A royal pardon was a get out of jail free card for any crime not punishable by the death penalty. The Crown granted a few of them every year to their most loyal servants for their outstanding results and becoming a Great Mage was one of them.
As Vylna realized the mortal danger she was in, tears filled her eyes, forcing her to blink. When she opened them again, Lith had disappeared as if she had been talking to a shadow the whole time.
“Please, be nice to her. Zinya went through a lot and I think that bastard of Fallmug might have taken it out on her after my last visit. Let me do the talking.” Kamila said, too worried to notice that she was alone.
“Don’t worry. You lead and I’ll follow.” Lith Blinked behind her. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he had no problems hearing her words from a distance.
Kamila unlocked the door, hating that house more with each passing second. The tea room was exactly as she remembered it. A mix of order and hypocrisy.
The white sofas and armchairs looked like they had never been used. The center of the hardwood table in the middle of the room had been carved out and replaced by a crystal slab.
The vases decorating the room along with white cotton doilies were still there, yet all the flowers had disappeared. Zinya was sitting on the same chair she had used during Kamila’s last visit.
Her face was turned toward the sunlight coming from the glass paneled east wall, as if she was looking at the sky.
“Zin, I’m back.” Kamila said.
“Kami, you shouldn’t be here. The last time Fallmug was so enraged by how you strong-armed Vylna to enter the house that now he doesn’t buy me flowers anymore. Why do you insist on making my life miserable?” Zinya said.
Her voice was filled with sorrow and it cracked before she could finish her phrase.
“Don’t say that, Zin. You have always been a terrible liar. What did he do to you?” Kamila ran to her sister, hugging her. They both wept, bringing to Lith’s mind the memories of when he and Carl did the same after one of them had suffered a heavy beating.
“Forgive me, Kami. I didn’t mean those things. I just want to hear my children again.”
Memory and reality overlapped as the ground trembled.
‘For a moment, I hated her because she reminded me of my mother. Always whining about how giving birth ruined her life and blaming us for Ezio’s behavior. When she accused Kamila, I thought she meant it, but she had just been instructed on what to say.’ He thought.
“He beats her legs so that even if they have guests, they won’t notice the bruises. That’s why she didn’t stand up during your last visit.” Lith said with a stone cold voice as he turned around.
Kamila noticed his gesture and lifted Zinya’s gown up, revealing many black and blue spots shaped like a horsewhip.
“How did you know?” She asked, her voice full of shock and fury.
“My brother, Orpal, would do the same thing to me when I was a child.”
Kamila lowered Zinya’s gown, allowing Lith to get close to her.
“Zinya, this is Lith Verhen, my boyfriend. Lith this is Zinya, my sister.”
“Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I heal you?” Lith needed all the help Solus could give him to take the edge off his voice and not raze the house to the ground.
“The pleasure is all mine. As for the healing, please help me.”
Lith chanted some quick gibberish before placing his hand on Zinya’s shoulder and using Invigoration on her. All of her bruises and injuries disappeared. He found some poorly healed fractures and fixed them too while he checked her condition.
“You really are as good as Kami says. It’s been ages since I’ve had no difficulties breathing.” The naïve happiness she expressed while blurting out the gravity of the damages her ribcage had suffered, made Kamila go pale and Lith grit his teeth.
‘This is wrong. No one should be happy just because they stopped suffering. That’s not life.’ Lith thought.
“I have bad news, Kamila. Zinya’s problem doesn’t lie in her eyes. She completely lacks the optic nerve.”
“The what?” Both sisters asked. Most Healers knew nothing about anatomy, let alone laymen.
“It links the eyes to the brain. Without it, one cannot see. It’s a big problem, like missing a whole arm. I hoped your sister’s case would be simple, but for something like that, I need to consult an expert.
“I won’t mess with Zinya’s brain until I’m 100% sure I know what I’m doing.”
“I never said I want to be treated!” Zinya’s voice was full of fear.
“Really? Do you want to stay here? With that man?” Lith was angry, but Zinya wasn’t afraid of him. His outrage wasn’t cruel like that of her husband. It sounded more like a fellow victim who had yet to give up on hope.
“He took your children away from you, your legs, and your sister. How long will you allow him to feast on your soul?” Nonetheless, his words hurt. Tears streamed down Zinya’s face again and Kamila put herself between them.
“Zin, I know I’m asking a lot of you, but please, reconsider your decision. Lith went a little overboard, but he isn’t completely wrong. Before you had no choice, whereas now I’m offering you one.
“We have waited for a long time, but things only got worse. Fallmug got worse, his violence always escalating. I’ve lived the past few years afraid of receiving a call telling me that you died at his hand.
“If you can’t find the strength to do it for yourself, do it for the kids and for me.” Kamila said.
“I know you’re right, Kami, but I’m too scared. What if Lith fails? Even worse, what if he succeeds?” Zinya asked.
“We’ll think about it when the time comes. Right now, all I need is your consent. I need to know that you are willing to fight this battle with us.”
“Be honest with me, Kami. Is this world really worth fighting for? Or is Mogar just full of misery? I never understood how people like me can be born just to suffer whereas people like Fallmug are free to destroy everything they touch without suffering any consequences.
“I’m too old and too tired to fight, Kami. It’s not worth it.” Zinya shook her head.
“Yes, Mogar is unfair. Every world is unfair.” Lith said with a stone cold voice.
“The only way to survive is to make life unfair in your advantage. If you don’t fight for yourself, no one will.” He placed his hands to the sides of Zinya’s head, activating two tier five light magic spells, Scanner and Chisel.
He used the tendrils of mana that Chisel created to connect the life force of her brain with that of her eyes, using mana as a temporary conduit. Zinya’s pupils moved around the room as light and colors flooded her vision.
“Zin?” Said a beautiful woman in front of her. Zinya couldn’t believe her own ears, the woman sounded like her sister. She raised her hands, touching the woman’s face and recognizing her on the spot.
“Is that really you Kami?” Zinya asked.
“Yes, Zin. It’s me. I’ve brought you your favorite flowers.” Kamila took a bouquet of fresh silver wattles out of her dimensional amulet. Their vibrant scent filled her nose and their color was a marvel to her eyes.
