"Follow them from a distance. Keep an eye on them."
Scarlett gave the order and watched three of her subordinates move quickly away from her, staying in the shadows, cloaked in silence. It was already dark: Scarlett looked up at the sky, then turned toward the direction that would lead her to the nearest city. There, she would find her group resting before returning to the capital.
They had communicated with the Empress the night before through magical means—crystals capable of transmitting the voice of whoever possessed them. They were made of durable, glowing material and worked regardless of the distance between their owners. The Archmage and her group of experts had handled the creation of various enchanted tools useful to the army, but many materials had also been circulated to assist common citizens. Many disciples studying the magical arts did so with dedication: their ultimate goal was to help their people and make life easier for everyone.
Scarlett was very interested in magic; she had been since she was a little girl. In the village where she was born, there were many tales of spells, riddles brought by magical beings, but also curses capable of destroying entire populations. In recent years, a story had circulated throughout the Empire about the most sudden famine and the harshest winter, brought about by the broken heart of a witch. No one knew the truth regarding the events that took place at the imperial court during the time the witch had lost control. It was well known that the Archmage had not always been as stable and reasonable as she was today. Obviously, anyone who had met her would not deny that she presented herself as a very confident, even brazen woman.
Scarlett had not yet had the chance to meet her, but she wished to converse with her at least once in her life to uncover some secrets of magic.
"We've been summoned to court." A man grabbed Scarlett's shoulder.
She spun around; she didn't particularly like physical contact. Over the years, she had learned that proximity was as precious as it was lethal. "To court? Do we know why?"
"The Empress wishes to see the Order's best fighters, from what I've heard." The man smirked arrogantly, and his colleague shoved him away.
"Let's move, we cannot keep the Sun of the Empire waiting."
It took days before they could reach the imperial court, and Zeyana Voklanden did not hesitate to receive them when she learned of her guests' arrival. Scarlett found herself in one of the halls of the imperial palace. She observed the luxurious furniture and the buffet that had been prepared for the guests, then focused on the people present, immediately noticing that she wasn't the only fighter inside the large room. Aside from her colleague, a member of the Order, many athletes and soldiers had been called to be received by the Sun of the Empire. It was quite obvious that physical prowess was required to fulfill the Empress's requests. The group consisted of about a dozen people, and the ethnic variety suggested they had been summoned from various parts of the Empire.
"Will they be competitors?" her colleague commented, distracting Scarlett from her analysis. The woman was stoic as always; she seemed neither agitated nor particularly interested in what was about to happen.
"We'll find out shortly."
It wasn't long before Zeyana Voklanden arrived in all her splendor, accompanied by the second most powerful woman in the Empire: the Archmage, Alex. Scarlett had never seen her in person, but she had heard of her seductive beauty; it was pleasant to discover that not all rumors were false. The witch wore a long cream-colored gown, as sensual as she was: the skirt reached her hips, and her chest was covered by more fabric held together by golden cords. Her arms were adorned with gem-studded bracelets, and her neck was encircled by an equally precious collar. She was simply mesmerizing. No one, however, would have dared to keep their gaze on her body for more than a few seconds, as it was well known that the Empress was quite jealous.
"Welcome, all of you! I imagine you are wondering why you are here..." Zeyana stopped in front of the attendees, flanked by the witch, and wasted no time before explaining the reason that had brought all these people to the imperial court. "Well, many of you know that the Oyindar will soon be held in Umgard, but I will not be asking you to participate simply as athletes to bring honor to the Empire. I need information, and I need to keep an eye on certain high-profile individuals... we do not know the dangers you might encounter. Who among you is willing to risk their life to serve the Empire?"
The Order member furrowed her brow: the Empress could have requested well-trained recruits directly from the Order, but she had chosen to make a selection among individuals from various territories of the Empire. Why had she done that? Scarlett initially thought they would be dealing with more imminent dangers regarding the demon threat, given that an Order meeting had taken place recently. But Zeyana had another objective... did she fear some foreign ruler? Even though that was hard to believe: after all, she had a powerful witch by her side, and no one could harm them. The only opponent who could truly threaten the Empress and the Archmage had to be someone equally powerful... Scarlett thought back to the Queen of Arran and the mysteries she had encountered in that foreign kingdom, and she grew serious.
Zeyana Voklanden was looking in her direction, silently waiting for someone to step forward. Scarlett didn't hesitate to take a step toward her and the witch; with a small bow, she greeted the two women.
"Your Majesty, Sun of the Empire, I wish to serve you in this task. I will not let you down."
Zeyana fixed her blue eyes on Scarlett, who was struck by the solemnity with which she was being observed. The rest of the group hurried to show their deference and request the approval of their Empress, even though, in Zeyana's eyes, few of them were truly interesting. She and Alex wanted to speak personally with the members of the Order most involved in the events that had occurred in Arran, and Scarlett was one of them.
"You are now the official athletes the Empire will bring to the Oyindar games. Be proud of this assignment and, please, be free to make use of the luxury I can offer you while you stay at the palace."
At that point, the Empress's presence was no longer necessary; she left the hall accompanied by her faithful Archmage. Scarlett was the only one to notice the look the witch gave her. They wanted to see her in private.
"I wonder how much they'll pay us for this job." Scarlett ignored him and headed for the door.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Before her colleague could reach her, the guards closed the door behind the woman.
"Follow me." Scarlett was led to an open space, a sort of garden with a large pool of water in the center, clear enough to mirror reflections and surely capture the starry sky at night. Looking up, she found the Empress and the Archmage sitting among the flowers in the shade of a large tree planted right in the center of the garden. The sight was so dissonant with what Scarlett knew about the two women that she stood paralyzed for a moment.
It was Zeyana who called for her attention. "Come on, come here."
At that moment, Alex was making a flower crown, and as she picked them, every touch made them more radiant and alive. When she finished her work, she handed it to her Empress, settling it carefully on her head; her gaze was adoring, erasing any doubt Scarlett harbored regarding their relationship. When she reached them, she knelt, offering her greetings to the Empress and the Archmage.
"Sit with us. We want to talk a little..." Alex gestured for her to sit right in front of them on the grass.
For a second, Scarlett didn't react, too surprised by the approach these two very important women were taking with her. Once she was at their level, sitting on the lawn with them, the Empress began to speak about what truly interested her.
"First of all, I would like to thank you for your work. Your service is indispensable for maintaining order in the Empire and defending us from the demon threat. The Order is of fundamental importance..." Zeyana looked up at the sky and half-closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze against her warm skin. Beside her, Alex continued to observe Scarlett with interest, making the latter blush. The Archmage had a very intense gaze.
"Your Majesty, I—"
"Let's skip the pleasantries. There is something very important I need to know." At that point, the Empress focused entirely on the Order member. "Tell me what you saw during your mission to Arran. And I don't want the report the Order gave me. I know well there is more to it."
"What is it you wish to know? I will tell you what I saw and heard." Scarlett remained tense but did her best not to show it. The sensations she had experienced hadn't been reported by the other Order members, who preferred hard facts, refusing to believe the woman had actually gotten so close to a fight between two demons and returned to base unscathed. And yet, Scarlett had seen through the illusion, she had fallen into it, but Morpheus, too preoccupied with his personal hunt, had ignored the rest of the living beings nearby.
"The demon Morpheus created an illusion, trapping his victims in a restricted field to play with them and devour them. I saw the Queen of Arran running through the woods and falling into the trap, right into Morpheus's clutches. I felt something. It was as if another force had entered that illusory world, but before I could get closer to the scene, someone else took control of the field. My vision suddenly blurred, and the clash between two demonic energies knocked the wind out of me, forcing me to retreat. In the end, I was certain of one thing: Queen Grimilde was alive, and it was thanks to the presence of another demon."
"So it really is true..." The Empress flashed a mysterious smile, and her expression captured the Archmage's interest as well. Scarlett waited for further orders, remaining silent as she watched the Sun of the Empire reflect on the news.
"What is it?" The witch lifted herself off the ground, bringing a hand to the Empress's face. "Talk to me..."
Zeyana grabbed her lover's hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the back of it. "It seems the situation has become far more dangerous than I thought. We are dealing with a very powerful demon keeper, and a demon roaming free who follows her every command."