Chapter 263 – Bubbling Tensions
*** Alzi ***
"My Lady," Shyla says, shaking me awake. "I have news about your mother and children. They are all healthy and doing well. A boy and a girl."
"Names?" I ask. "I know about the kids. I got a big box telling me I had a son."
"Not yet. They're basically noble children, so they will follow the rules for nobles, my Lady," Shyla says.
"What are their names? Mommy wouldn't fall for that crap."
"They did not tell me any names, my Lady. Your mother can share them when you meet up with her."
"Another stupid promise."
"Sorry, nobles are passing the messages along, and they don't give names until later."
"Hmph. If I hear you missed my kids' names, I will find a different set of maids and tell Elora I will find out how to divorce her if she tries that on me. Our kids have names at birth. I've got too many stupid classes and Skills about this to care about your bullshit. So go fucking ask them for the damn names!"
"Skirmishes, my Lady."
"The nobles can fucking die. It is due to their stupid fucking rules anyway."
"Please let me get you to the tent, and then I'll run to ask them for the names. But you won't get them until tonight, my Lady."
"Then everyone dies today."
"Fine, I'll tell Petra to mark an hour. If you don't have the names by then, you stop healing."
"Now."
"One hour, please, my Lady. Women are going to die over this. I need time to run to the tent, and then they have to get in contact with your mother and ask."
"They should know the names already. Just get them."
"If your mother really hasn't given them names yet?"
"I had a name just minutes after I was born, and Mommy wouldn't change now. Hurry up."
"My Lady. Thirty minutes. Please."
"If I find out you lied about their names..."
"You would find out in an instant, my Lady. Please."
"Hurry up," I say. I stand for her and hold out my arms so she can put that damn coat on me. She'd better force that damn horse into a sprint. I don't care what time Petra has; I'm counting it off myself.
...
"They didn't give the names?" Petra asks.
"Nobles don't give names out at the start," Shyla says. "Just set a timer for thirty minutes."
"I guess. Kind of stupid," Petra says. "Come on, Lady Alzi, we've got a few already for you. Tripped over a rock last night or something."
*** Elora ***
"The west is going to be the safest. The Queen is pressing hard, so they are too dug in to move. East will be the most likely to have their reinforcements come to flank us."
"Princess Elora, Lady Alzi is demanding to know the names of her kids, or she will not heal anyone," Shyla says. "Sorry to intrude. But we have to get the names. I already negotiated this time, and she will not give more unless you use the collar. Please, do not do that to my Lady."
"Names? Kids don't get names for a few months," I say. "Fuck, does anyone remember them giving us their names?"
"Anza was one," my Inanos says. "I don't remember the other."
"Fuck," I say. I throw out the mirror and try to get the stupid Kitsune back. "Come on, come on."
"What?" I think her name was Hiroko.
"What are the kids' names?" I ask.
"Anza and Uktok. I told you last time. Why are you still bothering us?" Hiroko asks, her shoulders bare, and she looks a little red in the face. Getting busy so quickly after our talk.
"I forgot the names. Sorry to bother you. Thank you," I say. I shut the mirror off, and Shyla has already left us. "Well, back to our attack."
*** Alzi ***
I think it's been thirty minutes, and I didn't see Petra set a timer or flip some sand. I can just heal this over and wait for Shyla to show up. And then I'll have to decide what to do.
"My Lady," Shyla puffs out. "I have their names. Anza and Uktok."
"Who came first," I say. I guess I should count that, at least.
"Please, my Lady. Our time with the mirrors is limited. I know this is rude of me, but others are also missing the births of their children. Please."
"Fine. Whatever," I say. "Barely made it."
"My Lady, the commander's tent is far away. But you have your children's names. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Shyla asks.
"Just the usual," I say. "I'm healing people."
"Yes, my Lady."
*** Yuki ***
"Do we have to sit in the fucking cold for so damn long?" Victoria whispers.
"Yes," I say. "This is our specialty, not yours. So we do it our way. With forethought and preparations." The cold is troublesome, but mana can stave it off for long enough. I need to figure out the wards and counts. I want enough time to torture some of these wives, so the start of our attack needs to be silent. My barrier will only hold for five minutes, but it will even keep them from leaving through their hidden tunnels.
The war has diminished their fighting forces. But we have to be careful of what hides in the shadows, as we may not be the only ones using them.
"Can't I fucking go? I ain't doing any damn work here," Victoria whispers. "My tits are going to freeze the fuck off."
"Stop being a baby. You clearly can think, so do that. I want every woman besides the head wife to be killed. None are to be given mercy. We need to have a perfect plan for that."
"I don't have long-ass tails to keep me warm."
"Quiet. The more you distract me, the longer this takes."
"Bitch."
...
"Are you done?" Victoria asks yet again.
"I won't be able to do this if you keep this up," I say. I don't think I'll be able to stand Victoria's bullshit if she keeps this up for another few days.
"Then just attack."
"We need to recover our mana, so we have to wait at least a day," I say. I kind of have a plan, so I can sleep on it and work on it again tomorrow. But Victoria isn't wrong about us needing to hurry, and I'm sure rumors about our disappearance are starting to spread. "But we can rest for now."
We have to crawl slowly through the snow to the forest. There are two hundred yards of snow that we have to crawl through without anyone noticing that something is wrong. It's not a fun task, but it's doable with two Kitsunes to maintain the illusion. The best part about it is that Victoria shuts up when she has something to do that doesn't require her brain.
Our camp is also minimalistic. There is no tent or fire, just some blankets that will help us blend into the snow at night.
"What do you think, Nakuma?" I ask.
"All the guards can be seen by at least two different groups. The timing for taking them out will have to be perfect and swift. But they overdid the traps. The guards are too scared of them and only use a well-defined path, which we can follow to get from the fence to the manor. You don't even have to memorize the paths; the ground is worn out where they normally walk. So, it should be possible with the three of us. Victoria gets the maids and then the husband, while we get the wives."
"Yes," I say. "I saw that as well. I think we should check it out for a few days to make sure the paths don't change and to study the far side. It may be easier to enter from there."
"We could," is all Nakuma says. Her face is already buried in my tails.
I could use a nice bath and massage. Alzi's fingers are masterful at working out stress, but I need to complete this mission first, and I need to repay her for all the massages she has already given me.
"That will take a fucking day just to get there, and by then, my ass would be frozen!" Victoria says. "No, fuck that. Just attack from this damn side. I hit the corner of the yard while you two go around the yard picking off the stupid fucking guards. Your damn illusions should be good enough to trick the fucking guards.
"I go in first with the disenchant potion to ruin the illusion ward, and then you two strike the shits to the side. There are some damn traps in the field between us and the yard, but those fucks are easy enough to avoid. Ten fucking guards on the long side and five in the front. This style of manor normally fucking doubles in size in the back, so there are another twenty on that side to take out. Once Yuki finishes her sideyard, we swap so she can work on the damn servant's door, and I'll start to take out the fucks in the back while Nakuma gets the damn far sideyard.
"Nakuma will have to move fucking fast to support me in the backyard. Then, after we finish that shit, we each take a floor after clearing the ground floor. That should get the damn majority of the maids and any fucking warrior wives they have. I'll take the damn fourth floor, while Nakuma gets the fucking third, Yuki second. Whoever finishes first clears out the shit on the fifth, just in case."
"How do you take out the guards in the back without getting caught?" I ask.
"I move fast enough, dumbass. I just need the fucking speed potion you made. Timing will need to be damn near perfect, like Nakuma said. But this has to be fucking perfect anyways if we want this shit to go down how you want."
"It could work," Nakuma says. "Likely the best route. Sleep tonight to recover our mana, and then go at dusk tomorrow. The snow should help with the glare, lowering the chances of getting spotted."
"I guess," I sigh. This had better work. I'm not running all over this damn Queendom looking for any of these damn nobles. I need to marry Alzi quickly. "I'll get the first watch."
*** Princess Eirina ***
Myantha told me a squad was able to break off without Lyrei sending any troops to follow it. But Mother is getting attacked too much to even try to send me some help. The spy did report that Azula De Vil isn't going to be freed in the attack. Also, Alzi is stuck in the medical section, and they refuse to let her leave.
It will be a gamble if our healers give up when we break the rules. But a good gamble, I think. Alzi won't be hurt, besides the initial collar and distance part. And I know Elora is getting impatient. She has too much to prove, and capturing the second-best mage on our side isn't going to be enough for her.