I could avoid the decision I had to make no longer. We were set to move out and cross realms in less than two hours and something had to be done with all the inhabitants of the castle Yser, leaving them behind as they were was simply not a viable option. There was little chance that even left unchecked any humans of the realm could band together to be any credible threat, yet even the most infinitesimal chance was not worth risking despite my own personal feelings on the matter. Perhaps my critics were correct that I was a bit too charitable and benevolent as compared to my predecessors, though my queen had known this before appointing me to the position so surely she found some value in my more measured approach to being commander.

“Emmi, you are skilled with mind manipulation, how long might it take you to reconstruct the memories of say fifty or so people?”

The seeress looked up from her breakfast of bread and jam and gave me a curious look. “Humans?”

I nodded my affirmation and took a bite of my own meal. The food of this realm severely lacked in flavor, it was as if the lack of magic had a direct effect on the palatability of their sustenance. I would have opted to go without instead of settle for something so bland, but it was unwise for any officer or soldier to march on an empty stomach.

“I assume you’re talking specifically about that group of little girls?”

“I am,” I confirmed. “It should be simple enough to do a mind wipe of the past few months then send them on back to their families.”

She let out a humming sound through her nose and narrowed her gaze into a serious look. “It would be much more efficient and simple to put them all down and leave no stone unturned. It’s not like it would be all that much different than culling a problematic ant hill that will not stop crawling into the pantry and spoiling the sugar. They are barely conscious in a way that matters and doing away with them decisively now will save us from them possibly becoming an annoyance again in the future.”

“Are they even an annoyance now?” I questioned. “You have assessed them yourself, they seem to be by far the strongest magic users we have encountered in this realm thus far and as you’ve said before, their strength might as well make them insects to our sensibilities. Surely we both understand that slitting their throats would be overkill in a hilarious way, none of those girls has the means or potential to become anything even approaching great enough to become an issue later. They are so laughably inept that they would not even be able to make their way into our pantry in the first place.”

“There is merit in what you’re saying,” she admitted. Casting a glance around the room her eyes scanned over what I was certain had been the queen’s quarters, though the surroundings were decidedly dismal in comparison to what I would consider adequate for anyone with any real stature. “I have briefly interacted with humans before, but perhaps I had only crossed paths with them due to them being the absolute pinnacle to what a human can achieve and even then I thought they were comically weak. Everything I sense about the people who have inhabited this castle is even more pathetic.”

“I was not aware the Winter court had anything to do with humans at all in any recent memory.”

“As I said the contact was brief and more of a learning opportunity to study them while I was still young,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “They were little more than a zoo exhibit for the experience of what to expect if I were to encounter them and it was before you were even born.”

“Then you must agree with me when I insist that these girls will never pose a threat to us, they are simply not capable,” I pressed. “The power they would need to possess to even be a blip on our consciousness would likely tear their very bodies apart.”

She gave a short nod and finished the last bite of her bread, chewing slowly as she contemplated her next words carefully. “I do agree that they were unlikely to be a problem, but I think they will be a problem for you in the sense that people will not like leniency in this matter, especially when this castle and its inhabitants are tangentially related to the fae blessed child.”

“These girls have no clue about that. I have personally spoken with each of them and tested their memories in regard to anything about the girl and none of them have shown any recollection of anything relating to her. They seemed to all have been unaware that there had been anything particularly special about any one of them, they are all too magically weak to have picked up on anything.”

“You and I both know that, but your opponents will choose to believe otherwise.”

“As they will regardless of what I choose to do,” I huffed and shook my head in disgust. “My choice here does not matter in the short or long run, everything I do will not be enough or too much depending on which way the wind blows that day. It is simply how it is and has nothing to do with my ability to be an effective commander and everything to do with the ridiculous politics behind the house I hail from.”

“Far be it from me to argue against that,” she said gently, leaning forward like she had intended to place her hand on mine, but thankfully decided against it in the last moment, “but you also must be aware that it will be easier for you if you don’t give them any more ammunition against you than they will already conjure themselves.”

“I will not bow to them,” I sniffed, straightening in my chair to dis-invite any soothing body contact she might still be contemplating. “I will not allow them to influence my decisions and have sway over my power as commander. I was put in charge of the Vanguards by my queen because she entrusted me with my ability to make decisions in her best interests. She chose me, not them, so I will not allow them to have any say over the decisions I make.”

The seeress let out a long sigh that gave away that she thought I was being too stubborn in the moment, but she waved her hand in a gesture of acceptance for my decision. “If we gather them all in one place I can wipe their minds in a matter of a few minutes. Perhaps a few minutes more if we want a lasting effect where we can get them on their way marching home before their wits are returned to them. If we go with that method they will not be able to even remember where they started traveling from and not be able to recall where they had been when they return to their families. What about the servants and slaves?”

“They can be put down,” I acquiesced.

The idea also seemed ridiculous, but it was a poor idea to have them stay at the castle and they would have no homes outside of the castle to return to, the best that would happen to them would be for them to wander aimlessly to nearby towns and that many people showing up at once with no memories would be needlessly suspicious. I found myself wishing they could be taken back as slaves to at least prolong their lives, but they would have no reasonably comfortable life in the fae realm and they would be much more trouble than they would be worth just from the perspective of keeping them sheltered enough from the latent magical energy of the realm to keep them conscious. I had briefly considered having them sent as slaves to a realm with Winter strongholds that had a less potent magical presence, but that would be needlessly complicated and raise too many questions about why I was going through so much trouble for a bunch of meaningless humans. While I did think it was on some level cruel to doom them all to an early death there simply was not an eloquent alternative solution and what must be done had to be done.

“I’m glad you’ve come to accept that,” the seeress commented, “I was afraid that you might argue for them as well.”

“They are too much trouble for what they would be worth. The girls are different, they are few and young, surely even many of our kind would find something even a little offensive about smothering a babe before they have had time to experience life.”

The ghost of a smile passed over her lips. “I think this is one of your biggest weaknesses, Isri: you underestimate your own kind. I think smothering each and every child of this realm would not even stir the most base of tender emotions in a wide majority of the Winter fae. I myself would find it hard to find an outrage that would linger at the idea and I often think I have gone too soft in my old age.”

“You think they are right,” I said with disgust, “that I am too sensitive and caring for my appointment.”

“In many ways, yes, I do agree with them,” she admitted. “Though unlike them I do not necessarily think that is always a bad thing, I think that being callous and unfeeling in every situation can also be a detriment, we are willing to toss things aside that might still have a use if that use is not readily apparent. The queen must see some merit in your softer approach otherwise she would have picked from any of the others who would have made a fine commander as well and I am not one to question the queen’s wisdom.”

I couldn’t help the wry smile that appeared on my lips. My appointment had been a bitter blow to the other Winter houses and one that I still not fully understood. I had desperately wanted the position but had been convinced that it would be something out of my reach. Politically, the queen’s choice had made things more messy for her, though no one had dared to directly challenge her choice. The other Houses had made sure to question every decision I had made thus far and try to bring up doubts whenever feasible, it was to be expected though, while one of the major Houses of the Winter court, we were not as pure and ancient as the others and therefore would never be accepted as equals.

“The servants and slaves will be slaughtered as soon as the girls’ minds are wiped and they are set out on their return paths, I’m sure it will be a simple thing for you to activate the part of their minds that are aware of the general direction of their original homes.”

“Yes, simple enough,” she confirmed, “then we are off to the demonic realms?”

“It is time we paid them a visit, I hope for their own sake that the stench of the goblin’s trail does not lead straight to them. I am feeling generous in who I am leaving to live or die, but even I am not foolish enough to leave anyone with their stench clinging to them still in their corporeal form.”

“As you should not, the abomination should not exist and anyone who harbors them is guilty for the sin of their continued existence as well.”