Nestled comfortably on the wide branch of a tree, Valerina watched the moonlight stream through the hole in the cavern ceiling, thinking. Not of the possessions - because she had a vague idea how things would pan out on that front - but about Ramla. He had not come and she was about to head home.

Despite knowing, rationally, that there was no way he could have made it - and if he did then he was most likely dead - she could not help the small feeling of betrayal that ate at her heart. He had made her a promise! He had said he'd come running if she ever was in danger, had sworn upon his very life, and as much as Valerina had grown enough sense to realise that it was little more than an empty thing, she wanted him with her, damn it!

By Nether's halls, he was one of the reasons she had snuck all the way to the accursed island. She had been searching for him for the past three years - nearing four - and using up a rather significant amount of favours and resources too.

Alusia was not that big a continent, and while one would think that a boy with such a peculiar deformity would be rather easy to find, the opposite had proven true the past few years. Why did fate torture her so? A cure to her ailment was impossible to find, and even someone as conspicuous as Ramla was beyond her reach. What wrong has she done? Which god had she slighted? Why were her attempts to find the strange boy so unproductive?

Yes, upon finding him she would whip him to an inch of his life, but he would be nursed back to health and cared for going forward! And he needed to be whipped because he very clearly had something to do with the worsening of her illness six years ago and yet did absolutely nothing to try and fix it! He very certainly also knew who wiped her memory all those years ago but still denied it! What cheek did he have not to show up?! How dare he?! She wouldn't be in this mess were it not for him!

Running a hand through her hair, she turned her thoughts to less distressing matters.

While she had implicitly stated that she was a noble during her time with the other three, she had never clarified who she was. Once they left the island, the first thing the other three would do would be to try and ascertain her identity - which would take them a rather long while if she did things right. And while they did that she would be in the shadows so to speak and they in the limelight. Basically she would know where and how to find them but they would be unaware of her whereabouts.

The advantage it provided her was slight, and perhaps not extremely useful, but she would take what she got.

Even better, she had persuaded the others to take the oath of secrecy, albeit one with a slight caveat, but at the very least now she was certain a war for the possessions would not break out within Nireavat. The three with her were all Maesers of their nations, and without the blood oath they would all prattle to their parents, breaking the precarious balance the realm had maintained for nineteen years. Were that to happen, she would have zero hope of getting her hands on the possessions.

She had the urge to applaud herself, truly. She had effectively levelled the playing field with a single move. On the other hand, however, she felt like breaking something because, while not certain, the oath may turn out to be a problem in the short term.

Valerina sighed and pushed the oath marks to her finger. Two faint red bands appeared around her ring finger, barely visible in the moonlight. She observed them closely for a long while. Two blood oaths in three years. Spectacular. She doubted any other person her age had such a number of oaths - most of her age mates didn't even know how to make blood oaths. The only reason she knew was because of Ramla.

Ramla really was a bastard of a knave. Tricking a helpless twelve year old into swearing an oath of secrecy was such a sinister move. Valerina sighed once more and relaxed, trying to force herself to sleep. Ramla had warned her that blood oaths weighed upon one's nascent soul, and she could intuit that having two at the age of fifteen was less than ideal. Hells, the singular one he had wrangled her into when she was twelve had put her in a coma for almost a full week afterwards. Hopefully nothing as drastic would happen this time around.

Soon the noble girl found herself quickly drifting off to sleep and soon her breath evened out as she succumbed to slumber.

Minutes later Voscov opened his eyes and forced himself to his feet. He limped over to the box containing the possessions and gazed at the crystals, his eyes contemplative. Which one would do the trick? The possessions were a set it seemed. It was highly likely that one was not enough. Would Siadro be safe with the possessions within its borders?

He watched the crystals glow like beacons and decided that it was unlikely whoever took them out of here would get to use them, much less keep the treasures. It was a trifle to recognize that whoever was behind Galdis and his father was a personage of immense means, and while Voscov considered his nation a capable one he knew it was by no means invincible.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

What he, and the three opportunists with him, feared was that this person would be capable of tracking down the possessions in some way. It was a slight chance but certainly not impossible. Walls have ears and whispered secrets linger on the wind.

There was a rustle and Voscov turned from the crystals and stared into the space where Ellen lay. The princess rolled over and sat up, her purple eyes glinting uncannily in the moonlight. She smiled slightly at Voscov and gestured at the crystals with her chin, and flipped her hand questioningly.

Do you want to take them?

Voscov shook his head and drew a hand across his throat.

I am not so eager to die.

Ellen's smile widened and she picked up a picked up a stick. Drawing closer to Voscov, she pointed at the possessions and then at Gabriel. Voscov tilted his head slightly and eyed the silverhead critically. Seeing him hesitate, Ellen facepalmed and drew two bundles of seven on the soil with her stick. She pointed at Gabriel and the possessions once more, followed by the drawing and then the both of them.

Voscov pondered on her suggestion. She was suggesting they hoisted the possessions off on Gabriel and allow him to test the waters so to speak. Perchance the mastermind behind Sealarios' downfall was capable of tracking it down, the golden haired Maeser would take the fall for the three of them and be summarily killed if the person proved to be stronger than what they could deal with. It would also be fortunate if Alusia and not their own nations fell into disarray due to the actions of this unknown foe. On the other hand, say Gabriel survived two weeks unscathed, he would have either dealt with this unmentioned figure or they were just being paranoid.

It was a rather beautiful plan - and the best Voscov could think of, given such short notice and the fugue his thoughts were stuck in.

He nodded at Ellen and, grinning, she scooped up the possessions from the box and planted it within one of the pockets lining Gabriel's coat which Voscov wore. She made to leave but paused and mimed snapping her fingers as she remembered something.

"We do not go after it until a fortnight has passed," she whispered.

"That is only natural," he agreed immediately.

The princess paused, gazing at him dubiously.

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart."

Sera had said his heart was as impervious as his crystals.

....

Minutes later, when the small clearing had fallen into complete silence and no soul stirred, Gabriel rolled over, his eyes roaming the ceiling distractedly.

That turned out alright, Vit commented.

Gabriel hummed in agreement.

...

Valerina awoke to someone breathing at her face. Her eyes slid open lethargically to meet Ellen's purple ones.

"You know, I heard the daughter of advisor Theodore was pretty, but you disappoint me," Ellen quipped.

"Damn you," Valerina cursed, pushing away the princess. "Let me sleep."

She rolled to the side in an attempt to get comfortable, and would have plummeted to the ground had Ellen not reached out to grab her. Her lethargy cleared immediately and she took a few seconds to slowly right herself.

"Light's out," Ellen said as she blinked the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes, pointing at the grayish-pink sky beyond the holes of the cavern.

"Alright," Valerina grunted. "I'm coming down."

Ellen nodded and jumped off the tree branch to the ground. It was at this moment that Valerina fully registered Ellen's very first comment. Her eyes went wide and she leapt after the silverhead.

"Wait a minute," she called. "I never told you I was advisor Theodore's daughter!"

"Well you have now," Ellen said, winking at her with a grin, and Valerina's face hardened as she quickly realised she had been duped.

Ellen laughed, walking off to shake hands with Voscov. Valerina glared hatefully at Voscov, aware that it was his idea, and strode up to him.

"How did you guess?" She asked the prince.

"I noticed you were rather pretty during our brief stay in the city lord's manor yesterday," he answered drily. "I figured only the Dandelion of Alusia would have such an appearance."

Valerina cradled her forehead with a palm as she fought back the urge to scream. She lost the fight, in the end, and ended up yelling; "You want me to believe that?! Do I look like a child to you?! You think I'm stupid?!"

"No, I think she is stupid," the prince replied, pointing at Ellen who was now speaking with Gabriel, handing him his coat. "I merely gave you the answer you sought."

Valerina glowered down at him for a while, and when he did not proffer another answer, she stormed off toward the small lake a few meters to their left, intending to clear the sleep from her eyes.

Voscov watched her go and his thoughts turned to her satchel. The truth was that he had rummaged through its contents briefly the day before, and while her beauty did play a part in his guess, it was the letters to and from Theodore Vontumavia that both catalysed and cinched the thought.

In a little while they stood before the portal runes as the sky brightened. Gabriel left first, with a bow and an unsettling grin, leaving Ellen, Valerina, and Voscov facing each other.

"You can go ahead," Ellen told Valerina, smiling as she supported Voscov.

Valerian chuckled nervously, fiddling with the clasp of her satchel as she stared at the portal. She longed to return, but now that the time came she found herself fearful. She feared finding out that Rowe hadn't made it; she feared confronting her father and the blackmail that would follow.

She exhaled, and shot Ellen a curious look.

"And what about you? You don't seem like you're headed home." She said.

"I need to have a change of clothes before I do so, and Voscov agreed to have me over," Ellen replied. "Also, he needs someone to help him with the portal. Would you volunteer?"

Valerina shook her head, exhaled, and stepped into the portal. She fed the runes her manipulation, waved at the other two, and vanished.