169 A Different View (2/2)

\”Don't you think it's even worse here in the central region?\” he corrected me.

\”What do you mean? There's conflict everywhere in the Fayne,\” I reasoned.

\”And yet, this is the only region in the Fayne where a fairy clan met its end,\” he reminded me. \”Hasn't happened since the fracturing of the Moon clan, and even that wasn't complete destruction like what happened to the Magesong.\”

I gazed out at the scenery before me and thought about the implications of what he just said. It was true. In the five hundred year history of the warring clans era, this was the very first time a clan was destroyed.

\”Do you know how it looks to the rest of the clans?\” he asked.

I could guess. \”It means the Trickster Pavilion is serious about unification… claiming the empty throne.\”

He nodded. \”It means you're going to have more enemies than the Sunspire Dominion…\” he patted me on the shoulder. \”Well, you and the Scarlet Moon.\”

I felt the shock appear on my face. \”B-but we weren't allies in the last war!\”

\”Everyone knows that,\” Chris Pint responded. He leaned over the railings and narrowed his gaze at his own procession that was finally at its tail end climbing up the steps. \”But whether or not you were allies, together, the two clans were responsible for the death of another… that has consequences that are only now beginning to reverberate around the Fayne.\”

\”So that's why Orryn was so eager to jump into this alliance… we need backup,\” I realized. \”But what do you get out of this? Besides getting us to back you up too?\”

\”Just being in an alliance with the clan that destroyed the Magesong is enough to reassure my people that you guys aren't about to take a swing at us,\” he admitted. \”That's enough of a morale booster for us to keep fighting in the south.\”

\”And if you win in the south…\” I hesitated to ask my next question. \”You'll eventually want to come to the center… won't you?\”

Chris Pint frowned right before that big fat grin appeared on his face. He glanced at me and said, \”I'm liking this view a lot.\”

That ominous statement sent chills rising up and down my spine.

Just the thought of crossing swords with the Lord of Stars, a sense knight who was leagues ahead of me, was giving me a headache. But, a very tiny part of me, the arrogant Dean that sometimes showed up on a battlefield, well, that Dean was feeling chills for a completely different reason. It was as if my inner warrior was screaming out at the top of his lungs, \”Bring it on, dude!\”

Of course, I said none of this out loud, and only said, \”I'll stop you.\”

\”Heh! Bring it on, newbie,\” his grin got even wider. \”But first you're going to have to beat the Dominion in the desert.\”

\”We're going to do just that,\” I said confidently.

\”And you're going to have to claim the biggest prize to get to within my shouting distance, boyo,\” he challenged. \”You're going to have to claim the head of Lord Rah, at least, if you want to tango with me.\”

\”Um, that's a really high hurdle, you know,\” I complained with a baleful eye at him. \”There is such a thing as level progression…\”

The Lord of Stars laughed out loud and long, long enough for a visitor to arrive and clear her throat for him to shut up.

She was dressed in a sky blue gown that ended just above her ankles. A midnight blue cape was draped over her shoulders held together by an emerald brooch shaped into a four-leaf clover. There was no jewelry on her except for the gold necklace and locket hanging from her neck. Her face was painted underneath her left eye with the flowery patterns commonly done in elven nobility.

Also, I wasn't sure if it was an illusion or not but her golden hair, which was usually cut just above her shoulder, was now long enough to flow gracefully down to hair waist.

Princess Aurana inclined her head to Chris Pint in a gesture of respect.

\”Greetings, Patriarch of the Starfall clan,\” she said in a stately voice I wasn't at all used to. \”My brother, the Patriarch of the Trickster Pavilion sends you his warmest welcome, and asks that I escort you into the Patriarch's hall so we can begin tonight's revelries.\”

Chris Pint, being the dude he was, whistled at the sight of her. Then, as if he was trying to out me, the idiot elbowed me in the ribs and whispered in my ear, \”Damn, now I get why you're in this clan, you son of a dog, you.\”

He chuckled at my expense then returned her greeting, stating in as loud a voice as possible that Aura was the very visage of the golden moon come down to bless us, mere mortals.

It warmed my heart to see that Aura didn't bat an eyelash at his compliment, and instead she said something she knew would annoy him, \”It should please you to know that the Inquisitor of the Justiciar herself is arriving tonight.\”

\”Wait… what?!\” Chris Pint stepped back all of a sudden. \”That brat is coming here? Why?\”

\”As you know, an alliance between fairy clans is always conducted under the watchful eye of the Justiciars to ensure the Law of Equivalent Trade is observed in the agreement,\” she explained. Then she shrugged. \”It seems our alliance was interesting enough to warrant her appearance. After all, there are two Sense Knights among our two clans.\”

\”Shit…\” he hissed.

\”Um, sorry, princess,\” I interrupted. \”But who is the Inquisitor?\”

Aurana turned her gaze on me and I could swear she was laughing inside. You could tell from the twinkle in her eyes.

\”The Inquisitor will certainly interest you as well, Commander Dapper,\” she said. \”After all, she is the Sense Knight of Tastes.\”

\”And the worst glutton in all the damn Fayne,\” Chris Pint growled.