Minul II, Queen of Elusria, and royally pissed off, sat with her lips pinched tight fingers tapping against the arm of her throne in the throne room. The sound echoed across the hall, ringing crisply in every attendant’s ear.
The huge double doors, thrice again as tall as a man, swung open by the guardsmen on either side and Zubair el-Harron stepped inside. The Triplet Master wore a look of apprehension as he walked through the silent chamber until he stood before her. Slowly, he knelt to one knee.
“Your Majesty.” He didn’t sound contrite, or even that worried. In fact, he spoke like he knew he was the strongest tethered in the room, in the city. He spoke from pillar of power, with all the certainty that strength invested in him.
As he straightened, he made no move to explain himself or the events of that morning.
“Zubair.” Minul finally said, her words cut off and brisk. “Care to explain what happened this morning at the Elusrian Royal Academy?”
“Don’t bother, Zubair.” A new but, unfortunately, familiar voice called out. Princess Inaaya al-Bacchus, fourth-in-line to the Sun Throne, strode in through a secondary entrance.
She alone among the ankirians, had taken to the elusrian style of fashion. She wore an elaborate wool dress, accented with white furs and hide. The pesky princess pranced presumptuously through the throne room, until she stopped next to the Triplet Master.
“She wouldn’t understand.” She grinned arrogantly at Minul, as she did a little curtsy.
“Your Majesty.” Zubair was far more ready to take a knee before Inaaya, yet another thing to add to the list of grievances Minul had with the current ankirian occupation of her country.
“Oh Zubair, you didn’t have to.” Inaaya said, rubbing her hand through the salt and pepper of his hair. “Rise.”
“Princess Inaaya,” Minul said, “maybe you care to explain why my academy had nearly three thousand students laid out for most of the day, requiring multiple hours to recover?” Behind her, she heard the door open, recognizing the slight knock on the steps up to her throne as Saif.
She felt a little of the tension in her back settle, as her advisor joined her.
“It was nothing, my lady.” Inaaya said. “Simply a demonstration of true power. We’re sorry that you and your academy wasn’t familiar with that kind of greeting, but it’s customary in the Azakarias. I guess, our schools are just run different.” She put an insincere hand to her black heart as she gave a fake smile.
“Is it now?” Queen Minul asked. “You’re absolutely certain that’s all it was? Then it must’ve been you Zubair, who did it? No one else in your entourage should’ve been capable of that kind of display. Your next strongest tethered is Naadiya al-Fayad, right? A twin master, if I’m not wrong. She’s strong, but not that strong. Laying three-thousand tethered down from such a distance.”
Zubair’s face grew tight. He glanced once at Inaaya, before nodding. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“So,” A new voice called from around Minul’s throne. “If I were to visit your quarters, say five minutes ago. I wouldn’t find anything out of order?” Saif slung himself around the back of her throne in a casual stride, before slumping down on the steps before it. He looked up to Minul nodding once. “Your Majesty.”
Then he turned his orange gaze back on Zubair, who’d stiffened noticeably. “Saif.” The Triplet Master’s voice was quiet, his face a little pale.
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“Zubair.” Saif replied, then turning to Inaaya. “I’m sorry for having been so busy.” He said, with an adoring smile. “Otherwise I’d come visit my favorite great niece.”
“To pull things back on point.” Minul said, turning her eyes back on Zubair, though not without a measure of satisfaction as seeing the tension in Inaaya’s jaws. “You’re saying that you spread your presence all the way across the complex, applying Supremacy to everyone within your reach?”
“Don’t answer her, Zubair.” Inaaya’s scowl was an ugly, spoiled thing. “We’re done here.”
“In most cases, I would say you’re right. No offense, my Queen.” Saif said, giving an apologetic look to Minul. “But you’ve brought her here. Unofficially. You’ve put her on the Queen’s doorstep. You’ve made it the Queen’s business.”
“You can’t talk to the Princess-“
“And you Zubair!” Saif said, turning on the Triplet Master. “You’re not on your first trip around the oasis, I’d have expected some Goddess damned sense from you! I pray to the Sisters that they don’t find out you knowingly brought Saleema with you.”
“How do you know they don’t already?” Inaaya asked, snidely.
“Where’s her envoys? Her guards?”
Zubair’s presence shot out, pressing against Saif’s in protest. The smoke tethered turned to him, his eyes casting an orange glow onto Zubair. “What? You’re going to act like you’re her guard? You and Naadiya? She’s a child. Don’t tell me you actually think you’ve got a chance?” Saif looked Zubair in the eye for a long moment. The ankirian taller and broader than Saif simply pushed out his jaw. Saif let out a laugh. “You do, you really think you can don’t you?”
“She’s just a High Master.”
Minul watched in silence, trying to stifle the threat she felt from the two tethered powers clashing.
Saif let out a snort of laughter. “What happened to you? What happened to Zubes, that guardsman’s little boy? I knew you had the ambition to reach for power, but this kind of reach? Have you actually gone mad?”
Zubair took a step forwards pressing his power into the stonewall that was Saif’s presence. This time, Saif pushed back. His presence took over the entirety of the hall, only held back in a perimeter around Zubair where his presence held a wavering line. Minul, herself, felt the press of his power, pushing past her native presence all the way to her tether-space. Though he never pushed through to cause her harm. Judging from Inaaya’s uncomfortable, though not painful, look he’d done the same to her.
“You’re so high and mighty from where you’re standing, then?” Zubair asked, switching to kisi. “You left, Saif! You left behind your kingdom, your King! You cannot speak to me like you’re any better.”
“I did my time, Zubair.” Saif said, his voice cold. “I served my time, then I left.” He turned his attention to Inaaya. “But obviously, this isn’t your decision, Zubair. It’s hers. So tell me, what did you think was going to happen? Why would you bring Saleema with you?”
Inaaya cleared her throat, as she tried on a sneer. However, it was hard to be condescending when someone held you within the palm of their power. “I am a Princess, you can’t treat me like this.”
“Explain yourself, tell me right now why I shouldn’t throw you back to Ankiria and tell them about Saleema.”
Inaaya scowled at Saif, her youthful features screwed into a vicious frown her chin raised high. “We didn’t bring her.” She finally admitted. “She joined us on her own.”
Saif’s presence washed back into his own native perimeter, contained. “Alone?”
“Yes.” Inaaya reluctantly admitted.
“And you didn’t go back?”
“We couldn’t-“
“Spare me the lies.” Saif cut her off with a gesture. “Naadiya’s a Master of Light, she has Heart of Light. She could’ve made it back and forth before anyone awoke.”
Inaaya shook once, before hardening herself. “We brought her because it would be good for her. She’s spent too long inside the Dawn Crown. When was the last time she left the palace?” This time her glared daggers actually seemed to connect. “Can you even remember?”
Saif snorted before turning and walking back around the throne. “I really hope you know what you’re doing Zubair, because it doesn’t look like it from where I’m standing.”
The Triplet Master sneered. “I’m perfectly capable of containing her.”
Saif paused turning around, opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again shaking his head. “Come, my Queen. They cannot be reasoned with.” He held his hand out to help her down the steps.
Minul looked surprised at Saif, before taking his hand and letting him help her down. Stepping through the back exit to the throne room, Saif ran rough hand through his beard. “Saleema.”
“Who is she?” Minul asked.
“Just a woman who got too ambitious.”