“Madam! I wasn’t—I didn’t! Please, forgive us!”
She went down on her knees, followed shortly by the handful of attendants beside her. Some appear confused, others stricken.
Seeing a prime opportunity to recover from her embarrassing moment with Neel, Maiya sighed theatrically. “It’s fine. He’s difficult to control when he gets this way. Please, don’t punish him.”
“Of course not, madam!”
“Very well. Then I shall accompany you to my manor.”
“At once!”
The attendants snapped to attention—Maiya noticed their immaculate military discipline—and led her party through the gates.
This… is my home? Maiya wondered as she took in the structure.
While it’d been described to her via letters, her new three-story stone house was by far the largest building Maiya had ever lived in.
It sat on its own, surrounded by a well-manicured garden, which was in turn surrounded by the wrought-iron fence that Neel had bounded over, with the rear of the grounds running right up to the tall castle walls.
A gardener worked the land, while six ceremonial Balarian guards stood at attention at the front entrance.
A bit overkill for a handmaiden’s residence, Maiya thought, walking up to them. Nor were these ordinary guards. They were the Balarian Royal Guard. Overkill… and wasteful.
Not that Maiya disliked the honor.
Despite her entourage, she was still required to show her badge in front of the stoic guards, who scanned it, looked her over, then nodded and opened the tall mahogany door.
While ornamental, like all Kin’jal construction, it served a defensive role as well. Standing half again as tall as Maiya, each weighed as much as an Ash’va, and Maiya knew that nothing short of a battering ram would defeat them.
A maid came running up just as Maiya entered the house, and bowed deeply.
Good form, Maiya thought reflexively. She’s well trained.
“Milady, please allow me to welcome you home. I’m afraid we were unable to organize a more appropriate reception on such notice. If you like, I shall—”
“No need,” Maiya said, thinking how truly ironic it was that she now had maids. Maiya was technically still a handmaiden, although her job description had deviated so significantly that the title was almost a joke at this point.
“This is my first time on the premises,” Maiya said. “I assume you’ll be the one giving us a tour?”
The maid flinched. “I… would love nothing more, milady. However, I’m afraid that you are called upon.”
Maiya raised her eyebrow, suspecting the identity of the one who’d called upon her. “Where?”
“I shall guide you to the veranda. Your friends, I’m afraid, will need to remain here. We shall see that they receive every hospitality.”
Maiya had thought Yamal would’ve taken offense, and was preparing an excuse when she saw his face light up.
“Does that include Sonamite royal wine I hear so much about?” he asked with a ravenous grin.
The maid smiled demurely. “Of course, sir.”
Well, that’s at least one less problem to deal with, Maiya thought, her mood souring. She began to see what was going on, and if she was right, Princess Ira had just made Maiya’s life far more difficult than it needed to be.
“Don’t get too drunk,” she said to Yamal. “I shouldn’t be gone longer than an hour.”
I hope…
Yamal held Maiya’s gaze for a long moment before replying.
“When you get back, you’re telling us everything. My head’s about to explode.”
Maiya smirked. “We’ll see.”
Maiya found Princess Ira sitting on the veranda of the second floor that overlooked the rear of the manor.
“Well?” Ira asked, setting down her mug of tea. “How’d you like your new home?”
Maiya’s lips went taut. “It sure is big.”
“Big?” Ira asked, giggling. “Is that all?”
“Well, I couldn’t say, seeing how I just arrived.”
A few months ago, Maiya wouldn’t have dared address the princess in such a manner. Lately, though, their relationship had deepened, growing past merely that of a business relationship. Budding, unexpectedly, into genuine friendship.
Ira dismissed Maiya’s gripe with a wave. “You’ll have plenty of time to wander after. It’s not often a princess visits people in their own homes, you know? Now come, tell me about your exploits! I want to hear about everything! Everything!”
At times like these, the princess sounded less like a genius mastermind, and more like the teenage girl she really was.
Smiling despite herself, Maiya took a seat across from the princess, and after a handmaiden poured out some tea, began her tale.
She left nearly nothing out, summarizing her blood baptism—going into gory detail to hammer home just how terrible of an ordeal it was—and finally, the events of the Orientation Camp and the strange room. She had, of course, summarized most of this in her reports, but there was only so much that could be written.
Maiya did not, however, mention Vir or her communication orb. As much as she liked Ira, she didn’t trust the princess not to take the orb away for research purposes. For Ira, nothing took higher precedence than Kin’jal’s interests; than overthrowing her father’s rule. Not even Maiya. If she could gain an edge, she would.
Frankly, Maiya couldn’t blame her. A part of her felt guilty hiding the secret of the orb from the princess. If trans-realm communication would’ve benefited Ira’s cause, Maiya would have come clean. But it didn’t. And as such, she’d hold on to that secret just a little longer.
“Fascinating,” Ira said, her elbows placed on the table and her head resting on her interlocked fingers. “To think they had that buried under there! I wonder what it could be…”
“Me too,” Maiya said. “I’ve felt… different, ever since I touched that tree.”
“Different? How?” Ira asked with a frown.
“I dunno,” Maiya replied. “I feel like something within me’s changed, but can’t put my finger on what.”
“Would you like our Life mejai to examine you?”
Maiya bit her lip. “Maybe.”
“Consider it done.”
“Thanks, Ira,” Maiya said. “This has all been a lot for me lately. The rituals. The whole Blessed Chosen thing… and I can’t help but feel like there’s more to the Children than meets the eye. I don’t think they’re just a crazy cult.”
“While I admit it is a curiosity, it is only a curiosity,” Ira said, dismissing Maiya’s concern. “You are now the Blessed Prophet. The Blessed Prophet, Maiya! You have accomplished what no one in recorded history ever has! You’ve infiltrated the Children and risen to the top! When I had you go undercover, I imagined it’d take you years, not months, and even then, I put your odds of success at fifty-fifty!”
“Gee, thanks,” Maiya muttered, sipping her tea.
Did she assume I might die along the way? Maiya thought it was a definite possibility, though she knew Ira would do everything she could to save Maiya’s life if it ever came to that.
“This is incredible!” Ira continued. “Thanks to you, I can put my plans in motion sooner than anticipated. Can you imagine what boons having the Children under my control will bring?”
Ira paused, taking a long, hard look at Maiya. Maiya knew that look. The princess was planning something nefarious.
“Don’t tell me you want me to kill someone?” Maiya asked.
Ira smiled. “Oh, no, no. Nothing of the sort. Just a small mission that will require your presence.”
“Ira, you know I can’t get away from the Children.”
“It won’t take long. Just one night, I think. Yes. With your actions, this would be a most opportune time for it,” Ira said, tapping the table. “We can discuss the details later, but don’t worry. It’ll be a nice change of pace for you.”