Riven, reenchanted and recovered from her fight, was on her way home from the bookstore when she discovered two things in front of her apartment door. The first was a large package wrapped in brown paper. The second was a goblin. The goblin was squinting at the number on Riven’s door and comparing it to a slip of paper she held in her hand.

Although her heart began pounding, Riven tried to keep her voice casual. “Hey. Can I help you?” she asked.

“Do you live here?” the goblin replied.

Riven nodded.

“I’m looking for a woman by the name of Kaylen Arac. Do you know her?”

Riven shifted her bag of books from one hand to the other to dig out her key. “Yeah, she’s been staying with me. She’s not in now, though. She’s off watching the tournament with everyone else.”

The goblin sighed. “Let me tell you. It is extremely frustrating when Queen Vilotta says ‘you have to find this specific human’ and then doesn’t tell me where to look. I ought to go work for the goblin king. The only reason she ever wants a human is as a snack and she doesn’t care which one you grab.”

“She sounds lovely,” Riven replied. “This Queen Vilotta isn’t looking to eat Kaylen, then?”

The goblin shook her head. “No. She wants to keep her as a pet or something. Made a deal with her mother ages ago and now it’s time to pay up.”

Riven wanted to scream with excitement, but she forced herself to remain calm. “Kaylen should be back in a few hours if you want to come back.”

The goblin sighed again. “Fine. I guess I can look for her at the tournament in the meantime.”

She wandered off and with some difficulty Riven lifted the heavy package and carried it inside.

Kaylen was not at the tournament. With the threat of Hermia dealt with, she finally had the time to mourn her loss. As a result, she had spent the last few days mostly lying on Riven’s divan, staring at the pages of one of her erotic novels without really reading it. Occasionally she would go out for coffee, but only when she had lain there for so long that her muscles demanded that she move.

Sanguis had been a constant presence in her mind. A powerful friend who could be reached for help with a mere thought. Now she was a constant absence. All of her training, all of the memorized prayers and exercises that had prepared her soul for channeling the goddess’ power, was rendered useless. She would no longer be able to heal injured adventurers or protect her friends from threats. She would no longer be welcomed into the Lunar Garden after death. Her entire future was gone.

Riven was at a loss as to how to help her friend. The biggest struggle Riven had ever faced was loneliness, which was resolved simply by having friends. But Kaylen’s problem couldn’t be solved with Riven’s presence, and Riven’s list of ways to help depressed friends was quickly exhausted when Kaylen turned down any attempts to start a conversation or go see a play or check out how the tournament was going.

“Looks like Nightingale went all out today,” Riven said, carrying the package over to the divan and setting it down. “You know, if her advances are unwelcome I can have a word with her.”

Kaylen shook her head without rising. “I’m still deciding how I feel about her. I do kind of wish she’d just have a conversation with me, but I think she’s shy. What’s in the package?”

Riven tore open the package to discover a seemingly random collection of items. There were blankets, a few books, a collection knick-knacks, various pieces of paperwork, amongst other things all piled together as neatly as possible.

Kaylen’s eyes widened and she sat up. “This is all my stuff from the temple. I’ve been putting off having it delivered.

Suddenly the package seemed very small. “You don’t have many possessions,” Riven said.

Kaylen picked up a pair of figurines styled to look like her mothers and stared at them as she pieced together the sequence of events. “Since Nightingale’s basically stalking me, she must have found out that I hadn’t gotten my stuff back from the temple, thought that I couldn’t get it back for some reason, and broken in and stolen it for me.”

“She must be worried about you,” said Riven.

Kaylen considered this. It was a caring gesture, but something about it felt off. As if an important ingredient were missing.

“Listen, if you run into Nightingale, could you tell her to stop by and see me?”

Riven nodded. “Sure. Speaking of which, there was a goblin looking for you. She said she was here to take you to someone named Queen Vilotta.”

Kaylen leapt to her feet. Looking back and forth as if searching for an escape. “Shit! Shit! I completely forgot about that. Why didn’t you say something right away?”

Riven stood and gestured soothingly. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I sent her away and she won’t be back for a few hours. We’ll have a plan by then.”

Riven gently helped Kaylen back onto the divan and held her hand until she had calmed.

“Now, what exactly is going on?”

“Do you remember how my mama made a deal with a fairy to heal me?” Kaylen paused to wait for Riven’s nod. “The trade she made was, well, me. After ten years, I would belong to Queen Vilotta.”

“And the ten years just elapsed?” Riven asked.

Kaylen shook her head. “They passed a long time ago. The whole reason Mama suggested ten years was because she thought it would give her enough time to figure out a way out of the deal. And she did, by turning Vilotta’s gift against her. Since Vilotta made me a girl, I was able to become a Sanguian priestess. And by doing so, I gave myself to the goddess.”

Riven nodded. “A much more powerful being than a fairy.”

Kaylen smiled sadly. “Pretty smart, right? Until I screwed it up.”

“Not smart at all,” Riven corrected. “Think about it, anyone could see that the ten year request was an attempt to buy time to come up with a way out. And Vilotta could have revealed that you were trans at any time. She was just playing with you. She wanted to see how long it would take for you to reveal the truth yourself.”

Kaylen looked at the floor. This revelation shouldn’t have made a difference. She had still bought herself a few extra years even if they were courtesy of a fairy who was toying with her. But somehow it hurt a little knowing that the goddess hadn’t really been protecting her this whole time.

“So what should we do?” she asked.

Riven shrugged. “I’d offer to take your place, but most likely she’s determined to have you specifically.”

“Then maybe I can become the priestess of a different god. Maybe Passia.”

“Passia has a reputation for being a love goddess, but she’s really more of a goddess of reproduction. She’s not really a fan of trans people.”

Kaylen could feel the panic rising again. “Well, there has to be some god or another who will accept a trans priestess.”

Riven looked at Kaylen with disbelief. She was a former priestess, she should know how this works. Was she really this naive? “Not really. The gods each have their own vision for how the world should be. They each have an ideal order, a way all of us should lead our lives. And with that comes stuff like gender roles. But there’s no single way of arranging the world that is going to work for everyone. There are always going to be people who don’t fit in. And in this case, that includes us. Every god considers being trans a sin.”

Kaylen shook her head. “That can’t be. There has to be a god out there who accepts trans people.”

“Some historians believe that there may have been a few before the Calamity. Personally, I find it hard to believe, but apparently there are some records of ‘men who dressed as women’ who worshiped some forgotten goddess who died when the world was torn open.”

“But do you know what this means?” Kaylen asked frantically. “There’s no heaven for trans people. It’s all closed to us; there’s nowhere we’ll be welcomed when we die.”

“The gods don’t care about us,” Riven agreed. “We have to make our own plans for the afterlife. That’s why I sold my soul to a demon. And that’s why Andra mourns the loss of her family’s Deadlands estate.”

“But that’s wrong,” Kaylen nearly shouted. “They just keep people locked out for some arbitrary reason. Gods like that shouldn’t be allowed to exist.”

As Riven stared at the frightened, furious Kaylen, an idea began to form in her head. “Would you ever consider selling your soul to a demon?”

“It wouldn’t make a difference, would it?” Kaylen asked. “Vilotta would still send someone to snatch me away. Defying a demon isn’t like defying a god.”

“Actually, I’m starting to think that I may be able to come up with an alternate arrangement that will satisfy you both.”

Kaylen eyed Riven suspiciously. “But aren’t a lot of demons cruel and tyrannical? How would I know which demon to sell my soul to?”

Riven grinned. “Because you know me well enough to know that I researched extensively before choosing who I sold mine to. Comtesse Ember prefers female-bodied servants and detests war. She’s minor enough to be beneath the Demon King’s notice for now, so the only reason you’d have to fear your contract falling into his hands is if we lost the war, in which case we’ll all be forced to sign over our souls to the Demon King anyway.”

Kaylen frowned. “But I don’t want to escape being a fairy’s plaything just to become a demon’s plaything.”

“She’s not like that,” Riven explained. “She mostly wants to create a country where her servants are happy. You’ll be expected to serve her, yeah, but it’s not like she’s going to force you to dance until your feet bleed or sing until you lose your voice. She saves that kind of treatment for people like me.”

Kaylen considered this for a moment. She wished she had more time to come to a decision, but with Vilotta’s servants coming now, there really wasn’t time to consider the offer.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Andra slipped away from the tournament during its closing ceremonies; she had much more important things to concern herself with. She had arranged to meet her party members⁠—save Fiona, who was being fitted for a formal dress⁠—at their new meeting room to prepare for the ball. Thankfully both Riven and Kaylen were there when she arrived.

“Alright, we don’t have a lot of time,” Andra announced as she walked in. “Now that the tournament’s over I need to check on the preparations for the ball.”

“Who won?” Kaylen asked.

“Some mage named Isandra,” Andra replied. “Who cares?”

“Oh, weird,” said Riven. “That’s the girl I had a crush on in school. She would not be happy to see me again.”

“Well, she’ll be off to assassinate the Demon King soon enough, once I’ve found two more ‘heroes.’”

“You’re sending Hermia?” Kaylen asked. “Even now that she’s lost her powers?”

Andra nodded. “She’s still the closest thing to a saint that we’ve got.”

“Those heroes are definitely going to die,” Riven said.

Andra waved her concerns away. “Anyway, the ball. I’m assuming you have something appropriate to wear, Raven, but for Kaylen I’ve arranged an appointment at a high-end clothing store. Do you prefer dresses or suits?”

“About that,” said Riven. “We’ve run into a bit of a situation.”

She explained to Andra about the encounter with Vilotta’s servant and what it meant.

Andra rubbed her temple. “Why did this have to come up today of all days? Can you take care of it?”

Riven nodded. “I have a plan, but we’re going to need the undisturbed use of this room. And we’re going to miss the ball.”

“As long as I don’t have to worry about it. Honestly, the two of you probably would have just ended up embarrassing me anyway.”

Andra left the two to work in the meeting room and went to check on the preparations for the ball. She didn’t make it far, however, as she soon ran into Genevieve, who was waiting for her in the hall.

“What are you planning?” the princess asked in an accusing tone.

“What are you talking about?” Andra replied with genuine confusion. She wasn’t sure which of her many plans Genevieve was referring to.

“With this party? It’s all you’ve been talking about. You spent more time planning it than the tournament which, by the way, was a huge mess.”

Andra smiled. That was all? “First of all, the tournament was a huge success. We were just supposed to find one of the heroes and instead we got two. And now we’ve demonstrated to ambassadors from all of our most powerful neighbors that Rampart is a country strong enough and well-organized enough to stand up against the demons and that it would be in their best interest to join us now and present a united front against the Demon King. The ball is the perfect time to get promises of their allyship.”

Genevieve blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Andra froze. “Ah… well…” she stammered.

Genevieve’s eyes narrowed. “I thought so. You just see me as a pawn to advance your own position.”

Andra held her hands up appeasingly. “Hey, I made it very clear from the beginning exactly what our engagement meant. The whole point is that it’s mutually beneficial.”

“Then let me in on your plans,” the princess replied. “We’re supposed to be allies, aren’t we?”

Andra thought about this for a moment. “Okay, that seems fair. After all, it affects you, too. I’ll keep you updated in the future.”

Genevieve shook her head. “No, that is not good enough. I want to help you. You know I’ve studied politics, too, right?”

Andra felt herself growing embarrassed. It wasn’t like her to neglect a potential ally like this. She took a deep breath before speaking. “You have a point. I failed to recognize that you have more value than your title. I also have been acting like I’m on my own. If we’re going to get married, we need to work together and trust each other.”

Genevieve opened her mouth, then seemed to realize that Andra had said everything she was about to and froze a moment before speaking. “Yes. Exactly. Thank you for listening.”

“Why don’t you start coming to my meetings with my advisors?” Andra asked.

Genevieve nodded. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you would suggest.”

“Excellent. Now that that’s sorted, would you care to accompany me downstairs to see how the preparations are going?”

“I would like that very much.”

Kaylen sat back and tried to relax while Riven continued to draw on the floor with a piece of chalk. Whatever summoning circle Riven was making, it consisted of dozens of strange symbols and patterns that Kaylen didn’t recognize. The darker forms of magic were a mystery to her.

“I’m not going to lie,” Riven admitted. “I’m pretty excited about this. Brokering a negotiation between two beings who can control my mind? It’s like a dream come true.”

“Are you expecting Ember to use charm magic on you?” Kaylen asked as she stared at the wall.

“No,” Riven replied, pausing to check her book. “But demonic contracts allow them to exert some influence over their servants.”

Kaylen sat up. “Wait, what? She’s going to be able to control me?”

“Not completely,” Riven explained, ignoring Kaylen’s nervous tone. “You’ll have to obey direct orders to an extent, but she’s not going to be able to influence your thoughts or feelings the way Vilotta can. Plus, demons are very good at finding ways to wiggle around their contracts.”

“But she could just use charm magic to get around that.”

Riven paused, looking up. “Technically, yeah. Demons don’t have the same laws against mind control that we do. But charm spells are short-term and resistible. And Ember’s not the sort to toss them around. Trust me, she’s a good person.”

“Anyway, at least for today that summoning circle will protect us, right?”

“Requesting circle,” Riven corrected. “I’m not going to demand her presence. That’s just rude. And I’m not going to attempt to restrict her power, either. I’m going to talk to her like a person.”

Kaylen was beginning to have doubts about this plan. Would Vilotta even show up in person? Riven had left a note on her door for the goblin. It explained that there was a legal dispute regarding ownership of Kaylen and requested that Vilotta meet with Riven and Kaylen at the castle to discuss it. But would that be enough? Couldn’t she just send her goblin to snatch Kaylen away instead? And was this arrangement even really for the best? True, Riven claimed that this would be a temporary contract for post-death service, and that after it expired, Kaylen would be free to roam the Deadlands as a demon, but the whole arrangement felt morally grey at best. And could she really trust Riven the Traitor?

As she began to reconsider this choice she noticed something odd about the room.

“Riven, how many doors are in this room?”

Riven, who was just putting the finishing touches on her circle, looked up and grinned at the additional door that had appeared along the same wall as the window. “Oh wow! A real door! Fairy magic allows them to nudge stone and wood and plaster out of the way to create a doorway between their world and ours. It’s a fairly advanced technique, but for some reason it’s considered a lower form of magic mostly associated with goblins and gnomes, whereas—”

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“Riven,” Kaylen interrupted. “Shouldn’t we open it or something?”

“You want to dash through, too? I can’t blame you. I’m itching to do it, as well, but I don’t want to be rude.”

“No,” said Kaylen with frustration. “I mean, are they going to come through on their own at some point or do we have to knock or something, first?”

Riven cocked her head. “I’m not sure. Fairies have all kinds of customs and traditions and social rules that we know nothing about. It might be impolite to knock, but it also might be impolite not to knock. I’m sure they’ll be at least a little considerate of our ignorance, but I don’t know what they’re waiting for.”

At that moment, the door opened. The pair caught a glimpse of a forest, but they hardly registered it because they were too busy looking at the people pouring into the room. They were the most beautiful people either had ever seen. Most had pointed ears or butterfly wings or other features that marked them as fairies. Many wore lavish clothing, mostly in green or white but with other colors sprinkled throughout. They were made of a shiny material that neither onlooker recognized. Others wore equally shiny armor and carried halberd-like weapons. It seemed impossible for so many people to fit in the room, yet when Kaylen looked around, she discovered that they seemed to have found a way to squeeze everyone in on one side of the desk without the room becoming crowded.

When Vilotta herself appeared, she was instantly recognizable. Although neither Riven nor Kaylen believed that beauty was something that could be quantified, if asked, both would have agreed that Vilotta was the most beautiful of all. The exact details of her features and clothing seemed to be lost, but it hardly mattered as long as they could be allowed to continue gazing upon her.

Kaylen wondered why she was trying to escape Vilotta. Wasn’t her perfection clear? Didn’t it make more sense to serve her? She was shaken by that last thought. It was completely uncharacteristic of her. She realized that she was being affected by the fairy’s glamour. For a moment, she mentally weighed whether or not she cared, but ultimately decided that she did.

She glanced at Riven, who was staring at Vilotta with a look of wonder, and for the first time she felt like she understood the mage’s mind control obsession. It felt good wanting only to serve Vilotta. She didn’t have to make decisions or worry about anything other than what would most please her queen. On the other hand, the fact that her personality could be so easily washed away was terrifying and the fact that a part of her wanted it to happen only made it moreso. Worse, she worried that that part would grow quickly the longer Vilotta was here.

A moment later, Vilotta spoke. Her soft voice caused both Kaylen and Riven to release a sigh of pleasure.

“What the fuck do you mean by ‘dispute’?” she asked, an amused smile on her face.

“If I might be permitted to invite in our other guest, first…?” Riven asked hesitantly.

Vilotta nodded and Riven squealed with delight before kneeling at the circle she had drawn. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, then began whispering an incantation. It was long, much longer than the other spells Kaylen had witnessed. As Riven whispered, the chalk markings began to glow. Then a small flame appeared in the center of the circle. It quickly grew until it reached the inner edges of the circle where it stopped growing horizontally and continued to grow vertically until it became a pillar of flames seemingly pressed against an invisible barrier that surrounded it. The flames produced no heat, but the display was so shocking that it tore Kaylen’s mind away from thoughts of Vilotta to wonder whether anything else in the room would catch fire.

In an instant, the flames vanished, leaving only the pungent smell of sulfur and a tall woman with bright red hair. What little clothing she wore was black leather, with more than a few spikes, and her makeup, if indeed that was makeup, was in much of the same way-too-thick, way-too-black style that Riven wore. She had a small pair of bat-like wings on her back and the classic spade-tipped tail. Kaylen had to resist rolling her eyes.

Ember looked around the room, grinning. “Seriously, Riven? Fairies? What have you gotten yourself into?”

“Make yourself comfortable and I’ll explain in a moment, mistress.”

Riven froze halfway between crouching and standing and let out a blissful sigh. “I said that automatically,” she said with wonder. Kaylen once again began to doubt this plan. Riven hadn’t mentioned that the contract compelled her to call Ember “mistress.” What else did the contract do?

Ember chose a chair opposite the fairies and leaned back, putting her feet on the table. “I’d forgotten how easily distracted you are. The explanation, Riven?”

Riven straightened. “Right. The reason I asked you here is a dispute in the ownership of Kaylen Arac.”

“I have no claim to her,” said Ember with a shrug.

“And I do,” added Vilotta. “There is no dispute.”

Riven let out a small gasp. “Oh! Then it’s already sorted out,” she said eagerly.

“Uh, Riven?” Kaylen said, trying to get her friend to focus.

Riven gave Kaylen a surprised look, as if she’d forgotten the former priestess was here.

“Oh, right.” She turned back to the others. “As it happens, she has a claim on herself. While she was underage when her mother made the arrangement with Queen Vilotta, she has since reached adulthood and is no longer her mother’s to give.”

Vilotta frowned. “That’s not how it works,” she said sternly. “She was mine from the moment her mother gave her to me.”

Terror shot through the two humans. Vilotta was frowning. That must have meant that she was unhappy. If Vilotta’s happiness was the only thing that mattered, then nothing could be worse than her being unhappy. Kaylen opened her mouth to pledge herself to serve Vilotta loyally, but Riven spoke first.

“Of course, of course, you’re right,” she said frantically. “I just thought that this was an opportunity to consider an alternate arrangement that might be more pleasing to you.”

Vilotta’s face softened to a look of curiosity, much to the relief of both Kaylen and Riven. “What sort of arrangement?”

“You and Comtesse Ember make a trade. You give up your claim on Kaylen, who signs a contract to give her soul to the Comtesse in exchange for power. Comtesse Ember burns my contract and I become yours.”

“I decline,” Vilotta said flatly.

Ember snorted. “Are you kidding me? I got you for free, Riven. You expect me to pay to give you away?”

So that was it. It was hopeless. Kaylen should have expected this. If she had thought about it for any length of time, she would have realized that this trade did not favor either party. She was going to belong to Vilotta for the rest of her life.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Riven said, once again frantic. “There’s something about Kaylen you don’t know.”

“Yes? What is it?” Vilotta asked.

“She wants to kill the gods.”

“Okay, now I’m curious,” said Ember.

“She was forsaken by a goddess,” Riven announced. “She desires revenge on the entire pantheon. Think about it, mistress. If you give her some demonic power, her anger and resentment will amplify it until she’s more powerful than any of your soldiers. And in the unlikely case that she actually succeeded, imagine what it would do for your standing amongst demonkind. And, Vilotta, won’t it be entertaining to watch Kaylen struggle against the gods? You’ll still have a human servant in me, plus you’ll get to watch Kaylen attempt to perform an impossible task.”

The room was silent for a moment as both the fairy and demon stared at Riven.

A vicious grin spread across Ember’s face. “I like it. It’s a risky move, but life’s all about taking chances.”

Vilotta smiled mischievously. “I have to admit, I didn’t think anything could convince me to let go of Kaylen, but the idea of watching her go off on this foolish quest is too delicious to ignore. You have a⁠—”

“Wait!” Kaylen shouted before Vilotta could say “deal.”

Everyone froze and stared at her. Ember looked annoyed. Vilotta, mercifully, just seemed curious.

“I don’t want to kill the gods,” she explained.

“Don’t you?” asked Riven. “You said that the gods shouldn’t be allowed to exist.”

Kaylen did recall saying that. How seriously had Riven taken it? “I didn’t mean that I actually want to kill them.”

“Why not?” Riven pressed. “You dedicated your life to Sanguis. You served her loyally, worked hard to create a better world for all women. You even followed all the little rules, like not sharing a bed with men. And what did she do? She took away everything⁠—your home, your identity, your future⁠—all because you don’t fit her definition of a woman. You’re locked out of the Lunar Gardens just like you’re locked out of every other heaven just because you’re trans. And you’re telling me you don’t want revenge?”

Kaylen stared at Riven. Thinking over what had happened to her, she had to wonder if the mage was right. Did she want revenge? She knew that she shouldn’t. After all, Sanguis did so much to protect and advance womankind. Except… it wasn’t really Sanguis who did all the work. It was her priestesses and followers. And wouldn’t Sanguian ideals continue to exist even without the goddess? Couldn’t they be expanded to include trans women? It occurred to her that perhaps Sanguis wasn’t helping protect and advance womankind. Maybe she was holding them back.

She glanced at Vilotta and Ember. Humans were so small and weak that they were little more than playthings to beings like them. And even their power paled in comparison to the gods. The gods influenced every aspect of the lives of humans and Kaylen was only beginning to realize how deep it ran. The oppression of women and certain nonhuman races, fears that slowed alchemic advancement, arbitrary rules that became laws that had to be obeyed by follower and non-follower alike. All of it was the fault of the gods.

“I want to kill the gods.”

The words slipped from her mouth before she realized she was saying them. But it was true. She wanted to kill the gods. This was her purpose now. She could improve the world in ways that a priestess could never even imagine.

Riven nodded with satisfaction. “Alright. Then if we’re all in agreement, let’s figure out the details of this contract.”

The party was going even more smoothly than Andra had expected. It turned out that letting Genevieve in on her plan had been a brilliant choice. In between dances, the two of them could weave throughout the party, meeting with the various ambassadors and representatives, earning promises of armies and supplies to help in the fight against the demons.

Her next target was Starfal Kingdom. As the largest elf kingdom, its armies would be an invaluable addition to the fight. Plus, they should be an easy get. After all, their ambassador was also their princess and she happened to be an old friend of Andra’s.

Andra slipped between the laughing groups of people and servants carrying trays until she found the princess.

“Good evening, Princess Lumis,” Andra greeted.

“Andra,” the princess replied with a smile. “It’s been a while.”

Andra grinned. “You recognize me.”

“Of course I do,” Lumis replied. “And even if I hadn’t, it’s not hard to figure out. You didn’t change your name that much.”

Andra laughed. “You don’t seem to have changed at all. You still make it hard to believe that elves don’t have the power of glamour.”

“I thought you were going to try to convince me to join your alliance, not attempt to romance me again now that you’re out from under your father’s eye?” the princess asked.

“Tragically, romance is not possible,” Andra replied. “I have recently become engaged to the princess of this country.”

This was an important detail that Andra had slid into each of her conversations. If she and Genevieve told enough of the ambassadors about their engagement, Genevieve’s father would not be able to call it off without looking disorganized and risking the alliance. The reactions could be a little odd. There was a lot of “But how will you have children?” some “I never knew the king was so progressive,” and even a little “But if you want to be a girl, why would you marry a girl?” The important thing, however, was that not that they understood, just that they knew.

“Congratulations,” said Lumis. Andra believed she detected a note of disappointment. “I was wondering how you had ended up working for the king of Rampart.”

“Political maneuvering is only part of the reason I’m working for him,” Andra explained. “The rest is that I am determined to see this war come to a swift end.”

“You think you can make that happen?” asked the princess.

“Not just me,” Andra replied. “The four heroes, the armies of Rampart and its allies, the various guilds and organizations all working together to defeat the demon menace.”

Lumis raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you think demons are? A menace?”

That was a bit of a misstep. Most of the other guests were less compassionate and more nationalistic, so phrases like “demon menace” were effective. But Andra should have known better when it came to Lumis.

“Of course not. They’re people just like us. But they are invading and they need to be stopped. And with a united force, we can do that faster and with fewer casualties on both sides.”

Lumis nodded. “A force united under Rampartian command.”

This was another key moment.

“Under my command.”

The princess’ eyes widened at Andra’s boldness. “Under your command?”

“I was the one who first discovered the threat of invasion. I studied military command in school. And, most importantly, I am of two countries. The king has decided that it was best that the allied forces be led by someone who won’t favor any one country.”

The king hadn’t decided anything of the sort. But multiple countries’ promises to join the alliance now hinged on Andra being in command. The king would not be able to replace her with anyone else without potentially shattering the alliance.

“You should know that much of the nobility in my country considers this a human matter, and not Starfalian business,” Lumis said.

“But the Demon King wants to control everything,” Andra protested. “He’ll invade your country eventually.”

“I agree,” said the princess. “But at the same time I am mistrustful of Rampart and its intentions. I think Ulysses is the type of man to use this war to expand his own borders.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’ll be here to keep an eye on him,” Andra said with a grin.

“Indeed,” said Lumis. “I will discuss this issue with my parents when I return home.”

That was disappointing. Andra had hoped for a promise of support, especially from Lumis. She was about to press further when she caught sight of Hermia talking to an orc. She couldn’t recall having invited representatives of any of the orc states; they were numerous and small and often had conflicts with many of the larger human-ruled countries, so she had determined that their presence offered little in potential support and risked the loss of larger potential allies. She couldn’t recall seeing an orc at the tournament, either, though she had been quite busy. Still, if there was an orc representative present, it wouldn’t hurt to try to gain his support, and something told Andra that Hermia would only hurt the chance of that happening. She excused herself to Lumis and made her way over the pair.

“I didn’t mean any offense,” said Hermia. “I was just saying that if you wanted to kidnap me, you’d have an easy time.”

Andra cringed internally. Hermia was like Riven with less tact.

“Hermia, I’ve been meaning to ask if you’ve had a chance to speak with Isandra,” said Andra. “She is going to be one of your companions, after all.”

“I’m sure I’ll get to know her soon enough,” Hermia replied.

“She’s an old friend of Riven’s,” Andra added.

“Oh! Where is she?” Hermia asked excitedly.

Andra pointed and she took off at a trot. Andra silently apologized to Isandra while she turned to face the orc.

“Is she seriously one of the prophesied heroes?” he asked. “You humans don’t stand a chance.”

“Did you catch her in the tournament? She’s unstoppable in a fight.”

The exact details of why Hermia had resigned in the second fight were, naturally, being kept secret.

“Unfortunately, I did not. For some reason, I was not invited.”

“That oversight is entirely my fault,” Andra admitted. “Which country do you represent, by the way?”

The orc grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. “My name is Snow. I represent the Unified Orc Alliance.”

Andra blinked. “I was not aware that the orc states had unified.”

Snow shrugged. “We’ve largely been keeping quiet about it. After all, bad things happen when orcs unite.”

“Bad things happen when orcs unite” was a saying amongst humans. It implied that orc nations uniting would inevitably lead to them invading human or elf territory. Andra suspected that Snow meant something else by it.

“I don’t see why that has to be the case,” said Andra. “After all, the demons pose just as much a threat to you as they do us. If you were to join the alliance—”

“We could help you win the war,” Snow finished. “But what would we gain out of it?”

“You’d be protecting your own countries too,” Andra explained.

“Would we?” Snow asked. “And what happens after the war? When you have all these united armies and nothing left to do with them? That’s usually the time when humans and elves take a look at orcs and tell themselves that we’ve gotten too powerful. Seems to me that our choice is between being invaded by demons or being invaded by humans.”

“I would never allow that to happen,” Andra protested.

“Wouldn’t you?” Snow continued. “You’re following the Edhru Prophecies. Finding the four heroes. Remember, one of the prophecies warns of an orc invasion. How many times has that one been prevented now? And yet every time we attempt to reunify, we end up attacked all to prevent an invasion that was prevented centuries ago.”

Riven had mentioned something about that and Andra suddenly wished she had asked some follow-up questions. Worse, she had just caught sight of Fiona talking with the representative of the ISA. She needed to put a stop to that quickly, but she couldn’t allow her conversation with Snow to end like this.

“Listen, I’ll be in command of the alliance. I won’t allow that to happen. I mean, one of my friends is part orc.”

She realized her mistake as soon as she said it.

“That was a really stupid thing to say, wasn’t it?” she asked.

Snow nodded silently. Andra had to do something, anything to salvage this conversation.

“I have to say, that is a lovely suit you’re wearing. The blue trim suits you nicely.”

“Personally, I prefer to wear furs, but you know how it is. When humans do it, it’s seen as a classy expression of wealth and taste. When orcs do it, however…” he trailed off.

Had she said the wrong thing again? Andra couldn’t seem to keep her footing in this conversation. Worse, there was still the matter of Fiona. She couldn’t let that conversation keep going.

“Could you excuse me? I think I see someone else in need of rescue,” she said, and briskly walked off, feeling a stab of guilt when she realized she hadn’t waited for Snow’s response.

When she reached the pair, she got her first good look at Fiona’s dress. Andra wouldn’t have expected her to go with pink, but she had to admit that the soft color contrasted her muscles and scars very nicely.

“Fiona, how is the party?” she asked.

Fiona made an uncertain sound.

The ISA representative, a woman named Marta, cleared her throat. “Oh, Lady von Ekko, you are in charge of finding the four heroes, are you not? I’m not sure if you’re aware, but our friend here is a homunculus created by an alchemist named Paracelsus Atalan. There is a good chance that he is one of the heroes.”

Andra carefully forced down the anger that was bubbling up in her. Even Paracelsus knew better than to misgender his children. “He?”

“Oh, yes, you probably don’t know, but homunculi are shapeshifters, and the ones made by Paracelsus are meant to be male,” Marta explained.

This was going to be a problem. Andra would be working closely with a representative of the ISA to manage the war, and any representative the ISA sent was likely to be aware of Paracelsus’ work and the possibility of one of his children being a prophesied hero. Andra would have to find some way to keep them distracted.

Andra forced a smile onto her face. “I can assure you that we are looking into the possibility of Fiona being one of the heroes. But there is so much more that the ISA can provide for us beyond homunculi.”

Marta sighed. She had obviously been expecting this conversation. “If you’re talking about guns, you have to understand that the ISA has to keep the technology under careful control. Can you imagine if orcs got ahold of the technology? Or demons, for that matter?”

“Of course, of course,” Andra replied. “That’s why guns would only go to trustworthy adventurers, who learn how to operate them at ISA facilities and are sworn to secrecy in the same way that alchemists are. I know a spellsword who would do amazing things with a firearm.”

Marta raised her eyebrows in surprise. “A spellsword with a firearm? I hadn’t considered that. The ISA tends to be a little mistrustful of magic users, but I can’t deny the potential value of bullets that explode or ones that seek out their target. It’s certainly something I could bring up with the council. If we can find trustworthy adventurers.”

“I promise you, we will keep your technology safe,” said Andra.

Marta nodded and wandered off to chase down a servant carrying miniature rolls.

“Thank you, boss,” said Fiona with a sigh.

“No problem,” Andra replied. “But try to stay away from her, okay?”

“Of course. By the way, have you seen Riven or Kaylen?”

“Oh, the two of them can’t come,” Andra explained. “They’re up in the meeting room, sorting out some mess Kaylen’s gotten herself into with a fairy.”

Fiona felt a stab of fear. “You don’t mean that they’re actually meeting with the fairy?”

Andra shrugged. “Yeah, I assume they are. Riven said she has a plan.”

Fiona grabbed Andra’s shoulders. She could feel her heart starting to pound. “A plan? She has a plan involving a fairy and you’re just letting her do what she wants?”

“Why not? I’m sure she’s just going to try to get herself taken in Kaylen’s place. True, she’s more useful to us than Kaylen, but I can’t exactly let Kaylen get taken away if she doesn’t want to be. Anyway, it’s not like I’d be able to stop Riven if I tried.”

“But you can’t let her be taken, boss. We’ll never see her again.”

Andra shrugged beneath Fiona’s hands. “This is what she wants. I hate to lose her, because she is still useful, but I can make do without her now.”

“Is that all she means to you? How useful she is?”

“She only cares about herself,” Andra replied. “We’re nothing more than a way for her to get what she wants.”

Tears began to form in Fiona’s eyes. “That’s not true. She enchanted my weapon. She took in Kaylen. She really cares about us. And if you’re not going to stop her, then I am.”

She marched off, leaving the stunned Andra standing alone. Andra had assumed that Riven’s plan to help Kaylen involved taking her place, but hadn’t really considered what that meant. She might never see Riven again. That actually bothered her. She had come to think of Riven as, if not a friend, then a constant presence, maybe even a comfort. Shouldn’t she say goodbye, at least? On the other hand, the ambassador from Temple Station was having a very animated conversation with the priest who represented the Roolians. Somebody needed to stop them before it became an argument.

For her part, Fiona didn’t waste time. She started at a walking pace, but soon had hiked up her dress enough to run. She made her way up the stairs, desperately hoping that she wasn’t too late. She threw open the door of the meeting room.

A host of fairies occupied one side of the room. To Fiona, they looked like perfectly normal fairies, or at least as normal as fairies got. This struck her as odd. Didn’t nobility and royalty amongst fairies use glamours to make others find them more beautiful? Riven, Kaylen, and a demon were on the other side of the room. Kaylen had just finished signing a contract in her blood.

To Fiona’s surprise, Kaylen began screaming as soon as she finished signing. She gripped her head and fell to her knees. Fiona was at her side in an instant, supporting her so that she didn’t collapse on the floor. On the top of her head, Fiona could see the skin tearing open, blood staining her already red hair as two small black horns emerged.

Ember looked down on them with a smirk. “Tradition has it that I depart now. If you hope to have a chance against the gods, though, I should let you know that somewhere in demon-ruled territory is said to be a power that even they fear.”

With that, she stepped into the magic circle and vanished.

Kaylen, tears in her eyes, adjusted her position against Fiona to tentatively touch her new horns.

“What happened?” she asked. “Are these horns?”

“They are,” Fiona said as she adjusted a strand of Kaylen’s hair.

Kaylen looked up at Riven. “Why do I have horns?”

“Those who form contracts with demons are always marked,” Riven explained. “I thought you knew that. Don’t they teach priestesses that?”

“But you don’t have a mark,” Kaylen said in an accusing tone.

“Sure I do.” Riven turned around and pulled the neck of her blouse over her shoulder, showing a small tattoo on the back of her shoulder. It appeared to be a caricature of Ember herself, grinning and winking.

“But your mark’s tiny,” Kaylen said, a slight whine entering her tone. “Why did I end up with horns?”

“Because your contract was for power,” Riven explained. “I didn’t ask for anything in return for my soul.”

“But… but how am I going to hide them?” Kaylen asked. “People will find out, wherever I go.”

Riven began to feel a little sick. She hadn’t meant to cause Kaylen any distress. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew how it worked.”

“Riven, it’s time for us to go,” said Vilotta. The fairy hosts began filing their way back through their door.

“No, Riven, you can’t go,” said Fiona.

“Sorry, Fiona,” said Riven. “I can’t miss an opportunity like this.”

Fiona couldn’t quite find a way to say what she wanted to say.

“But what about the team?” she asked instead.

“The team’s done,” Riven replied. “Andra’s working for the crown now. And Kaylen’s off to kill the gods. And you won’t be able to stay here, either. We need to keep people from finding out you’re one of the heroes.”

“But… what about us?” That was the most she could manage.

Riven sighed. She couldn’t look Fiona in the eyes. “Look, Fiona, I like you a lot. More than I’ve liked anyone for a long time. But it wouldn’t have worked out between us. I’m too weird, you know? These things don’t work out for me like they do for other people. I’m really sorry. Tell Andra goodbye for me.”

She hugged Fiona, and Fiona held her close, hoping that somehow the fairies would forget about her and finish leaving before she let go. But eventually, Riven pushed away. She patted Kaylen on the shoulder before following Vilotta through the door, leaving Fiona and Kaylen alone.

When the door shut and vanished, Fiona began sobbing.