My will crashed against the shell of the dark font of pain, and I felt it recoil in surprise at my attack. With the contact, I instantly recognized what it was: the semi-sentient remains of some wicked curse that had been cast upon her. It had the putrid taste of the Defiler’s corruption magic, and the foul stench of it erupted as the outer walls that protected the dark seed cracked beneath the raw power that I’d unleashed on it.
The corrupt seed tried to draw its own power back in an attempt to fend off my attack, but I seized upon the breach I’d made in its defenses and pushed with all my might into its center. I felt the seed’s strength grow as it gathered its energy back, but it was already too late—the fissure I’d made with my first blow spread wide open, and without its shell, the energy of the dark seed lost its center and began to dissipate right before me. The fading of the corrupt energy did not come without consequences, however, and I felt it wreaking havoc within Irisse as it slowly dissolved away into nothingness. It was painful to watch, and I did the only thing I could think of to ease her suffering, by spreading my own tendrils throughout her body, and infusing her with feelings of comfort and support.
When the last shred of the dark energy finally drifted away, I slowly pulled my influence out of Irisse, and braced myself for the repercussions of my actions as I waited for her to open her eyes again.
“What happened?” Jessah asked urgently as I came back to myself.
“Tell me what you saw.” I said in return.
“She… she called your name,” Jessah stuttered. “She told you to run away.”
“It was the damnedest thing, Empress,” Ella added. “It was as if she was trying to warn you off.”
“I’m fairly certain that I cured her,” I said, and Jessah nearly fell to the floor in relief. “Do you know why someone would want to place a curse on her?”
“A what?!?” Jessah replied in shock.
“I do,” Irisse whispered softly beside me.
“Tell me, Irisse, why would someone want do that to you?” I asked her.
She hesitated as she glanced at Ella and I realized that the issue might involve something rather delicate, so I asked Ella to wait outside for a moment. She refused at first, but finally yielded when I let her know, quite firmly, that it was an order, and not a request.
“I wasn’t always a serving girl,” she whispered. “I… did other things for money once.”
She hesitated, in obvious discomfort over the admission she’d made.
“Nobody cares about that, Irisse,” I reassured her, and she nodded back to me as she continued.
“When I decided to stop doing that, my employer got really mad at me,” she confessed. “He swore that I’d never have a day of peace until I came back to work for him again.”
“Who is this piece of shit?” I asked her as her story kindled my anger. “I’ll make sure he’s the one who doesn’t have another day of peace.”
Irisse smiled at me for a moment before revealing the man’s identity.
“His name was Jorum, Empress.”
That came as a bit of a shock to me. I mean, what were the odds, really? The web of my life, and the lives that I affected, seemed to be a carefully orchestrated tangle of intertwined threads that all led back to me, over and over again.
“I guess I’m a little ahead of myself then,” I finally returned her smile
“I’d say so,” Jessah replied as she took hold of Irisse’s hand.
“I need to know something before I leave, Irisse,” I said to her, before reconsidering. “Actually, two things.”
“First,” I began without waiting. “Do you have any memory of what happened? Of what I did to break the curse?”
“No, I don’t,” she replied, almost with a sense of disappointment.
“You were talking while she was looking inside you,” Jessah interrupted. “You tried to warn her away.”
“I have no memory of that,” Irisse replied weakly.
“It’s alright,” I soothed her. “That’s not important.”
“What’s actually important is the answer to my next question,” I began reluctantly, fearing what I might hear.
“I need to know if what I’ve done has affected you in any way,” I inquired. “Beyond just removing the curse. Do you feel anything different, like a bond or a link to me inside you?”
I hadn’t felt anything. There had been no bond or link formed between us, at least as far as I could tell, but before I could relax—before I could release the tension that had been building inside me the entire time, I needed to make sure that Irisse hadn’t felt anything either.
“No, Empress,” she replied after seeming to search within herself for a while. “I don’t.”
What a relief!!! I had actually managed to heal someone without creating any deeper attachment. I’d feared to help anyone for just that reason, but it seemed that the bond that had formed when I healed Ella was not something that would always occur. The reason was somewhat obvious to me then—the bond had been created between us because I was already attracted to her in that way, and she shared that attraction as well. I realized that if I could control myself, and limit how much of myself I actually poured into my tendrils, it just might be safe for me to delve into anyone I didn’t have those sorts of feelings for. While it was not a theory that I felt confident enough to test without reason, I felt reassured that I could try to heal anyone I found who was in need of my help.
“Wait, please,” Jessah held onto my arm as I tried to rise and leave the room.
“What is it, Jessah?” I asked.
“Is that why you said no to me?” Jessah ignored me and asked Irisse. “Because of your past?”
“Yes,” Irisse began to cry as she replied. “I’ll understand if you want me to leave now that you know.”
“Didn’t you hear what the Empress just said to you?” Jessah responded as she shook her head and her own tears fell. “Nobody cares about that!”
“But I was a wh—”
“Don’t you dare call yourself that in my presence,” I cut her off with my hand over her mouth.
“You are who you are now, Irisse,” I said as I pulled my hand away. “And you’re only hurting yourself, and Jessah, by denying that.”
“You still want to be with me?” Irisse asked hesitantly.
“Nothing’s changed, Irisse,” Jessah replied. “Nothing.”
As she spoke, Jessah pulled a thin gold band from her pocket and held it out to Irisse. Irisse was obviously overcome with emotion when she saw the ring before her, and her hand shook as she took it from Jessah’s fingers.
“Would you bless us as you did the others, Empress?” Jessah asked me.
“It would be my honor,” I replied sincerely.
I took Jessah’s hand in mine, and placed Irisse’s over it before offering the same blessing I had given to each of the couples I had joined during the diplomatic reception, with a little twist.
“On this day, I am truly honored to bless your union. May the rest of your days be spent together in the happiness you both so richly deserve.”
“Thank you,” they both offered in unison.
“You’re welcome,” I smiled back at them as I closed the door behind me and left them alone for a while.
“You may want to cover Jessah’s shift for a while,” I told Annia when I got back downstairs. “I managed to cure Irisse and they just got married, so I think they deserve at least a little time off.”
“Irisse finally said yes to her?” Annia exclaimed. “Jessah’s been after her for months!”
“They’ve both been incredible workers,” Travis chimed in. “I’ll give the two of them a week off to celebrate, but it’s a shame that there’s nowhere else for them to go.”
“Ella,” I asked the Captain of my guards. “Aren’t there a few empty suites on the lower levels of the Palace?”
“Several, Empress,” she replied.
“When they come down, let them know that I’ll have
one made ready for them,” I told Annia as both the innkeepers’ jaws hit the floor. “Just have them ask for the chamberlain when they arrive at the gates. He’ll know to expect them.”
“Yes, Empress,” Annia replied numbly.
“We do need to be heading back now,” Ella reminded me. “You’re scheduled to have dinner with Queen Líann shortly.”
“Yes,” I sighed reluctantly. “I suppose it’s time for me to be going back.”
I’d just released Irisse from a terrible curse, and in the process, discovered that I could use my powers to heal without necessarily binding people to me. Not only that, but I’d performed yet another wedding for a couple that I truly cared about and was genuinely pleased that I’d been able to play a role in helping them find happiness. I should have been overjoyed as we made our way back to the Palace, but instead, I was filled with dread over my meeting with Líann.
I needed something from her, but she was apparently a very difficult person to deal with, at least on a personal level. Hopefully, I could avoid having to deal with her as an individual, and we could simply conduct our business in a professional manner, but I sensed that would not be the case. The meeting itself was supposed to be an opportunity for us to get to know each other, and from what I’d learned, Líann was not someone that I looked forward to knowing at all.
By the time we returned, I had less than an hour before it would be time for my dinner with the Ice Queen, as Torgyd has so eloquently named her. So, I hurried upstairs to my chambers to compose myself before I met with the Queen of Íforn.
In preparation for the negotiations that were certain to occur, I made a quick review of the mining reports, specifically our Khelduin reserves. Venna felt certain that the precious metal was what Líann would want in return for the scribes I needed, so I went over the manifests carefully to ensure that I knew both our current yields and how much we had stockpiled. Armed with that information, and after a quick glance in the mirror to make sure that I was presentable, I descended the stairs towards Líann’s suite, dreading each and every step I took along the way.
“Welcome, Empress, I am Thelmé, Queen Líann’s aide,” a middle-aged looking elven woman greeted me stiffly as we entered Líann’s suite. “The Queen has requested that your audience be private, so your escort can remain here.”
“That is not what was agreed to,” Ella protested.
“Yes, I know,” Thelmé conceded. “But it is her Majesty’s wish that the two of you not be disturbed.”
“I’ll be fine, Ella,” I assured her. Between the Essence Blade behind my back, Retribution on my wrist, and the orbs at my disposal, I was sure that I could handle anything the bitchy queen might throw at me.
“Very well, Empress,” Ella reluctantly agreed.
Ella stayed behind as Thelmé led me through two more rooms, and right past the dining area where I thought our meeting was to take place. I was about to ask her where we were headed when she stopped a few paces away from a doorway.
“Her Majesty has decided to conduct your affairs more casually than had originally been agreed to, Empress,” Thelmé explained. “I’ve been instructed to leave you here. She’s waiting for you inside.”
With that, the overly formal woman departed, leaving me to enter the room on my own. It was an odd situation, defying all the rules of protocol that I’d been taught so far. So, it was with a strange sense of apprehension that I finally opened the door and entered the room where Líann was waiting for me.
I had assumed that I would be greeted by the queen, or that she might be seated at a table waiting for me to arrive. Instead, the scene that unfolded was unlike anything I’d expected, and challenged all the preconceived notions I had of the elven monarch.
Líann stood calmly off to the side of her chambers, holding a glass of wine in her hand, with a second empty glass and two bottles on the table beside her, one of which was already half empty. While she was still the same pale beauty I recognized from the night before, she wore a thick robe, belted at the waist instead of the more formal attire I was expecting.
“Come, Empress,” she greeted me in an almost friendly voice. “Let us talk and share some wine.”
I had to wonder if this was the same woman everyone had told me about as I slowly walked towards her. Or perhaps this was some sort of ploy, to lull me into a sense of ease before she transformed into her usual self. My expression must have given away too much, because as she filled my glass and handed it to me, a thin smile spread slowly over her lips as she began to speak.
“Let me guess,” the Queen began after taking a sip from her glass. “You were expecting a more… chilly reception?”
“Tell me how many of these you’ve heard,” Líann continued mirthlessly with another sip of wine. “Cold, heartless, The Ice Queen, frigid, and the ever-popular and oh-so original, bitch.”
“So, you know your reputation,” I replied, when it seemed like there was nothing else that I could say.
“I do,” she answered bluntly, draining her glass before refilling it again. “But tell me, Empress; was anyone able to tell you why I am that way?”
“There was one theory, but why don’t you cut to the chase and tell me yourself?” I replied impatiently. I didn’t know what kind of game she was playing, but I wasn’t in the mood for it.
“Assertive, I like that,” Líann purred after another sip. “Very well, I’ll tell you.”
“I was born to be Queen, literally,” she began. “My father was nearing his last years when I was born, and my training to take his place began before I could even walk. My first memories are of being instructed in the customs of my father’s court and the various styles of dress. Everything after that was a constant barrage of etiquette, negotiation, diplomacy, and war—all the knowledge that a Queen would be required to know.”
“But there was one bit of information that no one had to teach me,” she continued as she drained her cup again and casually dropped it onto the thick carpet as she advanced towards me. “It came to me unbidden, and I held it in my heart since it was the only thing I ever had that was truly my own. It was the knowledge that it was my destiny to find love with the most powerful person this land has ever known.”
“Knowing my fate, I refused every advance that was made towards me. I denied the entreaties of Kings and Princes, secure in the knowledge that my real love, my true love was still to come. I never thought that person would be another woman, a human woman at that. But I have waited over a hundred years for you, Empress, and when you held my hand against the metal of your God-forged bow, I knew that it was you that I’d been waiting for.”
As she kept coming towards me, she untied the belt around her waist and let the front of her robe hang open. The soft white of her skin stood out against the dark green of the garment, and the subtle curves of her body beckoned to me as she drew closer and her pale blue eyes gazed into mine.
“Now that I’ve found you, I’m going to make you mine,” Líann continued provocatively as she shrugged her shoulders slightly to let her robe fall open wide, exposing even more of her flawless body. “I’m going to give you all the fire I’ve been saving up over these many decades and make you forget all about your little halfling lover.”
That was the wrong thing for her to say.
“You need to know a few things about me first, bitch,” I snapped at her angrily as I shoved her backwards and pinned her against the wall with my hand across her chest.
Her face twisted into a mask of sheer terror, and as I glared at her, I realized that the world around me had shifted green with my outrage. I held the flaring light on Líann for a few seconds longer before reining it in and speaking to her again.
“I’m not some dog in heat that will come begging just because you flash a bit of skin, Líann, and I’m definitely not something to be owned; I will never be yours,” I practically spat at her. “There is absolutely nothing a heartless piece of shit like you can do to take Tási’s place. Nothing.”
I stopped before I walked out the door and left her with one final thought.
“Something I heard about you seems most accurate to me now. It’s funny that it’s one you didn’t mention yourself; the only good things about you are on the outside, Líann.”
Thelmé was obviously shocked to see me leave so quickly, and I ignored her flustered questioning as I briskly walked out of Líann’s suite.
“Is everything alright, Dreya?” Ella asked, so full of concern for me that she addressed me familiarly.
“I’m fine, although I doubt that bitch can say the same,” I replied sharply.
“Do we need to call up more guards? Will there be any repercussions?” She followed up immediately.
“I hope not, but that will be up to her,” I sighed. “Although, you might want to take some precautions, just in case.”
With a few whispers, Ella sent off one of the guards to do just that, and rushed me back to my private quarters. As soon as I was inside, I hurried to Bane’s room, and was relieved to see that he was already there. I immediately snuggled up to him and wrapped the blankets we had left there around me as I closed my eyes and listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
You are troubled, Sintári
‘Not anymore.’
It is harder to protect you if I do not know the dangers we face.
“What the fuck happened with the bitch queen?” Tási burst in at the perfect moment, obviously having been informed by Ella that something had indeed gone very wrong during our meeting.
“She intended to take your place, Tási,” I replied calmly. “Do you think I should let her?”
“What?” Tási responded in shock. “She... You… What happened?”
“I kind of lost it a little, to be honest,” I smiled at her. “I also discovered that the two of you have something in common. Neither of you like it very much when my eyes flare.”
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 62