AO 4 Ch 16 (Patreon)

Chapter 16

The rest of the journey to Thyrendor was uneventful. Though, I could feel the tension in everyone as we rolled up to the city gates.

None of the anchors had survived for questioning; it wasn’t easy to detain one alive. However, my mother and I were of the same opinion that the operation stank of Carmilla.

I couldn’t think of anyone else who could create that small army of anchors and want to send them to kill her and capture me.

If they’d wanted to kill me, I would have thrown the Brighthavens into the suspect pool. No, this was Carmilla and I was sure of it.

She had come dangerously close to killing my mother. If not for Hecate’s fast reaction, my mother might not have walked away from the ambush.

Well, she wasn’t walking anyway in her wheeled chair, but that was a different matter.

“Think she’ll try something at the gate?” Aurelia asked as they grew closer. You could cut the tension in the carriage with a knife.

“Doubt it.” Zuri shook her head, making her braids dance. “Too obvious. Unless it’s systematic. Maybe frame us for the death of an anchor patrol?”

“Yeah. Because we just decided to pick a fight with fifty anchors. Who the hell would believe we send out patrols that large?” I even knew that was a terrible approach.

We rolled through the gates, my mother talking to the guards. Each of our carriages along with Mark’s slipped right on by the wall and into Thyrendor proper.

Vivi stuck her torso dangerously out of their carriage and waved at me. “We have business to finish, but we’ll be at House Aldis by the end of the day.”

I waved back. “See you then.”

“You had a little crush on her.” Zuri said.

“Maybe, never acted on it though.” I shrugged. There were far more pressing topics than that at the moment.

All of my anchors were with me inside the carriage like we were preparing for battle. Most importantly, Aurelia was with me and heading back to House Aldis. I wanted to keep her close, but also let her toe the line of duty versus me.

I would be shocked and hurt if she left at this point, but I couldn’t account for whatever pressures her family might weigh upon her.

She was scanning the rooftops as we rolled through the city. “Straight to House Aldis?” She asked.

“That’s the plan. We have plenty of goods with us, but others will deal with distributing those. My mother and I will meet with grandfather to get the latest from him. Sienna will stay at House Aldis after she finishes checking in with her house. With the courting and the provisional marriage, it is expected.” I knew the rules even if I was terrible at playing the game.

“She will get the first calm night here.” Emlyn informed the group.

“We’ll see when that is.” Maribelle crossed her arms. “I saw two of Carmilla’s rushing off from the gates. She’ll know we’re here in a minute.”

“Oh joy.” I rubbed my hands together. “Can’t wait.” This time I wasn’t some country bumpkin coming into the city. I was prepared.

Our carriage rolled through the personal gates for House Aldis not much later.

Servants lined the yard as the whole convoy slid into place.

“Gwen, Arden Aldis, welcome home.” They all bowed in unison.

Were there always so many? I stared at the mass of servants.

“The House has expanded.” Zuri commented as Emlyn got out with her hand on her sword and looked around before stepping aside and letting me out.

I stepped down, taking a deep breath. And I had to admit, I felt a little more swagger in my steps now.

I was back, bitches.

***

“Gwen’s letters said your time in the mountains was fruitful.” Anadonis gave me a grandfatherly smile. He was a tall man with broad shoulders. Only his years had worn him down from his prime. “How about you show me?”

I was in a room with my grandfather, his two anchors, my mother, Hecate and Maribelle.

Aurelia had bowed off to return her kin to her family, while Zuri wanted to get reports of the war from her family.

Emlyn was manning the gates looking out for a messenger from the Royal Family with instructions to delay them as long as possible.

Sienna, likewise, was checking in with her family. They were all due to return for dinner, but none of us were going to be idle for many days.

There was just too much to do before I was shipped off to the warfront. Thankfully, wars were slow, plodding marches with occasional bouts of actual combat. And the winter had made that aspect several times worse than normal.

Only once the thaw happened would anyone expect another major conflict.

I held my hands together while my mind was distracted. Three claws made of ice formed between them in a second. “Here.” I flicked them over to my grandfather.

Anadonis touched them and nodded before shattering them with a thought. “Well done. You’ll pass your adept spell. You’ve spoken to the Patriarch of House Trevis and arranged your own deployment?”

“A little improper, but I wanted to get ahead of other… opinions on my deployment.” I offered.

My grandfather huffed a smile. “That’s hardly noteworthy when it comes to being improper. You’re starting to think like a noble.”

I made a face at that. I didn’t exactly like being compared to the majority of nobility. “My role however isn’t huge. What I’m wondering more, is what will happen with the Elder seat.”

Attention shifted to my mother who was calmly sipping tea. She let everyone wait until she took a slow sip, calmly placing the cup back on the saucer. “I will challenge Carmilla. She’ll most likely stick to her raven sphere, and I’ll focus on fox. The colder it is outside, the greater advantage I’ll have.”

“Is that cheating?” I asked.

“No.” My grandfather said shortly. “Are you sure, Gwen?”

“Why ask me that question? I know your bloc doesn’t have anyone else that can hope to match her.” She scowled. “Besides, I want to put her in her place even more than you. Move it up as much as you can.”

My grandfather nodded a solemn look on his face. “If you are that sure. I lost you once Gwen. Don’t let that happen again.”

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than I used to be. Besides, there have to be a few more candidates? Throw a few at her and let me get a measure of her true strength.” My mother began to strategize. “We can all feel better after seeing it.”

I was fairly sure there was more to all of it than I understood.. “So, how does it work?”

“The candidates all must be capable of a grand spell, something that could kill a wyrm in a single strike.” My grandfather started.

“A normal wyrm.” My mother clarified knowing my idea of the monster was skewed.

“A baby wyrm.” I nodded. “Got it. So, a big bad spell that is able to kill a large magical resistant monster. That’s the basic qualifications?” Technically I could do that with soul magic.

“There are probably two dozen mages in the kingdom that can manage that right now. That is just the qualification.” My grandfather continued. “However, for the elder seat, Carmilla is the favorite.” He glanced at my mother. “She will hold the central plaza of the Heldrin Enclave. Challengers will come one after the other and attempt to remove them from the plaza. If they should remove the mage, then they take up the spot and challengers can continued to try and unseat them as well.”

My mother nodded along. “It will be the greatest display of magic that most will see for decades. Mages and anchors will line the rooftop of the Enclave and watch. You’ll get to see it for yourself.”

“So, king of the hill, only with deadly magic? Anything goes?” I asked, comparing it to a child’s game. Emlyn hated it because I’d get her to work for me rather than against me. Huh. She was defending me even then.

“Pretty much.” My grandfather brought be back to the present. “Even if there was foul play such as poisons, it is taken as a sign of weakness to be unable to avoid those or get healing beforehand. It’s a little deeper than just who’s the best mage.”

“Got it. So, like sending fifty anchors to assassinate an opponent is fair game.” I nodded along.

“What?” Anadonis snapped, his head turning to me as his eyes narrowed.

“What?” I mimed him. “Just hypothetical.” I shot him a wink.

“We were attacked on the way to the city. Nothing happened except an exceptional number of anchors died.” My mother went back to drinking her tea.

“A real waste given there’s a war on.” I sighed.

Anadonis nodded. “Carmilla has no care for ending the war. The war is a useful tool to keep her brother and father out of pocket for the time being. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s done a few things to even extend the war.”

I thought about Valerian’s working with Garrish and the Mage-forged at Faylin. If Carmilla was really working with someone behind the rest of the kingdom’s back, then some of those events started to make a little more sense. “Still, I can’t believe she’d get away with that.”

“If she fails, she’ll lose everything. Right now she’s making plays that have been in the works for decades. Oftentimes it’s that final step that involves the most danger.” Anadonis nodded and put his hands on his knees. “Thank you for the updates. We’ll have to wait until dinner for the full story. It seems I have things to get moving on, and both of you could use some rest before dinner I’m sure.”

***

Aurelia walked up to her home. A few Aldis servants carried the two caskets in a cart behind them. She felt strange coming home this time.

It felt less… familiar.

She still knew every inch of the estate like the back of her hand. Yet there were small details. A spot where servants used to leave buckets outside had moved closer to the stables.

The trees were a little taller, and the shingles of her home were a lighter color than her memory told her they were.

Or perhaps these details were just more apparent to her today as she prepared to defy her family and return to Ard.

Before she got to the main house, the door burst open. A woman with flame red hair grinned and opened her arms. “My daughter.” She rushed to close the distance between the two of them and wrapped Aurelia up in a hug.

Aurelia was taller than her mother, able to see over her head as she returned the hug stiffly and saw her father towering in the doorway.

“Ah. It seems I’m about to lose you.” Her mother’s tone caught Aurelia.

“What?” She asked.

“You’ve changed. Is Arden Aldis treating you well.” There was a knowing grin on the woman’s face, but her eyes searched over Aurelia, not finding what they wanted. “Courting gift?”

Her face burned. “No. Nothing like that mother.”

“Shame.” She clicked her tongue.

“I don’t think it’s a shame.” Her father’s voice was a deep rumble. “If the boy is blind, then we can just find her someone better.” He towered over most people. The only person Aurelia could compare him to was Mage Trevis’ anchor, Brusset. He certainly had some northman in him, even if he wasn’t raised in the barbaric north.

“No, you’ll not find anyone else. He has requested that I remain with him. I have it on good authority that he has a courting gift for me. He’s just waiting for the right time.” Aurelia felt the need to defend him.

“She’s got some bite to her now.” Her mother laughed and shooed the large man out of the way. “Defending him over her own father.”

“Perhaps I should meet this boy.” Her father mumbled in a way that spoke of violence.

“Play nice. Now, I see there are some pressing matters to bring up.” Aurelia’s mother chimed in.

Aurelia followed her gaze to the two caskets. “During the battle in Faylin. Mage-forged struck during the chaos of the pirate raids and the giant wyrm attack. They were controlling the fires to protect the city when they were ambushed. Their ambushers died.”

“As they should.” Her mother’s face was hard. “Our family shrinks again.” The hardness cracked and she sighed. “Sean, we should make a few more.”

The mountain of a man shrugged. “Not for lack of trying.”

Aurelia wanted to cover her ears and not hear about that side of her parents. “Ard said he’d like to attend the funeral with me.”

Her mother hummed. “We’ll have to make sure he gets your next assignment.”

“There will not be another assignment.” Aurelia’s voice wavered, afraid of her mother’s reaction.

“Excuse me?” Her mother whirled around.

“My mage has insisted that I stay with him and that he would bear the responsibility.” Aurelia stood her ground. She had sensed how important it was for Ard that he wasn’t just an assignment that could end at any point.

Rather than continue to get upset though, her mother smiled. “He will, will he? Sean, you can go visit Ard anytime you like. In fact, we’ll send a message over to House Aldis. You aren’t leaving until he comes to get you, my daughter. Let’s see how much responsibility he can bear.”

Aurelia swallowed at the sickly sweet smile her mother gave her. “I’m going to return to him as soon as I finish what I need for the dead.” She put her hand on her sword sensing violence on the horizon.

“You would threaten me over your mage?” Her mother’s eyes shined. “Have you forgotten what family you belong to?” Magic poured out of her mother, though it was less threatening than what she had grown used to just being around Ard’s mother.

Aurelia drew her bluesteel sword in her own home. “My mage has requested that I stay. I am just following his orders.” She showed her mother her resolve.

It was her father who moved first.

For as big as he was, he was fast.

But Aurelia had spent many hours sparring her father. She didn’t underestimate him, knowing that he was a consummate swordsman. Her block was perfect, yet he put enough force into it to make her slide on the wood and her hand to sting.

“Your mother said you would stay here. Why not spar with your old man? I should see how you’ve improved on your trip. Hopefully this mage of yours hasn’t let my daughter’s skills rust.” He squared up against her, his back to the doorway.

Aurelia slid her sword back into her sheath. “Fine. Let’s spar, but let’s not ruin the entryway. I will return to him before dinner.” There was no way she was going to fight her father in the house, that would bring some very dangerous old men out to play.

“When did my daughter become a willful brat?” Her mother clicked her tongue and stopped oozing magic. “At least she listens to her father.”

“You were a brat when you chased after me.” Sean said.

“No I wasn’t.” Her mother followed after the two to watch the duel. “Make sure to knock some sense into her.”

“I will test her.”

Aurelia set her teeth with determination as they walked as a group out the back of the main building where several training areas were set up. In the past, there always seemed to be several of her family members training back here.

Yet today, there was only one of her younger cousins training with his father. The boy was perhaps eight years old and darting around the field like a mongoose after a snake.

Aurelia stepped into one of the training areas and put everything else out of her mind as she focused on her father. She slid a foot across the earth to feel its consistency. The environment played a big role in combat, even if many ignored it.

In a fight between two well trained fighters, every advantage she could glean would make a difference.

“Alright. If you beat your father, I’ll let you go back.” Her mother stood at the edge of the area. “If you lose, or if you try to run, we’ll hold you until your mage can collect you properly. Don’t tell me he’s going to take responsibility when you don’t even have a courting gift.”

Aurelia nearly growled at her mother, but she didn’t take her focus off her father.

The large man swung his sword around in what seemed like a lazy display, but he was warming up his wrists.

She blinked and he vanished, appearing before her in a show of his speed. His sword wasn’t a blunted training sword as he raised it high over his head. By the time she registered the attack, the sword was already crashing down on her.

Her father’s wild red beard danced and there was a glee in his eyes as he challenged her.

She moved a touch slower than him, but Aurelia managed to catch his blade and push it off to the side as she twisted out of the way, following her swing through to cut him at the waist.

Yet, he was already gone from that space, showing off his speed as a light anchor.

He was a big man with plenty of strength. But he preferred to lean into the speed of light magic to round out his strengths and weaknesses.

Aurelia ducked into a roll, putting her sword parallel with the ground so she wouldn’t cut herself, before she came out of the roll with an upwards slash that weakly pushed her father’s sword aside and scrambled to her feet.

Heat radiated from her as she squared off against her father again.

She was Ard’s manticore, his fiercest anchor and the one that would defend him from any beast, including those that walked on two legs. His magic called to her as she let it flow through her entire body without an ounce of resistance.

The tips of her hair caught on fire as she went on the offensive. She charged forward with explosive power, her sword scorching the air.

Sean’s eyes opened wide, but his surprise only lasted a moment before he glowed softly and parried her attack, swinging an elbow towards her temple.

Aurelia was over extended as her father’s sword twisted around her own and strove to send her off balance. She wasn’t going to dodge the strike so she went into it, turning her head and putting the strength of an anchor into an awkward headbutt right into the elbow.

Elbow met forehead with a hard smack.

It hurt, but it didn’t stun Aurelia as she regained her balance and followed up with a swing of her sword to drive him backwards.

Her father winced and jumped back out of her swing. “When did my dutiful daughter get such a hard head.” He rubbed his elbow.

“I think that part comes from my mother.” Aurelia smiled and pointed her sword at him. “Are you done, father?”

He snorted. “That barely counts as a warm up. Don’t think you get to mouth off to your mother like that and get off easy.” Her father flashed forward in another flurry of blows that forced Aurelia back a step at a time, driving her towards the edge of the arena.

The fight wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

Aurelia screamed and forced him out of his rapid strikes and their fighting away from the edge of the arena. As Ard’s manticore, she couldn’t lose in a test of ferocity.