“I’m afraid the connection has faded again your Highness.” The Archmage Balariz let out a tired sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Around Wulfram, the sigils faded, Wulfram withdrawing his magic. The light blue of Dani’s magic had faded already, and the Archmage withdrew his own dark blue magic. “I’ll still be able to track her, but it won’t likely be today.”
“Why not?” Wulfram sighed and stood up from the circle. At the very least she seemed okay now, he had gotten a brief glimpse of the room she was in: small, with a single bed covered with a cheerful quilt. She was in pain, but she was safe. As safe as anyone could be in the Tangle he supposed.
“The energy isn’t there.” Archmage Balariz stepped aside as the waiting servant started to clean the reagents and symbols off the floor. After all, the princes quarters weren’t some mages lab! It wasn’t proper for the floor to be covered with magic symbols and such.
Wulfram frowned, thinking of how easily Dani had gotten tired just lighting a glowstone. It made sense with how skinny she was. Magic took a decent amount of energy, if she was malnourished her body likely couldn’t maintain an enhanced connection for long. He looked down at the bracelet, the glow of the blue stone had faded. “Understood. We’ll try a tracking spell tomorrow, I’m convinced that for right now at least she’s not in any immediate danger. That will give you time to see how to remove the bracelets.”
“Ah... yes your Highness.” Balariz bowed deeply. The look on his face didn’t exactly fill Wulfram with confidence, but he had limited choices. The longer they could keep the bracelets and the unofficial marriage under wraps, the better. At least until he figured out what to do about it. Which really meant he needed to talk to her. But today, he had other people to talk to as well.
“Make sure the locator spell is ready to go first thing in the morning. I have a meeting to attend.” Wulfram dusted himself off, taking a moment to straighten his clothes in the mirror. He adjusted his sleeves to cover the bracelet, checked his sword, and headed out of the room.
It was a short walk to the Council Room, the heavy oak doors flanked by two armed guards in full armor. A reasonable precaution considering the high-ranking officials gathered inside. The only one missing from the group was the Archmage. The quiet buzz of conversation in the meeting room silenced upon Wulframs entrance, and the majority of people paused to bow to him. Wulfram nodded slightly to the group, and headed to the front of the table to sit between his parents. One of the servants who stood along the wall immediately set a glass of wine in front of Wulfram before returning to his place against the wall.
For a moment, as people got settled, it looked like an informal gathering in the room. But Wulfram knew better. Each choice in the room had meaning to it, from where different people sat, to the number of servants, the display of the Cresenvasht coat of arms, the maps spread out across the table and hung as a tapestry on the wall, even the type of wood the table was made of. It was all designed to communicate status, power and wealth. It was in this room that the decisions which affected the lives of hundreds were made.
King Cynewulf surveyed the group, giving a nod of respect as they all sat. “Thank you all for coming today. We have much to discuss today. I will start with an assurance that Prince Wulfram has only sustained minor injuries in his ordeal yesterday. Nothing a strong prince such as him cannot easily endure.”
There was a polite murmer of well wishes around the table, vague agreement that of course their prince was strong enough to endure any trials that might face him. Wulfram nodded his thanks, but remained silent, letting his father continue to control the room. He was of higher rank than the others, hence his spot at the head of the table. But his official duty in this meeting was to watch, listen, and learn. If he felt he had something important to say, he and his parents had subtle ques he could use to indicate such.
“Our first issue of business must of course be our relations with Hesiodos. Since King Danivel passed, we had held an uneasy peace, punctuated by minor skirmishes and raids on trade caravans, as well as a steady refusal to help pay for the upkeep of Trade Road. To give some background to those that may not be familiar with it,” King Cynewulf nodded to the two merchants that sat at the far end of the table. They were the lowest ranked in the room, as well as the newest to the Council. “Trade Road stretches from our port all the way to Trade City, which lies roughly in the center of Hesiodos. The upkeep of Trade Road used to be split between our kingdoms, since both profited from it. That agreement collapsed upon the death of High Queen Cerridwen and the assumed death of her daughter.”
King Cynewulf allowed a moment of puzzled silence at the ‘assumed’ part of his comment, before continuing on. “In recent months, Hesiodos has been working to unite the clans more solidly, continuing his fathers goal to make one united kingdom under the five clans. He has also has been gathering forces at the border. Right now the force is small, but it’s a force none-the-less. For the time being it seems he’s only moved members of his own clan to the border, but if King Alastar manages to rally the other clans, we could be facing a difficult war.”
“We can handle a few barbaric clansmen.” Lord Roderick was the first to speak up, a sneer crossing his face. “Our forces are strong, we should just take the land from here to Trade City.”
“Our forces are strong, but not strong enough to take and hold all that land. Trade City is no less than 10 days ride from here, and it wouldn’t be just the clansmen we’d be fighting, but their women too.” General Gavril spoke calmly, and frowned at Lord Roderick. “And if we must fight all the clans our forces will be grossly outnumbered.”
“Nor are they barbaric, merely different. I would remind you to watch how you speak of the people of Hesiodos, Lord Roderick. We were allies once, and will hopefully be so again.” Queen Mirabel spoke softly, but her voice carried through the room with calm assurance.
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Lord Rodericks face reddened slightly, and he cleared his throat. “My apologies, your Highness.” It looked as if the apology tasted of sour lemons to him, but he made it anyways.
“We will dismiss the outburst,” King Cynewulf said, with a nod of agreement from Queen Mirabel. “The situation is not as simple as it first appears anyways. Certainly they seek more power over the Trade Road, but that is not the reason they gather at our borders.”
There were looks of confusion shared around the table. Lord Bennett straightened in his seat towards the end of the table, and King Cynewulf nodded to him. “Lord Bennett was present for the meeting between King Alastar and the commander at the border, he will provide an overview of what they are seeking. I have also called Madame Alodia, who is native to Hesiodos, to provide us some possible insight into their magic and culture. Please begin Lord Bennett.”
“Thank you, your Highness.” Ben stood up, bowing deeply. He picked up a pointer of rich dark wood with a gold-plated tip, and pointed to the tapestry map along the wall. He traced a section of the border that passed close to Dragon Tears Lake. “King Alastar is gathering his forces here, where Trade Road passes by Dragon Tears Lake, close to the Crystal Mountain. “Their troops are marked in blue. At the moment, it is a small force, but our scouts have confirmed King Alastar is making progress uniting the clans. They have effectively prevented the trade post from collecting any taxes from caravans coming in either direction, and refusing to pay any taxes for the upkeep of the Trade Road within our borders. This is an important bargaining point with them, but not the only, or even the most important to King Alastar. Which should give us some leverage. This most important issue to him is a request to enter our kingdom in search for his sister, the same one who was supposed to enter an arranged marriage with Prince Wulfram.”
The shock in the air was nearly palatable. Glances were exchanged around the table, and Madame Alodia leaned forward slightly, eyebrows raising. But she held her tongue.
Lord Roderick, however, did not.
“The girl couldn’t possibly be alive! The whole caravan was massacred, and even if by some miracle she had survived there’s no way they could find her. One girl that disappeared years ago? Ridiculous! There must be some other reason they wish to enter the kingdom.”
“It does seem quite unlikely Lord Roderick.” Ben nodded slightly to the other man. “But there is reason to believe she could still be alive. Or at least could have survived the attack. There were no children found among the dead. King Alastar also claims that their magic can tell she is still alive, and that they may be able to track her. I asked Madame Alodia if she had any insight on their magic and validity of the claim. If you would mind explaining what you told me earlier Madame Alodia?”
“Thank you, Lord Bennett, it would be my honor.” Madame Alodia smiled, ignoring the sneers from the nobles at the table. “I have lived these past five years in Cresenvasht and consider it my home, but I still remember growing up in Hesiodos. There are similarities in the magics of both places, but also interesting differences. For instance tracking magic: yesterday Prince Wulfram was tracked through his magic. In Hesiodos, tracking magic uses blood. It is best to have a sample of blood from the person you are trying to track, but often the blood of someone closely related can be used. It is possible that King Alastar intends to use his own blood to help track the missing princess. They share the same mother and father, so the chances of it working are well in the realm of possible.”
Blood magic... the idea made Wulframs stomach turned, and both Lord Roderick and Lady Orlaith shared a look of disgust. Blood magic was deeply personal, and usually used in magics that were considered taboo or even outright outlawed! Magics such as necromancy, binding spells, or even the summoning of evil spirits. Madame Alodia nodded at the looks shared around the table. “Yes, I am aware that such magics are frowned upon here, but they share a long history in Hesiodos. I can assure you that they still consider practices such as sacrificial magics or necromancy illegal as well. When blood is utilized in spells, it’s only a small amount and with very specific intents, such as binding an item to a certain person, or creating tracking spells. Such as what King Alastar undoubtedly wishes to use.”
“But wouldn’t magic such as that show all individuals in the bloodline?” Senior Scholar Vitomir spoke up, leaning forwards slightly. “And if I remember correctly, the royal family of Hesiodos is quite large.”
“Which is another reason there has to be an ulterior motive to them asking to come into our kingdom to find one single princess!” Lord Roderick said.
Madame Alodia shrugged slightly. “Possibly, yes. Which is why tracking magic is why it is seldom used in this way. However, King Alastar and the missing princess were twins. I imagine it has taken this long to make the request because it has taken this long to refine the results of the search.”
“Is it truly possible the girl survived? General Gavril, Cynewulf, you were both there when the caravan was discovered. Is it possible?” There was a hint of hope in Queen Mirabel’s voice as she looked at King Cynewulf and General Gavril. The men exchanged looks, and King Cynewulf leaned back in his chair, gently stroking his chin.
“I can’t see how one little girl could have gotten away from that massacre, or how she could have survived in the wilderness or the cold season. But... it is possible.” King Cynewulf finally said. He straightened, looking at Alodia and Ben. “I am willing to entertain the possibility. But I need a better reason for the king of a potentially hostile kingdom to enter our kingdom. Or at the very least, proper precautions to ensure they aren’t just looking for weaknesses.”
“They offered to limit the number of people entering the kingdom to King Alastar and his personal contingent. It would be a total of six people. They are also open to the idea of being escorted by a group of six of our own people, including one of the royal family, in balance of their own forces.” Ben said.
Madame Alodia nodded. “That is a common style of power balance in Hesiodos. In trade deals and politics the number of representatives on each side of the negotiation must be the same, and of equal status. Or at the very least comparable, in this case I suspect they would accept either King Cynewulf or Prince Wulfram, since Prince Wulfram is the crown prince and next in line to ascend to the throne.”
“I would like to be the one to go Father.” Wulfram spoke up, meeting his fathers gaze evenly. “I am near the same age as King Alastar, and can understand his desire for closure. If we can give him that, he will be much more likely to negotiate on matters of the Trade Road.”
“I am willing to allow it.” King Cynewulf nodded, looking at Wulfram thoughtfully. “It will take a short amount of time to negotiate with King Alastar and organize a party to accompany you. It should be enough time for you to heal and help assemble the party. I suggest you start immediately.”
“Yes Father.” Wulfram stood, bowing to his parents, and then to the rest of the room. “Lord Bennett, would you accompany me please?”
“Of course your Highness. I have some information on the group King Alastar wishes to accompany him.” Ben stepped away from the table, bowing to the group as well. “If you would excuse us.”
The two men left the room, not noticing the thoughtful look on Madame Alodia’s face.