Meera landed back at the decimated village with the sorceress who had been clutching onto Meera so tightly that if she didn't know any better, she would've thought Ilona was trying to strangle her. The village was turning into a proper camp now. The sorceresses milled about, using their magic to improve the meager huts.

Some of the sorceresses stopped what they were doing when Meera landed. A couple ran towards her, wearing scowls and glaring at Meera. She didn't think this would ever change, but they also knew better than to try to do anything about it. Somehow, the princess had them in a death grip that someone, even as arrogant as Duinith, was following her commands without question, as if she were their new Sovereign.

Meera recognized one of the sorceresses who had run up to greet them. It was the same one who was itching to start a fight back in the princess's room when Meera had left with Ilona to survey the Spire.

"Ilona, are you okay?" She asked, coming to her sister's aid. Then her eyes flashed to Meera, threatening violence. "What did you do to her?"

Meera frowned. "I didn't do anything. Ask her. She's just scared out of her wits. Frankly, she has no place to be in a war."

The sorceress looked like she wanted to reply, but Ilona cut in.

"She's right, Kithra. She didn't do anything to me." Ilona huffed. "A group of cultists chased us, and Meera saved me."

Meera made a gesture that said, 'see'. "Ilona, come, we have a lot to discuss with the princess."

Kithra looked at a sorceress on her right. "Get Duinith and the rest."

The woman nodded and ran off to do her bidding, while she and Ilona followed Meera to the princess's hut, which looked nothing like it had the last time she had seen it. She had already claimed the biggest hut for herself, and the sorceresses had upgraded it into a mansion. They had even added a few stories to the place. What did one lone woman need all that space for?

Meera shook her head and entered the place, and her jaw dropped. It was like she was back in the palace. The floors were made of white marble. Where there were simple wooden beams, now stood marble columns with gold inlay in the same vine-like pattern that she saw back at the palace. Even the meager furniture had been upgraded to something befitting royalty.

The other sorceresses weren't so mesmerized by the place as if they had expected such, even Ilona, who had been with Meera all this time. It was almost like they had preplanned this. For a second, Meera didn't know which way to go. She half expected an attendant or a maid to escort them to the guest room.

Kithra scoffed. "Pick your jaw up off the floor. We have work to do."

She moved past her and headed to the room on the right, which, like much of the hut, was unrecognizable. It was the room where they had met last, but now it might as well have been the God King's council chamber. There was a long table with a granite countertop, in the center of which stood a statue of a roaring Kyldar. Not too massive that it would obstruct people's view of someone on the other side of the table. At the end of the table was a veritable throne, and in it sat Princess Rehia, going over parchments and making notes in a scroll.

Meera wondered about the scrolls and their intended recipients, given that she had no official responsibilities at court, or at least none that Meera was aware of.

She looked up as they entered. "Ah, you're back." She rolled up the scroll she was writing in and motioned for them to take a seat. "I hope you've brought back some good news."

"The opposite, in fact," Meera said. "The cultists ambushed us."

"And you dealt with them…"

"I was about to, but a small force of them attacked from the Spire," Meera replied. "Even I would've had a hard time trying to kill them all. But with Ilona there, it was practically impossible. She's not a fighter and would've been easily taken hostage, and she seems to think she's found something about the letters in their ice wall."

"You have?" Rehia asked, eyes turning on the nervous sorceress. She was surprisingly calm about the Cultists discovering they were here.

"I beg your pardon, Your Highness," Kithra said. "It's best we wait for Lady Duinith. She'll be along any moment now."

"Why?" Meera blurted out.

Kithra scowled. "Because she's the head of our order now. One of the two remaining from the Conclave. I'm sure whatever Ilona has to say is important, and she can provide her input and relay some guidance—"

"Yes, yes," Rehia said, waving a hand. "We'll wait for her." Then she turned her head towards Meera, making sure the sorceress wouldn't see, and made a face, and Meera snorted, making the scowling sorceress scowl even harder.

True to the sorceress's words, Duinith arrived a few moments later, and she was not alone. She had an entire entourage with her, among whom was none other than the sorceress that annoyed Meera the most.

Firaan smiled at Meera, and she had to resist the urge to smack the grin off her face. Meera looked away with disgust, making sure the sorceress saw the look, because she was undoubtedly reading Meera's mind.

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Get the hell out of my mind before I chop you to bits.

The smile on Firaan's lips wavered a little, but it returned as she bowed to the princess and took her seat. She sat on Duinith's right, who sat across from Meera, on the princess's right. Then there were a few more sorceresses whose names Meera didn't know, nor did she care to learn.

"I see you're unharmed, Ilona," Duinith stated.

"Yes, mistress," Iliona practically quivered, and Meera could guess what sort of training the woman had to endure under her cruel mistress.

"Now, can we begin?" Meera asked impatiently.

Rehia nodded. "Of course, Reverent Lady."

Meera relayed the events that had happened again, and their expressions when she told them about the fight with the Cultists were just as she had expected.

Kithra slammed her hands on the table as she shot up to her feet. "You gave us up. They know we're here, and if they don't. They will soon enough."

Meera kept her cool. "What did you want me to do? Hand myself and your witch over for torture. And I didn't give myself up. We just got there at an unfortunate time and place. You're talking like I walked over to their door and announced myself."

"But they know we're coming," the sorceress snapped. "We've lost the element of surprise."

Duinith gave her a side-eyed look and clicked her tongue, and the woman sat down, still seething. "It is an unfortunate turn of events, but they know about Meera working with a sorceress. They will soon send out their scouts, if they haven't already, which means we don't have much time before they find us. We must prepare."

"I agree," Rehia said. "Duinith, please shield us and set up an illusion like we talked about."

"Yes, Your Highness," Duinith replied. "Kithra, set up a barrier around the village and take Rohaena with you to set up an illusion."

Kithra glared at Meera for a whole minute before she stood to follow through on her mistress's orders. Meera had a feeling that it would come to blows with this sorceress, so she would have to watch out for this one, even if she wasn't nearly strong enough to take Meera head-on. It would most definitely be a blade in the back if she weren't careful.

[Sorceress of Barriers – Level 414]

Yes, not nearly strong enough indeed.

Meera couldn't help but wonder what a fight with this woman would be like. Just how strong her barrier would be, and how she could manipulate them to her will. But she could figure that out later as she had more pressing concerns to attend to.

Duinith turned to Ilona. "So, they are runes?"

"Yes, mistress," she replied. "But in a language that I have never seen before. Most runes are carved in a single language. They intone what sort of magic they would carry, but these are in a language that seems to be an amalgamation of a myriad of languages. Many of them appear to be extinct languages that are no longer spoken. The letters themselves seem ancient. I would…" She almost seemed scared to say the next words. "I would need more time to study what I've seen."

"That's fine, lass," Rehia said. "Take all the time you need."

Duinith snapped her head to the princess. She clearly had something else in mind. "But Your Highness, we don't have much time. The enemy knows we're here. We don't have the numbers for a full frontal assault, despite our varied abilities. We've lost the element of surprise. We must attack now."

"I know, but it would do nothing to rush her," Rehia said. "It's true they know that we're here, or well, that Meera is, and she is working with a sorceress. The truth is, they must've known hours after I announced in the gala that I would take down the Cult, and with Meera's declaration to help me, their spies must've run to deliver the news."

Meera frowned. "You think they had spies in your father's court."

"Oh, I'm most certain of it. There never really was an element of surprise to begin with. Father made a mistake in having his children declare their tasks in such an open forum. It would've been best to do it in private, but then he wanted a spectacle. I'm sure my brothers aren't having an easier time either. So, the best thing we can do for now is let dear Ilona take her time to unravel what she has found, rather than mount a rushed assault that will no doubt end in failure and the decimation of our ranks."

"So, we do nothing in the meantime?" A sorceress spoke up, whose name Meera didn't know.

Meera agreed with the blonde woman, and she reminded Meera of another blonde woman with whom she had travelled for a long time.

"Not at all," Rehia replied. "We're going to send a small force and attack this wall of theirs and see just what sort of defenses these runes hold."

"I'm going with this small force," Meera spoke up immediately.

"Oh, you most certainly are," Rehia said, smiling. "Since you have the most combat experience here, you're going to lead it."

That did not sit well with any of the sorceresses. Even Firaan—who had been smirking as she spied on everyone—had a frown that was borderline a scowl. More than one of them was on their feet, Duinith included.

"Your Highness, your statement is simply not true," Duinith said, with controlled anger. "There are many sorceresses who have been fighting for longer than his girl has been alive, and they've been honing their skills battling dragons."

"Are they stronger than Meera?" Rehia asked.

Duinith was stumped. She set her jaw as she gritted her teeth but did not reply.

"Thought so. And isn't the commander usually stronger than their underlings? I mean, that's how it works in the Varshan army. I'm not sure about the other worlds. Since we're on Ealisto and in the Varshan Empire, we'll do things the Varshan way. So, I suggest you all take a seat and stop overreacting. It's not like I've asked Meera to hand you over to the enemy."

They all begrudgingly took a seat. And Meera had to bite her tongue as she almost pointed out that Rehia herself was much weaker than Duinith and a couple of other sorceresses, and even Meera herself. It was funny, but since the princess was the only person on her side, she couldn't afford to alienate her.

"It's fine, princess," Meera said. "They can have their own commander. Given our bad blood, they probably wouldn't listen to me anyway. Besides, I'm not some military commander."

Rehia was about to reply and put the sorceresses in their place, but Meera gave her a look and shook her head.

Rehia sighed. "Fine, as you wish. Duinith, put together a small team, and you may appoint someone with more combat experience than Meera to lead the team."

"Just so you know," Meera said. "Since you weren't willing to follow my orders, the same goes for me. I won't follow yours, either. Considering they would most probably involve me charging the wall, all by my lonesome."

Firaan snorted, as if she had heard a joke, and knowing her, she had probably read the minds of the sorceresses in the room and knew what vitriol they were spewing in their minds.

"Fair enough," Rehia said. "You all have your orders. Let's get to them, shall we?"

Meera was the first one to stand. "I'll be in the village square. Come find me when you're ready."

She was about to head for the door when Rehia called. "Meera, can you stay. I have much to discuss with you."

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