"No, she's not a mage. It's a political marriage to join my magically talented household to an ancient noble family. Everybody wins. After we graduate, I'll become my father's second in command for a couple of years.
Then marriage and I'm expected to have at least a couple of heirs by the age of twenty. As I said, Phloria's future is not set in stone, but mine is. I understand better than anyone else how it feels being trapped."
- "You and me both." Lith inwardly sighed. –
"Maybe it will not work between you two, but you can still learn something from each other. Promise me you will think about it."
"I will."
***
In a remote corner of the Blood Desert, the three Guardians had met in person for the first time in hundreds of years. Even though they had turned into their human forms and were suppressing their auras as much as they could, it wasn't enough.
The earth below trembled slightly while the skies thundered. The world seemed to be scared by their assembly and was trying to break them apart once again.
"I hate to admit it, but you were right." Salaark said.
She had taken the appearance of a young-looking woman, with silky black long hair, emerald eyes and a bronze tinge of skin so clear it seemed to shine under the morning sun.
She wore the same white clothes her tribal leaders, the Feathers, did but with no turban, allowing her hair to graze the ground.
"Some b*stard has invaded my turf and is spreading Abominations like they are presents. I underestimated our opponent, leaving everything in the hands of my Awakened ones. The result is that five of my Feathers died in less than a month.
They were all good men and women. Someone has to pay for their deaths."
Her eyes ignited with a purple flame while the sand below her feet turned into glass because of the heat she emitted. The trembling and thundering intensified, but none of those present cared.
"It's not all. The sudden death of so many Awakened crippled my military force, my borders are under attack from all directions!"
"I'm not responsible, the truce with the Griffon Kingdom still holds." Tyris said.
"Me neither. I control nothing in the Empire, but my apprentice would have told me before making such a move. She knows how much is at stake." Leegaain shrugged in annoyance.
"I'm not blaming you idiots, but myself!" Salaark roared.
"Clearly the culprit has made sure that all my enemies knew about my weakness, otherwise the neighbouring countries could never set up a coordinated attack like this. They are ruining years of hard work!"
Her delicate feet stomped multiple times, shattering the glass, the land, and causing a minor tremor, around 3.0 on the Richter scale.
"Then why did you summon us if you knew we are innocent?" Tyris already had a headache from having to stand Salaark's temper without the possibility of bashing her head.
"Because I know who did it and where they are right now. If this was just about killing, I would have done it myself, but I want to take them alive and make them talk. I need you to prevent them from escaping."
"I'm fine with it. I had nothing to do this evening anyway." Leegaain yawned, giving her a thumbs up.
With a snap of her fingers, Salaark Warped them hundreds of kilometres away, in the proximity of a small mountain range. Like most of her kingdom, the landscape was barren. Too barren even for a desert.
"The b*stard must have taken its sweet time here. Even the mountains are crumbling due to the void of world energy." Salaark snorted.
"Seal the space around here, I'm going in."
Tyris and Leegaain operated their magic their own way. A Guardian was attuned to the planet, to the point that even their simplest act was magic. Tyris started to walk, countless runes of power spread in the air and the ground with each step she took.
Leegaain was feeling nostalgic, seeing both his friends moved his old heart. The dragon started to sing with a tenor voice. Wherever the song reached, the matter would be bound to the dragon's will.
"Show off." Tyris smiled, singing along in a counter melody. Their voices filled the air with mana, making flowers bloom from long dried up seeds and water gush out of the ground. The Guardians were only sealing up the space, life was just a by-product of their joy from being together.
"Well, at least there will be a lot of rain this year." Salaark grumbled while entering the underground maze.