I had known that Mari's return heralded bad news, but I hadn't been prepared for that news to be about the Great Church. I knew they would oppose my rule and likely work to undermine my power, but Mari was concerned that they were already stirring, preparing themselves for something. I had assumed that the vast spy networks of the demon realm would have reported if there was an uptick in the activity of the Church, but I hadn't heard the faintest whiff of stirrings. Mari had suggested a leisurely walk through the garden while we discussed, a site she gravitated to whenever she felt troubled.

"There's no reason for Aela to have found and contacted me if there weren't already plans in place," Mari said, swirling her glass of wine like the sediment in the bottom of the glass would form an answer. "It wasn't a social call, she is far too estranged and angry for that, though I'm still trying to determine her motive for warning me at all."

"Some sort of familial bond?" I suggested. "Even I gave my mother to repent and spare her life. I had no reason to other than a tattered sense of kinship."

"That you have lost no sleep over when she did not, Toria. Evonia gave them several chances to return and repent, weave themselves back into the workings of the House, they were never interested." Mari let out a disgusted snort. "Was one of the things that Evonia and I would fight about, I never trusted them once I heard they had buddied up with the Church and had they wanted to return, it was expected that I would take my leave."

"You and Evonia had been that divided?" I asked, surprised given the close kinship my great aunt and grandmother seemed to share.

"Oh yes," Mari said seriously, "For a good while, just before I went to rescue you and a bit after while you were still young."

"I don't remember any of that," I said, wracking my brain for memories from that time period. "The both of you had little sibling squabbles, but nothing that seemed too serious."

Mari laughed lightly and motioned to the mounded earth where Evonia rested in the garden.

"My sister and I had appearances to keep, no reason to let the servants know there was a fight brewing. Those are the kinds of situations that inspire troublemakers in the lowest of society who think they can stir and make trouble. No, we kept it private and behind locked door."

"Then why warn you at all?" I asked as I contemplated just how sheltered from the political goings on around the castle I had been even though I had been the heir.

"It must fit into their plan somehow," she postulated, "I don't have any other way to explain it. Me knowing ahead of time benefits their plan." A look of worry passed over her features. "I didn't think this at the time, but perhaps they wanted me back here, they knew I would go and report."

Uneasiness washed over me, the castle was no prepared for any sort of trickery. Mari had ensured us before she started travel that her contacts had come up dry for any looming plans, but what if her contacts had been compromised? I needed to contact Raf and quickly, I couldn't afford to be caught flat-footed.

Mari nodded at me, her face displaying she knew what I was thinking and made a shooing motion with her hands. I quickly made my way to the front sitting room where Mistra spent many of her afternoons sitting in the sunlight streaming through the large windows, nose in a book.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking up from her book and noticing my look of alarm.

"I need to travel over to the demon realm," I said, not pausing for a response and instead jogging towards the dungeon steps.

Mistra didn't question further and followed, her light steps barely audible on the stone leading down to the portal chamber. I could sense her confusion, but time was of the essence and while it would have been quicker to have my aunt accompany me for the ritual, I didn't want to take the more obvious action and fall even further into whatever plan had been conspired.

A guard bowed lowly, awaiting our transversal, he looked to be of somewhat high rank judging from his sharply pressed clothing and steely gaze. Unlike most of the planned trips, the demon was not clad in a glamour and instead stood imposing above my head, his horns curled down the back of his head then turned inward, towards his ears. His dark ebony skin looked perfect, like he had been chiselled from a piece of flawless marble, the angles of his face and muscles sharp and strong.

"Queen Toria, we were not expecting you," he said, straightening from his bow, "nor you, Lady Mistra."

"We are on a bit of an urgent matter, I must request an immediate meeting with the king," I said.

The demon raised his eyebrow, but did not reply and instead motioned for us to follow him. I, not in the mood to entertain formality, gracefully side stepped him, and pushed my way past and into the chilly dungeon hallway. I ignored the deep sigh that escaped his lips and made my way to the stairway up to the main floor. Since the castles were mirror images it never made much sense to me why I would be escorted around like I did not know where I was going.

"He is not expecting you," the guard called out as he tried to catch up with me, "he may be busy and unable to entertain your visit."

"He will change his tune," I asserted, "the information I have for him is very important."

"I understand that, but-"

I will not be taking orders from a servant," I snapped, cutting him off from speaking. I turned quickly and cast him a withering glare, I had already felt a foul mood bubbling, but his attempt to stopped me had fully manifested it.

His hurried footsteps did not cease, but he said no more as he followed me to the King's private sitting chambers. I knocked on the elegant door and was relieved to hear him call out to enter. I was going to whether he liked it or not, but I preferred him less irritated and more rational. He already had enough of a tendency to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat, I wanted him in control and reasonable.

"Toria," he said in surprised, placing down the book he had been reading. He was also not in glamour, striking an imposing figure, nearly a head higher than the guard with ivory horns as thick as my arm curled forward and upward. In an instant his form melted into the usual humanoid glamour. "What do I owe the pleasure of a visit?" He gestured to the armchair opposite him.

I accepted his offer of sitting and nodded towards him with deference. Mistra took a seat on the lounging couch, eyes locked on me, it was not often I commanded things of her without much explanation.

"And my darling daughter as well," Raf said, giving her a welcoming smile, "it is not often I get to see you both together."

"I have a potential problem that I think you both would like to know about and help with," I said, cutting straight to the point.

Raf's lips curled into a frown and he motioned for me continue.

"Our plan to train more girls has been discovered. Mari just returned after receiving a warning to stop."

Raf slowly blinked his eyes then let out a huff of annoyance through his nose. "I thought the plan to begin with was not all that promising."

"You let it go through," I countered. I didn't want to anger him, but I also did not want all the blame to fall to soly myself, even if it was my idea and happened on my command. "If you thought it would end badly, you had opportunity to voice your concern."

A sly smile graced the king's lips and he let out a light chuckle. "It is sometimes best to let a new leader make their own mistakes."

I was not amused by his cavalier attitude and willingness to feign un-involement with the plan. He had been present as well and though I would readily admit to being the author of the plan, he had ample opportunity to interject. I sat in silence a few moments, quietly seething and trying to tell myself that it was best to set aside this matter for later.

"I seem to have struck a nerve," Raf said with a chuckle, a genuine look of amusement coming over his features."

"Regardless," I said, swallowing my desire to make a scene, "we have reason to believe that Mari was informed so that she would return to the castle. That may mean that they wanted us all together."

He nodded his head and and leaned back into his chair. "I can send some extra guards for a while, if that will suffice."

I raised my eyebrow questioningly, it was never this easy to get agreement out of him, especially when it was bad news. His temper was legendary and I had been a personal witness to it on several occasions. It was wholly unlike him to be so cavalier.

"You are in an unprecedented good mood," Mistra said, eyeing her father suspiciously. "Normally you'd be stomping around and throwing a fit about not knowing about this problem ahead of time. You are not usually so laid back and easy going."

"A problem of mine has gone to the trouble of getting rid of themselves, it has made my life overall easier" Raf said with a shrug. "It is a whole new outlook on life when you don't have a snivelling potential usurper sneaking around in the dark, ready to put a dagger in your back."

I did not glance over to Mistra, though I sorely wanted to. It would be an obvious mistake to give Raf any hint that we were conspiring against him. Mistra was nowhere near ready to let the cat out of the bag and though we may think he was not the best to be in control, we still needed his support in the short term.

"Laric's marriage is now a good thing to you?" Mistra asked, keeping her voice even and unassuming.

"Now I didn't say that," Raf said, his voice taking on a tinge of his normal normal self. "I still think he grossly went over my head to enter into the agreement, in hindsight, perhaps it would have been a better decision to have him thrown in the dungeon and executed. Would have put out the expectation of how I will deal with people who cross me, even if they happen to be my own children."

"There's the father I know," Mistra said with a dry laugh. "Paternalism simply exudes from you."

Raf snorted and waved off Mistra's comment with his hand. "Monarchs should be especially harsh and distrustful of their children, especially those not the first born." Ignoring his own words, he glanced askance at his daughter and gave her a mischievous smile. "Though some of my children are harder to keep that stance about." Raf stood and nodded towards the both of us. "If you'll both excuse me, I should go get those guards commanded. My informants do not think the Church is ready to make any big moves as of yet, but better to hedge our bets."

Once Raf was out of the room, we exchanged knowing looks, but said nothing, it was never safe to speak freely outside of any area out of your direct control. It was simple and a no-brainer to establish listening magic to record and keep any conversations, my own castle had them all over except for a few, strategic areas. Still Mistra's expression was all I needed to understand what she was thinking. There was a look of seriousness, but also mirth in her eyes, a look that said taking over a kingdom should be so much harder than it actually was.