Vess looked up from where she was tending to a bed of purple roses, the little things more poisonous than most actual poison. Made for good trading, though these days she spent more time on the mortal plane than her own home.
She shot one last look at her stone cottage before standing, smiling at the woods next to it. Rather beautiful, for blood-trees, and dangerous enough they kept most everyone away.
Then she gave in to the tugging on her soul, and stepped out of a shimmering portal. She made sure her body was as flawless as usual, made from pure energy as it was, and that the ankle-length dress she wore was more elegant than suggestive.
Her summoner might have the libido of plankton, but he could appreciate beauty. Her pride needed some validation, after all.
Also, the libido of plankton. Heh. She'd have to remember that one.
Marcus was waiting for her, which was unsurprising, but it was marginally more surprising that he wasn't working on something. The last few days had been busy, for him and her both, but now she had his undivided attention.
Considering he looked serious, vaguely annoyed and entirely confrontational, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. "Marcus, always a pleasure. Did you miss me already? I know I don't sleep, but a girl does need her alone time, you know?"
"You knew," Marcus said, ignoring the rhetorical question entirely. "Or suspected. Either way, you didn't say anything."
"You never asked, and our contract doesn't force me to tell you my every suspicion."
He grunted, folding his arms. Angry, then, with a trace of betrayal. Shit. Not that he showed much of it, of course. His face might as well have been carved from granite. "That isn't how this works, Vess. The contract is simple because it is based on trust. Yet you knew I could become an Archmage, which still sounds weird to think let alone say, and kept it to yourself."
"I didn't know," she replied, shifting her expression. Serious but not too serious, with a hint of playful guilt running under it. Not a lie, even if she hardly knew how to not modulate her expression anymore. "I suspected. And yes, I didn't tell you. Because honestly, you wouldn't have believed me, and it would have sown a seed of doubt when you needed focus."
Her summoner's expression closed off a little further, barely a twitch of muscle to betray the emotion. "There is a spy in Redwater. One that knew of my time in the School of Life, which used to be a closely guarded secret. The Archmage knew my name before I was even born, and you are old, Vess."
"Are you implying I was contracted to… To what? Spy on you?" She shook her head. "How would that even work? You summoned me out of your own initiative, and it was an open call. Only afterwards did we create a permanent contract, and in case you forgot, we weren't particularly close until after you went through the School of Life. Not to be a bitch, but you were a bit of an asshole. Not out of malice, which is why I stuck around, but still."
"The Empire has divination mages. Whole groups of them."
Vess rolled her eyes. "And if they were that specific, that powerful, they wouldn't need you in the first place. But I broke your trust, which is the root of this. I'm a master manipulator, you feel manipulated, we could talk for days and the feeling of doubt would linger. Luckily, I am a summoned demon and you a talented summoner."
"Are you sure?" He hesitated, which was sweet of him. But there was no way in all the Hells she was giving up this contract now, let alone for a bit of unpleasant truth-compulsion. "It can't be pleasant to have your free will taken away."
She shrugged. "Part of the deal. We get immortality to play with, a vacation the likes of which mortals could only dream of, and mages know we're willing to pay for that privilege. Those parts of our contract are still there. All you have to do is activate them."
Another moment of hesitation, then a visible steeling of resolve. He was getting better at keeping his emotions hidden, but she knew him. She knew him very well indeed.
How much easier things would be if she actually was out to manipulate him.
Another tug at her soul, much more invasive this time. A contract written in the blood of her body, in the bones of her vessel. Some demons drew a line between their 'real' body and the fake one they are granted on the mortal plains, but she never really saw the point.
It was real enough that any difference was academic, such as the feeling of wrongness spreading through her. Foreign power literally interfacing with her being, slowly activating long-deactivated parts.
She didn't suppress the shudder the feeling brought, enjoying the way his shoulder tensed in discomfort. She had her petty pleasures, and it felt right he should feel a little of what she was. Then a gasp escaped her lips, this time involuntarily, as power began to flow properly.
Marcus had always been strong. Blessed with a sharp intellect and a single-minded talent for magic, his royal upbringing granting him more resources to grow than nearly any other on the planet. But before it had just been strong, like a river flowing down a mountain. To be respected, admired even, but still just a river.
Now the river had no riverbed, and the stars shone down in the deep, deep dark. Water flowing through space itself, not stronger but undeniably possessing more depth. It didn't really do much for the contract, which only cared about the fact it was Marcus interfacing with it before it promptly stopped caring, but still.
Definitely worth the discomfort.
A feeling of… Well, she never quite knew how to describe it. Honestness? That just sounded uneducated, and she hated sounding uneducated. A feeling of being honest washed over her, a compulsion so strong it might as well have been a leash. It subsided after a few moments, falling to the background until needed.
She was perfectly able to live with it, and had for many years, but it was nice when it wasn't there. Made her feel respected when her every word wasn't treated with the utmost suspicion.
Marcus cleared his throat, paused, then spoke after another few seconds. "You withheld information because you believed it would help me to do so. If I ask you not to do that again, will you do it anyway?"
Dammit. Too much to hope he would ask silly things like 'did you lie about only suspecting me being Archmage material?' or 'are you actually a spy for the Empire?'. Those were fun questions. Easy questions to answer in a way he found satisfying.
As it stood. "Yes. I like you, and I want to watch what you do when the world ends. I find it entertaining, and I count you as a friend."
"And if I were to ask you to tell me if you knew something I was better off not knowing?"
Ah. Vess refused to feel stupid, she was centuries old Gods dammit, but it was silly not to realize he wasn't actually annoyed about her not telling him something. It was avoiding him, which probably brought back bad memories from his childhood.
So much for being a master manipulator.
"Then I'd do that instead," she answered. "Sorry. I should have realized avoiding you was stupid, even if I still believe the reason for doing so was sound. You would not have believed me if I said you would become an Archmage, and convincing you would have taken time we didn't have."
The feeling of compulsion faded away when he didn't answer, and after a few moments she felt the contract go dormant again. Deactivated, though removing them entirely was a hassle neither of them really cared for.
"That's all?" she asked, tilting her head. "Most people would have been more thorough."
Her friend rolled his eyes. "Yes, thoroughly 'interrogating' a succubus. Very funny. I do have other things to do, and I summoned you for that more than to soothe my own paranoia. Helios, Hargraf and Soema have been making noise about an official meeting, and I want witnesses in case they gang up on me."
She smiled, one of her perfectly coy ones, and slowly nodded. Marcus turned after getting confirmation, not affected in the slightest by her charm, and Vess suppressed a scowl. Which would have been cute, she assured herself.
Still, it was funny he thought those three Dukes would try to 'gang up on him'. His mages might actually string them up by their ankles if they tried something stupid, what with their already impressive King now enjoying the reputation boost of being an Archmage, and Vess knew none of the trio was stupid.
But that would take time, so in the meanwhile she enjoyed watching people react to Marcus. He still walked the same, still talked the same and acted the same, and yet everyone acted like he was a completely different person. They bowed, saluted, all the things they did before, but now there was reverence.
Not everywhere, but enough to make him uncomfortable. He'd spent too much time in his laboratory during his formative years to ever be wholly comfortable with too much attention, though her lessons made sure he didn't show any of it.
Companies of soldiers cleaning up after the battle paused their work to snap to attention, watching her friend with hungry eyes, and she didn't bother suppressing her smile. A grin, really, and Marcus seemingly gave up after some more seconds.
Xathar was summoned and mounted smoothly, and Vess tugged at her connection back to her home. One of her many steeds appeared under her, letting her go from walking to riding in one smooth motion, and she followed Marcus at the exact same distance.
Close enough to imply she was trusted, slightly behind to show she was subordinate, hand on her dagger to show she was watching. The role of the guardian, and one she enjoyed playing.
Sleeping with nobles, convincing their husbands or wives to plot against them, instigating all manners of trouble, that was fun. But this was legacy, and being friends with an Archmage brought all sorts of perks.
And she even liked the kid! Truly, fortune was shining on her. Probably to make up for her second fifties. Now that had been proper misery.
A pair of mages approached her friend as they crossed a checkpoint, bowing low before checking he wasn't a shapeshifter, and they asked a question she couldn't hear. Marcus answered, his body language telling her he was vaguely bored but willing to answer.
Overall, it didn't take long to reach their apparent meeting place. Somewhat out of the way, surrounded by household guards. Vess would be suspicious if all of them didn't salute the moment Marcus came into view, politics subsumed by the fact he was an Archmage.
Gods, that wasn't going to stop being fun for a while. They'd existed before, by many names, but the Empire really did put a lot of attention on them. Maybe more than they deserved, though it was undeniable they were powerful.
The only reason the Empire survived the Dungeon? Who knew. But definitely an important part of their culture, and even isolated Mirrania wasn't immune to it.
Marcus dismounted, Vess following after a moment's pause, and the three waiting nobles bowed. Bowed low, and Vess looked them over to commit the sight to memory. Less so for groveling nobles, she'd seen more than enough of those, but more the confused moment of hesitation as Marcus noticed the same.
"Your Grace," Helios began, straightening. Of the three he was handling it best, which came as no surprise. The man had been a Royal Loyalist for decades, and the School of Life incident aside, had a near flawless record. "How fares the army?"
Oooh, he was good. Asking about something Marcus was growing to care about, people he had spent a lot of time healing and fighting with, instead of some empty platitude about being an Archmage. Ignoring it almost wholesale until brought up. Vess wasn't the jealous type, that was for people younger than a century, but Helios was better than her when she was twice his age.
Her friend shrugged. "Better than it has any right to be. Thousands dead, the Legions withdrawn, no clear victory to solidify morale, but no defeat to shatter it either. Time will let us rebuild, and there is a core of veterans now. Mages who know war, officers tested in real battle, strategies thought up and refined. Oh, that reminds me, fetch Royal Mage Gorman."
Helios didn't so much as blink, calling over one of his guards as Marcus turned towards the remaining two nobles. Hargraf had an expression carved from stone, Soema mostly just seemed uncertain, and Vess could all but smell blood in the water.
Hargraf's levies hadn't done much, in the end, and Soema's army hadn't arrived in time. Marcus' political position was stronger than ever, and overall it was all sorts of fun to watch.
"I congratulate you on your awakening, your Grace," Hargraf said, tone smooth. There was some actual appreciation there, likely because it meant Mirrania was stronger than ever, but there was plenty of fear to go along with it. Fear and resignation. "This war could never be called pleasant, but of all the outcomes, this one ensues our relative independence and continued stability more so than any other."
Marcus hummed. "It does. Vistus and I finalized our agreement yesterday evening, one part of which being that trade will resume without the usual taxation. It will make trade with our Kingdom lucrative, and I expect the Moderates to prepare for the expected increase in caravans. Road maintenance, record keeping, bandit suppression, everything needed for commerce to flourish."
"Of course," Hargraf replied, and Vess could all but see his eyes dance with greed. Suppressed greed, but there. "It would, of course, make your generous offer of compensation for lost territory by allowing my family to administer the processing of sea monsters redundant. I cede any such control, and would furthermore appreciate Royal Scribes to assist in overseeing trade within Moderate lands. We will need time to recover from the war, and I would not wish to see commerce slowed because of a lack of educated personnel."
Aww. And here she was hoping he would try to seize control over it, which would give her the excuse to infest him with spies and strangle him with his own lies. But alas, he was a leader of the Moderates for a reason.
Hells, the man would probably find some way to gift the Crown a bunch of the money he was going to make, probably with some sort of new tax, just so it would be a massive undertaking to replace him.
Marcus just nodded in reply, and Hargraf was actually afraid to continue. That sort of made up for being smart enough to not hoard the wealth his King had personally arranged for the Kingdom. Not that the Duke started visibly sweating or anything. Now that would have earned him a mocking grin. No, it was just a small twitch, easily hidden or explained away as a tick.
Soema 'casually' offered proper integration of Isolationist production to link to the new trade expansion, because the woman was smart and knew the Empire was here to stay now, but Vess was growing bored. Marcus was too, clearly, though unlike her he had to make polite noises and the occasional proper reply.
The mage he'd sent for arrived before Vess could plot her own fun, the three nobles bowing and leaving them be. Not getting what they'd come for, by their disappointment, but unwilling to push the issue.
Elly was with the mage, another woman with them both. Mitzi, Vess' mind supplied. Duke Hargraf's adopted daughter and a talented Life Enhancement warrior. The girl was nervous, glancing at Marcus without trying to look like she was.
A good fighter, apparently, but clearly not a good spy. Probably there to make Hargraf non-replaceable even more so than he already was.
Gorman looked uncomfortable. He was wounded, missing a number of fingers on his right hand, and had that look of deep exhaustion about him. The kind sleep didn't cure, and only weeks of dedicated rest could really fix. The stumps looked cared for, though, so it had happened during the battle. Marcus turned towards the man, offering Elly a small smile before all emotion slid off his face.
"Royal Mage Gorman," Marcus began, the man bowing slowly. "Do you know why you're here?"
"No, your Grace, but I am eager to assist."
Marcus sighed. "Very well, then. Where were you born, Gorman?"
"In Redwater, your Grace." The man looked uncomfortable now, nervousness growing. "I have not traveled much in my life. I would be happ-"
"Be silent. You were not born in Redwater. In fact, you didn't set foot in Redwater until your twenty second birthday, though a significant amount of effort has gone into fabricating your past. And you, one of my own Royal Mages, is an Imperial spy. A very expensive Imperial spy, to paraphrase Archmage Vistus."
Vess blinked in surprise, and between one moment and the next Elly held a blade to the man's throat. Gorman stilled, though Marcus waved off the Queen a moment later. The man hesitated a second, then sighed deeply. "I'm redundant, then. Offered up to placate the new Archmage. Wonderful. My reward for two decades of service, I suppose."
"Was it all an act, then?" Marcus asked, Vess herself only barely paying attention. She was replaying all her interactions with the man, and she had a good memory. "I suppose it doesn't matter now, but I'm curious. Not like you played particularly nice."
Gorman shrugged, posture growing more relaxed. He knew it was over, then. "Attempting to grow close to the Crown Prince was pointless. I was in a position of authority, a position where I could keep an eye on things, and that is all I did. The most danger I faced was sending bi-monthly reports, something that became significantly harder once your succubus tightened security."
Being talked about like she wasn't there. Rude. But by the growing blankness in Marcus' expression, she wouldn't need to vent her displeasure. Not personally, at least.
"Archmage Vistus bargained for your life," Marcus said after a few moments, to Gorman's visible surprise. And still she couldn't tell if it was real or not. Annoying. "Hold out your right arm."
The man did, the one already missing a few fingers. Vess raised an eyebrow, because that wasn't a kindness she would have granted, but oh well. Marcus didn't even twitch as the limb was severed at the shoulder, an arc of spatial magic cutting more cleanly than any sword, and instead of a healing matrix her friend burned the wound shut with arcane fire.
And all the while Gorman didn't scream. Clenched his teeth, dug his nails into his palms, but no sound escaped him. He didn't even move away, though a flinch seemed impossible to suppress. Marcus grunted when he was done. "Go back to the Empire, Gorman. I'm done with you."
The spy bowed, clutching his stump, and walked away. Well, that was somewhat anticlimactic, but the man probably knew attacking Marcus would be foolish. Elly was right there, and that's assuming Marcus couldn't kill the man himself.
She had very little doubt he could.
Marcus nodded, turned towards the Queen, and spoke after offering her a light smile. "Let's get back to work, shall we?"