I folded my arms across my chest.

  “I assumed that we’d be inheriting your enemies, but it sounds like there’s more than that.”

  “We shared most of the same enemies to begin with.” Pera shrugged. “It’s not like the Rangers or Primordial Concordat are going to blockade one of the Malus cities because the Glynot Coven is working with you.” She looked at Starna. “The Mebope Monarchy aren’t our biggest fans, but I trust your father can help me smooth out some of the fins I’ve ruffled over the past hundred years?”

  “I can’t speak for my parents, or the nations that they work with.” Starna looked at me. “These two are my responsibility at the moment.”

  Vin leaned forward. “I’m not-”

  “She means that she can only make deals on behalf of us.” I smirked as my brother sat back down.”

  “Oh.”

  “She’s also our babysitter, but…” I held up my hand before the feline could complain. “That means she’s the one who has the boring conversations with the other diplomats so we don’t say something we shouldn’t.” I raised an eyebrow as I waited for my brother to complain.

  Except he didn’t.

  “I’m just here to be the muscle when there’s a fight.” He held up his hands. “So can you hurry up and get this over with so I can start enjoying the rest of my night?”

  “Fair enough.” I turned to the older woman. “It sounds like you know something about what Mast Krav was doing.”

  “I know about the demons.” The Vampire managed to say with a straight face.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Let me guess, you’re not a fan of the Cult of Kinwell?’ I eyed her. “You’re old enough to have been here during the Great War, but so was our dad.” I glanced at Vin before looking back at his date. “What do you know other than how to fight them?”

  “I know what it is that the Imperadae is looking for.” Pera shook her head and took a deep breath. “Three hundred years and he’s still trying to find it.”

  “Find what?” I knew that Kinwell’s army had breached into our world, but that it had been defeated by an alliance of the other nations that had been led by my ancestor. Elder Dumas had shown up to help, but there had been a lot of casualties. The Kimor had been all but wiped out by a zombie plague. I thought the reason he’d attacked was just to set up a base on our world, but it appeared to be more than that.

  “There’s a lot you don’t need to know.” Pera shook her head. “We were young back then and it’s a different story for another time.” She held up a finger. “What you do need to know is that at the end of the war, the Primordial Concordat was each entrusted with a weapon to use if the Demons ever tried to come back.” She looked over at my brother. “One that even the Camadt couldn’t destroy.”

  Vin’s eyes got wide.

  It confirmed our theory that whatever was locked up down there had some sort of elemental ability instead of or maybe in addition to magic. The thing is didn’t explain was how whatever it was seemed to be alive.

  “So that’s what’s locked up in the Exindo ruins?” Starna swallowed. “A weapon that even the Demons are afraid of…”

  “Just the Demons.” Pera corrected her. “I don’t know what it is, just rumors, but…” She tilted her head. “If the natives had something that powerful that they could use against the rest of us, don’t you think they would have done it by now?”

  She had a point. The Thizzers in particular, snake people with arms, were very tribal and very aggressive to anyone who crossed into their marshes. And that would explain why it hadn’t harmed anyone who tried to mess with the ruins under the Dwarf Capital.

  “Okay, so the cultists are trying to destroy these weapons…” I swallowed when she nodded as an answer.

  “I think we’re seeing the signs of an imminent Demon invasion and they’re trying to take our best defenses off the board.” Pera looked at Starna. “This diplomatic mission of yours is a lot heavier than you think it is. I know the Nevnua have been conducting research on theirs and that was why Master Krav was called.” She looked around the room at each of us. “And if he can’t be reached anymore…”

  I swallowed the lump that refused to leave my throat. “Then we may already be under attack.”

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