Foresigh

by Sophia Schmidt

  "You are in my house, while I represent the Crown and you dare to offend your peers and threaten my guests?"

  "No, I¡­" Ejar stuttered, but luckily for her, Marchioness Distar's question was merely rhetorical.

  "Her rudeness is unforgivable, but she made a good point. Where did you learn such magic, Lith?" The Marchioness wanted answers too, but she asked them rather than making demands. Her tone gentle and polite.

  "I learned it as a self-taught." He replied with a shrug, making new and ancient households gasp in surprise.

  "It's not that hard." Lith couldn't understand the reason behind their disbelief.

  "I learned how to create pocket dimensions at the Forgemastering lessons and how to bend space with dimensional magic. They are just two extreme applications of gravity. I only had to combine what I learned from both subjects and then use it to manipulate gravity around objects rather than on the space itself."

  As the Marchioness had predicted earlier, Lith's actions triggered a hornet's nest. New households were using him together with Archmage Ejar lack of manners as proof that magic was fair, while the ancient households were not.

  All mages deserved respect according to their talent and disposition, not based on the family they were born in.

  The ancient households claimed it was a scam, blaming the Marchioness for having shared their secrets with a commoner mongrel. Lith decided it was time to get to safety. Nobles' quarrels didn't interest him, he only did what he had been paid for.

  "Where do you think you are going?" Lith felt his center of gravity shift, suddenly he was on the verge of falling horizontally. Archmage Ejar was using gravity magic to pull him back in the middle of the conflict.

  First, he had to crouch, gripping at the floor with one hand to prevent the fall. Then, Lith used his own gravity magic to cancel the pull. The opponent had a stronger core, but for her first magic was just a hobby, for Lith it was a life's work.

  "Kneel!" He sent a powerful wave crashing on Ejar's body which tripled her weight in a split second. He even added a sprinkle of spirit magic, just to be safe.

  Archmage Ejar fell on her knees. She was forced to use her hands to avoid her forehead crashing against the ground.

  "I warned you! No one disrespects me or my guests in my house!" The Marchioness clapped her hands, unleashing the full power of the arrays against the unruly noble. Archmage Ejar's body writhed for a second before falling limp on the ground.

  Once focused on a target, the arrays were capable of disrupting even first magic. They could also paralyze any threat, living or undead, by binding every fiber of their target.

  The brief magical battle made the room turn silent, but only for a second.

  One side of the room called Ejar a hero, the other one a traitor. The quarrel resumed without the use of magic, but louder than before.

  Phloria and Yurial helped Lith to stand up, bringing him to safety.

  "That went well." He said with a sarcastic expression.

  "You sure know how to liven up a party." Phloria clicked her tongue at the raging crowd behind them. Dancing on the ceiling with Lith, surrounded by the lights like they were alone in the world had been truly romantic.

  What followed, not so much.

  "Raising your hand against an Archmage, are you insane?" Yurial was still as pale as a ghost.

  "What was I supposed to do? Let her beat me up and beg for mercy? She was out of her mind. I prefer to apologize later rather than be so polite to let someone kill me for sport." Lith scoffed at his companion.

  With a short sprint, they reached the safest spot in the room: the one where the Ernas and other nobles were spectating at the unfolding events from a safe distance. Despite being members of ancient noble households, those gathered there had no place in the conflict.

  They supported the young magical bloodlines' claim for fairness. They chose to stand on the fence because in the heat of the moment their allies would lash at them mistaking them for the enemy, while their noble peers would brand them as traitors.

  Their intervention would only end up making the two factions gang up on them, so they decided to wait for the lord of the house to put an end to that mess.

  "Why is it taking her so long?" While her peers were still discussing Lith's performance or Ejar's unspeakable act of aggression towards an honored guest of the Crown, Jirni's mind was spinning at top gear.

  "Now that you mention it, it's indeed odd." Orion whispered back.

  "Between the arrays and her personal guards, this mess shouldn't have even started. Maybe she doesn't want to raise her hand against other nobles. Violence could escalate things politically."

  "Maybe, but she doesn't strike me as a calm guiding hand. Distar had no qualms subduing Ejar. What's worse than attacking a noble that's also an Archmage?" Their private conversation was interrupted when they saw the youths approaching.

  Mostly because a young woman stepped right in front of them, welcoming the White Griffon students with a flawless curtsy.

  "Yours was a striking performance, Mage Lith." She didn't manage to say it with a straight face. She giggled cheerfully while hiding her mouth with a hand.

  "You managed to turn a hundreds years old tradition into a tavern fight in less than ten minutes. That's completely unprecedented and truly worthy of my savior."

  She was about seventeen years old, with silky blonde hair down looking like a golden waterfall that almost reached the floor.

  Chapter 267 Second Meeting Part 2

  The young woman wore a white evening dress that left her shoulders and arms exposed. It was embroidered with sapphires that emphasized her sky blue eyes.

  She had a lively face and a bright smile. Her demeanor left Lith quite puzzled.

  "I'm sorry, do I know you?" The young woman looked somehow familiar, but no matter how much he focused, Lith couldn't recognize her. The only thing he knew was that she was quite well endowed, her beauty was easily on Friya's level.

  "Did you really forget about me?" She said with a playful gaze.

  "Even though you are the only man that ever saw me naked?" She whispered while blushing on cue, hiding her face with a fan made of what looked like golden peacock's feathers.

  'She's the Marchioness' daughter. Don't you see the resemblance?' Solus pointed out. 'Besides, it's true that so far most of the girls on Mogar are on the thin side, but for example Tista is much more¡­'

  'First, gross. Second, Tista isn't a girl, she is my sister. Don't use her as a standard, thanks.' Lith cut her short.

  His companions were all taken aback by the girl's last remark.

  'And he had the gall to call me a lucky b*stard!' Yurial inwardly cursed and congratulated at his friend at the same time.

  "I'm sorry, Milady. I can't remember all of my patients, no matter how pleasing to the eye they are. I had too many." Lith gave her a small bow, pretending to not know who she was.

  Phloria felt reassured by the 'patient' part and threatened by everything else. Lith wasn't the kind of man to make false compliments.

  "How do you know I was your patient then?" She closed her fan, her expression inquisitive in a way that Jirni didn't like at all.

  "You called me your savior. I'm no warrior, just a healer." While Lith played Sherlock Holmes again, his companions had a hard time repressing a burst of laughter at the blatant lie.

  "That and the other part¡­" He whispered. "made everything clear."

  "Brilliant." She clapped her hands while smiling non stop.

  "A strong character, a bright mind, and an eye that doesn't stop just at a pretty dress. These are all traits that I appreciate in a man. Also, you are right, we were never properly introduced.

  "I'm Brinja Distar, first daughter of Marchioness Mirim Distar and heir to my household." Her choice of words was formal, Brinja even accompanied her self-introduction with a second curtsy, much deeper than the first.

  It was quite uncommon for the host to show so much respect to a guest met for t
he first time. That and her previous words worried Lith as much as they did Phoria and Jirni. Being wooed by the daughter of his patron sounded like a massive pain in the a*s.

  'Seems my big sister has a rival now.' Friya inwardly smiled. That evening was getting more interesting by the second.

  "I'm Lith of Lutia. If next year I graduate I will still be just a mage." He gave her a deep bow while using modest words to belittle himself.

  "Well, for being 'just' a mage you proved to be resourceful and brave. You even stood your ground against a self-entitled Archmage. Or was it just recklessness?" She replied without backing down from her position.

  "No, it wasn't." Lith shook his head.

  "I may be someone of humble origins, but I didn't spend my time hiding in a cave studying magic or fighting non stop like a bloodthirsty beast. I learned society's rules, got admitted to one of the six great academies, made friends¡­" He pointed at his companions.

  "and allies." Lith nodded toward the Marchioness. "I just showed everyone what I accomplished after a single year of proper education. Now it's up to them to choose if they want to stand against me or support me. Either way, I'm not easily bullied because I made myself really hard to replace.

  "No matter how big their ego is or how small minded they are, I believe that in times of crisis most of them would feel reassured rather than threatened by my presence."

  "See? That's what I meant, 'just a mage' Lith." Brinja said with a radiant smile while taking his arm between hers, gently pressing it against her breast.

  Lith was flattered, but unfazed by her behavior.

  "Thanks, your Ladyship, but I think you missed the part about me being just thirteen years old and without any background." Lith tried to step away, he could feel several eyes piercing his back.

  "How is that a problem?" She giggled, holding his arm even tighter.

  "In a few years, the age gap will become irrelevant. Whoever I'm going to marry, he will join my family and I'm rich enough for three people. I may have no magical power of my own, but the Distar bloodline gave birth to several powerful mages.

  "I can't stand those shallow nobles that only care for my wealth nor the arrogant mages that see every non magic user as an object. I'm tired of being considered an arm candy with annuities from those who aim for my family title.

  "Based on what I heard about you and on what you did tonight you are like a breath of fresh air. I just want to get to know you better."

  Her points were all valid, but Lith had no interest in any kind of relationship.

  'What the heck, first Phloria and now Brinja? Women in the new world are quite assertive.' Lith thought.

  'Maybe it's because here magic gives them an edge.' Solus suggested. 'Or maybe it's just a cultural thing they have. Unlike Earth's middle ages on Mogar women have the same opportunities as men. They can pass their last name and inherit their families' fortunes.'

  Solus had a hard time not mentioning that she also would be assertive, if only she had the means to. Despite being brief, her experience with a body, first Lith's and then hers, had filled her with hope and confidence.

  At the same time, Solus had become quite impatient.

  'I wonder how many years will it take for me to get even that body made of light.' She inwardly sighed in a corner of her mind, glad to have her privacy.

  'Until then, I can only cheer for Lith from the sidelines.'

  ***

  Distar Household, later that evening.

  After all of her guests had safely departed to their homes via the Marchioness' private Warp Gate, she could finally sit down in the armchair in her office and relax. After the bumpy start, everything had gone as planned.

  She took out a communication amulet, placing it in the middle of her desk. Four blue magic crystals appeared from the corners of the solid white oak table, opening a secure channel with Queen Sylpha.

  "I hope you bring me good news, Mirim." The Queen's stern face greeted her with a nod.

  "Excellent news, your Majesty." The Marchioness gave her a small bow.

  Chapter 268 New Accomodation Part 1

  "Please, enough with honorifics and pleasantries. It's already late and it's just the two of us, dear friend."

  "As you wish, Sylpha." The two knew each other since their time at the White Griffon academy. It was a well kept secret, since Mirim had attended the courses under a fake name. She wanted to avoid receiving a special treatment as the daughter of the ruler of the land.

  The two of them had both inherited their respective bloodlines' talent for magic and that, together with the long years of friendship, had created a bond between them almost stronger than blood.

  After achieving the role of Lord Commander of the Queen's corps, Mirim Distar had chosen to keep the pretense of being magicless to make her enemies underestimate her, making it hard to believe she was more than just a medium importance noble.

  Her only regret was that life seemed to have an odd sense of humor. Her daughter was the only member of the family born without any talent for magic. It was something that had not happened for generations.

  'It's almost like Brinja is being punished for my deception.' She would think from time to time, before shrugging off all that superstitious horsesh*t. Inheriting magic was a matter of blood and luck.

  Having mages in the family made it easier for descendants to be more attuned with the world energy, but it wasn't an ironclad rule. That was the reason why despite having many heirs, sometimes the ancient noble households bore no mages, even for decades.

  "So, how was your evening?" Sylpha asked.

  Marchioness Distar told her everything, putting emphasis on Lith revealing the ability to use Gravity magic and the discord that followed.

  "Amazing. That young man has a talent for angering people. The most fearsome aspect of his character is that Lith is aware of who and when to provoke. He causes almost more troubles than he solves."

  Sylpha laughed when Mirim told her about Lith forcing Archmage Ejar to kneel in public.

  "It sure humbled her without causing any physical harm." Mirim nodded.

  "I managed to turn the following quarrel into a debate, forcing the two parties to find common ground. I can assure you that most of the guests left on better terms than when they arrived."

  "That's the advantage of knowing when and where conflict is about to happen." Sylpha grinned. "The more hot-headed people get, the easier is to manipulate their reasoning. I'm not concerned by such small stuff, though.

  "Tell me about your plan."

  "As you know, I made sure that all those who knew about Linjos's anti Balkor protocol learned about the existence of the list and that I am about to decipher it. I assumed that whoever is the traitor, would try to learn about it as well.

  So, I orchestrated the gala to give them an opportunity to enter my house. The celebration of the top rankers was the perfect excuse to request for an invitation. As I expected, many of our enemies took part in the banquet.

  Even with so many people, they couldn't roam free, so I asked Mage Lith to cause a ruckus. He is notoriously unaligned, no one outside the three of us knows of my special relationship with him. No one suspects everything was staged."

  "Good! Does he know about the plan?" Sylpha asked.

  "No. He didn't even ask for an explanation. Only to strengthen the defense of his family, more money, and materials for his research. He said, and I quote: 'We already have a target on our backs, making it bigger changes nothing. As long as you pay me, I'll get the job done.'"

  "Cynic and expensive for someone so young." Sylpha raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

  "If he was some idealist fool, I wouldn't have trusted him. As for the price, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. I consider it an investment. If he sees us as the last line of defense in front of his family, he'll never turn into another Balkor."

  "What about the list?" Sylpha was getting impatient.

  "My safe was successfully opened and the list copied." M
irim said with a wide smile.

  "Great! What was written into it?"

  "It wasn't the real list. It was a doctored copy written in the same code, containing only the names of our prime suspects. This way, it will appear like one of their accomplices has sold them or at least is planning to cut a deal with us.

  Now we only need to wait and see who reacts."

  "Who leaked the information about the list?" Sylpha could almost taste their blood.

  "Balfas. He is Linjos's personal assistant. He was the one that had access to the information about the safe." The reports Mirim had provided for the suspects to read were all identical except for one detail. The location of the list.

  The spy had revealed their source simply by looking in a specific place rather than another.

  "May the gods burn him! I was the one that assigned him to Linjos. How in the Great Mother's name did he pass all the background checks until now? Someone in my inner circle is involved or, even worse, is an idiot. Either way, some heads are going to roll for this."

  The Queen could almost feel the earth crumble beneath her feet. She had hoped the culprit was someone from the ancient noble households, to gain leverage against them in the recent power struggle. Having been chosen by the Court, Balfas was a political knife pointed at her throat instead.

  "That also explains how they achieved capillary control of the kitchen staff, poisoning students and Professors exactly at the right moment."

  "Indeed." Mirim touched the blue gemstone on the communication amulet, sharing the latest reports with the Queen.

  "I had constable Ernas checking his finances. Thanks to her cooperating with Velar Deirus, we discovered Balfas has been receiving money from a shell company that can be linked to the runaway Archmage Lukart."

  "How long it's been going on?" Just hearing Lukart's name gave Sylpha heartburn.

  "Before the academic year even started. The odd thing is that even after Lukart's disappearance, the payments haven't stopped."