Thirteen men and women were arrayed around her house, and the sight of them completely destroyed her mood. Twelve of them were in the midnight blue and silver of Queen Estalia’s royal guard, while one demon was in finely made maroon clothing, complete with a wool trench coat, all of his clothing stitched with arcane runes. Two-thirds of the guards were in heavier armor, more like warriors, while the other four had light or no armor, striking her as magi. They all tensed at the sight of Kanae, watching her warily.
“Of all the things I expected, this had to be damn near last on the list,” Kanae muttered, scowling at the guards. At least most of them didn’t have weapons out, and as she watched the one in a trench coat, she tensed as she looked over his clothing. The runes she saw were of protection, and they were disconcertingly powerful. She could create more powerful spells than what was imbued into his clothing, but making something like that was incredibly difficult or expensive. Which probably meant that he was her mother’s current court magister.
“I must compliment your skill with wards. It was somewhat difficult to pierce them, which is rare when it comes to individuals of your power,” the man said, a slight smile on his face as he studied Kanae. She really wished she’d been paying more attention to who the powerful magi were in Estalia, as Kanae hated not knowing who she was dealing with.
“I probably should be flattered but pardon me if I find that difficult at the moment. I was trying to remain missing, if you please,” Kanae said, her voice tight as she glanced between the man and the guards. “I don’t recognize any of you, but that’s unsurprising. It’s been more than a millennium since I interacted with the royal guard. Am I going to have to fight, and likely lose, wait, or do I get to go into my house and find out what’s been done to my guests?”
Kanae was ready to fight at a moment’s notice, but she knew better than to think she could win under these circumstances. With the armor she’d had during the war, and a different weapon, maybe, but not in her current condition.
The mage laughed softly, grinning at her response, but a couple of guards glanced toward the man with captain’s insignia along the collar of his armor. The man studied Kanae for a moment, then spoke. “Her Majesty indicated that we were not to start any conflict with you, and she did not forbid you from approaching. However, I will not allow you to enter with a weapon in hand.”
“It wouldn’t be in my hand, it’d be on my belt,” Kanae griped sarcastically, but she approached, unbuckling her belt as she did so. “What do you expect me to do, scratch her? Unless I’m terribly mistaken, Her Majesty keeps in practice with her own sword, and the day I beat her is the day the mortal world falls into the hells.”
“Be that as it may, I’m not going to risk her safety more than I must. Even with her own flesh and blood,” the captain replied, though he betrayed a slight smile at her comments. “Perhaps I should say especially with her own flesh and blood.”
“I’d argue, but I’ve heard enough of succession wars that that seems wise,” Kanae said, scowling as she offered her sheathed sword to the nearest guard. “I’d also say to take good care of it, but I know that the sword isn’t up to your standards. The day you steal it is the day the royal guard lost a dozen armories.”
The woman she’d handed it to blinked with all four eyes, then slid the sword an inch out of its sheath to study it for a moment before looking up at Kanae and replying mildly. “It isn’t that bad. Not my first choice, but decent enough.”
Kanae relaxed ever so marginally as she buckled her belt again, looking at the captain. She tried to keep her tone from growing caustic, but it was hard, considering what she knew was coming. “Can I go in now? I’m rather certain I’m going to be upset about whatever mother dearest has been up to.”
“Very well. If you try to hurt her, though…” the captain warned, and Kanae snorted in derision.
“If I try to hurt her, she’ll laugh and pin me to the wall so she can lecture me on how a young lady is supposed to behave,” Kanae retorted. “Pin me with a sword, or maybe a few knives, that is.”
They gave her a few odd looks at that, but Kanae stalked past them, her tail lashing due to her unhappiness. The chances of a few townsfolk coming over and spotting the guards was all too likely, but that was nothing compared to the unmitigated disaster she had waiting for her.
The door opened readily at her touch, showing that Isalla hadn’t had the presence of mind to lock it. Unsurprisingly, considering how Kanae felt when she looked toward her stuffed chair and saw her mother. Kanae had braced herself for Estalia’s presence, but even with that, her mind reeled at the sight. A thread of utter longing welled up inside Kanae, a thread which she tried to smother as she inhaled and almost choked at the scent pervading the house.
Estalia wasn’t wearing her armor, that was sitting on the table alongside a pair of large sacks, while the monarch’s sword leaned against the side of her chair. Neither Isalla or Rose were in sight, which told Kanae everything she needed to know, and she glared at Estalia as anger surged up inside her, then said, “I hate you, Mother.”
“Oh, Kitty… that’s not true. You know it as well as I do,” Estalia said warmly, her smile almost lighting up the room the way her skin did. “I’m pleased to see you’re doing well, even if I am somewhat disappointed by the lengths you went to in order to avoid me.”
“Ah, but for once I do hate you, if only a little,” Kanae retorted, her eyes narrowing. “And my name is Kanae.”
“You may be going by Kanae, but it isn’t your name. You can change what you are called, but you cannot change who you are, Kitania,” Estalia corrected ever so gently, but she looked surprised as she tilted her head. “Truly, you’re angry? Why?”
“What have you done to Isalla and Rose?” Kanae asked, glancing toward the bedroom with a baleful eye, ignoring Estalia’s claim about her name as she closed the door and leaned against it. She didn’t need an audience for this.
“Ah, so that’s how it is, is it?” Estalia asked, a smile slowly growing on her face. “You’re afraid that I’ve bedded the two lovely angels who’re staying with you.”
“Mother…” Kanae said, her voice a soft growl at this point, practically seething inside.
“Ah… well, I do not blame you. They’re a lovely pair of women, aren’t they? Even if poor Isalla lost her wings,” Estalia said, her eyes dimming with obvious regret, and she raised a hand to put it on her chest. “That said, this time you’re doing me an injustice, Kitania. Despite the immense temptation that it posed me, I managed to resist their advances once I realized both were attracted to you. So I’m afraid you’re doing me quite the injustice. No, they decided to work off their frustration together, leaving me to wait for you.”
“What?” Kanae asked, put off-balance by the explanation. The idea that both women liked her distracted Kanae for a moment, then she shook her head, trying to regain her focus.
“I said I didn’t do what you’re accusing me of, dear,” Estalia said gently, slowly standing up. “Now then, let’s have a look at you, shall we?”
“That’s beside the point. Why does my appearance matter, anyway?” Kanae demanded, taking a step to the side, feeling like she was a mouse in front of a cat at this point. “What are you even doing here?”
“I’m curious because I thought transmutations didn’t last more than a few hours for you. You tried changing your appearance often enough, growing up,” Estalia replied, watching Kanae closely, her lips pursed. “I don’t mind the taller look, but did you have to destroy your face? You had such refined features, and your skin…”
“I wanted to make sure you couldn’t recognize me,” Kanae said shortly, crossing her arms defensively. “Now what do you want, Mother?”
“I’ve left you alone ever since I figured out where you were a couple of centuries ago, darling,” Estalia said, taking a couple of delicate steps forward and reaching up to run a finger down Kanae’s cheek, causing her to shiver at the gentle, intimate touch. Estalia’s
eyes were a deep blue that could swallow almost anyone, and it took everything Kanae had not to let them overwhelm her, too. After a moment, Estalia ran a hand down Kanae’s arm, tracing the muscles as she continued. “I knew you were upset, and I wanted to give you time and distance. I made poor choices when you were growing up, and I don’t blame you for your reaction. However, you made it far more difficult to keep your distance with this little stunt, hm? Kidnapping Rose after her training was complete… that was going just a touch too far, wasn’t it?”
“Isalla wanted to rescue her friend,” Kanae replied, her heart racing as she resisted the impulse to relax or run away. Neither would result in a reaction she wanted. “Besides, you stole her life.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Kitania,” Estalia said, suddenly pulling away and frowning at her. “I saved her life. For now, at least.”
“How do you figure that?” Kanae asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You stole her away from an angelic redoubt and dragged her into the hells, then sent her to the Spire of Confession. If that isn’t stealing her life, what is?”
“My people didn’t capture her. A group of mercenaries approached me,” Estalia said, moving halfway across the room, folding her hands behind her as she almost danced over to the fireplace, studying the flames. “They’d been hired by a group of angels to question and dispose of First Sword Roselynn Emberborn, wielder of Ember. They came to us because they knew that we could get the most information for them, and when I asked for Rose and all her things, they agreed to the price. If I had refused, she would have been brutally questioned by some other group and then either broken or slain. What I did left Rose with a life, and one she’s happier with than what she had before.”
Kanae’s eyes went wide at the information, and her blood suddenly chilled. Estalia glanced over and smiled gently, her eyes glittering as she spoke in an approving tone. “Ah, I see you had the same sort of thought that I had. After speaking with dear little Isalla, I believe that whoever tried to kill her also wished to eliminate Rose as well. Is that what you were thinking?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Kanae admitted, her heart almost feeling like lead. “If they would go to such an extent to eliminate threats to their secrecy… what are they plotting?”
“That is the question, isn’t it? I’m not certain myself, but I don’t wish for them to succeed,” Estalia said, her smile fading slowly. “No matter what they choose, they are planning to disrupt the current uneasy peace. Dropping Isalla into Hellmount couldn’t have been an accident, since they’d have to deliberately open a portal from the heavens to do so. That means they were likely trying to implicate the hells to start another war, at least in my opinion.”
“Oh? And what you want is any better?” Kanae asked, another flicker of indignant anger flaring up inside her. Estalia looked over at Kanae and sighed, shaking her head.
“Oh, Kitania… I truly wish we could understand each other more easily. You and I are too much alike, alas,” Estalia said, shaking her head sorrowfully. “While we have similar goals, we simply have different ideas of how to go about it.”
“I’m just not willing to manipulate people into your worship to convince them to serve you,” Kanae retorted, turning to enter the kitchen. “You really think that’s a proper solution, rather than trying for a lasting peace? The current truce has lasted for a millennium!”
“The truce has been frequently broken by raids, minor clashes, and wars between empires,” Estalia corrected, her voice gaining a hint of steel to it. “Unless every archangel, demon lord, and mortal god who’d participated in the wars dropped dead tomorrow, and the history books of virtually every library were erased, there’s no chance that any peace would last more than a few centuries, Kanae. After millennia of bad blood, there’s no chance of people truly choosing to leave the war behind. Perhaps my solution won’t work either, but if I can convince a few people to worship me, and they convince a few more, who in turn convince more… uniting enough people under a single figure is at least a faint hope. I’m unwilling to let that possibility slip away simply because you disagree with it.”
Kanae gritted her teeth, mostly because she’d heard the explanation before, though it hadn’t had the truce to point to. She wished that the truce had held for all this time, because then it would have been easier to counter Estalia’s claim. Instead, it had bolstered her mother’s plans, which didn’t make her any happier. She took a deep breath, then let it out as she shook her head.
“We aren’t going to agree about this,” Kanae said, frowning. “It’s been a thousand years, and we’re still disagreeing on the approach.”
“Indeed. You’ll note I’ve never insisted that you help me with my path, either,” Estalia told Kanae as her frown faded.
“Perhaps, but it doesn’t change the fact I found your presence stifling,” Kanae replied, frowning in turn as she leaned on the counter. “Anyway… I understand you wanted to visit. Now what?”
“That is the question, alas. Before I came out here, I was going to examine things and unless you’d gone off in the deep end, wanting to enslave poor Rose, I would’ve let you stay here without too much argument. Unfortunately, the word about the assassins and plots in the heavens has me… concerned,” Estalia said, sighing and shaking her head sadly. “I cannot let them succeed in silencing Isalla and Rose, since they’re the only clues I have so far. Your involvement complicates things, but at least I don’t have to worry about you dying. That means there are only two options I’m willing to entertain.”
“And what, pray tell, are those?” Kanae asked, eyeing her mother warily. She knew that tone and attitude, and Kanae didn’t like the implications.
“The three of you can stay in the palace. I will house them as guests of honor and protect them while my agents work to find out who the deplorable individuals behind all this are, and what they’re doing,” Estalia said, and her statement made Kanae’s stomach tighten more. “Another option is that they could decide to go investigate themselves, trying to find those in the angelic legions who aren’t corrupted or involved to deal with this. I’d send a few agents along with them to aid in keeping them safe, of course, and you could involve yourself. I suppose a third option is that you could abandon them entirely and go scurrying off to whatever hiding place you had in mind next… I’d be disappointed in you, but it is an option.”
“Really? Those are the only options?” Kanae asked, annoyed but mostly arguing for the sake of arguing. “I’m pretty sure I could come up with a few more.”
“You could, but after talking with the girls, I’m fairly certain that those are the two solutions they’d ended up at. Like it or not, Kitania, that’s what they’re going to do. Even without me interfering. Well, except for my assistance if they go investigating,” Estalia replied, smiling warmly. “The only question is whether you’re going to try to help them or not. I would, but you’re not me.”
“Oh, really?” Kanae said, glowering at her mother. She hated these discussions, since it rarely felt like she had a choice. At least she was growing used to Estalia’s presence… or was falling under her sway. Either way, it didn’t much matter. “So, how long are you going to be here? Are we going to have to deal with you constantly interfering, or will they have the chance to decide without you entrancing them?”
“Mm, I think a few days will be enough. I can’t stay out here for that time, though. If nothing else, my presence will be a problem if anyone is watching, and rumors travel faster than I care to consider,” Estalia said, shaking her head. “No, I intend to head back to the palace within an hour or two, darling. I’m going to leave a quartet of guards to keep an eye on you and your lovely guests. They’ll be ordered to keep Isalla and Rose safe, and to be your escorts once you’ve made your decision.”
“Just guarding them?” Kanae asked, growing slightly annoyed despite herself. She’d wanted Estalia to leave, yet at the same time she found herself frustrated that her mother wa
sn’t worried about her. For her part, Estalia simply sighed.
“Kitty… you know exactly why I’m giving those orders. You’re more survivable than either Isalla or Rose are,” Estalia scolded gently, then paused and tilted her head. “Have you told them?”
“No,” Kanae replied shortly, her arms tightening around herself as she did so. A faint sense of guilt rushed through her, and she shook her head. “Some secrets are just… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Very well,” Estalia said, bowing her head slightly. She was silent for a long moment, then Kanae blinked, startled as she saw a single, shimmering tear track down her mother’s cheek. It was the first tear Kanae had seen her shed in all her memory, and Estalia spoke softly, her voice trembling in a way that made Kanae’s heart lurch. “I… thought I’d lost you, after Rosken. I seriously considered trying to hunt down those who were involved in the battle, darling. I would have, if it wouldn’t have destroyed all that I’d been working toward, and if I hadn’t known it wouldn’t make you happy.”
“I…” Kanae began, then fell silent. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head, almost whispering through her guilt. “I’m sorry. I just… wanted to get away.”
They were both silent, Estalia wiping away her tear with a careful gesture. Kanae couldn’t remember her mother showing vulnerability before, and it silenced her. A minute passed, then two. Finally, Kanae nodded toward the table and the bags on it.
“What are those?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Oh, that? I brought armor I made for Rose, and let her pick between her old armor or the new set. She chose the new one,” Estalia said, smiling again at last, almost shyly. “I think she liked it. As for the other bag, it holds Ember. It belongs to her, after all.”
“I see. That’s just like you, Mother,” Kanae said, letting out a soft sigh and unfolding her arms. “I’m not sure what I want to do.”
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