Page 56 of Pawns of Salistya

‘So, the tidal beasts. I can have the books deposited to you within a couple of weeks. Unless you would prefer to teleport to the Queendom with me. In that case, we can have them within the hour.’ Qynthia ruthlessly pulled our conversation back to the earlier topic before I could ask more of them.

Yes. Right. The tidal beasts. ‘A couple of weeks will suffice. Please throw in some books about the damn Royal Marks as well. I’ve got some questions about those, too.’

Qynthia threw me a knowing look but didn’t push the subject.

‘Does my sister believe in this madness?’ I had to ask even though I knew it likely wouldn’t get me where I needed. It had become clear the two of them seemed closer than I originally realised.

Qynthia raised her eyebrow, waiting for me to expand.

‘Does my sister believe in this prophecy?’ I explained.

‘Your sister is concerned with the direction that best fits her purpose,’ Qynthia replied. Cryptic. But also, not wrong. She was protecting her, though Goddess knows why.

‘You said I could trust you. You also pledged your loyalty to me, and now you’re being cryptic,’ I challenged. I may not believe in this prophecy, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t shamelessly exploit it when it suits my needs.

‘Being a psychic mage gives one access to … intimate thoughts and feelings of others. We live by a code of ethics to ensure we practice our magic with integrity. Your sister has her own agenda. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. If her plans were detrimental to what needs to happen, I would speak up. But the one thing you should know, Valare, is there is an art to what is told and what is seen. Your sister has her own path and her own lessons to learn. And for you? Knowledge finds those who are meant to see. Keep pushing to see, and you will find the way.’

I let out a frustrated breath, ‘You’re not going to give me any more information, are you?’

She pressed her lips into a thin line. ‘I’m sorry, my Queen. We already pushed the boundaries showing you the memory. We need you to make sure this wasn’t for nothing.’

I flinched, uncomfortable with another Dom’s ruler callingmeher Queen.

I could sense that she was conflicted and held a flicker of unease, so she wasn’t lying. She may have crossed a line to provide me with insight, but I still had questions I wanted answers to. It wasn’t fair.

I assessed the two women, taking in their uncompromising stances. This wasn’t a conversation I was going to win today.

I plastered on a smile, showing I was letting things go. ‘Well, it’s a lovely day in Amarald. I wouldn’t want to miss the last few hours of sunshine hanging out in a dingy alley. Shall we?’

I may have been smiling on the outside. But inside? A mixture of anxiety and rage was building as I began to suspect what I would need to do next.

I’d tried to live my life like an ostrich. Putting my head in the sand. Ignoring the unsubtle gazes of people staring at my lime green eyes. The whispers of awe as I passed by. Ignorance is bliss, the saying goes. And I believed it. Revelled in the thought that, if I didn’t give energy to the whispers, the stares, the expectations of a sham prophecy, it would cease to exist.

But I never stopped to wonder, what happens when ignorance doesn’t equal bliss? When it turns its head and bites you in the ass, refusing to be ignored.

The answer to that question, was now jarringly apparent. Ignoring things exposes you. Leaves you floundering. Vulnerable. And has left me with the expectations of not only the Solistans, but now people from Marlyst and Nyarelle.

It was clear I now faced the formidable task of confronting the direction of my life. A life that, I had refused to admit, was a mask of delusions and denial.

The catch? I have only myself to blame. I put myself in this position.

And only I have the power to change it.

Chapter 23

‘Another one over here! I need back up!’ Shouts rang out as pure chaos unfolded before my eyes.

From my vantage point on the cliffs, I could see it all. Figures hurriedly moved along the shore to fight the two tidal beasts. Three of the fighters were strong with the earth element and were attempting to use trees from a nearby clifftop to ensnare the beasts without luck. I wondered who was heading up this fight and why they bothered bringing earth mages into it. The mages had poor form and the lack of strategy was making the fight harder than it needed to be. They were burning themselves out for no good reason.

At least the fire mages in the group were getting some hits in. But it wasn’t enough to deter or stop the beasts. The orange creatureswere on the bigger side, and each had two fins that had razor sharp ends sticking out of their backs. Their jaws only opened a fraction and had no teeth, so initially not too threatening or scary, but that was if you didn’t consider the long tail, silver blades running up and down both sides of it. Those could slice you in half in the blink of an eye. On top of that, there was also the fact their skin is poisonous and results in instant death.

I’d seen beasts like these before. They were a frequent sight in the Tidal Seas. Varqel and I had taken down five of them by ourselves once after a particularly gruelling training session. I was seventeen at the time and still learning the ropes when we heard the commotion near the cliffs of his house. So given that, I was surprised at how the mages here were struggling. Granted, V and I were a lot stronger than these warriors. But there were ten mages and two beasts in front of me – well, seven mages because I’m ruling out the earth wielders as liabilities and not worth counting. Even then, they all looked like graduates, so it shouldn’t be this difficult.

It was a serious concern if this was the calibre of graduates staying behind to protect the Isles. I can’t help but wonder what Varqel thinks about all of this. More importantly, where was Bastra? As the general he should be involved in these attacks and fighting them off.

The beasts were only a few metres from the shores now, close enough that if they were to flick their tail and hit one of the graduates it wouldn’t end well. That thought concerned me, especially paired with the fact I was watching these amateurs colossally mess up a fight that should have been over within a couple of minutes.

I decided it was time to assist. I sent a gust of wind towards the beasts, putting a decent amount of strength behind it to ensure they were pushed away from the shore. Once I was satisfied they were far enough away that a tail couldn’t deal a fatal blow, I envisioned acircle surrounding the creatures. I directed my energy into pulling the water away from the beasts in the space while simultaneously summoning and throwing green fire balls towards the middle of their bodies. The shots landed, and wails resounded throughout the cove.

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