《The War of Cinders - (Broken World)》


 Prolog

    Prolog


    The small unnamed village on the outskirts of the gleaming desert was cold and silent in the early hours of the night. The moon had not yet given way to the sun that would warm the sands and most people were asleep in their Tents and small huts. All in all there were about six dozen of these hovels, and a single well used dirt road that after passing several fields stretched into the distance for somewhere far at its end lay Ebessa the City of Life.


    The only sounds in the night was the crackling of the campfires the guards had set up, no one talked or laughed for the air was heavy and an ominous feeling had gripped all that were still awake. Somewhere in the Village a dog began barking and yapping only for it to turn to low snarling and end in a terrified whimper that quickly distanced itself. It was almost as if the animal had felt something so terrifying that it would rather flee than protect his owner.


    One of the village guards a young men in his early twenties, sporting rough scruff on his handsome face, glanced from the fire into the darkness. He felt the unease as well as his brothers in arms but cowering around like a scared little maid didn¡¯t sit well with him. By Ethos, he was a fucking guard and not some pants shitting loser, right? He got up and turned to his brothers, his back facing the darkness.


    ¡°What has gotten into you guys? Just because some of the people are sick, that doesn¡¯t mean a devil is out to get us! Look there is nothing the darkness to be scared of.¡±


    The very moment he looked over his shoulder, a high whistle could be heard. The men looked up and could barely believe the sight. The young man¡¯s face was skewered with the thick shaft of an arbalest bolt. Several pieces of his bones, brain matter and skin flew from the exit point into the fire and were still sizzling, as the man¡¯s eyes went dull and he fell forward. The flames hungrily devoured flesh and clothing. The rest of the guards were too shocked to even react when several dark figures descended upon them.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    When the morning came over the village and the first rays of light warmed the sands, the ruins of the villages were wrapped in ashes, smoke and the stink of burning bodies. In the midst of all this stood a figure that no one of the dark clad soldiers dared to approach. The two markings on the dark grey plate armour were that of a high ranking officer the other the golden spiked ring of the church. The figure walked away from the grizzly sight of over two-hundred bodies burning, not turning around until its eyes fell upon the sight of a soldier kneeling in a hut made from loam and straw. The soldier jerked away in fear as he saw the imposing figure.


    ¡°Comander! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± He sobbed and cried as tears fell to the ground. ¡°But, they¡¯re children! I- I can¡¯t. My daughter she is about the same age maybe I could take them in!?¡±


    The figure looked down at him unmoving. ¡°It is fine, Algoro. I will take care of things from here.¡±


    The man¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Yes! Thank you, I knew you would understand. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± With that he walked out of the hut almost smiling.


    When the Commander looked around i was clear why the man had been in distress, behind a dirty blanked cowered two young children, maybe eight or ten years old. A boy and a girl were clutching each other tightly, as they feared for their life. The Commander came closer and finally kneeled down extending one hand. When two didn¡¯t move the Commander sighed and lifted the helmet; underneath it a beautiful face with bright green eyes, and a smile that radiated warmth and protection.


    ¡°Hey, you are safe now little ones, no one will hurt you when you¡¯re with me. Come closer; let me give you a hug, okay?¡±


    The two children slowly came closer but soon threw themselves at this angelic figure that promised them safety and happiness. They were embraced in to a tight hug, the woman slowly rocked them back and forth soothing their fears. But before they knew it the warm hug turned into a crushing steel trap. They struggled to get away from the commander, but the woman only pressed them tighter. The last thing they felt was cold steel rupturing their throats, blood and bits of flesh gushing forth. All the while the commander held on; staying by their sides until their life escaped them. When it was finally down she walked away and threw a crystal in the building, it erupted into fire and smoke.


    The soldier from before rushed up to her side. ¡°What have you done! They were children!¡±


    The Commander turned around a single tear rolling down her cheek. ¡°Yes, and they already were infected.¡±

 Chapter 1 - Bad Beginnings (Part 1)

    <h1>Chapter 1 - Bad Beginnings</h1>


    Sophia


    The city of Talesin was in an unusual commotion the last few days. One would expect if they didn''t know better, that the people of this small mining town were preparing for a festival or day of celebration.


    Being the capital of the proud but ultimately unimportant Zembian Kingdom, there was not much of interest going on most of the time. On some occasions they saw the arrival of diplomats and high ranking merchants asking for an audience with the aging Queen Sophia Mathir, but at the end of the day no one was ever truly interested in the country.


    They didn''t bother anyone and in turn they also were left alone by other countries. This time though everything was different. Because the visitor that was bound to come was no lowly lackey, no merchant or diplomat, instead it was Emperor Angus the Third himself.


    Seen by some as a benevolent and just ruler others despised him for his fanatic views and extreme methods, not one could disagree that he was in fact very competent at what he does. Rebellions were cut down swift and efficient and the Sibalien Empire prospered under his rule. Even if knowledge of his deeds was wide spread the reason for his visit was in fact a mystery to the population and officials alike, except for one.


    Queen Sophia knew the reasoning behind the visit as well as the events that were bound to play out in the days and weeks following. She sighed at the thought of it, taking a last look at the well kept but unimpressive flowerbeds beneath her balcony she turned away into the humble room she called her quarters.


    She had made her decision and she would stand by it no matter the cost. Emperor Angus had made his demands and she had not accepted them. All that she could do know was try and minimize the damage. She turned towards her waiting chambermaid.


    "I will need the blue dress today Milinda."


    "Yes, my lady! The one with the corset right?"


    Sophia looked at the young maid disappointed. Her old maid had died last week of a heart-attack and Milinda was still new at her job and frankly not very good at it.


    "Milinda, how often did I tell you to simply call me Sophia?" The girl bowed deeply.


    "My apologies, my lady."


    "Sophia!"


    "Yes, Miss Sophia! I will think of it from now on."


    She scurried away to fetch the dress and the Queen sighed once again. Her old maid had been in her service for now almost 25 years she had been the last one left of the old times and now even she had abandoned Sophia. She did not fear death, it was an evil not even the long lived Magi could avoid in the end but she did fear leaving her people in this time of peril. In all her years as a queen she never gave birth to children and in turn once she died no-one was there to take her place. It was about time that Sophia decided what to do with her little country but that day would have to wait. Until after she had dealt with her uninvited guests.


    "Milinda! Where are you at?"


    The girl finally came back with the dress the queen had ordered. She clearly was in over her head; the dress hung sloppily from her arms and the corseted undergarment almost fell to the floor. With an amusing thought lady Sophia let out yet another sigh, maybe this day will be once known as the day the world sighed.


    "Child! What are you doing? Have you not picked up a dress like this before?" Milinda attempted to quickly bow in-front of her new Mistress, but as one would expect in this situation, in doing so she dropped most of what she was holding on to the ground.


    "I''m so terribly sorry, my lady! I have no excuse for my misdeeds, please except my deepest apologies!" She looked terribly frightened as she knew all too well the stories about Queen Sophia, a cold and cunning lady she was supposed to be, one that does not take well to poor work and failure.


    "I shall immediately pick up everything I dropped and dress you my lady!" Sophia did not really care for how well her maid performed; she only had hired her as an alternative to being thrown in the dungeon for theft.


    "It is okay, I''ll do it myself, just help me with the corset." A wave of relief washed over Milinda, even though she had never worn a corset herself she sure would know how to help someone into it. The young maid picked up her lady''s undergarments and handed them to the old but still pretty woman. After a few moments of tugging and pulling Milinda was very happy about her work.Sophia was at a loss of words, what girl did not know how to close a corset?


    "Milinda, please go and get the court Thaumaturge please."


    "Very well, miss Sophia! But might I ask what for? You are not even properly dressed yet!" Lady Sophia rolled her eyes, which was a rater odd thing to do for an elderly queen.


    "Just go!" Her maids eyes widened again.


    "Yes, in an instance, my lady!" Milinda bowed quickly and proceeded down the stair leading to the lower floor.


    Milinda


    She was in such a hurry, that she almost ran over the old cook who was preparing the breakfast for the queen.


    "Ye, damn, young whipper snapper! Can''t ye damn look where ye a going!"


    "Sorry, Hamod, can''t wait for you to get out of the way." Milinda stopped in her tracks and span around to the senile decrepit man.


    "You don''t know by any chance where I could find Lady Belsain?" Hamod opened one of his eyes in a rather creepy fashion and glared at the maid.


    ¡°What do ye know o'' Lords a'' Ladies silly lad! All they do is take, a'' take, a'' take!" He erupted into a heavy fit of coughing, saliva dripping down onto the tablet he was holding.


    "Just, forget it old man, I''ll find her myself."


    She quickly ran on towards the Thaumaturges tower. While she couldn''t be certain that the Magi was in fact there, she often kept on working until late in the night and sometimes even in the early hours of the morning. The tower was not really more impressive than the rest of the manor, a small round-about stairway leading to a spacious room on top. Once it was a guard-tower, but a few years ago Lady Belsain turned it into her private chambers or in other words a mix between dressing room and laboratory.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    While Milinda had not spoken to the Thaumaturge herself yet, she certainly had heard tales of her stunning beauty. Coming closer she could already hear the commotion from behind the closed door. As knocking on the door did not yield any results the young maid shrugged and entered the room.


    "Lady Belsain?"


    Standing over a delicate looking apparatus was a raven haired magi with the typical luminescent white skin and filigree black markings on her skin. She was facing away from Milinda, but it seemed like she was already dressed in a tight white dress where several straps and buckles bound and wrapped around her light frame, digging just slightly into the skin. Milinda approached a bit closer taken at awe by her appearance.


    "Are just going to keep standing there little girl, or do you intend on actually talking to me?" The voice of Lady Belsain was surprisingly dark for a woman of her beauty. It felt like crushing coal in your hands.


    "I''m sorry my lady, the queen wishes to speak with you. She said it was urgent!" The magi did not even bother interrupting her experiment.


    "Before I can go to the queen, I need to finish up this experiment. I have worked for almost 5 hours now to get this Coulumniscope to just the right settings and I will not abandon it to help with some unimportant matters. Even I have my pride!" The maid fidgeted in her place, clearly uncomfortable.


    "But the queen!"


    A slight clicking sound came from in front of Lady Belsain. In one fluid motion she turned around to the startled girl. Her face featured the same markings that Milinda had seen from the back, but instead of disfiguring her they seemingly added to her beauty. The only thing off about the magi''s appearance was the lack of breasts what so ever. Lady Belsain stared at Milinda in a rater hostile way, making clear what she thought of being interrupted. Just a second later though a fiendish glint crossed her silvery eyes.


    "I have a proposal, Malidia was it?" Before Milinda could even answer she was swiftly cut off by the thaumaturge.


    "I make it simple, place this Setting Stone in the apparatus, exactly when I tell you to and we can go visit the queen."


    She reached back and handed the young girl an egg sized blue-green crystal. It was round and polished to a beautiful shine. Whilst she had seen Setting Stones before, she had not used one of the magica storing stones herself, due to them being expensive and Milinda coming from a rather poor family.


    "Go over there child."


    Lady Belsain gesticulated towards a small nudge on the far side of the table. Through a narrow window a patch of light illuminated the floor, revealing a severely charred floor with several ominous scratch marks on the wooden boards.


    "Milady, are sure that this is save?" Milinda looked uneasy to the spot where she was supposed to stand. The Thaumaturge was busy in her work and answered without even looking up.


    "Oh, yes it is perfectly fine what so ever. Just stand still for a moment."


    She lifted up what looked like several of the stones Milinda held just smaller and placed each of them into groves around the Coulumniscope. Laying her hand on a small part of the device she began to breath slower. The hair on Milindas arm started to rise as the air grew colder and the smaller setting stones started to pulse in a rhythm.


    "Lay down the crystal, now!"


    As fast as she possibly could Milinda jammed the stone into the grove in front of her. Still the air grew colder and an odd sphere started to form between the grooves. Lady Belsain immediately withdrew her hand from the device.


    "Aww, damn it, Malida get in cover!" With a loud popping sound the now almost 20 cm in radius sphere collapsed but not before a small apelike creature fell out of it. The thaumaturge perked up, and looked through the room.


    "Okay, went worse than expected but better than could have. Well whatever."


    She turned around to find Milinda cautiously staring at the creature that had appeared but was still unconscious.


    "You, girl, catch that animal and clean up my notes will you? Meanwhile I''ll go see what our queen is up to." With not another word the magi went to the stairs an left the maid alone with the odd animal.


    Sophia


    The queen had been waiting for way too long now, even though she was still fit for her age, the years had certainly left their marks on her. She couldn''t walk as fast anymore and standing for long quickly became an unbearable pain. As her back became more noticeable and her feet more tired she sat down in front of a small desk, on it, besides the food her cook had brought up, still lying the letter she had received two days ago.


    "To the Royal Queen Sophia Mathir, Queen of Zembia,


    his magnificence Emperor Angus Bloomest the Third, Emperor of the Sibalien Empire, Chosen of the Burned God, Leader of the Holy Order of the Erupting Sun, praise be to him and his kin, has been informed of your decision to disregard the advice given to you and your state in a royal decree. As of such his wise Magnificence has generously send a group of Paladins and soldiers to aid your women and men in defending the borders of the Zembian Kingdom and aiding in keeping the peace inside the capital city-walls itself. These brave women and men led by the Emperors glory himself shall arrive at your seat of power in the morning of the second day after arrival of this letter. Then, his Magnificence will discuss the matters of his help to your country.


    Praise be to Ethos the Burned God and his Magnificence Emperor Angus Bloomest the Third.


    Signed,


    First Royal Scribe,


    Druella Coldwell


    Royal decree her arse, that damnable thing was not worth the paper it was written on. A vile threat that''s all it was, how could these rat fucking Imperials even thing that she would betray her own people.


    Sophias husband had told her to be wary of their Eastern Neighbors but as always she had ignored the ramblings of the senile King, even on his death bed he wouldn''t shut up about foreign invaders and crazy conspiracies. She truly missed that dork, even when he grew more and more paranoid over the years, he had never stop showing his affection to her.


    A slight smile stole its way onto the queen lips and in fit of defiance she ripped the letter in two and threw it into the same bin that formerly the royal decree had found its final resting place in.


    "That''s what I think of your help, Emperor."


    The door to Queen Sophia¡¯s room opened with an ever so slight click and in came Lady Belsain. A bright grin on her face she stalked closer to the old woman very well knowing that she couldn''t hear her approach. Just when the magi wanted to plant her hands on the queen shoulders her coarse voice spoke up.


    "While my ears might have failed me over the years, don''t you think I might notice the shadow of your figure approaching? One might think that one of the famed Magi would consider such things, isn''t that right Lord Belsain?" The magi began to laugh and gave the old woman a kiss on the head.


    "How mean of you to call me a lord, while I''m dressed so rather fabulously. I picked this dress just for our most esteemed guests to arrive. Don''t you think it fits me?" With the ease of a dancer he whirled around making the lose straps on the dress spin.


    "Leave it to my Thaumaturge to make all the actual females look bad in comparison. You are truly too beautiful for being a male." A dry chuckle escaped Sophia¡¯s lips.


    "Maybe I should have relieved you of that secret years ago so I wouldn''t have to fight this dusty, old body now." In a rater splendid display of grace Lord Belsain performed a courteous bow.


    "I fear that I may have to disappoint you my Queen, but my beauty is part of me as much as my genitals. But I come to think that you did not let call for me in an attempt to woo me. What is it that your Highness desires, Sophia?"


    "First of all I had called for you some time ago and I did not expect to have to wait so long. What kept you busy?" Amused by the stern look his queen was showing Lord Belsain raised an eyebrow.


    "Oh, nothing much, just distorting the very fabric of time and the material plane. You know everyday Thaumaturge stuff."


    "So you admit to favoring your study''s over helping your Queen? What a wonderful example you are providing for my new maid. Where did you leave her anyway?"


    "Just cleaning up after me, as I expected her being useless in whatever you need, otherwise you wouldn''t have called for me, nor would you?"


    "Very well Lord Belsain as much of a wise arse as always, there are two things I have to ask of you, the first thing would be your abilities to properly close a corset. Milinda did certainly not receive any education in the matter, or much of anything else I fear." Queen Sophia stood up and with nimble and certainly trained hands the thaumaturge quickly closed the dress''s laces in an old but beautiful design.


    "Nothing easier than this, now I hope the second task is just as exciting as this one." Sophia turned to her most trusted adviser with a worried look.


    "I fear I may have to disappoint you Belsain, the second thing I''ll ask of you is of a much more serious sort."

 Chapter 1 - Bad Beginnings (Part 2)

    Milinda


    Milinda was on edge, one mistake now and all her hard work would be for nothing. Her plan simply had to function. Silently she approached the door to the kitchen cellar. It was an old and heavy trapdoor made of once solid oak but because of it frequent use the boards were worn and cold and humidity had misshaped them.


    While the hinges were being oiled every year and wouldn''t make a sound, the middle plank always creaked when opened up quickly. She was about to raise the door, when her gaze fell upon a new lock she had not seen before. This lock wasn''t there yesterday, she thought. They couldn''t have noticed her stealing food over the last week. She had only ever taken a little bit for her brother and herself. While Milinda slowly grew more concerned as on how to proceed, a rather obvious thought sprung up in her mind.


    Where ever there was a lock, there had to be a key to it. The question remaining now was where that key might be. The young girl stood up and began to think. It could be with the cook Hamod but the old man was so senile, she took a silver spoon from him earlier and he hadn''t noticed, in no way he would actually remember to take a key with him. And despite that Alvina the cooks apprentice would never trust him with anything important, especially not something like the key to the cellar.


    Maybe that was the questions answer, in light of the cook being as useful and forgettable as a vegetable, Alvina had most likely installed the lock to prevent him from leaving the door open, and probably to keep the rats out of the cellar. With a determined huff Milinda made her way to where the food was being prepared.


    An entire gaggle of kitchen maids, locals that were paid to help out, was busy with preparations for the welcoming banquet to the empires finest. Several plates with fish and meat were being decorated with seasonal vegetables and fruits. Milinda looked around the kitchen recalling the names. She had seen some of them before but never had the money to buy them herself. There was an entire bowl filled with quif, fist-sized white bulbs that when cooked were sweet and chewy. Another table had the fragrant smell of Romper meat wafting over; the bulky antelopes had been cultivated in Zembia for hundreds of years as pack animals and food source.


    "Ahh, does anyone here know where Alvina is?"


    One of the maids, a girl maybe a few years younger than herself looked up from her work. She had the dark skin and harsh features of the Sibalien desert people; she most likely was one of the many refugees. Milinda recognized her, having seen her around the kitchen more than once, so she probably was a permanent staff.


    "Oh, the missus bein probly aroun'' he'' some wher!" The girl looked at her with a curious face.


    "Aren''t ye the new housemaid o'' the queen? The one they caught breakin'' into the royal treasure chest?" A nervous laughter escaped Milinda.


    "No idea, what you''re talking about. Oh, look, a little kitten!" The little girl¡¯s eyes glowed brightly.


    "A kitten! Where? Come he'' fluffy on''!"


    While biting into a still warm quif, she saw a door open in the corner of her eye. Alvina had just come from the back leading to the dinner hall. While her best years might be over and she showed first signs of aging, Alvina could be described as fairly good looking were it not for a single detail. The years underground in the kitchens had made her muscles strong and her skin had kept the softness of youth but most noticeable was the ugly, silvery gash where her right eye was supposed to be. A freak accident almost ten years ago, involving the old Hamod, a sharp knife and one very resistant fish, would have almost cost her life if not for her incredible luck.


    The cook¡¯s voice cut through the kitchen noise like a blade, sharpened from all the years of yelling and barking orders.


    "By Lignis honor! Tamina what are you doing on the kitchen floor! Have you gone mad girl!? Go and wash your hands!"


    "But the kitty!"


    "Nonsense, there are no cats in my kitchen. Go, now!"


    The young Tamina seemed close to crying as she stormed out of the room, creating a perfect opportunity for Milinda to slide into Alvina''s blind spot. Now all she had to do was find out where the older woman was hiding that damnable key. Of course she could have asked the cook, but where was the fun in that. Also what Milinda had planed surely would not sit well with the older woman, it being a waste of food and time, but she was determined and when there was an idea there was also a way.


    Given that Milinda was wearing her gray servant outfit and most of the helpers where locals that assisted in the kitchen for the first time today, they barley even looked at the scrawny girl standing in a particular dark corner. Most of the trays were now loaded with food and tea made from refreshing herbs was carried in thick ceramic jugs to the dining hall.


    Alvinas remaining eye darted around the dimly lit room, observing every movement of the hired help like a guard-dog watched new visitors, a small sweat pearl dripped down her temple. Whenever she thought someone was about to make a mistake she would focus on them, almost like she was intend to relieve her stress on the first victim she could find.


    After watching the theatre for a minute Milinda finally caught a glimpse of a key in the cook¡¯s pocket. Now she just had to find a way to create a diversion. Most of the maids had already left but a few remained with the rest of the trays.


    One of the more nervous ones was carrying something that looked to Milinda like a bunch of ugly, transparent fish; if they were to fall it would create one devastating mess. With a mischievous grin she raised her left foot just when the girl was about to walk past her corner.


    The tray with its flabby contents flew upwards in an impressive arc before coming crashing down on top of the head of the unfortunate maid. Alvina almost ran over to the confused girl, with a furious intent in her eyes. Several minutes and an impressive litany of swearwords and curses later Milinda had already left the kitchen with her newly acquired price in hands, unseen by the either cook or maids.


    Slowly she opened the previously locked trapdoor, climbed down in to the cellar and lowered it again as to not alert anyone to her presence. While she was technically not stealing this time around she still felt the rush and excitement it had always brought her. Maybe taking the queen¡¯s offer would turn out to be the better deal still. Grabbing and lighting a torch from the nearby stash Milinda started searching for the things she had wanted from the cellar in the first place.


    A bird cage and several assorted bits of foods later Milinda made her way to the stairway leading towards the upper kitchen. After locking the door again and on her way to leave, she stopped still in her motion when she saw Alvina standing in the door way with cross arms and a stern look.


    ¡°Alvina! A lovely morning to you, I bet you are wondering how come I am carrying stuff that was clearly locked away. But I assure you there is a perfectly rational explanation!¡±  With a bulging of her muscles Alvina made clear that she had no intention of moving out of the way.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Give me my key.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean this key? The one that I found on the ground! Of course I shall give it to you.¡± Slowly approaching Milinda was weary of the physically stronger and one head taller woman, with one hand she reached there while for the key. With a surprising speed that she had not expected from Alvina, the cook¡¯s strong hand grabbed her by an ear.


    ¡°If I ever catch you stealing again, I''ll make sure that the smith attaches a permanent collar with a bell to your scrawny little neck. Do you understand, Milinda?¡±


    Yelping from the pain Milinda, closely grasped the wrist of the arm holding her in place.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! I understand, now let go of me!¡± Sceptically Alvina looked at what her thieving captive had taken.


    ¡°What do you need all that for?¡±


    ¡°I need to do something for the Lady Belsain, none of your concern you brute!¡± Alvina raised an eyebrow at this foul mouthed answer.


    ¡°I''ll be sure to ask them about that later today, now scurry of to where you came from, and don''t forget to help your Queen mind you!¡±


    In a soupcon of adolescent misbehaviour Milinda finally escaped the cooks grasp and raised a hand to her face in a mocking gesture while jumping to the stairs. The cook on the other hand shook her head in disbelieve of the bad behaviour this girl showed towards everyone except the queen.


    Much to Milindas surprise she found the odd animal awake and up when she entered Belsain¡¯s quarters. As soon as she had opened the door the animal screeched and disappeared under a nearby table.


    ¡°It is okay little one; I don''t intend to hurt you. Look I''ve brought food!¡±


    She slowly approached the table under which the little fur ball had crept, one hand filled with various pieces of dried fruit and small strips of meat. As she obviously didn''t know what this creature ate she simply had brought a little bit of everything. When she came even closer the animal again let out an ear piercing screech, being prepared for it this time she managed to get a good look at it.


    The animal was about twenty centimetres in height, so it barely would reach up to her knees. Its body as well as its long tail was covered in odd green and orange fur, except for the nose and lips in the catlike face and the lower tip of its tail. While it was certainly cute with its big eyes and tiny hands it also sported impressive little fangs in its mouth, which it exposed every time it screeched.


    ¡°Uhh, you really have some sharp teeth in there. Maybe you would like the meat?¡±


    With a quick movement of her wrist Milinda threw one of the meat bit in front of the little one. While first being scared by the sudden movement it soon smelled the air and eyed the food in front of it. One step, than two quickly following, it made its way towards Milinda.


    A bright grin spread across her face when she saw that her little friend picked up the piece and after licking it devoured it whole. She threw another piece closer to herself hoping that the animal had understood her good intentions.


    Her patience was rewarded when the creature hopped even closer, using its hand and feet to launch itself into the air and silently landed only an arms-length away from the girl. It sniffed the air once again and crept even closer, this time only grabbing the piece of meat and holding it in its tiny hand. Milinda saw that it almost had hands like a human just more stubby and of course covered in fur, only the insides revealed very soft little pink nubs and short claws which explained how it could move so silently.


    ¡°Aww, you are really cute. When you come closer I might give you more you know!¡±


    She opened her hand so the animal could see the food in her palm. Its eyes perked up and something like excitement was visible, at least Milinda hoped so. At first it seemed insecure towards the intentions of this strange big creature but given that it had received two foods already this one could only mean itself well. With a few short steps it made its way over to the maid and carefully took a piece of fruit before deciding to jump on to her arm and sling its tail around it to keep balance. Milinda on seeing this was giddy for joy, the little creature was really warm and fluffy. With a few slow steps she returned to the middle of the room, the animal all the while staying on her arm, happily eating out of her open palm.


    ¡°Well, now that we have become friends we obviously need to know each other¡¯s name, mine is Milinda.¡± The animal turned its head to one side and than the other, when finally deciding to lick her nose with a surprisingly rough tongue. ¡°Aren''t you the little joker? I think I''ll name you Jinx! You like it?¡±


    Milinda was cleaning the rest of the room with her new friend on her shoulder when, the door suddenly creaked open. In an instance Jinx let out a terrified scream and jumped onto the head of the confused maid. Belsain had entered the room after his audience with the queen was over and was visibly not amused by the scene unfolding in his chambers.


    ¡°What is going on here? Didn''t I tell you to take care of that animal! Bring it out of my laboratory, will you now?¡±


    The thaumaturge made an attempt to grab the animal. But the already startled Jinx made a quick movement forward and instead bit the surprised magi in the hand. Screaming in pain and anger Belsain struck after the little creature, with his uninjured hand. Quick as lightning Jinx evaded the blow and jolted towards the still open door. Her eyes wide open in shock Milinda pushed past the thaumaturge and ran after her new friend.


    ¡°Wait, Jinx! You can''t go that way!¡±


    Surprisingly nimble the young maid leaped over the stairs and was only one footstep behind the green and orange mammal. Jinx, afraid by the unfamiliar scents and scenery, ran past the kitchen doors towards the only opening. Unfortunately, this very opening, a small window, led out of the manor, into the adjacent flowerbeds and the queen¡¯s vegetable garden.


    The gardener, a lad of about twenty years with a lean muscular body and sunburned skin, was surprised when, instead of the usual calm mornings a downright commotion disturbed his garden. First a tiny, colourful animal ran towards his legs, suddenly realized that he was standing there, made a sharp turn towards the iron gates, and ran past them on to the streets. While he was surprised by this, he wasn¡¯t really all that confused, it wasn¡¯t the first time something escaped the Thaumaturge¡¯s labs but it was the first time that no harm was done to his flowerbeds.


    ¡°Well, that went smooth, anyhow back to work, not like there is anything else coming.¡±


    Almost as if the gods were playing him a cruel joke, in just that moment Milinda came feet first flying out of the exact same window. Not only did she break of one of the hinges she also managed to time her jump just good enough to land on the unfortunate gardener.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, eh, Bob? Can¡¯t stay and chat, I need to catch my pet!¡±


    ¡®Bob¡¯, was now just confused as to where this flying girl had come from, but before he could even gather his thoughts and ask, Milinda had already left the garden and was bolting after her newly made friend. She didn¡¯t even want to imagine all the terrible things that might happen to Jinx, as far as she was concerned all of them were equally terrifying. Just before she thought that she had lost sight of the animal she noticed an orange shadow in the corner of her eye, fast as she could she ran towards it.


    Jinx was making his way down a dark alleyway towards the main road. While jumping over several boxes and barrels which were filled with all matters of stuff and the occasional odd bauble, Milinda noticed it getting louder, the sound of many hushed voices was carried into her ear. Some of them excited, questioning, some confused, and scared but others were downright hostile. She only remembered in shock what the voices meant after she stumbled out of the alley and into a lose crowd of people. Several groups of people young and old were standing on both sides of the main street, and looked to something in the distance that Milinda couldn¡¯t see.


    But to be fair she didn¡¯t need to see it to know what the people were staring at and what made the parents hide their children. The Emperor and his soldiers had made their arrival, but in another matter she had to find Jinx quickly before someone else found him.


    As fast as her legs could carry her she rushed past the people, pushed those out of the way who didn¡¯t see her coming and steadily looked at the ground for orange and green. Then after a few meters she spotted her furry friend, scared and overwhelmed Jinx was sitting in the middle of a small group. She came closer, slowly now, she didn¡¯t want to terrify him, unexpected by her one of the people around her made a step back and crunched Jinx''s tail under a boot.


    With a panicked screech, the little cat-ape bolted towards the only opening, onto the street. Milinda didn¡¯t waste a moment and she herself ran forward, intend on catching him here and now. Pushing away a small boy, she jumped towards the animal, reaching out she just managed to grab on to the hind legs. Quickly pressing the fluffy ball of angst against her chest she didn¡¯t realize, that she was falling on to the hard pounder.


    Her fall was miraculously stopped by something soft hitting her back followed by the surprised bristle of a large animal. When she finally raised her gaze, confused by the sudden silence of the crowd, she looked into the angry face of a dark skinned oriental looking woman clad in heavy, white armour and sporting a nasty scar going from her forehead to her cheek.

 Trivia Chapter #1

    An essay on changelings in Sibalien by an Unknown Author


    *Discovered on the person of a palladin, captured by a F¨­rser Mountain Patrol*


    Through most of my travels in the known world I have come across several different types of the people the common folk know as changelings. From the feline like community''s in the south of S?rmen to the the scaled lizard people roaming the wastes of Yise¨¥n, none of these made quite the impact, as the hardships and danger''s the city dwelling changeling''s have to face every day. While in the more civilized societies in the north we treat these often unfortunate souls with a decent amount of respect, in the so called city of life, Ebessa the situation is drastically different. Not only is it the main city of the fanatical Order of the erupting Sun, but the people them self have an open hostility towards non-human. This foul behaviour becomes only worse the further a person body is from the norm. While some might be able to cover their "affliction" the once where it is openly visible are often subjected to cruelty and disgraceful behaviour.


    To make matters even worse most guilds or establishments refrain from employing any kind of changeling. The only way for them to gain even a little respect in this xenophobic land is through being born into a noble family or joining up with the military. To those not lucky enough to have the first, or the idea of joining a death squad doesn''t strike their fancy, the last option is to flee the empire or suffer a life in the slums.


    Tommorrow I will implore the rumours I heard of a possible Changeling rebel encampment a few hours from here.


    *the following pages are blank, leaving only speculation''s on the authors fate*Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The Pantheon


    Lignis - Goddess of fire, smithing and cooking. One that takes and gives, destroys and forges. A genius artisan but an utter madwoman she burned her twinbrother Lago turning him into Ethos.


    Ethos - The burned God. God of rebirth, light and the holy cleansing. Having been burned by his sister Lago''s ashes began glowing and the newly arising god Ethos proclaimed to have been burned free of his sins. Worshipped by the Order of the Erupting Sun and most Sibaliens.


    Thanua - Goddess of twilight, crimes and deceit. An elusive figure she dances around at the edges of Lignis fires and Kantales rituals taking what is not hers. Bending tools and ideas to her ideals. Worshipped by thiefs, criminals and the mountain guards.


    Wedeigo - God of darkness, death and disease In an everlasting battle with Ethos he seeks to cut away, to destroy, not out of evil intend but to further the cicle of life. Worshiped by assassins, and grave diggers.


    Kantale - God of unholy rebirth, hidden arts and the world behind the mirrors. Being described as a human who stole the power of the gods and used for their own selfish means. They have no gender and appear both male and female at the same time, which is said to be a curse by the gods. Worshipped by some magi, thaumaturges and the people of the wilderness.


    Daragua - The great consciousness, the immaterial library. Describing both a mystical place of knowledge and the spirit that eternally guards it, many believe it to actually still exist in the known world just waiting to be rediscovered.


    Soucoil - The God of power and magic, creator of man. Father of gods. He was the first being coming out of a rift into Hantua and is said to have created both gods and humans alike. General Worship of non-specific Religious groups.


    Hantua - Land, sea and air. The mother of all, alone and without life the warm embrace of Soucoil woke her from her slumber. She is the world, nature and spirit in all animals. Her energie gives life to the cristals and all of creation.

 Chapter 2 - Foreign Forces (Part 1)

    <h1>Chapter 2 - Foreign Forces</h1>


    ¡°Down, girl, down.¡± Quara was more than surprised when her mount suddenly reared up startled. Especially because her orni, Untai, was a war-breed antelope and normally pretty composed.While calming her steed with a few strokes between the elongated black horns, she looked over the head of the beautiful white animal and saw something unexpected on the street before her. A young girl with the typical yellowish-golden taint of the locals was curled up to a ball in front of Untai.


    Jamming her left foot into the stirrup Quara swiftly dismounted; the layered plate armor, making a high piched clang and light reflected of the pale metal. Putting her one hand on the head of her bladed mace, she slowly walked over to the girl while her eyes scanned the surrounding groups of people. While the most of them were shocked by the accident, there was open aggression readable in the faces of a few. Whatever she were to do now, she would have to act cautiously.


    ¡°Do you need help getting up?¡±


    Behind the two of them Quara¡¯s soldiers began forming a small cluster; ahead of them all was of course Shahrzade Greengarden. The High Paladins personal acolyte and substitute voice, of the Empire and the church. A beautifull woman with dark honey coloured skin, regal features and long deep brown hair, braided from her neck to the point of reaching her butt. The way she was sitting on her orni, in an expensive looking red coat, with two loaded pistols and a saber in the belt, she looked like the prime example of nobility. She regarded Quara with a questioning look as if to say, what was taking her so long. While frowning in anger Quara looked back to the girl, she was scrawny and her nose looked like it had been broken several times.


    ¡°Get up, girl you need to clear the way.¡±


    Even though she tried to get up Milinda let out a squeal and fell back on her behind, when she saw the troop of soldiers gathering in front of her. Scared and shivering Jinx still hang on to the girl¡¯s body, when Quara grabbed her by the wrist and forcefully dragged her upwards. When she saw the creature Milinda was carrying, Quara¡¯s demeanor quickly changed from helpful to outright hostile letting lose of the wrist she pushed the girl and her creature away from her.


    ¡°What by Ethos is this thing?¡±


    First Milinda was too confused to answer but after a moment she started stammering.¡°I. It. That¡¯s Jinx. I. I saved him!¡±


    The iron clad paladin was visible grossed out by the bright orange animal, a dark look on her face she reached for the haft of her mace. Fearing what she might do to her furry friend, Milinda crept back from the angry woman.


    "This does not look like local wildlife, is this thing breach-born?"


    Quara''s fingers trembled as far as she was concerned all breach-born creatures were dangerous, there was no telling what this thing was capable of. Before she could act though, a small stone landed a few centimeters in front of her and skipped over the street. She swiftly scanned the crowd and finally settled on a dirty adolescent boy. When the boy realized that she was looking at him, he gulped but set a foot forward, half in fear half in defiance.


    "Get away from that girl and her pet, you mean bitch!"


    A older woman seemingly, somehow related to the boy tried to drag him away visibly terrified, but a man in his mid-twenties placed a hand on her shoulder and raised his fist towards Quara.


    "The boy is right! Let the girl in peace! She didn''t do nothing!"


    More people joined in now, rallied by the courage of the two. The few dozen city guard that were around didn''t do much to keep the people in check, in fact they looked ready to join in the fray. Given the foul mood, most of the Sibalien soldiers were on edge, some of them even readied their weapons, preparing to fight if their commander gave the order.


    Yet before the situation could escalate, the unmistakable sound of marching boots could be heard from up ahead. A troop of ten soldiers, accompanied by Queen Sophia Mathir and a black haired Magi, were quickly approaching. The queen looked impressive for her age, even though she was already over eighty years old, her hair had still retained most of its original black colour with only a few thick grey strains. Sophia¡¯s face did not show the typical wrinkles one gets from laughing or smiling, indicating a rather cold outwards personality. And just as hard as her appearance looked, her voice cut through the noise of the crowd.


    ¡°What is going on here? I forbid anyone from causing a scene in my town!¡± Her grey eyes were piercing the Sibalien men and women like icy spears. It was only when the queen recognized the small figure cowering on the ground that Quara saw something like a glint of fear disrupting the old woman''s perfect mask.


    ¡°Rajeev, get the girl away from the street!¡±


    One of the soldiers a man with prominent belly and the first strains of grey in the hair quickly stepped over to the girl. Quara noticed how a thick sweat pearl made its way down his nose; he was a pathetic excuse for a soldier. Not one of her subordinates would have dared to show such fear in front of an opposing force. All the while cautiously glancing over to the soldiers on their ori he carefully grabbed the girl by her shoulders and escorted her away. Quara could hear some of the words whispered between the two.


    ¡°Milinda, what were you thinking you stupid girl? Get back to the mansion, will you?¡±


    She brought her attention back to the queen, curious on how this situation would play out. Even though the people of Zembia clearly outnumbered them more than twenty to one, with Rajeev gone there were only a few trained soldiers left and Quara''s unit persisted of fifteen mounted iron-clad soldiers and five priests of the Order of the Erupting Sun. Not counting the Lady Greengarden and herself of course. So if it came down to it she was sure they could take on most of them, but maybe it would not come to this, maybe.


    Quara was surprised when after a very long and drawn out moment of dangerous silence Shahrzade moved her mount away from the soldiers and towards the queen''s entourage. She led her ori about three arms-lengths before them, dismounted and followed with an elegant bow in one fluid motion.


    "Queen Mathir, I am terribly sorry for the commotion my subordinates have caused here. I am Shahrzade of the Greengardens, High Acolyte of the Order of the Erupting Sun and voice of both crown and church, as such I assure you my Highness that situations like this will not arise again. Of course we will, if you so wish, pay the necessary reparations for this unfortunate incident."


    The queen''s brows furrowed and her eyes scanned the soldiers and people around them. A questioning expression was visible, as if she hadn''t found what she was looking for. Stepping forward and signaling her escort to stay behind, she quietly addressed Shahrzade.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this? Where is the emperor? Are you playing me for a fool?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    For maybe half a second a belittling smile crept up on the lips of the high acolyte, before disappearing behind a professionally neutral expression. When she answered her raised voice was loud enough, that even the people on sidewalks could hear her clearly.


    ¡°The Emperor had other matters to attend to, matters that could not be left unattended. Because of these very unfortunate circumstances, I am, on behalf of the High Paladin, authorized to carry out any and all negotiations regarding the future of the Sibalien, Zembian relationship.¡±


    Queen Mathir''s eyes tightened in to small angry slits, which left no doubts of her thoughts about the news, but retaining her royal manners and cold personality she simply regarded Shahrzade with a small bob of her head.


    ¡°Very well than I can only assume that the Emperors other matters are indeed of grave importance. But let us not tarry on this for now, please let no one say I am a bad hostess. I will be awaiting the Orders envoys in my mansion.¡±


    With not another word she turned on her heels and walked away, most of the armed men she had by her side following her. Only two people stayed a while longer one was a young soldier with dark and hateful eyes the other the beautiful Magi that had watched the whole ordeal but had remained quiet until now. They made a step forward while the soldiers forcefully grabbed his glaive''s hilt, looking like an animal ready to pounce. When the Magi opened their mouth, the voice coming out was darker than Quara would have expected.


    ¡°For all of you that have not understood it, the Queen is inviting to a banquet. And of course we are expecting you to turn up in the proper clothing. Not in armor and armed to the teeth. It is not like we invited an invasion force right?¡±


    A dangerous glint in the eyes, the Magi turned away and placed one slim hand gently on the soldier¡¯s shoulders. The two of them walked away from the Quara¡¯s troop hand in hand, but not before the young man turned his head and spit on the ground in front of her. As an answer Quara simply placed a closed hand on the hilt of her mace as if to insinuate him to try it.


    On their way to the queen''s mansion the reception they had received by the town¡¯s people had become more and more hostile. While the streets were decorated with all manner of flowers and colorful ribbons, more than once parents would hide their children behind the back when the soldiers were riding past. Apparently the news about the incident had spread as fast as a wild fire. The mansion that Queen Sophia inhabited was not very impressive; when she was still a child, Quara had begged in front of way more ostentatious buildings that were only inhabited by some rich lady or lord. She smirked by the thought of how often the door guards had beaten her bloody trying to get her poor ass away from there.


    She jumped of her mount and turned around to her unit, in a harsh voice she started barking orders.


    "Come on you wimps down from your Ori and stretch those legs! We''ve got a banquet to attend to and I expect all of you to look your least threatening, if such a thing even is possible."


    The soldiers shouted in agreement whilst grinning truly devilish, it was in fact terrifying enough that one of the stable hands instead of approaching them turned in his motion and walked back the way he came. Illit the highest ranking priests of the group had already turned her attention towards one of the remaining men and was dangling something in front of his eyes that looked suspiciously like a silver piece.


    "So, here is how this goes you will take care of my ori and afterwards you''ll find me at the banquet because I''m damn thirsty if you catch my drift. Sound good?"


    While the young man was trying to explain how he wouldn''t be able to get in, Quara, who was generally supportive of her soldiers leisure time, had already turned her attention to something else. Lady Greengarden was busy quietly talking to another stablehand, when Quara approached her. Coming closer she could see spots of tiny colorful scales on the man¡¯s skin, which identified him as a changeling. A human born close to an open breach sometimes ended up with odd non-human like features. As for all breach things Quara had no love for them. Practical as she always was, she grabbed the man by the shoulder and shoved him in to the mud.


    "Get out of here scale face, before I ram my boot up your arse." With a nod she addressed the Lady of Greengarden.


    "I don''t think he will bother us again, my lady; we have to talk." Shahrzade slightly raised one of her plucked eyebrows; it was not clear if it was directed at Quara¡¯s strained expression or at her actions.


    ¡°I can''t say that wasn''t efficient, although rather unnecessary, Quara. Very well then, what is it that you want?"


    "My soldiers will need time to prepare for the banquet, any orders or plans regarding the situation?" She glanced over to the soldiers and back to Quara.


    "The changeling said you were to set up camp on a festival ground to the north from here. Do so and then join the banquet lose the armor for now but come strapped. I one the other hand will join the queen now."


    Having given her orders Lady Greengarden left Quara standing in the stables and went into the mansion by herself, still carrying both pistols and her saber; she clearly had no intend of giving either of them up.


    Blackwell


    Even though it was already summer the weather was uncomfortably wet and cold up here in the mountains, so it came that the place Quara¡¯s unit was sent to, resembled more a swamp than a meadow. The grass was destroyed by the heavy usage during spring and the wheels of large wagons had left deep tracks making the place uneven and less than suitable to set up camp.


    Quara''s second in command Gellius Blackwell, the bastard son of a Sibalien Paladin, rode up to her side.


    "Ho, boy, stay. Quara by all the respect I have for you, there is no way the troop will be happy to set up camp on this . . . field."


    His eyebrows tightened by the thought of it, most of their equipment would get dirty and possibly unusable. Already he heard some of the soldiers complaining; apparently they had grown soft from the few days they had spent in a brothel before coming into town. Looking back at the group, Quara seemed to have decided to take these matters into her own hands.


    "Gell, do you remember what we did back in Gemdrey? Well guess what we are doing now!" The unit roared up in excitement when Blackwell gave the order to sit up and turn back towards the town center.


    . . .


    The Flying Leech was quiet this morning, most of the usual customers had left early to see the arrival of the Sibaliens. But some of the early drunks already sat at the tables and a few people hadn''t even bothered to get out of the bed before midday. So it was only logical that the handful of people in the tavern were quite surprised when the door crashed open and a group of heavily armored soldiers came rushing in. Gellius pushed past a surprised barmaid and climbed onto a table in the middle of the room much to the dismay of its current occupants.


    "Here by I declare that this building is seized under order of Paladin Quara of Greycastle sixth unit, second battalion of the army of the order of the erupting sun. We will temporarily occupy this building for the remainder of our diplomatic mission. Every civilian is advised to vacate the property."


    The room was silent for a while, until one especially drunk man stood up, walked towards the table and addressed the second in command in a slurry tone. "Who do you think you are? Coming in here and wanting to take my . . . ah . . . beer! If you''re a man come down from the table and fight!"


    With a quick downwards glance Gellius assessed the potential threat, instead of coming from the table he gesticulated towards one of the soldiers.


    "Karba!"


    A broad shouldered man of impressive size stepped forward and came so close that the drunken man could feel his breath on the top of the head.


    "You better do what the officer says."


    The man took one look at Karba than back to Gellius and did the only sane thing possible, he dropped his mug and as straight as his drunken state allowed it he ran out of the building. More than a few of the other customers followed his example, as they did not want to find out when exactly the soldier''s patience ended.The owner of the tavern an older man with a badly bend back was staring at them in disbelief.


    "Of course you horse fucking bastards, leave me all alone with the soldiers! Maybe you also shove my damn daughter their way while you''re at it? And you come out''a hiding you stupid girl they''ll find you anyway!"


    A girl in her early twenties came from behind the counter; she was wearing a similar outfit as the other barmaid, which had already left the building. The old man walked towards the table Glen was standing on.


    "So, you coming down from there so we can talk. I understand you lot want a room?" Before Blackwell could answer he was interrupted by is commander.


    "No, we do not want a room." Quara¡¯s voice was sharp, used to command, there was no question in the tone much more indicated it that what she said would happen either way. She looked around the cramped interior. There were about eight tables and a small stage of sort on the far end of the room, finally a slim stairway led up towards the bedrooms. She turned to the owner a grim smile on the harsh face.


    "We''ll take the building."

 Chapter 2 - Foreign Forces (Part 2)

    Belsain


    The dining room was as good as ready, most of the hired help had already cleared the manor and only the more permanent staff remained. They were currently busy deciding which cutlery to use; Belsain was amused looking down on Hamod who strictly wanted to only give out wooden spoons. Alvina was almost about to beat up the old man with the spoons, when a rough hand on his shoulder made the magi look away from the spectacle. Taran An-Senlin the captain of the guard and had silently approached him, his dark eyes burning with a fire of passion and hate. Taran kneeled on one leg, took Belsain¡¯s slim hand and gave it a soft kiss.


    ¡°My Lord, I have news.¡±


    ¡°I told you to stop calling me a lord; I have not a single drop of royal blood! Also we know each other way to well to be so formal.¡±


    The captain stood up and leaned on the small balcony viewing into the dining room, looking away from Belsain.


    ¡°Bel, you know how the people here would react to it. As it stands now we have more important matters to discuss.¡±


    Belsain face changed into a mask of dissatisfaction, the big beautiful eyes narrowed as if he was trying to stare daggers into Taran¡¯s back.


    ¡°Well what is so important, that it needs my attention? And it better be good!¡±


    Taran turned around a slight smile hidden behind the pointy beard that framed his face.¡°What if I told you we might actually have the situation you were looking for?¡±


    He walked over to the jug of wine Belsain had brought up to the balcony, then picked it up, sniffed on the liquid and proceeded to pour himself a drink.


    ¡°Let us talk outside, no point in anyone else listening in.¡± Belsain followed the captain through a large glass door to the section of the balcony facing the gardens.


    ¡°I assume you very much remember the Sibalien soldiers from this morning? Well they did not set up camp were we told them to, instead those assholes decide to forcefully occupy a local tavern.¡±


    The magi turned to Taran the dissatisfaction now changed into a mask of burning fury.


    "What? And you tell this to me now! What were you thinking, the banquet is about to start!"


    Taran raised an eyebrow at this display of anger, but instead of being afraid he only let out a dry chuckle. "What makes you think, I withheld information from you? I received the news just now, and the very first thing I did was coming to you. Didn''t it strike you as odd how calm I am about this?" Belsain stopped mid-sentence of his ongoing triade and glared at the captain, before responding sourly.


    "No. Why are you so calm?"


    "Simple, as far as I know I still enforce the queens law in this city, and they just committed a crime. So are you coming with me or not?"


    A winning grin made its way onto Bel''s face as he took the captains hand. "There is no way it this world that I would miss this chance."


    Only minutes later Belsain had settled up on one of the guard¡¯s quar, the sturdy animal looked like a buff horse with long shaggy fur and two short curled horns. They were by far not the fastest animals but they were great climbers and could dish out quite the head butt. The Magi was accompanied by five men as well as captain Taran as they left the royal mansion.


    The sun had risen almost to the zenith basking the small town in its warm light. On a few of the roofs where still small patches of snow from the winter, which would probably melt in the coming weeks, but now they were glistening like fish swarms in a clear mountain lake. The scene was almost serene had it not been for the grim faces of the royal guard.


    A few of the passing by townspeople greeted them but once they saw the looks in their eyes they quickly hurried on. When they reached the towns center and with that the location of the inn they were greeted by a sparely scattered crowd of people that seemed keen on finding out the reason for the commotion. On seeing the guards, a person in the crowd, a thin but harsh looking woman in her late fifties, separated from one of the groups and made her way over to the quickly approaching men.


    Belsain looked her over and promptly recognized the unfriendly hag face; it was Thora So-Lang, the headmistress of the local chapter of the Followers of Daragua. She was a common visitor in the royal mansion. Most of the books Belsain had needed for his studies had been acquired by the followers, and the headmistress herself tried to control what was researched on in his tower. As Belsain thought she was probably out to steal his findings and rise as a scholar herself but he had yet to prove it.The unloved woman stopped right before Belsain looking him straight in the eyes and addressed him almost spitting when talking.


    ¡°Magi! What is the nature of this commotion? The people are not respecting the quiet morning hours of our prayer!¡±


    Cutting into the ramblings of the woman Belsain glared at her. ¡°Be assured that none of this is of my or the Queens making. I will take care of this matter, now if you would please step aside.¡±


    Taking the lead on the situation Taran rode his quar beside the magi and settled a hand on his sword.


    ¡°High Priestess Thora, I need you to step away from the Royal thaumaturge, please. We are on an important mission¡±


    With a click of the tongue he guided his animal away from her and motioned the guards to follow him. Only after a few of his men shouted to clear the way and the present city guard intervened, the masses parted to let them pass. It almost seemed as if the civilians were as interested in what was about to happen as the city guard them self. The Flying Leech was easily found, as most folk stayed clear of the two imposing Sibalien Soldiers guarding the entrance. The two weren''t wearing any head protection, so their half contained grins were openly visible to the approaching royal guard. A few of them had the intention of not letting this disrespect pass, but their lose mouths were quickly silenced by a warning glare from Taran. He rode forward and stopped only a few centimetres in front of the soldiers.


    "By order of the Queen, I demand you to stand aside and let us pass! We have business with whoever is in charge of your unit." The two merely shot each other amused looks before one wryly addressed Taran.


    "And who exactly is it that seeks entrance?"


    "The Lady Belsain and commander Taran, accompanied by the gods damned royal guard that is! Now stand aside!" The soldier¡¯s mouth curled into mischievous lopsided grin.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Very well I was told to expect you, come in Sirs and Lady." In a mocking display of courtesy the man bowed and made a welcoming gesture.


    The inside of the Tavern was so warm that Belsain almost became dizzy. Apparently the Sibaliens missed the hot air of their homelands, as a huge fire was burning inside the spacious fireplace. Several of the soldiers had started to discard pieces of their armour and were now gathered around two brawling figures in a lose half-circle. The atmosphere was happy and lively, no short thanks to the various beverages most of men and women were consuming in mass, but it almost immediately went sour when the city guard entered the room. Hands were place on the hilts of weapons and several fists clenched in the expectation of a fight.


    Taran stepped forward in to the room and after a short look around the room climbed a nearby table to focus the attention on him.


    "Listen up! By order of the queen, I demand the person in charge of the Sibalien soldiers to step forward; you are wanted in the questioning regarding your unlawful acquisition of this very tavern! Step forward so we can take care of this matter in a civilized manner or otherwise!"


    The Sibaliens were now unitary facing Taran and the Royal Guard, well almost unitary. Belsain noticed how a single person was calmly wiping a thick layer of sweat and blood from her face; she was one of the brawlers from when they had entered the tavern. The woman seemed to take her merry time to make herself presentable, almost as if there weren''t any guardsmen present in the tavern. When she finally stepped forward it became clear that she was the one Taran had been asking for. She was calm and composed and even though she wasn''t wearing much more than wide pants and a short, tight fitting bustier, that left little of her well trained body to imagination; her short black hair and piercing eyes gave an aura of authority.


    "Greetings, Commander, Milady." She performed a respectful gesture, more than a nod but less than a bow, before diverting her attention entirely towards Taran, who had now left the table.


    "I am Paladin Quara of Greycastle. I believe you are looking for me? Well tell me were lays the problem?" Taran¡¯s face darkened as he looked her over, due to her impressive size she could almost look down on the commander, which in turn made it more than awkward to threaten her.


    "I believe you know very well why we are here. With your unlawful occupation of this tavern you have broken several Zembian laws. Because of this I have to ask you and your men to leave the building in an instance. Otherwise I will have to see this as an act of war against the people of Zembia!"


    Quara looked at him for a short while, than a short chuckle escaped her and with a smile on her lips she answered him. "Oh, my, I fear you are terribly mistaken, we have not simply occupied this building. We have bought it!"


    Taran¡¯s eyes burned with hot fury as his fist crashed into the side of a nearby table. ¡°You people did what now!¡±


    It was at this point that things threatened to escalade. One of the Sibalien soldiers had drawn a dagger which in turn made the city guard ready their halberds at the opposing force. Fearing that Taran might to something rash in his anger, Belsain rushed forward and in between the two opposing commander. He regarded his furious companion with a silent stare and turned around to face Quara with a warm smile, which was in stark dissonance to his cold gaze.


    "Now, let us not be hasty here! Miss Quara is it? I am . . . Lady Belsain court advisor and most renowned thaumaturge in the area. Please, do tell, how exactly did you and your,"


    Bel made a rude gesture towards the gathered soldiers, ". . . posse acquire the Flying Leech?"


    ¡°Well, as I already said we bought the tavern as a local operating centre of our diplomatic mission.¡± A sly smile crept across Quara¡¯s lips.


    "But I assume you are looking for official documentation, isn''t that right?" Noticing the subtle change in posture of the female paladin, Belsain answered only after a brief pause in which the room¡¯s temperature slowly started to drop.


    "Yes, I was indeed wondering if such a document existed. Not that I don''t believe that this purchase was legit, it is simply standard procedure. I am sure you understand." Quara motioned towards a scrawny looking priest with mean eyes and a mangled nose, who after a few seconds procured a heavy folded sheet of paper. Smiling brightly at the magi Quara reached forward the sheet in hand.


    "You will see everything is perfectly up to order."


    "That is something I will decide for myself, thank you very much." Bel unfolded the parchment and began reading, with his face slowly changing from amusement, to surprise, over to full out dissatisfaction.


    "How did you? I mean, he leased the tavern entirely?" The muttering ended in a single loud and frustrated yell: "Fine!" Belsain turned towards Taran with a look of defeat.


    "Tell your men to stand down. The documentation is legit." With fury in his eyes Taran jumped forward and snatched the sheet out of the magi¡¯s hands.


    "No! This can''t be! Sibaliens are murderous crooks, all of you are!" Defying the thaumaturge¡¯s wishes he drew his sword and raised the steel to Quara¡¯s throat.


    "Men, stand at the ready!¡± Challenged by this obvious display of hostility the Sibaliens cracked their knuckles and drew short weapons like knives and daggers, one of their priests reached into his pocket and silently started a prayer. On seeing this Taran¡¯s blade dug deeper into Quara¡¯s skin, a thin line of red became visible and her eyes narrowed.


    Before either party could act a sudden rush of wind blew out the roaring fire; the temperature dropped so fast that mist started to rise from the sweating soldiers. No one dared to move, as all eyes slowly turned toward Belsain, who was surrounded by a corona of blue and white crackling energy. His long black hair was floating in thick strands, while the silver eyes and white skin began glowing in a ghastly light.


    When the magi finally spoke it sounded sharp and metallic, full of pain, not at all human anymore. "I said stand your men down! I will not say it a third time, or so the gods help me, I will blow this place to pieces!"


    Taran carefully stuck his sword back in to its sheet and motioned his men to do the same, then Belsain brought his attention to Quara. "Now to you, for the moment you have acted according to the laws but if I ever catch you doing anything wrong!"


    Bel snipped with his fingers and one of the tables next to the Paladin began vibrating and with a soft thump it fell to floor now nothing but fine saw dust. As quickly as the warmth had left it now came back into the room hitting the people almost like a brick wall. And with a low sigh Bel collapsed onto Taran¡¯s shoulders. Giving one last angry look towards Quara he escorted the now weak magi out of the tavern. When he helped Bel onto his ride he noticed, thanks to the rather sensually cut dress the thaumaturge was wearing, that several new black lines and spots had formed on the magi¡¯s skin, some of them oozing dark red blood.


    Sophia


    Sophia looked somewhat proud over the full tables and beautifully decorated hall. It was almost five years since the last time that a feast had been hold in Redwood Mansion and even though this one was overshadowed by the recent events, a small part of her was still happy and filled with joy. Maybe a little spark of her youth still remained within the old woman.


    The Queen was taken out of her daydreams when a cold sensation ran down her spine.


    Lady Greengarden stepped surprisingly light for a noble; a lot of them had to constantly present them self in a way so that all the attention was focused on them, she on the other hand was almost like a shadow. The way she just suddenly appeared next to Sophia made her wonder if this girl really was a noble or even entirely human.


    ¡°By the gods! I am an old woman you fool, don¡¯t sneak up on me!¡± When Shahrzade answered she masked herself with an unreadable smile.


    ¡°Queen Mathir, my intention would never be to frighten you, as there is no fun to be found in scaring you to death.¡± The Queen turned around and looked her unwelcome guest over. The young woman was still dressed in her riding gear and when Sophia looked down she saw, much to her dismay the she had not gotten rid of her weapons.


    ¡°Well, if your intention was not to scare me, I have to ask what you hope to accomplish by approaching me at this moment.¡±


    ¡°I simply wanted to make sure that you know, what will happen in the next few days.¡±


    The queen¡¯s glare was icy when addressing Shar.


    ¡°Believe me when I say this, do not threaten me in my own home. You know my decision very well and now let us have a meal and discuss this at another time.¡±


    Without saying another word, Lady Greengarden, shifted her attention to the gathering guests, and with a simple bow left the queen¡¯s side. After the guests, local and not, had paid their respects they were to be seated by two young servants. Sharzade ignored both of them and under heavy protests, made her way down the stairs towards a place right next to the throne.

 Trivia Chapter #2

    Trivia Chapter #2


    <h1></h1>


    <h1>The Witch Queen¡¯s Prophecy</h1>


    Born from Blood


    forged from Steel


    Her Voice is cold,


    her Mind is sharp.


    A silent tear


    for a soldier most dear.


    A gleaming sword


    for all those ignored


    Her love is fury,


    her fury is wrath.


    She is the jury


    for she is the path.


    An empire generations old


    wrapped in a Witches'' garb


    A throne taken by steel


    a throne taken by bloodThis content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    <h1>The Flow</h1>


    ¡°... As of yet we have, as a whole of civilisation, no perfect understanding of the force called The Flow. And that should be of our utmost concern, for we use it and work it each and every day of our lives, but still regard it some unfathomable power that we are not allowed to grasp an understanding of. The priests and even some of my more dim-witted colleagues argue that the gods to not intent for us to unravel the mystery that is the flow, but to all of that I say malarkey. It is nonsense, how could almighty beings not want someone to find out how the world works? Why would the gods even bother, it is not like we can truly ever challenge them, right? I mean an all mighty being would not have anything to fear from a few humans, unless it is not almighty. What if the nature of The Flow is something that the gods truly protect, what if they do not want us to find out how it works for it might put them in danger? What then? Could, no, can we still call them gods if they act like mere humans? When we think about it that way, the answer is obvious. The gods are no gods, and the flow is what gives them their power! If so we as a species have been toyed around with, by men that think them self above others, which is not something positive.


    A thought comes to mind.


    What if someone were to destroy the flow? ...¡±


    ¨CRecovered fragment of Suralzar¡¯s notes on the flow

 Chapter 3 - Courteous Cabal (Part 1)

    <h1>Chapter 3 - Courteous Cabal </h1>


    Taran


    The thin rays of sunlight were warmer than one would expect from the early hours. So warm in fact that Bel¡¯s nose started to itch, from the light hitting his face. With a cute sneeze, and a grimace Bel opened his eyes a bit, and shifted deeper in to the mass of cloth and furs.


    ¡°Everything okay Bel?¡± Taran slowly sat up in the large Redwood-bed. Murmuring now from underneath a pile of pillows Bell¡¯s voice answered with quite the bit of spite.


    ¡°Shush, you big hunk, it is early, I want to sleep.¡±


    Smiling softly Taran kissed the exposed butt cheek of his lover and jumped out of the bed in one fluid motion, much to Bel¡¯s dismay. While he didn''t want to leave Belsain alone Taran knew all too well, that Bel would try to stop him from going, either to please himself or just to have someone to snuggle up to. With a last longing look to the peach shaped bum he put on the rest of his clothing and swiftly left the tower room.


    "Taran, where are you going?"


    While he had heard Bel''s words clearly he ignored them and made his way down the old wooden stairway. Even though it was still early in the morning and the sun had just risen Taran could smell the scent of freshly baked bread and pastries. Turning around a corner, past the kitchen he saw Alvina already up and running, next to her was a big grey housecat curled up in front of the burning stove. When the cook heard his footsteps she looked up from her work, a thick layer of flour caking her face.


    "Oh, captain, Sir! I didn''t expect you to be up so early, would you like something to eat or drink? I could also send someone to bring food up to the thaumaturge tower, if you would like!" Taran only smiled at her but didn''t stop.


    "Maybe later Alvina, a certain someone needs their beauty sleep." With that he went out of the hallway and took a short well-worn dirt path around the tower base that lead to the stables. Upon arriving he was already expected by a short but thin man in his early thirties.


    ¡°Commander An-Senlin!¡± The man saluted with a stiff pose.


    "At ease soldier, we don''t need any more attention. You know why you are here?"


    "Yes, Sir, do you have the letter?" Taran reached in to his back pocket only to find nothing.


    "Where by the gods, did I put it?" He searched through his other pockets when the two of them were suddenly interrupted by a polite cough.


    "You wouldn''t happen to be searching for this, now would you?" In the open doorframe of the stables stood Belsain, entirely naked except for a pair of white, ruffled and very short underpants, his long black hair gingerly hugging the petit, beautiful frame. One hand was raised in to the frosty morning air, in it two sheets of paper.


    ¡°Bel, when did you . . .¡± Taran immediately took of his cloak and wrapped it around his naked lover. Bel on the other hand just slapped his hands away and walked up to the flustered soldier.


    ¡°This is Taran''s letter to General Farizad An-Senlin, keep it save and hidden away from peering eyes.¡± Belsain handed him the other piece of paper and a green stone wrapped in silver thread.


    "This is a permit of passing to get you through the roadblocks and patrols without questions, and this is a protection amulet, if anything happens I''ll know. And now go, a lot depends on you!"


    Nodding as goodbye the soldier climbed his mount, gave it the spores and galloped out of the stables. With cold fury in his eyes Belsain turned around to his stunned partner. Taran raised his hands in defense and began apologizing,


    "Bel, I''m sorry I would have told . . .", and was swiftly cut off by the magi.


    "You! Into my bedchambers! Now!"


    Sharzade


    The Queen had provided Lady Greengarden with a beautiful guest room much nicer than the barrack she was used to back home. But when the morning light caressed the sheets on the carved wooden bed they did not fall onto a sleeping figure, instead there were lighting neatly folded bedding seemingly undisturbed by this nights rest.


    It looked like Shar had never slept in it; in fact she hadn''t slept at all this night or the last few nights before. Instead she had spent most of the dark hours meditating or writing various letters. But this morning she witnessed something that had peeked her interest. Right outside of the multicolored glasswork window, she saw how an odd morning transaction between three specific people took place.


    "Well, well, well, who is the person that the Thaumaturge and the Captain of the guard meet so early in the morning? Someone is trying to keep things secret; guess I should stop them."


    While still thinking about what to do about the situation, Sharzade went over to a small Blackwood box that had a curious locking mechanism. Making once again sure that she was alone, her left hand slid over the box and with a soft click the lid opened up. The only contents were six glass vials, five of them were filled to the brim with a thick blue metallic liquid, while the sixth was emptied about one third.


    Shar opened up the left most vial and dripped a small amount of the contents in each eye. With a sharp pain her vision blurred and after a few seconds came back noticeably worse than before. Closing the box, and putting it underneath her belongings, she went to the door, on her way out she put on a white pair of elbow gloves. Just for a moment she caught a glance of her face in a small desk mirror; normal green eyes.


    The sun was had almost completely risen when the young Acolyte made her way towards the dining hall, expecting it to be empty she arched an eyebrow, when seeing several servants rush past her from the kitchen towards it and back. Entering the wide, open hall she came face to face with the Queen of Zembia, who was in the process of skilfully beheading an egg.


    "Welcome Lady Greengarden, would you join me for dinner?"


    Sophia was up earlier than usual; her night had been haunted by unpleasant nightmares, leaving her restless and concerned, to concerned in fact to stay in bed. She was not surprised though to see her unloved guest up and running, from what she knew most parts of the Sibalien church were managed like a military and the priests were drilled just like the soldiers.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. What did surprise her was the fact that Shahrzade was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, even though it was a new day. Sophia herself would never be caught dead in the same dress twice in a row.


    "Queen Mathir, what a wonderful thing to see you up so early in the morning, I''m almost starting to wonder if the entire mansion is up this early." Sophia¡¯s brows furrowed upon hearing this.


    "Now what could you mean with that?" The only answer she got was once again a sly smile, and instead of addressing the Queen Sharzade¡¯s eyes looked over the figure of Milinda standing a few feet behind her queen.


    "You have one disturbingly stealthy servant, Milady." Sophia couldn''t other but grin at this comment.


    "Why of course Lady Greengarden, the art of being quiet is not a skill solely owned by Sibalien nobles." Making a grimace as she approached the side opposite to the Queen, Shar looked over the various pieces of food laid out across the table.


    The meal was heavy on animal produce much different to what Shar was used to back home, there breakfast consisted mostly of vegetables or a light soup. Not feeling particularly hungry she grabbed a single cold quif seemingly left over from the feast.


    Without so much as awaiting approval from the queen she ripped the bulb into mouth sized pieces, stuffed one into her mouth and in one fluid motion sat down directly on the table.


    Disturbed cups and plates clattered and made it rather hard to understand Shar as she began talking.


    "Sophia, I can call you that right? As you can probably guess I had been looking for a time to speak privately with you, without disturbance from annoying advocates or meddling soldiers."


    Sophia¡¯s face hardened at the sight of this rude and insulting behaviour.


    "What is it that you want? Talk now my patience wears thin and I am not sure you noticed but there are no soldiers to back you up!" Despite the threatening words, Shar¡¯s smile widened into a huge child like grin when she turned around to face the queen.


    "My dear Queen, while it might be true that I am without any support in these halls, let me assure you; physically attacking me is no solution. In the best case you would not only end up facing my entourage, but also receiving backlash from the Sibalien Empire and in the worst case, well let''s just assume you are smart enough to guess where I''m going with this. So, what will it be?"


    "Fine, talk!" The resulting laughter from Sharzade was less a sign of happiness and more a demonstration of the fiendish amusement only the well versed players of political games could manage.


    "Very well, a wise decision. I don''t want to talk around in circles, so I will make it simple. Assuming that you have received the message from the emperor''s scribe, you know what his demands are. Either you and your people work alongside mine to assure the future of our race and your kingdom, or your people and lands will forcefully join the Empire. There are only these two option, you have to choose."


    With a swift move Sharzade threw some more pieces of food into her open mouth, seemingly awaiting an answer from Sophia. The queen on the other hand seemed to suddenly look very old and tired, and as so often in the last few days an exhausted sigh escaped her lips.


    "This isn''t really much of a choice now is it? Either I allow foreign occupation or Zembia will face its first invasion since ages past."


    For a few moments the two women simply stared into each other¡¯s eyes, one at the peak of her life and backed by the greatest military power the world had ever seen and the other just an old and almost forgotten monarch. After what felt like ages Sophia Mathir¡¯s body straightened and with a last flicker of deviance in her eyes, she finally gave her answer.


    "No. I refuse to choose between two evils!"


    In a surprising motion the Queen''s fist hit the table scattering tableware and scarring Milinda, who was still standing behind her.


    "This is a choice no Queen can be forced to make! No matter the cost, Zembia will not bow or bend. We have been independent for over one hundred years and will remain so!"


    Shar''s face showed no sign of surprise only a slight twitch of her mouth revealed how she felt, and when facing Sophia her eyes were as hard as the queen''s.


    "Please, believe me when I tell you that I had expected the conversation to go this way. I respect your pride and sense of honour, and because of that I will allow you a second chance of answering." Sharzade jumped from the table and made her way to the doors.


    "You have time until the end of the sixth day to choose the right answer, don''t mess that one up too." Without giving her any time for a response, Shar left the hall and disappeared out of sight, leaving behind an angry and frustrated Queen Mathir.


    As quickly as it had come all the energy left Sophia again, once the Sibalien Acolyte had been gone. Though a few moments ago she acted her place the old woman resembled now nothing more than just that, an old woman left without any will to keep going.


    "Milinda?" The young woman quickly came by her side.


    "What is it my queen?"


    "I do not want to put this burden upon you, but I know not who else to ask." Milinda dropped into an awkward curtsey before answering.


    "My queen, I had been stealing from the crown and several merchants for more than six month, and yet you pardoned me, so it is only fair that my second chance at life will be used however you see fit."


    "I know you worked with a group even though you never admitted to it, so I ask, no, I beg of you to let your people tail her."


    Milinda stood silent for a few moments, her jaw tightened so that the queen could hear her maid''s teeth grind, when she finally replied.


    "I . . . I will see what I can do, but please expect not too much."


    "Very well, go now."


    Sophia watched Milinda disappear with a last bit of regret in her mind. She had never told the girl that soon after her capture a well dressed gentleman had visited her in the queen¡¯s quarters, only to force her into accepting an offer, which was the actual reason why she was free. And now she was the only way of contacting the same man again.


    Milinda


    Milinda''s way took her far from the queen¡¯s mansion, past the unusually empty town-centre and towards the unsavoury part of town, all the way being accompanied by Jinx. Her new companion had begun to snarl at every person coming to close to the two, while at the same time holding on fiercely to the girl.


    This clingy behaviour only worsened when the two came closer to Milinda''s destination. The dust district had once been part of the vast mining complex that stretched beneath the city of Talesin but during the opening of the breaches the tunnels had been used as hiding and living spaces, some of the inhabitants just never left. As of now, most of the passages to the still operating mines had collapsed either on purpose or due to shifting of the earth, but when you knew where to look for them entrances could be found all over the city.


    Even with this knowledge Milinda had to be careful what to say and who to talk to, not all of the shady folk down there worked for her old crew but it was still her best bet. The brothel that she approached was one of the hideouts with access to the dust roads, she had learned about rather early on in her life, seeing as she grew up close to it. Though this time when she was trying to enter she was quickly held back by two strong arms that just as quickly retreated when Jinx went to snap for them.


    "Wow, girl keep your pet in check! You can''t enter through here didn¡¯t the owner tell you girls? You new or what?" The man with the cruel voice pointed to a sign reading ¡°Stage entrance¡±.


    "Doesn''t matter big guy, I am her on different business. Now let me pass!"


    Before he even answered the man''s grin said everything.


    "Pfshh! You sure look like one of the girls to me, but if you¡¯re a bit shy there is no need for you to go in. The two of us can have a bit of fun right here."


    Realising the situation she was in Milinda quickly kneed the goon in the groin, before he could grab her, and bowed down to whisper in his ear.


    "Thanua sends her regards." Wincing in pain he now stared at her with surprise and a bit of fear in the eyes.


    "Why haven''t you said that directly!? You¡¯re supposed to use the back door you stupid wench, ugh, how often do I have to tell you guys."


    In leaving she kicked him a second time, "Learn manners pig!"


    The so called back door was actually a metal hatch in the ground with a painted on crescent moon, parted by a line through the middle, almost resembling a smile or a boat. Milinda knew the marking for what it was, a variation of the symbol of Thanua, indicating protected territory. When she open the hatch she was greeted by a dimly lit room that stretched into a long dark tunnel, a few seconds later after almost stumbling over one of the several rocks that littered the ground Milinda arrived at a sturdy wooden gate that was lit by a single caged lantern.


    It was time for her to go on.

 Chapter 3 - Courteous Cabal (Part 2)

    Milinda


    After the next step there would be no way back, either she went through with it or she''d turn on her heel.The young woman didn''t want to go but at the same time she certainly didn''t want to find out what failing at the queen''s task would mean for herself. Gathering up her courage she approached the gate and knocked three times. After several moments of silence, shuffling could be heard behind the wood, a small slit opened up, and a gruff, old voice answered.


    "Who goes there?" Milinda gritted her teeth by the thought of it.


    "One under Thanua¡¯s favour."


    "Hmm. Pass code?"


    The last time she had used one of the gates there hadn''t been a specific pass code, hoping to sway the old man, she took a step back and revealed her right shoulder and with it the intricate tattoo on it.


    "I don''t need a pass code.", she said in a bitter voice.


    Once again there was a long time of silence when the gatekeeper mustered the tattoo and then herself.


    "He, he, he, will ye look at that the failure made her way back to crawl under the mother''s tit. Wait a moment yeah, little runt, I''ll open up."


    Several locks and chains were loosened when finally a smallish, old man appeared in front of Milinda. The almost toothless mouth was stretched into a derisive grin, but his hand was clutching a blood-soaked tourniquet around his side.


    "So what''s it ye want girl? Tired of ye cushy life as the queens bitch?" Milinda sneered at the comment, although she had expected this.


    "Funny, are you sure it is not just jealousy speaking, Kartor? Because you look like shit, even more than normally I might add. I need to send a message to the masked-man." Old man Kartor''s eyebrow arced up at the request, before his eyes stared into the darkness behind her.


    "Ye, sure ye weren''t followed?" Milinda only shrugged her shoulders.


    "Hmm, ye best move yer arse inside." He quickly took her behind the gate and barricaded the entrance with locks and bolts, after looking at it for a second he went around a side, fetched a large wooden beam and jammed that under the contraption too.


    "So, now we can talk, ye want to meet the boss, right?" Milinda¡¯s gaze became uneasy.


    "No, I don''t want to, but I must talk to him on urgent business." Kartor thoughtfully scratched his beard before answering.


    "Yeah, ye see last I heard the man decides himself what is urgent, and to be fair he actually is indisposed the moment." At this point the young thief grew restless.


    "You don''t understand, I''m to deliver a request from the queen!" This time it was Kartor¡¯s turn to stare at Milinda.


    "Ahh, fuck it. Ye best follow me, come on ye little runt."


    The tunnel system stretched on for about five minutes when the pair came to an elevator that carried them right into the heart of the dust-roads. The cave was so big that the queen¡¯s manor would have fit in at least five times and everything was cram packed with people, ramshackle huts and vendor stalls. In the middle of this flourishing black-market was a large devise to filter the air down here, it was a relic from before the breaches now upgraded with pieced together crystal technology. Rumours had it that a Magi visiting the city had built it in as payment for a secret favour.


    During their walk through the crowded market, a lot of the people parted way to let the odd pair pass. Many of the folk knew the gate keeper by name and had a lot of respect for the man, but every once in a while Milinda noticed a few of the younger people pointing fingers at her and whisper in hushed voices, knowing her questionable reputation, she quickly pulled the hood on her cloak deeper in her face. The silence, the two had kept up on their way, was broken when she noticed Kartor wince painfully.


    "Ah, I didn''t mean to pry but you are kind of, eh, leaking? What happened?" Laughing in a way that was akin more of a dyeing stag than a human the old man faced her.


    "Now don''t ye worry ye pretty little kisser, got jumped by some young scum yesterday, fuckers got me in me side with a shortblade."


    "Scum?¡± his young escort looked at him inquisitively. "What would a thief see as scum?"


    Kartor once again chuckled to himself. ¡°He, ye got me. I wanted to take a look at the new people in town. Who could have known that Sibaliens don''t take so well to people snooping in their stuff and also tend to be a bit jumpy."


    "Found anything out?¡±


    "Nay, nothing really, cept that them Sibaliens have darn well kept weapons, and enough supplies to wage a war on their very own. They also have these . . ." The old thief stopped mid-sentence and shot her a toxic glance.


    "Say, why are you interested in such a thing anyway?" "What, interested!? I . . . was simply striking up a conversation?", answered Milinda while quickly walking a few paces faster, before suddenly stopping and once again addressing her companion.


    "Where are we going actually? We already passed a shop selling parchment. I could just write my message and be on my way right? Right?"


    Kantor didn''t even bother looking up when he gave his reply. "Nay, we''re going to see the big man."


    Upon hearing this, her initial courage faltered like a card-house. She had disappointed the masked man before and as punishment was almost made a deadly example. He would look not kindly on her returning into the Dustroads, or upon her crawling back to ask for a favour.


    During the next few minutes the silence once again returned deeper than before and fuelled not by distrust, but a grave fear radiating of Milinda.


    The duo stopped in front of a granite altar depicting the cloaked figure of a beautiful female construct, Thanua the thieving god. Both of them dropped to their knees whispering a common prayer, before they had even ended their psalms, a deep, melodic voice joined them in, finishing with the words.


    ¡°Your everlasting servants, in life, in death, in shadow.¡± after a moment the voice went on. "Milinda, my child, do tell what has brought you to me, don''t be shy, do speak."


    Milinda¡¯s breathe stocked, and her throat closed up, her voice failing her, she turned around to face the figure. "I . . . the, waah."


    Seeing the masked man did only worsen the situation. The man was tall, and broad shouldered, but instead of being hulking he moved with the elegance of a dancer, when he reached out and slapped her across the face, hard.Taking her by surprise and impacting with such strength, the timid girl crashed to the ground, her head hitting the hard stone floor with an audible crack. Blood pulsing from her forehead, her vision blurred the masked man looked not like a human but a demon.


    "I told you to speak! So speak!" The eyes behind the mask were cold, cruel and they sparked with a disturbing intelligence. Kartor stood behind Milinda, whispering quietly.


    "Stand up, Milinda. It will only get worse." Her muscles tensed and ignoring the pain she pushed herself to her feet, she would not fail the masked man again. One eye bloodshot by the impact and blood flowing freely down her face she stood tall before her worst nightmare.


    "Fa. . . Sir, I apologize, my behaviour was foolish and not worth your presence. It will not happen again." The eyes narrowed almost as if the face behind the mask smiled.


    "You know my rules; you were not to come back without a good reason." This was neither a question nor a threat, it was simply him stating a fact, a fact that Milinda knew all too well.


    "I had already forfeited my life when I disappointed you, so all I can do is begging of you to hear me out, for the request with which I come to you is not mine but the queen''s."


    The eyes mustered her face for a moment searching for either a sign of fear or making sure she was honest. When he finally answered his voice was as neutral as before but a hint of interest could be heard.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Very well tell me of this request, I am listening."


    "The queen asks for your organization¡¯s aid in keeping an eye on the Sibalien soldiers, and specifically on the Acolyte by the Name of Sharzade Greengarden." Without giving it even a second of thought the masked man answered her.


    "Of the Greengardens, yes, she is an elusive figure, acting as the long arm for a lot of people¡¯s hidden motives and has even more secrets of her own. Milinda the deal is made; tell your queen to expect news once we find out more. Now take your leave. Kartor will lead you outside."


    Milinda and her escort had made their way towards the exit of the chapel when she heard the masked man''s voice one last time.


    "You did well, Milinda."


    Shar


    Sharzade stood atop the hill Sophia¡¯s mansion was build on and looked down into the cozy town of Talesin. Back home in Ebessa, she had spent a lot of her free time watching the roof tops, but here it was a very different feeling, everything looked different.


    There were no spiraling towers of sandstone and marble adorned with flowers and vines, or beautiful rooftop gardens fettering the air with their sweet smell. Instead the buildings were all relatively small, made from wood and dried loam, their tops covered entirely by odd pointy roofs formed of small stone-slabs, they were pretty in a culturally lacking sort of way.


    On the other hand what she truly fascinated was the fact that most big streets and even an entire marketplace was cover in chiseled rocks embedded into the mud, almost like the towns in the northern countries. Though it must have been rather time consuming to make, they did help with the muddy ground.


    Her eyes wandered for a time, taking in the architect and beautiful landscape to boot, when she spied a group of four sibaliens on patrol. Marching around for a while, looking tough and speaking to the populous they didn''t do much of interest, until a smaller figure from their group, dressed in the robes of a priest, looked around, quickly scooped up a bit of snow, and continued to dumb it all into the neck of an armored soldier.


    The victim of this childish prank began to break into such a ridiculous dance, that the young acolyte was gripped by joyful laughter and didn''t even notice the broad shadow approaching.


    She pulled her hand away only a split second before the tip of a shortsword pierced the flimsy fence she had been leaning on.


    "Wasn''t aiming for your hand, otherwise I''d hit it." Sharzade turned around to the owner of the voice, it was Taran, and looked him straight into the eyes.


    "Than what is the point of doing it? Afraid to hurt me?"


    Her voice was erring and her eyes slowly drifted down to settle on his groin. Taken aback by how shameless the woman before him seemed to be, Taran¡¯s words failed him at first before he regained his composure.


    "I . . . am interested to know what is so funny at an invasion. Also I''m not . . . interested in you . . . in that way!" Once again Shar began to laugh.


    "Actually I am beginning to think that invasions are in fact a lot of fun! Believe me daddy''s boy, I was merely teasing you, I am fully aware that you have a pretty little boy friend, or rather does he own you? I am still not sure on this part."


    Taran¡¯s body grew tense and he spat out in front of the Acolyte. His eyes glowered like the ones of an angered animal.


    "Do not evade my question and answer already, what are you planning?" A few moments went by in which Shar didn''t do much more than look at him puzzled, when she suddenly erupted into joyful laughter.


    ¡°Oh, you are adorable and so naive; I understand why the magi keeps you on a short leash. How about this, you will tell me what you are planning and in turn I will tell you what I told the queen.¡±


    While his hand griped more tightly around his blade Taran¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What plans of mine are you talking about!? The way I see it the only one scheming and threatening is you and your soldiers."


    Her face held an unreadable smile though her eyes lazily strayed over his hands. "Captain An-Senlin, please do not take me for a fool. Simply tell me what you wrote in your message to your father and I will have no need to see for myself."


    "You spied on us! And you openly admit it!"


    "Well whatever would you do about that? It is simple, really, tell me what was written in the message and your courier will not be harmed. Do we have a deal, Captain?" Taran who had used the time of their chat to close up the distance between, leaned in and whispered into her ear.


    "No deal."


    He turned around leaving Shar with a sour grimace, when all of a sudden he drew is sword and lunged for her throat. The blade slashed through the air and hit . . . nothing but tempered steel.


    ¡°Wrong move, boytoy!¡±


    Without so much as looking her right hand had drawn an intricate sabre from its scabbard and before the weapon could even nick her skin the Acolyte had parried the blow with the ease of a duellist, the tip of her weapon still facing to the ground she began adjusting her steps to Taran''s, who in turn struck out. A side step later, the sword hit only air and Shar used it to switch the blade to her left hand.


    "Come on Captain, to you really want to do this?" One step forward, a low swipe with the saber. Not letting her words distract him he saw the attack just quick enough to still dodge it.


    "You know woman, you''re good, but a noble like you hasn''t trained her entire life like me, give up!"


    "Cute." Shar didn''t waste time, instead rushed forward into his defence. An attack from the left, than a wide swinger from the top, Taran evaded the first but the second he parried, letting her get close to strike back. Their blades crossed, his free hand grappling her sword arm, he stared her down.


    "Make a move Missy and you will bleed, you''ve lost."


    Shar looked up at him with a smirk.


    "No, I haven''t. There are two things you should know. First don''t cross weapons with a cheat, and second you move and you will bleed."


    He heard an unmistakable clicking sound beneath him, looking down he saw the flintlock-pistol pressed into his crouch. Sharzade only smiled at him sweetly before sheeting her sabre and stepping away. Deciding different she stopped in her track and addressed him for a last time.


    "Captain, do not cross me again, or I will not hesitate to kill you." With that she walked out of the garden leaving Taran to the quickly approaching crowns guard.


    "The Lady of Greengardens is approaching! Open the doors!" The two Soldiers, a man and a woman, standing guard immediately went into a salute as they saw Sharzade approaching.


    ¡°At ease soldiers. There is no need to salute me, I have gone through the same training regime as you, and so as far as I am concerned we are the same.¡±


    "Yes, High Acolyte, as you wish." As Shar made her way past the two, her hand slid softly across the female soldiers chin, one alluring glance later she entered through the door.


    Shar had never liked taverns, watered down drinks paired with undesirable people that lacked the spirit of true friends or the sensual company of a sexual partner. In her mind drinks should be strong, and enjoyed with one or two lovers, not with strangers.


    But even with her disposition towards taverns she had to admit, that the soldiers had made a good job of making it feel like their home. Several large sheets of fabric were spun along the walls and the ceiling, imitating rather closely the look of a Sibalien brothel. Just like a brothel the soldiers not on duty were amusing themselves in the various ways of sexual pleasure. It was normal for them to fulfil the act while others close to them were watching and enjoying, having the effect, that the Zembian whores were more than surprised to have others sporadically come over and joined in on the pleasure.


    Observing the goings-on for the time being she finally heard heavy boots approaching accompanied by the voice of Blackwell calling out to her.


    "Shar, how come you visit us? Did the negotiations go over so badly?" His hair was dishevelled and is face red, the shirt not even closed, seems like he had been busy.


    "Hm, it is too early to say that with certainty, but yes, I have need of your soldiers, as there is a lead that needs to be followed." Gellius scratched his head in confliction. "Yeah, that''s the thing, Sharzade, as much as I would like to help you; I''m not really allowed to give you any troops."


    "What? Under whose orders!"


    "Quara''s, she still doesn''t really trust you." Sharzade let out a sigh of frustration.


    "Just . . . just bring me to her; I shall talk to her myself." "Fine, follow me, be warned though, she might be in a foul mood."


    "Nothing new there.¡± She murmured under her breath as she followed the second in command up the stairs.


    The upper floor had been decorated in a similar fashion to the tavern-room, making Shar wonder on who had decorated all this, her bet was on one of the priestesses, they were widely known for their extravagant tastes. It was the last door in the hallway that Blackwell was leading her towards and promptly knocked on.


    "Quara, Lady Greengarden wishes to speak with you."


    A short while nothing could be heard but silence from inside the room, but suddenly the door was yanked open and they both looked into the disgruntled face of the female paladin, who was wearing nothing but a hastily thrown over robe. Quara¡¯s eyes glared at Gellius who suddenly became very flustered. Her voice was filled with dry sarcasm when speaking.


    "Does she now, huh? Can''t say that I''m surprised, she is known to sometimes have clever ideas."


    Shar''s face showed no reaction to the words aside from a slight twitch of her left eyelid when she addressed Quara.


    "Paladin Quara, would you be so kind to let us speak in private?"


    "Of course, Lady Sharzade of the Greengardens, do come in!" As the two were finally alone, and Blackwell too had left, Quara let go of every last bit of faked respect for Sharzade.


    "What is it that you want, Shar? I''m busy and the last thing I wanted today was the company of a freak."


    Shar didn¡¯t even acknowledge the insult; instead she simply walked further in to the room, and jammed her hands on the desk Quara was sitting at.


    "Okay, we both know you do not like me and I do not like you, but despite this we have to work together. So in light of this you will close your mouth and listen to what I have to say." Without giving Quara the time to answer she carried on.


    "This morning I observed a meeting between the captain of the city guard, the queen''s thaumaturge and a military courier, they are planning something and we need to find out what. But for this I will need soldiers, how many can you spare?"


    After a short while Quara looked up and without blinking said. "Four."


    "Four?"


    "I need some of them to keep up presence in the city, while the rest scouts out the ruins in the mountains."


    "The ruins, what is there?" Quara seemed to think about what to say for short while, before she replied.


    "We don''t know yet, but we intend find out, it is nothing you have to be worry your pretty little head about. When should they leave?"


    "As soon as possible, and do keep me informed next time you decide to go grave robbing, yes? Just so it looks as if we would work together, should be simple enough, right?"


    "I get it Shar, now if you have nothing more to say . . . Oh, and when you leave send in Blackwell."


    Shar indeed did not have anything more to say, and she left without another word.


    She could always add another scar to Quara¡¯s face if need be.

 Chapter 4 – Dastardly Deeds (Part 1)

    <h1>Chapter 4 ¨C Dastardly Deeds </h1>


    Milinda


    The last four days had been defined by a series of political talks and diplomatic discussions. Not only had all of them been fruitless but since the fourth day protests from the Talesin population against the foreign occupation, had significantly worsened the already tense situation. Sophia looked out of the window when a familiar thin voice spoke up to her.


    "My queen, the acolyte has once again left the mansion, from what my contacts tell me she will most likely wander around the city for a few hours." Milinda hadn''t yet mentioned the fact, that Lady Greengarden had evaded her tail on several occasions, but in light of the recent events it would probably be wise to inform her.


    "Sophia, I have to . . ." Before she could finish her sentence, Queen Mathir interrupted her in a tone, which indicated that she hadn''t really been listening.


    "Milinda, child, I need you to do something for me." The maid cocked an eyebrow, wondering where this was going.


    "What would you have me do?" This time Sophia turned around and Milinda could see silent tears dripping down her cheeks.


    "Search her room, and take anything that might help me, putting pressure on this bitch born of a fucking Sibalien whore!"


    The tears stopped as her face turned into a mask of anger and something else sparked in her eyes. Never had the young thief seen the Queen this emotional, and in turn she simply bowed and quickly left the parlour.Outside of the room she couldn''t hide her smile anymore; it was a wonderful thing when one''s talents were appreciated.


    The lock on the door was simple as locks go, eliminating the need to search for a key. After a few seconds of tinkering it sprang open with only a gentle click. The door open, she slid in and began the search. The room had been mostly untouched by Shar''s presence, were it not for the black knee-high boots in a one corner and a pair of beautiful long red leather gloves on the table, one could have suspected that it was vacant. Even with Milinda¡¯s talent for finding or getting things she was not supposed to, it took her the better part of five minutes until her foot got caught on a slightly loose floorboard.


    "Clever, ripping out the floors in a house you don''t even own. Well, let see what we have here!"


    A short snicker and unwilling snort later she had her hands on several sheets of paper and a small lacquered box. The letters, written in some sort of code, were nothing she could decipher, so instead she looked over the box. It had no clear way to open it but a peculiar circle made of symbols on the top peeked her interest.


    Had she known even a little of thaumaturgy she would have dropped the box immediately, but her naive curiosity pushed her towards touching the surface. The very second her skin made contact with the surface, a burning sensation shot up her arm, and a large red burn mark was starting to swell on her hand and forearm.


    ¡°Argh! It fucking hurts! Shit!¡±


    Tears dropped from her eyes as she regarded her arm with a pained look. As quickly as she could, she grabbed a tapestry, wrapped the box inside with the papers. Clutching the package together with her burned arm she made her exit.


    Shar


    Sharzade had known that this mission would be difficult, but still it gnawed on her. Just a half an hour ago she had made all kinds of promises and assurances to Queen Mathir, despite both of them knowing, that the emperor would never keep them. With the day''s going by her old worries came back, she had been right from the start.This was no diplomatic mission, but just a ploy by the holy matrons or maybe even her very own mother to get her cursed arse out of Ebessa.


    Making sure no one was around she slowly slid down the taverns balcony door until she reached the floorboards, and an exhausted sigh escaped her lips. As far as she was concerned this assignment couldn''t be over soon enough. Looking from her little hiding spot over the once again crowded streets and neat roofs a realization dawned on her, being here would change nothing, war was coming for this land. Despite using the fear of it for leverage, she had hoped the queen would relent.


    All that was left to do now was to inform the empire, the generals and priests would be overjoyed at the chance to prove their mettle, the soldiers themselves, well they would mostly focus on not dying. And Allain, what would he say to these developments? With that thought she dozed off.


    Shar''s dreams were suddenly interrupted, when she felt a painful tugging on her mind. Realizing the feeling for what it was, a low growl made its way up her throat. With her eyes burning in anger and fury in her voice a savage yell erupted from within her.


    ¡°These honourless bastards, how dare they touch it?¡±


    As she almost kicked in the balcony door on entry, the soldiers waiting in the tavern peeked up from their activities. Jabbing the air with her finger she quickly pointed at two of them.


    ¡°You and you, come with me!¡± Whilst the soldiers had orders not to follow up on any of Shar¡¯s request regarding deployment, her facial expression and the fury in her voice made them obey none the less.


    Marea


    One of the people in the back of the bar, Marea Tealeaf, incidentally one the women that Shar had been flirting with for the last few days, frowned at this display. But right after the trio had left trough the door she grabbed her sword and a fairly sizeable flint-lock rifle and followed them outside, her face an unreadable mask of conflicting emotions.


    The entire way to the mansion the small group was met with disrespect and hostility, the people were fed up with them and it became noticeable, yet Shar was visibly fuming with so much rage that none of the onlookers dared to try anything. The walk took longer than expected, as in her anger Sharzade had completely forgotten about the Orni and instead half walked half ran towards the mansion, her normally terrifyingly silent steps turned into something akin to the trampling of a large beast.


    All the while the young Acolyte said not a word to her companions, only grumbling incoherent swearwords, she hadn¡¯t even realised that Marea had been following them.They reached the Mansions front gates with more than a few curious onlookers in tow, the citizens and guard had long realized that Shar was someone important. It seemed that some of them now hoped for her to do something stupid. To be fair she herself had also been wondering what Shar was up too, but she was sure of one thing, it would certainly be interesting, though more interesting would be the body count.


    Her attention was brought back to the here and now as Sharzade¡¯s voice cut through the air. Shar had approached the two men guarding the gate, one hand on her sabre.


    ¡°You guards! Out of my way, I have business in the mansion and I shall not be stopped!¡±


    The guards were unusually heavy armoured, both of them wore full plate with a closed face guard, just a day ago there had been simple city guards stationed here, and now the royal guard, something was definitely not right. The two guards did not yield as Marea had expected, instead they actually blocked of the entrance with their halberds. One of them spoke up, his voice flat, but with underlying anger.


    ¡°You no longer have entrance rights, turn around and leave!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Shar¡¯s nostrils flared in a fleeting attempt to keep her breathing controlled, and Marea could see her both of her hands begin to glow underneath the gloves, interesting. Before either party could act though, Marea raised her rifle towards the group. Several people screamed out and soon she was standing in her own little ring of people, they obviously had a hard time figuring her out. She wasn¡¯t wearing the Soldiers armour and her face was cloaked, but as soon as she spoke her melodic accent made clear where she came from.


    ¡°A wouldn¡¯ do that if a were you.¡± She said to no one in particular but both Shar and the guards were facing her now, Shar showing clear confusion, fuck was she cute.


    For the first time in her life her finger trembled on the trigger. The indication of tight muscles playing under her clothes and the immaculate honey-coloured skin was just godly and how those lush lips frowned together with her perfect eyebrows. She was ripped out of her daydreams when the guard that had spoken before now advanced on her.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah, this not somethin¡¯ you should do.¡± She turned her rifle to face him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of your lousy boom stick, wench, don¡¯t make me hurt you!¡± The man seemed irritated but was also incredibly rude; they really had no manners up here in the mountains.


    ¡°A don¡¯ think you quite understand, this bullet will rip trough you¡¯ helmet, bone and brain and come out the other side again. So unless you wan¡¯ that I suggest you let the Lady trough.¡± The guard froze up upon hearing this, she wasn¡¯t actually sure if a clean head shot was possible with the helmet, but she had always been good at bluffing.


    ¡°Hm!¡±


    With a grunt he ordered the other guard to step aside, seems like he didn¡¯t want to test the limits of Sibalien firearms this day. Marea had to admit she was a little disappointed at that, but what could she do, the orders were clear. When she walked up to the rest of the Sibalien soldiers, her rifle all the while trained on the guards, Shar¡¯s lips stretch in to something between a smile and a snarl.


    ¡°I had the situation under control, Marea. But thanks anyway, I guess.¡± With one last evil look to the guard the acolyte motioned the other two soldiers to follow her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    On their way through the mansion all the servants that actually were present, quickly rushed out of their path, fearing to be hurt by the angry woman. It seemed that Shar knew more or less exactly where to go, but at one point she raised her head in the air and seemed to sniff something, before quickly marching on.


    ¡°This way, I need check on something beforehand. All of you stay outside the room.¡± A minute or so went by when Marea suddenly heard Sharzade cry out.


    ¡°They took it! Not only had they the audacity to touch it, they took it from me! I¡¯ll make those fucks pay . . .¡± Crashing the door open she rushed out of the room, her eyes flickering with madness she snarled at the soldiers


    ¡°Move!¡±


    Keeping her cool Marea only raised an eyebrow; someone forgot to take their medicine it seems. The last stretch to their destination was only accompanied by the trampling of their boots and the low growling of Shar¡¯s breath.


    Shar


    How could they have taken it! It was hers! They had no right to take it. And the letters were also gone, oh, screw the letters she only wanted the box. The smell came from upstairs, so upstairs she would go and the only thing in this direction was the Thaumaturge¡¯s tower. She should have known that the girly-boy had something to do with this, but she had never expected him to be so stupid to steal a cursed object.


    It was only thanks to the nature of curse on herself that she was able to touch the box without suffering the backlash. The biggest benefit of cursing an object bound to your own body was the ability to track it; on the other hand every halfway decent thaumaturge and most Magi would have been able to follow the strong bond between her and the item once in their possession, which was one of the reasons why she was getting it back now, that and the fact that she desperately needed her medicine.


    Despite the guards at the gate letting them pass without a fight, Shar knew that the mansion would quickly resemble a hornets¡¯ nest and she had no intention of being up against the entire Royal guard. Just as they were halfway up the stairs and she noticed several voices in the tower, a loud alarm bell could be heard from the courtyard. They would be here in a few minutes so she would have to act quickly; quickly and viciously.


    The door separating the tower room from the Sibalien soldiers was made into a terrifying example of Shar¡¯s strength, as it with stood two heavy impacts before the hinges and lock were ripped out of the frame. As it swung open only the last of the hinges broke off and with a dull thud the reinforced wooden door fell to the ground. Shar stood in the door slowly lowering her foot, as a low growl escaped her.


    ¡°Look what we have here, a Magi, a guard and a thief. Now who of you has what belongs to me?¡±


    Seeing her approaching the first to react was Taran, rushing forward at her with the blade but he quickly stopped when he faced the barrel of Marea¡¯s rifle.


    ¡°Ah, not a step closer to the Lady.¡± Marea quickly surveyed the room.¡°Lady Greengarden, how do you wish to handle this?¡±


    Shar¡¯s eyes seemed to immediately change from murderous intend to humorous glee. ¡°That is a good question is it not. Well despite what I would like to do, I will give all of you one chance to give up both my possessions and the thief. Oh, and another thing, Magi.¡±


    Turning her gaze to Belsain she continued. ¡°I can feel the residue of the curse, so do not try to fool me.¡±


    With a sigh the Thaumaturge collapsed into a nearby chair, clasping his forehead. ¡°I know. Had it been me to take your stuff, I wouldn¡¯t have touched that disgusting thing.¡±


    Suddenly furious, Belsain spat out in front of Shar. ¡°But still! You marked the girl that is just inhuman! Who does something like that?¡±


    Milinda looked from one to the other, her fear plainly visible. She could not understand how Belsain and Taran could be so passive. The worst was by far the look in Sharzade¡¯s eyes as she glanced over to Malinda in the corner; they were like a cat looking at a trapped bird, all malicious intent.


    ¡°Ha! You already falter and admit that it was the scrawny maid? There is no fight in you at all. Give her to me than.¡±


    Belsain was more than perplexed by this nonchalant statement and immediately placed himself between her and the girl, the air growing noticeably colder.


    ¡°No! You can have what was taken but you have no right to take your revenge on a child.¡± He quickly opened up a small cupboard and threw the contents towards Shar.


    ¡°Leave now; you have what you came for!¡±


    Shar¡¯s grin in this moment could only be described as positively evil, as she bend down to picked up the lacquered box from the pile.


    ¡°No. I did not come to get the letters; I came to make an example and an example there will be.¡±


    Before she could advance on the two, the sound of a rifle shot penetrated the room. Just as Shar was about to turn, a rough hand gripped her hair from behind while another pressed cold sharp steel against her throat. Taran had, while the attention was focused on the Acolyte, ducked underneath Marea¡¯s sight making the shot graze his shoulder while he had dashed towards Sharzade.


    His hand holding the knife did not tremble and he was filled with an iron resolve as he spoke up. ¡°Now, Lady Greengarden, tell your soldiers and whoever that bitch with a rifle is to leave, and you little Miss might just get out of here alive. I am so done with your games, tricks and cheats!¡±


    ¡°Very well than, no more tricks.¡±


    Sharzade¡¯s face held for the first time in this conversation not a smile, but the clear promise of pain. In one fluid motion almost too quick to follow her left hand shoot upwards intercepting the knife, grabbing it by the blade, as she hurled her head backwards connecting with Taran¡¯s nose in a sickening crunch. Still recoiling from the pain the Captain didn¡¯t have enough time to dodge the knee that followed up into his crown jewels. The right swinger to his temple was almost more of an afterthought at this point but it still held enough force to knock him out cold.


    Shar slowly pumped her fist, trying to get over the numb pulsing pain, which came with almost breaking a skull. ¡°Good, you have just lost any right to argue. Give me the girl.¡±


    This time Shar did not let herself be stopped and walked right past Belsain, giving him a glare that would have silenced a rabid wardog. Seeing this Milinda immediately fell onto her ass and crawled away from the terrifying woman.


    ¡°Lady Belsain, please, you can¡¯t do this to me! Don¡¯t give me up please!¡±


    The Magi only ground his teeth and a sad sigh escaped his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It is better this way.¡±


    ¡°How smart of you to give up a pawn to win the game, Magi. I will make sure she is not broken too badly. Oh, and do visit the square in the morrow.¡±


    Having reached the wall behind her Milinda could only raise her hands in a feeble attempt to shield her from the impending doom.


    ¡°No! Stay away! Don¡¯t come any closer! No! No! Begone!¡±


    Her cries ended in a gurgle as Shar¡¯s hand clasped around her throat, hard enough to compress her jugular but not eough to suffocated her


    ¡°I will not, for I will have much fun with you.¡±


    As they turned to leave, Shar dragging the maid by her throat, several people came rushing up the stairs, one of them Queen Sophia, who looked more than shocked.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing!?¡±


    But the Sibalien noble did not stop; instead she drew her sabre a few centimetres from its scabbard, energy crackled along the blade in a clear show of power.


    ¡°The situation has been cleared with your Thaumaturge. For the sake of your country, do not interfere. The two soldiers will retrieve all my belongings. This will be my last visit to the mansion. You know where to find me should your decision change.¡± With this the Sibaliens turned to leave.


    Apparently the Queen had received some sort of signal from the Magi, as she made way with a terrified look on her face. After they had left the mansion behind and were on their way to the Inn, Marea looked at the girl Sharzade was dragging behind.


    ¡°What do you inten'' to do with the shrimp?¡±


    ¡°A proper punishment, for a stray cat.¡±


    From behind her back the Lady of Greengarden retrieved a white leather whip, used to train animals.

 Trivia Chapter #3

    Trivia Chapter #3


    The Breaches:


    - Account of a survivor dated the year 3841, shortly after Sulazars betrayal; found in the Royal Library of Ebessa ¨C


    * It has been three days I think since it all went to Hel. I don¡¯t know why I started to write down my thoughts, it just seem right I guess; at least like this I won¡¯t be forgotten if I die. It¡¯s a bleak thought I know but what can I do with these rifts in the sky, nothing is certain anymore.


    They seem to appear in random intervals some bigger some smaller, but always letting something trough, even if you can¡¯t see it. If seen strange animals fall out of them, wierd contraptions or even molten metal pouring out of one of them; destroyed an entire city block that one did.


    Though that¡¯s not all; one of my girls she . . . she changed. It happened yesterday, we were still on the run and one of these rifts or breaches how some people call them, appeared right next to us. Lalia was the closest to it at the time, by the time we reached another group of people the changes had begun, like hair on her ears and stuff, and she was in terrible pain . . . had a fever too. And then in the evening it had stopped and she looked like a catperson? I¡¯m so confused, she likes it though, says it¡¯s cute, the little one has started to play with Laila¡¯s new tail, I guess it¡¯s makes it all look a little less terrifying. Hmph, my girls . . . At least it¡¯s seems to die down now . . . Hmm, there was a metal creature outside . . . I think?


    They¡¯re dead! My little girls are dead! I¡¯m sorry Anita my Love, I can¡¯t take this life anymore . . . we¡¯ll see each other soon . . . *


    Of Changelings and the Accursed:


    by Magi Sularia of the House Asaris


    Since the opening of the Breaches about 113 years ago, our society has begun to change. Some would say it changed for the worst; others claim these ¡®changes¡¯ to come from the gods. I have no Illusions about this, as Suralzar said so long ago, whether it is the work of gods or man, whether it is good or bad, neither does matter, for it has happened and we shall study it. Of course what I am talking about, evidently by the title, is the difference between Changelings and the Accursed.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Let¡¯s get the most important part out of the way at the beginning; they are similar, but distinctly different. Another thing is, that despite people calling the Accursed monsters and even plain evil, it is only so, that due to their extremely high potential for causing damage that they are seen so; in the end they are as a people no more ¡®evil¡¯ than a falling boulder crushing you into paste. No, they are more a force of nature.


    Coming back to the topic at hand, it should be important to point out specificly what the two groups are. In the most simples of descriptions, Changelings and Accursed are humans that have been exposed to a high concentration of corrupted Flow. Causing several distinct symptoms the most obvious being their body mutations. One this thought it should be pointed out that whilst it being named ¡®Corrupted Flow¡¯ it isn¡¯t in anyway bad or evil it is only different from the normal Flow, and it doesn¡¯t follow the rules of thaumaturgy and Magi cannot control it. This of course means that it is almost impossible to stop, especially when the cause is a breach and not an artefact.


    Focusing once more on the thesis, it is actually pretty easy to see the difference between the two groups. Changelings are humans with stronger or lesser evident animal characteristics. For example Snake like people or those with antelope features. These changes are as close to nature as it gets meaning that these people can still reproduce normally; though because the traits are dominant a child will most often develop the features of the changeling parent. The interesting part in this is, that different changeling groups cannot bear children with each other or with Magi, indicating an interesting trend in the human population to diverge into distinct species over time.


    This also brings us to the Accursed, because no matter how much time passes, they will never form races of their own, as not one of them has ever born a child. It is un-known if this is due o them being sterile or if they are so distinct from human anatomy and each other that reproduction is plain impossible. Their changes are not only biological but on a thaumaturgical, and scientific level. The first difference is that the transformation is actually feed by the flow, by cutting them off from it the changes can be halted, but a fully develop accursed would suffer from the missing exposure and eventually die; not that it would really be easy to ever cut an adult Accursed of the flow. The second difference is, that accurse can manifest significant differences two Changelings or humans, ranging from claws made of metal to perfect night vision, or even a skin as resistant as if made from flexible bone. The third and probably most glaring difference is the fact that all Accursed carry a so called curse, hence the name, it is a mental deficiency or compulsion that even strong willed individuals have a hard time dealing with, the positive side of the curse on the other hand is, that almost all Accursed have severely elevated brain functions, and almost innate understanding of the Flow and of thaumaturgy.


    One might envision a Magi contracting such a curse . . . the possibilities are terrific.