"Remember, hold your tongue until I say so," Elred said from the side of her mouth as they walked through Entobern's musty forests.
Reeca yawned before frowning at the shard fairy. What's the point of bringing her along, then?
Earlier, before the sun even replaced the moons, Elred dragged Reeca out of Abshire and flew out using a sled pulled by large birds with pale pink feathers. Reeca remembered blinking and scratching her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming but the shard fairy pushed her into the sled.
Soon, the Upper Cities and their vast estates zipped from under them. Elred used the flight as an opportunity to draw out the plans for evacuation. The shard fairy had pointed to a chunk of land with huge towers and expansive menageries. "That's Loni," Elred had said. "Controlled by the Caravaris clan across generations," she wrinkled her nose. "Ambitious enough to match Abshire's splendor but not quite there."
Reeca remembered raising an eyebrow. Biased, though.
Elred then pointed northwest to a city that resembled a brick wall with its cubical mansions arranged in perfect rows and columns flanked by lines that must be the roads. "Eryphos," Elred said. "Families and clans who didn't want to have anything to do with politics stay there."
Huh. Reeca's kind of city, then. She didn't need any more of this power drama.
Reeca rolled her eyes. She would rather die than get mixed up in these familial politics and drama.
"East of Abshire would be Xixora and Gingow," Elred looked back at the haze of thin clouds and forest canopies below them. The wind ruffled Elred's long hair back. "Xixora is controlled by the Herkalyn clan while Gingow is controlled by three."
Reeca shrugged. Was she expected to evacuate all those people?
"What about Entobern, then?" Reeca cast her eyes north, past the pale pink mass of feathers lugging their sled across the white sky.
Instead of answering, Elred joined her on the sled's front. "You'll see," was all the shard fairy said.
Now, as they disembarked in the middle of a forest thick with trees that had orange leaves and dark brown trunks that seemed to be the most common species in Helinfirth, Elred turned to Reeca. "Hold your tongue in the presence of the Entobern heads."
Reeca opened her mouth to speak but Elred turned and recalled the glass sled with a flick of her fingers. The sled broke into a million shards before disappearing in Elred's palm. How that happened, Reeca resolved to never ask.
Elred passed her hand on her face and immediately she was ten times more immaculate than what she's supposed to look like. Her limp dress changed into an elaborate gown and a diamond circlet glinted on her forehead. Then, Elred glanced at Reeca and frowned.
"That look simply wouldn't do," Elred wagged a finger in Reeca's face. "What are you trying to portray, a beggar?"
Reeca hugged herself and stepped back. Her eyes dragged down at her mud-plastered bark armor and equally stained boots. Elred shook her head and swept a hand in a dismissive way. "Change into something presentable."
Reeca gritted her teeth to keep her growl in and pressed her hand on the flat of her stomach. Weaving energy sparked in blue light, enveloping the armor stuck to her body. She kept her eyes on Elred's gown and got to work, copying certain forms and details off of it. By the time she withdrew her magic, she looked and felt like a troupe performer.
But Elred was nodding with approval. "A few glamours will probably make you look like a noble," she silenced Reeca with a stern look. "Lady Brianne, remember?"
Reeca pursed her lips as Elred got to work with her hand waves and sparkling magic lighting her fingertips. Soon, Reeca's neck felt hot as strands of long, light brown hair hung off her head and plaited against her back. It had been so long since she'd had this sensation. It's....itchy.
Then, they were delving deeper into the forest. Reeca lost how many times she bit back a snarl as she stepped over the hem of her skirts and tripped forward. Her hair snagged curious branches protruding from their parent trunks. By the time a robed figure stood in the far distance, Reeca was cursing like a portmaster.
"Lady Yarxus has answered your call for a meeting with the Union," the robed figure said in a voice that sounded masculine. A long, dark beard quivered as he spoke. The man removed his hood revealing a tanned face lined with wrinkles and tired, teal eyes. He turned and gave Reeca a perfect distraction with his balding crown as he began walking away and leading them deeper into the forest.
"The Union is a temporary ceasefire," the man continued as he passed by various shrubs and flowers with colorful parts. Was Helinfirth always this colorful? "The clan leaders will address you as Her Majesty, Lady Elred of Abshire. You cannot, in any manner, disrespect the leaders. They will hear what you have to say provided that it has nothing to do with peace between the families. Lord Pelrize has expressed his strong disagreement over that matter."
The man paused to turn to them with a bowed head. "Now, I will lead you to our humble abode."
He turned back into empty air and extended his hand. Reeca's eyes widened when she noticed that the man was pressing into something flat and solid. A sharp, screeching sound ensued from his hand and before Reeca's eyes, the whole forest shimmered and crystallized. The screeching halted and the crystals quivered before rumbling in a low hum as they turned in their place. Like a puzzle being solved real time, the scenery changed into that of a large glass pavilion.
Elred's face was a blank mask. Reeca arranged her features like that, ignoring the budding awe in her gut. It's everyday life for her. She sees this all the time.
The man glanced at them before stepping into the pavilion's steps. Reeca and Elred followed. As soon as the last of Elred's gown disappeared inside, the man snapped his fingers and the crystals groaned once more before returning to their original state, reflecting the forest once more. Reeca's attention was taken off the glass wall and was soon commanded by six people that came with the pavilion.
"Your Majesty," a lady with auburn hair sauntered closer to Elred and dipped her head. Her hair was shaved on one side and what's left was slicked to the other side of her head. Her purple cape swished back to reveal metal armor underneath as she walked back to the table where the rest of the Union members sat.
"Lady Yarxus," Elred followed as the woman led them to the chairs stationed opposite the Union's place on the table.
"This better be quick, Your Majesty," Lady Yarxus took a seat by the middle of the table. "It's a trying time for us all."
Elred nodded. Lady Yarxus cleared her throat. "Let's get straight to the point," she said with a rich but stern voice. "Your Majesty, what drove you to call the Union so early into the year?"
"Helinfirth will be facing an attack soon," Elred answered. A hushed silence swept past the table. "I need your help in defending our kingdom. You know full well that the rest of the cities aren't capable of carrying their weight in terms of combat."
Lady Yarxus blinked then crossed her arms. "An attack?" Her eyes were wide but never once did she glance at the other Union members who started whispering among themselves. "Who are we dealing with? Peltra's thieves? Rabante's renegades? We haven't seen both in our territory for the past month."
"Excuse me, what makes you think we want to help you?" a man with keen red eyes and a sharp chin jabbed a finger against the table's light surface. A scar running from his temple to the tip of his lip drew Reeca's attention off his words. How did he get that? Cool.
"We have enough problems with our clans as it is," the man waved his hand vaguely at the empty air around his head. "Harvest is low this month and those fools at Rabante refused to help us by your order," the man's red eyes held enough ire and accusation as he attempted to stare Elred down.
"Lord Pelrize, if you please," a woman with curly blond hair and silver eyes turned to the man from the far end of the table. "Let your people deal with agriculture."
The same woman leaned into the table and regarded Elred. "What are we dealing with, Your Majesty, for you to have come personally to us?"
Elred chewed on her lip. Hesitation. Yet again. Reeca perked up despite Elred's earlier warning. "It's an unknown enemy, with an unknown force," she folded her hands atop the table. "The only clue we have is that they will attack us if we don't give them what they wanted."
Lady Yarxus knitted her eyebrows. "Which is?"
"Which is..." Reeca's voice died off. What was she going to tell these clueless idiots? A magical organization wanted to get the Virtakios and will flood the city with what army they have if Helinfirth fails to deliver sounded like it came from a madman.
Elred cleared her throat before shooting Reeca a cutting look. What? The Union didn't even ask who Reeca was. That's a good thing, right? "Right now, I'm doing everything I can to submit to their demands," Elred said. "But in case that I can't, I need you to be ready for an invasion."
"Does the Queen know of this?" a man with shoulder-length golden hair and inked neck grinned at them. "How come it's the Crown Princess that came crawling to us and not the Queen herself? What is Abshire's take in all of this?"
Elred opened her mouth to answer.
"I think not, Lord Kemaruis," a man with ragged features and graying hair leaned over to glance at the other Lord. "The Queen would have screamed at the whole of Helinfirth if she knew about this. Lord Kemaruis turned to Elred. "Lady Elred, what is the real issue?"
"I..." Elred shook her head. "The army is marching against us soon, we need to prepare."
Lady Yarxus scoffed. "It pains me to say this, but I agree with Lord Pelrize on this," she motioned to the smug man with a scar. Okay, his scar wasn't cool now. No. "Entobern is packed to the brim with our families. Resources are low, much more on weapons. The generations are illiterate about battle," Lady Yarxus shook her head with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, we can't help you."
Elred frowned. "I can supply you with weapons, if that's what you're worried about," the desperation crawled forth into her tone once more.
"You misunderstand, Your Majesty," Lord Kemaruis cocked his head to one side. "What Lady Yarxus is saying is that the clans are in no shape to help Abshire. If the Queen would promise to establish our borders instead of having us compete with one another, perhaps you can shift this tide to your favor."
"I agree," the woman with the curly hair nodded as she raised a finger. "The Rovalor clan is barely holding up with the resources from Rabante getting siphoned by Abshire and Loni."
Elred's eyes widened. "It's not—I'm not—"
"We don't blame your family, Your Majesty," the man with gray hair shook his head and jerked his chin towards the woman with shaved hair. "Like Lady Yarxus said, it's a trying time for us all."
"What's more insulting is that the Queen isn't even bothering to answer our calls," Lord Pelrize crossed his arms and scowled. "We have sent distress signals several times and instead she sends us this... this girl who thinks her problems are our own."
"Pelrize!" Lady Yarxus slammed her hand on the table, whirling to the man. "She's still our Crown Princess. Show some respect!"
"Well, she may not be a royal any more now that she's got herself into a deeper mess," Lord Kemaruis tread his hands together and rested his chin against them. "Tell me, you expect us to help you when you couldn't even tell us what we're dealing with. For all we know, you'll be leading us to our deaths."
Elred scowled. "How brash of you," she snarled. "Do you think I'm careless?"
"You got yourself into a brawl where your territory's safety became negotiable," the man with long dark hair spoke for the first time. "That's careless enough for me."
"You could at least fight to save your fellow shard fairies," Elred's hands clenched atop the table.
Lady Yarxus frowned. "We fight to save our necks," she raised her eyebrows when her fellow Union members nodded their heads in agreement. "Rest assured that we will get all our clans out if ever your hypothetical attack happens. But other than that? I'm sorry, Your Majesty, you'll have to think of another way to save them."
Elred lurched forward. "But if you—"
"We will hear this no further," Lady Yarxus held up her hand, stopping Elred mid-argument. "Leaders, do you concur?"
Lord Kemaruis stood up. "Tell the Queen of our plight first then we will consider repaying you by aiding you in this coming battle. That's my stand."
Lady Yarxus raised her eyebrow at the man before turning to her right. "Lady Rovalor?"
The woman with the curly hair stood as well. "I will agree to help if you help my clan first. Dispense the Royal Treasury for our sake."
"Lord Sarbalar?"
"I concur with the Union's decision," The man with the long dark hair rose. "I don't see any rationality in risking my men for a battle we don't know the stakes to."
"Lord Visa?" Lady Yarxus called.
"Abshire receives no help from our clan," the man with graying hair shook his head with some kind of sadness flickering in his eyes. "We suffered enough without your tutelage."
"I will not do anything unless you get my clan fed and clothed!" Lord Pelrize pushed his chair back and slammed a fist to his chest. "Lady Yarxus, close this meeting! I have a clan to worry about."
Lady Yarxus pursed her lips. Both ire for the noisy Lord and pity for Elred shone in her eyes as she turned to Elred. "I'm really honored that you believed we could protect the territory," she nodded at Reeca for a brief moment. "But Your Majesty, we couldn't help you more."
With that, they turned away as one and vanished through another crystalline wall, leaving Elred staring wide-eyed where the leaders once were. Reeca tugged at her long hair. Ugh. When would the glamour recede? "Well," Reeca crossed her arms and leaned back against her chair. "At least we get the gowns."