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our world with their treachery.
I found and destroyed the last of their living creations six weeks
ago. And none had made their way any farther south than this
very city.”
    “Yes,” Deacon nodded. “I’ve been focusing on
the task of detecting anything that has the feel of D’Karon
handiwork, and there is nothing that would suggest any new spells
or conjurings are at work.”
    “Nevertheless, the Tressons see the D’Karon
creatures and the Alliance Army as one and the same. Their military
and leadership have been doing their best to keep the news of the
creatures a secret, but it is only a matter of time until word
spreads, and that could mean a new start to the war.”
    “This does not concern me. It was never my
goal to end the war. I was created to rid this world of outsiders,
and I have done so.”
    “Would you agree that if there is even a
chance that some D’Karon have been missed, then we cannot afford to
ignore them?”
    “If there was a chance, then certainly it
would be our obligation to seek them out no matter where they might
hide. But there is not a chance. I am certain I have done my
diligence. No D’Karon or D’Karon creation lives. Is that your only
reason for summoning me?”
    “No. Regardless of your feelings on the
subject, the rest of us are dedicated to preventing a new war if at
all possible. To that end, Deacon and I will be touring Tressor as
part of a diplomatic mission. The purpose of this tour will be to
locate and identify the cause of these attacks. If they are
D’Karon, we must eliminate them and make it clear they were not our
doing. If they are not, we should do our best to help our neighbors
to the south to be rid of them. In exchange for allowing us into
their kingdom, the Tressons would like permission to tour our land,
and they have requested the most honored among us to be their
guides. You specifically were requested to escort them on their
tour of the Ulvard region.”
    “I cannot imagine a greater waste of time.
What possible reason would I have to agree to such a thing?” Ether
asked.
    “Your queen as made this request of you. As a
subject and defender of her kingdom, your solemn duty is to honor
that request,” Myranda’s father said. His voice was steady, but the
rumble of anger hid behind his words.
    “I am not a subject of this kingdom. I
existed long before your kind arose and began drawing lines and
carving away land for yourselves. I owe no loyalty or allegiance to
your queen or any other. If that is all, I shall be on my way,”
Ether said, turning to leave.
    “I told you she couldn’t do it,” Ivy said
with a smirk. She tossed a boiled potato in her mouth, stuffing it
into one cheek to speak. “She can’t handle this sort of thing.”
    Ether turned back to Ivy, shooting her a
vicious look. “Do not think me too foolish to realize that you are
trying to manipulate me.”
    Ivy sipped at a tankard of water. “Doesn’t
matter if I’m manipulating you or not. It’s still true. To do this
tour you’d have to deal with people. You’d have to treat them with
dignity and respect. Answer questions and be patient if they didn’t
understand. You’d have to be nice . And you can’t do
that.”
    Myranda leaned back and tried to stifle a
smile. There were always sparks when Ivy and Ether got together,
but the malthrope had a special knack of pulling Ether’s strings in
the right directions.
    “Don’t you dare presume to tell me
what I cannot do,” Ether fumed.
    “I’m looking forward to being a diplomat.
It’s all about chatting with people and trying to win them over,
right? Who has more experience at that than I do?”
    “They have asked you to engage in this
folly?” Ether said.
    “Yep! They asked for me specifically .”
    Ether practically sizzled with anger while
the rest of the plates were set out. Finally she sat at the table
and, as though doing so caused her physical pain, said, “What
precisely would you have me do?”
    Ivy made a