The Crimson Magister Chapter 7: V1-C7: Golden Rose Encampment

Read chapter 7 of The Crimson Magister by Okram on NovelPedia.

Aqua held Azure securely as they flew above the forest. Despite her newfound power, Azure kept her eyes shut. Aqua tightened her arms around Azure. "I won’t drop you, Azure. Trust me," she reassured the elven champion. Azure opened her eyes, her breathing shallow. "I know. I have just never been this far above the ground." Aqua couldn’t help but giggle. The way Azure behaved reminded her of her dear teacher. Her expression soured. She had lost her beloved teacher before she ever had the chance to truly understand her feelings. She looked down at Azure again. Aqua, this is not the time to reminisce! Her eyes scanned the encampment below them. The Golden Rose was dismantling the camp, packing everything into carriages that were barely a dozen minutes away from departure. Unfortunately for the humans, once they were caught in Aqua’s gaze, they would not escape. Her eyes glowed faint blue, and she sighed. "Sheira isn’t here, Azure." The champion grumbled, gripping Aqua’s wrist. "Aqua, what are we supposed to do? How am I supposed to find Sheira like this?" Aqua hummed. I understand her worry. If Aqua had met the princess before, she could have searched the entire world for her. But Sheira was still unknown to her, and the divinity clinging to her was too faint to distinguish from so far away. "Azure, do not worry. We will interrogate these bandits and find exactly where we need to go," she said reassuringly. Azure went silent for a solid minute. "Aqua, I will trust you. If you wanted to kill me, you would have already. I hope we can be friends when this is all over." Aqua’s eyes widened, her lips stretching into a wide smile. How adorable! The woman in her arms did not seem like a slave of divinity. If anything, she reminded Aqua of her younger self. With each moment spent with Azure, Aqua wanted to believe her fears were misplaced. But wanting to believe something did not make it true. "Let’s go question their officer, shall we?" Aqua asked. Azure saluted. "Let’s ask them where they took my friend!" Only one person in the camp wore no mask: a female officer crowned with a circlet of golden roses, marking her as an obvious target for Aqua. The officer barked orders to others before heading out toward her tent. It was a perfect opportunity for the elven duo to capture and ask her everything they needed. Aqua teleported close to the ground and released Azure. Then she slipped behind the officer and seized her by the throat. "Where do you think you are going, human?" Aqua asked. The woman’s body shook out of fear, yet she did not run; instead, she simply froze in place. "I have questions," Aqua said. "I am looking for someone important, and you look important enough to know where she went." Aqua forced the woman to face her. "You may yet live if you cooperate," Aqua said, smiling at her. From Ivor’s consumed memories, Aqua recognized her: Laura, a Golden Petal of the Golden Rose. Laura thrashed, attempting to strike her. Even Azure seemed unimpressed by the attempt. Aqua squeezed her tighter before letting go. Laura gasped for air, her eyes wide. After a moment, she looked up toward Aqua. "No matter what you do to me, I am not betraying Golden Fang." Laura was afraid. No, not merely afraid. Horrified. She stared at Aqua as if she were an Argus. She rose to her knees and discreetly reached for a small crystal. Before her fingers closed around it, Aqua teleported it into her own hand. Her fingers searched the empty pocket, panic growing with every passing second. Aqua tilted her head and twirled the gemstone between her fingers. "Looking for this?" she said in a mocking tone before crushing the gem, leaving nothing but dust. A teleportation gem. A single-use vessel for the spell [Teleport]. Laura’s last chance at survival, crushed before she could use it. Laura looked at the gem with a horrified expression as the dust of her lifeline scattered into the wind. "You shouldn't be trying to run away now. Teleportation wouldn't work aga