Elaine walked along the dirt path, her fists clenched tight. She couldn’t bring herself to enjoy the gentle morning sunlight or the cool breeze teasing strands of her hair. It was hard to do so, after the unsettling news her aunt had shared the night before. She and Percy had anticipated consequences, of course. Still, the revelation had shattered the warm, homey mood that had settled over the small hut during their shared meal.
At the time, she’d wanted nothing more than to storm out of town and head straight to the mansion. In the end, she’d held herself back, opting to spend the night at her relatives’ home. It was what they had expected of her – after weeks of travelling. In truth, she hadn’t felt tired in the slightest. Not with Percy’s trait eliminating the need for sleep. But that wasn’t something they could afford to reveal. Percy’s connection to their family was precisely the root of the trouble.
‘He’s worried too…’
Her cousin’s guilt and anxiety bled through their connection, heavy and raw. But Percy had always handled negative emotions differently to most people. Instead of stewing in them, he turned them inward, training and pushing himself further. This was probably the correct approach too. Remior was a world where power spoke. What better way to deal with your problems than to strive for more strength?
With the ruse exposed, the rival Houses had pressured Galahad, forcing him to surrender the new territories.
By all rights, the land east of the river should have fallen in House Avalon’s hands. Every map worth a damn marked it as part of their province, and it had actually belonged to them too, in the past – before the emergence of House Tantalus. More importantly, Archibald had been the one to reclaim it. The new towns were their spoils of war, won fairly.
Yet, the other Houses hadn’t cared for logic. Not in the face of benefits, and a weakened competitor they could bully around. At least, Galahad’s concession had bought their family some time. After splitting the territory between themselves, the other Houses had calmed down.
It wasn’t due to kindness or mercy though, that they’d stopped bothering them.
Many of them were still licking their wounds, having fought wars of their own in recent years. For now, they’d agreed to take a step back to consolidate their gains, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before their greed returned with a vengeance.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
‘Things aren’t that dire yet,’ Percy suddenly said, probably guessing her thoughts. ‘According to your aunt, Grandpa is still alive. When I infiltrate the Guild, I can try to break him out. And our family is a lot stronger than those bastards think, even without him.’
Elaine nodded, but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t a kid anymore – she could tell Percy was just trying to cheer her up. They both knew things weren’t as simple as he made them out to be. Rescuing Archibald would only provoke the Divine Root further. That was the very reason he'd surrendered in the first place – to avoid drawing their wrath down upon the family. And that was assuming he was still alive… or that the Root wouldn’t strike first, even before the other Houses did.
As far as their strength was concerned, Percy had a point.
Galahad had already been a very powerful Blue, even before mastering Circulation or getting the petal. Once he learned the Dance too, he’d be as strong as a Violet. Adding to that, their family had secretly gained another Blue in her. She wasn’t as talented, nor as experienced as her uncle, but with her boosting art and her second core, she should also be able to at least hold a Violet at bay. If Percy stayed with her a while longer, they’d have an extra domain too.
The problem was that they couldn’t reveal any of this. Doing so was the same as admitting their lingering ties to Percy. Even if the news didn’t attract their enemies’ greed, it would certainly bring the Root’s ire upon them. Having powerful trump cards didn’t mean much, if they couldn’t use them. And when it came to politics and diplomacy, flaunting one’s strength to deter their rivals was often as important as actually defeating them – if not more.
‘I know it’s not ideal, but we can at least protect ourselves if they dare invade. We just have to make sure not to leave any survivors. It’ll raise a few eyebrows, but it’s better than getting killed,’ he said.
Nodding, she picked up the pace. It wasn’t her job to figure this out. For now, her best bet was to report her situation to Galahad, get her hand fixed, and hear the man’s opinion.
Reaching the mansion didn’t take long, the two spotting the nostalgic building later in the morning. Some moisture gathered in Elaine’s eyes, as her gaze lingered on the insignia of the two faces looking away from one another, carved in several spots along the wooden walls. More than the symbol itself, it was the thought of seeing her parents and her baby brother again that warmed her heart – even if her grandpa’s absence was bound to leave part of it empty…
Stepping into the main hall, she scanned the room, spotting many familiar faces.
Their eyes lit up in recognition too – Elaine had always been somewhat popular in the family, and her rare aquamarine-coloured hair made it difficult to confuse her with somebody else.
But the emotions in their expressions were complicated. There was a lot of relief. She guessed many of these people had worried about her over the years, oblivious to her fate or the reason for her prolonged disappearance. And there were flashes of concern, mainly whenever their gazes brushed over her missing limb.
Yet, that wasn’t everything. She also spotted traces of anger and bitterness on some of them.
‘I suppose I can’t really blame them…’
She sighed.
Elaine had technically abandoned her family in the middle of a war. Sure, Archibald had single-handedly ended said war shortly after, but she hadn’t known about it when she decided to follow Percy. Her guilt had gnawed at her over the years, though she didn’t really regret her actions. Her cousin had needed her more than the others. Percy would have never rescued Micky without her.
Ironically, the situation right now was the exact opposite.
She’d chosen to abandon Percy – who was currently being hunted down by dozens of powerful mages – prioritizing her family instead. She didn’t regret that either though. Her cousin had grown strong enough to take care of himself, while it was their House hanging off a cliff this time.
Shrugging, she walked around the room, greeting her relatives and telling them about her “adventures” over the past two years. Lying to them was another thing she didn’t particularly enjoy, but she was doing it for their sake more than her own.
To their credit, they all kept the interactions amicable. Even the ones who clearly harboured some resentment ultimately chose not to voice it. Many of the life users offered to heal her, but she told them she’d rather report to Galahad first.
Her healer would inevitably notice her true grade during the treatment, which was another issue they’d have to deal with. They did have several Blues with the life affinity, so fixing her up wasn’t going to be very difficult. Even though their power and skill paled in comparison to Archibald’s, it shouldn’t take more than a few days.
But she’d have to consult with her uncle to decide who to bring into the fold. She didn’t distrust any of the family’s leaders, yet every person who learned of their secrets was an additional risk.
An hour later, Elaine knocked on Archibald’s – no, Galahad’s – office. In the end, she hadn’t stopped by her parents’ yet. As much as she longed to see them, she figured she should probably get herself healed before meeting her brother. Waiting a few more days was a small price to pay to avoid traumatizing the poor kid.
The man replied almost immediately, having probably expected her. The commotion had already reached his ears, no doubt.
“Come in.”