Amaltheia Lascari navigated through the crowd, vaguely aware of the gravity-repulsing harness that covered her belly beneath the stiff fabric of her suit. She carried a diplomatic pouch and two identical glimmer-blades, their humming energy tickling her ribs. Following a picturesque maze of small streets, she strolled through the Cotroceni area where Despina Asenova resided. Amaltheia barely remembered Bucharest, but she knew she belonged there. Her family's humiliating exile only increased her stubborn desire to take back her home, deepening the old wound she had grown to despise. She was back. And she was there to stay, no matter what Leudora thought.
A square house with a steep tiled roof was drowned in reddish grapes and wild greenery. Twisted columns supported overwrought stonework of the freeze, concealing an elevated porch. Circling a white-leafed Setra tree, Amaltheia passed through the courtyard, climbed the steps and lifted her hand to knock. When Despina Asenova opened the door, Amaltheia gaped at her in surprise.
The greatest scholarly mind beneath the Veil barely reached Amaltheia's shoulder. Waves of black hair with tinges of red framed a narrow face with a thin beak-like nose. She was neither old, nor young, her ageless appearance typical for a time-master. Amaltheia studied her features, wondering if that miniature woman was indeed the last living heir to one of the greatest Offcast families in Eastern Europe.
"I have been expecting you, Lady Lascari." Despina Asenova addressed her in perfect Romanian, with only a barely noticeable hint of an accent. Amaltheia slightly bowed her head.
"Lady Asenova, I beg your pardon for the delay."
She stepped aside, allowing Amaltheia to pass into a spacious room decorated with oil paintings and old maps that betrayed her scholarly inclinations. Lady Asenova's house reminded Amaltheia of a museum. She could not imagine someone existing side-by-side with a collection of precious relics without the constant fear of damaging or losing them.
"Come forward." Despina invited her into the room, gesturing towards a velvet couch in the corner. "Stay away from the windows."
Amaltheia frowned. "Nobody followed me. I am certain of that."
Despina shook her head with a derisive scoff. "I thought Leudora has taught you not to underestimate your enemies."
For a moment Amaltheia remained silent, carefully considering her words and assessing their possible impact.
"I will deal with the Spies if they show up," Amaltheia said.
"It's never if. It's always when." Despina Asenova lifted a pair of old holo-glasses from a wooden coffee table and placed them on the tip of her nose, scrutinizing Amaltheia's unmoving face. Amaltheia did not look away.
"I have requested your presence for two reasons, Lady Lascari. I need you to transmit Leudora a personal message from me, and I need you to keep her safe. Discreetly." She paused and straightened her back. "I do not trust light projectors. I have seen the Spy Guild's work and its most disastrous consequences." She shook her head, making Amaltheia wonder if she was referring to her visions or personal experience. Perhaps both.
"Leudora told me you know how to change unfavorable outcomes, my lady." Amaltheia said, leaning forward on the couch. Despina nodded with a gracious smile.
"Yes. Potential outcomes." She touched the golden frame of her holo-glasses. "I have always known that our paths would cross, and I prefer to start this relationship on mutually beneficial terms. After all, we are both Psychics and we are facing a war we cannot win. That is why Leudora chose to act now. That is why she decided to send you away and have your ears and eyes at her disposal."
YOU ARE READING
Byzantine Purple
Fantasy"History is a survivor's tale. It knows no villains. Only failures." A decade ago, Leudora had her major enemies eliminated - the scientist known as the Dalmatian Serpent, and his followers, who sought her people's blood. A ruthless guardian of her...
