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Welcome back, my lovely reader~

If this is your first visit to Silverpaw, I strongly recommend starting fromepisode one to get the best experience.

If you are new to Blood & Carrots as a series, you need to start withthe first serial if you want to fully enjoy it.

Take your time, I'll wait for you to catch up. :3

Being a writer is my dream job but it has full-time hours and doesn't pay the bills. I want to keep writing these stories for everyone to enjoy and your support on Patreon or Ko-Fi helps make that happen. Patrons even get to see stories a week early to avoid all that pesky waiting. I also appreciate non-financial support like faving, voting, and following me here or on Twitter. Thank you so much for your continued support! Please enjoy the episode.

And with that out of the way...

Heads up my dear reader, if you recall the first serial, I had a few episodes dedicated to our favorite black cat. Well, that is happening again!

Yep, that's right, this is a Katrina episode, so don't be too confused when you start reading. Frankly, I feel that given her pending situations, it would be more fulfilling to feel events happening in her head. Also, this may be needed for other events to come, dun dun dun~

Let's get right into it then, I hope you enjoy~

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*Episode 18 *

Teacher and Student

"This is truly fascinating, in the course of less than a season having seen you last, you have not only fully fallen, but became an archangel as well!" Kazemde hissed the words with an excitement in his voice I rarely heard from him. The cobra was a scholar first though, so it stood to reason he'd be so excited at the prospect of seeing something never before seen.

My eyes rolled as I put a hand to my hip, watching him circle Gloria, asking a barrage of questions, the dog looking uncomfortable and trying to answer as best she could. Finally, I called out to him, "Teacher, could you please focus on the task at hand? You're making Gloria uncomfortable."

"Oh, no he's fine Katrina," The angel spoke out quickly in a gentle voice, offering the cobra before her an understanding smile.

Kazemde gave me a quizzical look, as if not sure if he should be upset at my words, or himself for losing his composure in the moment. The mage nonetheless stood up straight and reinforced his grip on the large ivory staff before giving the smaller dog a bow of his head. "My student is right, I apologize for getting too excited, Lady Gloria. At your convenience, I'd enjoy speaking more about your changes and experience once business is concluded."

"Yes, I'll be happy to, Sir Kazemde." The retriever wagged her tail as she folded her wings. They really had gotten quite bigger, the tips of them as tall as the archmage was, even though he had nearly a foot on the retriever in height.

Sarnai shifted her stance, her head tilting in a curious way, a look I had grown accustomed to over the last year or so. I already knew the question that was coming, but I humored my fox all the same as I spoke, "What's on your mind, love?"

She rubbed at her chin as if she had picked up on my intent before speaking, "What's this teacher and student thing?"

Most of our house was with us in this meeting, including Alex, Elias, and Alice. All of them looked upon me with surprise that I hadn't brought Sarnai into the loop, of course, I had my reasons for that. It's true I loved her, I had for decades, however, some cards I wanted to keep close to my chest. It's not that I was outright hiding it, I just made sure it never came up.

"A few years ago, Kazemde proposed to take me on as a student. A lot of those 'council affairs' I would go off to every few weeks, that was our lessons together." I gave a shrug as I continued. "I wasn't trying to keep things from you, it was just... well, it was just something I've been doing for the last few years, I never talk about it."

The archmage gave a nod to my words before chiming in as well. "Yes Lady Blackpaw, Katrina is one of many thaumaturgists your greater family has in it, but after hearing of and witnessing her powers, I knew she had something special within her."

"Wouldn't that be Alice's chimera powers coming into play?" The black fox asked curiously, her tail wagging about as she kept rubbing her chin.

Kazemde nodded as he spoke, "Yes and no. There are more-"

"I'm my own cat, Sarnai. I'm happy to share my powers with all my family through Alice, but there are things that I want to call my own. I worked hard to train my thaumaturgy, just to have it snapped up and repurposed." I hissed the words out, surprised by the heat in my voice, then seeing my rabbit flinch at the words, but I was already set in my course.

"But magic... you can't siphon off or enhance that with such powers. That is a power that you craft and earn all on your own!" I snapped my fingers, willing a small wound open, blood rolling down my finger before it rose to form a small sphere in the air.

The wound closed as I waved a hand, feeling the pull on my willpower as I made the small sphere ignite into radiant fire, not unlike Elias's, then shift to the familiar hellfire as the vixen gave a nod of her head.

"I've seen you infuse your blood with our powers before, Katrina. What does this have to do with magic?" She asked me skeptically, my girlfriend was ever the realist. She would always seek to push me, she did it in training and she did it while we sailed.

I showed my fox a challenging grin before cutting my now red eyes to my teacher. He gave a nod and I shifted my gaze back to Sarnai, showing her my sharp teeth as I made my request, "Love... may I injure you ever so slightly? Just enough to draw a small bit of blood?"

The fox barked a laugh and waved a hand dismissively. "We've broken bones in training together, by all mea-" She barked out in a sharp yip as the little sphere morphed into a small blade, forged in the hellfires, not unlike Alice's little trick she used. The blood-steel had already blurred past faster than a bullet, a small cut left on her cheek, blood rolling down it.

"This... is what it has to do with." I focused my will on the wound I had opened upon my fox and heard her give a shocked huff as I forced her own blood to draw forth before her very eyes. I didn't pull much, just a few drops worth, then with a show of will, I sealed the injury on her face as if it never happened.

My teacher spoke out in a scholarly tone as Sarnai rubbed at her cheek, looking shocked that the wound was gone without a speck of blood to show for it on her fingertips. "You see, Lady Blackpaw, a lot of your kind refer to thaumaturgy as 'blood magic', but we do have our own school of the power within the circle. It is highly forbidden and only the most skilled and faithful may learn its arts, because of the very nature of what it does."

"So, you're teaching her to fuse the powers together," My fox spoke out in understanding as her look of shock faded and she resumed her contemplative stance.

"That's right." I huffed out, seeing her eyes on me and feeling pride well up in me, I could see she was impressed. "Blood magic is dangerous because you can not only do all sorts of arcane tricks with it, but unlike my thaumaturgy, you can use other beings' life force to augment your power."

"You know... I never meant to leave you feeling like I stole something from you, my cat," Alice spoke up with a frown, folding her arms at her stomach.

"I don't think that, Alice. However, I need to be stronger, I can't just rely on you and the others. Recent events have shown relying on just a chimera to bolster power may not be enough," I spat the words out, frowning as I thought back to the condition Sarnai and Alex returned in that night.

"Why haven't I seen this power used during your training with me? Why didn't you use it when... that night happened?" My vixen asked me pointedly.

I frowned and gave a shrug. "I wasn't strong enough or educated enough to use it to full effect that night in question, I would have done more harm than good to try to employ it in my tactics. As to training... Well, I'm under strict oath to only use it outside of the circle under the direst of situations."

"It's true. Blood magic is a very intoxicating power that has led many down the path of ruin. I do not doubt my student's abilities, but it will take years to temper her resolve, especially given how fiery her temper can get." Kazemde hissed the words, the last of them an obvious playful jab towards me.

"Ha! You can say that again, you're pretty scary when you're mad, Kat!" Alex finally barked out to add to the conversation.

I gave the wolf a grin, then stared into his eyes for a long moment before shifting to look upon Gloria, then quickly averting my gaze, my thoughts shifting with what to do about the two of them, as well as my own feelings.

"So much for staying on the task at hand." My master hummed the words out in that cool playful voice he would use, his white tail lazily wagging. I could tell he spoke out to ease my anxiety, I'm sure of all the beings on this planet, he knew me the best and could sense my tension.

Kazemde gave a nod, "Yes, especially now that the rest of our party has arrived." The cobra waved a hand as a gate formed. I saw the look of shock and then excitement cross my vixen and rabbit's faces when Lorelai came trotting through the gate, curls bouncing, her long sword across her back, the shorter wakizashi on her side.

"My lady!" Both Sarnai and Alice called out in unison, both the rabbit and fox taking an eager step forward before stopping to look upon one another in surprise.

The sheep bleated out in a surprisingly childish giggle at the display, putting her fingertips to her cheek as she smiled upon the two of them, then the rest of us. "It's good to see you too my loves, as well as the rest of you, my family." She hummed the words, then I saw her focus sharpen as she turned to Kazemde, her voice shifting to a business tone. "Archmage, you summoned me?"

The cobra offered a deep bow of respect. "Thank you for coming, what of the lords of Silverpaw?"

"They will be along within-" The sheep huffed out as she reached into her jeans, pulling out her phone. "Oh, they're ready, open the gate."

Another gate opened and the new lords of house Silverpaw walked through, the two mice that shared a long history with my master and girlfriend. Sarnai and Elias were quick to move over to greet them, most of their old crew now reassembled. The hugs and small talk eventually broke out amongst them, the point of the meeting getting pushed aside for the time being.

I smiled at the display, even as I saw Gloria and Alex glance over to me, I swallowed hard, feeling my heart start to beat. I left them to their mini-reunion and moved over to the angel and my long-time partner. "Hey," was about all I could muster to say.

Alex gulped and gave me a small smile, "Hey Kat, uhm..."

Gloria frowned and folded her arms, looking torn before she spat out pointedly, "Katrina, sister, I'm so selfish, please forgive me."

"Stop it. You have every right to feel how you do, my sister," I retorted back sternly, then jerked my head to indicate them to follow me. I started walking, pulling them from the group, as I could tell it was going to take a while for the rest to settle down.

Walking outside of the tower onto one of the overlooks, I propped against the railing, staring off into the distance, arid shrubland as far as the eye could see. Prodding Kazemde about it, I eventually learned the tower was nestled deep into the wilds of the outback of Australia, enchantments reinforced upon it throughout the last few centuries to keep it secure.

To a mundane, the tower would simply appear to be a jagged rock outcropping, but the energies gave off a subtle feeling of avoidance. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was constant and deterred most creatures to keep a wide berth of it. The few mundane that had managed to shake off the feeling and approach usually had sufficient natural talent with the arcane, so the guild usually recruited them.

"We've got a few minutes to ourselves out here." I looked back over my shoulder at the two dogs behind me, my black tail coling and flicking slowly before I pushed off the railing to face them.

"Sister, where do I even start?" Gloria huffed out gently, clasping the small rosary at her chest.

"How about you start with the part where you two decided to put the moves on my girlfriend, you know... the only other one I have other than Alice whom you both already have." I snapped the words out, not bothering to contain the annoyance in them.

"Kat, we didn't put the moves on anyone, it just sort of happened," Alex responded quickly, his arms folding, giving me a look I had seen many times in the past. He had a very defensive stance he'd take when my anger came out, he had seen it plenty of times over the last decades after all.

Gloria shook her head as she tried to explain, "Sister, we weren't trying to-"

"And now, you want to come sniffing at my skirt too?!" I hissed out and shifted my own stance, thrusting my hand out to the side, tail whipping about. "I gave you two your damn space, I ignored my feelings, and now that you've both been shaken, you want to pretend like it's okay?"

They both grew silent, Alex putting a hand to his chin, rubbing at it in thought before he finally spoke out, "Katrina, are you angry because you feel I chose Gloria over us?"

"No, you stupid dog!" I snapped out and clenched my fists. "It was my idea you focus on Gloria, it was my suggestion we keep it to friends only. I never... I-" The words sunk in hard, which I suppose was what he was going for. He had been willing, even Gloria had shown glimpses of interest over the years, especially when I had to feed on her for various reasons.

Gloria folded her hands, tilting her head as she spoke, "Katrina, sister. You know I love you, and even before recent events, I've found you-"

"Stop." I hissed out and turned my back to both of them, clutching the railing as I ground my teeth. I couldn't put my finger on how I was feeling. I loved them both, of course, I'd known Alex for over half a century and Gloria for over a decade. I chose this route for Gloria and his sakes, I chose it, not them. I'm sure Gloria would have been receptive had I shown my own interest.

I glanced back to the two of them, then gave a frown. I remember hearing about the battle from Sarnai, I recalled the deep wounds on Alex's chest and the battered form of the angel. Had I lost them that night, what would I have to show for bottling all this up? They would have been gone all the same.

"When I saw the condition you two were in that night..." I clenched my fist, looking upon it as flames started to drift from my knuckles, the show of my master's power now coursing through me.

With a frustrated snarl I flung my hand out once more, flames flinging out into the cool night air before dissipating. "I came to accept the situation and let it be, but now you drag it all back out into the light! Of course I never stopped wanting or loving you Alex, and of course, the years have left me wanting to be closer to you Gloria, but... Argh!"

I stomped away a few paces in an angry huff, both the dogs looking upon me before Alex finally called out, 'Kat, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to torment you like this."

"Sister, I'm so sorry for making you bottle up all these feelings over the years." The angel frowned as she once again placed a hand to her rosary.

My mind wandered to that night with my fox, the words I spoke to her about being patient and having a right to a girlfriend. However, as my mind filled with her, I snapped my teeth and stomped back over to them, putting my hands upon my hips. "I'll ask a simple question, and I'll know if you're feeding me falsehoods. Do you seek this simply as a means to console me over your interests in Sarnai?"

Alex quickly responded, "Of course not, Katrina, you know my feelings for you have always been there, just recent events-"

I held my hand up to silence him, then shifted my focus fully to Gloria, giving her a glare that I'm sure she saw right through. The retriever set her jaw before speaking in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "Sister, by your own words, Sarnai can do as she pleases. I need not seek you out to further my relationship with her. I seek you out because it is what I want, what I want for me and my mate Alex. Yes, recent events have spurred me on, but the feelings have always been there for you."

With a resigned huff, I stepped back, putting a hand on my hip, my bluish-white flames finally fading. "I don't know the details, but Kazemde's little meeting is going to get dangerous, and he's already told me we'll need to form groups for whatever it is."

I gave both the dogs a point of my finger as I continued, "You two with me, no Alice, and no Sarnai. Stand with me as you've done before. Let's get out of this present task with our heads on, and I'll..." I swallowed the lump in my throat as I hissed out in a smaller voice than I'd have preferred, "I'll entertain the idea."

Alex wagged his large brown tail, giving me a crooked grin. "How magnanimous of you, Kat."

"Don't get sassy with me, you dumb dog!" I hissed out, thrusting a finger at the wolf, my cheeks feeling warm. My heart had been pounding for a while now, so it was no surprise, funny thing about not having a pulse, you're keenly aware when it starts up again.

Gloria gave us both a loving smile, that gentle grace coming from her she always carried. "Thank you, sister. Know that no matter what comes, you'll always have my love and my sword."

I gave her a nod and grin, then scowled at Alex. "See? Why can't you be dignified and cool like that with your responses?"

The retriever huffed out and put a hand to her mouth. "I was not trying to make light of my wolf's feelings."

"Nah, you're fine, my angel," Alex growled then set an intent look upon me, both of us staring upon one another for a long moment. "You need me to get serious with my words to you, Kat?"

I waved a hand and offered him a small smile. "Don't bother, you'd fall all over yourself trying. I know very well by looking in your eyes how you feel."

Alex walked right over and took a knee, hugging me to him as I gave a soft gasp at the gesture. I could feel his energy coursing through me, I hadn't touched him since he turned, he felt strong and the energy he was giving off, reminded me of Sarnai's.

Before I knew it I had pushed my forehead to his chest, a rumbling purr in my throat and Gloria flanked me, also joining in on the hug. Their energies were so much different now, his felt frightful and so familiar, her's just felt like it had been amplified to a whole new level.

We stayed in that embrace for several moments before I huffed out and pulled from their arms. I felt my heart pounding and the hunger in me starting to claw to the surface, I did have a sex demon as my lover after all, the carnal desires were bound to show quickly.

The look they were giving me said they were feeling the same urges. I glanced past them to look back into the main hall, seeing the group had calmed, some of them even looking in our direction, as if trying to decide if they should come to collect us.

"We should get back," I spoke the words as I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets, moving past the two dogs to return to the rest of the group. Alex stood as well as Gloria, the three of us returning to the group. Alice gave me a sly smile and Sarnai a contemplative look as I quirked a brow at them as if there was nothing to talk of.

"So what do you have for us, Kaz?" Alice hummed out the words, giving the cobra a grin. The archmage frowned, as if he didn't appreciate the nickname, but had given up the battle to prevent it long ago.

"Allow me to explain from the beginning. The Faemarch has always been a study of fascination for us here at the circle. The magi before me studied it, as did their predecessors, and the ones before that." He took paces back and forth as he explained, his movements lithe and elegant like they always were.

"Just what kind of longevity do your kind have, Kazemde?" Alex spoke out curiously, his ears peaked in that way they did when he was genuinely interested in a topic.

The cobra gave a toothy smile before a casual shrug. "That depends on whom you ask my old friend. Who you ask, what field they study, what they... were before joining the circle. Why, you are a fine example of how someone's age can be a malleable thing at times.

He snorted out at the words and rolled his eyes. "Okay, how about... how long does an average one of you last? How old are you?"

Kazemde elaborately put his hand to his chest as my eyes rolled this time. "I, sir Alex, will be one hundred twenty-seven years old this coming winter."

"How does that work?" One of the twins chimed in, the male of the two of them, Jeremy.

"Well, I primarily focus on the schools of necromancy and restoration. This means longevity and life extension go hand in hand with my knowledge." Kazemde gave another shrug before continuing, "We are getting off subject once more though. Suffice to say the schools of magic are open to any who have the desire to pursue, some are just born with more will than others. Even the lowliest mundane could learn simple spells with enough effort, but only those touched by magic can excel, like Katrina there. A vampire, an angel, even a lycanthrope may be members of the circle, and demons regularly form their own circles."

"This is all very fascinating, sir archmage, but let's worry about this lesson after we stop the rampaging nature spirit that wants to kill us all." Lorelai finally spoke out, her words coming in a commanding tone, her will following with them, a clear signal for all small talk to halt.

The cobra quirked a brow at the feeling of her force of will but gave a nod. "Yes, let us get down to it then." Moving before the group he extended a gloved hand towards us. "As you know already, we here at the circle frequently study and even commune with the denizens of the Faemarch on a regular basis."

I felt the gentle pull of Kazemde's will as he invoked a simple cantrip spell to create a visual aid in his explanation. Four landmasses appeared, each taking on associated characteristics of each season. One of vibrant lush green, one that showed gentle hues of autumn leaves, and one that looked like an icy tundra.

"As you've most likely surmised, there is a great fae spirit that represents each seasonal cycle of our own realm." The mage waved a hand, bringing the fourth landmass into view that had remained non-descript until now. The small island burst forth with green and flowers, slightly translucent as he quickly sculpted the imagery with nearly no effort.

Cantrips were one of the first things you were taught as a fledgling mage. They were the most rudimentary spells, just a simple bending of light to create an image you could see in your mind. It took me nearly two seasons to create stable images and even that drew heavily upon my willpower. Kazemde had told me that was exceptional progress and that even highly gifted mages could take upwards of a year or two just to reach that level. Then again I had been using my thaumaturgy in such ways, shaping blades, spheres, even other shapes like roses, so perhaps I had a bit of a head start.

"I always assumed their realm was like the celestial and underworlds, attached but not directly influenced." The sheep brushed a curl behind one of her horns as she peered upon the 'spring' landmass.

"All of the realms influence one another, Empress Bloodstone." Kazemde hummed the words and Lorelai scoffed at the impromptu title, giving the archmage a fussy look for it.

"I'm no empress, just Lorelai is fine." She grumbled the words then shifted a hand to her hip. "So can these great spirits just invoke calamity upon our world at their whim? Droughts, blizzards, endless rain?"

The cobra tapped his chin in thought before speaking out, "The full explanation would take quite some time. The short answer is, yes. However, that would never happen."

"Why not?" Lorelai frowned, looking annoyed at getting the short version.

Kazemde offered her a knowing grin. "Well, I can give you all a detailed lesson on it at a later date, I know you're eager to get to the heart of the matter. Allow me to summarize."

"The great spirits are all on the same 'team' so to speak, but that doesn't mean they like one another. Fae by their very nature are a conniving sort. You've all heard the old saying don't make a bargain with a fairy, I'm sure. The higher courts of the Faemarch strive to maintain a balance between the four great houses for this very reason, lest they be weighed down by subterfuge."

"Why strive for balance if they are so underhanded?" Alice chimed in curiously.

"Because they know the other greater spirits are keeping a close eye on them. Any power shift would be noted and alliances would quickly be forged to deal with the imbalance, for their own sakes of course. It's a complex machine with many cogs in it, and the fae courts have been tinkering with it for thousands of years."

"So what stops a greater spirit from just coming in and rampaging as Triallia has done? Why has she alone taken up this task and why hasn't it happened in the past?" Sarnai growled the words, folding her arms as she spoke. I could see the anger in her eyes as she uttered the name.

"The short of it is, the spirits can only enter our realm at the height of their power. Triallia is the greater spirit of the renewal season, the other three could not cross the threshold of our worlds. To the second question, it very well may have happened in the past, we've no way of knowing at this point."

Elias cleared his throat before calling out, "Truly I'd enjoy sitting down at length to discuss this, sir Kazemde, but where does all this leave us?"

The archmage gave the fox a nod. "Yes, we've derailed quite enough for now." With another wave of his hand, the other three realms came back into view. "Spring is almost at its height, this means the other three lords and their realms will be weakened. They are complacent that Triallia has no inclinations on their power struggle. She is simply trying to balance things. Truth be told, the greater spirits of spring and autumn tend to be the more civil of them"

"Civil?! That bitch nearly killed us and spoke of rampaging across the world wiping out civilization, what's civil about that?" Sarnai snarled the words, clenching her fists as her tail whipped about in anger.

Kazemde gave her a contemplative look before speaking out in a matter-of-fact tone, "Lady Blackpaw, the fae are brutal in their war games. Had the spirits of winter or summer wanted to strike first, we would simply have the aforementioned blizzards or droughts on a global scale right away. The reason they don't is only the spirit of spring is concerned with the maintenance of their world."

"She did say she was doing this as a response to the mundane trashing the place." I shrugged as I gave Sarnai a level look, the fox snarled but gave a nod.

"Simply put, the other spirits don't care what the mundane generally do. Summer, autumn, and winter. None of these rely upon the cycle of renewal, which is what the mundane stunt when they pollute and destroy the planet."

"If anything, wouldn't this weaken just the spring spirit?" Lorelai raised a finger as she spoke in understanding, "Triallia doesn't give a damn about the world, this is just her trying to protect her own power."

"You've grasped the truth of the matter, Lorelai. The other three will sit back and watch. They can maintain their cycles all the same, regardless if the world is ripe with life or a barren waste."

"You plan to involve them, don't you, Teacher?" I finally spoke out directly to him, putting my hands on my hips. "You're going to drag them into this game whether they want it or not."

Kazemde showed me a wide grin at my words, pride in his eyes that I had put my finger on the pulse of his plan. "Astute as always. Yes, my student, we will be practicing our own subterfuge and shifting the pieces on the board around while the other players are not looking."

"Well, this is why you have to be careful which player you let control the bank and property cards, right?" Alice hummed the words, warranting a few snorts of amusement from Alex and Gloria, the others looking confused by the statement.

"Really, you guys need to... you know what, when we settle all this, I'm catching all of you up on at least pop culture within the last hundred years. We're going to have a weekly family night where I make you all play board games, video games, and watch movies until you're caught up!" The rabbit fussed as she glared upon the two foxes, and the sheep.

"Sounds like a lot of work," Sarnai grumbled but gave her a gentle smile at the idea of it.

"Perhaps such a thing would be relaxing, you two would do well to expand your knowledge of the present trends as well." Lorelai nodded at the twins as she spoke.

"Yes, let us all gather as a family more often after this is over with. We can share hosting duties." Jennifer spoke the words with excitement in her voice, her wiry tail whipping about eagerly.

"It's a splendid idea if it helps you all grasp Alice's random pop culture humor. I personally got the joke, I simply did not find it very amusing." Kazemde hummed the words, the rabbit offering him a fussy glare.

"Kaz, you're an ass!" Alice snarled and stomped her foot.

"I jest with you, my friend. I simply wished to get a rise out of you." The cobra offered her a playful smile, then waved a hand to make the four translucent islands vanish. "Let us continue."

The group calmed and re-focused on the mage as he extended his hand, a small set of seven crystal clear orbs appearing, six of them circling a central one. "Thankfully, the eldritch powers that be, have given us an ace up our sleeve. You see, each of the greater spirits have nodes of power scattered across their respective lands. Conduits as it were, that keep their power flowing throughout their realm and ours."

"That sounds awfully awkward to deal with." Alice frowned as she folded her arms.

"Well, they are focused at magical leylines within their realm. It's a stop-gap to keep them balanced as well."

"So we're going to go mess with the spring ones to destabilize her power?" Alex quirked a brow curiously as he spoke.

"Heavens no! Triallia is at the height of her power, each of the seven conduits will be heavily guarded and she would have a telepathic link to each. If we were to molest one, we would not only have an elite fae guard to deal with, we'd have her show up within minutes."

"You said you wished to drag the other three into the game. You want us to go after theirs!" Jeremy spoke out in understanding as Kazemde nodded, the mouse then shifted to rest a hand on the pommel of his sword. "Won't we end up with similar results though?"

"The other three great spirits will not be expecting outside influence. We will no doubt encounter some resistance, but it will be a trifle compared to Triallia's. We will enjoy a much longer window of opportunity to get things done as well."

"So we go in, take some of their power, bring them to the table, then bargain with them. Is that what you're planning with this, archmage?" Lorelai spoke out in understanding, already having figured out the rest of the plan.

"Correct, Lorelai. Three weakened spirits are still more powerful than one at its height. We force them to get involved, we force them to make Triallia stand down."

"This sounds great and all, but then we end up with all four greater spirits having chips on their shoulders. What's to stop summer from just rampaging in a few months after this is sorted, or any other for that matter. Hell, what's to keep Triallia from pulling the same stunt again in a year or two?" Sarnai growled the words, frowning upon the mage.

"We have the luxury of the fae sharing the same restrictions of oath that all the rest of the players in the game have. We force them to bargain and one of the stipulations is their word that we will have no retaliation."

"Yeah, sounds good, but I've heard stories about fairies and bargains, not unlike you mages. Never bargain with a fairy or a mage, that's what my pack elder always says." Alex cocked a brow as he spoke, giving the cobra a skeptical look.

Kazemde showed him a grin, as if full of pride at the words. "It's true, we are very versed at wording agreements to our benefit, so who better to set terms with the fae then?"

"It takes a con to know a con, eh?" Alice gave an amused laugh as she rolled her eyes.

"Can we just waltz into fairyland all nonchalantly like that, Teacher?" I spoke out curiously.

Kazemde gave me a smile before offering a quick nod. "As I've said. We've dealt with the fae for centuries, we know of several pathways to cross the aether and gain access. We must, however, coordinate this effort. It won't due to simply take one, and if we don't procure them all at once, the other spirits will reinforce theirs and be on alert."

"So who's going where on this little quest of yours, Kazemde?" Sarnai asked, already rolling her shoulder as if limbering up.

"I will brief each team individually when we decide on destinations, however for you, Lady Blackpaw, I will ask that you and your husband go procure one of the summer conduit. Also, please accompany them Lorelai."

"Why me specifically?" The fox cocked her brow. "I don't mind, of course, but why me?"

"Because our target is on a small island surrounded by violent waters, none of us have the skill to helm a ship other than you," Kazemde spoke out pointedly.

"Sure, I can handle that, the straits of Gibraltar would get pretty moody in the past, so I'm confident. What of a ship though? Are you going to just wave your hands and build me one? A ship is like a woman, you need to know her to truly enjoy her."

"Already talking like a sailor again," Elias hummed playfully.

Sarnai barked out and glared at him, "H-hush, I'm just speaking the truth. It's a lot easier to sail a ship you know, it's not like jumping into a car."

"Not to worry, Lady Blackpaw, I'll be using a gate to pull your personal ship into the sea once we arrive."

"My fucking yacht? You want to drag my damn yacht into a murderous fairy world?" She growled out and clenched her fists, obviously not happy with the prospect of risking her ship.

"I apologize, I can find another ship, of course, I simply assumed you would prefer a 'woman' you knew." The cobra gave the fox a crooked smile, using her own words against her.

She growled in response and thrust a finger out, "Fine... but if something happens to her, I swear to the gods..." She snapped her ears forward and glanced at me with a scowl, "Katrina, you come with us, I'll need help manning her."

I frowned at her words and was about to speak when Kazemde spoke over me. "Beg your pardon, Lady Blackpaw, but I need Katrina to focus on a different location that is better suited to her abilities. Can you not man the helm without her?"

"We sailed with you in the past, love. I and Lorelai will suffice to help you, will we not?" Elias chimed in gently.

"That's... true..." She spoke out and gave me a look like she didn't like the idea of splitting up from me, then hardened her gaze and nodded at the cobra. "Fine."

"Sir Kazemde, I don't mean to sound full of myself, but isn't that a lot of power in one group? Why I and these foxes have laid waste to entire armies on our own." Lorelai rested her fingertips on her cheek, tilting her head curiously. I had of course heard the tales, but to hear her affirm as much sent a shiver down my spine.

"Given summer is the next season, it will also be the most powerful of the three right now, so that was my line of thought in the matter."

"A sound decision, I have no issues with it then." The sheep nodded and sauntered over to the two foxes.

"Jeremy and Jennifer, please accompany me to the autumn conduit. Having your martial talents will be reassuring." Kazemde focused upon the two mice, giving them a polite bow.

"My sword is yours, Kazemde" Jeremy gave the cobra a quick nod, keeping a hand resting on the grip of his blade.

"Indeed, we'll keep you safe from harm while you do what you need to do." Jennifer gave her own nod, hands resting on her hips.

Kazemde glanced over his shoulder at me, the glint in his eyes saying he knew what I wanted all along. "My student, you take Gloria and Alex to the realm of the winter spirit."

"It'll be no big deal, we'll take care of it, Teacher," I spoke out casually, though in truth, I felt the nerves stirring in me. This wasn't just some walk down the road, we were going into a totally different realm of reality.

"The dream team, back together, eh Kat?" Alex barked the words cheerfully and I offered him a forced smile, trying to bury the concerns.

"The gods have put their faith in me, I shall do my utmost to protect this world, my flock, and my family." Gloria gave a resolute nod, clenching her rosary in her hand.

Alice looked around then frowned and put her hands on her hips. "And me?"

Kazemde smiled at her and shook his head. "You're honorary archmage while I'm gone, how's that sound?"

The rabbit gritted her teeth and glared at the cobra. "You're leaving me here? Kaz, what the hell!"

He offered her an apologetic smile. "Alice, Triallia specifically came to this realm to kill you. I can't be certain she doesn't have measures in place to sense your presence, nor can I be certain the other great spirits couldn't sense you and share in her desire."

"Then I'll kick her ass if she shows up, I'm not going to just sit around while you all risk your necks!" She stomped a foot and showed her sharp teeth in a scowl, her eyes having shifted to red.

"And if your presence alerts them to something being afoot, the whole operation could be thrown in jeopardy, it is too great a risk. I understand your frustration my dear friend, but it is safer for you to sit this one out."

"It will be fine my rabbit, just have faith in us," Elias spoke out gently, putting a hand on her head, rubbing it.

Alice fussed a little more before Sarnai grinned and joined in, both of them now petting her as she slowly calmed, like a fussy child being doted upon to avoid a temper tantrum. I frowned and couldn't help but feel a little jealous over it. Perhaps I should pout and fuss more often, then I'd get doted upon by both my foxes more frequently.

I gave a huff as I felt Alex's heavy hand rest on my head, petting at my ears and mussing my hair slightly. "Don't be jealous, Kat. I'll happily pet you too!"

"S-Shut up!" I snapped out and hip-checked him, bumping him away from me as I scowled and fussed to fix my hair, huffing as I tried to calm my heart, just his touch was enough to get me thinking about the situation to come with the two of them.

Kazemde gave a deep sigh and then nodded. "Well, no time like the present. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Everyone gave him a nod, Alice still fussing a little before she huffed out and stomped away from the group. Moving over to the opulent desk Kazemde used. She kicked her feet up and planted the heels of her boots on the polished surface, offering the cobra a challenging glare.

"The real danger will be returning to an angry rabbit chimera. My sword can't protect you from that, Kazemde," Jeremy hummed out playfully as the cobra frowned at the prospect of it.

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