Epilogue Part 1 - You Might Think

“Report.”

The cold voice came from the throne in the centre of the room. Sitting there was an enormous, black skinned demon. He was well over 8 feet tall with two huge horns adorning his brow and cloven, goat like feet. He looked every bit the classic devil from a child’s fairy tale.

His long, thin tail swished as he stared at Taia, awaiting her reply.

Gone was her usual confidence and bravado. In his presence, and after the morning she had had, she looked downright meek. The Lord Viscount had called her to his chamber unexpectedly and she hadn’t even had a chance to change out of her dirt stained clothing.

It was her first time being summoned to this place within the castle. Xorn and Euryale were the ones who worked directly for the Lord Viscount. To her, the room seemed to be practically a library or maybe a lab since, other than the throne, she was surrounded by books bursting off every shelf and table like Euryale’s office.  Only these books looked more like works of magical research than anything read for pleasure.

“The fire mage escaped with the help of his rebel friends. We were…outwit.”

It hurt to admit the truth

“I don’t care about that prisoner!” The demon’s words boomed and were like a slap to Taia’s face.

“Xorn can just go catch the pest again. We’ll always have rebels. One more or less is hardly a concern. I want to know about the other prisoner. The woman. I had hoped she could…help me with something, now that I have finally found this.”

He held up a thick tome of some kind in his hand to show her. Its pages were covered in glyphs Taia couldn’t understand.

There was a long, awkward pause before Taia’s responded.

“Xorn’s dead.” She eventually croaked out.

“What?!”

“According to Euryale the rebel leader Warlock killed him before fleeing. I haven’t been able to get all the details since she keeps crying, but I was able to see for myself that Xorn died from a sword blow to the throat.”

“Intriguing. And how would a human or demi-human be able to kill a greater demon with a sword?”

The Viscount seemed more curious than upset.

“I…don’t know. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“And so what do you plan to do? I realize you’re only here on my uncle’s orders, but it seems I have need of some…assistance…in investigating this.”

“I plan to do whatever I can to find out what happened. There are too many things that intersect this problem right now. A missing noble girl. Now a missing prisoner who apparently was a summoner. And somehow these rebels managed to kill a greater demon. The first anyone has ever heard of someone doing so without being a hero.”

“Indeed. But you have no leads, do you?”

She hesitated.

“I know an information broker. I don’t trust him, and I think he’s playing both sides, but he may be persuaded to give me useful information. He’s the one who told me about the noble girl, though I wonder if he also warned her I was coming. I have also been cultivating a human asset, the local guild master, who seems to enjoy my…charms. Between them I hope I can try to learn more about this Warlock.”

The Viscount nodded. “Good.” He hesitated, but eventually held up a missive of some kind to show her. “We have another concern.”

“What is it?” She couldn’t imagine what else could be as important.

“As you are no doubt aware, we’ve been completely without information from the capital for some time. I can only assume they haven’t received our messages as well.”

She nodded.

“But whatever was interfering with our correspondence seems to have been preoccupied this morning…perhaps it is related to your…challenges today.”

He gestured at the shabby state of her clothes and hair.

Self-conscious for the first time in as long as she could recall, Taia tried to smooth out her hair nervously and adjusted her clothing as best she could. She hated that she felt the need but Lord Malakai’s aura as a demon noble was overwhelming at times, even for her.

“This came while you were otherwise engaged. It is a message demanding to know what happened to an envoy the capital sent recently. And do you know who it makes an inquiry about?”

Taia’s eyes got shifty. “I believe, well Euryale believed at any rate, that it was a financial asset sent to help after the counting house fire.”

Malakai’s eyes narrowed.

“It was not. The envoy was our King’s sister, Verna. No one knows where she is.”

The revelation that the visitor was such an important guest hit Taia like a punch in the gut. More than that, Verna had been Taia’s mentor. Her trainer in all things espionage.

“What?!? I can’t imagine these rebels could beat her! And we found no body.  Not really.” She thought a moment. “Maybe this is one of Verna’s ruses? She could be faking being missing as part of some grander scheme.”

Malakai’s lips grew taught. “I only hope you are right. But with these rebels having found a way to kill Xorn, we cannot be too careful. We must find out what is really going on!”

“Of course Lord Malakai!”

“Now, go. It seems my research for the King will have to wait while I reorganize my forces and see what my soldiers can do to root out the answers to these problems as well.”

He flicked his hand towards the door and turned to review something next to him. The audience was clearly, if abruptly, over.

Taia turned on her heel and left. She rarely showed deference to anyone, but the Viscount was someone even she couldn’t be glib with.

She walked back to her office in silence, trying to make sense of the day and the new revelations.

“I need to start thinking about what I’m going to do next.”

A small smile crept along her lips.

“Maybe I’ll start by playing with Witt and seeing if he can be more useful.”

Her steps grew more confident as her heels clacked only the stone floors.

“But for now, a bath. No harm in getting clean while I plot my next move.”