Chapter 506: Mora Manor
A pair of guards stood outside the Lady’s room. When they spotted Stryg, they stood upright at attention and saluted.
“Aspirant Stryg!? You’ve returned!” one of the guards said. He tried to keep his expression calm, but his cadence betrayed him.
It seemed word of his magical exploits had spread. He’d have to ask Maeve how far. “Is she in there?”
“Ah, yes, Aspirant,” he nodded.
“Um, Aspirant. I must ask, who is she?” asked the other guard, pointing at Aurelia standing behind Stryg.
Her yellow eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth in a silent hiss.
“She is none of your concern,” replied Stryg. “Open the door.”
The guards glanced at each other and then at the goblins hesitantly. “Aspirant, we know our lady has made it very clear that you are welcome here at any time, but she also made it very clear not to be disturbed by anyone.”
“Unless it was an emergency,” the other guard added.
“This is an emergency, we are at war. Now open the door,” said Stryg.
“Um—” the guard swallowed nervously.
“Open the door,” came a stern voice from inside the room. “Our lady commands it.”
“As you wish, ma’am,” the guard answered and opened the door right away.
Without waiting for the guards to step aside, Aurelia pushed past them and walked into the bedroom. She quickly glanced around, taking note of the five handmaidens and their empty hands, the small woman on the bed, the windows, and any other possible exits.
“Relax, no one will hurt us here,” Stryg said.
“Mm,” Aurelia hummed skeptically.
“That will be all,” the head handmaiden said to the guards. They nodded and silently closed the door behind them. She glanced questioningly at Aurelia, then turned to Stryg and bowed deeply, “Forgive me for not welcoming you at the gate, we did not wish to leave our lady’s side.”
“It’s fine. How is she?”
“Stryg…” Maeve mumbled faintly.
He rushed to her bedside and held her hand. “What did you do?” he asked worriedly.
Her skin was paler than usual, a pallid tone, covered in dabs of sweat. Maeve tried to smile, but there was little strength in her expression. “Feli and Rhian were lost… They needed a way back…”
“You used your magic,” Stryg muttered. It wasn’t a question so much as a confirmation.
“I had no choice,” she smiled faintly.
Aurelia walked over to the other side of the bed and snatched Maeve’s wrist without a word. She checked her pulse, then placed her fingers over the vampire’s forehead. “She’s overheating, severely. Whatever spell she cast was beyond her abilities.”
“I just held the astral projection spell a little too long.”
“An astral projection? Synchrony magic? Impressive,” Aurelia mused. “When Stryg mentioned he had a friend who was the Lady of this House, I didn’t expect to meet a True Red mage.”
“You probably didn’t expect to meet an infirm, either,” she laughed softly. She used her elbows to push herself up into a sitting position.
“My lady!” the head handmaiden exclaimed anxiously.
“I’m fine,” Maeve said. “Could you give us the room, please?”
“My lady… As you wish.” The older woman bowed and left the room with the rest of the handmaidens.
Maeve waited until the door was closed before addressing the two guests. “I saw, well, more like sensed, both of you from afar. Along with that enormous wolf,” she added almost as an afterthought. “I didn’t know goblins rode giant wolves.”
“We usually don’t, well, at least not ones that large. A bit of an exception,” Stryg explained.
“I see—” Maeve coughed.
“Stay still,” Aurelia ordered. She placed her hands over the vampiress’ sternum. A soft white light flowed from her palms into Maeve’s chest.
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The vampiress gasped softly and took a deep breath. “Thank you… I saw your green magic outside, but I didn’t know you were a white mage as well.”
“I am many things,” said Aurelia.
“Um,” Maeve glanced at the woman and Stryg. “Are you going to introduce me?” she whispered pointedly.
“Oh! Right, sorry. Maeve, this is the First Mother of the Blood Fang tribe. She also happens to be the only living Ebon Lord.”
“Wha…!?” Maeve’s eyes widened. She inclined her head as much as she could while sitting in bed. “My L-L-Lady, I had no idea, please forgive me for not bowing sooner.”
“Tch. I told you to stay still,” Aurelia admonished.
“Right! Sorry!” Maeve flinched.
“You really had to go ahead and tell her I was an Ebon Lady right from the get-go?” Aurelia glared at Stryg.
“Oh, I’m sorry, what was I supposed to say? Hey, Maeve, this is my tribe’s First Mother, who also happens to be my birth mother, a fact that she hid from me my entire life until I figured it out a few weeks ago.”
“I told you I had my reasons,” Aurelia growled.
“Which you still refuse to tell me,” Stryg muttered.
“You’re his mother!?” Maeve squeaked.
“It’s hard to believe, I know,” he said.
“Actually…” Maeve glanced at the two goblins baring their small but sharp fangs. Their pale white hair seemed to almost glow in the lamplight and their button noses matched perfectly, as did their frustrated glares. “No, not really.”
“Wha? How?” Stryg frowned.
“You mean besides appearance, temperament, and prime magical talents?” Maeve asked dryly.
Stryg opened his mouth, but he had no response.
Aurelia sighed impatiently. “Since my son has clearly failed in the most basic of introductions, I shall ask the obvious. Who exactly are you? I assume from the way he looks at you, you’re not simply a ‘friend’ like the centaur or the priestess out there.”
“Ah, well, I’m, uh… Ahem,” Maeve straightened her back and patted down her bed hair. “I am Lady Maeve of the House of Mora; Daughter of the late Lord Roland Mora and Lady Alice Veres. A pleasure to make your formal acquaintance, Ebon Lady— um, actually, I don’t think I caught your name?”
Aurelia blinked and she slowly turned to her son. “She is a Veres? Stryg, nobles marrying relatives isn’t unheard of, especially for marriage alliances, but marrying too closely in the family can lead to problematic situations, to say the least.”
“House Mora and the Great House Veres aren’t related,” Maeve said, uncertain why the Ebon Lady was even speaking of such things.
“Did you sleep with this woman?” Aurelia asked.
“I’m not inbred,” Maeve frowned.
“It’s not what you think, Mother,” Stryg raised his hands. “Well, technically, yes, it is, but not really.”
Aurelia crossed her arms. “Explain. Now.”
Stryg sighed and slumped his shoulders. “After the Blue Rose disappeared, the other Veres members of the main family vied for the throne. War ensued between them and they dragged the branch families into it as well. In the end, none survived…”
“No one?” Aurelia mumbled in shock. “The Great House of Veres is dead?”
“Well, there was one survivor. The Blue Rose’s younger brother who had renounced all claims to the Veres throne.”
“I see. So Gian survived,” Aurelia said softly with a smile.
“What did you say?” he asked, startled.
“Gian Gale. He was her younger brother. My grandmother used to tell stories about him, so much so that my mother named Jahn after him. I’m glad he didn’t die needlessly in a bid for power.”
“Gian Gale is the Blue Rose’s brother…?” Stryg whispered.
“Is? He’s alive?!” Aurelia asked excitedly.
“He is,” Maeve spoke up. “After the rest of the Veres perished, Lord Gian was the one who searched the family records for any trace of Veres left. He found a distant branch family whose founder had left the family over 200 years earlier. Her descendants were living as a small merchant family in the Northern Lands. Lord Gian convinced them to return and assume the Veres throne. As the story goes, it didn’t take much convincing,” Maeve smiled wryly.
Stryg nodded, “So, yes, she’s a Veres—”
“—On my mother’s side. If that makes any difference?” Maeve added hastily.
“But our closest shared ancestor was born 600 years ago. The only thing we really share is our name,” Stryg finished.
“Wait, ancestor?” Maeve cocked her head to the side.
“I see, then I worried for nothing,” Aurelia nodded.
Maeve shook her head. “Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about? Ancestor? I don’t understand.”
“You asked for my name. It’s Aurelia.”
“Aurelia? Huh, that was my aunt’s name.”
“Yes, it is a common name among our House. I believe it was Lady Veres III who first bore it.”
“I… don’t understand,” Maeve furrowed her brow.
“I am Aurelia Veres, granddaughter of the Blue Rose, Stryga Veres.”
Somehow Maeve’s pallid skin grew paler at her words. She pointed a shaky finger at her, “Y-You’re Aurelia V-Veres? But that would make you—” she glanced at Stryg.
He shrugged and the edge of his flower cloak shifted to the side, revealing Krikolm’s scarlet blade hanging at his hip.
Maeve stiffened. “Bloody Bellum, that’s Krikolm, isn’t it? I saw you wielding it earlier, but I didn’t think it was actually…”
Stryg smiled half-heartedly, “We have a lot to talk about. But it’ll have to wait.”
“You’re leaving?” she guessed.
“I only came to make sure you were alright. I’ve already stayed too long. The battle is still raging outside.” Stryg stood up and placed his hand over Krikolm’s white grip. “Get some rest. I’ll make sure the enemy is thoroughly cleared out from the surrounding streets.”
“We’ll need to move quick and regroup with the War and Shaman Elects,” said Aurelia.
“Agreed,” Stryg nodded and the two headed for the door. He glanced at Maeve one last time and smiled, a trace of warmth in his lilac eyes. “I’ll be back.”
“Be safe,” Maeve smiled.
“Yes, farewell, cousin, try not to die,” Aurelia said off-handedly and walked out.
Her smile stiffened, “Ah… right… farewell…”