Heirs of the Gods

Ch 21: A power ancient like the sea

"There is no way. These chains are extremely tight and solid. This glamour was not done by any amateur, it was thoroughly designed to last many years."

For the past hour and a half Zella had, unsuccessfully, attempted to break the powerful spell on Ella.

Under her cool hands and mumbled words, Zella had revealed the shape of the glamour. A thick, golden dome that worked itself around Ella's body, covering her like an impenetrable chain link armour.

No amount of prodding and chanting had made a difference. By now, Zella's presence in her mind was unwelcome like a stab to her senses. Overwhelmed, not even burning sage and lavender had helped. All these efforts resulted in a migraine for both of them and an itchy nose for Ella.

Ella shook her head slightly, afraid to jostle it and further worsen her pounding headache, "I'm willing to keep trying, maybe if--"

"That's enough, we aren't going anywhere with this, this is only causing you pain and there's no advance," Callan sentenced, cross-armed as he paced Zella's office. Despite his incredibly packed day, he'd made time to come to her appointment with Zella.

Aedion came in through the door, he'd left a couple of minutes prior. Wordlessly, he handed them each a cool glass of water and a small glass vial of amber liquid that smelled like peppermint and ginger. She recognised it from Sulimona's infirmary wing, it was a potion she made to soothe headaches and minor soreness. This was a fresh batch, the handwriting on the label was a bit smudged from not being allowed to dry properly.

Downing the minty, slightly spicy liquid and half a glass of water, she gave Aedion a grateful half-smile. He simply rolled his eyes took a seat on an armchair next to the sofa where she sat with Zella.

Ella sighed, pressing her lips into a line, "I don't want to give up. I don't mind a headache, I just want the glamour broken."

"We aren't giving up, we're going to ask a friend of mine to break it."

She frowned, "I don't mean to be rude, but Magistra Zella is a powerful enough seer, she's a high priestess. What makes you believe that your friend could make much of a difference." Over an hour trying and there wasn't even a visible crack on the thick, golden chain dome around her.

"She placed the glamour to begin with, that is why," Zella said, with an expression that was a brew of frustration and reluctant admiration.

Ella widened her eyes as turned her gaze to Callan in askance, he nodded grimly. "Why would she do that? I take this to mean my mother asked her to do so. I understand next to nothing."

Callan laughed—short and unamused. "I don't have any answers to offer you, because we seem to be in the same spot."

"Who is this woman? I don't understand how she could have enough power to cast a glamour strong enough to last twenty years, one so unbreakable at that."

"Because, dear Wen, she's no simple woman," Aedion mused. "She's no less than the Queen of Caelum."

*******

To say Ella was in awe was an understatement.

Callan had taken the day off in order to make a visit to Caelum Court and ask the Queen herself to remove the glamour she'd placed on her. So, Ella found herself waiting in a solarium for the Queen to arrive, after their entourage had been escorted by staff to this room upon their arrival.

Caelum Court was, quite literally, a little piece of heaven.

Though the lands were on the ground and on the alps bordering the terrain, the palace floated above, a fantastical castle in the sky. An airy building of gleaming opalescent marble that shone softly with prismatic pastels. Marble flooring with delicate golden veining lined all of the inside rooms and colossal columns soared up into the sky, twined by peals of climbing white jasmine and cascades of creamy wisteria that saturated the room in honeyed sweetness and sunshine.