Not much to say here...the tale continues, and I hope you are enjoying it!
Once again thanks to my wonderful editor moncrifelle.
*****
The Princess Daphnia, formerly of Erecia, stretched and yawned, coming slowly to wakefulness. Whatever the faults of the resistance, at least they had managed to procure a comfortable feather bed for her to sleep in. Though had become used to "roughing it" on the trip to Asdale, nevertheless she much preferred a soft mattress to the rough forest floor. The only thing she had to get used to was lying on her back. In her former life, she had enjoyed sleeping face down, but with her new prodigious and sensitive endowments, it was an impossibility.
Daphnia slid out of bed, washed herself in a nearby water basin, and threw on a simple cotton dress lying on a chair. Like most clothes, she saw it barely fit her—garments were simply not designed for the proportions of an elfslut. At least this way she was halfway decently clothed and would not accidentally arouse anyone she happened to pass by . . . at least, not that much.
Wearing the dress did remind her of her former travelling companion though, the boy named Tivin. She sighed a little as she remembered his gentle ways and touch, and how despite his seeming docility, he could be quite the beast in bed. She wondered how he was doing. She had been so caught in the rush of events since she arrived at Asdale he hadn't crossed her mind until now. She would have to remember to ask the resistance about him.
Opening the door to her room, Daphnia made her way to the mess hall where a simple repast of bread and cheese awaited her. She ate quietly, observing the bustle of activity around her.
Preparations were finally being made for the assault on the castle. Arrows were being fletched, supplies readied, and she could hear the distant clangor of forging armor. She had never managed or defended against a siege in her time as the princess of Erecia—that was Perthias's department, but she knew enough about warfare to know that they were in for a tough battle.
Speaking of which, neither her brother nor mother were anywhere to be found. She supposed that they had been tasked with different duties by the hooded figures. No matter. They each had their part to play, and she was determined to play hers well.
If what Tyzhe had said during the war council was true, she would be the main participant in a ritual of some sort of which she was curious, despite herself. She already knew that the resistance boasted powerful spellcasters, but ritual sorcery was a whole other field of magic, one that she knew little about. But if it was a chance to restore her missing powers, or strike a blow at the usurper, then it was something that she had the utmost interest in.
She finished her breakfast, licked her lips daintily (another advantage of being an elfslut . . . no table manners to observe!) and walked into the main hall where another war council was being held. Instead of her brother and mother being present, there were not one, but three hooded figures waiting for her.
"Princess Daphnia. We have been expecting you."
Of course they had. Nothing could get through their all-seeing gaze, or so it seemed.
She met their gazes with a curt nod. Her earlier suspicions had been confirmed—there wasn't just one hooded figure in the resistance. Such a large and concerted effort had to have more than one overseer, and it seemed she was right.
The one to her immediate right—not Tyzhe, he had a deeper voice—spoke first.
"It seems that the spell that Rampillion has worked on you is more complex than we had thought. It is tied to your physical form, but it also affects your astral energies to some degree. We are pressed for time, and as such will not explain at length what we have discovered. But in short, all your magical powers are intact, you are just not able to use them."
Daphnia rolled her eyes at the figure's summation. "What exactly is the point then? This is the same as not having them in the first place!"
The figure held up a bony finger. "Patience, your Highness. I am not quite done."
Daphnia gestured for him to continue, and he/she/it did.
"Do remember that you were able to see the sigils we left for you that guided you out of the castle dungeons and to here. That means that you are still attuned to the mana flow. That can work to our advantage."
Daphnia cut in once again. "Spare me the mysteries. Where does this leave us? Are you able to reverse the spell? Or give me my powers back?"
The figures paused at her questions, and Daphnia got the distinct impression that they were not unwilling, but rather unable to answer. You never could tell with them with the hoods and robes they wore, which was probably precisely why they wore them.
The figure to the left responded this time. "As you say, your Highness, we shall cut to the chase. We are afraid that the main spell is tied to Rampillion himself. It is impossible to reverse unless he dies."
Daphnia nodded grimly at this news. She was half-expecting it, but to hear it delivered so lightly was still somewhat of a blow. It was not exactly uncommon practice among mages to link their life-force to any permanent spells they had cast as an extra safeguard against tampering. Whatever Rampillion was, he was no amateur spellcaster, nor did it not seem like he was one to take chances.
"We have, however, come up with a plan. The ritual that we spoke of earlier is simple enough. You still possess the ability to perceive, amplify, and act as a conduit for magical energy. If we are able to generate enough, you will aid us in redirecting it to our mages when the assault takes place. They will be able to draw on a vast reserve of mana, far more than what a single mage, no matter how mighty, will be able to store."
So that was it. She was to be a mana battery of sorts. She had heard of similar magics before. While they were not her specialty, the principle behind them was simple enough. Mana was generated from a source, sent towards a conduit and amplification source—in this case, her—and then redirected towards those who would use the magical energy to cast spells. Why they needed a ritual now became clear. More than one mage would be needed to handle the amount of energy that they seemed to be discussing.
Wait. . . energy generation? Channeling? How were they exactly planning to do these things? Once again the figures had left out key details. Daphnia was no fool or apprentice mage herself, and she had derived the answer from what had been discussed so far. Half of her dreaded the answer, as well as anticipated it. Nevertheless, she felt she had to ask, and ask she did.
"How do you plan to generate this energy? And channel it?"
This time it was Tyzhe who replied with a clear note of sarcasm.
"Come now, Princess. Do we have to spell it out for you?"
She gave each of them a sharp stare, but in the end sighed slightly and raised her hands up in defeat. "No, you do not. I guessed your intent when you told me that the spell was tied to my physical form. There are few other ways to generate so much energy on short notice. I am to be the central participant in an orgy, which will allow me to use the men's vigor, vitality and seed to empower your mages when we attack the castle. Am I correct?"