Capítulo 7: Vengeful Ghost
The two had already been walking for quite some time when they saw the first indications of a nearby city. The roads were paved with slate stone and a concrete-like material to fill the gaps. Along the road were wooden posts that held a magical lamp, which drew in the ambient magic to keep it lit. However, what caused Priscilla to be frustrated was that every lamp along the way, so far, had been smashed.
She had personally designed these very early in her rule, and implemented them all over the empire to enhance traveler's safety. It could be said that this was her very first invention, and imperial order! Many had criticized that using the invaders' technology would pollute the magic of our world, but they all shut their mouths once they realized the crime rate had dropped tenfold. After that, it was not a surprise to see nobles with four to five portable versions in their homes.
"This is a direct affront to you! If I catch the people vandalizing imperial property, I'll execute them!"
Priscilla looked over dubiously. Ever since he dropped his status as a knight, he spoke more frequently and seemed quite different from the calm and loyal Gawain she knew.
'Perhaps this is his real personality, and, like all others around me previously, he deemed it necessary to pretend in front of me?' She thought.
Her thoughts spiraled downward, causing her to be upset, so the incident with the smashed lamps became the target of her frustration. With her enhanced vision, she noticed the culprits were not too far ahead. They left such an obvious trail of magic behind them, not even bothering to clean up. This was probably an unorganized group and not targeted vandalism.
"Let me go! I'm warning you, I know the Empress. Let me go and I won't say anything!" The shout came from the direction that the magic trail led to. Fortunately, there was good line of sight even though the sky was cloudy. After turning on a bend, Priscilla could see three adult men pulling along a young girl and young boy. Their arms were tied and they seemed to be unharmed.
"Hah, what Empress? The King is paying handsomely for any criminals we catch. I reckon a pair of urchins, who stole a golden pin belonging to a knight of Camelot, should fetch a good price."
"Hey kid, if you're going to lie, at least try to actually mention someone scary. What can a weak woman do to us? Haha."
Priscilla was close enough to hear everything they were saying, but she had cast a quick spell that obscured her presence. Anyone with a bit of practice could learn how to muffle their movements, cover their tracks, and restrain their aura. It seemed that these three thugs were trained well enough to cover their tracks, but their prejudices have led them to a dead end, today.
Priscilla walked up to the group nonchalantly, as she smiled wryly about their predicament. They had underestimated the young girl. She was emitting a magical aura which left a trail due to her lack of training. Additionally, they did not notice that her leaking aura was interfering with the surrounding magic. This laid down another layer of protection for Priscilla. Standing a few feet from the one who spoke badly of her, she reached out and gripped his throat.
"I wonder about that. Just what will I do to you?"
However, her words were mostly muted by her concealment magic that was still active. Although, at this point, the group had noticed her. The man being choked was already turning purple as he helplessly flailed his arms. He grabbed Priscilla's fingers to pry them off, but they would not budge. Due to his taller stature, larger frame, and massive hands, the image of him struggling caused her to laugh.
Anyone watching from the side would think her to be insane due, to the cackling. The other two thugs were frozen in fear. From their perspective, a sickly pale girl with long black hair and dilapidated dress had suddenly appeared out of thin air. One of them even pulled out a religious token and held it in front of him.
"Begone vengeful ghost! No peace will be found here!" The man holding the holy symbol shouted.
"You are right about one thing; I will certainly not find peace dealing with just you lot." Priscilla said with a frown. She sighed and released the man who had finally stopped breathing. During his attempts to force her away, she had snatched the man's knife from his belt. She sent two quick strikes to the center of the remaining men's chests, leaving the knife in the second. Priscilla turned to the young girl whom she vaguely recognized.
"You… You'll have to go through me first!" The young boy stuttered and stood between Priscilla and the young girl.
"Chris, its okay. She's the Empress." The girl said with a calm look. She had already undone the rope at some point and was consoling the young boy.
"How did you recognize me?" Priscilla asked curiously.
"The air around you… it feels similar."
"Similar, not the same? Is it stronger?" Priscilla released more magic aura to test her.
"No—its… Sadder." The young girl pressed her palm to her heart and felt a wrenching pain. "So—so sad. It hurts." Priscilla cut off her aura and turned away. She felt a myriad of emotions at that moment, but could not seem to understand them. Perhaps she felt relieved that someone understood her pain? Or perhaps, annoyed at being misunderstood? 'Sad? I don't believe that. I only feel angry.' Meanwhile, Gawain, who was standing by the side, came up to the young man and slapped him on the back.
"Boy, you are more outstanding than I expected. How about you be my squire? You can't continue to Camelot anyway…"
"They will not follow us! That is final." Priscilla overheard and snapped at him.
"Pardon, Your Highness, no, Priscilla. You, yourself, said the empress was no more. I shall bring them along on my own accord."
Priscilla was frustrated at Gawain. Her insides twisted and she could no longer tell what was real or fake anymore. Gawain would follow anything and everything she said, but now that her authority was gone, he was so impudent. His point was full of holes, but her mind was clouded in bad thoughts, so she simply turned and started walking.
"Fine! Do as you please. They are your responsibility!" As she stormed off, Gawain gave a cheerful smile her direction.
"Now, you two, if I recall correctly, your names were Maia and Christoph?" Gawain turned to the two children and asked while untying Christoph. The knots were a lot more intricate for him than Maia's, so Christoph wasn't able to undo them alone. The two children nodded at his question and thanked him for accepting them.
"That trail of magic and obscuration, you did that on purpose didn't you?"
"Mmm. I could feel that someone would come rescue us. So, I just thought about leaving breadcrumbs and hiding as we were being led." Maia said with an unsure tone.
"Last I checked, you were just found to be talented in magic, how were you able to do those things?"
"Well, after meeting the Empress and Master Merlin, I started to feel a power growing within me. After a while, I could feel what plants and animals felt. The Empress is the only person I could do the same with…"
"Incredible. I am not that good with magic myself; I am only in the first circle. However, Her Majesty is at least in the fourth circle. I will try to convince her to teach you the basics."
"Thank you, Sir Gawain!"
"Just Gawain. Also, it is best you do not call Her Majesty in anyway alluding to her position as Empress. This is not a good time for her. Old scars have been torn open, and new wounds have been made. Be patient with her."
"Sir… err Gawain, there is something I haven't told you… I think it is important." Maia said.
"Go ahead, no need to be polite."
"I did not only feel that someone would come save me. I felt many other things too. Fiery destruction, the sky crashing down, thousands of eyes, and a crown covered in blood. But these aren't even the worst. I have a recurring nightmare; it is so vivid I cannot forget. I am cowering under rubble, watching two figures fight. Each of their strikes destroys landmarks. Then, they collide with all of their strength, and countless people turn to dust."
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder