Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Shiyani smiled to herself as she heard the guards running around the castle in a panic. They rushed to secure the royal family within their quarters. All of their forces would be pulled to search for the glimpse of the black-haired elf that the king had seen.

This likely meant that Wally Carmichael would also be pulled from his man-cave at the base of the Oracle's tower to assist in the search. This would give Shiyani the opportunity she needed. As it stood, only the older women were present alongside Rena. The young oracle and her dangerous maid were at school for the day.

"Perfect time for a chat," Shiyani said with a smile as she slowly crept down one of the many hallways of the castle. She stuck closely to the shadows where she could.

On occasion, a guard would spot her, but it took her no time to manipulate their memories with her mark. Each time she simply replaced it with a memory of spotting a maid wandering the halls. Each use made her more progressively tired. It was not meant for rapid and frequent usage as that often took too much out of her, but Shiyani was left with little choice in the scenario.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Using her memorized map of the castle for reference, Shiyani finally made her way to the bottom of the tower. As she had predicted, Wally Carmichael had left his post to assist the guard with their task. So without any issue, Shiyani climbed the spiral stairs up to the top of the tower. There was no longer a need for her to remain quiet at this point.

If, for some reason, a guard was stationed at the top of the stairs, then she would simply take care of them. Thankfully, no such person was stationed in front of the door. It was also unlocked, and Shiyani was able to enter without incident.

The inside of the room smelled of chamomile and lemon. These were common scents in the homes of expecting women. It was believed that the smells calmed their nerves and kept them calm and content, easing their stresses and allowing for the healthy growth of the child.

Shiyani almost could not believe that the very person in question was the young girl she taught to be an adventurer. However, it was hard to argue that the red-headed woman standing at the edge of the balcony was a young girl. She had developed into a top-tier beauty. Her hourglass figure had become perfect, and her finely shaped chest was exemplified by the tight dress she was wearing.

"Hello, Rena." Shiyani called out.

The woman in question turned around quickly and reached for a weapon that was not present on her hip. She cursed and stepped into a ready position to cast a spell at Shiyani.

"Who the fuck are you?" She demanded.

"Ah, that's right, you haven't seen me like this," Shiyani said with a smile while tapping a crystal brooch pinned to her. Mana enveloped her body, and she felt the complex illusion take effect. "You probably remember me like this. Long time no see, Rena."

"Jen… You backstabbing bitch, what do you think you are doing here?" Rena shouted. Her cries attracted the attention of the others in the tower. A woman with blonde hair and silver eyes stepped out into the main chamber, along with a maid and a woman in plain clothes.

"Oh, nothing. I am simply here to congratulate you. I've heard you are expecting the kid's… well, kid!" Shiyani laughed. She pressed the brooch one more time to remove the magic.

"Yes, I'm expecting Lucius' child. No thanks to you. After all, you tried to murder him!" Rena's accusations were scathing and filled with deadly intent. Shiyani could feel the woman gathering mana for a spell.

"I wouldn't do that, Rena. I'm faster than you in every way. I am also a rank above you. You aren't him. You cannot take me on. Besides, I'm just here to talk." Shiyani said while raising her arms.

Rena lowered her defensive stance and nodded at the other women in the room before pointing to a chair for Shiyani to sit in. She did not hesitate to accept Rena's new hospitality and took a seat with her back facing the balcony.

One of the maids came up and began to serve tea. Before she could pour a cup for Shiyani, she put a hand over her cup. "I'll pass on anything served in the tower, if you don't mind."

The maid huffed and walked away, leaving Rena, Shiyani, and the blonde woman with silver eyes, who could only be the Oracle.

"What do you want?"

"So hostile. To think we used to be so close…" the elf teased. "Seriously, I'm here to grant you a gift. To welcome the baby. After all, they're like an extension of our party. It is customary for party members to give gifts to expectant members."

"We stopped being party members when you decided to betray us for money. When you decided to kill Lucius." Rena pointed out, "Why? Why did you do it?"

"Look, sometimes pieces just play their part, Rena. You're a strategist, so you know that better than anyone. Sometimes you need to try and remove a piece from the board." Shiyani explained. "He was a liability, but since we failed… things have changed."

"Who is this 'we' you are talking about? Were you even working for my father?" Rena asked.

Shiyani smiled and passed a small, silver chain across the table. It was too small to fit on a grown human and was decorated with charms of cats, dogs, foxes, and rabbits. It was beautiful and no doubt very expensive. Along with the jewelry, she passed over a letter.

"An anklet for the baby. It's from Aedrider and is made by one of the finest craftsmen in the nation. Every coin from your father went into making that the moment I learned of your condition and Lucius' survival. The letter is for his eyes only when he returns. I trust you'll accept these?"

Shiyani's eyes and mark glowed for a moment as her suggestion activated. Rena's and Adellia's eyes momentarily clouded over and became unfocused. During that spare moment, Shiyani jumped over the edge of the balcony. The wind brushed past her face as she hurtled toward the ground.

"[Ventus: Wind Step]!"

After several dozen feet, she landed on what felt like a solid platform, invisible in the air. She ran at a full sprint away from the castle. The spell canceled about halfway to the walls, but she managed to reach the meeting spot with Paul and Lethen, who were patiently awaiting her return.

"Are you done with your errand?" Lethen asked.

"Yes."

"Can we take a break now? We've been moving non-stop since the whole Raleron thing you had us deal with. We were neck-deep in shit over there for weeks." Paul griped.

"Sure, let's hit up some of the fancy hot springs in the Wisteria Concord. On me, how's that?" Shiyani offered to the resounding cheers of her comrades.