Chapter 57: Where the Road Finally Ends

The carriage came to a final stop inside the grounds of Agran’s royal castle.

For a few seconds, I stayed seated.

Not because I was nervous.

I was absolutely nervous.

But there was also something deeply insulting about spending nearly two weeks fighting assassins, surviving a meeting with a woman who treated genocide like aggressive gardening, crossing half a kingdom, and then arriving at your destination only to realize the actual mission had not technically started yet.

Everything before this?

Commute.

Very violent commute.

I exhaled slowly and reached for the carriage door.

It opened from outside before I could.

An Agranian knight stepped back and bowed.

I climbed down first.

Warm afternoon air hit my face.

The castle courtyard spread around us, enormous enough that an entire military parade could probably form without anyone needing to move a decorative flowerpot.

Agranian knights stood in organized formations across the stone.

Lots of them.

More than necessary for a friendly welcome.

Armor darkened compared with Inizio’s silver-and-gold style, with red and black details decorating several breastplates. Tiger motifs appeared everywhere, from shoulder guards to banners hanging from nearby towers.

Tigerkin made up most of the formation.

Striped ears.

Tails.

Different shades of hair and fur.

Weapons remained sheathed, but nobody had arrived here unarmed.

Fair.

We were foreign representatives standing in the heart of their royal castle while carrying a magical scroll capable of opening a portal directly to another kingdom.

Diplomacy was apparently ninety percent trust and ten percent making absolutely sure the other person couldn't suddenly teleport an army into your living room.

I turned toward the carriage.

Leyra appeared in the doorway.

Princess mode.

Fully operational.

Elegant travel dress.

Golden hair carefully arranged.

Perfect posture.

Not one visible sign that she had spent the previous week punching hired killers into increasingly creative arrangements.

I held out my hand.

Leyra looked at it.

Then at me.

A small smile appeared.

She placed her hand in mine.

I helped her step down.

Not that she needed help.

This woman could jump from a building and probably ask the ground whether it was injured afterward.

But royal appearances mattered.

So I played gentleman.

Nobody needed to know the crown princess could have lifted me and the carriage simultaneously if she became sufficiently annoyed.

Once Leyra stood beside me, I looked toward the front of the assembled knights.

There she was.

Supreme General Rel.

Wearing pink.

Of course.

The woman responsible for coordinating military forces powerful enough to threaten kingdoms had apparently decided today's battlefield would be attacked through cuteness.

Her dress was soft pink, fitted neatly around her petite figure, with a bright red ribbon decorating the front. Her red hair fell around her shoulders, and her tiger ears stood relaxed above it.

No armor.

No visible weapon.

Just the second-most-powerful authority in Agran dressed like she was on her way to eat cake at a garden party.

Considering what I knew about her, that was significantly more frightening than armor.

Rel smiled.

Not warmly.

Not coldly.

Rel-style.

The kind of smile that made you wonder whether she was greeting you or calculating how long it would take to make you accidentally reveal childhood secrets.

“I’m pleased to see you arrived in one piece.”

I looked at myself.

Then Leyra.

“Mostly.”

Rel's smile widened.

“It seems your journey was eventful.”

There was that word again.

I sighed.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because it was.”

“We were attacked repeatedly.”

“Yes.”

“Ambushed on roads.”

“Yes.”

“Nearly attacked by an entire lawless town.”

Rel's eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Nearly?”

“Someone removed the town before we got there.”

Her expression became very amused.

“And then you met one of the most powerful people on the continent.”

I stared.

“Nothing escapes you, does it?”

Rel placed one hand against her chest.

“I would be offended if something important did.”

Naturally.

I glanced toward the castle walls.

“You already knew Tanya was there.”

“I knew she appeared.”

“Same day?”

“Not immediately.”

That was probably the closest thing Rel had to admitting delayed information.

She stepped closer.

“I sent scouts along parts of your route.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“To protect us?”

“To observe.”

“Comforting distinction.”

“And to intervene if something happened that your escort could not handle.”

I looked at the Agranian knights around us.

“So you were quietly making sure assassins didn't murder the people coming here to negotiate with your queen.”

“It would have been embarrassing if you died after I persuaded Her Majesty to receive you.”

“Ah. Protecting your professional reputation.”

“Exactly.”

I smiled.

Rel continued.

“The Shadow Fairy appearing was not something I predicted.”

I blinked.

That mattered.

Rel predicted everything.

Or at least enjoyed making everyone believe she did.

I crossed my arms.

“You didn't expect Tanya.”

“No.”

“That makes me feel worse.”

“It should.”

Great.

Rel glanced toward Leyra.

“I expected hired blades.”

“Several groups.”

“I expected attempts to interfere with your route.”

“Also several.”

“I expected political movements from nobles on both sides.”

“Garren warned us.”

Rel's eyes shifted slightly at his name.

Interesting.

“But Tanya Darkwood?”

She shook her head.

“That was outside my calculations.”

I thought about Ihin.

The destroyed streets.

Missing population.

Freed Spriggans.

Rel smiled.

“It was fortunate she did not cause greater trouble.”

“She erased an entire criminal town.”

“Yes.”

“That feels like significant trouble.”

Rel tilted her head.

“By Shadow Fairy standards?”

Pause.

“Moderate.”

I stared.

Leyra remained politely silent beside me.

I looked at her.

“See? This continent has a scaling problem.”

Rel laughed softly.

Then her attention shifted fully toward Leyra.

Her expression changed just enough to become properly formal.

Leyra inclined her head.

“Supreme General.”

Rel bowed in return.

“Crown Princess.”

Then her eyes traveled over Leyra.

Not rudely.

Observantly.

She smiled.

“You’re even more beautiful than when I last saw you.”

Leyra's composure held perfectly.

Only the faintest warmth appeared in her cheeks.

“You flatter me.”

“I’m being sincere.”

Rel placed both hands behind her back.

“And you were already extremely beautiful then.”

Leyra smiled.

“Then I suppose I should return the honesty.”

Rel's eyebrows rose.

“You look lovely as well, Supreme General.”

Rel immediately brightened.

“See, Caled?”

I blinked.

“What?”

“She understands diplomacy.”

“That was flirting.”

Leyra looked at me.

“It was courtesy.”

“Royal flirting.”

Rel laughed.

Then her expression shifted.

Still smiling.

But business had returned.

“Our bargain is complete.”

There it was.

I nodded.

Rel had agreed to approach Queen Firsa if we returned the prisoners and accepted the conditions of reopening talks.

She had done her part.

Queen Firsa was waiting.

Now ours.

Rel looked directly at me.

“I secured the audience.”

“You did.”

“You wanted the opportunity to speak with Her Majesty.”

“Yes.”

“You have it.”

Her smile sharpened.

“Now fulfill your side.”

I looked around.

Agranian knights remained positioned across the courtyard.

A lot of them.

Several stood near the castle entrances.

Others around the open space where we had arrived.

I pointed vaguely.

“Before I do…”

Rel waited.

“…should I be offended by the amount of military supervision?”

Her lips twitched.

“I don't know what you mean.”

I gestured around us.

“There are enough knights here to arrest a medium-sized rebellion.”

Some nearby Agranian soldiers tried very hard not to react.

Rel looked innocent.

“Security.”

“Right.”

I leaned closer.

“You’re not worried I'm going to open the portal and suddenly five thousand Inizio soldiers charge directly into your castle courtyard?”

Rel's smile widened.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

I waited.

She continued.

“I trust you.”

That sounded nice.

Then:

“I cannot say the same for every member of Agran's council.”

There it was.

I nodded.

“Much more believable.”

Rel clasped her hands.

“Several officials expressed concerns.”

“Reasonable concerns.”

“Some imagined scenarios involving hidden troops.”

“Less reasonable, but still creative.”

“Some wanted the exchange performed outside the city.”

“And you convinced them otherwise.”

Rel's expression became smug.

“The prisoners have been held long enough.”

Fair.

She looked toward the space beside the carriage.

“And I would prefer everything happen as smoothly as possible.”

I shrugged.

“Honestly?”

“Yes?”

“I can't blame them.”

Rel blinked.

“You can't?”

“If I were sitting inside this castle and someone from another kingdom said, ‘Don't worry, I'm opening a portal directly into the royal courtyard,’ I'd probably surround them with swords too.”

Rel laughed.

“A surprisingly mature answer.”

“Don't spread rumors.”

Leyra smiled.

I reached into Dimensional Storage.

My hand disappeared into the familiar separate space.

After a moment, my fingers closed around parchment.

I pulled out the town portal scroll.

Several Agranian knights tensed immediately.

Not dramatically.

But shoulders straightened.

Hands shifted closer to weapons.

Rel noticed.

Of course she did.

She lifted one finger without looking away from me.

The soldiers relaxed by approximately three percent.

Excellent command presence.

I held up the scroll.

“This?”

“That.”

I opened it.

Magic stirred.

Runes across the parchment began glowing.

The air several meters ahead distorted.

A vertical line of light appeared.

Then widened.

Brilliant white radiance unfolded outward, forming a stable oval gateway large enough for several people to pass through at once.

The courtyard filled with magical light.

Every polished surface caught it.

Armor reflected it.

Shadows stretched across the stone.

Then movement appeared within.

The first figure stepped through.

Remgar.

Of course.

The massive Tigerkin general emerged like someone had decided to send a wall through first.

He was wearing his own clothing again.

Not the simple clothes provided in Inizio.

His proper attire.

No suppression cuffs.

No prison restraints.

Free.

His injuries had clearly healed enough for travel, though I could still see signs that our previous fight had not been completely forgotten by his body.

Remgar looked around.

Agran.

Home.

Something changed in his face.

Then he saw me.

He smiled.

Wide.

Friendly.

Extremely strange considering our first proper interaction involved us attempting to beat each other unconscious.

I raised one hand.

“Welcome home.”

Remgar gave me a nod.

Then stepped aside.

Treez came next.

Red hair.

Mage clothing restored.

No cuffs.

No restraints.

Her black eyes swept across the courtyard.

Rel.

The knights.

The castle.

Then me.

She smiled faintly.

Meaningful.

I understood.

Home.

Like promised.

I nodded once.

Treez returned it.

No words.

Didn't need them.

Then Gia emerged.

Her assassin clothing had returned too.

Face visible for now.

No restraints.

She walked through the portal.

Looked forward.

Not at me.

Not at anyone unless necessary.

Just continued.

I smiled.

“Good to see you too.”

Nothing.

Consistent woman.

Behind the generals came soldiers.

Dozens.

Then more.

Agranian troops captured after Dahera poured through the portal in organized lines.

Their original equipment had been returned as agreed, though weapons were handled under whatever conditions our kingdoms had settled for the transfer.

Some soldiers stepped through and visibly relaxed the instant they recognized the castle.

Others stared around.

A few looked back through the portal toward Inizio.

Most simply moved toward the positions Agranian officers directed them to.

The courtyard filled.

Rel watched silently.

No joking.

No teasing.

For once, her expression became difficult in a different way.

Not analytical.

Emotional.

Only slightly.

These were her people.

Soldiers who had gone to battle under Agran's command and returned alive from enemy captivity.

Eventually the last group crossed.

No Lord Balder.

Naturally.

Agran had made it clear they wanted nothing to do with him.

He belonged to Inizio's justice now.

The portal shimmered.

Collapsed inward.

Then vanished.

The sudden absence of light made the courtyard seem darker.

I rolled the now-spent scroll.

“Done.”

Rel looked across the returned soldiers.

Then toward me.

“Done.”

One of Agran's officers began issuing commands.

The returned troops were led away for whatever processing, medical checks, reports, and extremely long conversations awaited them.

Remgar looked back once.

Raised a hand.

I nodded.

Treez gave me another small look before following.

Gia?

Nothing.

Still committed to the brand.

Rel turned toward us.

“Now that our exchange is complete…”

Her smile returned.

“…the queen is waiting.”

There it was.

My stomach did something annoying.

Not fear.

Let's call it aggressive awareness.

I exhaled.

“Then let's stop making her wait.”

Rel's eyebrows rose.

“Good answer.”

“Treez warned me.”

“Oh?”

“She said Firsa doesn't like wasted time.”

Rel's smile became complicated.

“Treez gave you advice.”

“Yes.”

“How generous of her.”

“I accidentally visited her in prison.”

Leyra looked at me.

Rel stared.

“Accidentally?”

“Long story.”

Rel's smile told me she desperately wanted that story.

Not today.

I gestured toward the castle.

“Let's go.”

We entered.

The difference between Agran's royal castle and Inizio's became obvious within the first corridor.

Inizio's palace loved brightness.

White stone.

Gold.

Wide open halls.

Lion imagery polished into nearly everything that could legally hold a lion.

Agran felt heavier.

Dark stone formed the walls and floor, polished enough to catch light without losing its natural texture. Deep red carpets ran along the central passages.

Tall windows allowed long sections of sunlight to fall across the corridors.

Dark wooden beams crossed some ceilings.

Metal lanterns hung between them.

Tiger imagery appeared throughout the decorations, but less uniformly than Inizio's lions.

Sometimes carved into pillars.

Sometimes painted.

Sometimes only represented through stripes woven into banners.

We walked.

Rel in front.

Leyra beside me.

Agranian guards behind and ahead.

My eyes wandered.

Paintings lined several corridors.

History.

Battlefields.

Kings and queens.

Military formations.

Cities.

Treaties.

One painting showed Agranian soldiers standing beside Lionkin forces beneath separate banners.

I slowed slightly.

Another depicted what looked like representatives from both kingdoms meeting across a long table.

Interesting.

Rel noticed where I was looking.

“Agran and Inizio have a long history.”

“Hard to avoid when you share a border.”

“Exactly.”

She slowed enough to walk beside us.

“Many outsiders assume our history is defined by war.”

Leyra looked toward one of the paintings.

“It isn't.”

Rel smiled.

“No.”

She gestured toward the wall.

“We have fought.”

“Several times?”

“Of course.”

“Neighbors.”

“Exactly.”

I nodded.

“Like siblings.”

Both women looked at me.

I continued.

“Spend enough time living beside each other and eventually someone steals something, insults somebody's cooking, or moves a fence.”

Rel's lips twitched.

“That is one way to describe international conflict.”

“But most of the history?”

Rel looked toward another painting.

“Alliance.”

That mattered.

“How much?”

“More often allies than enemies.”

I looked at the soldiers painted beside each other.

“So Inizio and Agran are basically siblings who occasionally try strangling each other but still team up when the neighbors become annoying.”

Rel laughed.

“That may be the strangest historical summary I've heard.”

“Accurate?”

She considered it.

“Disturbingly.”

Leyra smiled.

We continued.

After another corridor, Leyra looked toward Rel.

“How is Queen Firsa?”

Rel's expression shifted.

“Fine.”

“That sounded simple.”

“She is.”

Leyra's ears twitched slightly.

“Considering everything happening across the continent, I expected otherwise.”

Rel looked ahead.

“Her immediate concern is the conflict between our kingdoms.”

Good.

At least we were getting top billing.

“What is approaching beyond that…”

Rel's gaze briefly shifted toward me.

“…will be addressed afterward.”

The wording caught me.

I looked at her.

“So you know.”

Rel didn't pretend confusion.

“About?”

“The Dragon Conqueror.”

Leyra's expression became more serious.

Rel nodded.

“Yes.”

Of course.

Nothing escaped Rel's radar.

Apparently not even world-conquering dragons.

Or dragon conquerors.

Whatever exactly he was.

I still had questions.

A lot.

Rel continued walking.

“It has been fifty years since he last moved on this scale.”

“Since Tanya stopped him.”

Rel gave a small nod.

“Since the Shadow Fairy nearly destroyed everything supporting him.”

I looked toward her.

“Nearly?”

“His forces.”

Right.

“Tanya told me they fought.”

Rel's eyes sharpened slightly.

“She told you that herself?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.”

Everything was interesting to this woman.

“How did it happen?”

Rel walked several steps before answering.

“I was still very young when those events occurred.”

My head turned.

“You were alive fifty years ago.”

Rel looked at me.

“Yes.”

I stared.

She stared back.

“You were a child.”

“Yes.”

I looked her up and down.

Petite.

Red hair.

Cute pink dress.

Smooth skin.

No obvious signs suggesting she remembered half-century-old continental massacres from personal childhood experience.

“You know what question is coming.”

Rel's smile became energetic.

“Do you think I look younger than my age?”

I pointed at her.

“That is not an answer.”

“But it sounds like a compliment.”

“It is confusion.”

“I accept it anyway.”

Leyra quietly laughed.

I stared at Rel.

“No, seriously.”

She kept smiling.

“How old are you?”

“Old enough to remember.”

“That is criminally vague.”

Rel ignored me.

Naturally.

Apparently powerful women in Aphrodasia had formed a secret organization dedicated to refusing age questions.

Tanya first.

Now Rel.

Maybe Zeria was treasurer.

I sighed.

“Fine.”

Rel looked pleased.

I returned to the useful question.

“You said you remember what happened.”

“Yes.”

“What did Tanya actually do?”

Rel's smile faded.

“Destroyed them.”

Simple.

Too simple.

“The armies?”

“The kingdoms.”

I stopped smiling.

Rel continued.

“One after another.”

Her voice remained calm, but not careless.

“The nations allied with the Dragon Conqueror fell under the Shadow Fairy's attacks.”

Leyra listened silently.

I thought about what she had already told me.

Genocide.

Extinction.

Rel continued.

“Each kingdom supporting his campaign disappeared from the board.”

Cold phrasing.

Probably intentionally.

“Until only one remained.”

Leyra said, “Eragonia.”

Rel nodded.

“The Dragon Conqueror's main kingdom.”

So that name now had a place.

Not just an army.

A homeland.

A center.

Eragonia.

I filed it away.

“And Tanya reached him there.”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

Rel's expression became thoughtful.

“She fought him.”

“I gathered that.”

“Neither could kill the other.”

I blinked.

“A tie.”

“Yes.”

That was almost anticlimactic considering the historical body count preceding it.

“They just stopped?”

“Eventually.”

“You make it sound simple.”

“It was not.”

“I assumed.”

Rel looked toward a tall window as we passed.

“But neither succeeded in destroying the other.”

I nodded slowly.

That matched Tanya's "not yet."

She hadn't considered the fight finished.

Only interrupted.

I rubbed my jaw.

“And now he's stronger.”

Rel looked at me.

“Yes.”

No hesitation.

“Much stronger?”

“Yes.”

Wonderful.

She continued.

“The Dragon Conqueror who moved fifty years ago was already a threat capable of ending kingdoms.”

“Encouraging.”

“The one moving now has had fifty years.”

“To improve.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare.”

“Yes.”

“Build another army.”

Rel's eyes narrowed slightly.

“A far more powerful one.”

That mattered.

“And allies.”

“Several kingdoms.”

I exhaled.

“So Tanya weakened him before by removing his support.”

“Yes.”

“And now he's rebuilt it.”

“More effectively.”

Rel's voice became quieter.

“Stronger forces.”

“Stronger allies.”

“More preparation.”

She looked directly at me.

“An unstoppable force, if allowed to move freely.”

I thought about Mediya.

Only one who could stand against him.

Great.

No pressure.

Just an allegedly unstoppable conqueror who had already fought one of the most terrifying people alive to a draw and then spent fifty years upgrading.

I smiled weakly.

“Good thing my schedule was getting boring.”

Leyra looked at me.

Rel laughed softly.

Then we turned one final corner.

Ahead stood enormous double doors.

The throne room.

Even without anyone announcing it, I knew.

Two lines of Agranian royal guards stood along the approach.

Heavier armor.

Long weapons held upright.

Tiger insignias displayed prominently.

The doors themselves were dark wood reinforced with metal, decorated with enormous carved patterns spreading from the center.

Rel stopped.

So did we.

She turned.

For the first time since we entered the castle, her expression was completely serious.

“No more Dragon Conqueror.”

I nodded.

“Not now.”

“Right now, none of that matters unless you solve the immediate problem.”

She pointed lightly toward the doors.

“Inizio.”

“Agran.”

“War.”

I exhaled.

“Queen Firsa.”

Rel smiled faintly.

“Exactly.”

Then she stepped closer and gave my shoulder two playful taps.

Surprisingly light.

Like she was sending a child into an exam instead of a diplomat into a meeting that could decide whether two kingdoms started killing each other.

“I’m counting on you.”

I looked at her.

“That seems to be happening a lot recently.”

“Then don't disappoint everyone.”

“No pressure.”

“Plenty.”

I looked at Leyra.

She gave me a calm smile.

Not teasing.

Supportive.

I looked back at Rel.

“Wish me luck.”

“You need more than luck.”

“Rel.”

She smiled.

“Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

The guards at the doors moved.

Heavy mechanisms shifted.

The enormous double doors began opening inward.

Slowly.

A deep groan rolled through the corridor.

Light from the throne room appeared through the widening gap.

I took one breath.

Then another.

Treez's advice replayed in my head.

No fake praise.

No mind games.

No long speeches.

No repeating myself.

Tell the truth.

Be direct.

And if Firsa became bored enough to end the conversation?

Pray.

Wonderful.

I looked through the widening doors.

Then sighed.

“This is it.”