The bedroom was dark and quiet when Jechrin stepped into it. The only sounds were the steady drizzle of rain on the roof of the house and the soft sound of Erin's breathing coming from the bed.
Ignoring them both, he held his hand up and looked at it closely. It still had the same ugly, skeletal appearance that his real form did, but the projection was much more stable than it had been when he'd tried this a month ago.
Good. He didn't want to end up in a risky situation like that again.
He'd been able to get Erin through the portal and into Isil-Gal well enough, but things had gotten a bit dicey after he'd used up most of his remaining power in order to heal her and couldn't keep the projection going any longer.
It had been difficult to control her movements after that, and if his luck had been any worse....
Jechrin shook his head. No matter. It had worked out in the end. And he had much better methods of getting her to act now. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
He lowered his hand and looked around the room. He could see it much more clearly than the last time he'd visited this place. It was almost like he was really there. If it weren't for the fact that he could still feel the magical tendrils connecting him to his puppet body and the constant, painful gnawing of the Dark Plane's magic on his real form, he might have been convinced that he'd really just walked into the human world.
That he was really free....
He shook his head again. No. He shouldn't think about that. It was dangerous to get impatient. He had to stay focused. He was hanging by a thread now, and a single careless misstep could cost him everything.
And there was no reason not to be satisfied with the progress he'd been making recently. Going up against Teral and revealing his own identity as a Relian had been dangerous, but Jechrin had managed to keep everything under control. And the rewards had been well worth the risk.
Teral and Galeth were no longer a hindrance, for starters. If he'd known how stupidly loyal Teral was going to be at the end, Jechrin might have kept him around a little longer.... But no, a Blue with such mindless loyalty to the Silver clan was a double-edged sword. And Galeth was going to be a problem no matter what. It was safer to have them out of the way.
And he'd played his cards well enough afterward that he'd been able to get hold of both their horns. He didn't particularly need the information from them. But it was a convenient way to pass certain things on to the emperor without revealing his own intelligence-gathering abilities. And more importantly, the horns were a rich source of the kind of magic power that he desperately needed right now.
The Silmariths naturally had no idea just how much the horn of a marked Blue was worth. They'd been so eager to get the issue of succession settled that they'd handed it over without complaint. Not that they could have made proper use of it anyway.... And he hadn't been lying when he'd told Arturyn that the Blue clan would send someone to retrieve it.
Jechrin had ended up telling more people about his true identity than he'd originally planned, which increased the likelihood of problems in the future. But for now, they were all proving to be quite useful, so it would probably turn out as a net gain as long as he kept a close watch on them.
He especially needed to be cautious of that Nirayl king.... Revealing the location of the music box had definitely impressed him. And using Arturyn and Erin to show that the Silver king was willing to side with Elariths should make Seiyan more reluctant to go against him.
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But Nirayls were a fickle people and could sometimes be swayed by the strangest things. It was difficult to predict what they might do. Jechrin couldn't really start relying on Seiyan until the alliance had been finalized and Kirchel had become the empress of Silmar. That wouldn't completely remove the possibility of betrayal, but it would make it far less likely.
And finally....
Jechrin turned to look at Erin. She'd taken off her illusion ring for the night, and she was sleeping on her side, facing him, so the crest on her forehead was clearly visible.
Out of all the gains he'd made recently, the magic contract with her was by far the greatest. He'd been aiming for that from the beginning, ever since he'd become aware of their connection.
Such high compatibility that their magic had become entangled as soon as it came in contact? Across different worlds, no less? It was practically unheard of.
But it was exactly what he needed....
He may have acted angry when Teral had attacked Erin, but he was actually thrilled to have an excuse to place a mark on her so soon.
It would be a bit of a problem if she decided she didn't want to keep it, of course, but Jechrin felt quite confident that he would be able to persuade her.
Show her some sad memories to gain her sympathy. Help out someone she cared about. Play around and laugh with her and treat her like a friend.... It seemed to be easy enough to gain her favor so far.
His gaze moved from her face to the red-gold hair splayed out across her pillow. It reminded him of the way her hair had looked as they ran across the plains, streaming out behind her and glowing like fire in the sunlight.
Most Relians would be horrified to learn that the rightful king had carried a human girl on his back, even in a dream. But controlling her dreams had given him the first real taste of running under the sun that he'd had since he was trapped in the Dark Plane. A little dishonor was nothing compared to that.
They'd have to do it again soon. Erin had clearly been enjoying it, too....
The wind was picking up, and a sudden gust made the raindrops clatter against the window. Jechrin turned and looked outside, frowning a little.
It had been raining that night, too, hadn't it? Erin was the only thing he'd really been able to see clearly when he projected back then, so he'd just been vaguely aware of the weather.
But he remembered her wet and miserable appearance. And how he could feel her body trembling from the cold every time he stopped her from falling. Her feelings of fear and resentment....
He looked back at the sleeping girl, his eyes lingering once again on the mark burned onto her forehead. It had been a long time now since he'd received his own mark, but he still remembered how much it had hurt....
Jechrin sighed.
It wasn't like he enjoyed taking advantage of an innocent girl like this.... But it had to be done. He was out of other options. And almost out of time....
That monster who called himself the king of Myrikar had already taken so many lives. He'd destroyed the Matathar, half destroyed Myrikar, and had his greedy sights set on Silmar and Raylmiyr. And it wouldn't end there.
At this point, Jechrin was probably the only person who could stop him.
If he could save multiple countries and millions of their citizens, surely the life of a single human girl wasn't too high a price to pay...?
Jechrin sighed again and shook his head. Really. What was he doing?
He needed to keep Erin safe because she was valuable to him. And it was only fair that he treat her well after everything he'd put her through.
But he needed to be careful not to get too attached.
Just in case....
He took one last look at Erin before leaving. The blankets had fallen off her shoulders, and she was huddled up due to the chill of the stormy night.
Jechrin hesitated for a moment before flicking his finger at the blanket, causing it to pull back up and tuck more securely around her.
Then he turned and vanished back into the shadows.