Liliana tapped her fingers against her side, nervous energy seeking an outlet. Her other hand was buried deep in silky, dark fur. She went over the plan in her head again, then went over the contingencies she’d made.

“You remember your part?” Liliana asked Emyr, who nodded. In his hands he held a small glass bottle holding clear liquid. They’d been able to make five potions from the materials Liliana had gathered. They’d only need one for this, but the extras would be good for the future.

“Can you do it?” Liliana asked, not for the first time today.

“I slip it into the tea. Easy enough,” Emyr said softly and Liliana shook her head. That wasn’t what she meant, not this time.

“No, can you do this, Emyr? There’s no turning back,” Liliana told him, voice solemn. If he pulled out of this, Liliana wouldn’t judge him.

His actions would mean that Alistair would lose his mother forever. Liliana would never hold it against Emyr if he couldn’t do this. He’d be betraying his best friend. It was selfish that Liliana was even asking this much of him. But this was the best plan, with the fewest chances of failure. If she had to do it herself, the chances of it failing raised.

“Lili, I told you. You’re not alone anymore. You don’t have to do this alone, don’t have to fight your battles by yourself. I can do this,” Emyr told her, meeting her worried sapphire eyes with his steel toned ones. And while Liliana could see the sadness darkening them, she could see too the determination making his eyes truly look like they were made of the steel they so resembled.

“Okay, Em. Okay. Then let’s start.” Liliana took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she steadied herself. She made sure the emotions she’d locked up had no chance of escaping, not today. Fear and nervous anticipation filled her, lashing against her mental walls and filling her blood with adrenaline that begged her to fight or run.

Today. It all ended today. This twisted civil war waged in the dark of night and in the shadowed halls of this manor would finally end today.

Liliana opened her eyes, her back straightening and shoulders pushed back as her head raised. She reached out her free hand and pushed her door open. Emyr slipped out, vanishing into the shadows. Liliana followed after a heartbeat, feet knowing the familiar path she needed them to tread. Polaris walked at her side, steadying her nerves and keeping the servants from approaching too closely as they passed them by.

‘So, this is your home? Where are the flowers? The grass? The sunlight?’ Polaris asked, as his head swung around, taking in everything.

“Humans generally live in houses. Most aren’t this large, and most don’t have many plants inside,” Liliana explained distractedly. She knew Polaris was trying to ease her worries by giving her something else to focus on, but she just couldn’t keep her mind from running through her plans again and again. Liliana paused, her feet frozen before the door to the entrance of the manor, where they’d be greeting the Inquisitors.

‘It’ll work. And if something goes wrong, I can just eat her instead,’ Polaris murmured into her mind, and it was almost enough to bring a smile to Liliana’s face. With Polaris, his comment could be a joke or an earnest offer. He truly could eat Imogen if he felt like it. She wasn’t strong enough to fight him. It would create its own host of problems if he did, but it would technically solve Imogen trying to kill her. Except, afterwards, there would be more people trying to kill her.

Liliana opened the door and went to stand in the foyer. She was early, but that was fine. The more she was seen out and about, and not messing with Imogen’s tea, the better. No one would suspect Emyr, though they should. But many forgot he was even around, and even less would ever think he’d have a reason to slip something into Imogen’s tea. The legality of what they were going to do was a gray area, and therefore, the fewer people who knew what they were doing, the better.

“Lili!” a voice called in greeting, and Liliana turned to see her brother enter. He looked good, far better than she. Sleep seemed to come easy to him, something Liliana was jealous of. Despite her nap, she knew she still had dark circles and bags under her eyes.

“You didn’t come greet me when you came home,” Alistair said, his voice holding a tinge of hurt that Liliana tried not to feel guilty over. She’d have enough to feel guilty over soon. She struggled to keep her face clear of the emotions rising inside of her, but based on how Alistair offered her a hug, she wasn’t sure she succeeded.

“I missed you,” Alistair whispered into her hair, and Liliana had to close her eyes to restrain the tears that were trying to fill her eyes.

She didn’t know if she wanted to push him away or pull him closer, to absorb what was likely the last bit of affection she’d get from him. Would she ever get a hug from him again? Ever hear him call her ‘Lili’ again? Was she being selfish for taking this hug with what she was planning? With what she’d already set into motion?

Liliana’s arms wrapped tightly around Alistair, holding him to her, as she decided she could be selfish for a few minutes.

“You look like shit,” Alistair told her as he pulled back, grabbing her face between two warm hands and shifting it around as he examined her. Liliana’s nose scrunched, something that brought a small smile to Alistair’s face, even worry practically oozed from his eyes as he looked her over. She knew she didn’t look good, even with how she’d been avoiding looking in mirrors. She didn’t need to see the pain she felt inside of her reflected in her mirror image.

She knew she had lost weight, her clothes hanging off of her more each day. Her body needed more calories. Energy had to come from somewhere, and the easiest place to get it was food. If she didn’t use her Stamina she didn’t need as much food, but when she used it up she needed more food than a normal Unawakened person did, and she’d been using her Stamina often for the past several weeks. But despite that, her appetite hadn’t recovered to where it’d been before the incident.

Her face was pale, her cheekbones looking too sharp without the fat on her face to balance. Her eyes were surrounded in bruise like dark circles and heavy bags. Even her hair had lost its luster. But Liliana didn’t have the time to treat it in the oils and other things Astrid used, nor to brush it as much as the woman had. And her father had not yet sent her a new lady’s maid to replace Astrid, not that she wanted one. She didn’t want to feel like Astrid could be so easily replaced.

So yes, she knew she looked awful. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when she had so many other things to focus on. And Alistair seemed to pick that up, based on how his face fell when she didn’t respond to his jibe, the way his golden eyes darkened with a deep sorrow that made her want to cry. She didn’t deserve her brother’s sadness, his empathy, his care. Not when she would be the reason he lost his mother today.

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“You got a new Bond,” Alistair said as his hands fell from her face and he took a step back.

“Polaris,” Liliana offered, hardly trusting her voice to say much more. Not trusting herself to keep her plans secret. If she spoke too much, she was afraid Alistair would hear the betrayal in her tone, or worse. She’d confess every plan and sin she had underneath her brother’s searching golden gaze.

“The fox from before? Didn’t Emyr say he was red? And like level 20?” Alistair asked, surprise coloring his tone and face as he looked over the Kitsune sitting and Liliana’s side, his wings held tightly to his back to avoid accidentally knocking a vase or statue over.

‘I drank a lot of milk,’ Polaris’ snarky response came out and Alistair’s mouth dropped open as he started at the talking Kitsune.

“He can talk?!” Alistair asked.

‘I even do tricks! Wanna see?’ Polaris asked, standing and grinning at Alistair, his long, sharp teeth barred in a mimicry of a human smile.

“Polaris, he’s my brother,” Liliana chided softly.

‘He was mean to you, before,’ Polaris huffed, sitting back down, though his tails flicked behind him, showing his irritation. He was likely feeding off her emotions, which were a confusing tangle for even her to sort through.

“Yes, well, he apologized, and I love him. So don’t bite him, please,” Liliana asked. ‘Not even if he hates me and turns against me after today,’ was left unspoken, but she knew Polaris heard it through their connection.

Thankfully, Liliana was spared from having to continue to convince her newest Bond to not attack her brother by Emyr’s arrival. Alistair didn’t have time to greet his friend because her father arrived seconds after. Liliana could easily see the hurt and furtive glances Alistair shot at Emyr as the boy stood at her side. All three of them greeted her father, whose attention had been grabbed by Polaris.

“Your new Bond?” Frederick Rosengarde asked his daughter, and Liliana inclined her head.

“Yes, father,” Liliana murmured, mentally ordering Polaris to be on his best behavior. She could feel the hate roiling through Polaris as he looked at her father and she really didn’t need him attacking her father today.

“Once we greet the Inquisitors and I talk to them, meet me in my office,” her father ordered and Liliana dipped a deep curtsy, ducking her head to hide the smile that stole over her lips. Perfect. It was all going according to her plan. She had suspected her father wouldn’t be able to resist talking to her if he saw Polaris, so she’d waited until today to reveal him to her father.

Imogen entered and oh, if she thought it was hard to keep Polaris restrained with her father in the room, it was neigh on impossible with Imogen there. The hate Polaris felt was only eclipsed by her own. It was the first time she’d seen Imogen after that day and she hadn’t been prepared for the way the hate would crash into her looking at the woman’s smug face. Wasn’t prepared for the way her hands shook with the need to grab a weapon and drive it right into those cold, cruel eyes. With both hers and Polaris’ emotions rolling through her, it was too much to handle and she could feel an animalistic growl trying to break free of her clenched teeth as the rage stripped away her thoughts, reducing her to her most primal instincts.

A strong hand grabbed her own, their fingers tangling. A sharp, painful squeeze shook Liliana from her blood-thirst enough for her to look over and meet Emyr’s eyes. His own held anger in them, fiery and consuming, but he shook his head slightly. The unspoken ‘not yet’ clear to her. Liliana closed her eyes and tamped down on her anger, shoving it into its own box. She then focused on Polaris, mentally holding him back even as her hand went from resting in his fur to wrapping around his neck. She wasn’t sure how long she and Polaris could hold themselves back.

Thankfully, for Imogen anyway, the Inquisitors did not keep them waiting for long. The door was opened for the elusive and secretive royal investigators, and Liliana got her first look at them. A quick [Identify] revealed nothing. Liliana’s breath caught, thinking her skill had broken somehow, but checking her father showed the skill was still functional. Turning her eyes back to the black and red-robed men and woman who were being greeted by her father, she tried once more. Yet still [Identify] revealed no information at all. No pop ups. As if it was being blocked entirely. Liliana stopped trying after her third failed attempt. She was certain the Inquisitors had [Perception] skills and didn’t want to attract their attention.

Liliana satisfied her curiosity by taking in what she could visually. There were three Inquisitors, two men one woman. All three were dressed in black robes lined in blood red, the royal crest embroidered in the same red on the back. The scales of justice were stitched above the crest on the back, and on the wide sleeves of the robes. Liliana thought she saw a soul stone placed into a choker on one of the men’s necks. It piqued her curiosity, but she doubted she’d get a chance to talk to the man and discuss his Bond.

Liliana followed her role as duke’s daughter as she curtsied and greeted the Inquisitors. She knew she held their attention for longer than Alistair or Emyr did, not that she was surprised. They were called here because of her, after all. She wasn’t sure what Marianne had told them, if she told them anything. But they’d know the facts her father did, that she’d been targeted by three assassins so far. That her father hadn’t found the culprit, and that he had requested their aid to track the perpetrator down. That she was at the center of all of this. Their interest was understandable.

Liliana left the foyer after her father led the Inquisitors out, followed by her stepmother. Emyr kept to her side, and Alistair trailed after them.

“Go,” Liliana murmured quietly to Emyr. He’d need to get in place to do his part of the plan. After a searching look and a glance to Alistair, full of unspoken emotions that couldn’t be voiced, Emyr stepped back and melded with the shadows.

“Emyr!” Alistair called after his friend, too late to stop him. Liliana turned her head sharply away, blinking away the tears that had been summoned at the pain in her brother’s voice.

“You should go. Get prepared. The Inquisitors will want to speak with all of us,” Liliana told Alistair, still not able to look at him. Her voice was harsh, cold and she could almost feel his confusion and hurt at her curt words and cruel tone.

“Lili?” his voice sounded so small and Liliana hated herself a bit more with that.

“Go, Alistair,” Liliana hissed between his teeth clenched in pain. A wall between him and everything she wanted to say to him but could not.

Liliana didn’t wait to see if he listened. Her steps picked back up, and she strode towards her father’s study, where she would wait outside. She heard no steps following her and when she arrived in the empty corridor, Liliana pressed her back to the wall, head tilting back to look at the ceiling. A single tear trickled down her face as she took in a shuddering breath.

She was doing the right thing. She knew she was. But it hurt so much.

By the time the door to her father’s study opened, Liliana had regained her composure, her cold mask back in place, and all evidence of her inner turmoil wiped off her face. Liliana bowed her head and curtsied, greeting the Inquisitors again. As they left, Liliana entered her father’s study, the door shutting behind her and Polaris. She greeted her father before taking a seat he motioned to.

“You’ll have your interview after they talk to the duchess,” her father informed her with no preamble and Liliana nodded. She knew that.

The Inquisitors had told them before they arrived when they’d want to interview everyone, so no one could claim they were ‘too busy’ or conveniently avoid questioning. They interviewed her father first, then Imogen, then her, then Alistair, and then Emyr. After that, they’d interview the servants one at a time. It might seem odd to only interview one at a time, when there were three Inquisitors, but it also made sense why they did not. If someone attacked, it was best they had three fighters at the ready.

“Now, I see you have a new Bond. Your trip was a success,” her father started and Liliana nodded, though she was barely paying attention. It was almost time. Almost over.

Her fathers continued to speak, and Liliana paid him only enough attention to be sure she responded appropriately at the correct times. As the minutes ticked on, her heartbeat sped and she could hardly keep still.

A scream ripped through the manor.

Finally.