Investigating the Assassinations [Private/Plot]

Everything around Ari seemed to freeze as the girl uttered her name. Lilly. As in Lilly and Father. THIS girl was part of an assassination duo? This tiny little girl with cute pink hair and an adorable smile that spoke of sunshine, not murder? How was that even possible? Ari scrambled further back, slipping in the blood again and simply staring in stunned horror. Someone had molded this innocent life to take the lives of others. Ari finally found her voice, asking the only question she could think of at the moment.

“Lilly?... Lilly, do you know where my mother is?”

Lilly giggled and moved closer to Ari, one of her hands revealing a small dagger, designed to perfectly fit in the girl’s small grasp. The tiny girl bobbed her head up and down.

“The pretty blonde lady from the dance? She followed me. Father said to never let anyone see me. She found my hiding spot, so I had to make sure she didn’t tell anyone. Cause it was a secret~”

Ari’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes bewildered. Her mother had confronted the maniacal child at the ball? Was she still alive?

“Did… where is she, Lilly? Where is my mother?”

Lilly frowned at the question, shaking her head and stamping her foot.

“I said I wanted to PLAY. NOW PLAY WITH ME!”

A look of madness crossed the face too small to even know what madness was and Lilly lunged towards Ari with her blade extended. Ari’s borg took the hit, but held as she scrambled back. Lilly lunged forward again, screaming ‘PLAY WITH ME!’ at the top of her lungs, driving the blade repeatedly into the condensed magoi that formed Ari’s borg. After another few hits, the borg shattered as Ari tried pulling herself up on a chair. The next drive of the dagger dug into Ari’s leg before she managed to kick the pink-haired monster away from her.

She rushed for the door, slipping and sliding in the blood on the floor and coming from her leg.

“Your mommy didn’t want to play with me either so I had to put her in time out. Then Father gave me a spanking cause I wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone else. But she was gonna tattle on me!”

Lilly lunged forward again, catching Ari in her arm, the gash causing Ari to drop her wand as her muscles spasmed. Finally seeming to find some semblance of wits, Ari gave the small girl a shove, sending her skidding across the floor before she scrambled for her wand with one hand and opened the door with the other. Lilly was having problems getting to her feet, which gave Ari a moment to back out of the classroom and slam the door shut behind her, holding the handle of the door tightly. The rage of the small girl could be heard behind the door as she struggled to wrench the door open, slamming her dagger repeatedly into the door in a fit of anger.

The screams of the girl had seemed to reach the office Wei was in, at last, and the woman came rushing down the hall, calling out to see what was going on. At the sound of Wei Tenji’s voice, the attempts to open the door stopped suddenly and all noise on the other side of the wood silenced. Ari panted, her eyes wide in terror and confusion, blood pouring from her arm and leg as she kept her hold on the door handle. Wei gently shook her shoulder, trying to discern what had happened, but Ari could not speak around the stone in her throat. She slid to the floor, her hand never leaving the knob holding the door shut as her mind tried to comprehend everything.

Ariella swallowed several times as she tried to gather her thoughts. She had seen some unusual, crazy, cruel and even maniacal people before. But not once had she ever seen such a malicious, rage filled child as the one she had trapped in the room. At the appearance of Wei Tenji, Ari forced herself to shift into a more professional mode of operation, clearing her throat.

“It seems the assassination attempts are not at an end. I need you to gather anyone left in the building and leave immediately. Find the nearest guard or security person and have them gather up several people and come here. Do not go anywhere alone, stay in a group. I do not know if you are the target or not, but I do not want to risk your life. Make sure all the children stay far away from the building.”

She swallowed again in contemplation, trying to decide how much to tell Wei Tenji about the identity of the assassin, before remembering how many children were around. She did not want them to be in danger because she excluded details.

“Wei… the assassin… it’s a little girl. She has light pink hair and looks to be about six…”

Wei’s look of disbelief was understandable, but the look of horror on Ari’s face seemed to convince her. The councilor gave a nod before rushing to gather the remaining teachers from the office and shepherd them towards the door. Once the building seemed to be empty, Ari grasped her wand firmly in her uninjured hand, not bothering with her injuries just yet. With a cautious pause, she listened for any sounds on the other side of the door. When it seemed to be silent, she opened the door with a creaking sound, looking behind it before her eyes scanned the room carefully. She did not catch sight of the girl immediately and her eyes fell to the open window, making her curse under her breath. She edged into the room, checking under all of the tables and in the closets before moving over to the window. There were smears of blood leading out of the window, confirming her suspicion that Lilly had escaped out of the building. The sound of running footsteps behind her alerted her to the guards approaching and she straightened, her face falling to a mask of calm professionalism, or as much as she could muster. She spoke loudly over the exclamations of disgust and horror.

“The person you are looking for is a small girl of about six with bright pink hair. I know it sounds crazy, but I assure you, this is the case. Approach her with extreme caution, she looks harmless but has a small dagger that is very sharp, I can attest to that.”

Some of the guards murmured in disbelief but several went back outside to search for the girl. Ari took a few moments to examine the room in more depth, wanting to make sure she had not missed anything in her initial overview. In one of the closets, she noticed several buckets and pulled them out, finding it strange that the classroom would have such items in it. Once the light was able to reach them, she saw there was still blood pooled in the bottom and dripping down the side. Not allowing herself to feel relief, she still had a hope that this was a sign that no students had been harmed but rather, the entire scene was a grotesque prank pulled by a vicious child.

Until she could confirm this, she would not get her hopes too high, but it would explain how the room came to be coated in blood without anyone hearing an attack. She turned to the two remaining guards and pointed this out to them, giving them as many details as she could about what had happened in the room since she had entered. Feeling confident that the guards could handle the matter from here, she went in search of Wei Tenji and the teachers. Finding them a block away, huddled in the street, she approached Wei with a tired look.

“It appears she has escaped, so I want everyone to be alert and on guard. This girl, she… she looked so innocent, until she pulled out that knife. I would suggest canceling classes until the room is able to be cleaned, or possible consider having a field trip or something. I do not want any of you going anywhere alone, not the children, not teachers and certainly not you, Councilor Tenji. I will have guards escort you back to your offices while I check in with the different security personnel.”

Wei nodded in understanding, the group waiting for the guards to come and escort them to gather their belonging and see them safely to their homes, Wei showing concern over Ari’s injuries. The magician waved off the concern, her wounds burning mightily, but she could deal with that later. For now, she needed to speak with Carmen and see where the information the little girl received was coming from. Remembering the messaging system the woman had detailed to her, she left a message with the appropriate person before heading back to her inn. She had planned to fill her father in, but seeing her injured would not help either of them, so she would simply await the arrival of Carmen in her room and figure out where to go from there.

When Carmen had left Ariella after their prior meeting, she had immediately set out several encrypted messages. Two were sent to two of the cells within her region, one was sent to headquarters, one was sent to Narpolia and the last was sent to Portsmouth. They messages had different information in each, a majority of them simply informing their various branches to keep high alert on any assassins that they note and to send the reports back to her in regards to any sightings or movements they detected as soon as possible. To Headquarters, she explained that Adamus Negri's daughter was searching into her mother's death, and that Carmen had provided details to assist her in accordance to Takegawa Iatsu's prior orders.

---

A man was riding atop a black steed, at a rate that would cause onlookers to gape in amazement. The creature was of an unknown breed, and seemed to have excellent stamina. The only thing keeping him from standing out was the fact that he was not taking the main roads. A bird flew above him, and he whistled, holding his arm out to the sky. The bird circled. Once. Twice. It landed upon his arm, and he took the message from it, reading it briefly before reattaching it to the bird and redeploying it towards its initial destination. "The work just piles and piles." He shook his head, looking back towards the city he had been advancing towards. It would only be a few hours until dark. A few hours until he entered Remano.

---

Carmen approached Ariella's room, knocking on the door before entering. This time, she was a bit more polite with her approach. [b][color=black]"It's Carmen. I got your message, and came as soon as possible." It was not quite that late into the evening, and the woman wore her hair down. Today, it was a deep red, which matched her lipstick.

Ari scribbled in the Journey book, taking the time to give Azix the rather lengthy explanation of what had come of her investigations thus far.

Azix,
Checked in with Wei Tenji, the new school erected in the slums looks fantastic and is filled with learning children. It seems to be a success!

Now for the less pleasant part of the update. After investigation, with the help of Garret’s security team, we have managed to narrow down the suspects in the assassinations. They are being done by a pair called Father and Lilly. Unfortunately, I have had a run-in with Lilly, who turns out to be a sadistic, psychotic little girl with a very sharp knife. Someone has leaked that I was investigating the murders and she had a trap set up. I was able to escape relatively unharmed, but my shock at the assassin being a small child prevented me from capturing her.

It would seem that they are responsible for the disappearance of my mother. Though I have no confirmation, I fear my mother has been killed. At the very least, she has been harmed. I do not know who revealed my investigation to them, but the only ones who were aware I had gotten anywhere were Carmen and my father, though King Lagi had granted me permission to look into the case.

I have been very careful to make sure not to visit the farm, for fear of leading someone there. I promise to be careful going forward, but felt I had to tell someone I could trust about what has happened so far, just in case. Please be careful on your return to Remano, as I am not sure how much information has been shared or by whom.

Thinking of you ~Ari

Setting down the pen, she was about to begin cleaning her wounds when she heard a knock at the door. Quickly hiding the Journey Book away, she looked up in time to see Carmen enter. She gave the woman an angry look, barely containing the rage boiling up as she considered reaching for her wand. Instead, she went about cleaning the deep gash left on her leg by Lilly’s dagger, her voice bordering on vicious.

“Did you sell me out?”

Carmen looked at Ariella, who clearly looked angry as she looked like she was contemplating murder. She began cleaning a gash left in her leg by what looked to be a bladed weapon, and Carmen whistled, impressed at the wound. Ariella asked her if she had betrayed the Magician's confidence. Carmen couldn't help but snort as she put her hands on her hips. "Ari, if we sold you out, you'd be in a lot more trouble than you are now. Our orders are to assist your father and, by extension, yourself." She sighed, looking over the wound on Ariella once more as her face took on a more concerned visage. She briefly considered telling Ari to back away from the investigation, since it seemed like she was getting in over her head. Yet, at the same time, she knew a stubborn personality when she saw one. Especially with that look on Ari's face; any such suggestion would only create suspicion.

She shook her head, and instead took a different approach. "Fact that you're still living means it wasn't Martello Greymist... Now, tell me about what happened. Any ideas on which group it was? What can we help you with? An extra blade beside you? Legwork?" Something in the back of Carmen's mind had began to shift, and the woman noted the brief moment of discomfort. Why had she felt that way? She focused back on Ariella, as she did not want to miss what the woman had to say next.

Ari sighed as she finished with the wound on her leg before shrugging her arm out of her shirt and cleaning the gash there as well.

"Well, I know exactly who it is, but its not who you think... or how you think, I should say. Father and Lilly. Somehow, they knew that not only I would be shadowing Wei Tenji, but that we were going to tour the new school. That... that monster... she...."

Ari took a deep breath, focusing on cleaning the wound while she caught her emotions and bundled them up.

"They at the very least HARMED my mother... I am assuming she is dead at this point. Lilly confirmed that my mother caught her on the night of the ball and 'threatened to tattle on her.' When I was touring the school... one of the rooms... it was literally painted in blood. We found buckets, so I am praying to any god that will listen that she stopped at a butcher shop first. None of the kids seems to be missing, as of right now. But, she knew my name."

Ari took another deep breath, wrapping both wounds with gauze. She would heal them later, for now, the pain was helping to keep her mind on the right track instead of on the horrifying scene at the school. She still had trouble comprehending how someone that young could be that skilled, and that cruel.

"One minor detail your information did not have available. Lilly is a little girl. About six..."

She looked up to Carmen, waiting to see the reaction on the woman's face, trying to detect any signs of deceit.

"They at the very least HARMED my mother... I am assuming she is dead at this point. Lilly confirmed that my mother caught her on the night of the ball and 'threatened to tattle on her.' When I was touring the school... one of the rooms... it was literally painted in blood. We found buckets, so I am praying to any god that will listen that she stopped at a butcher shop first. None of the kids seems to be missing, as of right now. But, she knew my name."

Carmen took in a sudden breath when she had heard Ariella mention that her mother was likely dead. She knew that diplomatic relationships between Magnostadt and Kou were strained, at best, but she also knew that Garret's orders weren't solely based on that aspect. The man had a certain sense of pride about his work, and a single-mindedness. Then there was also the respect for Adamus' strength that she had seen in Garret's features the night of the ball, not too long ago. Garret would likely view that news as a failure on his own self, though they were not in charge of the security directly. Regardless, Ariella had made contact with what was previously an unknown presence; Lilly.

Shortly thereafter, Ariella explained that Lilly was a child that looked six years of age. Something about Carmen's appearance changed, a dark look flitting across her features. "Ari... It is a sad truth, in our world, that there are those out there that will train children from an extremely young age to kill. You mentioned before that child killers normally aren't skilled. That's true. Yet with enough practice in training a child assassin, and with 'luck'..." Carmen used the word 'luck' with disgust, clearly disliking the thought of children being used as assassins. "You'll sometimes have a genius. I'm told, from other agents, that Kou even has some programs they call 'Advanced Placement' training for children, where they raise..." As if realizing she was talking too much, Carmen trailed off and didn't finish the sentence. She stared off, past Ariella, as if contemplating something.

Carmen spoke up, again, but the topic seemed somewhat off the current line of thought. The words came out as if she were a bit distant, not quite all there. "You know, Ari, I love my country. But sometimes, you have to make a hard choice. A choice between two evils. And you have to really have faith in your decision. Trust your judgement, and hope that the 'evil' you chose was not hiding something festering beneath its surface..." She focused back to the Magician, and began speaking in her regular tone. "Is there anything we can help with? Or, perhaps, it may just be wisest to keep your plans to yourself. Less chance for somebody to overhear us. Less chance to get yourself into danger." She seemed genuinely concerned for Ariella, though it wasn't due to them being the best of friends.

Ari twisted her face in disgust at the mention of skilled child assassins, not even able to comprehend what it must do to a child's mind to do that type of work. It was one thing for a fully developed mind to knowingly take a life. But to train one from such a young age to accept that killing is a marketable skill? That was truly the scum at the bottom of a puddle.

"I am at a loss, honestly. If I tell my father about the attack, he will do everything in his power to keep me from continuing. After seeing what Lilly is capable of, on her own, I can't let her just wander the streets. She was in a school, Carmen. A school that Azix and I both put a lot of effort into. Around children we are trying to give a chance to. I can't stop looking now. Next time, I will simply have to be more prepared, I suppose."

She shrugged her arm back into the sleeve of her shirt once it was bandaged, the wounds almost numb as she tried to think of the next step to take.

"I am sure I couldn't keep my actions secret from your... organization. I won't try. But I won't discuss it openly. Just... make sure that the moment Azix returns, he is informed. I have sent a message to Azix, but... if anything should happen? I need to know he will be given a full brief."

She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands, feeling much older than she was before shaking herself mentally and physically. When she looked up to Carmen again, her face was hard, as though prepared for battle.

"I may hold no lost love for my mother, but for my father's sake, I have to have confirmation. I have to know exactly what happened. If they leak isn't with your group, then I need to find out where it is. Aside from you and my father, the only people that would have a hint of where I would be are people in the Councilor's offices. Maybe keep an eye out there, if you can? Either way, I have to go back tomorrow, make sure Wei Tenji is okay."

She offered only the smallest of smiles to Carmen.

"Thank you for coming so promptly. Keep an eye out for a girl, about waist high. Pink hair, innocent smile. And one very deadly, custom made dagger. At least it's a starting point, right?"

She still was not sure she could trust the woman, but nothing about the woman's words screamed of deceit. Then again, it was their job to be less than honest when the occasion called for it. For now, she would simply have to trust her gut, her father had always said it was one of her greatest assets.

Carmen listened to Ariella's request, and affirmed her intentions to do just as she requested. "I will do so at the earliest time possible. We'll be keeping an eye out for him..." The next words would, perhaps, come at something of a shock to Ariella. It may even give her cause to fear. "Though it would help to know where he actually went. Do you happen to know where he went? You mentioned you sent a letter to Azix. Where should we watch out for him at? He's disappeared..."

The fact that not even Carmen knew where Garret was could have meant a variety of things, with some of those implications being fairly damning. Yet Carmen did not seem to have a moment of pause in her words as she continued speaking. "Ari... Be careful. While killer children can be brought to the right path and rehabilitated, you shouldn't risk your life for that. If it comes down to it... Try to be prepared." Carmen had a difficult time getting that last sentence out. Just the thought of it left a bad taste in her mouth, and she doubted she would be able to do such a thing. Taking the life of an adult was one thing, but children would be another matter entirely.

Ari raised a brow at Carmen's question, trying to hold back a laugh. This was an intelligence organization and they did not even know where Marquis Azix Niraj went. The man responsible for the creation and expansion of the Workforce Initiative.

"He is in Imuchakk, seeing about getting the Workforce Initiative set up and running. I would assume, if both went away at the same time, that Garret is with him, probably. They seemed familiar enough with each other at the Coronation Ceremony."

So it seemed this woman also had no knowledge that a dungeon had been located in the icy tundra. Odd. At Carmen's warning, she nodded.

"Do not worry. Next time, I will not hesitate to defend against her attacks. And while the idea of catching her alive is a nice one, I do not see her willingly going into custody. I will do what is necessary to ensure the safety of the people. Whatever that may mean."

She certainly did not like the idea of having to kill a child, but she would do what she had to.

"Anything else you would like to know?"

Carmen shook her head. "No, we'll simply keep a look out in the two port cities... No, Portsmouth will likely be the one that will be returned to. We'll keep a look out for the both of them, and inform them of the matter as soon as we find them." After saying her final farewell, Carmen left and immediately made her way to one of the safe houses.

After taking several routes, for safety purposes and throwing off any possible tails, Carmen did a quick switch on her clothing in a series of alley ways. She wiped the makeup off her lips, making sure to clear it completely, and reversed the outer layer of clothing she wore. It revealed a completely different outfit. Once she had returned to the safe house, she made sure to go through the lengthy process of changing her hair color; a magical potion, that she used fairly often, to keep her image changing. She was mumbling to herself. "I'll have to follow her... From a distance." Carmen got prepared for a stake our on Ariella's residence. Once Ariella would leave the place, she would give a good deal of distance to the woman before following...

---

The man stabled his horse at an inn; it was the inn that Ariella was staying at. He walked into it and paid the innkeeper. "Two weeks." There was enough, exactly, for the two week stay that the man requested. He threw a few more coins onto the counter. "Feed for the horse. I've stabled him already. I'll be out." After having stated that, he left the inn and began traveling the streets of Remano. It looked like he was wandering aimlessly, yet it seemed there was some method to his madness. A woman passed by him, and he grinned. Turning around, he began to follow her from a distance. The woman was staking out the inn he had paid to stay at, and now he was shadowing the woman.

After Carmen left her room, Ari sighed and rubbed her face, her mind cluttered with all of the information floating through it, combining with images of what had happened at the school. Little girl or no, she could not allow such a psychotic person to remain a danger to the city and its people. Knowing she needed rest, she dug through the drawer in her bedside table, pulling out a small vial. The medicine would help her to fall into a dreamless sleep, as she did not think she could handle any nightmares right now. She idly wished Nilexa were here to cuddle up to her and made her feel more secure. But the winged serpent was busy with her nest of eggs, the idea of it making Ari smile. Soon, there would be several tiny versions of Nilexa and Kabu floating around.

Ariella sighed for the fifteenth time today, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Shadowing Cassandra was exhausting, the woman took it upon herself to visit several nobles in the area to try and garner more donations for the social reform acts for Reim. While Ari understood the necessity of such fundraising, it was dull. The majority of the time was spent trading gossip and pleasantries, something she had seen all too often growing up. It seemed that not a dime could be spent towards the reforms of the country unless three times that was spent ‘entertaining’ Councilor Cassandra, first. Ari had no patience for the small talk and pleasantries the people involved forced out and found it difficult to hide her frustrations.

Any time Cassandra would ask if she were alright, she would wave away the concern, stating she had a headache. It not was not completely a lie, her head was pounding after the fourth visit the woman made, the shrill voices of the patrons grinding against every last nerve she had. Cassandra seemed to fair much better, but she was also imbibing wine at each meeting. Perhaps that was how she could stand to meet with so many frivolous people in a single day. Ari longed for even a single glass of wine, but refrained. She was acting in a guarding capacity, it would do little good to imbibe while on duty. During each stop, she would first look around the perimeter of the household being entered before checking each of the rooms for any signs of Lilly. Once she deemed it was as safe as she could, she would allow Cassandra to enter the premises while keeping an eye on the streets from the windows.

She spent her time watching each and every person that passed on the road, judging if there was any possibility of the passerby being Lilly or the elusive ‘Father’ Lilly referred to. So far, no one seemed likely to be a suspect, but she kept a close watch, regardless.

After an exceedingly long day, Ari bid Cassandra farewell, surprised to find that she did not dislike the woman, just what her job required of her. She seemed very intent on keeping as much of Reim’s culture intact as possible with the influx of Kou presence in the country. She was friendly with those from her country and seemed to care a great deal about concerns brought to her by the citizens. Trudging back to her inn, Ari flopped into her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Ari’s next several days were spent accompanying Chuge Don on his duties, which sent him to several unsafe portions of the city. While the man had military training, it never hurt to have a second set of eyes and he begrudgingly allowed her presence on his travels. Chuge went from one barracks to the next, inspecting the progress of the Reim military and keeping a close eye out for any signs of an impending resistance. His first two days were spent in Remano itself, making sure each of the barrack groups were aware of the growing assassination problem and stressing the importance of security around key personnel in the city.

The third day, Chuge Don and Ari rode out to Portsmouth. Ari was surprised to see a Kou ship when they arrived, a warning flag going up in her mind. The Councilor promptly boarded the ship with Ari in tow and she saw the ship was full of Kou military. The warning flag waved stronger at seeing the large group of soldiers and boxes of weapons. Chuge Don reassured her, stating it was simply a means to begin the integration of Kou and Reim together. He claimed it would improve the strength of both sides as they learned from each other. Ari nodded at his explanation but made plans to inform Azix as soon as possible of the arrival of more troops.

Though there was still unrest in the city, the low impact of the current Kou population had kept the citizens of Reim from rioting about being under Kou control. With the influx of more soldiers, she knew there would be repercussions. There was little she could do, other than keep an eye out and inform Azix. Hopefully, he would have a better idea of what to do. After a swift inspection of the troops and a short conversation with the captain of the ship, they were on their way back into the city to talk about the placement of the various troops that were arriving. It seemed there would be an even dispersal of the Kou troops to the existing Reim troops to keep the impact on each barracks minimal.

She saw no sign of Lilly in the bustling city that was far more developed than her last visit and she could not say she was disappointed. While she would like the situation to be done and over with so she could return to Kios, she was not looking forward to the battle itself. They remained in Portsmouth for another day, seeing off the ship as it returned to Kou to fetch more soldiers and citizens. As they were about to head out of the town, one of the Reim soldiers came rushing up, waving a paper in his hand at Chuge Don.

Reading the paper, an angry expression covered the man’s face and he showed the paper to Ari. It seemed the night before, Lilly had struck in Reim again, taking out two military officers on their way to their homes. The two men served in separate barracks on opposite sides of the city and Ari frowned. By all appearances, there was no way for Lilly to be in two places at once, hinting that Father had been involved in these murders. She remembered speaking to both of the men before leaving for Portsmouth and she grimaced at how this would affect their families.

She gave the messenger a sharp nod before looking to Chuge Don, who responded by digging his heels into his horse. Ari followed suit and they rushed back to Remano as fast as their horses could safely carry them. As they rode, Ari thought to who the informant could be. Neither Carmen nor her father knew which councilors she would be following which days, and neither were aware of her trip to Portsmouth. The likeliness of them being the informants had diminished to near nothing, which left only someone in the offices of the Councilors. The idea made her grimace, there were dozens of pages and assistants for the councilors and any one of them could be providing information, either willingly or under duress.

Deciding to think more on the topic once she had a chance to clear her mind, she parted from Chuge Don when he arrived at his residence. She stopped at her inn to stable her horse before taking a winding path to the message area Carmen had indicated, leaving the woman a short note about what she had discovered thus far. Not bothering to request a meeting, as it would pointless, she simply wanted to keep the woman in the loop so there would hopefully be a chain of communication to be shared if something went awry.

Ari pulled out her Journey Book, scribbling another message to Azix. She hoped the book kept messages until they were read and did not simply write over what was already in there.

Azix,

Lost two military officials to Lilly while following Chuge Don. Kou troops beginning to arrive in Portsmouth. Informer likely to be someone in the councilors’ offices. Sorry for short note, exhausted. Will try to write more when rested.

Thinking of you fondly,
Ari

She tucked the journey book and fell back onto her pillow, exhausted.

---

She was woken by a frantic pounding at her door and she groggily opened the door to the inn keeper.

“Miss Negri, someone got to the horses. All of them in the stable have been slaughtered!”

Ari sighed and dropped her head, giving the inn keeper a nod and thanking her for the information. It seemed she was getting closer. She mourned the loss of her mount, the mare had served her well. It was likely Lilly was just trying to send a message to her, that she knew where the magician was staying and could come for her at any point. This was not encouraging in the slightest.

Lilly slipped into the tent of sleeping soldiers, her tiny feet whispering across the ground with barely a sound. Time and silence were of the essence, so she slipped from one sleeping mat to the next, slitting the throats of each of the Kou soldiers in succession, making sure her blade sliced deep and true on the first try to keep any of them from alerting the others. The guard that had been keeping watch had been dispatched in a similar manner, though she had snuck up behind him. The entire group of soldiers was dead within minutes, the blood coating the ground. From each of the men, she took a single shiny object, a button or a chain, a necklace or ring when she found one. Her collection was growing.

---

Father’s step were light, and the illusion around him was strong. To anyone observing him, he would appear as a young woman as he walked through the streets. Every few blocks, the appearance of the illusion changed to a different woman. Lilly should be at the other group of soldiers by this point. Knowing her impatience, he had best hurry. As he got closer to the barracks of the newly arrived Kou soldiers, his image slowly shifted to take on Lilly’s appearance. When he entered the building through an open window, all of the soldiers were asleep, aside from the guard at the front. He stayed in the window as he pulled out his wand, forcing the entire room to fill with brilliant, scorching light. The sleeping soldiers did not even have a chance to scream as the light scorched away their life with piercing brilliance. The guard at the front was far enough from the point of detonation of the light bomb that his legs were singed, but he was alive. And now screaming. With Lilly’s demented smile, Father giggled and waved at the man before jumping down from the window sill and began walking away.

Sadly, two kids were in the alley as ‘Lilly’ jumped from the window, gawking at the illusion in disbelief. Father sighed, he hated when there were unexpected witnesses. He preferred when things were clean and easy. But, it could not be helped, his wand was still in his hand and two beams of light later had the children dead in the alley. Looking down at the children, he noticed they had emblems from a guild he remembered hearing had been disbanded. Shaking his head, he made his way from the scene, his appearance again shifting every few blocks. This time it was between men, women and children, just to make sure anyone attempting to follow him would be thoroughly confused.

With two killings taking place in two different locations, they would have a more difficult time pinning anything down, especially since the one living witness would have seen Lilly. Hopefully it would be enough to throw that infuriating Negri girl. He did not want to have to kill the daughter of one of his old friends, but he would do it if he had to. This was not a job to take risks in.

---

Carmen sat from across the street, within a building that had a good view of the Inn Ariella was staying at. She kept an eye out, waiting to see anything suspicious, yet nothing occurred. It wasn't until morning, when a stable-hand came running out, that she noted something was wrong. Cursing under her breath, she briefly wondered if she should intervene.

The moment passed, and she sat still, watching. No. Now is not yet the time. I will simply continue to follow her...

Ariella sighed as she rubbed her eyes, she had not gotten much sleep the night before after hearing about the horses, but she had a job to do. Councilor Roark was expecting her in just a bit. At least he was staying in the office, so she would get the opportunity to keep an eye on the people working in the offices. She was fairly certain it was someone in the office providing the information to Father and Lilly, it was the only logical explanation for how they knew when and where to hit without being caught.

With a tired groan, she rolled out of bed and changed her clothing, knowing it would not do to show up rumpled and disheveled. Her feet dragged as she made her way downstairs, offering the woman at the front desk a smile before heading out the door. Her steps were not enthusiastic as she made her way to the offices of the Councilors, but her feet had stopped dragging by the time she arrived. She checked in at the front before following the secretary’s directions to Roark’s office. Giving a polite knock before opening the door, Roark looked up with a gruff ‘Enter’ and nodding her to a chair. Almost collapsing into the offered seat, she looked around the office.

“You look tired, Miss Negri.”

She looked up, slightly surprised the man had even taken notice.

“Sorry, sir. Apparently, my horse and all the others in the stable I keep it at, were killed in the middle of the night. Made for a restless evening.”

Roark gave a nod as he flipped through papers, speaking as he read the reports in front of him.

“You were expecting to make enemies with this, I assume. If they are feeling the noose tighten, it is no surprise they would lash out with threats.”

Ari nodded in agreement, running her fingers through her hair to settle it into place.

“So, why does the security team feel it is necessary for us to have a guard while in the office? I am certain I am capable of defending myself just fine.”

Ari gave a polite smile.

“Sorry, sir, it is just protocol. The evidence points to someone in these offices being the informant to the assassins. So, this will help me keep an eye on who comes and goes, when and where, that kind of thing.”

Roark gave a nod of acknowledgement before signing off on a report. He spent several hours reading and signing papers while Ari kept her eye on the door of his office, watching people come and go. When the sun was high in the sky, Councilor Elric stopped by the office and offered to bring them both back lunch. She gave him a grateful smile and Roark simply grunted a reply. When Elric returned with the food, she gave him and polite bow before picking at her dish, hoping the food would give her more energy to keep from passing out on her guard duty.

By mid-afternoon, Roark caught her nodding off and coughed loudly to wake her up.

“Miss Negri, please accompany me for a walk. I need to stretch after being behind this desk all day and I think you could also use some movement. Unless guards are supposed to sleep on duty?”

Ari gave a sheepish smile before rising from her chair, stretching out her back and then letting her hand wrap around her wand. Should any danger happen to appear, she would be prepared. Roark led her from the offices and to what looked like a massive stable. He gave a whistle and clambering out from the back of the corral came a massive creature with two heads and three faces and Ari had to choke back the urge to emit a scream. The creature came up to Roark and one of the heads leaned down to allow the councilor to pet the scales. Ari did her best to keep her cool, the large beast giving her chills. The second head swooped down to eye level with her, looking at her curiously and she carefully reached out a hand to give it a tentative pat. The creature seemed pleased with the attention and allowed her to pet it before raising back up. When Roark spoke, his voice was full of pride.

“This is one of my crowning achievements. A beautiful legend beast for the leader of the El Nagi clan. And now my son sits upon the throne of Reim and will soon have a legend beast of his own. It is a great boon for the El Nagi clan. We are a strong people and a proud people. We shall continue to flourish.”

Ari nodded idly, keeping an eye out around them, both to keep an eye out for assassination attempts and to avoid looking at the creepy creature. After a few more minutes, they returned to the offices, both feeling refreshed after the small reprieve from the office. When they arrived, Elric was there, looking disturbed at the piece of paper in his hand, which he promptly handed to Roark. Roark scanned the document, his face growing angry.

“Dammit! How could this keep happening? And in two places?”

Elric nodded, pointing to another part of the document.

“It seems there was one left alive from the group in Remano, he confirmed the appearance of a small girl with pink hair. The other group had no survivors, but it seems to fit the pattern. There is still no way she could have been in two places at once.”

Ari frowned as Roark handed her the paper, her face falling at seeing the details of the two groups of soldiers from Kou being slaughtered. It seemed someone was trying to start a war, by the looks of things. Both Reim and Kou people seemed to be the main targets and she recognized the listed troops as being ones that had been coming off the boat in Portsmouth. Kou would not respond well to this. She could not be everywhere and she could not seem to find a pattern for when or where Lilly was striking, aside from any place Ariella was not at. Resisting the urge to crumple the memo, she handed it back to Roark and fell into the chair with a sigh.

“I don’t know what else to do. She seems to be anyplace but around me. Security has been increased, as many people have been informed as possible, and I’m shadowing you. Someone in this office is giving her details, of that much, I am certain. Has anybody been acting suspiciously?”

She looked to both of the councilor and they both shook their heads. Ari rubbed her hands over her face, at a loss for what to do. Not knowing how else to proceed, she looked to Elric.

“Well, sir… next week, I will shadow you. See if maybe taking a few days away lessens the number of deaths piling up. She obviously does not appreciate my interference. I will check with your secretary, Councilor Elric, to see about next week. For now, I think I need to confer with a few friends…”

Her words drifted off as she tried to think of anyone that could help in this situation. Maybe Carmen would be able to help, but she wasn’t sure what all the woman could offer in the way of assistance. If nothing else, at least it would be good to update her and see if the intelligence operative had any better ideas. Bidding the two men farewell, she checked in with the guard at the front of the building, making sure both men would have escorts to their homes. Once she ensured that, she left a message for Carmen at the proper location before heading back to her inn.

She asked for some soup to be delivered to her room then went upstairs and collapsed back on her bed. Sleep was not a worry she had, the dark rings under her eyes were evidence of its elusiveness. She waited patiently for the soup to arrive as she stared up at the ceiling, her mind sifting through all of the information she had gathered so far. She had been leaving notes to keep her father somewhat up to date on the investigation, but she had glossed over many of the details, wanting to keep him as far from this as possible. If he knew the danger involved, he would likely lock her in a magical prison until he had found and killed Lilly and Father. She could not allow him to become a target.

Adamus walked into the small restaurant, looking around for a secluded table. Finding one in the corner, he sat down and asked the waitress to bring a pot of tea and two cups before awaiting Carmen’s arrival. He was surprised to hear from the woman, Ari had made it seem like everything was under control and he had been looking into the groups she had indicated, but found nothing regarding the assassinations in Remano.


Carmen had been trailing Ariella for some time, but had also been receiving reports via carrier pigeons at select intervals. While her mark hadn’t run into any real danger during the past activity of shadowing Roark, she seemed to be getting closer to the truth of the matter. The problem was that the reports they had been receiving didn’t help to narrow many of the groups down. They had determined that the new councilor, Elric, was to be Ariella’s next choice of councilor to shadow and Carmen had immediately requested the information available on the man. When nothing pulled up, other than Elric being an individual from Magnostadt, Carmen couldn’t help but contact Adamus in order to cross reference possibilities.

With that in mind, the woman walked into the small restaurant and saw that Adamus had already selected a spot to sit at. Today, Carmen wore her hair (brown, this time) in a frizzy manner with dull clothing and no make-up, showing her skill at disguises. She headed towards Adamus’ table and took a seat. ”I’m glad you were able to free up some of your time to meet me.”


Adam glanced up as Carmen spoke to him, rising from his seat to give her a small bow before gesturing to the seat across from him.

“It was not a problem, though I was somewhat surprised to hear from you. I assume it must be at least somewhat important.”

He gave the waitress a friendly nod before pouring them both a cup.


Carmen smiled towards the waitress while she was there, waiting for her to leave before she continued the conversation with the magician from Magnostadt. ”Yes. I’m sure you’re up to date with your daughter’s reports to you, but after she had shadowed the first councilor and came across one of the assassins we started to dig into everything we could for each councilor…”

Adamus set the cup roughly onto the table mid-sip.

”She made CONTACT?”

He immediately quieted his tone, but his face was troubled, Ella had said that nothing eventful had happened during her shadowing of the councilors. He gestured for Carmen to continue, though his knuckles were white around the handle of his cup.


Carmen’s eyes went wide at his reaction, immediately understanding that the man’s daughter hadn’t been completely forward when dealing with her father. She glanced around the room and relaxed herself in order to make them stand out less. She let out a lighthearted laugh and, in a conversational tone, replied. ”That’s the same thing I thought, when I first spoke to her!” She immediately went to a quieter voice; the entire thing was simply in order to throw off anyone who may have been interested in listening in on their conversation. Frowning, Carmen picked up her cup of tea from above, rotating it on a vertical axis while looking thoughtfully towards Adamus. ”It seems as if you aren’t fully up to date, then. From what she told us, the individual is a little girl, pink haired, and is known as ‘Lilly’. But she isn’t the reason I wanted to speak to you. We know that Ariella is going to be trailing the new Reim Councilor around, but we couldn’t find out much about him. We want to know his normal routes, or places he likes to go to, or anything that could tip us off as to where somebody would strike if they wanted to plan an ambush. I figure, well, since the man is from Magnostadt and claims competency there, you might have some information on him. Not too sure how much you keep up with Reim politics, but the man’s name is Elric Stein.”


Adamus listened to the words, his face growing more and more troubled as he heard about the little girl. When Carmen began asking about the new councilor, his first thought was that he would know nothing, as he did not keep up with Reim politics, but when she mentioned they were from Magnostadt, he lifted an eyebrow. When he heard the name, both brows nearly touched his hairline in shock.

“Elric Stein? I know him. I know him very well. Best illusion magician I have ever seen and nasty with a katana as well. We taught together and served together when necessary. He was a friend of the family, until he chose to leave the Academy. He and his wife had a little girl, she died giving birth. But their daughter had no magical inclination and he did not want to separate her from the only parent she had. So the last I heard, he moved to Balbadd. Was sad to see him go, he was a great man. Adius was old enough to remember him, but Ella probably would not. Shocked to see him getting involved with Reim politics, though. He never had a taste for it. Much rather wave a wand or sword than listen to people rant about pointless things. Wonder how his daughter is doing.”

He took another sip of tea, mulling over the information. Elric had been a monster with his blade, combining it with his illusions to make a man wet himself before being killed. But in the classroom, there was no one better, he was patient and kind with the students. And he adored his daughter. It was baffling that he would take up politics, though a man had to make a living somehow.


Carmen spoke with Adamus for a short while later, simple pleasantries to wrap things up before she left.

---

Carmen had received the request from Ariella to meet up shortly after she had spoken with Adamus. She had the time to go back and change, once again donning a new guise before heading out to the inn that the magician was staying at. She entered into Ariella’s room as she had done the previous time; knocking first and announcing herself before awaiting an affirmative from Ariella to enter.

Ari was sipping at her soup when another knock rang out. She set the soup to the side, running a hand through her tangled hair to at least appear somewhat presentable before calling out for the person to enter, assuming it would be Carmen.

When Carmen walked in, she would see Ari looking disheveled and slightly lost, dark rings under her eyes and her normally sun-kissed skin almost ashy. Ari waved the woman towards the chair tiredly, taking another sip of her soup.

"Hey, Carmen. Figured it would be best to keep you updated and see if you had any ideas..."

Ari's voice would simply reinforce her exhaustion as she relayed everything she had found out, from the recent deaths, to what she had heard while shadowing each of the councilors and her suspicions that it had to be someone in the councilor's offices.

"So, that is what I have been up to. I shadow Concilor Elric next and then I am all out of ideas. Don't suppose you have anything new and exciting? Maybe some epic idea that gets results, other than people being slaughtered left and right?"

Carmen walked into the room and watched the woman before her. This entire time, Ariella had been acting without knowledge of any real backup being there for her if things got bad. She briefly wondered what kind of emotions she would feel, were she in the woman's shoes. There was a time, once, when Azix had first joined that their mission details had become bone-bare sparse. Yet even still, she had Garret as a leader, and Azix was able to pull his weight... during the beginning. Near the middle, he kind of drifted off. Focusing back on the conversation between Ariella and herself, Carmen mentally nodded to herself. They knew of the deaths as well, and the likelihood of there being some sort of mole or leak in the councilor's offices.

When Ariella asked her if there was anything new to share, she chewed her lip thoughtfully. ”We looked into the backgrounds of the Councilors to see if there is any pattern, or perhaps any habits that they have so we can ambush the assassin’s ambush. We had difficulty finding information on one of the newer councilors, Elric Stein. We did manage to get some information about him, however. The man is a Magician, skilled at illusions, but from his background it seems strange for him to have chosen a life of politics. I’m willing to bet that he will travel around a lot more than the other councilors, choosing to stay away from the Palace except when his duties absolutely force him to. As such, he’s the highest risk of being ambushed simply by being the one who spends the least time in the palace. Or so I would think.”


Once Carmen had finished discussing the matter with Ariella, she would make her way to the door and open it, putting one foot out before pausing. She turned around, slowly, and stuck her head through the door. ”Oh… And, uh.. I didn’t realize you hadn’t told your father about Lilly. He seemed upset. Sorry.” She quickly pulled her head away from the door, closing it, and ran away.

Carmen would have to get to a good spot to start trailing Ariella as soon as possible, but her first job was to make sure Ariella didn’t try to follow her!

Carmen’s information had proven to be more than she had gathered, but not of too much use, though it was good to know the Elric was likely to be in more danger than the other councilors. She nodded to the woman in appreciation, watching the woman about to leave before mentioning her father. At the woman’s words, Ariella froze, her eyes wide in shock before her door shutting brought her back to reality. She contemplated chasing after the woman and beating her within an inch of her life, but instead sighed and slumped on the bed. It was her own fault for not telling her father sooner. That just meant she needed to find somewhere to hide out until she finished what she was hoping to accomplish, else her father would skin her alive. She grabbed her bag and threw some clothes in it with her Journey Book before heading out the door, stopping at the desk long enough to tell the keep she would be back soon and not to give her room out, paying her to keep an eye on anyone that came or went.

Lugging the bag over her shoulder, she closed her eyes to better remember the path the Azix’ house, knowing that no one was likely to find her there. The hide out in the slums was too open to be secure, or she would have used that instead. Tugging her cloak down over her face, she took an erratic path to Azix’ place in Remano, occasionally taking the time to change her appearance slightly and doubling her path back on itself several times to confuse anyone in pursuit. It took almost an hour for her to arrive at Azix’ place and she was saddened by how empty it felt. She had also been hoping that perhaps here, she would feel closer to the other magician, but it just felt like a mockery of the warmth he instilled in her. She went into the living area, pulling out her Journey Book before lighting a candle.

Azix,
It seems I get closer every day. Shadowing Elric soon. Hope to have this wrapped up before you get home. Viri sent word via Sleuthy that the Grumptoes are doing well, but miss you and I both. I miss you too. Really could use a friendly face right about now, and maybe even a hug.

Thinking of you and missing you dearly,
Ari~

With a sigh, she put the Journey Book away, finding a blanket as she curled up on the soft chair and looked out the window, wishing sleep would find her while also praying if it did, the nightmares would not.

After managing to grab fitful bouts of sleep, the next day, Ariella decided to go out and check on the schools, wanting to make sure everything was still running smoothly after Lilly’s attack. The walk was a long one, as she took extra precautions to double back and take winding paths to get to her location, never letting her guard down for a moment. When she arrived at the school, class was in session so she entered quietly, stopping at the front office area for the teachers and peeking her head into the room with a wave. The woman running the school recognized her and bustled over with a smile, offering Ari a cup of tea. Ari accepted it gratefully and while they sipped, the woman filled her in on what had happened since she had last been there.

None of the students were missing or harmed, which Ari was eternally grateful for. The buckets of blood had come from a nearby butcher shop and the shop keep confirmed a little girl had come by, claiming her father needed the cow’s blood for making some obscure dish. The butcher had asked one of his assistants to help her haul the buckets to a house next to the school and Lilly had paid triple the cost he had wanted to charge her.

The room had been scrubbed clean and repainted before any children were allowed back in, and looked brand new again. No one else had seen anyone fitting Lilly’s description since, but there were guards posted in several areas near the school and all of the teachers were keeping a watchful eye out, not wanting any harm to come to the children. Ari thanked the woman for the update, glad to hear things had been fine at the school, at least. She was beginning to feel cursed by the tiny psycho, making her afraid to go anywhere or do anything for fear the Lilly would target someone else. She thanked the teacher again before making her way from the school.

She employed her same round-about way of traveling, stopping at the hide-out briefly before making her way to a local restaurant to try and force herself to eat. Her appetite was negligible, but she knew she had to try and keep her strength up for whatever trials may lay ahead of her.

Ariella stayed at Azix’ place again that night, though sleep eluded her for the most part for yet another night. Her dreams were filled with maniacal laughter and tiny daggers, forcing her to awaken out of a cold sweat. She had still not received any feedback from Azix and she hoped he was safe in Imuchakk. Wearily preparing for the day, she found some smelling salts to jar her awake, wanting to make sure she did not fall asleep while she was shadowing Councilor Elric.

After taking the least direct path possible to the offices, she strode into the large building and knocked on his door. When he called her in, she gave him a small smile, inquiring into what his planned activities for the day were. The man listed off a variety of places he was planning to visit, intending to check in with several financial officers from around the city before spending the next week traveling to both port cities to speak with their financial advisors. She grimaced, hating the idea of exposing the man so much to possible ambush, but the look on his face brokered no argument. With a sigh of resignation, she nodded and waited for him to prepare his books before they headed for the far side of the city. Several times in their path across the city, she thought she saw Lilly, only to discover it was just a small Fanalis child. She chided herself for being over excitable, but knew she needed to be alert and aware of everything going on if she hoped to prevent another death.

They spent the rest of the day moving about different parts of the city and by the time they finished, her exhaustion was nearly palpable. He offered to let her stay at his house and she agreed, only because they would be leaving for Narpolia before dawn. When she finally fell asleep, it was difficult to consider it as anything more than a coma filled with nightmares. The next morning, it was still dark when the carriage left and she was glad the man had enough rank to warrant more than a basic wagon. Settling into the comfortable cushions, she found herself drifting off to the sway of the carriage. She caught a small grin from Elric as her eyes drifted shut, but the man did not attempt to wake her. The carriage was being guarded by several men on horseback and she was likely to awaken if anyone them sounded the alarm, so she did not feel bad as she drifted off.

The excursion in Narpolia was uneventful, Councilor Elric simply checking up on trade agreements and the profitability of the city. He left the advisors with suggestions on where policies could be altered to improve both profitability and living conditions in the area before they checked into an inn for the evening. There were several guards posted outside of both her door and the councilors, ensuring that they would be safe in the unfamiliar city. The next morning had them traveling to Portsmouth, the trip quite long, as they had to travel around the large jungle and the mountainous areas.

The trip in Portsmouth was much the same as Narpolia, just checking in with the advisors and making suggestions. Ari was surprised to see how much the man seemed to want to truly help Reim maintain an independence from Kou, making sound and smart decisions to guide the advisors in the budding city. Once more, they stayed at an inn, intending to head back for Remano first thing in the morning.

The next morning was clear and sunny, and Ari was feeling slightly more rested. All of the travel was wearing on her, but at least she had a chance to sleep a bit on the road. As the carriage traveled down the road, Elric began their first true conversation of the trip, slightly surprising Ari.

“You know, Miss Negri, I actually know your mother and father. We used to be close friends while I was living in Magnostadt.”

Ari arched a brow, but responded. She did not realize that the councilor knew her parents.

“Really? Why did you leave Magnostadt?”

Elric chuckled, gazing out the window of the carriage with a thoughtful look.

“My wife died giving birth to a little girl. My precious daughter, unfortunately, was born without any magical inclination whatsoever and I could not bear the thought of being separated from her. You know the rule in Magnostadt, no magic, you can’t be there. So, I moved to Balbadd with her, and raised her on my own. After moving, I lost contact with your parents. How are they, by the way?”

Ariella shrugged, not really wanting to discuss things too in-depth with the man.

“Father is well, staying in Remano for a bit. Mother is… doing her own thing, as usual. When did you leave Magnostadt? I don’t really remember you at all.”

Elric would chuckle at the question, shaking his head.

“You were probably about ten, I think, when I left. I left Magnostadt almost seven years ago. At that time, you were in the Academy and showing extraordinary promise. You were set to take your Kodor test about a month after I left, I believe. How did that go, by the way?”

Ari twisted her face at the mention of her test, the beginning of her disappointment to her parents. Her voice was deadpan when she responded.

“It… did not go as well as they had hoped, I only scored in the Third Kodor, which was a massive disappointment after Adius was able to test into the Second Kodor on his first try. I… do not perform well when the spotlight is on me, apparently.”

Elric gave a hearty chuckle, shaking his head.

“Ah, I am sure Evelyn spared no words in her disappointment at not having two children show excessive promise within a few months of entering the Academy. She never was one who appreciated people not meeting her ridiculously high expectations. Third Kodor at that age is nothing to scoff at, Ariella. I am sure your father was overflowing with pride. He often boasted of your natural abilities and kind heart.”

Ari was warmed by the words about her father, though it seemed Elric really did know her mother and how she reacted to the news of Ariella’s placement in the Academy. Deciding to change the subject to take the spotlight off of her own failures, she gave him a curious look.

“And your daughter, sir? How is she? You mentioned that she is not magically inclined, which I imagine was difficult, being a magician yourself.”

Elric nodded in agreement and the hand hidden under his coat lightly grasped his wand where Ariella could not see it.

“Indeed, it took some adjusting. But, children are, for the most part, very similar, regardless of magical ability. But, Lilly is exceptional in other ways. I believe you may have discovered that at the school?”

Ari’s eyes widened at the mention of Lilly, pieces falling together in her mind. The lack of information on the councilor, his departure of Magnostadt about six or seven years ago, the informant in the Councilors Office. She gasped as a mist filled the air around her, her vision blurring and her mind swimming with the information she had just received before the sleeping spell took effect and she slumped in her seat.

Elric would give a soft chuckle, the carriage pulling up to his estate in Remano. When the guards opened the door, he gingerly lifted Ari from her seat, chuckling at the guard.

“It seems Miss Negri has overworked herself. I will take her inside and then you all may return to your normal duties. Thank you for your service, gentlemen.”

When Ariella started to regain consciousness the first thing she noticed was that she could not move. She wiggled a bit and found her legs were tied to a chair, while her arms were tied securely behind her. The next thing she noticed was the pain. Her face felt slightly swollen and she could taste blood in her mouth. A rush of memories flooded across her mind with a painful gasp, the thoughts tearing through the haze of artificially induced sleep. Elric was Father, his daughter was Lilly. ’I’m going to die.’ The thought rippled through her mind unpleasantly. A sharp slap across her face, drawing her from her inner musings with the sharp pain. Lily sat on her lap, her sadistic grin spread across her lips.

“Wake up, Ari! It’s time to play!”

The innocent tones made her groan as she tried to break free of her bindings. They were secure, however, and while she was unconscious, it was apparent they had broken her borg. This was already going horribly wrong. How had she not drawn the conclusions that would have saved her? Lilly slapped her again before giggling and hopping down from her lap as a man entered into her sight. He looked familiar, but not. It was Elric, but his features were slightly different. The short silver hair now cascaded down in back in a silky wave, his facial features were sharper and his eyes less kindly.

“Ah, you are awake, Ariella. I would have preferred to keep you out of this, truly, but when King el Nagi told me you were investigating my sweet Lilly and I, I could not let you run about, mucking up our plans.”

Lilly was skipping around him, chanting playful tones as Elric spoke to Ari. He gave his daughter an indulgent grin.

“I am sorry about your mother. She was not an intended target, but Lilly knows the rules. No witnesses. If you leave them alive, they might find a way to reveal you. Even an accomplished illusion mage such as myself would be at risk, depending on the resources used. For the most part, only a very skilled illusion mage would be able to detect my masterful use of the wand. But it is better to eliminate any chances. It saddens me that I may have to dispose of you, Adamus and I were such good friends. I hate to think the kind of strife he will suffer.”

Ariella ground her teeth, ignoring the pain in her swollen jaw as she glared up at the man, he words rough.

“What did you do to my mother? TELL ME!”

Elric made a sound of disappointment before kneeling in front of Lilly.

“Lilly, darling. Would you like to put on a show for Miss Ari? Show her what you did to her mother?”

The little girl nodded enthusiastically and Elric ruffled her hair with a smile before raising to his feet and taking out his wand.

Before Ari’s eyes, he reconstructed the scene from the ball and she noted that he was indeed a very talented illusion mage. The images before her looked real enough to touch. The man had perfected the art of illusion. The room where the diplomat had been was formed in front of her and suddenly, an image of her mother wandered in. She saw the construct go and check to see if the diplomat was still alive before following the trail of blood. Lilly played her own part, watching from behind the grate and then scrambling silently back into the tunnel system as Ari’s mother crawled in after her.

The scene shifted slightly and she realized Elric could not reconstruct something he had no knowledge of, so he had skipped the scene to where Lilly and Evelyn had met in the tunnel. She heard her mother’s voice ring out with a gentleness she had not heard since she was a small child, speaking to Lilly.

“Little girl, what are you doing back here? You don’t want to get lost or hurt, do you?”

The pink-haired girl made a sniffling sound, giving a fake sob as Evelyn moved forward to embrace the child. Once folded into the woman’s embrace, Lilly’s face changed from sad and innocent to calculating and vicious. Taking advantage of their close quarters, Lilly used a quick series of attacking motions to activate and then destroy the Life Magician’s borg before a gruesome, horrendous scene played out. Ari gagged at the sight of the little girl driving her blade into her mother without hesitation, trying not to puke as the scent of blood reached her. Slowly, her mind seemed to forget this was an illusion and she tried to call out to her mother.

“Mother! NO, STOP HURTING HER! SHE WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP!”

Her voice fell on deaf ears, it seemed, and the attack continued. By the time the attack ended, Lilly was covered in Evelyn’s blood, gleefully laughing and stabbing with her small dagger. Evelyn was nothing but a puddle of blood and dangling flesh as Lilly began dragging the corpse down the tunnel. Elric showed an illusion of himself entering from another tunnel and going through to clean up the mess his daughter had left, making sure she could not be followed.

Ari’s face was covered in tears as the illusion faded, sobbing quietly in her confines, her mind still not fully grasping the illusion had faded. She did not have a deep wellspring of love for her mother, but to see the woman that had raised her destroyed in such a way, just for trying to help a little girl. Her mind could not handle the destruction and death, and she just kept repeating the same thing.

“Why? She was… she was trying to help… she healed people, and you… why? Why her?”