45608 / 48333 — a reasonable question
Thus John ceded the floor. But rather than speak out, Astrid dropped her head into her left hand, rubbing her temples as if they ached.
“You are correct. Much as that is…painful, to acknowledge. I have no authority here. Whatsoever.” Save for that which I assert by force.
“Well, beg pardon, but given ya say you were ‘sealed up’?” He made air quotes around the key phrase. “Sounds like ya didn’t have too much authority left where ya came from, either.”
Another moment of silence.
“This would also be, unfortunately, correct.” She smiled, a wry, nasty expression that stole most of the beauty from her face. “I say I’m a princess of Cither. I thought—I hoped that might be enough.” She raised her arms and then dropped them, helplessly. “But in truth, not even I know if my kingdom still exists.”
“Our family was violently deposed by a being called the Devourer, and the armies at its back.” Astrid counted off on her fingers, starting with the pointer. “My father is dead. My sisters are dead. As is my brother-in-law. I fought,” She stopped on her pinky, shaking that head of soft blonde hair. “with everything I could. Those seven couldn’t kill me. So they divided my power into sixths, and sealed me away while I was weakened.”
“…Wait. Are you serious?” Johnny wasn’t sure if he’d heard that right, or whether tinnitus was playing tricks on his ears. “They took your power from you. So you…were stronger. Than you are now.”
The face Astrid turned to him was dead calm. “Absolutely. Not even to discuss my amplifying wand, which appears to be missing.”
Johnny glared at his father, gesturing wildly at her. “Remind me again why you went and brought some crazy powerful sorceress Anomaly into our home, please?”
