‘When a monster like me finds their Orion, they must sink teeth and nails in and never let go. The Kingdom threw their cards into the gutter and I’ll be damned before I break my word.’ Jirni thought every time someone questioned her competence.
To make matters even worse, her domestic situation wasn’t good.
Orion was rarely at home. He was too busy working with Vastor and Balkor on her private project, sharing the knowledge of the Royal Forgemasters with the Council, and serving as General of the Army.
As for her daughters, they were livid both at Lith and Jirni.
“I can’t believe that he married without even inviting us!” Friya said. “After all we went through together, we had to learna about it from Faluel!”
The news of Kamila’s defection had made them happy but also hurt their feelings.
“Lith has no communication amulet anymore. Also, if all three of you disappeared at the same time, even an idiot would have guessed where you had gone. On your return, you would have found a charge for high treason waiting for you.
“Lith did it to protect you.” Jirni replied.
“You knew?” Phloria was flabbergasted and the most outraged among the Ernas sisters.
She had given up on the idea of getting back with Lith for some time, but getting cut off from such an important moment of his life still hurt.
“Of course I did. Only someone blind, dumb, and deaf would’ve failed to notice how much effort Kamila put into foiling Morn’s decree. Someone like the Royals.” Jirni chuckled, further offending her daughters since they hadn’t seen it coming as well.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure that as soon as the situation calms down, Lith will hold a second ceremony for his friends. After all, you weren’t the only one left out.” She shrugged at their glares.
Faluel was pretty pissed off as well, but not as much as Feela. She had hoped to get her hands on Lith’s genes by exploiting his difficult situation but the opportunity was now gone.
Jirni hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep for weeks, overworking until she could feel her body giving up. She had done everything she could to uphold the promise she had made Lith, even at the cost of spreading her energy thin.
That night, things went from bad to worse.
“Are you sure about that, Dyta?” Jirni asked her cousin while walking towards the nearest Warp Gate.
“I’m positive. I’ve already contacted Vastor and Marth and they did the best they could. I’m sorry, Jirni, but your mother has a few hours left to live at most.” Dyta Myrok replied. “She has refused to be moved to the White Griffon.
“Aunt Oblia says that she’d rather die where she was born. You know how stubborn she can be.”
“It runs in the family.” Jirni sighed, rubbing her eyes to shrug off the fatigue that blurred them.
‘Mom has been sickly from birth. Her life force was born twisted and if not for the best healers of the Kingdom treating her symptoms, she would have died decades ago.
‘Even Manohar refused to treat her, saying that the procedure was so delicate that even if it succeeded, even worse complications might arise. Unlike Zinya, it’s not just one part of Mom’s life force that is damaged but all of it.
‘If Lith was still here, I’d ask him to take a look at her.’ She stopped in her tracks as a sudden thought popped into her mind. ‘It’s really weird, though. Vastor has always been a leading figure in Body Sculpting and now he has become much better at everything. Panda Novel
‘I find it strange that he didn’t succeed. Either the bastard is holding back to not let people notice his newfound abilities or he doesn’t want to show his cards to me. If my mother really dies, Vastor and I will have to talk.’ Jirni gritted her teeth in frustration as she reached the Myrok Household.
“Welcome back home, Lady Ernas.” Phina, one of the maids, gave her a deep curtsy. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
“It’s too late and I’m too tired for pleasantries. Bring me to my mother.” Jirni knew that the Myrok trained even the house staff to keep their emotions in check, but Phina’s behavior was still weird.
She was still a simple maid and being so indifferent to the imminent death of the head of the house was beyond her.
“I’m sorry, but Lady Myrok is sleeping and she has ordered to not be disturbed unless there’s an emergency. Is this your case?” Phina’s face was a stone mask, but her eyes were a mix of curiosity and fear.
“How can she sleep when-” The words died on Jirni’s lips as her brain finally pulled out the fog of exhaustion that clouded her mind and put the pieces together.
‘It’s not just Phila, the house staff is relaxed. There is no noise of steps coming and going from Mom’s room, no trace of healers, none of her so-called friends weeping for her, nothing.’ Then, she noticed that the hair on her neck wasn’t standing up.
House Myrok was the weakest among the founding pillars of the Kingdom due to the lack of mages, but its arrays were still second only to the Royal Palace. The thick mana to which Jirni had gotten used since childhood was gone.
“Why are the defensive arrays turned off?” She asked.
“That’s impossible, my Lady. Only the Head of the house and the most trusted members of the family can-” One of the external walls crumbled with a boom of thunder, cutting the maid short.
Coming from the garden, Orpal rode atop Moonlight, his steed, advancing through the corridor at a canter. The deafening silence was broken only by the rhythmical clopping of the crystal hooves on the gold-veined marble of the floor.
The house staff and Jirni weren’t frozen just because of the appearance of the Dead King but because never before since its founding had house Myrok been invaded by an enemy.
Phila and the rest of the servants looked in horror as not a single spark of energy rose to stop the advance of one of the most wanted men in the Kingdom. They called for the guards, but no one answered.
They accessed their dimensional items, conjuring their communication amulets and weapons. Yet the amulets were dead, all of their runes turned off. Everyone in house Myrok was a trained soldier, willing to give their lives for their masters, yet they knew at a glance that without reinforcements there was no hope.
The Dead King exuded a light blue aura of power that glistened on the silvery black of his Davross armor, Black Rose, filling the house staff with fear that only their discipline allowed them to resist.
Regular people would have already lost consciousness or fallen to their knees, begging for mercy. Phila and the others, instead, held onto their weapons and prepared for the fight.
Their hands were covered with a cold sweat and their knees quivered, but they refused to back down.
Jirni managed to keep her cool while she took out her communication amulet, finding it dead as well.
“Lady Ernas, I’m sorry it took me so long to accept your invitation.” Orpal said with a cruel smile on his face. “Here, you dropped this.”
