After the dragon had messed up her plans by revealing the part of the vision she had so desperately tried to hide, he had dragged Julie back to his room to apparently meet Saule, the blood witch.
"Couldn't you have just talked about that part of the vision to me privately?", Julie asked glaring at the dragon who kept pulling her by her wrist.
"The part where you saw the sand princess or the part where you saw me?", he asked with a smile evident on his face. His features somehow seemed familiar.
Julie stopped abruptly. "Please don't tell anyone about the sand princess", she said hoping not to sound desparate.
The dragon too, stopped looking curious now. "Why?"
"It's not time yet"
"Oh?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "There's a time for things like this?
Then bending down to meet her eye level, he asked. "Tell me young lady, when was the proper time for you and I to meet?"
Julie grabbed her wrist from his grip. "None. We weren't supposed to meet"
"Oh? I thought you couldn't see anything of what happens after the 25th ceremony. Or was that a lie too?", he asked, his tone quite scary now.
Julie took a deep breath. "I didnt see anything. I just know it"
The dragon looked at her for quite some time before dragging her by her wrist again.
"Wait, why am I still being led around to see the blood witch?", Julie asked exasperated.
"You saw me through a shared vision.", he said tightening his grip around her wrist. "A normal, non mage girl with no inherent talents"
"Wow thank you for pointing ", Julie replied sarcastically.
"The point is.....", he said suddenly looking at her neck for some reason. Then, turning away he muttered, '𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴'
Julie suddenly blushed feeling awkward. "What?"
"The point is, I want Saule to check out if you have any hidden talents within you. Don't you want to know why only you could see the vision too?
Julie already knew that the source of her vision was the cause of her soul coming from another dimension. She wondered if the blood witch might pick up on that and send her back to her world.
**************************************
The room was surrounded by purple veils and Julie was led into a room full of mirrors. It was a hexagonal room covering with mirrors on all sides and a small fountain in the middle. Julie marvelled at the intricate decoration of the edges of the mirrors joined together. She had no idea that such a room existed in the Imperial Palace.
The dragon closed the door as they entered making Julie feel like a cornered animal. She moved towards the fountain hoping to find something to defend herself.
"Relax Weird eyes. I'm not going to touch a hair on your head", The dragon muttered holding out a bottle with red liquid that looked eerily like blood. He poured the entire contents of that bottle into the fountain which mixed with the water and first turned red and then purple.
Julie's jaw dropped as purple coloured smoke suddenly appeared from the fountain covering the mirrors.
There was a loud booming noise as the purple coloured smoke stretched out from the mirror and formed an apparition of a beautiful woman.
"I thought I forbade you to call me using the blood ritual", The woman said reaching over to grab the dragon by his collar.
The woman's body was literally made out of smoke and Julie gaped as her hand somehow managed to grab the dragon's collar and haul him towards one of the mirrors.
"This is important Saule", he tried to reason but failed as Saule pushed him towards the mirror once again.
"What's more important than my order? When I specifically warned you not to talk to me again-
"Tell me, what does it mean when two people can see each other in a vision?", he asked quickly moving on to the subject.
Julie saw the lady's eyebrows raise up. Her frowning face, frowned some more, which made Julie wonder whether someone could really do that.
"What are you upto now Reirs?", she asked her voice laced with suspicion.
Reirs managed to free himself from her grip and moved towards where Julie was standing.
"Saule, this is Julianna Emore. Julianna as you know, this is Saule Veyyes, the blood witch", he said introducing them both.
The blood witch looked at Julie like she was noticing her presence for the first time in the room.
"The prophecy girl", she muttered tapping a finger on her painted red lips. "You saw him during your first vision?"
Julie nodded.
"She belongs to the Emore family that takes care of the Maze. No mage heritage, nor any blood links. And definitely no infected mind-control bite marks. I checked her myself", he said adding a smile at the end.
The Witch however did not seem to mind. "There aren't many reasons why someone would have shared visions. When did you say, you first had the vision Reirs?"
"When I was sleeping. I was still in Alentia then. I thought it just be due to the corpses nearby", he said rubbing his chin.
Alentia was famous for being a battlefield.
"And that was the first time you both had a shared vision?"
"Yes", Julie said speaking for the first time since she got there. "During the subsequent visions, the scenery had changed and I could see only what the head priests saw."
Saule thought it over for a while. Her form was still a distorted smoke that kept appearing and going but even through the smoke, Julie could make out her beautiful figure in her thin dress. It honestly made her a little jealous.
"Explain to me what happened during the first vision", she commanded.
Reirs sat down on the floor, his images in the mirrors all around swaying as he moved.
He waved a hand at Julie as if to say that she could be the one doing the explanation.
Julie told the blood witch about everything that had occured from how she entered the vision with Sir Warrel on her trail but then lost him halfway. She even managed to bring up the topic of princess Nele without raising much suspicion.
"The very existence of the last remaining member of the sand family is a matchstick that can start another war", the blood witch muttered. "The most efficient way is to deal with the sand princess first. Didn't you say that she was dressed up as a performer?"
"Yes...", Julie nodded thinking where she was leading with that.
Then it suddenly struck her. For princess Nele to arrive as a performer must mean that she was already used to the members and ways of the performer's troupe. And that meant-
"First we will find out where the princess is. She surely must be staying somewhere close to the city. Reirs and I will search using her as lead. Maybe during the time of the Annual ceremony .For now, she is the only person who can both start and put an end to this war", Saule explained.
She wasn't too far from the truth. Nele really was the protagonist of the story and she indeed was the key to solving this war.
"May I suggest something?", Julie asked slowly.
Saule raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Wouldn't it be better to expose the existence of the princess a few months after the ceremony? I mean.... people sure won't accept her if she arrives during the time of the ceremony.", Julie told her, thinking back to how the Emperor wanted to do the ceremony beforehand. The people already knew about the vision now. It would be troublesome if they come to the conclusion that Princess Nele was behind it. That move would play them right into the enemy's hands.
"Besides if we need to stop the war, we'll need to get her on our side", Reirs murmured his hand still in his chin.
Saule looked at her directly though the purple smoke. Julie thought she caught a sight of purple eyes.
"We'll talk to her and see. And Reirs?", she called out. "Till the time I arrive for the ceremony, make sure that none of the nobles get killed. We don't want a commotion to start early. If we are changing our futures by the decisions we are taking today, then it means that the future can change again. The attack on the nobles may likely happen beforehand. Take caution."
Reirs nodded at her lazily, his head leaned back on one of the mirrors.
Saule looked at Julie before leaving. "I look forward to meeting you in person Lady Julianna", she said, the smoke around her blowing faster.
"Try not to get yourself killed before then"
Another gust of wind blew through the room and the mirrors suddenly slanted showing small openings through a which the purple curtains danced through.
The purple smoke was gone.
The meeting was over.
***************************************
"Regardless of how the Emperor turned the tables on us, I believe he will come to a rational solution at the end", Canien muttered passing over the dishes to Julie. "His explanation makes sense . If the Eternal lamp is something that can control our mages power, its necessary to strengthen its power"
They were all seated back at Canien's mansion and he was sitting in between Lily and an overexcited dragon who had followed Julie back to his territory where she was currently staying.
"I don't really understand why you nobles are making such a fuss over something that hasn't happened yet", Reirs said taking a huge serving of meat. "By the way Julie, I didn't know that you and angry Cain lord here were acquaintances."
"Don't call me Julie", she said annoyed. "Also I thought I told you to go back to the palace"
The dragon tsked and shaked his head in disapproval. "Young people these days...so ungrateful. Is that how you talk to the dragon who protects your Empire?"
"Maybe you can try acting like an adult first to get some respect", Lily retorted from beside Canien.
Julie looked from the dragon to Lily. The two of them seemed to know each other well.
"You said something about going to Demure", Julie said remembering suddenly. Demure was one of the places plotted on the map given in the silver book on dungeons. "Are you still going Lily?"
Lily chocked on her food, at the word Demure. Beside her she saw Canien stiffen up and glare at Reirs.
"My my Emore", Reirs said his eyes widening. "If you want to pay my territory a visit, you needn't ask Miss Gloom over there. I can give you a free ride on my back anytime you want"
"Since when are you and Lady Julianna such good acquaintances?", Lily asked back, the red spot in her green eyes glowing.
"Why Lillian, are you jealous now? Don't worry darling, I've promised to take you to Demure first, didn't I?", Reirs cooed.
Canien slammed his fork and spoon on the table with a bang, which only seemed to make Reirs more happy for some reason. "Please refrain from talking about that topic Sir Reirs", Canien warned.
Reirs shrugged it off with a smile and then continued devouring his big piece of meat.
"Have you talked to Sir Reynolds yet?", Canien asked in a low Julie bending over to her side of the table.
"I haven't talked to him since that time he came over to give me that book. And that was a week ago. I didn't even get to see him that day", she muttered wondering what Reynolds was doing at a critical time like this.
"He's the knights general. He must be busy", Lily said. She was sitting between Canien and Julie and it was pointless trying to be inconspicuous around her.
But Canien was right to worry. Reynolds or Rex was another one who had travelled dimensions like them. And he was their friend first. It was not like him to avoid her or Canien for so long.
"The Reeland family lives near the Palace. You should have paid him a visit while you were there", Canien said sighing.
"I probably would have. If a certain someone hadn't insisted that he take me back to the place where I way staying by himself.", Julie said giving Reirs a dirty look.
Reirs didn't stop eating.
Canien sighed again looking at Reirs eat. "I'll go see him tomorrow then"
"Ah Lillian!", Reirs said suddenly stopping his eating.
"What?", Lily said her voice trailing with annoyance.
"I almost forgot. I'm going hunting tomorrow. And I'm going to need someone play the dragon's flute for me", he said grinning wide.
"The flute that puts it's listener to sleep?", Julie asked curious now. It was a a device that could be potential weapon.
"Apparently I'm immune to it", Lily said groaning.
Julie looked at Canien to see that he had a murderous look on his face.
"I'm going to write a letter to the Emperor", he warned Reirs.
Reirs stuck out his tongue at him. "Go ahead"
"You little- "Canien launched himself over the table at Reirs who jumped back holding a fork as his weapon.
Lily groaned, her head falling into the table with a thud. "Not again"
Julie nodded inspecting the sudden rise in Canien's temper. "It seems to me that you guys must have had a lively week with the dragon here"
"Do me a favour and please take him to the Emore Manor when your leave", Lily pleaded as the two continued fighting.