The morning ca with a vengeance. Swore my head had barely hit the pillow before Calbern was shaking awake to the scent of sothing sweet. I was glad I'd convinced Nexxa that alcohol would've been a bad idea.
Even if she had a spell that could wipe the effects away, it was much easier to rise from bed without a hangover in the way. Not to ntion that I never wanted to head down that path again.
Calbern had half dressed by the ti I rembered we were up earlier than I was used to, simply due to the sun rising earlier in this part of the world. Jet lag without the jet. Luckily the ceremony was only three hours, so I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad. It wasn't until Calbern had finished dressing that I noticed the change to my outfit.
"A cape? Really?"
"It is the current fashion in the king's high court, master Perth. And personally, I think you look quite dashing."
"I don't see you wearing a cape," I grumbled in reply while turning to inspect the green and purple flap of cloth. I had to admit, the embroidery was well done, with the wolf's head of my magecrest in the center.
"It would hardly do for to dress as a Magus Dominus, master Perth," he stated, his face entirely still, yet I swore I heard a note of amusent in his voice.
"You're enjoying this."
"Of course, master Perth. I find great satisfaction in caring for my duties."
"I'll rember this when I'm a great and mighty Dragon-souled," I warned him, shaking a finger in his direction.
"Excellent. I'd hate to think you'd forget my service." At that, he stood back, giving a nod. "Yes, that'll do."
"I guess," I conceded, tugging at the cape before following him out of the room. It was a little annoying to find Nexxa waiting without a cape of her own.
"Oh, no fair. I want one," she said, imdiately stepping forward to tug at the cape much like I’d done seconds earlier. “Oh, it’s so soft. And these colors!”
Calbern retrieved a package sitting next to her door, holding it out to her. "I knew my lady had excellent taste."
"Hey now," I objected, though I was unable to contain my laugh.
Calbern simply ignored as he helped Nexxa adjust her cape. The fabric was longer than mine, and it even ca with a hood. In fact, it was large enough she could draw it around herself… she hadn’t gotten a cape at all. "Why'd she get a cloak?" I asked, while tugging at my cape again.
"Because that is the current fashion for a lady of the Pegasus in the City on the Water, master Perth," Calbern said, bowing slightly.
Nexxa shot another teasing grin as Calbern lead us down the stairs to a waiting gondola. Our gondolier chose a more upbeat song for our morning journey. By the ti we arrived at the palace, I felt fully awake. Awake, but not ready.
Althon wasn't a known quantity, such as Perth's father or even my old man. Obviously, he was a mage of incredible power and a friend of Perth's father. Despite that, all I’d found in the archives was that he was one of the oldest Dragon-souled royalty. Calbern had talked to his folk, and it sounded like he treated the folk of the capital well. Nexxa said that word among the monster hunters of the west was, unless it was in the Frigid Peaks, he only got involved in beating back the monsters when it got really bad. Like, kingdoms had already been overrun, levels of bad.
And, I supposed, we now knew that he liked capes in his court.
We drew up to the entrance ramp, which had eleven small wooden docks attached to each side. We pulled up at the second closest dock, where we bid our gondolier goodbye before climbing up the stairs to the ramp. Looking back towards the water, I noted that if soone had an amphibious vehicle, they could drive straight up.
With a skip in her step, Nexxa tugged at my sleeve, pulling towards the palace entrance.
Great pillars lined the ramp, water flowing past through transparent aqueducts. From what I could tell, it was rely for display.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
I was proven wrong when we reached the pair of rich mahogany doors. They stood tall enough I could've driven a bus through them. As Calbern stepped forward to greet a young attendant, the water was diverted over great wooden wheels. Those wheels pulled tight a great chain that drew the doors open, slowly revealing the hall within.
Passing through that hall, Nexxa finally spoke. “This is a little intimidating.”
“Think that’s the point,” I said, staring up at the stone arches above us. Each one was carved from a single piece of stone. Or at least appeared to be. Hiring an ensouled to forge them together would be just as impressive, in my opinion.
We were not guided to the main throne room, but one of the side halls instead, which while much smaller, was still large. That said, it was only the size of a spacious ballroom, not a football stadium as I pictured the main throne room must be.
The room had an open floor with a single throne. Despite the fact no one was on the floor, that didn’t an the room was empty. Along the sides, raised six feet above the floor were twelve separate alcoves, each one with at least four people seated within. In the alcoves closest to the throne, I spotted several folk stuck with the sa cape I now wore.
Our presence was announced on entry, a tradition Perth was unfamiliar with and sothing I'd only seen on TV.
"Magus Dominus Perth Seleus Aranor, presenting to his Majesty Althon," the young man who’d t Calbern at the door bellowed out from beside .
Across the room, on his throne of jagged gold and shining sapphires sat a figure of indeterminate age and gender. If I hadn't been told Althon was male, I wouldn't have been able to guess. Nor would I have guessed he’d been alive for more than half a millennium.
There was a sort of tilessness about him, but one that sat in the uncanny valley, making everything about him feel subtly off.
"Magus Dominus Lenexxa Asina Aranor, presenting to his Majesty Althon," the young man bellowed out, announcing Nexxa as I took my first step down.
I tried not to chuckle at the fact that Perth had never known that Nexxa's full na was Lenexxa. Only the presence of Althon at the far end of the room stopped . Still, I had every intention of teasing her about it later.
Calbern had, thankfully, passed on instructions of how we were supposed to act. Every dragon-souled had their own preferences for holding court. So preferred a cozier atmosphere, and you wouldn’t even be invited inside unless you were considered a friend. Others would put you through literal trials by fire. In comparison, Althon’s requirents were rather mild. Side by side, Nexxa and I walked down the center of the hall before coming to a stop before the dragon-souled Magus Dominus of the City on the Water.
We both inclined our heads, while never taking our eyes off of Althon. Looking away would be a sign of extre disrespect. I hadn't understood why when we were given the instruction, but now that we’d walked his halls and t him face to face, it made a sort of sense, I supposed. He clearly put a lot of effort into the theatre of it all.
Which also explained the next part.
Doing my best not to display nervousness beneath the gaze of the assembled audience, I stepped forward. For all my effort, when I first attempted to speak, my voice caught.
Public speaking had never been part of my skill set.
Despite myself, I glanced towards Nexxa. She gave just the slightest of nods. I swallowed, then locked my eyes back on Althon. He t my gaze, blinking languidly, as though dragging out the action to emphasize my hesitation.
It was enough.
"I, Perth of Aranor, ascending Mage-soul, pledge myself to Althon, High King of the City on the Water, as a Magus Dominus," I said, trying to raise my voice without actually yelling. Not sothing I'd had much practice with. Calbern was a master of it.
A second later, Nexxa copied . According to Calbern, her going second was a statent of her seniority, while us presenting ourselves together expressed our desire to be seen as allies. For sothing I saw as a re stopping point, there was a lot of ceremony involved. "I, Lenexxa of Aranor, ascending Pegasus-soul, pledge myself to Althon, High King of the City on the Water, as a Magus Dominus."
There were nurous gasps and muttering at Nexxa's declaration. I wasn't sure if it was because of her rank, her age, or the combination. Either way, it was clear she was of much more interest than . I had no problem with that.
I also didn’t have much ti to consider it, as that sensation I felt when I first swore my oath returned, sothing inside shifting.
"I welco you both," Althon said, having no issues projecting his voice to fill the room, despite the sibilance in his voice. All the muttering imdiately stopped as he stood from his throne, taking two steps towards us. Not sothing Calbern had ntioned in his briefing.
Unsure of how to respond, I simply stood still.
"Our friend, Aranor, has sent us a great gift. A prodigy the likes of which we have not seen since the fall of old Anvia!"
He gestured to Nexxa, who straightened her shoulders, as if attempting to get just that little bit taller.
"Fly," I muttered under my breath, though I was certain she'd hear .
Nexxa didn't respond, and I didn’t know if she thought of it herself, or if she took my advice, but she lifted off the ground several inches. As she did so, she sent sparks arcing along her arms, then above her head into a halo. There were further gasps from the audience, and for a second, I almost smiled.
But Althon chose that mont to take another step down, bringing him to Nexxa’s eye level.
"And what do we do when we receive such a wondrous gift?" Althon asked, turning to the side and waving his arms to encompass the audience.
"Celebrate!" ca the resounding answer, shaking the ground beneath my feet.
In that mont, Nexxa was in her full glory, one hand held upward, lightning cascading up and down in an arc over her, like a god of lighting.
However, my eyes had never left Althon. And I couldn't help but notice the hunger behind his eyes as his long forked tongue flicked over his lips.
Then those eyes shifted towards .
And gave a slow lazy wink.
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