Biyu helped Sir Stuart with his investigation because children were having their future taken away. Following the cart had ended up stymieing her. When Holden had mentioned birds, she was given the answer to tracking the cart without being noticed. One butchered duck later, she gave Bruce the honor of being the first of her thralls to fly. It was a drain on her resources to construct, but it well worth it when he led her to where the cart went. The hardest part had been convincing Allie to part with her pet rat for a little while.

  As useful as a duck was for scouting, it made for a poor infiltrator inside of buildings. Spiders would be her agents instead. The choice to use spiders was based as much on cost as suitability. Spiders with leg spans the size of a palm were chosen, because anything smaller limited the capacity for thought. A smaller cheaper creature was required because Motley needed five souls in order for his bodies to be more than beasts. The legs of the spider had bands of bright orange, making it stand out more than Biyu liked. This was the only spider Biyu could enlarge enough to meet her needs. She was too new to making thralls to know how to change the color of the bands to a subtle color. At least the spiders had a mild paralytic. Nothing that would stop a man, but it would hamper anyone bitten.

  Once Biyu had Motley's bodies prepared, she took Iris out on a stroll through the merchant quarter with May attending them. In preselected locations, she released a spider from her robe to infiltrate the headquarters of Novel Joys. Thralls were not natural animals, but they still reflected the weaknesses of their template, if to a lesser degree. The cold weather did not kill, but it made the spider Goblins sluggish. Biyu gave them small heating charms. Bigger would be better, but their oversized bodies already hampered them.

  May shuddered watching Biyu let the spiders crawl along her skin. Any discomfort Biyu felt about spiders was lost when she was coaxing them to bite her in the Elf village. May made a point of asking Iris her opinion about spiders, and her concubine had scolded May for even mentioning them. After her tirade, Iris went on to say that if Anya was with them, she would agree with her. Even though she had been missing for weeks, they still invoked Anya, ensuring she was in her family's thoughts.

  Motley said, We are inside the estate, Master. I will seek Derrick Noveljoys' private quarters, his private sitting room, and his office. We will prioritize learning about hidden locations in addition to maintaining surveillance.

  Biyu replied, Confirmed. I will check on you twice daily as possible. Keep safe.

  The sentiment is appreciated, Master.

  The first day ended with no major updates. Biyu had not expected any. Motley collected idle chatter and incomplete conversations. Collecting enough information to puzzle out the secrets of Derrick Noveljoys' organization would take time. The bandits within her Hell were employed to assemble useful information from the data Motley gathered. Motley created journals within her Hell for the bandits to comb through to puzzle together information. Holden led the effort, his semiformal education serving him well.

  It was strange to think that Motley became 'whole' when she drew near, only to become two when she left. Two being with memories of being one. One being with memories of being two. That was Motley's natural state, and she found the idea baffling. But it was useful, since she merely had to walk within range of Motley's influence, a generous five miles, and the one within her Hell knew all that the scouts had learned.

  The second day several warehouses Derrick owned through merchants in his employee were revealed, among other facts of less immediate value. Biyu entered her Hell to inspect the information about the warehouses and merchants herself. She knew of them, but she took the names and locations to Iris and Sir Stuart. Since Derrick could have spies, communicated strictly through writing. Compromised servants in the palace complex were less question than a certainty. That Derrick had a few, and that they were within Lady Chelsea's estate, was an easy assumption to make.

  On the third day a new location the Treasures Hunters did not know about was revealed in a conversation between Derrick and an unknown lieutenant. The purpose of the location was lost in whispers, but its importance was made explicit when Derrick rebuked the lieutenant for speaking too loudly. After confirming her change of plans with Iris and Sir Start, Biyu relocated her infiltrators to the new location.

  On the fourth day one of Motley's bodies was crushed by a hysterical servant, and she had to rush over and create a new body for him before the other spiders wandered away.

  Biyu hated going near this location. There was no good reason for her to be in the warehouse district, far away from any merchant shop or estate. She went in disguise and hoped that any spotters they had would dismiss her as a tramp. One of times she went to the warehouse district she was mugged and forced to give up a few copper coins while whining piteously. She was glad the swaggering youths were satisfied with so little, since fighting them would have alerted the spotters around the warehouse. Beating up the bully boys while hiding the fact she was Awakened was beyond her.

  Going to get the report from Motley on the fifth day, Biyu wore a weedy wig while she hobbled along the alleyway. A dirty blanket was thrown over her shoulders to hide her figure while hiding her mail. Her face and fingers had been sullied with the stinking sludge of the alleys, and her legs heavily bandaged to hide her sturdy boots.

  Following the feel of her thralls, similar to the feeling of her blessing, brought her to one of her constructs. Motley, report?

  Motley requested that they commune. Finding a corner to huddle into where no one was likely to stumble into her, Motley replayed memories into her mind. Urgency was communicated through the communion, along with a sharp fear.

  Children cried, chained in a dark and cold place without light or windows. Men and women kowtowed to a nightmare of sharp teeth, four long spindly limbs ending in sword-like claws, and a stout body with a huge mouth full of even more teeth in its stomach.

  One at a time, the children were freed from the chains only to be tossed into the belly of the beast. Unable to look away from the memory, Biyu watched as a screaming struggling child was mangled by the grotesque thing. When it was done, it spat out a savaged and mangled corpses. Smaller replicas of the thing capered, gibbered, and harassed the children before their turn to be minced in the thing's mouth. Biyu forced the memories to stop before Motley could show her a second child minced. Cold rage she felt long ago rose up. Shrill voices cried their desire to help from deep within her Hell.

  Motley offered new memories, censored, of a conversation between the ghastly thing and a man.

  "Losing the Marble scion is a blow to our plans," the monster said with its upper mouth while the lower braces of knives, no longer in Biyu's sight, shredded its latest victim. "Such a lovely thrall in the making. A little more, and he would have been inducted into the inner circle! Cultivated, he could have been such a fine feast for me. Not like these children, who are barely a speck of flour to a starving commoner. Tell me, Derrick, have you any idea of who we can use to replace him? Awakened cultists are oh so rare, and I must have another! My power grows so slowly now. Darling Derrick, you have found me a delicious soul to devour, yes?"

  "Lord, there are many visiting Awakened, but they are guests of the Count's wife. There was a skillful Healer with them, Miss Anya, who has disappeared. She is an Oath breaker, a very ideal meal for you, but none have found her. Unfortunately, our best assets," and his eyes slid to the capering imps, "would be noticed. The city does not ignore their poor, with the Priests of Charity walking among them all through the winter.

  "Another woman, the so called 'Defender Elderwoods' would likely feed you well. We know where she is, and we have been plotting to take her off the street during one of her frequent walks. Our spotters keep losing sight of her. She's small, quick, and agile. Trying to keep an eye on her without being noticed has proven a challenge the cultists just are not up to. We've tried hiring the gutter trash to help, but they don't know where she's going either. We suspect she might be colluding with the Knight, Sir Stuart, in his investigation of the orphanages."

  "Discovery must be avoided. The gods would get involved if they found me. So, too dangerous to send my little thralls. Can send some cultists to kill her for us?"

  "I doubt it, Master. She's a capable warrior with a well-developed poison aspect. Our most battle ready cultists are mere town guards. She has a bodyguard, May, as well. She's supposedly good with the sword, from what people who know about this sort of thing tell me, but her best skill is avoiding getting hit. A tricky opponent, but I doubt she'll be too difficult if we ambush her. They have children and another woman with them, but they don't leave the palace without guards. Kidnapping her household to lure her into an advantageous encounter would be difficult to arrange."

  "Then we wait. My power may grow slowly, but still it grows. Better to creep further to Ascension than to risk all due to impatience. Perhaps it is time I create a new Human thrall? Ah, should I convert a cultist? Or has one of my little thralls earned the right to be a person again? So hard to decide."

  The conversation faded to a feeling of pain and loss. One of the Motley souls had been lost, squished by a thrall and its soul fed to its demon master. Another of Motley's bodies heard the demon's delighted laughter deep inside its den, for it had found new prey that it could hunt without fear. A demon. Her. It had not yet known about her. Now it would be hunting for her.

  Biyu dismissed the remaining four thralls. Stumbling her way through the alleys, maintaining her disguise, she waited until she was far away from the adversary before changing out of her disguise. The face of a pockmarked commoner, she turned her mask into its natural form devoid of its false facial features. A mask to hide behind from the powerful predator that had her scent.

  First she went to the Treasure Hunters. When she entered, the man minding the counter reached under his counter while keeping his eyes fixed on her. Other patrons, few enough in the winter when everything slowed to a crawl, reached for knives or daggers keeping a wary eye on her. She held up her hands up benevolently, she let her mask assume what she came to think of as her face. The man behind the counter stiffened predictably. The Treasure Hunters knew her. He opened his mouth for a greeting.

  Biyu put a finger to her lips, and shook her head for emphasis. She made a gesture to indicate writing, and he provided her with a pen and paper. Biyu took her time, writing out the important parts of what she had seen and heard, and that they were the first she told.

  She gave it to the man, and his eyes widened as he read. He gave her a hard, challenging look. Biyu pulled out a steel ingot she hid in a place only the daring would lay hands on a woman, and placed it down next to the message. She wrote on the paper, "If I lie, keep it."

  The man considered her words. He wrote, "Swear to your name."

  She whispered as quietly as she could, for his ears only, "I swear to Gunthar, Vraa, Gillas, the Lady of Secrets and Dreams, the Lord of Nightmares and the Hells, and all the other gods, that I am Biyu Kimmel Lostlakes Elderwoods." He scrutinized her, looking for signs of divine retribution. Satisfied, he pushed the steel back to her. He took her missive, and formalized it into a sworn statement. Once he had finished, he had Biyu sign it before leaving to present the document to his superiors.

  Biyu went to the Lesser Palace with May's [Wind Walk]. After requesting a moment of the Viscount's time, she spent her time waiting writing a message for him with materials provided at her request. Once more she signaled for silence by pressing her finger to her lips as she entered his office. Lord Emanuel nodded, but Lord Herbert was annoyed. A pair of soldiers and a Knight stood guard at the side of the room.

  "Why should I have to keep—" Biyu pulled her knife and stabbed the man in a single fluid movement. The Knight and guards surged forward after a dumbstruck moment of disbelief. The toxin she applied was a paralytic, and she cursed him with a sloppy curse of silence. Viscount Lonelyknoll glared at her even as he commanded the guards to stand down from trying to apprehend her. She handed him her note. He read it. Horror crept onto Viscount Lonelyknoll's face. The Knight, having never lowered his weapon, rallied his men at the look on the Viscount's face.

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  "Stop!" Lord Emanuel shouted. He looked at her with a question in his eyes. One she could clearly read, but she shook her head. He glanced at the Knight and guards. No one needed to tell him about the need for secrecy. "Leave us. It's fine. My son should have listened to her. Go." The Knight looked hurt at the dismissal. He dutifully collected the soldiers, and left to guard the door from the other side.

  Biyu conversed with Lord Emanuel in written notes, with him asking clarifying questions. She responded with the best answers she had, which were all too often 'I don't know'. They gave Lord Herbert a chance to read each note, but with the paralytic in effect he only managed to make the same horrified look his father had moments before.

  When they were done, Lord Emanuel paced and contemplated. Biyu waited for the Lord of the domain to proclaim his decision. After a time, she wrote another note, and handed it to him. He frowned at it, his expression grim. He gave her a look, but she shook her head. The note said, "I cannot help kill the demon. I should not be involved in this fight. I will help in any other way you need." He showed the note to Lord Herbert.

  Biyu wrote a final note, for Lord Herbert. "I am sorry. I did not wish to do it, but I will not risk the demon being forewarned by hidden agents in your court. I will accept any punishment you demand once the demon is dead."

  Scowling, Lord Herbert nodded, accepting the explanation. A fleeting moment of relief crossed his face at being released. That faded as his eyes were drawn to the ominous notes.

  Biyu returned to the residence she shared with Lady Chelsea and hugged Iris tightly to the woman's surprise, delight, and eventual concerned. The children looked on with worried faces as well. Biyu teased and flirted with Iris in public all the time. None of them had ever seen her seeking comfort from Iris. Even Chattel shifted uneasily where she knelt at the side of the room. Christopher, almost forgotten in his place beside Chattel, was just bemused. He had yet to get used to his sister's habits.

  "I am holding court," she told them as she drew them to her private chambers. There were no wards against secrecy in this room, only the table and mattresses she and Iris used. Once they were comfortable, she passed a note around for them to look at. It read, "Pray to me."

  One by one they saw the note, and their faces twisted into confusion and surprise. All except Iris and May. Iris looked at her with a speculative eye and a slight, pleased smile. One of the secrets Biyu had not yet told her about was going to be revealed. A dangerous one. May was already present wherever she was. She would remain behind to stand guard while they met beyond the demon's sight.

  For the benefit of anyone listening, she said, "May, secure the space. I am beginning court." Allie and Bert startled, their eyes wide. Christopher clenched his hands, his face pale as the ramifications of her request struck him.

  A round of prayers allowed Biyu to pull them into communion. Moments later they were all in Biyu's Hell. The bandits built themselves a village of cabins near Bruce's palace. Allie and Bert looked around at the bandits and vengeful spirits with wonder and uncertainty. They took small steps as though they feared the ground beneath them would fall away. Holden saw them, and conflict crossed his face as he spotted Allie. Making a decision, he moved to stand deferentially behind her. Allie obviously had no idea who he was. Chattel looked around curiously, taking in the realm before she dropped to her knees in genuine deference. Clio went to her knees, waiting to be given a task to accomplish. Christopher stared in a mix of wonder and horror at his surroundings. Iris inspected her surroundings, moving close to Biyu to offer comfort without actually touching her. May was, ironically, only here in spirit, riding along with Biyu's senses as she watched over them in the waking world.

  Motley, in the guise of dog sized spiders, came to Biyu. To her surprise, the people here in her Hell preferred the spiders to the neat and clean Goblins.

  Biyu bowed in apology to Motley. "I am sorry. I lost one of your souls."

  "It was my mistake, Master. Do not apologize."

  She glanced at her companions, aware they were listening. Iris had skittered behind Christopher, using him as a shield as she peeked out from behind him. "No. I mean, I will not be able to recover it. I cannot kill the demon."

  With that sentence, the family and retainers turned the full attention to Biyu.

  "Why, Master?"

  "First I need to give my family a summary of what is happening. Afterwards, I will explain the why of it."

  The spiders bowed, a strange lowering down on their legs while they thrust up their abdomens.

  Biyu explained for the third time. She tried to keep her own distress out of her voice. The core of her soul was calling for the creature to be erased. That it was a stain that could not be borne. She must end it. It took effort to resist the impulse. Even when the vengeful spirits came to her begging like dogs denied a treat. They simpered and pleaded and cajoled, their whispers for her ears only while her family stared at their twisted bodies and the black fire burning in their eyes.

  The children were stricken. "Our parents were killed by these imps?" Bert asked. "Thralls? Sacrificed to a demon? That," and he pointed at an image of the demon Motley saw, "has the souls of our parents?" The horror in his voice was palpable.

  "I cannot help. The demon knows there is another demon. It wants to devour it. To devour me. If I fight, it will find me, and it will kill me and steal my souls. It will become stronger." She lowered her head. "If I kill it, then I will gain most of its souls. It is powerful. I will become powerful. People will notice. The conclusion I am a demon will be easy to reach. For your safety, I cannot fight the demon. They know you. I would not have you executed as my cultists."

  Allie made a fist. "You have to help them. Please. Please, free our parents." Tears sprang into her eyes. "Lady Biyu, you'll let my parents suffer? To a thing that delights in doing that to children?" She had not seen the memories, only a vague description of what was happening to the children.

  Biyu could not meet their eyes. "No matter the outcome, if I fight I will die. As a demon, the Empire will slay me. Either that, or the demon will eat me and my souls will make it stronger. I cannot take care of you if I die. Iris will be cast adrift, with no home. You children, perhaps Viscount Lonelyknoll can take you in. Chattel and Clio? Anya, wherever she might be? There are no good endings if I fight. It will all be over, win or lose. Losing is more likely."

  "I thought you were supposed to be a hero," Allie sobbed.

  "I have been called that, but I never thought it. I punish killers with death. I rarely save anyone."

  Bruce shook his head, disagreeing. "You saved me from what I was made to become. The people in the cages that the Wizard didn't kill, too. Killing the Wizard helped the Knights fighting the ogre. You helped a lot of people, and I know you thought of it when you did. You waited to kill the Wizard, you had to, but choosing to act when you did? And you almost died doing it. Close enough to a hero for me."

  Biyu glanced at the man. "If I thought I could make a positive difference, I would. My soul screams I should destroy the demon."

  "Why aren't you?" demanded Allie. "Are you a coward?"

  "I am going to help. Any way but doing it myself."

  "We should bring in Viscount Lonelyknoll," Iris said.

  "Why are none of you denouncing me for being a demon?" Biyu could not help the hint of anger in her voice.

  "You've always been a strange woman," Iris said. "This? It's no stranger than the rest of you. Besides, you've never acted like that… thing. Instead, you're apologizing to us that you can't go kill the bastard, something you want to do, because it'd get you killed. Not because you don't want to die, but because then you wouldn't be able to protect us. And I believe you mean every word of it."

  "You should not trust me so easily."

  "After you took the trouble to convince me you're my hero, you'd say that? I'm a little disappointed, Biyu. No, you're a hero of the Empire. You have the Letter of Honor to prove it. Maybe you aren't a great hero. Yet." She touched Biyu's face. "Show them what you've shown me. Shown Anya, even if you failed the first time. Shown the children. Are trying to show the slaves. You're a hero first, a demon second."

  Chattel spoke up, her voice demure as she spoke. "Elves don't see demons as inherently evil. Most Sacred Beasts are demons."

  Biyu deflated. "I will write a confession for Viscount Lonelyknoll." She closed her eyes. "If you want me to fight, all of you except May have to disavow me." She turned to look at the dead. "As for you, if it looks like the world is ending, do your best to flee."

  The souls all nodded, except for Holden who asked, "To where?"

  Biyu considered, looking at her realm. She made a cut in her soul. It appeared as a smooth edged cut just outside the village wide enough for five people standing abreast. "Try to break through that. It should weaken as I die."

  "I won't be getting my body back, will I?" Holden asked.

  Biyu nodded. "I will need most of my power if I will fight an old demon. I wanted to strengthen the blessing on the children too. Ah, one more thing. I want to break the collars." She nodded to Chattel. "Maybe you cannot, or should not, fight, but I want you prepared to flee to somewhere safer for you and Clio."

  Chattel shook her head. "I'll stay with Master Iris. You can't go releasing Elves, Master. I do not think Clio would survive being on the run, either."

  Biyu walked over to Allie and Bert. She pulled them into a hug. "It has not been long at all, but be well. I will make arrangements for your future. Iris will take care of you. And Anya, when she is found."

  Allie was stiff, but Bert hugged her back. For once, he understood things better than his sister, at least enough to worry. Biyu and Iris hugged next. Iris whispered into her ear, "I'll dedicate myself to you unless you die first. Okay, love?" Biyu just nodded.

  After they left Hell, Allie and Bert were ushered to their rooms with Chattel and Clio accompanying them. Christopher, lost, stumbled away to be accosted by Lady Chelsea demanding to know what they discussed. Biyu wrote a missive for Viscount Lonelyknoll before going to deliver it to him.

  This year had treated Viscount Lonelyknoll very poorly. It all began with Lord Sebastian turning out to be a complete heel. Plans to ship his daughter to the court in Shadow Gate as a lady-in-waiting was derailed by the bastard. After that, he publicly announced his daughter was dead. He still remembered how he felt, watching his daughter weep at her own funeral. Part of him found it poetic, her witnessing the end of her old life so formally. The rest felt it was unfair, to see the life she had built from childhood tossed away because of one boorish man. A boorish man who so humiliated himself that he had been discarded from his own family. He'd recently received news that Archduke Marble was sending his son, Lord Virgil, to convey his regrets and offer recompense in the spring. Archduke Marble also told him that Sebastian had been stricken from his family. Yet, he could not acknowledge his daughter even with the man's final fall from his family's favor.

  It had been satisfying to see Lord Sebastian after the tiny Defender Elderwoods beat him with her bare hands. To see his soldiers, likely dregs assigned to him for the family's honor rather than his sake, all slain like ants beneath a boot. That was a sad waste, of course, but seeing Lord Sebastian laid low overrode his misgivings at the pointless wasting of lives.

  If only his daughter could have come home instead of 'die'.

  Now he was told there was a demon in his city. That was where the orphans had gone. Food for such a vile thing. They never left the city at all. The very idea sickened him, and he blamed himself for missing the trick. It had all seemed above board at the time. Greedy merchants and a workforce in need of either work or charity. He hadn't like it, but the merchant's arguments were solid. His Priest friend could offer no counterargument, and they had drunk a night away looking for one.

  Fortunately, he knew where the demon was. Unfortunately, he was told it was powerful. Too powerful for the city guard, including their Knights. Fighting a demon was bad business. Every man killed was more fuel for the demon, whether they were killed by a cultist, thrall, or the demon itself. He already sent letters to the nearby Orders to come in force. The same ones the Treasure Hunters would inform. Indeed, by now someone was informing the Archduke so he could raise his forces. Sebastian being a cultist should end with the boy being executed, the only bright spot in all this.

  Biyu was bowing out of the fight, and he couldn't understand why. He knew her character. All the reports were the same, really. Iris, the Treasure Hunters, the Order she got the Letter of Honor from. She shouldn't be able to let something like this alone. The consensus was that she hated things like this demon with something too passionate to have a name.

  On her return, Biyu was taken directly to his office. Her servant May accompanied her. She set a letter into his hand. He looked at it with resignation. More bad news to toss on the heap. Was she reneging her offer of help and fleeing the city? He couldn't blame her if she was doing it to protect her own. If only evacuation was an option, but the demon would notice the people leaving.

  He opened the letter and read it carefully. He made sure by reading it twice, in case he mistook the meaning. After the second reading, he felt his stomach churn. "Does Iris know?" he asked. He had forgotten himself, but this was a safe question if she gave a safe answer.

  "She does. She encouraged me to tell you."

  His former daughter's hero, savior, and lover was a demon. Would he be a fool for trusting her? He barely knew her, but Lady Biyu had always acted nobly, even when to do so was to allow herself to be humiliated. He trusted his daughter's judgment. Also, the woman's admission would lead to a death sentence if he made it known.

  There was also the children. She took them in, dressed them up, and helped them realize their dreams. Allie was learning magic and would perhaps one day become a Wizard, while the boy was the squire of a woman the guard and palace Knights respected. All that after refusing to force them into her family, because she refused to force a decision on them until it almost killed them.

  He wrote on a piece of paper, "Is Iris truly alive?"

  She wrote in reply, "Yes. She has decided to dedicate herself to me, despite my protests."

  He smiled. A demon protesting cultists. That sounded about right. He read what else she wrote. "She has visited my Hell. She can tell you about it."

  "You will help?"

  "I will. Will you protect my family when I die?"

  He stared at that message. The wording was… "You expect to die?"

  "Yes. I help slay its thralls and steal its power. My power will grow. This will reveal me to be a demon. I will be killed. If you do not turn me in first."

  So, she expected to be discovered and die herself if she fought. Not an unreasonable assumption. Furthermore, she sought the protection for her family. "Why would you not fight?"

  Slowly she wrote, her fingers moving through the characters. "I did not want to leave them without protection. If I die, May will have died too. I have to think about my family."

  So, she refused to fight out of consideration for his daughter and the children. To be there to protect her, the children, and probably even the Elves. She was her daughter's hero in truth, wasn't she? That did beg the question. "Why now?"

  "My soul sings that demon must die. It is within my domain." She paused. "And because… it has the Finecrafts souls. Allie begged me to."

  That made his blood boil. A demon stole his friends' souls? "Derrick," he hissed, unablxe to stop himself. A nod was the only answer.