'Sir Hapow was too busy to meet with you,' the innkeeper said in a hushed tone. 'But he's kept his eyes and ears open in the Council for quite some time now, and he was pretty certain...' She glanced around, making sure the door was closed and nobody was about to enter. 'Lady Ileena wasn't on the Council Master's side. She has agreed to meet with you. She has inside information about what is going on. But she can't just meet you out in the open, or you and her both will be in terrible danger. Or so she says.'

Sekafi nodded and crossed her arms. 'Where do we meet her?'

'Council Master?' Aspen asked.

'Yes, Master Owadro. It's his new title apparently.' The innkeeper turned back to Sekafi. 'The Lady is going on a trip tomorrow evening. She will claim to be feeling ill and need an early break at The Wild Sefnya, a respectable inn. You can travel there ahead of her. It lies about eight miles down the road to Soerk.'

'Won't she have people with her? Guards or something?' Aaspaelwin asked, his thin eyebrows furrowed over pale blue eyes. He looked tired, Sekafi thought. The tiny elfling wasn't made for stuff like this.

'Yes, of course. But they're her own people. They won't question her decision to stop early. However, you might need to figure out a way to talk in privacy. The less her guards know, the better.'

'Great,' Sekafi muttered.

'We'll do it,' Aspen said and pulled up his hood again. 'Anything else?'

The innkeeper shook her head. 'Just go in good time.'

'Right. Thank you.'

Aspen turned and exited the room and Sekafi followed. Once outside, she nudged him in the side. He glanced up.

'It's gonna be about three hours walk. You up for it?'

'That's fine. It's not like we're unused to walking.' He gave a fleeting smile.

'True. But you might die from the heat out in the plains. You're such a weakling.'

He snorted. 'We're bringing water.'

'I don't wanna carry you, you know. Even if you're not that heavy.'

'You won't need to lift me. But even if you had to, you're such a brute you probably wouldn't even notice.'

Sekafi yapped with mirth. It felt good to be going out again with her favourite humanoid.

* * * * *

The following evening, Sekafi and Aaspaelwin sat in the busy inn's main hall, discussing how to best approach and speak with Lady Ileena without her guards noticing or overhearing too much. But before they'd reached a decision, the door opened and the tall, richly dressed dark lady entered. Gold earrings sparkled from her ears and a red headband covered her short, tightly curled hair. A practical red and ochre dress wrapped around her slim figure, reaching shortly below her knees. Four guards flanked her, glaring suspiciously at everyone as the Lady ordered a room.

After a quick glance at Lady Ileena, Aspen hurriedly looked down into his mug, hiding his pale face. Sekafi smiled, unable to do much to conceal her large frame. She did her best to show indifference, however, leaning on the chair's back legs and eyeing the roof thoughtfully, a large mug of steaming tea in her hand. The spicy scent blocked out the sweaty odour of the surrounding patrons. The crowded room made it easier to avoid being spotted too.

Sekafi angled her ears toward the Lady, trying to hear what she said over the murmured conversations all around. But all she caught was “room” and “tomorrow”. She assumed Lady Ileena wouldn't be staying at the inn for long.

The Lady and her guards soon left the main room through the back door, leading to the lodgings.

The friends finished their tea and stood to leave when a young waitress, a khelrind, in a tan shift and white apron stopped before them.

'Excuse me,' she said, looking down at the floor, her dark fringe hiding her eyes but not the two curving horns and her large ears.

Sekafi and Aspen both looked at her with open curiosity and surprise. Khelrinds weren't unheard of, but they tended to live further north and east. Sometimes people called them half-minotaurs or demons because of their horns, tails, and legs, resembling those of minotaurs.

'Yes?' Aspen said, his head tilted to the side in a cute manner.

'A message,' she held out a folded note, still staring at her feet.

Sekafi followed her gaze, noting the cloven hoofs before Aspen took the note and thanked her.

The khelrind spun around and sped off without another word. Aspen stared after her, like he'd been spellbound. Annoyed, Sekafi nudged him in the side.

'Hey, what's that?'

'Oh, right.' He looked at the note in his hand for a second before glancing about. 'Maybe we should go to our rooms before reading it?'

'Good idea.'

As they left through the same door Lady Ileena had vanished through earlier, Aspen glanced back, probably looking for the khelrind again.

'Maybe you shouldn't ogle?' Sekafi said.

Aspen's cheeks reddened, and he grinned. 'Sorry. I've never seen one before, have you?'

Sekafi shook her head. 'You are just as strange as her in these parts, remember.'

He sighed. 'Well, not quite.'

'No arguing, elfling. Let's move.'

They entered their room and read the note. It was short, but clear.

“Come to my room, 12, in half an hour. Pretend to be one of the staff. Be quick.”

'Uuh, so... how do we do that?' Aspen said and flopped down on the narrow bed in the room. 'Steal some clothes from one of the staff?'

Sekafi snorted. 'Just call them, beat them up, and take their clothes. I'm sure we'll be lucky enough to get the right sizes too.'

Aspen laughed. 'For you, yeah, easy. Me though, gonna be hard to find my size.'

Sekafi grinned and looked about the room. It was a pretty nice establishment. And too expensive. Maybe there was something they could use in the room? She walked over to a cabinet and opened it.

'What are you doing?' Aspen came up behind her, peeking around her into the cabinet. Like a curious cat. He was always curious about everything.

The cabinet was empty aside from a simple evening robe and a white towel. Maybe they could. She looked at Aspen, then back to the robe and the towel. It might work. She looked at him again, and he frowned.

'What?'

'Oh, just looking.'

'Sure.'

She pulled back his hood and corrected a few errant hairs. It could work. He was small and slender. He raised a thin eyebrow. She grinned.

'I don't like the way you're looking at me right now. What're you up to?'

He placed his hands on his hips, and it almost made the image perfect. She guffawed. 'I have an idea.' She pulled out the robe and held it in front of him.

'No! Forget it. No, no, no. '

'Don't fret. It'll work perfectly. Though, you're gonna have to do this on your own. I'm too noticeable.'

'It's not going to fool anyone.'

'Humour me. Please?' She blinked and tried to look cute, though she knew it was a pretty much wasted effort.

He huffed and grabbed the tan robe, watched it for a moment, then pulled it over his head with a deep sigh. 'Happy?'

'Almost.' She grabbed an extra belt from their pack and pulled it tight around his waist, then puffed the robe up a little above it. 'Not too bad.'

'Yeah, sure. I can't breathe,' he grunted.

'Perfect!' She giggled at his affronted look. 'Now, take this over your arm.' She handed him the folded towel and eyed him critically. In passing, it could work.

'You sure about this?'

'Hey, they've got a khelrind working here, why not a half-elf?'

'I suppose...'

'Cheer up. All you gotta do is get to her room. And then talk. If things go badly, just holler and I'll come, right?'

He pursed his mouth but didn't protest. 'Just try to swing your hips a bit more as you walk, look down to hide your face, and maybe speak in a lighter voice?'

'It's not gonna fool anyone,' he muttered. 'I'll be killed in a most embarrassing way.'

'You're not. You worry too much. Just get it done.'

He sighed. Then he straightened and strolled around the room, in an almost convincing way. He stopped before her, flicked his hair back and said in a light voice, 'Evening, miss. You called?'

Sekafi laughed, but was more impressed than she'd thought. 'Man, you're too good at this already. Have you done it before?'

He gave a slight smirk. 'No, miss, I'm new at this job.'

'You're too bold. Look down, hide your face. It's not nearly feminine enough.'

He smiled, and looked down, shook his hair down in front of one eye. 'Better?'

'Might work. Do it again?'

They practised a few times, and Aspen slowly got the hang of it. It wasn't too hard, but he still wasn't convinced he'd be able to fool anyone. Unless he was lucky and met a complete idiot. He'd removed his cloak and other gear, and pushed a table cloth down the front of the robe. It was almost convincing. As long as nobody touched. His face heated at the thought. How embarrassing. But all he needed to do was walk down the corridor to Lady Ileena's room, tell the guards she'd asked for him, and hope they didn't pay too much attention. His heart already thumped hard from the stress. This was too stupid.

'Aspen!'

He jumped and looked up. 'Yeah?'

'You listening? It's time to go. I'll leave first, check if it's clear?'

'Yeah, yeah.' He swallowed. This was a terrible idea. He would swim in his own sweat in minutes, he thought and squirmed.

Sekafi opened the door and stepped out into the corridor, confident as always. She looked back and forth, then signalled. All clear.

He drew in a deep breath, adjusted the robe and his hair, and assumed a submissive pose.

Be calm, nothing's gonna happen. You can do this.

He walked out the room, keeping his eyes downcast and his hands under the towel, hoping it made him look enough like a servant. And hoping the guards hadn't paid too close attention to the other servant's clothes.

At least the robe had the right colour. That was what mattered, right? And being confidently insecure. He almost giggled aloud.

Focus.

He approached room number twelve, and the guard standing outside.

The man gave him a once-over and asked, 'What do you want?'

'The Lady sent for assistance. May I enter?' Aspen mumbled in a breathy voice, hoping it would fool him.

The guard stared at him for a moment, then knocked on the door. Another one opened, and they asked Lady Ileena for confirmation. Aspen barely heard them over the beating of his heart.

This would surely go sideways.

'What's your name,' the first guard asked.

Aspen barely dared to breathe, they hadn't thought of that. 'Uh, Nanya, sir,' he whispered, no longer faking uncertainty.

'Nanya...?'

'Just Nanya.' Aspen flinched as the guard touched his hair with a finger, kept looking at his feet.

'Pretty hair.'

'Please, the Lady...' He didn't know what to say and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

The guard chuckled. 'You may enter.'

Aspen stepped in past the guard as fast as he could, without looking up, and gasped in complete surprise as the man hit his bottom with an open hand. 'Wh–' He clapped his mouth shut. Timid girl, hush. Don't make a fool of yourself.

The guard laughed and the other one, a few steps further into the room, joined in.

How often did lower-class women have to suffer through stuff like this, he wondered.

Lady Ileena's voice cut off any further interaction with the guards, however, and Aspen sighed in relief.

'You two, leave the room. I need some privacy for the bath.'

Aspen dared a quick glance, and to his surprise found the Lady standing by a wooden tub, filled with steaming water. Luckily, she was fully dressed. And she didn't even blink at his appearance. What a poker face.

The guards saluted and left the room.

'Well, you look different,' Lady Ileena commented as Aspen approached.

His cheeks burned hot, but he managed a lopsided smile and curtsied. 'At your service.'

She laughed, but quieted quickly. 'Come here. Sit.' She gestured to a stool by the bath. 'Turn your back, and don't dare try to peek. I'll call the guards back in if I have to.'

'Don't worry, my Lady. We've got more pressing business, right?'

'Right.'

He heard the rustle of clothes being shifted, and then water splashing. 'So, let's get straight to it. The Council is in a total mess. Master Owadro has taken over. If you didn't know that already. Calls himself the Council Master now.' She snorted. 'The whole point of the Council is to allow everyone equal say. But no more.'

'What happened,' Aspen asked, staring ahead at the wall.

'Well, it's a little hard to know exactly what's happened. But Master Owadro has brought something...'

Aspen gulped. 'The monster?'

Water sloshed, the silence stretched for a little too long.

'My Lady?' He almost turned around when she spoke again.

'There's a monster, yes. When he returned from the journey to banish it, he seemed different. He hid in his room for a few days, speaking to nobody, apart from boasting about his success that first day.' She quieted and water splashed behind Aspen again. 'Then some strangers appeared, and he started talking about unclean races, and how the city was a mess because of all the mixed groups. Those who opposed him started getting sick. And others...'

'Others?' Aspen clenched his hands under the towel.

'They... some people, those with greater influence, like myself and Lady Hennaja. He made sure we either stood on his side, supporting him, or he'd send us to the darkest of places. He, he carries a stone. He used it when I refused to cooperate with him. I have my home too well guarded, and I don't go out casually, so I guess he couldn't use whatever it is he does to make those poor other people sick. He used the stone and... called forth this monstrosity. It filled the entire room. It... those eyes.' A splash and water dripping.

Aspen shuddered. He recalled those eyes in stark clarity. Staring, blinking. The monster's jaws opening wide, revealing hundreds of sharp teeth.

'The thing would have eaten me then and there if I hadn't agreed to cooperate,' Lady Ileena whispered. 'I don't dare oppose him. I want to because what he's doing is wrong. But I just don't dare to. Not openly'

'I understand,' Aspen said, feeling truly sorry for her. He couldn't imagine living with the threat of having the monster come for you specifically if you disobeyed someone. A shiver coursed through him. 'Can you tell me something?'

'Yes?'

'Who are these people he works with? Those strangers you mentioned.'

'I don't know. I think they're part of some religious group. There's something wrong with them. They scare me. But I don't know anything about them. Master Owadro only sees them alone.'

A memory flashed through his mind. 'Do they wear brown robes and grey cloaks? And carry small pouches around on their belts?'

Water sloshed as she moved, probably to look at him. 'Yes, how did you know?'

'I think I saw one at a tavern in Toin Caas once. I got suspicious because of what an acquaintance, my neighbour, told me.'

'I see. Well, steer clear of them. If they suspect you know something, you might end up dead, Selksem. Be careful.'

'I'm trying.'

'Sir Hapow said you can help us? How?'

'I hope so. Lady Hennaja sent me a message before she... passed away.' His throat constricted, and he had to swallow a few times before he could continue. 'She mentioned a friend in Yaarpa who can help. We will go to her, but we need to know what we're up against. What can you tell me about these people, and the monster and Master Owadro?'

'Honestly, not much. Not enough, anyway. But one thing I do know. Master Owadro carries a stone on him at all times, a green gem. He uses it to call the monster. It seems to tire him to keep the thing around. The longer the monster was about, the more strained he seemed. Like it saps his energy or something. I don't know. And the robed people helping him, I've already told you what I know about them. But they aren't many. Maybe five or six, I think.'

'I think I might know who they are. But I don't have proof.'

Water splashed onto the floor. 'You know? Tell me!'