Bertaut’s home was overgrown, the garden reclaiming the house at an oddly fast pace. Carrying the still shocked Keela to the dusty training room, Velka lit a torch and dropped Keela in a chair, resting her as comfortably as she could. Picking a chair herself, she straddled it, resting her chin on her arms crossed on the back of the chair, observing Keela. She had gone in complete shock, her face still in this expression of numb terror. Sighing, Velka picked up a broom and started sweeping the room, finding it more productive than moping around. After a few hours of silence, she moved up to the kitchen, finding it completely empty. Exasperation started gaining up on her but she steeled herself and threw on a cloak, heading for the market.

Velka darted in the streets, the dull grey sky watching over her as she tightened the hood around her head. She knew this path better than anyone, the same she had walked so many times to feed the orphans. She paused in front of Tessa’s new home but shook her head and moved forward, pressing on. She stopped by the stall she usually would go to, out of habit perhaps, and looked in her coin purse. Money wouldn’t be a problem.

“How can I help you dear?” said the familiar face of the old lady behind the counter.

“If I pay you extra, can you make two sandwiches?” said Velka, nervously playing with her coin purse.

“Why? Do you not cook anymore Velka?” asked the old lady, grinning with a checkered smile.

“Please. Don’t.”

“I won’t ask more.”

She got to work, masterfully putting two sandwiches together. Velka slid two gold pieces across the counter, making the old lady jump in surprise.

“I can’t accept this”, she said, looking at the coins.

“I don’t have smaller change on me. You’ll have to”, replied Velka, putting the sandwiches in a small bag she had brought.

“Fine. You say hi to the kids for me.”

“Thanks. I will.”

Velka quickly turned heel and darted back, hiding her face and her bad lies, going back to Bertaut’s home at a hurried pace. A slight drizzle started clicking on her cloak as she walked but she got home before it turned to a downpour. When she stepped back in, Keela still sat in her chair, this time holding her crown in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at it. Without a word, Velka simply put a sandwich on the table next to her and sat in her chair, eating hers in silence, book in her other hand. In the corner of the room, a small pile of clothes she hadn’t brought sat, neatly folded, albeit a touch ruffled. Smiling shyly, she looked at Keela and thanked her with a nod, before going back to her book.

This tense silence lasted a week, neither of them breaking it, nonverbal communication being the usual. Keela had recovered from the shock, mostly looking to the ground with grief in her eyes. She hadn’t trained alongside Velka; losing the usual flexibility she had didn’t bother her. She had even returned Velka’s invisible armor, grabbing things from the castle in short trips. She seemed to have a plan but refused to share it, or talk much. Guards often passed by the doors to the house, heavy patrols going about in the area after the death of the king. News were going about that the queen of Noclye had betrayed her country, both countries now in a temporary alliance to find the betrayer. The easternmost lands hadn’t implicated themselves in this, choosing passivity over adamant support. Overall, the political situation seemed tense but stable to a degree, which was agreeable but regrettable.

Keela’s trip through portals grew more and more frequent and a few days after, as Velka woke up in the corner from a shaky night’s sleep, Keela was fully dressed in a nice dress and waiting for her to wake up.

“Good morning. I have a favor to ask”, asked Keela, looking at Velka.

She looked weary, bags under her eyes, unknown new rings on her fingers.

“I’m all ears”, replied Velka, rubbing her eyes.

“I’m going to do something very stupid and I need you to come along.”

“I’m not going to like this, aren’t I?”

“No. You won’t.”

Keela took a sharp breath in, looking off to the side, seemingly looking for the right words.

“I’m going to go to the Ivory Razor hideout and let loose the demon in myself. The favor I need from you is…” started Keela, biting her lip near the end.

“You need me to kill you, don’t you?” said Velka, keeping a stoic expression.

“Yeah.”

Velka stood up, walked towards Keela and grabbed her in a tight hug.

“You’re an idiot”, she muttered in Keela’s ear, hiding her tears over her shoulder.

“I know”, replied Keela, reciprocating the hug with a faint smile.

“Fine. Let me get dressed and we’ll go.”

“Thank you.”

Hastily throwing on her armor, Velka sheathed a dagger on her back and a sword on her hip, keeping it minimal to match her formal attire. She was dressed as if she was headed to any upper-class event, but was ready for a bloodbath; which was very likely to happen. She tightened the jacket she wore as the general and ripped the pins off. Her rank meant nothing anymore. Keela handed her crown over, which Velka quickly melted into a puddle full of gems on the floor. Adjusting the shorts she wore under her long flowy white dress, she assured herself that the dagger was fastened to her hip. Tying her hair properly, she manoeuvred around the horns carefully, making sure they had room while being a part of the headpiece. As she finished, she turned towards Velka and flashed a toothy grin, baring her fangs which had definitely grown again, getting a smiling sigh out of Velka who brushed her hair and gathered it in a ponytail. Both of them stood ready to leave this house one last time, heading into their last confrontation.

“So, where is it?” asked Velka, messing with the hilt of her sword nervously.

“Remember Raymond of the Summer?” replied Keela, throwing on a cloak for the travel.

“The general? That you threw in the abyss?” asked Velka back, doing the same.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Apparently, he’s been marked as MIA and now his daughter that I didn’t know he had owns the house. We’re simply going to crash a party.”

“Is that the party you almost killed Elliot at?”

“He started it.”

“Fair.”

The two of them stepped outside, weaving in the crowd as the sun sat brightly at its zenith. Short shadows made for less attention drawn. Temperatures were getting colder again, thus the cloaks fit right in amongst the people. Guards were none the wiser. Pacing up the last street in the fairgrounds passed them in front of Tessa’s house, which both of them ignored with a tightness in their throats. Arriving at the gate, the two of them looked at each other and, with mutual understanding, stepped into the estate.