Supreme Magus

"Now, everyone knows about the baby and many will covet the secret of their blood." Tyris said. "One of us will always stay with you and make sure that nothing happens."

***

Griffon Kingdom, Nestrar Region, Golden Griffon academy.

"Thank the gods I dodged a meteor on that one." The Mad Queen sat on her throne covered in a cold sweat.

The day had been terrible for her and her invasion plan.

First, the fortress city of Trephius had fallen in a rain of fire without Thrud even understanding what had just happened, and then Leegaain's firstborn, Gentor the Golden Dragon, had joined the Council's forces.

Together, they had pushed her troops back for kilometers before her generals had managed to stop the enemy's advance.

She firmly believed that things couldn't get any worse but she was wrong. When she heard what had happened in Verendi and to the envoys that its Council had sent to capture Kamila, she felt like the luckiest woman alive.

"What do you mean?" Jormun, her companion, asked.

"I don't like how things have turned since Verhen returned." She pointed at the map at the center of the room, where the status of the War of the Griffons was displayed in real-time.

"His Demons make for a small but powerful army of Awakened. My forces have been pushed back time and time again by him and this Vastor, putting a stop to the momentum of my invasion.

"To make matters worse, ever since those usurpers made him a Magus, most of the nobles who had contacted me in order to switch sides changed their mind."

"So what?" The Emerald Dragon shrugged.

"I chose to attack right after the famine because this way the food reserves would determine the victor without a bloody and dragged-out fight. When winter arrives, whoever has the most supplies will win."

"Well, guess what? Winter is approaching and I have yet to gain the upper hand. My plan was to get rid of Verhen and Vastor by attacking them where it hurts the most. Their hearts." Thrud released a pulse of Spirit Magic that toppled two wooden figures representing her nemeses.

"You mean their families?" Jormun felt his stomach churn.

He had felt the fury of his father coursing through the inner fires of Mogar that had made Garlen tremble. He had witnessed the storm conjured by Tyris' wrath darken the skies and follow her on her way to Verendi.

She had robbed even the stars of their light to empower her abilities while on the turf of another Guardian. Yet it was Salaark's rage that had upturned the heavens, replacing the sun with a mass of living darkness.

"Exactly. They are too powerful and if there was any way to assassinate them, I would've already tried that. The only option I have left is to strike at those close to them and force them to submit." Thrud nodded.

"How can you even think that?" Jormun said in outrage. "Lith is my little brother! He's the one who freed me from the Golden Griffon. Without him, we would have never met and this war wouldn't have even started."

"He unwittingly freed you." Thrud shook her head, making her long ashen blond hair sparkle like a waterfall under the light. "There was no act of kindness, simply an opportunity that you exploited.

"I admit that without him I would still be swamped in Jiera, but just because his actions set my plan in motion, I can't give Verhen a free pass for ruining hundreds of years of preparation.

"My father worked until his last breath to give me this opportunity and I'm going to do the same to not waste it."

She walked toward Jormun and took his face between her hands. The Mad Queen's gaze softened when their eyes met but her determination didn't waver.

"No one has ever won a war by being kind, my love, nor by saying please and thank you. Fights are made to be dirty and cowardly. Leave it to the bards to come up with stories about our bravery and honor once victory is ours.

"Until then, my only priority is to ensure that the sacrifices and madness that my soldiers are enduring in my name aren't for nothing. Every time they die, they lose a part of themselves. You should know it better than anyone else."

Jormun stood silent, remembering the five centuries he had been locked inside the Golden Griffon. He had retained his sanity only thanks to the innate mental strength of his Dragon bloodline and to his sturdy body that made him hard to kill.

Most of the other "students" had long lost their minds and nothing could bring them back anymore. If not for the Unwavering Loyalty array, they would still be less than animals, with no thought but to satisfy their base urges.

"I know that what I did to you is unforgivable and that my battle is not your own." She said once the silence had dragged for longer than she could stand. "But this is bigger than just you and me.

"If you don't want to do this for me or us, do it for our Valeron." She pointed at the infant who was peacefully sleeping in a crib. "Even if I were to give up on my plan, I'd be chased until the day I die.

"Our son would be forced to live in hiding, treated like a monster wherever he goes just because he carries my blood. Is that what you want for Valeron? To not know peace or joy, to be ashamed of his heritage and carry it like a curse for his whole life?"

"No." Jormun clenched his hands, searching for a way out of that scenario.

***

Blood Desert, Salaark's Palace, at the same time.

"Do you really want to get back to work after what happened today?" Lith stared at Kamila in disbelief.

"Well, yes. I'd die of boredom here, doing nothing all day while you risk your life on the front lines. Besides, the worst thing that can happen to me is being bothered to death." She waved at the Guardians who kept cooing at her belly, talking to it as if she was eight months pregnant instead of less than two.

"All the more reason for you to stay here and I with you." Lith replied.

"Have you forgotten our honeymoon?" Kamila said with a snort. "It took us just two weeks to be sick of goofing around. Do you really think we can stay still for seven months? On top of that, if you don't go back, your deal with the Royals will be off.

"You will lose everything again and no matter who wins the war, you'll be forever banned from the Kingdom."

"But-"

"Why are you making us wait so long?" Elina cut through the crowd, jumping at Lith's neck and cutting him off. "Thank the Great Mother for your carelessness."

"You're welcome, but I had no part in this." Tyris said with a polite nod of her head.

"My baby is finally having a baby! I'm going to be a grandmother." She said amid sobs. "Now come, your father needs you more than ever. And you."

Elina turned toward Kamila, kissing her cheeks before holding her like she was the most precious and delicate thing on Mogar.