Contents
Chapter Sixty-Three
Overview
Aeri, Mikail, and allies arrive at the Khitan palace seeking Queen Quilimar. General Vikal denies entry until Aeri reveals the black amarth egg as an exception to the Rule of Distance. The group secures a tightly controlled five-minute audience, surrenders weapons, and anticipates a trap, with loyalties and past ties straining alliances.
Summary
Aeri, with Mikail, Sora, Euyn, Royo, and Gambria, arrives at the Palace of the Sky King in Khitan. Though formally presented, they are stopped by guards due to heightened security after the assassination attempt. Mikail requests to see Queen Quilimar, invoking his status and hinting at an exception to the Rule of Distance to draw attention and pressure.
General Vikal appears, trading barbed remarks with Mikail and Euyn and showing open disdain for Gambria. When Vikal insists only one person may pass, Mikail signals Aeri. Aeri produces the large black amarth egg and announces its origin. The revelation shocks the crowd and forces Vikal to weigh the optics of refusal against the queen’s regency and recent instability.
Exploiting the public spectacle, Mikail demands that they all be admitted together. Vikal relents, granting a heavily guarded, five-minute audience with a prepared table and strict no-weapons terms. Gambria warns Mikail not to harm Quilimar, revealing complex loyalties, and Mikail replies that all have become what necessity demanded.
The group disarms, piling an arsenal at Gambria’s feet, though Aeri secretly keeps a hair-dagger concealed. With suspicions that the meeting is a trap, they follow a palace servant inside under the watch of twelve guards, resolved to confront Quilimar.
Who Appears
- AeriNarrator; reveals the black amarth egg to force entry and conceals a hair-dagger despite disarmament.
- MikailYusan spymaster; leverages protocol and spectacle to secure a brief audience with Quilimar.
- General VikalKhitan general; initially blocks access, then permits a guarded five-minute audience under strict conditions.
- GambriaDriver and ally; clashes silently with Vikal and urges Mikail not to hurt Quilimar.
- SoraCompanion; her presence draws attention, reacts to Aeri’s threat with the egg.
- EuynKhitan prince; acknowledged by Vikal, joins the group entering under suspicion of a trap.
- RoyoAlly; disarms an array of hidden weapons and supports Aeri during entry.