Melisa marched down the palace hallway, Aria right beside her, their footsteps echoing through the stone corridor.
They arrived at Zephyra’s study.
Melisa didn’t bother knocking. She slammed her fist against the wood.
"Zephyra! Open up! We’ve, uh, we’ve got a situation!"
Aria raised an eyebrow at Melisa’s impatience but didn’t comment. Melisa shot her a quick grin.
[Yeah, I’m in a "get shit done" mood. Deal with it, princess.]
A moment later, the door creaked open, revealing Zephyra Vortell, her black robes flowing and, as usual, her cleavage hanging dangerously low.
"Melisa, Aria," she said with a sigh, leaning against the doorframe. "My condolences, Your Majesty. I just heard about the king a few minutes ago."
"It’s fine," the princess quickly said. "That’s not why we’re here."
"Alright... What can I do for you two, then?"
"Okay, so, listen up!" Melisa said, stepping inside as Zephyra gave her some space. "We’ve got a problem, and we need you."
Zephyra rolled her eyes but stepped aside fully to let them both in, closing the door with a flick of her wrist.
Aria folded her arms, her gaze meeting Zephyra’s.
"Belstadt attacked Melisa," Aria stated.
"Doesn’t surprise me."
"She confessed as to the location of the Shadow Mages’ headquarters."
"... Alright, that does surprise me," Zephyra nodded as she put her high heels up on the desk, leaning back in her chair.
"The Shadow Mages are beneath the palace, hiding in some tunnel network. We’ll be arresting them today. But we need backup. We need people we can trust."
Zephyra arched an eyebrow, her lips curving into a faint smirk.
"And you trust me? I’m flattered, princess."
Aria’s cheeks flushed faintly. Melisa’s brows raised.
[Oh... She’s got a cute side?]
Melisa shrugged, her tone playful.
"It’s... out of necessity. It helps, though, that you were considered one of the suspects of my mother’s killing."
Zephyra laughed, the sound low and amused.
"High praise indeed." She moved further into the room, gesturing for them to sit if they wanted. Melisa stayed standing, too wired to relax. Aria didn’t sit either, her gaze fixed on Zephyra, waiting for an answer.
Zephyra eyed them both for a long moment before sighing.
"Fine. I’ll help. But you owe me, both of you." Her gaze landed on Melisa, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Got it?"
Melisa held her hands up, an innocent smile on her face.
"Yeah, yeah, I’ll get you a date with Kimiko or something."
Zephyra snorted, but there was a trace of a smile on her lips.
"Deal. What’s the plan then?"
Aria straightened, her expression serious.
"I’m going to gather the knights I know I can trust. We’ll finish this today. Of course, I... Don’t expect the number of warriors on my side to be terribly high. Hence why we’re here."
Zephyra nodded, her expression shifting to something more focused.
"Understood. I’ll gather what I need." She paused, then looked at Melisa. "Given that this could be very, very dangerous, I just want to say," she looked at the nim, "you better not die, Melisa. I’ve only just gotten used to being your teacher."
Melisa grinned.
"I’ll do my best!"
"Alright then, out of here, both of you," Zephyra said, waving them away. "I’ll meet you in the throne room in an hour. Get everyone you need by then. If word has already reached the Shadow Mages, chances are they’re bolstering their defenses as we speak."
"Agreed," Aria nodded, turning to leave, but then she said, "thank you, Zephyra. Really. I appreciate this."
Melisa was a bit surprised.
All she’d seen thus far was anxious, vengeful Aria. She hadn’t gotten much of a look at warm, kind Aria.
She absolutely preferred this version of her.
Zephyra met her gaze and gave a small nod back.
"I know. Now go. We have a lot of work to do."
Melisa turned, following Aria out of the room. As the door closed behind them, she looked at Aria, her grin returning.
"See? Easy peasy."
Aria shot her a sidelong glance.
"You’re lucky she likes you. Most mages would throw you out of a window for barging into their study like that."
Melisa laughed, her steps light as they moved down the corridor.
"Good thing I’m charming then, isn’t it?"
Aria rolled her eyes.
"You’re delusional, is what you are."
---
Melisa stood in the throne room, surrounded. Well, surrounded in a good way. They’d managed to grab more people to help than Melisa thought they would.
The air was thick with anticipation, everyone tense and ready.
Javir, stubborn as always, had her arms crossed and an expression that said she wasn’t planning on taking no for an answer.
"I want in on this," Javir said, her eyes locked on Melisa. "I’m not sitting out just because of a stupid wound."
Melisa gave her a pointed look, hands on her hips.
"Javir, you almost got skewered. You need to rest up. Besides, we’ve got enough hands on deck for this. You’re more useful to us alive."
Javir opened her mouth to argue, but Melisa held up a hand, giving her a small, reassuring smile.
"We’ll finish this. I promise. Then we can all celebrate after, okay?"
Javir huffed but reluctantly nodded.
"Fine. But if you get hurt, I’m kicking your butt after."
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Melisa laughed.
"Fair enough."
She turned to look at the rest of her friends.
Isabella was leaning against a pillar lazily, but her eyes were sharp, ready. Raven was checking her knives, her expression as unreadable as always. Armia stood tall, her sword strapped to her back, her eyes locked on the door as if she was already charging into battle.
Zephyra was there too, her robes flowing, her fingers twitching like she was already itching to cast something.
Around them, several of Aria’s knights stood at attention, their expressions serious, each one armed and armored, ready for what lay beneath the palace.
Aria stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Alright, listen up. We’re going down there to arrest these Shadow Mages, not murder them. Understood?" Her tone was sharp, leaving no room for argument. "If they try to fight us, we defend ourselves. If not, we will keep this quick and clean."
Melisa raised a brow, glancing at Isabella, who rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. We’ll play nice," Isabella said, a hint of a smirk on her lips. "But if they start something, I’m not holding back."
Aria nodded, her expression softening just a little.
"Yes, as I said, defend yourselves, of course. But let’s try to take as many alive as we can. We need information, and dead men don’t talk."
Melisa turned her attention to Belstadt, who was being supported by two of the knights. The Shadow Mage looked worse for wear, her face pale and her movements sluggish. Still, there was a glint of something in her eyes—pride, or maybe just stubbornness.
"You ready to lead the way, Lady Belstadt?" Melisa asked, both mocking and serious.
Belstadt glared at her, her voice hoarse.
"Yes, I am," she said through gritted teeth.
Melisa shrugged, not missing a beat.
"Good, good. Just point us in the right direction and try not to fall over, alright?"
Belstadt muttered something under her breath, but turned her head toward the entrance to the tunnels.
"This way," she said, her voice bitter.
Melisa felt a rush of adrenaline as they started moving. The knights flanked them, Aria at the head, with Zephyra not far behind. Raven and Armia stayed close to Melisa, their presence reassuring.
Isabella sidled up next to Melisa, her tails brushing against Melisa’s arm.
"So, what do you think it’s gonna look likedown there? A creepy cult? Secret evil library? A bunch of old dudes in robes trying to look mysterious?"
Melisa smirked, keeping her eyes forward.
"Honestly, probably all of the above. I just hope they go down quietly. I am so spent."
Isabella laughed softly, her ears twitching.
"Same here. But hey, it’s not often we get to fight like this together. That’s something, right?"
"Right."
Aria called out:
"Come on, let’s get this done."
Belstadt led them through the winding halls of the palace, her footsteps dragging slightly, but her direction otherwise unwavering.
They reached a narrow, hidden door at the end of a dimly lit corridor. She gestured towards it with a slight nod. Your journey continues with Freewebnovel
"This is it. Behind this door is the passage that leads to the tunnels. It’s hidden for a reason."
Zephyra stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she examined the door.
She muttered some incantation under her breath, her hands glowing faintly as she traced some sigils across the surface.
"It’s warded," she said, annoyed. "Give me a moment."
Melisa watched. She turned her gaze to Aria.
"You ready for this? No going back after we open that door."
Aria gave a determined nod, her eyes fierce.
"Of course. If what my father said is true, these Shadow Mages have been undermining the royal family for too long. They need to stand trial."