From the darkness, the white of steel

Like a wraith, with speed of will

Her price is soul, and blood to steal

The fleet of Witches, the Phantom Seal.

- Andanian Chronicles

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“Laura?” Aryan tapped lightly on the princess as the noonday sun baked harshly against their bared naked bodies.

“Bright… Hot…” Laura groaned, “pull the curtains and give me five more minutes.”

“You are not in Andania, Laura.” Aryan goaded gently, “And you’re going to get a really horrible sunburn if you continue sleeping out in the open like this.

“Open?” Laura mumbled, “Ugh my poor aching back,” the princess groaned as she got up slowly and looked groggily around her. “Where’s my coffee?” she murmured as she reached blindly into the sand.

“Good afternoon Laura.”

“Ahh!” the princess cried out in surprise, “Don’t startle me like that, and bring me the… Aryan!” Her eyes widened as she blushed and turned away. “You didn’t see that!” she insisted.

“Okay. But only if you start explaining how we are supposed to get off this island.” Aryan replied calmly.

“I just have to… but it’s easier if I just show you.” Laura answered as she glanced down at her left hand. The mithril band from before was replaced by a circular black and silver tattoo, burned deep into her flesh. She stepped up to the ocean’s edge and dipped her fingers into the waves, “Come!” she commanded.

Almost immediately, a pure white eighty-meter-long cruiser rose up from beneath the waters and ran aground on the beach next to the princess. Laura bit her lip and she stood tensely still for several moments, before she allowed a large wide smile to creep onto her face, “Lucky!” she cheered. Then she boarded the ship by striding up the gangway that had extended silently before her. And she turned to beckon at the gawking boy still rooted on the shore, “Welcome to the Phantom, a ship of the Andanian Witches.”

Aryan stepped gingerly aboard the large silent ship and examined his surroundings cautiously, “How does this thing even move or float?” He questioned wonderingly, “There are no masts or sailors, and the entire thing is crafted from a single piece of solid white metal.”

Laura shrugged as she strode up to the ship’s helm, “I’m not sure. I haven’t been on this ship since my mother passed on a decade ago, but there should be a ton of clothes and other useful stuff stowed away downstairs by the prior users.” Then she placed her hand on the ship’s wheel and commanded, “Andania!” Laura frowned as the ship remained silent. “The Tower!” Laura commanded a second time, but the ship failed to respond. “Stupid metal crap! Why won’t you listen to me?” Laura groaned.

“May I?” Aryan asked. Laura shrugged in response and stepped back to make way for the prince. Aryan placed his hand on the wheel, “Calcutta?” he spoke hesitantly. The ship shook with a low vibrating hum, floated into the air, and began sailing away from the island. “A flying ship!?” Aryan exclaimed in shock.

“Hey! I wanted to get back home. This stupid obsolete bucket doesn’t accept new orders unless it reaches its initial destination.” Laura complained.

“Sorry…” Aryan apologized.

“Oh whatever,” Laura sighed, “I’m more interested in the food anyway. There must be some sweet tarts and warm pastries left over from our last picnic. There might also be a box of fresh iced strawberries somewhere!” The drooling princess turned and strolled towards the stairs.

“Erm Laura? Isn’t that all over a decade old? The food won’t be edible.” Aryan immediately pointed out the obvious.

“Oh, nothing ever spoils on this boat. It’s almost as if time doesn’t exist or something?” Laura answered, “C’mon. I want lunch!” she grabbed the gawking prince by the hand.

“And the Andanian royalty uses a priceless treasure like this for picnics!? You could conquer the world with a ship like this!” Aryan half-shouted.

“Pooh. What would be the point? That just means more work for us.” Laura shrugged, “I’m happy with Andania. Besides, this is just one ship. Summoning more would get risky real fast.”

“There’re more of these amazing treasures?” Aryan exclaimed in wonder as he grasped Laura eagerly by the shoulders. “How many are there? If the Vaishyan Protectorate had even a dozen of these, we could revolutionize trade across the entire planet!”

“Woof, Woof… you are kinda close!” Laura giggled, “Maybe we should try out that comfy bed!” the princess teased. Then she continued with a more serious tone, “Of the Calamity Ring’s three primary spells, summoning a single Phantom involves the least risk. There’s only a one percent chance that the ring will take my soul, but if more ships are summoned the risk increases proportionally. And the price of summoning the Phantom Seal, the fleet of a hundred Phantoms, is the soul of one Andanian Witch.”

“What!?” Aryan exclaimed as his face paled with horror, “You mean you risked a fate worse than death, just to get this thing? And there is even risker magic than this?”

“R-E-N-T, rent. This Phantom will dissipate once we arrive at Calcutta, I will have to call it again to return to Andania. Besides, one percent is nothing. All higher magic involves some sort of risk or sacrifice.” Laura held up her left hand to Aryan so that he could see the tattoo scorched into her finger, “This isn’t the Presents Ring or the Freebie Ring, it was called the Calamity Ring for a very good reason.”

“And what happens if the ring takes your soul? Isn’t your soul supposed to be inside me?” Aryan paled as he sank down weakly.

“Pfft. You’ll be safe, your soul will return to you along with the ring which you can then reuse on another witch if you actually manage to seduce one. I’ve seen it happen to Mother, the risk is all mine.” Laura rolled her eyes incredulously. “Enough with all the gloomy stuff, the Phantom will arrive at Calcutta before sundown and I’m super hungry!”

...

Sultan Heliocles and Queen Mavia were enjoying a quiet late night supper in the grand veranda of the Vaishyan palace when a messenger dashed fanatically before them.

“Your Magnificence. We have an extremely dire emergency!” the messenger trembled anxiously as he knelt before the royal couple.

“Calm down. We already know about the Saadian invasion.” Heliocles smiled benevolently before sipping delicately on his flute of bubbly champagne and addressing the messenger, “How bad can it be this time? Did the Nile flood again? Or has one of the states risen up in rebellion? Perhaps it’s a case of The Plague in the city?”

“There… there is a FLYING SHIP!” the messenger yelled.

“Puuu…” the Sultan choked as wine sprayed from his mouth, “Flying what?” he spluttered.

“SHIPP… The diviners report that a white vessel from the stars is heading directly for the palace!” the messenger shrieked as he pointed desperately into the sky, “You can already see it coming!”

“Summon the high priests! The gods are descending!” the pale faced Sultan directed desperately.

…

The high priests knelt before the boat that had paused next to the veranda as they arrayed a plethora of sacrifices before it, “Oh great celestial being. We are honored by your holy presence…” the head priest chanted and prostrated fearfully.

“Hi Mom! Hi Dad!” Aryan waved.

“Aryan!” Mavia gasped in joyful surprise, then her face fell, “It is good that my son has found a powerful god to serve in the afterlife,” she whispered softly to comfort herself as tears glistened in her eyes.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” Aryan laughed as he leapt of the ship and wrapped his arms tightly around the queen before lifting her into the air.

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Mavia blinked away her sorrow as she smiled fondly at her youngest child, “I’m glad that you’re in heaven. Rest in peace.”

The head priest edged up conspiratorially, “Psst. So, which god is it? We must prepare the appropriate sacrifices!”

“Heaven? god?” Aryan blinked in confusion, “what god?”

Just then the ship shook from a violent impact, and a loud angered scream cut through the air like a knife. “No, no, no! You, super stupid boat! I haven’t gotten all my stuff!” The priests cowered fearfully and the Sultan took a step backwards as he broke into a cold sweat. Then the Phantom vanished, and a young radiant girl, with fiery red hair and crystal blue eyes, fell from the empty sky and landed before the genuflecting crowd.

“Hi everyone?” Laura blinked in surprise at the scene before her and smiled tentatively as she peeked out from the heap of dresses strewn around her.

The people trembled as Aryan grabbed Laura and tugged her roughly from her belongings and before his parents, “Father, Mother. This is Laura.” He declared with a wide smile. The royal couple bowed deeply and the priests immediately prostrated themselves around them. Aryan frowned in confusion, “Dad? What’s happening? Is something wrong?”

“Psst. We mustn’t be disrespectful to the god!” the head priest hissed desperately at Aryan.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Aryan replied in bewilderment, as Laura began to giggle with amusement.

Then she stepped up gracefully before the crowd and curtseyed elegantly before the rulers of Vaishya. “Your Magnificence, Great Royal Consort. I am Laura Alexandra Muriel, Crown Princess and The Witch of Andania.”

“What!?”

…

After recovering from their initial surprise, the royal family retreated to an inner room with their closest advisors. “Since yesterday, the Saadian forces have begun advancing on our position… And that is the current state of things in Vaishya.” Heliocles concluded darkly.

“What are your plans Father?” Aryan questioned.

“I’m not sure. This seems to be an extremely perplexing situation, perhaps the Saadians do have legitimate concerns regarding Andania after all.” The Sultan replied with a frown. “And, I don’t think that we should risk total war with the Saadians, just for a nonexistent island kingdom which we are not even formally aligned to.”

“That’s technically not true Father,” Aryan interjected, “Laura and I are married.”

“What!? When did that ever happen?” Heliocles spluttered yet again, as shocked murmurs spread swiftly throughout the room.

“There, there Helios, calm down. It’s not the first time one of our boys decided to take the initiative. Besides, this union was already prearranged, there’s certainly no harm with moving up the schedule by a couple of years.” Mavia pacified her husband, even as she shot a questioning look at the two teenagers.

Aryan shrugged, “It’s complicated. Laura saved my life, but we were stranded on a deserted island. Then she was bored and we ended up talking about stuff. To get off, we…” Aryan frowned as he paused uncertainly and glanced at the snickering princess. “Erm… perhaps you can explain the rest Laura?”

The princess flushed with a deep shade of scarlet, “Aryan, I think it was during the second time when you were going ‘Woof, Woof, Woof’ behind me in on the beach. I’m pregnant.” She giggled.

“What!?” Aryan’s shocked yell was swiftly drowned by the shouts of the others.

“Enough! Quiet down.” Heliocles finally ordered. “I don’t even know what’s going on in my own family any longer…” he groaned with a small sigh. “I need suggestions, how are we ever going to resolve this incident with the Saadians? This is utter madness, the two greatest empires in the world, fighting over a single teenaged girl! Vaishya will be financially devastated, even if we should win this coming battle, and there’s no guarantee that they won’t be back for more in a year’s time.”

The prime minster bowed low before Heliocles, “Your Magnificence, the Saadians cannot be trusted. Even if you should hand over the princess, I doubt that their mad Emperor will leave us in peace. Giving in to any Saadian demand, is a sign of weakness that I believe we should avoid at all costs.”

Queen Mavia fumed at the frowning Sultan, “Don’t even consider it! My son was lost, but now he’s found. If something stupid happens to Aryan because of you, I’ll pay that Saadian dog a personal visit and give him a piece of my mind!”

Aryan stood up, “Father. You can’t possibly ask me to give up Laura. What if they demand for Mother next? Or one of us? Those despicable Saadians plotted for King Muriel’s assassination, and now demand that we hand over his only surviving heir, justice is clearly on our side!”

Heliocles sighed, “I want to teach those slavers a lesson, just as much as the rest of you, but no Vaishyan army has ever overcome the profound black magic of the Saadian Burning Legions, and no man has ever defeated Xerxes in combat. I refuse to send all of you to your certain deaths, there must be some way we can parley with the Saadians.”

Archdiviner Zinnridi prostrated before the sighing Sultan, “Please forgive your subject’s incompetence, we have been working on several countermeasures, but even if we manage to suppress their magic, Xerxes will not be defeated easily.” The advisors sighed as they murmured softly among themselves before falling into silent thought. Just then, a soft gentle snore cut through the anxious silence. Laura was nestled comfortably against Aryan’s shoulder and her mouth was curled with a sweet angelic smile.

“Laura… this is an important discussion.” Aryan reproached her gently.

“Five more minutes…” Laura mumbled before falling over and snuggling into Aryan’s lap.

“Laura...” Aryan admonished.

“Is your discussion finally over?” The princess mumbled as she stretched out lazily for the white talisman she had tagged on the table. Then she stuck the charm on her forehead and activated the spell. “Xerxes…” she yawned lethargically, “It’s just one man. I’ll do it, if you will crush their armies and avenge my sister.”

The advisors murmured in confusion as they stared at the snoozing princess, but they could not determine if she had been actually serious or was just talking in her sleep. And only Aryan felt a creeping sense of foreboding, as he stared at the smiling girl resting on his lap.

Queen Mavia frowned in puzzlement, “Aryan. What does she mean…”

There was a massive surge of magic before the queen could complete her sentence. All the Talented occupants of the room jerked instinctively back in shock as they quickly activated their defensive spells and glared wildly about the room for the power’s source. Then dozens of battlemages flooded fanatically into the room and surrounded the royal couple with a glowing multilayered defense.

“Assassins! Deploy the search spells! Seek out the intruders immediately.” Archdiviner Zinnridi ordered as he backed into a defensive position next to the throne.

“Nope.” Laura chuckled as she perched daintily on the dais, between the royal couple, and well within their defensive barrier, “There is just me.”

“Impossible! You are just a sixteen-year-old child. What trickery is this?” Archdiviner Zinnridi stuttered in disbelief.

Laura glared with barely suppressed annoyance at the diviner, “Zinnridi Fendi Zoltan! You have been probing at me all night. Isn’t that a horrid breach of etiquette? I’m super tired and super grumpy and all I want is to fall asleep in my comfy bed, but that’s impossible when you are sticking your slimy spells all over my skin!”

“You know my True Name! How? When?” the archdiviner gasped in shock.

“From before I stepped off from my ship?” Laura snapped frostily, “You were camouflaged within the wall behind the Sultan, and I peeked to ensure that you would not pose a threat. I also know that you are no longer human, dabble mostly with blood and black magic, and that you are already over three hundred years old.”

The archdiviner trembled and paled in shock, “You… what are you?” he stammered.

Laura pouted, “I am The Witch of Andania. Doesn’t anyone here even know what that means?” She continued as she assessed Zinnridi coolly, “If you climbed the Tower in your bestest peak condition, you might possibly reach the seventh floor, just like my younger sister. But I’ve made it all the way to the very Top! In a no holds barred match, I would crush you in less than ten minutes unless you focused all your Talent on running and hiding from me.”

“What tower? I don’t understand…” Zinnridi gestured helplessly.

Laura sighed as her eyes swept briefly across the room, “There are fifty-three Talented individuals here, if you include the five that just snuck onto the roof above and the one who’s burrowed directly under me. If you took all that Talent, put it in one person, and multiplied it by three, you would come close to the raw Talent I was born with.”

“Impossible! Archdiviner Zinnridi is among the twelve most powerful sorcerers in Vaishya, there’s just no way…” a battlemage protested.

Laura snickered. And suddenly an intense magical pressure bore down on all the Talented guards in the chamber. Their barriers shattered, men and women staggered back in shock, and many fell weakly to their knees. And even Zinnridi paled as he gripped his staff tightly for support. “This is just half of my full aura,” Laura mocked the kneeling battlemage. “If you can’t even exist within my presence, pray how will you even flee from my power? I will defeat Xerxes.”

Then the princess slipped from between the pale, stunned Vaishyans, clamped her cold clammy hand tightly on Aryan’s wrist and tugged him to his feet, “Aryan,” she giggled with an exaggeratedly mischievous wink, “I really want to enjoy your bed now. Won’t you please show me the way? I’m sure that your parents and their advisors can finish the remaining deliberations by themselves.” Then she tugged the prince playfully from the room and into the darkened corridor before he could protest, even as the room broke into an exuberant storm of heated discussion.

“That was all an act. You did not tell them the whole truth about your powers.” Aryan’s eyes were filled with suspicion as he trailed behind the princess.

“Please Aryan, the shortest way to your room.” Laura pleaded before pressing her lips together tightly and leaning weakly against the wall.

The prince frowned as he scooped the cold, pale princess into his arms, “You need a doctor.”

“No!” Laura hissed, “Bring me to your room. I just need to sleep it off.”

“I’m calling for the physician then, you look terrible.” Aryan frowned as he deposited Laura on his bed.

“No! Super-duper no! Nobody must ever see me like this.” Laura reached out weakly and clamped her hand on Aryan’s wrist.

“Why not? You’re look as if you’re half-dead.” Aryan complained.

Laura sighed, “I don’t have much time left. I’ll tell you, if you swear to Krall that you will take it to the grave.”

“I swear. Krall be my witness.” Aryan swore as he held Laura tightly in his arms and whispered softly in her ear.

“It’s my family’s darkest secret. No witch is ever born perfect, and we all have serious flaws to our powers. The daily limit of my magic is three hours, no matter the amount of Talent I wield. And I fall helplessly unconscious for the rest of the day if I exceed that limit. It doesn’t happen often, but that archdiviner of yours pushed me to my limit when he examined me repeatedly…” Laura mumbled as she drifted off in his arms.

A pair of eyes glinted unnoticed from the darkest corner of the room, before slinking silently away through the walls.