Meera felt like she should be worried, given all the looks she was getting, but she wasn't after using Identify on them. Only some of the sorceresses she had encountered were stronger than her. But there was one problem. All the initiates she had seen were less than level 150.

Maybe that's why I'm getting strange looks, or perhaps it's because I'm not showing enough skin.

She shrugged and moved on. She was walking through a corridor with doors on both sides. Most corridors were like that. This whole place was overhyped, aside from the crystals that floated along the walls. The best part about them was that they shone too bright for their size. Other than that, it seemed like a regular old stone building with a lack of windows. That wasn't to say there were none. She came across many windows, but they were kept to a minimum, or these crones would've died of a lack of air.

She shivered slightly as shrill air sent a shiver up her spine. That was another common thing in this place—a light draft that flowed through the hallways to annoy her. Paintings of beautiful women, which Meera figured to be sorceresses, adorn the walls, along with pots containing all varieties of flowering plants—flowers that were definitely native to these worlds, as she had never seen them on earth before.

Meera crossed a woman who looked down her nose at her. She had silvery gray hair and dusky skin, and her figure was such that she could easily be a supermodel back home. She wore a dress that matched her hair, but it shone in the glowing lights of the crystals. In other words, the woman was stunning.

Still, Meera just walked past her so as not to stare, even though she really wanted to. The woman stopped and coughed. Meera gave her a sideways glance but kept walking. The woman coughed some more, loudly this time.

"You, stop," she barked in a shrill voice.

Meera turned her head, frowning, unsure if she was talking to her. The woman's glare confirmed that she was indeed talking to her.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Meera asked politely, not wanting to start anything. But if it came to blows, she was ready. She had her level 2 chakrams on her back, hidden by a half-cape.

[Sorceress of Storms – Level 402]

Meera visibly relaxed, which the sorceress picked up on, and this seemed to infuriate her further. Her frown turned into a scowl.

"Aren't you forgetting something, girl?" The silver-haired sorceress seethed.

Meera raised an eyebrow, did a quick mental check, and shook her head. "No, I have everything."

"I wasn't talking about your effects, you stupid girl," the sorceress lashed out.

Meera shivered slightly as the temperature abruptly dropped. She hugged her arms and looked down the corridor's length in each direction but found no windows. Then, it must've been coming from the sorceress. Meera had half a mind to subdue her like she did Arvena, but she didn't know what skills this woman had. Secondly, if she did that, she would expose herself as not one of them. She would have to kill this woman and stash her body somewhere.

So, she played meek. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry, ma'am, if I have caused you some offense."

An icy cold hand gripped the back of Meera's neck and pushed her head further down. "There, that's better. This is how low you must bow when you see your betters."

Meera's hand twitched to rip out one of her chakrams and show the sorceress how low she had to bow.

Control Meera. Control.

"Yes, ma'am," she said through gritted teeth.

The sorceress must've thought it must be because of her cold hand and not Meera's anger as she finally let go. "Good. Now, stay like this until I leave the corridor."

Meera didn't reply, and the woman left, her heels clopping against the stone floor. She craned her neck as she stood and found a couple of girls wearing black—other initiates—staring at her and giggling.

"She must be new," said one. "Doesn't even know how to properly bow."

"She must be of lowborn stock," the other replied. "Ah, I see now. Varshan," she shook her head. "They think they lord over everyone. Why do they even allow her kind in here?"

Control Meera. But as it turned out, she was done controlling herself. She sent two regular chakrams zipping through the air. They stopped just short of slicing their eyes out.

"Why don't you Identify me before you run your mouth," Meera said.

They both gasped, their eyes widened, and they flew into a tirade of apologies. Meera was sure they would bow if her chakrams weren't in the way.

Meera raised a hand, and they quieted. "I'm an emissary from the Varshan empire and looking for the Five. Some sorceresses greeted me, but my business must conclude, and I need to return promptly."

They exchanged a glance, and the right one spoke up. "Pardon me, but if you're an emissary, then why were you bowing to—"

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"Because there was some misunderstanding between us," Meera said. "Kind of the sort you just had. She doesn't take to Varshans kindly, and she thought I was one of you because she didn't recognize me. I came here on a diplomatic mission, not to start a fight. Now, the Five, where do I find them?"

"Well, the Five are not in session for another week," the left one replied. "Is there anyone in particular you wish to meet?"

Meera removed her chakrams and put them on her arms again. "Firaan, that's who I was told to meet."

They both shared a sympathetic look.

"What?"

The right one sighed. "No, it's nothing. I'm sure they had good reason to direct you to Lady Firaan. Her chambers are two floors up in what was the dragon's second liverphave two livers?"

"Three, actually. All of the Five get a pick of the larger rooms, which are in one of the larger organs," said the right one.

"Lady Duinith, the headmistress, has her quarters right at the top, in what was the brain, fitting as she bestows knowledge. Lady Nikai resides in the lungs, taking care of the library."

"Did you know the dragon had twelve lungs," the other replied. "And all of them are filled to the brim with books."

"What about Aksha?" Meera asked. She didn't know if she was one of the Five but hoped her guess was correct.

The two girls stilled. Their eyes swiveled very slowly in each direction as if the woman was there listening in.

"Please speak her name quietly," the right one said. "She could've been listening in."

"We initiates call her the Kindly One," the other whispered. Her room is in the stomach, and trust me, you do not want to go there. Not many come out of there, and those who do are not fully there if you get my meaning."

"Noted." Meera nodded. "What about Lady Veridiana?"

"She's not part of the Five," said the left one. "It's a common mistake. Everyone who first comes here thinks she is. No, she is the Sovereign. She sits above the Five and can overrule any of their decrees. They say she hasn't been seen in over a hundred years. That's not to say she's dead. She just hasn't left her room in all that time. Only the Five are allowed to go in her room, and that is at the Sovereign's behest."

If Firaan tells me all I need to know, I don't need to go to the others, especially not a sorceress who could kill the monstrosity I am standing in.

"That's well and good," Meera said. "Now, where does she reside?"

"She resides in the heart, for she is the heart of this place." The girls were truly enamored with the woman even if they had never seen her.

Meera was about to ask about the other two members of the Conclave, but a group of girls came rushing from around the corridor. They looked to be initiates by their age. One quick Identify confirmed Meera's speculation. They were around level 100.

"Vaelie!" A blond girl in a black colored dress came rushing towards the girl on the left. "Did you hear?"

Vaelie frowned. "Hear what?"

"The traitor that fled the sisterhood a decade ago has been caught," the blond girl exclaimed.

Meera's ears immediately perked up, but she stayed calm to listen for more details. Please don't tell me that idiot sorceress didn't get herself captured ten minutes after she got back.

"Is it that one that murdered that sorceress? What was her name?" Vaelie rubbed her temples in contemplation.

"Kalrina!" The other girl Meera had cornered provided.

"That's it!" The blond girl said. "Aks—The Kindly One is escorting her to her room right now. Let's go see it. After all, how often do you get to see Aksha work."

"I don't know if I want to see that," Vaelie said.

"Oh, just come on."

The blond girl pulled her by the wrist, and Meera stepped aside to let the girls go. As for Meera, she turned in the opposite direction and headed for the stairs from which the blond girl had come. Since Kalrina had been captured, nothing was holding Arvena back from running off her mouth about her.

In fact, she might even give me up to save her sister's skin.

Meera picked up the pace, turned towards the stairs, and was not expecting what she saw. It was a tunnel with stairs that led up and up into the darkness, or maybe the tunnel had turned. There must've been over a hundred steps, if not more.

She sighed. Time is of the essence.

She lifted herself using Mirror Wing and shot up the stairs. Using Mirror Wing in this dress was awkward at best and downright difficult. The dress was hugging her so tightly like it would rip in half. Her hair blew in the wind, but she kept her focus. Thanks to her Gem of Echoes, she heard voices coming from the top of the stairs.

Meera landed on a step immediately, straightened her hair, and climbed the steps normally. It was a pair of sorceresses. Meera bowed to them as they passed to avoid another situation like last time. They didn't even bother looking her way. Meera picked up the pace after that. It took her only a short time to reach the bend at the top, which held more stairs. She blasted up the stairs again, and thankfully, no one showed up to slow her ascent. At the top, there was yet another set of stairs, but not as long as the other two.

Are you kidding me? How much Stamina do these sorceresses have?

She landed at the top a few seconds later. She was flying so fast she was sure her hair was a rat's nest by now. She exited through the door, and her jaw fell. It was like she had been trapped in the basement before, and someone had finally let her see the light.

The whole place had been carved out so that each major organ was easily visible. The sorceresses had chunked out what constituted as the dragon's muscles and only left the major organs intact. It was indeed a sight to behold. The dragon had three livers, just like the girls had said. The livers surrounded a massive bulbous, almost bean-shaped organ which could only be the stomach. She saw many organs that she had studied in school but couldn't remember their names anymore. She zoomed in with her eyes, and she saw the lungs, and nestled between them was something that could only be a heart.

The whole place was lit with yellow crystals, signifying it was day outside, or so Meera figured. Slender stone staircases connected the whole complex. It was a good thing she could fly, or she would have had anxiety attacks every time she stepped out on the stairs, as they had no railing whatsoever. Yet, women were climbing or descending the stairs with no care in the world. One even carried a stack of books above her head.

She drew a deep breath and avoided looking at that woman and her inevitable fall. Instead, she looked at the livers. Since they weren't numbered, she counted from the top and figured the one nestled between the other two was the second liver.

Her first thought was to fly, but she restrained herself, charted a path through the stairs, and made her way up. She made sure she didn't look down as she climbed higher and higher. But once she was high enough, she realized the dragon's intestines held the living quarters for the not-so-important sorceresses. She picked up the pace and got to the second liver without any instances of imminent death by falling.

There was a small landing and a door cut out in the stone liver. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She tried again, and nothing. On the fourth try, she activated Druvis Power and pounded lightly, making the whole liver shake. She left an imprint of her fist on the door.

"I'm coming," said a muffled sound. "Don't break my door, please."

A few moments later, the door finally opened. The stone door scratched against the floor, causing a screeching sound that almost made Meera's eardrums bleed. She clamped her hands on her ears and groaned.

"Oh, sorry, lass, I've asked a hundred times for this to be…" The woman trailed off. "Meera! You're finally here!"

Meera was too stunned to react. "How do you know my name?"

But she got her answer once she used Identify on her.

[Sorceress of Foresight – Level 526]