Chapter 27: Appeasing the Unyielding SummerThe Keep itself seemed to hum with a strange activity. Fey servants hurried along the paths, carrying bundles of shimmering fabrics and exotic flowers. Guards stood at attention, their expressions unusually stiff. It was preparation for something, but for what, Amber couldn't yet tell. It felt like the Keep was being dressed for a funeral and a party at the same time.

  "Lady Ykizias!" Amber called out, spotting the Dame's Counselor near the gates, her usual efficient demeanor more harried than usual.

  Lady Ykizias, her silver fur impeccable despite the chaos, turned. Her gaze swept over the bedraggled refugees, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes, not quite pity, but a detached, clinical assessment—before settling on Donny. "Lady Song. You return. And with... guests." Her voice was clipped, direct. "Bring them to the lower barracks. We have some bed and rations. I will send healers." She didn't ask what happened, only what needed to be done. Expectedly cold pragmatism but efficient in a crisis.

  "Thank you, Lady Ykizias," Donny replied, giving a brief, respectful nod. She turned to Amber. "Where is our Mistress? Is she in her chambers? I need to know where her Knights went so I can report as well.”

  The Satyr woman began to direct the people towards the makeshift infirmary being set up. “Reliquary; she’s in a mood.”. Amber nodded,

  “Thank you, Lady, I will return.” The Lynanthi said as she stepped away. Making her way now down the more familiar halls of Compass Keep. Deep into its core to where its secrets are held. As she got closer, Amber couldn't help but overhear an argument in the process. Outside the door of the reliquary stood Cassia and Beldonna. The human put a finger to her lip to silence Amber before she could speak. The three of them listened intently to the argument in process, the Knights knowing better then interrupting.

  "...and I say we simply offer him a substantial tribute to appease him until it’s time to snuff out his candle at a ter date, not now. We are far from ready for a coup." A familiar voice that jingled and clinked like metal spoke, this time it was free of mockery and tight with thinly veiled desperation. Her words were ced with the syrupy scent of regret, as if she were mourning the loss of the treasure before it was even given. "Maybe we can sweeten the pot with a mortal servant as a sve? Something, anything, enough to sate his greed and keep his eyes from our... recent shortcomings."

  "You think bribery would work? What does he have that Summer and Winter cannot already provide?” a higher-pitched, almost sugary-sweet voice scoffed, her tone light, but with an edge of impatience that smelled of restless energy. "It’s a fool's errand, their ship has been sinking for centuries. Why dey until this silly soiree? This is our chance, sisters! We should defect now, before he even sets foot in the Keep! Send one of your Bdes to handle the problem now."

  Desire's voice, unmistakable between her sisters, when it came, was a low, dangerous growl, devoid of its usual purr. "As usual you idiots don’t think.” The scent of her words was like bitter, burnt almonds. “A bribe will only confirm his suspicions, making any time we ‘buy’ a falsehood; and immediate defection is doubly reckless as we both are unprepared for a potential siege without aid from our new allies, and we need him under Poris’ influence to nullify his defenses. His screaming head is the only tribute the King in the Shroud truly requires. “

  Amber pressed closer to the door, her heart hammering. Treason. Defection. A deal. Breezy's words echoed in her mind: You're caught between powerful forces... They will all use you if you let them. This was it. The secret alliance, or at least the intention of one, was real. Desire was pying a long game, trying to manipute a situation where she actually gained, rather than simply losing. Amber wondered where this raw, unmasked contempt came from. Desire sounded emotional, angry, spiteful. She's always trying to hurt people before she can be hurt, Amber realized, a chilling insight into the Dame's true nature.

  Desire let out a harsh, humorless ugh, a sound like grinding stones. Her eyes, usually so alluring, narrowed into cruel slits. "We can’t talk specifics without my bdes here; they should be back by now but Cassia is probably stealing another useless bauble and Beldonna is off pying hero with her little slut." The word spat out, ced with venom, dripping with a contempt so profound it made Amber's fur prickle. "She's making Cassia look reliable by comparison, I swear, I used to look for her in the training hall, day and night; now I only ever find her thinking about getting between that whore’s legs."

  Amber bristled at this obvious attempt to twist the knife as the two women’s retionship had only just become physical; the Dame had only seen flirtations between Donny and herself. This wicked treatment where she was once again viewed only for what body could offer sexually made it tense and knot in shame. The Dame let out a wicked, shrill ugh, joined in chorus by the other two sisters. “Honestly, she's utterly useless without someone telling her what to do, isn't she? Such a pretty puppet with no mind of its own, incapable of independent thought or action.”

  Just behind the door, Beldonna's entire posture stiffened. Her emerald eyes, usually so sharp and stoic, widened almost imperceptibly, a flicker of raw hurt and confusion crossing their depths. Her muzzle twitched, and a low, pained whine, barely audible, escaped her throat. Her paw, which had been resting casually by her side, clenched into a tight fist, trembling. Years of conditioning, of absolute loyalty and unwavering duty to her Dame, were in direct, violent conflict with the outright contempt and disrespect she was now hearing. Her world, built on the Dame's carefully woven falsehoods, began to fray. Cassia folded her arms and stared off into the distance with a sneer before her face slipped to a featureless void. Amber's fur bristled, a hot flush rising on her cheeks.

  The words were like daggers, twisting the knife of their insecurities. Aiming to diminish both her and Donny, reducing them to mere objects for the Dame's whims. If anyone else had spoken about Donny like this, or even about Amber herself, they would already be missing teeth, or worse. But Donny, the fierce knight, was frozen, her usual ferocity repced by anxious restraint and profound confusion. Amber reached out, gently pcing a reassuring paw on Donny's clenched fist, a silent anchor. Donny's gaze flickered to Amber's, wide and lost, unsure what was real anymore. Amber squeezed her paw, a silent promise of support, trying to help her calm down. Don't give her the satisfaction. She took a slow, deep breath, the scent of ash still clinging to her fur a reminder of the real battle.

  Just then, Avarice began to gush, her voice suddenly saccharine, a cloying sweetness that made Amber's fur want to stand on end. "Oh, but speaking of prostitutes... my darling little boy toy, the one with the iridescent scales, he just sent me the most exquisite love poem! It's simply divine! He's so utterly devoted, you see, so manly in his adoration, not like those tiresome, brooding types. He just adores my every whim, anticipates my desires before I even voice them, showering me with trinkets and verses, unlike some of the others who are so... needy and demanding, always wanting something in return, always with their own tiresome opinions. He understands that my pleasure is his purpose, and he seeks nothing more than to earn a smile from me. Honestly, it's so refreshing to have someone who understands their pce." Her voice dripped with a gushing that made Amber's muzzle twitch in a shared look of uncomfortableness with Donny as they rolled their eyes. A silent agreement on the sheer objectification woven into Avarice's words.

  That was Donny's signal. Beldonna, with a visible effort, pulled herself together. Her emerald eyes became cool and composed once more, her practiced social mask snapping into pce with effortless grace. Giving Lady Cassia a quick gnce, the two of them opened the door to the reliquary.

  Amber watched through a gap as she hid behind the door. The Dames' faces shift, their private contempt instantly repced by serene, welcoming smiles. The transition was chillingly seamless. Donny be careful…

  "My Dames," Donny said, her voice calm, a subtle undercurrent of weariness, the only hint of the chaos she'd just endured. "We apologize for the interruption.”

  Cassia followed without waiting a beat. “And we have critical intel from Fable's Crossing."

  Desire's gaze, however, seemed to linger on the shadows where Amber was hidden, an unsettling intensity in her eyes. Amber felt a prickle on her fur, as if the Dame could see right through the stone, right into her thoughts. She's staring. She knows I'm here, she has to.

  Donny began her report, her voice clear and concise. "The Kimorans have burned Fable’s Crossing to the ground. They are not merely cleansing, my Dames. They are searching for something, a pce in specific.”

  Before Beldonna could omit Amber from the story. “It seems Lady Song contacted a refugee who told her that the Kimorans spoke of a 'Cradle of the Son of Ash'. The fools believe its birth will usher in their new world. "

  The Dames' expressions shifted again, a ripple of genuine concern, even fear, passing through their carefully constructed masks. Desire's eyes, though still fixed on Amber's hiding spot, now held a flicker of something new—a calcuting satisfaction, as if she was already envisioning the new pawns she could move on the board.

  "Excellent!" Desire purred, her voice regaining its silken quality, though Amber could still hear the harsh undertone. "This intel... and from Amber herself, you say? Truly, my foresight is unmatched. I knew sending her with you two would prove fruitful. A brilliant stroke of genius on my part, wouldn't you agree, sisters?" She preened, completely owning the accomplishment for herself, as if she had personally orchestrated Amber's discovery.

  "Indeed, Sister," Avarice chimed in, ever the sycophant.

  "Quite," Wonder added, a little too airily.

  Desire waved a dismissive hand. "Very well. This changes our immediate focus as the Court of Dreams will use this chaos to disrupt our operations. With royal visitors coming in a week we must act decisively as we are nearing fulmination of our pns.”

  “Visitors? Who and what for, my dy?” Beldonna said as she cocks her head to the side, body moving defensively inward at the idea of inspection. “What pns?”

  The Dame waved her hand, causing the crack in the reliquary door to sm shut. Her face taking on a stern expression as she gred at her sisters for a moment. Amber pressed her ear to the door to do her best to hear through the thick metal. “One thing I appreciate about you my dear Lady Beldonna, is that I don’t usually feel the need to remind you that what I say might not make sense at the moment. Such a beautiful, deadly flower that asks no question what it kills, that’s what I require of you my dear Knight. You are my hand; Cassia is my eye. Together, my will is absolute.”

  Donny’s had received hit orders many times, but this one seemed to carry a weight unlike any of the others. She nodded her head silently, and stood at attention. Even the ever-caddy Cassia was tight lipped.

  “Our Lord and Lady in the High Courts are…displeased. Those idiot mortals burning Fable’s Crossing are merely the final straw. A significant connection to the mortal world and source of new servants, has been temporarily severed.” She scoffed openly now, “For them, at least…I saw their game for what it was about 500 years into being their newest supplicant. There is no change in the ranks, there is no ascension - they intend to rule for eternity leaving the rest of us nowhere to go but at each other’s throats or to another one of their vapid balls. And now they come to give us one st chance to suck up before they kill us all in our sleep anyways. How insulting.”. Her slightly immaterial form flickering like heat off a hot rock on a summer afternoon, raging with resentment expressed. The Dame’s golden eyes scanned over to Cassia snd finally locked onto Donny's. “There is another way.”

  Beldonna fought the urge to shake in fear as her fragile perspective of her world began to crumble. She wanted to speak, to ask questions, but felt herself unable to do anything more than stand and listen. Unsure if it’s magic holding her to the pce or her own ingrained, submissive, loyalty to the Dame. “The King in the Shroud has bzed this trail already. He too defected, he is sympathetic to our cause. We are willing to let old blood wash into the river and under the bridge…But he will only offer his armies to protect us from the High Courts if we kill Baron Obbs, Lord of Flights and Fancies, King Aethelus’s third nephew’s son. Who just happens to be on his way to be his Uncle’s emissary…and the sooner he dies, the sooner our allies can shield us from the hell surely coming our way. We cannot survive them alone. Cassia: Make pns, figure out an angle, get my hand what she needs. Lady Beldonna: We are depending on you, cast failure from your mind. For now, you are dismissed for the remainder of the evening. My will is absolute.”

  Cassia bowed and slowly walked out of the chamber; her expression returning to the empty void as she walked off into the bowels of the keep. Not even bothering to look at Amber as she passed. But Beldonna stood there, her face a tight knot of conflicted emotions.

  “Go on, run back to your little trollop.” The Dame commanded with a hand wave, eyes boring into Beldonna.

  As solid and smooth as stone she nodded and slipped out of the reliquary. Without a word she began to lead Amber away from the Reliquary. The moment they were out of earshot, the mask began to crack. Her shoulders slumped; her usually straight posture bowed under a weight Amber could feel radiating off her. The sharp, earthy scent of pine and rich soil that was her signature scent had a new, acrid bitterness to it, like a pine needle snapped in two. Donny's knuckles were white, her paw clenched so tightly that Amber could see the faint trembling. She didn't speak, her silence was heavier than any accusation.

  "Hey," Amber said softly, reaching out and gently taking Donny's hand. It was cold and unresponsive. "Don't let her get to you. She tries to hurt others first before they can hurt her, even her allies. It’s sad, really." Her grey paw reached out, intercing fingers with Donny’s dark hand as they walked. She offered a calm, reassuring grip. “I won’t let her hurt you anymore.”

  Finally, Donny spoke, her voice ft and low, completely devoid of emotion. "Amber my head is…spinning. I don’t know what’s real anymore. Who is my real enemy when we are parying with the Dreamers? Betraying the High Court? What have I spent so much of my life, so many…deaths…to achieve?” Beldonna slumped against the castle wall and gripped her head as it thumped internally louder and louder. Tears, for the first time in their months together, began to roll down beldonna’s face. The revetions were simply too much for her, the Dame’s carefully constructed narrative now fully falling apart in her mind. Amber simply wrapped her small arms around the Knight, trying to offer silent comfort of touch that her words could not convey. As a servant stopped in the halls for a moment to witness the weeping Beldonna, Amber gave her woman a little tug on the arm.

  “Hey, let’s go to my room. You know Cassia and all the others will come looking for us at your pce. We can vanish for a night - right?” Amber gently helped the sobbing Beldonna up to their feet, and together they walked towards a quiet, if sparsely-furnished room where their world would simply be them.