Book 2: Chapter 27.1: Back to the Drawing Room

  He felt the change before he even saw her. It was early morning the next day, breakfast was served and a pastry was half way to his mouth when he paused. The feeling of an approaching Adept Tier mage was easy to spot for him now.

  But it wasn’t coming from the front door of the suite, it was someone walking up the hallway from their wing of bedrooms.

  “Damn it! You think we missed out more of that gold energy?” Obby asked.

  He ignored the little rock and turned his head toward the hallway door just as Kate opened it and stepped into the common area. Her chin was raised just a bit higher than usual, atiny bare smirk sitting on her lips.

  “Congratulations,” he said, biting into his pastry.

  She didn’t voice a response right away, she only nodded and moved to the table of food as well, picking out a plate of fruits and bread. “Broke through last night. It was quite something. I’m surprised you all didn’t notice.”

  He absently brushed some crumbs from his shirt and shrugged. “All the rooms have isolating enchantments. So you have your privacy, even in events like that.”

  “True.”

  Then others swarmed in, Allie and Holly hugging the woman before she could slip away or protest. Zach actually seemed to smile, and the others shouted their congratulations.

  “Damn, I’m so close. Trying to balance Earth and Fire is a pain,” Garret whined.

  “You think that’s hard, try only cultivating half of the day, at night. Dark aether isn’t exactly abundant.” Zach said flatly.

  Allie scoffed, “Try cultivating at only dawn and dusk. Light and Dark, is harsh a teeter tauter game.”

  “All I hear are excuses,” Alex yelled mockingly. “All of you wanna complain to me about the difficulties of cultivating?”

  That made everyone quiet down. After a moment, he grinned and waved them all towards the large war table. There was no sudden changes or visits last night, so the table’s alliance indicators hadn’t changed.

  “What’s the plan for today then?” he asked once they had all joined him.

  Henry tapped the symbol for the Azure Vault Sect, “Halraen wants to set up a spare.”

  “Good, if we can get a public spar, we can earn respect and face in the Martial Sects. They seem to like Zach or-”

  “Let me do it,” Kate interrupted.

  He simply looked over to her, brow raised in question.

  “Lady Caelwryn is on the fence right now, looking for us, or me, to prove we can maintain favor and prove ourselves.” She continued. “Let me fight, and when I win, because I will, we will secure two votes. Halraen, and Caelwryn.”

  “Sounds good to me, think you can get it set up?” he looked to Henry, and the man gave him a nod.

  “Next is the Merchant Guilds. We know Vess Auralde and Lira Sanvek are against us, but that leave the Metalworker’s guild. What’s their status?” Alex looked at Garret for this one.

  “Back and forth. I got an in with some of their lower level smiths and merchants thanks to Bromir back in Captain Drenn’s regiment. But their afraid of making big waves right now. They want to see that we are smart enough to handle the business side of things. We might need to take down Auralde in a big public way, something that sets an example.”

  Alex tsk’d and then stood back from the table. “Well, that’s doable, but we need to be careful. Let’s come up with a plan and-”

  A knock at the door forced him to stop. Within moments, the suite’s entrance was opened and a servant surprising wearing the colors of House Duskmoor was waiting with a plush pillow in hand, a scroll resting atop it.

  “Invitation on behalf of House Duskmoor to the Worldstriders. You presence in the Palace drawing room for entertainment and refreshments would be an honor for the House.” The servant pawned off the invitation to Cole’s hands before bowing and retreating down the palace hallway.

  “Fuck another one?” Devon groaned.

  Cole opened the scroll, finding it to be a rather simply looking invite, at least for Noble standards. “Yep. And we might have to go, it looks like the other houses are invited too, along with the Prince.”

  “Shit, we can’t lose face with any of the invites, even if snubbing Duskmoor is enticing.” Kate said.

  Alex sighed, and rubbed at his temples. This is why I didn’t want to enter politics. He reminded himself.

  “You sure you just didn’t want to lose to Adam again?” Obby added.

  No, even Adam wisely chose not to entire that minefield. Much to our parent’s disappointment.

  “Okay, new plans. We get ready for this… party. Everyone knows their target’s anyway, this puts most of them in the same place.” he said, moving toward the hallway that led to his bedroom. He scowled as he walked, already thinking about the unpleasant itch he would be having, and he hadn’t even put on the lavish dress clothes yet..

  It’s gonna be another fun night, that’s for sure.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  ***

  The music was the first things that caught his attention. A melody of chamber strings threaded through with illusionary-chimes and haunting vocal harmonies. It all drifted out from behind layered spellwork in the air, a band tightly packed in the corner playing aether construct instruments. Air mages, all of them, no doubt.

  The drawing room was darker than Terraxum’s usual décor, more candles than crystal light, everything tinted blue and silver. Shadows moved in time with the music. So did the servers, the drinks, the silk drapery that whispered across the walls like it had secrets to keep.

  By the time Alex and the others arrived, the place was already alive. Councilors moved in quiet loops. Sect envoys leaned in close to whisper. Merchant heads drifted like sharks with drink glasses. The whole space pulsed like a body with too many hearts. Alex glanced around, and the rest of the team was already assessing.

  Kate spotted a Caerwyn attaché near the mezzanine. Lance and Garret clocked a pair of junior guildsmen near the back wall. Holly’s eyes tracked a priest in subtle red trim slipping through a conversation between two nobles.

  Allie nudged him slightly. “Who’s your play tonight?”

  “Well,” he said softly, Then he looked toward the far end of the ballroom, where a circle of politicians had subtly carved out a perimeter around one figure in particular. Tall, lean, and dressed in white and silver, Prince Kailan Terraxum.

  Alex exhaled. “The tie-breaker.”

  Allie gave him a look. “Be careful. He’s charming.”

  “I’ve survived charming,” Alex said. Then he thought of Adam. “Barely.”

  Kate clapped him once on the back. “We scatter on signal?”

  He nodded. “Three hours. Regroup at the balcony. Don’t start any wars without me.”

  The team moved gracefully, practiced, silent, natural. A battle formation unraveling into pieces so its soldiers could flank multiple enemies all at once.

  Alex straightened his jacket, crossed the floor, and walked straight into the political orbit around one man.

  Prince Kailan looked like someone who found elegance to be without effort. He was not imposing, his presence not overly grand. Just exactly right, posture open, sleeves rolled with care but also casual intention, eyes that smiled a half-second before his mouth did. When he turned toward Alex, the grin was already waiting.

  “Commander Pierce,” he said. “The night just improved.”

  Alex offered a nod, measured. “Didn’t realize I was rated high on the guest list.”

  “Everyone’s on the guest list tonight,” Kailan replied. “But only a few are meant to feel like they belong.”

  There was no offer of drink, nor a gesture of welcome. Just space made beside him as Kailan nodded and the ring of other nobles and politicians moved, creating an invitation to stand near, but not equal. Alex took it anyway. The others continued their small talk until, in his own charming way, the Prince dismissed them from the circle one by one until he had himself alone with Alex.

  He turned to face him while taking a sip from his glass. Kailan was younger than Alex expected when viewed from so up close. It could have been the lighting, or the prince just had an older look in the eyes, it was hard to tell. His robes were understated, for royalty. No crown and no fanfare. Just lines of silver worked into white cloth, soft enough to seem incidental, sharp enough to mean richness and lavish extra.

  Up close once again, he could see the Prince’s tattoos were indeed much different than the soldiers, or even his father’s, the King. There was far more complexity and layers to them. A level of power that made Alex envious. He still didn’t look too deeply at the markings, nor had he tried to asses the man’s cultivation level, fearful of being discovered and punished for such a rude move.

  “You know, when I’d first heard of you, I thought you’d be taller,” Kailan said.

  Alex blinked once. “I thought you’d be more annoying.”

  Kailan’s grin sharpened. “I have layers.”

  He shrugged a response. “So does a good trap.”

  They stood in silence for a moment longer, both pretending to watch the crowd. Alex broke the silence first.

  “So what’s the play? You fishing for leverage, or just working the room?”

  “I’m observing,” Kailan said. “Which is what people do when they have enough power not to perform.”

  Alex considered that for a moment. “Fair. So… what do you see?”

  Kailan pointed subtly with his drink. “Merchant bloc,they’re fracturing. Auralde’s leading it for the most part, but not everyone is happy about that. Vaelros is smiling like someone handed them a knife that no one else can see. The Church is split six ways and still thinks it’s unified. Meanwhile the Martial Sects think they’re above it all, which means they’ll fall for the first well-dressed lie they’re offered.”

  “And us?”

  Kailan looked at him directly now. “Unstable material. Could be iron-slag. Could be a warm fire.”

  Alex didn’t respond right away. “I’m getting real tired of people calling us fire.”

  “Would you prefer ice?” Kailan asked. “No one ever likes ice. Too still. Too hard to hold.”

  “I’d prefer we stop being metaphors and start being people.”

  That actually made Kailan pause. Not long, but just enough to register Alex’s annoyance. “You think being people earns you safety in Terraxum? Unfortunately it doesn’t. We all play the same games, even I.”

  “No,” Alex said. “But it’s a better place to start than ‘threat.’”

  That seemed to strike something just right. Kailan’s posture eased just a breath. The smile returned, but this time, there was a softness under it, not weakness, just… interest.

  “You’re a strange one, Commander.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  For a moment, they simply watched the room together. The sound, the laughter, the politics. He could see Deveon had been ambushed by Vess Auralde once more, and something had him riled. He couldn’t just leave the Prince to go save him though. Holly was still chatting with member’s of the church. Henry and Eric were speaking with members from the Azure Vault. And strangely, Cole seemed to be intently in conversation with one of the palace servants.

  This time it was Kailan broke the silence first. “Tell me something I don’t know about your people.”

  Alex considered. “We joke when we’re scared.”

  Kailan blinked, then laughed. A small one, quick, clean. “Then I must assume your squad is terrified.”

  Alex smiled, faintly. “Not most days.”

  Kailan studied him sideways. “You don’t bluff well.”

  “I don’t bother. It doesn’t work on people who already know the answer to their questions.”

  The prince’s smile dimmed, but didn’t vanish. “Now that was a bluff. A good one.” A pause passed between them, weighty, but not hostile. Then Kailan’s tone changed. It was still calm, but colder now, lower, and softer all at once. “There was a mock vote held already.”

  Alex blinked. “When?”

  “Yesterday. House Vaelros organized it behind closed doors. No official tally, of course. Just… appetite-testing.”

  “And?”

  “You lost.”

  That landed like a gut punch. Alex said nothing. He just watched the crowd. Kailan sipped his drink beside him, letting him process the news.

  “The others will deny it happened, of course. They’ll pretend the page is still blank. But the ink is already drying.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  Kailan let his question linger in the air for a beat before answering. He watched a server pass, then leaned just slightly toward Alex, not threatening, not intimate, just enough to close the space. “Because regardless of what you might believe, I don’t fear your potential. Anything that can improve the lives of my people, I will welcome. You might do that, even if you don’t realize how quite yet.”

  He straightened again, expression neutral. “You’ve got three days. After tonight, the board sets itself.”

  Alex exhaled slowly. “And you?”

  “I’m not on the board,” Kailan said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t see the game being played.” Another sip. Another smile. “Make my intuition about you prove to be right, Commander. I’d like to be surprised.”

  He moved before Alex could answer and just like the night of the Gala, we was a ghost in silk-white trim, disappearing into the slow-moving whirl of dancers and diplomats.

  Alex stood there for another beat, the music curling around him like fog. Then he turned, and went to make his next move.