Chapter 568 – The Road to Port Kandis

Fewer members of Amethyst Hall have been present lately. Petyr Stormcloud continued to be absent from Aidenhall, and Edina was going to be indisposed for an unknown length of time. Kanae picked up the empty glass potion bottles on the ground. Runald only went through half of them before fully passing out in spirit. His cheeks were hollow and eyes sunken. She put the vials on the nightstand, then pulled the bedsheet up to his neck.

A surge of magic rippled through the hall, briefly shaking the walls. That must be someone coming through the Viviren portal. Kanae stretched her arms before leaving the bedchamber in the direction of the portal room.

Gretchen Redbaron strolled down from the opposite way, holding the leash to Errenard DeSalle's neck. The high elven man walked along behind her, head down and quiet. He appeared well fed and didn't show bones anywhere, but it wasn't his body that was broken. Blank eyes stared forward without much thought, likely retreated somewhere deep within.

"Your Majesty, I've brought DeSalle for the prisoner exchange. The stables will be lonely without his presence, but I doubt I'll grieve his absence for long." Gretchen made a series of clicks with her tongue, and the former admiral kneeled.

"You trained him?" Kanae squinted.

"Well, it isn't as if Errenard is ignorant to the manners of the court. Where shall I keep him for the time being?" she asked.

"We'll bring him to Archbishop Patrice at the Basilica of Saint Rue. She was busy yesterday. Maybe I'll have better luck finding her today."

On their way out of Amethyst Hall, Kanae caught sight of Hilde poking her head into the corridor before snapping back. As soon as they were about to cross her, the succubus cleared her throat.

"Good morning. I see you're about to leave. Perhaps I may accompany you?" Hilde offered stiffly, which was unusual of her.

"Sure. We're headed to the Basilica, but not for a wedding this time," Kanae said.

They unfurled their wings to fly down with Gretchen picking up Errenard like one would a pet cat or dog. Their feet crunched the frosted-over blades of grass of the training fields. Slumping and tired students readied themselves for another day of training. Aidenhall knights set off on patrol, holding helmets in one hand and yawning into their other.

Kanae led the way into the Basilica of Saint Rue, where not a petal of last night's wedding decorations remained. Clerics mopped the floor and wiped down statues of the gods. They were surprised to find Archbishop Patrice at the altar, guarded today by Vestrid and Delayn.

It was the drakeling Saint Priest who noticed them first and lifted a finger up to her lips. Her human counterpart, Delayn, was deep in prayer. As Kanae drew closer, she made out Archbishop Patrice's quiet murmurs. Deeply reverent words uttered to both the Supreme One and, to Kanae's surprise, Demigoddess Arenade. When she finished, the high elf glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

"Amethyst. Congratulations on your wedding." Archbishop Patrice spun to face them.

"I didn't take you for a religious person," Kanae teased.

"On the contrary, I am very religious. I would not have earned the role of Archbishop otherwise. My mother, believe it or not, was named Arenade. A common enough name among my non-Ortesian kind." Her eyes flicked to the collared high elf and glistened with interest. "Ah, but you're not here to discuss theology with me. Is this Errenard DeSalle?"

"It is." Gretchen nodded.

"Brought to me by the former archbishop herself." She smirked, descending from the altar to their level.

Vestrid and Delayn eyed Gretchen cautiously, inching forward as the archbishop walked briskly past them.

"So, when are we conducting the prisoner exchange?" Kanae asked.

"Soon," Patrice answered promptly. "But it will not be here. You will travel to Port Kandis with a fleet of Rown carriages, bringing Arnault Pyrelle, both Errenard and Vernon DeSalle, Darren von Cleisseldor, and Ortesian prisoners. The empire's skittish delegation has already left. Yesterday, in fact."

"Is that why you missed out on my wedding?"

"Regrettably, yes. I tried to convince them to stay a while longer, but they seemed especially hasty in leaving. Of course, I don't expect anything funny to occur given the delicate circumstances between Radevic, the Commonwealth, and Ortesia. I think it is prudent to take precautions, which is why I will have Vestrid join you," she explained.

"My maces are yours, Amethyst." Vestrid flashed a big toothy smile.

Having a Saint Priest along for the ride did make Kanae feel easier about their journey. Vestrid always seemed put together and had a good head on her shoulders. Less whimsical than Camilla, less uptight than Delayn, and less stern than Bocchiri or Sheena.

"Gather your hall and make your preparations. I'd like to not keep our people waiting. They're probably fed up waiting on those ships under Ortesian hospitality," Archbishop Patrice said.

"I'll leave tonight to get an early start then," Kanae promised.

Vestrid would meet them at gates later in the evening. After handing Errenard DeSalle over, the trio returned to Amethyst Hall so Kanae could get ready. Hilde ran ahead and stopped in front of her.

"Kanae, wait. I'd like to accompany you to Port Kandis," Hilde said.

"You do? I thought you weren't as interested in leaving the city like your sisters," Kanae recalled.

"I am still a member of the Amethyst Hall. Claudia and Alicia have elected to stay on account of Dawn. I wish to prove my worth by joining you to Port Kandis, and even to Nu-hauta," she explained.

"Alright, then. I'll be counting on you!"

Hilde lit up like the sun and bolted off to pack her things.

"I'm joining as well. It will be cathartic to see all of the Ortesians I sniffed out returned to their empire," Gretchen said.

"Er—" Kanae flinched. "At least that's less of a drain on resources. You know it costs a lot to keep prisoners."

"I jest. I know very well, having been Archbishop once. I'm going to go see Suvee and Kanade before leaving." She whirled around to head out.

"You'll find out at Silver Hall with Feraline!"

Back in the Knight-Commander's bedchamber, Kanae found Runald just now getting up. Her brand new husband was wobbly rising from bed. He pressed a hand to his pounding head, groaning. When Runald lifted his gaze at her, he fell back in bed and panicked.

"No… No more! I can't even go another minute anymore!" Runald cried.

"Geez. You're starting to sound like Arenade already." Kanae rolled her eyes.

"My sack is shriveled up. My hips are aching. I can't feel my penis. You poured stamina potions down my throat whenever I was getting tired! Why wouldn't I be scared? Wait, are you leaving already?" he asked.

She nodded and said, "Tonight. Headed to Port Kandis to finally finish that prisoner exchange.

Runald suddenly became animated. He searched for his clothes on the ground, found them, and rummaged through his own pockets to find a folded letter.

"Could you give this to my father? It's a letter addressed to my mother and sister back in Ortesia. Who knows if they will read it. Or maybe my father will toss it out to sea. But I just wanted to let them know how I was doing here. I'd hoped to give it to him during the wedding. Never got the chance to since he didn't come," Runald explained.

"I'll make sure this gets to him." Kanae took the letter and smiled.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Hey! You're not going to leave me here, are you? I'm a distinguished living grimoire. A thing of great power. I refuse to be left in a drawer!" Isabella shouted.

They looked in the direction of the desk and sighed.

"I'll leave you to it. I might have a leave of absence from Silver Hall, but that doesn't excuse me from classes." Runald picked up his bag on the way out.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kanae grabbed his arm.

"Like what?"

Pouting, Kanae yanked Runald back and kissed him, shoving her tongue into his mouth. When they parted, his eyes were spinning and cheeks deeply red.

"There. Now you can go." Kanae grinned.

"H-Have a safe trip," Runald stammered and ran out.

Kanae's swishing tail stopped cold as Isabella continued pounding. She walked over to the desk, unlocked the drawer, and pulled it out. Freed, the living grimoire flew up and fluttered her pages.

"Ugh. At last, fresh air tinged with the scent of sex. I ask that you not confine me to such a small space ever again. How barbaric!" Isabella groaned.

"You're coming with me to Port Kandis because I can't trust that you'll behave here. If you don't talk so much, I'll even hold you around instead of stuffing you in a bag," Kanae said.

Night fell, and the Rown carriages gathered at the gates of Aidenhall. Kanae, Gretchen, and Hilde descended to meet Vestrid, who was out of her Saint Priest regalia. Instead, the drakeling donned comfortable clothes for travel and a winter cloak around her shoulders.

Heavy footfalls approached as Aidenhall knights escorted the shackled Ortesian prisoners up to the carriages. They were a hundred men and women of reputation, likely from affluent families of the empire. Ortesia hand-picked who they wanted to bring back. The rest remain imprisoned.

"I recognize some of them," Gretchen muttered. "High-born sons and daughters who had the misfortune of being captured. Imagine the ones being left behind couldn't pay the Ortesian crown to barter for their release."

"You're saying families paid the empire to free them?" Kanae asked.

"Or perhaps Guillaume sought to further consolidate his power by separating those disloyal to him. It certainly wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. And a noble house will never do something that isn't to their benefit. If Petyr were here, she could tell you more," the high elf-succubus explained.

Among this lucky group were Darren von Cleisseldor, who met Kanae's eyes and nodded in acknowledgement. Errenard, Vernon, and Arnault, who walked beside him, did not extend the same sentiments.

As the prisoners climbed into the many carriages available to them, Darren easily shrugged off his guards and walked up to Kanae.

"Hey!" One of the guards brandished his spear at him.

"It's fine." Kanae motioned for him to stand down.

"I was hoping to see my sister and niece one last time. Is it too late to?" Darren asked.

Kanae glanced past him. A tall figure walked briskly this way, and a much smaller one sprinted ahead more quickly.

"Uncle!" Feraline shouted.

"Feraline? Estaline!" The manacles on Darren's wrists snapped as he threw his arms out.

Feraline leaped onto her uncle and started chewing on his horns.

"Hmm. On second thought, I will not miss this." Darren sighed.

"When you return to Rotandrix, tell our mother I'll be ready for her the next time we battle," Esta said.

"How about you don't tempt the warmonger?!" Kanae choked on her spit.

The drakeling family exchanged a few more words before Darren hopped into a carriage. Their caravan was ready to depart. Kanae flew on top of the front wagon and twirled her hand. A cell of ten Aidenhall knights on languisteeds, five to each side, rode beside them as the vehicles rolled forward. Considering there were a little over a hundred prisoners, they had a surprisingly few number of guards for the endeavor.

Archbishop Patrice was putting a lot of faith in Amethyst Hall for this task. Citizens of Radevic parted as the caravan rode through the main thoroughfare. They were half-way out of the city when someone on a pegasus joined them, and flying next to it were two incubi.

"Petyr!" Kanae waved. "I thought you were going to take some time off?"

"And miss pissing off the Ortesians? I think not." Petyr smirked.