by Andur
Retreating my hand I start massaging my face instead. This has to be played right. My mother isn't exactly evil, but she can be a bitch at times. She is living for the purpose of keeping the country together and she doesn't let any chance slip to educate her children in negotiation tactics. Actually my big sister got already several blue eyes by not talking properly to her or missing out some details. If one thing is sure then it's that my mother will see to it that my mistakes will fall back on me.
Finally I gather all my courage and knock onto the door.
“Enter.”
I step inside and find my mother in her small, spartan working room. There's just one window across from the entrance. She is sitting with her back towards it at her writing table, facing me and the entrance. The light of the window is making it hard to look at her, but that's intended. All the free space on the walls is taken up by shelves, which are filled with scrolls, documents and books.
Helen Gejene moves her eyes towards me, looking up from the document in front of her. She points at the chair for visitors across from her.
Her hair is silver, like all members of the main clan wear it. Though it's no problem for us to change the colour at will. It comes with our ability. Her face is slender with sharp eyes and she insists on adding a few slight wrinkles to show her age.
I hurry forward and sit down in front of her. “Hi, Mom!”
Helen sighs and continues to write her document. “What's up, my little, black sheep.” She asks with an affectionate voice.
I place my hands onto my knees to keep myself from giving away my nervousness. “Actually I wanted to talk about our little bet. You know. The one where I get to do what I want if I get through the university without help.”
She grumbles and nods, still not giving me her full attention. “Do you give up?”
“Actually no. I just wanted to know what you think. I am about to win. Just a little more than five years left. I bet you thought that I'd give up within the first week. After all you made the bargain with a little child.” I smile at her.
Helen doesn't look up. “I'll admit that I thought you would give up in no time. I was wrong about that.”
“I want to make you another offer.” Now it'll get interesting.
Helen shakes her head, her attention is still at the document. “It seems like the last deal I struck with you will cost me dearly. I think it's better to pass on that one. Otherwise you'll take the nation away from me.”
I nod. “Not even if I promise to fulfil my duties as the second daughter of the clan head?”
My mother doesn't look up, but her writing became a little slower. “My dear daughter, who fought with all her might to avoid her duties. Who wanted to be free and live a normal life. Is there an impostor sitting in front of me? What could you possibly want? You already invested over ten years to achieve your wish.”
“~A guy.~”
*SNAP*
Helen starts coughing and puts down her broken pencil. Then she sits up and looks properly into my eyes for the first time since we started this discussion. “I am listening?”
Now I have her attention. “I love someone. His name is Azir Zait and he is my friend. Boyfriend, to make this clear. His mother gave in to the pressure of the other clans and gave him a time limit to find a good match. If you can shoo away the vultures and strike a deal with the Zait in my favour our previous deal about my freedom is void. I can't face his mother in my current identity.”
Helen looks at me for several long moments. Then she pulls a file from a pile of documents and looks at it. I strain my neck to find out what she is reading, but all I see is Azir's name in the first line of the report.
After a while she snickers. “My daughter wants a guy.”
Free City States of Nict, Tri
Azir
I sigh another time as I open the door to our mansion. Stella didn't show up after she pulled off her vanishing trick once again. I hope that she'll stop doing that at some point.
This was a hard day. Annice and Olivia made me almost mad. And my sister brought me to the verge of hitting her with her attempts to match me with various girls she deemed worthy. Of course all of them belonged to a branch family of ours. So I soon realized what she was trying to do.
As I open the door my father flies into my face. “SON! What did you do?” He grabs my robe at my chest and starts shaking me.
“I don't know what you are talking about. I did nothing.” I try to get his hands off, but he pulls me closer.
“The Gejene are here! You did something! And not just any Gejene! It's their clan head! The fucking leader of the country! And we hadn't time to make any preparations! They just waltzed in! And they want to see you.” He seems a little shaken.
“Brother! This is bad. Does this mean that they are here to...” She grabs my hand. “You have to run away! I'll... OW!” Valeria cowers down while holding her head.
My father gave her a clout faster than I could see. “Don't speak nonsense! They are the leaders of the country. If they say so the whole country turns against us.” He looks at me. “They are in the living room.”
This day is getting worse and worse! That's the first time my father hit my sister. “I'll go and take a look.” And I have to find out how to solve this disaster. Maybe I should take the Gejene hostage while they are away from their guards.
I make my way to the indicated location and open the door. But what I find there baffles me. My mother is sitting there with her legs crossed, a cup of tea in her hands.
Facing her are two silver haired women. The older is wearing a formal dress without many decorations, but her aura clearly tells that crossing her won't be accepted. The younger woman at her side is definitely related to her and wearing a beautiful white and silver dress which emphasizes her hair colour.
“~Azir!~” The young woman jumps up and runs towards me, jumping into my arms.
I have no choice but to catch her in a princess carry. Next she presses her cheek against mine and almost strangles me by putting her arms around me.
“St... Stella! Forgive me, but what's going on here?” My head feels a little strange at the moment. Stella is a Gejene? “What happened to your hair?”
“Jeez. Is that all you are concerned about, fiancé?” Her hair changes back to black and white. “I could also wear some other colours if you like that better.” She puts her mouth to my ear and whispers.
“~I could also change some other things, like my three sizes.~” Her tail wriggles possessively around my left leg.
I feel the blood draining from my head. “F... fiancé?” I feel really stupid right now.
26. ~Thrown out!~
“The nightmares are the method of choice when it comes to draft and riding animals. Their relationship to unicorns is easily discerned at their broken horns. The only problem is keeping them fed. As carnivores they need a reliable source of meat. A starving nightmare is a danger to its rider and everyone around.
By no means you want to put a herd of them on low rations. Once a general thought it would be a good strategy to starve his nightmares and let them loose on an invading army of southerners. It worked. The nightmares fell into a feeding frenzy and stampeded over the enemy forces. The problem in the general's strategy turned evident when it turned out that the herd of nightmares wasn't full after they were done with the southerners.”
-Equerry.
Free City States of Nict, Tri
Azir
I feel the blood draining from my head. “F... fiancé?” I feel really stupid right now.
My eyes flick towards my mother and the silver haired woman. Valda smiles at me, but I can feel an aura of doom emanating from her. She points at the couch. Stella doesn't let go of me, so I have choice but to carry her with me.
I move towards the couch and sit down. Stella is still hugging me from the side with her legs on my lap.
Valda starts the inquisition. “So I heard that you two had a cute, little romance story going,
while hiding your relationship?”
“Ahahahaha... looks like it.” I answer subdued.
“But Azir knew who I am. It's not like he completely ignored your command, Mother in law.” Stella finally decides to help me.
“So he knew?” The older silver haired women asks interested. “That changes some things.”
Stella shakes her head. “I never told him. He found out on his own and kept it to himself. A deal is a deal. You already agreed.”
“Excuse me, but am I right that this is your mother, Stella?” I gesture at the older woman.
“Oh! My bad! Of course. Mom, that's Azir. Azir, that's Helen Gejene.” Stella introduces us to each other.
“I assume you already know my mother, Valda.” I try to smile at my mother.
Stella nods. “And we already struck a deal with her. We can be together from now on. And we get our own house on university grounds while we are still studying there. On top we can choose what we want to do once we are done with the university.”
That sounds too good to be true. “Where's the catch?”
Helen answers. “Stella has to play her part as the second daughter of the Gejene's clan head. She has to show herself on social occasions. She has to run some errands for me and she has to talk to the representatives of other countries if all others with suitable rank are unavailable.”
Valda adds her gains as well. “Of course our clan will get a tax reductions and you can always visit us. On top we'll have some influence on political decisions.”
I purse my lips. “That didn't sound like it would inconvenience us.”
“No. If you were concerned about both of you having to officially join either of our houses, then that's a no. That would tilt the balance of power too much. It's better if it looks like you two are independent.” Helen shakes her head. “Of course the important word is 'looks'.”
Somehow I can't believe that. “Having too much power is bad?”
“The peace between the clans relies on a careful balance of power. Nobody is allowed to get too much of it. Besides, both of our houses are very well off. And announcing your betrothal will be like announcing that the Gejene and the Zait are in a very tight relationship from now on. There is nobody stupid enough to think that the children of the clan heads lose their relationship with their parents from one day to the other.” Helen explains with a raised finger.
Valda takes over. “And you two are powerful high ranking members of our families. Given that both of our clans have a very good standing at the moment, it's not necessary to force you into a tight relationship with either of our clans. Giving you two your own house and responsibilities fits the situation much better. At least until you are done with the university. While you are at the university the other houses won't know what to make of you. If circumstances change you'll be available to be inserted into the most beneficial position.”
“You two seem to have thought about this thoroughly.” This level of planning is a little too high to be done on a whim.
“They are both trying to keep their options open while getting the most out of it.” Stella purrs at my side.
Helen snickers. “I am the head of the country. If I demand it, you two move into the palace tomorrow. Don't take my kindness as a weakness.”
“That will be hard to accomplish if the Zait withdraw their support from the Gejene.” Valda smiles at Helen.
“But it's not like the Zait would do that when a high ranking member of theirs married the second daughter of the clan head, right?” An aura of doom emanates from Helen.
“Of course not! Once their relationship is announced no one would dare to cross the Zait. After all we would have a voice directly at the ear of the country's leader.” Valda smiles at Helen and both start snickering.
“So how about letting the eavesdroppers in.” Helen whispers and nods at the closed door.
“Of course, they've been straining their ears since a while ago.” Valda points at the door and a fine tentacle of mana shoots out, grabbing the doorknob and opening the door.
Both my father and my little sister fall into the room. Obviously they were trying hard to find out what the discussion was about.
Valeria looks up and points at Stella. “Wha! What is the Vixen doing here? Get away from my big brother.”
“I am not the Vixen. Call me Stella Gejene, or better, call me sister in law!” Stella snuggles closer to me and kisses me on the cheek. “I always wanted to do that while she is watching.”
“Well done, SON!” My father calls out.
“Uuuh. Not acceptable! Brother! You can't go with her.” Valeria flies to my other side and I pat her head.
“I promise to visit every week and we'll still see each other on university grounds.” I try to assure her. My promise doesn't save me from being caught between Stella's and Valeria's stares. “So. Stella, you still haven't me informed about about that ability of yours. I was quite shocked when you changed the colour of your hair.”
Stella smiles. “That's cool right? Basically I can infuse my mana into everything I touch and transmute it from one material into another. It's about rearranging the neutrons, protons and electrons. Of course I can't create or destroy any mass. It's just about rearranging the state of the matter.”
Then she rapidly changes the colour of her hair to blue, black, red, silver and back to her usual colouring. While doing so she holds her hand out and her skin suddenly turns into a metallic silver and her fingernails turn into long claws. Retracting her hand, it returns to its former state. “Of course changing your body is something only the most skilled can do. It's very undesirable to mess up while doing so.”
“Ahem.” It doesn't really matter if you can't create or destroy matter. If you use that ability the right way you can open up a big crater with a single thought! But I won't tell her that for now. Better to live on in peace. I've seen nothing, I know nothing.
“It has to be said that Stella is an exceptional talent at messing with her own body. Neither I, nor her five year older sister can do something as brutal as changing our skin to metal.” Helen explains further.
I wince. “Doesn't that hurt? Can you create machines too?”
Stella tilts her head. “Actually it did! Until I read about nerves in that medical book and came up with the solution of changing them first before I alter my body. And no... unfortunately machines are too complex for me to do. This power is something that's based on imagination.”
Her eyes turn to Valeria. “The best thing about changing your body is this.” She points at her chest and the cloth of her dress tightens.
Ah, so basically if she has no clue how the machine works, she can't transmute it. My eyes wander to Valeria, who turned redder and redder during our conversation. Finally she jumps up and runs out of the room. “That's cheating! I am still growing! Wahaha!”
Helen sighs. “You Zaits are a noisy bunch.”
Valda shrugs her shoulders. “She'll calm down in time.”
★
“That's a big house.” I stand with Stella in front of the house which was sponsored by our parents. I can't help it, but I feel thrown out! When our discussion ended I was instructed to live with Stella on university grounds from now on.
I wanted to get my stuff, but everything was gone! Packed up and transported to my new home. Our new house is in the park area of the university. There is a long wall encasing the entire property of ten thousand square metres. It's a square of one hundred by one hundred metres. The House is a villa by the size of twenty by twenty metres. What shocks me even more is that it has three floors. “It bugs me that I don't remember this thing being here! And what's wrong with the bulky, hairy guards at the entrance?”
“Hahaha. I begged my Mom to arrange proper living quarters for us. She issued an order to several branch families to set this up while she went with me to talk to your mother. The first floor is for you, the second floor is for my studies and the third is reserved as living quarters.” Stella sc
ratches her chin.
Such a cheat! No wonder the Gejene are the richest clan! They can create a house within a few hours. My sister was right! They are cheaters! All off them!
“Aha.” My eyes wander to the big warcat which my father gave me as a goodbye present. We had such a thing at home, but I never felt comfortable being in the garden because of it. I turn my head and look into the big cat's eyes. It is sitting right beside us and it's at eye level with me. Probably it's trying to determine if we are the food, or the people who give the food.
I hurry and take another dead rabbit from the bucket in my hand. Then I throw it to the big cat. The rabbit disappears with a single bite. I prefer to be recognized as the one who feeds it. “Good kitty. Go and play with the bucket.” I throw the metal bucket high into the air and the cat jumps after it. A single swipe with the paw dents the heavy bucket and the cat continues to hurl it over the ground in a playful manner.
“You are sure that having this thing around is safe?” Stella watches the playing cat.
I purse my lips. “Not exactly safe, but I can testify that nobody entered my family's property illegally within my lifetime.”
“Come! I can't wait to take a look at the interior!” Stella takes me at my hand and pulls me forward.
The inside of the house turned out to be a dream. It's the first time that I have this much room for myself! Stella didn't need that much space, but it turned out that she still reserved the whole second floor for herself.
Upon entering the living area, she leads me through a big living room and a kitchen area for the servants. I don't want servants. The first thing I'll do is to throw them out. Next we enter a bathroom and afterwards she shows me a room with wardrobes and a big bed.
The entire tour left me a little speechless. “Not only did they build a house within a few hours, they even designed fitting interior woodwork and fixtures.” I want an army of them! You could build so much with this ability!
