Jasper went to one of the port towns in Relan, preparing for her next trip away. A few of her men were from this area, so she gave them a fairly simple order.

“Take a few ships and fill them with weapons,” Jasper told them. “Send them overseas to Cheryn.”

“What’s the point of that?” One asked.

“You don’t want to fight unprotected people, do you?” Jasper responded.

“No, ma’am,” he replied. “I won’t murder unless they have a weapon.”

“So get going,” Jasper said firmly. The men all nodded and left; she went on to repeat the order to some of the other men, offering vague explanations when they asked for them and refusing to share a name.

Elionor was among the people who came with her; considering that she had no knowledge of sailing, however, she acted as Jasper’s shadow for the time being. She walked a few paces behind Jasper, barely speaking a word and occasionally wincing when she saw someone who seemed to share her heritage.

When Jasper decided that there were a dozen or so ships that would set out repeatedly on her command, she opted to find a space to watch them. Elionor sat down while Jasper remained standing.

“While I appreciate that you’re not slaughtering people,” Elionor mused, “Giving them weapons ultimately just makes them more difficult to kill.”

“They won’t use them,” Jasper replied. “Cheryn in this day and age is a rather…dense country. They idealize and turn away from war to the point where you actually have to make yourself well-known before they act on it. They’ll send the ships back.”

“I forgot that you’ve been there before,” Elionor admitted. She paused for a little bit, changing her position. “Will being there make me want to stab something?”

“It might,” Jasper said after thinking about it for a moment. “You don’t have to come—there’s things you can in Relan.”

“No, it’s fine. I work better when I’m upset.”

Jasper frowned, but didn’t comment. Elionor reminded her of a girl she had briefly known as a mortal; someone who shared Iaspis’s beliefs. Elsyn had watched her after Iaspis died—she became the last of her family and was driven to madness. Similarly, Elionor suffered through the fall of a nation; Jasper offered for her to fight against the mortals who caused it instead of ending her own life. Elionor accepted, but she was still troubled. Jasper did what she could to prevent Elionor from going back on that decision—if only because Jasper had witnessed too many people end their own life. Such an death was rarely necessary, even if that was Jasper’s plan after killing all mortals.

The ships were sent off without much issue. Jasper stayed for only a few days, then left; everyone who came there left with her, and she managed to go the whole trip without saying her name. Elionor walked closely behind her, and Jasper spoke to while they walked.

“Could I ask a favor of you?” Jasper said.

Elionor offered Jasper her attention as an answer. So, Jasper continued. “Sending the ships is one of the first few things I must do in order to fully eradicate the human race; I have very little doubt that someone specific will hear about it.”

“Your request involves this ‘someone specific?’” Elionor asked.

“Yes,” Jasper replied. “I have an…old friend. They don’t agree with my actions, so we’ve fallen out of touch—but I do believe that they’ll hear of this. I want to visit the Lorenzi estate before I go to Cheryn; would you mind if you stayed there for a little while, and see if they come?”

“I can,” Elionor said. “What do you want me to do with them, though? Kill them? Taunt them? Stab them a few times?”

“All you need to do is tell me if they show up,” Jasper said. She looked back at Elionor to see her expression when she added, “They are Letrelan, however. Does that change your mind?”

Elionor considered it for a moment and shook her head—although she did noticeably frown and her expression grew darker. “Fires bother me more than the people that caused them. Just give me a description and I can meet up with you somewhere in Cheryn to report.”

“Thank you,” Jasper said. “I’ve already told a few others to keep an eye out for them—they’re likely with the only people willing to oppose me when barely anyone knows about my whereabouts, so it would generally be beneficial to know where they are and who they’re with.”

Elionor nodded, and Jasper briefly described the friend. When she finished, she looked back ahead of her and said, “If anyone calls them Matali and they match the description, don’t bother engaging—just tell me. I don’t think they’re a fool enough to still appear the same and go by the same name, but if they are it’s a lot less work I have to do in order to find them.”

“I understand,” Elionor said. Jasper cast her another thankful smile, and they continued walking in silence for a short while.