"Well then, let’s start the eting!" I announced, letting my voice echo faintly against the rough stone walls.
The table in front of us was nothing grand — just a chunk of the cave floor I’d coaxed upward and shaped into sothing vaguely round. Functional. Good enough.
Velra sat across from , looking at it — and at — like she’d been forced to eat sothing stale.
"What eting? You’re just going to ramble on about whatever you want anyway," she said, her tone flat but edged.
Her red eyes glead in the dim light, and the faint flash of her fangs was all the reminder anyone needed that she wasn’t human. There was a certain dissatisfaction in her stare. I knew why, too.
Sure, she might still be a little annoyed about undoing one of her security spells earlier, but that wasn’t the real reason.
"I was looking forward to savoring fresh blood for the first ti in ages," she sighed. "Truly disappointing. The last ti... the taste was dreadful."
I didn’t need her to clarify. She ant Bjron the butcher — the man’s blood was so foul she’d complained about it for days.
Not my problem.
But I had a feeling the real source of her sour mood was sitting right beside — Alia. Velra had caught her, probably expecting to drink her dry before the night was over. Now, here we were, holding a "eting" instead.
Velra’s tongue flicked over her fangs, slow and deliberate, like she wanted to make sure Alia noticed.
The poor girl stiffened beside , her fear practically radiating off her. She looked like a deer caught in a wolf’s gaze.
I rested an elbow on the table, leaning back just enough to get comfortable. Velra could be a pain sotis, and if she kept staring at Alia like that, we’d get nowhere.
"Velra," I drawled, "if you glare at her like that, she might faint before we even begin. And that would be... inconvenient."
Her gaze slid to , and the cave seed to drop a few degrees.
"Inconvenient for you, perhaps," she said, her fangs peeking out in sothing that was almost a smile. "For , it would be... enjoyable."
I couldn’t help it — I chuckled. Velra loved pushing boundaries, and I’d long since learned not to flinch when she bared her teeth.
She was a predator. Alia knew it. I knew it. The trick was making sure she didn’t get distracted from what actually mattered tonight.
Velra kept her eyes on Alia for another beat, as if savoring the scent of fear, before finally leaning back in her chair. Good. At least she was willing to play along for now.
I tapped my fingers on the edge of the stone table. Slow. Deliberate. Let them both feel the rhythm sink in before I spoke.
"Now that we’re all... settled," I began, letting my gaze drift between them, "let’s discuss why we’re here."
Alia’s eyes darted to mine, guarded but curious. She was still tense, but she hadn’t broken yet. That was good. Fear was useful, but too much fear turned people stubborn.
"I’m offering you an opportunity," I said, watching her carefully. "One that could change your standing forever — with Alice, with the North, with everyone who’s ever underestimated you."
Her jaw tightened. Predictable. The mont I ntioned Alice, there it was — that flicker of emotion she couldn’t hide.
Velra noticed it too; her smirk sharpened, though she said nothing.
"You don’t have to like ," I continued. "You don’t even have to trust — yet. But if you want to matter more than anyone else in Alice’s life, you’ll hear out."
She opened her mouth — probably to snap back sothing righteous — but I raised a hand before the words could leave her lips.
"Or," I said, tilting my head, "you can keep pretending your honor will protect you. Let’s see how long that lasts in a world where everyone else is willing to play dirty."
For a mont, the only sound in the cave was the faint drip of water sowhere deeper inside.
Alia’s knuckles had turned white, her fingers curling so tightly into her palms it was a wonder she didn’t draw blood.
She was thinking.
That was all I needed — a crack in the wall.
But then... she lifted her eyes and fixed them on , sharp and unyielding.
"...Stop beating around the bush and tell the plan you ntioned earlier. I don’t intend to stay here longer than I have to."
"Ahem. Very well," I said, tilting my head as if to study her. "But before that, let’s reaffirm each other’s goals."
She gave a short, reluctant nod.
"Your goal," I continued, "is exactly what you said before."
"There’s no need to be ashad of your own desires," I added with a faint smile.
"...Eek!" Her breath caught — a flash of sothing raw in her eyes.
A desire she wouldn’t dare voice aloud.
But I already knew it.
For Alia, a fervent devotee of Alice, there was only one true ambition — to be the one person Alice would never replace.
"Now then—Lady Velra," I turned, "your turn."
Velra still wore that lingering shadow of annoyance, but she didn’t ignore .
She crossed one leg over the other, her tone cool, detached.
"From the mont I t you until now, nothing has changed," she said.
It was impressive, really — even in irritation, she humored .
"My goal is simple. Revenge against Dreck, and reclaiming my rightful place in the Drazroth Empire. That’s enough for ."
"So you’re saying," Alia pressed, "you have no ties to the demons invading the north?"
Her lips curved in sothing between a smirk and boredom. "What does human land matter to ?"
I let out a quiet sigh.
Velra’s words hung in the air like smoke — thin, curling, and not quite gone.
Alia’s frown deepened. She clearly didn’t trust her, but she also didn’t have proof to push further. That was fine. Trust wasn’t sothing we were here to exchange anyway.
"It matters," Alia said after a pause, "because if you’re lying, I’ll make sure Alice knows what you are."
Velra’s red eyes flickered — not with fear, but with amusent. "Bold. Threaten again, little mouse, and I’ll see if your blood tastes as sweet as your loyalty."
Alia stiffened, and I leaned forward before the tension could twist tighter.
"Enough," I said, voice even. "I didn’t gather us here for petty jabs."
Both won turned to , though in different ways — Alia with wary defiance, Velra with the lazy patience of a predator humoring a conversation.
...This alliance of ours needs more work Copration then I originally thought.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
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