Chapter 38
Rys had met many attractive women since reawakening.
Maria had bountiful curves and a simple beauty. Fara and Mina were exotic, and wonderfully fluffy. Alsia was lithe, conventionally pretty, and had the sort of face that could launch a fleet of ships.
Faeris made all of them look like hags.
Her face had an almost ethereal beauty, with a perfect complexion and no imperfections. Her platinum blonde hair glittered in the sunlight streaming in through the multi-story glass windows of her study and pooled on the ivory sofa. Rys suspected that each strand would be perfectly straight, and together her hair could be mistaken for a spool of gold.
And her body was an almost perfect hourglass, with curves that made Rys question his vision.
Except for her chest. Whatever divine being had created Faeris, they apparently had a preference for a specific body type. She was flat as a board.
“Seeing you so mesmerized with my beauty almost makes me forgive the chaos you have caused,” the queen said, snapping her book shut and straightening up on the sofa. “This is the second time you’ve intruded on my territory without warning.”
Ah, so she had heard about his little jaunt into the Labyrinth beneath Gorgria.
“You’re the third-most beautiful woman I’ve seen,” Rys admitted.
“Third?” Faeris’s expression turned thunderous.
“It’s more of an honor than you realize. The other two are also queens.”
“Oh? Of what nations?”
“One once ruled Gauron, and the other has ruled her race for millennia,” Rys said.
Faeris stared at him in confusion for several long moments. The guards in the corners shifted uncomfortably.
Then she gestured for them to leave. They didn’t hesitate, and soon Rys and Faeris were alone.
“I have heard that you are an infernalist, but it’s quite bold of you to claim that you have met the Devil Queen herself,” Faeris said, her voice ice cold. Her blue eyes tried to pierce him, but he ignored her anger.
Rys walked toward her and sat down on one of the sofas opposite her. The study seemed pointlessly large, with a dozen plush ivory sofas, a dining table, a piano, and bookshelves so tall that he would need a ladder to reach their tops.
The lack of dust on any of the shelves made it clear that Faeris either had dutiful servants or very good cleaning spells.
“It’s not a claim, it’s reality,” Rys said. “And I feel it establishes the scene. You’ve wanted to meet me for months. Here I am.”
“By yourself, with no warning or appointment, and after breaking in,” Faeris said. “Was this necessary?”
“I felt it was important to establish what I’m capable of.”
“And if I decide that what you’re capable of is deserving of destruction?” she asked.
Rys smirked. “That’s exactly why I showed up the way I did.”
She drummed her fingers on the arm of the sofa. Her fingers twitched, and he felt a sending go out. Moments later, a servant entered the room with a trolley loaded with food and drinks.
The servant dropped off several plates of extravagant tapas, almost all of which contained rich sauces, expensive meats, and aged cheeses. Given it was winter, the message was obvious.
Or maybe Faeris was used to this level of wealth. She didn’t even pause for effect before snapping up slices of aged steak covered with what appeared to be a red wine jus.
Rys restrained himself to one of the lagers presented. It was crisp and fresh—and far better than most of the beer brewed by the Infernal Empire.
Infernals cared more about the strength of their alcohol than the flavor. The destructive effect that had caused on all alcohols save for wine could not be understated. Only the dwarves had maintained any quality beer production, and they guarded their secrets jealously.
Rys silently celebrated the achievement of mortal races, even if they probably didn’t know what they had done.
Once the servant left, Faeris resumed the conversation.
“I will admit, I am more partial to you than the Malus League. You have the goodwill of your people, and if Maria backs you, then that can only be a good thing.” Faeris raised her eyebrow, then licked her lips. “Although now that I have met you in person, I understand some of her comments. You have quite the physical presence.”
“You should meet my generals,” he said blandly.
“I’ve heard of them.” For some reason, Faeris’s face turned to one of concern. “The Battle of Lapisloch was quite vicious, from what I heard.”
“The League made themselves known, but I defeated them handily.”
“Yes, so I heard. And now you’re here. I assume there’s a connection?”
Rys didn’t miss the fact that she rapidly changed the topic. Lapisloch had been dropped as quickly as it had been brought up.
“Before that, I have a simple question,” he said. “Why do you have an interest in Kavolara at all? Your spies have been very active there. You were intervening even before the League made their actions known.”
Faeris’s expression turned stony. “I’m not one to talk about my intelligence operations. Stopping the League has been of importance for many years, however. My father had a strong distaste for them.”
“Your father?”
“Grand Magister Marcus Darvui of Guelburg. He lost his position and was exiled by the new monarchy that was… established there.” Faeris’s lips thinned. “I won’t bore you with foreign politics. Suffice it to say that he aligned with conventional mages, and the Magus League’s actions concerned him.”
“But you’ll talk with me, despite my infernalism?”
“As I said, you have the backing of the people around you. Whether I need to stop you eventually can be decided later. But right now, an enemy of my enemy is my friend. My father returned to Gauron long ago, but I will carry on his ideals in his place.”
Rys remembered Leth’s comment about how Faeris might be maintaining the RGK for the sake of her husband. Now she had named a second family member that drove her actions.
Did Faeris have any actual personal motivations?
“What about your daughter? She never shows herself in public. Not to pry, but that’s—”
Faeris laughed at him. “Suspicious?” She clicked her fingers. “Let us drink and eat for a minute. She will be here shortly.”
Several minutes later, a gorgeous young woman entered the study. She reminded Rys of Alsia and had a similar conventional beauty. Her dress was an obnoxiously pure white and covered up almost all her skin.
Interestingly, she lacked much of a magical presence. The strangely familiar feeling that Faeris gave off was missing from her. That didn’t mean much, as magical signatures changed immensely from person to person, and couldn’t typically be used to determine familial connections.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty,” Princess Alaretta gasped out. She twisted her hands in front of her. Every movement caused her huge tits to bounce around—they were easily as large as Maria’s, if not bigger.
“What do you think, Rys—I can call you Rys, can’t I?” Faeris asked. “Maria mentioned that you rarely go by your full name or title.”
He shrugged. Alaretta was pretty enough.
“Are you trying to set us up?” Rys asked bluntly.
“If you want to marry anyone, you have me,” Faeris replied with a broad smile. Her blue eyes glittered. “Alaretta, you can leave now. Return to your piano practice.”
Alaretta bowed to her mother, then practically fled from the room.
“Is that a serious proposition?” he asked.
“You’re a rising power, and one that will soon control two-thirds of Kavolara. I control Gorgria. The political benefits are immense,” Faeris said.
“What about your husband?”
“He will always remain my true love, but I will live for another century or more. Would you believe me if I told you that I’m seventy?” She giggled. “My magic has always been powerful, but it has resulted in a lonely life. Watching my beloved waste away while I remained unchanged was… painful. You won’t do that to me, will you?”
“No. I don’t age,” Rys said.
“Then it would be perfect.”
“Why not Alaretta?” he asked.
“Why take the princess when you can have the queen?” Faeris rolled her eyes. “You can have her as well, if you want.”
“As well?” Rys laughed. “Have you become a saleswoman now, trying to sell me a package marriage—marry one, get one free?”
Faeris waved him off and sipped her wine. “Fine, be that way. You avoided my question earlier—is there a connection between the League and your arrival here? I cannot imagine why else you would appear after avoiding me for months.”
“It’s simple enough,” Rys said. “I want two things: an agreement that you’ll stay out of the way when I take Avolar shortly.”
“I don’t care about the Kinadain,” Faeris said flatly. “The nonsense that those self-proclaimed Saints spout is no business of mine. You can have Avolar.”
Excellent. Rys knew that when Mina activated her plans for Avolar in the coming weeks that there wouldn’t be any unexpected surprises from the Gorgrian spy network.
“Second, I want your help to kill Maliah Jyarvic,” he said.