Librarian Perry put down the letter and looked straight at Choice sitting across from her. She put her glasses down and rubbed her temples. Choice took the time to examine this supposedly powerful woman. She did not look like she was. Perry had brown eyes and messy short brown hair. She looked like an ordinary librarian not the person that her mother was expecting to help her in Cero’s ascension. She definitely did not have the presence Choice had come to expect from powerful people like her father, mother and even Mina had.

“Do you know what your mother wrote in this letter?” Perry asked, pointing a thin finger at the letter on her desk.

“Not really. All she told me was to ask you for something after you finish reading it.” Choice shrugged and said innocently.

“That’s all she told you and you listened. You didn’t take a peek?”

“Well, mama told me that I would hurt myself if I opened it. Also, she told me not to. I don’t often go against my mother.”

“Huh. I guess that barbarian became an even better mother than I thought. So what do you want? Some runes, charms, enchantments?” Perry asked carelessly and propped her chin on her palm.

“I want some books. A book on basic magic and magical engravings and runes. Also, can I take the books with me back to Legume.” Choice’s smile faded when Perry glared at her. Ah she does have the presence. She could have sworn that Perry’s dark skin glimmered for a moment.

“You want to take one of my books,” Perry stated in a low, even tone. Choice had a feeling that a predator was breathing behind her and any wrong action would lead to her head being torn off. Haven’t I been threatened enough already?

“Is there a problem with that? If you are worried about the book, I love books and would never deface one. I take very good care of my books, just ask mama.” Choice looked straight into Perry’s eyes, smiling. She was certain that hearing about her mother would calm Perry. She was right. Perry’s demeanour immediately changed.

“Okay then. I’ll give you one book about magic and one about runes. Just as you asked, there’ll be the primer books.”

“Oh, I am allowed to go into the Library and choose them.” Maybe I’ll get a book with extra information like in all the stories.

“No. That’s not happening. You’ll receive a book from the librarian as you are leaving. Now get out of my library.”

---

The next day, Choice met up with Rita at the Internationale Arena half an hour before she had to return back to her country. She watched Rita trounce two fighters at once without much effort and readjusted her opinion of her. Rita was stronger than she thought.

A few minutes later, Rita noticed her and walked up to her. “Weren’t we supposed to meet in an hour?” She asked and wiped off the sweat from her honeyed skin. Oh, pale and ethereal is the preferred look of gentry women. We must avoid the sun. Her mother won’t like her skin when she sees it later.

“I’m going back in half an hour. We don’t have much time. I’ve thought about our deal and I want to add something else to it.”

“We’ve already shaken on it. Don’t tell me you want to back out now.”

“No, not at all. I’ve just had more time to think about it and I’ve realised this deal benefits you more. I’ll work hard to help you get your dream position and in exchange you’ll give me information and material you really don’t have access to? Apart from that, you’ll be leaving Internationale in a year’s time so I won’t even get enough from you. What I’ll receive from you will be much less than what I am getting. So I’ve decided to change the terms of this alliance.”

“What do you want now, Choice? You want me to spy on my father and his associates. To ‘check up’ on your brother? What do you want to make this more fair.”

“It’s simple. I’ll help you get your dream position as general if you help me get mine.”

“I don’t think I’ll need for that, Legume. I just need to get in and I’ll climb the ladder myself.”

“Don’t be stupid, Rita,” Choice scoffed. She couldn’t really think that she would be able to reach the highest military position by herself without any help, did she. Apparently Rita did. “You know that even if the stars themselves let you join the army, you won’t be able to move up any higher. Not without my help. In fact, I think that the closer I am to my dream, the closer you’ll be to yours. So help me. Fight for me, with me and I promise you, one day you’ll be the general over the Legume army and it might be bigger than it is now.”

Rita stayed silent for a minute, ruminating on her remarks. “Do you,” she asked hesitantly, “Do you know something? Is something going to happen.” Choice smirked and brought her face close to Rita’s.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to know anything about my plans. I’m keeping in line with that. So, this is it. My final adjustment and offer. If you say no, our agreement will end here. No one will need to know anything about what we decided and you can aim to climb the ladder on your own.”

Rita remained pensive then nodded her head. “Yes. You know I’ll say yes. I would yes to a demon if it would help me get my goal and from my point of view, you’re not that far off. So yes, but only until I become general.  ”

Choice chuckled then rummaged in her bag while Rita looked at her quizzically. She pulled out two sheets of scroll paper and wrote something on them. She handed one to Rita as well as a quill and some ink. Rita unrolled her scroll and looked at it.

This is an agreement between Choice Njideka Annabelle Legume and Rita Clarity Claremont. Both parties agree to help each other with achieving their dreams. This agreement will remain valid until one party has achieved their dream.

Underneath this paragraph were their names and spaces for them to sign.

“A formal contract,” Rita asked dubiously, “I thought we were not informing other people of this arrangement.”

“It’s not a formal contract. It’s just a symbol of our agreement. A way for both of us to have a physical reminder of what we plan.” Choice looked pointedly at Rita and signed both documents with a flourish. She glanced at Rita expectedly, a dare in her eyes. Rita scrunched her nose then signed both sheets of paper.

“I’ll see you in a year’s time but we’ll be in constant contact. I’ll send you a raven,” Choice said and pocketed her copy of their agreement. Now she felt satisfied. She was not going to be the losing party here.

---

Choice looked back at the diamond walls of Internationale as they galloped back to the portal. She really appreciated all that she had achieved in the short time she had been at the school. It truly is a good place to make connections, no wonder so many people are desperate to come to this school. Choice clutched the books she had received from Librarian Perry. She was going to wait until she reached a private place before she opened those books. Maybe these books would help her improve her magic use.

Choice looked at Rachel who was surprising quiet next to her. On this trip back, she hadn’t said a word to her and had dropped her joking manner. It was weird anyway. I guess she no longer needs to suck up to me. That reminds me, I didn’t get to find out what she was doing. Oh well, I can’t do everything at once. I have to focus on what I can do and what can help me now. I just hope it doesn’t come back to trouble me later on in the future.

“The portal’s coming up,” Cedric said to her. As if she could have missed the giant glowing purple device.

“Home sweet home,” she replied. Now, she just needed to think about how to help Rita at least become a soldier. Despite her confident actions, she really did not have any extra information, just an inkling. Even taking the first step of letting a woman join the army would be difficult. That wasn’t her only worry.

She also had to worry about how to make money and not in a get rich scheme but in a manner that would keep on providing for her for a long time. Apart from that, she had to throw off her mother’s suspicions about the letter and to undermine her efforts to crown her younger brother. Still, this excursion had been good for her. She had gotten the conch, she had gotten an explanation of magic and she had made new friends. All in all, a fruitful journey.

It was with a smile that she greeted her home country days later.

---

Sera accosted her daughter in the palace a few minutes after she returned from her trip at Internationale. She looked her up and down.

“So, how did it go? Did you give Perry the letter?”

“Yes, I did. I was able to find her just like you said. I didn’t need to use any codewords. So I’ve delivered the letter like you asked, what about my marriage issues.”

“You still don’t want to get married? You didn’t rethink my idea?” Sera said incredulously. Choice narrowed her eyes. Her mother had better not decided to not keep her own side of their deal because she thought she would be persuaded by her librarian friend.

“Why would I have changed my mind? I hated the idea when I heard and it’s taking me everything to not remember that my blood mother had tried to prostitute me. Don’t tell me you didn’t do anything while I was away.”

“Don’t get testy with me child but yes, I spoke to your father, He’s decided to let you get married around the time we did. You should be grateful to your maman.” Choice took in a breath and smiled insincerely.

“Thank you mother. I’ll go take a rest now, it’s been a long trip and I just want to relax in my own bed.” Choice curtseyed and turn around elegantly.

“Did you really not read the letter,” Sera asked at her back.

“You told me there was unknown magic protecting the envelope. I didn’t try to open it as I really know nothing about magic seeing as I wasn’t permitted to go to Internationale.” Choice paused for a minute and Sera seemed to be assured by this sentence. “Are you really not going to tell me what I just delivered?”

“It has nothing to do with you sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. Go have your rest. I’ll see you in the morning when we have our family breakfast at the tenth hour in the morning.”

“Family breakfast,” Choice asked incredulously and whirled around, “We’ve never had that. Not before I left for Aunt Bas’ and certainly not after I returned from finishing school.”

“Well, your father’s having one of his ideas. He says he wants the family bond to be stronger and be an example to other families.”

“He is probably trying to show off. I am sure this won’t last long.”

“Maybe it won’t my dear but the first breakfast will be happening tomorrow. Everyone will be there, well apart from your brother. But everyone else. So you better be there, I can’t be the only one from our side of the family.” Sera said and chuckled.

“If it is what you desire mother, I will be there.” Choice inclined her head and glided away from her mother.

Sera waited until her daughter was far away from her before she said out loud to seemingly no one. “It’s been only twelve years but already I don’t understand that girl. Sometimes I can’t believe she’s even mine. Such a shame, wouldn’t you agree?”

Rachel walked out of the shadows and responded woodenly, “I can’t really say your Majesty. She was surprisingly guarded and didn’t open to me.”

“Of course she was. That school is at least useful in this one thing. They break women there and remold them until they become no different from one another. Catty, petty and suspicious. There’s not a single honest woman from that school and they’ve gotten to my daughter. She’s been corrupted.” Rachel remained silent at this rant. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard the Queen go on this rant. “Tell me at least you got what I asked you to get.”

“I have, my Queen,” Rachel said and handed Sera the cloth that had Choice’s blood.

“Uhh, I’m not going to lie. I thought you would bring me blood from when she has her time of the month. I’ve been told period blood is more useful because of its intimate nature and connections with fertility.”

“I apologise your Majesty, the princess was not on her flow in the last few weeks.”

“Ugh, don’t be so stiff Rachel, I’m not going to punish you. In fact, I’m very happy with your progress. So happy that I’m going to leave you with my daughter. She worries me. Watch over her and report back to me if she makes any unusual actions.”

“Yes ma’am,” Rachel replied impassively.

“Also, it’ll be better if you get closer to my daughter. I know she likes people with unusual features and that hair of yours is pretty different.” Rachel flinched when Sera mentioned her hair and took a step backwards.

“Thanks for the advice your Majesty,” she said stiffly and hurried away.

“Ah children,” Sera said humorously, “They’re just so cute.”

She stuck the cloth that Rachel had given her into her pocket and looking around her walked out of the corner she’d been in. She walked to an abandoned room and cautiously pressed a panel on the wall to reveal a door. Sera tried to push open the door but it refused to budge.

“Shit,” She cursed under her breath, “this fucking palace is breaking down every fucking day.” Sera breathed in and on the exhale used her aura to push the door open. She was in her fifties but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still powerful.

The door led her to a forest outside the city wall. There was obviously some magic involved because the palace was nowhere near the city wall, in fact, it was in the centre of the capital. Sera walked a while before she brought out a charm and placed it on the ground. She concentrated for a bit before letting a little bit of aura touch the charm and activated it.

Sera waited for a bit while nothing happened. “Well well Sera. I thought you’d never get in touch with me. In fact the last time we met, didn’t you call me a useless foolish has-been who clearly had no sense for the mystical. I thought I would never see you again but here you are, calling on dear old Tasha.” Someone put their hand on their shoulders and Sera without hesitating flicked it away.

“Ah, you are still so cold.” Sera turned to looked at the woman that had appeared out of nowhere. Tasha was a woman with dark skin and dark eyes. She had brown hair and she was much shorter than Sera was to her consternation. She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties but Sera knew that she was the same age as her.

“You look as young as ever,” Sera said, pointing with her chin.

“Thank you for noticing, compliments of the occupation.”

“Yeah, do people call you young lady and do men stop you to give you advice and fight to protect this dainty little flower everytime you go anywhere slightly dangerous. ‘Cos I remember you hating that when we were younger but yeah, compliments.”

“Ugh,” Tasha sighed, “If I’d known I’d remained frozen, I would never have sold my soul. I would have waited until my forties and bargained then because people take older people more seriously. But I’m sure you know all about that, your Majesty. Which takes me back to my previous question. Why would a Queen like you go looking for a witch like me.”

Yes, Tasha was a witch. To be more specific, she was a contractor to a demon. What is called witchcraft was a branch of magic where people who did not have the ability to perform magic, gained it through a contract with a higher being. The contractor promised the being something in exchange for this, whether it was their soul or their fertility, their ability to walk or their faith and desires. How powerful the magic you got depended on the being summoned and what you gave in exchanged.

So, technically, the priests of the gods as well contractors to demons were all technically practicing witchcraft but only demon contractors got called witches and were disparaged.

“You know I don’t like that term. Can’t you just say contractor?”

“Oh don’t be a stick in the mud, Sera. I swear you used to be more fun when you were younger. Don’t you know, we’re all witches.”

“Maybe I used to be more fun but I’ve grown up. I’ve had to grow up. Not all of us have the luxury or remaining young and living for a long time.”

Tasha’s eyes flashed and she sneered at Sera. “Better tell me why you called me, Sera or shut your mouth. I wouldn’t want to have to end one of my few friendships in sadness.”

Sera flattened her lips and pulled out the cloth with Choice’s blood.

“When Choice got attacked twelve years ago. You said there was a lot of movement in the spirit realm but you didn’t say why.”

“I didn’t say why because I didn’t know why,” Tasha and took the kerchief. “Is this what I think it is?”

“I want you to try again. Maybe now that she’s older, you can get something from it.”

“It’s not menstrual blood. You know I prefer menstrual blood.” Tasha put the cloth on a piece on iron she’d brought out of her sub space. She sprinkled some powder on it while talking.

“I know but did you really think I would be able to get that. Even though she doesn’t no anything about magic, she’s very careful with her blood.She even incinerates the materials she uses during her time of the month.”

Tasha chuckled as she muttered chants over the material. “Sounds like  she’s very cautious and she had a right to be. You are performing a ritual using her blood after all. Any reason why you want me to scry her fate.”

“I don’t understand her anymore. She’s different now from before and she does not listen to me at all.”

“Sounds like she’s still a teenager. You know they never listen to their parents. It’s not really an appropriate response to spy on their fate.”

“What would you know about having children.” Tasha did not respond to the jibe. At her silence, Sera rolled her eyes and continued,” her brother is a teenager and he listens to his mother. No, something is different about her and I think I know why. Speaking about that, did you check on what I asked you to previously?”

“Yes I did. I waited an entire year for you to get in contact with me. But somebody was stubborn and it is as you thought. I’m sorry.” Sera robbed her hand on her forehead and sighed in sadness. She was about to ask Tasha to give her more information when there was a bright light and Tasha got flung into the air. She flew backwards for a few metres taking some trees with her.

“I’m fine!” She called and Sera scoffed. Of course you’re fine. Even if I stabbed her a hundred times, she’d be fine. Even if I flung her off a mountain, she’d still be okay. What a pity!

“Hey, I heard that,” Tasha shouted.

“I know you did. In fact I made sure you did,” Sera called back. Tasha came trudging out of the woods with leaves in her hair.

“You are a very mean friend. I can’t believe we are even friends. How can you want me to die.” She said and pouted. Sera rolled her eyes. Tasha got more childish everytime and she made her act in the same way

“Okay, enough of that what happened.” Tasha stopped acting and put on a serious expression.

“I couldn’t really see anything,” she responded solemnly, “It was like something was blocking her future and in also seemed to be in flux. What I know for sure is that Choice has a destiny and it’s a great one.”

“Yeah but we know destinies mean shit. It’s just unlucky that she was born in this part of the world. Maybe there’s a place where she could have been someone great but that place is not Legume.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry you weren’t able to fulfill your potential but what you’re doing now is great too.”

“But is it really,” Sera replied sarcastically, “It was foretold that i’d be a great warrior. That I would bring glory to my kingdom, that’s the only reason my parents sent me to Internationale but the moment they could trade me away they did. I’m trying to make things better now for the women of the future but I have to hide behind my son to do it. Behind my son!” Sera whipped around and hit some trees with her staff. Tasha did nothing to stop her and watched as she brought down a few trees in her venting.

“Does that help,” She asked when Sera was done.

“Yes extremely.”

“Good. So what are you going to do?”

“I have plans to make things better but it will be too late for her and her destiny. I wanted her to help me, to join me, to contribute but...she’s so selfish. She can’t see that even if she doesn’t get what she wants we’ll be making things better.”

“Well, I may not have children but from I’ve seen children only realise that their parents are doing the best for them when they get older. Just hang in there. In the future, she’ll understand you.” Sera nodded.

“I’ve got to go now. The Queen can’t be missing for too long but I appreciate you coming to help me even though you didn’t need to after the last fight we had.”

“You’re my friend of course I’ll help you. I guess it’s bye for now. Dismiss me, I’ll send you another charm to use to contact me although you won’t be able to get me for the next two years but the charm will have other uses.”

“Two years? Why so long?”

“Oh you know, the boss wants me to come and help in his domain, yadda yadda yadda.” By boss, she meant Abaddon, a powerful destruction demon.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Oh don’t be so worried. It’ll be fine. The charm will let you connect to one of the other contractors. Don’t get too attached to them, none of them is as powerful as me.” Sera nodded then materialised her staff. “Oh be careful when doing that. Last time, it really hurt.” Sera scoffed the stabbed her in the chest.

“Nooooooooo,” Tasha cried out then after a moment chuckled, “Aw, you never fall for that. Bye.” Her figure dissipated into black mist. Sera coughed and used her hand to clear the mist. Tasha always made sure to remain an annoyance even after she left. Sera cleared out the markings Tasha had made in the sand then inhaled a deep and weary sigh. She turned to walk back to the palace.

There was no time to catch up with old friends. At least not yet, but soon, soon things will change.