🏮47. Forbidden Living Magic

                                    

                                          

Prince Elystar and the twins left to go back to the tea party, which had gotten back to full swing.  After the twins had come back from being blown away, Elystar instructed them to show fealty.  The twins bowed down in respect towards Amber and informed her about Cray stealing Amber's book, which they had seen with Water Sight magic earlier.
Jenna had snuck away while everyone had been focused on the Eldest Prince's theatrics.  He had loudly complained and acted like he had been mortally wounded, until Elystar's little sister, Crystal, questioned if all yuki-onna men were so delicate.  This comment seemed to have magical powers, since the First Prince was miraculously all better.  Which of course, made Crystal roll her eyes in disdain.
They had given Amber some space to pull herself back together.  She was getting dressed in a sage green slip dress that they'd prepared for her.  Along with a great deal of cloth bandages to wrap around her arms, shoulders, and neck. She appeared to be the victim of a horrible incident, and in fact, she was.  However, she was currently perfectly unharmed.  It was better for her current plans to appear weak and disfigured.  The twins put up her hair in a curly high ponytail.  Then she pinned the little black veil that had been part of her hat, into place onto her hair.  The hat part was ruined, but there was enough of the veil part to obstruct the view of her face.  She made them promise to keep her appearance a secret and so they did. 
After they left, she did a self assessment to discover the damage.  A great deal of her poisoned ice needles had been ruined and her book was missing.  Her lovely goth dress was ruined, her hat and veil destroyed. 
However, she'd gained two powers, had that stubborn brand removed, and learned some interesting things while the elves thought she couldn't hear. 
She rubbed her hand over a thin metal band she had wrapped around her ankle.
"Come," Amber said to the metal band, while holding out her palm next to it.  She felt crazy talking to a piece of metal, but it was worth a try. 
After a few moments, the thin metal band twisted off of her ankle and slithered onto the palm of her hand.  The bottom half of it coiled up like a snake and the top of it was curled up like a snake's head.  Amber thought that it was quite cute and so an idea formed in her mind. 
"Do you know what a snake looks like and could you form into one?" Amber said.
With that, the metal twisted in her palm and formed into a perfect tiny silver snake. It had scales, eyes, a mouth, and a tongue.  After a few moments, it made itself black, its eyes became pale green, and its tongue became dull pink. 
"Well done.  I am your master now and from now on, you will do as I say."
The tiny snake bobbed its head and spun around on Amber's hand happily. 
"I saw that your previous master had you shaped like a ring all the time.  Can you switch between different forms?"
The little snake looked up at Amber hesitantly.  Then quickly bent down, bared its tiny fangs, and bit Amber's finger. 
Amber squeaked and flung the little snake across the room.  Blood dripped from where the little fangs pierced her pinky finger.  She glared at her dripping finger. Then she glared towards the snake curled in on itself with a drooping and pitiful appearance.
[Sorry.  Sorry.  I needed to make you my master with a drop of your blood, but couldn't tell you.]
It slowly unfurled itself before speeding towards her.  It  slithered over to Amber.  Then up her body, almost faster than Amber could follow it with her eyes.  As soon as it reached her finger, it licked the puncture wounds with its tongue.  The wounds healed instantaneously, leaving no signs that they had been there in the first place.