The Queen grabbed the princess's hand under the table and addressed the two women: "Why do you care so much?"
Alex seemed surprised by the Nordic woman's question, and her smile, strangely, grew almost sweet. However, before she could explain the reason behind her curiosity, Astrael appeared out of nowhere, resting his hands on Grimilde's chair, taking the group by surprise.
"Interesting spell you used to hide yourselves from the rest of the world... took me a few minutes to decipher it! You truly are as talented as they say, Alex of Clevwood."
The demon brushed his long, black hair away from his face, revealing bright, red eyes. The witch looked ready to attack him, but he vanished again, only to reappear right next to her: he grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I am honored to meet you, Archmage."
Alex snatched her hand away from his grip and gritted her teeth: "What are you planning?"
"Astrael." Grimilde's tone was icy, and Astrael finally decided to explain the reason for his arrival, preventing a fight from breaking out right in that lovely garden.
"You should be grateful, yet I see you're anything but happy to see me! But I'll let it slide, because we have more important things to worry about. Like a betrayal, for instance."
Astrael turned his gaze to Zeyana, who had a firm hand on the hilt of the sword she had left beside her. She trusted no one, which is why she always went around armed, and that very day she would discover that in Umgard, a sword was definitely going to be needed.
"I won't take all your gratitude for myself. Snow White asked me to do a sweep of the palace kitchens before the meals were served at yesterday's banquet, and coincidentally... we found a special powder." Astrael reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small glass vial containing a silvery substance. "A light sprinkle over the food would be enough to get rid of all of you... brilliant, don't you think? And you know what the funny part is? It's made from a flower very common in Umgard, which, if processed, becomes a truly potent poison."
"This is madness!" The Empress rose from the table, knocking her cup to the ground, and the sound of shattering porcelain accompanied her powerful, furious tone of voice: "I would never let myself be betrayed so easily! My men made sure to check everything from top to bottom and to taste every meal before it was served!"
Alex stood up with her and grabbed her arms, trying to calm her down. "Sit down, Zey." She only did it because her partner had asked, but in any other situation, she would have already sentenced that demon to a clean beheading.
"Bianca, you didn't tell me anything." Grimilde was confused, but above all, scared. Discovering they were in a den of enemies was terrifying, since they didn't have enough resources to defend themselves against the traitors of Umgard.
Astrael stepped up to Snow White's chair, resting a hand on her shoulder and smiling at her, prompting her to speak. The princess glared at him in irritation, but then addressed the rest of the women: "When we arrived in Umgard, I had the chance to look around, and I happened to see one of the servants carrying some very beautiful bouquets of flowers. They looked familiar to me, so I followed my instinct and asked Astrael to bring me one of the books I own on the flora and fauna of the kingdoms, and checking the descriptions, I remembered what it was. Umgard was once an uninhabitable territory precisely because the Ambrea flowers poisoned anyone who lived there with their pollen. Time must have created a different generation of flowers, controllable and less dangerous, but still fatal if treated with the right care."
"That doesn't change the fact that I asked Alex to check the food in the palace during the banquet, and that my tasters didn't die. It's impossible that they used that powder!"
"Not yet." Astrael stretched his lips, and his eyes turned as red as fresh blood. He reached out to place the vial on the table, and at that point, he addressed Alex: "I would watch my back. They know you are very important to the Empress, and they will try in every possible way to separate you from her."
The witch was flushed with anger, but at those words, a fear she hadn't felt in years began to take root in her. She couldn't risk losing anyone else; she couldn't lose her beloved Zeyana.
Grimilde, who had chosen to stay silent for most of the time, spoke with a clear voice: "Agreeing to host us all in Krussgard and attempting to assassinate us behind our backs is a clear declaration of war. We have ignored the nature of the people of Umgard. They are old tribes known for their belligerence and their desire for power and expansion. If we left the fort, they would try to stop us, and that could lead to casualties. I propose we stay and find out who is behind the conspiracy..."
"This way we can capture them and make an example of them." Zeyana nodded decisively, while Snow White shook her head.
"We don't know what other secrets they're hiding! It might be too dangerous to sleep in our enemies' house... furthermore, we should inform the others as well."
"What if they are involved?" the Empress suggested with a tone of calm fury.
Alex hadn't spoken yet, too busy feeling guilty for not noticing the warning signs until then. Astrael, instead, was listening to the conversation among the women of power with great interest.
"Snow White, when did you see the servants bringing the flowers into the castle?"
"When we arrived. They were moving several crates, taken from the wagons that followed the carriages."
"The crates you saw belonged to the guests. I personally oversaw the movement of the goods during the castle's preparations, paying attention to every detail. Nothing enters the castle without my authorization. Besides, I didn't come to Umgard alone; I have eyes everywhere..."
Suddenly, the discussion came to a halt, and silence fell: the day had seemed peaceful at its start, but with Astrael's appearance, darkness had also arrived. After all, he was a demon; he wasn't known for bringing good news.
"One of the guests conspired with some Umgardians to have you killed, and you're just sitting here in silence? I'd suggest torturing someone to start."
"I must say I agree with you, demon." The Empress wore an icy, almost unrecognizable expression. Her partner knew well what happened to traitors, and for this very reason, she grew serious.
"Before unleashing chaos and someone's wrath, we should try to find out who the culprits are with less extreme methods." Princess Snow White didn't seem worried about irritating the Empress by voicing her opinion, and moreover, she had a plan in mind. "Only we know Astrael's true nature, and thanks to this, we will be able to discover who the culprits are and, at the right moment, seize the opportunity to arrest them."
"It won't be that simple. We have no legal jurisdiction here and we would risk starting a war. In any case, we are at a disadvantage, and the possible consequences will be horrific... that was exactly what we were trying to avoid... an armed conflict cannot happen, because it would be the end of everything." Grimilde seemed tormented and surprised everyone by standing up and addressing the Empress with a solemn tone: "If your intention is to save your Empire, we will have to work together. What lies beneath this continent is dormant, but it has been fueled for centuries by unrest and Chaos. We don't know when it will wake, but it is certain that it will, and at that point, we will have to fight against creatures stronger and crueler than us."
"She is right. I feel it... something truly dangerous and close is disturbing my connection with the spirits." Alex placed a hand on her chest and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She felt an unknown restlessness, anguish, and a visceral fear without a source... it was so close, so powerful. Something was wrong, and from what she could sense, the feelings she was experiencing were not caused by Astrael, but were certainly due to a demon.
"I sense something very dark... so much anger... it's hidden, but it's close. Too close. Another demon dwells in these lands and is ready to eat."
The lust demon stepped away from them and tilted his face toward the sky, spreading his arms and taking a deep breath. When he turned around, his expression hardened, his red eyes narrowed to slits, and his mouth opened, revealing sharp teeth:
"Golujef, the demon of gluttony, is among us, and he will not stop until he has obtained everything his gullet craves!"