Page 45 of An Empress of Air & Chaos

“Are the rest of the people around here human?” Emara quietly asked Gideon.

He laughed. “No, most are not human at all. The guards only let a few humans through. These people? Some are witches. Some are fae, some are shifters. Some could be of vampire origin.”

Emara stilled at Gideon’s words. Witches. Fae. Shifters. “Vampires?” she said, feeling her eyes bulge from their sockets. She blinked, trying to see any hints that these people walking around the markets—so human-like—could be anything like what Gideon mentioned.

“I know it’s a lot to process.” He chuckled. “But the likelihood is that the magical creatures that were fantasied or demonised in your story books as a child are our magic-wielders and they are walking around this market.”

“Aren’t you a magic-wielder?” Emara asked.

“We fall under the magic world, yes. We have magic in our blood, but we are not like the witches or the fae. We are the protectors. Our powers are in our ability to fight. To hunt. We are the demon slayers. Or from time to time, if anything gets out of control in the other factions, we are ordered by the prime to step in and sort it out.”

Emara’s forehead wrinkled in confusion, “What is the prime, exactly? I heard your father mention it before in the sparring room.”

“The prime is made up of each magical faction known in Caledorna and it even branches out to the Island of Skyelir. Hunters, shifters, fae, witches, and humans come together to regulate the kingdom.”

Emara’s eyes widened. “And here I thought it was just the Minster of Coin who governed the kingdom,” she breathed out loud.

“You are not wrong,” Gideon advised. “He governs the human faction, and for so long it has been believed by the humans that he is the only faction in the mortal world.”

“But he’s not? He’s the one who governs the humans from the hierarchy of the elite?”

“Correct. He is the Minister of Coin, after all. He oversees every financial affair in the kingdom. Even in the magical world—and that gives him a lot of power.”

Understanding, Emara nodded her head. “But what of the other factions? Is your father the head of the Hunters?”

Gideon laughed. “Ha! No. Even if he would like to be, he still has a chief commander. The chief commander of the Hunters has a seat in the prime.” He looked over at her. “As do the king and queen of the fae. Faeries have a soft spot for monarchy.” He flashed a dazzling smile as he steered them around an iris-coloured tent. “Most of them relocated to the Island of Skyelir after the Great War, where the broken sea parted the continent, so the prime allowed them a king and queen. The Hunters were never one to wear a crown,” he laughed.

“And the shifters?” she asked.

He raised his dark brows. “Shifters come in many forms. But currently, their Alpha is a wolf. The Blacksteel Clan have an extraordinarily strong relationship with them. The Alpha stays in the Ashdale forest just next to the tower.”

Emara took a moment before speaking again, “It all seems very cordial.”

Gideon huffed a laugh. “It hasn’t always been this way.”

Emara only looked at him for a few seconds before Gideon continued, “For example, if a pack of shifters get out of control, sometimes the prime will order the Hunters to step in and that doesn’t go down well.” He looked her over in a way that made her lips part. “We try our best to keep the peace between all the magic factions.” Gideon skated in and out of the market stalls, following Torin. “But that is politics you don’t need to worry about.”

Emara had to walk at twice the pace to keep up with Gideon. And as usual, Cally lagged behind, allured by all the sparkling material. Emara was so distracted by all the information that was booming around in her head to fully look at the stalls.

One thing was clear, The Minister of Coin knew about the magic world. A man that was not a king, nor was he a born successor to the kingdom, but someone who controlled the coin. That’s why the elite held so much power over the human faction. The Minister of Coin came from an elite family. Old money. They controlled the kingdom as part of a secret authority. And at this point, Emara thought that her kingdom had freedom of reign. A kingdom run by the people. Freed from any ruler, dictator, or king. But that wasn’t the case. Not underground.

Emara walked a few steps before asking her next question, “So, witches? They can use magic?” Emara felt ashamed to ask but she was too curious not too. “Like real magic?”

“Gods, you are getting really into this, aren’t you?” he laughed.

“Knowledge is a powerful thing,” she shot back at him.

“Of course it is.” He grinned, revealing all of his teeth. Her heart flipped. “There are all different types of witches that belong to different covens and territories. Just like the hunting clans do. And just like the fae. And, of course, the shifters.” He tossed some glances around himself before continuing, “The Hunters work closely with the Forest Witch, who is often referred to as the Green Witch. Or as you might know her, the Healer.” He smiled fondly.

Rhea.

“Anyone who practises green magic or healing belongs to the House of Earth.” His tone found a different path as he continued. “There are witches who have the ability to move things, manipulate objects with the element of wind and air and they belong to the House of Air. They can stop the air entering your lungs by just looking at your throat. We have kept a good relationship with that coven. It may have taken us centuries to do so, but we now have a good alliance.

“The fire-bearing witches belong to the House of Fire. I know of a fire-bearing girl so powerful, she could incinerate you in the blink of an eye. Dangerous little creatures,” he mused as he steered Emara around another stall. “The House of Water are majestic beings. Witches who can breathe underwater and work with that element. Almost mermaid-like. It has been said that they could gather up enough strength to create a massive wave that would wipe out most of the population if you made the coven angry enough. You mostly find them close to the ocean or lakes, but they also stay on land amongst other witches. Everyone is free to roam as long as no trouble is caused.”

Emara couldn’t take her eyes off Gideon as he ran through the specifics of the Witching Houses. She felt a tingling in her bones as she processed the information, her brain weaving through all the new possibilities that were out in the world.

“And don’t forget my favourite kind of witch.” Torin spun around. He had clearly been listening in on the conversation. “The Divination Witch who belongs to the House of Spirit. They are like cosmic goddesses who can switch between living and dead worlds—and note to all, they are the most sensual of the witching houses. Super kinky. They like to express themselves.” Torin was now walking backwards, his full attention on Emara’s reaction. She forced herself not to roll her eyes into next week. “They can even bring back the dead with the right tools.” He added, lifting an impressed eyebrow.

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