“Oh, it’s you again, miss!” The well-rounded guards-commander greeted Hazelmere as soon as he saw her.

“Hopefully, I will see His Majesty this time.”

“You’re lucky because, when His Majesty learned you’ve been denied the audience, he made it absolutely clear we’re to send you to him as soon as you show up. So, I understand you’re weary from traveling, but I don’t want to get on His Majesty’s bad side. And I suspect you don’t want to get there either.”

“Good, I don’t have time to waste anyway. I must return as soon as possible.”

“Boy! Go and see what His Majesty is doing! Tell him the royal archmage came to see him!” The guards-commander barked his orders to the youngest guard among them, “Then, find us in the main hall!”

“Yes, sir!” The young guard saluted quickly before running off.

Dealing with that, the round guard turned towards Hazelmere once again:

“If you’ll please follow me.”

---

Some time passed in silence as the guards, Hazelmere and Vukasin walked towards the palace entrance. The guards didn’t ask any questions, and Hazelmere didn’t feel like running her mouth, worried she might reveal something she shouldn’t.

The young guard rejoined them in the main hall, letting his commander know that His Majesty wanted to receive the royal archmage in the throne room. Without further ado, the guards-commander led her there.

The big, two-piece door opened, revealing the enormous room. It was decorated will large portraits of previous Emperors hung on its walls. A huge throne sat at the far end of it. It had to be huge because the person sitting on it was gargantuan.

The Emperor has already taken his place on the throne, holding a scepter in his right hand. And, while the throne was big enough to take most of his frame, some of his mass did spill out of it in certain places.

As Hazelmere walked on the silken red carpet towards His Majesty, she noticed that someone was kneeling beside him. Taking a better look, she recognized the person.

Right next to the throne kneeled Rowena, the former royal advisor. She was dressed in plain clothes and, much more importantly, had a slave collar on her neck. There was a leash attached to the collar, its opposite end held firmly in the Emperor’s left hand.

For a moment, Hazelmere’s and Rowena’s eyes met. But, as soon as they did, Rowena turned her gaze low in a display of shame.

Seeing that made Hazelmere rearrange her posture, trying her best to look as proper and respectful as possible.

“Ahoy, royal advisor!” The Emperor greeted her, appearing to be in a merry mood.

Hazelmere took a deep bow with Vukasin following right after: “Ahoy, Your Majesty!”

“I’m saddened to hear that you’ve been denied an audience with me before. Thanks to a certain, scheming harlot.”

The Emperor’s voice remained friendly. However, right after he said that, he yanked the leash in his hand. That made Rowena’s head move against her will, hitting the sharp edge of the throne’s armrest with a dull thud, eliciting a low cry of pain from her.

“I was thinking of sending someone to deliver my apologies for such a poor reception. Even though I wasn’t aware of that, I am the one responsible for giving my … advisor too much of a leeway. But, in the end, I’ve decided that you already have too much to deal with. And, you’ll eventually be coming back anyway.”

Hazelmere bowed her head respectfully: “There is no need for any apology, Your Majesty.”

“Nonsense, of course there is! Had you been given the audience, the things would’ve ended differently! Had I heard what you had to say, I would’ve agreed to abandon the summoning! The responsibility for what has happened lies firmly with her!” The Emperor pointed his scepter at Rowena as he said that, “But, I don’t want to waste time ranting. You certainly came here for a good reason. Tell me, what do you seek this time?”

Hazelmere took one step forward: “Your Majesty, strange things have started crossing the portal. Now, before I go any further, I must say that those things didn’t show any hostile intent so far. They are peaceful for now.”

The Emperor’s mood changed dramatically: “Things? What things?”

“We don’t know for sure, Your Majesty. And that is why I am here. They look like insects from afar but, upon closer inspection, some of us are thinking those may be constructs.”

“Insects, like, those little buggers?” The Emperor used his thumb and index finger to illustrate the small size.

“Yes, Your Majesty, but these buggers aren’t small. Some of them are as big as a person! Some of them can even talk, although we don’t understand a word they say.”

“Have they attacked you?”

“No, Your Majesty. They have been peaceful so far.”

“Have you captured any of them?”

“No, Your Majesty. They are too fast. That is why I came here to ask for help. As I have said, some of us think those are constructs. And, unfortunately, our understanding of constructs is lacking. I don’t think anyone in the Empire has a proper understanding of them. That is why we need help from outside of your realm, to truly understand what we are dealing with.”

“I’m certain our armies are using big constructs to fight! There’s an entire order of knights which uses these constructs in battle!”

“Are you referring to host knights, Your majesty?”

“Yes, them!”

“Unfortunately, those aren’t constructs. The hosts these knights use aren’t mechanical, even though they are somewhat similar in appearance to constructs. They are magical in nature. Manipulating them takes a special magical gift, one which is a separate branch of magic. Constructs, on the other hand, are mechanical. Yes, they do use magic, but they are made from dead metal. They aren’t a part of the living nature, unlike hosts.”

“So, you’re saying those knights can’t help you?”

“No,Your Majesty. Unfortunately, they can’t. However, the dwarves could help a lot.”

“Hmm …” The Emperor stroked his beard for some time. Finally, he yanked the leash in his hand, but he did it gentler this time.

“What do you say, slave advisor? Should we ask the dwarves for a favor?”

Rowena kept her head low: “If what the royal archmage is saying is true, and there’s a chance there are some exotic constructs out there, I don’t think the dwarves will see our request as a favor on their part. Besides, the other nations already know what has happened, so it’s not like we’ll lose some prestige when asking for help. And I’m certain the dwarves will greatly appreciate the fact that we’re willing to share such information with them. It may even improve the relations between our nations.”

“Are you as certain as you were certain about summoning the portal?”

Rowena kept quiet. Seeing her lack of response, The Emperor let out an annoyed grunt.

“I’ll see what I can do. The dwarves have always been … weird in their customs and behavior. You never know with them. I’ll send a request, and the diplomats will take it from there. If they agree to our terms, I’ll have my advisors ...”

The Emperor paused in his speech as he turned his gaze away from Hazelmere to look at Rowena.

“Not this one here, but the competent ones. I’ll have them make sure the dwarves have everything they need. You won’t have to worry about accommodating them.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Hazelmere said while bowing her head.

“Is there anything else you need, besides me asking the dwarves for help?”

“There is one more thing, Your Majesty. It is about the ruins below our camp.”

“The ruins?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have sent a letter, asking for an adventuring party to be sent there and clear them for good. The ruins are full of monsters, and we are worried they may come to the surface and threaten our camp. If that would happen, we would lose control of the portal.”

“I haven’t received any letter regarding that. But I’ll see what I can do. Still, as far as I know, it takes moons, if not years, for the adventurers to form their parties and prepare for dungeon exploration. From what I’ve heard, very few of them are eager to do it.”

Hazelmere nodded her head in agreement, not saying anything.

“I’ll see to it, but don’t expect the adventurers to arrive any time soon.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Is that all? Is there any other way I can help you with managing the portal?”

“No, Your Majesty. I need those two things, and nothing more at the moment.”

“That’s good. But I have a lot of things to ask you about. I got wiser since the last time we’ve met, so I want you to explain everything to me: what has happened, what is happening right now, what are you planning to do, and what you’ve learned so far.”

---

It took a long time for Hazelmere to explain everything. The Emperor wanted to hear the tiniest details, continually interrupting her to ask questions about the most unimportant things, which dragged the conversation in the wrong direction.

However, Hazelmere knew that complaining was never an option. She stood in the room for a good portion of the day, giving her best to leave the impression of professionalism, understanding, and patience. Her legs started hurting from all the standing, but she did a good job hiding it. The questioning dragged on for so long, she had to postpone her departure until the next day.

A few weeks later, she was back in the camp. As soon as she got out of her carriage, she noticed Cybil waiting for her.

“Did something bad happen?” She asked in a worried voice.

“No, it has been quiet ever since you have left. No new bugs have tried coming here.”

“Then why are you here? I doubt you came here to greet me.”

That made Cybil smirk: “Of course not. I just came to tell you that we have a guest.”

“A guest?”

“Yes, and a very welcome one, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you. He arrived last week and insisted he will stay here until you return. You will find him in your tent.”

“I mean … thanks for letting me know, I guess. But why isn’t Mizette the one telling me this? I would expect her to care more about me than you do.”

“That is certainly the case, especially since she isn’t fond of me. But, she was kind enough to let me know she will be busy for a while, so I thought it would be fair to tell you this before you start undressing in your tent. We may not like each other, but we have no other choice but to cooperate now.”

“I … agree. Thanks. But what is Mizette doing? What is she busy with?”

“I have no idea, and I don’t care. I do appreciate her telling me she won’t be available if I need her though.”

“Aha. Ok, I will be on my way now. I don’t want to keep the guest waiting.”

Hearing the news, Hazelmere rushed towards her tent. As she removed the curtain from the entrance, the intense, sudden whiteness pierced her eyes.

Her eyes adjusted quickly, making her realize those were big, white wings.

“Oh, miss royal archmage!” A pleasant, soothing voice spoke, “I apologize for the intrusion.”

Hazelmere bowed her head instinctively: “You aren’t intruding at all! It’s an honor to have you here!”

The angel smiled genuinely: “I understand you must be overwhelmed so, in the case you have forgotten, my name is Galizur.”

“Oh, yes, yes, I do remember,” seeing the angel’s androgynous, but nevertheless beautiful, face made her smile go wide.

“I came to see how you are doing, and if you need any help. Though, there isn’t much I can help you with until your Emperor agrees to accept our help.”

“He will accept it. There is no doubt about it.”

“I am not so sure … your Emperor clearly has plans of his own.”

“He will accept because he understands we need all the help we can get. The creatures on the other side haven’t shown any hostile intent yet, but anyone who makes hulking, wild beasts run away as soon as they see them has to be extremely dangerous.”

Galizur sat down, relaxing his muscles while doing so: “Please, tell me about those creatures. I am very curious about them. Do they look like demons? Do they have horns, claws, devilish tails? What is the color of their skin?”

Hazelmere took a seat next to him: “There are so many different kinds of creatures on the other side! There are these beings who have people-like silhouettes, but we can’t get a good look at them because they are very secretive and careful. But I better start at the beginning.

Hazelmere went to great lengths to describe everything she saw and everything that has happened so far. Galizur mostly kept quiet, interrupting her only when her descriptions were vague and unsatisfactory. The angel proved himself to be a very patient and attentive listener.

“So, you don’t know if those are constructs or living beings?”

“Exactly! There is merit to both hypotheses, which is why we need someone who knows more about the constructs than we do.”

“Hmm … the dwarves are indeed your best option. But be prepared, they are the most unpleasant race I have ever had the displeasure of conversing with. For each good quality they have, you will find several disturbing flaws. Their bad tempers are famous all over the Greadinall. Just a single word is enough to enrage them.”

“With the fate of the world at stake, I have no other choice.”

“I understand, just … be careful.”

Hazelmere’s tail fluttered a bit upon hearing those words.

“Thank you for everything,” Galizur continued, “you have certainly made my job much easier. We in the heavens must know what is happening, so we could intervene if necessary. But, I also came to ensure you are aware of the newest developments yourself. I am not certain how much the Emperor is willing to reveal to you, so I realized it would be for the best to ensure you know what is happening in the world.”

“Did something important happen?”

“You could say so. The rulers of all the nations of Greadinall have been summoned to discuss everything related to the portal. Of course, your Emperor has been summoned too, although he hasn’t answered the summons so far.”

“So, does that mean some armies will be sent to defend the portal?”

“In the perfect scenario, yes. However, the silence of your Emperor worries us. We are worried that the war between your Empire and the hosagians can be used as an excuse to prevent the armies from reaching the portal. It is of the vital importance to stop a demonic invasion at the portal itself, but your Emperor may not agree to it.”

Hazelmere eyed Galizur warily: “If that does happen, would that start a new war? With everyone joining to fight our Empire?”

Galizur let out a long sigh: “I don’t know. That remains to be seen. It is one of the things we will discuss. And it is bound to be a long and heated discussion. If we don’t stop the demons here, at the portal, it will be much harder to fight them. But, fighting your Empire would weaken the armies, which would also make it harder to fight the demons.”

“I see.”

“In any case, nothing is certain so far. But, whatever is decided, I will fly here to let you know. You have too much to worry about already. Also …”

“Yes?”

“I apologize for any inconvenience, but could I stay here for some time? I would like to be here as a representative of the heavens, and maybe I could help you if the need arises. Would that be a bother?”

“No, no, of course not!”

Realizing Galizur could misinterpret that, Hazelmere started waving her hands vigorously, with a panicked look on her face.

“I mean … it’s not a bother! You can stay here for as long as you like!”

Galizur just smiled cutely at how flustered she was: “Thank you. I will stay in this tent. I prefer it the most. And, if you remember, there is no need for you to feel bad about it.”

Feeling even more flustered now, Hazelmere jumped out of the chair: “That’s fine, that’s fine, whatever you prefer. I have to go now … and talk with my subordinates. I must see what has happened while I was away.”

Galizur smiled knowingly once again: “I understand.”

“Ok, I’ll … see you later,” Hazelmere said as she turned away, running out of the tent.

As soon as she was out, she started quietly talking to herself.

“What’s wrong with that angel? Is he … teasing me? Why would he say that? Anyway, I better go and see what Mizette has been doing. If she’s busy, that must mean she’s working hard on something. As her best friend, I should offer to help.”

So, she strode through the camp with a newfound purpose. Luckily, Mizette’s tent wasn’t far away from hers.

She didn’t bother announcing her presence as she walked through the entrance.

“Hey Mizette, I am back! I have heard you are working on some … what in the heavens are the two of you doing!”