3. A Gift from Uclepidies (Conqueror Rising)

Three days later, while Solea was writing an essay for home economics, Alainna burst into her room like a storm. “You know how you suggested writing to Archondid and Eurodities?” she said, smirking. “Well, look who came to deliver Uclepidies’s letter!”

She stepped aside, revealing a Black Swan with bright red eyes.

Solea threw down her quill and squealed. “Archondid!” She ran to hug him, only to be pricked by the poisonous barbs all over his feathers. She yelped and backed away, rubbing her arms, now dotted with blood.

“Sorry about that!” Archondid said, fluffing up his feathers. “My feathers might not paralyze you, but I wouldn’t want to hurt my favorite goddaughter!”

Solea made a face. “I’m your only goddaughter!”

“All the more reason to treat you!”

“Solea!” Alainna gasped, her eyes widening. She pointed to Solea’s arms, now dotted with blood. “You’re bleeding!” She turned to gape at Archondid, her body tense. “Should we run?”

Archondid tilted his head. “Why would you run?”

“Because you might go into a Frenzy!”

Archondid blinked at Alainna, tilting his head more. “A Frenzy?”

Solea rolled her eyes. “Sergius told the entire class that my spilled blood would make Black Swans go mad with bloodlust and destroy the world.”

“Did he?” Archondid laughed. “Well, I suppose if you hemorrhaged out, that might happen! But you shouldn’t worry about little cuts. Sergius was probably just exaggerating for dramatic effect.”

Solea scowled and rubbed her arms. “Why are you a Black Swan, anyway? Shouldn’t you be in your human form?”

“The headmistress said I had to remain a Swan if I visited,” Archondid said. “Otherwise, she was afraid I might seduce her students.”

Alainna sniffed, eyeing Archondid’s feathers warily. “It’s ridiculous! You’re more likely to paralyze a student than seduce them! Besides Sergius came here in his human form and nobody cared.”

Archondid laughed. “To be fair, the headmistress insisted he stay a Swan too. So he transformed into his White Swan and barely fit in her room! That’s when she granted him an exemption.”

Solea laughed despite herself. While Black Swans stood as tall as her shoulder and could easily fit into human spaces, White Swans could not. In their Swan forms, White Swans towered at almost three times her height and were big enough to carry humans. “How quickly did the headmistress change her mind?”

“Almost immediately,” Archondid said, waddling into Solea’s room. “Though I’m afraid she didn’t change her mind about me.” When Alainna only scowled more, he bowed politely. “Don’t worry! I’ll stay back from you.” He hopped onto Solea’s bed and stretched out his wings.

Seeing him nestled in her bed, Solea leaned against the doorway and smirked. “Is this what the headmistress hoped for when she made her rule?”

He clicked his beak, untangling his flippers from her blankets. “There’s nowhere else for a Swan to go! Though we could talk in the Lady’s suite, if you’d prefer.”

Alainna scowled. “Or, you could transform into a man so your feathers won’t paralyze me.”

Archondid glanced at the door. “But if the headmistress sees us—”

Alainna curled her lip. “You’re a Black Swan — one of Diamea’s children! She wouldn’t dare reproach you. Besides, if the headmistress complains, I will remind her that, as the Lady, you are my son. Thus, unless she wants to accuse us of inappropriate conduct, she must allow it.”

“Very well, my Lady,” Archondid said, fluffing his feathers. “But please, don’t tell the headmistress!” Then, with a flap of his wings, he transformed into his human form.

Solea smiled at this transformation. His eyes glowed red, and his cloak was black and feathered. Still, his hair was soft and silvery, and he still wore his white tunic the Lady had woven for him long ago, when he once was a White Swan. Seeing him like this reminded Solea of how he would visit her in his human form when she was only a little girl.

While Archondid moved to sit at the desk, Alainna locked the door and gestured for Solea to join her on the bed.

“Well?” Alainna said, gesturing to the letter. “What does Uclepidies say about Sergius?”

Archondid blinked. “Did you ask him about Sergius?”

“Of course!” Alainna said, scowling. “I don’t trust him or his awful bloody arm at all. The school is still reeling from his visit several days ago. Besides, he’s pompous, rude, and controlling. I can’t stand him!”

Solea suddenly snorted at Alainna’s description. “Pompous, rude, and controlling? That sounds familiar!”

Alainna glared at her.

“You shouldn’t worry about his bloody arm,” Archondid said, looking embarrassed. “A long time ago, Sergius’s wing bled during a cob fight. Diamea restored his feathers, so he’s still a White Swan, but his wing — or arm, if he’s in his human form — is still bloody. Anyway, you can trust him now.”

Solea gritted her teeth. “He tried to kill me.”

“And he tied me to a post in a desert for a hundred years!” Archondid said, laughing. “Still, be at peace! He won’t hurt you now.”

“Well, I still don’t trust him. He’s planning something strange with that new teacher, I know it! That’s why we wrote to Uclepidies.”

Archondid sighed. “My Lady! Sergius is not choosing your new language teacher alone. That decision goes to all of your children, including me! Nor will Uclepidies tell you anything about your new language teacher. None of us can! It’s forbidden.”

Solea scowled. “Will Sergius be our new language teacher?”

Archondid shook his head. “You would learn a lot if Sergius taught you, but it would feel like flying through a thunderstorm.”

“If Sergius isn’t teaching us, then who is?”

Archondid sighed. “Child, I am forbidden to say.”

Solea bit her lip. “But if Sergius is involved—”

“Never mind Sergius!” Archondid said, sitting up. “He is only one Swan, and all of us are involved. Now, let me give you Uclepidies’s note!” He dropped to his knees and held out the envelope to Alainna.

At the sight of Archondid kneeling, Solea couldn’t help but squirm. She glanced at Alainna and was relieved that she seemed just as uncomfortable. “What are you doing, kneeling to me like that?” Alainna snapped, snatching away the envelope.

“I am your son,” Archondid replied. “It’s polite.”

“Well, stop it! You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“Very well.”

While Archondid rose to his feet, Alainna tore open the envelope. A small package wrapped in brown paper tumbled out. “Oh!” she cried, blinking. “Did Uclepidies say he was sending me a gift?”

“Read his letter first,” Archondid said, settling back into his seat. “Maybe he mentions it.”

Reluctantly, Alainna set the package aside and pulled out the letter. “I can’t read this.”

“Let me try,” Solea said. But when she looked at it, she couldn’t read it either. She passed the letter to Archondid. “Can you decipher it?”

Archondid took the letter and squinted at it. “Let me see. Yes, he wrote it in the more ancient style, and his handwriting is atrocious. Here, let me read it to you.”

Dear Lady,

I also would like to apologize for my poor behavior toward you. I am sorry for hurting you, humiliating you, and harboring anger toward you. One day, I hope you can forgive me.

As for Sergius, I have spoken with him regarding his poor behavior, and he has promised he will apologize when you meet next. I pray you will accept his apology with mercy, for, as the saying goes, “Mercy begets mercy, but destruction begets destruction.” In the future, if he disrespects either you or Solea, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, please remind Solea that she can always come to me for help.

“See?” Alainna said to Solea. “I told you he cared!”

Solea glared at her.

Archondid shot Solea a strange look, then continued:

As for the other matter regarding your new language teacher, I beg you to put it out of your mind. I admit I am uncomfortable with Sergius’s choice, who happens to be the current top candidate. However, once we make a final decision, I sincerely hope you will learn from whomever we choose to serve you.

Solea slumped down. “So, nothing about our new teacher.”

Archondid clicked his tongue. “I told you he couldn’t say anything,” he said, though even he sounded relieved.

“Yet the letter continues for several more pages,” Alainna said, squinting at it. “What more could he have said?”

Archondid shrugged and continued.

My Lady, I am afraid I am not very good at giving gifts, as you have undoubtedly noticed. However, I would like to offer another gift—

Suddenly, Archondid stopped, his eyes widening. He gave the girls a quick glance, then focused on the letter, reading ahead in silence.

“Well?” Alainna said, raising her eyebrow. “What does it say?”

“Wait.” Archondid flipped through the pages, his face taut and pale. When he finished, he gritted his teeth and turned to Alainna. “May I see his gift?”

Alainna held up the small package.

“Open it.”

Alainna tore open the package.

A necklace fell out.

Alainna picked it up, her eyes wide. A red gem, shaped like a teardrop, hung from a braided black cord. “It’s beautiful,” she said, watching as the refracted light from the stone danced around the room.

Archondid stared at it, his face pale. “He shouldn’t have given you this.”

“I can’t reject this!” Alainna said, closing her hand around the gem. “You saw what happened when I rejected his other gift. If I refuse this, he’ll tear me limb from limb!”

“But—”

“Finish reading the letter,” Alainna ordered. “And don’t you dare hide anything!”

Archondid grimaced. “You do not need to fear that, my Lady! I will read you his full letter, just as I delivered his gift. Still, before I do, you must swear you will never reveal this necklace to anyone else. Ever.”

Solea and Alainna shared an excited look. “Why?” Alainna asked.

“You can talk about it with each other, if you are alone,” Archondid said, his brow furrowed. “You can talk about it with me privately, or with Uclepidies. However, you must hide it as if your life depends on it. Do you understand?”

Alainna and Solea glanced at each other with growing excitement. “Now you have to read it!” Solea said, grinning.

“Swear to me first!”

“I swear, I swear!”

Archondid nodded reluctantly before reading:

I would like to offer another gift, along with an explanation that I hope you will read.

Back during the time of Kalie, the first Conqueror, I served as Kalie’s voice and ambassador to a powerful queen. After several embarrassing incidents, Kalie decided the queen needed to distinguish when I spoke for myself and when I was possessed and acting as her voice. Thus, Kalie took a stone given to her by Diamea and used powerful blood magic to make this necklace.

This is how it works:

Under normal conditions, the necklace will remain inactive. However, if you wear it in the presence of someone who is possessed, the stone reacts based on the intensity of the possession. If the possession is consensual, the stone will become warm and glow a dim red. However, if a person near you is suddenly and violently possessed, the stone will glow bright white and burn you.

In most cases, the pain is mild. When the queen wore it, it rarely broke her skin. However, this necklace has burnt through skin and bone before. Thus, if you are ever near someone who is violently possessed, it may be wise to discreetly remove this necklace, if you can.

I have kept this necklace hidden for many years. My brothers and sisters do not know about its existence, while the Conquerors believe it was lost forever. However, the Conqueror’s memory of this necklace still exists, for the stone is special to her. If any of Kalie’s descendants see this necklace, they can use this stone against you, since it has other special powers that only her descendants can wield. Because of this, I recommend you always keep it hidden underneath your clothes, just in case you meet a Conqueror.

However, please wear the necklace nonetheless, and tell Solea to wear her cloak. Both may prove useful to you when it is time for you to confront this newest Conqueror.

Your son,

Uclepidies

Solea suddenly balked. “He wants me to wear that cloak? Why, everyone will make fun of me!”

“Oh, bother the stupid cloak!” Alainna said crossly. She held up the necklace. “So this necklace belonged to a queen?”

Archondid made a face. “It is a cursed necklace, and Uclepidies should have destroyed it.”

“Still, it has an interesting history.” Alainna peered at the gem. “Why do you think Uclepidies kept it secret?”

Archondid snorted. “Why wouldn’t he keep it a secret? It was clearly a gift given to him by the Conqueror as a favor for his loyalty toward her. If he had shown us the necklace before he gifted it to you, we would have destroyed it!”

Solea listened quietly, her face pale.

Alainna frowned at the necklace. “It seems strange that Uclepidies would have helped the first Conqueror rise to power, with him being as broken as he is.”

Archondid grimaced. “Well, he regrets helping her now! She’s the reason he’s so broken.”

Solea looked down, embarrassed. She knew, of course, that her father, Uclepidies, had once aided Kalie and plunged the world into constant Frenzy. When she had asked for his blood, he had given it to her freely, allowing her to possess him. Through that possession, she caused him to betray his entire family, almost causing the destruction of the world.

Kalie had been the first Conqueror, but not the last. Occasionally, her tainted descendants popped up, mad with bloodlust, and destroyed everything around them. While none were as bad as Kalie, humanity still feared them, though it had been a century since the last Conqueror uprising.

Still, as Solea thought of Kalie, she remembered other stories her father had told her. About how Kalie was born to a White Swan couple who openly defied Diamea. The couple snuck to a magical stream to conceive a child, hoping to have a baby Swan, only to have a human girl instead. Her father abandoned her immediately. It took longer for her mother, but after Kalie grew older, eventually she left too.

“There were other reasons Uclepidies helped her,” Solea said, biting her lip. “Kalie wasn’t evil at first. She had a hard life. By the time she was my age, she already/ had two children she was forced to give up, and both her White Swan parents had abandoned her. Uclepidies felt sorry for her.”

Archondid watched Solea gently. “I know your father told you stories that portrayed her sympathetically. After all, Kalie is your only cousin—”

“Wait,” Alainna suddenly blurted out, making a face. “Kalie is Solea’s cousin?” Then she snorted. “No wonder Sergius mistook you for a Conqueror!”

Solea flinched and drew back, curling her hands into fists. But before she could respond, Archondid squeezed her shoulder.

“That’s why Uclepidies was so afraid to claim Solea as his daughter,” Archondid said. “He was afraid everyone would think of her as another Conqueror.” He nodded to Solea. “That’s also why your father told you those stories. He wanted you to know she wasn’t always evil and chose her path freely. That way, you knew you could forge your own path forward.”

Solea scowled. “And what is my path?”

“To help me, of course,” Alainna said. Then she snorted. “What a pair we are! The Bastard Lady Reborn and her Tainted Handmaid!”

Solea suddenly scowled. “My blood is not tainted! That’s a description only for Kalie’s descendants, not me!”

“Even then, not all of Kalie’s descendants have tainted blood,” Archondid added mildly. “Tainted only refers to Conquerors, since Kalie had them after she drank Swan blood. The children she had beforehand are known as the untainted ones, since they can’t naturally possess Black Swans.”

“Oh, stop,” Alainna said, making a face. “You know I was only joking.” She held up the necklace. “Should I wear it? It might be useful to have a Conqueror detector.”

Archondid made a face. “It isn’t a Conqueror detector! Uclepidies said it only glows when someone is possessed, and most Conquerors never possess any Black Swans. Probably the only time it would ever light up is when Uclepidies possesses Theron near you.”

Alainna frowned. “So why would Uclepidies give it to me if he didn’t think I could use it?”

Archondid grimaced. “No offense, Lady, but most Black Swans curse those who reject their gifts. It’s possible Uclepidies gave you this necklace — which will burn you whenever he speaks with you through Theron — as a curse for rejecting his gift and hurting him.”

Alainna’s eyes widened. “So, I shouldn’t wear it?”

Archondid looked torn. “Well, he gave you the necklace, so I suppose you’ll have to wear it. You shouldn’t reject this gift too. Just hide it!”

Alainna slipped on the necklace and hid it under her clothes. “There! It’s hidden. Though it seems silly to hide such a pretty necklace.” She turned to Archondid. “Is Uclepidies preparing me to meet a Conqueror?”

Alainna said it as a joke, but Archondid shrugged, looking worried. “Perhaps. You are the Lady, after all.”

Alainna narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”

Archondid leaned forward, his eyes gentle. “As the Lady, the prophecy says you will not only meet Diamea, but also the last Conqueror…”

He stopped.

Solea froze. “A horrible thought just came to me. Sergius normally deals with potential Conqueror cases, right?”

Archondid watched them without blinking. “Yes.”

Solea bit her lip. “If he is usually busy doing that, then why is he so involved in selecting our teacher?”

Archondid bowed.

Alainna paled. “And why did Uclepidies give me a magical necklace that can detect possession and request that I hide it, just in case I meet a Conqueror?”

Archondid didn’t respond.

In a tiny voice, Solea asked, “Archondid, is our new teacher a Conqueror?”

Archondid bowed once more. “Again, I am forbidden to say.”

Alainna sank into a chair and groaned.

Archondid eyed her kindly. “Remember, one day, you will meet the Conqueror. You might as well be among friends when you do.”