Since they couldn’t talk, and Len hadn’t gotten around to teaching Keseryn how to read, there wasn’t an opportunity to explain the plan that Len was working on. To be fair, that plan was so bare-bones that it didn’t really qualify as an outline, let alone an actual strategy for how to deal with events. She considered relying on Cammie for this, but didn’t get the impression that that would be a great idea. Technically, Cammie seemed more docile than Pitch tended to be, but relying on that sort of power at a time like this didn’t feel like a risk worth taking. Whatever was going on here, it’d be better to beat it with her own power.

There was a part of her that wanted to say ‘fuck it’ and just commit to using everything at her disposal. To just unleash holy hell on whatever nonsense that Keris’ friends had planned for her. That would be very satisfying for a few minutes, but the aftermath would be too much trouble to deal with. Her position was more stable than it had been when she first arrived at the Hovel, she had some allies, and a number of people who were at least willing to tolerate her leadership, even if they weren’t exactly chomping at the bit for it, but she didn’t have that backup right now and even if she did, it wouldn’t be enough. Diplomacy and outwitting her foes was better than overpowering them in this instance.

That left her with a pretty glaring problem. No allies besides a girl who probably should’ve been left in the safety of the Demon Army mining camp. No weapons at her disposal besides above-average martial skill and a pair of shadowy creatures that fit the role of ‘demon’ far better than any of the races she’d come across so far. A general sense of overwhelming doom that was getting worse by the day. These were not the tools of revolution that lead to lasting change.

Sure, she knew that Keris was leading her into a trap and could confound the woman by ignoring her for the rest of the day, but that would be passing up an opportunity to learn more of whatever conspiracy was going on here. The problem was figuring out exactly how to get the most out of this potential ambush without seriously risking herself or her ward. It was frustrating to think about because she’d made a serious error in judgment bringing the girl. Sure, there was plenty at stake and several angles to play, but the more she thought about it, the more glaring that mistake was. Making these calls in the heat of the moment was starting to bite her in the ass. Instead of dwelling on that, she put her energy towards figuring out what to do about Keris.

The woman was a bitch, showed definite signs of a bigotry that Len didn’t care for, and was selling her out. All of that was more than enough reason to throw her under the bus. She was also Balar’s wife and had several children with him, and probably wouldn’t be someone he’d easily part with. And, wish though she might that it wasn’t the case, she absolutely would need Balar’s help to pull this off. All of this added up to the fact that she needed to save Keris to secure her own interests. It couldn’t simply be a matter of blackmailing her into submission either, she needed to be rescued from her own poor choices and kept around after Len pulled this off. The thought of it made the dark elf slightly ill, life was so much easier when you could just have the people who offended you thrown away, but that was the sort of thing that got your high-profile traders seeking to overthrow you by any means necessary, so she supposed she had to take a more even-handed approach to things.

Taking out a pen and parchment, she began to scribe a quick note. It outlined a few of her suspicions, carefully omitting certain details that she’d learned, about what was going on between Keris and Claymar’s agent. She did her best to focus on the fact that the woman was being blackmailed into this (technically true) and how Len was worried about his wife’s safety more than her own (definitely not true). She handed the note to Kes and whispered for her to make sure it got to Balar once they were gone. The girl gave Len a worried look, but nodded. With that taken care of, she ushered the girl into bed on the off chance Keris pushed her way inside and discovered the falsity of the ruse she was about to attempt.

“All right, Kes, you rest up,” she said, just a touch more loudly than the situation called for. “It was a big day, it’s no wonder you’re feeling a bit wiped. If you’re not up to the feast later, you can just stay in bed.”

“But I want to go,” the girl replied with a too-believable petulance. “I’m feeling fine and I want to see more of the city.”

“You’re dead on your feet,” Len flicked her on the forehead. “There’ll be plenty of time to see more later. For now, rest.”

“Fine,” Kes pouted.

“I’ll be back later,” Len said, and left their room and smiled blandly as Keris scrambled to look like she hadn’t been standing outside the door listening intently.

“You really should bring her along,” she said lamely. “Surely she can manage a bit more today.”

“No,” said Len firmly. “A good rest is exactly what’s in order for her. I’m willing to put myself through the hassle of seeing a tailor this late in the day, but Keseryn will be fine with what she’s wearing already.”

“I don’t know why you insist on being so difficult,” Keris snapped, offended. “I’m doing this for you.”

“Oh, Keris,” Len said sweetly. “You and I both know that the only reason a person like you does anything is for yourself.”

Keris looked back at the elf, stunned that she’d been so willing to say that aloud. She sputtered for a few moments, trying to come up with a response. When nothing seemed forthcoming, Len shrugged and headed to the front of the house without further comment. A moment later, Keris shuffled after her, swallowing her pride for the time being.

* * * * *

It was a bit irritating for Len to be stuck walking at the glacial pace that Keris stuck to. Len had swapped back to her comfortable traveler’s garb during the brief window she’d had to herself and was enjoying the experience of sensible footwear while Keris winced with every step. Sure, it made her more conspicuous, garnered more than a few horrified looks, but she’d decided that she was just about done with the subterfuge that Balar was espousing. She’d had a fun look around in private, but now was the time for a more direct approach. There was also the fact that she didn’t want to be caught in something constricting when the inevitable fight broke out.

Keris grew more subdued as the walk went on, not quite hesitant, but some of the bluster that she’d maintained so far was beginning to fade. Maybe it was that she was feeling guilty about leading Len into an ambush, maybe it was something else, but she seemed to be getting slower with each step. Finally, Len had to question it.

“Is something bothering you? You seem distracted?”

“What? No, it’s nothing.”

“Look,” said Len, sighing. “You don’t like me, I get it. That’s fine as far as it goes, plenty of bad blood to look out for. Your husband, though, has a plan. You should put more faith in him.”

“My husband has a fool plan. Even if you are the magical solution to his problems, it still means throwing away one tyrant for another, and we can’t afford trading for someone who’s not one of us.”

“Lady, you’ve HAD one of you leading you for ages. It’s not working out. Do you really not see how things are falling apart? You’ve got a couple impressive sights, some damn good eateries, but you’re not doing ‘well’, you’re not doing close to that. And if you think that whatever Claymar’s up to here is the sort of thing that’ll leave you better off than I would, you’re a damn fool. It’s not too late to pick the winning side.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Keris said huffily, though not as convincingly as she’d no doubt intended.

“Oh, I think you do. You’re a petty, nasty creature, with a perverse sense of your relative worth, but you’re not stupid. I think you know exactly the trouble you’ve landed yourself in, and you’re just hoping someone saves you from yourself before it’s too late.”

“How DARE you?!” Keris hissed in outrage.

“How dare I? Woman, you don’t even want to know the beginning of what I’d dare. You see, my problem has always been a matter of impulse control. Taking the easy route as I see it. It’s led to some… questionable choices recently that I’m not sure I’ll be able to completely recover from. This little lover’s spat of yours and your husband’s? It barely rates on the chart of fucked up shit I’ve seen lately. Frankly, I’d be more than happy to hang you out to dry as the treacherous little thing you are, but that’s not really an option for either of us.”

“What the hell do you think you’re implying?”

Len laughed and spat to the side. It would be so easy to just smack that look off the woman’s face, pound her into the dirt as the moron she was. It’d be a terrible mistake, one that would at best get her thrown out of town, at worst dragged into a battle with the limited city guard and a ravenous mob calling for her blood. The fact that she’d almost certainly survive it was somewhat reassuring, but still not worth the consequences. Instead, she just looked Keris dead in the eyes.

“I’m not implying anything, Keris,” she said, stepping close enough that she needed only whisper. “I’m straight-up saying that you’re leading me into a trap at the instruction of one of Claymar’s goons. I’d thought about just letting it play out, but you know what? You don’t get off the hook that easily. You get to lead me there knowing that I know. And that the only reason you’re getting this little bit of protection from them is because I allow it.”

The blood drained from Keris’ face as Len painted the reality of the situation for her with each cold word. It was an eminently satisfying experience, Len had to admit, but it was also a bit of a gamble. Keris was still an unknown factor in all this, and pushing her too far could lead to disaster. Still, getting a hook or two into the woman now would pay dividends later if she played her cards right.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well, first and foremost, I’m going to have you tell me what I’m walking into. How many guys, what their plan is for me, what you’re getting out of this. I don’t much care for you, but if I’m gonna save your life, I need to know everything I can.”

“Save MY life? What are you talking about?”

“Keris, honey, I’m gonna need you to keep up. You’re leading me to a secluded area with what I expect is a fair number of trained killers. I am your husband’s last gambit in overthrowing your leader before things are permanently secured by this fascist chump you people have let lead you. A chump that Claymar very much wants in charge when he takes over this territory. What in the world makes you think that you’re walking out of this meeting alive?”

A slow look of horror replaced the general smugness that Keris struggled to maintain. Her arms dropped to her side in surrender and she began to speak.