The guest chambers turned out to be entire apartnts carved into the massive tree’s trunk.
Each room connected through living archways, with furniture that grew straight from the floor. lisa left the others arguing over sleeping arrangents and wandered the palace corridors.
She needed to think.
Two nim rounded a corner ahead, deep in conversation. The woman carried scrolls. The man wore what looked like guard armor, though lighter than Syux’s style. They walked with purpose, discussing patrol schedules.
[Wait. What?]
lisa stopped dead in the hallway.
The two nim noticed her staring. The woman’s tail flicked with annoyance.
"Can we help you?" she asked.
"I... no. Sorry."
"Then why are you gawking?" The man frowned. "Is there sothing on my face?"
"No! No, I just..." lisa fumbled for words. "You’re nim."
"Obviously." The woman’s eyes narrowed. "And you’re that visiting mage everyone’s talking about. What’s your problem?"
"Nothing! There’s no problem!"
They exchanged looks that clearly said ’weird tourist’ before continuing down the hall. Their conversation resud, sothing about adjusting the eastern watchtower rotation.
lisa stood there, brain short-circuiting.
Nim guards. Nim administrators. Just walking around. Working. Like it was normal.
Because here, it was normal.
"Fascinating, isn’t it?"
"ACK!"
lisa spun. Silviana stood behind her, having appeared from nowhere, all nine tails swaying in perfect synchronization. She looked incredibly smug, and although on anyone else the expression would be very punchable, on her, it looked... fitting.
"Lady Matriarch! I didn’t hear you—"
"I rarely announce myself. The reactions are more fun that way." Those silver eyes sparkled with amusent. "Walk with ?"
lisa nodded and quickly fell into step beside her.
"You seed surprised by my staff," Silviana observed.
"I hadn’t seen nim in positions like that in a while. Guards, administrators..." lisa gestured vaguely. "In Syux, we’re mostly... manual labor."
"Ah. The human approach." Silviana’s tone stayed neutral, but sothing flickered across her face. "Here in Yalmir, we judge by capability, not race. Those two you t? Among my best. Kellen redesigned our entire patrol system. Improved efficiency by thirty percent."
"That’s amazing."
"That’s normal. Or should be. Why would a country’s ruler make do with anything less than the best just because the best happens to be purple?" They turned down another corridor. Palace staff bowed as they passed. Kitsune, nim, even a few humans, though not many. "Tell , lisa Blackfla. How does it feel?"
"How does what feel?"
"Seeing your people as equals. Not as property or trophies like the Rhayan’s would have you. Just... people."
lisa’s throat tightened.
"Strange. I an, good strange! But still strange."
"Mmm." Silviana paused at a balcony overlooking the city. "Despite my criticisms, though, Syux has made progress under young Aria. But old wounds heal slowly."
"She’s trying. The queen, I an. She really is trying to make things better."
"I know. Why do you think I invited her here?" A tail brushed lisa’s arm. "And you. The nim who learned magic. Who saved a human king. Who bridges two worlds whether she realizes it or not."
lisa’s eyes widened.
[... You don’t know quite how true that last statent is, hehe.]
"I’m not that special."
"No?" Silviana turned to face her fully. "You discovered sothing your entire race was told was impossible. How?"
[Careful. Rember the cover story.]
She couldn’t afford to be careless about this sort of thing, even if nim were slowly starting to uncover the truth on their own. Even here, in Yalmir, there was a chance the tolerance of nim among kitsune was owed (at least in part) to the perception from the foxes that they were, well, a lot more powerful intrinsically.
Being honest about just how easy it was for nim to use magic could still have negative effects.
"Practice. Lots of failed attempts. I had good teachers who believed in even when everyone said it was pointless."
"Just practice?"
"Well... and maybe being too stubborn to accept ’impossible’ as an answer."
Silviana laughed.
"Stubborn. Yes, I can see that." She leaned against the balcony rail. "Your Essence manipulation is unique. Different from our thods, from human thods. You’ve created sothing new."
"I had help. My cousin Isabella invented these wands that—"
"I’ve heard. Fascinating work. You surround yourself with revolutionary thinkers."
"More like chaotic disasters, but sure."
Another laugh. Below them, the city pulsed with life. Nim and kitsune mingled freely in the streets.
"This is what Syux could be," Silviana said softly, smiling.
"You really think so?"
"With the right bridges." Those eyes found hers again. "The right people willing to stand between worlds."
Before lisa could respond, a warrior appeared at the corridor’s end. Another kitsune, her expression grim.
"Matriarch," she murmured. "The situation at the border..."
Silviana’s perfect composure cracked for just a second. Her tails imdiately beca less energetic and she sighed deeply.
"Handle it."
"But—"
"I said handle it."
The warrior bowed and vanished.
"Everything alright?" lisa asked.
"Nothing worth discussing." Silviana’s smile returned, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Border politics. Tedious matters that would bore you."
[That’s twice now. What’s happening at the border?]
But lisa kept quiet. Not her country. Not her business. Yet.
"Co." Silviana straightened. "Let show you to your chambers properly. I imagine your family is wondering where you’ve wandered off to."
"Probably. Isabella’s likely claid three beds by now."
"Only three? Given what I heard of your friend, she’s showing restraint."
They walked back through corridors that felt less strange now. Still grand, still magical, but lisa found herself focusing on the people instead. Nim and kitsune working together. Living together.
Being together.
"Your chambers are just ahead. Do try to keep your cousin from corrupting my entire palace staff?"
"No promises."
"I wouldn’t expect any. Oh, and lisa?"
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow’s negotiations will be... intense. Rest well tonight. You’ll need it."
The Matriarch glided away, leaving lisa standing at her door. Through the walls, she could hear Isabella’s delighted squealing about sothing.
[Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.]
She opened the door to find Sirah and Armia in a flexibility contest while Isabella cheered them on.
"lisa!" Isabella bounced over. "Did you know the beds here adjust their firmness automatically? And the bathroom has a WATERFALL! A whole ass waterfall!"
"That’s nice—"
"And there’s this fruit that tastes like—"
lisa let her cousin’s enthusiasm wash over her. But her mind stayed on Silviana’s words. On nim walking freely through palace halls. On what Syux could beco.
[Right people willing to stand between worlds, huh? I wanted to be important, well, here I am.]
Reviews
All reviews (0)