Rumble-rumble, rattle rattle! Bump! Jangle! Rumble-Rumble-Rumble!

  These are the chaotic sounds racing down the dirt tracks considered ‘roads’ in the Empire, though plenty often, the road must be left in order to bypass the far slower traffic in the way.

  Zuzia can feel the breeze, and she can feel her heart racing from the exertion. She was completely afraid during the day she arrived on Zenkon, so her heart was racing for that reason. And, afterwards, simple jogging or running couldn’t even touch her stamina, let alone get her warmed up properly.

  Now, she is pulling a carriage at speeds the wind itself would enviously covet.

  All while mages desperately cling to the coachmen’s bench and scream out spells to create an artificial stability for the carriage itself, reinforce the wheels, and otherwise do everything in their power to shield the Grand Prince from Zuzia’s reckless and unprecedented pulling speed.

  She briefly glances over her shoulder with a defiant and rather victorious smirk, though she does her best to not let the mages see. She hopes Yaulander himself is cowering in the back of his carriage, clinging to the seat like a frightened cat glued to a tree branch.

  I feel like a gazelle! I might even be able to race the great steeds of Dad?bóg himself! Hahahaha!

  Zuzia exerts herself to pull the carriage around several bends, over the shoulder of the trail to pass another carriage, startling the group, and she calls out, “Przepraszam! [Sorry!]”

  She has a schedule to keep and a challenge to win. And, more subtly, a Grand Prince to embarrass. As before, she knows there are some protests and attempts to stop her, but Yaulander very specifically gave her orders not to undermine his authority by obeying the orders of others that contradict his orders. And, his orders were to get her to the Imperial Palace in a single day. She hasn’t stopped for restroom breaks, but she hasn’t had much to drink, so the light pressure she has in her own bladder will wait a little longer. She has to make it in one go, or she’s going to be horrendously scolded, and likely, if Yaulander is as cruel and sadistic as she suspects, he will delay her as much as possible to make her fail the challenge, regardless if she was battering him in the back of the carriage or not.

  “Zuzia Spolskiaaaa! Please stop!”

  The pitiful cries of one of the mages reaches her, and rather than orders, they have become desperate enough to defy the Grand Prince’s demands that she be treated and referred to as a rodent.

  Feeling facetious and knowing it doesn’t really matter, Zuzia flexes the small amount of French she can call upon most easily, “Pardon! Excusez-moi! Un moment, por favor!”

  She can’t help but laugh as she keeps running. Pulling the carriage she’s shackled to is actually significantly easier than she thought it was going to be. She has no doubt that Yaulander was certain she could pull the carriage, but he probably never guessed that she could outrun an unladen buckrokh.

  Hehehe! I might even be faster than an unladen swallow! She laughs at her own joke, barrelling through a small tunnel under a bridge.

  It opens to a large series of fields with small towns dotting the horizon before reaching something even more impressive and undeniably beautiful.

  In movies, shows, and anime depicting more ancient Chinese regimes, the Forbidden City will often make an appearance in some capacity, and how massive the Imperial Palace was. Unlike a European fortress of stone rising upwards into the sky in most cases, the Chinese palace wasn’t necessarily as tall, but its acreage was colossal, forming a virtual city unto itself for the Emperor and his Flower Garden, in some cases.

  The Imperial Capital of the Grand Zenkon Empire stands out to even an Earthling because of an apparent layout sharing some similarities with ancient Asian palaces, but with many of the structural design elements of medieval European castles. The massive city spans across much of the horizon, with a wall surrounding several sections in concentric rings each filled to the wall with buildings of all kinds. At the center of the series of walls is the Imperial Palace, easily identifiable thanks to its tall, star-like pattern further reinforced by four main towers. Even the palace has a sort of labyrinth-like series of walls, which remind Zuzia somewhat of a popular cell-phone game in the ‘tower defense’ subgenre. In a real world sense, it would seem like the returns would be quickly diminishing at the increased inconvenience of creating the labyrinth would have on visiting the palace, but it’s not quite that dramatic. That said, funnelling enemy forces down to be attacked from above has always had a strong advantage.

  Zuzia’s not entirely sure exactly where she has to go, but if she were to travel at a normal pace, just getting to the palace through the capital itself would take a day, from the looks of it.

  Yeah, no. Sorki, frajerze. [Sorry, chump]. Zuzu-cab is paid by the trip, not the hour.

  Zuzia settles into a sprint towards the wall. A huge cloud of dust is being kicked up in the carriage’s wake, and there is a lot more traffic that she’s avoiding by running the shoulder. The mages have done well holding out against the rough terrain, so she might as well make the full use of them while they last.

  And, if they all end up as road pizza, she’ll shed a tear or two.

  Just following orders, boss! Hehehe!

  Zuzia barrels towards the city walls. It’s about fifty feet high, which is a bit daunting, but she doesn’t need to go over the wall.

  God, please grant me the good fortune to get this right on the first try…

  Zuzia pries the ropes and chains off of her body and shoulders. She’s not sure if they were truly convinced she wouldn’t escape, or they really were giving her some benefit of the doubt about how fast she could run. It’s possible they even wanted the chains to hamper her, but it really just reinforced her attachment to the tongue of the carriage.

  And, she gets to run like a racehorse-girl as fast as she possibly can.

  Watch out, Speshi-chan! Grand Odkrywca has taken the field!

  Zuzia flings the shackles off of herself, dropping her own speed as she pivots. She catches the front body of the carriage and swiftly flips the front end up so that she can get under it. The mages scream as Yaulander’s voice yells from within the rather huge carriage, “What is going on!? Stop that idiot!”

  The honey-haired brunette springs upwards and launches the carriage, thinking out loud as it soars into the air with the screams of the mages trailing with it. “Careful, your Highness. This idiot still has to catch you.” She resumes her sprint, which is significantly easier without the carriage. Her throw was rather straight, so she just has to get through the gates and intercept the carriage before it hits the ground.

  I’m a little surprised this stupid collar let me do that. ‘Thou shalt protect thy master at all costs’ or some nonsense like that, am I right? Wonder what happens if I fail to ‘rescue him’.

  She dashes between carriages at full speed, and the guards are preoccupied by the carriage sailing up and over the wall. When they finally see her coming, she feints towards the right before zipping left, kicking against the wall behind the leftmost guard to slip past him and continue through the gates. Bells start ringing in panic, but Zuzia is faster than running beasts, let alone a bunch of armored soldiers. She easily passes the gate barracks before any guards can respond, and she glances up into the sky.

  “Oof… This definitely seemed like a good idea…” She runs as hard as she can to catch up to the carriage, and she has to launch herself over a crowd of merchants and customers, sailing through the air.

  “Mi scusi! Mi scusi!” exclaims Zuzia as she somewhat helplessly soars through the air over the startled crowd. She lands in a diving roll and springs to her feet, bounding as fast as she can. She’s almost under the carriage, and she still needs to get to the Imperial Palace.

  “Eh, I’m already committed, right?” She leaps into the air to intercept the descending carriage, which travelled at least a kilometer on its arc through the sky.

  “Just five or so more to go, your Majesty!” exclaims Zuzia sarcastically as she uses her momentum to push the carriage again, bumping it in a new upward arc as the mages and passengers inside continue screaming together.

  Zuzia repeats this process, shortening the arcs each time to help slow down the carriage and buy herself the time to clear the various concentric walls by ramming through their gates. Yaulander has no scruples, and he gave her orders to reach the Palace ‘without delay’.

  He’s obviously going to be a lot more careful with his orders to Zuzia. After trying to beat the crap out of her, of course. Until then, she’s going to enjoy making his life hell ‘under his orders’.

  Zuzia imagines she has half of the Imperial army pursuing her, but she is just one lone Polish girl prancing through the streets.

  “Cze?? cze??! [Hello-goodbye!]” calls out Zuzia as she blasts past the Imperial guards. They’re shouting orders for her to stop, but she is Yaulander’s exclusive slave. As wretched as that fact is, it is useful in this moment.

  Even if she’s digging herself a giant hole in regards to his impending wrath.

  The time comes for Zuzia, and she now needs to channel her inner parkour.

  Which she confirmed in Serrentuk’s void will be a skill issue.

  Still, she has to act. She’s pretty sure she’s actually compelled to see it through so that no actual harm comes to Yaulander.

  And, as such, she leaps into the air at the first layer of walls for the Imperial Palace itself, which are marked with golden carvings of some kind of squid monster with a globe in its tentacles. The same symbol is on one of the miniature banners on the Grand Prince’s carriage, along with his family’s crest.

  Zuzia bounds as high as she can, aiming for the wall. She has to move fast, so she has to make contact with the wall briefly, dash across it, and then leap further and deeper into the palace. Fortunately, this is a little easier than she expected, but she has to be careful with her angles, because she’s aiming for a courtyard that has people in it.

  Though, what she doesn’t know is that the Empress herself is among them.

  ***

  Neith, under the guise of Sir Larven, watches alongside his current liege lord as she greets several kings and queens of vassal territories gathering at her urgent call. She is happy to introduce her ‘shiny new toy’ and ‘engagement gift’ in the form of a dragon knight, which means the grey dragon needs to only stand by politely and answer questions when called upon.

  Sundenelle is proud and graceful, in spite of her age. She is roughly the same age as Yanidere, who, along with her husband, has been officially declared the Grand Duchess and Grand Duke of the Stalvaltan territory. They are adults in even Daniel’s strict sense of the word, compared to the legal definition for most of the humanoid and somewhat short-lived races of Zenkon, which ranges from 14 to 22, depending on the culture.

  Having learned this, Hekate immediately tried to insist once more that she would make the age of adulthood in the Fievegal ‘as soon as a person wants to’, thinking it would impress upon Daniel’s personal-liberty stance on most issues. But, he immediately stood his ground and held fast, saying a nine year old who declares themselves an adult knows nothing about what being an adult entails. He has been rather mum on what to do about everyone else otherwise, meaning Hekate is the one who loses if she tries to declare something like that formally.

  Regardless, it’s no wonder that Sundenelle commands respect with how she talks and skillfully navigates discussions, including when the topic of Daniel’s perceived indiscretions are brought up.

  “‘One of many’ is a rather crude way to say it, but it’s not wrong, I suppose,” replies Sundenelle with her regal and calculating smirk. “But, honestly, it’s a little reassuring that I can rely on my fellow consorts to reprimand him should he fail to keep his word. Sharing has its disadvantages, but it does also mean that his whereabouts and activities are easier to keep track of when necessary.” She looks at the Imperial Marquis Varumkame, who she told Larven is part of the ‘Noble’s Faction’, which is an informal group of aristocrats who often push for aging policies centered around increasing the authority of the nobility. While it can often incentivize effective lordship over territories and promote stability of the Empire-proper compared to the vassal territories that belong to it, the Noble Faction’s influence often poses a more direct threat to the authority of the Emperor or Empress, and they often prey on a naive young sovereign to advance such laws and policies.

  Unfortunately for them, Sundenelle was a bookworm who wasn’t spoiled, but was deeply cherished by her clever and charismatic father. She is the enemy of schemers, and Daniel’s mockery of such systems has inspired her to be more confident and free with her father’s dreams, as well as her own.

  “I wonder, Marquis Varumkame, if the Madame knows about the diversion of Varumkame funds to the Sheiralka Countdom for dresses, makeup, and jewelry. Oh, sorry, I meant drought ‘relief’, of course.”

  This naturally wipes the smirk from her opponent’s face, while a couple of the others around them snicker quietly.

  “As for the nastier rumors, I can’t help but wonder if they are rooted from jealousy. My husband-to-be does have a small army of beautiful women, among which I am fortunate enough to be granted a seat. And, he has several adorable heirs already.” She cups her cheek, emulating Ryuogriar. “I cannot wait to see what my own heir will look like. Will he or she have my eyes and his impressive height? Will it be great strength or wisdom?” Her gaze turns wicked as she starts, “Regardless, the heir to the Empire will have dragons, Uhl’tall, Chi’rinnis, and Stalvaltans for siblings, as well as someday, feldroks. I can think of few in this world who would challenge that Emperor or Empress. If you’d like, Marquis…”

  Gong! Gong! Gong! Gong!

  A loud bell silences the courtyard, and everyone comes to a halt. It’s the signal of an attack, focused towards the north.

  “An attack!?” calls out Duke Walliskah, who is standing near the young Empress as one of her most trusted advisors.

  Ecklevon jogs up to Larven, calling out, “Sir N-, Larven!”

  “What’s going on?” asks the dragon, growling his voice a little to ensure no one recognizes him under his armor.

  “Get the nobles inside! Sir Ecklevon, Mother!?”

  “She’s gathering the nobles who’ve already retired to private quarters! Pirton and Mageth are with her!”

  “Return to her and…”

  Larven and Ecklevon hear it roughly at the same time, though the dragon was mostly focused on the chaos around them to make sure no one tries anything against the Empress herself. Even if his role as ‘right hand knight’ to her is partially a ruse, if and when she becomes one of the Empresses of the Fievegal, Neith will be perfectly content with serving her as he does the others. Or, more accurately, becoming her brother-in-law.

  That said, the pressing matter at the moment is an object hurtling towards them from the air. A quick glance would suggest a catapult or other artillery attack, given the arc and speed of the shot, but that would mean it had to have come from well-within the Imperial capital. Even the artillery of the citadel would be pressing their luck with accuracy and range from the outer wall.

  But, a dragon can see a lot, even with a quick glance, being airborne predators as they are.

  It’s not just a rock or piece of rubble, but a carriage bearing the Imperial markings…

  … As well as those of the Grand Principality of Strylaph.

  Of course, the Grand Prince does not appear to have learned how to make his carriage fly. Two mages are clinging to the driver’s bench as they scream desperately.

  A figure darts into the air, jumping from the wall as soon as it appears to intercept the carriage. From there, she pushes it upwards some, but much lower than the arc it started on, and she does this several more times from the multi-layered concentric and staggered walls of the Imperial palace.

  Larven immediately reveals his wings and backs in close to the Empress, ready to defend her with magic. “My Liege! Stay directly behind me!”

  “R-Right!” exclaims Sundnelle, placing her hands on his back to try to move with him, as well as reassure him that she’s still there. He shouldn’t need to move right away, and he’d rather be able to evacuate her himself if necessary than get her clear of any attacks that might come towards him.

  She lands on the inside of the courtyard, performing one last aerial bounce before catching and depositing the carriage on the ground and using her own body as an anchor against one of its wheels to bring it to a stop.

  Imperial soldiers and guards immediately surround the carriage as the two mages collapse; one slumping over on the driver’s bench, and the other one falls to the ground itself, trying to crawl away from the carriage as he retches. Both of them are already covered in their own bodily substances from both ends. The woman on the ground catches Larven’s eye most specifically, though. Her clothes and skin are filthy, but the style absolutely doesn’t belong to the Grand Principality, because it doesn’t belong to Zenkon.

  Zuzia!?

  Larven starts to take a step, but he hesitates. He looks partially towards his shoulder, behind which he knows is his true ward. And, with the information they have, Zuzia is almost certainly bound by magic to Yaulander, meaning simply kidnapping her won’t be enough. Many magic contracts have subtle clauses that compel the bearer to return to their master if they are under the absence of any orders, not to mention telepathy.

  The door of the carriage bursts open and a new person stumbles out. He, unlike Zuzia, is more directly familiar to Larven, who has seen images of him presented by Xyreko.

  Grand Prince Yaulander, like the two mages, is soiled with his own vomit and a wet spot running down his inner thighs. He stumbles to the ground as he furiously abandons the carriage, screaming as soon as he lands on hands and knees, “Rat! You harlot! Show yourself! I will-blergh!” He dry-heaves on the ground, unable to expel anything because he is already empty, by all appearances.

  Zuzia kneels next to him, acting feal and obeisant to the Grand Prince, but even Larven can easily detect the defiant sarcasm in her tone from their distance apart, “I am here, oh wise and glorious Majesty.”

  Yaulander grips her collar to try to yank her to the ground, and the dragon finds himself impressed with her not even moving an inch. Amalaskae described her powers briefly, but the unparalleled physical strength Zuzia was given is interesting to see, but foreboding to have on opposite sides from himself.

  Regardless, he snarls, “You! What in the hell do you think you were doing!? I’ll have you dragged to the darkest…”

  “Yaulander?” asks Sundenelle, interrupting the Grand Prince whose expression drains. He finally perks up and looks around, realizing that he’s surrounded by nobles and soldiers of the Grand Zenkon Empire.

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  “What…?” is all he can murmur in horror.

  Zuzia, as if to rub salt in the wounds, replies as strait-laced as she can manage, “We have arrived at the Imperial Palace, your Imperial Majesty.”

  Larven can hear the Grand Prince threaten, “I swear to all of the gods and spirits that I will make you suffer, Rat.”

  The grey dragon knight follows the Empress as she makes her way through the crowd, and Yaulander tries to shove Zuzia back, but he only manages to push himself off of her. The blond man scrambles to his feet, brushing himself off until his hands touch the damp bile on his jacket. He grimaces, realizing how soiled he is, and he tries to quickly regain his composure. The Grand Prince stands tall and bows his head, since his position is only just below that of the Empress, and her presence to greet everyone and assuage immediate concerns regarding the urgency is informal compared to a true greeting in the audience hall or at a banquet.

  “Glory to the Great Empress of the Grand Zenkon Empire,” declares Yaulander. He briefly takes her hand to kiss it, and she complies.

  That said, she doesn’t ignore the goings on. “What… is this, Yaulander? Where are your buckrokhs?”

  The Grand Prince whirls to glare at Zuzia, who is still kneeling. He replies seriously, though with an edge of anger in his tone. “My newest servant still lacks discipline and a regard for orders. Forgive me for allowing her to cause such a scene.” He faces Sundenelle and bows his head, and the albino Empress looks between each of them, as well as the state of the carriage and the incapacitated mages who are too ill to even panic about the fact that they are surrounded at spear, spell, and sword-point.

  Yaulander then says, “Please allow me to excuse myself, your Majesty. I must go make myself ready.”

  “One moment, your Highness,” replies the young Empress. “I have a few more quick questions.”

  Yaulander is displeased with this, especially considering the soiled state of his clothing, but he nods. “I serve at your leisure, your Imperial Majesty.”

  “Thank you. I know you’re uncomfortable, but I need to know as much as possible as everyone else is arriving so we can stand down the emergency response.” She gestures over several of her generals, as well as Duke Walliskah and other high ranking nobles.

  Larven uses the moment to slide into the background as the highest ranking members of the Empire gather in close to discuss the Grand Prince’s sudden rush into the Imperial Capital, which triggered alarms. He can hear several of them mention arresting ‘the woman’, and others question the collar she’s wearing, recognizing it for what it is.

  For her part, the otherworlder is leaning against the back of the carriage and staring up at the sky while staying out of immediate sight. The collar is indeed entwined with powerful magic spells which have anchored to Zuzia’s soul, as indicated by the dark, root-like marks extending away from the collar itself.

  Larven casts the silencing barrier around them, and she seems to notice his approach thanks to the change in sound. She glances around the corner to make sure Yaulander hasn’t noticed yet, and she remarks, “Sir knight. I’m afraid we’re not acquainted yet. If you know what’s good for you, you might wish to keep it that way.”

  The dragon turns around to face Sundenelle and her subordinates as they send soldiers and knights away. His back is to Zuzia, but his larger frame is hiding her from immediate view.

  “I’d be pleased if you call me Sir Larven, Lady Zuzia Spolskia. Or, more accurately, Zuzanna of Earth.”

  The human woman twitches, and she urgently looks at Larven before peeking around him. She whispers, “How…? Are you… an Angel?”

  “No. But, I hope you will trust me when I say that I am newly friends with your friends.”

  Zuzia perks up with hope for a moment, but she quickly retreats into suspicion and doubt. “The Grand Psycho over there tried to be friendly when he first dragged me to this world, Sir Larven.”

  “I expect so. But, a very powerful, slightly oafish woman not of either of our worlds is very worried about you.”

  “A… Amala? Sh-She’s alive?”

  Larven looks over his shoulder briefly and nods. “I didn’t expect to meet you so soon, but she is watching over you. We’re balancing caution with your safety. If you need us to evacuate you immediately, I can do so, but it has a very real risk of sparking a civil war.”

  Zuzia swallows her saliva, glancing at Yaulander. Larven returns his gaze forward, standing imposingly as Sundenelle’s new knight.

  “You… you serve the Empire, though, don’t you?”

  “I am currently serving the Empress, but only because there are two distinct factions before us. Sundenelle is in the midst of allying the Empire with the Fievegal, while Yaulander is working in direct opposition to us.”

  “The Fievegal… You serve Daniel?”

  “I do, my Lady.”

  “I… If… I ask for his help… will he save me?”

  “Yes,” replies Larven sincerely. “It will be a catastrophe, but he will stop at nothing to see you freed.”

  “And add me to his harem, no doubt…”

  Larven can’t help but chuckle, and she scowls at him. “Apologies, my Lady. If you knew Daniel, you would know that he is secretly praying that you won’t want to be in his harem. That said, the Empresses will entice and tease you. But, first, we want to try to lure Yaulander out from under his title and sever his influence entirely.”

  “Can… you tell me if… Serrentuk…?”

  “He’s still contracted to his master, but he’s being held in a mana-suppressing location so the contract has no power over him. We know a way to remove contracts, but it’s extremely dangerous. Once he’s free, we plan to launch a more direct assault against Yaulander. What they’re discussing right now is to fish information out about the fire Yaulander started a couple days ago.”

  “Others know about that?” asks Zuzia, surprised.

  “Indeed. Some may try to blame us, including the Grand Prince, but the plan is to get the nobles of the Empire and other territories that are in its path to beg the Fievegal for aid so that we can operate in a much greater capacity, even if the means is destructive.”

  “Meaning… I’m stuck here for now…”

  “As I said, if we must turn on the Empire to protect you, we will.”

  “Why?” asks the otherworlder woman. “None of you know me. Why would you go so far?”

  “Please allow me to be blunt, my Lady.”

  “I’d prefer it, honestly.”

  “Thank you. The truth is, we want you neutral and free because you are probably among the top five most dangerous ‘weapons’ that could be used against us, and we already know Yaulander is our enemy. A second of the top five’s neutrality or loyalty hinges on whether or not we save you. And, a third may very well hinge on his loyalty.”

  “The second is Serrentuk?” asks Zuzia.

  “Yes. He and Lady Senn are superior to most in sheer magical talent, as well as mana capacity. And, we have seen a glimpse of what you are capable of. We have our own individuals who can compete, but to foolishly coax three such powerful warriors into being our enemies, or leaving them in our enemy’s control… Well, I assume you can do simple math.”

  “I won’t be a weapon for Daniel or the Fievegal, even after, or rather, if you people manage to save me before I figure out a way to save myself.”

  “Everyone is genuinely surprised by the chaotic maneuver you just completed, as slave contracts generally restrict a person from endangering their master or standing by while they are in danger. You will likely not be afforded such freedom going forward.”

  Zuzia crosses her arms, seeming to know he’s right. “Point is, if Daniel leaves me free, I won’t kill his enemies. I won’t break walls. I won’t even lift one stone.”

  “If the time were to ever come, he will ask for help, not order. Your rescue is completely unrelated. The only catch will be to not attack us in return.”

  She scoffs looking towards the sky again.

  The dragon adds softly, “One last thing I was given to help prove that we aren’t your enemies, hopefully…” He presents a small object; a flag with white on top and red on bottom. It halts Zuzia for a long moment. She thought she would never see it again.

  The flag of her homeland, Poland.

  She is captivated by it for a long moment, and Larven adds softly, “Daniel just wanted to make sure you knew we’re aware of your identity as an otherworlder.” He holds up a second flag, similarly small, saying softly, “This is Daniel’s homeland flag, as I’ve been told.” She easily recognizes the American red-white-and-blue, and Zuzia feels a strange relief at something so mundane being presented to her. She takes the small Polish flag, admiring it for a moment. Larven continues, “Amalaskae is… rather ignorant of Earth, it seems. But, Daniel was certain that your homeland similarly values freedom and human rights…”

  “Yes,” chokes out Zuzia. “Is… Is Amalaskae really… alive?” asks the Polish brunette after his words fully sink in, and the flag really registers for her.

  “She is. If you wish for her to come…”

  “No… She was put in danger because of me. And, I don’t want Yaulander to figure out how my abilities which rely on her work.” She wipes her face, trying to hide the tears that are trickling down them. “God sent me his sweetest angel, and… I failed her.”

  “Zuzia…”

  “No,... It’s true. Please tell Amalaskae not to return my equipment to me until I’m freed. I refuse to let that jerk have even a single modern matchstick.” She keeps an eye on the group, which is now bickering over the fire that Sundenelle saw from the air.

  The otherworlder human withdraws something from her sock, and she hands it to Larven. “Sir Larven, please give this to Amalaskae. I’ll do what I can to endure Yaulander, but I think he’s going to do something rather vile to me as soon as he can get me out of the public eye.”

  “Has… he?” asks Larven as he looks over the object she gave him. It’s a wristwatch, as described by Daniel, though this one doesn’t have the cell phone-like screen Daniel mentioned. Instead, it has a sort of rustic and well-worn quality to it. More importantly, it has a secondary circular display that seems to turn depending on the angle the watch face turns. Rather, the arrow seems to always try to point in one direction.

  Zuzia shakes her head with a smile in answer to his question. “Not yet. Just threats and beatings, though Amala gave me particularly thick skin.” She can’t help how much her smile widens at the thought, while tears well in her eyes once more. “This is my Grandfather’s watch. It’s very precious to me, and I was too afraid to part with it. If you make me hunt you down to kill you, Sir Larven, I will not make it gentle.”

  Larven, no, Neith turns around and kneels as he accepts the watch. He is creating an illusion for everyone else, but he cannot allow him to take such a responsibility lightly. Zuzia blushes and squeaks, “Uh… Wait! I…” She glances nervously at the group, but Neith speaks sincerely and with his normal humanoid voice. “Zuzia, whose real name I will not speak here, I, Neith gur Lawson, adopted brother of the Emperor of the Fievegal, have heard and accept this great honor and responsibility. I shall not let this watch fall into hands other than your own or Amalaskae’s upon your freedom.”

  “Geez! What are you doing!? They’ll see you!”

  “They will not. And, if they do, they will face me.” He rises to his full height, standing a little taller than her as he takes his helmet off to give her a smile. “I swear on my life to protect your treasure. And, I will do what I can to hasten your freedom. I do not take this trust lightly, and I will answer trust with trust.”

  Zuzia is blushing as she stares at his face, as well as his sincerity. Neith tilts his head, since he can tell something is shifting. He lifts his helmet to put it back on, but hesitates when Zuzia fidgets.

  The brunette bashfully replies, “Jezu... No, czemu ty...? That… was so embarrassing. How did you say that with a straight face?”

  Neith is a smart dragon, even if he can be a little naive and tunnel-visioned. He doesn’t recognize the language of the first part, but he realizes immediately it must be her native tongue, since Daniel has mentioned that, even in their interconnected world, Earthlings speak many different languages depending on their country and culture.

  He also knows that an overwhelming degree of sincerity can be exactly that; overwhelming to modern Earthlings. He smirks and replies, “My Liege and Brother has said that I am a little too sincere sometimes. But, a good problem to have in my opinion.”

  She scoffs, and Neith nods before putting his helmet back on. He quickly tucks the watch into a secure pocket on his chest, and he faces the group again, relaxing the illusion as the group starts to disperse. He says, “Yaulander is calling for you. He doesn’t yet see you. I’ll restore sound now.”

  “Wait… Beware of Yaulander. The temper isn’t always real. There are times he can turn it on and off at will.”

  Neith nods and drops the silencing spell. Immediately, Yaulander’s voice snaps, “Rat! Cease these games and show yourself!”

  Zuzia whispers, “Thank you, Sir N… Sir Larven.” She then calls out, “I’m here, your Majesty.”

  The dragon nods subtly as she jogs past him, and he acts like he is surprised by her appearing behind him.

  The blond Grand Prince starts scolding her, though his tone is more level this time as he puts on a show of composure. Neith, back in full disguise as Larven, can see what she meant.

  He subtly approaches Sundenelle and asks, “My Liege…”

  She perks up and looks at him. “Sir Larven?”

  “I… have a request.” He looks at Yaulander and Zuzia as he makes her carry his carriage’s trunk.

  “I’m not going to like this request, am I?” asks Sundenelle quietly.

  “If you cannot delay Yaulander’s impending cruelty towards her, Daniel will be forced to intervene. And, he will be less likely to concern himself with the fire.”

  The albino Empress sighs. “Do you intend to speak for me when I become an Empress of the Fievegal, Brother-in-Law?”

  Larven scoffs and replies, “You are welcome to verify with your Fiance, your Majesty, but…”

  “Yaulander,” calls out Sundenelle, extending trust to her new knight. “A moment.” She gestures for Larven to step forward, and he walks towards the two.

  “You are cleared of any suspicion, but we have not questioned your servant.”

  “What?” asks Yaulander with an irritated edge to his tone.

  “It’s only natural, is it not? Who else should I have answer for the frightful charge on the Imperial Palace?”

  It’s clear that Yaulander doesn’t really want to let Zuzia out of his sight, since she’s a powerful weapon, and likely one of the only defenses he’ll be able to reliably employ if he finds someone powerful in front of him.

  Such as the dragon approaching him now.

  “Sir Larven, arrest this woman for questioning. Don’t worry, Yaulander. I’ll assign a detachment of Imperial guards until your personal guard can catch up to you.” She signals with her hand, and Ecklevon bows, immediately assigning several of the knights to escort the deadlocked Grand Prince.

  Larven takes Zuzia’s bicep, saying, “Miss, I’ll need you to come with me. Please set the trunk down without fuss.”

  Zuzia replies a little sourly, “I can’t without orders from my master, Sir Knight.”

  “Grand Prince Yaulander, in the name of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Sundenelle, please order your servant to cooperate with the arrest and interrogation.”

  Yaulander hesitates for a long time, and Larven starts, “Your Highness…”

  “Rat… Cooperate with the investigation. You are to speak only of what relates to the investigation and nothing more. Return to me at once as soon as the investigation is complete.”

  “As you wish, Master.” Zuzia allows Larven to take the trunk, and he sets it down nearby, intentionally demonstrating that he can handle the weight just as easily as her. He isn’t certain that Yaulander was sizing up his chances against Sundenelle’s unknown new knight, and he doesn’t have enough information about what happened the night prior.

  Larven takes Zuzia to escort her back to the Empress, and once out of earshot of the frustrated Grand Prince, who storms towards his own quarters to get cleaned up, Zuzia murmurs, “Thanks, Sir Neith…”

  “Your thanks belong to her Imperial Majesty.” He brings Zuzia before the Empress, and whispers, “Please kneel. She’s on our side.”

  Zuzia cooperates, saying quietly, “Your Majesty,... Forgive me if I offend with my appearance, or anything else. I can and will explain.”

  “Have the Grand Prince or his men laid their hands on you?”

  “Only physical strikes. Don’t worry about it. So far, I have avoided… worse.”

  “I see…” Sundenelle says a little more loudly, “Sir Larven, I do believe this barbaric woman will need to be questioned quite thoroughly.” She smirks, retorting, “Bring her with us. I will ask her each and every person who could have possibly schemed with her to carry out this brazen antic.”

  “As you wish, my Liege.”

  “Let’s go.” Sundenelle excuses herself from the nobles, leading the two deep into the Imperial Palace.

  There, she has Zuzia bathed and provided with clean clothing to the brunette’s obvious grateful relief. Because the pretense of an interrogation needs to continue, Sundenelle bathes with her, while Larven stands just inside the room to watch over them with his back turned to the bath itself.

  Zuzia is candid, a little jaded, but otherwise quite amiable, thanks in no small part to the news that Amalaskae is still alive and watching over her.

  Gold, is now a good time? transmits Larven via telepathy.

  Screw off, Neith. I have a real name now. Ask me nicely and I might tell you what it is.

  Larven ponders for a moment.

  Empress Reignleif, is now a good time?

  Good enough, Neith. Hm? Did you attempt to contact Jeavana first?

  If Gold is now Jeavana, then yes.

  Don’t ignore me! snaps the golden dragon’s voice through telepathy. It makes sense they’re near enough to each other for Reignleif to have noticed Jeavana reacting to seemingly nothing.

  Larven sighs. He includes both of them when he transmits, Lady Zuzia is in the capital. Yaulander just arrived thanks to her, and we’re using passive delay tactics to keep her away from him. But, we’ll need a longer term solution to protect her. It sounds like mere fists and clubs are not going to be the limit.

  The hell am I supposed to do about it? retorts Jeavana.

  Forgive me, Lady Jeavana. I had no idea that you were an Empress already.

  What!?

  Reignleif’s soft and captivating voice giggles through the connection as well, and she replies, Thank you for telling us, Neith. We’re still scraping by with mana, but I will have Xyreko deploy a golem to protect her as subtly as possible. Do not lose track of her. I’ll send it to your location very soon.

  Thank you, your Grace.

  Neith, as my first order as Empress, I order you to punch yourself in the face really hard. I mean really hard. Break your face. And bring me your teeth as proof.

  Again, Reignleif giggles, and Larven smiles. The blue Empress adds, Keep us posted, Neith. Mukori, Senn, and Hekate will be surveying the fire any moment now. Then, we’ll be awaiting requests for aid from the Imperials. Keep Sundenelle and Zuzia safe to the best of your ability.

  I will. Should… it come to blows…?

  Sundenelle, Byleathea, and Zuzia are our top priorities in that order. If Zuzia is your opponent, you must withdraw. She can almost certainly kill you in one blow.

  Good to know… Larven turns an ear momentarily to ensure there is no change in tone, and Sundenelle is having a rather casual conversation with Zuzia, straying far off topic of an ‘interrogation’ as Zuzia recounts her journey so far.

  One last question, your Grace.

  Go ahead, replies Jeavana’s voice facetiously.

  Larven rolls his eyes, continuing, If I have the opportunity, may I assassinate the Grand Prince?

  There’s a long silence, since everyone knows why there must be discretion. Neith, as Larven, will likely have several opportunities that could vanish at any moment and never return. But, Daniel is hesitant to go beyond retaliation and preemptively strike at his enemy’s heart. He could kill all of the rulers of the world that way if he really wanted, with the many advantages the Fievegal still has the edge on.

  But, morally, the line is unmanageably blurred. If killing Yaulander would end the war entirely, Daniel would be far more cooperative with the notion. But,...

  I’ll give you the permission to do so, Neith, starts Jeavana’s voice. But we all know the Harbinger won’t accept your excuse if you obey.

  And, if we can, we need to lure out his allies as well. Do not act rashly. But… If the Grand Prince does meet a truly unfortunate accident due to his own incompetence or negligence, who are we to take credit for it?

  Understood, your Grace, my Lady. I will inform you of any changes, but otherwise, I recall nothing of today. I simply listened to two young women bathing.

  Be careful Neith, and good luck.

  Just before he drops the telepathic connection, Larven adds, Ah, and Jeavana, congratulations on the new name. It’s quite a beautiful name.

  He leaves it at that, since she’ll likely be at least partially embarrassed.

  More importantly, he needs to try and think of more ways to help keep Zuzia safe and unharmed until they can actually rescue her.

  If you have a way to solve this, my Liege, I would be most grateful.

  Sundenelle and Zuzia appear alongside Larven as he ponders, dressed and followed by several maids.

  “Come, Sir Larven. I’m famished and shall continue the interrogation in my office.”

  “Don’t I need to be… I don’t know… questioned by an Inquisitor or something? Y-Your Majesty.” asks Zuzia, seeming to know there is distinct funny business going on.

  “If I need to drag it out longer,” replies the Empress bluntly. “Until then, just keep answering my questions. Yaulander will catch on eventually and protest, but until then, I can buy at least a few more hours if not days.”

  “Thank you…” replies Zuzia softly.

  Sundenelle smiles, though she jokes with Larven as they walk, “Sir Larven, do help me to keep Miss Zuzia away from my fiance. I have enough competition already.”

  All three chuckle softly, and Zuzia replies, “Trust me, I have asked for Sir Larven’s reassurance that I not be made a harem consort to a fellow lecherous otherworlder who will supposedly come to my aid with no strings attached.”

  Sundenelle makes a face, and Zuzia worries a little. “Wh-What?”

  “Same person,” replies Larven bluntly, and Zuzia blushes.

  “Oh… Y-... You’re… becoming a member of his harem?”

  “By choice, thankfully,” replies the albino empress. “Daniel has a sort of charm that I do admire, but uniting the Fievegal and Empire, regardless of my personal feelings, is a most pragmatic choice.”

  “And, an Emperor and a superweapon, then?” asks the otherworlder. “Is that pragmatic as well?”

  “I’m sure it would be, but Daniel isn’t like that. I had to twist his arm, so to speak, to get him to accept me. After all, he does have quite the selection already, unfortunately.”

  Zuzia frowns a little, but Sundenelle takes her hand to reassure her. “I assure you, you will be safe in the Fievegal, most of all from its Emperor. The enemies of the Fievegal could appear anywhere, but they are the most equipped to deal with them. If you wish to live leisurely or freely, as an apology for my vassal’s reprehensible behavior, I will ensure you have that right as a future Empress of the Fievegal.”

  Zuzia sighs and smiles. “With a dragon and an Empress vouching for me… I guess I have no choice but to go along with this crazy ride, huh?”

  “For now.”

  The group continues on to Sundenelle’s office to eat and prepare for the conference to deal with the fire.

  While Sundenelle has some idea of how formidable this flame will be, no one can predict the true scope and danger it poses.

  Especially in the presence of the Harbinger of Calamity.

  ***