“The one in the back right, yellow dress with the sequins around her waist. She's Lady Tamarine Jurn and one half of the family that manages the biggest share of flax crops in the western Princedoms. Her husband, sitting down there alone by the pillar staring into his wine is Lord Ramses Jurn. Sad bastard must know that the only reason that his wife is dancing with half the ballroom is the fact that she's trying to have another heir to protect their lineage. Wouldn't matter to her who it is that actually sires the child.” Julius spoke directly into Dei's mind.

It was strange hearing him speak without opening his mouth, as though his voice was coming from within her own head like a second conscience rather than an exterior speaker. Regardless, the voice was so definitively his that she didn't even question it, like listening to Fei or Xei have their silly arguments back when they still traveled with her.

‘Hmm, I should check up on them soon.’ She thought. Thankfully, Julius didn't seem to be able to hear her thoughts. The nobleman's voice continued to drone on in the background.

“Next up is the man dancing with lady Tamarine in the orange vest, Lord Theodore Penton. He's been managing the logging industry over a good couple thousand miles of forested land over on the eastern border, or what's left of it. The rumors say that the Free-peoples have been sending raids down into his foresting groups, making it harder for him to reach quota. Without the backing of a great house he's just not going to be able to find the manpower to protect his workers.”

“Now, you see that woman in the blue ball gown that keeps trying to catch Theodore's eye while ignoring her partner in the purple suit? She's Lady Galaide Jocell, and the blind fool with her is Samuel Geld. She wants Theo's wood, in more ways than one, but her father wants her to court the Geld boy so they can form something approaching a house alliance. So who do you think you're going to kill tonight Dei?”

She didn't respond. Even if she could, her job was to be a statue right now. A silent watcher over the spinning masses down below. Not like Julius really cared when he had a captive audience, she was sure.

“You're right! Lady Tamarine of course. Kill the lady of flax, and their sole heir to the family fortune. This sends the flax lord into a grieving period which helps my men undermine his farmlands. Theo has to find a new great family to court. And Galaide gets her true love while Sam gets the cold shoulder. This, my dear, is why I do so enjoy this little game.”

Dei had to admit, this was only the third knot of intertwined fates that Julius had told her about this night, but she was fast growing to appreciate his knack for the court. The way that Julius had explained it to her, these noble families had had the last fifteen years or so to settle into peace and grow so interconnected. The only reason that no one else tried tipping the table on the game was their fear that it would come back to haunt their own noble family tenfold if they ever got caught. Well, that and the Prince of Whispers.

He sat at the high table next to the other house leaders as was customary at these balls. His olive colored uniform suit matched that of all the other military officers that attended the ball in place of the House of Whispers. None of these men and women danced on the floor with the others, instead flitting here and there to partake in discussions among the nobility at the dining tables. Likewise, Lord Whisper did something similar as his head constantly swiveled around the room like a lighthouse on a rocky coastline. Every time his eyes grazed over her, Dei could feel some sort of presence wash over her, watching, before it inevitably moved on a moment later.

Was it just a display of power to cow the nobles into line, or did his attention actually give him any information as he looked over his people. When he wasn't paying attention to her, Dei looked over at those strange prismatic eyes of his, pock-marked with a dozen different colors that reflected in the light of the chandelier. The base of his iris was still blue, a color that had bled out from just the pupil in order to tint the rest of his sclera a light azul shade as well.

The man's face was hard, but otherwise normal as he merely looked like an average built man with short black hair and a thin layer of beard shadow. He wasn't handsome, but the eyes did at least give him a bit of an exotic feel for an otherwise boring middle aged man.

“I do hope you're still paying attention.” Julius’s voice droned.

‘I wasn't’

“The thin lady in white walking up onto the stage with the man in red? That's Lady Beatrice D'elm. Your mother, Denise.” The man laughed inaudibly over the connection, but he had at least gotten Dei's attention.

‘Just who is this woman?’

“I'm sure you're wondering who she is now.”

‘Go on, tell me about how smart you are, Lord Julius. How everything’s going to plan.’

“Well, you'll notice that she's accompanied by Lord Vivian Brent, an odd name for a lord but a good man. He operates most of the roadwork projects going down into the southern border, and is an integral element of any deployment and maneuvering of the Princedom military despite his Brent family affiliation. Mind you, he might have had one too many nights of passion with the Lady D'elm, leading to an inopportune child or two. Now that they're engaged though, the nobility have all but decided that he's only marrying her in order to hide his shame.”

‘But I'm…Denise D'elm.’

“And you're just the cherry on top that turns this garbage fire into a masterpiece. Why is Lord Julius bringing a lesser noble into the balls under disguise, then sitting alone with her? Ah, because he must be training one of the D'elm children the ways of the court before their family officially joins blood with the Brent family. You naughty girl.”

‘Oh, please don't ever call me that again Julius.’ As usual her words never reached his ears.

“What a pity you're probably going to end up killing your own father later. It'll be a touching family reunion, I'm sure. But we haven't quite set the scene for that one yet so don't get too excited.”

If there was ever a man that Dei was relieved to not actually be related to, it would be Julius Brent. Still, she took the time to memorize her theoretical mother's face along with the other nobles he introduced her to. The middle aged woman in white looked quite happy with the man across from her, visibly smiling even from across the hall as Vivian twirled her around on the open dance floor. Her long brown hair fell down to her lower back, a massive wave of brunete that was held into place with both a sparkling headband and some well placed braids to accentuate the look. Hazel eyes looked across at Vivian, pulling her into an embrace with dark green eyes of his own, neither of the couple bearing the telltale marks of a force mage.

They were not Dei's parents. That was for sure. Her own body was far more petitely built than Lady D'elm's, with a smaller bust but larger shoulders. And of course she had used to have blond hair before she died…at least she was pretty sure about that. It was getting hard to remember things from before. Especially since her living memory only spanned about three hours before she ran out of air to breathe.

“Having fun Lucius?” A woman in a strange tightly fitted green dress with a slit down the leg sat down opposite Julius.

“My name is Julius, Palm.” he replied

“Now now. There's hardly a difference is there?” Palm said.

Julius didn't smile as he eyed the girl across from him, dropping any unheard conversations with Dei as the two went quiet. A dozen ringed piercings gleamed from her ears, matching the golden eyeshadow she employed in wistful strokes out from her eyelashes. Her long dark hair was braided tightly into a bun atop her head, held in place with two thin golden spikes that criss crossed above her head. She was beautiful. Captivating in a way unlike any other person Dei had met for the last couple months. And best of all she did not seem to like Julius.

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The woman waved over a servant with a tray of drinks before she continued the conversation.

“Doll, why don't we skip to the good part where you tell me what you're playing at by bringing your new toy here to the ball?” The servant handed one of the wine glasses directly to her, filled with a deep red wine visible through the clear glass. Another cup of the liquid was set before Julius, though he didn't touch it.

“Oh you know me Palm, always scheming.”

“Yes, you and everyone else here dear. It doesn't make you special.” She took a sip in between verbal barbs. “So why have you suddenly decided to stir the pot?”

Julius shrugged. “I haven't really started anything quite yet. You should stay a while and watch.”

“Yes, of course. Just stay here and give you all the ballroom intrigue of not only a second elbow maid, but also myself.” Dei found her eyes being drawn to the golden choker wound about the woman's neck, sculpted into the shape of a snake with its tongue out.

“You're already here aren't you?” He said.

“Fair point. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave you while I still have my dignity?”

“Mmm, because you like good company?”

Palm stood up with her wine glass. “Let me know if you ever want to reveal your cards, Julius. Maybe then we'll spend more time together.” She raised her glass slightly in mock cheers then walked away before he could answer. Dei watched as the woman stalked away, eyes tracing the curve of her calves and the way her high heels accentuated every step across the balcony. The Herald was certainly not the only one watching the woman either, as several men and women stopped to watch her pass.

Julius reached out to the table and pushed the wineglass away by the stem of the cup. The red wine jostled with the movement, spilling only slightly over the side onto the table when he stopped pushing it. He merely sat there thinking for a minute before looking back over the ledge to continue the night's purpose.

He never did explain Palm, or why she had come over. He went over another two dozen nobles of note, pointing them out to Dei but never a word about Palm. Even when she saw the woman come to a halt behind the Lord of Whispers, still, Julius wouldn't mention her.

The rest of the night passed quickly, as Julius went downstairs to mingle and gossip for around an hour before the trio started to withdraw from the room. A servant took Julius's name down as he left, and by the time they had reached the kitchen door Matthew was already standing outside ready to join them.

Likewise, as they left the front gateway to the keep a Brent family coach was already waiting for them with the door open. They filed in quickly, far less concerned about appearances since no one was watching, and set off back towards the manor house. As soon as they started moving, Julius started speaking in Dei's head.

“As soon as we round this corner, I want you to jump out and walk back to the front of the keep. Stay away from the main road since the military keeps watchmen out even if you can't see them.” Dei felt the carriage start to lean to the left, signifying that they were making a wide turn.

“Remember to kill both Tamarine and her son who supposedly still sleeps in her quarters. Oh, and wear this.” Julius pulled a yellow kerchief out of his pocket, handing it to Dei who replaced the red marker in her breast pocket. The carriage evened out and Dei reached up to open the door as the vehicle continued to move. As she jumped out of the cart she even thought she saw Marianna jolt in her seat, turning her head out of its perfect position as Dei landed in a roll to the side of the road. She watched the carriage ride away, someone reaching out and closing the open door once Dei had left.

She looked behind her, in the direction that they had come from and saw the keep rising high above the surrounding noble's housing. Large fires placed around the perimeter of the stone fortress blazed into the night, lighting up the solid walls high into the sky until the light couldn't reach any farther. Dei set off to start her work. Just had to follow the Lady Tamarine back to her home first.

—

Andy Jurn lay alone in a bed far too large for the five year old boy as he hid beneath the covers. The darkness in the room had been too much that night alone. It had been trying to eat him as some beast crept in from the windows, pulling the curtains tight at the seams. But he was hiding now. It couldn't get him. Couldn't see him. Not while he was hiding. That's what mother always said.

He heard the latch to the bedroom open, the door swinging open slowly. Ominously. Terribly. Someone was here. Some-thing was here. Just stay quiet. Just stay still. He held his breath. One, two, three, four, five, six. He let the breath go suddenly then sucked in once again. One, two, three-. Something grabbed him by the arm.

He spasmed under the blankets, shaking off the unseen monster as he scrambled away from the touch.

“Hey there baby. It's alright.” A calm voice whispered out to him in the dark. He knew that voice. He opened his eyes and looked over at her, the bestest person in the world. Then he pounced at her, wrapping his arms around her shoulder as he buried his head into her with a big hug.

“Mom! The monsters came in through the window. They're still here!”

“It's okay sweetie, there's no monsters here anymore. You already hid until they were gone, see?” His mom picked him up from the bed, nightgown bound around his body as she pulled him over to look through the window with her. The curtains still streaked inwards, moving like snakes and vipers in the cold moonlit air. He buried his head once again.

“Baby, it's alright. It's just the wind.” She closed the shutters and returned to the bed with him in her arms. He looked over her shoulder, and the curtains just looked like normal curtains once again. No more snakes in the night. She set him down on the bed, then pulled the covers over to tuck him in.

He watched her for a couple minutes after, as she shuffled out of her pretty yellow dress with shiny scales near her tummy and hung it on a hangar in the side room, then came back in a matching nightgown like his. She sat at her bourdaire, unhooking the clasps from her dangling earings, and removing her necklace to leave in its place where she always kept it.

It was only when she settled into bed beside him that the boy finally closed his eyes and felt safe. There were no monsters left in the night, not when she was here.

—

He awoke several hours later, or maybe it was only fifteen minutes. All he knew was that he needed to pee, really, really bad. He pawed at his eyes, blinking into the direction of the window where the curtains were trailing into the room once again. He nearly hid then, nearly called out for help, but no. His momma told him it was just the wind.

With every ounce of his courage he decided to get up. He set one elbow down onto the bed, then turned towards where his momma was sleeping to put his other hand down when he felt something wet. His mind went blank. Had he wet the bed again? Maybe that's why he had to pee so badly. But why was there so much of it? And why was it coming from mom?

He looked behind him, trying to get a glance at his mom. She looked, different. Scary. Her eyes were open and staring up at the ceiling, her mouth hanging open while her arms were open at her sides. And she wasn't blinking. Andy looked down at her body, where a large, dark red blob was spreading across the white sheets that were covering them. The monster!

He ducked under the covers, quick as could be. He was so quick it didn't even catch him. Couldn't see him. But still, he felt the wetness seeping under him. His entire butt felt like it was wet now, and it smelt so weird and irony under the covers that he decided he had to come up for a breath of air.

He whipped open the covers and took the biggest gasp he could before going back down, but something had caught the covers before he could get them back up. He opened his eyes, revealing three black dots in a sea of white blocking off his vision.

“Aa-.” He tried to scream but something caught him by the mouth and held him down. His nose still hummed in shrill, high pitched sounds echoing through the room as he tried to escape the shadow monster, but it held him there. He tried lifting the covers, to hide, but he couldn't lift them past the monster's outstretched arm holding him down. He couldn't hide this time.

The monster raised its other hand of black, the color of void itself to grasp its massive white face, then pulled it to the side. Blue light started to shine down on him from under the creature's face, but he started to thrash even harder. It was going to eat him! And he needed to save mom!

The oval of white with three black holes pulled away to reveal something worse. Something that looked almost like a human face, but not, looked down at him. Its two burning blue eyes hurt to look at, and stole his ability to see anything else in the room. It was just him and the strange blue skeletal face looking down at him as it seemed to study him.

He thrashed and bucked, trying desperately to peel himself away from the hand held around his mouth, but he couldn't do anything. Then, he started to feel a hot, burning feeling in his stomach. He looked down, past the black arm holding him, down towards his groin as the monster pulled a large knife out of his stomach. The burning feeling turned into a screeching, terrible pain that took his mind away. He couldn't think anymore, as he felt something that hurt worse than ten bee stings all at the same time.

His face moved up, looking towards the windows. A cold, wet, metallic feeling was placed against his neck. But he was more concerned with the way the curtains moved in the wind. They hid something there in the night, he was sure of it.

‘Momma, the monsters are back.’

The hot feeling bit across his throat, and he stopped worrying. He hadn't hid well enough.