Chapter 17
The Sorceress' Ambition
Sitting at the right-end bedside of The Queen's Chambers, Malgana looks at her friend that sleeps with a bit of sweat permeating from their forehead. She grabs a cooled rag and dabs the Queen's face with it, then folds it and places the rag on her forehead. Never has she seen the Queen in an ill state, let alone come down with a cough or sneeze. When she came to visit her this morning, she wasn't doing her usual stroll. A guard informed her that The Queen was not feeling well and fainted and not seeing visitors. This, which in turn is why she took it upon herself to "let herself into" Uzume's room. Knowing that the Queen gave her special access that her royal guards and knights have no knowledge of since they have gotten close these past few months.
She places a hand on Uzume's cheek, feeling the burning heat of her skin lay upon her palm. As she kept her hand on to comfort her, an icy spike of electricity jolts into Mal's hand. She pulls it back quickly and curses softly. Then looks to Uzume who hasn't moved an inch besides her steady breathing. With curiosity, Mal scoots closer to her friend and hovers her hand over her head. She closes her eyes as her hair starts to slowly rise as she feels out. She squints a bit more, feeling the intense vastness of Uzume's Aura clashing and swirling like a tight knot. Then, with a sudden feeling of a light turning off, Uzume's hand laces with Mal's fingers. Mal opens her eyes to see the queen with her eyes slightly open and with a small smile. "No visitors are allowed here" She says mockingly. Mal closes her hand into Uzume's and chuckles, her hair falling back into place. "Then I'm going to be in such trouble." They stare at each other "and here I thought royalty always had perfect health" Uzume slowly sits up and takes the cold towel off of her forehead "Caught me red-handed". Malgana stands and climbs onto the bed and sits, feeling Uzume's hands. "What happened to you. Your guards said you fainted the other day?" Uzume stretched, letting out a bit of air and a slight groan. "Do not worry too much on it, Mal. As soon as my temperature returns to normal. I'll be just fine".
Mal eyes Uzume but reluctantly sighs, knowing that this is a losing battle of one a stubborn friend but as well a stubborn queen. Mal scoots and stands off the bed, looking out of the stained glassed window of Uzume's chambers. Something just doesn't feel right to her. The world just feels, different. The aura of Uzume feels different, and she can't quite put it together. With a turn of her body she heads over to the door, as she places a hand on the hinge she looks back to her friend. "If you ever feel you need my ears to listen, just like when we go to the springs, I am here for you." Uzume looks at Mal, her mouth slightly open and with a slight tilt of the head she smiles and nods. With that assurance, Mal leaves the Queen's Chambers walking down the hallway, her gaze narrows as she walks and her lips point downwards to a slight frown. Knowing a strange feeling that something is being hidden from her, and she does not like it. She almost turns ninety degrees into the wall and warps into its structure and seemingly vanishes.
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Uzume, with a stretch, exits her bed and straightens the covers. She looks at her hand and twist it from backhand to palm and stretches her fingers out wide looking at the seems and ridges of her soft hands her black claw like nails glisten in the light rays of the window. She remembers what that man said. A word that made her faint but with no idea why. Arael was it? It sounds so familiar yet so foreign to her. A slight sharp pain hits her temple again as she ponders in her mind of the name, and she grits her teeth, baring her fangs. A flash of images enter her mind. A glowing being, a hand reaching out to grab them, and a dome of light seemingly engulfing the world. Then, with quickness, the images disperse. Uzume staggers a bit, but recollects her bearings. She needs to talk to that man, Sariel. More so, he may know what these so-called visions are and where he comes from, or by any means, how he got here.
As night covered the sky the city life still carried on cloaked in a cowl, Mal walked through the busy streets pondering what she thought prior. It made her feel off and as she thought more and more it only grew to more of am enigma. She lifted her head and squints, seeing a flutter of a cloak just barely entering the gates of the prison. The color all too familiar to her. 'What are you up to now…?' She thought to herself as she feels the aura of Uzume for just a brief moment. Mal then blends into the crowd and converges on the entrance, using her magic to seemingly cloak herself past the city guards who guard its entrance.
Mal uses the shadows and tails the queen, who is moving quite swiftly. Very unusual for her and especially for Mal, knowing the queen isn't some frail woman, it is still surprising even for her to see Uzume at a hurried pace. Mal trails Uzume who seems to be going down deep Into the solitary confinement areas of the prison and stops at one of the cells. Mal stays in the shadows and morphs herself into the walls and tries her best to hide her aura as she peeks through and is bewildered by what she sees. She stares at the man inside the prison, eyeing his physique and his white feathered wings. Never has she seen a man nor a being like that. What troubles her more is his aura it clashes with Uzume's, and yet, mixes well with hers. Foreign and familiar, she refocuses and eavesdrop on this conversation.
"I am surprised you have come back so soon. Do you have more questions for me?" Sariel looks at Uzume keeping his gaze on hers, she takes off her hood and crosses her arms. "I need to know more about where you're from. So please, tell me. That place, Solstice, that's what you called it, right?" Sariel sighs, "It is not something I usually discuss with anyone, more so with Daeva specifically. However, seeing that you are asking for knowledge’s sake, I will tell you." He leans back and looks up at the stoned ceiling. "We have to go back, to a time my conception wasn't even thought of-"