The carriage continued up the mountain tunnel, Teyva sitting in thoughtful silence as she pushed back against Paraklytus’ endless prodding at her protective mana shell. A series of prompts appeared that caused her to raise her hand in a small gesture and he let up while she read.

Skill Rank Up!

Your [Mana Manipulation] Skill has increased to level 13.

Your current mana cost reduction for spells and abilities is 13%

Status Update!

[Spiritual Resistance] has improved from [Threshold] to [Potent] thanks to your [Adaptable] trait!

[Mental Resistance] has improved from [Threshold] to [Potent] thanks to your [Adaptable] trait!

Teyva let out a breath and dismissed the prompts, “Progress,” She said, nodding to Paraklytus, “Let’s take a breather. There’s been a few things on my mind that I wanted to ask you about.”

The others looked up from their private musings while Teyva rested her back against the comfortable interior of the carriage. Paraklytus turned his head to face her as she mulled over the way to ask her question. It wasn’t a serious question, more a curiosity that had been itching at the back of her mind for a while. “The Labyrinthians, they predominantly lived underground, right? Almost exclusively,” She asked, the lich nodded and she continued, “How did they get food to sustain their population?”

Azrael, made a face and then turned her head toward Paraklytus, “Actually yeah, I was down there too, how does that work?”

“Subterranean farms, of course,” Paraklytus said, “Our ancestors constructed many wonders. The living farms attached to the labyrinth were just one of them. The machines that provided power to the labyrinth through the lake beneath Osan were another marvel. Sadly they do not function right now, otherwise, our issues concerning the Akurai would be nonexistent.”

Now Sari was interested, “Then how would you get it all working again?”

“My Queen, you and Lady Azrael may have noticed that the Labyrinth was quite inert when you traversed it before we became allies,” Paraklytus explained, “It did not shift nor change direction. It remains sleeping. I understand little of the function of the Labyrinth, what manner of life-form it is or if it is truly alive as we are. I do know that the heart stone nodes you have activated before are- oh bother,” Paraklytus paused, rubbing his chin and looking at Teyva.

Teyva laughed, “I know, we forgot the one beneath the Library, didn’t we?”

“Indeed we did, what a blunder, very unlike me,” He said with a shake of his head, “I digress. There is no heart stone with a living owner connected to the Labyrinth. Rani was the last, and so the Labyrinth became inert.”

“And the farms stopped working,” Teyva continued, “And your people died out.”

Paraklytus fell silent and nodded.

“You told me you knew of a way to activate the one I had,” Teyva said, “It’s about time you explained that.”

Perry let out a sharp laugh, “I must indeed be getting old! To forget that as well,” He shook his head, “It’s quite simple actually. The new owner’s blood will wake the stone, then simply present it to a piece of the structure to serve as the functional heart. The structure connected to the stone will slowly be converted. If it is close enough to another active node controlled by the new Heart Stone’s master, it will form a network and the portions of the Labyrinth claimed will function anew.”

Teyva rubbed the bridge of her nose, “That easy, huh?”

“Indeed, forgive me for not explaining it sooner,” Paraklytus said, “All that information aside, please be cautious. A heart stone may only be used once and even I do not know how they are made. When you use your first, you may as well consider that place to be your permanent seat of power for the foreseeable future.”

Teyva tensed, she had been thinking about activating it while she was staying here with the Elves but she wasn’t sure if there were any tunnels up in the mountains to begin with. More importantly, this place hardly seemed like the kind of place she’d want to live in permanently. Though that did raise another question, “One more question. Where was Rani’s seat?”

Everyone in the carriage looked at Paraklytus this time. The lich’s eyes flashed and he tilted his head, “Ah yes, the royal palace. I imagine much of her wealth is still there,” The lich murmured, “So long as this continent has not changed in any substantial way it should be,” He paused and made a few hand gestures as if he were trying to visualize a map of the continent, he shrugged, “I would say about one hundred or so miles west of the western edge of the Balthin Sea.”

Sari sat up straight, “The capital of Katal?”

Elat barked out a laugh, “Of course it is.”

Conrad crossed his arms, “Teyva told me about her journey into the labyrinth, those depths would put it just beneath the royal catacombs. It would not surprise me in the least if the royal family built the palace directly above the ancient queen’s homestead. Hardly a coincidence, this is by design.”

The lich nodded, “Agreed.”

Teyva rubbed her chin and glanced at Conrad to her right before shifting her gaze towards Azrael, “When we have the time, we should claim it as our own. Everything that’s inside, including Rani’s node. Since the Labyrinth stretches beneath the forest we might as well claim the other nodes along the way. Get the whole thing up and running again.”

“You’ll need to pick a place to use your heart stone first,” Azrael pointed out.

“I’ll think of something, we have time,” Teyva said with a shrug.

The carriage came to a stop before they could continue their conversation. The momentary pause was followed up with more movement before it eventually stopped again. Teyva glanced outside and could see snow again, Batel’s horse approached and the captain of her guard hopped off his steed before opening the door to the carriage. A brisk wind blew past him and his hair, which had started to grow long, touseled around his head. “Majesty, we’ve arrived. Our caravan has been asked to wait here until you meet with the King and we are directed to where we will be staying.”

Teyva nodded, “Thank you Batel, make sure our guest is kept concealed from sight.”

“Of course, the Priestess is under the protection of my men,” Batel said gravely, bringing his fist to his chest, “Abba, Myself, and four honor guard from each group will accompany you to the palace.”

“I imagine the King doesn’t want a crowd?” She asked.

Batel’s face went stony, “Correct, the man who will be guiding us asked that only you and Princess Azrael come, along with your guards of course.”

“Figures,” Azrael grunted, “Let’s deliver this message and figure out where we’re staying. I want to sleep in a bed tonight.”

Teyva glanced at the others, “I’ll see you all soon.”

“We await your return, Majesty,” Paraklytus said with a slight bow.

With that, Teyva and Azrael slip out of the carriage, Teyva passing Stella over to Elat to hold. The two women slipped out of the carriage and onto the snowy ground. Azrael frowned as a strong wind blew past them and rolled up her sleeve, showing a smaller version of the collars that the horses were wearing. She pressed her thumb against the red stone and it began to glow faintly. After a few moments, she let out a breath and brushed off her arms. Teyva raised an eyebrow. “You could just wear a coat,” She pointed out, holding her hand over her face and equipping the [Masque of the Newborn Queen].

“And let you walk in without one?” Azrael quipped, “Please.”

“Just because I’m a weirdo doesn’t mean that you have to pretend to be one too,” Teyva laughed as she looked around. They were standing at the foot of a marble staircase leading up onto a raised platform framed by four enormous columns. The face of the palace itself was embedded into the side of a sheer cliff and the courtyard was utterly devoid of plants, decoration, or finery. It was hardly what she imagined when she thought of some lofty elven palace. She looked up at the door itself, crafted out of some kind of gold alloy and riveted to the white marble walls around it. At the top of the door the marble was carved with words in an unfamiliar language.

“By the grace of the Gods may our legacy be eternal,” Teyva read, her [Tongue of the Labyrinthian] trait activating.

“I got about half of it,” Azrael admitted, “Was studying Elvish on the way here. That trait of yours is cheating, you know that right?”

Teyva laughed, “Jealous?”

“Hardly,” Azrael grunted, “Having that many languages in one head would be a pain.”

Abba approached on horseback a few moments later, hopping off and joining Teyva and Azrael. Not long later four Azar and four Akurai guardsmen formed up on either side of them. Teyva glanced at Azrael, “You have the letter?”

Azrael grinned at her, “Nope, totally lost it,” She lied, pulling the heavy envelope out from within her coat.

Teyva gave her sister an aghast look, “Really?”

“You totally believed me for a second there,” Azrael prodded.

Teyva snorted, “You’re an ass.”

The two of them laughed up until they arrived at the doors to the palace. They opened with a low groan, just wide enough for those present to enter single file. A pair of guards stood on either side of the door on the inside, safe from the bitter cold. Teyva noticed Batel’s shoulders tighten, he probably wasn’t happy that they had already been forced to break their formation like that. When all had entered the doors shut immediately behind them, the sound sending a thrum through Teyva’s chest. The guards formed back up in a circle around the two princesses, marching forward along a thick red carpet. Around them, dozens of enormous white columns of marble held up the heavily painted ceiling above. The white marble floor reflected the light of hundreds of spheres of yellow-white light. Illuminating the entire chamber.

“It’s a retelling of elven history,” Azrael murmured, squinting up at the ceiling.

Teyva looked up again, elves were depicted as constructing their cities, fighting wars, and defeating monsters. She looked back down and ahead of them the columns stopped, opening up into the main part of the throne room. Gold sculptures covered every inch of the wall behind the throne itself which appeared to be made entirely out of a clear gemstone. Teyva rolled her jaw and straightened her back when she finally took in the sight of the king of the elves.

The youthful looking man had the bearing of someone who’d seen years and years of life, but his face placed him at the end of his thirties. His face was caked with makeup which distorted her impression of his age as well. He had pale-yellow hair that fell over his shoulders and a pair of long, pointed ears that were decorated with over a dozen golden earrings. He raised his head up, looking down over his nose at the two women who approached. On either side of him were a collection of younger-looking elves who had a vague resemblance to the king himself. Probably his family. Each of them stood stiffly, their arms hanging at their sides.

Batel and Abba parted ahead of Teyva and Azrael, they stepped aside just enough for the two women to step through to the head of the pack. Azrael, Abba, Batel, and the other knights all lowered themselves to their knees. Teyva remained standing, holding her head high and meeting the King’s gaze. A guard who had been stationed at the corner of the raised set of steps leading up to the Throne lowered his weapon, “You will remove your mask and kneel before the King of the Elves.”

“A Queen does not kneel,” Teyva corrected the guard, not even looking at him.

The King of the Elves shifted once in his seat and focused on her face, “A Queen, are you?”

“I am the Queen Mother of the Akurai people and Crown Princess of Osan, Your Majesty,” Teyva said, offering a slight bow instead. She raised her head back up and met the King’s eyes.

“The Akurai?” The King asked.

Teyva reached down and touched the top of Batel’s head. The Captian of her Guard rose to his feet and presented himself, “This is Batel, one of the Akurai and captain of my guard,” She said.

The King narrowed his eyes, “Fascinating. Well met, Queen of the Akurai,” The King said with an inclination of his head, “Will you allow me to see your face, or is your mask cultural?”

Teyva inclined her head, “If your Majesty wishes, but I am told I can be a unique sight.”

The King leaned forward, his eyes glittering a little, “I favor unique things, please, if you would.”

Teyva let out a breath and raised her hand to her face, the mask melting into her inventory. She raised her head high and looked him square in the face. The king gripped his throne even as his family all did their best to restrain their reactions to her appearance. The glittering stones embedded in her skin, almost like scales, her bestial eyes, her growing crown of horns, she smiled at him and gave him a hint at the nature of her wicked teeth. Unlike his family, his eyes did not bely repulsion. Instead she felt an unsettling hunger well up in his gaze. “Is your appearance normal for women of your kind?”

“I am more than Akurai,” Teyva said smoothly, “A separate existence.”

“Truly unique then,” He breathed and then cleared his throat, “We get ahead of ourselves, though, you come here from my dear friend, Thrake in Osan. How is your father, Azrael?” The King asked, turning his eyes on Teyva’s sister.

“Healthy and strong, eager to hear from his friend in the north again,” Azrael said, looking up at the king from her spot on her knee.

“That’s good to hear,” The King said with a nod, “You brought a message from him?”

Azrael reached back into her coat and pulled out the letter before handing it over to Teyva. Teyva glanced at the guard who had tried to correct her behavior. The man approached and took the letter, his face expressionless even as his eyes looked her up and down with suspicion. He turned on his heel and marched up to his King before dropping to his knees and holding the letter up for the King to inspect. The elf opened the envelope with a quick motion and drew out the document inside. He read it over quietly before glancing down at Teyva and Azrael. His eyes lingered on Teyva for a moment, that same unsettling hunger making her skin crawl. He glanced back to the letter again and nodded.

“I will of course be happy to lend aid to my friend in the south. As soon as the winter passes I will send what the King of the Azar has requested,” He said with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Majesty,” Teyva said with an inclination of her head.

“Of course you will need a place to stay during the winter. I had intended for my eldest son to take the Lower Palace but circumstances have made that quite impossible. It will instead be the home for you and your own until spring comes,” The King said, raising a hand. He gestured to one of the youngest among those of his family present, “This is my daughter, Eloia, she will guide you there and ensure that you are comfortable.”

“Your generosity is overwhelming,” Teyva forced out, looking up at the woman who shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She glanced back at the King who she was starting to really dislike, “Thank you for your time.”

“I would hope to have some of yours, in the future, we should have dinner soon, Queen of the Akurai,” The King insisted.

“It would be my honor,” Teyva said, swallowing hard and glancing down at Azrael who exchanged a worried look with her.

“You are dismissed,” The king said and the rest of Teyva’s party got to their feet. Eloia hurried down the steps after a sharp word from her father and came to a stop in front of Teyva and Azrael. She bowed once before looking up into Teyva’s face.

Teyva raised her eyebrows and smiled, “Thank you for guiding us, Princess.”

“O-oh! Of course! It’s my privilege,” She forced herself to say. Teyva stepped aside and graciously allowed the pretty young woman to step past her. Her knights formed back up and they were quickly escorted from the hall. As they strode past the columns, Teyva’s expression grew dark and she shot Azrael a look.

Something stinks.

Agreed.

Also, why are elves so frigging hot?

Keep your pants on, Teyva.

I’m just saying!

Azrael sighed.