“You do possess excellent spying skills,” Red confessed. “Are you here to take me back to my room?”
“No.”
“Did Robyn send you to wake me up?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?” Red demanded. She was starting to become irritated with the child’s mystery, and her large eyes made her uneasy.
The young elf, Junna Flori, blinked her moon-sized eyes, the universe swirling amongst twinkling stars identical to Eliseo’s. Her simple dress was made from cotton, the hem covered in a layer of mud and dirt.
Her smiling face also had streaks of mud across it, despite the fact that it could only be a few hours past dawn. Her hands were tucked behind her back, but Red assumed that they were as dirty as the rest of her.
“I felt you.”
“You what?” Red asked, perplexed by the vagueness in everything the child talked of.
Junna untucked her arms from behind her back, her pink hands grasping the tin box Eliseo had given Red what seemed like years ago. “I felt your aura,” Junna continued. “I have been following it for some time now, but today it called to me.”
Red marched around the chair, snatching the box out of the elf’s hands. “You had no right taking this.”
“Why haven’t you opened it yet?” Junna asked, genuinely curious. “I thought my uncle told you to open it.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than just cracking open the lid,” Red replied, her eyes avoiding the girl’s gaze. Believe me, I’ve tried, Red thought.
“You just keep trying to blow it up,” Junna stated as if she had heard Red’s thoughts. Red would not be surprised if that fact were true.
Red pushed the chair under the table. She was ready to head to her room and start her day, but the girl followed half a step behind her. “Don’t you have someone else to bother?” Red asked, trying to keep her temper from spilling over the edge. She was almost never in the mood to talk to children, let alone children who would not leave her alone.
“You should try using your magic on it.”
Red counted to five in her head before turning to the girl. She let out a long, hard sigh, but was annoyed to find that she did not feel any better afterwards. Red kneeled in the dirt, her bare knees pushing into the soft ground.
“Listen to me, Junna. Not that this is any of your business, but I have been using my magic to try to open this stupid box. I have run out of every potion ingredient and used every spell that I could think of. Until I can find a weapon big enough to crack the lid, this box will remain closed.”
“But your aura,” Junna Flori argued. “Your aura called to me.”
“My ‘aura’ is no more special than any other magic wielder,” Red sighed.
Red was about to stand back up to leave when Junna whispered, “No.”—Red paused mid-retreat—“Your aura is very different compared to most.”
Red turned back toward the elf. She plopped down in the dirt, sitting cross-legged as she waited for a detailed explanation. “I’m assuming you won’t let me leave until you tell me about it.”
Junna did not pay attention to Red as she continued, her eyes fixed on the space surrounding Red. “I shall start with the gifts granted at your birth.
“There is the green, a quality that holds healing magic. The orange has granted you with an abundance of knowledge. And then there is the pink. It is a very typical gift of beauty, and there are specks of it that roam throughout your entire aura. It is quite beautiful. The way everything glows with that pink.”
Junna paused to finally look back at Red for confirmation. When she did not even receive a nod of agreement, she continued to push forward, completely unbothered by Red’s lack of aura knowledge. “The red is where your true powers come from. These are the powers that the Maker blessed you with. This ruby surrounds you, fills you. It is like a butterfly’s cocoon. It flows and touches all other granted magic within your aura. This magic can only be wielded by you.”
“The seven kingdoms do not like it when people like me have these powers,” Red interrupted. She wrapped her arms around her legs, her chin resting between her dirty knees. “Any of them would kill for their armies to possess what I have.”
Junna Flori nodded in agreement, but her eyes were still out of focus. “I see a sliver of gold that weaves tightly around your body. This is your life magic, granted to you by the Maker herself. That is the only magic that I can see within everyone, but it will fade quickly in the face of death.”
Junna closed her eyes, her brows furrowing together as if she were deeply focusing on Red’s aura and could only do so when she could not see the rest of the world. “There is also a darkness that is woven into your aura. I can only see it now, for it is well concealed within your shadow.”
Red looked down at her barely visible shadow, peering at it as if she could see swirls of darkness hidden in it.
Junna reached out, her small fingers resting on the tips of Red’s knees. Red shivered as the Mienai elf’s cold hands stole her own warmth away. She wanted to move away, but she felt her body freeze in place as she waited for Junna to speak again.
Junna’s voice fell into a hushed whisper. “You have been blessed by another powerful being, but one of darkness instead of the Maker’s light. These powers are full of pain and fear. They want more from you, but you push them away. They are trying to eat away at the feeble cage that you have locked them in.”
Junna pulled her hands back with a gasp as if she had been burned by Red’s skin. She cradled her hands to her chest, her eyes focusing back on Red in the real world. “You have been blessed by the Destroyer!”
Red lurched upright, her legs wobbling underneath her. She fell against the door frame, the scratch of the wood against her back anchoring her. She jumped as Ryker Flori burst into the room, his eyes blazing for a fight.
“What happened in here?” the elf demanded.
Junna Flori’s small shoulders shook as she tried to hold back the tears that were flowing into an ocean underneath her eyelids. Ryker dropped his spear as he rushed to her side, his hands searching to make sure that she had not been injured.
“What’s wrong with her?” Red inquired more harshly than she had intended. Ryker gave up on comforting his sister as he glared up at Red. The anger in his eyes turned into full rage as he looked up at the assassin.
“She doesn’t know how to control her powers,” Ryker stated angrily. “They keep developing the more she uses them, and we don’t have a trained seer who can help her harness them. Why would you let her look at you?”
“I-I am-m s-s-so-rry,” Junna hiccupped in between her sobs.
“That’s all right. Shh-shh. Do not worry your little mind about anything,” Ryker cooed, his tone uncharacteristically soft for someone so tough.
“She sought me out,” Red defended. “I wanted nothing to do with her wistful speech about my aura.”
The group turned as they heard more people shuffle down the corridor. Robyn Thorn and Eliseo Flori burst into the room with as much grace as a herd of goblins. “What happened?” both demanded as they took in the scene.
“Oh my dear child,” Eliseo murmured, holding his arms out to Junna. The young elf immediately rushed into her uncle’s embrace, her head burying itself in his slim shoulder. “What did we say about using your powers on guests?”
“Her aura, hic, called to me, hic,” Junna Flori whispered between breaths. “I couldn’t ignore it anymore; it was like a siren song.”
“Am I the only one who has no idea what is going on?” Robyn Thorn said, his eyes falling from one being to the next. He turned toward Red, his face full of shock. “I leave you in here for half an hour and you managed to make someone cry.”
“Why am I the bad guy here?” Red demanded. “I told her not to read my aura and she did it anyway. This is all on her.”
“You must know how hard it is for a young child to control her powers,” Eliseo implied.
Red thought back to the ma
ny months where she had been forced to work on her growing source of power. She remembered how much she hated the dozens of teachers that were hired and fired every month because they could not train her—could not fix her.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Red said after a long pause that proved she was lying.
“Oh get off your high horse,” Robyn snapped. “You can’t let your pride go for one moment to calm down a clearly distressed girl?”
“You have no idea how different our cases are,” Red stated. She pushed her finger into Robyn’s chest as she glared up at him. “Seers can only look into time and space. My magic is not comparable to hers in any way.”
“Let’s not get worked up here,” Elsieo Flori said, trying to calm the room. “No one is to blame except myself right now because I have failed to get Junna the proper training that she needs. Your magic is indeed special, Red. But you have ignored that fact for quite some time now.”
Eliseo gave a long sigh, his fingers combing through Junna’s cotton candy hair. “Maybe it was a good thing that Junna was able to see your aura. It could be the push that you need in order to fulfill your duties and open Estra Ayrith’s box.”
Red looked down at the box in her hands with shame as Eliseo Flori called her out. She had been ignoring Estra’s task for as long as she could manage when she realized that her Maker-Blessed magic was not going to do the trick. She would not let on that she hated her powers for not being able to complete a task as simple as opening a lid.
“The means that are needed to open this box put everyone at risk,” Red stated quietly, her eyes cast down to look at the box resting in her hands. She looked at Eliseo still comforting his disturbed niece. “I’m not going to fulfill the wishes of a ghost if I have to put myself at risk.”
“You put yourself at risk every day by not learning to control those powers,” Eliseo Flori retorted simply. He turned his full attention back to Junna who had finally stopped crying—the young elf looked drained from the entire encounter.
Eliseo wrapped his arms around her small frame, ushering her out of the room so that she could rest in her own bed. Ryker Flori followed suit, quietly cursing at Red as he picked up his spear and returned to his post.
Red looked at Robyn, trying to gauge whether he still believed her to be at fault for the whole situation. Her shoulders sank when he shook his head at her and ran out into the hall to catch up to Eliseo and Junna.
Red looked down at the box in her hands with nothing less than contempt. She cursed Estra’s name, hoping that it would reach her withering corpse.
Red trudged back to her room, sliding between the cool sheets as she tucked herself into her cot. Red laid there, doing her best to fall asleep even though she had never felt more awake.
Chapter 24
The tall, elegant man strode through the dark, disturbed halls of the Rogue Manor. His golden hair was swept off his face in a shining gold bow. Silk made up his entire ensemble of ruffled pants and capped sleeves.
He looked like royalty. He smelled like royalty. And this man would accept nothing less than the royal treatment.
His uplifted chin never dipped. And his sharp eyes did not stray from the leering Kingdom Rogues that he passed. His manners were deadlier than all their weapons combined. His pursed lips turned down into a frown when Harry Ordom appeared before him.
“We are honored by your presence,” the butler proclaimed with a low bow. “However, my master is in a very important meeting at the moment, and he is not to be disturbed. If you’ll kindly wait—”
The man looked down his long nose at Harry, his glare stopping the old man from saying another word. In a thick, nasally Perancinian accent he instructed, “I do not care. My beloved queen does not wait for anyone. And the information that Arthur Welin, your master, holds, greatly intrigues her.”
He stopped to raise his chin higher still, disgust crossing over his features as he rolled his eyes. “I am the queen’s royal advisor,” he added sharply. “And if I say my queen does not wait, she does not wait.”
The man stepped around Harry smoothly. He continued down the hall without a backwards glance to see if the butler would follow. The carpet softened the thump of his heeled leather shoes, but his walk was no less powerful as he came upon Arthur’s study doors.
The royal advisor swept into the private office with a flourish of shimmering ruffles and pleated pants. His entrance was much less welcomed by the distracted Arthur Welin. The beautiful man looked down at the Kingdom Rogue leader, his eyes glimmering as he took in the woman sitting atop his lap.
“I apologize for interrupting your important meeting,” the man bit out. He tilted his head to the side as if he were trying to study the pair better. “If I had known what I was walking into, I would have at least knocked first.”
Arthur Welin practically threw the woman off of him as he tried to adjust his upset wardrobe. He snarled at Harry who stood in the doorway, eyes averted. “I told you to inform me when mister Duhmer arrived.”
“Master Napoleon Duhmer, Perancis’ Royal Advisor, is here to see you,” Harry stated quickly before ushering the flustered courtesan out of the room.
Arthur finally turned to the man when Harry Ordom closed the doors with a click and took his place at his side. “I was not expecting you until later tonight,” he stated plainly, desperately trying to move around his embarrassment.
“Clearly,” Napoleon Duhmer stated cruelly. A smirk lined his thin lips, but the amusement in it did not reach his hard eyes. “By the looks of it, you thought you had all day to waste before I arrived.”
Arthur Welin let out a quick laugh that also did not contain any humor in it. He leaned forward in his seat, staring up at the royal advisor. “You came to me for information. I suggest you watch your comments.”
The royal advisor gracefully sat in the seat across from Arthur, flipping out his coat tails so as not to wrinkle them. “Are you threatening me?” he asked, feigning shock.
“I am just giving you some advice,” Arthur returned with a nod of his head. He snapped at Harry who carried a tray over to the royal advisor, offering him a cup of cold tea.
The royal advisor waved the offering away, turning his nose up at the stale drinks. “Is this how you treat all of your esteemed guests?” Napoleon asked with a sneer.
“Only the most highly esteemed,” Arthur shot back dryly.
“Well, in that case,” Napoleon Duhmer continued, “I suggest that we move on with this meeting. My beloved queen does not like to be kept waiting, and I abide by her every wish.”
“Such a well-groomed dog you are,” Arthur teased, not fazed by the advisor’s rude attitude. He hated the royals more than any other member of the Kingdom Rogues, but he knew how to work the corrupt system to his advantage. “I am surprised you even agreed to meet me here.”
Napoleon eyed Harry Ordom warily, not willing to give away any of his own information freely. “You made it clear that you would not meet with me anywhere else. I had no choice but to come to your rundown section of these woods.”
Arthur Welin took the advisor’s insult in stride, his countenance returned to its naturally cold state. He snapped his fingers at Harry again, the butler immediately turning toward his master. The butler bowed without Arthur having to say a word—his orders perfectly clear.
When Harry shuffled out of the office, the Kingdom Rogue leader turned his attention toward his desk. His dalliance with the courtesan woman had left his documents in a scattered heap. He gathered the stray pieces of parchment, taking his time in making sure that each pile was straightened to perfection.
“I will not wait all day for you,” Napoleon Duhmer stated through clenched teeth. “And I assume your woman doesn’t want that either.”
Arthur stopped his shuffling and looked up at the advisor, his face bored. “We need to come to an agreement on your payment before we can begin.”
“You’ll get paid a fair price as long as your informati
on is valid,” the royal advisor returned. Napoleon folded his hands together, his fingers resting lightly under his pointed chin as his elbows rested on the arms of his chair.
“Your idea of a fair price is not sending your troops in to burn my empire to the ground,” Arthur commented. He leaned back in his chair, his right foot coming to balance on his knee. “I need a little more assurance that I am not being cheated for such precious information.”
Arthur Welin grinned as he saw Perancis’s Royal Advisor shift uncomfortably in his chair. He tilted his head to the side in amusement, eyes gleaming in the light of the candles around the room. “I bet I can persuade at least one other kingdom to pay me handsomely for these secrets. And from what I remember, that kingdom was pretty high on your list of enemies.”
“Airaldan is of no concern to me or my queen,” Napoleon Duhmer retorted, his pale cheeks pink with an angry flush. “I doubt they would even care for what you know.”
“You assume that I know next to nothing. How can you be certain that my information didn’t come straight from the source?”
Napoleon’s mouth formed a thin line as he tried to assess whether the assassin leader was lying or just toying with him. They had not agreed upon the price of their bargain in their many correspondences, but he knew that his beloved queen wanted the information at any cost. He was equipped to pay handsomely, but Napoleon Duhmer was less than happy to give away the gold from the last stores of the castle’s vaults.
“I am willing to promise thirty gold pieces up front,” he stated after a long pause for deliberation. He reached into the many folds of his coat sleeves and jacket pockets, producing a very thick coin purse. He counted the pieces slowly, setting each coin down on Arthur Welin’s desk with each individual clink.
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