Supreme Magus

"Do you not realize that whoever your descendants are, whatever merchant group you established to earn money, will face the threat of the Isharas? It’s only a matter of time before our problem becomes your problem as well." The Queen asked.

"We are neither blind nor foolish, Sylpha." Raagu said, but her voice lacked conviction. "We have been... naïve. We never asked how many Isharas were going to cross Garlen borders nor questioned the scope of their activities."

"Naïve at your age?" The Queen scoffed. "I think the word you’re looking for is senile."

"Sylpha!" Raagu and the King said in unison, but while the former was outraged, the latter was embarrassed.

’Have you forgotten what you said to the Royal Court a few minutes ago? We need to tread with caution while dealing with the Awakened Council!’ Meron said via a mind link hidden by their touching elbows.

’I don’t expect the old hag to solve our problems with a snap of her fingers, but she could at least apologize instead of spouting bullshit.’ Sylpha snorted.

’Calm down, dear, or we’ll add the Council to our already extensive list of political enemies.’ Meron shared her frustration, but not the way his fiery wife chose to express it.

"I apologize on behalf of the Queen." Meron said, drawing the glare of both Sylpha and Raagu on himself. "Her words were unacceptable, but her rightful anger can’t be denied. The Council did a poor job, and the Kingdom is paying the price."

He made them both unhappy, undeniable proof that he was a good diplomat.

"What are you planning to do about this, and what kind of help can we expect from you?" The King threw the ball in the Council’s court, putting slight but firm pressure on the representatives.

’He’s implying that if we turn our back on the Kingdom and wash our hands of the problem, he’ll do the same when our businesses are affected.’ Inxialot, the Lich King, thought. ’Wait a second. Where am I? Who are these people?’

He looked at the right palm of his hand, where the words "Council duty" were written in bright letters.

’Oh, right. Who just finished talking, and who am I supposed to side with?’

He looked at Raagu for clues, but what was left of his face gave the impression he was glaring at her in approval of the King’s words.

"I..." The human representative returned the stare for a second, finding it hard to believe that Inxialot could care so much about something happening outside his research lab. "I mean, the Council will conduct a thorough investigation.

"The Isharas have violated none of the Council laws, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look into what they are doing and share what we discover with the Crown. If our investigations expose evidence of their criminal activity, the Isharas can’t blame us.

"Moreover, we’ll try to locate their bases and estimate their numbers to ensure that the Blood of Selkis won’t undermine the authority of the Council as they are doing with the Royals."

"That’s acceptable. For now. Meron out." Meron hung up the call before Sylpha could give another Council representative a piece of her mind. "Happy now?"

"Sort of." She grunted. "I still think you’ve let them off too easily."

"I didn’t." The King shook his head. "I just gave them the time to process the information and realize the magnitude of their blunder. Awakened are powerful and prideful creatures.

"Scolding them like children will only anger the Council Representatives and make them refuse to cooperate. Now instead, I’m playing on their pride. I’ve pointed out their mistake to them and challenged, not ordered, them to fix it.

"This way, they’ll spare no effort because they’re doing it for themselves, whereas if they felt like I was strong-arming them, they would have done nothing about the Isharas just to spite us."

"I know, dear, but the thought that those bastards of the Isharas have managed to infiltrate our Kingdom so soon after we finally got rid of Thrud infuriates me.

"The fact that those idiots of the Council even gave the Isharas their blessing, instead, makes my blood boil!" Sylpha snarled, yet her grimace of fury swiftly turned into confusion.

"Now that I think about it, the Isharas are not native of Garlen. They come from the Rathi continent, and their dead foremother’s turf is nowhere near the Kingdom. Shouldn’t Lady Tyris’s rules about external interference apply to them?

"Why didn’t she stop them and smite them into oblivion?"

"Because they have followed my every rule and not overstepped any boundary." The First Queen walked through a dimensional fissure so thin that she seemed to materialize out of thin air. "I understand your anger, Sylpha, but rest assured.

"The Blood of Selkis has no intention of making the Griffon Kingdom their new dominion. The Isharas didn’t seek control over influential figures to gain political power in the Royal Court either.

"They picked solely the most insignificant nobles that could still contribute to their schemes. The Isharas are only after wealth, and will leave our country as soon as they get their hands on the Hydras’ bloodline awakening project.

"If they use Forbidden Magic or try to seize control of the Kingdom, however, I will stop them immediately. You are not responsible for the coming of the Blood of Selkis, and I don’t expect you to deal with them alone were they to siege the Kingdom."

"Thank you, My Queen." Sylpha stared at Tyris’ sky-blue day dress in a daze.

It left only her neck and hands exposed, and lacked any frill or exotic decoration. The only noteworthy thing about Tyris’ attire was the woman who wore it. The simple but elegant fabric of the dress couldn’t hide the voluptuous curves of her body more than a passing cloud could eclipse the splendor of the sun.

Yet that wasn’t the reason for Sylpha’s stunned silence either.

’That’s a bright color!’ The Queen thought, telepathically shaking her husband like a bear would a tree laden with ripe fruit. ’I’ve never seen Lady Tyris wear a bright-colored dress before. It even has a few golden embroideries!’

’Good gods!’ Meron gasped as the realization dawned upon him. ’Her mourning period is over. Lady Tyris might look for another husband at any moment. Why? Gods, why did it have to happen under my reign?’

’What’s wrong with you?’ Sylpha was glad her husband wasn’t affected by the Guardian’s stunning beauty or her radiant smile, yet she hadn’t expected such a negative reaction either. ’How is this bad news?’

’Lady Tyris might look for another husband.’ Meron repeated once more with feeling. ’Which means we’ll have to deal with a swarm of powerful individuals who will ravage our land to get her attention at best, or witness the birth of a new royal bloodline at worst!’

’You are right!’ Sylpha went pale in horror. ’Why? Gods, why? Didn’t we endure enough? Couldn’t this wait until the next ruler took the throne? Is this crown cursed?’

"Please, stop freaking out like that." Tyris’s peal of silvery laughter sounded like the first rain after a year-long drought. It could end a war or start many, depending on the circumstances. "I assure you I’m not going to trouble you in any way."

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