Arlie turned the page. She’d spent most of the day studying her books. Some of it alone in her room, all part of the plan. They wanted to lure out the mind mage responsible. Sure the devil mage seemed mainly active at night, but so far she’d not made a point of challenging the wards. Yet given what happened to Mirrelle and presumably Terrabeth as well, it seemed she’d done so at the other inn. A devil wouldn’t be stopped by these wards anyway, slowed perhaps, but not stopped. They were good for a warning, and that was likely why the devil hadn’t tried, she didn’t want a fight with the entire group. Arlie was using herself as the bait of a trap, designed with that in mind. Maybe it was stupid, but she didn’t think there was a better card to play.
Might take a few days for anyone to bite, but a routine had to be established. In the meantime she’d take full advantage of that time to prepare. This current book was quite fascinating, describing how to identify what a victim of mind magic was conditioned to do. Of limited value to her thought since she couldn’t read minds, that was a skill of a mind mage. So much about mind magic, required a mind mage to perform. Defending against it however thankfully did not, she’d already added an entire new layer to the wards, expressly designed to stop mind magic.
She’d learned a fair bit about the defense. Of utmost importance to a battle of mind magic was strength of spirit. This was the first factor, a strong spirit resists the influence of others, the stronger the spirit the more it resists. Mind mages naturally had strong spirits, but there was also another factor of almost equal import, strength of will. Willpower was quite important, since a battle of the mind was one not just of spirit but of will as well. Something that made dream mages, the most terrifying of all, due to their power to slip into the minds of the sleeping. A mind that slept was different from the waking mind, preventing most mind mages from touching it lest they be swept away by the tides of the dreaming. Yet any dream mage could enter it without fear, they could control, and manipulate the dreams. The most feared part was that a sleeping mind wasn’t able to defend itself, and few ever realized they were under attack.
Spirit and will were not things she could change with magic. Mind mages often engaged in sex, to lower the will of their target, which was why it was so common among the lust oriented. Although not exclusive.
A knock on her door drew her attention. “Who is it?” she called.
Tanyi’s voice came through, “Clara and I, we just got back from the local post. They had a missive for you. I brought it with me.”
“One sec, I’m guessing Lily and Rose are still out?”
Tanyi replied through the door, “They went out of the walls with the boys, they wanted to check the surrounding homesteads, see how far the influence spread.”
Reaching the door, she opened it with a frown, “What about Mirrelle and Terrabeth?”
Tanyi sighed, “They snuck off around noon, found them an hour ago, the two were enjoying themselves, along with a couple of the locals.”
“Let me guess the kind of fun where you don’t wear clothes.”
“You got it,” replied Tanyi as she handed her an Envelope. Arlie’s breath caught when she noted the envelope in question; it was fancy silver trim, paper shaded a light blue, and emblazoned with a wax seal, stamped with the royal crest. It was a triangle with a smaller crest at each of the three points, a starburst in the center. On the upper point was a miniature of her family crest; a pointed shield upon which three concentric circles surrounded a pair of lightning bolts striking at a central point from which a fire bolt shot straight up had been inscribed. Behind that shield, a single-winged sword pointed down, the wings wrapping down around the shield almost as if they were hugging it. On the left point was a miniature of the Grey Family Crest: depicting a winged figure, drawn in grey as she knelt in supplication toward the sky, centered before the sun while she bathed naked in a ray of purple. The right point of the crest naturally featured the final crest of the three royal families, the Griffin Family Crest: Trimmed in gold, upon a background of royal red, it prominently featured a kneeling knight, sword implanted in front of him, the blazing behind him, two burning fires on either side of him.
Seeing the full royal emblem on this envelope meant only one thing. It wasn’t some family letter; this was important. Her finger shook slightly as she ran her hand over the seal and the lettering below it, down in gold with silver trim. Aunt Vivian’s name was listed as the sender, but it was her full royal title: High Princess Regent Vivian of Clan Contrey.
Tanyi silently closed the door, and Clara took up a respectful position beside it. Arlie sat heavily back in her chair, then, after a moment, she grabbed a small knife. Pressing it against her finger to draw blood, she pressed it against the seal. The seal glowed instantly, before a sound like breaking glass but not quite filled the room, a sign of the magical enchantment in the seal being broken. With the security released, she broke the wax with the knife and then dipped her finger in a small vial of healing potion. One she’d kept here for precisely this reason, she’d had to release more than a few blood seals lately. Every book Ria sent her was bloodlocked and a lot more complex than the single-use seal on this letter.
Almost gingerly she extracted the letter, her mind racing as she considered what might be written upon it. As the page fell open, her eyes were greeted with rich text, laced with magic.
Princess Arlie of Clan Contrey, I trust this letter finds you well.
I have been informed that you have encountered evidence of a rogue mind mage in the large village of Wilamark. With the ongoing war against the hellspawn and their masters, the court finds this to be most displeasing news. By order of the king, seven mind mages have been dispatched to Wilamark along with a full order of knights to detain the rogue when you find them, and to undo the damage inflicted. Expect them to arrive in two weeks time.
In the meantime, you are to continue your investigation; a rogue mind mage takes precedence over your previous task. I want you to forward daily missives to me with updates on your progress, use priority mail; all costs will be paid for by the royal coffers. This is a priority mission under the crown; all resources you require may be appropriated.
I previously authorized Archmage Ria to check out and send relevant books from the royal library to you. If they are not sufficient, let me know, I will send any additional volumes you may require. Treat them well and return them after the conclusion of the mission. I’ve included spending funds for this mission as well, use them wisely. At this time you have access to two platinum marks courtesy of the king.
With any luck this unpleasant business will be behind us soon enough. If not may the gods deign to protect us. I look forward to good news from you.
From the Office,
Of the High Princess Regent, Vivian of Clan Contrey,
By the order of King Michael Grey,
With the blessings of the Royal Clans,And by the will of the Skylords.
Arlie read the page three times, her mind racing. The implications were far reaching and in that moment she realized that she had not informed the court about the Hellfiends, or the devil sighting. An oversight that she would have to correct. With a sigh, she grabbed some paper. Taking a pen, she dipped it some ink, and channeled her magic into the pen and the ink. She let it stand for a moment before she started with her opening line.
I am well, Aunt Vivian and have received your missive. I will take the mission with the spirit it was given, but I must inform you of the events since I sent that letter to Aunt Ria. Our rogue mind mage is far more serious than I first thought. During the night, two of my escort knights conducted an investigation of the ongoings of Wilamark after dark. They had my blessing and the protection of a spell I learned from a grimoire that Aunt Ria sent me.
The Skylords must have guided our hands last night, for I made the mistake of casting that spell while still aroused from my earlier adventures with my paramours. A mistake that worked to the fortune of my escorts, as their magically altered state allowed them to better blend in.
During that little jaunt, they learned that hellfiends have been visiting the town under the cover of darkness. So far, we have observed them engaging in sexual activities with the local women, tampering with flour in the bakery, and taking newborn children from their mothers. I was also informed that they spotted a devil while they were out on the town, and she had one of my other escorts with her. She was giving the Knight Mirrelle instructions, and that devil is our main suspect for the rogue mind mage in the town.
Unfortunately this also means that I must conclude that two of my escorts are compromised: the Knights Mirrelle and her partner Terrabeth. It likely happened the first night, or this last one, due to their lodgings being at the other inn, which is run by Terrabeth’s mother, the lady Mirabeth. Whatever the case, this misstep does represent an opportunity for us. Now that I know, I plan to take full advantage of this situation, and will continue nightly investigations. With appropriate precautions taken of course. I can task neither Horon nor Thron with this, as preliminary investigation has revealed a lack of active men at night, the only males we saw that weren’t hellfiends were part of the village guard and every single one was taking a nap. The village women however were active, at least in part, many of them providing ‘services’ to the ‘visiting’ hellfiends.
She paused to consider what else to say, then quickly put back to paper, including a summary of her findings with the flour. Arlie had managed to obtain some of each batch, and had taken the time to deconstruct them with alchemy. Her analysis had confirmed the initial scan; they were not poisoned. The formula for children she noted was nutrient-dense, but that wasn’t all, it contained compounds known to be good for children, promoting healthy development. Yet if that was all she wouldn’t be writing about it, the bread also had alchemical compounds known to make a subject more docile and vulnerable to mental manipulation. There was also something in there she had no idea about.
The one intended for basically everyone didn’t have the high nutrient density, and different compounds, mostly geared for making a subject more docile, but also to promote libido. Anyone eating it, will end up docile, suggestible and highly aroused. She also noted a complex mix of agents that promote fertility. Not to the level of one Ria’s potions, but regular consumption would basically ensure a girl gets pregnant sooner or later and with a litter. There were certain compounds in there that were known to basically guarantee a woman conceives a litter, rather than a single child or just twins. Like the one for the kids, she found something in there she couldn’t identify, but in smaller amounts and of a somewhat different composition.
The last one for pregnant women, she had found to be especially dense. Lots of nutrients, quite a few compounds she couldn’t identify, and a wide array of growth agents were in the mix, along with herbs known to promote good health. Like the other two, she noted the same compounds for docility and mental vulnerability.
Arlie wrote her theories to paper, then after a moment asked for alchemical reference tomes. She quickly sketched out the alchemical formulas for the compounds she’d found but couldn’t identify. Along with a request for any books that might be relevant.
That done, she took out an envelope from her bag, sealed her letter within, and used her own wax seal on the letter. Taking a drop of her own blood once again, she pressed it on the wax while channeling magic into the channels created by the wax stamp she used. In moments, the seal began to glow with magic as the blood seal became active. Now, only another Contrey could open the letter, or the contents would be destroyed. Given the sensitive nature of the letter, such security was required. Now she was thankful her aunts had seen fit to make her take one of these wax stamps with her. She turned to the two knights with her, “Time for another trip to the post. Aunt Vivian demanded she be kept apprised. This is our first report. We should send another in the morning, after tonight’s investigation.”
“Sure, but you are staying in the rooms, where you are safer. The Twins can guard you, and the boys will be near if needed.”
“I see, and you?”
“We will try to observe Captain Perth, and see about the surrounding homesteads.”
Arlie nodded, “Sounds like a start. I’ll renew my spell on you, before you leave.”
“That will be welcome, just make sure you are aroused before you do it. We need to blend in.”
She blushed slightly but nodded as she followed the two out the door. Their conversation shifted to other things as they made their way to the post. It was time to send a priority letter, but thankfully, she wasn’t footing the bill anymore. That would save her some coin.