Two: Chimia

"Chimia?"

I turned and allowed myself a moment to swallow the splendor of Fen's figure. He was my height, but he was wide--a wall of muscle. Hundreds of years ago, Fen was born a man. His birth name was unknown to me. As a teenager, he was bitten by a vampire. At some point, he traded a demon--a body for a body--so he could retreat to the underworld. We'd met when we were both lost, orphaned children in this intricate and brutal world and had become best friends immediately. When I started my schooling, I insisted that I would not take up my mantle unless Fen was granted his own body and place in the world. So he was sired to me, and we'd been best friends ever since. Now, he serves as my chief and only guard.

I dispelled the glamor that I'd been wearing all week and stepped up to him, pulling his head down to mine with both hands.

"I promise I'll be fine without you, Fen. Anyway, we'll be reunited in just a week." I wasn't nearly as confident as I sounded, but I had to believe what I said, anyway. The rest of my life was about to begin in less than an hour, and I would be doing it without my closest ally. At first, anyway. But it had to be this way.

There are many facets of the Shadow Realm, or the underworld as the humans call it. Even the Gods--yes, Hades himself--do not know all of her secrets. This plane and all of its subsets existed long before the first being took form. I was born in Echelon, but three days later I was sent to live with my grandmother, in a realm where many ancient enchanters had made their home. It was a forest filled with fey that contained a portal to the human world so the inhabitants could come, go, and creat mischief as they pleased. There, I learned magic from the wise and legendary. After, I spent my years locked in a dark castle with other fledgling Mystics where we recieved formal schooling so we could best serve the pantheon. When I graduated, I was sent to learn from the almighty themselves.

In Olympus, I was trained alongside newborn deities--Chrimata, Pheme, Katoxes, and others--and bested them in every subject. When it came time for my Champion's Trial, it was all I could do not to giggle when they announced what my tasks were to be. Impressed, Zeus allowed me to study under him. He rarely showed interest in women of any species for reasons other than lust, so this was a polarizing event once word spread. But I kept my head down, ignored any advances, and made sure to show Hera plenty of attention and admiration. Somehow, I made it out relatively unscathed and with a short but rewarding list of promises from my mentor.

Zeus was to unshackle any future daughter of mine from her small fate and make her one of his own court. Should I have other worthy children, they'd receive the same honor. To ensure they'd be made of the right stuff, he'd created a soul bond between me and another God. He was to select my future husband himself, and that future husband was to find me and enact our bond of his own volition. But I'm not the type to sit around and wait for a man to come forward. So, I'd already been in Echelon for a week prior to the date I'd given to my mother.

But in order to reap the rewards I'd worked for, I had to find the idiot I'd been promised to. I'd been able to use process of elimination and cross out several names of any potential suitors. No one already in a Zeus-approved marriage would be eligible, obviously. Neither would anyone who had lost favor with Zeus in recent years. It was also unlikely that any Gods that had been banned from Echelon for overindulging were in the running. From there, I'd organized my list from most to least desirable suitors who I'd investiage in order now that I was finally free to travel the realm as I saw fit. And if my cowardly beau would not come forward, I would be able to find him and force him to make my dreams a reality once I was in power. I felt sure that I'd get what I wanted in the end, of course, so I'd marked "Find my husband" down as a medium priority item on my to do list.

For now.

I spent the week in disguise as a witch exploring the town that would soon be mine. Part of me was also excited to be in the place that I was born for the first time; to learn the heart of the city I'd one day rule over. I had opinions about what I foud and plans for what to do about it.

Fen had been a gift from Hades, technically, so it physically pained me to let him out of my sight. However, I had a suitable backup and Fen had work to do. He would continue my investigation and begin networking on my behalf so that I could make moves as soon as possible. I bid him farewell and prepared for my day.

I wore an enchanted silver dress that painted the curves of my body and reflected light in shifting swirls and streams. My white hair hung down around me like a cloak, and the glamor I wore altered none of my natural beauty while amplifying the physical gifts bourn unto me. Looking in the mirror, I thought, I have never seen me look so much like myself.

In Echelon, it was always night. The weather was always nice. And the people were always lively. I took my time walking through the streets of the city that would be mine, bathing in the sensational energy of my future public. A few heads swiveled to look at me, but none appeared to recognize me.

Mother must not have announced my arrival to the public.

Once upon a time, there had been a real palace. But as the human world grew and progressed, so did the Shadow Realm. Now, the royal court was a sleek, black tower--the hustling, bustling epicenter of a metropolitan empire. The lower floors of the skyscraper were open to the public, largely used for public affairs and parties. But the upper floors housed the members of the court, including my mother and, from now on, me. I wanted to love it, but I didn't feel the excitement I'd expected to feel. Instead, I felt nervous. My throat and mouth were dry with anticipation. A sniveling voice in the back of my head whispered, "What if you fail?"

For the first few seconds after I walked into the building, The Palace appeared to operate as normal. In the reception area, there was a cafe to one side and a bar to the other so folks could indulge in both food and spirits. Visitors and members of the court mingled together in both establishemnts, laughing and chattering with an energy that was much milder than that of the bars and restaurants outside in the city. The feeling of being a fly on the wall lasted only a moment before a receptionist noticed me, recognized me, and started frantically making calls to alert everyone of my presence. A young succubus sprinted over to me with a tray of treats and drinks from the cafe just as a pair of nymphs appeared with champagne in hand.

"Welcome, your Grace," the three of them said in unison. I waved them off, beckoning the panicked receptionist over to me.

"Go and fetch the one called Malfazan. Tell him to come at once. And, when you've done that, call and make reservations for my mother and I for dinner. The demon God will join us as a guest and his duties as my guard will begin in the morning." I sighed, looking around dejectedly at the supposed splendor of the place. It needed work, but a social visit was of top priority at the moment. I had been itching for centuries to put Mal in his place once and for all. And here I was, just a blink of the eye from becoming his literal boss.