With a wild scream, Achlys launched herself at Brittany.

The two met with a flash of sparks, their hands held out in blades, hardened and sharpened. Faster than the eye could follow, they traded blows.

The pain in his stomach abated, the sick sensation of blight fading away as it left. Mouse got his legs under him and pushed away from Cel. “I’m okay, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Cel asked.

He nodded, hurrying to Clarita’s side. Carefully, he pulled Mari away from Clarita.

“Don’t hurt her!” Clarita cried.

“I won’t, I promise,” Mouse replied, freeing Mari’s hands from Clarita’s wrists. Mari lunged and grabbed Clarita again, and he let out a frustrated huff. Cel came up and took Mari’s other arm. Between the two of them, they managed to wrest Mari away from Clarita.

“Is she okay? Can it be reversed?” Clarita asked, afraid.

Mouse glanced at Cel.

Cel put a finger on Mari’s pulse. “She’s still alive. I suspect this is some kind of hypnosis. You can ask Brittany, but I suspect it is fully reversible.”

Clarita nodded, letting out a shaky breath. Her hands shook, her eyes wide. She turned to the battle between Achlys and Brittany and gripped her hands in each other, forcing the shaking to stop.

Brittany backed Achlys into a corner. Achlys grit her teeth, canines still bared. Brittany smirked, expression relaxed. “Is this all you have? For a ‘future heir,’ you sure aren’t much to write home about.”

“Damn you!” Achlys bit. “What does the king see in you, anyways?”

Careless, Brittany flashed a smile. “More than he sees in you.” Brittany hopped back and raised a hand. “For when the rains seek out the wind…”

“Brittany, no! You aren’t a human anymore, you don’t have that magic!” Clarita shouted.

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Achlys’ eyes shone. She darted in, hand raised high. Black energy shone on the bladed edge of her hand.

Taken by surprise, Brittany fell back. She lifted her arms to block, but too slow.

A pained howl echoed across the room. Clarita bulled past Mouse, dress splitting at the seams, her eyes red. From a wolfolk, she became a wolf. At least as tall at the shoulder as Cel, silver-and-black fur glinting in the moonlight, sharp teeth bared, she launched herself at Achlys and caught the woman by the back of the neck. Teeth dug into undead flesh and white bone.

Achlys’ hand fell. It slashed into Brittany. Brittany dropped back, curling in around the blow. She thumped to the ground, lifeless, thick, dark blood spilling into her shirt.

Growling, Clarita twisted her head and threw Achlys to the ground. Pinning her, she savaged the undead, whipping her head back and forth. Creaking emanated from Achlys’ exposed neckbones. Achlys’ eye rolled back in her head.

“Clarita!” Mouse shouted. Dammit, we don’t need the international incident to start from the opposite direction!

Clarita growled louder, ignoring Mouse. Achlys let out a pitiful moan.

“Clarita, please. We’ll bring her to justice. You can’t kill her. Not without starting a war between your countries. She’s favored by the undead king, after all. We have to handle this carefully,” Mouse reasoned.

Clarita shook her head again. Achlys shook in her grasp, a ragdoll in her grasp.

Is she even still alive? Un-alive? Mouse wondered. “Clarita…”

A pale hand landed on Clarita’s shoulder. Brittany stood, shaky on her feet, her skin even paler than usual, but somehow managing a smile. “I’m fine, Clarita.”

Mid-growl, Clarita went silent. She released Achlys and looked up at Brittany. She sniffed, once, nosing at the blood on Brittany’s chest, and began to growl again.

Brittany hugged her. “It’s okay, Clarita. I’ll be fine.”

From under Clarita, Achlys jumped up. She bolted for the window.

Only playing dead, huh? Mouse reached out and caught her as she ran past. “Not so fast.”

“What is a moon-elf going to do to catch me in the night?” Achlys laughed. Her body dissolved into mist, and she hurtled past.

Dammit! Guess I have no option! “Spar!” Mouse shouted.

Brilliant white light blazed from outside the window. Where it landed on Achlys, her body solidified once more. She screamed and covered herself, collapsing to her knees.

“Just as I suspected. Pure light is no good for undead, huh?” Mouse chuckled. He reached into his pocket and drew out a heavy silver chain. This thing has to be from the Queen’s era. No one wears chains like this anymore. Kneeling, he wrapped it around Achlys’ wrists. She shuddered and flinched away from the silver.

“Silver disrupts body-elementals, isn’t that right?” Mouse glanced at Clarita and Brittany.

Clarita snarled at him, her hackles raised, curled up in front of a collapsed Brittany.

Oh, right! It would hurt her, too. “Spar, that’s enough!”

The light faded away.

“Thanks!”

A distant whinny sounded out. White flashed in the moonlight as Spar trotted away.