The other woman was wearing what looked like mummy wrappings. They covered every inch of her skin and hair, leaving only her eyes exposed. The wrappings were all inscribed with hundreds of tiny black runes along their length that Visna wasn’t certain of the purpose of. It was so tightly wrapped around the woman’s body that it was obvious that she couldn’t be wearing anything beneath it.
“What…?” Visna began, only to be stopped by Serel’s glare.
“Enough. Open the entrance properly,” Serel spoke harshly, obviously unhappy with something. “And do nothing to warn those within, or to impede my entry.”
“As you wish.” Visna sighed, and turned to look at the elaborate carvings that hid the staircase downward. Holding out her finger with the ring, she pressed it against a tiny divot in the carving, murmuring, “My Lady Shines in the Darkness. Let Me Descend to Revere True Light.”
At the password the carvings shone, and then slowly slid to the side, revealing a stairwell. She nodded, swallowing. “There it is. There aren’t any other traps on the way.”
“Fine. Best to get this over with,” Serel murmured in irritation. “This outfit is abominable.”
Serel headed down, and after a moment of hesitation, Visna followed her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever have a chance to see her goddess again, and if her Lady woke and smote Serel, she’d prefer to be there to see it happen.
The staircase descended nearly a hundred feet into the mountainside, and was obviously ancient from the wear on the stones, even though it well-maintained. As they approached the bottom, the stone grew smoother and almost shone with internal light, while a golden light grew below them.
Stepping into the primary chamber was as absolutely amazing to Visna as always, and she felt her connection to Medaea strengthen slightly in spite of how tenuous it was. She tried to cry out to her goddess, but it felt like there was glass wall between them. The chamber was broad and looked to have been excavated without a single tool somehow, with all of the surfaces almost mirror smooth to look at. Opposite of where they entered, there was a single alcove in the southern wall, and a large upraised stone bier stood in the center of the room. Sitting in the alcove was a suit of full plate armor, elaborately worked in silver and gold to fit the curves of a woman like ornamental armor, along with a greatsword in a crimson sheathe.
On the bier was Medaea herself. A statuesque elven woman with sunlight-blond hair, she was glowing faintly from within like the sun itself, and the armor was obviously made to follow her generous body. The broad, white-feathered wings on her back pressed firmly against the stone, and she was dressed in what looked like a thin bathrobe. She was the most beautiful woman that Visna had ever seen, and even though she was sleeping, her divine power rolled off her in waves at every breath she took.
Serel stopped, watching her for a long minute. Visna wasn’t certain if she was watching in fascination or for some other purpose. She simply stood behind the Enforcer, her heart sinking as Medaea didn’t respond to their presence. But when Serel turned to leave, Visna glanced back at her goddess, and whispered sorrowfully, a single tear trickling down her cheek as she nearly succumbed to despair. “I’m sorry, my goddess.”
Chapter 15
Sistina made certain that her captives died peacefully while they slept. There were four women and three men among their number, and she actually felt faintly bad about killing them as they had been so outmatched. But she wasn’t comfortable with any of the other options available to her. She could have enslaved them like their nation had enslaved Desa and Lily, but she wasn’t comfortable with that. The only option she felt was reasonable was to simply let them die peacefully.
However, she also took care to examine their bodies closely as she let them die, carefully breaking them down to figure out how their bodies worked. And as she did, she realized just how badly designed her own body was when she compared what she saw to the samples of a few elves that she’d gotten from Phynis’ group.
Sistina’s body was outwardly anatomically correct, and with her mana coursing through it, it would even feel correct to others, but that was more of an illusion. Her body was little more than a solid chunk of wood and sap which was made to feel right by her mana. She had no internal organs and no nervous system, and it irritated her to realize how wrong it actually was. It bothered her more than she had ever expected it to.
So while Lily worked on getting the gardens back into order, she merged her body back into her tree and started experimenting. Part of the reason Lily was so distracted was that they’d also supplied the elves with a large amount of food, which left gaps in the plants which she was trying to repair.
Sistina found her project was rather difficult. Trying to mimic the body of an elf or human wasn’t easy for a being that was primarily plant. It took her several tries just to get a start, and trying to make a plant form skin like what she wanted was difficult. But little by little, she managed to work out a basic skeletal system, then the organs as well, using the elven material she had as a basis.
It took her a while, but she persevered.
* * *
It was about two weeks later that she stepped out of her tree again, blinking, as the colors, sensations, and… well, seemingly everything was more vibrant. It was a distinct difference that she’d never expected, and Sistina blinked slowly as she looked around her cave. But it was with her new senses that she suddenly realized why everyone was wearing clothing. She’d have to make some for this body quite soon, lest she grow uncomfortable in the cold or when she stepped on a sharp rock.
But she slowly started to walk through the trees and bushes, looking on the vegetation with new eyes, eyes that could see the beauty differently. It was a new perspective, as it were. And it fascinated her more than she could ever express, even if she had full command of words again.
Returning to her tree, she prepared to make more clothing for her body. At the same time, a small part of her attention was focused on excavating the buried library as she’d promised. Yet another part of her was cultivating new plants, using what she’d learned from merging the designs of plants and humans and elves, starting to try to create more guardians for her caverns.
She doubted that the kingdom of Kelvanis would leave her alone in the long run, especially if the elves came back. If they did, she intended to be ready for them.
Chapter 16
“I think that I hate mountains,” Phynis stated grimly, suppressing a moan as she sat down in the carriage. The soft cushions were absolutely wonderful when compared to the hard stones and thin bedrolls of the mountainsides.
“You don’t hate mountains, you hate hiking through rugged, trackless mountains filled with monsters, Your Highness,” Desa corrected as she stepped in after the princess.
“Fair point, I suppose. Those harpies were a menace.” Phynis shuddered at the memory of the creatures, and the hypnotic songs of the feathered menaces that had managed to draw several of the others over the edge of a cliff to their deaths before they’d been driven off.
“Well, the harpies shouldn’t have been there at all,” Vendis interjected with a heavy sigh, closing the door for them and looking in from outside. “A company was supposed to clear out that entire area for us before we got that far. They didn’t, and we paid the price. Believe me, Commandant Reems got a piece of my mind for that foolish stunt.”
“Ah. Well, it explains a little of the difficulties, at least.” Phynis shook her head. “How soon do you think we’re going to leave?”
“At the rate his troops are preparing, I’d guess about half of an hour,” Vendis replied thoughtfully, glancing around the courtyard of the fort at the soldiers forming up for their escort. “Fortunately, his soldiers seem competent enough, even if their readiness isn’t what it should be. And the commandant is nothing if not loyal. That’s important too.”
“Indeed. I’ll let you return to your duties, Captain. Thank you for keeping me safe this far. Don’t stray too far, though. I want to be ab
le to tell my mother of the excellent job you did when we reach Vara’Sel,” Phynis told her, smiling again she sat back in her seat and tried to get comfortable.
“Of course, Your Highness.” Vendis smiled slightly, exchanging nods with Desa before pulling away to ride herd on her own soldiers.
It was a few minutes before Phynis asked, “How long do you think it’ll take us to reach the capital from here, Desa?”
“Three to four days, weather permitting,” Desa told her with a slight shrug. “The roads in this part of the kingdom are somewhat more run down since they deal with so much less traffic, but it should be much safer here since we’re so far from the front lines.”
“True enough, I suppose. I’m going to try to nap until we leave.” Phynis yawned, then smiled at Desa calmly. “I’m looking forward to being home.”
“I think we all are,” Desa said softly as Phynis closed her eyes. The princess missed the hint of worry in Desa’s eyes.
* * *
Desa was growing concerned. Not about her own mind or body, since everyone agreed so far that she hadn’t changed since Sistina had altered her slave brand. No, she was worried about Princess Phynis.
At first, Phynis had seemed perfectly normal, though she’d been obviously shocked and distressed due to being branded. And some of her carelessness afterward could be attributed to distraction resulting from her distress. But then things had grown more concerning, and gradually more obvious to Desa.
Phynis was growing more careless about details regarding her security, and missing things that she wouldn’t have missed before their capture. Instead of being proactive about her safety, she was leaving it to others. She also wasn’t talking about political consequences of actions, as if she hadn’t even considered them yet. That didn’t make any sense to Desa, as she’d known Phynis for most of her life. She was becoming more and more passive, and she’d noticed that Phynis hadn’t asked one of the questions that Desa had been asking herself ever since they were ambushed.
How had Kelvanis known which route they were taking back home from Galthor? There were five commonly used roads that could be used to head to the capital, and they’d chosen which one they were going to use that morning entirely at random, using a set of playing dice. Yet the ambushing force had been in heavily prepared positions with overwhelming numbers, and in possession of several items specifically designed to negate her own magic.
All of those factors led Desa to believe that someone had leaked their route to the attackers. While their visit hadn’t been entirely secret, there were also very few people who could have leaked their route in time for such an ambush to go off. And all of them were high ranking, with significant political connections.
She watched Phynis sleep with a slight frown, then sighed and shook her head. There wasn’t much she could do now. All she could do was talk about it with Her Majesty later on. And speaking of Phynis’ mental change would be an unwelcome part of that conversation.
* * *
Phynis and her escort passed numerous small towns in the forest kingdom on their way to the capital. Compared to the one human fortress-city that she’d seen, these were very different towns and cities. Most of the towns were almost hidden, with a small stronghold at their heart for those who couldn’t flee to hold out against attacks. Unfortunately, Desa realized with more than a little sadness that she saw more defensive towers and even walls here and there than had existed before their conflict with Kelvanis had started a decade before.
The cities were far smaller, too, and they stayed at a few heavily guarded manors along the way. She wasn’t entirely happy with their escort’s competence, as it took them five days to reach the capital, but at last, it came into sight.
Vara’Sel was considered the jewel of Sifaren and was built on the ruins of one of the ancient cities of Everium. It was said that many unknown enchantments improved the health and wellbeing of the inhabitants, while the ancient sewer system still functioned flawlessly, making it one of the cleanest cities in the known world. Dozens of mage towers dotted the neighborhoods just inside of the white stone walls that enclosed the city, while large areas of gardens and glades allowed nature to grow even in the heavily settled region.
“Almost there,” Desa said happily, her back straightening as she saw the walls of the palace come into sight, gleaming in the afternoon light. “It’ll be good to be home again.”
“Agreed. That trip was not nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be,” Phynis told her, sitting up as she looked at the palace, and then gave a wan smile to Desa. “And honestly, I’m not looking forward to seeing mother too much at the moment.”
“What? Why?” Desa blinked in surprise, then her eyes narrowed. “You almost look like you have something untoward planned, Highness.”
“You always call me that when you’re annoyed with me,” Phynis replied, smiling a little, but Desa saw her hands trembling slightly.
“Princess…” Desa sighed, then shook her head. “What are you planning?”
“I’m going to ask mother to make Zanath crown prince,” Phynis spoke softly, clasping her hands in front of her. “I’m… compromised. Even if we went back and got Sistina to change my brand, it would still exist. I could still be potentially commanded by someone not of the kingdom. I know that I was destined to rule from birth, but unless it can be fixed, I must ask her to set me aside as heir.”
“Phynis, that’s…” Desa almost choked, her eyes widening as Phynis explained herself. “Is this what’s been distracting you this entire trip back?”
“Was it really that obvious? I was trying not to worry you or the others, but I just… I didn’t know how to say it. How to explain what was going through my head.” Phynis shook her head, lowering her face toward her lap. “I want to rule Sifaren and to take mother’s place. It was what I was raised for, and what all my training was for. But unless we can break the brands permanently, I can’t trust myself in such a position of power. If even a single person who could command slaves got too close to me, I could be turned against the kingdom. It’s just not fair to the citizens to risk having a monarch who could be subverted so easily.”
“I understand. Your feelings are admirable, Phynis. I just hope that we can find a way to break it given time. And that your mother is understanding as well,” Desa replied with a gentle smile, reaching out to squeeze the princess’ knee gently.
“Thanks. I hope so, too.” Phynis smiled nervously at Desa, then turned her attention back to the serene view as they traveled still closer to the city.
* * *
“Oh, Phynis, how did you ever manage to get into so much trouble?” Queen Calath Constella’s voice was soft as she rushed forward and hugged her daughter. “You never worried me like this as a girl.”
“It’s not like I did it on purpose,” Phynis protested weakly, hugging her mother tightly and taking the moment to close her eyes and relax, free from danger. But the moment passed, and she opened them to look at her mother, a tiny spike of concern growing as well.
The queen looked tired. Oh, she was still young and beautiful looking, as elves didn’t physically age much as they grew older, so she looked much like Phynis herself, but there was something about the set of her shoulders and the more numerous lines around her eyes that betrayed increased anxiety and stress.
“Perhaps not, but even so, let’s have a look at you. Are you well, considering? I’ve only heard a little of what happened, but I couldn’t wait on seeing you,” Queen Calath said, stepping back and looking Phynis over critically.
They were meeting in the private wing of the palace where the royal family lived. There weren’t any others nearby, and the plaster walls with their fine paintings were like old friends to Phynis. The familiar surroundings of the other sculptures, furnishings, and personal mementoes made her feel more at ease than she had for weeks. She felt her tension slowly easing, almost melting away as she nodded.
“I’m… reasonably well, I think. Physically, they didn
’t touch me at all, aside from the brand. Mentally, I’m more than a little shaken,” Phynis admitted, shaking her head. “They came so incredibly close to getting me back to Westgate, and once there, they probably would have just teleported me to their capital. I’m somewhat frightened to think of what would have happened at that point.”
“I don’t blame you for being shaken. I know that I certainly would be, if I’d been in your place. As soon as I heard that you’d vanished, I ordered our spies to investigate, and for the army to prepare a potential rescue.” The queen smiled sadly and shook her head. “Why don’t you sit down? I want to hear how you got captured in your own words. We want to compare notes between you and your guards, and see if we can’t figure out how it happened.”
“Sure. But first, how are you? Has anything really changed?” Phynis asked, taking a seat on a nearby sofa, feeling weary but less averse to explaining herself than she’d expected.
“The court is filled with defeatists, overconfident pricks who think the raids aren’t worth concerning ourselves with, and warmongers who have no clue what position we’re in.” The queen spoke bitingly, shaking her head in disgust. “So no, nothing’s changed. The only fortunate thing to come of all of this was that the raids eased up after your capture, but that’s a minor blessing, considering that we almost lost you.”
“There has to be a silver lining to the clouds somewhere.” Phynis sighed, shaking her head. “Now, you were asking about how I was captured. I’m trying to think of how to explain.”
She paused for a long moment, then spoke. “We went to Galthor to perform inspections on the garrison and defenses there, as you know. All of that went well. I’m impressed at the precautions that Baron Galthor built into the fortress, though I fear he may have to adjust some of them since we were captured. I don’t know if any of the others spoke of what we saw there, but I wasn’t asked about the defenses.
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