It took us at least three hours to arrive at The palace even with maximum speed. Luckily, we were not the last to arrive.
The carriage door was opened by a knight of the royal palace, my right-hand mage, Ael stepped out of the carriage first to ensure safety before offering his hand to me. However it seemed, the long journey had soured my mood.
I didn't take his hand and stepped out on my own which alarmed to the knights and mages that I was in a bad mood. The tension thickened as everyone watched my every movement after i stepped out the carriage, my face nonetheless become stoic and distant. My shade of stormy grey eyes feels distant and muted, as if drained of warmth and light.
Their gazes became wary, their movements are alerted and cautious . Ah I'm really not in mood right now . I walked pass them, ignoring their speech,explaination,gaze, and stare that they are giving. Their stares were unpleasant, to say the least.
The palace is a large, multi-story castle in a Mediterranean style. It has a light-coloured exterior, a tiled roof, and a numerous arched windows and balconies. The main entrance is grand, and the castle is surrounded by extensive landscaping that includes multiple fountains.
My footsteps echoed, as I entered The Palace with my right-hand mage, Ael by my side though a few steps behind to emphasize my authority. The knights guarding the palacebowed theirs head, acknowledging my presence as one of the strongest wizards.
The guards outside the hall bowed their heads before opening the gates to the royal hall, where the banquet, meetings or any other events will be held.
As soon as I stepped inside. The tension was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife.It was heavy and, they all turned their heads to me as I walked to my reserved seat.
It seemed both dukes were already here, But the other wizards hadn't arrived yet. I paused for a moment. well, our tower is not exactly close to the royal palace. I shurgged, feeling their intense stares bore into me. But what could i do?it was not my fault if they were suspicious of me.
"I never thought wizard would be this refined" a sultry voice speak up, I raised my chin and tilted my head. Great, my mood already was sour, and now it beyond that. I frown, the sultry voice belonged to The Duke of the North who was eyeing me up and down.
The Duke of the North, Phoebus Llewellyn. A two-faced man, or perhaps a devil in disguise behind that angelic smile. He had brown hair and round, brown eyes that betrayed none of the innocent they should conveyed. Traditionally, The Duke of the North was cold and stoic, shaped by generations of authority. But Phoebus was a different breed entirely. He is a chatterbox, a social butterfly but equally cunning and sly. Traits that sharply contrasted with his noble title.
"You are surprisingly soft, lord Eirian." he said
"It's a common appearance among wizards, your grace." I replied, my tone calm. He nodded, as if understanding.
On the other hand, The Duke of the South was staring at me. His dark, messy hair covered his forehead but his eyes was cold and unyielding were fixed in my direction. Emrys Cassius, The duke of the south, was ruthless man who would execute you without a second thought. No one dared to cross or defy him except the Emperor and Duke Llewellyn. The Duke Llewellyn and Duke Cassius were quite a duo. They both are unpredictable and somehow can match each other craziness. Only the Emperor had the power their ruthless nature. They were his loyal dogs, his right-hand men and there even a rumor, circulating that they were the Emperor's trusted companions.
The other wizards eventually arrived, First was The Air Wizard, Luelle Anore a beautiful elf wizard accompanied by her lover Lewin Aero, a tall, muscular man and The lightning wizard. The Fire Wizard, Lycidas Aero the youngest wizard among us, who followed quietly behind his older brother. The last to arrive was The Water Wizard, Daelan Kallan and what was even more amusing was how Wizard Lycidas immediately sprang and hissed at Wizard Daelan. Those two are always like cat and dog.
Finally the Emperor, Kaiser Rayne I walked down the grand staircase and took his seat at the head of the meeting table. He regarded us with a serious expression on his face.
"Greetings, my apologies for suddenly calling you here so suddenly." The Emperor said in a calm but firm voice.
"May I humbly ask the reason for this sudden meeting?Your Majesty?" Duke Llewellyn inquired, a smile playing on his lips.
The Emperor nodded before responding "As you know, the Temple of Artemis in Luria, a small village has shown a rather unusual activity, to say the least. it also appears to be connected with the temples of the other moon goddesses in Lyra and Arcaneia." he paused, chosing his words carefully "Thus, I would like all of you to investigate and work together."
Wizard Lycidas spoke up "Your majesty, does that mean we need to form a team?" He asked. The Emperor nodded before replying "Yes, and I have already divided the teams."
"Duke Cassius and Duke Llewellyn, along with Wizard Eirian will go to the Temple of Artemis in Luria. Wizard Luelle and Wizard Lewin will go to the temple of Selene at Lyra and lastly Wizard Lycidas and Wizard Daelan will go to the temple of hekate at Arcaneia."
Wizard Daelan's eyes widened, while Wizard Lycidas wore an unpleasant expression on his face. Both of the Dukes simply nodded, and the lovers smiled, exchanged a please smile, satisfied with the Emperor's decision. However, none of us voiced any objections to it.
The Emperor looked pleased and nodded approvingly and dismissed the meeting. Wizard lycidas was the first to leave followed by Wizard Lewin and his lover Wizard Luelle. The Dukes departed together shortly afterward, and Wizard Daelan vanished into thin air using his water magick. Now only the Emperor and I remained. The Emperor turned to me and asked
"You are not going Wizard Eirian?" He asks
I glanced at him and stood "I will leave now, Your Majesty." With that, I made my exit from the hall and returned to my carriage, where my right-hand mage was waiting in front.