Anastasia walked through the corridors of the east wing to reach the chamber where Tamara was kept under arrest, and as she walked, she could feel the air thicken around her. By the time she rounded the corner to a landing, thick white fog settled on the floor made it difficult for her to see where she was going. The marble had become slippery as the dew settled on it. The witch was showing her wrath for being arrested against her will. And Anastasia was all the more peeved at her. The magic in her chest wanted to rise in her throat and somehow, she knew that yet another barrier of her magic had broken. On an instinct Anastasia said in her fae language "Deo puta," and the fog parted, tumbling away to the sides for her. She pushed down the magic from her throat back to her chest and let it hum there. 

As soon as the guards saw her, they opened the chamber for her. Anastasia stepped into dense fog that immediately dampened her chestnut silk gown and braided hair. A tendril of magic climbed its way back in her throat and she said, "Ispariti." The fog around them cleared so fast as if it weren't there in the first place. Her eyes went straight into the witch's eyes that were now pink. Anastasia could feel that her magic was tingling inside her and by the fae gods, she was ready to fight her. 

Shock flickered through Tamara's eyes when she saw that the fog she had created dissipated so easily. Closing her mouth, she regained her balance. "I am the High Priestess, who is supposed to help you with your wedding!" she retorted the moment she saw Anastasia. Her chin was dipped and her eyes looked feral as she watched Anastasia entering her room. Tamara was chained to the bed. There were chains of lights that shackled her wrists that were pulled wide apart. Even her legs were manacled and pulled wide apart. Her veil was thrown on the ground, her hair a disheveled mess showing that she struggled against her restraints or the guards and during the restraint, the guards built heavy spells around her. It also proved that it was difficult to keep the High Priestess grounded. 

Anastasia narrowed her eyes and said, "Now you can kiss that goodbye. I don't need your help." 

"The queen would never like it," she hissed. "After all you are an outsider, a fae princess." 

The way she spoke, it looked as if she was one of her haters, which again made Anastasia wonder whether Tamara actually ate the food that she shared with her? "Oh, the queen had given me full freedom to decide on what to do with you." 

"Arghh!" the witch writhed against her shackles in frustration and her hair fell on her forehead. Her breath became shallow. She asked, "So, what have you decided?" watching her through the strands of her hair.

Anastasia turned to the small table lying in the corner of the room and pulled out the chair from there. She sat down on it in front of Tamara. She cut the chase and asked directly, "Why did you force Kaizan into something he wasn't ready for?" 

Tamara looked away, as her jaw clenched. A moment of silence later she said, "He is a handsome man and would have made a great partner… in bed…" 

"And you wanted him against his wishes, with your magic?" 

"So what?" the witch retorted. "I am sure you have cured him by now." 

"Yes, it took time for us to heal him, but your magic is out of his mind." 

"Great, then release me. I would like to go back to the temple and start working. I am sure my absence will be noted," she said with zero remorse, as if she was least bothered about what she did. 

"But you broke a rule?" Anastasia said in a cold voice. 

Tamara whipped her head to face Anastasia as her pink eyes became darker. "Having sex with a werewolf is not breaking a rule, even for priestesses," she snapped. 

Anastasia gave a humorless laugh. "I am talking about the rule of breaking the mentals shield of a vokudlak, which the queen creates before they come to integrate with people in Draoidh." 

Tamara's face blanched. 

"Breaking a rule comes with heavy penalties, Tamara," Anastasia said coldly, calculatively. 

"I— I—" Tamara stuttered. "Wh— what are you going to do about it? I have extremely strong support in the— in the—" 

"In the council?" Anastasia completed her sentence. 

"And outside. I have a very strong network. You just can't throw me in prison!" Even though she said that loudly, fear skittered through her veins at what Anastasia was capable of doing. She saw how she cut through her magic and even a normal witch wouldn't have been able to do it. But Anastasia—she did it like a child's play. 

Anastasia brushed the nails of her right fingers with her thumb and gave her a sleek smile. "I can do a lot of things with you and throwing you into prison can be one of them. Besides I don't want to throw you there, but," Anastasia paused. 

"But what?" Tamara asked, leaning forward with interest as much as her shackles allowed. She knew that if the queen had given Anastasia the power to do anything with her, she had an upper hand. And that made Anastasia really strong. And that was just the beginning. 

"I have a proposition for you," Anastasia continued. 

A breath later, Tamara asked, "What proposition?" At this point of time, she would take anything that the princess proposed. She hoped that Anastasia released her today. Then she might gather support and challenge her proposition, whatever it might be and go on about doing her job as if nothing happened. Yes. She licked her lips. Play her like a child who got candy. 

"I heard that you developed a very strong network in the Lore, and that you have some great connections." 

"That I do," said Tamara with pride, relaxing back. The strands of hair rolled away from her from her forehead. "But what of it?" 

"I have a list of tasks for you. You will be traveling through the Lore as my emissary.

A crease came upon the witch's forehead. "So, are we friends now?" 

Anastasia chuckled. "No, we can never be friends. More like allies. Allies are better than friends." 

"What is the deal actually?" asked Tamara, suspicious of her intentions.

"Simple. You have to strengthen the ties between Vilinski and other kingdoms." 

Tamara's eyes widened as big as her mouth. She stared at Anastasia without blinking. The fae princess was bloody shrewd. "You must be mad!" she said. "I am a citizen of Draoidh and don't know anything about Vilinski!" 

Anastasia shrugged. "Then devise a way to know things better. You will be representing me for Vilinski, which means that you will be actually garnering support for me and not the kingdom of Vilinski." 

"That's a ridiculous mission!" said Tamara. It meant that she would travel through the Lore for many years before she ever came back. "I will be gone from Draoidh, like forever!" Wait. Did Anastasia throw her out like a fly from the milk instead of throwing her in prison? Which end of the stick was she holding?

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