Nymeria blinked, touched the thin line of blood on her face, and grinned like a predator.
"Well done, Lyssandra," she said, her voice now calm and polished, and no longer annoyed. "Though a bit... obvious. Do you always aim for the face, or is that jealousy over my superior beauty?"
Lyssandra's grin grew. She wiped off a little blood from her lip from using too much magic. "If I were really jealous, wind witch, you'd be missing more than a bit of skin."
Nymeria circled her, moving like a dancer, fast and dangerous.
"Bragging, are we? I see your hands shaking, little sister." She raised her arm, and the wind spun around them like a small storm, trapped inside the courtyard walls.
"I'm not shaking." Lyssandra clenched her teeth. Frost grew around her fingers as she formed a sharp icicle in her palm, ready to strike. But just as she prepared to attack, her legs gave out. She groaned and fell, blood now flowing more freely from her nose.
"Hmm," she mumbled, trying to get up.
Nymeria's face showed a flash of real concern. She let the swirling wind fade, and then she rushed to her sister's side. "Careful. Are you alright?"
"Yeah… I think I went too far with that last move. Still figuring out my limits, I guess…"
From a high balcony overlooking the courtyard, a calm but firm voice spoke.
"My queen, are you not worried they might truly hurt each other with such… passionate displays?"
Wrapped in violet silk that shimmered like amethyst in the sun, Queen Caladria was seated on a tall seat carved with silver ivy. A goblet of dark wine, untouched but warm in her hand, rested near her lips. Her sharp gaze stayed on the two women below.
"They are blades being sharpened, Vael," Caladria said softly, her voice smooth but laced with steel. "Let them make each other stronger." Her face stayed unreadable.
Next to her stood Lady Vael, the Queen's spymaster, dressed in flowing black and tight leather. Her sharp eyes missed nothing. She stood completely still, like a predator waiting to strike.
Her attention never left the sisters.
"They may be blades, Your Majesty," Vael replied quietly, "but even the best can break."
Caladria finally raised the chalice and took a slow sip. "Then let them break. And what's left will be unbreakable."
"But, they are your daughters, wouldn't you be upset if something bad happened to them, your majesty!" Vael asked. Although in her voice there was no worry, her mere words suggested otherwise.
The queen ignored her. Her gaze moved lazily to a figure standing to her side, the Queen's advisor.
He was tall and thin, dressed in dark robes with gold edges that seemed to swallow light, hiding much of his face behind a high collar.
"My Queen," he said gently, his voice full of respect but also concern. "You don't seem worried."
Caladria didn't look at him. "About what, Theron?" She questioned. Her voice was cool, almost cold.
"The Doomscroll," he hesitated. "You've head about the prophecies, haven't you? The creatures they describe… the Unbound. They've started to appear. Just as the prophecy said."
A small, cold smile touched Caladria's lips, though it didn't reach her eyes. She took another sip. "Prophecies are just the fears of frightened men, written with too much ink and not enough wisdom."
"And yet, the growing Unbound sightings near Nareth… the reports of burned villages…" Theron pressed, his voice tense.
"And your source for this… troubling news?" Caladria's eyes finally moved to him, sharp and doubtful.
"A… captured Tharnan scout."
"Of course," Caladria said, her voice full of scorn. "Tharna is losing the war, they instigated. Desperate people tell wild stories."
"I'm not ignoring it, Your Majesty," Theron said more softly. "You know as well as I do—if the prophecy is true…"
The queen shut him up with a mere raise of her hand. Theron, knowing not to speak, stayed quiet, although he had so much to say.
"I do not waste time on such dark tales. Let the scared whisper their nightmares. This kingdom will not be ruled by shadows and the words of madmen."
"Yes, your majesty." He bowed, half-heartedly. Theron then turned and wanted to leave, however just as he was about to exit, the queen's guard at the exit out of the balcony stood in his way.
Theron backed away slightly. *This wasn't right?* he thought. *Why were they stopping him from leaving?* He turned to the Queen, knowing this was her order to not let him leave.
"You majesty, is something—"
"Word got to me that, you have been absent from your duties, Theron. I'm curious!" Caladria asked, the coldness in her voice sent a shiver through Theron.
Caladria's eyes narrowed, her gaze suddenly sharp and intense. She finally turned fully to face Theron. "Is it true, that you have entered negotiations, with Tharna, behind my back?" Her voice was low and dangerous. "Explain yourself, Theron."
Theron swallowed, suddenly looking less composed. Well, of course he was less composed now especially with the realization that what he has been doing behind the queen and the royal families back had been discovered.
Swallowing hard, Theron attempted to explain himself. "My Queen… there are… factions. Those who believe prolonging this war is… unsustainable. They speak of… quiet attempts to start talks. To… explore terms."
Caladria's grip tightened on her goblet, her knuckles turning white. "And you… you know of these 'feelers,' Theron?" Her voice was deceptively calm.
Theron hesitated again, his gaze flickering nervously towards Vael. The only reason he had been caught, had to be because of Vael, he knew it.
"I… I have heard things, Your Majesty. Concerns about the kingdom's resources… the strain on our people…"
"So," Caladria said, her voice now laced with a deadly certainty. "You listen to these defeatists. You entertain the notion of parley with the dogs who burned our villages? You would betray the blood spilled by our soldiers?"
"No, Your Majesty! I only meant that we must consider all options—"
Caladria cut him off, her eyes like chips of ice. "Silence. Your 'consideration' sounds suspiciously like treason, Theron. Negotiating with Tharna… it is an act of weakness. An insult to this kingdom. An insult to me."
Theron's face paled with the realization that his fate was sealed.