Disclaimer: these stories are a work of fiction.
Back: Chapter Nine
Alyssa walked up to the gate of the capital city of the largest of the five kingdoms.
The gate guards looked extremely nervous.
“Hiya,” Alyssa said. “I‘m here to see the king, or his counselor, or whoever. Tell them that the Illusti Queen-consort, that’s me, is here to talk to somebody.”
The guard bowed. “I’ll send a message at once,” he said.
Alyssa had only a short wait before the King’s Counselor came out and introduced himself as Telleron. He invited Alyssa to a pleasant villa which overlooked the town.
There Alyssa told her tale.
“So, I don’t think the Illusti can be killed. At least, you could to try to kill me, if you want. But he doesn’t seem to be evil or anything. More like neutral.”
The Counselor looked skeptical. “You’d allow us to attempt to hurt you, to find out more about the Illusti’s power?”
“Well, sure. I mean, I’m certain you wouldn’t be able to. But I am an adventurer, having people try to hurt me is what I do.” She looked down at herself. ”I don’t know, maybe aim at my left arm or something.”
“Please excuse me for just one moment.” The Counselor stepped outside, briefly spoke with a servant, and returned.
“Do you consider yourself still loyal to the five kingdoms?”
“Absolutely! I mean, I don’t think it’s possible for me to act against the Illusti. He can freeze me in place without even looking at me. But I haven’t gone rouge or anything.”
“And the Illusti?”
“Oh, he’s all like ‘I will not swear fealty to your human king’ but when I asked him about treaties and agreements and things he was fine with that.”
“What kind of agreements did you have in mind?”
“Well, maybe we could trade? Cawyn adores luxuries, but she’s just a farm girl who got enslaved, I don’t think it would really take much to keep her happy. Happier than we can, anyway, since we’re mostly raiding vampire dens and places like that. Nali I think might like… recognition? A medal or something?”
“And what about you, Alyssa, what would you like?”
“Oh, I’m fine.” She crossed her arms and stared down. “I don’t need anything.”
The Counselor waited.
“It would be nice if a priest told me I haven’t gone over to the dark side,” she said gloomily.
A servant entered carrying a couple goblets of wine.
“Refreshment?” asked the Counselor.
“Thanks.”
The Counselor stood strangely close to her, and she glared at him uncertainly. When she brought the wine goblet to her lips, her armor snapped shut across her mouth.
The Counselor gently took the goblet back, and her armor flowed away from her mouth.
Alyssa stared at the goblet. “Huh. I’ve never had my armor do that before.”
“I apologize,” he said. “I would not have let you drink. It seemed most useful to try the experiment without you knowing.”
“Um…” Alyssa said. She took the goblet back, and her armor snapped shut across her mouth again. She moved the goblet away, and her armor flowed away from her mouth a second time.
“It’s poison, you see,” said the Counselor.
“Oh!” Alyssa squinted at the Counselor, wondering if she was going to kill him now. Then she shrugged. Apparently King’s Counselors got to be morally ambiguous too.
The villa exploded in white lightning.
The Illusti strode through the wreckage and lifted the Counselor up in the air by his neck.
“Urk!” said the Counselor.
Flaming pieces of the villa fell down around them.
The Illusti’s voice echoed. “You will die slowly and painfully, a warning to all who might try to harm my Queen-Consort.”
“Stop! Stop!” said Alyssa. “We were negotiating!”
The Illusti looked over at her, still holding the Counselor up in the air.
“Alyssa,” he said, “this human just tried to poison you.”
“It was a demonstration! A demonstration of the power of the Illusti! That we couldn’t be harmed!”
The Illusti let go, and the Counselor fell to the ground with a thud.
“I do not like this demonstration,” the Illusti growled.
His eye fell upon the goblet on the floor, the wine spilled. White lightning crackled down and destroyed the goblet, along with most of the floor.
“It’s fine!” said Alyssa. “We’re all fine, we’re just negotiating, there’s no problem, we’re fine.”
The Illusti glared down at the Counselor on the ground. “Know this: if any harm comes to my Queen-Consort, I will not hesitate to kill a hundred humans. A thousand. Ten thousand. Do I make myself clear?”
The Counselor rubbed his throat. “Quite clear,” he croaked.
The Illusti looked around him. White lightning flickered across the sky.
“Go, go,” said Alyssa. “It’s all right. I’ll be back soon.”
With one last glare around him, the Illusti shrugged, and walked away somewhat grimly. With his “seven league boots” magic, he quickly disappeared over the horizon.
Next: Chapter Eleven
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