“Good! Now have a seat. I’ve been wanting to chat with you for some time! Ah—you didn’t bring a cup of your own! No matter.”
The princess produced a cup from under the table and calmly poured Maiya some tea from the pot, making the redheaded girl freeze.
If the head handmaiden finds out the princess poured me tea…
That would be the end. Her life would be over.
Biting her lip, she gingerly took the seat across from the princess.
“Those who know me know that I don’t care for formality and etiquette. That stuff has its time and place, but like all tools, becomes a hindrance when misused. Here, in private, I’d appreciate it if you treated me more like a friend. Alright?”
“I shall try, your high—Princess Ira.”
“You poor thing. They really have done a number on you, haven’t they?” Ira said, gazing at Maiya as she sipped her tea.
Maiya, deciding it would be rude not to accompany her, took a few measured sips herself.
“Do you know why I have asked you here?”
Maiya shook her head. “Forgive me, Princess Ira, but surely someone like myself isn’t of any note to someone of your standing?”
“Truly? Are you being humble? Or do you actually believe that? Oh, no. You believe it, don’t you?”
The princess sighed. “Maiya, I have never witnessed talent such as yours before. Did you know? Half our handmaiden recruits fail to ever become full-fledged handmaidens,” she said, calmly plopping a cube of sugar into her tea. Then another. And another. “The ones who do normally take years.”
Maiya did her best not to cringe. All that hard work brewing it perfectly… ruined by sugar! The head handmaiden would surely have a heart attack if she knew how the princess defiled her tea.
“And yet,” Ira continued, “you managed that feat in just a couple of months. Not even the head handmaiden herself was as gifted.”
The princess paused a moment before continuing. “No doubt you’ve heard that I personally developed the handmaiden audition and training regimen. My maids are quite… multitalented. No doubt you have asked yourself why we train handmaidens to be stronger than our elite warriors? Why the minimum bar is Balar 100, and why we scout elite mejai into their ranks?”
“I expect all royalty to surround themselves with people of high… caliber.”
“Caliber!” Ira exclaimed, snorting in a very un-princess-like manner. “No, most royalty isn’t that crazy. Not even my brothers do that. Yes, we have our bodyguards, but not a small army of them.”
“Why, then?” Maiya asked. Not only did she genuinely want to know, but this might be the sort of information that would be valuable to Tanya. Maiya held plenty of reservations about giving away state secrets, but her arms were currently tied. She’d spent long hours contemplating whether to tip Princess Ira off to Riyan’s plan, but in the end, she hadn’t been able to do it. What if Riyan retaliated against Vir? She wasn’t about to take that risk.
“You see, my handmaidens are far more than their names might suggest. They are my elite warriors. They are my scouts, my spies, my arms and legs, my eyes and ears. They are my trump card, and nobody can raise a finger against them.”
Maiya had suspected there was an ulterior motive for Ira’s battle maids, but how deep did Princess Ira’s ambitions go? The frail, sickly princess facade was crumbling before her eyes. Ira wasn’t an ambitionless loner at all. That was merely a carefully crafted image. All to give her an edge.
“I will be open with you, Maiya. This country is destined for oblivion. My parents seek to rekindle another war with the Altani. A war that will bring great misfortune upon Sai, Hiranya, Rani, and most of all—ourselves. They will not listen to the voice of reason, and sadly, both of my siblings take after them. If my father, Imperator Andros Kin’jal, is left in power, or if either of my siblings ascends the throne, this country will meet its ruin, and soon.”
“How do I—”
“You, and the rest of my handmaidens, will help me ensure that never happens.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“I intend to oust my father and exile my siblings. And you,” she said, pointing her stirring spoon at Maiya, “will be the scalpel that cuts through the obstacles in my path.”
24ARANYA FOREST
Though Haymi insisted she’d recovered enough to fight, the rest of the party—including Vir—disagreed. While her bones had mostly been mended by the Life mejai, Haymi still flinched when she walked. Powering orbs took concentration, and any distraction could break that. Losing their armor or weapon enhancements mid-battle could very well spell the party’s doom.
But Vir and the rest of Spear’s Edge didn’t waste their time. They continued to train on the shores south of Avi. They’d sometimes fight with Haymi’s magical enhancement, but more often than not, they’d fight only with their own powers to ease Haymi’s burden.
Soon, they’d fallen into a routine. One that Vir appreciated far more than he expected. After a morning meal, they’d head out and practice until late afternoon, trading blows and learning about each other’s combat style.
Vir’s was by far the most nuanced, but both Vason and Tia were masters of the Matali school of combat. While Vir preferred to stealthily attack his opponents, leveraging the speed and mobility of the Kalari Arts, theirs focused far more on party-based combat. Whether Tia attacked, defended, or distracted an enemy depended more on what the enemy was doing, rather than some preset style.
Sometimes, she’d be stealthy, and at other times she’d come in charging like a madwoman. Vason was the same. Though his role was defense, his attacks were polished and strong, and he never hesitated to take advantage of an opening.
It reminded Vir a bit of the tactics Mina’s scouts had used against him in the Godshollow, after he’d taken down the Clutch Rachna. Those two had complemented each other perfectly, acting more as a single unit than two individuals.
Though Vir still had a long way to go, he was beginning to learn the basics of fighting that way. It had been an incredibly jarring experience. Sometimes, he’d be forced to let openings go to focus on defending his ally. At other times, he’d opt to take a hit for a teammate, rather than disappearing into the shadows. It was counter to his instincts and training, and so it took Vir some time to adapt.
Tia’s favorite tactic was to have Vir charge ahead using his incredible speed, attacking with an Enhance Speed orb slotted into his katar in a whirlwind of destruction. The Aprabomb.
Vir wasn’t a fan of the Aprabomb. First of all, the name struck him as dumb—he wasn’t a bomb, and he had no intention of becoming one. And the tactic didn’t sit right with him. He really didn’t enjoy lunging headlong into combat, preferring the use of shadows instead. Old habits died hard, and he’d developed that habit for a reason. It’d kept him safe.
It took a whole week for Tia to sign off on Haymi’s health. At times like these, Vir felt like Tia acted as the party’s mother, rather than just its leader. She certainly had a tendency to dote on those she cared about.
While some may have found it stifling, her behavior continuously reminded Vir of Maiya, and that always made him feel warm inside.
But time marched on, and Vir stood with Neel and Spear’s Edge at the edge of the Aranya Forest south of Avi. Time was running out for their subjugation contract, and Vir itched to put his new weapons to use. Neel felt no different, eager to be around so many people who petted and pampered him.
“Apramor, can I have your blood rods? It’s been some time, and I want to refill them going into battle,” Haymi said, extending her hand out.
The katar’s rod was easy to remove, but the one in his cuirass was less so. It was positioned on his back in a pocket sandwiched between his body and the metal, so he needed Vason to help remove it.