A sudden, nameless fire ignited in Lostya Huggins's heart. "I do not believe I am under any obligation to explain my--" Her words dissolved into a sharp, involuntary gasp, a sound born not of pain, but of a keen, startlingly exquisite pleasure.

  "Standard examination procedure. Maintain silence," Aurelia commanded, crouching to lift Lostya's skirt with clinical detachment—drawing it brazenly to her waist before probing the wound on her left thigh with practiced fingertips. "Why am I experiencing not pain, but rather—" Lostya's sentence terminated in another sharp gasp as the sorceress before her applied her tongue directly to the wound. Julia averted her gaze with hasty propriety, while Ash Davan observed the proceedings with unconcealed fascination.

  "This precise scenario explains my steadfast refusal of her healing services," Julia remarked dryly. Lostya's body quivered involuntarily, waves of pleasure intensifying with each passing moment. "That place you seem so fond of is not the wound," she protested, forcibly displacing the healer's head.

  "That particular area represents a woman's most profound wound," Aurelia countered, delicately dabbing at the moisture on her lips with a fingertip—the gesture somehow transforming vulgarity into elegance. "It constitutes a woman's most vulnerable weakness."

  Lostya remained enveloped in lingering sensations. She composed her garments with trembling hands. "Is your tongue laced with some sort of aphrodisiac?" Lostya accused, though her voice was still breathy. The other woman merely offered a slow, wicked smile in return.

  "Lona." Julia navigated past Aurelia to position herself beside Lostya. "I must apologize for my... injudicious terminology earlier." Her peripheral vision remained fixated on the ghastly wound marring the raven-haired sorceress's right breast—a sight so disturbing she could scarcely maintain focus until Lostya concealed it with her palm. "These injuries appear... exceptionally severe." Her words emerged with careful deliberation. "I cannot help but feel entitled to understand what circumstances produced them."

  Lostya Huggins held Julia's gaze with her violet eyes momentarily—a subtle acknowledgment of the apology's acceptance. Ash Davan let her floating goblet drift back to the table, leaned back in her chair, and with a rustle of sky-blue silk, hiked her gown just enough to cross one long leg over the other, propping her chin on a fist, her head a cascade of golden waterfall. "The responsibility lies with Raveirmom."

  "Merciful heavens!" Julia exclaimed with scandalized horror. Aurelia struggled to suppress her amusement, while Ash awaited further revelations with undisguised interest. "I've always considered that particular gentleman... the embodiment of rectitude. Legend maintains he can pass the Myriad Pavilion—Lumfinester's most notorious pleasure establishment—without the slightest flicker of acknowledgment..."

  "Merciful heavens!" Lostya mimicked with exasperated disbelief. Aurelia surrendered to unrestrained laughter, while Ash absorbed every nuance of the exchange. "Your interpretation proves egregiously incorrect. I never suggested Raveirmom perpetrated such improprieties..." The ebony-haired sorceress shook her head in resignation. "Kindly refrain from adopting Aurelia's depraved interpretive framework—her consciousness exists in perpetual squalor. Raveirmom merely dispatched me on a particular commission, during which I sustained these injuries. Nothing more complex occurred."

  "I find myself intensely curious regarding what manner of assignment could produce such grievous wounds," Julia observed. "Surely you possess this intelligence, esteemed physician? I suspect she provided certain details while soliciting your treatment."

  Aurelia responded with a dismissive headshake. "Complete ignorance, I'm afraid—as previously established, my cognitive processes prioritize carnal matters. Direct your inquiry to the primary source."

  Julia redirected her attention to Lostya, absently tucking an errant strand of deep chestnut hair behind her ear. The latter lowered her gaze deliberately, establishing an impenetrable psychological barrier. "Very well." She abandoned further investigation. Ash Davan reanimated her cup's levitation, her interest in the conversation now thoroughly exhausted. "Your recuperative progress exceeds initial projections," Aurelia offered, attempting to dissipate the oppressive atmosphere. Lostya acknowledged this with vacant, mechanical nodding as conversation lapsed into frigid silence.

  "Such solemnity pervades this gathering." The resonant masculine voice startled every occupant; Ash's chalice catapulted through the air uncontrollably. "Ladies, your presence provides considerable pleasure," Raveirmom Dear announced, entering with confident self-assurance, "prior to Cynthia's inevitable capitulation."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "My lord." Ash inclined her head in perfunctory deference, inwardly grateful her projectile cup had avoided the duke's cranium. Julia replicated the gesture with visible discomfort. "My lord," Aurelia greeted with practiced warmth, "perhaps future entrances might benefit from preliminary auditory notification. This enclosure constitutes feminine territory."

  Duke Dear blinked momentarily, apparently realizing for the first time that his audience consisted not of subordinate military personnel but of formidable female practitioners of arcane disciplines. "I concede the impropriety. My habitual comportment within military encampments permits unrestricted access throughout." He located a suitable chair, his evaluative gaze fixing upon Lostya Huggins. She acknowledged him with a cursory eye movement before deliberately shifting her focus elsewhere.

  "What circumstances motivate this unexpected visitation, esteemed Duke?" Aurelia inquired, maintaining her diplomatic smile.

  "Reports of your arrival provoked considerable surprise. If memory serves, a particular lady once categorically stated her feet would never contact unpaved surfaces."

  "Your intervention bears direct responsibility for that compromise," Lostya muttered under her breath.

  The duke affected deafness. "Nevertheless, your collective presence provides genuine satisfaction."

  "In truth, our premature arrival serves multiple objectives," Ash Davan resumed her languid posture. "His Imperial Majesty desires our arcane capabilities deployed in martial contexts."

  "Paralleling our involvement in the Crividsylvan conflict," Julia elaborated.

  "Crivi?" he inquired.

  "Precisely." Ash continued, "However, the current scenario presents substantially increased complexity and magnitude."

  "What specific magical applications did you implement in Crivi?" he probed.

  Ash's sapphire eyes expanded dramatically. "Surely this doesn't constitute new information?" Her expression conveyed simultaneous astonishment and disappointment. "The cataclysmic lightning manifestation, my lord—the phenomenon that obliterated half the royal residence!"

  "My awareness encompasses that particular incident, madam." Raveirmom's lips curled into a sardonic smile. Ash Davan's mouth contracted into a sullen expression as she withdrew from further commentary. "Elaborate on your assertion regarding escalated difficulty and scale."

  Julia raised a single, slender finger for emphasis. "In Crivi, our adversary was but one Court Mage, the formidable Gale Lassō, whose true years likely outnumber all of ours combined. With her power alone, she held the three of us -- all save Aurelia -- at bay, even as she wove a portal to spirit the Crividsylvan Queen and Prince to the safety of a high tower. Had Lona and Ash not combined their powers to conjure a storm of wind and lightning, it is likely the royal family would have escaped cleanly. Now, however, we face Cynthia. And Cynthia has more than a single sorcerer to call upon. They have an entire academy devoted to the Art… Saint Asini, I believe it is called. And by some cruel twist of fate, that very academy resides here, in Pafaheim."

  Raveirmom Dear unconsciously stroked his chin in contemplation. "You anticipate magical countermeasures during siege operations?"

  "Probability suggests such intervention," Julia maintained her role as spokesperson. "During the Crivi campaign, Gale Lassō implemented '??????? ?' to prevent military and magical penetration of Sylvwood Hall. This enchantment facilitated temporal extension, ultimately necessitating lightning-based destructive measures against the palace structure. Consequently, with multiple arcane practitioners at their disposal, Cynthia will likely deploy defensive enchantments of expanded dimensional scope to safeguard their primary gateway."

  The duke maintained attentive silence, projecting comprehension he clearly lacked. Following Julia's exposition, she awaited his response. "What significance does that incantation possess?" Raveirmom inquired, discomfort evident in his tone. "Those sequential phonetic elements you articulated..."

  "Ah." Julia's hand rose to her forehead in momentary chagrin. Ash erupted in spontaneous mirth. "Conceptualize it as cryomantic manipulation. Its antiquity renders its vernacular designation temporarily inaccessible to my recollection."

  "Most likely a working of Eternal Magic," Ash offered. "It bears all the hallmarks."

  "That classification proves accurate," Lostya affirmed without visual engagement.

  Raveirmom nodded with feigned comprehension. "You project similar arcane resistance in Cynthia?"

  "Potentially with magnified severity."

  "What strategic approach have you formulated, ladies?"

  Ash Davan's features arranged themselves into a mischievous configuration. "Elementary, my lord. Your cavalry shall provide our transportation."

  The duke appeared either to miss the humorous intent or deliberately disregard it. "You propose this seriously?" His vocal register descended ominously. "Attempting magical invocation while mounted on unstable equine transport?"

  "She jests, my lord. As is her custom, her timing is… unfortunate," Julia said, shooting a reproving glare at her blonde companion. "When circumstances necessitate intervention, we shall establish portable arcane gateways..."