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Securing the Little Royals
The guards on the long balcony were all facing toward the crowd in search of trouble. As they were not highly-trained, seasoned soldiers, they had succumbed to the boredom of inaction and most of them were only half paying attention.
With minimal effort, Aurora, Birger, Brinn and Alvar snuck behind the tiered seats of the Council. The two rows of six seats each were only partially filled, but the platform on which they were seated provided ample cover for the four allies. Aurora peeked out tentatively, and spotted Mairwen and Alaron on the opposite side of the balcony in thrones with beautiful crowns weighing down their young heads. Aurora's stomach clenched. Mairwen was looking directly at her. The young girl never missed anything that went on around her, and she had been the only one to see the movement of the humans and elves. Unfortunately, the girl was too far away to speak to about what they had planned.
Mairwen watched as her mother brought her finger to her lip
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"The Empress is dead. I saw her body myself." Cafer knew that only definitive proof would work at this point, and yet he technically had none."Is that so?" An all-too-familiar voice said behind him. "Tell me what my body looked like, Chief Cafer?"The crowd cheered, "Glory to the Empress!"The Chief balled his fists and turned to look at the Empress. She looked so fierce, that he unconsciously took a step away from her. Her blue-flecked eyes exuded confidence. Cafer marveled at the transformation.A blur of movement caused him to notice the prince and princess disappear in the arms of their rescuers. "After them!" Cafer barked under his breath to the guard closest to him. The guard and three others ran after the children."I asked you a question, Chief Cafer." Aurora looked down on the gnome."And were you the Empress, I would answer." He addressed the crowd, "What cruel joke is this? You send me an imposter Empress, and now she has abducte
Empress of the World Conclusion, Celebration, Epilogue
It took time to clear the rubble and bury the humans of the Blue Guard who died when the balcony collapsed. Not surprisingly, none of the gnome guards (except those who had been struck down by the sword) were anywhere to be found in the palace. Gandr explained that they had probably escaped into the ground, leaving the human traitors to face their punishment.They searched long and hard for Cafer, but he was among the missing when it was all said and done. Without that final sense of closure, they moved on and turned to a time of celebration.——————The whole city of Valiant was decorated with blue and white, and the palace was no exception. The banquet hall was filled with a feast that could rival any in the world. Aurora and Devrim sat at the head of a long u-shaped table. While a more stately meal with Valiant's nobility had occurred the day before, this celebration was far more intimate.The eleven councilmen,
Empress of the World Volume 2: A New Plan and a New Problem
Looking around at his vast store of treasure, Cafer was still unhappy. He had had all the power of the world within his grasp, and it slipped through his fingers all because of one useless human. Worse than that: a little girl. He would have his revenge. It had been nearly a decade since the final battle with Her Majesty, Empress Aurora, and her Consort, Devrim, but the wound was still fresh in Cafer's mind. Gnomes had long memories, and his was longer than most. He rested against the large golden chair inside his lair below the earth, grumbling quietly.Cafer lifted the gilded mirror that sat on the table next to him. There was no message waiting for him in the glass. Prince Alaron had not sent him anything in several days. This was unusual. Perhaps the boy, now nearly sixteen, had found other interests to occupy his time. Cafer did not like thinking about that. He needed to keep his hooks in the young prince in order to exact his sweet revenge on the boy's mother and regain
Empress of the World Family Day
"I will defeat you!" Alaron yelled with fury. He sliced his sword through the air at his opponent."Over my dead body!" Devrim responded, his mouth set in a determined line. The Consort deflected the prince's blow."That can be arranged, old man," Alaron taunted. He took a step back and then burst forth in a fit of motion. Each stroke was more vigorous than the last. Yet, Devrim was able to keep pace and even force the boy to retreat."You will not get very far with all that backing up, unless your goal is to end up against a wall." And just like that Devrim had the prince between his sword and the outer palace wall, fighting with all his might. Alaron made two upward strikes in sequence that nearly disarmed the Emperor, but the seasoned warrior was just a hair too quick. With a skillful blow, Devrim knocked the weapon from Alaron's hand and hit the padding on the boy's chest with the broad side of his sword. Hitting the wall with his back, the prince slid to th
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Brinn continued calmly, "We initially believed that these sailors were just a low level operation trying to avoid taxes. Upon further observation, it turns out they are actually highly organized. They never stay anywhere more than a week or two. First they take the mayor of a small town and his family prisoner. Then they terrorize the townspeople and take anything that isn't nailed down. The people generally suffer through the invasion as they want to escape with their lives. After a week or two, about the time the army can arrive, they poof without a trace into the sea.""Impressive, if only they weren't so evil." Devrim stroked his chin.Brinn went on, "I also have reason to believe they are trafficking weapons to Her Majesty's enemies." She looked at Gandr."They were willing to sell me all sorts of stolen weapons for half price if I planned to use them against the Empress. I bought up all they had on hand to deplete their supply. Speaking of which, I will ne
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Empress of the World A Son's Deception
Cafer was impatient to reach the palace and traveled mostly underground to reach his destination. With his ground-crimping magic, he was able to arrive at the palace in less than a week, but he was utterly exhausted and drained of his power. He decided to find an inn for the night and regroup.The gnome laid down in the fluffy bed and felt much of the angst leave his body. The other gnomes made fun of Cafer for his love of soft linen, but he had experienced perfection, and nothing else could compare. The others of his kind made their beds among the rocks. It was less than ideal.Cafer pulled the mirror from his belt and checked to see if it was glowing. It was just as well that it was not. The prince and he had already made arrangements to meet the following evening. For now he would rest; tomorrow he would find the entrance to the Storehouse.———————-"You have been under a lot of stress. Have dinner with me toni
Empress of the World The Storehouse
"It is good to see you, my son," Cafer said as the boy entered the tunnel."Uncle Cafer!" Alaron embraced his mentor."Quick, close the entrance." The gnome pulled the door shut before the boy could react."But it is dark. How will we see?" The boy was worried until the light was shut out and his eyes adjusted to the glowstone. "Wow, that is amazing! Who built these tunnels, and how do they glow?"Cafer touched the wall gently. "The Fates built these walls and imbued them with magic stone."Alaron rolled his eyes upward. "Not you too! Mother mentions magic in hushed tones, but I know it isn't real. Don't treat me like a child and use fairy tales to explain things to me."Cafer was caught off guard. They had never had a discussion on magic, which now seemed strange. "You do know I am a gnome. I have told you such. I come from the land of magic. That is where I have been hiding these last many years. It is the reason your mother has not been a
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