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"Everyone ready?" Karna asked. She was dressed quite simply and even relatively modestly this time. The party for the two princes was themed to be quite casual, so fancy gowns were off the table. Thus she was wearing a simple purple dress similar to the one she had worn on the first night of the festival, except this one actually had more back and omitted the large slit at the side. Some of the attires Duskclaw and Tsumi had forced her to acquire were quite tasteful. Some were anything but.
"We are. I still think I shouldn't come along. I can complete my mission later." Travan pointed out. The others were also dressed in clothes that were appealing, but not too fancy. Travan and Sieg wore jackets in the black and gold colors that the Magocracy's military used, except they looked a lot more casual. Miralen wore a more traditional elven dress with a lot of greens and living plants woven in. She was perhaps the most overdressed of the group, but she had insisted and looked quite fetching, so no one argued.
"You might not get another chance if you don't take this one," Duskclaw told Travan. She was coming along as an observer and the fifth person allowed by the invitation. It had been decided that since Karna and Miralen were here on a diplomatic mission, they'd have to attend. Travan had a mission of his own, and Sieg came along as a bodyguard. Shaheera would've drawn too much of the wrong type of attention as a Leonid and Mayumi would rather skip anyway.
"Besides, this kind of setting might be the optimal time to do it. The whole court won't be in attendance, so you won't draw everyone's ire. The Queen might also appreciate the discretion, and will almost certainly be in a better mood." Karna reasoned.
"A mood that I will sour," Travan argued.
"Sure. Probably. But it's not like you weren't going to do that anyway. Might as well soften the blow. Besides, in more casual surroundings we could argue this in a way that it might even fall in our favor, instead of against us. If you confronted her in front of the entire court, she'd have no choice but take a more hard stance due to being pressured by the nobles and having to keep up appearances." Karna countered.
"The decision is already made." Miralen declared. "Now let's get going. This dress isn't as comfortable as I'd hoped, and I may have made a mistake in choosing it. I want to get this done with as soon as possible."
The trip to the palace was short and uneventful. Most of the city was still in the midst of the festival, even if the masked portion was over. The whole thing had taken a little more solemn and official tone though, and many of the elves that had eagerly participated previously had taken the opportunity to rest a bit tonight. Thus the streets were noticeably less crowded, and the path to the palace was easy to traverse. As they arrived, they only had to display the invitation to be admitted within the palace proper, though now they were forced to queue in a moderate length line as the arrival of everyone was announced, and they were all greeted by the two princes whom they were all celebrating. They could also see that this was the time for the gifts to be presented.
The palace itself was interesting. In a true High Elven fashion, it was a grand affair that was intricately built and decorated, with thin spires dotting the white stone edifices. Gorgeous statues decorated every surface large enough to hold one, and nature was a prominent feature all around the palace. On the other hand, despite the size of the palace, the whole thing wasn't all that separate from the rest of the city. It was surrounded by a wall, but other buildings were built very close to the wall, and the palace didn't cover a lot of ground as the grandness was displayed more by everything being tall instead of being wide. The palace grounds were also filled with guards from the various elven clans, but especially from the tall and powerfully built High Elves.
"Can you finally tell us now what you made for them?" Miralen questioned as they were waiting in line. The waiting was getting to her, and she wanted something to distract from her nerves.
"Have a little patience. You'll find out soon anyway. Right along with everyone else." Karna only smiled mysteriously.
As the line moved forward, Karna's senses confirmed something she had been suspecting for a while now. "This night might turn out more interesting than we expected. There are vampires present among the guests. Not many, but more than a handful. I've been getting whiffs of them for the entire time we've been in the city, but this is the first time one has come close enough for me to confirm my suspicions." She didn't know what's going on, but she doubted there would be too much celebrating going on.
"Whiffs? What are you, a bloodhound?" Miralen asked, and then smiled at her own pun.
"I'm curious as well. Shaheera usually has the best nose in the group. Or were you just using the words as a figure of speech?" Sieg asked, ready for trouble at a moment's notice. They had left their weapons back at the inn as they would not be allowed inside the palace armed.
"Sure, let's go with that." Karna decided not to go into too much detail.
The fact was that she could sense vampires, because the bloodline she had Awakened when she reached the fourth Aura rank was that of a vampire. That's why she had been forced to take such odd methods to Awaken the bloodline. She had chosen vampires as the next Awakening because they had supreme control over their Aura. Much more precise than other beings. Certain vampires could also use their Aura in a very atypical way by using Thaumaturgy, or blood magic, and usually Aura was very limited in what kind of things you could do with it, despite the obvious power it provided. Thus the vampire bloodline provided options.
One of the general abilities vampires possessed was for the high-ranking vampires to be able to sense the presence of those beneath them on the food chain. Among vampires, their ranking wasn't determined only by their power, but the purity of their bloodline. As Karna had used her own blood, which meant blood that came from the very highest grade phoenixes and titans, during the ritual, she could be compared to a bloodline primogenitor when it came to vampire rankings. A very young and weak one, but a very high-ranking vampire nonetheless.
"Should we inform the guards?" Travan asked, much more wary than the others.
"I would not be surprised if the guards were aware. I doubt vampires could step into the royal palace without being spotted after all, and I'm getting the sense that there's more to this party than meets the eye. Still, we can make sure once we get inside." Karna speculated.
Luckily for everyone involved, the line moved quite quickly, and soon enough they could get inside the real venue for the party. The princess that had given them their invitation had been quite serious about the party being relatively casual, although that was on the scale of the royal family. The size of the event was relatively limited, and the number of servants and refreshments was quite reserved. Some of the guests had not gotten the memo and were clearly overdressed, but they were in the minority. The Queen was present, but she was staying out of the way and out of the limelight. She could be seen in one of the side rooms without her crown, while the two princes greeted everyone at the doors. There was also a rather sizeable mound of gifts behind them.
"Oh shit." Karna suddenly cursed as her eyes fell on the older prince. She had no trouble recognizing the person who had served as her partner during her little tryst. The mask the prince had worn had done nothing to hide his identity, and recognizing him was not exactly difficult. 'This is rather mortifying.'
"What?" Sieg asked, now genuinely concerned. Karna didn't show such signs of distress very often.
"Just…my past bad decisions coming back to haunt me." Karna waved the concern away and gathered her wits. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her? That would allow the whole thing to be forgotten. She knew that was a pointless hope, but one she decided to cling to anyway.
"Ah, our friends from the Academy." The Queen just so happened to arrive near the door just as their turn to be greeted came. Her approach had seemed casual and drew no extra attention, but something about her appearance right at this moment seemed too purposeful to Karna. The Queen's eyes also seemed to have a sparkle of amusement as well. She clearly knew something.
The two princes also turned towards them, and Karna could see the spark of recognition in the older prince's eyes. 'There goes that hope.' She thought to herself. The prince's eyes made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to pull her aside and have a talk with her. Well, talk, and maybe something more.
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She decided to not show any reaction though. She was not going to make a fool of herself in front of the royals. It seemed that using the mask had been pointless in the end. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. "The Academy?" The younger prince asked, entirely unaware that something odd was going on. "Well, it's nice to meet some of the most promising youths on the plane."
Miralen stepped forward to make the introductions. "Your Majesty. Your Highnesses. May I present to you, Sieg Wolfgangsson, the disciple and son of the greatest warrior of the Magocracy. Travan of House Drannor. Karna, the most promising student in the Academy, the disciple of Headmistress Tsumi, and the daughter of the Grand Medjai Arjuna. I am Miralen of House Shurifon. And finally, we have our observer, and the disciple of the Grand Medjai, Duskclaw." The people introduced all took turns to step forward and make a small bow towards the Queen and the two princes.
"Well, I knew there was supposed to be a delegation from the Academy, but I didn't know it would be full of such prestigious people." The young prince smiled radiantly. He was trained in diplomacy, so this much was to be expected. Besides, his words were genuine. He had expected a group of students that were perhaps nobles, or perhaps not even that.
"Our congratulations to Prince Finuwar for coming of age, and to Prince Cendirion for reaching the eighth rank. Accept these humble gifts as a token of our respect." Karna said in perfect ancient elvish only spoken by the High Elves and some of the more prestigious elven Houses. At the same time, she gave a perfectly measured curtsy and present two velvet boxes to the two princes.
"How refreshing to hear someone speak the old tongue. It has gotten rare even among the High Elves." The Queen gave a radiant smile as she responded with the same language. She then prodded Cendirion, who had been frozen ever since he'd seen Karna and recognized her, with her elbow, and spoke to him. "Come now. Accept the gifts." She said, using the common language.
Cendirion was roused from his stupor and he managed to accept the two boxes while trying to hide his faux pas by clearing his throat. "Our thanks for the gifts." He popped the velvet boxes open and looked at the simple silver chains inside. He could sense the complex magic within, but not what it would do. "I have to ask, what are they for?"
"Small pieces of destiny," Karna replied and pointed at the two little tokens hanging from the chains. "They can be worn as bracelets, or they can change shapes to other accessories you might find more suitable. The main feature is that once during a pivotal moment in your life, the magic within will give you a small nudge. When making a decision that can have far-reaching consequences or even save your life, that feeling will push you towards a conclusion that will be more beneficial or desirable for you, depending on your karma. The magic within has its limits though. It won't save you from certain death, but if you listen to it, you might be able to avoid ending up in a situation that will put you in that danger in the first place. How well you can utilize that nudge is up to you."
All three royals and the guests around them drew breath. Messing with fate and destiny was something extremely few people dared to do. Fewer still could turn it into an enchantment. Even items that brought luck were rare. The only reason Karna could do it was due to her being the holder of the True Name Karma. She had infused the effects of a moment of strong karma into the bracelets. It was one of those things that didn't depend on power but on sheer skill and ability. And it wasn't something Karna could do very often either.
"This is a precious gift." The Queen said with a stately voice. "Please relay my thanks to your father." She assumed, and not without reason, that the items came from Arjuna. Arjuna still owed the Queen a favor thanks to the warning she had given about the Emissary, and she assumed this was his way of repayment. After all, she had suggested that Karna pay a visit to the elves as a way to keep out of the Emissary's sight, and Karna had clearly brought the gift along.
Karna didn't mind the misunderstanding. "I shall pass your words along." She said with a small nod, and the group moved inside the party venue. She could feel the burning gaze of the prince on her back, well her butt actually, but she showed no reaction, and the prince wasn't gauche enough to make a scene either.
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Amaranthine was quite pleased with the way things had gone. She knew her little plan had worked once Arjuna's daughter walked in and Cendirion couldn't pull his eyes off her. Even now her son's eyes followed the girl as she crossed the room, though that one wasn't as much of a surprise. The girl had drawn everyone's attention. The elves were more subtle about their interest when compared to most races, but to Amaranthine it was as plain as day. It wasn't just about the girl's appearance, although that also contributed. She was naturally charismatic and a striking figure that moved and carried herself with the sort of self-assurance and confidence that could only come from having the power and skill to back it up. The girl commanded attention as if it was something to be expected and seemed to not be bothered by it either. She moved across the room like a dancer or an expert fencer, and Amaranthine's suspicions about her parentage grew only stronger.
Arjuna had all but confirmed that the girl had been the result of Heavensfall, which would explain many things. A Godling's natural charisma was an obvious explanation for the way the girl captured the room as she entered. It also explained her power. The others might have difficulty sensing it, but Amaranthine could tell. The girl might only be at the fourth rank, but she was much stronger than the average person of that rank. If she pitted the girl against Cendirion, Amaranthine wasn't certain her son would win. That kind of power could come to dominate the plane when she grew older.
Forming a connection to a person with that sort of potential was vital. The fact that her visions had presented her with such a way had been a real stroke of luck and it didn't even require too much effort on her part. The fact that she was also Arjuna's daughter was just the cherry on top of that cake. "Well, I think you two can handle greeting the rest of the guests. I think I'll go and have a word with those students and Duskclaw. I want to know how old Arjuna's doing. I haven't seen him for several years." She said and patted her younger son on the back.
"Of course mother. I was surprised you bothered to come here in the first place. You left this job to us for a reason." Finuwar replied. It was clear he was smart enough to realize something was going on, but he didn't know what.
Cendirion was different though. "You knew. You knew the whole time, and you sent me out on purpose." He whispered in an accusatory tone.
"Would you rather I hadn't?" Amaranthine shot back with a wide smile. "No? I didn't think so."
"What now?" Cendirion asked after giving a deep sigh of surrender.
"Well, now that's up to you, isn't it?" This time the Queen patted her older son on the shoulder. "It's quite clear you don't want things to end here. You certainly have my blessing. Like you've said, you've been dedicating yourself to cultivation. I haven't been pushing you to do anything else. I still won't, although for many reasons it would be great if you did have success with her. It won't be easy though."
"Nothing worth having ever is." Cendirion quoted the old saying.
"That's certainly true. Now then. I'll go and have a word with them. Maybe I can get to know my perhaps future daughter-in-law better." Amaranthine giggled as she heard Cendirion's exasperated exhale behind her. She had known her son would be into the girl, but not that he'd be this into her. She didn't actually expect her son to succeed. The connection had already been made, and anything further would only be a bonus.
"Your Majesty!" The brown-skinned elf girl from House Shurifon hurriedly stated as she spotted Amaranthine's approach. She was about to make a formal bow before she was stopped by Arjuna's daughter. The Godling girl knew her etiquette.
"No need to be so formal. This isn't a court gathering despite the guest list." Amaranthine also gestured for her to stop. She turned towards the other person in the group with elven blood. "House Drannor. I see. I think I know why you're here."
Travan gave a small bow. "Then it makes my mission easier."
"I suppose it would. Ask your question. However, I urge you to think carefully. The answer you'll get won't be the one you seek. Sometimes it is better to remain ignorant about the truth." Amaranthine steeled herself. She'd known one of the scions of House Drannor would eventually come for answers. Her answer had been prepared a long time ago.
Her words gave the boy a small pause, but he soon gathered his resolve. "That may be, but I need to know anyway. Why did you not send help when the House Drannor was driven to a corner and was losing its place? You could've easily asked the Magocracy for a favor, and they would've granted it."
"I did ask the Magocracy for a favor. The reason your House was driven into a corner was because I specifically asked the Magocracy to do so." Amaranthine admitted freely, noticing that while others were surprised by her words, Duskclaw and Arjuna's daughter were not. They had clearly considered the possibility.
The boy looked ready to explode, but he managed to control himself. "And why would you do that? We were ruined! Our House was devastated!"
"Because the House Drannor brought it upon themselves. I'm not surprised you don't know, as I doubt the old head of your House would advertise it. However, your House didn't leave for the Magocracy just because there were no suitable deserts close to Teleriand. There are climates suitable for your clan closer by, and other Desert Elf groups live within our borders. No, your House was sent into exile. That happened before my time. In the current generation, the Head of your House specifically asked that I would punish them in a way that would eventually result in the dissolution of your House, so that the younger generation would no longer have to carry the sins of your forebears. This was a way it could be done without actually having several members of your family killed. Now your House will simply fade away with time, and hopefully, the younger generations can find happiness." Amaranthine explained. The decision had been a rather easy one. Fading over time was preferable to a massacre.
"That's…but…" Travan was speechless. He wanted to accuse the Queen of lying, but something told him she was being truthful. It also explained many things that had seemed odd for so long.
Amaranthine noted that the poor boy seemed devastated by the news, and she watched on as he staggered towards the direction of the gardens. "Well, that could've gone better," Duskclaw mumbled. "Sieg, would you mind following him and keeping an eye out, so he won't do something stupid like picking a fight with one of the princes."
"Aye, ma'am." The boy that had been identified as Wolfgang's son gave a small salute and disappeared after the boy from House Drannor. Or what remained of that House anyway.
"Well then." Amaranthine turned towards Arjuna's disciple. "It's been a while Duskclaw. Still chasing after the stick in the mud that's your master?"
Duskclaw grimaced. "I find it gross that the whole thing is obvious enough that even you know about it, but Arjuna still hasn't noticed."
"Oh, he's noticed," Karna interjected. "He just doesn't know what to do about it."
Duskclaw's eyes grew larger. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. He's a little dense when it comes to these kinds of things, but he isn't stupid or blind. He wouldn't have gained his position if he was. However, as long as you don't make a move and force him to act, he won't either. He's too comfortable with the current state of things, and doesn't want to be forced into making a choice. Despite the whole thing being a formality at this point, you are still his disciple, and it would be quite unethical for him to get involved with you. If you took that step, things between you would change dramatically, and he likes things as they are." Karna's tone gave the impression she was explaining the facts of life to a child.
"Quite astute of you." Amaranthine commended. "Especially for one so young."
"Eh. I live with them. It's hard not to notice. That said, I do have another observation to make. I assume you are aware that there are several vampires in this room, correct?" Karna turned towards the Queen.
"I am, though I'm surprised you noticed as well. Can you tell how many?" She simply asked. She'd expected the vampires, as the whole party had been a bait. Capturing the vampires was the main purpose of this event after all. She simply wasn't sure how big of a catch she'd hauled in. She also wanted to make sure none of the kids from the Academy or any of the other guests would be affected.
"I can show you." The girl stated and drew a blood-red rune in the air that looked suspiciously like blood magic. There was none of the evil aura around it however, and as soon as the rune was complete, Amaranthine could see similar red runes floating above several of the guests in the room. It seemed no one else could see the runes either. The number was quite a bit larger than she'd expected and even included two royal guards. It seemed the vampires had been quite busy.
"We'll have to improve the wards around this place." She muttered idly. At least the plan had been a success. And this way they had more targets to interrogate later on. The downside was that there was a possibility of a stronger vampire among them, and a strong enough vampire might be able to resist what they had planned long enough to harm a bystander.