Tipping the Scale

Time of Growth (Part 2)

Swiftly grabbing her bag, Lidea headed to the baths with Warchief at her side.

"Anyway, back to what I originally came here for. I just received a message from Wulf. Your letter was well received and rumors are flying through the palace. The king even organized an emergency meeting to address it."

Though it was only a small victory, she couldn't help her smile of satisfaction at imagining Morto's panic. After seeing the northern slumps, she knew how little he could afford the bad publicity.

"Good."

"Don't be too smug. He also said that the king announced his plans to invade the south."

"What!? Has he turned mad?"

The news came as a shock. Sure, she had expected war to be on the horizon but still not this soon. Conquering the South was akin to suicide with the kind of troops he had. Even if their southern neighbors did not have the magic battalions she had imagined them to have, their armies of mercenaries were infamous.

"That is what I'm wondering. I have heard the gossip of course, but I thought it to be without ground. Especially as the person in my camp who would know, has not mentioned anything of the sort. So tell me Lidea, is our opponent acting in bad faith or is he insane?"

She hadn't meant to imply anything by her off-the-cuff remark, but it seemed to have opened a wasp's nest for Warchief. His accusatory tone nettled her, it wasn't as if she had been silent on the matter on purpose. He had just never asked.

Is that so?

A sense of guilt bubbled up as she considered the facts about her family which she had failed to mention as well. Perhaps some part of her was still unable to trust them truly.

"There is no answer to be had. At least not as of now. I assume you heard the stories of our current king's father?"

"That the dragons decided to curse him and his family after he banned the riders from his land? As I said, I have been hearing the rumor, but it doesn't sound believable. Dragons don't involve themselves in human matters, and even if they did, they don't use magic in the way of curses."

Lidea didn't doubt he was right. Still, it was true that something strange was happening within the Kyeira household. Many of its members started to behave oddly as they grew older. Irrational, paranoid and she had even heard whispers that they would talk to spirits. The old king himself had supposedly died by jumping out of his window proclaiming he was going for a swim.

"I don't think they mean dragon in the literal sense. The royal house of Lynoës got their throne through the blessing of a dragon and ever since, they have been nicknamed the dragon's line. My guess is that the curse of the dragon is symbolic of the illness that is passed through their blood."

If she was, to be honest, it hadn't been her theory but Valerian's. Ever since he was young, he had spent his free time perusing medical scriptures but it had grown into an obsession after the queen had fallen ill.

More than once, she had helped him look through those dusty manuscripts. Trying to find a cure, of which she doubted its existence. It was on one of those nights that she had found him sitting on the ground with an empty look in his teary eyes.

"Do you think such a thing as fate exists?"

She had snorted at that question. Feeling it to be ridiculous.

"Does it matter? Even if it does, we don't know it, so what is the point of worrying over it?"

"Because I'm afraid. Scared I will end up losing control over my mind just like grandpa!"