Chapter 558: The Ward & Shadow Part 1
The morning in House Gale’s manor passed by without any incident. Stryg played with Kamilo, refusing to put the toddler down even as he walked through the gardens with Nora and Feli. Gale stood at a respectful distance, along with one of her cousins, the two of them keeping sight of their lord and his family at all times.
Nora tried to drag Gale into the conversation, but she politely declined. Usually, she’d be happy to spend time with Cly’s lover and her nephew, but right now she needed time to reconcile her dreams with the blue goblin-vampire hybrid walking ahead of her. Goblin-vampire-drow hybrid, she corrected herself.
Stryg was Lady Stryga Veres’ heir. The blood of the three Ebon chromatic races ran through his blood. Such a union of bloodlines hadn’t been seen since the Sapphire of the East still stood. But Lunis had fallen long ago now and its power had faded away for the last three hundred years, until her ward and lord had brought them out of the shadows of Vulture Woods.
Even now the city’s nobility was abuzz with how to deal with the Sylvan army lying behind their walls. Hollow Shade’s forces had been depleted. They were exhausted and still licking their wounds. Whereas the Sylvan army seemed as strong as ever, or at least those were the best estimates from their scouts’ reports. No one had managed to get close enough to actually see their full numbers.
It was times like these that Gale wished they had a powerful True Red on their side. Such a mage could search through their numbers with ease. But Synchrony magic was rare and a True Red with enough power to achieve such a feat hadn’t been seen in a long time in Hollow Shade.
She wondered if she could ask Stryg for more details about the Sylvan army. Would he tell the truth or would he make up some paltry lie? Her ward was a poor liar. Then again, knowing Stryg, he may not even know the true numbers of the army he led to battle.
Stryg was one of the strangest individuals she had ever met. In many ways he seemed like a fool, a country bumpkin who was more interested in a flower on the side of the road than the jewelry wrapped around a lord’s neck. He could be entranced by a simple pastry and forget whatever important sword lesson she had been teaching. Some would call him a fool, but she had seen the way he acted around magic. He took in the lessons like a fish to water. His control over the arcana language alone was daunting, no matter how complex the sigil patterns in a book were, Stryg could replicate it with ease.
The new Lord Veres would rise to great heights among the mageborn, perhaps his magical prowess would one day rival even Elzri Noir. Even if he didn’t, Stryg’s swordsmanship would cover any limitations.
If one only considered martial and magical prowess, then Stryg was an ideal candidate for the Veres throne. Though ever since this morning, Gale couldn’t help but feel as if something was off. Lunae’s words echoed in her mind even now.