Page 130 of The Prince's Mage

Marcella wasn’t sure what Hypatia considered rusty when she’d wanted Marcella to translate when they first arrived if she was easily able to get through these negotiations. She was better than Marcella in speaking it and Marcella had spent a year surrounded by them.

But Marcela couldn’t be that surprised. Everything always came easily to Hypatia.

“I am willing to negotiate my brother’s return and an end to the bloodshed. Even if it means negotiating with you, demon,” Nikias said. He gestured to one of his commanders who pulled out paper, a quill, and ink. “I trust that you won’t oppose us putting the terms into ink. Surely you have some people capable of reading amongst you savages.”

Hypatia grinned, unfazed by the insult. “Keep up such pleasantries like that and I can’t promise your brother back in one piece.”

Oh no. Marcella braced herself, but Nikias stayed perfectly calm and measured. He just shifted his gaze and looked right at Marcella but continued speaking to Hypatia. “She won’t let you.”

Marcella was completely frozen as all her breath left her at the statement.

Hypatia looked up at Marcella for a moment before turning back to Nikias. “You think she can stop me?”

“You had her take your place for a reason.” Nikias turned back to Hypatia. “Now, are we going to negotiate or not?”

Hypatia shrugged and sat back in her seat, her bored expression settling in. “Let’s get started.”

Bored was better. It would steady Hypatia’s unbalanced behavior after using her Sight. If Marcella was right and she had been using her Sight far more than she should be.

Marcella breathed a little easier as things settled into the rhythm of crafting a peace treaty. Of course, it was boring, incredibly boring, but she supposed that was the beauty of peace. Boring was a worthy price to pay.

She also recognized that both Nikias and Hypatia were well prepared with their terms, so the treaty was already half written just from their documents alone. If it hadn’t been, she knew they wouldn’t have a hope of finishing before the king arrived. But with how quickly they were moving, they just might.

Marcella stood as still as possible as the terms were beaten out one by one. Hypatia would propose something, Nikias would speak in a low tone with one of the commanders—Marcella couldn’t figure out exactly why he would speak to the ones he did about specific issues, but Nikias was deliberate about it. He’d clearly selected the commanders with a strategy in mind.

Hypatia, on the other hand, didn’t turn to anyone for input. Konstantin had to put his hand on her arm, tightening his grip on it until she tilted her head in his direction and he was able to give his input to her. High Priest Panagiotis had to clear his throat loudly, which earned him a dramatic roll of her eyes, before she would listen to the priest.

Marcella couldn’t imagine being so blatantly disrespectful to the High Priest in general but especially not in front of the Inimicus. But Hypatia, despite her gift being a blessing from Asentai, had little respect for anyone but herself, but especially any Solitus, including the High Priest.

The first time Hypatia leaned back, tilting her head up and eyeing Marcella, she froze. Had she missed something important? Why was Hypatia looking at her? They’d been talking about something.

“Little one, tell me, what do you think? It seems cruel to me. Separating children from their people to be herded about and constantly in lessons far from home in thisacademie.I think it makes children unfeeling and cruel, indifferent to suffering.”

Oh.

Hypatiawas concerned about cruelty and indifference to suffering?

“I have been to theacademiequite a bit. It is my favorite place in Areator. But I also thought what you did until I went. The students I encountered… I did not find them to be any different from any of our children in temperament. Actually, kinder than I expected.” Marcella lowered her voice so just Hypatia could hear. “I wish… Part of me thinks I would not have felt so isolated and lonely after my family was gone if I had been there.”

“Hmm.” Was Hypatia’s only response.

She hadn’t really believed Konstantin when he’d claimed Hypatia had some respect for her, but… what else could that have been about?

The hours stretched on. Hypatia waved her hand and sent for food and water and they pressed on through the tedious work, finding all the points of contention and whittling them down to acceptable terms.

Instead of the clans giving any void hearts to the temple, they would give them to the Inimicus to get rid of to keep the Abyss from growing. High Priest Panagiotis was not happy about it, believing the void hearts to be the temple’s responsibility to control, but Nikias would not budge and Hypatia really had no love lost for them either. They could agree on them being a clear sign of corruption.

The clans would send their no-name mages—mages born to two Solitus parents—to Areator as part of this experiment of peace, to see what would happen if they taught children both styles and languages early on. They would also choose a few mages to teach at the academy and the Inimicus would send a mage to each clan to do the same.

They would begin construction on an outpost in the ocean to monitor the Abyss’ growth and measure if the Inimicus’ way of dealing with the void hearts was effective at containing it. A temple would be built in Areator for the clan mages to be able to worship while there and so the Inimicus Solitus would have one for their use as well.

Should any of the Elemens move against the Inimcius or the clans, they would come to the other’s aid and be united against them at the very least.

Hypatia was very insistent on that one, and Nikias was very reluctant to pledge any help, but he eventually gave in. Thankfully. When he’d first pushed back, the unhinged look had started to creep back into Hypatia’s eyes.

The afternoon began to stretch into the evening and Marcella’s legs ached from staying on her feet and so still for so long and she prayed that they were close to the end of it.

“You will take every torture table in your country and burn it.” Hypatia looked up from her papers. Konstantin’s hand had taken up permanent residence on her arm so he could squeeze it and force her attention to him, but he stayed still on this one, his own expression resolute. This was one all their people would agree on. She continued, “And should any of your heretics continue the horrific practice, the punishment will be to first do to them whatever they did to one of my people and then death.”

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