Chapter Forty-Four

“It's impossible!” Harmony groaned. The once red multi-colored dragon skin jacket resisted all attempts to change it back. She'd burned through her toolbox of skills, synergies, and connections.

“It should have been impossible for you to have changed the color at all. This is an artifact.” At Harmony’s confused look, Maekus continued, “A former pair bonded item brought to completion. All changes set in stone at the bonded’s death.”

“I’ve tried my best. Can you please now tell me what your decision on Prince Adric is?” The Exhaustion of having been at this for hours was taking its toll. It was bad enough to wake up and have the room smelling like a wet dog. No one else may have noticed, but there was also a lot of extra hair floating around in the room's dust.

“Oh, that. I have no idea. He appears human, but a lot of things appear that way. The best I can figure is that in the bond with you he gained life as you gained death exchanging and repelling that part of reality. Similar to how Nae’s Garden and Old Bones work. I’m surprised you didn’t become an undead abomination when the scroll activated.”

That was not Harmony’s perspective of what happened. It would be inappropriate to question the expert who was called in to decide this case. Let alone when it looks like he will go the way she wanted. Enough sticking her nose into a hornet's nest. She poked her arm and checked her pulse. It’s not like she learned nothing from having an actress for a mother and being a maid.

Maekus continued. “You also seem alive and human too. I wasn’t only checking out your pet. After every evolution, I request that both of you report to a charter member organization for evaluation. It would be a shame to have to hunt you down. Other than that, you’re both free to go.”

“That’s all!” Adric groaned as the potential death sentence was lifted.

“Considering your family shoved enough anti-necromantic potions into you to kill a healthy once-evolved person. You’ve suffered enough. I think the fact that you’re still alive after all that might have worried them more than anything.“ The counselor answered.

“I guess this is goodbye. Sorry, I ruined your outfit.” Harmony said, ready to get this moving and them all back to the Dragonfly Inn.

Taking his coat back, Maekus slid it back on and ripped open the space with a jagged white line in front of himself.

“Oh, I’ll be around. I'm not done keeping my eyes on you. This Ascendant Games thing needs some attention as well. This corner of the world hasn’t been interesting in a long time.” With that, he stepped through. The weight the man had carried cleared the room with his exit.

Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief.

The double doors to the prince’s fourth-floor suite burst open, a loud crash as they swung in hard crashing into the walls. Tired bodyguards raised their weapons protectively around Lady White.

Palace guards rushed in with weapons drawn and skills flickering around them. A wave of ten pushed into the room. Larger than life, Countess Maye marched in not in formal wear but a full set of plate armor, minus the helm, her face stern and challenging. Rosaline, bow in hand, arrow nocked, keeping pace at her side. Behind them, ten more guards filled the rest of the room.

“Oh, Adric, we've been so worried.” The countess gushed. “We’d feared the worst, and when we couldn’t access your room I gathered all the best men.”

[Keen Investigative Awareness] didn’t need to tell Harmony this was all bloody corpse rot. But it did make all of this harder to ignore and almost warred with [Poise and Bearing] and its more subservient desire not to cause a scene. But if the goal was to not cause a scene it was too late.

What She couldn’t figure out was what was exactly going down. The palace guards departed after their reaction to the sudden arrival everyone mistook for an ambush. They knew Von Trell with his many titles was here as a charter counselor to decide on Adric's fate. They knew twenty guards with the countess and princess wouldn't be enough to stop the man. Hours sealed in the room with Maekus meant everything should have been resolved. Yet the palace guard's weapons remained out.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Auntie, he said I was free to go,” Adeic responded.

“Just because he cleared you doesn't mean there aren't dangerous things to protect you from.” Countess Maye stomped her foot and an aura of light spread out from her. “And I am the one most fit to protect you.”

That’s the play? Swoop in after Adric has had hours of intense investigation into his status. Offer protection while they’re hungry, vulnerable, and worried.

Hyacinth can you do a favor for me? Harmony relayed her intentions through [Familiar Bond] to him.

“Adric, you’re looking a bit unkempt after everything, go get a change of clothes. I want a few moments to have words with your aunt and sister.“ [Beautician] had been itching, but the truth was Adric never looked too bad and looked wonders better than he had when she first arrived. The scuffle had marred his clothes.

“Oh, okay.” He mumbled with confusion and self-consciousness as he moved towards the suite's bedroom.

Maekus Von Trell had been a show-off and the most powerful person Harmony had ever met. That brief interaction held several insights into that level of strength. Insights she could feel improving her skills as she processed them. An itch to use [Recall] for her next training session started before the man left. One thing obvious was his near absolute control of the environment around him. Well above her skill level, but it certainly made a statement, and one she could fake.

[Cold Touch] synergized with [Renew Spirit] spreading a faintly glowing chilling mist throughout the room. The novel interaction she'd played with at Ambrosia’s shows and to wake Hyacinth rolled up to everyone’s knees and with it [Final Silence] added a touch of sound dampening she directed towards the unwelcome guests. Not enough you couldn’t shout through but would produce an eerie uncomfortableness. Internally, the authority was still stable enough that she lent a touch of it to the effect, with a hint of that feeling of death she’d started to play with. She would be paying for that later, but it didn’t matter.

Death and Authority echoed in her voice. “My darling countess, what a wonderful jest to present, that you would be most suited to protect Prince Adric.”

Countess Maye tried to speak, but Harmony had expected that and used the last bit of [Final Silence] to mute the sounds around her. This allowed Harmony to continue uninterrupted.

“Princess Rosaline I’m most disappointed in you for showing up to this farce. After your letter, I’d hoped we could mend some of the rifts between us. We will be in the Ascendant Games together as friends or foes. I’ll make sure to let Guild mistress Thorne hear you need to work on trust and teamwork some more.”

The way Rose blanched at that made Harmony glad she wasn’t part of that training. With shaky confidence, the princess spoke, “I’m just trying to do what is best for Adric. That attack at the Harvest could have easily hit him. Let us take care of him. I can’t watch him die again.”

Arguing about how they had been treating her pet for the few days they had watched him wouldn’t advance Harmony’s goals. The secondary effect she’d squeezed out of [Final Silence] ended, so it wasn’t like she’d be allowed the words to argue that point now anyway.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Countess Maye yelled in a voice nearly as big as her stature. “We won’t let Adric leave this room. I will protect him whether he likes it or not!”

Done. Hyacinth sent her.

Harmony let out a long very real sigh as today had been particularly exhausting. “Well, you won’t stop me from leaving. I doubt the guild or city guards would be happy if you tried. In case you haven’t heard, Counselor Von Trell will also be staying with an interest in the games. If you have issues with me, take it up with them first. Come.”

Harmony marched forward, driving her bodyguards and Ambrosia to come with. Eight people moved to walk past the twenty toward the exit.

The groups met and the countess pushed for one more clash of words. “It’s good that you’ve finally learned to come to grips with your situation. You may have protection now, but Adric, now that he is cleared, is best with his family.”

“Prince Adric knows himself. All you are doing is grasping at the shadows of who you want him to be.“ Harmony responded.

“Sorry, Harm,” Rose muttered.

The group stepped out and the doors slammed shut behind them. “We’d better hurry. They’re not going to be happy.” Harmony told her crew as she rushed to the stairs.

To some, it might have seemed unnecessary to instruct Hyacinth to make off with all the clothes he could carry while he hauled Adric through the dark. But the man damn well needed something better than the couple of overly worn outfits he had hanging in his closet at the Dragonfly Inn.