It was Lucas’ turn to stare. Then he frowned. “Given your reputation, I didn’t think you would be the type for pointless self-sacrifice.”

“Few sacrifices are pointless but that is not what I’m doing.” Talia sat on the bed, making herself as comfortable as she could in anticipation of a long conversation. “I truly don’t know.”

“I thought you were her lover.”

“Not her housemate?” She chuckled softly at his expression. “Lover is too simplistic of a word. The closest word that you can understand is mistress but that is far from adequate. The only thing you need to know about our relationship is that I have no right to her secrets lest she deigns to share them with me. What you want is a secret she hasn’t shared.”

The hunter grit his teeth. “You must have an idea.”

“None better than your own.” She truly didn’t. From casual conversation, she knew that Lou had remade herself with the help of the succubi but that only accounted for her change in appearance and physical strength. Her ability to shrug off damage was something else entirely.

“You’re not doing yourself or the others any favors.”

“I’m fully aware of my situation, but you cannot change the truth of the matter.”

Lucas rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m too tired to convince you to help yourself. The guildmasters will get what they want, they always do. Even if they have to make you suffer. This is your chance to help yourself, perhaps negotiate for benefits. I could help you come out of this mess ahead.”

“How will you come out of this?”

Her eyes flicked over him, taking in pertinent details. Seeking weaknesses. He couldn’t be someone average if he was trusted to handle her questioning, given both her ability and her connections, but his harried nature spoke of a lackey, or at least someone who took orders from another.

He was naive, given he believed in the hunters’ promises. A basic wind affinity, someone without talent. The hunters had likely given him everything he had. Their failure was his failure. If there were no guilds, there was no him. As soon as she looked for it, the desperation and insecurity were easy to see. Whatever power he held, he likely wasn’t accustomed to it. She’d expect someone used to giving orders to be more demanding, or at least not so easily daunted by her refusal.

“The guilds—"

“You should ask yourself a question,” she interrupted, reassured in her observations when he reflexively stopped to let her speak. “What if there is no trick?”

“…what do you mean?”

“What if there is no secret behind Lou’s immortality? What if she is exactly as she seems, an experienced killer that will never die? Did the guilds ever think of that?”

More than any other affinity, the mental affinity required finesse. Cracking someone’s mind wasn’t as simple as throwing enough mana at the problem, as it was with the basic elements. Intelligent beings had a natural defense to mental intrusion, a rejection of that which did not belong.

Mental spells worked best when the target’s mind was already weakened. By drugs for the crude. Exhaustion for the more patient. Fear for the cunning. Talia wasn’t a figure that could inspire terror, but uncertainty was also a part of fear.

Lucas scoffed. “No, we’ve never considered it because it’s not possible. And this, whatever it is, is pitiful. I’ll send someone—"

“For the sake of debate, I will concede the point. Let’s assume there’s a trick. A method to Lou’s invincibility.”

The hunter looked annoyed as he answered. “There is. There must be.”

“Why do you assume your people are capable of taking advantage of it?” His brows furrowed as he stared at her in confusion. “She may have a weakness but that doesn’t mean you can wield it against her. For example, what if you need dragon’s blood to slay her?”

“There’s no chance—"

“What if she can only be slain while under the light of a scarlet moon? Or during certain days of the year?”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I don’t appreciate—"

“What if her body was coated in a certain alchemical solution that makes it impossible to be pierced by anything other than enchanted xanderium?”

Lucas paused, jaw working as he visibly swallowed what he was going to say. “…is it?”

Talia was not one for expression, but she could fake it convincingly. Her soft laughter was sharp with so much disdain, the hunter’s face reddened in embarrassment. “I said I didn’t know. Did you think I was lying and your overwhelming presence forced the truth from me?”

His embarrassed frown twisted into a scowl. “I won’t be insulted by you. If you have something to say, spit it out.”

She made a note to return to the topic of insults, as clearly the man was not good at taking them. “I gave you an explanation that was plausible enough that you thought it might be the answer you sought. But even if it was, would the guilds be able to get their hands on a national treasure? What if her weakness is something just as outlandish? Just because you know what it is, doesn’t mean you can take advantage of it. There may be a trick, but if you can’t kill her, then she may as well be immortal. And my question for you is, what if that is the case?

“I don’t deal in fantasies.” He turned away from her and headed toward the door.

“If it’s not fantasy,” she said, her voice causing him to pause with his hand on the door, “then you have just angered an enemy that will never stop hunting you. Perhaps she’ll give in to your demands and leave the city, but she’ll never stop. She sabotage you from outside of Quest, in ways you’ll never connect to her. She’ll kill the hunters that leave the city. She’ll harass your trade partners until the merchants abandon you. Maybe your hostages fend her off for five weeks. Perhaps even five months. But how about five years? Fifty? A hundred?”

“By then, time will have taken her,” Lucas replied, looking over his shoulder.

“Maybe. She may die but her wife will live. Kierra Atainna. The one who killed your guildmaster. Elves naturally live for hundreds of years. An elf with a pure physical affinity will live for hundreds of hundreds, if she chooses. How many of them do you think she will need to eradicate this city?”

“The kingdom won’t tolerate a foreign saboteur running amok!” the hunter snapped, turning toward her. “Besides, a hundred years from now isn’t the problem. We’re trying to survive today.”

“Are you married?” He balked. Talia affected a sneer when he quickly looked her up and down. “I didn’t ask because I’m interested in you, but I fear for any woman that is.”

“You!”

“Once again, you’re misunderstanding. I fear for your family. As an integral party in this scheme, you are a target for Kierra’s revenge. You and your descendants.”

He gaped at her, eyes wide. “That’s…that’s…”

“Ridiculous? Evil? I suppose I can understand your reluctance to consider the possibility. Only the most cowardly creatures would go after the innocents connected to their enemies.” He flinched at the words, but Talia didn’t let up. “But that door has been thrown open and there is no closing it. I don’t envy you, having to explain to them that they are the target of a lifetime grudge.”

Lucas sighed. “Do you think we haven’t considered this? That we haven’t considered every possibility? The future is for the future. Right now, we have to defend our city and our way of life. If you think a few words are enough to shake our resolve, then you’re sorely mistaken!”

Talia ignored his words. It was obvious that his resolve was fragile or he’d never have entertained her. But there was something giving him confidence. She couldn’t imagine what.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Lucas looked annoyed as he told whoever was on the other side of the door to enter. A grim younger man stepped into the room and glanced at Talia. “What can she do?” Lucas grumbled, annoyed. Talia briefly entertained the thought of rushing them while they were distracted, closing her eyes as she cast a spell to sense the minds in her vicinity. The other two dozen presences in the building dissuaded her. She opened her eyes as the second hunter began to talk.

“We’ve gotten a response from the noble.”

“And?”

“She’s declared war on the city. Gave us three days to evacuate the civilians before she, and I quote, turns Quest to rubble.”

A frustrated hand ruffled Lucas’ hair. “Saints curse that woman. Using the fear of the populace against us.”

“No.” Both men turned to Talia. “It is not a tactic but a promise. If she is asking you to move the innocent out of her way, she’s resolved herself.”

A faint feeling of dread made Talia frown. When she was captured, she’d been concerned that the hunters’ plan would work. For all her power, Lou was weak, mentally. She also didn’t have much of a stake in the March. It wasn’t hard to imagine her momentarily bowing to the guilds, though she had no doubt that it wouldn’t end there. Even if Lou was willing to leave the city, Kierra would never allow their actions to go unanswered. The two balanced each others’ reactions.

Lou made it clear that she didn’t desire war. She had worked tirelessly to prevent an all-out confrontation. If she and Kierra were united in violent intention…the city was doomed.

Talia was not a selfless person. If anything, her childhood had taught her she needed to be the opposite if she wanted to survive. Yet the thought of what was coming, a whole city put to the blade, unnerved her. Harvest had never experienced such a tragedy. If it truly came to pass, it would rock the kingdom. Change everything. Maybe even Lou.

Would she still be the same frivolous woman afterwards?

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“You need any help with…” The younger man looked toward Talia in what she supposed he thought was a discrete manner.

“No, I’ve got it handled. Go.”

He left and Lucas turned to her. “It’s a shame that she’s chosen to make this difficult for herself.”

“What will you do?”

“As I said, we expected this. If she’s going to take our position lightly, we’ll have to show her we’re serious.”