Chapter 91 Queen Phoebe.

Be very careful with the people you love.

They may become your greatest enemies one day.

Koshavi, the Princess of Dreams.

An hour and a good bath later, I don my blue dress. After a moment of hesitation, I decide not to drink a healing potion. I don't want my training to go to waste, and the potion won't remove my fatigue anyway. I get presentable and hurry to the docks.

As I get closer to the docks, I move my hands on my belt pouch and on Drusilla's bronze needles. I’ll need to replace these with actual arrowheads… I keep repeating all of my newly acquired cantrips and spells in my head, preparing for a potential battle.

“Is your Queen Inara afraid of me? What’s taking her so long? Stop making up nonsense or I’ll bury you alive. It’s Drusilla taking a new name, isn’t it? She finally got the spine to get rid of that pervert Luard?” I hear a familiar voice with an unfamiliar haughty tone when I draw closer to the docks.

I pass the corner and spot the person talking to Salik.

Janara.

It’s Janara of all people.

She matured since I last saw her, and became more beautiful in ways that incite my jealousy. She grew taller, and her pale flawless skin lost its blemishes. She developed graceful curves, and her face lost the little childish fat she used to have. The silver jeweled Tiara on her head holds her long black hair in a complex haircut. The emeralds in her tiara match the green velvet dress she wears like a second skin.

I wonder how strong she got... I can't help but prod her with my crown pool. To my surprise, I get a whole lot more information than an estimate of her strength. I can tell she has all of her ten mana pools formed. Furthermore, both her earth pool and wood pool are connected. For a brief moment I even see an odd fluid energy flow through her body, and I can see the large pools in her abdomen and left thigh. This is the first time I used my crown pool to prod someone after connecting it fully, and it is so much more than what I expected it to be.

She obviously feels my presence, and her eyes open like a pair of green saucers when she turns to face me. “You!” she shouts in Toml’a.

“Yes, me,” I answer sarcastically, trying to ignore the comparison between us. I have no idea what to say. On one hand, I am happy to see an old friend, especially after Lezere died. On the other hand, I know she means trouble, and that she outright hates me. Or maybe… “Have you finally found the truth about Purson?”

“Don’t you dare say his name!” she ignores Salik and steps toward me, fists clenched. Salik uses this opportunity to slip away.

I guess not… I’ll have to treat her as an enemy… I hate it… I hate it so much! One more try… I’m not giving up on her this fast! “I’m sorry, I should’ve been more tactful about this question…”

She lets out a mirthless laugh. “You always had issues with tact.”

“Yeah, and I’m just... tired… Lezere died a month ago, I could use a good old friend right about now.” I let her feel the pain in my voice. This is the best I can do to pull her to my side… if it doesn’t work…

“Oh? You got Lezere killed too?” her voice is full of glee and acid. “You’re a poison Ma…. M… ……. Argh!! Why in the five hells can’t I say your name?! What the fuck was your name again?”

I shrug. Seems like I have another enemy in addition to the king… “You can call me Inara if you want. Kolag said you were dead.”

Her hand jumps to her heart for a moment, she then crosses her hands on her chest as if to hide the motion. “Why, because he stabbed me through the heart?! Yeah, that didn’t work. You don’t deserve someone like him.”

“I agree, but he chose me anyway. You aren’t here for me, you clearly didn’t know I’m here. What are you here for, Janara?”

“It’s Phoebe now!” she exclaims with a sneer.

“Phoebe... Fine. You still haven’t answered my question.”

She moves her hands to her hips. “Luard owes me two thousand gems. I know he left what he owes me in his treasury, so why won’t you be a good girl and hand it over?” Her posture, and her mannerism suggests that she's talking to a child. The fact I look scrawnier and younger is even worse.

Excuse me?! “If Luard owes you, take it up with him. The guy escaped. He emptied most of the treasury before he did. I don’t owe you anything, and I’m not in the habit of paying the debts of my enemies. He killed Lezere right in front of me. I want him dead! If it helps, I’ll send you his head when I do find him.”

“No, you killed Lezere! You and your poisonous tongue!” Her body shakes. She raises her voice as she steps forward. She has changed a lot since I last saw her, she wasn’t this mentally unstable before... Or maybe she always was and I simply never noticed... Someone who would sleep with her own brother screams mental instability... “I don’t care whether Luard lives or dies. I just want my money," she utters through gritted teeth.

If you think you're going to intimidate me with your height, you've got another thing coming. I don’t take a single step back, which almost brings her neck and upper chest into my face. I hate being so short! I hate having to look up to people! “The money’s gone, shouting at me won’t bring it back,” I say icily, forcing my feet to stay rooted in place and my eyes fixated on her neck. “I don’t have that kind of money right now, nor am I planning to pay a debt for my enemy. Now, you can calm down and accept my hospitality for old times' sake, or leave. The choice is yours.”

She moves a step back and tucks her hair from her face, looking down at me. “I don’t live in the past, you half-blood cunt! I keep forgetting that your innocent childish looks are nothing but a fucking show! And you…”

“You’re saying you don’t live in the past, but you clearly do,” I cut her off, and look back into her green eyes. “If you weren’t living in the past you wouldn’t hate me so much. So I’m asking you to go back further into the past, to the times we were friends. Please? Just for a single night? Come to my palace, eat something, see Kolag, and let’s just talk, the three of us. After that, you can hate me, curse me, and try to kill me, whatever you want.” Why do I keep trying? She clearly wants to hate me…

She takes another step back. I can see the hesitation in her green orbs; I finally got through to her.

Let’s hammer this in while it’s still hot! “You said Kolag is honorable, and that you’ll believe what he says. You can talk to him and ask what really happened that day. Or you can stand there, scream and blame me for things I didn’t do, things I'd do differently if I knew, things I had no control over, things that neither of us can change. The choice is yours, Phoebe.”

“Do you take me for a fool?!” She narrows her eyes at me. “You took your sweet time getting here. Do you think I don’t know you’re planning a trap for me somewhere in that city of yours?!”

Looks like you’ve also earned some healthy amount of paranoia while we were apart. “Very well, I’ll bring Kol…”

A scream escapes my throat when a stream of burning acid hits my face and chest. She doesn’t let me finish the sentence, she doesn’t let me say that I’ll bring Kolag to her in the docks so we can dine on her ship. She just cast a silent ‘Acid Spray’ cantrip at my face.

I shut my eyes instinctively and feel the burning liquid sizzling on my eyelids. “Myrsha samir!” I scream in an instinctual desperation. The liquid stream from her hands gets repealed back to her and now she's the one to scream. I stumble back with my eyes closed, whimpering. It feels like someone spilled liquid fire on my upper body; it flows down, burning my skin wherever it touches.

“Folo fotyr!” Janara’s voice is closer than I expect. I can feel the flames on the lower part of my dress. My skirt and legs are set a light. Involuntary screams escape my lips.

IT BURNS!

She aimed that cantrip at my legs, she wants to torture me! “Nimuwal!” I cry desperately, barely staying on my feet. I add a few amplification patterns, and a powerful water torrent shoots out from my hands. I aim it at my body with my eyes still closed, washing myself clean of fire and acid.

Janara laughs joyfully, already chanting her next spell. “Reviss! Kas shoarr oarofisia!”

Lightning! I recognize her ‘Sparks’ spell as she chants it and counter before she finishes. Nu nimuwal aloki. I weave my patterns, silently screaming in my head. The water around my body flies away, joining my water jet to form a dome of flowing water around me. I just feel the rush of water, I cannot see a thing with my eyes closed.

Even after washing myself, the sheer pain is overwhelming. My heart beats rapidly in my chest. My hair stands up on my nape with the violent electric current discharged into the spinning water around me. But since I’m no longer touching the water, and there’s a buffer of air between me and the watery wall, the electricity is absorbed into the ground.

I use the brief moment to gulp down a healing potion. The soothing feeling courses through my face and upper body.

I can finally open my eyes just in time to see the ground sprouting four long vines around me, they creep toward my legs and waist.

“Rod’ena!” I summon my own three vines, to block them before they reach me. I cut the mana to my water shield, and the dome collapses, drenching me in water again. “Myrsha! Lu myrsha ni!” after casting my swift ‘Weightless Body’ spell I kick the ground violently, splashing the water puddle with my charred boot.

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Ok. Focus. Being airborne should be better. Janara’s high affinities are earth and wood… and being high in the air also renders her lightning attacks ineffective…

In a blink, I am already three meters up in the air. A violet speck of light circles me rapidly as I gain altitude quickly. The second lightning attack coming out of Janara’s hands does not reach me, instead, it’s attracted to the watery puddle on the ground.

She looks up and our eyes meet. I can see the surprise in her green eyes. She was sure she already won, and she doesn’t like how things turned out.

We both act at the same time. “Revisor ak!” I cast the ‘Blinding Light’ cantrip, and close my eyes so I won’t blind myself.

“Felul!” she calls out, exposing the weakness of my weightless spell. The gust of wind knocks me upward toward the sky. If I gain too much altitude, the violent winds high up will throw my weightless body around. I’ve already experienced it near the Emrisor tree back in Axero.

I dismiss my ‘Weightless Body’ spell, falling down against the screaming wind. Myrsha Kalfit. Latsa. Drawing on the mana from my necklace, I cast a silent ‘Lightweight Body’ and a silent ‘Minor Telekinesis’ cantrips. Not to just slow my fall, but also to influence the direction of my fall. Instead of falling toward the spot I stood before, I fall toward Janara’s position. Facing down, I aim my hand at her face.

The clarity returns to her eyes, and I can tell she regains her vision when her contracted pupils dilate. But it’s already too late, my hand is two centimeters from her face. “Myrsha ritsa!”

“Ritsa!” her reaction is swift, and her ‘Repulse’ cantrip knocks me backward. I am tossed away like a giant hand slapped me. The air escapes my lungs when my back hits the hard stone wall, and I drop to the ground with a painful moan.

Ignore the damn pain! I don’t have the luxury of lying down! My spells fizzle. I stumble up to my feet, dizzy, panting.

Although my vision is still blurry, I can tell that Janara doesn’t look so good now. Her nose is missing, and her face is a hideous mass of torn flesh. One of her jawbones hangs out in the open, dyeing her green dress with dark scarlet stains. She looks at me, her green eyes burning with hatred under the gory mask.

We stand there for a long moment, glaring at each other. Then, she turns and runs toward the large docking ship at the harbor.

I give a chase. "Latsa." I take out a handful of my bronze needles from my belt with a silent ‘Minor Telekinesis’ cantrip. In the heat of battle I forgot all about them. “Kushgari yefa!” I send two flying in her direction. She shrieks when my pair of needles hit her back and shoulder, but it doesn’t kill her.

Fences of vines grow out of the muddy ground, obscuring my path. My next needles get blocked by vines.

“Myrsha! Lu myrsha ni!” Drawing half of the remaining mana from my necklace, I use my make-shift flying spell to go above the obstacles, draining a small batch of my rose petals. “Kushgari yefa!” I send another pair of needles her way.

This time I manage to hit her leg. Janara drops to the ground half a meter from her ship. She lets out a wordless scream of frustration.

A woman wearing a long black skirt steps off the ship. Her upper body is mostly exposed save for a fur binding that holds her chest together. Her dark scales and skin glimmering in the sunset and her dark hair still set in the multiple braids she wore when I first met her.

Oshi.

Snakes! My necklace is nearly out of mana!!!

“Felul!” Both me and Oshi use the same cantrip. The wind blows away the needles floating around me, and I am crushed between two opposing wind currents. The violent wind spins me around, leaving me no choice but to cancel my weightless spell. “Latsa ni.” I land with a jump spell. My necklace is down to around twenty gems! I can’t run! I reach for the small bag of gems I’m carrying. I hope this will be enough to fight Oshi…

Wait...

"Oshi lu yalem! Janara kutsor!" I shout in Myrsha. Using their true names.

Oshi bursts out in wild laughter as she helps Janara board the ship. "Did you think using a true name is that easy, precious?" Oshi sticks her tongue out and pulls down her left eyelid. The ship’s plank is pulled and the sails are raised, Oshi’s ‘Breeze’ cantrip now puffs up the sails. "You can only do that with the right spells!" she calls out as they sail away.

Oh no snake that! You’re not leaving without my farewell gift! “Fotyr folo!” I duplicate my firebolts, firing two of them at the ship’s sails. With the wind in those sails, my fire intensifies.

“Pisfero.” Oshi calls out. As I rejoice, the fires get sucked into the sails and die out, I run toward the dock in a desperate attempt to stop the sailing ship. “Rial aluwe ri!” I draw the remaining mana from my necklace. The water turns to ice. I aim to hold this ship in place. But the ship simply breaks through my thin icy layer, leaving the harbor at a rapid pace as it sails downriver.

Oshi stands on the back of the ship. She waves at me, then arches her body, sticks her butt out and pats it in my direction. “Good bye precious!” She shouts. I don’t deem it worthy of a reply.

They’ll be back, with an army next time.

The setting sun turns the ship sailing down the river into a beautiful sight, a beautiful sight that may spell my death in the nearest future.

Once the adrenaline rush is over, I find myself panting and gasping for air. The burning sensation on my skin makes me realize that my torn dress still contains a remnant of the acid, despite the water jet I put myself under.

“Or shakat.” I draw on my magical gems to cast the laundry spell. The acid clears out from my torn clothing, but not from my skin under it.

Snakes! What a waste of gems!

I take off my belt and every source of pain. My shoes, dress, and corset. I wince when I try to take off my magical necklace, a part of the chain had melted into my skin. I scream and rip it off forcefully. Pieces of my skin are stuck to the necklace. After a short horrified look, I jump into the shallow water of the riverbank.

After the quick wash, I climb out and sit on the edge of the dock in my breechcloth, gulping down another healing potion. I sigh in relief when the pain finally alleviates. I touch my face and upper chest, getting a sense for the damage. The skin is more sensitive and too warm. When I move my hand around on my face, some of it sticks to my hand and rips off with numbed pain. Snakes!!!

“You look like venom.” Salik’s voice startles me, I jump and cover my breasts with my hands.

I look down, examining my blistered red skin. I spot the long thin mark the melted chain had branded on my skin. My bare feet are covered in soot, and the constant itch on my face and eyelids doesn’t go away. I gulp another healing potion, hoping it’d help somehow. “I feel like venom, where on rot is Kolag?! All this snow could be avoided if he was simply here.”

“I’m here! What’s going on?!” I turn as I hear Kolag’s echoing voice. He takes a step away and averts his gaze when he sees me. Can't even look at me now, can you?! Snakes!!!

I switch to Toml’a. “Janara was here! Still thinking I killed her dear brother! She’d listen to you if you were here! So where the hell were you?” Calm down! It’s not his fault! He couldn’t have known!

Fuck calming down! I’m so pissed! This could all be avoided if he was simply here! But he wasn’t. And he couldn’t have known.

“Her brother?! That was her husband!” he protests

“He was also her fucking brother! Who cares! Where the hell were you?!”

“Helping Alina the widow fix her...” his echoing voice dies down and he doesn't finish his sentence.

“Helping who?!” Chasing after widows now?!

“You told me to give them time, and finally someone asked me for help… a woman named Alina… I killed her husband in that battle… I left widows behind Inara… Children, orphans. I’m making sure they have a roof that doesn’t leak over their heads. Is that a bad thing?”

“So important! If you were here on time like I asked, you could’ve prevented a fucking war! Now hundreds are going to die only because you weren’t here on time! At least you can calm down about Janara, she’s very much alive. One less guilty deed on your fucking list!”

Janara mentioned she had armies behind her when she threatened king Luard, and now she’ll bring these armies on our heads. Exactly why I need to keep Kolag on my side! He’s the only one here who can stop armies on his own!

“I’m sorry I’ve misled you, my love, but I truly thought I’d killed her,” he apologizes, his echoing words crisp.

My voice breaks despite my best attempt to keep it steady. “I tried to make her stay, I tried talking sense into her. I tried telling her to hear you out… But she wouldn’t listen! She thought I’m laying a trap for her, that I want to kill her. So she attacked and escaped. She’ll be back with an army…”

Kolag just stands there, staring at me. His face hidden behind that damn helmet. “I’m only human Inara, I can’t be everywhere at once, nor know everything. Is there anything I can do now?”

This fight is pointless, it’s not his fault, he’s right, he couldn’t have known… “No…” I sigh. “I just… needed you here for once. I’m sorry… I’m frustrated. I almost died today… I’m sorry for pinning this on you, it’s not your fault, it’s Janara’s. And I’m tired… I’m going back to get some rest…” Yeah... some rest...

The world turns dull. I find my way back to the palace. To my bed. I fall into sleepy dark bliss.

*~*~*

Interlude 91.1

Kolag

Kolag trembles in anger, fist clenched around the handle of his claymore.

Her face had melted. The woman he loves had her face melted! All because he wasn’t here to protect her! Because he had to fix a cursed roof!

“Are you ok, kid?” Salik asks.

“I’m fine.” Kolag holds back his anger. Salik should’ve done something to prevent this! He should’ve… done what? Get in the middle of a fight between mages? He'd die.

“She did not mean what she said, kid. Women get emotional sometimes… actually snake that. Anyone would get emotional after a battle like that...”

“I know.” Kolag doesn’t blame his love for that. She had every right to be angry at him, he should’ve been here when she needed him! Not fixing a roof!

“She’ll come around… or at least she’ll come around once she figures how to fix her face with some fancy magic…” the man chuckles.

That man is laughing?! The woman he loves got her face melted and that man finds it funny?! He should die! He couldn't even do anything to help! What a weakling.

The demon within stirs.

Flapping that wet mouth with no meaning, laughing when he should be screaming for help. Drainhiswetswetjuice draindrain DRAIN!!! “Stop talking.” Kolag grunts. Both to Salik, and the demon.

“I’m sorry, kid. Just trying to make you feel better.”

Weakling, coward, devour his tasty wet guts, drink them all, drink them wet. All wetwetwet WET JUICE. “STOP TALKING!!!”

“Ok…”

Kolag walks away from the docks. Janara will pay for that! Justice will be served!

Oh yes, more wet guts to suck! More sweet nourishing souls to consume. He can’t wait for this mortal war to happen!

“SHUT UP!”

*~*~*

Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.

Mana pools status:

Crown-knot: Affinity 10: connected: 1 gem replenished per minute.

Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 73

Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 11 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1

Air: Affinity 4: formed: 22 gems

Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 11 gems

Light: Affinity 3: formed: 16/17 gems

Water: Affinity 6: formed: 33 gems

Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 5 gems

Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 11 gems

Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 49/50 gems

Cantrip known:

Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream.

Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite. Oniga's Soap Creation.

Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.

Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freeze. Ayla's Flowing Shield.

Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray. Alf's Copper Bolt

Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.

Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield II. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body. Alino's Orbiter.

Transmutation: Oniga's Laundry.

Spells known:

Light: Rika's Electric channelb

Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb.

Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison.

Focus capability: 15 patterns.

Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.

Personal Wealth: 1761 Magic Gems. 40 Diamonds. 1420 Golden Peas, 45 Silver Scales, 32 Copper Bits.

Personal Items:

Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.

1 potion of lightning body.

1 potion of mana, medium grade.

4 potions of Lesser Healing.

An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh. Each pouch may contain 10g of petals or six potion flasks.

Fresh rose petals, 39g

Fresh lavender petals, 13g

10 empty soul bottles. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.

The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 23/100

Present Companions:

Kolag of house Befar

Salik

Zoe

Ryon

Languages:

Toml’a Fluent

Sinteo Fluent

Myrsha 8/10

Felul 1/10

Injuries and scars: melted skin; face, upper chest, chain scar.

-

Kingdom’s treasury: 8,438 gold coins.

Kingdom’s citizen: 5,898 humans, 2,251 human children.

Kingdom's army: 900 footmen, 26 peacekeeper knights.

Notables at Court:

Tasiya Keyholder

Jolla SilverQuill

Talbot Bookkeeper

Marasi Chef extraordinaire (spymaster.)

Old Gardner Tiom