Who The Fire Favours (ONC2023) gxg

Chapter 11: Aria

Aria was in her happy place.

The cool, crisp arkalite stone table surrounded the grand hall in her Opalace. It was a large, opulent building with domed roofs that housed only the best Excelliars. From the youngest of apprentices to fully fledged Traited with all manner of abilities and Traited alike. Aria's mother; Lady Gracia had resided over the Stone Throne just like generations of ancestors before her.

It was one of the only monarchies left after the current Caldorian dynasty had fallen to ruin. The rest had opted for democracy or clinging to a higher power. The only power Aria needed to rely on was her Light Trait and her Oathed.

The white marble seats were intricately spaced around her while the space for her Regent to stand resolutely at her side. It was empty. The shadow of a familiar hat morphed into a familiar mop of ginger hair.

Aria blinked.

The intricately decorated room became cluttered with dust and all manner of knick knacks, boxes, supplies and medicine clustered together. All of it had been thrown next to semi piles of unusable weapons twisted by heat and rust in the worst attempt at a cleanup she'd ever seen.

Much to her dismay, Aria wasn't in Opalis. She was stuck in a dilapidated inn, surrounded by people she hated and struggling to find some semblance of privacy despite the goings on outside. The cramped room didn't help either. The scattered yells and distant banging woke Aria out of her daydream, resisting the urge to clutch her head so she resorted to squinting at the low light.

"Please, please I'm innocent! I'm begging you! I wasn't even in Opalis that night, I can't even scrape together a living to survive in Beggar's End let alone risk the Ascent to Opalis."

The Throneholder gave the face of her enemy a cruel smile, Rider's pitifully scarred face pleading up at her. She blinked. A much older face was covered in soot and haggard from work in all conditions. The raggedy dressed man looked close to tears but whether they were out of fear or frustration she didn't know.

"Are you suggesting the Greengather bridge isn't worth your time?"

Aria attempted to hide her shaken expression over her own failing mental state. The kneeling man was still unknown to her despite being the one to summon him. She glanced around the room at the other representatives, noting how many were missing but felt the familiar comfort of her dragon lounged behind the back of her chair. Ethros was still beside her. That made things easier.

"No, no. But why would I risk heading up there without any Guilars to pay the toll, we don't even celebrate Brinehearth! I'm a Shadecaller, I turn out the street lights during the festival, that's all I swear!"

Aria did her best not to look bored, the familiar back and forth between the two reminding her of every other interrogation in the last few hours. Unlike her own boredom other representatives bore varying expressions of outrage, awkwardness and uncomfortableness towards Morales' candour. It was a verbal execution of not only his character but any other Traited associated with him.

"So you admit to being there the night of the Scholar's Keep disaster? Of course a Shadow Traited like you would bend to the whims of any flame wielder." Moralez drawled, somehow dragging this out even more than Aria thought possible.

The Throneholder was even more irritated by the vague assumption but stayed silent. The accused was kneeling before him morbidly, the overly dressed Caithsee turned quickly to address the group, the cat kin's whiskers twitching nervously.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is for Traited like us to get a job? My family, they need me or they'll have no one to defend them against the demons. The Excelliars can't spend the resources to venture so far down the Undercity. You of all people should know that."