Gwynevere marched through the halls of the Solarian palace with purpose. Anduran and Favian were close behind her. Her brows remained knit in an unpleasant expression as she fumed over her most recent correspondence with Li. After repeated questioning as to why it was taking so long for Li to hold up her end of the deal, they began to receive nothing but radio silence.
"This is ridiculous!" she huffed. "We did our part. We took out everyone who could possibly threaten Li's rise to power when she first took the throne and yet 11 years have passed and Solaria is still standing! She hasn't fulfilled her end of the deal at all and now she refuses to speak with us? Unbelievable!
Anduaran followed her silently, leaving Favian to do the talking. "That may be the case but why did you bring us all the way to Solaria?"
"If that wench won't do her job, then it's time we take matters into our own hands. We'll simply expose her for making such a deal and claim that we were threatened into complying."
As they were passing through the halls a muffled argument caught their attention.
"We can't do that Isabelle!"
"Who cares! He agreed to it himself! He deserves punishment for all that he's done! Why should we care what happens during the experiments?"
The council moved closer to where the voices were coming from. Cracking the door ever so slightly, they peered inside to see Egan and Isabelle standing in front of Gabriel and Avarice. Yukimi was drawing some of their blood.
"We don't even know if their blood is compatible! Gabriel could die!" argued Egan.
"He accepted that possibility when he agreed to do the experiment. If he dies, he dies," Isabelle fired back.
Yukimi sighed. "Okay. I've got a base reading for Gabriel's shi," she said, holding up the shi detector with his blood in it.
She recorded it in her notes before walking back to Gabriel with the blood she took from Avarice. "Unfortunately the easiest way of transferring shi for people like us who can't work directly with it, is through transferring blood. Besides....this was his condition..."
"It's a shit condition! To have Avarice also be part of the experiment!" Spat Egan.
Isabelle scoffed. "Gabriel is just a tool for us to use here. Don't think too much about it."
Appalled, Egan slammed his fists down on the table. "Do you hear yourself right now! You know what you sound like? You sound just like the jackass that kept me locked in that asylum!"
Isabelle flinched. Egan could be hot headed at times, but he had never directed it towards her before and the glaring realization that it was justified stung.
"If he's a tool then what am I?"
Isabelle struggled to get a thought out. "Your...your you! Your different! Its not the sa-"
Egan cut her off in frustration. "Why isn't it the same? Because he's a stranger to you and I'm not? Does it make it easier for you to treat others like they're nothing when you don't know them?"
Isabelle's words died in her throat as it sunk in just how cruel she had been. Egan took a breath. He didn't want to be angry with her, but he just couldn't believe that she could have such a black and white understanding of things.
"I can't be here right now."
When Egan began walking to the door, Gwynevere and the other council members quickly hid behind the corner. Watching him leave, Gwynevere suddenly had an idea.
"Maybe we don't have to expose her deal after all," she said with a sinister grin.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Baron Marsh sat at a dining table with the other nobles. An extravagant spread lay before them as they feasted, enjoying their spoils of war. Unlike Solaria, Sindaria did experience a winter of sorts. The chilled air outside seemed to have gotten under Baron Marsh's skin. The coup was a success and through the Council's grace and Li's benevolence, he and the other disgraced nobles were able to start anew in Sindaria. It was because of them that they were able to obtain land and riches once more. It was because of them that they were able to enjoy such a luxurious banquet. Everything had gone in their favour. So why did he feel so uneasy?
Their enjoyment was interrupted by servant rushing into the banquet hall. "Your grace! There's! Trouble!"
The head of the table laughed mockingly. "Did another peasant come to complain? Throw the imbecile back out on the streets where they belong."
The servant shook his head "It's not that! There's a strange man here claiming to be a magician from Li's tower."
Another noble piped up. "A scam? Turn them away. What business would the magicians have with us?"
"He's wearing their robes though-"
SLAM
All eyes turned towards the door. Standing behind the servant was pale, a dark haired youth with clear blue eyes. "I was wondering what was taking so long. I see you're all dawdling here instead of coming to greet me."
Their suspicions were quelled once they set their eyes on the robes the youth was wearing. The head of table cleared his throat nervously before addressing him "W-What brings you here today good magician?"
The young man smiled deviously. "Well it has come to our attention that management of the land awarded to you has been improper. The people in your territories are living in terrible conditions and your continued neglect of these issues has stirred up quite the resentment towards you lot."
Uneasy laughter erupted among the nobles gathered at the table. "You're quite the jokester sir! Where did you hear such a thing? I assure you we have been properly managing our land."
The young man laughed, holding his hands behind his back as he stepped closer to them. "I'm afraid the people in your territories say otherwise. Shall I list their troubles for you? Exploitation, poverty, unclean water, lack of food, poor shelter, lack of communication and aid from their lords...aren't these the same conditions that resulted in your banishment from Solaria?" Asked the man as he counted their misdeeds with his fingers.
Unease turned to frustration as soon as their time in Solaria was brought up. "What drivel! A handful of dying peasants is of no consequence to us! Perhaps if they contributed more to their community instead of lazing around all day, they would be living richer lives!"
Not once did the smile on the man falter. In fact it only grew at their admission of guilt. "You would think you would have learned by now. I suppose greed truly knows no bound," he said shaking his head. "Did you think they wouldn't want revenge? Or perhaps you thought they wouldn't be able to execute it. What a foolish notion."
The lights above them started to flicker, startling everyone seated at the table. Another cloaked figure abruptly appeared, crouched on the table. The table shook when their feet hit it. It happened so quickly that some startled nobles ending up falling out of their chairs in shock. A scaled tail swayed beneath their cloak. It was long enough that the person when it darted out and wrapped itself tight around the head of the table's neck, it was almost impossible to dodge. The figure stood, lifting the head of the table with her. When she removed the hood of her cloak, his eyes widened in terror.
"Looks like you were right Red. I seemed to have played human for too long. They've forgotten who exactly I am." Illya giggled as she snapped the head's neck with her tail.
The other nobles pried their eyes away from the horrific sight just long enough to see the young man's figure begin to contort and his features fade into obscurity. They morphed unnaturally until the person standing in front of them was no longer the same man that walked in.
Red chuckled at their disgust. "How stupid do you have to be to practically hand a goddess of revenge her meal on a silver platter. It's pathetic really."
Those would be the last words they heard before a sea of flames consumed them.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
December • 10 • xxxx
The High Council entered Li's throne room after having finally been granted an audience. Li's steely gaze pierced them as she watched them from her throne. "So what's this information you've come across?" 71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cWQUzBLCq
