Xaltiq sat across from Mae, an uncomfortable silence thick between the two of them. They had left the king not too long ago and were currently sitting out in the gardens--Mae told him that he “absolutely had to see it”.

Which is why they were here now. Erebus and Tear had gone off someplace and he was left with the one person who managed to make him feel everything but comfort.

She was... strange. Weird. Too weird for him.

There was something off about her. Just like there was something wrong with Erebus. But he couldn’t figure out what it was with her. There was a lurking presence in the back of her eyes that made him want to run away, consumed by fear.

Even now, when she was wearing the skin of such an elegant and graceful woman, he found himself afraid of her. It wasn’t the same sense of wariness that he got from Erebus. This was more instinctual. Predator and prey.

Mae was an enigma, a beautiful one. And dangerous.

“How did you manage to get this position in the first place?” Xaltiq found himself asking Mae. He was curious. How did someone like her end up with a title like Head Royal Court Magician? It didn’t make any sense to him. None at all. Even Erebus, for all of his deeds, had not forced his way into such a high title.

She turned to him, her eyes lighting up with a passion he had never seen before. “So long ago, I came here to visit. For fun. No reason, really,” Mae began, tone light. “And I saw this lovely girl out walking. She had so much talent--for someone so young! I wanted her. Ah... so very, very badly.”

Xaltiq began to regret asking the question. In the first place, he didn’t like her way of explaining. It was creepy.

“You see... I don’t like not having what I want.” Mae licked her lips, a carnal expression materializing on her face. “So I ate her. Every. Little. Piece. ” She cupped her face in her hands and sighed joyfully. “Ah, she looked so tasty, I couldn’t resist... Then I realized what I did and thought it’d be a great opportunity to have fu-un. Who knew that she was somebody so important?”

Xaltiq swallowed as he remembered the day the doppelgangers had eaten his friend’s corpses. “Ugh...” His stomach tightened and the urge to vomit welled up. Tear’s face reappeared in his mind--he really was going to hurl.

“For us doppelgangers, consuming a sentient being is a very intimate experience. All of their emotions, memories, whatever, we feel it all.” Mae’s eyes softened into a dream-like state. “She was a really good meal.”

“You,” he pushed down the bile, “ate a child?”

“Yes, I suppose I did.” Mae tilted her head.

She didn’t care. Not in the slightest. No, what else could he expect from someone like her?

“Oh my,” Mae said, noting Xaltiq’s pallor. “Are you all right?” She reached out to steady him.

“No,” he answered immediately, slapping her hands away from him. “I need... water. And air. Fresh air.”

She smiled in a bemused manner. “Water, I understand. But we’re outside. This is as fresh as the air is going to get, I’m afraid.”

Xaltiq shook his head furiously. He needed air from a place that wasn’t contaminated by her presence. The child-eater.

He felt the air change then, taking on a much thicker quality and seemingly pushing down on him. It was even harder to breathe now. It was like the air had turned into tar and he couldn’t manage to force it down his lungs without choking.

“You’re weak,” Mae mused, watching him struggle to breathe. “I suppose, after all, you are just a kid. And a human.” Her hand shot out, snatching his chin and forcing him to face her.

Xaltiq had looked into the eyes of Death (in the form of a lovely woman) before. But they were nothing in comparison to hers. Yes, this was evil. Pure and untethered.

“To be honest, I don’t know what Erebus sees in you. The other one, Wolf, there is something inside of him waiting to be pulled out. But you? I wonder if you have the same talents.” Her nose scrunched as if she was smelling something foul.

Xaltiq forced his gaze away from her.

“You are simply strong. Nothing more and nothing less. Inside, you are a coward. Perhaps Erebus’ eyes have dulled--or mine have. For, I see no worth in you, boy.” She released him, still sneering. “But my old friend does have an ability to make even the dullest rock shine. I’ll tell you this: the moment Erebus thinks you have no use, he will dispose of you. So if I was you, I’d try to be a little more interesting or else say good-bye to that mortal life of yours.” She stood up, not bothering to even look down on him. “Now, I have an idiot to manipulate. If you’ll excuse me.”

...

Mae sighed to herself as she walked down the castle hallways. There were too many worrisome humans in her life, in all honesty. Xaltiq could either rise or fall after what she told him, she was interested in seeing the result. She hoped it was the former. Mae had been harsher than she had originally intended, but she had gotten slightly carried away after seeing that delicious expression on his face.

Oops.

Then there was Nathaniel--the more troubling of the two.

There was something wrong with him, and she’d be able to figure it out quickly if he used magic. Preferably, she would’ve loved to dissect him and find out what was going on the inside. Since the last specimen that Erebus had delivered to her, Mae hadn’t been able to have any fun (and they weren’t that delicious, in the end). She licked her lips as she gazed at the back of Nathaniel the thought of slicing him open was pleasing. But there were more uses for him, she couldn’t do anything. Yet.

Erebus would be fine with her kidnapping the leader of a nation, right? As long as it didn’t cause him any trouble in the long run. He had felled many nations in his lifetime; there was no way that he would care about some insignificant and easily replaced king.

But Nathaniel had a special place in her heart--the specimen she had developed on her own. Granted, she had left him to his own devices for a while, but he easily cuddled up in the palm of her hand once again. She had taken such care to make sure that he was loyal to her; she even doubted if she would ever be able to recreate somebody like him again. Time would tell, she supposed.

Mae’s thoughts were drawn away from a revelation: she was being... watched? A smile twitched at her lips.

She debated following the source or alerting them that she was aware of their presence, but... Erebus would love some sort of entertainment--possible enemies definitely fell into that category.

Her own curiosity was peaking, but she quickly shoved it back down. Erebus’ mood would be ruined if she messed up the possibility of something interesting happen. And if he was in a bad mood, everybody suffered.

For now, she’d ignore it. She’d tell Erebus what she felt and gauge his reaction before carrying out her next move. Currently, she’d have to deal with Nathaniel and the strange vibes he was giving her.

Mae shook her head and started to walk faster, ignoring the eyes that she felt boring into her.

...

Erebus waved his hand in front of Xaltiq’s face, the human’s blank expression was throwing him off. Had something happened while he was gone? He had only stepped outside of the castle shortly, and Xaltiq bore no signs of physical injuries. No magic had been cast on him either.

Tear stood behind Erebus, impatiently tapping her feet. “Lord Erebus, allow me.” Erebus stepped back and allowed Tear to take his spot. She raised her arm and swung down her hand, backhanding Xaltiq with a dangerous amount of force; a dull crack sounding throughout when flesh met flesh.

Xaltiq cried out, the pain brought him back from the deep crevices of his mind where his consciousness had been lurking. “W-what?” He blinked rapidly, his eyes first blurry then sharpening into focus. “Ah...” His entire body sagged upon laying eyes on Erebus. Was it relief? No, not at all.

Then there was Tear, who was examining her fingernails while wearing an expression of disinterest. “You’re awake now?” she questioned, voice sharp.

Xaltiq nodded his head. “Yeah... I am.”

“Did something happen?” Erebus asked, intrigued. It wasn’t that he particularly cared about Xaltiq’s mental well-being, but rather, what (or who) had put him in that position.

“Hey... Lord Erebus,” Xaltiq whispered instead of answering Erebus’ question. “What do you do with boring people?”

“Nothing.”

Xaltiq swallowed. “Then what about people that you thought would be interesting but turned out to be boring?”

“Hmm...” Erebus scratched his head in thought. What was the relevance of this line of questioning? Did it have something to do with why Xaltiq was upset? “Nothing, I suppose.” He would leave them be; there was no need for him to waste his energy.

Xaltiq gulped again. He was frightened by the concept of “nothing”. To Erebus, taking a few lives was nothing. Their viewpoints were completely different. “Ugh,” he groaned a little. He could feel a headache coming on as he thought of all the things that Erebus had done.

“Nevermind that, where has Mae gone?” Tear inquired, casting a bored gaze around the vicinity. “We did not see her when we entered, either.”

“She went to meet with King Nathaniel, I believe,” Xaltiq responded. She had referred to him as an idiot, but he assumed that she was speaking about the king. She was that person after all. He also chose to selectively ignore the part about her admitting to planning on manipulating the king.

Erebus hummed. “That’s good then. I needed to speak to that child anyway.”

“Why?” Tear input brusquely, not liking the thought of leaving Erebus side--even for one second. “Is there any need for you to talk to that human?”

“I don’t recall having to report to you,” Erebus said lightly, his eyes glimmering with dry amusement.

Tear bowed her head, a thin sheen of sweat forming on her forehead. She usually found herself excited at the prospect of punishment, but in this situation, she found herself fearful. Erebus’ anger was nothing to be played with. “Of course, my apologies. I have overstepped my bounds.”

He smiled thinly. “Watch over Xaltiq, I’ll contact you both when I feel like it.”

Xaltiq and Tear both hurriedly bowed at the waist.

“Understood,” Tear whispered, her voice scratchy.

Erebus spun on his heels and headed back inside of the castle.

Mae, your location.

King’s study. Shall I relay a mental image to you?

For the sake of efficiency, yes.

Do you need anything else?

From you? No.

No response came from Mae, who had noted that she was no longer needed.

Based on the instructions that Mae had given him, Erebus found the office in little time. When the guards attempted to jar him from entering, a nerve snapped in Erebus.

They had blocked the door with the spears, their expressions solemn.

“Tell me, what are you doing?” Erebus’ asked, his face expressing his displeasure.

“You are not permitted to enter this room,” one of the guards answered.

Erebus’ eyes flashed towards the guard that had spoken up, his jaw tightening. “Then you will not be permitted to--”

The door swung open, interrupting Erebus. Mae stood there, wearing a soft smile. “Gentlemen, there’s no issue. Allow him in.”

Their spears were lowered, but their eye still displayed distrust. They had never met or seen Erebus before; therefore, it was obvious that they would be on guard towards him.

Mae’s expression fell slightly when she noted the look on Erebus’ face. The guards almost lost their lives. Erebus didn’t care enough to put up any false pretenses here; he’d slay them without a second thought.

When the door shut behind them and Erebus had entered, silence enveloped the studio.

Nathaniel stared at Erebus, confusion evident on his expression.

“Leave,” Erebus instructed Mae without bothering to spare a glance in her direction. “I wish to speak to this child alone.”

Mae nodded her head and silently left the room.

“Now then,” Erebus began, “shall we have a discussion?”