The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Eleven: The Dead Don't Love

By the next day, Thepa received orders for the new mission. The Archduke had informed her that one of the outposts in Clayborn-controlled territory had been overrun by orcs. King Starmoon was requesting help reclaiming it. She nodded and told the Archduke it would take a day or two to get her team together, but she would do what she needed to begin preparation. He gave her three.

This time, Thepa was sure it would be different. Of the three ionic crystals scattered throughout the land, Clayborn was the only nation to have established an outpost near its crystal. This meant she didn't need to worry about teleporting into an enemy ambush.

However, logistics wasn't her only concern. Rory was hiding something, Vivian was watching her like a hawk, and the other three were barely paying her any mind. If it wasn't for Claudia's support and friendship, she was sure she would go mad.

She couldn't afford to fail. Not with the Archduke's trust in her leadership already waning. Therefore, it was to her utter shock when the Archduke summoned her to a meeting late in the night on the third day.

"Are you sure?" Thepa asked, looking at the request. The gold lettering across the white parchment could have only come from the Archduke, but the missive said very little. The brief instruction to 'Follow the page' with a loopy 'A' as a signature was all it said.

The page stared back at her wide-eyed. "Y-yes, ma'am. The Archduke says you're to come immediately and talk to no one. My job is to escort you to the castle."

"Alright then," she said, ill at ease. She stuck the small note into her pocket and gestured forward. "Lead the way."

The trip from the council meeting room to the Archduke's chamber was short, but it was enough time for Thepa to turn into a nervous wreck. Every possible scenario of what was about to happen ran through her mind, ranging from another dressing down to a report on her outburst against the Matriarch. Both events seemed likely. The fear inside her grew when the page led her past the chamber and down to a room she had never seen before.

I'm being let go, she thought.

The page gestured towards the room. "They're waiting inside."

"They?" she asked, but the page said nothing. Instead, he disappeared with a small pop, leaving behind no trace. Confused, she checked her pocket to find even the letter gone.

"A phantasm?" she whispered, opening the door, but she wasn't sure. They were crude illusions, little more than street tricks for younglings and beasts. Most wizards dismissed them as worthless, too exaggerated, and too hollow to be mistaken for real Saintians. Crafting one that could fool the eye required rare skill, the kind few possessed.

Thepa stepped into the small room, closing the door behind her, to find she wasn't alone.

Five Saintians stood before her, their skin warm and washed, diffused by a reddish hue now cascading over their bodies. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she began to recognize the familiar faces: the Archduke, President Skydane with an ever-growing scowl, Mistress Deeprabbit, and, much to her delight and joy, her brother and new sister-in-law.

"Hey, girl," Einkidi said with a smile.

Thepa smiled back at her halfling friend, giving her a once-over. It was hard to tell in the red light, but her sister-in-law had changed quite a bit since they'd last seen each other. Her brown hair was now tied up in a bun, a departure from the sleek, down style she used to favor. Her youthful face had matured, taking on a womanlier appearance with a slight narrowing of her features. Even her red spectacles, which had once seemed too large for her eyes, now sat more comfortably on the bridge of her nose.