"She should be decapitated."
"No, flay her starting from the fingers."
"No. It would be better to bury quartz needles between her flesh and nails. We did that last time, and the proud Evil-the-Heat wet herself and begged for mercy. Pitiful and delicious."
The recommendations overlapped. Those beautiful women, leaders of their respective families, wasted no time in proposing increasingly horrendous fates for the elf standing in the center of the parliament. Moonsong maintained her serene demeanor, her eyes closed, hands clasped behind her back. She seemed immune to the various punishments promoted for her failed invasion.
Does that mean Moonsong does not fear suffering a gruesome death? Not at all; receiving pain scares her just as much as she enjoys dealing it out. The idea of falling into the clutches of an expert torturer is something she dares not even imagine. It is a scenario only desirable when suffered by an enemy, someone she dislikes, or anyone who offends her.
Moonsong allows herself to be calm because before the parliament session began, and even before arriving at the City of Thorns, she sent Blood-And-Guts to bribe a portion of the leaders. And if that could not be achieved, then to bribe the leaders' favorite lovers so they would sweeten their ears.
Moonsong's wealth is not infinite. But a percentage of abstentions would be enough so that, after the vote, her only punishment would be enduring this bad moment.
Of course, any of them could betray her; that would be a logical possibility. It could even be the case that Blood-And-Guts disobeyed the order on a whim. However, another trump card keeping Moonsong from falling into despair is the mysterious benefactor who allowed the invasion in the first place.
An attack by the dark elves in broad daylight was unthinkable for humans, and even more so for the elves themselves. But thanks to the magic of a new power factor in the Underdark, Moonsong made it possible. Although there were numerous attempts to uncover the identity of this mysterious benefactor, including paying off members of her harem, Moonsong managed to keep the secret and, in the process, made cruel examples of several of her lovers so the rest would stay in line.
No family would seek to make an enemy of Moonsong until they discovered the extent of her affinity with this new power, and knew how much the unknown benefactor could do. Some believe Moonsong made a deal with a demon, others that she fornicated with a forgotten god.
"It is true that the commander failed, and her incompetence in concluding what she started is evident... But it is also true that this is the first time we have managed to penetrate so deeply into the kingdom, do you not agree?"
Moonsong holds back the smile forming on her lips upon hearing the first voice in her favor. The next minute, another leader comments that, although tying Moonsong's limbs to four bicorns and having them tear her apart sounds reasonable, perhaps it would be better to give her a second chance.
The atmosphere in the parliament changes. What promised to be a festival of insults is now less clear. The Elder Matriarch, covered by a veil of cobwebs that prevents her figure from being seen clearly, makes her voice resonate. A voice that, unlike her peers, sounds raspy, worn; it makes you wonder how many millennia of life she must have experienced to sound like that:
"Time to vote."
The dark elves prepare their cobweb handkerchiefs, placed on their thighs. When the motion to execute Moonsong is called to a vote, 49 of the 100 leaders raise their handkerchiefs and wave them. Moonsong opens her eyes, and seeing that her cruel death did not obtain a majority, she smiles freely.
From beyond the thick cobweb veil, the shadow of the Elder Matriarch, with red eyes so intense they seem to glow, declares:
"Moonsong of the seventy-fifth thorn, you promised victory and long-lasting immunity against the light during your campaign. On both promises, you failed. But you also promised blood under the sun, an impossibility upon which you delivered. I still do not know what to think of you, but the majority has spoken with their silence. You may withdraw and live another day, and in doing so, perhaps, achieve the redemption and respect you lost."
Moonsong accepts the words with a slightly bowed head. She does not want to appear too agreeable to the Elder Matriarch, either. Obeisance is a servant's trait, and Moonsong is determined to flee from that label like the plague.
After Moonsong exits the parliament, Blood-And-Guts, who was waiting at the entrance, joins the elf's walk. They ask how it went, and Moonsong does not answer because even Blood-And-Guts knows it is a stupid question. If something had gone wrong, Moonsong would not be walking free under the bluish roof of the justice floor in the City of Thorns.
The city is a single tower, giant as a vertical kingdom, forty floors in total, some as tall as mountains. At the wide, bulbous peak of the tower, 100 spear-sharp thorns point in haphazard directions. In reality, there are more than 100 thorns, but over a hundred have already been severed, representing the families that fell from grace and now exist only as tales of humiliation.
Along the tower's contour and on various levels there are tall, glassless windows, from which the vastness of the Underdark can be seen. Despite having no sun, Moonsong does not believe they need one. Luminescent mosses and fungi, along with a thousand diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and precious mineral ores, act as an eternal starry loom.
To Moonsong, the ceiling of the Underdark is more beautiful than the surface sky: compact, colorful, with constantly fixed points of light that make it the only thing a dark elf can trust—and all without that vulgar vastness that causes dizziness the first time one glimpses it. Her mother, on the other hand, seemed enamored with that forbidden sky, hence naming one of her daughters after the moon. It was a decision Moonsong did not agree with, and perhaps one day, after her mother dies, she is determined to achieve something grand and impressive enough to change her name.
Moonsong desires a name like Blood-And-Guts, only less visceral. In reality, there is a multitude of things she desires. Having ambition is a respected and sensual trait among the elves. No one likes the faint-hearted. For instance, one of her current and most pressing yearnings is a long, hot bath, and an even longer passionate session with her boyfriends.
However, Moonsong has no time to lose, and as soon as she arrives at her palace and separates from Blood-And-Guts—who wanders off to harass youths in the taverns—she enters her bedroom while instructing the servants not to disturb her for anything in the world. Immediately after, she throws on a hood so dark it transforms her into a shadow, and enters the secret tunnel hidden in the false back of her wardrobe.