"Harem hierarchy," Jessica typed into her browser and studied the results. "Hmmm… I don't want the Queen to be a concubine. Catira is much too powerful to agree to that," she sighed.
Grafi stood behind her, completely unseen, acting as a muse for his human author. "Make your own rules," he whispered into her ear.
"I mean… I'm not constrained by rules, right?" she spoke to herself. "Why can't he have an Empress Consort and a High Queen Consort? The Empress is still higher in rank…"
"She would hold two titles," he whispered again. "High Queen and Ruler of the Magi."
"Soraya would still be jealous, I think," she sighed.
"Yes. Dig into the drama," he chuckled.
"Interesting," a cold voice spoke from behind him.
"Queen Kerasea," he spoke calmly before turning to her.
"I honestly didn't believe you, so I traveled to his… Navan Empire you've created. I have to admit that I'm impressed. She doesn't even know that she is dictating an entire world's lives."
"The possibilities are endless," he agreed. "And if she doesn't like the story, she can erase it and begin again."
"Are the characters self-aware?"
"They are."
"What would happen if the author simply… stopped writing? Would they freeze? Would their existence end?"
Before he could answer, she asked another question.
"What if the author herself was sent to her literary world? Wouldn't that be… exciting?"
"I'm not sure that's a ship I want to set sail at this moment," he eyed her. "This is my project, highness. Please keep your long, black claws off."
"I will… for now," she flashed her eyes at him before disappearing.
He let out a deep breath before turning back to his author.
***
The emperor sat at a table surrounded by Queen Catira, the ten Ministers of Magic, and her Advisor, Lord Nolan. The queen explained everything to the newcomers and waited to receive replies.
"This phenomenon has breached our island of Midir, all the way to the Imperial Capital?" the Minister of Safety, Lord Iain tapped his fingers against the table.
"It seems to be focused on the younger magicians," the Minister of Archives, Lord Kinlay spoke up.
"Do we have a categorical breakdown of victims?" Queen Catira asked.
"It matters not if they're a seer, magician, witch, healer, or priestess. No magical being is safe," Lord Nolan rolled his eyes around the table.
The queen stared into the middle of the table for a moment. "Torador seems to be the epicenter of this tragedy. I believe it would expedite our investigation if I were to be there."
"And how would we explain our queen abandoning The Tower?" the Minister of Law, Lord Logan pressed his fingers together.
"I would like to become more involved in the academy, reassess the curriculum and observe Lord Myrddin and his staff."
Everyone turned their eyes to the emperor and waited for his response. "What would you need from me?"
"I am a creature of habit," queen Catira smiled at him. "I require a bit of land to build a tower, smaller than this one of course, and a place to perform rituals near a wooded area."
"There is an area north of the Empress' Palace that meets your requirements precisely," he nodded.
"I will retain a staff of my ministers, ladies, guards, and advisor."
"The empress consort runs the palace and household, she will assign cooks, maids, and compensate you for your assistance."
"That is quite generous, Your Imperial Majesty," she nodded.
"I think we can both agree that the situation is dire," he met her eyes with his. "I am visiting Brega before returning to the palace. Once I meet with my staff and inform them of your arrival, we can proceed immediately."
"I shall begin plans for our relocation to the Imperial Palace."
"I look forward to our partnership."
Her lips spread into a knowing smile. "As do I."
Everyone rose to their feet as the emperor excused himself. Once he left the room, the entire table turned to their queen and waited.
"Do you have no plans to inform His Imperial Majesty of the consequences of this collaboration?" Lord Nolan asked bluntly.
"Visions are always subjective and can change according to our choices," she spoke through a wry smile.
"Even when every one of us at this table have received the same vision?" Lord Iain crossed his arms and sighed.
"Perhaps this is the merger required to insure the survival of our kind? Our current approach is doing nothing to cull the loss of magic in the Empire, and my intuition tells me the same is happening in the west as well."
One by one, each of her advisors bowed to her.
She clapped her hands together and let out a deep breath. "Let's get to work."