Kalli tugged the sleeve of my shirt to pull me into the chair next to her. What the hell did you just do? You were gone again. I couldn’t feel you even though you were standing right there.

My mind raced, thinking about my encounter with the man in the ring. While the ring still felt like a black hole that wanted to suck up all of my mana, I was able to deny it access with a little active thought.

I was inside the ring. There are people in there.

Kalli’s eyes widened as a feeling of alarm rose within her. The voice we heard?

Yeah. He was creepy.

She turned to look at me. What did he want?

He told me how our armbands work, although we don’t know the proper spells to make much use of them.

By that point, both of us were distracted from the conversation going on around us. What kind of spells?

World Magic. That’s what he called it. He says the magic might be lost to us though.

She thought about it for a moment. Do you think the gods know the spell?

I hadn’t thought of that. My girlfriend was a genius.

That’s a great idea! We need to wrap up this meeting and kill Raverly so we can ask them.

Kalli giggled out loud before catching herself. Don’t joke about that. Let’s pay attention and find a way to get you out of this contract.

Turning my attention back to the conversation, I listened as King Thomas addressed Raverly. “…is Lady Mardella going to arrive? While this document is indeed lucrative, we have questions that she must answer before we can take this any further.”

Raverly slammed his hands down on the table. “Nonsense. Mardella personally made me her heir. I have a title, Prince Raverly. You can address any concerns with this contract with me.”

Thomas flipped through a few pages of the document, running a finger over a clause. “Here, it says that…”

“Don’t waste your time,” Kiki announced as she pushed past the guards making her way into the tent. “I hope I’m not late.”

“Who is this?” King Thomas asked, rising to his feet.

“Never mind that,” Kiki said with a huge grin on her face.

Without saying another word, she reached across the table and scooped up the contract that was originally signed by Kalli. Winking at me, she said, “Do you want to know the coolest part about being a Negotiator?”

I nodded, her excitement starting to rub off on me. “I heard you figured something out. What is it?”

She waggled a finger at me as she scanned the contract. “It’s much simpler than that. I have a certain set of skills that makes me a nightmare for magical contracts. Watch this.”

The contract in her hand began to glow as Kiki’s mana poured over the words. Then each individual sheet of parchment began to float in front of her, rotating around the girl as she whispered a spell.

“Xvzorbianth Abscusia”

The contract began to shine so brightly that it blinded all of us. When my eyes adjusted, I could tell that the magic had focused on a singular point of the contract; the name. No longer did the contract bear any reference to Kalli or me. In its place was another name.

Kiki Morin

King Thomas scooped the papers up and gaped at them when she set the contract back on the table. “How did you…? This is impossible. Preposterous. You’re both girls! You just undermined everything.”

I looked over my shoulder at Kiki.

Are you sure about this? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate what you did, but doesn’t that put you on the hook for the contract?

Kiki laughed and slapped me on the shoulder. Don’t worry, bro. This is a win-win. We both know I’m an outcast back on Earth. I was planning to do this for you regardless of what the contract said. It just so worked out that I benefit from it.

What do you mean?

Then Kiki did something that I had never seen from her before. She blushed. Well, you see. Alariel and I sort of hooked up.

But how did you do it?

She grinned at me. That’s the best part. If this hadn’t been a magic contract, I wouldn’t have been able to help you. My penultimate skill allows me to assume responsibility for any contract so long as it’s magically binding. Now, I’m still responsible for holding up my end of it but I can also reap the rewards. I have never used it for anything serious before today.

King Thomas was still having none of it. “You have ruined everything. You don’t understand.”

Celestea tried to comfort the stricken King. “Relax, Thomas. We still fully intend to forge a pact with your Kingdom. Now that the contract is dealt with, the only thing left to negotiate is the well-being of both our nations.”

Thomas shook his head. “You don’t understand. Our continued goodwill with the high house relied on securing that contract for Lady Mardella. Without it, she has threatened to strip us of our sovereignty.”

“Why do you need it?” I asked. “Don’t you command a legion of mages that are prepared to blast my army should we try to sack Dabia?”

The King sighed as he replied. “Those mages belong to Mardella. Nearly everything does. She controls most things magical. Even the nobility spread throughout the towns all fight to get in her good graces. If she said the word, we would be out of there.”

“What about the people?” Kalli asked. “What do they want?”

King Dabia rubbed his chin. “I never thought to ask.”

I stood up. “Then stand with us against Mardella and this high house. From what I’ve seen, the world is better off without them. With our nations allied, Mardella would have to think twice before attacking.”

“What is this?” King Thomas growled at Celestea. “Does this boy now speak for you?”

Kalli interrupted her mother who was about to speak. “The castle responds to the two of us. Not my mother. The one you should be negotiating with is Melvin. Either that or wait to face the wrath of Mardella. Your choice.”

Celestea deflated in her chair while her husband gave Kalli a reproachful look. King Thomas also looked defeated. Then Raverly spoke. “Are you serious? Do you intend to let Melvin out of his contract just because of some girly mumbo jumbo? Lady Mardella is going to kill you all.”

He stood and moved to leave the tent with Stefanie’s ghost hanging on his back smacking his head repeatedly. Before he could make it to the door, Joe once again had him restrained. This time, shackles emerged from the ground and attached themselves to the boy’s ankles.

Raverly tugged at his bonds before shouting himself hoarse. “Now you’ve done it! I’ve called her. She is coming.”

Outside, we heard a commotion as people began screaming. A loud rumbling sound shook the ground as something exploded. Raverly’s face took on a smug look as he laughed hysterically. “See! She’s doing it. You’re all going to die.”

We rushed out to see what was going on. In the distance, a stormcloud was brewing near the spot where the Dabian army had been gathered.

At a glance, I saw that my army was safe. Alariel emerged from the tent and started walking toward the cloud. “Let me talk to her. I think I can reason with mother.”

Kiki placed a hand on her shoulder. “No! I have a bad feeling about this. You told me that she might not approve of us. What if she does something?”

“She isn’t going to hurt me.” Alariel soothed the girl. “She is going to have to accept us. It’s better to deal with it directly before she uses this as a reason to attack.”

Together, the two girls set off toward the storm cloud that was brewing over Lady Mardella. In the distance, I could just make out dark entities surrounding her that reminded me of the Wraiths that had been with Raverly.

I had an ominous feeling as I pictured Stefanie marching away before her death.

This feels like a very bad idea. I think we should stick together and come up with a plan.

Alariel didn’t turn back. She strode with purpose directly toward her mom. Trust me, Melvin. This is my mother. I know how she can be, but she would never hurt me. I might be able to deescalate this situation before it turns into an all-out war.

I turned back to the others who were all outside of the tent by then.

We need a plan. Sending the troops in recklessly is just going to get people killed. We need someplace private to discuss this.

I edited a duplicate tent just beside the original one. Joe was still in the first tent restraining Raverly. Don’t forget about me guys. Keep me posted in group chat.

Wendy walked into the tent and replied. Don’t worry, Joe. I’ll make sure you hear everything.

Once the last of the group entered, Celestea and Thomas approached me. “What are you going to do?”

“We are preparing to be attacked,” I replied. “Does she control the Dabian army over there? Can we trust you?”

The King had a faraway look in his eyes as he looked at his distant army. “That is complicated. As the Archmage, the army will follow her commands, but the Magi-Corps all answer directly to her. If she wills it, she can rain fire on you from a distance. I hate to say this, but you’re outmatched.”

“Can you stall them?” I asked, hoping that the King would be on our side. “I still think we can solve this diplomatically if you can get your army to stand down.”

“I will do what I can,” Thomas said, his guards gathering around him as he and his wife headed toward a carriage that I hadn’t seen.

As I nodded and turned back to the tent, Celestea caught me by the sleeve. “What are you going to do?”

“We need to figure out a way to counter Mardella’s magic,” I replied, holding the tent flap open for Kalli to enter. “If you can think of anything that will help, feel free to join us.”

“Ahem.” The queen fidgeted, rummaging through a pouch at her side. “This has been in my possession ever since that man saved me all those years ago. He told me that I would know who to entrust it to and that it will be the key to saving the empire. I didn’t know what he meant at the time but I think it’s becoming clear now.”

She reached into the bag and withdrew a scroll with strange writing on it that I couldn’t understand. I held it gingerly in my hand. “Thanks. If this is what I think it is, then it might be just what we need.”

“What do you want us to do?” Queen Celestea asked, looking hopefully at the tent.

I paused and considered the potential of having the Queen at the head of my army. “Do you have some special abilities that you haven’t told me about? I appreciate the offer and can use all the help I can get. It would break Kalli’s heart if anything happened to you. It might be best if you and your husband wait in the safety of the Thief’s Corridor.”

The Queen nodded politely as I spoke. “Do you mind if we attend your planning session? I might be able to provide some insight.”

“I welcome that,” I replied. “Come on in.”

Once we were all inside of the tent, I edited up a round table and enough chairs for the group. When everyone was seated, I took a deep breath. “Gods. Can you please come out? I have some questions.”

One by one, the tattoos removed themselves from my body and the gods appeared around us. Jagriel noticed the scroll in my hand and spoke in a grim voice. “Do you intend to invoke World Magic against your enemy? You cannot take back such a thing once you have invoked it.”