“Dahlia, can I count on you for something?” The elder oracle turned to look at her secretary for a moment.

Dahlia wasn’t the tallest woman in the world with her warm tan ski and ocean like blue eyes. Her ears came to a delicate point which spoke of an elvish heritage compared to the other Rosenites. She wore the same traditional robes that were cream with blue edges. The robes swept deeply down one side with only one arm having a long bellow sleeve. Around her waist was where it was tied to keep it from failing with a slit down her leg. Around her chest was the same fabric but just enough to keep her covered. It was much easier to do their duties in these no matter how impractical it looked to most.

Tilting her head Dahlia let all of her brown hair fall to one side. She had it loosely tied with a golden thread in a low ponytail that hung over her shoulder. It was hard to tell if her hair was in waves or if it was from the humidity of being near the ocean. “What is it?” Her voice was careful as if she thought of every word she spoke. Though Bryony was sighing as the younger oracle began to jumble the paper stack she had been holding and lost it.

Papers went flying about and both Bryony and Dahlia moved to pick them up. “You must get better at this… You are the clumsiest Oracle we have.” Bryony was chuckling but Dahlia knew it was why she was never sent out of the oasis. She couldn’t help it too much but when the time called she knew she could handle most anything. “I want you to go to Faradrim Village and tell Nymphaea the news. I doubt she can leave so make sure to show her Angela’s speech… Whatever it is we don’t want Nymph to miss it after all.”

Dahlia dropped the small stack. “You want me to go there?” She pointed a finger at herself in shock and thought about it. “Are you sure?” The glasses that Dahlia wore were sliding off and on the tip of her nose now as she stared at Bryony. “I’ve never gone by myself that far.”

“It will be good for you… Besides we’re short on Oracles to send since we’re going every which way and… the village is safe so you don’t have to worry about any danger. Just don’t trip over yourself too much.”

Dahlia made a face and handed the pile of papers that she had collected to Bryony. “What do I say?”

“You’ll figure it out. Oh… and they don’t really like outsiders too much.” It looked like a jest from Bryony but it made a shiver fly up Dahlia’s back as she stood up.

“How do I get ther–” A gate opened up below her and Dahlia let out a shriek as she fell through.

“Like that! Now make sure you let Nymphaea know.” Bryony smirked and waved as Dahlia landed firm on her butt in the middle of Faradrim Village.

“That was a dirty nasty trick Bryony!” Dahlia cried out as she held her bottom as she got up. “Ow…” There were some tears in her eyes as she fought them away with one finger and dusted her robes off on the other. “I don’t know… the first thing about Faradrim…” She frowned deeply as she looked around and found herself at the center of attention. Probably the only thing that saved her was the blue rose necklace that served as a crest for Sularia.

“I’m sorry for my intrusion… I really need to see Princess Nymphaea at once.” She bowed softly to the crowds. Her common was rusty at best and her accent thick like most of Sularia so she hoped that maybe someone would be able to help her about.

The market district was humming as per usual. Allowed merchants took great advantage of their permits to sell within the sheltered village of Faradrim. Few were allowed such permissions, and when they were given merchants brought all of their wares to make a profit. It was not just the profits that they looked for but the connections. The Jiyu clan rarely permitted visitors to their hidden village which shrouded it in mystery and made up rumors. To those that arrived it would seem a rather normal village; though it took much pride in the structures and strategic set up. The demon hunters that were the main focus of the Jiyu clan mingled with their non-bonded counterparts with no bias involved. Chatter, laughter and music mingled in the air. All of which was ignored by one of the hunters as he crouched in a corner to feed a stray cat some cooked fish. The tabby cat took the offered food from his fingers eagerly, which made the hunter laugh. ”You act like never get fed even though I am here every day giving you something. Try to have some self-pride, little sir.”

Jedrek patted the cats head before standing up. Electricity cracked in the air that made many of the hunters stiffen and turn just as a woman appeared in the square center. Swords, daggers and other weapons were drawn in response to the new arrival. No one was allowed to teleport into the village without prior invitation from the head Council, and yet here was a new woman. Jedrek pushed past the others with his katana in right hand to scrutinize the arrival. Golden gaze was focused in a glare as he watched the woman stand up.

His gaze shifted to the crest on her necklace that lead him to indicate to others to stand down. Katana was sheathed in the scabbard to be held at his side. ”Get back to your business all. This one is looking for Lady Nymph. Take word to Lord Cole that I will be bringing this one over to the Great Hall.” Murmurings increased as the villagers went back about their business, but now there was new gossip to keep them occupied. Jedrek crossed the short distance between himself and the woman. ”I am Jedrek, one of the hunters here. You made a rather stupid decision to appear like this. Anyway, come with me and attempt to not cause another stir like that.” He jerked his head towards the giant staircase that led up to the Great Hall. The hunter’s eyes looked her up and down with a small shake of his head. ”Though I doubt you really could beyond what you just did.”

He nodded up the stairs as they started to go up the immense of amount of steps. Jedrek stole a glance behind him to see how the desert flower was doing with the seemingly unending stairs. She seemed to be doing fine, but she could have been faking it. The brown skinned demon hunter led the woman finally into the open doored Great Hall. Giant columns lined either side of the room. Jedrek was never in the mood to be there, but it seemed to be necessary a decent amount of the time considering his connection to the leadership.

”Cole, I have the village crasher here. Is Lady Nymph with you?” The second heir looked up with his gray eyes from his paperwork. Gaze narrowed before he motioned with his white haired head towards the side where his lover was. The pair had been working with the Council leader, Uial, on a recent project to select their next demon hunt. ”Love, you have a visitor.” His tone was warm when using the title for Nymph, but turned colder on the topic of someone new in his village. He could feel his sister at the head of the war table smiling warmly. She was less concerned about newcomers. Jedrek kept his gaze quite carefully away from Uial, though he bowed properly towards her as all the hunters did towards their leader. ”Be polite,” he muttered under his breath before stepping aside to allow the woman an audience.

Dahlia was still brushing herself off. “If it was really my decision to appear like that why I would have fallen on my bottom? Do you know how much that hurts?” Her tone wasn’t rude as her blue eyes studied the hunter. “I was sent here. Rather forcibly and rudely. I’ll be having a word with my master about her methods when I get back to Sularia.” She wasn’t happy with Bryony but the woman was ancient and compared to her Dahlia was still a newborn.

Dahlia clasped her hands together and bowed to Nymphaea once she was in her audience. It was Nymphaea who almost freaked out and scrambled to her feet. “No! You must never bow to me.” Nymphaea was superstitious and the Oracles of Sularia were one thing she didn’t want to anger. “Please, you are an honored Oracle of Sularia. I’ve seen you before with Lady Bryony. I’m afraid that I do not know your name.” Nymph was being rather kind and courteous with the oracle meaning that the woman held a lot. “I should explain to everyone here just what the Oracles are. They are a sacred order of children who were born to death and brought back to life by the spirits of the Soul-Stream. Your demon trials here are much like the spirit trials of Arri.”

The Oracle held up her hand and waved it softly. “Please, we don’t like to be held in such regards. We live a cursed existence at least that’s what we believe. My name is Daphne Moondrop. I’ve been Bryony’s secretary for the last three hundred years and this is my very first trip out of Sularia.” Her smile faded though and she gripped her hands tighter. “Princess… There is news from Sularia that I must deliver and I don’t know what to make of it myself.”

“What do you mean? It’s very rare for the Oracles to personally deliver something they saw…”

“It’s not something we’ve seen… It’s something we can’t and we know as much as the next…”

“What happened?” Nymph sounded panicked. “I’ll pack my things and go home at once. TELL ME—“

“No!” Dahlia spoke up and coughed slightly as she averted her eyes. “I’ve been told to tell you to stay here.”

“To hell with that?! What the hell is going on?”

“Your aunt Angela… Queen of the Red Court… She’s called all Rosenites home so she can tell them something. We believe that it is nothing good My Lady. Never before has such a thing been done. Those who cannot make it home have been sent Oracles so they may watch and see what is about to happen.”

“When?” Nymph’s voice was hushed. “When is she supposed to do this meeting?”

“Tomorrow. She locked herself up in the Sacred Lake Cavern for three days. We can’t figure it out. She was smiling though… but that often doesn’t mean a thing with Queen Angela. For as long as I have known her she has always smiled even during our darkest times. All that I can say for certain is that news is coming that will shake Sularia to its core. For better or for worst and there is nothing we can do about it… She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want our opinions on whatever she is doing.”

“And my mother?”

“She is fine… Concerned about her sister but that is natural.” Dahlia looked to the other people in the room. “Bryony dropped me from the Oracle mansion right in the middle of town. I was planning on gating to the outside of the village and making my way in… Bryony had other opinions.” She sighed highly and looked at her escort. “She’s not as patient in her old age.”

Nymph looked to Cole and thought about it. “I’m sure we can overlook it because of the emergency that Sularia is in right now. It was part of the agreement for me being here that we do what we can for Arri. I’m afraid that we are busy currently with this next hunt… You, the one who brought her here… Do you think you could keep her safe until tomorrow? Show her around Faradrim if you would. Dahlia is an extremely important part of Sularian culture. We call them the Life Blood. Born from the waters of Sularia where water is precious. I know I shouldn’t be asking anything but if you could do this for me I would be grateful. I would rather her be a guest then holed up in a room… Plus this is her first time out of Sularia.”

For a moment or two Nymph's face went white as a thought crossed her mind. "Dahlia?"

"Yes?"

"How are you planning on getting home? You know what… We'll worry about that tomorrow." Nymph sighed a bit. "Bryony is certainly ruthless sometimes…"

Dahlia shrugged her shoulders. "She is over three thousand years ago… She's allowed to have bad days." There was a chuckle out of Dahlia. "Please try not to worry about Angela's message until tomorrow. A mistake today could be a death tomorrow, or so the Oracles of Arri say." Nymph nodded a bit and closed her eyes so she could gather her thoughts.

The ‘drop-in’ had done what she could to explain her presence, but Jedrek had a lack of interest. Considering she had been able to get passed the magical defensive barrier meant that the Council had allowed such a thing to occur. Golden orbs shot a glance over his shoulder back at the woman as she followed him into the Great Hall. There seemed no malice in her essence, but then again she also seemed incapable of the magic that brought her to the Village.

He nodded in an unspoken language towards Cole. The gesture was returned. The pair had been like brothers since their childhood. The second in line to leadership had a tendency to be quieter than the golden eyed hunter. Jedrek smirked slightly as he kept out of the way as the more important people conversed amongst themselves. The last thing the demon hunter wanted was to get involved too deep into the politics of the village elders and the few allies that they did have. It was better for his life for things to remain simple.

Jedrek could feel the eyes on him from his friend, which he merely waved Cole off before shoving his hands deep into his pants pockets. Cole turned his attention to his mate as she interacted with the oracle. He had heard a little about the religion that originated within her family and those that had Sight. The white haired man stood up from his seat at the war table to be beside his mate. Gray gaze turned to his leader, whom continued to sit quietly as all unfolded before her. Hands were folded before her face while elbows were upon her chair’s armrests. Even if none could see her lips, Cole knew that a slight smile was upon her lips hidden behind her hands. The male twin glanced between Nymph and the woman named Dahlia. He did not trust change or new people easily. It was in his nature to not trust anyone, but it was thanks to Nymph his world had been able to open up….slightly.

He remained quiet, though his hand instinctually slipped around Nymph’s waist to show his support. Cole was considerably taller than her, but it didn’t change the fact that her personality made up for the difference. No reactions were given by the man as he listened to the conversation. When Dahlia looked at Jedrek, the hunter lifted a brow with no word given. ”We can overlook whatever you need, my heart. Since she comes from your home religion we shall allow it. Either way, our hunt for the next bonds is quite important. The children will be of the age in the next couple of months. We need minimum of three more demons to bond to them.” He pulled away from Nymph as he walked over to Jedrek while his mate addressed his friend. Cole placed a light hand on the other’s shoulder while standing in close quarters. ”The oracles are important to Nymph’s people, and are an asset to us as well. Escort her and bring her to the barracks for a room. Make sure she has her own quarters.”

Cole could see the agitation in his old friend’s eyes, but there was no quarrel given. ”On your command,” he responded almost coldly. He glanced at Cole, and his gaze softened. ”Whatever you need, Cole.” Jedrek pushed away from the pillar he had been leaning against to look at Nymph as she made her request as well. ”On your word, m’lady. Come on, Oracle,” he voiced over his shoulder as he was already on his way out of the Hall. He had not spared a glance towards Uial, which had his gut turning in knots.

Jedrek stood outside the Hall with arms crossed over his chest and sheathed katana in hand. ”Is there anything you want to do?” he asked when she finally joined him. ”I guess I will escort you around Faradrim.” He looked down at her from the corner of his eye to gauge what her wishes would be.

Nymph nuzzled into her lover institutionally. “Thank you, My Love.”

Dahlia turned to Jedrek and bowed to him. “Please take care of me.” It was after all Nymphaea’s wishes. She was about to follow Jedrek out when Nymph spoke loudly.

“This won’t be for free.” Dahlia froze up. “I’ve heard that Oracles are masters of hand to hand combat. I want to fight you because I’m curious. I saw that Bryony flip Aunt Toya once.” Nymph was always ballsy and she loved to fight.

Dahlia turned on her heel. “I’m at the very bottom of the totem pole for that, Princess, but I will honor that. Bryony would smack me upside my head if I declined. When?”

“Before the announcement tomorrow?” Nymph was actually shaking with excitement. Never would she have asked her cousins for this. They would have absolutely wrecked her and Nymph knew that all too well.

“Very well.” Dahlia picked up her pace to catch up to Jedrek. When Jedrek talked to her she tilted her head. “I’m not sure. I’ve never been out of Sularia and the past fifty years I’ve just been in charge of the catacombs.” She mulled it over. “I suppose seeing stuff out in the sun for once would be nice.”

Her moving blue eyes looked up at his eyes briefly before adverting them. “Sunlight is good for Rosenites after all. If Nymphaea wishes to fight I will need my strength to give her a good one… Or else Bryony might smack me around in the arena for the next few days.” There was a sigh that left her lips and she sounded like she didn’t much care for it at all. Dahlia herself didn’t look like a fighter but if Nymph’s words were to trust she did know how.

“Oh…” Dahlia looked surprised for a moment. “Do you have shops for beads?” It was an odd request. "I do beadwork while looking over the catacombs."

As Dahlia made her own plea for care, Jedrek had already been on the move. He waved a hand at her as if shooing off the entire concept of needing to ask. The hunter was not thrilled about the ‘babysitting’ duty, but he would do as asked. Conversation continued between Nymph and the oracle that had no interest for Jedrek. The man continued towards the exit knowing that she would catch up when her conversation was at an end. Tail end of the conversation was of the mate of Cole and the oracle sparring for the entertainment of it all. Jedrek chuckled slightly while finally crossing the threshold to stand outside in the afternoon sun.

Cole watched his friend as he left the Great Hall, knowing full well why the hunter wanted to leave as quickly as he had. He sighed while turned his attention to the eagerness of his lover. There was no eagerness in the second heir at the thought of Nymph fighting anyone. There was also the knowledge that she would do whatever she pleased, whenever she pleased. As the oracle left, Cole used the side of his finger to lift the chin of Nymph to look up into his eyes. ”You are rather insane sometimes. You know this?” There was a small spark of amusement in his gaze before leaning down to kiss her gently. He pulled away at the soft clearing of throat from Uial. Cole looked over at his twin sister, and then bowed his head slightly. ”You are right, leader. We must get back to work on these missions. We need three more demons for bonding before our time is up. We have only a couple of months to get strong mates for our candidates.” He pulled Nymph towards the table for them to return to their work, though Cole allowed one more stolen glance towards Jedrek’s back before the large doors closed.

Head tilted to the side as Jedrek looked down at Dahlia. ”A shut-in, huh? That sounds like zero fun.” The hunter moved his hands to roll up his black jacket sleeves to expose his forearms. On his left arm there was a dragon tribal like tattoo that wrapped its way from his wrist to his shoulder. He continued to look down at her while waiting for some sort of indication of what she wanted. It was too early in the day to get her set up with some quarters. Jedrek wanted to head back to his quarters, but it would be too odd to leave her sitting alone in her room without it getting back to Cole and Nymph that he had ignored their orders.

He managed to sigh just before she requested to go to a shop for beads. The man frowned for a moment before lifting a brow. ”That is an odd hobby, but I am sure that there is something in the market district. Follow me.” Jedrek jerked his head towards the section of the village that took up a bulk of the eastern quarter. That was where most of the noise came from throughout the day. He walked down the stairs with hands shoved in his pockets, katana held tightly in his belt. There was silence between them as they made it into the market to view the different stalls. He was not one for making small talk. The feel of awkwardness was not lost on him, but he had nothing to say in the least.

Motioning towards one particularly small shop, he walked through the open arch way to see an elderly woman at a table in the back working on some project. ”Jeska. I have a patron for you. She is looking for some beads for beadwork she does during her boredom. Made me think of you.? His face lit up as he walked around the table to put an arm around the old woman, but before she could swat at him there was a distance between them. ”Boredom? My tapestry work…that is boring? You have little to no patience, Jedrek. That is why you have few friends that can tolerate your moods” She then went on to ignore the hunter to turn her attention to Dahlia. ”Come dear, you may have a look at my stores. I do the work myself, but if you are in need of supplies I am willing to part with some. What in particular are you looking for?” Jedrek found a spot to perch a seat upon on a higher counter while playing with one of the bracelets that had been made with fine beadwork.

“I’m not the most coordinated. Compared to say… Princess Nymph’s cousins Eldora and Rose. Eldora being our strongest currently for her age and Rose for her intelligence. If I was born normally I would have never gone for anything that requires this type of work for me. I’m clumsy.”

There was a chuckle that left her work. “It is good for meditation. I’ve learned to balance my essence while doing beadwork. It’s like… How to put it to someone, not in our society. Imagine you and your um…” She tapped the side of her head. “Your bonded. Yes, your bonded. Imagine being on the same wavelength as them. Oracles of Arri… Despite what Nymph might say are different from the rest of society. We’re bonded with the spirits of the Soul-Stream or our afterlife. Our second first breath is taken because the spirits flooded through our bodies and awakened our magic or essence. So balancing our mind and essence is good for us since we are unnatural.”

Though even she had noticed how quiet he was. She was used to it. Especially since often the near-dead were her companions for days. Her eyes lit up as she looked around Jeska’s work. “Anything really. I’ve worked with a lot of different beads but mostly only those that come through the Sularia market. “Here… Maybe this would help.”

Her hand hovered above a bare space and she let out a slow breath. For a time the smell of rain swept through as a long tapestry began to build itself. “I’ve never done it from this distance so I apologize.” Once it was completely there it was clear how experienced she was. The designs of the tapestry were extremely detailed and took precision and time. “I like doing stuff like this for our near dead. If they wake up they should have something good to see and often I am the one stuck with body duty.”

It was weird that she was speaking to someone who didn’t understand. “I’m sorry… I should explain. Sularia is a harsh place and even we have weak women. Eshari is suicide by dreams. A deep poison that is taken by a woman when they’ve had enough of our life but can’t escape to the outside. They live for a long time. Not eating or drinking… We Rosenites don’t have to. We keep them down near our life source which is an underground lake. Often I am the one who oversees them. So I started to make them things like this. When one does wake up from Eshari, they have lost everything even their families. It is also a worse fate than death. Excommunicated from their people. With these are least they have something.”

She appeared sad but she let out a sigh. “I think they do it because dreams are often sweeter than real life. You are able to love those that no longer love you… You are happy. Some are trapped in an eternal nightmare until they die though.” She shook her head and laughed though it was weak. “It’s not often I find myself talking to people outside of Sularia I am sorry for droning on.”

She was quick to fetch some beads that the woman had to offer. Before she sent her own work back home. “I am good now… Jedrek?” She tilted her head at him. She wasn’t sure if he was okay with her saying his name. "If Bryony remembers she'll bring me back beads from Onnen. She raises almost all of the oracles herself so she is like our mother."

Jedrek listened as they moved amongst the crowd. He rarely interacted with others. Frankly, he did as much as he could to avoid it whenever possible. The best he would get involved would be in mock fights for keeping his ranking in the hunter association. Hands were shoved deep in his pockets as they walked while Dahlia did her best to explain the use of bead work. He was sure that it had a function. Jeska was quite talented in the craft. It was just not something that the hunter took interest in considering he had little patience to sit down for things as that. Brow lifted in a high disbelieving arch as she spoke of the bonding of demons to the hunters. ”You know our bonds are dissipated into our souls…right? There is no wavelength for us to be on. I don’t think our way of bonding is the same as to what your kind do.” It was clear that his tone was rude, but he didn’t mean it that way. Few understood what the children went through in their bonding ceremony. Jedrek’s in particular had not gone well.

Why am I expected to be an escort? I am not going to do this well,” he thought irritably to himself. ”But I guess I can see what you are saying about the spirit bonding for you.” He motioned for her to enter the shop where Jeska sat working on her project. She was one of the few that could get him to open up. Jedrek watched as the oracle summoned her tapestry. It was indeed detailed greatly, but he knew that it would take too much time for him to actually look at it carefully.

Jeska listened closely to what the oracle described with great interest. The hunter was glad that someone could follow what was being described. ’Oh dear, do not apologize. It is good to hear stories from outside our village. I have never travelled outside of Faradrim Village in all my years. You may appear young, but I can feel your age and wisdom. If you ever want to exchange stories with an old woman…feel content with sharing them with me while I work. I would welcome someone to listen and work with. Jed here comes merely to be a bother.’ Though her body looked weary, there was a sharpness still in her eye and tone. Jedrek rolled his eyes before hoping down from the counter.

”If you are set, then we can move on. Where do you want to go now? I’m not really sure what we are supposed to do until tomorrow.” Before leaving, he leaned over and placed a kiss on top of Jeska’s head. She swatted at him with a smile as the pair left to mingle with the market district crowd again. He jerked his head down an alley. Quiet remained between them until they reached the rushing river that split the village in half. Jedrek leaned on the wall that lined the river. ”Is this announcement going to be hard for Lady Nymph? She has become a staple in our culture as she is the mate of Lord Cole. I would not like to see her hurt over such a thing.”

(This is a long post we can slow down or speed up where you want and go back to what I posted. It's merely outlining at this point!)

Dahlia looked at him. “I meant no offense.” She waved her hand a bit at him. “This is the first time talking to people outside of my order… Besides it wouldn’t be the same. Your people would have to kill your children and bring them back with the essence of the demon for it to be the same. Arri has laws that protect our children so only the children who die during childbirth become oracles. In a way, I suppose we’re chosen by death. It’s why our order is so small. Lady Angela does most of the child birthing and we hardly have casualties because of it… but every once in a while an infant will die for no reason. Happens once every one hundred years where a completely healthy pregnancy will just end in tragedy. My mother was one of them. We became incompatible in the last month of the pregnancy and she was forced to give birth. From what I’m told it was traumatizing to the point where she couldn’t even look at me. I was dead on arrival as we all are. So I was raised by Bryony who is the leader of the oracles. Most of us have the same story.”

She explained while they were walking. Soon she absorbed in the bead work and talking with Jeska. “I’m sure that Bryony would encourage me to develop a friendship like that.” Dahlia gave a smile and nodded. “I would like that.” Bonds were important as Bryony had always drilled it into their heads that friendships were invaluable allies.

“I’m not too sure since I don’t have many hobbies.” She thought about it and shrugged. “I’m better at paperwork instead of free thinking I suppose.” It had been her duty for as long as she could remember. Boring as it was it was a purpose.

The brunette followed him down the alleyway and looked out over the river. “To be honest, I’m not sure. Lady Nymph has always been strong. Even when others were ignoring her or pushing her away because of her blood. I remember when Queen Lily was pregnant for her. We were unsure if Nymphaea would live. We were prepared to take her. However, she surprised everyone even being born early. She dealt with tribulations though. She was born into the Holy House as a dark blooded one. Her mother’s magic burned her from the first time she took her breath. We spent hours putting seals onto her magic until she could contain it herself. To be honest, I was jealous of Nymphaea. Lily never left her side even though my mother had left mine. That’s what makes Nymph so strong. Her Aunts are a good influence too… Even if some of them can be a pain to deal with… This all depends on what Angela has to say tomorrow… With Angela anything is possible because she is immortal. Normally we would be able to tell what she was up to but she can block us out…” Dahlia frowned a bit and shook her head. “The only thing we can do is be there for Nymphaea. However, it is a battle only she can do.”

—

The next day Dahlia followed Jedrek up to where Nymphaea was. They had went early so Dahlia could honor Nymphaea’s request for a fight. “You are a barely on time.” Nymph was tapping her foot lightly.

“You are a hundred years too young to be challenging me to a fight…” Dahlia said confidently. “I will not be going easy on you as it would be an insult. You may attack me with everything you have.”

Nymphaea was in shock for a moment before she recovered. She took hold of Yaeger and pulled him out of his sheath. Though it didn’t appear to have mattered as Nymphaea waited for the match to begin. Jedrek was given the task of telling them when to start. Soon as the words left his lips Dahlia had seemingly vanished. Nymphaea immediately had her nose up smelling but there was nothing.

“Forgive me,” it was Dahlia as she appeared behind Nymphaea. A devastating kick went into Nymphaea as she went flying into the wall. Soon Dahlia was pulling Nymph’s arm back and holding her down on the ground. Yaeger was away from Nymph. “Please give in Princess… I don’t want to actually hurt you.” The fight took a matter of seconds and for an untrained eye it had been hard to follow what Dahlia had done. Matter of fact, it was like Dahlia had known Nymphaea’s moves before she had done them.

Gritting her teeth Nymph found that she couldn’t use her magic and let out a frustrated groan. “I give. You put a block in my mana vessels. How the hell did you do that?”

“I have expert training in mana blocking for fighting opponents who rely on the arts and hand to hand combat for everything else. Most of us are trained with weapons too but I’m not very good like I said.” She helped Nymphaea get up and smiled at her. “You are very skilled though. You immediately went to trying to use your other senses to find me.”

Nymph tilted her head. “What would Bryony have done if I had lasted longer?”

Dahlia had a look of terror. “She’s probably letting the paperwork mound up… and I imagine she would make me work on it alone instead of with another… Or maybe she would beat me down in the stadium! OR MAYBE SHE WOULD MAKE ME RUN NAKED THROUGH THE STREETS AGAIN!” There was terror on her face.

“Again?!”

“IT WAS ONE TIME I GOT DRUNK! It was the first time I had ever had alcohol and IT WAS HER FAULT! It was so embarrassing but it was at night so at least no one was up!” Dahlia had tears in her eyes.

“When was that?”

“Two summers ago.”

“YOU DIDN’T HAVE ALCOHOL FOR OVER TWO HUNDRED YEARS?!” Nymph’s mouth was left open. “You… need a life.” Dahlia hung her head lightly in shame.

“I don’t really have friends to convene with like most people. I sit with the dead and do paperwork because Bryony can be irresponsible. It’s a lot of work and someone needs to do it!” Dahlia sounded proud of herself but once more hung her head and laughed. “Though… I won’t lie that it is in part because I am not confident in myself.”

Which was odd since Dahlia was a pretty fair and pretty creature though most Rosenites were. Once the announcement was ready to be made Dahlia formed a large water mirror. “We can watch the announcement here.”

Nymph watched in disbelief as Angela stepped down as queen. Even Dahlia let concern come to her face as she looked at Nymphaea. After the announcement ended and Dahlia closed out her magic. She put her hands on Nymph’s shoulders. “Don’t let this bother you…”

“Tell it to me straight Dahlia,” Nymph’s voice was shaken. “Does this mean that my mother could commit suicide to give Sularia a new ruler?”

“Your mother wouldn’t.” Dahlia was straight with her and hugged the princess close. It was the only thing she could think of. “The only person capable of doing what Angela just did is Angela herself. Your mother is too much of a proud woman to give up her spot by way of suicide. Even if your brother is her heir she wouldn’t let him have the throne in such a dishonorable way… Nor would anyone force her to do such a thing. You are worried about what that council pulled with your cousins?”

“Yes… They had such a sway to force my cousins to have children what if they could do this too?”

Dahlia sighed and stepped back. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room. The council was all killed about a year after the verdict was handed down. While Angela isn’t being upfront about the hows… I suspect she had something to do with it.”

“But she’s the goddess of life.”

“Her family was threatened and she’s been known to go on rampages before about such things. Angela has always been willing to get blood on herself if it meant helping the family. I suspect it wasn’t actually her who did the killing. Everyone died in odd ways that couldn’t be connected to Angela but it could be to another goddess… One she just happens to be friends with.”

“…and this goddess would do this for Angela?”

“If Angela asked… but this goddess also supported your cousin Kirika and her position on the throne. It’s hard to say if Angela had anything to do with it… but it wouldn’t be the first time. When your aunt Cyprus overstepped her bounds Angela ripped her apart. She stood trial for it but nothing ever came of it. They decided that while Angela committed murder… It was justified. Make no mistake that the mask your aunt wears is a good one but she doesn’t hesitate to protect even if it means getting her hands dirty. I will ask that no one in this rooms speaks about it… Not that anyone will believe you even if you tried.”

Nymphaea thought about it and looked up at Cole. “I think I understand now. That even good and righteous people need to commit bad things.”

“I think you are looking at it wrong. The ones who decide what is just and deserved are normally the winners. Each side of a war thinks that they are justified and right and that the other side is evil. The situation with your cousins was like that. Have children in ten years or be killed for your aunt’s wrong doings. IF Angela was involved with the council’s murderers I would say it was justified as Cyprus’s children should not have had to bare the weight of her decisions. However, Cyprus also killed the children of the council so they wanted revenge for their losses.” Dahlia pushed her glasses up a bit and sighed. “In any case, you do not have to worry about your mother. On the totem pole of queens… Lily now ranks at number two as the strongest.”

Nymph nodded slowly and looked at Cole once more. “What do you think? Should we make a trip back to Sularia once we get the bonds done? This is the first new ruler since the five court system was put into place… and Lucian is only our age. Poor bastard is gonna get swarmed with marriage proposals.” Nymphaea let out a chuckled and Dahlia smiled.