Inheritor Of Magic: The Magi King

With the army clearing the way, it didn't take them long to get inside the city. The Coven leadership had promised them news and a public event the next day, but first they had to finish the meetings with the representatives from the Fae Forest, as they called Priya and her two guards.

When it came down to actual magic, neither of them were strong, but both of them were older veteran soldiers and Rank One witches with excellent blade and rifle skills.

They had both on them at the moment, so if things got ugly with the Coven leadership, they should be able to take care of themselves.

They knew firsthand that there wasn't much that was going to get through an armour amulet that Wolfe made in one shot, so even if they were taken by surprise, they still had good odds of winning the fight.

"We can take the priority elevator all the way up if you don't mind leaving your truck here." The Sylvan Coven Leader, an ancient witch well past her hundredth birthday, quietly suggested. Her voice still held the confidence of decades in authority, but she was unable to speak much louder at her advanced age.

"Of course. Just let us load a few items to show you, and arrange security so that the rest gets properly distributed. We didn't come empty-handed, we have brought useful spells and other goods with us to fill the bed of the truck." Priya explained.

"In that case, we will put it in the garage before we go up. Then it can be distributed as you see fit after we talk." The old Coven Leader agreed.

There was a government garage right by the elevator, intended for military vehicles, so it was no problem to get the large truck parked and the doors safely locked to await their return. Then came the long trip up to the top of the Fortress City, where all the official business of the Coven was done, and the vital magical workings of the city were held.

Priya frowned as they exited the elevator and stepped out onto the top level of the city, a spot she had never been before, as it was reserved only for the elites of society.

But presently, there were traces of rubble and renovation everywhere, she could hear the groaning of the power generators from over a kilometre away, and the level had lost much of its greenery and lustre.

"Have things gotten that bad?" She asked, gesturing around the area.

The Coven Leader frowned and nodded. "We started with the areas closest to our own homes, but this level is over half empty now. The most capable took the heaviest casualties after all."

That was the way that it should be, the strong protecting the weak, but seeing it like this, it was clear that Sylvan Coven would not have an easy time recovering. It also explained why they had sent so few people back to the farms and villages. They didn't have the mouths to feed, so they didn't need as many farms, and they had nobody left to send to the villages.

Unlike Morgana Coven, where the villages were mostly witches, the Sylvan Coven kept most of the Witches in the Fortress City, and only a few lived in each village to make sure that the necessary magic, from gardening to healing, was available to everyone.

But the humans had left, and now the once grand Sylvan Coven was essentially a city state.

The streets got cleaner as they reached the Council building, and for the first time in her life, Priya saw exterior windows in the Fortress City. Over the centre of the top level, a huge glass dome was built, providing natural light to the council and surrounding areas.

"Let's take a seat in the garden. The sun is still high, and a bit of natural light should help you feel more at home. I know you grew up here, everyone knows the Priya Family's military history, but the scent of Fae Magic lingers on you." 

The Coven Leader's words echoed the sentiments of the driver that had taken Ella back into the Morgana Fortress City, and left Priya sniffing at her clothes to see if she really did smell strange.

The Sylvan Coven City was built in what should have been a desert near the ocean, but being so close to the border of the Frozen Wastes, it was only a small sandy area near the tundra. So, it didn't have the musty and fetid aroma of rot that pervaded the Morgana Coven City, it smelled more of sand and ocean, with a much better ventilation system.

The group sat in a rough circle, instead of by rank, and Priya moved to set one of the mixed crates that they had been dropping for the villages in the middle. She emptied it out, carefully spreading the contents so that everyone could see what was in it.

Dried rations, grown in the dense mana of the Den, a single box of enchanted ammunition, a few armour amulets with three layers, a few seed packets and a Rank Two Garden Charm. The standard issue emergency supplies for every village that they found.

Once, that was every village that they had an agreement with, but these days, everyone needed help, and it could be a death sentence not to get them the very best, so it didn't matter if they'd never heard of the village before, if they saw locals there, they would drop them supplies.

"These are the basics of what we offer. Of course, there is much better food, but these are the basic shelf-stable ration packs we make in the Fae Forest, and the enchanted ammunition that will let any soldier compete against the finest of enemies. The Garden Charms are all made by Rank Two witches for these boxes, we save the Rank Three ones for special requests, since they can cover such a large area." Priya began.

The younger Council Members came forward and picked one of each item up to pass around the circle, letting the others get a close look at the items, and the older witches eyes opened wide in shock.

That was just what Priya was hoping for. The sooner they could get the Coven on their side, the better it would be for everyone.