Pieces of Eight

Chapter 15

Though the hour was late, the moon high in the skies and the stars brilliantly shining, Tehraiza was still up. Sitting in her chambers, Altan dozing lightly on and off at the other end of the enormous, single room, a fire crackling opposite his massive form, she sat at a lovely dark-stained desk, papers neatly stacked in perfect array around a clear central work area. Propped against the wall off to the side was an ornately-framed mirror, nearly half as tall as Tehraiza, covered with a length of thick red velvet cloth. Tehraiza herself has bent over her work, penning a letter by the light of several thick candles in holders set at regular intervals across the top of the desk. Although she had changed into her night clothes, her hair was still bound tightly in its usual knot behind her head.

Altan was the first to crack an eye at the trickle of magic that seeped into the room; Tehraiza felt his awakening more than she felt the magic itself, and paused in her writing as Altan opened his eyes, third eyelids sliding across the amber orbs with a wet click as he blinked the drowsiness from his eyes. Then, she felt it, but felt no alarm. She knew this magic. Setting aside her quill, sitting up, and pushing back from the desk, Tehraiza draped the blanket from her lap over the back of her chair and moved to kneel on the floor in front of the mirror. With a single movement, she had uncovered the glass, as crystalline and flawless as the day it had been cast.

From those depths, Aldebrand's face came forth, rugged and scowling as usual. Tehraiza simply arched a brow in recognition; seeing her appear, Aldebrand hastily inclined his head in as much of a bow as their limited field of vision would allow, and addressed her. "News from the Elven scouts."

"Let me guess: she's moving a sizeable chunk to reinforce her others and make us think she's moved off, when in reality she's also left a deployment here?"

"Even better," Aldebrand grunted. "She sent them this way."

Tehraiza's lips thinned and her brows furrowed, but she otherwise did not display her frustration. Urai was attempting to force her hand, and she was going to have to walk right into the trap she could see coming. The elves would not fight on principle, unless their need to defend themselves was dire. Therefore, blood would have to be spilled before they raised their banners. In the meantime, Tehraiza would likely be summoned to their aid. If she did, she would have officially entered the conflict she had been trying so hard not to interfere in...and Urai would certainly use that against her. "How many?" she asked, trying to forestall the moment of decision for just a few seconds longer. "How far out are they?"

"One full battalion," Aldebrand reported. "Probably another day or two. They've been hiding out in the forest for a few days, moving slowly and carefully and quietly, but they'd absolute idiots if they thought they could get to Paradiim without being seen."

"No, they knew they'd be seen, they just wanted to wait until they were ready to be seen," Tehraiza sighed. "Which means we're already behind."

Aldebrand's huff was just as low and gravelly as hers. "What do we do, then?"

"For the love of every star in the sky, you stay there," Tehraiza ordered. "I'm going to prepare a dispatch and a workaround for Paradiim's anti-portal magic, and we're going to keep that to ourselves. That way, if and when the elves request aid, we can be there in an hour. That should disrupt Urai's plans sufficiently. I want you to keep Areli as sheltered and sequestered as possible. He doesn't need to get involved in this."

"I agree," Aldebrand started, "but he's taken quite a shine to Loreley's brother."

"Good. Maybe he'll fall madly in love and fucking stay there and let Urai weaken without him. It might give us a fool's chance in hell of wrapping this up neatly."