Amethyst Xylos's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

The summons arrived the next morning, carried by a messenger who wouldn't meet her eyes. A city noble demanded Amethyst present herself at the council hall before midday, or the guards who had trusted her would answer for it. She read the letter twice, noting the careful phrasing—not an arrest warrant, but close enough. She found the guards gathered outside the abandoned alchemist's shop near the lower city walls, where minor infractions were dealt with. The captain stood rigid, his helmet back on, while two councilmen watched from a doorway. They'd brought the guards here to make a point—trust a tiefling's magic, face consequences. Amethyst walked straight to the captain and held out a pendant of cracked blue stone, the same kind she'd used to anchor the ritual circle. She spoke loud enough for the councilmen to hear. "This protected your daughter. I'm keeping it that way." The noble's messenger stepped forward, repeating the demand. The council hall. Midday. Or punishment would proceed. Amethyst turned to face him directly. "Tell your noble I'll come. Not because of threats. Because these guards earned better than being used as bait." She placed the pendant in the captain's hand and closed his fingers over it. The stone pulsed once with twilight light, visible to everyone watching. The councilmen exchanged looks. The captain didn't move, but his grip tightened on the pendant. Amethyst walked toward the city center, where the purple dragon throne marked the noble's seat of power. She'd go to this meeting, but she'd set the terms of it—not as someone summoned in shame, but as someone who'd proven what her magic could do. The guards were no longer just witnesses. They were evidence.