Deep End

Going back up the Highcliff steps would be hell on anyone’s knees.

But not Cynthia’s. And not hers, surprisingly.

Elisa was out of practice, sure—her pace wasn’t as effortless as it once was—but she still made it to the top without breaking.

She glanced down at her legs, rolling a shoulder. She couldn’t see the muscle in her thighs as definitively anymore, but it hadn’t disappeared entirely. She still wasn’t convinced she voluntarily morphed her figure into this. But some things refused to be undone, at least.

At the very least, she could still walk these streets without feeling winded.

The kobold kid had his snacks. Cynthia bought groceries.

And Elisa… did some surveying.

She trusted Kael implicitly—not because she was naïve, but because he had nothing to lie about. His rule was not threatened by her questions.

But that didn’t mean the people down there lived in his version of events.

So, she asked. Casually. About their lives here. About crime. About the humans.

The answers came easily enough.

Many humans had moved out. Some stayed, of course. Young ones with a belief they can make this co-existence work. A few finding... some intrigue in them. Oh, you were so not about to attach 'relatable' to that demonic thought young woman!

The rest of the humans, though? Back into forest villages, into the flatlands—anywhere that didn’t have demons.

A problem. Big one.

Because this wouldn’t just blow over. It is a recipe for disaster. 

So nothing had been done to assuage to human populace remaining in Highcliff that demonkin weren't going to eat your babies? 

Wait, that wasn’t true. There were a sizable portion of them in Midtown. A good 40:60 split. Elisa didn’t care what anyone thought of her stance on the demonkin, least of all in the manor. She refused to be blinded by those blepping kobold hatchlings. 

She DEFINITELY didn’t think all of them deserved to die. Even before she drew up with the Masterplan with her fellow... colleagues.

Most of those that settled weren’t invaders anymore, or invaders to begin with.

They were former soldiers. Displaced refugees. People trying to carve out a space in a world that had already pushed them out once.

And even before considering their fate—another war would do the human population in badly. She'd seen the results firsthand.

But sooner or later, someone was going to try and solve it in blood. She needed to be honest with herself about that. 

But for now… she will keep those thoughts to herself. Not until she had seen the Basin for herself. 

Closer to where her family was…

Shoo, bad thoughts. Doesn’t do her well to dwell on the future.

She had a wedding night to prepare for.

\\

The sun was still up.

Despite the extravagant spread before them, Elisa’s eyes weren’t on the food.

They were on the hulking figure of Legion, moving across the outer walls with unnatural efficiency.

From their vantage point, they could see them cleaning long-forgotten areas of the windows, reinforcing weakened stone where needed. They scaled the structure with ease, metal-reinforced fingers digging into the little cracks of the walls—all ten of them.

Kael followed her gaze.

"It’s tragic, you know."

"What is?"

Kael gestured lightly toward the Amalgamation. "Ten humanoids in one Magicka Shell wasn’t enough. Never mind extracting their mind to be able to operate their flesh-mechanick arms. They had to make them with a different kind of hypnosis spell."

He leaned back, swirling his wine. He so do loved his wine. "When they do something for people, they like it. They really like it. They like it so much that without it, they undergo psychosis. A preventative Three-Jagged measure. A classic case, as you might know."

Elisa’s stomach twisted.

Enough of this nothingness charade. It’s time to act.

"Why didn’t you tell me about the civil war?"

Kael sighed, setting his glass down. "I didn’t think it was relevant to the wedding night."

Elisa’s fork clinked against her plate. She leveled him with a look.

"You were already undergoing so much," he continued, his tone even. "I thought—"

"Look," she interrupted, exhaling sharply. "I know you have these preconceptions of how humans respond to situations like mine. But that doesn’t mean you get to wrap me in a glass menagerie forever. If I didn’t tell you this before, I will say it again. Demon, human, doesn’t matter—I am not something to pity." Her fingers curled into her napkin. "It’s insulting."

Kael didn’t immediately respond.

Elisa leaned forward, her voice quieter but no less firm. "I need to make decisions for myself. And to do that, I need you to trust me."

Kael’s jaw tightened.

A long pause.

Then, finally—"I do trust you." His voice was quiet after. "I just thought I was doing you a favor."

Elisa huffed, shaking her head. "Kael, shielding me from reality isn’t a favor."

"I… I feared retaliation."

Elisa’s expression didn’t change, but she set her fork down. "From who?"

Elisa stared at him.

"You… feared retaliation… from me."

Kael was a vampire. A Count. A ruler.

"Explain."

"You assume power is simple. That just because I hold it, I can do as I please."

"That’s usually how it works."

"Then you’ve never held power."

Elisa clicked her tongue. "Stop talking in riddles."

"You are human. I am a vampire. That means different things to different people. To you, it’s a power imbalance. To the court, it’s a fragile political experiment. To the people, it’s a scandal. And to my enemies? It’s a weak point."

Elisa frowned. "So… what? You were afraid of upsetting me because it would make you look bad?"

Kael tilted his head slightly. "That’s one reason."

Her fingers drummed against the table. "And the other?"

A pause.

Then, quieter—"My mother was not a happy woman."

Elisa blinked. "What?"

Kael didn’t elaborate right away.

"When she was unhappy, my father suffered for it. And when he suffered, the entire household suffered."

"Are you seriously comparing me to your mother?"

"No. But I know what an unhappy wife can do to a marriage. To a home. To an entire system."

"So what, you just decided to keep me happy at all costs?"

"I… didn’t want to disappoint you."

Kael wasn’t looking at her now.

"And if I brought it up, I would be doing exactly that."

He took a measured sip, setting the goblet down lightly. "The last thing I want is for you to be cross… with me. Awful feeling."

The logic was… insane. She was just a pawn in a larger game, he had to have known that.

Why would he settle for an inferior human in any other circumstance? A commoner, no less. At least in the eyes of the High Lords.

Maybe the term commoner or noble didn’t mean all that much to the High Lords, but there had to be some distinction of recognition at least. Perhaps if a noble couldn’t back up whether they were deserving of that title, then they’d be viewed lesser than others?

Wasn’t she just a pet he fawned over because he knows she can’t do anything to him? Ugh, too many questions! 

They were going to have a talk after this wedding.

"The wedding is meant to secure and deepen an already existing alliance."

His tone shifted—the conversation turning. Maybe as a distraction.

"Alright. Aurmont, like Highcliff, didn’t want to be absorbed into the Concordant. They see the Concordant's defense, or lack thereof, a betrayal. Culturally, they were already similar to Ve'tria before the invasion. Made sense being a border state. Demons don't want to send any more soldiers thanks to the Civil War thinning their numbers out. Still more than enough than to combat the Concordant’s side if it came down to it—sheer quality made up for their numbers. But they’d rather not take any chances. Probably why Concordant hadn’t retaliated during the war as well.”

“I am not understanding. Is it still ongoing?”

“The worst of it has passed. Border disputes still ongoing, but each skirmish secures both sides a few yards at best. And I believe the High Lords had to step in personally to put an end to things.”

“You mean the Lords disprove infighting. What took them so long?”

“Nay, much the opposite. They approve it. Whoever picks a fight must have some good strategic or political cause for such a drastic decision. Fighting is deep in our veins, engrained onto our skin. Without war, we are nothing.”

Kael shook his head.

“Anyway, back to business. As I was saying, the marriage is inevitable. Now, they are looking to us to authenticate their rule. We may not be the picturesque state, but compared to what they thought was going to happen with our alliance… Highcliff is paradise."

He looked at her then.

"See where I’m going with this?"

Elisa picked up her fork again, expression unreadable.

"Unfortunately, yes."

\\

“Strange bedfellows we make, human."

"Shut up. Stop wasting my time. You are certain this information correct?"

"You know what I look like, have one of those Aura devices to hunt me down. Why would I risk my life just to give you false information?"

"Money makes people do strange things. Lie. Bluff. You’d know."

"And yet, here I am, delivering precisely what you asked for."

"That remains to be seen."

"Doubt all you like. The security detail is smaller than advertised. Must be because of the assumption that the company attending the ball would be able to fend for themselves. Hell, even I think you are suicidal, less security or not."

"That’s not enough."

"Of course it isn’t. I wouldn’t waste your time with scraps."

"Then get on with it."

"The wedding hall is protected, but the western servant entrance should be empty. Not nearly enough servants to man the gates with competent people. No, the servants with power are at the main event. No time to play chauffeur.”

"Convenient."

"More like pathetic. You’d think a Count would care more about an assassination attempt on the wedding night he's hosting. Can explain away some deaths, can't salvage your reputation. Hah!"

"So, you’re really leaving? Not gonna try and one-up us."

"You think I’d stay? You know what’s coming. You feel it just as much as I do."

"And yet you sold out your own kind to fund your little escape."

"They were never my kind. You humans always generalize us."

"You’re demonkin."

"And? They may have taken over my nation, but I don’t owe them any sympathies. They don’t care about me, so why should I care about them?"

"You just care about the money."

"And you care about revenge. We all have our priorities."

"One of us is fighting for something greater."

"And one of us will actually live to spend what we’ve earned."

"You better hope you’re gone before it happens."

"Oh, I will be. But you? I think you’ll still be here, choking on your righteous cause."

…

“You’ll get your payment once the job’s done."

"Pleasure doing business."