Wallace

I lay stretched out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling of the penthouse, appreciative of the fact the sofa was long enough for me in the first place. With my head resting on one arm of the couch, my feet didn't quite reach the far side, and I could relax without feeling cramped.

On my chest rested the communication book, open to Amity's page and the fresh report written in a hand so precise it might have been typed.

It was nothing earth-shattering, just a routine update that detailed their progress shadowing the fey we'd let free.

So I stared up at the ceiling and pondered a dilemma I suspected was foremost on Simon's mind.

How the hell do I go about attacking this guy?

I couldn't guarantee that a second defensive action would go as well as the first- if you can consider a heart attack part of a successful defence -it was unlikely our intelligence would be as good the second time round, which made a repeat of the counter-ambush strategy unlikely to succeed. That said, we'd finished bolstering the defences of the hotel. The crenelations circled the entire base, with a pillbox at each corner, and the hotel windows were all magically reinforced. Further enhancements were possible. Indeed, the pillboxes had been constructed with future-proofing in mind and could be expanded into proper towers going forward. But what we had now was more than suitable.

Hmmm, now that I think about it...

An ambush probably would be possible, almost by definition. With our defences in their current state, any force large enough to overcome them would be too large to move stealthily. Which meant we'd see them coming a long way off, which meant we'd be able to make hit and run attacks as they were on the approach. The non-lethal nature of our petty war would admittedly make it a little trickier. It's not as if we could shoot a bunch of them, lob a couple bombs, and take off. Not that striking at their people was the best play. The best play would be to attack their supplies, limiting how long they could stay in the field, or crippling their ability to outpace the tides, forcing a retreat.

Of course, we faced the same problem, only I didn't have the option of mustering a force large enough to overcome Simon's defences. Sure, there were the villagers, but they weren't fighters, and even if they were, I doubted they'd get very far without magic. Contrary to what you see in movies, knocking someone over the head with something blunt is not a gentle way to knock them out. It's a very violent way to give them a concussion and permanent brain damage.

While that might be within the letter of our agreement, Simon taking such action against one of us would make the gloves come off, and I suspected he had similar feelings on the matter.

Fostering rebellion to cause chaos in the city would help to a certain extent, but the guy still had a damn big castle for us to beat our way through.

And all that assumed I could even get into the city in the first place. Simon didn't just have a big fuck-off castle. He had a big fuck-off castle inside a bigger, fucker-offer castle.

Letting chaos reign for a few days may very well be the thing to get us into the city, as their defences focused inwards, but it could just as easily make it impossible if they locked everything down. Not to mention that the longer we waited before assuming some degree of control, the more people would get hurt in the chaos, and the less able I'd be to direct what the city's politics looked like post-revolution.

I paused and frowned up at the ceiling.

"Val," I mused, "Simon's not well-liked in the city, is he?"

Val only growled in response, and I glanced to the side. Val was still where I found her when I first returned to the penthouse. I had no idea how she'd got herself into that position without help, but there she was on the coffee table and with rather a lot of silk rope.

"Oh, sorry," I added absently, unmuting Val with a thought.

Perhaps if she'd not been blindfolded, I might have seen her rolling her eyes.

"Aside from those he has salivating at the thought of his intimate treatment, no, his control is limited," she replied a little impatiently, "*Speaking of fey dripping at the thought of a human's attentions-"

I muted Val mid- uh, let's call it a comment -and continued, "So we probably could get into the city," I thought aloud, "We wouldn't even need to wait for the sprites to figure out the fey have lost their pheromones. We could- Actually, we should probably speak with both groups."

"Mmmph?"

"Meaning the fey and sprites," I clarified, "Prime the sprites to rebel, get them organized so that when the penny drops, it's not just one big mess with every man for themselves. More importantly, we make sure they're set up to maintain the infrastructure of the city afterwards."

"Mmm hmm," Val agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

"As for the fey, I think we show up, warn them what's about to happen, scare the hell out of them, and convince them it's a good idea to run like hell."

"Mmm mmm?"

"You're right," I agreed, "The money is an issue. They'll take whatever they can move when they leave, assuming we convince them leaving is a good idea. I'd prefer if most of that money stayed in the city, and not just because it's money that rightfully belongs to the sprites who've worked for it, but I don't know how possible that is. Showing up to say 'Hey, the sprites are gonna rise up in rebellion and kill everyone who's victimized them, you should take a convenient vacation in Caniforma,' is one thing. Saying all that and 'Also we'd like all of your money, please.' is less likely to work."

"Mmm."

"It does put Simon in a tricky position, though. If he takes a shot at us while we're in the city, the people who are already primed to see him as the bad guy will only take it as further proof of that. We might be able to get the other nobles to act against him."

I listened carefully, nodding along as Val writhed against her bonds and did her best to communicate.

"Ah, yeah, that's a good idea," I agreed, "It's not as if Simon's secretive about his opinions on slavery. It shouldn't be too hard to convince them the whole thing was his doing."

"Mmm mmm mmm-mmm-mm," she pointed out.

"I bet you're right," I agreed with a grin, "I'm not sure Simon would come out himself," I hedged, "But I bet it would be enough to draw out some of his people, enough for us to start thinning his numbers."

"Mmm-mmm hmmm mmm," Val suggested.

"I think I can handle the sprites, but are you sure you want to speak with the fey on your own?" I frowned, "Even in the midst of a revolution, I bet your friends will be happy to take a shot at you. Besides, if things go to plan, we'll be there before things kick-off, and they'll be even more willing to go after you."

"Mmm mmm mmm mm mmm mmm-mmm-mmm," she protested.

I picked up the communication book and swung my legs off the couch to sit up straight, "I absolutely can keep you tied up forever," I retorted.

"Mmm, mmm-mmm," she offered.

I sighed but nodded in agreement. If Val had ever been a porcelain doll, she wasn't now. The very idea of her in the city without me by her side made me nauseous, but I couldn't stop her. Which is not to say she wouldn't listen. If I asked Val to stay at the hotel, she would. And not because she gets off on me bossing her around. She wouldn't like it, but if I felt worried enough to ask in the first place, Val would do as I asked.

But what kind of precedent would that set? How many more times would I feel compelled to have her stay behind because something seemed too dangerous. God, I wanted her to stay behind, but Val wouldn't be Val if she stayed locked up in a tower all day.

I smiled faintly. Locked up in a dungeon all night would be a little more her style. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? If I wanted to enjoy having Val all to myself, I had to let her be herself.

"Alright," I relented, "But you need to be ready to get yourself and your sister the hell out of the city," I warned, "I can probably convince the sprites that the common fey aren't their enemies, but there's no way in hell I can make that case for the nobles. And honestly, I'm not sure the nobles even deserve that sort of consideration. So you need to be gone, because it's really gonna spoil my post-revolutionary authority if I have to kill a bunch of sprites in a blind fury."

Val nodded solemnly, this time without any moaning, and I took that as my cue to finally un-mute her. Not that it would make her current predicament any less ludicrous.

"We can head out tomorrow. We'll have an early breakfast and try to get going just after the tide passes through. I'll let Amity and Regina know the plan and that we're on our way to meet them. Can you write to your sister?"

Val gave an affirmative moan, and I raised an eyebrow, shaking my head in exasperation.

"God, you're shameless," I laughed, "You're not even trying to speak. You realize I unmuted you?"

Val's huge grin was visible below the red silk blindfold, "You didn't have any trouble understanding me. I can moan quite eloquently."

"Loudly maybe," I laughed.

Val wriggled her bottom, "Now would you come over here and do your worst? Please don't make me beg. Actually, forget I said that. Please make me beg."

I shrugged, "Okay," I agreed as I came to my feet.

I glanced around the sitting area, scanning the tables not currently occupied by an excited fey.

Spotting Val's book, I picked it up and flipped it to my page.

"Here," I offered, setting the book on the table just before her chin, "Just- well, use your tongue, I guess. You're skilled enough with it."

"Hey," she protested, as my footfalls began to receive, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To check in with the others, if we're leaving tomorrow, I want to make sure everything is good here."

"You're just going to leave me tied up like this?" she demanded.

I rolled my eyes, "Please, you can get yourself out of that with a thought."

"But that ruins the game," she whined.

"Then stay right there. I'll be back in an hour or two," I taunted.

Val growled, "Gods, I wish I still had my pheromones. I would drive you absolutely crazy."

I paused at the door and turned to regard the work of art in the middle of the sitting area, "You hardly need the pheromones to drive me crazy."

Surprisingly, Val did manage to write me a message, and while I was downstairs saying goodbye to the others, I opened the book to find a note at the bottom of the page. Lopsided but written with surprising dexterity, the message was only six letters, comprising two words. Not that it stopped me from closing the book with a smirk to continue my conversation with Constance.

"Thanks for taking care of them while we're away," I told her, referring to the prisoners, "I'm sorry we keep piling on the servant stuff, but we do need to keep them fed."

Constance bowed her head slightly and gave me a little smile, "Not to worry, Wallace."

"Uh, why do I suddenly feel like an explanation is required?"

"It's nothing nefarious," she assured me, "I looked over the agreement, and I am keeping with the spirit of it."

I brought a hand to my forehead, "Okay, now I definitely need an explanation."

Constance spread her arms, encompassing the downstairs restaurant in which we sat, "Someone need cook for them, clean for them, and so on. This is not a spa. They are prisoners, even if well-treated ones."

"You're making them do all the servant stuff," I realized.

"Quite."

"Fair enough, I suppose," relieved that Constance's interpretation of the rules wasn't too creative, "You'll be okay on your own?"

Constance nodded, though her grin faded as her expression grew more serious. She stood up, rising from the booth, and paused.

"Pardon me," she said quietly as she came around to my side of the table.

"Constance?"

The elf slipped her arms around my waist and pressed her cheek against my chest in a gentle embrace.

"Thank you, Wally," she said softly, her voice slightly muffled, "Thank you for saving my life, thank you for taking me in. Thank you for giving me a chance to grow accustomed to this place, and thank you for giving me a voice in how the fort is run. Thank you for treating me fairly, even if I didn't always realize you were at the time. Thank you for always being kind."

"Uh. You're welcome?"

Constance stepped back and looked up at me with a smile, "And thank you for being such an inelegant oaf."

"I like to think that's the one I'm best at."

Constance raised her eyebrows and nodded rapidly, "You mentioned rising before the sun. Would you like me to cook breakfast for you tomorrow?"

"Oh, so we're back to cooking ourselves now?"

Constance glanced towards the kitchen, a wry smile on her face, "While I doubt the girls would poison you, such wouldn't be within the terms, I wouldn't put it past them to give you an upset stomach."

"It's alright," I assured her, "There's a kitchen in the penthouse. I'll probably make pancakes for Val and myself before we go."

"Are you sure? I'm not travelling tomorrow. I could get up before you, have breakfast ready when you wake."

"It's quite alright. I can cook breakfast and still have plenty of time for a good night's sleep."

Constance fought to keep her expression professional, but I caught the corner of her mouth twitching as she fought back a smile, "Are you certain Valentine will allow such a thing?"

"Alright," I glowered, "Good night Constance, I'll see you when I get back."

Constance stepped back so I could rise from the booth, standing with her hands folded in front of herself, "Once again, thank you, Wally."

"No problem," I grinned, "Good night, Constance."

"Good night, Wally."

And as I headed for the elevators, feeling happier than I had any right to, considering what was ahead, I heard Constance shout from the restaurant.

"I still hate gardening!"