While Myra had slept, her mind had put together a plan from the bits and pieces she'd found last night. Suddenly, everything was clear. It was simplistic, yes, and a basic trick...but she knew Diaz. She'd fall for this instantly, even though she would know it was a trap. She was just arrogant and hot-tempered enough to do it. And even if she didn't fall for this particular12 scheme, Myra had others. Oh yes, plenty of others. How she'd missed working against an enemy she knew like the palm of her hand.
But when she presented her plan to Layla and Kestra, neither was impressed.
"I don't like this," Kestra muttered. "Deliberately trying to get Diaz to attack us? Deliberately provoking her? I don't like this at all."
"The security required to be completely assured of your safety..." Layla added.
"There is no security in the world that can completely assure your safety." Kestra replied. "MindWeavers, FireBreathers, LightningSifters, the best warriors in the realm...none of them are faster than five hundred arrows coming straight for you."
"How about Lysandra?" Myra smirked.
"Oh, I see." Kestra mused. "Yes, you might have a chance there...if you can convince her. But even then, no one's invincible. Besides, this whole thing screams trap. There's no way Diaz bites."
"You don't know Diaz," Myra said, shaking her head. "Her pride is everything to her. Her arrogance is boundless. Trust me, she'll be aching for a fight. It's in her nature, and the moment we do this, she'll snap."
"How certain are you?" Layla asked. "I'm not wasting resources and time on this if you're not one hundred percent sure."
"I've known this woman for fifty years," Myra answered. "Studied her for even longer—since I was just a child. You two are young—you don't know what it's like to know someone that long, that well. Diaz is as familiar to me as my own hand. I know her inside out, especially when it comes to war. She'll walk into this knowing it's a trap and thinking she can still beat us at our own game anyway."
"And what if she's right?" Layla asked.
"Then I'm out of ideas." Myra replied.
"You need to talk to Jasper about this. It won't just be me at risk if we
follow through with this plan." Kestra warne
"Jasper doesn't decide what dangers I'm ready to face." Myra said dismissively. "And you don't either. I've long recovered from the poisoning—"
"No one's been over-protective of you Mum." Kestra answered. "But you owe him something. You need to talk it out with him and listen to what he has to say. No one says you have to stop. Just listen."
"Fine. But he knew what he was getting into when he married me." Myra said.
"He knew he'd be a target, yes. But did you tell him that you would also always be at risk, not just at war but from assassination? That he would have no real choice in any of it?"
"Of course I did," Myra growled. "I told him everything. So don't you dare accuse me of sugarcoating of this for him."
"You should still talk to him," she said adamantly.
"I will," she promised.
———
"I don't like this," Jasper said immeadietly.
"You and Kestra both," Myra muttered. "Look, it's simple. We
announce where we're going and when. We make the same speech about how Diaz is a coward, we have high security at every appearance and when she sends people to interrupt the speech or in any other way prove us wrong, we catch them and interrogate them."
"I know the plan." Jasper replied. "I still don't like it."
"I have utmost confidence in Lysandra and the elves."
"I still don't like it." He repeated. "But I know you're going to do it anyway. I just want to be there with you on that stage."
"Jasper, no."
"Why not? I'm meant to be okay with you risking your life but you can't watch me do the same?"
"It's not that," Myra said tightly, though it partly was. "We're going to be stretched out thin enough trying to get enough security to pull this off safely. I can't afford to add you to the mix and I can't afford to have to worry about you. Besides, I'm pretty sure your aunt would strangle me if I let you risk yourself unnecessarily. If it makes you feel better, you're already at risk. After Scarlet, you're next on Diaz's kill-list."
"And don't my guards remind me every day." Jasper replied sourly. "Promise me that you'll be fine, and if there's any real danger you'll put a halt to this."
"I can't promise that I'll fine," Myra said. "But I promise that I will pull out if things get too risky."
"What's your definition of 'too risky?'" Jasper asked.
"Slightly different from yours," Myra admitted.
————————————————
She had recited this same speech countless times, and it seemed to be going nowhere. They'd delivered it first in Triad, then travelled to Sirius, up to Azul then into Citrine. Topaz would be their last stop, carefully engineered that way as there was proof of Diaz's agents operating in the ancient city. Still, despite her boredom, she had to deliver this well. The trap might have been a waste of time and resources, but there was still some gain to be had in it if turned a few people against the traitorous general, or, as Myra had begun to think of her, the Tiger.
"People of Topaz," Kestra's voice rang out clear and proud, loud enough for Myra to hear it from backstage. She'd be up soon. "I was captured by Juliet Diaz when she murdered dozens of innocents during the Spring Festival. Then, she swore vengeance. She promised to burn Triad and kill Miras' true queens. Yet where is she now?
"When faced with war, Diaz's soliders fled. I was rescued within days of my capture. Diaz has not been spotted since. She is cowering. Hiding in the shadows and quailing with fear. She is no hero. No gallant and fearless general. This so-called War Queen is nothing but a coward. All who follow her waste their loyalties on a tremouring child.
"Where is Juliet Diaz? Where is the traitorous general? And where was she, I ask you, when Miras fell and Medea reigned over our nation? Where was she, when we fought for your freedom? Where was she, in the final battle of Silvera, whilst the rebellion fought and died for the people of every nation and every race? We took on insurmountable odds. We faced down certain death. I ask you again, where was Juliet Diaz?
"Hiding. Watching as better men and women fought back. She promised to bring us to our knees. Yet where is she now? She has seen the retribution and power of the Alliance. She has seen it, and she has run. Queen Myra fought alongside her people when darkness threatened to destroy us. Queen Viktoria died alongside her sisters. That is what the true War Queens do, even when the odds are against them, even when they face certain death. Juliet Diaz claims to be one, and yet she fails this ultimate test.
"So once more, I ask: where is Juliet Diaz?" That was her cue. Myra stepped forward to take the stage.
"Juliet Diaz is nowhere to be seen—" she began, but was cut off. A hail of arrows whizzed through the air. She certainly likes her theatrics, Myra thought wryly. The arrows bounced off the shield, harmless. An explosion triggered somewhere in the crowd, but was snuffed out within
seconds.
Guards swarmed them moments later, leading Kestra and Myra away from the stage and into the tunnels.
"Alice," Myra smiled.
"I guess your plan worked, Your Majesty. But I swear, I am taking the week off tomorrow. The amount of work and stress that's gone into this—"
Another arrow whizzed through the air, embedding itself in the wooden walls of the stage. In a blur of motion, Myra drew twin daggers. One flew in the general direction of the attacker. The other she kept in reserve. Another shot came, but she was already ready. She caught it with her blade and rushed into the the tunnel. Another elfin shield was formed around them as they hurried through the underground corridors and made their escape.
"It's a strange day when someone trying to kill you is good news," Myra muttered, checking on the others. Minor injuries and scrapes; little more. Good. This was going far better than she'd expected.
A flash of steel. Myra flinched away on instinct but still felt a sting on her cheek. In seconds, she'd sent her knife into the heart of her unknown attacker. As she finally glimpsed their face, she blinked. Tsara? She thought, startled. Tsara was one of Layla's most loyal magicians and hated Diaz. Why would she betray them?
Footsteps in the distance. Myra whirled around. An elf stood there, his eyes tearful.
"I'm sorry," he said. "They have my family." Goddesses above. She'd underestimated Diaz, assuming she'd never be able to control an elf or human. Everyone could be controlled. Through fear or love or greed, there was always a way.
Myra lunged for the elf in a flurry of motion. Daggers flew. Steel flashed. Both blades missed by inches, but she pinned the elf within seconds. She felt a hand reach for her mind, and acted on instinct, drawing a sword and impaling him through the heart.
She stood up, shaking with horror. She hadn't even meant to kill him. But for the first time, her instincts had failed her.
Diaz had known that too. Had known that in the heat of battle, her instincts would take over and she'd kill the elf if she had to. Had known, also, that the guilt of it would remain with her for a long, long while.
Kestra cried her name, and Myra turned around to face her daughter.
"The blood isn't mine," she reassured her.
"Are you sure?" Kestra asked her.
"I'm fine. Just reluctantly impressed with Diaz." Myra said, getting to her feet. "Let's get out of the tunnels and find out if all of that came to any good. And as for this poor man...we need to find his family, get them protected and then bury him." Kestra nodded grimly and helped her mother carry the body. She was surprised to see her daughter didn't vomit or faint at the blood; but she supposed after all those years in the rebellion, she'd seen bodies before.
———
"Are you okay?" Jasper exclaimed as they made it out of the tunnels, dead elf in tow.
"Relax." She told him. "All the blood is his." She gestured to the elf that a couple of their guards had taken over carrying.
"I can't believe that's your definition of okay." He muttered. "What happened to him?" Jasper asked. "Did one of the assassins..."
"Me, actually." Myra corrected. "I didn't mean to, but...he was a MindWeaver, and I was seconds away from being under his spell and..." She trailed off.
"Diaz threatened his family and he had no choice but to serve her," Kestra continued, and Myra threw her a grateful glance. "That's as much as we can figure out anyway, from what he said just before he died."
Myra rubbed her temples. "Did we find anyone after this whole mess?" She asked Jasper
"Four." He replied. "However, three of the attackers escaped; and all but one of the four we did catch managed to poison themselves after they were captured."
"And the one who didn't?" Myra asked.
"We removed the pill and have her under careful watch." Jasper answered. "Alexandrius should arrive shortly to carry out the interrogation. But enough of that. Tell me everything that happened and then promise me on the names of all three of your goddesses that you will never do that to me again."
"I'll explain everything once I've seen the prionser." Myra promised. "And I swear I will never do that to you again."
"Anything like that." Jasper corrected. "Anything remotely resembling that."
"I promise I won't do anything remotely resembling that," Myra amended. "This week."
Jasper groaned.
"Deal with the MindWeaver," he commanded. "Then come to see Alexandrius and the valkyrie."
"I'll be there soon," Myra replied.
————————————————
When she'd finally gotten rid of all the blood, she stood in front of the chained valkyrie with Alexandrius at her side.
Her would-be-assassin looked little over sixteen. Golden-brown eyes met
hers as the prisoner looked up at Myra. Extraordinary eyes, but filled with such bitter hatred. The woman spat at her, then returned to slumping in the corner of her cell.
"Name?" Alexandrius asked. Silence.
"You do know he can just pry it from your mind anyway?" Myra asked. The
prisoner said nothing in reply. A stubborn one then. She'd cracked dozens like her before, but the memories of those interrogations still haunted her. She was glad to do it cleanly this time.
"Clear out her mind," Myra ordered. "Every crevice and corner. Don't let anything slip. If this is the one captive we get, then we've got to make it worth it. Especially given everything we went through to get her."
"So the others escaped, did they?" The woman smirked. "Fools, to give me such information."
"I could tell you the exact numbers and positioning of our armies; I could tell you where our defences were weak and our every plan for hunting your kind down." Myra drawled. "What does it matter, when Alexandrius can just remove it from your mind?"
"Too soft-hearted to just kill me?" The woman said.
"Unlike your merry band of traitors, we aren't murderers." Myra replied. "Though I can't say the same of some of our friends. If we find out you've harmed a single hair on a Lysandrian's head, Lysandra can claim a part of your punishment and then, well..." Myra laughed coldly. "Then you have bigger problems than us." A trace of fear entered their prisoner's eyes. Not so impenetrable then.
"Begin, Alexandrius," Myra said. Although not her liege and a Lord of his own right, he obeyed her. Bending down on his knees, he drew closer to the bars of the cell. The assassin lunged towards him, but her chains held her back just before she could reach him.
Myra then bore witness to a silent war. Within seconds, the prisoner went slack and stopped resisting her shackles. For long minutes afterwards, she didn't move except for an occasional twitch in response to some memory. But Myra could still tell she was trying to bury something within her mind. Something more important than the rest.
Perhaps half an hour later, Alexandrius broke his connection suddenly. Myra blinked; it was too early for him to be finished, not if he was properly examining the valkyrie's mind for anything related to Diaz.
"Myra, we need to find Scarlet," Alexandrius said hoarsely. "Now."
"What is it?" Myra asked.
"It was just a distraction. The attack, everything. They weren't planning on it, but then you hurt Diaz's pride...but that doesn't matter. Myra, they're going after Scarlet. If everything went to plan, they're in the Crystal Palace as we speak."