Xandus didn’t seem the least bit surprised when Ruena dropped in for her second visit that day. It was hard to tell if he really had her figured out to that degree, or if it was another part of his ironclad crazy act. He calmly placed Jazz on the floor and moved over to the chessboard as if it was the designated place for any and all important discussions.

  “I have decided to accept your offer,” Ruena told him as she took the seat opposite of him and moved a pawn forward out of habit, “I am still not confident I can succeed, but not trying is an even worse mistake.”

  "There was no need to rush to give me an answer," Xandus replied, calmly matching her moves on the chess board, "Unless there is some reason you can't tell me."

  Ruena locked eyes with the Valen king. "Even if I can't tell you, I'm sure you already have a good idea of what is going on," she pointed out, "I can't become the weaponsmaster overnight, and it might take time to convince him to help me. I know you can't help me until you return to Valen, but if I wait too long I will miss my chance."

  "Why can't I help you now?" Xandus asked, "With your allies and your talents we could go to Valen and return without even ending my vacation. You have Soral on your side, and you have already learned how to utilize his magic in your little gadgets."

  Utilizing Soral's magic in her gadgets? Was he referring to the magic battery she had invented with Soral, or perhaps the magic nullification device she had developed with Janon? If it was a device she could make from his magic in the future, given the situation he must be referring to some form of instant travel.

  "Portals are illegal," Ruena told him, after thinking it over, "And teleportation is too unstable."

  "Portals are not illegal, just highly discouraged," Xandus corrected, "The Black Wolf has made his distaste for them clear, but what reason should we have to obey the words of a criminal? No matter how influential he may seem, a criminal does not decide the law, especially not laws on magic. A magic ban across all of Althaedor must be agreed on by the Queen of Altea and the King of Thador."

  Ruena was about to argue further when she recalled her own dramatic entrance to Alodan. By this point, everyone already knew that she openly used portals, so what point was there in pretending otherwise? She couldn't stop her thoughts from straying to the spatial technicalities making a device capable of harnessing portals would require.

  "That kind of trial and error will take far longer than your vacation," Ruena pointed out instead, "but I will speak to Soral about it. I don't want to rely on him for everything, but I can't avoid it entirely either."

  "Tell me your decision again by breakfast tomorrow. That should be enough time for you to prepare for an outing no one else knows about," Xandus pressed, sliding his rook over and placing her king in check, "You can wait as long as you would like. You are the one who needs his help."

  A crazy deadline given by a crazy king. "Then I will see you at breakfast," Ruena replied, knocking her own king over.

  There was no point in continuing a game she knew she was going to lose, and Xandus made no move to stop her.Next came finding Soral, which was a task completed the moment she opened the door to leave the room. As usual, he didn't even pretend that he hadn't been listening.

  "How should we prepare?" he asked, "Maybe I could pinch us a little time? I don't think we will get away unnoticed if you disappear for too long. Everyone will be quick to blame Xandus once they notice he is gone too."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "King Xandus," Ruena corrected. Soral was every casual regardless of who he was talking to or about, "and not time pinching of any kind. I am going to give Leopold another chance and tell him the truth."

  Leopold did not exactly approve of the plan to seek help from an ancient being hidden deep in Valen, but he did have experience in making sure that no one would notice she was missing. "With the public eye on you as much as it is, you must return within a few days," he warned, "Take only Sir Voila and King Xandus. The more people who disappear, the easier it will be to notice."

  "That was the plan," Soral reported cheerfully, causing the butler to flinch from his enthusiastic response.

  "I have a feeling that if this takes me more than a day or two I will have failed regardless," Ruena assured, "When you see just who I am trying to recruit, I am sure you will understand."

  “I certainly hope so,” Leopold muttered, looking between them. He still didn’t trust her, but at least he was willing to follow her plans.

  Taiga was the hardest to convince since she would be left behind this time. She finally agreed since her staying behind would be the best way to fool everyone into thinking that Ruena never left. That, and she seemed to believe Soral would do everything in his power to protect Ruena in her place.

  Breakfast came quickly the next morning. Xandus announced that he could not play any chess because his precious chess set was damaged, and demanded Soral take it to Valen to get fixed. No one questioned him, especially since he was complaining quite loudly. According to him, it was the white king that needed repairs after Ruena knocked it over during their last game. Ruena found that hard to believe, but it did make a fine excuse for Soral to be gone. Xandus could easily seclude himself as well.

  That left Ruena. In the end, it was Leopold who came up with her excuse. He claimed that she had looked tired ever since she went to the palace and demanded a strict rest. He even ordered Taiga to guard the door so she would neither escape or be bothered. It was better than nothing, but just like he had said, it wasn’t an excuse that would last very long.

  Upon returning to her room, Ruena carefully changed her clothes. Since she needed to convince an ancient being, she needed to show her true self. That was why she took out her uniform as the commander of the Warriors. It was what she had always deemed as her true identity. Dresses, parties, and nobility overall still didn’t suit her.

  “Did you need to grab anything else?” Soral asked as he suddenly appeared in her room, “I can give you some cupcakes. Cupcakes always help in negotiations.”

  “I am the one who needs to convince him, not you,” Ruena pointed out, “but I will take my staff.”

  Soral had it in his hands the moment she mentioned it and passed it over to her. “In that case, let’s get going. Xandus is waiting.”

  Ruena took his hand and felt the uncomfortable momentary lurch of teleportation. How could Soral handle doing that all the time? She preferred portals, since it was like stepping through a doorway. Just as Soral had said, Xandus was waiting. It was hard to say exactly where they were, but based on the dim lighting and lack of windows Ruena guessed they were somewhere underground.

  “This is his crypt,” Xandus explained, gesturing to a large set of stone doors before them, “I cannot enter with you, nor can Soral. I wish you luck.”

  A crypt. What an ominous name, especially with the knowledge that she was about to awaken whatever or whomever lay inside. The solid stone doors looked like they would be impossible to move, but they slid open easily once she laid her hands on them. The room inside felt almost suffocating from the heavy magic that hung in the air. Despite that, it was completely bare save for the altar-like bed in the very center.

  Laying on this cushioned altar was a man who appeared to be sleeping. She had expected some resemblance since Xandus had told her that her black hair and golden eyes were inherited from him, but once she was close enough to see his face, she stopped in her tracks. How was it possible for them to look exactly alike?

  His eyes flickered open and he glanced lazily over at her. “Ruena Alodan,” he greeted in a soft voice, barely above a whisper, “You have come at last.”