sounded. Something hit the body over her and it was flung away.

She groaned and tried to push herself up.

Her head was swimming. How? What?

The building was dark. Ressa pulled at the mana around them. She needed to see. Focus. Pulling mana into her eyes, she forced her need. Her desire. I need to see!

Everything seemed to brighten as she focused. Looking around, she tried to take stock of the situation. Then she felt the mana go wild.

Her eyes widened. “We need to get out!”

Alexi and Algor grabbed the only remaining man still standing and started rushing to her and the tunnel. She pulled more mana into herself and made to cast a wall. She was too slow.

Another explosion sounded as a bolt of purple energy slammed into the outer wall. Then another. Another.

“It’s her! Come on!”

The fourth bolt blew the weakened wall inward.

She expected more as she waited for Alexi and the medic to lower the other man down the hole. Nothing came. They’re trying to capture us.

Two steel balls were hurled into the room, blinding her with flashes of light and deafening her with loud cracks. She turned her head and looked around the room, trying to find any of her men. Her mana-infused eyes saved her sight, but all she could see were crumpled, unmoving bodies. The man who had protected her lay impaled by a large piece of wood.

She cast her spells and put up a wall. The building shook as a series of smaller explosions rocked the walls.

Ressa waited, everything going silent. She knew the team’s medic was in the tunnel stabilizing the wounded man. She had to protect them.

A loud crash sounded from where she knew an outer door was. Followed by more bursts of magic. As the sounds died down, Ressa heard Alexi’s voice calling out to her to hurry.

Ressa snarled.

She turned and jumped down the hole and followed Alexi out of the tunnel. They hurried, knowing they had to get out before they could be cornered. Her second rushed out and immediately turned, ensuring she made it out safely.

As she emerged from the tunnel, Ressa felt relief that the sisters were obscured by clouds. The dimly lit night was welcome, and she saw that another one of her men had thankful made it out. We need to get back to the army.

She halted midstep. Her man, Nethaniel, stood there with his shield and axe up. Glancing to the side, she noticed that Aglor, the telv medic, was also in a combat stance with his sword out. Their wounded man was positioned protectively behind him.

“Our previous fight was not complete before you took… flight,” a voice said.

Ressa’s eyes shot wide. She quickly cast her Conjure Illusion and Alter Conjuration to throw metal shards at the voice. A barrier of energy appeared in front of the traitor Nemura. The shards hit the shield and fell to the ground. Its red glow lit up the night, and let her see the trap they had sprung.

“Amusing. I was going to say the same thing,” the Blighter orkun knight, Gisele Devereaux said as she stepped forward. Her Zweihander was held up while her other hand was surrounded by the same energy as the shield.

Ressa glanced around, searching for more. When she saw no other members of the women’s teams, she narrowed her eyes. She turned her head slightly toward the team’s medic. “Get him to safety. We will handle these two.”

Alexi stepped by her side, pulling his mace out, and pointed to the other member of their team. “Nethaniel and I will take the traitor.”

Ressa nodded. “I will get the Blighter then.”

The two women facing them smirked at the same time. If she were made of lesser stuff, the feral looks would have been intimidating. To an Empire’s Fist, it was merely bluster.

Gisele swiped her left hand at the air and the shield collapsed.

One moment Nemura was standing still and the next… her shoulder was slamming into Nethaniel’s shield. The man skidded backward with a grunt. Alexi quickly launched himself at the woman before she could press her advantage.

With her target in sight, Ressa launched three illusion arrows at the knight and charged toward her. The knight quickly raised her arm and conjured a red shield the size of a buckler, which effectively blocked Ressa’s attack. However, the woman’s eyes widened slightly as Ressa’s arrows dissipated harmlessly, which created the distraction she needed. Without hesitation, Ressa rushed forward and swung her sword at the woman, but Gisele agilely dodged the attack by jumping backward. The two engaged in a fierce clash of blades as the knight darted toward Ressa.

Ressa executed a feinted strike, deftly parried a return swing, and followed up with a thrust. However, a shield materialized in the gap between her and her opponent, causing her blade to slide along it. Ressa had to take a step to maintain her balance, but the shield disappeared, and she stumbled into another one cast next to her foot. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t avoid tripping over it. But even as she fell, Ressa quickly cast as many arrows as she could muster and sent them flying toward her adversary.

Tucking in, Ressa shifted her weight forward, and her fall became a smooth roll that she utilized to bounce back to her feet.

Taking a deep breath, Ressa shifted her stance and scrutinized the woman in front of her as she and the knight circled each other. She has been practicing. She wasn’t nearly this coordinated with her magic before.

A horn sounded in the distance.

She knew that horn. Ressa smirked. “Your time is limited. We own everything outside the walls.”

The Blighter laughed. “I have plenty of time to finish this.”

Arrogance.

The night lit up purple for a moment. An explosion sounded in the distance. Then another.

Ressa looked up toward the sky. Above the city, a ball of purple energy arced high in the air, and when it reached its peak it sped up and rushed toward the ground. She lost sight of it beyond the walls. An even more massive explosion sounded. It came from the direction of the second fortified camp.

No!

“While you’re here focusing on us. It gave Sloane time to focus on your army,” Gisele sneered.

More horns sounded, closer.

They all turned their heads toward the noise. Riders were charging across the field toward them. Vlaredian Riders. She smiled and took advantage of the moment. She launched more metal darts at the knight. A shield came up and blocked them.

The woman suddenly seemed concerned. “Nemura! We need to go!”

“I’m a little busy!” The large telv woman called back.

Nemura was locked in combat against both men, and though she fought skillfully, Ressa knew they only needed to hold the woman off until the cavalry arrived.

With a sense of urgency, Ressa charged toward them. Gisele attempted to block her path with a shield, but Ressa deftly evaded it. She swung her sword at the knight and was met with a block from her opponent. Ressa pushed off, forcing the woman to take a step back.

Taking advantage of the space, She cast her Fractured World.

Pointing her hand toward the city wall, she blocked off the tunnel with bricks before the range became too much.

The knight glared. Yet, instead of rushing at Ressa, she turned and sped toward the others.

As Ressa unleashed a barrage of arrows at the woman’s back, a timely shield materialized, deflecting them with ease. Another shield, larger in size, soon followed, completely obstructing Ressa’s path. As the first shield dissipated, the woman swiftly aimed her hand toward Alexi and Nethaniel, who were battling the traitor. Just as Alexi swung his weapon, a shield emerged to intercept his attack. Before he could regain his balance, another shield arose, tripping him up, and a third prevented him from standing, courtesy of Gisle’s intervention.

As the series of red magic started forming, Nethaniel was distracted and glanced away. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Nemura launched herself forward. The young man managed to get his shield up just in time to withstand the woman’s hit, which almost made him topple over.

Ressa’s shout of fury echoed through the chaos as she lifted her gaze and summoned a barrage of arrows above Gisele’s shield, aiming at the telv traitor. Swiftly, Gisele withdrew the shield trapping Alexi, and conjured another to intercept Ressa’s incoming arrows. As a result, the shield in front of Ressa dissipated, allowing her to sprint toward her comrades.

Gisele kicked Alexi across the face and darted forward. She raised a hand toward Ressa. Just as she did, Ressa leaped aside, barely evading yet another shield.

“Nethaniel!” Ressa called out.

Nemura swooped in as the man pivoted to face Gisele, slicing across his leg with her blade. The orkun cried out and toppled to the ground. Gisele took advantage of the opportunity and swiftly rolled around to his back, driving her own sword into him. Despite the orkun knight yanking the blade out and causing Nethaniel to fall, Gisele didn’t push her advantage against Ressa or Alexi. Instead, she called out to Nemura and together they sprinted toward the wall.

Ressa cried out and launched arrow after arrow at the two fleeing women. The knight lifted a hand, and Ressa stared in disbelief as steps of energy appeared in the air. She was nearly stunned into inaction as the traitor and the knight bounded up the stairs. Ressa shook her head and fired spell after spell at the two to no avail. Both women were blocking or dodging everything she sent at them. Frustrated, she dropped her sword and moved to obstruct their path.

“Ressa look out!” Alexi yelled.

At the corner of her eye, she saw a ballista turning toward them. Her eyes widened.

She refocused and cast a wall in between them and the siege weapon. A bolt was launched. Ressa dove to the side as it penetrated straight through her wall. A moment later it exploded.

She felt herself go weightless. Her vision went black as wind rushed past her. Then as suddenly as it happened, she slammed into the ground.

Alexi was quickly by her side and dragging her to her feet. “We need to get out of range!”

The horns sounded again.

She watched as the siege weapon rotated again, focusing on the cavalry. The riders spread out. Ressa and her second burst into a sprint straight toward them. Bolt after bolt were launched, and she saw men and mounts die as Ressa and the riders rushed toward each other.

A man bent over the side of his horse and held an arm out. As he reached her, Ressa grabbed at his wrist and used the momentum to help swing herself up behind him. The riders turned and urged their horses faster to get out of range.

Explosions still sounded in the distance.

“What’s going on?” She yelled to the man in front of her.

“The Sovereign reinforcements are here! The terran rode out the gate and started attacking the second camp!”

“We need to get back! I need to see the general!”

The man nodded, snapping the reins to urge his horse on.

Her men were dead. She glanced over and saw Alexi on the back of a horse. The telv looked injured.

This was a complete failure.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sloane kept up her casting. The Vlaredian army was attempting to move out of range and back toward their main forces. The second fortified camp that had been constructed was all but demolished. A large force of soldiers from the city, along with all of her people other than Gisele and Nemura were with her. The camp had not expected them to actually launch an attack, and she had cast artillery spells one after another. After the fifth one, she felt a rush flow through her followed by a flow of understanding. Something in her spell had changed, its intent had aligned itself with her desired outcome. Knowing what she knew thus far of the system, it felt almost like it had evolved, or upgraded.

She needed to see what changed and finish off the enemy.

“Wrryyaaat!”

“Yes, we almost have them. Fly up and scout the camp, see if there are any stragglers. Then we can move in,” Sloane told her falcon.

Tiberius took off and flew up high as he veered toward the camp.

Sloane had joined the force immediately after launching her spells at the warehouse to trick Ressa into escaping, where Nemura and Gisele waited. It was a ploy that Nemura had come up with. She enjoyed how devious it was, her only regret was not being able to see Ressa’s face.

The Sovereigns had finally outmaneuvered the Vlaredians and the allied army from the south was moving to cut off the empire from any chance of retreat. The remainder of the enemy army was attempting to reposition quickly to save their force.

The past week had been a flurry of activity to plan for this moment. Using Tiberius as a messenger, she had finally been able to coordinate with the oncoming army. With General Irileth’s assistance, they had planned a route that would move the army in a way that would surprise the empire. They had left a token force with a full camp set up and planned an elaborate ruse that had the Vlaredian scouts believing the army had stopped for the night. Instead, the army had marched nonstop and moved in a completely different way than the Vlaredians had suspected. This was aided by Tiberius locating scouts along the path and pinpointing their locations.

Even now, the reinforcements were moving and would be able to hit the unprepared empire force from the rear if they did not get away in time. Unfortunately, the general believed they would. Which led to this plan. They sent almost everything they could out of the wall to attack the second fortified camp as a way to delay the army. It still may not work, but it would diminish them greatly, hopefully allowing the reinforcements from the south to harry them as they retreated.

She used her Golem Sight instead of using the runic version through her watch, looking through Tiberius’s sensors as he searched the camp.

“Sloane, pay attention,” Ismeld quietly said.

“Am. Searching,” she replied without dropping the spell to see the woman.

She had Tiberius fly back and then hold a position as best as possible above her. Using his vision, Sloane aimed her upgraded artillery spell. The former Arcane Explosion had been changed by her use and intent, and likely by how many people she had killed with it. It was almost as if each spell or ability had conditions for their progression. Not the time, Sloane…

Feeling at the mana, even if she could only see everything with a birdseye view–literally, she cast the upgraded spell. A large tug of stamina drained from her. The Arcane Mortar fired. A mass of arcane energy erupted from her in a high arc. Larger and quicker than the previous version of the spell. As it reached the peak of its ascent, it turned down and slightly shifted its trajectory in an attempt to track her target. It started to fall, but then it hit an imaginary point in the air and pulsed as it sped up. It crashed into the ground with an explosion that was half again as potent as before. It completely enveloped the squad of troops attempting to evacuate.

I definitely cannot cast nearly as many of those.

Tiberius flew in a circle, looking over the enemy forces. The main army was in retreat. A group of cavalry was fleeing from the far side of the city. They’re coming from where Gisele and Nemura were! She let go of the vision and saw the city’s soldiers rushing toward the ruins of the camp.

“Ismeld, we need to get to Gisele,” she said.

The high elf woman nodded and they turned around, ready to rush back to the city. What they saw made them pause. Gisele and Nemura stood in the air on a shimmering red platform.

“What in the hell?” Sloane murmured.

Ismeld groaned. “She is such a showoff.”

Cheers sounded all along the walls. Sloane couldn’t help but laugh. Long-held tension falling away. We won.

She looked around at some of those closest to her since arriving. The knights, her guards. They had come so far. There was still a long way to go, but she had some good people joining her. With a glance at Stefan, then fixing her gaze on the showboating women standing on air… she felt confident.

Time to continue the search.

I can’t wait to tell you all about my journey, Gwyn.

✦ ✦ ✦

Ressa shifted on her saddle. The last three members of her team rode next to her. A week ago, they had left the army that General Razane led behind as it retreated toward Goosebourne. The defeat was the first setback of the war and one that would seriously hamper the Empire’s goals in the region. She could only hope their efforts were going better elsewhere. Without Marketbol, the Empire had no hope of controlling the central plains.

A scowl formed. Sloane Reinhart had single-handedly brought about the defeat of the army. She had to have coordinated with the southern Sovereigns somehow to provide them a way to completely avoid detection. Never mind what she personally did with her magic. Magic that was frankly… terrifying. It solidified the Empress’s mission for her.

Following an extensive report on the woman’s capabilities which included the general’s own concerning Lady Reinhart’s efforts in arming the city’s defenders, Ressa and her people departed.

They were now on their way to Swanbrook. The next destination she knew the terran would go. A city that, if her information was correct, would be one of the numerous targets along the coast. She needed to ensure Sloane remained out of the conflict. However, Ressa was wary of a direct approach to the issue. After her previous confrontation with the traitor, Nemura Kho’lin, and the orkun knight, she knew such a fight would not be in her people’s favor.

She had learned that the knights intended to part ways with the terran. If that were true, Ressa would let them.

The woman could not be allowed to help that city as well. Ressa and her people needed to prevent that at any cost.

She turned toward her second, seeing the conflict written all over his face. Her other two men also looked wary. The Empire’s Fist did not lose often. When they did, it was hard felt.

“Backs straight, team. We suffered a setback, but we will adapt. From here to Swanbrook, all of us will train. See if any of you can use magic. We saw what the traitor could do. She used the mana to strengthen her body. All of you will learn how to do so. When we meet them again, we will be prepared. For the glory of the Ror,” she said with conviction.

Her men sat straighter. “And the longing of Vlaredia skies!” the three men replied in sync.

She smiled. “We will complete our mission and return with honor.”

The Fist thrives under adversity.

Detours in the Journey

Sloane stepped into the auditorium of the Reinhart Center. Everyone was gathered, both those leaving and those staying. It was finally time for her to leave. The knights had packed all of their things—Nemura and Stefan theirs.

It was almost bittersweet, but she had to leave. She would return one day. With Gwyn. It was the middle of summer and they had to get to Swanbrook and set sail.

She looked around at those within. Sloane smiled when she noticed that Adaega was holding Ernald’s hand. The sun elf and the woman from an Africa of another Earth stood happily together. Sloane was so happy for the two of them. They deserved happiness and would be moving in together within Sloane’s manor soon. Adaega had a big smile as she nodded along while Elodie spoke.

Stefan and Nadia sat at a table and were deep in a conversation.

Rel and Kemmy stood at the bar and the orkun woman was making the smaller raithe a drink.

Orthan and his father were speaking with… Lady Emerys. Why is she here?

The sun elf woman had spoken with Sloane on and off during the siege, but both of them had been understandably preoccupied and thus had not worked on proceeding any further with their budding partnership. An opportunity that she looked forward to. Sloane glanced out the corner of her eye at Tiberius from where he was perched on her shoulder. That was a project for the distant future.

He also seemed to be looking around at those around them. His movements betrayed the growing intelligence of her creation. I wonder if we can make more. I am a bit wary of trying that tea again to recreate the effects.

“What was the term you’ve used? Creeping? Yes. You are creeping again,” Nemura said from behind her.

Sloane sniffed haughtily. “I am merely surveying my demesne.”

Her shoulder jerked forward from the nudge the big woman gave her. She turned and looked up–something she still hadn’t gotten used to doing with other women. “Nemura, we talked about this. You’re significantly stronger than anyone around. It’s your stats. Be careful with your strength.”

The woman huffed. “I am not sure about this system thing you have spoken of, still.”

“You saw it when we went to the church, Nemura.” Someone approaching made her pause and turn. “Speaking of…” Sloane narrowed her eyes.

Nemura stepped beside her. “Praetor Shalas. What an unpleasant surprise. To what do we owe the honor?”

The paladin also narrowed her eyes as she paused on Sloane before looking up at the telv. “Nemura Kho’lin. Lady Reinhart. You two will be leaving soon, yes?”

Sloane nodded. “We will.” I really do not like her.

“Good… You are traveling to the Kingdom of Avira, correct?”

“I do not believe I told you where I was going,” Sloane said hesitantly.

“It was not difficult to figure out,” the woman replied flatly. “You are not exactly subtle, and you have told many. The high priest would like to request that you deliver something to the temple within the Kingdom of Rosale on your way.”

“What is it?” Sloane asked. “And why can’t one of your people go?”

“Could we speak in private?”

Nemura placed a hand on her shoulder. Sloane took a step back and let the woman talk. “We will hear you out, Praetor.”

Sloane sighed but then nodded, gesturing to one of the rooms off to the side. As she led the two women away, she caught Gisele’s eye. The woman quirked an eyebrow, but Sloane rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. In a move that made Sloane smile, Gisele also sighed and nodded.

A few people were talking inside, but once the three women entered, they quickly exited–Sloane made sure to thank them on their way. Nemura leaned against the wall near the door, crossed her arms and stared at the paladin with a look. It wasn’t exactly threatening, but that was only because Sloane knew the woman. Shalas stopped and glanced back at the big telv before scoffing lightly.

“I’ve seen the Excerpt of your Journey, Ms. Kho’lin. Please do not assume that your steps will be enough,” the paladin snarked.

Sloane groaned exaggeratedly. She hated the wordy terminology the church used for someone’s system screens. I’ll have the last word though when I can figure out how to create a watch that anyone can use.

Nemura just smirked, and Sloane shook her head. She recalled the woman’s screens from when they had gone to the temple.

Nemura Kho’lin

“The Stalwart”

Telv

Path: Stalwart Warrior (Fighter)

Steps: 36

Core Quality: Remarkable

Alignment: Physical

Key Attribute: Constitution

Sloane knew that it irked the paladin to be so far behind her and Nemura. While she knew that the paladin would still kick her ass in a fight since Sloane, as a caster, had a mental alignment, it was not so certain when it came to Nemura. The woman’s stats, from what Sloane could tell, were high when it came to physicality. The former Empire’s Fist could likely overcome the paladin’s skill through sheer stats.

Posturing aside, she decided to get everything back on track so that she could return to the others. “So, what did you wish to speak to us privately about?”

The paladin recovered from whatever personal conflicts had her wrapped up inside her head and turned back to Sloane. “We would like to formally request that you escort one of our priestesses to the temple in Calling.”

Nemura’s eyes went wide and she pushed off the wall, standing straight. “Praetor Shalas, that… that is something reserved specifically for the Paladins of Alos, is it not?”

The woman nodded. “It is. However, due to the war arriving in this region, I had to send my paladins out to all the nearby temples when the army was approaching. There are only four paladins other than myself here in Marketbol. I quite literally have no one to spare.”

She sighed. “I do not particularly like you, Lady Reinhart. The high priest does, and I… know you are a trustworthy person. This request comes from him directly, and as much as I would like otherwise, my personal feelings cannot come in the way of my duty. You are a mother, which is another reason the high priest believes you are a good choice.”

Sloane’s head jerked slightly. “What… what does being a mother have to do with anything? Just how old is this priestess?”

The paladin took a deep breath. “She is thirteen.”

“Praetor Shalas, you wish for us to escort a child all the way to Calling?” Nemura asked.

Shalas nodded slowly. “While it is not my preference, especially with the war going on, I believe you will have the best chance. We will ensure the priestess brings suitable clothing to not draw attention to herself. She knows to listen to your instructions.”

They already told her… She glanced at Nemura, seeing the conflicted look on the woman’s face. “Not to be insensitive, but what do we get out of this?”

Praetor Shalas scrutinized Sloane. She had to know that Sloane did not fit into their cultural expectations. As a terran, and thus from another world, she wasn’t as beholden to the sole religious entity of the world as those here seemed to be.

“We will work with your center here to teach them the process to glimpse someone’s Excerpt–if you swear to hold the knowledge as a House Secret.”

Sloane nodded. “That is acceptable, however, I wish to also have a manual of the process myself. I will keep it safe, but I wish to have this as something my House can set up anywhere.” She took a deep breath. Do I try to involve them? Is it safe? She glanced at Nemura.

The hesitation must have read on her face because the woman stepped closer. “Praetor Shalas, could we have a moment? I wish to speak with my liege.”

Shalas nodded and stepped out of the room.

“What is it?”

“Do you trust the church? The various churches in my world were not always trustworthy. If they found Gwyn, would they seek to take advantage of that knowledge? Would they use her against me? Can I trust them?”

Nemura opened her mouth to speak but then closed it and paused. She crossed her arms and lapsed into thought, even taking to pacing back and forth. Finally, she turned around and nodded to Sloane. “I think you can trust her. For all of the personality conflicts you have with her, she is an honorable woman. The high priest as well. The church, generally, is a benevolent and neutral faction. Their actions since the Flash make me believe that neutrality is something of the past. I do not know if the gods are truly speaking to them, but they believe there is divine intervention. What that means, I do not know for certain. However, one thing the church has always believed is that children are sacred.

“The Paladins of Alos on the other hand, are only neutral in grand politics, but if a nation goes against the decrees, they will not hesitate to make war. They will call upon other nations to join an inquisition and even if they do not join, the paladins will pursue their goals. Only a few nations have withstood an inquisition. The Turest Order to the north is one of them. I do not recommend going there, for all they are allies of the Empire.”

Sloane took a deep breath. Seems like I may need to take a leap of faith. She gave Nemura a quick nod. The woman retrieved the paladin.

“Have you made a decision?” Praetor Shalas asked.

“Yes. The second thing I wish is for you to send messages to your temples, and for the church at large to assist me in locating my daughter. I am putting a lot of trust in you, Shalas…” she said, determined.

The woman’s eyes widened slightly. The request was clearly not something she had imagined. Her back straightened and the look of compassion the woman had shown her before returning. “You have my oath that I will take this seriously. I… I apologize for how I have treated you, Lady Reinhart. If you could write a description of your daughter, including what she was wearing when you two were brought to Eona, I will ensure this is something that stays within the Order and those trusted outside of it. If the Archpriestess herself needs to know, it will be done. Before you leave, I will give you a sealed letter to take to the temple within Maireharbora. You will likely arrive in the Kingdom of Avira before my messengers if the plains are dangerous from the war, but I swear it will go out to all areas of the continent within the Church’s reach.”

“Thank you, Praetor Shalas. Please have your priestess here tomorrow at first light. We will be leaving soon after.”

“She will be ready.” Her face softened. “Thank you, Lady Reinhart. Truly. I–I can assign one of the temple guards… but…”

Nemura shook her head. “The fewer people the better. The guard would not be used to this sort of task anyway. Between Stefan, myself, and the army killer here…”

Sloane cleared her throat and scowled. “None of that…”

The telv rolled her eyes. “You saved a lot of people with your actions. All I am saying is, your magic will be of great benefit to keeping the priestess safe.”

“She’s right, Lady Reinhart. I will take my leave now. I will return in the morning with the girl,” the praetor saluted and walked out.

Sloane looked up at Nemura. “Are we making the right choice?”

“Yes. The Paladins of Alos are now going to be helping in the search. That is a reach you would have never been able to accomplish alone. This turned out quite well, I would say. We can handle this. That said… just do not expect much from Stefan and me when it comes to the girl. We–I at least, am not really good with children.”

A chuckle escaped her as she looked up at the woman. “Really, Nemura? I would have never guessed.”

The woman’s face scrunched up. “Rude.” Her head shifted from side to side. “But true.”

“Come on, let’s go back and say our farewells.”

***

“I am going to miss you, Lady Reinhart. Thank you for everything you have done for me,” Adaega said, smiling up at Ernald as she finished.

The knight in question nodded his head. “Thank you for what you have given me as well. I… I have finally found what I have been searching for since we left our home. I just hope my friends find what they are searching for as well. Without you, I would have never met Adaega. We will build a home together, yet.”

Sloane smiled broadly. “I am so happy for you two. Please, use the manor for as long as you desire. It will be some time before I return–hopefully with Gwyn. I can’t wait until you guys meet her. Perhaps by then… you two will have someone small for us to meet as well?”

Adaega blushed heavily and Ernald’s eyes widened. The woman from the Unified Kingdom of Yoruba and Delaney stammered. “W-we will have to see about that! Maybe?” She glanced up at her knight. “If you want, that is?”

Ernald smiled warmly and squeezed the woman’s hand before lifting it to his lips for a kiss. “To build a family with you and spend all of our days together? I would be honored, my love.“

Sloane chuckled at Adaega’s loss for words. She stepped close and pulled the smaller woman in for a hug. Leaning down, she whispered into the woman’s ear, “Stay safe, okay? Take care of everything we’re building here. I can’t wait to see what you do with it. I have complete confidence in you, Adaega.”

Adaega looked up at her, tears welling up. “Thank you… Sloane.” She laughed. “It is funny… it seems like just yesterday the biggest news was about a royal heist in my country’s capital.” She sighed wistfully. “You do be careful and find Gwyn quickly. We will keep everything going for you here,” she said.

Sloane nodded and pulled away. Ernald hugged her as well, before stepping back next to Adaega and grabbing the woman’s hand again.

“I will miss you both. Ernald? Keep everyone safe.”

The sun elf smirked. “You know me. They’ll be completely safe.”

Sloane smiled.

Gisele and the others made their way over, and Sloane left to give them time alone with their fellow knight. She could only imagine how difficult that parting would be. She’d speak with Gisele and Maud after they left.

Sloane made her last rounds as she told everyone farewell. Rel teared up and gave her a big hug, which made Kemmy laugh. The woman chose to give her a gentle pat on the arm as Sloane gasped for air from the orkun alchemist’s death grip.

Koren was polite, thanking her for all of the opportunities, and wishing her well.

Elodie cried. The young woman was full of emotions and promised to do well by Sloane with the Runecard business. Sloane did not doubt that the sun elf would.

She gave Stefan more time with his sister, but wished the older sister well, and thanked her for her continued help with the House.

Eventually, she found herself back in the manor. Sitting with Nemura and drinking tea.

“Are we ready?” she asked.

Nemura smiled. “You have asked that five times now, Sloane. Relax. Everything is ready, and we leave in the morning. You should get some sleep.”

With a groan, Sloane sat her empty cup down. “I will see you in the morning, Nemura. Good night.”

“Good night, milady.”

She was asleep not long after her head hit the pillow.

***

The morning was cool with clear skies. Everything was packed and ready to go. Supplies that would get them to the port city, where they would sell the wagons in favor of passage on a ship. Sloane kneaded at a knot she felt in her lower back, only to somehow feel the pain from another that sat in her shoulder.

Depending on when they arrived, the knights may leave quickly. Apparently, there were ships from Blightwych that passed through Swanbrook every couple of weeks. Between Gisele and Ismeld’s credentials, they would be able to leave on whichever ship passed through.

Stefan yawned, which in turn made Sloane yawn. The contagious act was caught by Maud as well in the most exaggerative, wide-open-mouth way ever. The curly-haired redhead just shrugged when she noticed the stares.

Everyone was standing by the two wagons as they awaited the arrival of the paladins. When they arrived, it was with less fanfare than Sloane imagined it would. Which, in hindsight, was something she should have realized. The entire point was to be as discreet as possible.

Seeing Praetor Shalas in plain clothes was a sight to behold and Sloane had to admit that the woman cleaned up well. She wore a pair of dark grey breeches, with black knee-high leather boots, followed by a cream-colored doublet with small patterns on it. The sun elf’s hair was pulled back into a small, tight bun. Her light hazel eyes were highlighted by subtle eyeliner. It was quite striking.

Her hand rested on the hilt of a curved sword that was attached to her hip.

Two other sun elves–a man and a woman–were similarly dressed and carried large military-style duffel bags. In the end, they could easily have been mistaken for mercenaries.

Between the two subordinate paladins, walked a young raithe girl. She wore a knee-length dark green tunic with a black belt at her waist. The tunic itself had silver embroidery stitched along the edges into little swirling patterns. Dark brown fabric pants and black thigh-high riding boots completed the outfit. She wore a leather backpack that looked more like a sack with a flap and clasp.

Her black hair was set into a long single braid that draped over her shoulder. She had ice-blue eyes that were highlighted further by the girl’s pale-grey skin. Her face wore a nervous expression with eyes that darted around between all those gathered. As she got closer, Sloane noticed the two tiny fangs jutting out from underneath her top lip. When she noticed Sloane’s scrutiny, the young girl shivered. Poor kid is scared. Mom mode, activate.

“Good morning, Shalas! How are you today?” Sloane asked.

The woman almost stumbled, and Sloane heard both Nemura and Stefan start coughing behind her.

“I am well, Lady Reinhart… Thank you for having us. Please allow me to introduce Priestess-in-training Mariel Lunaris, milady.” The paladin gestured to the girl and stepped to the side.

Sloane stepped forward and smiled. “It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Mariel. I am Sloane. Shalas here tells me you need a ride to Rosale.”

The girl seemed to almost freeze but managed to get out, “Y-yes, milady. I am in your care.”

Sloane kept her smile up. “Wonderful! Tell me, do you enjoy reading? What about art?”

Mariel tilted her head. “I enjoy both reading and art, milady.”

“None of that ‘milady’, please. Call me ‘Sloane’. I purchased a bunch of books for the journey along with supplies to draw and sketch. Would you like to see what I got?”

Sloane had gone out on the way back to the manor and purchased various books she was told the girl may enjoy by some of the women of the House. She’d also obtained plenty of supplies for both sketching and painting, along with a few journals for the girl to write within. Anything to better help her feel more comfortable. They had a long trip ahead of them.

I can always buy more things in Swanbrook if required.

Mariel nodded. “I would like that, yes.”

Sloane directed her toward where Maud waited as the woman had the best personality to interact with children. The rest… were heavily lacking in that department.

She couldn’t help but chuckle as Maud’s bubbly personality greeted the girl. Sloane turned back toward the paladin. The woman watched the young priestess walk away with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

Shalas turned toward Sloane. “Thank you, Lady Reinhart. For putting in the extra effort to make her feel comfortable.”

“Of course. I know how trips can be for kids. They get bored easily, and adults are the absolute worst.”

The woman chuckled, a look flashed across her face as if she were remembering something. “Yes, that is true. Adults… Keep her safe.” She turned and reached a hand toward the man with her. He pulled a locked tome and a key, handing them both to Shalas. The woman then passed them along to Sloane. “This details everything you need for the Ceremony of Paths. Along with all that we know about the process. Remember our agreement. This remains a House Secret.”

Sloane nodded. “I will remember. Is there anything I should know about the girl? Food allergies, temperament… any strange latent magical powers that may appear in her sleep…”

Shalas raised a brow. “She has a small locked journal. I request that you allow it to remain secret. This…” The male paladin reached out with a sealed scroll and handed it to Sloane. “…is the letter you should present to the temple within Maireharbora.”

Then another was given to her. The praetor continued, “This is the letter you should present along with Mariel to the temple within Calling.”

Sloane nodded. “Understood. We will get her there safely. You have my word,” she promised.

Shalas took a deep breath and stepped forward. She lowered her voice, “I wish I could send someone, but I have too many others to protect…”

“I understand,” Sloane whispered in reply. “She will be safe. I have no qualms using whatever magic available to me to keep her unharmed.”

The woman nodded curtly. “Good. Please… allow me to say my goodbyes. I likely will not get to see her again.”

Sloane backed away and gave the woman some time while Nemura grabbed the bags that the other paladins carried.

An hour later, they were on the road.

The Reinhart Center and all those of her House remained behind.

***

Sloane sat in the wagon, stretching. She heard Stefan and Nemura speaking outside from where they sat driving the wagon. Mariel lay on the bench across from her as she read a book. The girl had grown more comfortable with Sloane over the past few weeks. She also seemed to enjoy speaking with Maud, and, apparently, remembered the healer from her many trips to the temple during the siege to heal the injured. She did not speak often to the others, but she was at least not nervous or scared around them.

She had remained close to Sloane every time they traveled through a village or town and stayed quiet whenever they were in taverns. She’d only been questioned once and had quickly answered that she was part of Sloane’s House.

That was also when Sloane learned that subterfuge was equivalent to a white-lie. Something that people just did when the situation called for it, and not something that was necessarily looked down upon.

For Sloane, nearly every night was spent with Gisele chatting, Nemura training, or working on something at her workbench. The times spent tinkering had fascinated the young Mariel and made Sloane long for her own daughter to show her what she had been working on.

She glanced down at her notebook that sat on her lap. The design for the answer to Ismeld’s lack of magic was coming together.

She had a stash of ink, ingots, and wood set aside for her on-the-road enchanting and crafting. She’d managed to come up with an idea for the blonde high elf. Something that she was tentatively calling a ‘caster’ that would allow the woman to cast spells through the use of specialized cartridges similar to Sloane’s grenades.

The caster was essentially a gun, but the difference was that it didn’t shoot bullets. The hammer would connect with the cartridge and when discharged, cast its associated spell. The caster would have a mana crystal inside its hilt and gems for drawing and amplifying the mana. An opal gem on the outside of the hilt would ensure that only Ismeld would be able to use the weapon.

She’d created cartridges for [Mana Bolt], and a new spell that Sloane had come up with for just this reason–[Arcane Lance]. The cartridges were the easy part to make–for her at least. Already there were small wooden boxes that contained thirty each. She hoped to have more by the time the knights departed.

Each cartridge would have only a single cast of a spell before it would need to be removed and recharged. Then, each could only be charged so many times before the runes would be degraded too much. For now, that number depended on which spell was used. [Arcane Lance] could only be charged twice per cartridge, while [Mana Bolt] could be five times. She had tried to create cartridges that would allow multiple shots, but the spells were far too weak. That required her to revise her design of the caster.

In the end, she decided to go simpler for the first model and use a breechloading design. She could modify her design incrementally. It would be safer. Especially since her… test of a cylinder similar to a revolver had blown up.

Literally.

Having the caster blow up in Ismeld’s hand… would be bad.

Building the caster itself was proving a bit more difficult, but it wasn’t something that would take longer than their trip to Swanbrook to accomplish.

Creating a custom spell just for the woman had made Ismeld quite happy. Sloane loved casting the spell. It took a ton more concentration and was more of a scalpel than Mana Bolt or even worse, Arcane Barrage. In the end, it added yet another tool to Sloane–and now Ismeld’s–offensive toolset. She only had so many that didn’t cause insane collateral damage.

I need to work more on that.

I wonder what other options I can come up with. Maybe I can solicit ideas from others before they leave.

Another thing she’d focused on was to also enchant the woman’s gauntlets with the ability to each cast a different spell. Her left hand obtained [Protective Shield]–Gisele’s spell. The shield would allow her to create a mana buckler as Gisele could–a solid tool.

Sloane’s experiments with white mana had taught her how to use a weak form of Telekinesis. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to do much with it without figuring out a way to actually target something. She could slow or levitate things that were close by, but actually pulling things to her was limited to a few centimeters.

Thankfully, which had given her an idea. By utilizing a rune of [Connect], it had allowed her to use the [Spell: Telekinesis] with Ismeld’s sword, and her dagger. This gave the high elf knight the ability to yank either weapon back to her hand from up to five meters away.

Apparently, the combat potential of this had Ismeld giddy.

All-in-all, the departure from Marketbol had gone smoothly and everyone was in good spirits.

Sloane was happy to finally be searching for Gwyn again. Especially since they would soon reach the anniversary of the Flash. Wait… I completely forgot about my birthday…

She groaned.

Sloane was thirty-five and had been for some time, but with everything that had happened, it had completely slipped her mind. She would have to do some math to figure out exactly what her Eona birthday would be.

Her thoughts fell back on her daughter.

A full year on Eona, and not a single lead.

Now she had the Church looking for her, as well. If she didn’t find her daughter, the church was sure to. With luck, someone within the church had already seen her. Here’s hoping…

She put her notebook down and closed her eyes. Soon they would be in Swanbrook. Then they would start their journey to the Kingdom of Avira. Only a small detour on the way. She didn’t mind. It gave her more locations to search, and Rosale was closer to where Sloane had arrived than Avira. Hopefully, she found a lead there.

Don’t worry, Gwyn. We’ll find you.

Proof of Life

Mid Summer

It was another late night within the Banking Guild. With the city finally back open for business since the siege, caravans bringing goods and reports have been coming in almost hourly. This required members of the Guild to work extra hours to update all of their records from across the region and continent at large.

The stop order the Guild had sent out just prior to the siege had followed procedures the Guild had in place for if any of the major branches were inaccessible. It just meant that now that the headquarters was accessible again, the Guild had to work extra to find and correct any issues that had arisen due to a lack of communication between regions.

Selven placed his quill into the inkpot and poured himself some water. After he sipped a small amount, he lifted his hand and shook out his wrist. The pain of repetitive writing was getting to him.

The light at his desk flickered. He turned up the lamp just as a knock resounded at the door to the office. Glancing around and seeing that the other five desks in the room were barren, he sighed and got up.

How long have I been working alone?

He opened the door. A large telv man stood there breathing heavily while awkwardly holding onto a large chest.

“I was told to bring this up here,” the man said with a huff.

Selven sighed. “Right in here, please. Here, let me help you,” he offered.

“Thank you.”

He grabbed one of the handles and felt his muscles tense at the unexpected weight of it. What did they make this chest out of?

As they heaved the chest onto the floor next to his desk, he peeked at the origin panel. Guild Records. Duchy of Lis, Kingdom of Avira. Guild Records. Duchy of Tiloral, Kingdom of Avira. Of course, why would they separate the two? That would only make sense.

He glanced at the man who was still standing next to him. “Did you have anything else?”

The man jerked slightly. “No, sorry. I will be on my way.”

As the man walked out, two more people strolled into the office. Selven looked up, seeing his fellow clerks.

“What is that, Selven?” The high elf woman on the left, Teya, asked.

“It’s the Guild Records from the Kingdom of Avira. Both the Duchy of Lis and the Duchy of Tiloral,” he said with a bit of exasperation.

The Guild headquarters had sent out notices that explained the process numerous times. There was a reason they maintained records per select region. It allowed them to maintain control and filing of them so nothing was lost. There was no reason why the Guilds of both duchies could not send their records at the same time, but they should remain separate. Processes were processes because they allowed for efficiency and maintained standards.

Hopefully, they just sorted them inside.

He opened the chest and saw that there were just stacks of records with no semblance of order. His hopes for getting off any time soon fell.

The telv clerk sighed and shook her head. “Don’t worry Selven, we’ll sort this out. Teya and I will start sorting, you start processing?”

He slowly nodded his head. “I can do that. Where are the other two? Will they be back soon?”

The high elf shook her head. “They got pulled to assist with other duties. It’s just us.”

Selven looked to his left where a mountainous stack of papers already sat. Five more lay behind him on another desk, sorted and ready for filing. He rolled his neck and looked down. The two women started sorting through the chest and soon he had the start of a stack of documents from the Duchy of Tiloral.

Going through it, everything seemed normal. Eventually, he hit his first snag. A House’s assets moved into the negatives. It wasn’t something rare, it happened from time to time if a branch did not get an update in time. It was something that should have been caught before reaching Marketbol, as it usually only happened across…

He took a moment to grab the official ledgers for that House in the storage shelves behind him.

There it was. The House had made several withdrawals from multiple locations on the same date. However, after closer scrutiny, he realized that the updates came from multiple regions. It was a typical way for some entity to attempt to defraud the Guild.

He sighed. When will they learn? We always find out. Rumors were spreading of a new system developed by a House within Marketbol that would prevent such a situation. He was interested in seeing what came of it.

Stamping the record to be handled by the Fraud Department, he moved on. The next few records were standard fare, but then he had another uncommon occurrence appear. A House with the same name as another.

He reviewed the two and smirked in amusement at how the name of the one that originated in the Duchy of Tiloral was the same as the one that was in Marketbol. Noting that the House that was here in the city had an origin within the Kingdom of Blightwych. The same one that he had just thought of. Funny coincidence.

Selven shrugged and simply continued as per protocol. Changing the names of the Houses within the Guild’s records to reflect their national origin. It was infrequent, but not uncommon that Houses from different nations had the same name.

Grabbing his quill, he affixed the new designations.

House Reinhart-Avira.

House Reinhart-Blightwych.

Satisfied, he updated the primary Guild records to reflect the difference so that no one would possibly confuse them. Wouldn’t want that! Could you imagine? Someone taking funds from one when it was meant to be the other’s? This is why we have procedures and protocols.

A yawn escaped him as he grabbed the next record and moved on.

It was going to be a long night.

✦ ✦ ✦

Late Summer

Elodie walked into the Banking Guild. She paused as she noted all of the activity. It had been weeks since the siege had been lifted and, still, the Guilds were inundated with the need to catch up to the rest of the region.

She was here to check on the status of funds for the House. They should have received another transfer from their contract with the Farum siblings, and their first payment from the Marketbol Smithing Guild would be today.

It had taken a bit of convincing with Koren in tow, but she had managed to wring out the same deal as the one Sloane had made in Thirdghyll. The payments from that deal had transferred to the guild’s new location in Vilstaf and had finally borne fruit a few weeks ago.

As a ruby-tier House, they received preferential treatment within the city. Although, even if they were the lowest tier–wood–they would have been given priority service after Sloane had literally saved the city. There were talks of erecting a statue of her in the park of heroes.

Elodie wasn’t sure if the city would actually do it, but they clearly wanted Sloane to return once her quest was completed. I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered a seat on the council to convince her.

Sloane and House Reinhart represented the single largest new source of income and progress in such a short period that this city had ever seen.

A high elf that she’d worked with several times now approached her with a smile.

“Ms. Romaris, welcome! Are you here on House Reinhart business?”

Elodie nodded. “I am.”

He gestured and invited her to follow him. They walked into a small office that was richly decorated, and one of several that were only utilized for business with important clients.

She sat down on a cushioned chair covered in expensive fabric and smiled at the man as he took the chair across a table from her. He already held a large portfolio that she knew would contain records for House Reinhart within.

“Now, what can the Banking Guild do for House Reinhart today?” he asked.

Elodie pulled out her planner–a wonderful concept that Sloane had introduced–and opened it to the notes section. She readied her pen and inkwell and glanced up into the amused look of the man across from her.

“Sorry, yes. I wish to ascertain the status of our account. Specifically, there should have been several deposits made within the last two days that I need to verify. One from…”

She listed out what she was expecting and the man pulled the portfolio open and started scrolling his finger across the records.

“Yes, those have been deposited in the following amounts…” He stated a number for each.

Elodie nodded along as she dutifully annotated the numbers down.

She heard him make a noise so she glanced up. “Sorry, what was that?”

He shook his head. “Oh, nothing, just a curiosity.”

Elodie tilted her head. She’d worked for the Guild. Curiosities usually meant something that was other than the norm. House Reinhart did not need anything except normality. It was crucial to their development.

“What is so curious? Anything that I should be concerned about?” she asked.

Another shake of the head.

“No. Just that they annotated the origin behind your House name. That is–”

Elodie froze and her eyes shot open. “That means there is another House with the same name.”

He twitched slightly. Realization flashed. “Oh, right. Romaris. I forgot that you–”

Her own realization made her jump up. The high elf’s head jerked back in surprise.

Elodie leaned forward onto the table, staring at the man. “Where is the other House?”

He looked taken aback. “Ms. Elodie, you know I cannot–”

“Damn it! Tell me where the damn House is or I swear I will go to the Grandmaster!”

He sucked in a breath. “Avira. The Duchy of Tiloral. It’s probably nothing–”

“I have to go.”

She quickly shoved her things back into her satchel. Elodie burst from the room and practically ran out of the Guild.

A confused high elf still sat in the meeting room. Unsure of what to make of what just happened. He knew that he had to report it. However, he just was not certain as to whom.

Elodie rushed toward her waiting carriage. She yelled at the guards. They had to get to the campus. Quickly. She needed to speak to Ernald and Adaega.

Thankfully, the men did not even question her. The carriage sped down the streets with reckless abandon. People jumped out of the way as the guards yelled for everyone to move. A few members of the city guard rushed behind them on horseback.

They came to a sliding stop in front of the center, but Elodie was already jumping out and darting forward. She yelled at the Senior Guardsman who had come running out, telling him to handle the city’s men.

Elodie took a deep breath and gathered herself before barging into Adaega’s office.

Adaega screamed and jerked back. Ernald whirled around from where he had been having a moment with the human woman.

“Shit! Elodie! What are you doing?” Adaega snapped.

“I found her.”

Ernald narrowed his eyes. “Who?” Adaega looked ready to complain about how Elodie had barged in. Their embarrassment at getting caught could wait.

“Sloane’s daughter.”

Both Adaega and Ernald froze.

“…What?” Ernald asked, slowly. The two of them started grabbing their clothing and pulling them back on.

It was a bit awkward, but her news was too important.

Elodie took a deep breath. “There is a second House Reinhart. It is in Avira, the Duchy of Tiloral.”

Adaega gasped. “That means–”

The knight nodded. “That Sloane will be traveling right through there when she arrives in Avira by sea. They’re already too far, there’s no way we will make it to Swanbrook before they leave.” He paused and stroked his chin. “However…”

“What?” Adaega asked.

“She is escorting that girl from the church to Calling. A courier may be able to make it in time. It will be expensive–”

“We can afford it,” Elodie said without hesitation.

The knight nodded. Adaega kept turning her head back and forth between the two of them. “Then we need to hurry. We will need to write this in a way that will not be overly apparent to others.”

Adaega shrugged. “That’s easy. We just tell her the object of her quest is in Tiloral.”

“What do we do if the courier misses her or can’t find her?” Elodie asked.

Ernald crossed his arms. “In that case, the best we can do is send a courier toward the City of Avira and hope to catch her there. We do have the luxury of knowing her current destination,” he pointed out.

Wait. She had an idea. One that was a bit crazy. “What if we sent two couriers? Right now. One to Calling to try and catch her, and another to the Duchy of Tiloral? But where more specifically…”

The three of them fell into silence as each sought to come up with a solution. It wasn’t simple. If only they’d found out a few weeks ago before they had left. Adaega seemed to be at a loss, which wasn’t a surprise to Elodie. The terran didn’t know this world. She had adapted admirably to the city and its lifestyle, but there were definite gaps in her knowledge that she and Ernald were helping her with.

Snapping fingers jerked her from her thoughts.

“Huh. Actually, that’s simple. The Grand Temple of the Celestials. Strathmore. Sloane’s other deal with the Church was to enlist their help. We can send a courier straight to the source, and they could probably get a message to Sloane’s daughter,” Ernald suggested.

They all agreed. It was a plan, and Elodie hoped that it worked. She shook her head. It was crazy…

“Did you see any information about the daughter’s House?” Ernald asked.

Elodie shook her head. “No. The Guild would never give out that information. I had to threaten the man helping me just to get where she was located.”

Ernald chuckled. She and Adaega looked up at the knight. “What is so funny?” Adaega asked her lover.

“Sloane’s daughter is eleven years old, nearly twelve if I remember correctly and she has formed her own House. That is not some insignificant feat… the two of them aren’t even…” He sighed and shook his head. “Like mother, like daughter…”

Elodie nodded.

Like mother, like daughter indeed.

✦ ✦ ✦

Present

A man ran down a path until it reached a house. He spoke silently to one of the assembled guards, as the chilled wind blew around him. Their blue tabards and silver pauldron were polished until you could see your reflection in the embossed dragon. A match to his own gear. The wall of bodies the guards made was meant to keep others out and to ensure those within did not leave.

It was the second time they had to do this.

A throng of people stood outside, servants, guards, and family members alike. Everyone was silent, quietly shivering, but refusing to utter a word of their discomfort. It did not matter that it was a misty, overcast day. That the air was cold. The ground wet. That did not stop the proceedings.

Now, one could not completely blame the staff of the household. No. They were not there in the dreary weather out of any sort of punishment. Indeed, the members of the staff stood resolutely. For they were there as witnesses.

For House Trenlore had been given a chance.

The House Reinhart guard gently pushed his way to the front where the sight forced him to pause.

Baron Camus Trenlore had lasted two whole seasons before he managed to squander that sole chance. The baron was getting the dressing down of his life.

No matter how important his message was, the guard knew that now was not the time to interrupt. He drew himself to attention and nodded to Ser Theran, who inclined his head in recognition.

For now, he would simply watch.

The count paused. The high elf majordomo took a moment to gather himself.

He continued, “Baron Trenlore. Again. Again you have forgotten your place. You constantly seek to ruin your own House, and by proxy ruin the reputation of House Reinhart. To whom you pledged fealty. I am unsure whether your mind is addled, for that could only be the reason you somehow seem to continually forget that fact. Now, I do hope you remember what I stated the last time we were in this same position. After all, I warned you what would happen.”

The high elf baron drew up to his full height and attempted to stare down the slightly shorter count. He held the smugness of someone who thought they had everything figured out.

He could not be more wrong.

You only had to look at the two guards of House Reinhart standing at either side of him, or the knight in full plate armor that stood atop the steps to the small manor. Or if you realized that all of his guards were unarmed and stood impotently within the crowd. Not that a single one would have raised a hand in his defense.

“I do not know who you think you are, Ser Norric. But–”

A slap resounded in the area. The guard blinked. Ser Theran pulled back his hand to where he was suddenly much closer. Impossibly closer.

“You will address the Count with the respect he is due,” the knight stated calmly.

Count Siveril Norric sighed and shook his head. A glare settled on the baron who had fallen to one knee and was caressing a now very red cheek.

“Very well. By the authority granted to me by our liege, I hereby strip all titles granted upon Baron Trenlore and those present of his household. House Trenlore shall pass to Lady Ilyana Trenlore upon her age of majority next week. Baroness Trenlore will be notified immediately. Until her return, Ser Theran will oversee the operations of the House.”

There it was. The true reason for the count and House Reinhart’s attendance. The baron had been given until the young lady-in-waiting’s birthday to correct his ways. He had not.

Mr. Camus Trenlore’s face turned into a scowl as he stood and took a step forward before both arms were grabbed by the two guards behind him.

Count Norric was unfazed. “Remove them from the premises.”

Camus Trenlore had nearly affected the reputation of House Reinhart with his poor business dealings–including some more… illegal undertakings. Even that did not anger the count as much as when he’d heard about Lady Ilyana’s last meal.

Everyone gathered ignored the protesting and cursing from the members of the House. The wife and all of the children were escorted and in some cases, physically dragged away from the property. When the sounds of their shouting and complaints were muted by distance, Count Norric addressed those gathered.

“I regret that you all had to stand outside on this dreary day. I regret that I was forced to action, but House Reinhart will not stand for such actions amongst those who owe it fealty. You all are to maintain this House for your new liege and Ser Theran will ensure that this occurs. All knights of the House will answer to him until the day your lady returns from her studies. Now, excuse me. I have urgent business to attend to.”

The guard straightened his back as the count strode toward him. He should not have been surprised that the count knew he was there for him. Nor that his message was urgent.

“You have a message?”

The guard bowed to his House’s majordomo. “Yes, milord. Lady Batteux awaits you at the manor. She has urgent news and will await your return.”

Count Norric narrowed his eyes. “You rode all this way from Strathmore? Alone?”

“Yes, milord. Time was of the essence. I came as quickly as I could.”

The count gestured to one of the other guards. “See that both he and his horse are rested and well-fed.” He turned toward another guard. “Prepare my carriage. We need to expedite our return.”

✦ ✦ ✦

The upcoming season marked a new chapter for House Reinhart, which had managed to weather all the trials of the previous year. Despite the challenges they had faced, House Reinhart had remained strong. Their position in the region had been solidified, and their reputation had grown. Siveril knew that they still had much work to do, but he felt confident that they were on the right path.

The princess would soon attend the Royal Academy.

The business with House Trenlore had been particularly frustrating to navigate but was finally resolved.

His own lands in the south and its town of Galehaven were doing well after a modest investment from House Reinhart. The majority of the soldiers that the duke had promised were even now based within the county. Others had been selected to protect the princess’s assets within the city.

Tensions were high even after two seasons. He still remembered as if it were yesterday when he received news of the attack on the princess. That Angwin’s army had been burned and cut to pieces.

Siveril still did not know what to think of the matter. Those two women let that girl fight an army.

That the girl won did bring a bit of warmth to his heart.

When he had received word, the duke had summoned Angwin and demanded answers. Then, in a clear shot at the Crown Prince, Duke Tiloral censured the marquess in no uncertain terms. The marquess was placed on house arrest within his march. Even those of his House or those under his employ in any form were not to leave his lands without ducal permission.

The crown was not happy with the matter and had made their displeasure known by increasing taxes for all sea-based imports and increasing fees for foreigners to enter through the port.

Taxes and fees that only affected the Tiloral Duchy.

Count Siveril Norric stepped from his carriage and strode up toward the Reinhart Manor. The doors were promptly opened and he made his way to the parlor. Inside, the Guildmaster for the duchy’s Banking Guild sat by the fire, calmly sipping on some tea.

As he entered, the woman turned to face him, her visage illuminated by the flickering flames in the hearth, evoking memories of his princess.

“Guildmaster Batteux, to what do we owe the pleasure? I was informed it was urgent,” he asked.

Maeva flashed a smile and motioned toward the chair beside her. “Please, have a seat Siveril, and call me by my name. I believe it’s best if we have this conversation sitting down.”

He took a calming breath. Without jumping to conclusions, he sat. “…Maeva. Why are you here?”

Placing her cup back on the table, the high elf woman spoke up. “We have recently received an update from Marketbol. As part of our routine exchange of records to maintain accurate accounts, I was informed of a change to your account. The Banking Guild now shows your House as Reinhart-Avira…”

He squinted, not seeing the woman’s point. “…And that means?”

She drew in a breath. “It means that there is another House Reinhart.”

Siveril froze. That means…

“Judging from your expression, I can see that you already understand the implication. We have located the girl’s mother, and it seems that she’s more cautious than her daughter, which leads me to believe that you were not aware of her whereabouts.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “What are you getting at, Maeva?”

“The head of House Reinhart-Blightwych is Baroness Sloane Reinhart. It took me some time to reconcile this information, but once I did, everything fell into place. It appears that Queen Reinhart understood that claiming to be a queen would put her at a disadvantage upon arrival in our world, as she lacks an army and land to support her claim–your princess was lucky in this regard as she now possesses a modest House, albeit also with the ability to destroy armies. However, I digress. Instead, Queen Reinhart opted for a status that would not raise any eyebrows, such as that of a baron or baroness, which is a common rank in Western Ikios.”

Siveril found himself nodding. It did make a certain amount of sense. Blightwych. He frowned. He glanced up and–

Maeva’s smile widened. “It appears that you have also arrived at the same conclusion as I have. I looked into why the update came from Marketbol instead of Blightwych and discovered that the duchy’s new port troubles have resulted in fewer reports reaching us through Maireharbora. In fact, the last report from Blightwych was prior to this update being sent out. It’s evident that my counterpart at the Guild in Blightwych has opted to cut us out until our issues are resolved. I have already notified Marketbol of this breach of protocol, but I suspect it will take some time before we see a resolution.”

Siveril did not care about the guild’s politics. He only cared about the information the woman had learned. “Do you know where to find this other House Reinhart in Blightwych?”

Maeva shook her head. “No, unfortunately, we do not have that information on record. Only the nation of origin is maintained. Blightwych isn’t a very large kingdom, so your best option would be to search in the capital city of Arginwych.”

Siveril stood. “Maeva, I would like to thank you for this information. I also request–”

The woman pushed off of the chair and stood as well. “Do not worry, Siveril. I will keep this information secret. I did not tell you the best part.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What is that?”

“House Reinhart-Blightwych is a ruby-tier House, and baronesses are not afforded that status. It’s evident that the Guild recognizes the significance of the princess’s mother. It would not be wise for me to damage any potential relationships that may be developing, particularly as your House has already established a positive one.”

The woman was correct. The Banking Guild’s ruby-tier was reserved for dukes or members of equal status. Only royalty received a higher tier, such as his House and liege. And if Gwyn’s mother is trying to remain discreet, that higher status would not help matters.

“Thank you for your assistance, Maeva. It seems I suddenly have much more work to accomplish. If you will excuse me. Perhaps we can meet again soon over some tea?”

She smiled. “That would be lovely, Count Norric.”

“I will see you then, Lady Batteux.”

✦ ✦ ✦

“So, we need to send a team to search for this House Reinhart within Blightwych,” Theran clarified.

Siveril nodded. “Yes. As soon as possible. We will also send at least two people as couriers to the capital. Her Highness must be notified.”

Theran nodded. “I will get two teams together and send them out at once.”

“Good.”

“I’m sure Her Highness will be excited about this news,” Theran added.

Siveril chuckled. “I am excited for her. But yes, we will be hard-pressed to convince her to remain within the Academy. Luckily, that is a job for Taenya.”

They would simply have to tell the princess that they knew generally where her mother was. Then when they find her, they can send a second notice. Siveril was sure Gwyn’s mother would want to rush to the capital herself. After all, it’s exactly what I would do.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled.

Things are looking up.

Especially for that girl. She’s been through so much.

He glanced at Theran. “Let’s get to work.”

The young knight nodded. “Understood. I will assemble the teams.”

“Good. Then we will come up with a preliminary plan for a House merger as well. It doesn’t hurt to be ready.”

Certainly not. If Gwyn has amassed this much support, I wonder what the mother has?

Siveril watched as Theran left the room, feeling grateful for the young knight’s quick response. He leaned back in his chair, deep in thought, considering the many possibilities that this new information could bring. It was clear that there was much work to be done, but for the first time in a long while, he felt a glimmer of hope.

He shook his head with a chuckle.

“Like mother, like daughter.”

Back to School

Early Spring

Avira. The city, the duchy, the kingdom. It is each and every one of these. The city itself was millennia old. Settled by exiled high elves during the Loreni Diaspora. When the coastal regions were invaded and fought over by their fellow elves, the Avirans sought refuge inland. They followed the valleys and the rivers until they came upon a plain alongside a point where two great rivers came together. A plain centered in a triangle of land between forests, mountains, and a large nearby lake.

When the Valeni were pushed back to their forests, the Avirans solidified their hold on their demesne and spread even further inward. When they finally met mountains, they turned around. By then the coastal regions had been all but taken. Kingdoms sat to the south and west of the Avirans.

So they did what any reasonable growing kingdom would do. They invaded. This did not go well at first. In fact, they lost a large swath of land to the Kingdom of Edimiss. However, time was on the Avirans’ side. They continually built up their armies and settled into their defensive positions until their foe was worn out. The Avirans struck a deal with the brother of the king who withdrew support from the war. When the remaining Edimissan army exhausted their forces, the Avirans swooped in for the kill. It took only another year from that point, and thus the Duchy of Edimiss was created. The brother who betrayed brother would become duke. The former king would be executed.

This pattern of expansion continued for centuries. Eventually, the Avirans found themselves at odds with their rivals to the southwest of them. The Kingdom of Tiloral.

War broke out between the two nations. The Avirans, landlocked for centuries, finally decided to change that. While the Tilorals did not have sea access themselves, there were smaller coastal nations beyond. Nations the Avirans felt were ripe for the picking. The Tilorals had the advantage of position. The Avirans were surrounded by three Val Forests, which at that time were still openly hostile to the Loreni nations around them. Then there were the two dwarven exclaves. While neutral, they were fiercely protective of their mountain ranges.

This caused many setbacks for the Avirans, but after several decades of war, the Tilorals made a choice. Instead of continuing the war, and in a move that shocked everyone, they joined the Avirans. They then became a spear that helped the kingdom expand further.

They conquered the nearby Kingdom of Marsi which almost doubled the size of the duchy and gave the Avirans their first access to the sea.

Expansion continued for many more years and what would eventually become the duchies of Lis, Nieth, Levosa, and finally Soraya were added. While each of these newer duchies have changed hands no less than three–

Gwyn looked up from her book at Mr. Branigan.

“Why do all the duchies constantly change families that rule them? Why are Tiloral and Edimiss different?”

The old sun elf scholar regarded her with an almost sad expression.

“Edimiss’ ruling family has actually changed, the difference here is that the name was never about the family like it is in Tiloral. It is the name of the region of lakes and rivers that surround the capital of Roda Alia.

“The difference with Tiloral is that the duchy actually cares for its people. No, that isn’t fair. Let’s just say that the nobles of the others oftentimes care more for their own power and influence. There is a sense of duty within Tiloral that is different than the rest, and that comes from a very strong cultural identity. The people are proud to be from the duchy. They’re proud of their stability and strength.”

“But what about people like Marquess Angwin? He doesn’t seem like someone who fits that…”

“Marquess Angwin does care for his people. However, he is a staunch royalist. I do not doubt that his actions have the Crown’s hands involved. It is a reason the Polite War has lasted so long. It has pervaded every aspect of society within the kingdom, and those that have sought to change it have not lasted long.”

“Is that why the duke cannot help us as much?”

Ms. Maya lifted her head from where she was resting. Yawning, she glanced at her husband who nodded at her.

“The Crown knows that in order to keep their rule for as long as they have, they needed a way to control the nobles and the people. They use the Polite War as a way to check the power of the duchies and other prominent nobles. Money and favors constantly change hands. Land is given. Influence and power gained. All to maintain what they have. It is too enticing to most nobles. There is a large faction that knows this and actively seeks to counter it. However, they too use the Polite War as a way to increase their influence. The nobles who wish to increase their own power at the expense of the royal family’s authority.”

Gwyn groaned. “And I need to know all of this because there will be people within the Royal Academy that try to get me on their side.”

The high elf woman nodded. “Yes. They will seek to use you as a pawn. By allying with House Tiloral, you have already stated your intentions to oppose the Crown, even if historically the Tilorals were neutral. I fear Angwin’s actions have changed this stance.”

She felt her face twist as she considered what Miss Maya said. “What will happen?”

The two adults shared a look before Mr. Branigan sighed. “Things may get dangerous. The school will be safe, and you will likely be safe, but your friend may not be. She is away from home, vulnerable. Others may seek to take advantage of that. Do you understand?”

Gwyn nodded. Anger was building up inside her. Roslyn could be hurt? No.

“I understand. I will keep her safe. I will get stronger and keep us all safe.”

Ms. Maya looked alarmed. “Your Highness–Gwyn. You are a young girl. It is not your responsibility to keep everyone safe. You should focus on learning and growing up. Let us keep you safe.”

Gwyn immediately shook her head. “No. I have magic and a responsibility. It is what a princess should do. I have to practice and get stronger. To gain more of the mana rushes. I will do whatever is needed to keep all of my people and family safe. And to find my mom.”

She didn’t miss the glances the husband and wife gave each other.

Gwyn simply ignored it.

I have a plan and I will see it through.

✦ ✦ ✦

A light knock resounded at the door early the next morning. When it opened, Taenya’s head popped in. “Gwyn? Are you awake?” she whispered.

Gwyn was back in her carriage. The other occupants of the wagon, her ladies-in-waiting, were all asleep. She was using a small stream of light from the curtain she had shifted to help her read. As they got closer to the capital, the urge to learn all she could about her new home became stronger. A lot was hinging on how well she did in school.

“Yes, Taenya. I am,” she said. Gwyn set the book aside.

“We are almost to the city. Would you like to come sit on the bench and see? Amari and Sabina rode ahead. We’ll stop before we reach the Queen’s Gate so that you can get back into the carriage.”

Gwyn nodded. “Sure.”

She followed the woman outside and squinted her eyes at the morning light. The caravan had left early so that they could have all day to get settled into their new home. The guards that were on horseback saluted her. The guard that drove the carriage hopped down and held out a hand.

She grabbed the telv’s hand and he carefully helped her step up to the front of the carriage. Thanking the man, Gwyn scooted to the other side. After she sat and got situated, he climbed back up and grabbed the reins.

With the caravan moving again, she got to look around. Everywhere around them was covered in fields. Elves and telv were out in large numbers working.

Many people stopped to watch as they passed. She smiled and waved at the ones that stared too long. One woman jerked and lifted a hand, which caused Gwyn to giggle. The guard driving the carriage laughed.

“They aren’t used to seeing royalty, Your Highness.”

That made her squint. “How do they know?”

The telv looked up at her head. Gwyn brought her hand up and gasped. She had left her tiara on and hadn’t realized it.

She found herself wearing it more and more as they got closer as it reminded her of Roslyn. Although, she was usually careful about putting it back up when she wasn’t using it for the way it helped her magic…

“Sorry. I forgot I had it on,” she lifted her hand to remove it, but he stopped her.

The man smiled as he shook his head. “Don’t apologize for being who you are, Your Highness. You should never have to be ashamed or embarrassed to be yourself. Be proud. I know we all are to be in your House.”

Gwyn smiled and dipped her head. The man’s words hit home a little more than he probably intended. “Thank you.”

“Look, we’re here,” she heard Taenya call out from behind her.

She instinctively turned around and looked at Taenya. The one was riding her horse alongside them and pointing ahead of them.

Gwyn followed her finger to the front and her eyes widened. She could not see much over the fields with farmers, but what she could see was really cool. A massive stone wall stood in front of them. It was one of the biggest and tallest that she’d seen. Even bigger than Strathmore’s.

There were two gatehouses side-by-side ahead of them. The larger one was decorated with flags and banners. The smaller one next to it had two tall statues of elven women with crowns on either side of it.

What really took her breath away was when they cleared the row of fields and trees. To their left at the river was the largest bridge she’d seen yet.

“What is that?” she asked with wide eyes.

The guard driving the carriage chuckled. “That is the Joshul Bridge. It crosses the entire span of the river.”

“Are we going over it?”

The telv man shook his head. “No, Your Highness. The other side of the river is the town of Aldon. We are heading toward those two gates straight ahead. Westerly Gate and Queens’ Gate.”

She looked back toward the gates, focusing on the one with the pretty statues. “Who are those statues for?”

“They are the statues of Queens Sirune and Alavara. The First Queen and the Golden Queen.”

Gwyn nodded.

The caravan followed the road along and they soon reached an intersection of roads. Off to the side were people on three horses. Gwyn recognized Amari the quickest with her red armor, but she smiled broadly as she saw Sabina with someone she hadn’t seen in so long.

“Friedrich!” she called out as they reached the three.

The blonde Austrian man with his curling mustache and smart goatee smiled back at her. “Princess Gwyn! Welcome to the City of Bridges!”

Sabina glanced at the man and huffed. “Welcome to Avira City, Your Highness.”

“Thank you! How are you? How is Roslyn? Is she around?”

The man chuckled. “We will get you settled into our new home first, yes? Then we can meet with her.”

Taenya joined in the conversation. “Agreed. Let’s go see the new home esquire Niles and Sir Friedrich acquired for us.”

Friedrich nodded. “I think you will be impressed. House Tiloral was very helpful in finding somewhere suitable for a royal of your status, Your Highness.”

Gwyn was confused. “What–”

Amari glanced at Sabina and the mind-mage knight nodded.

“Perhaps we can discuss it at our new home, Gwyn. This is not a suitable location,” Sabina suggested.

Taenya nodded. “I agree. Let’s see our new home. If you would please return to the carriage, Gwyn. We will arrive at Queen’s Gate soon.”

Queens’ Gate turned out to be an entrance that only nobility and royalty were allowed to utilize. Gwyn got to see it from a window. Ilyana, Nora, and Lorrena had awoken while Gwyn sat outside. Like hers, their faces were smashed up against the two small windows of the carriage.

They spoke excitedly about the city, pointing out the little restaurants and cafes. Apparently, this entrance opened up into the more wealthy western part of the city called Hirwen Row–named after yet another one of the Queens. The shops and people walked around in their differently styled clothing. Everywhere she looked, she noticed how Avira was distinctly different than Strathmore.

One could say that Strathmore was more traditional in a way. By contrast, Maireharbora, the kingdom’s port in the Tiloral Duchy, was even more progressive than the capital. That city played host to styles from all of the neighboring kingdoms and cultures that came through it.

While Avira had its own distinct style, the city, though, was old.

There was no theme.

No rhyme or reason for the way things looked.

What there was though, was wealth. The road they rode down had perfect bricks. Buildings all were freshly painted and had big glass windows that showed off their wares.

That said, all the girls spoke about were the canals and the many bridges that crossed them. Gwyn was extremely excited about that. Back home, Venice had always been one of her favorite cities. If the city was even close to that, she’d love it.

The western side of the city sat on the ‘mainland’ on a series of hills. It was also the newest expansion of the city and played host to some of the richest neighborhoods. Once you got beyond that, you reached the true ‘heart’ of the city and its canals.

Gwyn saw all types of stores and businesses. A bookstore filled with shelves and shelves of books, a store that sold makeup, a tailor with pretty dresses in the window, a bakery with a large rack of bread and pastries displayed, and even a jewelry store were just a few of the ones that caught her eye.

People walked around everywhere. She lost track of the number of parks they passed. Or even the plazas that reminded her so much of home. Statues and small shrines. Different places for the Guilds. Soldiers. There were so many things to see and Gwyn couldn’t wait to explore it all.

The caravan made its way up and around a hill where they saw a bunch of fancy houses. The city had a bunch of buildings all crammed together, and the homes here were no different. Even the ones going up the hill made long lines alongside the road. It was very similar to Strathmore, but everything here seemed more… compressed. As they got closer to the top of the hill, the houses started turning into walls and she was able to see through the gates to really pretty homes.

Nora explained that they were now in Sterling Heights. A series of hills that sat near the outer canal. It was the area where the really wealthy nobles and aristocrats lived. Gwyn also learned that across the town, closer to the royal palaces was the Vermeil Highland neighborhood which was where all of the ducal palaces were. It was on the same island as the Old Town.

The Royal Academy was over there somewhere and situated on its own island. A massive area filled with the various schools, shops, restaurants, and dorms for the sprawling institution.

She smiled as Nora and Lorrena kept excitedly telling her all that they knew about the city. Ilyana on the other hand seemed just as amazed as her.

They all quieted as the caravan slowed and then came to a stop in front of a large gate and wall. Excitement brewed inside her as she noticed that the guards standing outside the gate were from her House.

She held her breath as the men opened the gate.

Sir Friedrich on his horse took the lead and the carriages and wagons followed the man through the gate.

The road was made of gravel and led to the side of a large three-story… mansion.

The carriage stopped alongside the building

Gwyn and the girls were led out by a guard and she gasped as she really got a good look at the home.

She saw Sabina and Amari directing guards to move the carriages and wagons. Her teachers and everyone else were getting out to help.

Friedrich and Taenya walked toward her.

The Austrian smiled. “Do you like it? It’s very English I think.”

“Let me get a good look!” She said excitedly.

She turned and started walking backward to take it all in, following a small stone path that led away from the building. When she got far enough, she gasped.

Gwyn’s eyes were large. “It’s beautiful!”

Her two knights smiled.

And it was. The big manor had five steepled rooftops with a single double window in the center of each. It was perfectly symmetrical, with the two ends coming out further than the middle of the house. However, there was an unassuming double door in the center of a part of the house that came out a bit further. That part reached all the way up where a tiny bell sat over the roof and was set in between two chimneys. Actually, now that Gwyn looked, there were a lot of chimneys. And so many windows! There were really long windows on either end of the building, then above that were two more, then the single double wide windows at the top floor.

In the center of the house were two windows that matched the floor above. The two center areas in between the entrance and the ends that jutted out looked like they could be houses on their own but were just sandwiched in everything else. Just no doors.

It was made of a light brown stone, with the stone placed to give the appearance of arches above each window and the entrance.

It was lovely.

Friedrich looked proud.

“It has ten bedrooms spread over three floors. A formal dining room that seats twenty next to a large fireplace. Along with another informal dining area. A formal sitting room, with two less formal ones. There are nine washrooms, with privys. There is even a sauna. Your room is especially large and I am sure you will enjoy it,” he said, sounding just like a real estate agent.

Gwyn just nodded along, not really paying attention.

When he finished, her grin grew. “Let’s check it out! Girls! Let’s go, we can choose your rooms!”

Friedrich just chuckled and moved aside for her. She rushed to go inside, but a guard quickly opened the door as she all but ran.

“Your Highness, slow down!” Aleanora called out from behind her.

She turned her head and glanced back, she saw Lorrena laughing and running to catch up, her dress blowing in the wind.

Ilyana just shook her head and walked with her back straight.

Gwyn smiled.

Home number two. I wonder what mom will think of this one!

✦ ✦ ✦

Present

Taenya walked with Friedrich and Sabina into the formal sitting room of the manor. The Paladin Amari followed behind her. The two knights sat while both Taenya and Amari chose to stand.

“I know you all are busy, but I wanted to go over some details for the near future,” Taenya said. She took a deep breath, recalling everything.

Summer had come and gone. A fact that Taenya was grateful for. Somehow the city was even more humid than Strathmore.

They had spent the entire season locating and bringing in new members of the House. Servants, guards, and support personnel of all types were needed. It was a task that she and the two House scholars had taken on. Or at least for a while. Quinn Branigan had… a hard time holding his tongue in front of many of the interviewees. It seemed that the old sun elf had very little patience and high standards for anyone who would join a Royal House.

Maya Rolfe had taken over the process after reining in her husband’s… eccentricities.

By the end of the season, the House was sitting in a good state. She had sent word back to Siveril giving him an update. The process took a long time, but their correspondence was at least somewhat regular.

Gwyn’s birthday the previous week was a small affair. The Tilorals were invited along with a few notable people.

She looked between the two knights. “Gwyn and Lorrena will be heading to take their entrance exams tomorrow. Ilyana’s is next week. With the three of them moving into the dormitories for the Academy, we will all be split up. Quinn and Maya are renting an apartment within the neighborhood Scholar’s Rest just south across the bridge from the Academy. And House Tiloral’s steward assisted us in acquiring a townhouse in Old Town.

“It has enough space for myself, Sabina, and any of the girls who wish to stay there during weekends. I imagine that they will want to stay near their friends. We will have a small staff and at least one of our teams of guards.”

Sabina nodded. “It will be a good location. It allows us to stay closer to the girls in case any issues arise. There have been murmurs of the Crown Prince moving elements of the military north toward the border.”

Friedrich’s bushy brows knit together. “What is north of us?”

“The Turest Order and the Vlaredian Empire. However, Turest is directly north beyond the Duchy of Levosa,” Evocati Amari explained.

He nodded. “The Vlaredian Empire is the one currently at war with the… Sovereign Cities?”

“Yes. Although that is further to the west,” Taenya said.

“Thank you. I am still learning,” he said.

Sabina glanced over to the knight sitting next to her. “You have done very well, Sir Friedrich.”

The man nodded his thanks.

Taenya looked at the terran man. He had come far and was indispensable. “Friedrich, you will take on the stewardship of the manor. I need you to assume all of the duties needed to keep our House supplied and running here in the capital. I am going to focus on our connections and meeting with the various nobility. Sabina, keep your ear to the ground.”

She glanced at the paladin.

The woman crossed her arms. “I will deal with the temples and coordinate with Evocati Khalan. As a paladin, I also have greater access to the Academy. I will be able to attend to the princess’s safety on the grounds as needed.”

Taenya nodded. “Good. I will have guards available to be with her whenever she is not within any parts of the Academy itself.”

“I have heard word of a group of terrans moving into the town. I would like to meet them. Perhaps you could join me, Friedrich?” Sabina asked.

The man nodded. “I will. I have hopes that at least one of them will be from where either Her Highness or myself are from.”

Taenya sighed. “We can only hope. Now, let’s get to work. Tomorrow, I will escort the girls to the Academy.”

Things are about to get busy again.

✦ ✦ ✦

Gwyn sat quietly in the carriage. All of the stuff she’d learned was running through her head. They would soon be at the Academy, then Taenya would escort them to the exam hall where a test would be given to them. A test that would determine whether they could even attend and if they did, where they stood in ranking.

No pressure…

Across from her, Lorrena looked nervous. The girl had been working nonstop, and everyone but her thought she was ready. Gwyn had taken the time over the summer to try and learn all she could about her Lady-in-waiting. What she learned was that Lorrena had really bad anxiety. Lorrena also really loved and missed her family, and she did not want to let them down.

She placed a hand on the girl’s bouncing knee. “Relax, Lore. You’re going to do great.”

Lorrena’s leg froze and she looked up at Gwyn. “I know, Your Highness. I just… Yes… I…”

“Lore. It’s okay.”

The girl nodded, but then the carriage stopped and shortly later a knock sounded.

Lorrena started hyperventilating.

Gwyn moved to sit next to her as Taenya opened the door.

“Breathe, Lore. You’re going to do fine.”

“Lady Lorrena, deep breaths. In-and-out. Focus.” Taenya asked.

The girl nodded her head quickly.

Gwyn spoke softly and talked to her as she calmed down, finally Lorrena took a deep breath and sat up straighter. “I am ready.”

With that spark of determination, Gwyn and Lorrena followed Taenya onto the school grounds. They walked along a path, and she noticed a bunch of others going that way. Children her age and older were escorted by adults, and Gwyn noticed that when it started to get more crowded, Lorena’s nervousness returned.

Her focus on her companion, unfortunately, meant that Gwyn did not get a chance to observe their surroundings. It’s okay, we’ll be here for a while. I can explore it all later.

They approached a building where the children were left by their accompanying adults. Gwyn took a deep breath.

Taenya pulled them to a stop before they reached the crowd and took them aside.

“I will be leaving you here. The staff will direct you to where you need to be. I have faith that you both will do well,” Taenya said.

Gwyn and Lorrena nodded.

Taenya leaned closer to Gwyn. “Remember, you are a princess. No one here is above you, but show respect and support for those lower. Others may treat some poorly because of where they come from, but you come from a different culture. Don’t fall into the trap of doing what they do. You are the head of your House. We have taught you all that entails.

“Amari is getting authorization to be able to come onto the Academy grounds. You will likely see her later. I will see you at the week’s end,” Taeyna explained. Her eyes were tearing up and the sight of it made Gwyn’s start as well.

She rushed forward, enveloped her adopted aunt and knight in a hug, then squeezed tight.

“Thank you, Taenya. I’ll make you proud,” she said quietly.

Taenya huffed while patting the back of her head. “You already have.”

She pulled away and gave Lorrena a hard look.

“Lady Lorrena, look out for Her Highness. I leave her in your care. Be her confidant, her support, her friend.”

The elven girl nodded. “I will, Ser Taenya.”

The woman returned the nod before looking over both girls. Brief farewells later, and the knight was gone.

Gwyn looked around. There were a lot of people lining up. It felt like a good place to start.

“Let’s get in line, Lore.”

They moved through the crowd of other people saying their goodbyes and settled in to wait… for whatever was to come.

Gwyn distracted Lorrena by quietly speaking to the girl about inane small talk. Making sure to sneak in jokes that caused the girl to let out hesitant laughs.

The line moved along at a slow pace and she eventually started looking around at the other students. Most were high elves, but there were a bunch of telv as well. She noticed a handful of sun elves and one or two moon elves and raithe. She didn’t see any dwarves or orkun though.

Her eyes went wide though when she saw something she hadn’t been expecting.

She tugged on Lorrena’s arm. “Look! Over there,” Gwyn said, pointing out two people standing off to the side near the back of the line.

Lorrena followed her finger and Gwyn heard the girl’s breath catch in her throat. “Your Highness, two terrans!”

There were several gasps around them and she felt people staring at her, but she ignored them.

She was about to tell Lore that they should go meet them when she heard an adult call out behind her.

“Next.”

Gwyn turned around and looked up at a stern-looking high elf man.

She pointed to herself. “Me?”

He looked at her. “Yes, miss. Please, right this way.”

Gwyn and Lorrena made to follow him but he stopped them. “Please, wait your turn, miss,” he told Lorrena.

Turning to her companion, she whispered, “I’ll see you soon! You’ve got this. Good luck.”

Lorrena’s eyes widened but she managed to bob her head in an approximation of acknowledgment.

Gwyn followed the elf into the building.

They made their way down a hall and into a large room where five people sat at a table with several stacks of papers in front of each of them.

The man guided her to a point in the room and had her stand centered on a large sunburst star.

In the middle of the group was a high elf woman. She was flanked by two elf men with impassive expressions. A man at the end on Gwyn’s left held a smile and dipped his head at her.

It settled her nerves.

A second woman at the opposite end represented the only non-high elf of the group. The telv woman with dark blonde hair had a contemplative look and seemed to be examining Gwyn with interest.

The woman in the center, a high elf who looked quite old with streaks of grey in her black hair and piercing green eyes, peered down at her. Unlike other people Gwyn had met, the woman did not seem affected even in the slightest by Gwyn not being an elf or telv. She was clearly in charge.

“Name?”

Gwyn took a deep breath. She shuffled slightly in her chair to sit straighter and placed her hands on her lap. “Princess Gwyneth Reinhart.”

That made the group pause and glance at each other.

The man to the woman’s left, Gwyn’s right, flipped through a stack of papers. He pulled one out and handed it to the central woman.

Everyone remained silent as the head lady took her time to read it.

Finally, she looked up at Gwyn.

“House Reinhart. From the Duchy of Tiloral. A terran.”

Gwyn wasn’t sure if the woman was asking or telling her.

She nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

The woman raised a brow as she ignored Gwyn and continued to read. “Magic wielder. Exempt from Kingdom Royal Decree by status as an Honored One as proclaimed by the Archpriestess, herself.”

A couple of gasps sounded from those at the table.

Mr. Smiley’s head whipped toward the central woman.

The attention Miss In-charge gained from what she read was ignored.

“What do you have to say about this?” the woman asked Gwyn.

Gwyn tilted her head. What is there to say? Does she want me to talk about magic? With a mental shrug, she tossed the verbal ball back to the woman.

“I do not know what you expect me to say. I just want to attend your school.”

One of the elf men in the center let out a breathy laugh which garnered a glare from the Miss Too-Serious.

The woman returned her gaze to Gwyn. After what seemed like way too much time that had Gwyn very deliberately not fidgeting, the woman spoke, “Very well. Welcome to the Royal Academy of Avira.” She grabbed a stamp and slapped it down on the paper. Everyone’s eyes went wide.

Gwyn froze.

Everyone else froze.

Gwyn channeled red mana to heat back up.

The woman looked up from where she was writing. “You may go, Miss Reinhart.”

“But… what about my entrance exam? My rank?”

The woman paused. She tapped her quill on the inkwell before placing it inside and folding her hands together on the table.

“You are exempt. Your rank will be placed accordingly. You are officially on academic probation. It will be explained to you later. Please proceed so that you can be processed and given guidance. We have many other prospective students to examine.”

Sucking in a breath, Gwyn nodded once. Murmurs broke out amongst the others as she walked around the table and away from the examiners. At the back of the room was a telv man who gave her a small wave.

He gestured through the door.

Gwyn’s eyes went wide at the sight on the other side.

A massive amphitheater-style auditorium stood before her. Tons of students were already seated and talking excitedly to each other. Students of all ages and races. Even ones she hadn’t seen in line for processing such as orkun and dwarves.

The man turned and smiled at her.

“Welcome to the Royal Academy. Your progress will be followed with great interest,” he said before he returned to the room.

Gwyn hesitated. Did he just quote…

She shrugged and looked around. There were so many people that she was not really sure where to go or sit. Should I wait for Lorrena?

“Gwyn!”

Her head jerked toward where she heard her name. A small blonde figure was down toward the front and waving at her.

A smile grew on Gwyn’s face.

Roslyn!

She took a deep breath. Then she started toward her friend. Confidence filled her, and she walked with her head high.

Gwyn had no idea what her rank would be, or how meeting other terrans would go. Or even how interacting with real nobles from Avira would be.

But Gwyn knew that she’d have her friend at her side.

And Lorrena there for support.

Finally back in school.

…In another world.

Gwyn smiled. She felt mana flowing through her.

Let’s do this.

A Case for Agency

The Headmaster rubbed her head. She had chosen to sit in on the terran princess’s entrance panel and it seemed that the decision was sound. Even here, the Crown Prince’s influence reigned. Three of the five on the panel would have denied the poor girl due to various interests if she hadn’t asked this year’s chair to step out.

Fortunately, the princess wasn’t the only terran with aspirations to attend. Utilizing her prerogative to chair the panel for terrans made sense. After all, it was the first time terrans had been considered for attendance. Not to mention that a decent number had applied.

It was only right that I took part.

Now, one of the church’s paladins had come with a formal request for admission to the grounds to perform her duties.

A knock sounded and her secretary entered. “Headmaster, they are here to speak with you.”

She raised a brow. “They?”

The telv woman nodded. “Yes, Headmaster. Two paladins of Alos.”

Her eyes narrowed. This was getting out of hand.

Now there are two of them?

Two red armored paladins strode in with a level of confidence that screamed arrogance. She never really liked the paladins, but when they made demands, even nations listened.

Two sun elves, a man and a woman, stopped in front of her. Sun elves were the most common people in the holy order due to its location. That did not mean they were the only ones allowed within the order. So seeing them was not surprising. Based on their subtle markings, she knew they were lower ranked, but not the lowest. They were at a level where they would be sent on individual assignments.

It was not often that you saw two Evocatis together.

Curiosity filled her more than hesitance.

She smiled. “What can I do for the Holy Order, Evocati?”

If either of them were surprised that she knew how to read their ranking, they did not show it. She would have appreciated even grudging respect, but no.

The man glanced at the woman before speaking. “I am Evocati Khalan and this is Evocati Amari. We have each been assigned an Honored One to protect, and both are attending the Royal Academy this year. We will be brief. Advise your Guard that we will be on-site to perform our duties,” he stated with complete surety that he would be approved.

Not that he is wrong.

But… Two Honored Ones?

“Who is the second Honored One? I was aware of the terran girl.”

The female paladin narrowed her eyes. “…I suppose her status is not a secret at this point.”

The Headmaster raised a brow. Everyone in the know had heard of the fire-magic-wielding princess who was also one of the Displaced. It was her duty to learn of those who wished to join the school. Never mind the fact that the church itself assisted in escorting the girl to the capital.

And the girl had spent ample enough time in the Capital for people to learn who she and, in some eyes more importantly, her House was.

“Everyone knows who the princess is, Evocati. She is not exactly subtle. Blasting her way onto the scene and scorching her way through the Polite War in a way that hasn’t been seen in decades. That is if you discount her literally scorching her opposition. I hear even the Crown is curious,” she stated.

That is an understatement.

The Crown is actively trying to sabotage the girl.

All because of her connection to–

Her eyes widened and she focused back on the man.

“Your charge is Lady Roslyn Tiloral. She is the other Honored One. Interesting.”

The man nodded. “She is, indeed. Both girls require protection. The Archpriestess was adamant on this fact.”

“The Archpriestess does not–”

“Tut–tut, Headmistress,” the woman interrupted. “Do not finish that sentence. I will bring the entire Aviran contingent down on the Academy if I must. Those girls will have their safety ensured.”

She inhaled and exhaled. The Headmaster had already ensured the terran girl could attend. Two paladins would be better than more. However…

“You will not disrupt any academics. Their status with the Church is the reason you are authorized. I request that you not hinder the ability of the Academy’s guards to do their job. There is a reason we are able to maintain our neutrality through all of the brutality of the nation’s politeness. They are that shield.

“Please coordinate with them to ensure your needs are met. I will provide documentation that permits your authorization. No more. Please keep them on you. Despite your stance on the matter, it will prevent any future misunderstandings.”

She signed the pre-filled-out authorization letter she had made, adding the names for both. The security office would make copies for them and maintain the original. She held it out for them and the woman grabbed it.

The man nodded. “Thank you, Headmistress.”

She rolled her eyes. “It is Headmaster.”

Evocati Amari smirked. “As you say, Headmistress. Thank you.”

When they left, the Headmaster rubbed at her temples. A short while later, the door sounded with a knock, and the Head of the Academy Guard entered. The middle-aged high elf looked… tired. He was in charge of the security for the entirety of the Academy, which included both the Lower and Higher campuses.

Not just the school that she administered.

“Headmaster, these paladins… Should the Guard expect trouble?” he asked.

She chuckled ruefully.

“Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that those two are going to be full of trouble. I’m sure most of it will be through no fault of their own.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she said, “Watch the terran girl. Have the fire brigade at the ready.”

He blinked.

“We will be prepared.”

I sure hope so.

I hope we all are.

✦ ✦ ✦

Swanbrook.

A city where money ruled all. One of the few cities headed by the Merchant Guild, and one that for the right price, anything could be bought. It also boasted a large presence of the Blades Guild. The laws were loose, a side effect of an overly corrupt City Guard.

An overly corrupt everything.

This city would be well served under imperial rule.

Ressa walked out of the Guard House and slipped her coin bag back into her inner pocket. She made sure to place it into the correct pocket, the one that would ensure a decoy pouch would be found first by thieves.

Swanbrook also hosted the Thieves Guild.

And one of their favorite pastimes was to rob the riskiest foreigner.

The rest of her team waited for her at a nearby market. The streets were lively; for all that the city was on a newly established front line in the war. However, unlike Marketbol which had been actively sieged, Swanbrook’s army was present and fighting against a slightly larger imperial army at the river forty kilometers to the west. They had managed to hold the three bridges that crossed the natural barrier and were holding out hope that they would be relieved. Mana and magic were starting to cause issues in the war where people like her weren’t present for the empire.

They will soon be sorely disappointed.

The fact that there was fighting in that area could only mean one thing: Weltonsden, a city located at the northern mouth of the bay, had been taken over by her people. Consequently, they would likely establish a blockade around the inlet bay where Swanbrook was located. All the imperial navy had to do was contend with the navy from Cartaelk, a city situated seventy-five kilometers south of the bay’s mouth.

These three cities made up what was known as the Gearldine Triangle.

A trio of cities that had fashioned their entire economies to not compete with each other. It had made the bay one of the wealthiest port regions of the Sovereign Cities. Which was impressive, until you learned that the region was eclipsed by the better-positioned city of Parholm, alone. The City of Merchants.

As Ressa strolled through the bustling market, her eyes took in the dizzying array of vendors hawking wares and services. She saw traders touting everything from fresh produce to artisanal crafts. But amidst the throng, one woman stood out–she had set up a small booth offering massage services, beckoning passersby with her gentle smile.

You just had to ignore what happened behind the curtain.

In the plaza, her men sat on two benches beside a sparkling fountain. Alexi was savoring a stick of grilled meat, while the team medic quenched his thirst with water. As she approached, she noticed a crumpled wax paper lying on the ground–a telltale sign that he too had indulged in a snack.

At the sight of her, Alexi sprang to his feet, hastily cramming the remainder of his meal into his mouth and chewing with urgency.

“Is that good?” she asked.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Delicious,” he replied with a mouthful of food.

“What was it?”

He shrugged. “Knowing Swanbrook? Probably rat.”

A chuckle escaped her lips. “The report we had for the City Guard is handled. When our friends arrive they will find more difficulty than I believe they were expecting.”

Alexi nodded. “Good. So, different plan this time?”

Ressa shook her head ruefully. “Yes… We will be more–” she sighed. “…restrained. Our job here won’t be to confront the woman personally. It will be to disrupt her ability to assist the city. If we have to hire the Blades, we will.”

“Good. The last city… did not go well. It was not a good performance on our part.”

She agreed.

Marketbol had been an entire series of failures.

Swanbrook would be different. They were more prepared. No action would be taken until the Knights of Haven’s Hope departed. Ressa really hoped they would indeed leave the terran. Her group was severely outnumbered at this point.

As much as she wanted to kill that terran, she had to maintain her professionalism.

Going in unhinged would just get more people killed.

They would take it slow. Not attempting to force confrontations.

Ressa would use that time to learn more about her magic.

To learn more about mana.

She had a lot of work to do.

✦ ✦ ✦

Amanda Levings let out a low groan as she turned over on her narrow bed. Today was supposed to be her recovery day.

Every inch of her body ached. For the past few weeks, Ser Weylind had been putting her through increasingly rigorous training. He had taught her a wide range of skills, everything from hand-to-hand fighting to different ways of killing someone with a dagger. On top of that, he had drilled a surprising amount of various academic topics into her brain.

She despised every moment of it.

But whenever she entertained the thought of backing out, an inexplicable urge to master the art of killing would overtake her.

So she kept saying yes, pushing herself to the limit each time.

Amanda had thought the training before leaving for Avira was tough. Since arriving it had been worse. Lady Racine had told her that she would help her grandson. She never told her what else she would be required to do.

Every time she felt pressure in her head, she knew more pain would come. How long had she been at it?

Weeks?

Months?

Amanda wasn’t even sure anymore. All she knew was what she was told. Every day except recovery day was the same. Wake up. Eat. Classroom instruction.

She would learn about etiquette, politics, medicine, alchemy, and poison. Then they would move on to whatever plethora of subjects they deigned she must know.

Eat.

Then the worst would come.

Combat training.

No matter how much she wanted… how much she needed to stop, she couldn’t. It was almost as if her body was no longer her own. As if she was losing who she was.

She just wanted to go home.

After combat training came bathing followed by attending to Lord Racine. The young man treated her like trash. However, he treated all of the servants like trash. She was required to act upon any request the young man may have.

When did I become just a servant? When did I stop being a guest?

Many of those requests… had become increasingly dark. There was something deeply wrong with the boy. He would soon be attending the Royal Academy and she would return to training.

When did the desire to learn more ways to kill someone become so… enjoyable?

Her sense of self was blurring. It was like she no longer even recognized herself.

A bang at the door caused her to shoot up. Her sore muscles groaned as she stood. A man entered. An elf.

His green eyes seemed to pierce through her. Ser Weylind was a strict taskmaster. However, the only pain he inflicted upon her was through training and spars. Any injury was quickly attended to by physicians.

A gilded cage is still a cage.

Pressure filled her and nearly caused her to buckle. Amanda knew that would only cause her training to last longer. Weakness would not be tolerated. The knight stared at her before turning and hesitating at the door.

She followed obediently.

This was supposed to be her day of remaining in her room. To give her sore muscles a chance to soothe. They never did.

The knight quietly led her throughout the manor until they reached the young lord’s suite. When they entered, the old Amanda would have wanted to gasp. To cry out.

To flee.

The new Amanda would not. Such weakness had left her long ago. She was being forged into a new person.

A weapon.

Two guards were picking up the unmoving body of the boy’s tutor. The high elf man’s eyes were open and staring unfocused at the ceiling. Blood trailed down the man’s face like tears. The young lord stood off to the side. Staring hatefully at the body.

Lord Racine glanced at her. “Amanda. Ser Weylind, you had to get her? What is she going to teach me? Terrans do not know anything.”

We know more than this shit world—

Pressure filled her head.

The knight turned toward her and narrowed his eyes. “She will be adequate, My Lord. I have ensured her training is sufficient.”

The boy groaned exaggeratedly. “Fine.”

The knight gave her a nod and she walked to the table. She quickly scanned the books they lay on the table. Easy enough. Basic subjects for a first-year student at the Royal Academy.

She grabbed the book that was opened already, hopefully choosing the one they had already begun.

Ignoring the guards that removed the body, she sat down and glanced between the knight and the young lord. As the boy grumbled and took the seat next to her, she wished she could be back training. It was much more preferable to this.

Increased pressure caused her to wince. It was lucky that the young lord did not witness it.

Amanda Levings settled into her new role within House Racine.

And House Racine had invested much in her. Amanda was safe, for all that she had to accomplish tasks that she did not always enjoy. But such was life.

✦ ✦ ✦

The burden of leadership was something that not all men could weather. It was something that must be bred for. Something that must be trained from birth. The other options were simply inefficient. Bureaucracy. Avira had it, of course, you could not manage the largest kingdom on the continent without it. However, once it reached the point where it made all of the decisions, then your nation trudged to a stop.

Never mind the experiments in collective rule or even representative leadership. When the masses took control, a nation spiraled. A firm grip on the reins of society is what maintained stability. The masses needed that stability. That order. There was a reason that every nation of worth was either a kingdom or empire.

It was why the nobles with their ever-increasing desire to steal authority and power from the Throne needed to be crushed.

For Kerrell, the Crown Prince of Avira, it was his birthright.

His duty, to keep the nobles in line.

As the king aged, it was expected that the Crown Prince would start the long transition of power and authority. While Kerrell would not hold the final authority until that crown was settled upon his head, his father had been increasingly passing on day-to-day governance of the kingdom to his son.

His retainers and courtiers had immediately moved to expand his influence. Many deals had been made over the last two years. Many had borne fruit.

Some were lacking.

But where the vine withered, one must cut away the weakness to ensure the rest blossomed and grew.

Now the world had been turned upside-down by the arrival of the terrans, or Displaced, as the nation’s scholars were calling them. Then they learned of magic.

He only had to learn of what occurred far to the west to the dwarves to know that magic was dangerous.

Oh, magic itself could be dangerous. In fact, most of it would likely have a positive influence on the kingdom. The problem lay in that it could be learned by almost anyone. One did not arm commoners as they did a knight. That path lay a peasant’s rebellion.

No. Kerrell would ensure that the kingdom would regulate and have a handle on this new resource. These… magicians–magi–would be utilized. They would be taught and be leashed to the throne.

And if he had to create another class of people to control them, he would.

The Crown had done it many times before.

But then there was this… princess. A terran.

Barely old enough to attend the Academy, which she had been permitted attendance. The girl was a threat. For she had sided with House Tiloral.

And now, emboldened by their new ally, his family’s eternal rivals were maneuvering to stymie the Crown’s authority and influence.

Count Angwin, one of his minor sycophants from the Duchy of Tiloral, had moved too soon. He tried to take revenge on this House… Reinhart for the death of his pathetic son.

An army was scoured by both a child and her paladin protectors. Who brought a level of force that hadn’t been seen outside of an inquisition. It was… irritating. The Church was involving itself in Aviran politics and such an act was unthinkable. It would take time and many resources to come up with a suitable response.

That the Church taking an active position on both the terran girl and the heir to House Tiloral was another troubling development. One that he had to tread carefully. Any action he took could not come back upon him.

It seemed that everywhere he looked he was beset by imbeciles and incompetents.

It was no matter. The twins–his son and daughter–would also start the Academy soon. He would ensure that they understood what was expected of them. After all, the title of the heir hung in the balance.

He walked into the council chambers, and the men that were already within stood up from their seats until he sat at the head of the table. Prince Kerrell gazed around at those gathered.

All he saw were more sycophants.

When he took the throne, a purge may be in order.

“Your Highness. There has been news from our operatives in the north,” the general of the northern armies said. The high elf glanced at the kingdom’s spymaster, who nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. We have made headway into Turest. Something is happening on their northern border with the Norsval Forest. Our spies have yet to ascertain what, however, it has drawn their focus away from our own borders. We believe now is the time to enact our plans,” the spymaster said, a greying man who had served his father for decades. A man whose immediate subordinate ensured the organization did not fail completely.

That man was likely the one who coordinated this.

Kerrell nodded. “Good. Proceed. What of our plans regarding the war between the Sovereigns and the Vlaredians?”

The noble who represented the Duchy of Lis cleared his throat. “The Duchy of Lis stands ready to take advantage. As planned, we will move to ‘liberate’ the city of Rallan. As you are aware, they have been under siege by the Vlaredians for some time now. They are completely cut off from the rest of the Sovereigns.”

“Has Armanval reacted to the use of the pass?” Kerrell asked.

The Armanval Forest was one of the more… reactive of the great forests. The Valeni within were typically content to stay within the cities hidden within the forest. Or at least hidden was what they wished to think. Avira had long known that in order to maintain its safety, it needed to learn all it could about the Val Forests. After all, the kingdom had five such Valeni enclaves within its borders, and two more just outside of them. The knowledge they had gained on what lay within was a Crown secret gained through blood. And a secret that would be kept.

The telv noble shook his head. “No, Your Highness. The forest is quiet.”

“Good. Proceed then. Lis will soon gain a valuable addition. Please pass along the Crown’s regards to the Duchess,” he told the representative from Lis.

The man bowed. “Her Grace looks forward to a closer relationship with the Crown and of course all of the benefits one brings.”

Kerrell had to consciously stop his eyes from rolling.

He ended the council and strode from the chamber. His mind was already moving to the next step. A meeting with his father, to discuss the terrans and whether to treat them all as a single people. Kerrell was of the mind that they should not. Why give a reason for people to join together in a common cause, it simply created situations like one noble had learned recently.

A large group of terrans had banded together and used their knowledge to take control of a castle. The one-hundred-odd men and women then fought off a larger force of the local count’s army. After Kerrell had learned of the act, it was something he had to see for himself. Under parlay, the terran leader had told him that might makes right. That terrans would have their own nation.

It was something that stuck with him.

Such a quaint phrase.

His status gave him much agency to dictate not only his life but those of others. It was a burden, but in it, he thrived. The great game was one that he was destined to control. As was his birthright.

And after he ordered his army to set the castle ablaze and cut down any who tried to escape, Kerrell realized that such a thought was one that his people, the Loreni, had embodied for millennia.

It created legends and sustained dynasties, but only for those who would take it.

All others deserved to be crushed under the boot of inevitability.