“That ability of yours is incredibly useful. To think you travel between London and Tokyo in the blink of an eye.” Eleanor said, clearly impressed. “If only we could do the same, our troubles would be greatly lessened. Even being able to travel the other world between our major cities would make deferivial. It’s your maid who grows the mushrooms that make up the Fairie Rings, doesn’t she?”

  “You’re fooling nobody, Princess.” David shough his own expression was grim. “You just want to put off what we’re doing. Not that I bme you. But poor old Raidre is looking sick. He hates talking about that mad maid.”

  Raidre, who had joined us when we went back to London, scratched his cheek grimly. “That Boggart, or Brownie, or whatever she cims to be is dangerous. Extremely so. You should be very wary of her.”

  “Yes, Hyath is. But she’s also kind, and I don’t like you talking that way about her.” I insisted. “She knows not to be reckless with her abilities. As for the Ring Gates, yes, she was the one who grew it on Bermondsey Isle. It’s not easy and takes time, but hopefully she’ll expand the Gate Hub in due course, since Primal Forest apparently allows it outside of the Fae nds, Not that he has much choice, Shaeu’s got him under her thumb due to the Spring reforestation and rewilding project.” I too was not eager to uake the task ahead, but steeling my will, I tinued. “But yeah, being able to move freely between the Boundary and Material is a hugely useful ability. Being able to do it took me a lot of effort though.” And shedding my humanity, not that I particurly mind, as now we knoient races exist and have the same sorts of thoughts, emotions and feelings as we do, though spiritual beings definitely seem more proo extremes of behaviour aion…

  “In any case.” I finished. “There’s no point putting this off. I want to get back to see how the petition is going, and I’ve a lot to do. for the wicked, as my mom would say.”

  “A very British saying.” Eleanor approved, steeling herself. “Yes, David is right, much as it frustrates me. I am not eager to see Donovan again. Not after… his betrayal, and worse.” She was in a white ruffled shirt and blue jeans, noere ba the Material, and outside of her pte armour she looked frail and delicate.

  “It’ll be fine, princess. Shit, this is where old man Arthur would be handy.” Sir Arthur had goo prepare for our ask. As David cursed, he tried to reassure Eleanor. “Look, the little shit is harmless. Armless and harmless.” He made a crude joke. “I’m here, and I’ll bash his fug fa if he tries anything. Akio will tht?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it must be unpleasant, fag him again, but nothing bad will happen.”

  “Mr Reckless, I uand you are trying to help, but don’t bark at Princess Eleanor like that.” Mrs Mary-Jane chided. We hadn’t wanted her to e, but she seemingly felt guilty she hadn’t seen Donovan’s growing madness, and as a teacher and a mother, she felt she had the duty to be one of the voices of wisdom oeam, along with Sir Arthur.

  “You say that, but it’s cheered her up!” David poi Eleanor with one of his thumbs, and she did look less pale. “I ’t say I’m eager to see the little shit, or the redhead who betrayed us, or the nun bitch who nearly killed me, but we have to put ao things. The redhead was right, for all her stupidity.”

  “Yes, we must.” Eleanreed, taking a deep breath. “So, let us proceed with it. I am prepared for… unpleasantness. He is apparently far from sane.”

  “Not that he was before, by all ats.” I reassured her. “Anyway, I’ll ha.” As Eleanor pushed open the door I could see that the prison hospital room was bare, Donovan strapped to a bed in the middle with thick leather bindings. Ordinarily it would have seemed like overkill, but Donovan was a Chosen, so even so crippled, he could potentially be dangerous. He could easily try and bite out throats, or perhaps try and use aether or his ability…

  On hearing us e in, Donovan turned his head, despite the strap holding his ne pce. “Useless bastards, I’m hungry…” he rasped hoarsely, and Eleanor and Mrs Mary-Jane seemed horrified at his dition and his ge in attitude. Mrs Mary-Jane gasped, and Eleanor’s pale face whitened further.

  Donovan froze momentarily as the orderly he expected turned out to be his erstwhile rades. His eyes went wide, and then his expression ged, still steeped in madness, but with a cruel, predatory cast. He licked his dry lips, gazing at Eleanor like she rey. “So you came back, Princess. I was thinking you had fotten me. Me, who will be king!”

  “Dream on, jackass.” David snarled, as I stepped in front of Eleanor to shield her from his view. “You’re a fug now, and it’s more than you deserve. I’d have cut your head off too and e, prick.”

  “David, you dare…” he suddenly stopped speaking, eyes narrowing, and I reacted, pushing Eleanor back behind me while also pulling Mrs Mary-Jane away. David spotted it too, aed, raising his fists in a block, while Raidre fred his aether. Sparks of dazzling green and yellow blurred into chartreuse forks of energy, which arced through the air, f at first a wheel, and then a spear, before spreading out into a series of rag bolts, the air smelling of ozone.

  “ry!” David groaned as the lightning numbed him. “But Caturix doesn’t fear the storm.”

  I unleashed water element, drawing in the lightning heading our way, and it sparked violently, before fading. On the bed, Donovan was breathing heavily, sweat on his forehead, and he gred at me hatefully. “You! You’re the ohat sent that little bitch, interrupting my due!” A sed wave of lightning fshed, but it was signifitly weaker than the first, and I smothered it with more water element.

  “Your due, huh? If you wanted Eleanor so badly, why didn’t you try wooihe traditional way? As far as I’m aware, she’s single.” Eleanor nodded instinctively, before her expression shifted to one ret. “As a teammate, a friend… you’d have had a lot of opportuo impress her. But instead…”

  “What do you know?” Donovan yelled, his voice crag with malice. “I’m meant to be a king, I always was! A king doesn’t hesitate, a king takes what he deserves! Eleanor should have been happy to be mihat little e-haired bitch too…” He then cried out as a blow of wind smashed into his jaw, hard enough to knock out a tooth. Blood beads glittered, and he gred at me balefully.

  “Mind your mouth. Shaeu’s too good for you, even if you were a king. And Eleanor is too. You had a ce to be a hero, to make a difference, and you let yreed e you.” I took a deep breath, feeling a surge of anger. It was like looking in a distorted mirror. There are times I’m tempted too, thinking that because I was chosen for this, I’m special. That people should be grateful for what I do for them. But… so long as I’m happy, and my family, friends and those I love are happy, that should be enough for me… even when I’m Astral Emperor and rule Earth, I still ’t take the adution and respect of others franted. It has to be earned, not demanded… “Even so, it’s not too te to salvage some dignity. If you accept your wrongdoings and make amends…”

  “Fuck off!” Donovan snarled, spittle flying from his lips as he raged. “This isn’t over! I knoeople recover even from missing limbs now. I’ve heard the idiots talking…” Eleanor looked grim at that, and Donovan’s crazed smirk grew wider. “…I’ll make a eback! You’ll see I’m the only man who rule by your…”

  “Enough.” Eleanor said softly, and Donovan paused for a moment, before tinuing.

  “…side. It was meant to be, and…”

  “Enough!” Eleanor said, louder and firmer. Donovan seemed surprised, but Eleanor wasn’t done. “Donovan, if the only man who stand at my side is you, then I would rather throw myself off the cliffs of Dover and perish.” As David ughed at that nastily, I watched Eleanor, surprised. Seeing me looking, she appeared a little ashamed. “Of course, I know my duty is heavy. But I’m not a saint. I have no obje to sacrifig for the good of Britain and its citizens, but there’s sacrifice, and then there is being tormented. Besides, you should uand, no?”

  I did. Before I could answer her, Donovan grew increasingly frantic. Shimmering sparks of lightning gathered, but again I smothered it out before he could cause any harm. “I think you should be gagged, little shit.” David quickly found a cloth and bound Donovan’s mouth, and he gred at us with deep-seated hatred and at Eleanor with undisguised lust. “Sorry about that Princess, teach. You shouldn’t have to listen to his bullshit, it’ll rot your ears. At least the dumb redhead I could maybe uand, but this worm…”

  “Power corrupt. I’ve seen it. It’s just like in South Korea. Those who aren’t mentally strong might , especially… when pushed.”

  Eleanor uood. “Maxwell Power, or whatever was masquerading as him. He’s been maniputing matters behind the ses. And it looks like Donovan here was fertile ground for his demagoguery.”

  “Yes. But we have to take responsibility for our own as. And some things I don’t think be fiven. I know I ’t five his behaviour. I only thank all the Gods Shaeu got there in time.” I gred at Donovan, who couldn’t speak, gagged as he was, but his eyes were full of hatred. “But even so, the w will judge you.” I tinued. “But before that… it’s time to recim what you used for unworthy purposes.”

  “You do it safely?” Eleanor asked me to firm, even as Donovan thrashed in his bonds.

  “You’ve already asked him that, Princess.” David snorted. “Nervous? Who cares if the little shit suffers.”

  “It’s fine.” My Eye glowed brilliantly. “I’m better than ever. And I’ll o be. This is just the .” Aether shimmered, along with a little adhererengthening the scalpel-like bdes of invisible energy. The missing parts of Donovan were reflected in his spiritual body, and the flow of aether he tained was much reduced. The Favour looked somewhat like a wheel, enveloping his heart and sor plexus Chakras. Lightning element, now much diminished after his angry attempts to harm us, was flowing around it in glowing arcs. I gently eased in the bdes, and after a few minutes of work the Favour came free. This damaged his subtle body severely, but with my Ether Healing and Chirurgery, I was able to repair the damage. I see. The Territory he was lio has colpsed. Unlike when Tsukiko passed me Tsukuyomi’s Favour voluntarily, there’s no e left. Perhaps it’s the differeween a voluntary, pransfer and this forcible extra?

  “It’s done?” Eleanor asked, seeing Donovan gring at us with a mixture of hatred and loss, his eyes wet with tears. Mrs Mary-Jane looked away, sad even now, but I had no sympathy for him. Raidre, havihe end of it, slipped out silently, his thoughts his own.

  “It is.” I agreed. “Taranis’ Wheel Of Thunder.” I saw the description of the Favour, and expi.

  This Divine Favour is made of trated Adherence, refiher and ??????????. The wielder call upon Lightning to paralyse and disorient their enemies, as well as fe it into a spear of destructive force, or a shield of Lightning energy. Just as Taranis wielded a spear of Lightning to force his foes to kneel, and the wheel of Thuo travel at great speed, so too will the storm overtake and dominate your foes. Css [Imperious]. Type [Principle].

  “Looks like the little shit wasn’t getting the best out of it.” David said mirthlessly. “So, not suitable for teach here, I’m guessing?”

  “I don’t see any particur affinity I’m afraid…” I apologised, and she shook her head.

  “I hardly had expectations, Mr Oshiro.” With o regretful look at Donovan, who was now exhausted, a signifit portion, though not all, of his enhanced abilities gone from him, she gestured to the door. “Should we go? You are a busy man.”

  That’s true. I g the Princess, who nodded, and with that we left the room, not looking back, though by the te of Eleanor’s hands, her knuckles white, she certainly wished to…

  ********

  “This has already been a horrible day.” Eleanrimaced. “And noere outside a cell, the door securely shut. “…it gets worse.”

  “No kidding.” David snorted sourly. “I could use a beer or ten after this. But with my stitution, it’s murder to get drunk. What a pain.”

  “True. It took me a while to learn to trol my body and its tolerao poisons.” I agreed. “But some Faerie drinks tend to have the effects of drunkenness without alcohol, so they still work. I send you some ter.”

  “That would be great.” David agreed. “Going to o drown my sorrows. What about you, Princess?” he asked slyly, and she frowned.

  “I’m not much of a drinker, not like you. And I ’t drown all my sorrows…” she sighed, and I had an idea.

  “Well then, why not e and hang out with Azuki? You seemed to like her. She’ll have tasks to do in the Boundary, so I’m sure she’d like the pany.” I had noticed her delight when she saw the Zashiki-Warashi. “In fact, it’s said in Japan that every object loved and cared for over many decades, a hundred years, eventually develops a spirit, bees a Tsukumogami, a type of Yōkai. I don’t know if that’s just in Japan, or it applies elsewhere as well, but there are likely many other beings such as Azuki out there. We’ve been thinking perhaps we should track them all down. If they are happy where they are, in loving homes, and still treasured, that’s fine, but if they have bee dangerous or evil, they o be dealt with, or if they are lonely, unloved and lost we gather them to be treasured again.”

  Eleanor’s sapphire eyes, not dissimir in shade to my sister’s eyes, gleamed at the thought. Seeing that my words had successfully distracted her from her dark ruminations, I smiled. “Perhaps one day our estate will be filled with dozens or even hundreds like Azuki.”

  “I’d very much like to see that. Grandmother would too.” Eleanor admitted in the end. “Now her health is much improved, and she says she is full of fresh energy, she pns to return to state visits. Though now is not a good time.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, not with my Fht screaming something bad is ing. I wish I could narrow it down, before there were hints, if only I could draw the right clusions, but here…”

  “I expect the ck of a hint is the point.” Eleanor mused. “A meneral, widespread threat, I assume.”

  “That’s what we decided too.” I expined my reasoning, and Eleanor was once more distracted. “…so everyone should be careful and alert.” I finished. “Anyway, do you feel better?”

  Eleanor nodded. “Yes, you distracted me from this for a moment. But… there is no point putting it off. Grandmother always said problems don’t solve themselves. And my brothers would ugh at me, seeing me so weak.” She took a deep breath. “David, Mary-Jane, are you ready?”

  At their affirmative answer, we ehe cell, to see the red-headed Scottish woman, Sarah McLaughlin, lounging on her bed, idly reading a book. She wasn’t manacled or shackled, showing the trust that Eleanor had in her, despite her betrayal. On seeing us she smiled knowingly, before notig me, and one eyebrow arched in surprise, before a knowing look came over her face. “Aye, so that be how it be, then?” David frow her words, and she tinued, needling at him. “ the guts tae do it yourself, big man? I’m shocked.”

  “Oh shut it.” David shot back. “When you want something done, ask a professional. Besides…” he growled, angry. “You should be happy, stupid redhead. This way at least you won’t suffer. Even that prick Donovan is mostly unharmed. Though that’s as it should be. No way the two of you should get off so easy.”

  “So cruel. Do ye think the same, Princess?” Sarah asked her, and Eleanor shrugged.

  “We were rades, and I hoped friends. But you sold me out, Sarah. That… I ’t look past that. Even so… the time we shared together, side by side, back to back, I ’t fet that either. But it isn’t just about me, or Mary-Jane, Aditi, David, Sir Arthur, Raidre and his sin people… it’s about Britain, and the wider world. So…”

  “Aye. I have strength ye use. Though the piven by Mary Stuart, I expect ye should ouch it. Messing with the power of God be bsphemous and God nae be fiving, ye ken?”

  “Really? I’m not. particurly religious, but my mom’s a Christian, and she says God’s all about fiveness.” I disagreed, and Sarah merely smiled knowingly. “In any case… I won’t know until I’ve tried.” My Eye glowed again, revealing the twin Favours she held. The first was the ability to create defensive barriers and strengthen shields and armour. The name of the Favour was now merely question marks, as was most of the description, and it was tied to the sed Favour, which had repced her Chakra, the Linked Principality. At the time I wasn’t able to do much assessment of it, as my Eye wasn’t as developed, and I was too busy trying to survive, but now I could clearly see the tangles of adherehat had snaked out of it, through her body and into the other Favour, ging it. It’s ed around the absehe ????????.

  The way that the Favour was altered was somewhat remi of how Akoman’s Evil Wisdom had degraded the Favours in Korea, but it was entirely different a meism. The Favour Sarah inally had, while stripped of its prior nature, didn’t seem weaker, but if anything it burned brighter with aether and adherence, supplied from the Linked Principality. As for the Linked Principality itself… I see the eg strings of adherehough they are again ed around a tangle of ????????. Removing it isn’t going to be easy…

  As we all stood there in silence, Sarah shifted under my peing gaze. After a moment she looked at David a touch acgly, her face slightly pink. “Are ye going tae stand there a him look at me that way? Do ye nae be jealous?”

  David snorted bitterly. “Think very highly of yourself, redhead, don’t you? Perhaps I thought you were a strong woman worth the pursuit, but nothing matters more to a man than loyalty. I ’t five your as. If it were just me… but you betrayed the Princess, old man Arthur, tead little miss Indian, Raidre… everyone who stood up and fought for Britain. Besides…” he grinned savagely. “You think you’re worth his i? Dream on.”

  “That be rather hurtful, ye ken. I’m nae bad looking.” Sarah said with a resigned sigh. “Ye should have do the usual way. Like I swallowed up your favour, Mary-Jane.” Her words stung, but the older woman merely smiled back sadly, her eyes full of plex emotions. “As it be, ye will it out without killing me. I be liae something far, far greater.”

  “What’s so great about it? Instead of fighting each other, if we’d have worked together we could have pooled our strengths. Instead… this. When you stare into an abyss, the abyss stares back. You’ve bee worse than the foes you cim to fight.” I criticised her, and she frowned.

  “What gives ye the right…” she began, and froze as my aether dug into her, her body spasming, partially paralysed.

  “The fact I won, the same right you’re trying to cim. But despite all that, Eleanor, David and the others don’t want you to die, just to face justice. I respect that. So shut up a me work…” Sarah looked up at me, her blue eyes shining with rese and also a faint tinge of gratitude, and I slowly began to work on removing the inal Favour she possessed. Even with my great skills, the tangle of messy adherence was too great to remove entirely, and each strand cut inflicted backsh on her body, the Linked Principality unleashing adherend also sug it in. Time passed, my Eye ag from overuse, sweat dripping from me like rain, my tration hoo a razor-sharp focus, all the Split Thoughts running in parallel, trying to simute the outes.

  Cut, slice, dig out. Apply Healing there. Chirurgery to repair the damaged capilries here. Cut, sew, stitch, repce. More Healing. Damn, this is hard…

  Beh me, Sarah was silent, her pale skin now a ghostly white, her ow having mingled with mine. Her lips were sliced open by her teeth as she gnawed on herself to supress the pain, and her eyes were wide, staring.

  “Shit, is it going well? I don’t know…” David began, only for Mrs Mary-Jao silence him, telling him to let me work in peace, without distras. I barely heard him, and Eleanor pced a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Feeliouch, I doubled down on my focus, despite the efforts I was already making. Fuck, of course it’s not always going to be that easy. This one is… cut, slice, pull, repair the voids, sew up…

  More time passed, even my keen Perception not able to tell how long, and suddenly the mangled Favour popped free. It was barely intact, and wouldn’t keep together for long. Looking around, my eyes met Eleanor, who was still squeezing my shoulder, and swiftly I made my decision. It’s far from perfect, but it will be more use to her than me gaining a Level or two from the breakdown…

  “What are you…” Eleanor was surprised as she felt an invasive sensatioher and adherence squirming into her. Fortunately, the ged Favour was unravelling itself, providing adherence, so I was able to direct the colpsing energies to Eleanor. I wasn’t able to see her Levelling up, but she obviously felt it, as she looked rather shaken.

  “You… why?” she asked, and I shrugged, exhausted, but not done. I focussed on the Linked Principality, which was angrily sending pulses of damaging adherehrough Sarah’s body, blood raying from her ears, nose and mouth, even bleeding from her eyes, as David started to panid Mrs Mary-Jane looked sick.

  “The Favour was trashed, but I think you’d get much greater bes from it than I would. Now I have to act fast…” With no time to be gentle, I cursed the Orue Throne, who was seemingly responsible for the Favour, and its self-destructive resistao being tampered with. My Eye stared deep into it, and my own orb started to bleed, the backsh punishing. It’s definitely a sort of link, a passage, maybe… With no time to react, I had no choice, severing the entire area around it, while desperately trying to preserve the key areas of Sarah’s Chakra work around it. She vulsed, passing out, and seds ter, a brilliant rainbow light fred, aether, adherend something more scattering as the Favour detonated.

  You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One Hundred And Forty-Five to One Hundred And Forty-Six…

  Gathering up all the dispced energies I could, while shielding and isoting the area, preventing the backsh from obliterating her subtle body, I tio work on Sarah, repairing the damage the Linked Principality had doo her body. Eleanor watched on, her grip on my shoulder unfortably tight, but I had no attention to spare for it. Fortunately my Chirurgery was strohan ever, and I had experienany different types of Chakra works. I bored fresh branches and capilries, drilled new meridians, and began the arduous task of repg the now ent Chakra, all the while bleeding off build-ups of aether which had o properly circute. This is painfully familiar. It reminds me of the damage I suffered when I first started fumbling at creating my own Chakra work, before Shaeu instructed me properly. I couldn’t see it back then, but my intuition tells me it’s simir. If so…

  “Don’t die, stupid redhead. That’s the easy way out.” David decred, frustrated. He puhe wall, heedless of blood scattering from his knuckles, denting the crete. “If you don’t live tret it, how we feel happy?”

  “What will be will be.” Eleanor decred, her own expression grave as she watched us, her grip a vice-like cw. “But for what it’s worth, I don’t believe you will give up, will you Akio? A man as selfish as you surely is bad at surrender.”

  I didn’t have time to reply, and I took it as a pliment, despite her perhaps not meaning it that way, instead I started the perfectly adapted Chirurgery I had used so often. A lunar Chakra was bored into her body and ected up, which relieved the pressure, as it was taking time to fill with aether and her lingering elemental energies. I started draining out as much as I could, which also caused her some minor damage, but pared to the half-formed Chakra, it was trivial and could be fixed ter. Aether flooded out of me, and Mrs Mary-Jane shielded her reddened eyes from the visible halo-like glow around me. Wait, that’s right, maybe…

  “Prominence Dawn!” I decred, Spirit Water surging. It was drawn into the bright ring, fringed with dark to terba, and the water element with precious spiritual and healing properties was fortified with light, being something else, something powerful. Gleaming golden droplets shimmered, and I poured them into the w I was doing, the aether I was weaving now impregnated with the shining waters. The vulsions of Sarah stopped, her body temporarily flooded with the new energies, the lunar Chakra gathering it all, preventing it from running wild. As the glittering waters reached the area, I spun dozens of tendrils of aether, pushing my limits, blinking away several amber notifications in my eyes, and with one final surge of effort, recreated the missing Chakra, linking it up to where it had ected before.

  “Finally… done.” I gasped, exhausted, the effort far harder than I had expected. Damn that Favour, it’s both a tool and a trap… Sinking to my knees, I was stopped by Eleanor, who pulled me up.

  “Is it… over? Will she live?” she asked me, and I nodded.

  “Yes, she’ll live. I ’t promise there’ll be no side-effects, but…” Seeing her beati with my Eye, the proper circution of energies restored, I grimaced. “…the worst is over.”

  ********

  “So what the hell happened?” David handed me a of coke, which I downed half of, needing the sugar and caffeine. “You hahat prick Donovan easily enough. Why was Sarah different?”

  Using her name, huh? I guess you are still worried about her. Not that I don’t get it. I tried to imagine if I’d still care for one of my women if they betrayed me. I wasn’t sure, but perhaps I’d be like David, uo let it or her go easily. I’m fident I’ll never o find out, fortunately. “It was the Linked Principality. When it was interfered with, it started attag her own body, and uher Favours which seem ied around a Chakra, this retty much a rept for hers. It’s not like others I’ve seen. In the end, I had to destroy it quickly and repce what was there before. I don’t know if it’s perfect, but…”

  “You’re not God.” David spped my shoulder, uanding. He too was drinking coke, though by his expression he likely wished it was strong alcohol. “If she’s alive, she’s damn fortunate, after what she did. It’s just…”

  “Yeah, I get it.” I agreed, saying no more. As a man, I could uand him. Moments ter, Eleanor and Mrs Mary-Jaurned. Eleanor’s expression was grave, and David lurched forwards, his own mirr her.

  “Is she…?” he began, fearing the worst, but Eleanor shook her head.

  “No. She is still sleeping. The doctors say her vitals are stable, and her brain funs seem normal, though they ’t rule out some damage or loss of memories. It’s just…” she looked at me, swallowing nervously. “I had a call. It seems too well-timed to be a ce. It’s Mary Stuart. She’s awake!”

  Mary Stuart? I thought back to Linked Principality, and the straure of it. A ce? Yes, I think not…