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Seekvaira and I flew apart, our wings roaring from our back as we began scanning for our attackers.
Yubelluna and Alivian took up defensive positions on either side of us, magic crackling around them.
Moments passed, but no one revealed themselves. Finally, Clarissa's voice spoke through magical stones from all around us.
"I apologize if the recent explosion worried anyone. I would like to assure everyone that we are not under attack.
Ravel discovered a particularly volatile solution I was working on and accidentally activated it. I repeat, we are not under attack."
The four of us relaxed. I smiled when I heard a distant, "I was fucking asleep! I nearly blew a hole in the ceiling!" Kalawarner was rather…volatile immediately after waking.
Seekvaira chuckled as her wings retracted, straightening out her dress. "Ravel is your sister, correct? It will be nice to forge bonds with the Phenex family."
Yubelluna and I shared a knowing look, drawing a curious gaze from Seekvaira.
"What?" the heiress said, realizing she was missing something.
"It's funny that you'd mention bonds with the Phenex Family…"
X
Seekvaira sat resting her elbows on the table, gripping her chin in her hands as she stared down contemplatively.
"This…we have an opportunity to drastically shift the balance of power among the Pillars. The Phenex Family has, historically, worked closely with the Baels, supplying them with Phenex Tears in exchange for various concessions."
"Concessions that have been steadily disappearing for some time now." Ruval said from where he sat across the table.
"I've never been overly fond of Lord Bael. He expects worship for no reason other than his name, offering little to nothing in return.
The Power of Destruction is the only thing that kept my parents in line. That's why they wanted Riser to marry Rias."
"But since Rias's Power of Destruction was defeated by a low-born devil with no connections, the fear of the Bael's power has begun to fade." Seekvaira said, her eyes calculating.
There were six of us in the room with three of us sitting at the table. When I first received this manor from Serafall,
I'd worked with Clarissa to erect as many privacy wards around a single room as possible to create the closest thing possible to a war room.
The six of us now plotted to uproot the foundation of the Pillars in that room.
As we'd brought Seekvaira and Alivian up to speed, several, further reaching consequences of our plan came to light – such as the impact it would have on the Bael's stranglehold that we were discussing now.
"We're going to be stepping on some very powerful, very unforgiving toes with this little stunt." Ruval said, leaning forward with a sigh.
"So we need to make more friends." I said, looking between Seekvaira and Ruval.
"I don't think Serafall likes me enough to take our side against Lord Bael, but she probably likes me enough to not get involved.
We need to make more allies among the Pillars. If we pull the Phenexes out of the Bael family's pocket, there's going to be a figurative riot."
"The Furcas Pillar will side with us should there be a confrontation." Seekvaira said immediately.
"Bafeel's sister, Priseva, is a good friend of mine. Beluga, her brother, is in Sairaorg Bael's peerage, but Priseva is the heiress. Her power is greater than Beluga's."
"The Shax pillar will as well." Ruval said, looking over his shoulder and receiving a nod from Zissa.
"Their political power has lessened as the years have passed, but their opinion of Lord Bael and Zekram Bael has lowered far more than their standing."
Seekvaira cringed at the mention of that name. "He will be a near-insurmountable obstacle.
I imagine he could tear our entire plan apart without much effort. Too many Pillar Heads owe him favors or are little more than his lap dogs."
Zekram Bael, the first head of the Bael Pillar and father of its current lord. He was incredibly powerful – both politically and combat-wise.
Those who didn't fear him worshiped him. I was terrified of him, even more so than Ruval or Seekvaira.
I knew things about him that he didn't want anyone to know. Things we might be able to use against him…
"Potentially…" I said, drawing the attention of the room. "If I had an anonymous source with dirt on Zekram and his posse, would we be able to leverage it against him without him killing all of us before we could do anything?"
Ruval, Zissa and Yubelluna looked at me with varying degrees of shock and calculation. Seekvaira and Alivian merely looked confused.
"What would this 'anonymous source' be?" Seekvaira asked, looking at me like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
Meeting her eyes, I said, "I know you are serious in your intention to marry me, but if you use the escape clause in the contract and tell anyone this,
I'll likely disappear and be dissected after having been brutally murdered. I need your and Alivian's word that what I'm about to tell you never leaves this room."
I really wanted to trust her. I wouldn't have signed that contract if I thought she intended to stab me in the back, but my paranoia was winning out.
Now Seekvaira looked hungry, like she wanted to devour my secrets. "I swear on the Agares Pillar that I will keep your secrets."
I looked at Alivian.
The dragon bowed forward slightly and said, "I swear on my place as Seekvaira Agares's queen that your secrets will remain safe with me."
Taking a deep breath, I said, "I had visions a long time ago. I haven't had one for a while, but they let me see the past and various versions of the present and future."
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