The matriarch excused herself without another word. One of her guards moved to pull back her chair so her legs wouldn’t even brush the wooden surface. Her guards—or servants, or whatever they were—filed out behind their lady with an equal measure of silence. Everyone watched as they departed, right up until the room’s single door slammed shut.

No sooner had the door closed than Darrow shot to his feet, hatred burning in his golden-brown eyes. He raised a finger at me, his lips curling into a snarl. “Do not think this puts us on equal footing, girl.” He spat the last word as though it burned his tongue.

“You must really dislike girls,” I said, casually rising as well. “I’ve never heard someone say that word with quite so much distaste.”

“I-I-I… what?” Darrow’s face flushed bright red, his mouth opening and closing while a few of the other successors snickered. When he turned his angry glare toward the sound though, he was met by only submissive expressions.

“It’s okay,” I continued with a nonchalant shrug. “I don’t judge where one’s… interests lie.”

His eyes nearly bulged from his head, either in anger or embarrassment—or maybe both. But unfortunately for him, I was already out the door, following two other successors who’d left right after the matriarch. Nida and Nasq were right behind me, and in my periphery, I saw Nida baring her teeth at Darrow. She was absolutely radiating bloodlust. Had she not been leaving, I was certain Sir Alaric would’ve had to step in. If someone had glared at my charge with such hostility, I would likely have done something violent about it as well.

“Where to now?” Nasq asked, clearly noticing I wasn’t leading our little group back to our assigned quarters despite it being evening. “Hopefully somewhere to eat. I wish we could have stayed to eat some of that food.”

“Blacksmith,” I said when we exited the Duke’s spire, ignoring Nasq’s plea. There were a handful of people milling about, though they wore gold-reddish cloaks that appeared more scholarly than combat based. Still, I kept my voice low. “We aren’t slaves anymore. I believe it’s high time we equip ourselves with some protection.” I nodded at Nida. “And she needs something better than that rusting spear.”

It was true. While the spear Nida had picked up was originally in fine shape, though it had never been in a peak condition, there were now chips, scratches, and even cracks etched along its length. The poor thing looked like it might snap with a hard squeeze.

“Aye, my que-my lady,” Nida said, catching herself, though her eyes darted around briefly, checking to see if anyone had noticed her slip. “It’s a shame, though. I’ve grown rather fond of this weapon. It’s been with me since I met you.”

“Maybe someone can repair it instead of getting a new one?” Nasq suggested, but Nida shook her head.

“As much as I’d like that, I’m pretty sure this spear is worthless now. I’m not even sure you could still call it a spear.”

“My lady! Please wait, Lady Lilliana,” someone called out. I turned, half-hoping it would be Darrow and Alaric, but instead, I saw a young woman, no older than her late teens. I frowned, then frowned more deeply as I chastised myself.

No fights right now. Until I figure out how to regrow my arm or become accustomed to this loss, seeking out danger is counterproductive. I need to focus.

“Who’s this pipsqueak?” Nida reached over and ruffled the girl’s neatly combed dark-brown hair, transforming it into a bird’s nest.

“I beg your pardon?” the young girl said in outrage. “I am no ‘pipsqueak,’ whatever that means. I am one of the matriarch’s great-grand-nieces. She has requested that I show you around the city.” Nida’s eyes darkened, and she withdrew her hand as if burned.

“You must learn restraint,” I said to Nida, who had already let a wave of bloodlust seep toward the girl. I quickly released a sliver of energy from my heart core, using it to disperse Nida’s bloodlust. “Power used indiscriminately and without thought will never see you to your desires. It will only see you to your end.” I poked the tall woman's forehead. “Think, girl. Use your head. What benefit would harming this girl bring? She has just volunteered to be our guide.”

“But the matriarch—”

“The matriarch likely keeps a watchful eye on all successors. Remember that we are guests here. Honored guests, but still guests.”

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

I didn’t say it, but “for now” hung in the air, thick with implication.

“Where is the city’s best armory?” I asked the girl. “And what’s your name?”

“Hannah Alistar,” she said. “My great-grandmother assigned me to you for as long as you’re here, so technically I’m more than a guide—I’m your first lady-in-waiting.”

“I haven’t had one of those in a while,” I mused. “The smithy?”

“Oh, yes. The best is by far Jackoby Blackwell’s. He’s part dwarf and swings his hammer as if it weighs nothing.” She lowered her voice. “I tried to pick it up once. It’s ridiculously heavy.” She smiled, showing neither fear nor irritation at Nida’s earlier bloodlust. “He’s pretty expensive, though. Do you have any money?”

Hannah eyed our appearance doubtfully. Since we hadn’t done much more than wash our clothes from Sealrite while waiting for the matriarch's summons, we probably looked a mess. I hadn't even bathed yet, other than a few buckets of cold water being used to wash some of the blood from my hair and face.

“I suppose we’ll need to stop by a clothing store too,” I noted.

“And a bath house,” Nida grumbled.

I turned back to Hannah. “Do you know where our rooms are?” She nodded. “There should be another woman there. Bring her here. She has our money.”

Hannah smiled, curtsied flawlessly, and then sprinted back to the Duke’s spire.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Nasq pointed out, twirling his magic staff between his fingers.

I said nothing. Was it just a coincidence that Matriarch Eliza had offered me someone from her bloodline on a silver platter? If Hannah proved loyal and capable, she could be in a very convenient position to succeed me when I moved on to establishing my Archduchy.

Only time would tell.

“While we wait,” I started, bracing myself for the topic I’d been dreading, “tell me how we escaped the Hydra.”

“Is that what it was called?” Nasq asked. There was a gleam in his eye that I couldn’t quite place as he spoke. “I thought it was some kind of dragonkin, but a Hydra? I’ve only read about those. And I don’t mean in textbooks. I mean storybooks.”

“Like Lucius and the Eldritch Labyrinth? My mother used to read that to me as a child,” Nida said, leaning her weight to one side and tossing an arm onto her hip, clearly bored. She was so impatient.

“Pretty much all the Eldritch tales mention the Hydra,” Nasq confirmed. “And let’s not forget the wyvern-turned-dragon-thing.” They both looked at me, but I shook my head.

“Not now. First, explain what happened.”

Nasq shrugged, running a hand through his thin, matted blonde hair. “I’m not sure, my lady, if I’m honest. The Hydra was about to reach you when I think I heard you scream. Then some…” He waved his hands, searching for the words. “Some black miasma burst from you. We wanted to help you, but the miasma forced us to flee." Again it looked like Nasq was trying to find the right words. His face scrunched up in pain at the memory. "The closer we were to it, the more I felt like my very soul was being torn apart.”

I resisted a nod; it made sense. Necromantic energy was the antithesis of life. I’d never encountered necromantic energy denser than my own, so no necromancer had ever been able to overwhelm me like they had been, but I could imagine the feeling Nasq described. Even now the ugly energy squirmed in my core.

Nida shivered. “What was that stuff?”

Ignoring her question, I gestured for Nasq to continue. He did. “The black energy left you after a few seconds and infected the creatures we’d killed in Brightstone. I don’t know how to describe it. They became like puppets, soulless things that threw themselves at the Hydra without fear or hesitation. It's hard to describe just how mindless they seemed.”

“Reminds me of the Pandorian Empire’s Death Squad,” Nida murmured.

Nasq raised an eyebrow. “What do you know of the Death Squad?”

Nida’s face was pale, her usual vigor disappearing like a gust of wind as her gaze drilled into the floor. After a few moments passed, she seemed to wave from her reverie and shook her head. “Just rumors.”

I knew there was more to that, and by the look so did Nasq, but if there was one thing about Nida I'd learned was that she'd share when she felt like it. I could, of course, force her to tell me but in all honesty I didn't particularly care.

“So the monster ghouls slowed the Hydra down?” I pressed, not allowing the paragons to stray from the topic, no matter how inadvertent it was.

“That’s how it looked,” the sorcerer said with another soft shrug. “At some point it just fell out of sight.”

“And the monster ghouls?”

Another shrug. “Same thing. Last we saw, the two were fighting. We didn’t really stick around to see the end.” Nasq paused, turning to me, his skin going as pale as Nida’s. “You don’t think…?”

“That we’ll be followed?” I finished. “It’s a possibility.”

“Then why hasn't there been any alarms or news of an approaching horde? Or Hydra?" Nasq asked.

It was my turn to offer a shrug. “I’d assume it took some time to decide on the victor.” I looked at both of them and laughed. “Do not look so sullen, my paragons. There is naught we can do about it now. Ah, here come the girls.”

Even as I spoke, the young brunette came bounding toward us from the spires, followed closely by the slightly older Brianna, who seemed greatly out of breath. Sweat beaded down her flushed face, and her bodice stretched with every heaving breath.

Where in the worlds had she obtained a dress already?

“I see you’ve already got yourself a fan,” Brianna said between breaths, plucking a few loose strands of hair and tucking them behind an ear. She looked at the brunette. “Did you say your name was Hannah?”

Hannah nodded.

“What’s a good restaurant or place to eat?” Nasq asked, interrupting whatever Brianna was going to say. He glanced over at Nida a bit awkwardly, but she wasn't paying attention. Her gaze was far away to some distant time or place.

Hannah looked at me, and I frowned at Nasq. “Blacksmith first. Clothing second. Food third.”

He groaned. “My lady, the sun is already beginning to set. Can we not do the first two tomorrow morning?”

I looked at the still-bright sky and then back to Nasq. “It is barely evening. Are you truly that hungry?”

Before he could respond, his stomach growled, answering for him.

I sighed. “Alright.”