“What about the Parliament?” Aalejah asked.
“It’s rough.” Le’Ahy said with a nod. “M’Rael’s offer was interesting only because there was no alternative. I mean, going to the Tree gives us more space, new neighbors, and access to their knowledge but that’s it.
“We are still scared of humans and resentful of beasts, but being finally free to roam Mogar is still a dream come true to most of my people.”
“If that’s how you feel, why is the decision taking this long?”
“Not so fast!” The huntress narrowed her eyes in annoyance. “That’s another question. Does Qisal have a companion?”
“Yes, a human woman.” With anyone else, Aalejah would have said no, but to an elf, the answer had a different meaning. “Also, as a sign of friendship, I can tell you that he’s already waiting for his firstborn, conceived on their first night.”
“Really? Just one companion?” Le’Ahy’s squeal was so high-pitched that the nearby dogs howled. “That would make me the second!”
“Yep.” Aalejah had just given the huntress confirmation that “Qisal” was interested in long-term relationships and didn’t shoot blanks. “Now, what about the Parliament?”
“Lord Voidfeather’s offer is very intriguing, but the representatives can’t make up their minds about the price.” Le’Ahy replied.
“The price? Like they want to get paid?” Aalejah rose an eyebrow in confusion.
“No, I meant the price in elven lives.” The other elf sighed. “Sure, we have now more people than ever, but it took us a very long time to reach this point. The main argument against the Jiera proposal is that we risk losing so many warriors that our colony might be set back for centuries, if not millennia.
“Don’t forget that to give birth and train a single elven elite mage takes a lot of time. Sure, we all have blue cores, but most of us can’t use them properly. On top of that, there’s the issue of trust.
“The Parliament is afraid that if we lose too many warriors, we won’t be able to defend ourselves in the case the Council goes back on its word and backstabs us.”
“I see.” Aalejah nodded. “What if I could teach everyone magic up to tier three?”
“Yeah, right. Tell me another.” Le’Ahy replied snidely. “Like we haven’t tried that for millennia even before the War of the Races.”
“I’m serious! Look.” Aalejah took a book about tier one fake magic.
It was filled with hand signs and magic words that made no sense at first glance.
“During the past millennia, human magic has progressed by leaps and bounds. Anyone with a proper core can now master magic as long as they learn by rote this stuff.
“No need to learn how to perceive the mana flow, wave runes, regulate the mana output, and everything.”
“If it’s true it could be a game changer.” Le’Ahy skimmed through the pages, recognizing from the drawings some of the most common spells taught in the elven academies. “How long does a human take to master all of this stuff?”
“Based on talent, from one to six months. So for an elf, it should take a couple of years tops since it doesn’t require understanding, only memorization. The upper tiers are more difficult but the basic principle is the same.”
“If you let me take it to Lord Bal’Eza, he can study it and use it to convince the Parliament. I make no promises though.” Le’Ahy said after trying and succeeding to perform the simplest spell after just a few tries.
“That’s all I ask.” Aalejah spent the rest of her stay in Setraliie projecting the legend of King Valeron for her fellow elves, followed by everything that showed them the world that waited for them past the Fringe’s borders.
***
City of Lutia at the same time.
It was past sunset in the Kingdom and Kamila had left home on the DoLorean for grocery shopping. She didn’t actually need anything, she just wanted to be alone for five minutes.
After another “wonderful” day at her job, she had returned home just to be pestered by the local nobles who wanted to meet her, the merchants that begged her to accept their gifts and show them to her noble friends, and the Royals.
They were organizing a baby shower for Elysia, then setting a date for a Gala after her birth to bestow upon the baby a noble title. The Queen was also pressuring Kamila to take a leave from her job and take part in the Court’s life.
“I swear to the gods, I’m going to murder the next person that talks to me. I don’t care who he is!” She had replied to the clerk’s greeting prompting him to shut up and hide behind the counter.
It wasn’t so much for the words but how she had expressed them. With fangs replacing her teeth, her pupils going vertical while her eyes flared with yellow mana, and breathing a significant burst of Origin Flames.
Alas, on the outside there was already a surprise party waiting for her.
“I told you that this was going to be our golden opportunity. With Verhen gone there are no Demons or Golems protecting his wife, only those chumps of the Queen’s Corps. And she did us the favor of losing them with that thing.” Korman Fent, an Awakened from the Empire said.
“Yeah, sure, but what about the Guardians? Haven’t you heard about the Day of the Black Sun? How do we avoid ending up like the guys from Jiera?” Phestos Marn from the Kingdom said.
“That’s actually our ticket to success.” Korman replied. “I studied the reports. No Guardian intervened until she was hurt. We just need to knock her out and we are done. Verhen will do whatever we ask and pay any price.
“All we have to do is keep his wife unconscious to have unlimited access to Origin Flames, enchanted metals, and more crystals than we’ll ever need. Once we are done with him, we can always sell him to one of his enemies.
“They get their revenge, we get a massive payload, and we won’t have to spend our lives watching our backs.”
“Still sounds dangerous to me.” Phestos pondered both risks and rewards while keeping himself and his potential accomplice at a distance. “I’ve heard that today is Salaark’s turn. Wouldn’t it be better to wait for Leegaain?”
“No, man.” Korman shook his head. “Tyris and Leegaain have nothing to do all day whereas Salaark has a whole country to rule. This is the rush hour for the Desert and she’s bound to be neck-deep in bureaucracy right now.
“You have nothing to worry about, it’s not like she can… She-“
“Oh, please, don’t mind me and finish what you were saying.” Salaark had suddenly appeared from around the corner, walking slowly toward them with a warm smile on her face. “Give me some ideas.”
***
Blood Desert, inside the Fringe, on the ritual’s site.
Lith had just finished charging all the magic circles and was about to step inside the heart of the complex.
“So, what are you going to ask?” Friya said.
“There isn’t much left.” He shrugged. “I’ll go with how to reach the violet for me and Dragonhood for Ajatar.”