Crimson and Gold

Saria found Eris as soon as they left the bath house and right away apologized to her for ignoring her and not thanking her properly for the rescue. Lysandra also chimed in with a few words of vague apologies, making the tension between them less volatile.

By the time they reached Mormo’s office, Eris had completely forgotten about the unpleasant situation, completely absorbed in a happy chat with Saria.

Her mood was especially good after she received a compliment from the very woman she admired.

When they entered the office, Mormo was busy looking through a last minute letter he received.

He invited his guests to take a seat in the lounge area without even raising his head. When he finally did, he was momentarily stunned.

It would appear that he was underdressed for his own meeting?

Since the guests were already here, Mormo didn’t have a choice but to continue as planned.

He cleared his throat and fixed his favorite burgundy pallium on his shoulder, which suddenly seemed a lot less presentable than he initially thought, and took the free seat next to Eris on the sofa.

“You seem in a much better state than when you arrived,” Mormo turned to Saria.

The color had returned to her face, and her gestures were once again full of energy.

“I am, thank you,” Saria nodded. “The healer did a very good job. I feel better than ever.”

“Good. It’s important to have you in top shape.”

Lysandra knitted her eyebrows. “So I was right to believe that your rescue wasn’t purely a goodhearted gesture,” she said, straightening up.

Mormo poured some wine for himself and the guests, then unhurriedly took a sip.

“I’m afraid, selflessness isn’t something I can afford at the moment,” he said, raising his dark eyes to look at the Princess.

“Speak then,” Lysandra leaned back on the sofa and stared back at him. “Name your price and let’s get on with it,” she groaned.

Mormo took another sip from his cup.

“As I said before, I would like us to work together,” he said. “While you were away on your brief vacation, trouble emerged in the city. Something neither you nor I can tackle alone.”

The words immediately caught both Lysandra’s and Saria’s attention.

“What kind of trouble?” the Princess asked.

“We’ve noticed an increase in violent attacks in the slum, and not the typical gang wars either. Vicious, gruesome killings that don’t follow any pattern or cause other than a desire for bloodshed.”

The mere thought about the things he had seen with his own eyes in recent days made Mormo’s stomach churn. He took another sip of the wine, as if it was going to save him from the nausea welling up.

“After looking into the matter, my people had discovered that something is causing a psychosis in people,” the man continued. “Turning them into violent, mindless beasts that kill indiscriminately.”

Lysandra frowned. “Has this matter been reported to the governor’s office?”

While Aervelis was the home to the Royal family and under its supervision, the governance of the city was seconded to an official selected by the Emperor himself.

It was necessary, as the matters of the Empire often required full attention and therefore made it impossible for Octavius to manage the city as well.

“We did report it,” Mormo admitted. “The office sent a small division of the city guards to deal with it, but not nearly enough to make any difference.”

Nobody who experienced life outside of the villas of nobility was surprised by this outcome.

The city made it clear a long time ago that the struggles of the common people were at the bottom of their priority. Matters concerning the slum weren’t even on their list.

Mormo counted it as a win that the governor’s office even bothered to send anyone. Anything more than that had to be organized by the people themselves.

“Another issue is that those affected by the psychosis are more than a normal person can handle,” the man added.

“What do you mean?” Saria asked.

Mormo cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Those afflicted seem to develop extraordinary strength and resistance to pain. Any attempt to restrain them ended tragically. So far, the only way to make them stop is to kill them, but even that is not an easy feat.”

Sensing where the conversation was going, Lysandra straightened her back and clenched her fists. “So what do you expect me to do?” she asked.

The man’s gaze jumped between the couple. “I want Saria to work with Eris on suppressing whatever is happening and get to the bottom of it.”

If Lysandra’s gaze could kill, Mormo would have been dead on the spot.

“You just spent ten minutes explaining how dangerous this is and now expect me to toss the one person that matters to me the most right in the middle of it all?” she forced through her teeth.

Mormo smirked. “So you’re done pretending there’s nothing between you two?”

“What’s the point of pretending?” Lysandra scoffed, feeling the anger slowly taking hold of her. “I know you’ve been spying on us. You know everything already. That’s even better for me, because if you did, then you should know how outlandish that request is, especially at this moment.”

No matter where they went, it felt like everyone just waited for an opportunity to use Saria. Sevus, Sulla, her father, her brother, now Mormo too.

Everyone who ever laid their eyes on her saw nothing but a tool to be used, and that angered Lysandra to no end.

She had no special abilities, no magic, no powers, so she couldn’t offer herself in return, but since they all came to her to ask for her permission, not Saria’s, then she would play the role of the owner and cut off every hand that dared to reach for her.

Sensing the tension, Saria squeezed Lysandra’s hand.

She wanted to let her know that it was alright, that she was willing to do it, but seeing the Princess’ stance, Saria decided to stay quiet and follow her lead.

“This is why I’m making the offer,” Mormo said, unbothered by the hostility he was met with.

“I know that you have no intention of sitting this matter out, and you are already making plans on how to deal with this situation,” he continued. “Saria and Eris working together have much better chances of succeeding than having them both work alone. Less risk that way.”

Lysandra clenched her teeth and raised her chin. “I can give you a unit of my own men. All highly trained, armed, and capable.”

“I’m afraid that at the current stage, even if you mobilized every single one of your secret units, that wouldn’t be enough,” Mormo pushed back.

Seeing his unwillingness to negotiate, Lysandra decided to change her approach.

“Alright, then let me ask this,” she said, taking a sip of the so far untouched wine in front of her.

“We all know what Saria is capable of, but why Eris?” the Princess asked, directing her scrutinizing gaze at the woman in front of her. “You just said an ordinary person is no match for the infected, then what’s so special about her?”

“This.” Eris snapped her fingers, and a bright orange flame started dancing on her palm.

For a brief moment, jealousy filled Lysandra’s heart. Only thanks to her upbringing was she able to keep her face straight without letting anyone notice.

Anyone except for Saria, who knew her better than anyone. She gently squeezed the Princess’ hand once more.

“Fire proved to be a very effective tool against them, but it’s difficult to use in an area where most structures are wooden,” Mormo explained. “Aervelis burned once already. I think everyone would like to avoid the repeat of that.”

The flame on Eris’ hand disappeared, but the smug expression on her face only grew stronger.

“As a pyromancer, I have much better control over the flame,” she said, leaning against the sofa’s armrest. “But keeping Husks from running away and setting everything in their way on fire is still teamwork.”

Seeing confusion on Saria’s face, Eris rushed to explain. “Husks are what we call those who have fallen into this condition. They seem completely empty… like husks.”

Lysandra remained silent for a moment. Nobody dared to interrupt her thoughts.

The weight of the decision seemed to affect the Princess more than usual. Any other time, she would have reached the conclusion and set her mind on something even before Mormo finished talking.

The difficult part about all of this was that Lysandra knew that Mormo was right.

She was planning on being involved in the matter, silently making plans and deciding which part of the task should be delegated to whom. As far as it was possible, she wanted to keep Saria out of it.

Even though her involvement was probably inevitable.

Still, Lysandra wanted to make sure that she did everything in her power before that happened.

If what Mormo said was true, then having a capable mage on her side was invaluable. The problem was Lysandra didn’t know anyone who was both trustworthy and skilled enough not bring Saria down.

As much as she hated to admit it, Mormo and Eris were her best choice at the moment. She knew that.

She knew that, but could she really accept this alliance?

“I appreciate the thought, Mormo, but I can’t work in clear conscience with someone who preys on people in need to run his business,” Lysandra said finally.

“Perhaps you’ll think it’s foolish of me, or naive, but I believe that on the path to a better future, some principles should be upheld no matter the cost. Otherwise, it won’t be long before the better tomorrow becomes the same rotten yesterday.”

As Lysandra finished speaking, she looked at Saria.

She feared seeing disappointment in her eyes, but instead, she was met with a gentle gaze of acceptance and understanding.

Their hands, which they were holding this whole time, fit with one another perfectly, just like their convictions.

Without a word, Mormo got up from the sofa and went to the door.

Pressing on the knob, he turned to his guests. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”