Chapter Four

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Chapter Four

Mixed Messages

Daiya burst through the large double doors of the Proud estate and half dragged May into the antechamber. A little over an hour had passed from when the secret diplomatic mission had ended but it looked like the night was nowhere near close to being over. The moment Lyla, the emissary from Frand, had left the palace grounds safely Daiya instantly turned on May. She had just shown up out of thin air and made it very clear to Daiya that she had been the architect of everything that happened during the meeting, and now she wanted answers. Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to get those answers in front of the juvenile and idiotic Queen Reiea, so Daiya quickly grabbed May, made some kind of excuse that they both needed to leave immediately, and then dragged her all the way back to the Proud estate.

Taking off her cloak and throwing it into the cloakroom just off the main entrance way, Daiya now guided May down the dark halls towards the main sitting room that she had been in earlier. She hadn't expected May to come along as quietly as she had, but right now she wasn't going to worry about what that could mean. She had honestly been expecting an argument back at the palace or something along those lines, but it had never happened. In fact May herself seemed to be a little eager to get away and had even corroborated the fake reason Daiya had given to Reiea.

Now that they were alone though it was time to get some answers, and once they were inside the large room full of bookshelves, chairs, couches, tables, and a fireplace, she rounded on May and got ready to tear into her and demand to know what she was up to. However, when she did turn back towards the door to face May she found that the woman had already moved deeper into the room and was walking towards the table that held the wine and other alcoholic drinks.

"What are you doing?" Daiya demanded as the woman now began to pour herself something from a large and amber coloured bottle.

"I'm getting something to drink. You want anything while I'm at it? Wine maybe?" May replied, as cool and nonchalant as could be as she now held up the bottle of wine that Daiya had tasted earlier that evening. May then turned and looked at her a second before a sigh escaped her lips and she put the bottle of wine back where she had picked it up from. "I know you want answers, but you're going to have to wait for a little bit. We're currently missing our third member of this little group, and I don't think she would like us starting without her. Sit down and have a drink; just take a breather."

"The third member? Did you... did you have Aura pulled out of her strategic meeting?!" Daiya asked angrily and was answered a second later by Aura swinging through the door that May had closed only a moment ago.

"She did," the tall blonde said, walking right into the parlour and tossing her light cloak onto the chair next to May, a grimace on her face, strands of hair poking out at odd angles, and an angry glint in her eyes. "Having a member of the palace staff burst into the middle of a meeting where very sensitive information and strategy is being discussed is sloppy; especially by someone as wise and long lived as you, May."

"Are you making fun of my age? I think I look pretty damn good for being over two thousand years old!" May quickly quipped back, but Aura simply sighed in annoyance and shrugged. "Oh come on, I thought it was pretty funny."

"Enough! We're all here now, so it's time you gave some answers, May! Why were you at the palace? When and why did you make your existence known to Reiea? How much does she even know? And why did you move the negotiations towards some cultural warrior contest when there are far more important things we should be focused on?!"

"Reiea knows about you?!" Aura now yelled out loudly before quickly covering her mouth a second later. "What the hell is wrong with you May? You are playing a dangerous game."

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