Aldeheid looked up as yet another guest approached their table. This one a guard clad in black red and gold of the castle's watch. He recognized the man from his first day in Kon, but a name was not coming to him.

"Is something the matter, Jafari," Kitaya asked, adding another box to the city of gifts that was growing around them.

He gave a small bow before replying: "My lady, her highness wishes to see Aldeheid in her office."

"Fine." She set her glass of wine down. "Tell her we'll be there in a moment."

"Actually, she asked for Aldeheid alone." Jafari cut his eyes to Aldeheid. "I think it best we don't keep her waiting."

"Go on, angel eyes," Kitaya said, making a shooing motion with her hands. "I'll take care of things here until you return."

Aldeheid had been hoping she'd make up an excuse for him to stay. Enduring the wrath of the Konian Queen wasn't something he'd prepared himself for on the day of his bonding ceremony. Nevertheless, he rose from the table and followed Jafari away from the festivities and into the empty corridors. As they walked he contemplated what Eriani want with him... and only him.

It definitely wasn't to congratulate him. Maybe to kill him? He wouldn't put it past her, and this was her domain. Which meant she had some form of royal immunity.

They appeared before the high doors and the guard nodded for him to go in.

Aldeheid sucked in a breath and squared his shoulders. He refused to stay intimidated by her. She was magician just like him, Queen or not. And he'd rubbed shoulders with royalty long before even meeting Kitaya. He hadn't been unsettled then, he wouldn't be now.

He opened the door and poked his head in.

Eriani was seated behind her desk poring over something spread on its surface. She raised her head and gave him a look that made him want to run for the hills.

"You... asked for me, your Majesty?" He made no move to step into the office. It felt as though he'd be stepping into a den of lions.

She gestured to the chair in front of her desk. "Sit."

Aldeheid looked back out into the hall, as though hoping for something or someone to rescue him. Jafari's back disappeared around a corner, leaving him on his own.

"Sit!" Eriani snapped.

"Yes ma'am." He stepped into the office and took the chair she'd offered. The hairs on the back on his neck stood on edge, and he refused to meet her gaze. Instead he looked at the various knick-knacks decorating her desk – a clay jar the colour of coal, a small statue of a Lyberra with its wings outstretched, quill, ink and blank sheets of parchment.

"I don't know what Kitaya sees in you. But it must be something incredible." She slid a sheet of parchment in front of him, along with quill and ink. "Now that you are Kitaya's magician, That means you are both a citizen of this nation and a member of my Royal House, with all rights and privileges embodied." She tapped the edge of the paper with a gold-painted nail. "Sign."

Aldeheid dipped the quill in the ink and scrawled his name at the bottom. He could've just signed his soul away for all he knew, but he wanted to expedite this process and get out of the Queen's overbearing presence.

"We Konians are proud people. I expect you to govern yourself accordingly. The moment I catch wind of you embarrassing this nation or its people, I will have you banished into the backlands. Is that clear?" Every word she spoke slammed into him with the force of a hammer.

"Of course, your Majesty." Can I leave now? He bit his tongue before that thought could escape.

Eriani, leaned back in her seat and drummed her fingers on the heavy wooden desk. "Being Kitaya's magician also means you are now privy to our old ways recorded in the archives." She opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a small black box before sliding it towards him.

Nestled inside was a gold ring – a hand-casted lion's head with two black gems for eyes. Eriani wore a similar one that also had a large stone in the lion's gaping maw. Aldeheid wasn't sure if he should put it on or not so he just tucked it away in his pocket.

"What? Is it not good enough for you to wear?"

"It is. I just." His face burned. "I didn't know you wanted me to put it on... right away." He clamped his mouth shut and opened the box, taking the ring out.

"The third finger of your dominant hand," Eriani said.

Aldeheid slipped it on and the ring shrunk down to hug his finger. "Is this all you w—"

"I'm not done with you yet."

He threaded his fingers together and swallowed, expecting her to raise an ax and cleave him in two. Perhaps Kitaya would start to worry about him and rescue him from this living nightmare.

"You and I are going on a little trip." The Queen slid the black jar from one corner of the desk, lifting its lid. Ether stones glowed from inside. She dipped her hand inside and tendrils of magic curled around her fingers. "Close your eyes."

"Where are we going?" Aldeheid asked. "I mean... I left Kitaya alone and—" His words came to a halt when a bright flash lit up his vision. As the light faded away, he found himself standing in a torch-lit chamber. Statues of various creatures stood like sentinels along the walls – birds, lions elephants, snakes – spiraling upwards. They seemed to stretch on forever.

The Queen stood at the room's center, in front of crystal that resembled an ether stone. Her gold dress glimmered in the soft glow it gave off.

As Aldeheid turned in a small circle, murmurs filled the air, and the eyes of the statues seemed to train on him. Their whispers swirled in his head, a chorus of dissonant sounds that were impossible to discern.

"Shut up!" Eriani thundered. The whispers died down immediately. "Come here, Aldeheid."

This time, he didn't hesitate, and joined her by the crystal. It reflected his face as perfectly as a mirror, and radiated a subtle warmth that seeped into his skin. "What is this place? Why are we here?"

"This is an invocation chamber. I'm brought you here to teach you invocation." She said it as though it should've been obvious, but he'd never visited a place such as this before.

Aldeheid's brows shot up. "Teach me... invocation?" He didn't even have to ask like Kitaya said. But why would she possibly want to teach him? "Is this a part of me becoming a member of your house? A rite of passage?"

"No." The Queen met his eyes in the mirror-like crystal. "I'm not doing this for your benefit. It's for Kitaya."

"But you hate her." He didn't realize he'd said it out loud until Eriani turned to face him fully. To his surprise, she didn't grow claws and slash his throat open.

"I do not hate Kitaya. Quite the opposite actually." She sighed through her nose and looked up at the statues. "I worry about her. She is a capable and competent warrior, but she is also a stubborn and reckless, and she pushes herself too hard, as though she has something to prove."

Aldeheid couldn't disagree. Kitaya's recklessness was worrying to him as well. "So you're going to teach me, so that I may help her?"

"She chose you as her magician, so I expect you to look out for her, but I don't feel like you're equipped to do so. Hence."

"Alright. Thank you, Eriani." He smiled, and expression that was wiped clean when she smacked him over the head.

"I am your Queen and you will address me as such."

He rubbed at the bruise that was forming on his temple. "Yes, your Highness. My apologies."

"Now, lay your hands on the crystal." When he did so, she continued. "This kind of magic is quite dangerous, but with the right guidance, it will be as simple as lighting a candle. The basis of all invocation magic is using your body as a gateway. Spirits do not thrive in the land of the living, not on their own at least. When you invoke a spirit from the beyond it must pass through your body before entering his realm."

Aldeheid looked down at himself, he couldn't imagine a creature from beyond passing through him, using his body as a gateway. "Will this kill me?"

"It certainly can and probably will. Unless you're not as daft as I think you are." She said the last part as though issuing a challenge, daring him to impress her.

Aldeheid pulled his hands from the crystal. "Then this isn't worth it." As exciting as the prospect of learning the old way of magic was, he wasn't about to risk his life for it.

The Queen shook her head like a disappointed parent. "You honestly believe I will stand here and watch you die?"

"Yes," he said without missing a beat.

A heavy silence settled between them for a moment and Eriani tucked her hands behind her back. "Fine then. On my honour, I will not allow you to die, Aldeheid."

His eyebrows shot up. He wasn't sure what was more surprising, her words or the sincerity behind them. "Alright. Walk me through it."

"The most trying aspect of invocation is getting accustomed to your body being used as a gateway. But for you this should be a simple matter." She said the last part as though she were talking to herself instead of him. And the look on her face betrayed that she hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"How so?" Aldeheid gave her a sidelong stare, but she refused to meet his gaze.

"Because, you have me to guide you." The Queen snapped a finger and the torches burned brighter, illuminating the chamber like noon sunshine. "While in this chamber, you won't need spells to invoke the spirits. However you are limited to those represented by the statues here." She gestured at said statues. "Choose."

His eyes roamed the circular walls, stopping on a colossal statue over his head. Scaly wings, saurian body – a dragon. Its eyes were trained on him and a low growl filled his head.

"Absolutely not." The Queen put her hand in his line of vision. "I know you northerners are fond of your dragons, but for the purposes of this exercise, you will choose something smaller." She pointed to another side of the chamber where smaller statues stood.

Aldeheid tore his eyes away from the dragon to study the spirits Eriani indicated, and chose one at random. It had a humanoid body with an overly large head, and rode atop a single feather. "That one," he said, tilting his head towards the statue.

"Good. Now focus on the spirit and extend your will." The queen stood back and nodded for him to begin.

Aldeheid trained his focus on the statue, reaching out with his mind much like he would when trying to leech magic from Kitaya. A light, airy sound filled his head, a whisper on a breeze. "What is—?"

His words were stifled by the burning sensation that exploded in his lungs. He clutched his chest and slumped over, struggling to draw air. His vision swam and his muscles clenched of their own accord, forcing him to his knees. Pain blinded him, spreading to every edge of his awareness, completely eclipsing his consciousness until he was nothing but a ball of agony on the chamber floor. After what felt like an eternity of suffering he finally regained his faculties, but a throbbing haze remained.

He swallowed and pushed himself to his hands and knees, his body still shaking from shock.

Eriani hoisted him onto wobbly legs. "That was absolutely disgusting. Again."

"Are you mad? That almost killed me. You said this was going to be simple."

"It was supposed to be. But you lack focus." She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Honestly, what has Kitaya been teaching you all this time? How to stutter and feel sorry for yourself?"

Aldeheid scowled, his face growing hot with rage and embarrassment.

"We're not leaving here until you get it right." The Queen pointed to the crystal. "Again."

He saw no point in arguing with her. He couldn't get out of this place without her help, so he had to play by her rules.

"If the spirit tries to talk to you, ignore it," Eriani instructed. "Your focus should solely be on extending your will and nothing else. When you become more attuned, then you can learn more about communication."

It would've been nice to know that the first time. Aldeheid filtered out that thought before it could escape, and laid his hands on the crystal again. This time when he focused on the statue, he pushed past the whispers, meandered his mind through them like they were a crowd of people in his way.

A wave of hot and cold washed over him as a stiff breeze whirled around the chamber. The spirit materialized beside Eriani. It was perched atop a feather, riding a tiny whirlwind, only about the size of his head.

Aldeheid exhaled a sigh, relieved that he didn't have to go through that agony again. At least the spirit was pleasant to look at, and he could rub in Kitaya's face that Eriani had taught him invocation without needing to ask.

The spirit cast its doe-like eyes at Aldeheid, and the airy whispers filled his head once again.

"He can't understand you." Eriani pat its head. "I suppose that's for the best. Go now."

The spirit flew over to its statue and disappeared in a gust of with that made the torches flicker.

Aldeheid trained his eyes on the space the spirit had occupied. Its indiscernible whisperings still dancing in his head. "What now?"

"I will have material sent up to your room from the archives. Learning the rest is up to you." Eriani snapped a finger and the torch light dimmed, making the shadows close in on them.

"So you're not going to help me?"

"You do not need my help, and you will understand this once you read the material." She raised a hand, tendrils of magic twirling around her fingers.

Aldeheid braced himself for the flash before it came, every muscle in his body tensing. A blink later, they were in her office again. He slumped in his seat, feeling a thousand years older. Kitaya was probably wondering where he'd ran off to. Maybe she'd already been in the office looking for him.

He braced his hands against the armrests to stand. "I should return to the party. I've already been gone long and—"

"We're not done here." Eriani capped the jar of ether stones and returned them to their rightful place on the desk. "And you haven't been gone long. The invocation chamber exists in a burrow dimension when time stands still."

A burrow dimension. Like what Kitaya used for the box. He wondered how one gained access to such a space.

"Do you know what the entamora is?" The Queen was staring intently at him, her fingers threaded together atop the desk.

A heavy feeling settled into his gut, and he chose his next words carefully. "It's a spell used to force a cape to flash and remain in cape form."

"Correct. Now." She leaned back in her seat. "Hypothetically speaking, if you and Kitaya found yourselves in a dangerous situation, would you use the entamora to ensure her safety?"

A cold sweat beaded his brow and he swallowed. The entamora used to be used as a tool to oppress capes in times past. Using it would make him feel horrible. "Are you telling me that I should?"

"Yes."

"Eri—" He coughed. "Your Majesty, I couldn't. Kitaya would never forgive me. And isn't it a capes job to protect their magician."

The Queen's face clouded over. "I do not care who is cape and who is magician. Kitaya's safety comes before her feeling or yours. You will protect her at all costs. This is not a request. It is an order as your Queen."

Aldeheid was willing to protect Kitaya at all costs. But using the entamora seemed so... sinister. Hopefully, it would never come to that. "I swear o my honour, Your mMajesty." The weight of words made his shoulders hunch.

Eriani eyed him warily, as though she didn't fully believe him. "Kitaya is not to know about this, or that I taught you invocation. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Good." She flicked a hand towards the door. "Now get out of my sight."

He rose from the chair and headed towards the door.

"This hasn't changed my mind about you," Eriani called after him. "You are not worthy of her."

Aldeheid looked at her over his shoulders. "I don't disagree with you."