Amara of Xeris

Chapter 29

Ten more minutes and it would be her turn to speak. It was a contradicting feeling. Amara wanted to get it over with quickly and delay it forever at the same time. The exhilaration, the guilt, and the apathy, of committing something so treacherous kept Amara's heart beating faster than ever.

Just ten minutes. Only ten minutes. And everything begins. This isn't the first time that Amara had used charm-speak to her advantage but this felt intense. Maybe because it was her first time using charm-speak on so many people, so many royals. How dishonest. Dad would be so disappointed if he ever got to know. Luckily, he doesn't. Not yet. There were no Spiritual Magic users except Amara present in the Council. Her father had no way of knowing.

Five more minutes...Four more minutes now...Three now...Two...One and it's her turn to speak. At this moment, it's all or nothing. Now or never. Everything counts at this moment.

Amara took slow steps to the podium. Head held high, shoulders straight and hands kept in front, she walked slowly but regally and elegantly. She stopped at the podium and gently laid her hands on it. With a deep breath, she concentrated all her magic in her throat area and started her speech.

"Good Morning, All Royals of Ephedia. I am Amara Xerina, Queen of the Xerin Province of Kelasar and Crown Princess of the Queendom of Xeris. Today, I am addressing the Council of Royals over the pressing issue of the crackdown on Othreran businesses..., she started the speech and felt the charm-speak take effect on her audience.

...I am aware that the closing of the Ephedian Regional in Othrera is a huge disgrace for Ephedia. Therefore, a crackdown is necessary to preserve that honour. However, I have an unusual request for all of you..., some nervousness pooled in the bottom of her stomach and worry filled her veins. No, don't let this bother you, the magic will not work properly if you worry too much. Just focus on your words, your throat and your magic. Calm down and just focus.

...I ask you to delay the crackdowns.", she finished her speech. She hoped that the charm-speak worked at least a little bit. Maybe, it didn't work because of nervousness. Maybe Amara didn't have the skill to pull off charm-speaking such a large crowd. It's already complicated to use charm-speak in front of just one person.

"Why should we delay the crackdowns?", her mother asked. Of course, she would be the first one to raise questions about this.

Take a deep breath and concentrate on the magic. If you couldn't blow them away with the speech, you can try your hand with the reasoning. Don't get nervous and answer confidently. You prepared for this, just be confident and lie. Dad used to say that one cannot be completely honest in the Royal Council when it comes to protecting the Spiritual-Magic users. He was so right. On second thought, he probably wouldn't be very disappointed.

"Revolutionary activity and sentiments of Kelasarian nationalism have been on the rise ever since the Othreran visits. The Kelasarian Royal Council is worried that the crackdowns will result in riots and an unprecedented rise in Kelasarian Nationalism. It might even lead to the popularisation of the 'Join Othrera Movement.'..., she lied about the growing nationalism.

Most of her audience seemed to understand that as a threat and agreed with her statement.

...Luckily, we have some information regarding the leaders of such movements, which is why I ask for a delay of at least a month. The Press laws in Kelasar make it difficult to arrest and curb those leaders. So, we would need at least a month for the discrete arrest of those leaders. Until then, the crackdowns would just aggravate a delicate political scenario. I hope that the Council would be kind enough to delay the crackdowns.", she finished her reasoning.

"Request granted. The crackdowns have been postponed for a month.", Queen Iridessa announced, "We appreciate your commitment to Ephedia."

Ironic that her commitment to Ephedia was just a lie, a lie she told to avoid conflict. A noble lie then. If it was to save lives then everything she did was justified. So what if the Ephedians said she was wrong, they were the ones who started it all.