Page 5 of Pawns of Salistya

The question is, if a gateway had been opened, what was on the other side?

I teleported off the island as soon as I was outside the Temple and landed straight in the heart of Senora on the western-most Isle. Housing almost the entire Solistan population, Senora’s location out west, far from the eyes of the rest of the continent, made it the perfect place to train and mould magic.

Looking around the town centre, which was marked by another statue of the Goddess, nothing had changed. There were five main cobblestoned streets that branched off the circular centre of the town. Several streets had a mixture of shops and residential houses spanning as far as the eye can see. Another street that led to the botanical gardens, which also held the Royal House used for royal visits, was on the other side of the town centre. Given that I had trained on the Isles and visited as often as possible, I had created a home for myself elsewhere so tended to stay away from the Royal House unless it benefited any secret meetings I may have.

I walked up one of the streets that housed some shops, ignoring the awed stares of the crowds. I’d had nearly five years of becoming accustomed to people gawking at my lime green eyes. I had stopped being embarrassed by the way the Solistans spoke to me reverently, courteously stepping out of my way with a bow as I walked past. I figured they were free to believe the weird religious prophecy that prompted their stares. Just like I was free to never acknowledge it.

I grinned as I was engulfed by a dozen children yelling, ‘Queen Valare, it’s Queen Valare!’ I smiled and played with the children, submitting to their demands to be thrown in the air – their parents looked on with a mix of terror and veneration at witnessing myunique magic. At one point, I had seven children up in the air spinning around in circles, while another five were hovering against the wall, air tickling their stomachs, eliciting cheerful giggles from them all.

These kids were around the age of ten, about the time where the call for magic would start to stir. It was at this stage that the children tended to act up and could be quite a handful for parents. For this reason, I started walking away, winking to the parents as the children began to cry that I was leaving them there forever. Pausing, I turned around to ask them, ‘Will you promise to be well-behaved for your parents and try your hardest at school?’ I chuckled when a resounding, ‘Yes, Queen Valare!’ came from all twelve children’s mouths not a second later.

‘Alright, if anyone breaks their promise to me, I will know about it.’ I tried my hardest to adopt a menacing look as I brought the children back down to the ground, waiting for them to be steady on their feet before releasing my magic. And because I was a soft-hearted fool and felt bad for scaring them, I snapped my fingers, summoning sticks of fairy floss, and using my magic to float them one at a time towards the children. This should keep the kids satisfied for a while.

Squeals erupted as I made eye contact with the parents to check this was okay. I was met with their nods of appreciation. Nodding back in acknowledgement, I turned on my heel and continued up the road.

The familiar smell of my favourite bakery drew me closer. My stomach growled loudly at the thought of a freshly made scone or slice of bread with butter. As if he had heard my call, Iris popped his head out of the shop. Disappearing inside, he reappeared, quickly followed by his hand holding a paper box. Not being able to helpmyself, I teleported immediately to him, snatching the box out of his hands with a grin.

‘You’re the best, Iris. One of these days I’m going to convince you to move to Amarald.’ I sighed, taking a massive bite of the warm sourdough bread lathered with what could only be the freshest whipped butter. This was my definition of heaven.

Iris laughed at my impatient display. ‘You know I won’t ever leave here, little Val. You need a reason to come back and not forget about us.’ He smiled ruefully, placing his hand on my head, ruffling my hair like I was still the fourteen-year-old girl who skipped class to eat his goods fresh out of the oven.

‘It’s been difficult to find time to return without raising suspicions of my whereabouts. You know I would never forget about you all. Plus, Arlom isn’t all that bad. Better than the Salistya Queendom if I’m being honest.’ I spoke around mouthfuls of bread, not caring that, as a queen, I should probably conduct myself better in public. But I grew up with these people. They knew me as a trainee, basically just another civilian, despite the ones who believed whole-heartedly in the prophecy.

‘Yes, but would they force us to call ourselves Arlomans? My ancestors went through one of the battles with Salistya. The stories were enough for me, and I don’t intend to go through one in my lifetime. Sometimes it’s better the devil you know, little Val,’ he predictably responded, just as he always had.

Centuries ago, the Queendom of Salistya claimed they had a right to the Solista Isles. From all reports it was a bloody battle which ended with intense negotiations. One of the conditions was that the Solistans would train all Salistyan teens in combat and magic. In return, the people of Solista would not recognise or call themselves Salistyans or recognise the Salistyan royals as their own. However, they would treat them with respect, same as any otherroyal. Apparently, the lack of recognition had something to do with their religious belief in the Ophiscair Prophecy and with the Goddess Wystia. They insisted on teaching all students their beliefs from the moment training begins, but I don’t know the specifics of it though as me and religion have never mixed. Instead I skipped those classes and became a taste tester for Iris. A far more preferable alternative.

‘I need to get going, sorry Iris. My time here is short tonight. Do you happen to have any other things you’d like me to taste?’ I asked, giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

Iris pulled his other hand out from behind the door, grinning as he thrust a big bag into my hand. ‘Of course, little Val, I can’t have you going back to that kingdom empty handed.’

My eyes lit up like it was the Spring Solstice as I snatched the bag out of his hands. ‘What’s in there?’ I asked, but before he could respond, I held up my hand. ‘Wait! No. Don’t tell me. It needs to be a surprise.’

True to character, Iris simply laughed as he watched me teleport the bag far away from here before Mazyr or Rynelle could get their filthy paws on it and make me share with them.

With a hug and a promise to return soon, I hurried up the road, spending the next hour popping my head in to say hello to the local Solistans who had become my extended family over my teenage years which I had spent hanging out here. Once I had satisfied the social requirements that were often demanded of the Solistans, I cut through back streets to make my way to the last main street of Senora.

It was hard to misidentify this street, as it was the only one in Senora lined with the identical communal accommodations referred to as the barracks. Decorated in a deep, muted green that reflected the Salistyan colours, the barracks held all current trainees rangingfrom the ages of fourteen to nineteen. This was, for many years, the place I called home.

Not far along the street, I felt two of my Sol’s presences land on either side of me. I didn’t so much as flinch as I kept walking up the street towards the training arena. I knew the stocky build on the right was Mazyr, whilst his twin’s lithe frame gave her away.

‘Look who finally decided to show up. You know, ever since becoming a queen you’ve taken the fashionably late excuse to the next level,’ drawled Mazyr.

‘You know, ever since becoming a cook you’ve taken the let’s-be-grumpy-for-no-goddamn-reason to the next level,’ I threw back with a glance, taking note that he hadn’t heeded my suggestions to cut his hair. Apparently the long brunette hair he always wore in a braid was all the rage. I thought it was a bit of a stretch considering I hadn’t met any other person who rocked this ridiculous hairstyle. But Mazyr was going to do what he wanted to do. I kind of loved that about him, not that I’d ever admit it to him.

I swung my head around to my left after hearing a melodious chuckle. ‘Hello, darling Amire, my favourite twin.’ I smiled sweetly.

I heard a faint, ‘Fucking suck up,’ from my right, but chose to ignore it as Amire replied in her graceful tone. ‘Hello, my favourite queen. I’ve missed you.’

‘I’ve missed you too. I’ve been meaning to come by the Amarald Palace gardens during the daytime. Who would’ve thought you’d take to gardening so well?’

Amire nodded, fussing with her short bob and fringe that fell close to her eyes. ‘I find myself quite enjoying the gardening, and I think it’s a beautiful contrast to my training here. Where the former inspires caretaking, growth, nurturing, the latter is more destructive, violent, final. It’s enjoyable to have that balance.’

Right. A contrast indeed.

Despite training alongside Amire for years, I still haven’t quite worked her out. She’s always had a gracefulness about her that heavily juxtaposed the lethal assassin hiding in the shadows that is Mazyr. I have no idea how she is even related to Mazyr, let alone his twin. The two are chalk and cheese.

‘Well, I’m glad everyone is having a great time with their roles at Amarald. I, for one, just absolutely adore making your beloved husband’s scrambled eggs every morning. Not as much as Rynelle enjoys having to deliver it to the pompous ass, but it’s a close second,’ Mazyr drawled. ‘When can I poison him, again?’

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