"One jump ahead of you."~ Fizz, The Tidal Trickster
The information dump in the previous chapter might have been a turn off but it is necessary. And I did tease Renata there.
This is a shorter chapter, since I did not know what else to add in here. But you will be compensated in the next chapters by about 400 words.
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"Gregori might just be telling the truth Rictus." Ambessa observed her surroundings, "Mel might truly be here. After all.... the Black Rose loves to make their captives uncomfortable."
"The Binan family." Rictus nodded. "It seems that they have been tracking you and Mel for a while to know of this place."
Ambessa nodded, "It is always good to believe that you are being tracked. Especially by them."
The attack on the Ionian Binan family she had led was the first time Mel had been introduced to the cruelty of war. Based in the Kumangra forest, directly to the east of the Twin Cities, The Binan family had established a trade route from Ionia to Piltover. When they refused Ambessa's plans to collect a piece of the pie.... she saw it fit to conquer them entirely.
Mel had been fifteen when Ambessa made her decide the Binan leader's fate. Mel believed it would be wise to spare the prisoner's life and exile her to the far colonies, believing she would cause little trouble for them and that it would convince the local population that they were merciful. Ambessa, however, argued that showing mercy would be a sign of weakness, and she beheaded the leader with her katar.
Ambessa had received word from Mel's servants of her nightmares.
It didn't take much to figure out that she was traumatized by the incident. The test.
And it seemed that the Black Rose had also figured that out.
They had placed their own informant among their ranks. A child she had overlooked. A child Mel had decided to take after seeing her provide help without anyone asking. The child had grown alongside Mel. She stayed with her for nearly a decade and now she had disappeared. Disappeared along with Mel.
Elora.
A deep agent.
One trained from birth for a singular purpose.
The oversight could not be avoided either. These spies were nearly impossible to detect and they probably only sent information once a decade. It wasn't feasible to keep an eye on a person for that long, especially when they are constantly serving your daughter with their all.
She sighed, remembering the expression on Mel's face when she had denied mercy for the Binan woman.
"The destroyed home." She spoke out loud.
Rictus nodded and led the way.
Ambessa eyed his back with suspicion. She had personally seen to his growth. The same way Kino had set up Gregori. But one could never be sure. Rictus might be a spy.
Maintaining a certain distance behind him was all she could do for now. They were both fully armored. And her personal guard had already surrounded the area and were actively closing in slowly, sweeping through any and everything for any signs of her daughter.
She had understood Gregori's dilemma. Knowing of her current state was the only thing keeping her from crumbling. But not knowing exactly where she was..... that was what Gregori had meant all those years ago. But then again, he didn't possess the manpower she did.
The main mansion where the incident happened. That was where Ambessa decided to go personally.
Walking through the ruins, she felt no vindication, just pure rage. That was what most of her life boiled down to. Not many obstacles withstood the sheer amount of rage she carried within her.
Then came the large steps leading to the mansion.
The two steadily climbed without showing the smallest amount of fatigue.
"General." Rictus said as he caught sight of a woman facing away form them. "The Black Rose and Mel are in sight."
Ambessa narrowed her eyes as she spotted the same.
Her daughter, held above ground by magical constructs. Chains. Spiked chains that hung her above ground.
Mel was limp against the restraints.
The woman slowly waved her hands, magic radiating off them.
Ambessa walked up to her in silence and lifted her katar.
"You shouldn't have touched my daughter." She said coldly as she swung it.
The woman turned her head. Her eyes shining gold and black markings adorning her face.
SLICE
And her head flew off her body.
THUD
The head rolled across the ground.
Ambessa turned to her daughter and with Rictus's help, broke her chains and freed her. Both of their weapons glowing a soft green due to the anti-magic runes inscribed into them.
"Mel!" Ambessa shook her daughter. "Wake up child!"
But Mel did not rouse, her body lying limp in the arms of her mother.
"How did you get here I wonder?" A voice sounded behind them.
Ambessa and Rictus spun around, their hands on their weapons.
She frowned as she looked at the head on the ground. The very head she had just separated from its torso.
It was staring at them.
Ambessa had never seen this particular woman before.
"Why isn't my daughter awake?" Ambessa yelled at the head.
The head smiled, part of the smile disappearing into the ground as it lay sideways. "Now... now Ambessa. I cannot tell you that can I?"
Ambessa walked forward, "I told you to keep your hands off my daughter." She growled.
"But your daughter has something of ours. And the rose doesn't like missing its petals." The head spoke, "All of this could have been avoided however."
"How?" Ambessa asked, her anger flaring.
The head laughed, "You should have stayed faithful to your husband."
Ambessa roared as she swung her katar at the head.
"What about we exchange information?" The head said as the weapon fell toward it.
The weapon halted.
"The method to rouse your daughter for information on how you found us." The head spoke slyly.
The weapon swung down, cutting the head in half.
"No."
"A shame." An ethereal voice sounded as the head and consequently, the body, began changing.
A second later, what remained was the split head and body of Elora on the ground.
"She will search for how you found her." Rictus said as he held Mel's body.
Ambessa nodded as she held her arms out for her daughter.
Rictus slid Mel into her arms.
"She thinks she has all the cards. They all think that." Ambessa said, "And the last deal she offered was the most imbecilic thing I have ever heard."
She clenched her fists.
"One never makes a deal with the rose." She said.
"They always come on top." Rictus continued.
Ambessa nodded, "She wouldn't have given us the method to wake her up. Even if she did.... it would come with its own issues."
As she stepped out of the ruins, she looked up and watched the star in the sky slowly begin moving and within moments, disappear from vision.
"How do you plan to wake her?" Rictus asked.
Ambessa tilted her head, "You know."
Rictus took a deep breath, "I do."
As she spotted her guards and soldiers walking toward them, she stood still. "We can only go to him. The only one with sufficient knowledge of magic."
"Hastur." Rictus whispered. "Will he help you?"
"Not me." Ambessa sported a sad smile, "He will help my son."