I ran towards Lucy and motioned with my head towards the door. She seemed to get the idea and followed me. We left the room before Beira could unleash another spell. I was unsure if they would give chase but I doubted that they were fast enough, even if they tried. With us disguised as some form of hound, Beira hopefully assumed we had no way of talking. So catching us for information would be pointless. And if we caused havoc in the city it would give her more ammunition against the inquisition.

There was no one waiting for us as we left the base. “We should go invisible again.” I told Lucy. She nodded and soon we both disappeared from sight once more.

“Back to the park?” Lucy asked.

“Yes. I think it’s best if we pretend we went swimming for most of the time. We will see if there are any search parties or if we need a different excuse when we get there.” I answered.

“What happened to Lilastheria?” Lucy asked.

“I sent her back after she was injured by the spell. She should be fine.”

“Can’t Beira just resummon her? She knows her name after all.” Lucy pointed out.

“Um. That is true unfortunately. I doubt that she can break our bond though.”

“But she could torture her for information.”

“That is a good point.” Damn, I had not thought of that. We could not allow Lilastheria to suffer because we involved her in our schemes. “We can summon her ourselves. She can’t be summoned while is already in this world. We just have to find a way to keep her hidden.”

“She can shapeshift into a human, right?”

Stolen story; please report.

“Yes. That means spells piercing illusions won’t detect her but I assume the palace might have other safeguards against shapeshifters. There could also be wards against demons.”

“Is it really that easy to detect them? Did the Dominion not use a divine artefact in order to test us at our first meeting?” Lucy wondered.

I took a moment and thought about my magical knowledge and what wards the Empire might be using. “You know, you might be right. There are two versions of shapeshifting. One would be with a spell, like polymorph. It is an ongoing effect that can be dispelled. The other one is natural shapeshifting. That is what we are using currently. We are not under a spell, our forms are part of us. I think succubi are natural shapeshifters.”

“So we might be able to hide her, as long as she is not getting too much attention. Maybe we can pretend she is a maid?” Lucy suggested.

“How would we explain an additional maid suddenly appearing?” I wondered.

“What if we decide to hire one? Not tonight, but maybe in a few days. We can ask Loriel to help us with that. Maybe Lilastheria can hide in the city in the meantime?”

“It is worth considering. And if she is detected we could always blame the inquisition as having planted her as a spy.”

We arrived back at the park without incident. We deliberately avoided the imperial plaza and the area we had been to before. Midnight was an hour away by the time we found a nice spot to summon Lilastheria again. With the bond active it was a much smaller thing. Despite that we made sure it was a secluded spot at the other end of the park.

Soon Lilastheria stood before us again, she still wore her amour.

“Are you alright?” Lucy asked.

“Yes mistress, thank you for your concern.”

“We have some worries.” I said. “Beira might try to summon you to get information.”

“Our bond prevents me from talking! I cannot betray you! Please spare me! I can be useful!” She pleaded.

“We wanted to hide you, not kill you…” Lucy explained.

“I see, I apologise for my outburst. I thank you for your kindness.” Lilastheria said and bowed to us. I felt awkward.

“Um yes. We were thinking you could shapeshift into a human. Or any other humanoid that does not draw too much attention. We could hire you as a maid, or a guard, and hide you in plain sight. That is, assuming you feel confident that your shapeshifting won’t be detected.”

“I believe that would be possible. Being a part of your group should give me enough protection to avoid close scrutiny from the royal guards.”

“Great! Now we need a way for you to join us that does not look suspicious. We might have to talk to Loriel about that. Would you have a way of hiding in the city for a bit? I think I can figure out how to track you down through our bond if I need to find you. But be careful, the Empire is going to look for demons.”

“It’s a big city, I should be fine hiding here mistress. I could also pretend to be a courtesan. It is not unheard of for the nobility to have their entertainment with them. You could pretend to buy me from the slave market.”

Being in my animal form was the only thing that prevented me from blushing heavily. “Um I don’t think we need a courtesan and we are also not into slavery…” And then it hit me. We had enslaved Lilastheria with our bond.