Again my long gone mother whispers to me about sovereignty. No longer queen but an empress. I have claimed another Elf kingdom for my own. Through violence. Trilaneous lay on the ground poisoned by the same dagger that claimed his son. Of the five kingdoms of Elves, only two are still outside my control. The population of mine is decimated. By my own hand. I will need time to rebuild. But first I need to find the one who broke my geas. Lin was spending too much time keeping me in my cell to be the culprit. I will need to find the oldest Elves in the kingdom.
-----
The blade of void whips past me. I watched a few of my hairs part as the mass swung into the place I was standing. My vanity injured, I charged forward, more blades flung towards me. They are dodged, closely. To give my opponent hope. So they keep trying to kill me instead of fleeing. I speak a Compel, “Hold your body.”
It's reflected back at me. I let it sink in. My left arm parts from me below the elbow. One of my parallel minds screams out in pain. The rest hold my body.
“Foolish [Empress], will I claim the title back after I sever your head.” The Elf walks to me.
They avoid my blood. Perhaps I used that strategy too much. Certainly I can't catch every Elf I fight. But the arrogant ones. Those I still can. The blood flits onto their legs. They burn more of their mana negating it. Good. More flops onto him. More negation. He tried to pull back but he was too close. And I had bled a lot. Finally he freezes.
I get up. Blades of light remove his limbs. More costly than void but less chance of bleeding out. His stumps are cauterized. I pull out a manacle from my pocket and push my mana aura over his. Placing the manacle around his neck, I walked back to my arm confident he was at my mercy.
“Fuck you.”
“Is that anyway to speak to your mother, Arccor?”
He glares at me as I reattach my limb. Not even a scar. I flex the arm. I walked back to him.
“Don't you touch me, witch.”
“Cruel for an assassin targeting a pregnant woman.” I say slowly.
“I would only be sparing the child if I had succeeded.”
It causes me to stop. I look at my son, the former king. It pains me. But then I regained my strength and reached down cupping his squirming face. The multiple geas latch onto his soul once more.
“Tell me, who removed the geas on you?”
“Yandranrik.” He says in monotone. His eyes glazed over. It was the queen of Tra'nila. Former queen. I have a general direction to head in, the removal of my geas keeps pinging me. Now I know who to look for. I moved my hand from the bite the torso had attempted. Seems his mental resist was quite high for him to already be out of the daze. It did require a great deal of blood to pacify him. I could keep him like this. Not worthwhile. The blade of Sencea's dagger enters his heart.
“Til next time, son.”
-----
I was working on my embroidery. The pink hair girl was across from me and was learning by watching. I made sure to go slow. She was nearing her sixth soul day. She wanted to say something. But she struggled with it.
“Mother. Could you please bring Vancea back?”
She must miss her dearly. To break etiquette like this. To ask me using the name I gave her instead of the one she knows is truly hers. I look up and smile.
“Of course, Sencea. I will make her my next Tapestry.”
The girl is looking at the floor. “Thank you.” She murmurs.
-----
I hold the child to my bosom. Another feeding. Sencea is with me. She stares at her sister. Grief with happiness.
“After your three grandchildren, you are free to leave the castle.”
Her eyes widened at my generosity.
“I thought you aimed to keep me here forever for…” She trailed off.
I look to the window. Outside. “I've taken my revenge, it has left scars on both of us. Live your life how you want.”
“And if that is opposed to you.”
I look back to see her glare, “Then know that it will be I who will return you to this castle.” I return to study the sky. “Live your life, Sencea. Pray it doesn't cross mine again.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
-----
The child twirls in her new dress. I smile. They are so innocent at this age. Sencea goes to compliment her sister. A scribe uses telepathy to talk to me.
Dartan'nila wishes to discuss a defensive alliance.
Truly.
They recognize the danger of fighting a war with you. Hiknylitop to the south would crush both our kingdoms no matter who was the victor.
Thank you, I will ruminate on the matter.
He acknowledges and leaves me be. We are in a stalemate then. But my geas spreads. If I can win the provision that my geas not be removed then time will handle the rest. Just some assassinations targeting the older Elves. Perhaps a hundred years after the treaty. I still haven't caught Yandranrik. She fled south and continued removing my geas.
-----
“We like to raise a toast to the tri-kingdom non-aggression pact.”
I raise my glass to the queen who spoke. A small smile and a nod. They didn't expect me to speak. But they were glad I signed the treaty and spoke the vow. I was glad they agreed to allow my hunters to seek out any who broke my geas. All and all, diplomacy works. Not foolish enough to relax my country's martial stance. But I got what I wanted. Now I have eyes on the major players.
I drink from my glass. Hemlock. Pupil dilation. Breathing issues. Respiratory failure. I mimic the symptoms.
“Sorry, I must retire.” I stagger out. No one else looks affected. I make my way slowly to my room. My guards know not to bother to look concerned. Train to smile cruelly at me should they see me in this state. Will the poisoner wait me out? “Retrieve my physician.” I murmur to the guard. He slowly leaves. He beckons to the other. She leaves as well. Another signal.
I enter my room and slide down the door on my back. I increase my heart rate and make my breathing shallow. I hear my door lock itself. The host country then. I close my eyes. The window unlatches. My mana aura coats them as I look at them with squinted eyes. They decide a dagger will do the job. I catch the wrist and twist.
“How many?”
-----
“My majesty wishes to apologize for her dissidents that attempted to ensnare our kingdoms into a war after we had only just struck a lasting peace.”
I relax my posture on my throne. The diplomat was pale. It's been two weeks since I had to kill five in that room. It was quite aggressive. I hit tier eight from it all. I also took the Tapestries back to my kingdom. It is not as if my host could complain.
“That is all well and good but this is not an isolated event, they did not gain access to my room by accident.” Nor my drink. “I expect the majesty to find who is responsible and turn them over to Cea'nila for execution.”
“Would it not suffice for them to be tried in the kingdom the crime was committed in?” The diplomat says clearly, but a minute amount of fear traverses him.
“As the injured party, I deserve to have my vengeance. You can agree that I should not expose myself twice because your Majesty is reluctant to do an extradition. I am not asking for much, but my assailant had the help of at least a tier six who escaped as I fought the other five.”
I lie, the diplomat can tell. His emotion twitched for a fraction of a second but I noticed. I slaughtered everyone who went into my room. But now I require the head of a tier six to satisfy this insult. Will they be someone actually involved or someone who was not part of their Queen's faction. Who could say. I didn't care so long as I got another piece off the board.
-----
“How come you never practice with us?” Lincor asks me.
“I apologize, it is not that I don't enjoy spending time with you. It's just I don't wish to demonstrate how clumsy I am.” He laughs at that. The same laugh he had before. I do not show the pain in my heart to him. He is too young for that. “I can watch though. It might even distract Arccor enough to land a hit.” I whisper a conspiracy to him.
He grins and grabs my hand. Leading me to the courtyard. It won't be long before he starts to hate me.
-----
“Sencea and Vancea have both been taken in by a young couple in the capital.” The representative from Central Tapestry Repository says, head bowed. I wave him off.
How many tries till they both are born. As cruel as my geas is, my pregnancy complications are spreading more. No one attempts new sparks, not when there are such generous bounties for those waiting for rebirth. They are becoming inured to the thought of dying.
I quit the audience chamber and returned to my planning room. A map of forts dot my borders. More go up every decade. The east kingdom slowly has become infiltrated by my geas. I am tempted to give a speech demanding the dynasty surrender to me. Maybe in a hundred years. Picking off their nobility has been slow. But there was no rush. The kingdom to the south though. They deny immigration from either of us. It is rather unfortunate. My geas hardly pass their borders.
My treaty giving me the right to hunt my taboo breakers means nothing if none of them cross over. Any who do are labeled criminals and executed. There Tapestry returned. They are so cautious that they send only female diplomats here. Their ovulation cycles are monitored, they are recalled any time they are fertile. Even if I should claim the east, the south is still too strong.
Perhaps the next century will provide an opportunity.
-----
This is a daily reminder: You have 416 unallocated stat points
I open my eyes to the dank arena of the Na's Crypt. Mags is next to me.
“Sorry mother, I didn't mean to—”
“It's fine, dear. How long?”
If it's not Glindinal, it's Mags who is asking. “A hundred years. I don't feel like I can take another like that.”
She winces. “You will need to take this into yourself. I don't think you will be sleeping for three days.”
That just means three hundred years is possible next time. She holds her hand out, cupping a purple orb. I put my hands over it and hers.
“In a moment, I'm still finding myself.” Another wince. I tilt my head.
“Your hair is almost all silver, your ears are starting to lose hair as well.” Mags says gently.
Ah. More Cea, because it's what I saw for a hundred years. Saw and didn't question. This time it was uninterrupted. I actually had those few joyous years where my children loved me. I felt the warmth of those years. I can not believe the lich did not cherish these memories. She must be slipping. Losing her sense of self as I gain it. Does she no longer care?
“I don't see my knight.”
“Sir Gregory left after the fight, to help deliver your rabbits and inform Glindinal.” Thane answers.
Hopefully they don't fight.
“They also make arrangements for your travel to the knights academy.”
I hold the core in my hand. “I won't be allowed to sleep till after the next one.”
“I have to insist you don't.” Mags says gently again.
The fourth tail will help with that. I open a space in my chest which causes Thane to flinch. In goes the mental core. The moment my chest seals my nightmare begins.
