Even though Natalia was happy to have finally arrived after a long day, she couldn't forget the air of depression that blanketed the north as a whole. It was cold, it was a stretch of barren, barely occupied land and it came with a plethora of problems. If anything, she felt scammed.
"Let's go in, your grace. Your servants are waiting to see the face of their new master."
"I should've known not to trust your enthusiasm. Let's just go in. It has been a long day."
Walking through the beautiful yet virtually empty castle with only a few servants, Natalia was definitely regretting her choice to arbitrarily move to the north. She couldn't let it show on her face. As soon as she saw all the servants gathered, she introduced herself.
"I am Natalia Adamantine and I was recently appointed Duchess of Graviscera. Obviously as you can tell, I am here for the first time but Count Brenn has filled me in on what kinds of difficulties you are facing here. Frankly, it cannot be done in a day or a few days but it can be done. The Adamantine company would be moving here in a few days so that means your workload may increase or diversify. Obviously you would be paid well but it is at the discretion of the Steward to hire more workers. I am normally very particular about what I eat and what I do but I believe it can be a learning process for us all. I look forward to working with you. Any questions?"
The steward immediately raised her hand.
"Yes? Oh, please state your name also."
"I am Antonia, your grace. I just wanted to say your Polivian is very smooth and I feel like you would be a great master."
"Thank you, Antonia. Now that it's late, let us all rest for the night and work starts early tomorrow morning. Can you lead me to my room, Antonia?"
"Yes, your grace. Please, follow me."
Natalia followed her, not expecting much from the room. It was exactly what she expected that she got. It was plain and small. Compared to what she saw in the Marquis's home, it was bigger. She settled in and requested a hot bath. That's when she discovered that despite it being a very cold place, firework was scarce. The people of Polivia couldn't use magic that well so they had to rely on natural resources.
With a snap of her finger, Natalia was able to heat up the tub and as she lay in there, she constructed a magic circle in the air to warm up the entire house. The effects were almost immediately felt as Antonia came to report to her.
"Your grace, the castle is warm!"
"Yes, I did that using magic. Did it scare everyone?"
"It did, a little bit. But it is something to be grateful for. This place is big so it makes the cold worse. Thank you, your grace."
"This is nothing. There's a lot more I'm capable of, if you're loyal to me."
Antonia went quiet. Natalia didn't say anything. In a strange land, it wouldn't be unusual if spies were placed around her. Although she had magic and the power to defeat enemies, betrayal was the hardest things to guard against. Transcendentals weren't omnipotent since they could be defeated by gods. Since Natalia had a plethora of enemies and frenimies, it was hard to say whose spy was which.
"I'm done bathing. I packed nightclothes in that smaller black box I brought. Please handle them with care. I got them from her highness."
"Yes, your grace."
As Natalia dried off and prepared for bed, she suddenly remembered Marvis. It wasn't like he wasn't constantly on her mind but with her move, she had less time to think about him. While she was sure Amaika would take care of Marvis, she was still worried about him, no, the both of them. The Empire was currently unsafe for werecreatures. She could only wonder how they were doing, imagining the worst.
The person who had it the worst was in fact, Amaika. Having to contantly restict the movements of a horny werewolf while they moved through an area that was actively hunting down their kind was a different kind of struggle. Amaika's magic was specifically intertwined with world order so it was hard to break out from. But his howls were harder to hide. They had no other choice but to hide out in the forest of Telra which was unsafe for humans.
The ancestral grounds for the werecreatures was located in the capital of the Empire. They were locked away as the properties belonged other powerful nobles. Sneaking in there would equate death. However, with the dragon pendant Natalia gave them, they could create some form of chaos in the capital so they could sneak into the ancestral grounds. Amaika just had to wait out Marvis's heat.
"You're so undignified," Amaika commented, completely annoyed. Marvis was hardly in his right mind but it was the last day of his head. Amaika watched from above in his bird form, also looking out for threats. He made sure to choose a part of the forest that had predators humans would avoid.
Marvis was being loud and resistant to his bonds, creating tears on his body even his regenerative system couldn't keep up with anymore. If Natalia had to see him like that, she wouldn't be able to take it. The night passes with him being in terrible pain. When morning came, Amaika made sure it was safe before descending and perching on a tree.
"Do you feel sane?"
"I feel dead," Marvis responded in a hoarse voice, lying on his side. He found the strength to bring his body back up and sat cross legged in the circle of restriction Amaika made around him. He stared straight at Amaika with clear eyes.
"Why do I feel like I'm in the forest of Telra?"
"Because you are," they jumped down, transforming back to their humanoid form. They snapped their fingers and the restraints were gone.
"You're not scared I might do something to you?"
"I can fly. You can't."
"Fair enough," he shrugged, standing up. His injuries started to heal at a visible rate until they were all gone. Amaika tossed him some clothes and waited till he was dressed to give him food and explain the situation to him.
"I'm taking you to the ancestral grounds."
"Why?"
"I told you, you have potential. I would be failing all of us if I allowed that to waste. Master said it was alright to bring you here so I brought you here. We are going to have to enter the ancestral grounds to conduct the ritual that every werecreature requires to unlock their bloodline."
"And how exactly are we going to do that? The Ancestral grounds are the property of the Hawthorne Ducal family. They are known for hunting werecreatures for their heads and distinctive parts as trophies. They are monsters. They know that the ancestral grounds would attract several werecreatures so they make that place a literal hell for us. How are we going to survive that?"
"A dragon. Master informed me you know about this dragon."
"The one she captured? Yes, I remember it. We're going to release that thing? I don't know which is worse. That thing is very temperamental."
"It's currently under master's control, albeit a forceful takeover of the mind. It should be good for the few days we need. The ritual is not a long process. It would take about an hour. This dragon can buy us enough time."
"Do you realize what could go wrong? The Capital is fortified with barriers that make it impossible for werecreatures and dragons to attack from the skies. We could be trapped in there forever."
"Are you always this cynical? Do you have any other plan to save our people? If you do not do this, you're not going to have the power to defeat those who want to keep us below them forever. We could be permanently wiped out. Do you want that to happen, Marvis?"
"Of course not. But if I'm captured or trapped, where's the hope for my kind then? If they see me among them…..they'll lose all hope. I can't fall into the hands of the enemy again."
"You won't, I promise you. The journey may be arduous and the future impossible but you would understand my desperation once we get to the ancestral lands. Just trust me, Marvis."
Trust. It was a familiar word to Marvis. There were many people that have asked him to trust them. Some, he trusted and was betrayed, others, he trusted and gained powerful allies. He trusted Natalia with his life, even if he didn't say it out loud. Natalia trusted Amaika. Yet, there was something about the werephoenix that made him unable to take that leap of faith. But there was no way out just from casual observation.
"Fine. Let's do this."