WeepingLiberty

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

Amaris was somewhat surprised by the certainty in Maddie’s voice as she broke down her thoughts on her stance. The cast of mages available for them to choose from were among the faces she knew the least, and Maddie, while still relatively new to the school, was in a much better position to understand the viewpoint of a mage in service than she. Still, she couldn’t agree wholeheartedly with her partner’s outlook, not anymore. The book her father had left behind for her, the private meeting she had with Ryner, and her time spent training with Salazar… it was a secret generations old and one that was not just kept, but actively taught to be considered impossible at best and criminal at worst.

Oh sweet child of the sun, if only you knew. The Countess thought to herself silently. She briefly considered how she might be able to answer without giving too much of herself away in the process, but thought better of it and nodded instead.

“Every so often there might be a story that takes on a life of its own, but if it’s harmless there is little need to do anything about it. I suppose that is a bit different than having an entirely secret history though. Let’s take a look at the mages then, and see if we can’t narrow our selection down.” Shifting her eyes to the table, Amaris scanned each of the faces one by one. She could identify the face and name of only three of the four mages, though the labeled abacus helped to fill in the missing name. Of the three she was familiar with, only two would she be able to speak about and only one had a family taught about in mainstream curriculum.

“Lucky for us, we have one of the mages right here. Do you happen to have a secret family history you would be willing to bet on? ” Amaris asked jokingly, stalling for a bit more time to consider the riddle more.

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

“There is little wrong with leaps of faith, but one must take care to act in confidence rather than arrogance.” The Countess mused as she accepted the chips back into their possession, stacking them neatly with the rest. She considered the dealer’s words, however, thinking on whether it would benefit them to bet higher moving forward or to continue to bet conservatively. Usually the chips were tethered to money or some other form of material wealth, and yet she didn’t feel the same kind of weight with these chips. At first she had assumed the chips were more like available chances. The more one had, the larger the buffer from an incorrect answer… but then what was the end goal. Unlike a normal game, there didn’t seem to be much of an opportunity to bow out and cash in when the winnings were high. It felt more like they were playing a set round of matches until a particular goal was met; so what was that goal?

She found her thoughts on increased betting derailed by the introduction of the next clue, another riddle with fluffed phrasing and vague implications. There was something different this time though. Before, Amaris had felt frustrated by the unclarity and her lack of an immediate response to provide. Now, though, she felt a tad more excitement than she would have expected. With Maddie beside her, Amaris had a partner to bounce ideas off of and to talk through the problem with. She found it both a comfort and a relief.

“Blood spilled over plains… I’d say that sounds possibly pre-treaty or during the lycan threat. Either way that would put our starting point pretty early on. One voice rising above the rest might reference the Noila’s and their guidance through such times, but Ryner’s sister is very much alive and I don’t recall any mention of other siblings. Sybil maybe? Or do you think we should be looking at the successors instead?”

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

That would depend on the nature of the conflict.

The Blood Wars alone were enough to greatly boost the body count of any participating vampire, but it was far from the only conflict to add to the death toll where vampires were concerned. Between legal proceedings post Treaty and petty disputes between families, Amaris could come up with quite a few occasions where an individual’s body count was increased; and none excluded the house of Noila.

Breaking away from her thoughts, Amaris returned to the table but hesitated in physically placing a chip just yet. She could sense a degree of discomfort from her partner and could feel the weight of unspoken thoughts hanging in the air. As confident as she could be in her selection of the princess, there was no glossing over the fact that she had yet to find evidence that removed her own father from the equation. It wasn’t as if she could be faulted for not knowing for certain, but the feeling was no less frustrating to the Countess.

“Might as well hedge our bets and place on Ralmevik too. Unless he’s here solely to remind me of how dead he is, the man’s a possibility.” There was a hint of resignation in her voice, but she knew she couldn’t ignore him. She had already been faced with one of his omissions, there were bound to be more.

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

“With how the exam has played out so far I can’t be certain of anything anymore. Just when you think you have a handle on things Ryner shows up with another surprise.” Amaris lightly tapped the side of the knuckle of her first finger against her bottom lip thoughtfully. She had to agree with Maddie that the Sinnenodels and Astorios were skewed too far in their respective ideologies for there to be any sense of balance. But the remaining two families weren’t standing out to her either. If the blade in question was, in fact, a literal blade, it was not one that she knew of. Then again, until recently she hadn’t known a thing about what her blood was capable of either. If such a secret had to be kept from her, there was no telling what other information she would have to dig up at some point.

“I have doubts about Eve as well. The treaty was signed five hundred years ago, yet Lutheran has only been a representative for about one. Had the Fates selected Biero as they had done my father I might have reconsidered, but as it stands, Lutheran isn’t even recognized as a Lord. The Count lacks the authority we’re looking for.” The Countess noted to her partner. “What about Ryner. The Noila’s are the highest authority we have after all.”

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

The reveal of the kill card brought a sense of relief to the Countess as Lord Peiron’s youthful face peered up from the table. While she was thrilled that one of their two placements had brought them their first ‘win’, she was content in knowing that, at the very least, it wasn’t a loss. She turned to shoot Maddie a small smile before accepting the chips back, the stack now one more than when they had started. Without hesitation the dealer began speaking once again, moving the pair along into their next clue.

“A blade long sealed away for keep, with care and love does it sleep, this one who wields with it perfect skill, equal to tongue and pen in kills.”

Whatever buzz the recent win had brought was quickly replaced with frustration as the man finished speaking. She couldn’t help but to feel that they were being met, yet again, with trick words and half-truths.

“I know there’s a saying about pens being mightier than swords but I’m fairly certain that was meant to be in reference to diplomacy rather than body count. Alrighty then, what do we take literally and what should view through a metaphorical lens?”

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

“Have you ever known vampires to unanimously agree on anything? I’m sure there were plenty who resisted King Geoffry’s rule, just as there are still those that try to resist Queen Anastasia’s. They’ve just learned to do it less openly to avoid the hassle of capital punishment.” Amaris’ tone had taken on a more bitter note than she had intended, although she wasn’t quite sure what it was that bothered her so much. Perhaps it was the reminder that history, as it was written, always seemed to be heavily filtered through a biased lens.

“I would have preferred to be on the up before risking multiple bets, but it might just be our best option on this round. Let’s do it and see what we learn.” She spoke after a moment of silence then shifting her weight forward. Amaris gently placed her chip on Lutheran before selecting another chip and placing it on Sybil per Maddie’s suggestion.

“Are we in agreement then or do we have any last-minute thoughts?” The Countess ran the clue through her mind yet again, searching for any detail that might change the pair’s selections. However, Amaris still couldn’t find anything to narrow down to just one house or better implicate another.

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

The Countess’ eyes tracked the moving counters as they flew from one side of the abacus to the other, first with her father and then again with Aaron. While it did seem the purpose of the object was exactly as she assumed, Amaris was somewhat suspicious of the convenience of such an item. With traditional gambling, the house was typically against card counting and took measures to prevent consecutive wins employing such a method. Here, however, it didn’t seem to matter that the abacus was documenting the numbers for them. Not even bothering to have the players rely on memory to hedge their bets.

Ameris was beginning to get the feeling that there was perhaps more to the game, no, the entire exam, than met the eye. The challenge facing the snake had teetered on the edge of revealing information she had been ordered by Salazar, as well as Ryner, to keep absolutely secret. But in return it seemed to hint at something hidden by or within her partner, whether she was aware of it or not. Still, up until this point, the invasive nature had been contained to the pair as subjects… so why, all of a sudden, were they gambling for a peek into the private lives of their fellow classmates?

Sharp, amethyst eyes snapped back to the dealer as he began speaking once again, revealing that which was to be their next clue. At first, the clue seemed rather specific, but the longer Amaris thought on it, the more she realized the description fit each of the nobles in one way or another. Even her own house had experienced a division surrounding the shift in leadership, but she didn’t know anything about standing against a past ruler. The Astorios had never hidden their displeasure surrounding the treaty and had suffered greatly for it, but she didn’t know enough about the inner workings of their family to know if their stances were united or not. When it came to the Sinnenodels, she couldn’t understand how anyone could trust one another in a house filled with venomous snakes. They seemed like the backstabbing sort but so long as the damage done was overshadowed by the reward it didn’t seem to matter.

The chip in her hand weaved its way around and around her fingers, never once breaking stride as she stared at the table intently.

The Eves. The Countess thought to herself, eyes locking on to the image of a man she was sure had to be Lutheran. He had functionally taken over for the house of Eve after their patriarch had vanished, but unlike her own Salazar, Lutheran had not been able to legally seize the lordship. With so much uncertainty surrounding the house and its future, the internal hierarchy had all but collapsed on itself. Even now at the academy, since the very first night, the Eve selection had changed not once but twice. Of course, the reasons for such frequent shifts in attendance were kept fairly need to know, but it didn’t stop the rumors from flowing.
Still, she wasn’t fully convinced. While Eve made a good selection for a ‘house divided’, she still didn’t have much of an answer to the latter portions of the clue. Leaning back into her partner, Amaris turned her focus back to Maddie.

“I’m thinking of selecting from the family heads since we’re talking about ‘houses’ here, but the best answers I’ve come up with so far have been Eve… and Sinnenodel.”

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

“Interesting.” Amaris responded, her tone lowered to match her partner’s. The logic was sound and not all that unlike her own, however, she had inverted the intentions. It wasn’t uncommon for vampires to sell or trade mages with breed pairing in mind, thus giving away a heart that wasn’t theirs; and who had more influence in the movement of mages than a member of the royal family? However, Maddie’s angle was something Amaris had not considered. Mages were legally considered property of the vampire they were bound to. To fall in love outside of an approved pairing was to offer something in which they had no legal claim.

She decided to trust in Maddie’s assessment and adjust her selection from there. Turning her eyes back to the table before them, she considered her mage’s words carefully as she glanced at each of the other three in turn. One would hope that a mage belonging to a Sinnenodel would know better than to mess around haphazardly, however, knowing Varis and his manipulative ways such a situation could still be remedied to his advantage. And she couldn’t very well count the Starag boy out completely when the mage of an Astorio was also part of the equation. She also knew both boys had ties in one way or another to Eve’s mage, Lilie.

The Countess recalled the scene Victor had caused by throwing the girl clear across the arena during their joint lessons. While both of the boys had made it over to their friend, Aaron had been the quickest to respond to Lilie’s ‘accident’. It was possible he was just the closest to her physically, or that the boy had some sort of hero complex that launched him into action, but to a girl who had just been knocked around by a vampire it wasn’t likely to matter.

“Hmm, Lilie then? I’m a first hand witness to her ignoring a directive from her partner, so I suppose a forbidden romance wouldn’t be too far outside the realm of possibility. And from what I could learn about her from my previous partner, she seems like a kind person overall. Not too far of a stretch to believe she and one of the boys might fall for each other eventually.” Amaris suggested, maintaining her hushed tone from before.

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

Sight was restored to the Countess once again as she was guided to her seat, Amaris blinking several times out of surprise for the sudden shift. For the second time, the pair found themselves transported to a setting that shouldn’t have existed considering their circumstances. While the luxuries of what appeared to be a casino were preferred much higher to an underwater cage, Amaris found the bustling energy and cacophony of voices to be incredibly unpleasant.

She couldn’t deny the marvel that was yet another bubble reality weaved together by magic, this one seemingly more complex than their encounter with the serpent. There was an illusion of life around her, individual voices crying out their wins and losses, yet she knew none of it mattered to them. It was simply the soundtrack chosen to add to the atmosphere, a control over the ebb and flow of tension for what the pair was about to face. Once their business with the, now, animated dealer was completed, the fake lives of the casino goers would fade into the night like a desert mirage on the horizon.

Amaris returned her full attention back to the figure that would be their dealer for the evening, doing her best to maintain a neutral expression as he spoke.

“I’m going to pretend not to be offended by the implications of such a statement.” While the thought didn’t sit right with the Countess, the worst of it was that the man wasn’t wrong. Others of her status were already used to manipulating everything and -one around them in order to achieve an optimal outcome for themselves. It was the game of politics she despised so much but could find no real escape from.

Rather than dwelling on such things, though, Amaris set her sights to the table before her as instructed. Her eyes shifted over the images of the mages to their vampiric partners, and then again to the rows containing faces less familiar to her. It wasn’t until she rested her gaze upon her Ralmevik that she understood the group she was faced with. While his visage was that of a man far younger than she had ever met, there was no mistaking the sight of her late father. She almost burst out laughing at seeing him so young; a stark contrast from her memories of him. The rest she took in one by one, associating the Lord or Lady with the current nobles, until she reached the unpaired image. Ryner’s beauty had only grown with her age, but it was still unnerving to see the past of such an important figure in their society. It felt almost forbidden somehow…

Her eyes snapped up as the dealer began his explanations of a surprisingly straightforward game. Despite the provided scenarios and a sense of a correct or incorrect answer, there was seemingly still the possibility of an unlucky or dud draw. But if such an assumption were true, that also gave the pair the potential to win even if they were at a loss for a proper response. The gamble was in avoiding the one death card out of the near dozen incorrect answers.

A part of the Countess wanted to ask what the consequence of losing the game would be but instead chose to assume the pair would be sent along their way without either of their prizes, having wasted an undetermined amount of time. She couldn’t imagine much worse as a potential outcome for an exam crafted by a woman who claimed to take her students’ safety so seriously. With the explanations complete and the first clue dispensed, Amaris tore her eyes from the ghost of her father to glance at Maddie.

“Leave it to the House to come up with something as unique as this.” Amaris spoke with a smile, the same insatiable curiosity lighting up her eyes as she plucked a chip from the table and rolled it back and forth across her fingers.

“I think it would be wise to play conservatively to start, at least until we are sure we have a grasp on the mechanics of our challenge. So, how does one chip on Ryner sound?” The yellow chip continued to flip about her digits absently as she awaited her partner’s response.

So far everything seemed straightforward, yet the purpose of the abacus hadn’t been detailed in their tutorial of the game. It was possible it meant nothing at all to the pair as players, a tool meant only for the dealer of the game… but it might also serve as a way to keep tabs on which cards had already been played, a visual clue to help narrow down the probability of future draws. Amaris would have to keep an eye on it moving forward until she was certain one way or the other. For the time being, she simply awaited the blessings of her partner before making a final decision.

Of Blood and Magic

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

Amaris accepted the candle into her hands, running her fingers across the object’s surface deliberately. She had hoped that perhaps an additional clue might be found with the token, however, the glitter that Maddie spoke of would likely interfere with her assessment. Still, she ran her fingers lightly across the surface just in case anything stood out to her.

“Well, I suppose it would have to be either this or the bell that introduced us to the serpent. Do you think the matching color is a coincidence?” The Countess asked before shaking her head. Again with the distractions, the origins of a color weren’t going to be much assistance if their challenge was luck of the draw. She could daydream about the color schemes another time.

“Never mind. It’s rude to keep a host waiting. Let’s see what this game has to offer, shall we?” Amaris calmly smiled, hoping to ease some of the building tension. She had the feeling that the challenge had been a lot more taxing for the mage than it had been for herself. After all, she wasn’t the one responsible for dragging around a useless leech. Perhaps she should have urged to move onward instead of selecting yet another obstacle to burden her partner with.

“So, what’s the poison? House selection or players’ choice?” It seemed odd to her that an exam filled with tests of courage and wit would throw in such a wild card. There were many possibilities where gambling was concerned, and some were far easier to influence than others. Whether fortune favored their hand over House obstruction, however, only time would tell.