It's been a while. But we're back! This chapter is short but as far as that goes, I must admit that I would have done better to split the previous chapter into two. Had I put the back half of that chapter by itself, ahead of the first half, it would have been better. Well, forward, not back!

As always, I appreciate constructive criticism. So read, review, and hopefully, enjoy!

Chapter 46: Blood Bonds

Lelei rolled her eyes as her sister ranted.

"To see it come to this! That while I struggle to reach my doctorate degree, my little sister is trying for Sage… A little sister who flirts with men while I am still inexperienced in such things! A sister who travels in the company of people of means while I am left poor! A sister who consorts with elves while I toil amid the forgotten and dusty tomes of Rondel's library!"

It was YOUR choice to stay here, Arpeggio! Lelei retorted in her mind while trying to maintain an outward calm. YOU could have just as easily come with Master Cato and me!… Gods KNOW how many times I had to listen to him wishing you had! You were the one who decided that 'there was far more to learn in Rondel than in going off to some 'sleepy little village in the middle of nowhere'.

But Arpeggio saw it differently. She had made good, solid, responsible choices and paid for them with disappointment and frustration and now Lelei was here with everything that Arpeggio longed for. She was DOOMED and she knew it! She was destined to labor away watching after Old Master Mimosa while translating and copying old texts. Eventually, she'd simply go crazy as so many did. She would need to find an apprentice before that happened…

Of course…

She smiled at Itami, who seemed to be a man of some importance and means if she read matters correctly.

"At least do me the courtesy of introducing your companions, sister."

Lelei's eyes narrowed as she noted the focus of her sister's attention.

That's your game? Well then, we'll play! My move. Lelei nodded and began introducing everyone in their party, reciting a multitude of trivial facts about them before introducing Itami…

"We have already completed the 'Three Nights' ritual," Lelei stated calmly.

She knew she shouldn't have done it. The looks that Rory, Tuka, and Yao were throwing her were plenty of evidence of this but Lelei hoped they wouldn't take her too seriously. She simply could not resist prodding Arpeggio with the way that her sister was eyeing Itami.

"What?!" Arpeggio cried in shock.

"'Three Nights Ritual'?" Itami asked. "What's that?"

Mimosa clapped her hands and enthusiastically explained:

"The 'Three Nights Ritual' involves a couple sleeping together for three nights, thereby instituting a Common Law Marriage. It's a common practice among tribes such as the one Arpeggio and Lily come from."

"When was THIS?" Tuka objected.

"Itami?" Rory had a dangerous glint in her eye.

Itami swallowed nervously. "I don't remember that!"

Lelei nodded. "Once at the base. Once waiting at the lake near the Dragon's nest, and once at the hot springs…"

"But we…" Itami's objection was cut off by a smirk from Rory.

"Ah! I see!" The apostle declared.

"Well, in that case, I've slept with Itami more than that!" Tuka asserted.

Itami winced. That's not… I… We didn't… His mind protested but it seemed that the universe was paying no heed at the moment.

"You thought he was your father," Lelei pointed out. "It doesn't count."

"We'll have to fix that," Rory noted.

Arpeggio snapped. "My life is nothing…. Failure in academics… Failure in money… Failure in finding a proper spouse… My little sister eclipses me in all these things. There is only one thing left to do…" She trailed off before raising up her bowl of gazpacho and dumping it down on Lelei's head. "I challenge you to a duel of magic!"

Lelei stared at her and slowly nodded. Rory grinned. "A challenge of honor is made and accepted! I, Rory Mercury, will preside."

Prince Zorzal did have some skill at rhetoric and oratory, Cassiopeia admitted to herself. His ability to fire up a crowd blinded many to what else the Prince was doing. No… Not blinded, she thought. They could see clearly as formerly esteemed and respected Senators and their families, as well as others, suddenly became enemies of the state, their lands and wealth stripped… It was that no one cared. Thousands of enthusiastic young men were signing up to fill the Army's depleted ranks. Cassiopeia had a shrewd idea of how that would end. She might never have been a soldier but she had been a veteran street fighter. Her experiences told her that one skilled fighter was usually more than a match for a number of inexperienced men and if she understood the situation correctly, the Empire faced an enemy that would not allow them the luxury of becoming experienced. It was a mess and she could do little more than to hang on for dear life and hope for the best.

Well… There were a few things she could do, she smiled as she saw the flag of the Kestrel fluttering over the training grounds. She could protect her family. As her brother Hadrian, and his mother had embraced her and her mother without reservation, so she would do everything in her power to keep them safe. It was not merely that Hadrian could become a powerful ally in the future, even though that is what she had told Bouros, but she longed for family and now that she had that family, would not endanger it.

And Hadrian had done well. Cassiopea had found the best teachers available to train the Kestral Order and these were instructors who had seen bloody battle before and who rewarded on merit, not political rank. Hadrian now proudly wore the insignia of a centurion.

"I'm so proud of you, my brother! Soon we'll be needing to sort through the ladies to find you a suitable wife!" Hadrian had blushed at that as his sister teased. Then her expression grew more serious. "You'll be an officer. I want you to remember something."

"What is it?" He asked, picking up on the seriousness in her tone.

"A good soldier follows orders. A good leader also follows orders but never blindly."

Cassiopeia nodded at the memory. This evening, she could tell Hadrian and her mother and the Lady Antonia the good news she had received during her visit to the temples. Gently she touched her belly. One day, if the gods will, you will rule this land.

Back in Rondel, Rory set the rules for the duel between sisters.

"This duel between the Lalena sisters is approved in the name of ME! Rory Mercury," the apostle declared with a dramatic bit of posing. "The rules are as follows: No killing, no wounds to the face. Otherwise, everything else is fair game. Break a house, destroy the world, I don't care."

Kurata grinned, pulling out his cell phone. "I better record this!"

"Are you starting to stray again?" Shino asked. "We'd hate to tell all those girls that you fell for a random sorceress," she smirked.

"No! No! But Sorceress duel? I could post this on the base net! This will be awesome!"

Mari Kurokawa rolled her eyes at that, hoping that this fight would resolve itself before anyone got seriously hurt.

"In a magical duel," Mimosa explained. "The objective is to break your opponent's magical defenses while keeping your own intact."

Rory turned to the sisters. "At my command. Ready… Begin!"

As one might expect, Arpeggio took the offensive quickly, attempting to overwhelm her sister at the start. Lelei used her staff to fly and gain some distance from Arpeggio, returning strikes that while less in the volume of fire, were individually more powerful than Arpeggio's attacks. Itami noted that the attacks that missed were doing an impressive job at tearing up the streets and nearby buildings. The apparent destructive potential made Itami briefly wonder why the Imperial Army did not make greater use of magic. It was certainly something worth looking into.

"Isn't this getting a little out of hand?" He asked Rory as a large chunk of a stone wall shattered under repeated concussive strikes.

"If we stop the fight now, they might never be able to resolve matters between them."

"Yeah… but…"

"Just be quiet and watch." She told him.

Just then, Arpeggio unleashed a barrage that seemed to home in on Lelei like a volley of heat-seeking missiles. Lelei climbed straight up trying to lose them. But they finally caught up with her, sending the younger mage plummeting down to the ground. Lelei managed to pull out, scant feet from the earth, the strain clearly showing as she sped past Arpeggio, blasting her as she passed. Both combatants fell, spent, exhausted, and gasping for air.

"A draw?" Itami questioned. Rory nodded.

"Lord Itami! Down!" Yao Ro Dushi suddenly shouted as she pulled her sword. As Itami dropped, Rory turned to see Yao impale a cloaked man who had been raising a crossbow, cocked and loaded, at Itami.

As the man fell, slain, Itami unexpectedly recognized Sir Grey as he pushed through the crowd. "Are you uninjured Sir Itami?"

Youji Itami nodded as he looked at the body of the man who had just tried to murder him and then at Yao, who simply breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think we should get off the street, Sir Itami," Grey said. "We have much to discuss."