by Jay Boyce
She was thinking about it, then sighed and went on, “There’s also the connection between the fact that their country is called Saibreh, and the tea is Sailea. I’m guessing that the tea connection is something they used as the foundation of their country. They seem to be a fairly peaceful nation, not having any major quarrels with those around them, right?” She paused for confirmation, and when Victor nodded, she spoke further, “So while I may not like that they have been offering it without explaining it to you, I’m not so sure it was in the spirit of harm. It’s probably something they’ve been doing as a self defense mechanism for hundreds of years. It’s just a leg up on creating allies. And let’s be honest, if you had it, you’d probably want to do the exact same thing.”
Silence greeted her deductions, but it was thoughtful rather than awkward. The dark and stormy expressions slowly dissipated from their faces, replaced with slight resignation. Finally, Hunter spoke, “I think she’s right. We know Lochlann, and we’ve been allies for the last two hundred years. I don’t think he’d do it on purpose. And hey, if we owned that tea, I’d be slipping it to the Resaigh tonight at dinner to try and head off any problems.”
Jade frowned at the thought of the Resaigh again. They’d had a lot more people being controlled, rather than six people who were talented at performing control. Thinking of what she’d been doing that morning, she leaned forward, gesturing to the table in front of her, where around fifty different wooden rings of various sizes appeared. “Speaking of them, there was so much compulsion and contractual magic on their people, it made me sick. So, these are what I ended up making this morning. Find one that fits and wear it all the time, if possible. It should help with mental resistance, and it also helps block a bit of scrying and see through illusions.”
“I’m sorry, but what?” Camille spluttered as she immediately came forward, kneeling in front of the table to examine the wooden rings. Most of the family joined her shortly thereafter, while Hunter immediately started grabbing rings to try on for comfort.
Jade shrugged. “You heard me. I enchanted these rings from the wood that I…” She paused, looking at the king, who instantly understood what she was talking about, but the others were looking at her curiously, “carved myself. Once I made the vessel, I just kept pouring magical intent into it until it stuck. I only tested the first one though, so I have no idea if they’re all equally powerful. Sometimes they took better or drained me more, and I’ve no clue why. But from what I tested on the first one, it made the process of breaking free from compulsions about three times faster, and greatly increased the ability to see through illusions.”
“If it did even one of those things, it’d already be amazing.” Will muttered with shock as he looked down at the ring he’d chosen. Once everyone grabbed a ring, she swept the rest of them back up into her holding space.
“Anyway, for now I’d like to keep this a secret as much as possible. The Resaigh had so much going on that I don’t know that they will try anything, but if they do, I’d rather have you able to fight it off more easily.”
“Thanks, Jade.” Hunter plopped next to her and gave her a quick side hug as the rest of them returned to their seats. She smiled brightly at him, then thought of one more thing.
“Actually, I also heard what you said when I left. We don’t really need to confine the compulsion users to their room. We should instead have them sign a contract that they won’t use it in our kingdom, except in self defense.”
Camille snickered slightly. “You really like adding in that self defense bit, don’t you?”
Shrugging, she replied, “Compulsion magic saved me in my first mesmer encounter. I’m not going to get someone killed in case of an emergency because they can’t use their magic.” A more somber mood fell over the group once more as they considered her implications. Meanwhile, Jade pulled out some paper and ink from her storage ring, not bothering with a quill. Why use a quill when she could magic it perfectly so much faster? She made it short and to the point, not seeing any need to make it complicated.
When she was done, she passed it to King Derrick, who looked down at it curiously, then slowly nodded. “This should be fine, if they’ll agree to it.”
Shrugging again, she told him flatly, “It’s one way to earn back our confidence in them and not have to confine them. Anyway, there’s no time like the present. I’ll go down and see if they’ll sign it. If they will, we can move forward from there. If they won’t, well, we can still move forward from there.”
“You want to go now?” Hunter’s voice was slightly incredulous, and when she nodded, he reiterated, “You just ruined their tea party, and you want to go NOW?”
“Yes.” She paused, seeing the confusion on all of their faces. “It’s always best to fix things as quickly as possible. If you let them sit and fester, it gets worse. I’d like to at least give them a chance to redeem themselves.”
“You don’t want to give them time to think over their actions?” Ashanna questioned her cautiously.
“Nope. Well, I mean, they’ve already had time. They’ve probably already returned to their rooms and called their king by now. Honestly, I’d really like to head the whole thing off before it devolves any further.”
Sighing, Derrick nodded, and she stood with him as he returned the paper to her. The rest of the family followed as they walked to the door, and he opened it, nodding to one of the guards. “Sir Taron, please lead Lady Jade to the rooms of the Saibreh delegation.” Looking at Jade, he asked quietly, “I’m assuming you want to go alone?” She nodded to him, and he sighed again, then let her leave, closing the door behind her after she gave a tiny wave to the rest of the family.
To Sir Taron, she gestured, “After you.”
He seemed a little startled, then quickly bobbed and began to lead the way as he spoke, “Of course; this way, Lady Jade.” He didn’t speak again after that, asking no questions, and she didn’t feel the need to start the conversation, seeing as she was still a little nervous about what she was about to do. She was headed straight into the den of lions that she’d just made super angry. The servants they passed gave her curious looks, but bobbed in bows and curtsies until she was beyond them.
Finally, they reached a part of the castle that was rather near the gardens and ballroom, if she remembered correctly. There was a whole platoon of guards stationed in the hallway, who all looked extremely serious, as if they were ordered to not let those inside out without permission. “This is their suite.” Sir Taron finally spoke again, gesturing to the door in front of her. “I’ll wait to escort you back.”
“I’ve no idea how long it will take. It might be a short or long visit.” She tried to warn him, but he didn’t seem to care.
“I’ll be here,” he said firmly.
Nodding, she took a deep breath and rapped the door three times. She could hear muffled voices on the other side, until finally a servant girl opened the door. Her eyes went wide as she saw Jade, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. “Leah, who is it?” One of the boys called out from the other room.
Smiling at the poor girl, she asked quietly, “May I come in? I have a few things to discuss with the delegation.”
Finally recovering herself, she replied rather loudly, obviously to inform the other room of what was going on. “Of course, Lady Jade. Please come in.”
Following the girl further into the room, she saw a good chunk of the delegation in the receiving area. It obviously wasn’t quite large enough for the entire party, but she could see that all of the movers and shakers were present. Most of them jumped to their feet as she appeared, looking somewhat baffled by her presence. Prince Lochlann stepped forward, asking quizzically, “Lady Jade, this is unexpected. What brings you here...alone?” The last word was said so quietly, she knew he didn’t mean for her to hear it, but she had.
The corners of her lips tilted up as she replied, “I came to ask you some questions, and perhaps give you a way to mend the bridges that were just bu
rned rather fantastically.”
He frowned slightly, then motioned to a nearby chair. “Please have a seat, then. I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability.”
Nodding, she managed to gracefully walk over to the chair and sit down, with the rest of the company following suit and looking at her curiously. She activated her mana sight once more, making sure there wasn’t anything unusual going on, but when she was satisfied, she turned back to Lochlann. Her voice was soft, but laced with the strongest compulsion and hypnotism that she could muster as she questioned, “Tell me the truth. Was the tea given to us out of any malicious intent?”
She’d focused it all on him, though several people seemed to frown, obviously more sensitive to magical currents than the rest. Lochlann seemed a little dazed as he responded, “No. It’s merely something we use to keep situations calm and relaxed. We’re a peaceful country, and we can attribute at least some of that to the soothing tea.”
Thoughtfully, she asked one more question, “Do you use it to gain the upper hand in negotiations?”
Liam shrugged a little helplessly, “I don’t really know how to answer that. Negotiations are easier when you’re on friendly terms, but we’ve never used it to make unfair terms. It doesn’t work that way. People won’t do things that are against their morals or benefits while under the influence of the tea. It merely allows them to think calmly and rationally.” With a satisfied sigh, she let go of the magic influencing him. He seemed to come out of a bit of a trance, looking at her harshly as he asked, “Did you just use compulsion magic on me?”
She met his gaze squarely as she admitted bluntly, “Yes. I needed to be sure giving you a second chance wasn’t a mistake.”
Katie spoke up from the side, “Wait, you made such a fuss about me trying to calm you, and then you come and just use it on our prince?” Her voice was filled with righteous indignation as she glowered slightly at Jade.
Turning her attention to Katie, Jade spoke calmly, “You tried to magic me and the entire royal family without our knowledge. Prince Lochlann knew I was here to seek the truth, and this was one of the only ways to clear his name. Are you sure you want to challenge me on this?”
Katie grumbled as she looked away, obviously backing down. Lochlann sighed softly, then asked, “Do you represent the royal family?”
She looked back to him, then nodded. “We discussed it before I came. However, it’s not quite as simple as that.” A concerned expression flashed across his face as she continued, “Once burned, twice shy, as they say. Once I tell them of what I’ve learned, I believe they’ll let bygones be bygones. There is a condition, though.” She paused, then spoke softly, “This was my idea to avoid future trouble.”
Leaning forward, she held out the contract to Lochlann, who warily took it and began to read aloud, “I swear that I will not use any compulsion magic or hypnotism in Caoi, save in self defense. I swear that I will not scheme against the kingdom of Caoi, the royal family, or any traveler. If I do, I will be forced to leave the country as quickly as possible and never return, as well as lose any magical ability I have.” He paused, looking back at up her, aghast. “You want to bind us with contractual magic?”
Shrugging, she nodded. “It’s the easiest way. If you don’t have any ill intentions, it’s completely harmless. If you do...well, the consequences are laid out right there. I don’t like to leave potential threats alone.”
He frowned, then muttered softly, “Why hypnotism, no one has it… That’s a mesmer ability...”
She cut him off, “I’m not so certain of that.” He looked startled that she’d heard him, and she smiled wanly and explained. “I can only see magical ability, not skills. However, I know it’s possible for people to have hypnotism, so I won’t take any chances.”
He looked slightly frustrated, then asked softly, “Can you give us some time to consider?”
Pulling out another two sheets of paper, she duplicated the text with a wave of ink, nodding slowly. “Of course. Let me be blunt, however. Every single person that came with you, all thirty two of you, will sign that paper, or you’ll be confined here for the remainder of your stay and not welcome back. I’m not generally an unreasonable person, but if you won’t sign it, I’ll take it as you being guilty of ill intentions.”
“You call this not unreasonable?” One of the men nearby couldn’t stop himself from spitting out his question.
She stood, looking down at him as she replied, noting a few faces that seemed slightly pale. “Yes. I’ve been very specific in my wording of that document. I’m not judging you for your past, only your future. It didn’t say ‘if you have schemed before,’ merely that you will not scheme in the future. This is your second chance. I highly suggest you take it.” Looking at Lochlann, she nodded slightly to him as she finished, “I’ll wait nearby for the next half an hour. That should be enough time for you to contact your family and discuss this. You can ask one of the guards at the door to get me if you make the right decision. If you choose not to accept my deal, I’ll arrange for you to leave tomorrow and you should pack your things.”
Meeting Lochlann’s gaze squarely, she added one last thing, “I really hope you make the smart choice. I make a good friend, but a very bad enemy.”
Leaving them with that slightly ominous statement, she turned and walked to the door, the maid scurrying to open it for her as she walked out. The guards stiffened when the door opened, but relaxed slightly when they saw it was just her. Taron quickly jumped up as the door shut behind her. “Lady Jade, you’re back! Where to next?”
Smiling at him, she asked, “Is there a place nearby we can sit comfortably? I told them I’d wait half an hour for their response.”
He nodded immediately, “There’s a sitting room right down the hall that we can use, the Rose Room.”
Nodding, she looked at the guards as she spoke, “Please send someone to get me if they ask.” Looking back at Sir Taron, she gestured, “Lead the way.”
She might be their advocate, but she still turned out to be a rather ruthless one. She wasn’t happy to have to be the bad cop, but this was her home now, and she’d do whatever she must in order to protect it.
Anything.
Chapter Thirty-Five – Formalities
The Rose Room was a tastefully decorated sitting room with the theme of–you guessed it–roses! She was rather impressed with it, immediately walking to one of the tables to inspect the flower arrangements, which were a mix of live roses and beautifully crafted metal ones. Sir Taron stood at attention near the door, even after she’d gestured for him to take a seat. It seemed he took his guarding duties very seriously.
Shrugging, she flopped into one corner of a couch, pulling her knees up and tucking her feet under her. She pulled out a communication mirror while her little ones took off to play around the room. It only took a second or two to connect, showing that they were waiting for her call. Jade smiled as King Derrick’s slightly anxious expression came into view as he asked, “Done already?”
She nodded, then shook her head. “Yes and no. I’ve spoken to them, and now I’m waiting for them to make a decision.” She quickly described what happened, relating the information she’d dragged out of Prince Lochlann, obviously much to the surprise of not only the royal family, but also Sir Taron, who was eavesdropping since she hadn’t bothered to lower her voice or create a sound-cancelling wind wall. She knew he would probably gossip to his fellow guards as soon as he was let off, but that was a planned move on her part. She knew news of the failed tea party would already be spreading, so it would be good to have the other side of the story passing along as well.
Aside from that, once rumors of the contract spread, it would set the stage for her using a similar tactic on the other delegations if she saw the need. It was a double-edged sword. Using such a harsh measure on their staunchest ally set the precedent for all other countries that were less friendly. Also, her reaction to what happened would discourage the other delegatio
ns from trying similar party tricks. Doing it alone, though with the blessing of the royal family, made her the main target, instead of the kingdom. It was much easier for her to guard herself than to worry about all the potential political maneuverings that would be going on behind the scenes. She’d take one for the team without any qualms in this case. Let them blame her if they wanted to; she could handle it, at least.
“I see…” Derrick murmured after she finished relating what happened. He absently tugged on his beard, obviously deep in thought as she heard the rest of the royal family discussing the situation in quiet voices beyond him. Finally, he nodded. “Thank you for finding that out. Please let us know what they decide. If they won’t sign, we’ll have to let the Dukes know so they can open the portal tomorrow.”
She nodded. “If needed, I can help out with that too. I’m hoping it won’t come to that though.”
“Me too.” After replying heavily, he nodded to her and said goodbye before cutting off the connection. She put the mirror back into her ring, then walked over to the side of the room, stretching as she went back to observing the craftsmanship of the flowers. She was half tempted to continue her crafting project from that morning, but didn’t exactly want anyone else to know what she was making, or that she was making rings at all. It was more effective as a secret.
Bored, she started pacing the room and pulling out snacks to eat, though Taron staunchly rejected everything she offered him. She labelled him a bit of a stick in the mud in her mind. She was also tempted to pull out some of the books she’d ‘borrowed’ from the library, but again, that was something for when she was alone, as she didn’t want to advertise that she snuck them out without permission.
A slight knock on the door caused Taron to look at her questioningly, and when she nodded, he cautiously opened it, relaxing only when he saw it was another guard. The man bowed to her as he reported, “Lady Jade, the Saibreh delegation are asking to see you.”
