The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Three: Mail Call

Sometime later, Thepa returned to her office alone. Still in her sweaty training clothes, she examined her skin closely, searching for the strange signs she had seen along the walls. Hands, nails, horns—nothing seemed amiss. Even her hooves, which she had been certain sent off sparks against the pavement, appeared as clean as they had after her bath the previous day. The only odd thing she noticed was that they weren't as dirty as they should have been.

When she came up empty, she sat at her desk unsure what to do about what had happened, allowing it to mull over in her thoughts.

"Are you a druid?" Aldermoon asked her on the way down.

"No," she responded, desperate to escape. In the Beachwick the Sisters of Skirret were renowned for their druidic magic, and Thepa knew they could alter the body to enhance physical features. However, most of their magic focused on transforming the body into an animal spirit, not on enhancing the senses. Stranger still, those with such talents usually manifested them at a young age, not in adulthood. If she had possessed any of those abilities, the signs would have been evident long ago.

"Then what—" she started to say, but Thepa cut her off, quite rudely now that she thought about it.

"I said I don't know."

That was the end of that. Frustrated, she all but ran away back into the barracks, ignoring the rest of her duties for the day, not that she had anything pressing. When she calmed down, she thought she might go back and apologize to Aldermoon. Deciding there was little she could do about it now, she turned to her mail, studying the pack of letters.

On top of the stack lay a letter from the palace. It was rare for Thepa to receive such correspondence; usually, her orders came directly from the Royal Guard or the Archduke himself. When a letter did arrive, it was typically an invitation to a party or ball, almost always demanding her presence for ceremonial duties. But with grand events scheduled weeks or even months in advance, this was unusual. Intrigued, she carefully opened the golden envelope to find it was from the archduke himself.

Captain Thepa,

A delegation of the nations will convene tomorrow. I suspect your presence will be necessary. As such, I would like to have you on standby in case you are needed. Furthermore, the delegation of Wildehaven as requested your presence in escorting her to council chambers. Please make yourself available upon the boats arrive.

Leoxidor

Much like the Beachwick had the three Council of Sisters and the Matriarch, Wildehaven had four leaders who governed their military. During her training in Wildehaven, Thepa had met them all. Two of them, Mistress Verola and Minister Deephallow, barely registered in the back of her mind. They were in charge of the School of Wizardry and the School of Artifactory, respectively, but Thepa knew little else about them.

The third leader, Minister Goodshadow, had been her instructor during her time with the Wildehaven Hunters. Like all halflings, Goodshadow was a jolly Youngling of the Trees. Though skilled with a bow and an expert tracker, he took very little seriously. Most nights, he was seen partying with his students. Thepa respected his knowledge and valued his instruction, but she quickly learned to take everything he said with a grain of salt.

One time, early in her training, she caught him with a group of students in the hall, loudly singing an off-key ballad. As she passed by, he invited her to join, but she politely declined. Her refusal earned her a peculiar look and a statement that left her staring awkwardly as the group walked away: "Don't be so serious. Study hard, party harder." Later that night, Thepa saw Goodshadow passed out in the hall. Could that have been her? No, the Matriarch's daughter had to be better. At the time, she considered his behavior a scandal she must avoid at all cost.