Chapter 97 — An Inconvenient Challenge

“Ripping the souls out of her enemies? Soulkeepers?” Montimer asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Lieutenant Ria is researching new spells and techniques with the assistance of Soulkeeper Renard and Researcher Shadwich from her Order,” Phaelys explained. “It appears that she has succeeded, and Sir Mage Orlisi was just commenting on her prediction as to the nature of the spell being correct.”

Orlisi flashed a victory sign.

“The pair that withdrew from the dance!” the boy from House Mendan realized. “Using spirit magic openly like that though?”

Phaelys shook his head. “Not spirit magic, more something related to imparting the truths of her affinity when drawing the target into her gaze is my guess.”

“Hoooh, sounds advanced.”

“From what I understand, she is studying and practicing dual-element magic already,” Phaelys added.

“It is still not good form to attack others with magic in public like that,” Nielle disapprovingly pointed out.

Montimer made a dismissive gesture. “Bah, Young Lord Esten and Young Lady Belmina brought it on themselves. What do you think, Lady Janacythe?”

Lady Janacythe hummed. “While Young Lady Nielle is correct in principle, sometimes examples are needed to discourage future attempts to cause incidents. Ideally, less direct means should be used to perform the discouraging, but such indirect means often require already established understanding of one’s power and willingness to wield such power to be effective. Of course, that is all dependent on the favor of the host and what they will and won’t allow without stepping in.”

“And Lieutenant Ria’s backing and capabilities are unproven.” Montimer nodded understanding. “It’s a significant loss of face for House Fayville and House Lorton that City Administrator Asara appeared to tacitly condone the attack.”

“Indeed,” Lady Janacythe agreed. “The price of playing the game with insufficient understanding of the players and their goals.”

Ophesia didn’t seem to care for the direction of the conversation and motioned toward the food and refreshment tables along the wall. “Shall we get some food and refreshments?”

“The food is excellent as expected. I wouldn’t mind sampling some more, and a drink after dancing does sound pleasant,” Mortimer readily agreed.

“Oh! I’ll join. I can grab something for Ria,” Orlisi cheerily interjected and looked back at Phaelys, giving him a wink. “It’ll give Sir Mage Phaelys a chance to enjoy the company of his admirers!”

Phaelys sighed, wanting to roll his eyes at the elf’s mischief, but kept his face neutral as the noble girls already surrounding them took Orlisi’s words as an invitation to rush him.

“Sir Mage Phaelys, do you want to dance?”

“Sir Mage Phaelys!”

“Dance with me, Lord Phaelys!”

“Sir Mage Phaelys, pick me!”

As Ophesia and Orlisi wandered off to explore the festive tables lining the walls with Montimer in tow, he kept his eyes on Ria and watched her dance with the Sorrel heir, ignoring the overexcited girls who were forgetting proper etiquette in their competition to gain his attention. Ria was doing well but seemed distracted by what Joren was saying. Nielle’s choice of a potential connection for Ria wasn’t bad. Joren was reliable enough as far as Sorrels went, certainly better than the less inhibited members of his House.

“Cousin Phaelys is going to keep me company until Sir Mage Joren returns. Don’t bother him,” Nielle warned as she took Ria’s place at his arm, and after she received a confirming nod from him, the excited girls reluctantly backed off, furtively glancing at Lady Janacythe who had been approached for conversation by a minor official from House Astacio.

That must’ve been Nielle’s plan all along, bringing Joren over to get him away from Ria, so she could spend time with him without Ophesia around. He wasn’t unaware of his cousin’s childish interest, and it had a fair chance of getting the elder’s backing. They might be cousins, but such pairings between potential heirs having strongly inherited the family bloodline weren’t unheard of, particularly with his mother and her father only being half-siblings.

The intimidation of the unreasonably hopeful girls didn’t last long, and one of the girls, an unserious daughter of House Telys, followed his gaze toward Ria and asked, “Is she really a Battle Priestess?”

“Well, we know she’s not a saint of Torenth, or the high priest would be here,” another added, House Pavari.

The corner of Phaelys’ lip quirked upward. The divinity of War and Conflict certainly would be fitting for Ria.

“Can’t you tell from her aura? She’s clearly Ohgrem’s saint,” a third pointed out, House Morrethi.

“I can’t feel auras yet,” the first admitted.

“You can’t feel that crazy aura she has? It is like your life hangs in the balance just standing near her,” the third gasped. “I do not know how Sir Mage Phaelys can be so calm and steadfast.”

“What do you think the truth is about that girl from Shadewood, Young Lady Nielle?” a fourth dared ask. Ah, that one was Nielle’s friend from House Aonetti.

Nielle let her gaze go to where Ria was dancing with the Sorrel heir. “I doubt she’s really from Shadewood—at least not natively—and from what I have learned, her background is complicated and involved with the Hall of Inquiry and Bindings.”

Gasps sounded out from the girls as they covered their mouths.

The Aonetti girl looked around before half-whispering, “Do you think she’s secretly Oathbound?”

Phaelys almost snorted at the comically wide eyes the other girls made. Probably more amusing was that Ria’s familiar was watching the whole exchange with hooded eyes, and if Ria wasn’t already aware of everything said, she would be later.

“Oh, what’s this? Are we discussing Ria?” Sir Mage Orlisi suddenly inquired with bemusement, from behind the girls.

“Eep!” the Telys daughter squeaked.

Phaelys did roll his eyes this time as the mischief-loving elf handed him two flutes containing elmentally-infused drinks, one sparkly golden and the other dark like umbral octopus ink. A lavender one went to Nielle, who eyed the elf with a bit of wariness but thanked her and drank from the flute anyway.

“Ria’ll be thirsty after dancing,” the elf pointed out, and Phaelys nodded. The idea wasn’t bad. It was just silly to have even their drinks match the light and shadow theme, and who knew what trick the infamous prankster was making him party to. He took a sip of his. It was a pleasant choice, just a hint of the original fruit and a delicate taste to accompany the gently bubbling fizz.

“Well?” Sir Mage Orlisi prompted the girls, turning her attention back to the gossipers as she sipped her own flute of blue liquid.

“Young Lady Ryleigh was wondering if Lieutenant Ria was Oathbound,” the Pavari girl—Lily if he recalled correctly—quietly admitted, to a betrayed glare from Nielle’s friend who had mentioned the possibility.

“I have seen her undressed and there weren’t any markings,” Orlisi happily volunteered, knowing it would stir inappropriate imaginings among the already wide-eyed girls eager for gossip.

Nielle nodded. “With a bloodline as strong as hers, a spirit binding would be more likely—easier to hide and control one’s strategic weapons that way.”

“Spiritbound…” the House Morrethi girl mouthed and gulped.

The Telys girl and the Pavari girl were whispering to each other behind small folding fans.

Phaelys heard Lily Pavari mention “Elves and certain things…” and both were looking wide eyed at Orlisi.

Orlisi gave the girls a big grin and made an obscene two handed finger-wiggling motion. “She’s ticklish on her sides, you know.”

At none of the four gathered girls able to picture that scene by their incredulous expressions, again Phaelys had to hold back a snort. Nielle was less successful. The elf girl really had a talent for flouting and teasing the boundaries of noble sensibilities.

A growing malevolent feeling presaged the dubiously ticklish girl-in-question’s return together with her dance partner even before the music changed, indicating a slow dance for couples. The hint of a huffy expression on Ria’s face helped encourage the gathered girls to quickly part from the pair’s path, each careful not to meet Ria’s ‘soul-ripping’ eyes.

Ah, the Sorrel heir managed to annoy her somehow, Phaelys realized. Ria’s aura had shifted to include a hint of impending judgment, like a scale weighing the sins against her. He had been distracted and missed what happened at the end of the dance. Unfortunate.

Even more disbelieving looks were shot the elf’s way with Ria’s return—much to the ridiculous elf’s further amusement.

Though she was feeling unsettled by her dance with Joren, Ria couldn’t help a light chuckle when she saw that Phaelys had a flute of something inky ready for her—opposite his half-finished bubbly golden drink.

Ria gratefully received the flute and took a deep pull to slake the thirst she had worked up. It was a velvety fruit juice with a taste of something faintly bitter from what she could tell and only lightly imbued with shadow energy. If there was any intoxicant in it, it wasn’t strong enough for her to notice.

“It didn’t go well?” Phaelys leaned in to quietly ask.

She furrowed her brow. “Sir Mage Joren gave me a lot to think about.”

“Just some potentially helpful advice,” Joren volunteered from just behind her. Nielle grudgingly gave up Phaelys’ arm to retake Joren’s as she and Joren rejoined them. The boy made a self-deprecating smile. “No drink for me?”

Nielle grimaced and shot Orlisi a look before huffing and handing her half-finished drink to the Sorrel boy, to his amusement.

Ria blinked in surprise as Joren took a taste without hesitation.

The boy followed up by brushing back a stray curl of Nielle’s purple hair and critiquing, “A delicate bouquet just like my lovely partner for the evening.”

Nielle blushed, and the girls gathered around them chorused variations of “Oh my!” as they swooned, fluttering their fans.

“This might be a good time to enjoy the different foods Lord Jevaran and Lady Asara have made available,” Ria suggested, gracefully returning the nod and flute raise of a passing guest with the same drink as hers.

“We should,” Phaelys agreed.

“You two go ahead,” Lady Janacythe concurred. “I will greet interested parties in your stead for a while.”

Ria thanked Lady Janacythe and their procession began exploring the nearby table, but before they could get far, Ria’s elven chaperone stopped her.

“I think there’s someone who is really sad that you haven’t spent any time with him tonight,” Orlisi teasingly whispered in her ear with a mock judging voice, and Ria followed the elf girl’s eyes expecting a joke only for a surge of guilt to color her ears.

“You are right. Thank you, Orlisi,” Ria whispered to her friend.

Jarrel was watching the guests with a plate of food in hand, just a table away from where they were. He caught her looking and motioned her over.

Her adoptive guardian didn’t look out of place at all, sharply dressed in rakishly stylish finery that wouldn’t be out of place on a minor noble. He was also one of the few guests wearing a sword.

While they wandered over, Ranger took the opportunity to apprise her on what she had missed while dancing with Joren, and Ria had to circulate her energy to avoid showing the extent of her embarrassment at Orlisi’s shameless troublemaking. Even so, the dynamic around Phaelys and his cousins and the other nobles was interesting.

Nielle’s assertion about Ria’s origins was concerning, particularly with the girl correct about the spiritbinding, and was something Ria was already planning to investigate after the debut. Maybe she should risk asking Nielle for help?

“Ria, here, I have prepared a plate for you,” Jarrel greeted, offering her the plate of untouched food he was holding. “Congratulations, on your debut. I’m proud of you. You are doing very well and look like you belong—like a true high noble’s heir.”

“Thanks, Jarrel.” She let go of Phaelys to trade her drink for the plate and gave her swordsman guardian a brief hug to hide her blush at his praise.

“Make sure you only accept food or drink from people you know,” Jarrel quietly cautioned her.

Ria barely kept her eyebrows from rising, her thoughts going to the assassination attempt earlier in the day, and her eyes went to the plate of food in her hand. Had Jarrel checked the food for poison for her?

When she stepped away, Jarrel and Phaelys exchanged greetings with Jarrel thanking the Vesali boy for keeping her safe from trouble. Ria thought Phaelys was oddly respectful during the exchange. Joren was curious about how she came to be close with Jarrel, but Nielle didn’t seem particularly interested in the swordmaster.

A group of boys came over to convince the gaggle of girls hovering around them to dance with mixed success. Servants efficiently took care of the unwanted plates and drinks from the ones that joined the dancing.

While Ria stayed nearby Jarrel and Orlisi, enjoying her plate of food as the rest of her group wandered off to sample from the nearby tables, a dark-haired angelic girl dressed in the girliest ball dress with bows and lace in layers of pale lavenders and pinks deftly maneuvered through the guests, drawing near. There was something familiar about the young teen that Ria just couldn’t place.

The girl stopped in front of Ria, put her hand on her hip and looked Ria up and down. “Sheesh, just what did they put you in?”

“Zena! You came!” Ria blurted out upon realizing who the girl was, giving an excited hug and stepping back to look over Zena’s frilly dress with a laugh. “You weren’t kidding…”

Zena joined her laugh and flashed a victorious smile and silly ‘v’ with her fingers, twirling in place so Ria could get a better look at the dress’ details. With pale face pigments and Zena’s long hair done up in twin ribbon-tied ringlets and curls, the tall and confident girl Ria admired had transformed into a soft pastel princess. Zena had told her, but Ria couldn’t believe it!

“Were you able to find an escort in time?” Ria asked.

“I brought Yentis along but he ditched me to make connections with some boring Oduron’s Oath guys,” Zena huffed. “Not like he couldn’t do that at the academy.”

Ria grimaced at how awkward the pair always seemed.

“How has your debut been going?” Zena asked.

“I have a prince at my side, high priests have come to honor me, what’s not to like?” Ria wryly answered, chuckling darkly and drawing a snort from her friend, then made a more serious face. “There’s so many people to greet, and I still have yet to even start seeking out all the people I’ve invited.”

Zena smiled a knowing smile. “These events are like that. Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time after the talent competition.”

“I hope so.”

“Ah, Ria, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to,” Orlisi spoke up, stepping between Ria and an approaching muscular elf dressed in a sleeveless flowing robe. Orlisi performed a martial arts salute with her palm and fist to the elf before turning back to Ria. “This is my grandfather, Orelis, Patriarch of House Yurren, who I am named after.” Orlisi actually blushed a bit at the admission before continuing the introduction, “Grandfather, this is Disciple Ria, who I’ve recognized. She is a student of Disciple Tina from Vorshan’s Hills.”

“Selune’s blessing, honored patriarch,” Ria greeted, performing a martial arts salute hand to fist and bowing her head.

The seemingly middle-age elf stared at her, his presence weighing heavily against her aura. His eyes sucked her in as if she was being pulled along by the power of raging storms contained within. The elf suddenly flared his truth against hers, like when Orlisi had tested her, and Ria had to flare her fake aura to match. Ranger had yet to find a truth of his own, so Ria was further disadvantaged by having to protect him.

The patriarch’s aura towered like a mountain—if a raging storm could be a mountain—and swarmed around her like a nest of titanic rattlesnakes made of wind, flaying at her will. Around them, guests gasped and shouted and quickly took their distance. Ria felt Jarrel’s aura of sharpness flare behind her. Beside her, Zena sank to a knee but the girl’s eyes glared defiance—at odds with her soft and delicate appearance.

Ria could only groan in her mind at the timing. Sure, she wanted to earn the Yurren-style patriarch’s approval and advantage herself of his knowledge and resources, but this was not an ideal time or place for testing of truths!

Whatever the patriarch was thinking, his challenge here was a complication Ria didn’t need. Irritation and indignation surged in Ria, and she drew on that to weave her truth of judgment more fully into her aura. Her annoyance with Joren and his casual assumption about her ‘flexibility’ in matters of honor was still seething in the back of her mind and she drew upon that as well.

Then, as suddenly as the challenge had begun, the crushing and rending pressure was gone, and in its place a grinning elven man holding out his hand and arm to be clasped.

Ria quickly reined in her own aura and accepted the offered arm clasp. Internally, her surging pride and elation at having withstood such a terrifying challenge warred with her annoyance at the trouble the elf’s inconsiderate act had surely just caused.

“For someone so young and from purported humble beginnings to have developed a Tyrannical path, how interesting…” the elf mused to her, before releasing her arm and saluting her, hand in fist. “Disciple Ria. As you have been recognized by Elder Disciple Orlisi, you must now present yourself before the Yurren council of elders to have your Truth tested. Prepare well, I look forward to that day.”

Ria returned the salute. She didn’t feel anything like ready for her testing but projected as much confidence as she could into her posture and voice and aura. “I will finish my preparations and present myself, Master Orelis.”

The elven master nodded with approval and turned his attention back to his granddaughter.

“Elder Disciple Orlisi, you have done well,” Orlisi’s grandfather acknowledged formally, saluting her as well before returning to relaxed posture, giving Orlisi a warm smile, and gesturing at the buffet tables. “Now, we’ve come all this way; I’d like to enjoy this feast the humans have prepared. It would make an old elf happy if his lovely granddaughter could show him around for a while.”

“Of course, grandfather. I’d be happy to.” Orlisi made a discreet apologetic gesture to Ria as she escorted her grandfather to the food.

Mentally, Ria sighed as the old elf cheerfully proceeded as if he hadn’t just caused a huge scene. No wonder her elf friend was a bit off in the head. But what did the Yurren-style master mean by ‘tyrannical path’? Wasn’t her path a path of divine judgment?

Regardless, the forced use of energy and focus was unfortunate. Thankfully the food was rich with energy, but she was definitely going to need a stronger drink.