King Eligor and the Eight Tales.

Marquise had heard it so many times it had gotten dull. No, not only heard it, told it, read it, transcribed it! It had been carved, plastered, then embellished with reliefs and paint on the walls of her brain, just to make sure she knew the Sect's genesis by letter.

Needless to say then, retelling it was automatic, requiring not the least mental effort.

Instead, her attention was solely on Holly.

Holly laughed. Holly fiddled in excitement. Holly tapped her arm rests, the table, the effigies, nervous or engrossed.

It could be hard to tell emotions with the Children, Holly not in the least excluded. No brows nor eyes easily discernible, mouth in a permanent semi-rictus, too agitated for clear body language. Her "hairs" were a good clue, but she hadn't know her for long enough to map their reactions.

All in all, however, her opinion didn't change much.

Night came and morning soon after. Brave girl she was, Holly claimed to be fine until she began to physically sway from side to side and Marquise had to beg her to go rest a bit. Fordu escorted her back to her quarters, came back, and closed the door behind him, waiting for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"So? Verdict?"

Marquise leaned back on her chair, "Hmmmmm, you guys first. Aram?"

To her right, a deep baritone, cringing with repulse. "Ma'am, my opinion hasn't changed in the least, we should have disposed of that thing and thrown its body to the maggots while we still could."

"Awww, not even a little? She was so sweet! Oh well, I expected as much. Swordlight?"

To her left, a voice both hoarse and soft, hard to understand if you weren't paying attention, some dozen seconds after her question. "... I'm not quite sure yet, Ma'am."

"No need for something deep, just your first impressions." Marquise said.

"...Perfectly well mannered, no disgust for the presence of different species even in close proximity, voice unusual but clear and temperament amenable," she said, "however, her obvious discomposure left me on edge, and her body..."

"Made for war, wasn't it? So tall, armored, and those nails! Have you ever seen raptorial fingers before?! I sure haven't!"

"Exactly. To summarize, I'm unsure if I would trust her, but I shall wait on your wishes."

Marquise nodded, "Fordu?"

Fordu took Holly's place on the Guest Chair, having dragged it back to her desk. He crossed his arms, then said, "I've already told you my thoughts. I trusted her none before, and trust her none now."

"Seeing her outside the battlefield didn't help in the least?" Marquise said, watching him carefully.

"Why would it? A Child is a Child. I would recommend you don't lower your guard so much around her either."

"Hah, me, lower my guard? Nonsense!" she said, dismissing him. "My turn, right? I think it's a shame nobody sees what I see. She's so sweet! And with all that hurt, doesn't she sound like the main character of a tragedy?"

"But whose?" Fordu pouted.

"That's the fun part, isn't it?" She shook her neck, "To think she was right there, with an Ember Blossom at that, under the Sect's noses all along! You can't tell me they didn't know Lesser Hollow existed?"

"I assume they would claim to be too focused on the conflict with the Argent, as usual," Fordu said "And the issue hasn't been too relevant for a while. Galehold would never be interested in a village that perished far too late in its eyes."

"Probably!" She shrugged, "Anyway, I'll echo what I said before: this paid off. Holly is a great find. Beyond being cute and having potential, she grew completely detached from their Lady. If we work this carefully, she might just be the missing piece of the puzzle we were looking for. Oooh, I'm already getting dizzy with all the possibilities!"

"...Tell me your best plan."

"Okay! we can-"

"The best one that doesn't rely on luck."

"Okay! I'll stay quiet then."

Fordu stared at her with an intensity that spoke more than a thousand words. The faint clinking from behind might have been Aram facepalming, but Swordlight was the first to pipe up. "Ma'am, if I may?"

"Of course."

"I don't think it would be wise to rely on chance this often, it could turn to our disadvantage soon."

"Welp, what are our other options then? What do we do to sweep the odds off their feet and land us a guaranteed victory?"

Silence.

"See? Thanks goodness you ended up in the arms of Ivias very own tabletop apex predator!" Marquise said. "Now now, enough with the compliments, don't let my head get too big! Or, at least wait until I reveal my super scheme, that will nail all three of our goals at once and write us down in the annals of history as heroes! If it goes well, that is."

"Which is?"

"Under construction."

"... I wish I could still sigh, so you can actually comprehend what you put me through."

"You still can, look! Haaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuh... See?" she said. "Trust me. Didn't I get you Hagan despite everything, just like I promised? Didn't I get this little fortress of our made without a peep getting out? I'm good!"

"I will grant you, that was a very impressive feat," Fordu said. "Let's move on, what are we to do in the near future?"

"Nothing," she answered.

"Excuse me?"

"Ma'am," Aram said, "aren't we already fucked enough? Our Faces all told us the wildfire got everyone looking."

"That's true, it got everyone looking, just not for us. Nothing there will point in our direction, so our enemies won't suspect a thing, and other potential threats won't even consider the possibility of our involvement." Marquise answered.

"The Azure might." Fordu said, "They are wide reaching, and were already invested in the Lesser as per our 'informant'."

Tired of sitting, Marquise stood up. Stretching a soreless back out of habit, she approached the window, scant little natural light pouring down into the sliver between her fortress and the mountain's cliff. The breeze here was always cool and pleasant, more so than the lowlands at least.

"So long as you did everything as planned, they should have no reason to connect us to the incident either. And if they do?" she asked, relaxed. "I'm pretty sure they are at least a couple months away to finding our location, give or take."

"... Someone who recognizes a Seerynth Beast's hide might." Fordu said.

Not even the breeze could smoother the longing that suddenly made her chest tighten, "Oh, my precious Seerynth Cloak... Agare the Third, did you know that thing would cost more in the black market than my entire body and all my secrets together? The guy who bought it for me said he could sell his entire castle to the most magnanimous-"

"A-alright, I heard it already! I told you it learned new skills in the heat of battle, what could I do?!"

"Get me another?"

Fordu was quiet while she watched the lichen grow, until she heard a low, "Haaaaaaauuuuuh..." and turned in a whirl.

"Did you just-?!"

"So, nothing then? We're supposed to sit on our asses and hope for the best?"

"What? No, of course not. That doing nothing there was just manner of speech, we just simply won't be tackling our main objectives directly for a while. Laying low and letting things cool down, as some might say."

"Then?"

"So impatient! Give me a second to heat up the cooker at least!"

"You spent the entire night talking, the cooker should be melting by now!"

She ignored him. Tapping at her mind's chin in deep pondering, she quickly resolved a few necessities. Knowing her pace, the long term plans wouldn't come until tomorrow, but it wasn't like they were in such a tight deadline they couldn't afford to slow down a little. Push it, and even a Faceless could break down from exhaustion.

"Alrighty. Fordu?"

"Yes?"

"I'm assigning you to Holly. You'll be keeping an eye on her at all times, protecting her from danger and protecting us from the danger she represents."

"Like before."

"Unlike before, I don't want you far from her for any reasons beyond somebody physically throwing you away! If you want to talk to somebody, including me, bring her together, and if she wants to talk to somebody you go along," she tooted a finger at him.

"Then she's been given free roam of the manor? Wasn't telling her our general location enough?"

"Ma'am, I concur with comrade Agare, Beyond the confidential nature of many of our rooms, there is much danger present for her as well." Swordlight said.

"Ma'am, I agree with Fordu too." Aram said.

"...Don't call me Fordu."

"Slip of tongue, Agarey!" Aram chuckled, and she could hear the shit-eating grin on his voice.

"Alright, alright, no fighting around fragile goods! No, Fordu, she won't be getting free roam just yet, but we'll nail the details later. For now, just keep doing what you're doing."

"Very well, understood," Fordu said, standing up and heading for the door. "Then, excuse me, I will go back to my post."

"Okay! Have a good day at work, honey!" She waved him goodbye as he left without another word. With that done, she turned to both her personal guard and said, "Now, you two. Swordlight, I'm going to leave you in charge of this room, don't play with the brass lires! Aram, you're with me."

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Ma'am?" Aram straightened his back. "Of course, but what's the occasion?"

"What else? We're getting Holly her breakfast! Now go get ready, and wait for me by the back door."

----------------------------------------

Breakfast found and killed, she left it in better hands for preparation, giving her ample time to deal with the next daily task.

Truth be told, when Marquise heard about Lesser Hollow, she had hypothesized its secret. What else would the Children have shown such a direct interest in? A couple things, in truth, which was why she was completely off the mark by the time of discovery.

Funny, then, that the most absurd answer turned out to be the right one. Seeing the sedated body Fordu had brought her was like waking up to learn your house had been pushed to the bottom of a lake, which wasn't a great thing overall but so long as you accounted for the possibility and readied yourself accordingly, there was no reason to overreact.

Alas, she had always been a poor swimmer, so possibility or not she had hoped for literally anything else, but this did present some unique opportunities.

She hadn't lied, her mind right now was a vortex of plans and ideas ranging from bad to worse, countless pieces refusing to come together. The danger of having an ace is having no hand to play it with, or a repugnantly awful table in this case, every possible strategy coming with a legion's worth of drawbacks and likely points of failure.

She made note of them, but cleared her mind for the moment.

Manor D' Sallia, as its creator had taken to calling it before its inception, was no manor at all. It was a bastion, relying not on impenetrable walls of stone or carnivore filled moats to keep itself safe, but on weapons against the mind and soul, cruel misdirection and illusions that could drain sanity like an army of leeches to be deployed against all those who managed to find it in the first place.

It was one of the reasons she was not too worried if Holly was just faking politeness for the sake of biting off their asses when most convenient. She would only be spelling her own doom, one way or another. Not that she did, of course.

Shame about the creator. After decades pitching his idea to the Sect's Council's deaf ears, he had finally struck gold, but didn't live to see the completion of his dream. Such is life, she supposed.

He had been one hell of a witch. This poisoned honeypot of his had been lined with so many traps they still hadn't counted them all, so even she hesitated in prancing about carelessly. Not that he would create anything that deliberately targeted the Faceless, but precaution killed less often than blind confidence.

Having taken stock of her bearings, she walked some many paces south, coming to a door like all others here, perfectly measured to not stand out from its similars, and knocked lightly thrice. She waited thirty seconds, and then almost knocked again before a meek voice answered from inside.

"Please, enter!"

In the Manor D' Sallia, there were two rooms furnished for human habitation, this and Holly's. Decked with a bed, lamps, and even a reading table with a complementary chair, it was all the comfort one could ask for, though its sole occupant never seemed too happy about it.

"Couldn't sleep again?" Marquise asked.

"I'm well rested, Lady Marquise. Thank you for your concern."

"Oh c'mon, I've told you just Marquise is perfectly fine. No need for honorifics among friends, right?"

"I'm sorry, I just would hate to be impolite after everything you have done for me."

"Don't worry about that!" Marquise said, dismissing her with a wave, "But oh well, if you prefer it that's alright by me."

"T-thank you. I'm sorry if it displeases you, but I appreciate it."

"It doesn't, I'm a tough girl! Rather, I've come to check on you. How are you doing today?"

Perhaps in better times, the demure smile she got would be all the answer she needed, but her appearance told such a starkly different story it was chilling.

Cassia was a strange bout of luck. The backup team send to take Fordu's place should he not report back had been ordered to search the village for anything, be it survivors or even potential buds who might one day germinate into further Blossoms. What they had found most everywhere were ashes and soot encrusted bones, with not a miserable blade of grass having survived the divine flames.

She had been the only exception, and by all accounts, by complete coincidence. The building she had been sheltered in was made of logs from a tree not commonly found at all outside the deeper valleys, resistant to Divinity and hard to burn. Still, it had barely held on, so another savior took its place: the rooms furniture.

Absurd! Just like dear Holly, her sister. What were the odds?

Cassia looked unhealthy. Since they took her from the ruins, she had lost much weight, had lost her slight tan to an almost deathly pallor, had completely lost interest in all activities even. For a couple weeks she didn't move at all, keeping quiet and dull eyed wherever her current caretaker would plop her down.

It really didn't help, she had to admit, how little they had to care for a proper human being here. She was wearing a dress sewed from several shirts they had lying around, everything lighter than armor they had on hand being uncomfortably skimpy and breezy for her tastes. They had fed her on a diet of berries and mushrooms, but at least she would be getting some meat for the foreseeable future.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Marquise asked.

Cassia gave a weak nod. "As much as I could, my Lady."

"Did you enjoy the books I brought you? As far as entertainment goes, I do have a few more you might be interested in."

This time her smile didn't reach her eyes, "They were very interesting, much gratitude, but I was never taken with reading in the first place. It feels..."

"Like a breach of taboo, right? Specially when I let you do it so freely."

"The Lady knows me too well," Cassia said, then sighed, "Exactly. I know it won't, c-can't happen, but reading so openly I keep imagining the doors being broken down, leering lads with clubs moving in to capture me..."

"Yeah, you're damn right. So long as I'm watching, not even a god could touch you, Cassia!"

Cassia looked away, but a bit of color did return to her cheeks, much to her relief. Sadly, this would not last, the topic she intended to bring one she knew the woman had been dreading for a while.

"Speaking of... She woke up today, Cassia. Holly woke up."

As expected, it was certainly not the right time to bring her up, but would it ever be? The moment the name left her, a full body shudder wracked Cassia, her face somehow growing paler, eyes wide. She looked on to her, practically begging for help through stare alone, as if dear Holly was the living reincarnation of her god, back to punish her for her sins.

"... She was such a sweet girl," Marquise continued. "Really kind and polite. She was practically dancing with joy when she heard you made it out alive."

Or she would have if she could, but nevermind that.

Cassia, who had been lying down on her bed, sat up so suddenly her eyes lost focus for a second. Marquise dashed to help prop her up, the only reason she heard her question at all. "Y-you didn't tell her about me, did you?" Her breath came out ragged and desperate, too fast.

Marquise kneaded her shoulders softly, shaking her lightly for attention. "Deep breaths, Cassia, deep breaths now."

Cassia tried, that was evident, but her eyes flickered from side to side, as if she would find Holly peeking from the shadows. "P-please, you must tell me, did you tell her I am here?!"

"Should I not have?"

Cassia whimpered. "Y-you promised me you wouldn't!"

"I promised you she wouldn't come anywhere near you without your consent, and she didn't, right? But dear, doesn't take a genius to see she really cherishes you. Should I have told her you died? Pretend I didn't know? She would be devastated."

Cassia trembled in her arms, using her meager strength to throw a mild glare "I-I have asked you before to please not call me dear."

"Oh, sorry! honestly, I forgot, won't happen again."

"T-thank you. And yes, I would have greatly preferred if you told t-that... that I perished with the village." She hugged herself tight, pleading eyes fixed on Marquise, "Y-you can't let her near me! Never! I'm begging you, no matter what she says, we are not to see each other!"

"... Haaaaaauuuu. Can I ask you why at least? I've heard you visited her before, well past her... changes, let's call them."

"My father made me, but I... I-!"

Marquise gave her a gentle pat on the knee. At first, she flinched and cried out as if struck, eyes searching for her sister once again, so Marquise was quick to remove the offending limb. As the following silence stretched, she sunk into herself, giving her a miserable look of regret.

"I'm s-sorry, Lady Marquise, I don't know what came over me," Cassia said.

"No need for that. If you don't like it, no need to force yourself," Marquise said, as close to soothing as she could make it.

"I-I like it! I do, I sincerely appreciate the gesture, but I suppose I wasn't expecting it..."

"It's fine! Either way, I'm sorry. And if you don't want to answer my earlier question, that's fine too, won't drag it out of you," Marquise said, getting up, "If you ever change your mind, I'd like to hear it. No rush though!"

Cassia managed a smile, faint but genuine. "There are no words to convey my gratitude to you, Lady Marquise, for this and so much else. I would not be exaggerating to say I own you my life, nothing less would repay my debt."

"Don't worry about silly things like debts! If you want to repay me then focus on getting better and back on your feet. And keep telling me those stories of yours! Really interesting stuff!"

"But of course," said Cassia. "I-it's the least I could do."

"Well, I think that's about everything I had to say for now! Anything I can do for you before I go? Some food, water, a different blanked, a little song?"

"The Lady sings?" Cassia asked.

"She sure doesn't, but knows someone who does!"

"I-I believe I would rather not disturb the other residents right now..."

"Sure." Marquise said, opening the door a notch, "He's a little shy anyway. But if you ever want some music..."

"I will think on the matter."

"That's better!" She left the room, but turned to her guest one final time, "Rest well, Cassia, don't worry about sleeping in. Remember, if you need something, don't go walking around alone, call us, please!"

"I will. Thank you, My Lady. May the F- I mean, I hope you have a good day."

The door closed with a click. Outside those four walls, not a sign of life could be heard around the manor. Its corridors were lit with Fireflypebble lamps, dim and cheap but long lasting and just enough to see. They had never had the time nor the budget to decorate, not that they would, what they traded with the locals was more than enough.

In this half gloom, she turned her back to the door, took three steps forward, and whispered, "Aleh."

At first, only silence met her. Twenty two seconds later, counted, a footstep suddenly echoed from right behind her, light and hesitant.

"I did everything you ordered me to. Ma'am," he scoffed.

"Daaaamn," she whispered, "good morning to you too, buddy. Follow along, I'm giving you a mission."

"Of what kind?" he said, so wary it was nearly funny.

"First, I'll need you to go downstairs and tell Shifty-shifty to take your place here by Cassia. Don't want to leave her unattended."

"She will cry again."

"Eh, if she's used to me she's used to the others," she said.

Afterwards, they walked together. She threaded lightly, giddy with the excitement of stealth despite owning the place, until she reached another inconspicuous door. Instead of a room, this one lead to a narrow staircase up.

On the next floor, there were just as many doors, but not even half the rooms. This was probably the most dangerous place in the entire mansion.

"... Can't I just wait downstairs while you pick what you want?" Aleh said.

"You'll know what you need better than me. Now, stay close and follow my footsteps! Feel free to hold on to my hips if you get too scared," she said, hand held coyly over her mind's mouth.

"Fuck you." He spat, literally, right on the floor.

"... That could have killed us both, you know?" she said, turning to watch his face pale, more for his sake than hers, "Hihi, Juuuust kidding! You missed the trigger by a couple centimeters."

"... Fuck you twice."

"Fuck you thrice!"

Aleh had guessed their destination right. Knocking on one specific door four times in a specific pattern, she waited for its characteristic hum to weaken before turning the knob. Inside was a storage of sorts, sparse and dusty, made with things not easily replaced or fixed in mind.

"Pick what you want," Marquise said, pointing, "but avoid that shelf over there, by the corner, that one's a booby-trap."

She quietly watched as Aleh picked through their meager reserves for a couple minutes. He was slow and deliberate, but she could already see what would interest him and what wouldn't.

"Would the Lady grace me with information on what I'm supposed to be doing in the first place, or is divination part of my job now?"

"Oh, right," she said, then cleaned her mind's throat with two splendid coughs, "So! Aleh, I'll be sending you to our outpost in Meagerwind soon. I want you to be my relay to our group there."

"Alone?!"

"Yes? Didn't you say you preferred it that way? I think I can spare somebody if you want."

"...No, fuck that. It's going to be difficult enough getting there without some dead meat on my shoulders. I can do it, I can, indeed."

"Alrighty. I'll give you a message with detailed orders, along with One Two and One Three, so let's pass by my office after! Besides that, like I said, feel free to take whatever you might need, within reason though!"

Aleh, who was in the middle of carefully examining a small transparent sphere with his thumb, nearly dropped everything he was holding onto the floor. "W-wait a moment, I get not only One Two but One Three as well?! Then that means-"

"Mean there's no point keeping it in my hands, right? What am I supposed to do with it, pick my teeth with the sharp edges?"

"So it's going down, then?" He gulped. "You found it?"

She crossed her arms, shaking her neck. "Oh Aleh, don't I wish I could tell you I did. Rather, I found the next best thing, maybe."

"But you'll keep your promise?"

"How many times did you ask me that, again?"

"Answer!"

She briefly considered sighing in his face, but decided it was better to deescalate the situation before he got too annoying. "Aleh, your dreams are mine. You know what I put at stake for them, don't you? Calm down."

"... I need to hear it again. Just to believe it for a little longer."

"I'll tell you what I always told you: I can't make miracles, but everything else is within my reach. They will pay for what they did to you, and double for your siblings."

He nodded. Finally, he picked a small box of black velvet, tied close with a ribbon of gold, something that had been his from the beginning, something she was surprised he hadn't picked first, though she understood why. He looked up, eyes distant yet fierce.

"At last, we are going to leave Ivias," he murmured.

"Or die trying." She completed, "I trust you, Aleh. Don't go getting yourself killed this far in the plan."

"Heh! As if they could!"

"That's better! So, that'll be your haul, I take?"

"Not if you let me into the armory while we're still here."

"If you ask me in a reeeeeally cutesy way I might, just to see what my little Aleh looks trying to swing one of our weapons!"

"...Fuck off," he said, grimacing.

"Welp, I tried! Let's go then, follow my steps."

Afterwards, everything else she needed to do went smoothly. A reassured Aleh was a very efficient Aleh, she had learned over time, and an efficient Aleh was a tremendous asset to have. He didn't need too much micromanagement, just a direction and a goal, and suddenly he had ideas for when he would be leaving, what routes he could take without notice, which supplies he would need for the road, and how he could expedite it all.

With that, she was free to plan on the long term.

They had nothing, relatively speaking. A bunch of children with sticks brandished against the town's militia; outnumbered, overwhelmed, and blinded by their burning house's smoke. Their location would be a tough nut to crack, but their cover was on a time limit, this before any incident could push it one way or the other, and when they came that was it, everything would be done or everyone would be gone.

The odds were, to put it kindly, like a landslide against them.

To Ivias' best gambler, if that wasn't exciting, nothing else would ever be.

Repeating it as a mantra, she settled down for a busy day of work.