The greatest, most powerful illusion magic is the one produced by the eyes of a passionate lover.

Yvanna – Vampire – Employee of the “Dan-the-lion” Inn

*

-Your Majesty, Queen Aetna and King Orlov! We bring to your honorable presence the soldier Gasser, secretary of Commander Rinlia of Fiandel!

The throne room is silent. Queen Aetna herself had ordered that the less important nobles should not be present that afternoon. In the throne room are present only a few prominent members of the court, who witnessed a whole afternoon dedicated to interviewing Fiandel soldiers found near Lake Martha a few days ago.

They were brought by detachments from nearby areas and treated inside the capital alongside Vivre’s soldiers who were also involved in the accident.

The interrogation served several purposes, but the main objective was to ensure that the cause of the shipwreck of a ship full of foreign soldiers was an attack from a mythological monster that, until recently, had not been seen and was considered to be a legend.

-Where is your commander?

Aetna’s voice, to almost everyone, seems emotionless. Orlov, however, was not fooled. Years of intimacy with the kingdom’s sovereign guaranteed him the ability to identify the subtleties in her tone. She was nervous.

-I couldn’t say, Your Majesty. During the shipwreck, in order to guarantee our escape in the boats, she remained in combat, alongside Vice Commander Yvanna and another soldier. – The yellow and skinny hobgoblin behaves like a politician. His tone is similar to that of someone who delivers a weekly report about the kingdom’s harvest.

-You know, we didn’t think you would survive. – The queen is not discouraged by the answer. Many of you arrived with serious wounds and, had it not been for the goodwill of our kingdom, you would have perished.

-Vivre’s generosity will certainly be appreciated by Fiandel’s kingdom. – Gasser makes a half bow. – I will be sure to mention this to my superiors, who will certainly inform the Great King Njalmar.

Aetna’s face contorts when she hears the expression “great king”, but she does not talk about it. Instead, she continues:

-I’ll make sure to tell him in person, when the time comes. – Gasser does not react to the sentence. – Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some of your friends did not resist the wounds.

The hobgoblin lowers his head, accepting her words. Aetna continues.

-The names of those who were not found or died during the trip will be given to you before the end of the day. – She nods to an assistant, who takes note of the royal orders. – Furthermore, I will guarantee a total of one hundred soldiers, on a safe route chosen by my subordinates, so you can return to Fiandel and report what happened here. With them, I will send a messenger, so he can also report the same facts. You don’t have permission to separate from my soldiers or leave the route. I don’t want any problems this time. You should also send at least three signed messages to your kingdom as a precaution. We will make reports with our version and send them as well.

-As you wish, Your Majesty.

-I hope you understand the real importance of your return to Fiandel. – She waits until he raises his head and looks into her eyes. – I don’t want to start a war because you did not explain the situation to Njalmar.

-I will be sure to report in great detail about Vivre’s exemplary conduct.

*

Nafaester opens her eyes when the campfire is about to be dismantled. The ashes, that fly from the flames when Yvanna throws water on the wood, fall on the face of the nymph, who gradually regains consciousness and finds herself tied to a tree, sitting on the ground.

Both her hands and legs are tied by vines. Her mouth is covered by a piece of cloth stuck between her teeth and, in front of her, a boy with brown skin and dark eyes watches over her body, sitting next to a wolf that does not seem to care about the prisoner.

The nymph’s brother is at her side, also awake. His bonds are much more numerous and his entire body was wrapped in vines. Unlike her, he could not sit, as his legs had been tied upright. It is evident that he is in pain from the way he is attached to the tree, but she is not irritated by it. No one in their right mind would use fewer precautions to arrest a werewolf.

Neither the boy nor the lupine appeared to be interested in the prisoners’ awakening. As far as she could tell, they expected this to happen at some point, and, unless one of them tried to escape, they would leave the prisoners alone.

Even in a precarious situation like that, the nymph still feels some relief after realizing that her brother is alive. In addition, the wound at his ribs looks better. The bloodstain created during the battle is still there, however, now, it does not increase and his pains seem, for the most part, to have a muscular origin.

Nafaester wanted to get up and embrace her brother. His expression is clear, showing the desperation he feels because of the current situation. She did not blame him, after all, he had been willing to sacrifice his own life for her, and yet, here they are: Both imprisoned and without any means of changing the situation.

That is the reason why she wants to get up. She wants to hug him and say that everything will be okay. That there is no reason to fear. There is no reason to be afraid of captivity or about the return to the Great Forest.

After all, those people may have thought they captured them, but Nafaester is convinced that the truth is different. Despite feeling a deep hatred of the entities, the strength of her predictions is undeniable. After all, she has seen predictions come to fruition and knows that if she had a vision, it was because the recent path was going towards that particular future.

Therefore, she does not fear the vines, the soldiers or the lupine. She does not fear the Forest or the creatures that inhabit it.

Nafaester is unable to show an external smile, but, inside, she smiles, triumphantly.

“Stay calm, brother.” She thinks, wishing he could hear her. “We will be free. And we will have much more power than we ever imagined.”

The nymph closes her eyes, ready to rest for now. She needs to recover her magic. After all, the pain in her body still persists. Her interior is still empty and she needs to prepare.

Because, soon, the bonds will not hold her back. She will be, once again, on the path to freedom.

Real freedom. More real than any she has seen in her life.

“Stay calm, brother.” She thinks. “The victory will be ours.”

*

-Let’s go. – Rinlia announces to Arthur, who gets up and looks at the prisoners. – Don’t worry. Yvanna and Thiago will guide them. You can stay close to me.

Despite the warning, he keeps his eye on the nymph and the werewolf as they are untied from the trees. The Brother Henco, despite being free from the tree, still has very limited movements due to the ties on his heels and arms. He moves slowly, pushed by the vampire.

-Let’s go. – Galaaz’s voice calls for the boy, who walks near Rinlia, in front of the group. Thiago stands behind everyone, guarding the rear.

-Rinlia. – Arthur calls.

-What?

-During the battle, what was that thing… She – He points to Nafaester. – was using? The shiny ring?

-What? Oh, are you talking about the jewel? – She points to her chest, where is one of the leather bags with one of the jewels. The other is attached to Yvanna’s chest. – This is a magical jewel.

-How strong are they?

-They are very strong. – With the group close to the river, the elf seeks the best point to cross. – You saw its power. Nafaester had just fallen from a waterfall and almost defeated us. – She points to the wolf and to herself.

-And that is not even the entire power of the jewel. – Galaaz complements.

-What do you mean by that?

-That is Nature’s ring. As far as I know, it is a jewel attributed to the entity Nature. – The wolf moves close to Arthur. Rinlia smiles when she realizes that he is getting close to the boy. – It is one of the Oracle’s jewels. It is said that she wore the jewels at a time when this territory was the target of constant invasions from our neighbors. When she needed to go to war to show her strength.

-Was she strong?

-The strongest. – The wolf looks down, as if instinctively paying respect to the Oracle. – Despite her strongest ability being the predictions, when she used the jewels the Oracle was able to defeat anyone in battle.

-That is open to discussion. – Rinlia interrupts. – After all, everyone knows that these jewels are capable of strengthening the user’s powers, but to claim that she could defeat anyone is to underestimate the innate power of others. After all, another combatant can wear a jewel as well. Or simply have more power.

-It wasn’t my intention to offend other fighters. – Galaaz replies. But it is a fact that those jewels are very powerful. And rare. So rare that their mere existence is linked to an entity in an exclusive way. There is no other jewel of Nature in the world and there is no need for it. The fact that the Oracle has three jewels like that in her possession is proof of an impressive power.

-One jewel. – Arthur says. – The other two, until recently, were in their possession. – He points to the prisoners.

-Oh, that is a mistake that you shouldn’t commit. – The wolf shakes its head. – After all, we are talking about the Oracle. While these jewels did not come out of the Forest, the power of our sovereign is so omnipresent that it would be foolish to think that she could not recover the jewels at her will.

-The Oracle is not all powerful. – Rinlia seems to make a point of contesting the wolf’s statements.

-She doesn’t need to be. – Despite taking his time to protect the Oracle, Galaaz does not seem proud of his words, but rather apprehensive. – With the power she has, mother nymph has been able to control this forest for generations. – He takes a look at the prisoners. – Anyone who thinks they are capable of taking that away from her is either too innocent or a fool.

*

After talking to Gasser, the leaders of Vivre had to personally talk to those who would guide the soldier of Fiandel back to their homes. Throughout the afternoon, Aetna and Orlov personally analyzed the routes, those who would be responsible for the caravan, the messengers who would go with them and, as a precaution, those who would go alone after them.

They also signed the necessary documents to dispatch the large number of soldiers, in addition to putting the royal seal on the reports that would be sent by land and sky to King Njalmar. They also made a point of visiting the accommodations where the wounded people were established before starting their journey back home.

The expenses with such arrangements were not small. Orlov, who had to deal personally with the crown treasurer and was admittedly a king concerned with the economy, felt his heart sink after seeing the amount of medicine spent on foreign soldiers. The mere prospect of the expenses of the trip that would be sponsored by Vivre was something that would certainly torment his sleep.

After all, a Merchant kingdom’s reputation is proportional to its ability to manage its own accounts. He would have to take the gold from somewhere and, at that rate, he would have to upset some noble or merchant. It was not an insurmountable problem, but sure was an undesirable nuisance.

After taking care of everything that was their responsibility and even some things that were not so much their responsibility, the royal couple walks, alone, in corridors illuminated by chandeliers, with their steps resonating on the rustic stone floor. Their leather shoes disperse the dust on the ground as they walk.

-Are we afraid of Fiandel? – King Orlov’s voice has a hint of irritation. Not because of the queen’s behavior, but because of her insistence on not telling him what she was planning in advance, making him feel like a decorative piece next to her.

-You shouldn’t question my decisions, husband. – She does not use an authoritarian tone, but her words never needed that. – Fiandel alone does not intimidate me because there are kingdoms separating our borders. What worries me is the possibility of some narrative that could give Markav an excuse to help Fiandel. If Njalmar gets an outpost for his soldiers and the support of one of our neighbors, we could be in trouble. And believe me: We don’t want to have problems with Fiandel’s army.

Orlov does not question. Just as the queen does not usually question her husband’s numbers and market analysis, he would also not dare question his wife’s notions of battle or foreign policies.

The couple walks through tunnels built below the royal castle. They are old buildings, which predate the life of the two monarchs. It is the place where the bodies of the ancient kings and queens are, buried there since the time when Vivre was nothing more than a vassal kingdom of some nation that no longer exists.

They are the catacombs of Vivre.

The catacombs are rarely visited and only a few members of the royal guard and the royal family can enter this place without the need for letters of permission. It is also an unpopular site in Vivre. In a kingdom that worships “Life”, the catacombs form a taboo for anyone who is not part of the royal family.

The rustle of the queen’s dress makes a constant noise amid the noise of nervous steps taken ahead. The king’s breathing produces a nervous noise that he strives to hide with a peaceful countenance.

At this point, Aetna regretted not having arrested Arthur in that place. Had it not been for her belief that he knew nothing about his own powers, she would not have left him in the tower.

She moves away the thoughts of the fugitive, for the mere invocation of such memories irritates her. The number of defeated soldiers and the fact that a boy with almost nonexistent knowledge of magic survived the fall of a tower are facts that deeply irritate her.

She bites her lip, slowing down her pace and trying to calm down her interior. She did not want to reach her destination with her thoughts in disarray.

-Maybe it would be better to have kept that hobgoblin here. – Orlov says, looking to the side, facing the tomb of the mother of one of Vivre’s old kings.

-We can’t keep more than one prisoner from them. – Aetna replies, grateful for the distraction. – The chances of having problems would also increase. If he had woken up first, I would have chosen him. It would be easier to make him talk.

The royal couple passes, alone, by several tombs. They turned to the right and came across a corridor where two royal soldiers are stationed: An ogre and an elf. They guard a small iron door, sitting on chairs, in silence.

-Do you think we can get what we want? – Orlov whispers.

-I don’t know. – She answers, gesturing for the guards to move. – And I don’t care. No one knows that he is alive, so, if we don’t get anything, we don’t pay anything either. Isn’t that the kind of opportunity that a merchant like you would hate to miss?

The lock opens with an ominous sound, allowing the entrance to a prison cell.

*

*