Home / Fantasy / Where Loyalties Lie / The Day of Magia Was Dawning II

Share

The Day of Magia Was Dawning II

Author: seasonaltherapy
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Ivan raised his arms, the manna surging around him, picking up and throwing the creatures around him. Orlov had his back, fending off anything that managed to break through the manna circle. Orlov kept sending worried glances over at Ivan, who had just barely recovered from the forest. 

However, Ivan showed no signs of immediate injury or signs of slowing down. He cut through anything that came near him, and if he couldn’t kill it with his sword, he would throttle it and then throw it in a random direction. 

Orlov had the same strategy but to a quieter effect. He did not have the same scope as his pupil, but he managed to get by with what was in front of him. 

“Kassio! Go help the others!” Ivan ordered. 

“But--” Orlov was

Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP

Related chapters

  • Where Loyalties Lie   The Day of Magia Was Dawning III

    The God shrunk himself down to a more ‘mortal’ size, but he still towered over Ivan by two or three feet. Ivan was already an undeniably large man, but he looked miniscule compared to the green figure that approached him slowly.“You still have time to turn back, mortal. I will look past the insults if you begged to keep your life,” the God said with a smirk.“Perhaps you should watch your words, since you will be on your knees soon enough.” The God growled loudly and launched himself through the air, his claws extended like knives.Ivan held up his sword in a defensive position and held his ground when the God landed, swiping at Ivan like a cat. Ivan summoned another sword that was smaller and used it to swipe at the God’s stomach. The metal crumbled

  • Where Loyalties Lie   The Day of Magia Was Dawning IV

    Ursa grabbed Ivan’s hand. “You still have to fix this.” Ivan smiled and nodded before closing his eyes gently. A cool and calming feeling came over Ursa, and she, too, closed her eyes to feel the moment. A bright beam emitted from Ivan’s eyes and boomed like a star exploding over the surrounding area. Ursa wanted to back away, but his grip tightened around her wrist, pulling more and more energy out of her. The cool feeling slowly began to burn her from the inside out, creeping through her bloodstream. Her breathing picked up as the beam gained back its brilliance, overwhelming her view of her husband.“Ivan! Ivan!” she said worriedly. Orlov, who stood close by, was also getting worried for Ursa. Someone who had never practiced magic would certainly not be used to channeling-- and with her partner being someone so completely overwhelming, well, he couldn’t he

  • Where Loyalties Lie   So Close, So Far

    The sun shone through the window of the great Westlands conqueror’s office, illuminating his curly dark hair and picturesque features. A tired and unfulfilled look troubled his eyes as he stared at the mountain of paperwork left on the side of his desk, leftover from his recent pilgrimage. Orlov sat nearby, going through his own fair share of paperwork-- though not nearly enough, according to Ivan-- smirking at his old friend’s obvious distaste for the tedious affair.It was the same old thing every time: a governor asking for more funds; a farmer complaining about the unfair contract he had signed with the State; an arrogant official trying to curry favor; sometimes, sprinkled in would be marriage proposals. Those have gone down considerably, but many still try to put a concubine in power. Ivan always threw those letters out first; they disgusted him. Too big of a family would be impossi

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Family Visit

    Ursa held her hands close to her chest, trying to calm the storm that was her heart. He had been there, they had spoken-- it had been so long since they had truly spoken-- and her heart felt so full, but she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by all those feelings. They were new. Before, her father made sure that she kept her emotions in check, but he was not here.There was only Ivan. A forest fire of a man.“Your Majesty? Are you alright?” Cecily allowed a hand to rest on her friend’s shoulder. Cecily noticed how distant and detached Ursa had been, completely fixated on this banquet. “You’ve been out of it since His Majesty left.”“No, no, no! I’m fine, truly! Let’s just get back to work.” Ursa shrugged Cecily’s touch off as

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Brute Heart of a Brute Like You

    Ursa’s father sat on the sofa in the front of the room as if it were his throne; his arms gripped the sides lazily and his legs were crossed in a nonchalant manner-- it was nothing like he was before-- when the Vasil’s impending invasion grew closer, and the idea of losing, of failing, became more and more of a reality.No. This was the appearance of a king who had all his problems solved.“What are you waiting for? An invitation?” Ursa remembered where she was and hastily entered the room. The door shut behind her silently, Volkov expertly controlling the volume. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of the man. Ever since her mother’s death, Volkov was the only person who could truly get through to King Romanov and make him see sense. The little influence Ursa could cling to vanished at the sight of this man.

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Servata Fides Cinere

    Ursa’s grip on the hood of her cloak tightened as she hid around the corner of the hallway, watching the maids and guards bustling around late into the night. It was so very inconvenient that she had to sneak out while there were so many important people visiting the palace. That meant that the servants and the guards were working overtime, making it harder for Ursa to get out of the palace undetected. In truth, Ursa had not left the palace since the Temple, and she had not snuck out since Ivan’s last solo trip-- and she remembered how awful that ended up.As soon as the hallway cleared up, Ursa bolted from her hiding place and sprinted through the impressively long hallway. Ursa praised her own wisdom when she decided to throw on that peasant skirt she had previously worn when she escaped with Cecily. It was shorter than the aristocratic dresses, as it was more function than fashion.

  • Where Loyalties Lie   A Resolution of the Soul

    Ursa could barely believe her own eyes. It was Mikhail-- her Mikhail… yet it wasn’t. That baby-faced, bright eyed, optimistic boy had hardened; his eyes were darker, his jaw more defined, a scar ran through the center of his face, over his nose.“How…?” Instinctively, Ursa’s hand reached to cup his cheek, but he dodged.“It’s a long story. We probably shouldn’t talk here.” This was all too much. Everything she knew-- everything she thought she knew-- was crumbling right in front of her eyes, and yet he was so nonchalant about the entire thing.Ursa followed her brother and his companion into a room near the back of the tavern, completely isolated from the rest of the population inside. They sat at a small booth in the corner of the already empty roo

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Orlov v. Ursa

    Ursa had woken up the next day with a new resolve. She could not pick her brother’s side, because that would be enabling terrorism and nationalism. She couldn’t quite pick Ivan’s side either-- that would be condoning the murder of her brothers. Why did she have to choose a side? She either loses her brother or her husband.“What if I chose myself?” she mused aloud as Cecily and Emery were dressing her for court in the morning. It was one of the few sessions left before the New Year celebrations officially commenced.“What do you mean?” Emery asked.“If you were stuck between a rock and a hard place, what would you do?” Ursa asked.“Okay, okay… You’re not making any sense, even for

Latest chapter

  • Where Loyalties Lie   The Ghosts of Wruclas

    Aisha spent the entire next day pouring over other material Ursa had pulled from the library and pacing outside of Ursa’s wing. Earlier that morning, she had stopped in to update the Empress on what she and Ivan had found, but the handmaiden Emery firmly stood her ground, chasing away any and all visitors, no matter how important they were.She was like a guard dog, really, the way she looked like she’d bite someone’s head off if they got even remotely close to the doors of Ursa’s apartment. Aisha had wanted to fight Emery on this, but she also knew how much Ivan had been stressing Ursa’s physical recovery from the chaos that occurred at the New Year’s Celebration, so Aisha slinked away back into the library quietly until lunch time, where she and Emery rehashed their earlier arguments. Inside the most heavily guarded doors, an empress laid in her bed with the covers half off, only covering her freezing toes. The rest of her sweated out a non-existent fever, while Cecily dabbed a col

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Sibling Crime

    The Poplov townhouse was located in the upper echelons of Ichares. The streets were clean, the houses were opulent and luxurious, the architecture a crude copy of the palace. It was not hard to break into the house, seeing as there were so many windows and not enough guards-- though this criticism could be shared with the palace.Ivan noted this.Aisha and Ivan were both dressed in black clothing-- Ivan in a black poet shirt and tight dark trousers, while Aisha wore a skin tight turtleneck with matching trousers. At present, they sat in a tree, watching the windows as light passed through the dark hallways, a maid checking the corridors.Aisha bounced her leg anxiously, causing the branch to sway with her. Ivan sent her a withering glare, instantly freezing any movement from her leg. They had been sittin

  • Where Loyalties Lie   The Duel

    Aisha juggled her broadsword in her hand while her other hand held her dagger tightly. She stared at her brother, only the light from the torches around the arena illuminating his lean frame. Ivan shrugged off his coat and kicked it to the side, his signature sword appearing out of thin air.“How--” Aisha gawked, staring at her own swords that came from the weapons room.“Magic?” Ivan smirked, spinning his sword with his wrist as he got into position. Aisha made sure to note down to have him teach her that trick before getting into her own starting position.Neither of them moved, circling each other. Aisha’s left foot shifted and then she was off, launching herself high into the air, raising her swords up into a crossing motion. She landed on the blunt side of Ivan’s

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Respect, A One Way Street

    Ursa gave a shallow wave to the guards stationed outside of Ivan’s study as Aisha trailed behind her with a tray of food. The guards instantly bowed and one stuck their head in to announce her presence. Ivan was hunched over his desk, staring intently at a particular piece of paper as his quill moved on its own-- most likely enchanted by Ivan, writing furiously. “Ivan.” He looked up, surprised to see the two women. “What are you two doing here?” Ursa gave him a funny look. “Our arrival was just announced. Didn’t you hear?” Ivan didn’t respond, choosing to just lounge back in his chair. The quill fell back and landed unceremoniously onto the paper. “We brought you dinner.” Aisha set the tray onto t

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Poplov's Numbered Days

    “Your Majesty, Lord Volkov is here to see you,” one of the guards from outside said, peeking his head slightly into the office. Ivan only waved his hand as an indication for the other man to come in. It was the middle of the afternoon, a few hours after the morning’s court session had ended and he finished his meeting with his advisors (without Orlov, he thought bitterly), but Ivan felt so very unproductive.He had sat there while everyone talked at him, only nodding or shaking his head, sometimes yelling at people who got a little too presumptuous. It wasn’t that Ivan didn’t understand the things being said in court-- after so many years of attending, it would be quite stupid for him not to have an idea of how these things worked. But Orlov made it easier for Ivan, always taking a load off of the heavy weights that already pushed Ivan to his knees.

  • Where Loyalties Lie   The Tetsi Trial

    “The prosecution would like to call its first witness up to the stand: Yuri Tetsi!” Orlov announced, and waited for the Young Tetsi to make his way to the stand. Ivan sat in his throne in his usual posture, his hand holding his face as he leaned into the side of his throne. Yuri Tetsi clambered up to the stand and took a seat, his hands nervously shaking. Once Young Tetsi looked ready, Orlov began laying the foundation of his questioning, asking simple questions about Young Tetsi himself before delving into the real case. “You claim to have recorded evidence of secret plots against the Empress?” asked Orlov. “I do. My own father, as well as Lord Haschoff, Lady Salisterova, Lord Grieschkov, and Lord Telbor all had conversations with each other and others about a few things. At first, they conversed abo

  • Where Loyalties Lie   Big Reputation Brings Bigger Enemies

    Ursa returned to her chambers after a quiet dinner with just Ivan and Aisha. It was a nice and gentle dinner, where the only mention of Orlov was Aisha excitedly announcing she would be helping. Otherwise, the dinner was the perfect glimpse of a life without Orlov constantly breathing down Ivan’s shoulder, and Ursa enjoyed it. But even Ursa could admit, a piece of Ivan was with Orlov in his home, eating dinner alone. Ivan would smile and joke with them, but his gaze was far off, not even in the room. It burned Ursa. It burned Ursa even more to know that a part of her also felt deeply while staring at the empty chair next to Aisha. Once upon a time, Ursa thought that she and the prime minister were friends. Friendly rivals, intellectual equals, and respected colleagues. She missed the mirage.

  • Where Loyalties Lie   A Handmaiden's Tale I / The Princess

    Ursa’s lunch didn’t end up being as peaceful as planned, as the second Vasil barged in on her meal. “Sister, I hear you’re heading the Orlov Investigation!” Ursa put down the little bite sized sandwich Cecily had prepared for her as Aisha made herself at home in the chair across from her. “You heard correctly.” “I want to help.” “No.” “Please?” “This is a delicate political matter, Aisha. My apologies if I don’t think you’re quite ready for such a complex matter.” Aisha slid down her seat, crossing her arms. “I can handle it. I’ll be covert. No one has to know we’re working together.” Ursa smirked as she put he

  • Where Loyalties Lie   She Who Does Not Break So Easily

    Ursa dropped a bag of coins into the maid’s hand, and the small girl scurried out of the library. After more than half a year at the palace, Ursa learned who could be bought and who could be swayed to join her cause-- her cause being keeping her in the loop of things she otherwise wouldn’t be. That just happened to be any and all court matters, seeing as Ivan specifically kept her out of political matters. “You’re still recovering, Ursa! I can’t have you getting all stressed about these matters when your health is so fragile!” But her health has been ‘fragile’ for a little more than a month and a half. Physically, Ursa was already back in her original form, and more than capable of delving back into court. But the most work Ivan had even let her see had only been the preparations for the upcoming annual Royal Hunting Trip, renamed to the Imperial

DMCA.com Protection Status