Empress of Fire Chapter 46: Draw a Sword

'8 golden royals, 217 silver eagles, 52 bronze bits.'

At one point in my life, seeing this treasure would have caused to faint. But now, it was little more than simple piles of tal; a resource to be used for empowering myself.

As the days passed, my fa grew. My little territory was as safe as could reasonably be expected. Most of my businesses used so kind of magical item to enhance themselves. Unber the baker, now pumped out more bread than he could sell. Diane, being proactive in her information-gathering duties, bought this bread from Unber and gave it to poor children within the city. In return, they provided mostly useless information, but occasionally, so bits proved to be worthwhile. I've avoided conflicts with other gangs, prevented cri, and thwarted an attempt to rob my ho. Just from offering bread to a few starving children.

The through traffic increased significantly, with many stalls taking up the streets. Through Derek's influence, the guards didn't cause any trouble. Though occasionally they would request items.

At the center of the network of power was . Sera the Magus, without proper knowledge of how my abilities worked, most thought I could turn an individual to ash at my will, which was true with the condensed wood or my energy furnace.

Everyone using as the central pillar for safety and security created an obvious problem: What would happen if I disappeared?

The answer was simple: Everything collapses.

The people should have rejected the magic. But the convenience offered was too tempting. Why waste ti lugging water from the well when you can have clean water in your ho at your command without any effort?

Terrified that your family won't survive the winter? Well, the magus can use magic heaters and freeze a large amount of at and produce. So we can live happily, not having to worry about starvation.

Gratitude seed endless. Every morning, Unber sent fresh bread, rich and slathered with butter. In the evening, I received several at pies to be served with his best cuts. The tanners, leather workers, and cobblers sent fine boots and leather gloves for my crew and . Many more sought to curry favor, and I shalessly accepted everything.

The local baker shared his recipes for fruit tarts without asking and sent several to my ho every supper.

Ashe and Mar were backed by my power and sporting arms and armor as good as any knight. Two-bit thugs had no chance against them. They beca well-known for their ruthless crackdown on any cri, bringing stability. Townspeople were more than happy to report anyone suspicious lurking around. And as soon as my crew caught them, they would be beaten to an inch of their lives to the cheers and approval of my people. And since I made sure they never brutalized any innocence, they were feared but never hated. In fact, they received as many gifts as I did.

Safety, security, peace. While I said in jest that they were paralytic, this small territory proved to be wise. I hadn't used magic to cause harm for over two weeks.

My days spent experinting with magic were peaceful, and though I had no great breakthroughs, I used my ti well. First was creating a silver and gold inlaid arcane source. The foot-wide ring had three detachable legs. It only did two things: pull air through the ring and provide energy.

Next was a silver cup with gold inlay that contained three circuits. One to summon water, another to heat, and the third to cool. Unfortunately, there was no one in the city skilled at tattoos to create the arcane circuit on my palms, similar to the ones Elis had.

However, my ti as a maidservant proved to be useful; instead of burning the arcane source and load into my glove. I used heavy silk thread to sew the pattern into black calf skin gloves. It was more efficient than burning in the runes. I moved on to my armor. A fine set of steel, complete with shoulder pauldrons, a chest plate with a slightly feminine cuirass. Reembrace to protect my biceps and vambrace for my forearms. Cuisses for my thighs, greaves for my calves, and heavy steel boots.

I didn't want full plate, since I would never actually face an opponent head-on. With a gorget for my neck and proper chainmail, the entire suit had considerable weight but was still lighter than I expected. The articulated gauntlets were probably the most interesting piece of the entire set. I was probably overdoing it when combining it with my barrier. But why not be as safe as possible? The final piece was a full helt with a foldable face guard.

Colette delivered the items quickly, though, so I was obligated to deliver on my end.

I wasn't exactly a fighting woman, but hopefully it would be enough to block a stray arrow or sword I wasn't prepared for. Inside the armor were even more circuits. The chest plate had a circuit to heat the air, and another to cool it. Along with a backup set of barrier circuits.

Moving my chill box, I pried up so of the floor boards and added the gold-inlaid source circuit and cup.

Still, as I stared down at all my tools, I considered what else I would need if I ever had to run and survive in the forests.

~

I placed the final touch on the miniature energy furnace. The intake tubes for the bellows needed to push a significant amount of air, far more than a simple heat absorption ring could provide. The mini energy furnace was only four feet tall and had a single silver inlaid source circle in the exhaust. Bound to the circle were two tubes. Each was a foot wide and four feet long; they stood on sturdy legs to raise them to the level needed for the bellows. On the outer lip of the tube was a simple circuit to pull in air and a removable ring on the lip to turn the circuit on and off. Bind it in a series, and the project was done. It actually took more ti to gather the cheap pig iron needed than to actually make the items.

Not long after, a cart pulled up near the rear of my warehouse and five burly n hopped down. Followed by Colette in her armor. Mar and Ashe were following behind.

After I opened the rear fence, they headed inside. Most eyes were glued to the tall energy furnace. Or the massive silver inlaid transformation circle in the center.

Ashe Mar and Colette's n were eyeing each other dangerously, as is customary for etings between thugs.

Colette stepped forward, looking at the circle, fascinated.

"So, this is a proper arcane circle. It's beautiful. The tal is perfectly flat, impossible with casting. How?" Colette asked.

"Magic," I answered unhelpfully.

Then she focused on the tool she had ordered. Like the ring, the tal cylinders were uncanny to look at; the tubes were simply too perfectly straight. However, since it was low-quality iron, impurities caused uneven cooling and eventually slight warping in the tal. Still, it was far more precise than casting or hamring could create.

"May I test?" She asked. Looking at the small furnace and tubes.

"Sure, just follow what I told you," I said, reminding her of my instructions.

She nodded, opened the door for the small furnace, and tossed in a few logs.

"I'll light it," I said.

I extended a hand and burned the logs inside. The heat from my fire instantly ignited the wood. That gave the air suction circuit enough power to sustain the burning.

Collette glanced at my left hand with a small amount of fear. No matter how many tis soone saw magic, the fact that I could seemingly summon fla from nowhere demanded respect and fear.

I nodded to her, and she closed the furnace. Then she picked up the tal ring, slotting it in the outer lip of one of the tubes. Instantly, the circuit activated, and a massive amount of air flowed through. The condensed spiraling stream of air was probably many tis more powerful than what a bellows could produce.

"Incredible," Colette muttered as she placed her hand near the exit of the tube, feeling the strong stream of air.

"As agreed, simply replace the bellows with this, seal it with so clay, and there you have it. So long as that burns, everything works. Occasionally, you'll have to empty the furnace of ash, but not to worry, just set it ablaze again, and everything works. " Even the idiot thugs had to pause and stare at the simple use of magic.

Colette looked at as if daring to lie to her.

"If you really wanted to, how many of these could you make in a day?"

I shrugged, "A couple, more if I had help."

She seed to be getting more heated by the mont. "All this power, in the hands of a child." She muttered.

I chuckled, "You seem displeased. Please don't tell that I should be using my power for good."

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, "Do you know how many lives could be saved if every bloory had sothing like this?"

I didn't actually care, "Dozens, hundreds, why does it matter?"

"More like thousands every year."

I shrugged, "So, what if a few peasants die operating the bloories. How is this my problem to solve?"

Colette was getting angrier by the mont. "Have you seen a man die from black lung? It is slow and painful."

Rolling my eyes, I gestured to the item I made for her, "Two golden royals, three suits of plate armor. That is what the ti it took to make those was worth. By comparison, human life doesn't co close."

I'm not sure what I said exactly that triggered such intense rage in the woman. But in the next mont, she drew her blade. I always wore my dallion, and it was always active. Instantly, I strengthened the pushing field, since she was only a few feet away from ; it looked like nothing happened.

Everyone else pulled blades sohow due to a few words; this entire evening could end in a blood bath.

'How dare she.'

I expanded the circle of influence and stared at the irate woman.

"Worm, you think to draw a blade within my ho."

With my energy furnace not ten steps away, and my dallion using silver and gold inlaid runes. My pushing field was my most efficient and powerful circuit.

I strengthened the binding, and an invisible force pushed her towards the rear of my warehouse.

Anger turned to panic as she realized her mistake. With so much energy at my fingertips, the pushing field practically threw her against the rear wall. Then I pushed the binding even further. With nowhere to go, the push field trapped her limbs against the wall. Against , her plate armor was a liability.

Her panic-stricken face was covered with sweat as she realized she lacked the strength to fight the force holding her to the wall.

"I invite you to my ho, and you pull a blade. I've killed people for far less. Are you a fool? Do you wish for death?"

"I-"

"Silence," I commanded. Pushing the strength of the binding further, I could hear the creaking of the wood she pressed against. I debated whether I should push the binding even further until she flew through the wooden wall. But that would result in her flying into my room.

"Cant breathe." She forced out.

'Right, she's probably wearing chainmail. The pressure must be crushing her chest.'

I eased the binding, and the relief in her face was palpable.

"I do not care for your petty grievances or whatever childish emotion caused you to draw your blade in the ho of a magus. What? My disregard for life offends you."

I observed her struggling face; her foolish anger led to her death. My disgust was palpable. "Pathetic. One peasant or thousands, it doesn't matter. In fact, do you think your life matters to ?"

Even though I eased the pressure so she could breathe, it wasn't nearly enough for her to talk; her words sounded more like pained gargles.

I ignored the shouting and cursing coming from her crew and mine. A small fla burst forth from my palm as I stared into her terrified eyes, ready to turn her to ash.

'Wait, Myr, think of the consequences.'

I closed my eyes for long monts, contemplating the fallout of her death. I combined everything I knew about her, the city, and the gangs, then I reached a conclusion.

'Lucky worm, you get to live.'

I extinguished the fire and reduced the binding. Allowing her to fall to the ground. She gasped repeatedly, filling her lungs with air.

"You get to live, child. Your foolishness nearly cost you everything. Rember this mont, for I do not believe in second chances." I gave her my coldest gaze, revealing how little her life ant to . "Do. You. Understand?" I asked, my voice had no inflection or emotion.

'Too much defiance in her eyes, and she dies.'

"Yes," she forced out.

She looked up at , her eyes filled with a combination of anger and resignation. But my words hit the mark; she knew she had blundered.

'Not quite as cowed as I would like, but acceptable.'

"Take your items and leave with your n. Bother no further."

Colette glanced over to her n, who were still in a standoff with Mar and Ashe.

"Gather the items, let's leave." She commanded, a slight tremble in her voice.

Slowly, swords lowered, as both sides realized that there would be no fighting.

~

Mar, Ashe, and I watched as Colette and her n rode off with the items. This text is hosted at n0velfire

Ashe looked at , her expression filled with confusion. "Why you aint kill her?"

"Wouldn't be worth it. Too many problems would result from her death." I explained.

"You can't let things like that slide by, Sera, they'll co back and bite you," Mar said.

I rolled my eyes at their limited thinking.

"Her territory. Do you rember what it looked like?" I asked my crew.

Ashe stared off into the distance, bringing up the mory. "Better than most o' the city. Don't see why that's important."

"She's one woman, without the massive force that is Magic. She maintains stability in her territory, which I remind you is five tis the size of mine. The people looked at her not with hate but admiration." Then I refocused on Ashe, " What happens when she dies?"

"They start fightin' over who gets her place?" Mar answered.

"Exactly."

Ashe scoffed, "Still think you should've killed her. Don't matter if people in her territory start fightin'."

I sighed and continued to explain. "With her death cos chaos, fighting. The iron trade within the city would be severely impacted, which would adversely affect nurous businesses. You might think this is a simple matter, but it goes further. Derek would have to step in to stabilize the situation. However, not a few days ago, he just spent a massive amount of coin and influence taking Kent's territory. The stability is fragile; conflict within his own lieutenants, particularly two of the more prominent ones, would hinder this process, resulting in even further cascading chaos. Rivals will crawl out of every hole as soon as they find weaknesses in his power base to exploit."

Ashe was about to say sothing, but I cut her off and continued, "The guards, prominent businessn, and minor nobility, and even the baroness, to a certain degree, rely on the gang leaders to keep conflict to a minimum, maintaining the flow of coin. That is why we had such a short window of opportunity to take Kent's territory."

Mar didn't look convinced. "So, all that will co crumblin' down if you kill Colette?"

I nodded, "Yes, in fact, I have no doubt it would."

"Alright, I guess I can see it. But why you care if the whole city gets mad? You can fight off anyone." Ashe asked.

"My goal is to stabilize this territory, allowing free rein to improve my magical abilities. Killing her only hinders my goal. I haven't even ntioned how significant iron is to trade."

Mar rubbed the stubble on his face, staring down at the ground in contemplation, slowly nodding as my words took root. "You thought all that up so quickly?"

I chuckled, "Hardly, I pay close attention to everything. The state of the citizens, Diane's information on the rival gangs, and gossip. Finally, Colette's own behavior during our etings. She's the honorable type; the casual ntion of murder and rape perturbed her. But during our conquest of Kent territory, did she voice any complaints or fight against the cris that occurred? No. This ans she can be practical, a rarity in people with a large amount of empathy. Combine all that, and the answer to whether or not to kill her becos obvious. "

Ashe still didn't look like she agreed, but at the sa ti, she couldn't find a counter to my argunt.

"What if she ain't as practical as you think and she tries to co at you," Mar asked.

I shrugged, "Then I coordinate with Derek to eliminate her. Everything is risk and managent in the end. Killing her will certainly cause chaos and hinder my own goals. Sparing her will possibly cause her to take steps against . Is my deduction on her temperant and state of mind correct? I think so, at least. But in the end, one outco is certain, the other is possible. I avoid certainties that will hinder ."

Mar shrugged, seeming to run out of questions.

Ashe released a loud breath. "Just don't like people actin' so bold in our territory."

"It's a great folly of humanity to make decisions based on emotion. Look at a situation, consider all you know and understand, then make the best decision based on that information. Anger, pride, honor, goodness, righteousness, or holiness should not factor into it."

Mar and Ashe looked at each other, and a shared joke between them sparked laughter.

"And what's so humorous?" I asked.

Ashe looked at as if there was so great irony I was missing. Then she looked at Mar, "She don't see it."

I gave them a baleful gaze before Mar finally clarified, "You speak like so general or emperor from the stories. And you already said you don't want to be a leader. It's just funny."

Ashe nodded as if in agreent. "Aye, I bet she could take control of the entire city. If she wants."

"Could you?" Mar asked.

I spent a few monts thinking before I answered. "No, at least not for a long period of ti. In the end, this city is a backwater on the south end of the empire. If true imperial power decided to step in, I would be swiftly eliminated."

"What bout Ferosia?" Ashe asked.

'Ferosia? They have no magic. In fact, the practice is outlawed in their lands. But so far from imperial influence, it's not impossible. Though it would take a lifeti.'

"Ferosia isn't impossible. But such thinking is bad for my health. Magic is my true passion. Spending years slowly building a powerbase and eroding the influence of the Feroisan imperial family, church, and aristocracy is not sothing I have interest in."

Ashe grinned as if I said sothing profound, "See, that's it. No one else would say they can conquer an entire kingdom. But you, Sera, you believe you can do it."

Mar laughed and grinned, "Aye, I can see it now, Empress Sera. The bringer o' fire and magic."

I rolled my eyes at their musing. "We have a long day, so let's get to work," I said, nodding to the 50 barrels littering my backyard.

"Why we even filling them with water?" Mar asked.

I shrugged, "It's a project I'm working on. I need to get it done before I et with Derek."

"Oh, right, your business with the baroness. Still don't know what she wants?" Mar asked.

"No, but I will find out eventually. I want that reward."

Both nodded and went off to work. But their words didn't disappear from my mind.

'Empress Myr. It does sound rather appropriate.'

I chuckled, abandoning the stupid thought. Spending my life trying to conquer that failing empire was such a waste of my talents.