Ithnaa

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Sora declared as we watched Anali and her crew leave. “Alright, captain, what’s the plan?”

“Right, we need to start by making contact with the local Lord. However, I don’t have time to do it myself, which means I need Leila to go with Ithnaa to the planet’s surface.”

“I can handle her myself. There’s no reason to waste resources by sending someone with me,” I argued, but Bryce shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but no. Suhali’s honest cooperation is vital here, and the only way we can guarantee that is if we have at least one of our devils with you.”

“And don’t forget why Mother is even coming here in the first place,” Leila interjected. “Suhali has already agreed to hand you over to her, and it’s going to be our job to convince her otherwise. If we fail, then it’ll mean a fight.”

“Which is exactly what I’m wanting to avoid at all costs,” Bryce continued. “Ideally, we have Mother trigger a trap and leave without ever knowing we were here.”

“But what happens when she finds us?” Samira asked.

“If she finds us, then we’ll be ready for her. While those two are away, I’ll be preparing dozens of different spells to turn our encampment on the moon into a veritable fortress. If we have to fight Mother, it will be on our own terms.”

“And if we can’t beat her?” Sora asked this time, and Bryce nodded.

“If it seems like we can’t win, then we run. One of the spells I’m planning on preparing is a teleportation circle leading back to the ship, which will be stationed in the Aether. I’ll arrange the spell so that any one of us can activate it. So, we’ll always have an exit.”

“Ithnaa, what do you think?” Thea asked, and I took a moment to consider before responding.

“It’s risky, but any fight with Mother is going to be, and I can’t imagine a more optimal set of circumstances. If we’re set on confronting her, then this is the time and place for it.”

“What’s the alternative?” Aurora pushed off the couch she had been leaning against to join the conversation. “If you decide not to confront her, then what happens next?”

“Then we go back on the run.” Bryce shrugged. “We keep moving, and we don’t stop. Possibly ever.”

“We can just go back to Paradise, or Hel, or even Hades. There are plenty of places we could hide out.”

“I’m sorry Thea, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in the hells dealing with demon politics, and Paradise isn’t much better.”

“You could always just go to the Union,” Sanya suggested. “The Syndicate basically doesn’t exist there, and Iefyr isn’t going to care that you’re a goddess unless your little group starts getting too big.”

“If we decide that confronting Mother is too dangerous, then we’ll decide what to do next. Fair?”

“But we will actually back off if it gets too dangerous, right?” Samira asked, and we all waited for Bryce to respond.

“How about this? If anyone feels like it’s getting too dangerous after Mother shows up, then they can call for a retreat.”

There was a series of nods in agreement, but of course, Sora was the one to actually speak up. “Well, I’m convinced. What do you want me to do?”

“Find a defensible location on the moon. Something with solid ground that I can carve enchantments into.”

“What about the rest of us?” Suriel asked.

“Samira and Sanya will stay on the ship, along with anyone who isn’t willing to fight. Everyone else, do what you need to do to be prepared. We aren’t looking for a fight here, but if it comes down to one, then I have every intention of winning. Any last questions?” Nobody responded, so Bryce nodded before continuing. “In that case, Ithnaa feel free to head out as soon as you’re ready, and Sora, I’ll be in the observation room gathering the materials I need. Please let me know when we’re about to land.” She turned to leave, and people started splitting off into groups to discuss preparations.

Leila didn’t waste any time in approaching me. “Is there anything I need to know?”

“Suhali is a conniving coward. She won’t act without some information, but the less she knows, the better off we’ll be. She’s also much weaker than I am, but won’t hesitate to turn on us at the first opportunity if we try to threaten her into helping.”

“Right, sounds like every demon I’ve ever dealt with. Do you have a plan in mind?”

“I have a token similar to the one Bryce used to win her bet hidden in Suhali’s estate. We can use that to teleport directly inside. We should be able to confront her in private from there.”

“Hold on, what token? I thought Bryce used blood magic to bypass the wards.”

I conjured one of my tokens and handed it to the devil to inspect. “It’s enchanted to act as a scrying focus. Bryce borrowed one from me and had Sora hide it on Anali before the wards were in place. As far as I’m aware, it’s still on her.”

“So, she didn’t use blood magic after all.” Leila seemed strangely relieved by that, but I dismissed it as her still being soft from her days as a celestial.

“No, she didn’t, and since the terms of the bet added her to my contract when she won, she no longer can. At least, not against Anali.”

“Was that an oversight?”

“As far as I’m aware, it was something she intended from the beginning.”

“I might have underestimated Bryce,” she muttered, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“From what I’ve heard, that’s not uncommon. Is there anything you need to gather before we leave?”

“No, I’m good to head out whenever you are.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder and teleported the two of us. We appeared moments later in a beautifully decorated guest suite half a meter above a silk-covered canopy bed.

“Sorry, she renovated since the last time I visited and it was either here or in the attic,” I apologized as we scrambled off the bed. Suhali’s renovation was surprisingly tasteful, and it even seemed liked she had gotten rid of most of the knock-off furniture. Not all of it, but most, and since this was just a guest room, cutting a few corners could be excused.

“Remind me to ask Suhali for her designer,” Leila muttered as she took in the gossamer silks and tapestries. “Could you imagine sleeping in a room like this every night?”

“No, I couldn’t, but it is only a guest room. We should hold off on punishing the designer until we at least see the master suite.”

“How magnanimous of you,” she said, dryly, but I waved her off as I picked up the silver bell on the bedside table.

“It’s nothing. I’ve been trying to be more humble recently.” I rang the bell before setting it gently back on the table, and turning towards the door to wait. “Sorry about this. Suhali still uses mortal servants, so we could be here awhile.”

“Aren’t you mortal?”

“No. I’m a djinn.” I tried to hide the revulsion in my voice, but I wasn’t particularly successful. I had done a lot of work to humble myself, but being called a mortal was just a step too far.

“But you’re from the mortal plane, right?”

“Technically, I was born here,” I admitted before explaining. “But my ancestors weren’t, and I don’t have a mortal’s lifespan. Hence, not a mortal.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I’m just saying that I haven’t seen many djinn in Elysia or the lower planes.”

“And how many djinn have you met?” I raised an eyebrow at her, but she just shrugged.

“Including you? One. But I don’t get to the mortal plane very often.”

I was about to point out how that probably didn’t make her the best judge of who was mortal and who wasn’t, when the door slowly creaked open to reveal a dark-haired young looking woman wearing harem garb. Her eyes went wide as she recognized me, and I teleported behind her to move her into the room before she could run.

“Marcel, congratulations on joining Suhali’s harem. I know how much you wanted that.”

“T-thank you, Lord Ithnaa. I apologize for my delay in answering your call, but I wasn’t expecting anybody to be in my mistress’s room. I-I thought it was a prank.”

Leila took a step towards her and spoke in an overly sweet tone. “That’s alright. Would you mind fetching your mistress for us? Quietly, please.”

“Y-yes, ma’am. I can go get her.”

“Please, do. We’ll wait here for you, okay?” Leila smiled at the woman, and she rushed out of the room while avoiding eye contact. “She seems so young. Do djinn normally force children into their harems?”

“Do you truly think so little of us?” I asked, more than a little offended. Which was only made worse when the devil didn’t respond. “Members are recruited as adults. Adding a child would be vile, embarrassing, and worse, it would be boring. A djinn’s harem is more sacred than a dragon’s hoard. Only the most interesting or influential people are invited to join. Children are neither of those things.”

“Then how do you explain Marcel?”

“She’s a changeling assassin. Her appearance is meant to disarm her target. She’s one of the best.”

“She is the best.” Suhali stepped into the room with her arms crossed, likely trying to hide the cheap blouse she was wearing. “Ithnaa, I was expecting to see you in chains at my feet, not standing free in my bedroom. What are you doing here?”

“We need to know where you’re planning on meeting Mother when she arrives,” Leila spoke up, which earned her a scowl from Suhali.

“Who are you, exactly?”

“Who she is doesn’t matter,” I interrupted before she could get distracted. “What does is that Mother is going to be here soon and the woman she’s coming to meet is dead. You’re going to be stuck playing hostess until she gets tired of waiting and takes out her annoyance at the nearest person. Namely you. So, unless you want her to claim your new assassin for herself, then you’re going to want to help us.”

Suhali shifted uncomfortably as she chewed on her bottom lip. So, I kept pressing her. “I wonder how long Marcel will last. Usually, I’d say only a few hours, but she is a changeling, and there are a lot of people Mother has a grudge against. She’s going to want at least a week with each of them.”

“And you think that you could stop her?”

“We can direct her anger somewhere else,” Leila chimed in. “There’s no guarantee that she won’t still lash out, but if we minimize her contact with the rest of your household, then maybe we can limit the backlash to just you.”

“It might be too late for that,” Suhali let out a resigned sigh, and I pushed back a wave of panic. “Mother arrived early yesterday morning. She’s downstairs right now, drinking all of my wine and thinking of new ways to punish you. A few of them are actually quite creative.”

“We need to tell Bryce.” Leila looked worried, and I nodded in agreement, but didn’t respond to her right away.

“We might have a way to deal with Mother permanently, but it would mean luring her into a trap. Which means we need a secluded location, and a reason for her to visit it.”

“No way. Even if you somehow found a way to kill her, you are not doing it in my home. I won’t be blamed for this.”

“The spell won’t kill Mother right away. It will prevent her from generating additional mana until she eventually dies from decay,” I explained. “There will be no way to trace it back to you.”

“You’re sure of this?” I nodded, and Suhali closed her eyes with a resigned look. “Alright, I’ll help. But none of this can lead back to me, understood?”

I bit my tongue at Suhali’s demand, and Leila responded before I had a chance to reprimand her. “We understand, and we’ll be in contact when we’ve had a chance to adjust our plans. Ithnaa, we should get back before Bryce has time to set up.”

“Agreed. Suhali, this is the only opportunity we’re going to get to remove Mother without her having a chance to retaliate. Don’t ruin it for us.” She seemed like she was about to object, but I teleported me and Leila back to the ship before she could.