“I see.” She sighed in relief, uncaring for the lost power of his core and grateful for the procedure’s success. “We can always say that you’ve used Hossa’s full body cosmetic magic.
“The problem is explaining why I didn’t undergo one as well.” She grunted.
“Easy. Bullshit for bullshit, we can tell people that you didn’t feel it was safe for the baby.” Orion shrugged.
“Good idea.” Jirni kept turning his face in her hands, her expression still stern. “Vastor is right. Grow a full beard and don’t go out until you’ve mastered your newfound physical prowess.”
“Because you are worried that people might notice the change or because you are jealous?” Orion chuckled.
“I am jealous.” Jirni admitted, making his jaw drop. “You’ve always had more suitors than me. Now that I look like your mother, I’m afraid to lose you to some pretty girl. And the worst thing is that I couldn’t blame you for it.
“We are in this situation because of me. You’ve risked your life because of me. You have every right to step away from this mess.” She sighed, staring at the floor because scared of reading the answer in his eyes.
The stress, the pregnancy, and the nearing of the deadline that Jiza had given Jirni had worn out her willpower. Orion’s youthful appearance only made things worse.
He was the head of one of the four founding pillars of the Kingdom, a powerful mage, and a man renowned for his wisdom and good heart. That along with his tall and powerful built physique made many noble dames disregard the fact that he was married.
As for Jirni, her reputation preceded her as well. No matter how beautiful, a shark was still treated as a shark. Especially when she had no qualms about maiming and tearing apart whoever dared swim near her.
“Don’t be silly.” He chuckled, opening his arms to embrace her just to remember how dangerous it was for her and the baby.
Orion froze halfway, keeping his arms wide and beckoning her to do the rest.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She hugged him while Orion stood still. “Everything I’ve done, I did it for us. You, me, and our children.”
“Our children can’t afford to lose both their parents.” Jirni pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes. “That’s why I didn’t want you to Awaken anymore. I wrote you a letter instead of calling you so that you could be certain of my intentions.
“That I meant every word I wrote and there was no manipulation attempt or hidden agenda.” Orion had almost divorced Jirni after she had faked Quylla’s death and broken her vow not to lie to him.
They had made up, but she knew Orion still had trust issues. A holographic call would have allowed her to convey infinite nuances via the tone of her voice, her body language, and her eyes.
The letter took her power of deception away.
“So why did you do it?”
“Because I can’t stand the thought of reliving the events that preceded Phloria’s death.” Orion replied. “I won’t stand on the sidelines again, watching others risk their lives to protect those I hold dear while all I can do is pray.
“I did it because I couldn’t live with the regret of not doing everything I could just to save my skin. I’d rather die on my feet in a few months than die of old age on my knees. I’ve already lost Phloria. I’m not losing you, no matter the cost.”
“Idiot.” Jirni said while hugging him again and burying her face in his chest.
“By the way, there’s something you should know.” Orion told her about the true nature of Vastor’s so-called nephews and nieces and then gave her a brief explanation of how their abilities had allowed him to survive the Awakening.
‘The fact that Vastor didn’t use Orion’s prisoners doesn’t mean he didn’t sacrifice human lives. He had probably prepared everything he needed in advance.’ Jirni immediately spotted the flaw in the Master’s lie.
‘Yet I don’t care. He gave me my husband back and in one piece. If I’m right, Vastor has become almost as good as Manohar. If I’m wrong, he lied to save Orion’s soul. Either way Vastor is the kind of ally I need.’ She thought.
“So I was thinking, why not ask Zogar and his Divine Beasts to side with us?” Orion asked. “With their help, standing against the Myrok would be much easier. Jiza might even give up without a fight since even if she wins, the Myrok would end up decimated.”
“Sure, but why should Zogar and his Divine Beasts help us?” Jirni asked back. “A business deal is one thing. Taking part in a private war is another entirely. The Myrok are part of the Council whereas I’m pretty certain that Zogar and his allies are not.
“He’s the only one who I’ve ever seen using Spirit Magic. Zoreth taught us true magic, but she never gave me a demonstration about Spirit Magic. She only gave me theorical lessons.”
“That’s true.” Orion pondered, remembering how Kigan too had never given Orion a practical demonstration during their lessons.
“Also, if we win against the Myrok, things end there. If Zogar wins against the Myrok, the Council is going after him next. I can’t just ask him to side with us, we need to give him either plausible deniability or a justification to take part in the conflict.”
“Let me guess. You are already working on both and waiting to see which one hits harder.” Orion said.
“You know me well, my love.” Jirni took his face between her hands, giving Orion that predator smile he had learned to love and fear.
***
Jiera Continent, Gorgon Empire’s outpost.
“I can’t believe this is our last flight together.” Kelia sighed while turning to Amyla Farg who sat on the passenger seat of the DoLorean. “I’m going to miss you a lot.”
“Are you talking to me or to the car?” Farg didn’t miss that the young girl was caressing the control panel on the dashboard.
“The car.” Kelia scoffed. “You are an annoying spoilsport who does nothing but nag and treat me like a thief.”
Farg’s eyes were lit with Life Vision to make sure that her guest from the Empire didn’t use her breathing technique to steal the secrets of the DoLorean’s power core. Kelia was the only Awakened in the Empire’s colonization expedition while Farg played the same role for the Kingdom.
With Lith gone, it was her duty to ensure that Kelia didn’t try anything funny with the Wayfinder or the DoLoreans.
“I treat you like a thief because that’s what you are. I bet that the Empress ordered you to spy on Magus Verhen’s legacy. Do you deny it?” Farg asked and Kelia remained silent, not trusting her skills as a liar.
“And I don’t nag. I try to advise you because despite your talent, you are still a rookie. Real life is nothing like the academy. There are no life-saving arrays out here. One mistake is all it takes to send even the best of us to the grave.”
