The brilliant display of his months of training made Mira want to fight him and test him out herself. He cheekily smiled at her and raised the bottle as he took another sip. As he sat and recovered, Ravenna practiced her sword swings against a shield Mira held. The silver scimitar with ebony decorations sliced through the air with precision.
“Are you sure you’re well enough to fight tomorrow?” Ravenna moved a lock of hair from out of her face, “I don’t think you should strain yourself after the other night.”
“I’m fine,” Mira blocked the next few swings of the orc’s sword, “I’m just angry that Bobabano went that far today. There was no reason to do that.”
“No kidding. The pig,” She huffed and spun to slam her blade against the shield, “He shouldn’t treat you like that. He knows that our cultures look at love differently.”
Ravenna grunted as her blade smacked against the shield. Each word forced more anger towards her attacks.
“I’m halfway sure he does that to get a rise out of me,” Mira shook her head and blocked another attack, “He has said my lack of reactions bothers him.”
“Still, you’re my friend,” She grunted as another attack bounced off the shield, “Your honor is reflected through our actions.”
“Friend?” She looked up from behind the shield.
“Yes, Mira,” Ravenna lowered the sword and took a deep breath, “Even if you do not join the family, I would be honored to have you as a friend.”
She smiled. Only a few months ago, she was barred from any friendship. Now, she had people she cared about and many that cared about her. Once she finally killed Isaan, perhaps she could have a normal life. Her fingers ran over the stone on her necklace as Encante tsked at the thought.
“Bo wrote me a poem the other night. He even told me he was working on another on my birthday,” Mira shared, “He said he got the idea from you.”
“Bobabano, a poet?” Ravena barked out a laugh, “That’s new. Usually, he just slings a few coin in front of a woman and she’s mystified. It seems he actually has to try and be romantic with you.”
She laughed, “It was sweet.”
“I know he asked, but will you still claim him? He and Amethyst speak like it is a sure thing. I don’t want him to ruin it for—” Her sword bounced off the shield, and she dropped it as it vibrated in her hand painfully.
“You sliced at a bad angle,” Mira picked up the sword and handed it to her, “Try not to tilt your wrist.”
“Got it,” She nodded, “I’m excited to try out the tournament. Mother doesn’t usually let me participate in practice with anyone but Bo, and he hardly tries. I only convinced her to let me come here by saying I’d look for a primary.”
Mira’s eyes wandered to the half elf that practiced on another unfortunate dummy. She smiled slyly as he wiped the sweat from his brow. She looked back to Ravenna and the pink orc moved her dark hair from her face in a messy bun. Mira ushered her to a lesser populated part of the stadium to continue their conversation.
“Ravenna,” She lowered her gaze, “I do not want to pry, but as a new female friend, I am looking for descriptions of certain aspects of relationships.”
“What do you need?”
“I have questions,” Her face burned at the thought, “Or… do you think I can borrow some of those novels after all? I’m not… well trained in that area.”
“What do you –Oh!” Ravenna laughed, “Most people in Agrowl take a course in the basics of that. I believe I have the textbook on the ship. Should I send someone to get it?”
“You would do that for me?” She blinked.
“Of course,” She pushed her glasses up her nose, “After all, I haven’t studied it.”
“Why not?” Mira held the shield up as Ravenna’s sword chopped down.
“I do not know if I want a lover,” She sighed, “All the poets and stories tell of this grand attraction when you meet someone and love them. I do not feel that towards anyone.”
“What about Tiero?”
“Shaman Tiero is a kind man,” Her pink cheeks turned red, “I know that is what he wants. He asked me to claim him before we left so that he may stay in my room to better protect me.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know if love him,” Ravenna plunged the sword towards Mira, “Besides, if he accepted my claim then we would have to spend at least one night together with an audience. Unlike many women in Agrowl, I do not intend to share my interests that openly.”
“Oh, I completely understand,” Mira snorted, “It’s not exactly wonderful to have an audience.”
“Did you and Bo actually –?” Her eyes grew wide, “I heard the rumors, but didn’t know if you had witnesses.”
“No,” She shook her head curtly, “But the palace servants saw him undress me thoroughly.”
“He can’t even close doors right, can he?” She groaned, “I’m not entirely sure what your plan is, Mira, but I’m glad you’re my friend. Hopefully you’ll claim Bobabano and then maybe you can be on the throne.”
“You don’t want to be queen?”
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“Goddess, no!” She lowered the sword, “I would rather curl up in the library with a good book and ignore the politics. Agrowl needs to be a strong leader. I figure that is why Bobabano is trotting you about town, anyway. That, or to piss off my mother.”
She watched her friend’s brow furrow as she practiced a few more swings. Mira was not used to friends. She did not want another one to leave her or hate her like Tella did. To do that, she wanted to be honest from the beginning.
“If I told you the entire story,” Mira watched her reaction, “Would you still be my friend?”
“Of course, Mira. I already know you have killed people—even Bo’s parents,” She leaned in and whispered, “I know you’re the wraith. If he thinks you are a good person after that, then I’m sure nothing you can tell me will change my mind.”
The only people that knew who and what Mira was, pledged themselves to her immediately. She didn’t want that with everyone. She wanted just one friend that wouldn’t expect anything from her or was bound to serve her.
“You have to promise you won’t treat me differently.”
“As long as you don’t treat me differently if I end up becoming the queen,” Ravenna reassured her, “Then I promise.”
“Let’s sneak away from here,” Mira grinned, “Let Bo and Tiero deal with finding us for a while.”
“We can go back to your room.”
Mira dropped the shield and grabbed Ravenna’s hand. The pink orc looked around them before and the pair ran through the other exit of the coliseum. After they cleared the building, Mira slowed down and let Ravenna set the pace. The orc pushed her glasses up her nose and blew the hair from her face.
They stopped only to wave politely to those that recognized Ravenna. Not many dwarves knew of the woman, but many orcs stopped to sing her praises and discuss any plans she might have in the city. Mira had to cut many of them off and Ravenna appreciated that her friend was more forward than her. If she hadn’t said anything, the men would have found them from the large crowd that gathered.
“Can we stop there?” Ravenna pointed at a small bookstore.
Mira nodded and roamed through the shelves of musty books. She watched the orc visibly relax and ran her fingers over the well-worn spines of the novels in front of her. She tapped her chin in thought.
“Find anything interesting?” Mira asked.
“Nothing I don’t have back home, unfortunately,” She sighed, “I do not get to see many bookstores. There’s always something so whimsical about them.”
“Neither did I. Bo took me to one the first day we were here,” She shrugged, “Perhaps it’s the adventures, or that the quiet, that make it fun.”
“Both!” She grinned, “Come on, we better keep moving.”
The two snuck past as many people as possible to get to the inn unnoticed. As they climbed the stairs to Mira’s suite, Ravenna unclasped the light armor and sat it by the door. She opened the door into the immaculately decorated room and ushered her to the tea table near the door. Ravenna sat and crossed her legs daintily. She placed her hands on the table and waited for Mira to speak.
Mira’s hand rubbed the stone against her chest. Encante did not like this plan and rambled in her mind about how horrible it was. She elected to ignore him and decided to have an actual friendship with someone that knew her for what she was. If Ravenna betrayed her, it didn’t matter. She was supposed to take Agrowl’s stone for herself, anyway.
“Ravenna,” She took a deep, “I am a Vessel.”
“I’m sorry?” The pink orc pushed her glasses up her nose, “A Vessel… as in…?”
“The Guardian Stones,” Mira nodded, “I’m sure you are away of the story of the Goddess’s ascension.”
Ravenna’s cherry red eyes grew, “By Agrowl’s ashes! Is that how you got my cousin’s attention? I hadn’t heard of Saceida transferring –”
“Not Saceida,” Mira shook her head, “Or Vanora. Or Zrud. Or Agrowl.”
Mira tapped the stone on her amulet and waited for Ravenna to think through it.
“The wraith. The monsters from the Unclaimed Isle,” She squeaked, “Is it –is it Encante?”
“Yes,” Mira’s hands fell to the table, “Amethyst, Bo, and Tiero are part of an Order meant to protect Vessels and their Guardians.”
“Then why are they here?” Ravenna scrunched her nose, “Shouldn’t Bo and Tiero be in Agrowl then?”
“Bobabano joined after I saved the ship to serve Encante,” She pointed to her, “Tiero thinks that you are Agrowl’s Vessel. That’s why he is so attached to you and worried about your safety.”
“Me?” She stuttered, “No no no. It can’t be me. It would have to be my mother. She’s the queen.”
“Agrowl doesn’t speak to her. As she doesn’t have an fire magic either, she isn’t recognized as the Vessel,” She took a deep breath, “The last option is me.”
“What? Why?”
“I killed Queen Quillia,” Mira hesitated, “Amethyst believes Agrowl is waiting for me to return because of that.”
Ravenna stood and turned from her friend. She squeaked as she realized what Mira was saying. She placed a hand to her forehead as her thoughts spiraled around the new information. The only thing that stood out to her was something she honestly wanted.
“They think you have an honest claim to the throne?” She turned to Mira, “That’s wonderful!”
“That is… not the reaction I was expecting.”
“Mira, my friend,” Ravenna placed her hands over her and looked at her sincerely, “My mother is a horrible woman that treats our people poorly. If I can help usurp her without taking the throne myself, I gladly will.”
“I don’t want it either,” She snorted, “But you realize… that means I may likely have to kill your mother, don’t you?”
“I would be sad, but…” Ravenna sat back down, “Mother has never treated me kindly. I was the daughter of the first man she bedded. She didn’t even claim him and refuses to tell anyone who he was. She prefers my brothers because their fathers are men that she claimed herself.”
“But you are a woman in a matriarchy. Isn’t that the precedent in Agrowl?”
“Normally,” Ravenna rubbed her own arms shyly, “But, not with her. She hates my father. I have no idea who or where he is. I’ve been tucked away and only brought out for lavish parties.”
She frowned, “Even her own daughter wants her dead?”
“Not dead. I just know she shouldn’t be queen,” She tapped her chin, “Mother has not taken our lands in as anything more than a resource for her to squander. Our people are dying because we do not have food or water to drink. The smallest tribes are begging to be absolved by us and she refuses because she does not want to buy them out of their land.”
“She sounds like a ruler.”
“She is cruel and selfish.”
“And if you are the Vessel?” Mira raised an eyebrow.
Ravena pushed her glasses up her nose, “Then, I will have enough sense to leave someone else the throne while I help my people with the power Agrowl gives me.”
“Ravenna, what if –”
The door swung open and Tiero and Bobabano panted as they rushed into the room.
“Can we help you?” Ravenna growled at them.
The noise made both men stop in their tracks.
“I thought you were –” Tiero cleared his throat, “Lady Ravenna, I worried–”
“She knows,” Mira leaned back in the chair and waved a hand, “We can speak freely.”
Bobabano grunted, “Mira, I don’t think it was a wise idea to –”
“When I dethrone Yteva, I will need someone to take Agrowl,” She pointed to Ravenna, “It will be her. Tiero, you already believe she is the heir, don’t you?”
He hesitated, “It was rumored that Queen Quillia could not bare any more children after Bobabano. I believe she could have heired Agrowl to Ravenna if he was supposed to be Garnet.”
“Garnet?” Ravenna blinked.
“The Stone Order,” Mira nodded, “Garnet is Tiero’s name in the order. Bo’s is Obsidian. Amethyst is who she is.”
“You should really not be giving out this much detail,” The yellow orc looked between them, “But I cannot tell you to take it back.”
“I want Mira to take the throne,” Ravenna stood and announced.
The two men looked at her in shock. Mira waved the awkwardness away casually.
“I am not taking a throne,” She locked her eyes with Ravenna, “But if my friend wishes for me to save her people –then, I promise I will.”