The Right To Rule

Chapter 14 - Interlude III

Leizil Semel was the Queen’s Advisor by rank, however, she spent her time locked in her study room than advising the queen. Honestly, Genevieve didn’t need much advising.

Nonetheless, there are days I need to live up to my rank and be seen doing the important work, Leizil thought to herself as she walked the hallways of Crown’s Keep.

There was a soothing cold sensation throughout the Keep, some sisters she met on the way, bowed to her slightly as she passed and some came to her with ideas that need her approval or simply to give her feedback on the matter she had instructed them. Iron City was viewed as the most advanced city when it came to artifacts, it was certainly true, but Eurydice’s work will soon change the history of Sky Kingdoms.

The Keep was filled with hundred and twenty sisters including her, and there were of three Orders only. Intelligence, Medic, and Relic. Throughout the city, there were Light and Divinity. Out of twelve Orders, Eurydice only had five. Those Orders here at Eurydice were hers, throughout Sky Kingdoms, Order of Intelligence was hers. She held the silver sword.

The Keep’s hallways were a scenery to behold, tiled with white mosaic with golden random splash all over them, walls were made look like dusk with high semi-oval ceilings with a variety of murals rich in color. Celestial lamps burn in their brightness, the mechanism of the artifact was simple. The base of the lamp had to be lined with Moonstone, then aluminum will be used to connect Moonstone horizontally with a fragment of glass which conducts the Celestial and direct it to the bulb inside the lamp. The white-lights were designed using the same methods, however, they needed something stronger to conduct Celestial and held it for the longest moment. White-lights instead of glass fragments use specially designed gems, some were designed using diamonds.

Leizil turned to Conference Halls, Genevieve walked out talking with her steward, Marianah, who nodded endlessly. The Queen’s Guard stood by the door motionless, they wore pressed military uniforms and both carried longsword with them. It was hard to distinguish them from ordinary soldiers, they need someone with a keen sense of strength.

“Your Highness,” Leizil said with a bow.

Genevieve smiled at Leizil, she continued with Marianah for few moments and she dismissed her.

“I have been missing your company, Leizil. Those ladies are not fun to have tea with,” Genevieve said and lead the way.

“I apologize, Your Highness, I had some matter that needed my attendance,” Leizil replied.

“I heard Chrysanthe Delforge came to see you before she left.”

“Torch told her to have a moment with me. If I can use his words, Your Highness, ‘I can’t be flaming teach you all those granny’s arts’.”

“But tell me, Leizil, how does it makes you feel when a Vulcan trains a Celestialblessed?” Genevieve asked. She stopped and looked at Leizil.

Mighty Orion! It was hard to keep the fact that Torch was a Vulcan. Only his confidence gave away, but his Radiation cannot be sensed. Leizil had always worried about that, the reason she cannot sense him and she worried about his blacksteel. As yet, Torch didn’t understand the power of blacksteel, but Leizil worried about it.

I worry if Genevieve will forever keep him on the leash until Radiation took him.

“Oh, yes! You said you cannot sense. Strange thing, you said the artifact is his sword,” Genevieve said. She kept looking at Leizil.

“Tell me, Your Highness, what’s the relationship between you and Torch? I am still figuring why he is most devoted to you,” Leizil said.

“I paid him very generous,” Genevieve said smiling.

Leizil crooked her head to the side. She was taller than the queen which forced her to look down at Genevieve.

Genevieve sighed, she started to walk again.

“He tried to steal from me about five years ago when I went to Bethel, he knocked two of my guards down and threat to burn them if they stood up. I think he had been a Vulcan for at least six months then,” Genevieve paused.

“When I asked him if he had such power he can steal from anyone at any time, but why I decided to steal from me when he knew nothing it will be considered treason. He said if he steals from me, he won’t from anyone; I am the one who has the most in the city and I am the one who less likely misses what he stole.”

Leizil nodded. She had been serving Genevieve for the past ten years and her father for five years. She had only known about Torch two years ago. Well, secrets were everywhere. As a Watcher, she knew all about secrets.

Now there was a secret Genevieve and Leizil shared, the one involved the Power Artifact.

Leizil and Genevieve stopped in the front of the elevator which led to Leizil’s lab. Leizil had three labs at the Keep, two of them accessible to all Watchers, however, this one was only accessible to five people including Leizil and the queen.

Leizil had sealed the elevator doors only to respond to certain people, sealing art of Celestial had been lost through the Origin, however, Leizil had learned few from Timeless Halls. And few things in between.

Leizil placed her right thumb on the elevator button at the same time she was unlocking the seal. The brightly lit elevator opened for them.

“Such a remarkable way to reward thievery, Your Highness,” Leizil said and the elevator ascended high.

Secrets labs were supposed to be hidden and buried below ground, this was one was on the last floor of the Keep. If half of Timeless Halls knew the research she was doing, which they will know soon, will go for her head. She had the backing of Perseus, but she was not naive to think she can win against the full power of Polaris. Aamon Berdal was a special case, he had challenged Timeless Halls and he had won few battles, however, this was war. He was one of the few matters which was covered at Timeless Halls by a summon, or rather, a debate between Order of Imperial and the Order of Justice. Words against blood.

“He has potential. I can say I have a gift for that,” Genevieve smiled lightly. “As Vulcan goes with their reputation, Torch had the best intention at heart. You cannot as much about other Vulcans.”

“I am afraid, I often stray far from them, Your Highness.”

“But their power interest you.”

“I found it curious, yes, and I often imagine what we can achieve as Sky Kingdoms as a whole if we understand Radiation. It’s no secret that it's stronger than Celestial,” Leizil said.

“Yet as a Sky Kingdoms as a whole we are afraid of it,” Genevieve said shaking her head.

This was a dangerous conversation to have, it didn’t matter that Leizil was having it with a woman who cannot touch Celestial; it was only deadly if she had it with a Watcher or a Celestialblessed.

The elevator door opened.

“It’s almost impossible to knock down the foundation of two thousand and five hundred years old, Your Highness,” Leizil said.

“Here I thought the time was irrelevant to Watchers,” Genevieve said as she walked into the lab.

“Maybe it is, Your Highness,” Leizil replied.

The lab was paneled by glass on its three walls and the dome roof was also glass. Leizil had to admit, the design was opulent. This one, however, was about harnessing sunlight, Radiation, during Daylight.

The floor was mosaic and very open with a steel table about three feet on both sides. Genevieve opened a door on the left, Leizil followed her.

There were two young men inside the room on the far end, they stood against the wall restrained with their arms on the armrest with needles jabbed inside their palms. It might not look like it, but those young men were strapped on an artifact. Of some sort to be correct.

Genevieve went forward, she cupped Xeka’s face, the one on the right, whispering softly to him. Leizil stood at a distance. This was a part where Genevieve always gets sentimental, Leizil didn’t want to get in the way of that.

This was the reason they sent Torch against the Kingmaker, with Power Artifact, Leizil will be able to make this possible.

To turn an ordinary man into a Vulcan with more controlled Radiation. Soldiers.

“It has been days, how are they doing?” Genevieve asked concerned.

“Not good at all, Your Highness, but by far they have last the longest. As yet they are the first to last more than two days,” Leizil said.

“You said if they survived by the third day they will be awake.”

“That’s correct, Your Highness, I did say that. I can sense Radiation from Xeka, he was able to grasp it. It’s keeping him alive, still, he doesn’t have much of it to last longer. During the transfiguration, part of his mind shut down and his will was not fully extended. It's a delicate process.

“The same thing can be said about Elckron, he doesn’t have enough Radiation within him,” Leizil concluded.

Genevieve sighed, she looked at the young men once and walked away.

“We are starting to run out of orphans and thieves of the same age, Leizil,” Genevieve said shaking her head.

It broke her that life was been wasted. Leizil had not promised a success, only a possibility and the reason to betray a sister for an artifact, a Power Artifact.

“Your Highness, this is more like the matter we were talking about not a while ago. There will be losses, this is only the beginning and this threatens the well-being of the city as a whole,” Leizil walked to her queen and put her hand on her shoulder.

Genevieve nodded.

“Gave them more Radiation from the storage, let’s give them a fighting chance,” Genevieve said.

Leizil inhaled deeply. She had thought about it when Genevieve called for her.

Leizil touched Celestial, a cold gentle embrace cuddle her. She focused on the transfiguration artifacts, they were more like life support artifacts; the design was the same, however, transfiguration artifacts can only be triggered by Celestial, it didn’t use Celestial despite the control and control meant to control Radiation.

Leizil extended her will to the artifacts, it wrapped around the artifacts. Inferno burned with her, she gritted her teeth to muffle her scream as her awareness came closer to Voltaic Storage which harness Radiation and stored it. She touched more Celestial, her will absorbed by what she was doing.

With her mind, she created shields around Voltaic Storage to protect herself from Radiation and she opened the storage.

She divided her mind into two wills, one control the flow of Radiation and the other will gave the needles piercing their palms a brush of Celestial to allow Radiation to be transferred into the body. She had lined the restrictions with Moonstone which soothe the body to avoid a violent shock.

“I have started transfiguration, Your Highness,” Leizil said catching her breath.

Genevieve held her hand.

“You still alive, you still sane, Leizil. That’s victory.”

Leizil nodded, lost without words, and haunted by the temper of Radiation. With such power, how do they hope to control their Vulcans?

Leizil wanted a moment to find herself again. She had done what she was sure no Watcher or Celestialblessed had done since the Origin, invite Radiation in her Universe. She cannot touch it, she can only guide it and that took too much for her. After each transfiguration, she spent days without being able to will her mind to touch Celestial. Days without Celestial were torture.

But soon I will have the Power Artifact with my grasp and the impossibility might be redefined.