Jerholm, the strong, undefeated mountain city of the subsumed Sainid Empire greets its new Queen with brooding storms in the sky and sea. It's an omen, of course, and it's pushing me to do what I've been itching to do ever since Kyis—let them go.

What happened at Kyis was no one's fault. Ending the Sainid royal family was not Hescaria's intention. It was not my intention. Our freedom was all I fought for, all I sacrificed for, but I reap what I sow, and this is it.

My carriage rattles along the mountain road, frequent strikes of lightning lighting up the city as it spreads below the roadside and along the wall and its hastily repaired breaches.

Beaten terribly by the hail, two Elves hurry to push the gates aside, snapping a salute as the carriage trudges into Jerholm. The citadel spires through the otherwise unsightly inner city as more Elves line up and salute her arrival—discreet as my arrival is intended to be, Kelv's Daggers make an effort at doing more than salute my arrival.

The Daggers of Hescaria, as Councillor Revens calls them, use their bodies to unsuccessfully conceal graffiti cursing my name and the Hescarian lineage. I'm not entirely sure why they thought they could spare my pride doing this. It only serves to disturb me—is that what they think of me? A Queen whose ego is so fragile a bit of insulting paint on the streets upsets me?

Sighing, I breathe and massage my temples.

Incorporating an Empire, even half of it, with the might of a marginalized race and kingdom is an impossible task. But being responsible for toppling the Empire and the preceding destruction that ended the lives of just about all the prominent Houses and heirs puts Hescaria in a position to leverage strength it might never be capable of.

In an effort to do just that, as Queen, my itenary for the entire year is filled. And prominent on that list is a tour of my new controlled territories—many have devolved into anarchy too bothersome to control, and others are far off and require basic administration. Visiting these states would improve relations with my new subjects, surely.

But that was for six months from now, before Humans started killing Elves in Jerholm, particularly in dissent to my rule and their occupation.

Most alarming is that the Daggers have suffered deaths in these targeted attacks, and this means a greater hatred lurks. All this pushes me further toward deciding to leave several of Sainid's states free to operate themselves. After all, I sought independence, not to strip others of their freedom.

Still, the deaths of Elves at Human hands is something capable of sparking a fire in the Council, and even with what little power over the Sainid state sectors I've given my Councillors, they are not to be overlooked.

The carriage rattles me along through the city and into the darker places where the Daggers are sparse and the lights of homes dim or put out entirely. One building does stand out in the silence of the curfew and the storm, shining a bright orange through its windows. A stalwart Dagger presents herself with an umbrella.

"Welcome to Jerholm, Majesty." She curtsies and beckons me out of the carriage with her waiting hand.

"Thank you," I say, taking her hand and letting her lead the way through the storm and into the building.

The inside is as well-lit as advertised. A tavern with liquor of ranging qualities line the wall behind the counter, "Why does it smell so much like… wood here?" I find myself blurting out as I rub my gloved hands together for warmth.

My companion Dagger shuts the door and her umbrella, saying, "Oh, apologies, Your Majesty, this base is one of the newly built buildings and is operated by the Daggers. We haven't gotten to living in it as much yet though."

I didn't expect an answer to the first question, but now I have to ask a second. "And why is that?"

The doors to the kitchen swivel open and Valery marches out, somehow taller than I'd seen her last and with broader, scarred muscles bulging out of her sleeveless vest. "Because the main threat isn't operating within Jerholm, not like we thought."

Valery and I pierce each other with a long look. She frowns, giving into our little staring contest and looking to the Dagger beside me. "Get Kelv here."

She snaps to attention, leaving the umbrella behind as she sprints away to carry out the order. Valery finds my eyes again, and while hooked she pulls out a chair and offers, "Sit?"

"Oh, we're having the meeting here?" I take another look around the tavern.

She raises a brow at me, "Gotten too cushy in the palace, have you?"

Biting a blush away, I chortle, "No, nothing like that, I just thought you'd have something more… secret?"

She chuckles, pulling a chair for herself around the small tavern table as I sit. "You're still a bad liar. Is this how you run our kingdom?" Valery beams as she laughs, "This is as secret as it gets. With the curfews in place and the Daggers patrolling, no one who isn't on our side is going to stroll in without us knowing first. Even the Governor doesn't know about this."

"The Governor too? Just what's happening here, Valery?"

Valery sighs, meeting me with a strained look as she says, "I can give you a summary, but you'll want to hear the details from Kelv. We're not done with Demons, Lumina, and these ones… I don't know if they're new or if we inherited them with the territory, but… the people here are odd."

"The people? I thought you said Demons."

She halts my questions with a wave. "Hold on, I'm getting there. You'd think they'd be most active at night, but that's when they're the least. Kelv and I have found signs. The mountains are littered with mutilated animals, people have been barging out of their homes screaming at night terrors, and the ones who don't become all calm and odd and then seem to disappear! And the ritual sigils we've found by the lost Elves... we're concerned their influence over Humans is growing."

At this, I can't resist jumping in. "You think Humans need to be influenced to kill Elves? No, they don't, an-!"

"Oh, I know they don't!" Valery slaps the table, rattling it along with the hammering rain. "I know they don't. You don't have to lecture me on what Humans are capable of."

Here I sink in my chair. "And what Elves are capable of… I didn't think… some of them might have deserved it, but…"

"What are you talking about?" Valery groans, pressing her temples,."Look, let's put aside Kyis and sort out Jerholm? Huh, how about that?"

The doors crash open, taking the breath out of me as Kelv marches in. "I'd love that so much, Valery. Apologies for leaving you two together so long, but I had to assign some of my men to new tasks."

"New tasks?" Valery asks.

He nods, taking his coat off and hanging it before coming to bow. "Your Majesty, welcome to Jerholm." Stealing my hand for a kiss, Kelv sits himself with us and starts talking before I can respond,."Yes, I found something solid about my theory."

"Theory? Okay, would someone catch up the Queen?"

"That's what this entire meeting is for, Lumina," Valery says, rolling her eyes as I scoff.

"Okay! Enough, you two, we're here for the Elves we've lost, not to settle scores on who's right and who's wrong. Yeah?" Kelv says, looking between Valery and I.

Reluctantly, Valery concurs, standing from the table to pour herself something from the wall of wine and winces at its strong flavor, saying, "Yeah, definitely."

"Fine, and share some of that, will you, looks good," I say. She picks the bottle and three glasses, sharing them between us and pouring the distilled, expensive liquor to burn our throats with. "Ooh, that hits better than some stuff I've got back home. Is this where all the Daggers' funds disappear to, hmm?"

Rolling his eyes, Kelv downs his drink and weathers the burn with a cool breath. "Okay, now let's get to business. I'll start from the beginning, and you can consider this a full report, Lumina."

I nod, beckoning Valery to pour me another—Vuius, there's so much I don't want to think about.

"In our first rounds of investigations, we looked into everyone who would have a reason to attack the Daggers. That means the entire Council, Valery, and even yourself, Lumina, especially since the usual suspects are too disorganized to act, despite all you've said about the eldest Prince and the Princess surviving Kyis."

At this, I feel a need to defend myself. "The Princess was never keen on staying in the capital; I rarely saw her when I was a puppet myself. And then there's the son who was supposed to inherit. King may have killed Deran, but she never met the eldest. Heck, none of you did. Not even you, Kelv."

Kelv and Valery share a look at this, and Valery continues where he stopped. "That may be, but it's not the Prince or Princess. At least, we haven't seen any signs of royal involvement. I'd think they'd be a lot more vocal about regaining their Empire if they were lurking."

"Not that Princess, but I suppose you're right. Who did you find was involved then?"

"Well, just about most of the populace." Valery catches my incredulous look before I can say anything. "That's what I was telling you earlier. Jerholm is an odd place, and many of the denizens here… well, they're behaving like they haven't been conquered by the race they used to discriminate against."

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"How is the paint defacing our family obedient?" I sneer, pouring myself another shot.

Here, Kelv continues, "Not obedient, but also nothing like the other states. The people aren't as resentful here. We even built this tavern with some of their help, but you're right to question it. We did too, especially with the Elf killings going on, and after investigating we found out just why they're behaving like this."

"They have a religion," Valery spells out, "And it's as demonic as Demons come. For the most part, there's no evidence the religion is responsible for harming anyone, so we can't have the Governor do anything about it. Doesn't help that he might be a convert as well."

All I can do is shake my head as the effects of my three shots start to take effect. Sighing, I mutter, "It's always some God, isn't it?"

"Some Demon, to be specific. A Demon posing as a God. This isn't a religion, as Valery generously put it, this is a full-blown cult." He tosses a look at Valery, then leans in breaks the news he's been meaning to share. "My Daggers and I trailed one of the more influential figures of their cult. He's been doing speeches all around the city and further into the rural areas. He's the man the others come to, but we found out there's someone he goes to, a Demon. Estimated to be at least a D-tier Demon."

At this I have to sit up straight, already dizzying from the drinks. "A Human is meeting with Demons? And he's been gathering a following in the name of some cult?"

"That's what it looks like, yes," Kelv says before adding, "It might not be as dire as it sounds. They haven't made any moves beyond aggravating us. I'm sure they're looking for a reaction, but we know where the D-tier is. I've got Daggers monitoring the location as we speak."

Valery leans in, "We should consider that Demons aren't as simple as that though. We've been successful and lucky in the past, but that doesn't mean we know the full range of their capabilities, least of all now that the barrier between the Realms is thinning."

"We most definitely don't know the full range of their capabilities, Valery. King was… King was a supposed D-tier as well, but we both know how that turned out." I burn holes in the table with my stare, thinking of that night in Kyis, the destruction, death, and change King brought with a wave of her hand, changes the world continues to face even now.

"Kyis is contained, isn't it? The Heroes have its full attention," Kelv says.

"Yeah, but that reminds me… I have news as well." I start, looking up from the table to Valery. "Nil is alive, and our pact is still in play. It didn't end with King; it wasn't signed with King."

"Shit."

"Yeah, that's what I said."

Looking carefully between us, Kelv pours a drink, finally relaxing as he says, "If it's relevant, then I heard some mention of a Lord Crimson from the Human. I wasn't privy to anything the Demon said through telepathy, though it seems you two know something I don't. Mind sharing?"

"Lord Crimson is a title; it's the title Nil bore when I first summoned it to Ire," Valery says.

"Yeah, the strongest Crimson-tier Demon in a Noble General's horde. King spoke of Reais sometimes," I add, and it's certain Hescaria is in trouble once more. "What do we do?"

She manages a weak chuckle, "That's my line."

For a moment, the rain hammers against the roof as we stew in the realization that we're facing a C-tier Demon, a Demon stronger than anyone Valery has faced or summoned. A Demon capable of wielding Generals and Captains, a Demon intent on absorbing life on Ire for itself.

"So… we're potentially facing a Demonic Incursion," Kelv says, breaking the cold silence. Speaking with their eyes, he and Valery fix expectant but sympathetic stares at me. "What do you want to do?"

Gulping, I weather the growing weight of this kingdom and decide, "For now, let's hope the Lord Crimson they spoke of is the same as Nil. Through the pact… I can bargain with it again, if I need to." I shudder.

It's Valery's turn to pour a full swig of the bottle—we've halfway finished the thing. "I'm not sure why you're worried. Didn't King anticipate this… like she does with everything?" Valery says, twirling her shot glass delicately.

Kelv lets out a strained sigh, but I pre-empt him this time and respond, "Those undead comprise of honorable, Elven warriors King stole from death. The same goes for the Humans. With all the tension right now, I don't think flaunting their dead in their faces—"

"Fuck all if they're all dead though!" The glass shatters in her hands, cutting streams of blood down her arm and the table.

In a heartbeat, my face is flushed with blood and my head pounds as I ball my fist and scream, "Oh, you want to talk about this now, Valery? Now? Okay! Why are you always ready for war? For conquest and battle!"

"I'm not! But it's been necessary to our survival ever since we were fawns, Lumina, and you're Queen now. It's horrible, the power King has bestowed on you. It's horrible, the consequences. But I wear no shame in it. Vuius has past, and so has any hope of an Elven Hero. If Demons and death are what Hescaria has to protect itself, then… so be it."

A lazy thump of thunder rumbles on the outside, only a light drizzle after what feels like hours of roaring hail. There's that unique, dew-filled silence of the morning that permeates even here, a lit-up tavern of Jerholm.

The manic pumping of my heart subsides with the storm, and the chill embrace of dusk wraps around me as I breathe easy for the first time since we parted after Kyis.

"Look, I'm—"

"We should take a break," Kelv cuts in, cupping the near-empty bottle of hard liquor with his shot glass and standing from his seat. "It was a mistake to do this so soon, and without rest for the Queen. Valery, we should let her rest now. Tomorrow we can pick up, and perhaps the Her Majesty will have new orders for us."

His smile is polite and dry. Unlike us, the Revens' aren't a family of typical long historical lineage, and his interests in Hescaria… well, I guess watching the Queen and her heir squabble while his country burns will never be very exciting for him.

"Thank you, Kelv, you're my most compassionate subject."

Valery nods, sniffing and stealing a glance as Kelv escorts me out to say, "We'll talk later then. Goodnight, Lumina."

****

In a new, terrible day, I stand by the edge of Jerholm's castle balcony, overlooking hundreds, nearing thousands of people gathered in the courtyard, past the southern gates and beyond, the people of Jerholm looking up to me as I look down to them, their faces scrunched up in the sun's glare.

Many, if not all, mutter among themselves even as I stand ready to speak. Their most-used words are slurs chanted loud for Valery, Kelv, and I to hear from our high place. Valery glances at me, a stone. An unreadable look on her twists into a sneer as she spots the Governor walk and run with aids running beside him.

He bows, heaving greatly as he pulls his words together. "Your Highness, forgive my tardiness, I—"

"There are other things to discuss, Governor. First let me speak to my subjects."

Panting a bit, the skinny man nods and gathers himself to approach the edge and proclaim, "Jerholm! We are blessed today with the presence of Queen Lumina au Hescaria herself! Please, let us be soft as she speaks."

A crude introduction by any measure, but it's done now, and the people are moderately noiseless. I thank the sweating Governor; where he's been is a question he'll answer once I'm done, but now I speak to Jerholm.

"Jerholm, respected, renowned, and impregnable fortress Jerholm... the warrior's oasis. I am Lumina au Hescaria, Queen of Hescaira." Murmurs skirt through the crowd as soon as I start speaking. Their glares intensify as now they squint and sneer up at the sun and me. "There are some who wish to leave Hescaria, who wish to call me a tyrant, a thief or a conqueror. Humans who wish to enact vengeance for their fallen, their murdered and stolen loved ones on Elves."

At the talk if vengeance, the cross talk ceases and I have their attention, "I look down to this gathering, to your faces and the faces of your children. I look to your land, and I see that Jerholm is truly the warrior's oasis. You are a hardened, strong people who have grown accustomed to battle, war, and general strife. Jerholm is prepared to seek vengeance of Elves."

A chorus of unsure grunts carry through, and the anger twists to confusion as they grow confused with where I'm taking this. Taking a breath and puffing my chest out, I say, "Like Jerholm, like you, I have sought out vengeance. Vengeance against the Humans responsible for my people's suffering, for my people only knowing strife, for my people's voices dying as the chorus of our Elven race died under the boot of our oppressors. I sought out vengeance and freedom, and the journey I embarked on brought me here, to this point where I speak to you now.

"I was successful. The Sainid Empire is fractured, its capital Kyis is overtaken with Demons, and its people serve their stomachs. The same fate may befall Hescaria if Humans search for vengeance, and having lived among the Sainid royal family, I know Humans will persist." Scattered laughs and hails of agreement carry through. "However, Hescaria will as well. We've won, and we will win again. Never again will Elves bow and kiss the feet of children centuries too young to understand the failures of their ancestors. So I, Lumina au Hescaria, stand here to tell every Human seeking vengeance that it is a cycle, and once you join, you may never leave, and you will not be forgiven. I will lay out justice to every treasonous fiend I lay eyes on, and it will bear the weight of a thousand years of prejudice. This is my vengeance upon Humans."

The crowd is silent as I leave and beckon to Jerholm's Governor. He runs beside me, stuttering on his words as Valery, Kelv, and a host of Daggers escort me down the hall to the next agenda.

"My Queen, what did you mean by—" the Governor starts.

"Did you not listen while I spoke?"

"Uh, I did, I just don't underst—"

"It's simple. My Elves are being murdered by Humans, and you do nothing."

"I have no power over that!"

Halting my stride, I turn to him so quickly he nearly falls over. "You're the Governor, elected by the people to govern the people in place of their soverign, me. You've been handed all the power, yet somehow only Elven guards die each night. Nothing is stolen, nothing is destroyed, only Elves. Did you think I'd be here this soon for anything else?"

"I-I-I didn't even know you were coming," the man pleads. "It was just this morning I was notified of your presence in the city."

"And for good reason," Valery says, cutting in, "Come with us, Governor. It's time we see if you're as ignorant as you claim."

Kelv's Daggers corner behind, helping the Governor with his hands and shoulders as he snaps, "W-what! Free me! I have no hand in those deaths, not Elves! Never!"

Kelv nods and his masked Daggers haul the Governor ahead of us. He steps to, and the words of doubt I've been anticipating from the moment I asked Valery to arrange this come out. "All in or nothing, huh." He tosses his face away for a moment before bringing his eyes up to glance at each of ours. "And you're both far too gone on the path to be forgiven or to consider forgiving."

"Maybe if the Demons weren't involved, but they are, and they've doused all hope for peace," Valery answers.

"Are you sure the Demons have? It sounded like water over fire out there to me." He sneers through gritted teeth before catching himself and breathing out a long sigh. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I am… weary of war."

Taking his hand in my own, I caress it for a moment as I share his sorry look. Shaking my head and heaving, I tell him, "Steel yourself, Kelv. This isn't a war we can avoid. If what that Demon said is true, then the Governor and many other Humans could truly be victims of the Demons. But I know Humans: it's unlikely he's involved and innocent."

"Either way, it doesn't matter. Humans will hate us too much to let us govern without showing off a big stick, and if we leave them alone in Sainid's fractured state, then they'll only feed the incursion with souls." Valery sighs, exasperated by the whole thing. "Let's go, the Daggers must be waiting."

We carry on down the hallway and the narrow stair by the throne room to a dark, candlelit dungeon hidden away underneath Jerholm. Valery says she's found more paths like these built into secret entryways all around the castle. The tunnels extend far and wide, every one of them going past the castle's walls. The previous owners must have had good reason to be this paranoid.

The structure serves the Daggers and Valery now. Many of her experiments with Demons occur here, but more importantly—

"Grrrr."

"What is that thing!" The Governor scrambles from his place on the damp cell floors, running up to me with tears flooding his eyes.

Ahead of us is a cage I hope is as strong as Valery touts. The bars have been hastily forged from the weapons of fallen Daggers, each one intricately etched with sealing symbols and protective wards—the best known to Valery.

Within, a Blood Orange glare of eyes hover in the dark, rising at our presence. Stepping into the light, a dark fur-matted being emerges with spikes and spindles growing out of its back, fists, and head. The Demon growls, grasping the bars of the cage and gritting as it burns its hand. "Lumina… you've returned, so soon."

I shrug, "What can I say, I just couldn't wait to see you again, Gerim. Now tell me, is the Governor your spy?"

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