The coloss strode fearlessly and unashamedly towards Forsance's house, as if he owned the place. As he passed, he saluted the old coachman who was looking after his horses before setting off again. The coachman returned a disillusioned glance with a sigh, as if the old man already knew how it would all end. Then he turned his attention back to the horses. The colossus, as if oblivious to the outside world, continued on his way as if nothing had happened.
Once he reached the entrance to Forsance's house, the coloss saw an old house, made entirely of wood, very modest in size. Forsance's house was also surrounded by a small garden overlooking the forest beyond. Without saying a word, he entered the house, in the large room at the heart of the house, where Alice's two men were hard at work reassembling to perfection the wooden wall they had previously dismantled themselves. Caught by the sound of the door, they both turned and greeted the colossus with a heartfelt “My général”, before continuing their work. As for the coloss, he simply waved them off, and proceeded to scrutinize every nook and cranny of the great hall for a few minutes, until he concluded that the object of his search was not to be found here.
Then he chose the door closest to him, which led into the kitchen. But shortly afterwards, he closed the door and left the kitchen, visibly disappointed that he hadn't yet found what he'd come for. He took a new door, this time leading him to Forsance's bedroom, where he once again searched the room from top to bottom, taking care to keep the room as it was. That is, until he heard a female voice behind him.
“Well, well , what is the great general 'Raymond' doing, in the middle of nowhere in a poorly built little house.” The great general Raymond was absolutely certain that he was alone in the room when he entered, and since then the door and windows had always been closed, yet when he turned around he saw Alice, looking straight at him. “I could ask you the same question, Your Majesty,” the colossus replied in his deep voice. “Well, since I'm the weakest of the clan, I'm the one who gets delegated to do this kind of boring work”, Alice explained nonchalantly, waiting for the colossus to reply.
“As it happens, I've granted myself my own leave since there's not much happening on the front line at the moment anyway. And while I was lounging in my SPA in Bleincort, I heard from my subordinates that Your Highness was passing through. I was very curious to know what your highness was doing in the area, so I hastened to find out more, but now I have even more questions. What is your majesty doing in such a picturesque dwelling?” The general asked aloud with a falsely curious and innocent air.
As soon as these words were out of her mouth, a new Alice on the general's right emerged with an even colder and blacker facial expression, and eyes capable of killing at first sight. “Cut the crap, Hellenna, do you really think I don't know that you've been following us from the very beginning. If you really want the 'lost mirror' of Forsance, then meet me in my car! This instant!!!” Alice warned poor Hellenna. And with that, the two images of Alice disappeared in an instant before Hellenna even had time to reply.
Alice was the niece of the current matriarch of the 'de dan' clan and the granddaughter of the former matriarch. For this reason alone, Hellenna didn't dare raise her voice against her, but she did have enough courage to try to conceal her true objectives. Even if untruths and misinformation were ineffective against Alice in this case. Since Alice possessed great intuition, intuition enough to make her a disciple of the Oracle of the Thuathas.
Of course, knowing this, the chances of tricking Alice to swallow anything were slim to none, but if you try nothing you get nothing, as they say. Now that her intentions were out in the open, all she could do was to face her and hope to find some common ground with Alice.
After all, Hellenna wasn't just anyone, she was seen as the most powerful of the de dan servants, which had enabled her to attain the position of general of the armies of the de dan duchy. For propaganda purposes, but also to gain acceptance as a public figure in the eyes of the Elysians, she had created her cover as Raymond. Hellenna was so used to playing Raymond “the thick brute”, that she felt a little bewildered when someone like Alice easily exposed him in broad daylight. But as she left the Forsance house to get into Alice's car, her face remained impassive.
“Your Highness, it's me, Hellenna.” She said, knocking on the door. “Come in,” Alice replied simply. Hellenna opened the door and took a seat opposite Alice. The two women faced each other in silence for a few moments, their eyes riveted on each other. It was Alice who broke the aphonia first. “You don't have to face me Hellenna, just come and sit by my side” she said, indicating the empty seat next to her. “And stop using that illusion in my presence, it's against etiquette!!!” she resumed.
Hellenna complied and came to sit beside Alice, and at the same moment the image of the colossus dissipated like fog in the sunlight and Hellenna's true appearance took its place. The present form Hellenna wore was exactly the same as the woman Forsance had glimpsed earlier in the forest.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“Now that's more like it! Alice exclaimed. “To return, to our conversation earlier, I'm quite willing to exchange Forsance's 'lost mirror' for just a few precious crystals. I hear your army recently got their hands on a rather special gemstone in southern Elysium. I'm sure you've come across some specimens that might suit me. What do you think?” Alice offered with a smirk.
“It's too easy, there must be something fishy going on,” Hellenna thought instantly. “Is it true?” Hellenna assured herself. “Of course it is. I have only one word. You can trust me.” Alice declared, without batting an eyelid and with a very serious air.
“But why, you'd give me the 'lost mirror' for just a few pebbles, I don't understand! You at least know what I'm going to do with it, don't you?” Hellenna insisted. The sneer on Alice's lips widened: “Ha! so you're worried about that, don't worry, I know exactly what you're going to do with it. There's only one reason why a woman like you would want that mirror. So, from your point of view, if I'm willing to proceed with this exchange, I must be a traitor, and the goddess knows that the price of betrayal is very high, but in reality, it's nothing of the sort, since you'll fail in the end.” Alice replied. “Did you see my defeat in one of your visions?” Hellenna asked. “No, of course not, it's impossible for me to see that far into the future, but even if Forsance manages to reach Ciel-Faitar in one piece, you'll still have to face that human-looking monster, one day or another. Even 100 years from now, you'll still be no match for her, so right now... And so your ambitions end here.” Alice reasoned, running her fingers through her hair.
“That's why I won't betray anyone, all I do is using you, nothing more!” she resumed. “And besides, I really need those crystals, fast. The council has seen fit to send me undercover to the U.E.S.S. in a few weeks, in preparation for the next war. So I need to be as prepared as possible without arousing the curiosity of any spies.” Alice explained.
At this point, Hellenna's eyes were fixed on nowhere, and her posture indicated that she was in a state of inner reflection. Was what Alice had just said a threat or a show of good faith? Did she mean that if they didn't come to an agreement, she'd never get the “lost mirror” of Forsance, since she'd be far behind enemy lines by then? Or did she mean that she had no interest in making her sing, since they'd be too close to each other. While Hellenna pondered her decision, Alice maintained the same attitude, as if she already knew Hellenna's answer.
After a moment, Hellenna lifted her head, turned it to look at the princess and said, “It's agreed!” Whatever happened, Hellenna wouldn't give up her dreams for so little. Besides, whether she meant it or not, “Alice will regret underestimating me.” That's what Hellenna thought inside.
At these words, Alice nodded, without showing any emotional change by the features of her face. “That's great, we'll be leaving soon, once my men have finished their work.” Alice declared, in a slightly more cheerful tone, until the end of her sentence, when a question came to mind. “That's right, how did you know that someone like me had to go to Forsance to get the painting?” “When you ask the right question to the right person, it's easy to know.” Hellenna replied laconically, without revealing any more. “Very well, you can keep your little secret for now, anyway no cabal lasts forever, one day or another I'll find out.” Alice promised. After which, the two women continued to exchange views on the internal affairs of the various clans ruling the Elysée , in particular their own clan, and gradually the palpable tension that had been present at the start of their discussions faded.
Then, in the middle of their conversation, a knock on the car door interrupted them. It was Alice's two faithful bodyguards who had finished their work. Naturally, Alice allowed them to get in, and soon the two men were facing the two women. They had brought with them another painting, carefully wrapped lest it be damaged in any way, which they placed between them on the bench. The painting in question was not very bulky, although its exact size remains a mystery to Hellenna as it was completely wrapped in a wooden container. So one could only guess that it was a painting by its shape.
The two men hastened to assure Alice that everything had gone according to plan and that the operation had been a success. Alice then ordered the coachman to leave immediately, taking the same route by which they had arrived. On the way, neither of the two men spoke up to ask why Hellenna was there - after all, soldiers aren't supposed to ask questions.
Mission accomplished, Alice wore a rare smile of contentment. Now that they were a long way from the village of Taunelr, Alice asked Hellenna about any unusual things she had observed in the village, just in case. She replied that she hadn't seen or heard anything unusual in Taunelr apart from an absolutely adorable little fairy she'd met before arriving.
It was already dark when Forsance returned to his village. His basket loaded with victuals and medicinal plants left him breathless. As he turned down an alleyway to return home after a hard day's work, he felt a sudden chill run through his body. He turned around in fright, but nothing, not even a cat, was in the way. Forsance didn't dare ask if anyone was there. He simply hurried on his way. Back home, he noticed that the lock of his front door was open, maybe I have forgetten to lock his door this morning, he thought. But soon he stoped thinking about it, and soon, a feeling of accomplishment swept through him, “another day of hard work accomplished” he thought. Although that night he strangely failed to find his “lost mirror” before bed.
Early the next morning, Cemitaire, the master recruiter was already at Taunelr's doorstep.
