Everyone seemed to fall into place in the room: Vanz'goran sat at his desk, Maeve and the lizard guard, Gyun, helped Zirko and the unconscious Aila into more comfortable positions on the floor, Deon hobbled over to a chair and sat with Taka on his hand, and Syla sat on the other chair, legs perched beneath them. The orc beside Bick turned to Vanz'goran and nodded, then to Taka and gave a small smile.

"Sir Filo," Vanz'goran said, "this is Marg, Bick's wife."

A wave of guilt rippled through Taka's heart; he was responsible for Bick's current state.

"She took a vow of silence many years ago, so don't be offended if she does not speak or reply to you," Vanz'goran explained.

Taka nodded at the orc, who turned back to Bick. Taka didn't know what to say to her, and apologizing wouldn't help, so he left it at that.

Deon cleared his throat, "let us proceed, Your Majesty."

Vanz'goran nodded at the older lizard man and looked around the room. Taka found it strange how few people were in this meeting, if it was to be as important as the retired Demon Lord made it seem.

"I have vetted you all and know that your mind and Magia have not been corrupted," Vanz'goran began. "And that is why you are here. As you have all seen, yesterday, we were attacked by a legion of Aeries, led by a squadron of fae casters loyal to Valish. We have been in an era of peace for decades now, and we were aware of the rumblings, but this attack far exceeded our expectations in both its timeline and magnitude. The rest of the town was unaffected, but for such a force to penetrate directly into a castle with as many protections as Kronkswell is simply unheard of. I have already contacted Jukartha, and will be traveling to the capital to convene with him shortly."

Aeries? Is that what the birds are called? Does that mean the bird that attacked me when I first arrived here was a monster under Valish's control, too? And Jukartha... the reigning Emperor of the Demon Lord's domain... Taka had only heard about Jukartha from his conversation with Zirko ages ago, and all he knew is that Jukartha was a strong warrior who was Vanz'goran's High General, and the one who succeeded Vanz'goran on the throne, but that was all. Taka had no idea what kind of creature Jukartha was, nor his intentions, which made Taka nervous.

"It is likely that the ranks of the Kronkswell guard have been infiltrated by changelings during the attack," Vanz'goran said. "It is a strategy the Spirit Kingdom has used in the past, and works dangerously well."

"We anticipate they have developed countermeasures to the spells we used to detect them in the past, and are now aware that matching their target's Magia aura will prevent them from being detected," Deon said coldly. "As of this moment, we have no way of weeding them out from our allies."

"Which is why you are all here," Vanz'goran said. "Everyone here was accounted for by myself or Syla during the attack, from when it began to when Daldrus retreated."

Vanz'goran looked to Taka and nodded at the worm. Taka looked around, not knowing what to do.

"You, Sir Filo," Deon said, "are able to use a type of magic unknown to us, one that also seemed unfamiliar to Daldrus, thus making the likelihood of a changeling with your abilities taking you out, quite unlikely."

So that was why they had me help Zirko in front of everyone, Taka realized. It was about clearing his name, and by extension, Maeve and Bick, from suspicion. If Taka hadn't been able to use the strange magic again... Taka shuddered at the thought. He might've had to reveal his ability to use raw magic to the entire group, which would have been less than ideal.

"I, along with Deon and Syla, will go to the capital to meet with Jukartha," Vanz'goran proclaimed. "What I ask of you, Sir Filo, is to lend your strength in the investigation of the Spirit Kingdom. You, accompanied by Maeve, Zirko, and Marg, will go to the city of Modonia and try to find information on the attack. You will be going as emissaries of the Demon Kingdom under false identities."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The room fell silent as Taka felt eyes staring at him from every side. He felt exposed, and incredibly uncomfortable.

I thought Modonia was conquered by the Demon Empire, Taka probed.

"Modonia was conquered, but one cannot control the spirits," Vanz'goran said as if that answered Taka's question. It didn't, but Taka decided to drop it, for now.

How would any alias be believable with my current form? Taka asked Vanz'goran and Deon.

Deon smiled, and Vanz'goran gestured to him to speak. Taka looked between the two of them, confused.

"I assumed you'd say that, and that is why Marg is going with you," Deon said.

Taka looked back to the orc, who was still focused on Bick, seemingly paying no mind to the conversation happening behind her.

"She just so happens to be one of the most gifted users of light magic there is, and in particular, is a master of illusion-based spells," Deon explained. "Zirko has extensive knowledge related to golems, and by combining their two skillsets with your, unusually large mana reserves," Deon continued delicately, "it should not pose an issue."

Syla huffed and crossed their arms, then shot a nasty look at Vanz'goran. The demon sighed and put a hand to his forehead, looking more weary -- emotionally drained -- than Taka had seen him before.

"I am sorry, Syla, but it is far too dangerous for you to return to Modonia," Vanz'goran said gently, but a hint of frustration began to seep through his voice. "You know this."

Syla grunted, but didn't say anything. The elf child's anger didn't feel like the fleeting emotions of a kid, though, and Taka was reminded of the elf's age compared to his own. Slya had been alive for much longer than he had, and in all that time, still hadn't found their mother.

"You four will go to Modonia as emissaries sent by Jukartha himself, which he has already agreed to," Vanz'goran said. "Once there, you will make contact with Ambassador Reika, who is already stationed in the Spirit Kingdom. Trust her as you trust me, but no one else. While you're there, Sir Filo and Maeve, you will give testimony about the attack. Zirko will be there as your guard. All testimony will be private -- do not let anyone tell you otherwise. All parties are aware of this condition. That is your official reason for being there. Do not mention the incident with the mind-altering magic that affected Zirko, or your real identities. Do you understand?"

Taka looked to Maeve, and the fox girl nodded in affirmation to the retired Demon Lord. Taka was nervous about Zirko being sent to Modonia with them, on top of being sent to Modonia at all. He had finally grown accustomed to Kronkswell, and now Vanz'goran wanted to send him away? Taka felt a thought begin to form to push back against the idea, but then saw the look on Syla's face. The elf was biting their lip, their mouth curled in part frustration, part fear, Taka felt. The expression looked wrong on the soft elf's face, and Taka took a deep breath in. This is for Syla, he told himself. And for everyone else here. And for those who aren't.

Taka looked up at Vanz'goran and steeled his resolve, then nodded. For a split second, he saw a speck of relief in the retired Demon Lord's eyes, an unguarded, vulnerability that Vanz'goran quickly hid away.

"Thank you, Maeve," Deon said. "Thank you, Sir Filo. We'll spend the next few days constructing the golem and ensuring the illusion magic will work properly. As soon as the preparations are complete, I'll open a portal for you."

Maeve saluted at the older lizard man and Taka gave him a deep nod.

"While your team is Modonia," Deon said, "you will investigate the fae casters related to the church, the shadow magic of the Aeries, and the disappearance of our missing people."

Find Rhoz, Deon sent to Taka. Please.

Taka nodded again, and Vanz'goran got up from his chair.

"Gyun," Vanz'goran said, addressing the lizard man guard for the first time since they were brought to the private meeting room.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Gyun replied, rising to his feet.

"I leave you in charge of Kronkswell," Vanz'goran said. "Follow wartime security protocol, and you have permission to do what you must."

The lizard man stared at the retired Demon Lord for a few seconds, mouth agape. He began to speak in protest, but straightened up, then gave a small glance to Aila, then looked back to Vanz'goran, his eyes ablaze with a new conviction.

"I will do everything within my power, Your Majesty," Gyun said as he knelt before Vanz'goran.

Vanz'goran looked around the room, acknowledging each individual, "we do not have time to waste," he said. "Make your preparations with haste, my friends," he said as he snapped his fingers, teleporting the group to the throne room

Here we go, Taka thought.