Silence. One Liron had earned.
The agent grimaced, shuddering. Bran stared at Liron, his face turning green again. Shae narrowed her eyes, searching for the sanity she had thought to rule Liron's decision-making. Only Emma and Zonis saw the potential in his plan. But they reacted in different ways. Emma joined in with her brother's grin, holding her stomach as she laughed.
The Whisperer moved his mouth like a vile taste had poisoned his tongue. "This is madness…"
"But it can work?" Liron asked.
"It's madness, Liron. Nothing else. It will grant us nothing more than a certain death."
"Solia's tits!" Bran barked, fighting back the vomit dancing in his throat. "Stop foolin' around and explain this! How's gettin' the fuckin' Qyoral here gonna help us?!"
Liron leaned over the altar, his fingers tracing the position of both armies. "It's simple. Adenius loves chaos, but one that he can control. Too much, and he risks his own plan. Think about it, Bran. Adenius is as fucked as we are. He needs a big win to save his skin. So, it's not enough to defeat us and the Qyoral. He needs my corpse. For all his yappin' about wantin' to get stronger, he wants to stay alive and rise in the ranks. But he can't do that if I'm eaten by a Qilesh."
Emma nodded, stepping next to Liron. "Without your body, no one will believe his victory. Only the Inquisition is on his side, but they can't help him much. His crimes are too big to simply accept and still openly support him. The Empire is ready to get rid of him."
"You want to force Adenius' hand?" Shae asked, massaging her temples. "Make him move before he has his Fides with him?"
Liron pointed at Shae. "Fuck yeah. Like Zonis said, he wants to get rid of us with the army, and with the help of his monster, he wants to take down the Qyoral. But if we can make him fight them before he's ready, his greatest weapon will be busy keeping death away from his door. Busy enough for them to not notice us sneakin' up to his back and deliver justice in a cunty way."
"Why the fuck would they attack, though?" Bran asked. "I mean, they'll wait to get an idea of what's goin' on. They gotta be confused at what the imperial army's doin'."
"You said it yourself," Emma said. "What the Empire wants, the Qyoral will try to take first. They will ignore us if we don't give them reason to strike. But if we stroke the bear, usin' a pointy stick and shove it up his ass, it'll have a reaction."
Liron took the pieces they used to symbolize all the factions on the map. "Shae, you're the most mobile we have. You'll fly close to 'em and blow some shit up."
"How am I supposed to get close enough?" Shae asked. "My spells have a considerable reach but not enough to attack from far away."
Emma pointed her thumb at herself. "You'll take me with you. You said you can take one person. I'll use my illusion to sneak us close enough. You do your thing, and then we run away."
"We will create smoke signals here in Al Pakris," Liron continued. "They'll guess where we are, but we make sure they know."
"But they might not attack," Zonis said, deep in thought. "Even if everything works out, they might believe it to be a trap."
Liron raised his head at Zonis, his eyes tense and focused. "Information is a disease. That's what our dear fuckin' Adenius said. Give your enemy information, and you will make them into a friend. You'll make sure they'll act differently and in ways that we can predict. Let's say the Qyoral will stay still like cowards, we give them one thing they can't refuse to kill."
Zonis blinked. He tried to keep it in, but a snorted laugh escaped his lips. "Interesting. Bold, Liron. And a lot to ask of."
Bran looked between them. "Fuck, I can't follow."
"Me," Zonis said. "Liron is talking about making me bait for the Qyoral."
"You never said it, but the Qyoral must see you as a traitor, right?" Liron asked. "They probably hate your guys' guts. So, would they really believe it to be an imperial trap if they knew we have a Qilesh with us? Worse than that, a Xenrus that fights against them and helps humans."
Zonis lowered his gaze. "No, they would not hesitate. They hate my kind. They consider all Phirans to be a scourge for them. Weakness given flesh. They would know that we do not belong to the Empire. They would know that we want them to attack us immediately…"
"But?" Liron asked.
Zonis sighed, wielding. "But they would attack nonetheless. For all the reasons mentioned. It would be enough to risk it."
Liron and Emma jumped into the air, slapping palms.
The Whisperer stomped on the ground, bringing an end to the twin's celebration. "Nonetheless, what you are proposing is suicide. The Qyoral are closer by. They would reach us first, and we would have to survive their assault."
"Yeah, but only long enough until Adenius comes to save our asses," Emma replied.
"Correct, but even this is a lot to ask. How long could you endure the weight of a house? Do you know what they will do with you? They will taint your flesh. It means they will slowly start taking control over your bodies. My kind achieves this by inserting a tiny piece of us into your bodies and then letting it fester. Your skin will turn grey, and like a fire through a forest, it will spread until it has reached your heart and head.
"After that, you will become nothing but an extension of the Qilesh that has tainted you. They will absorb you, turning you into Punt. Mass to be used to strengthen themselves. They will steal your abilities and leave nothing of you behind."
Liron gulped at the thought. "Is there nothing we can do against this?"
Zonis shook his head. "The only defense against this is having sufficient strength. As soon as your abilities have grown enough, no Qilesh can simply claim you. The two of you are far away from such protection. Not even Shae would be safe yet. Only a Mage can fight off a Qilesh's taint. One wrong move, and you will be dead."
"Should we be tainted," Liron said, "could you get rid of it? Could you fight it?"
"Of course, I can, but…"
"If you know of the risks," Emma continued, "so will Adenius. He can't risk losing Liron. If it's this dangerous to fight a Qilesh, then Adenius will have to send in his army as soon as the Qyoral attack."
"He would have to sacrifice his strongest weapon," Liron said, his eyes focused on Zonis. "It would give us the perfect shot to kill him."
Zonis grunted. "It would, but let us go through your plan more thoroughly. We have to survive the initial assault by the Qyoral. It is feasible. We have Al Pakris and can use it to our advantage. We can lay traps and hinder them for moments. Long enough for the imperial army to reach us.
"What then, Liron? To have our chance to kill Adenius, we would have to first survive as these two armies clash. Something that will be worse than anything that you have experienced in Kupferrang. It will be utter chaos and destruction. After accomplishing such a miracle, we would have to either fight our way to Adenius or lure him to us. Both are nigh impossible for a whole plethora of reasons, which I don't think I have to point out to you.
"And should we succeed and slay Adenius, what will happen then? The two armies will still fight, and the Fides will be without a master. Can we even tell what it will do when Adenius has died? Perhaps he will command it to hunt you. Then we would have to survive this creature's pursuit until Wran arrives."
Zonis shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. "Your plan is… an interesting and creative one, but it is hopeless. Why can't you see this?"
The rest shared Zonis' hesitation. Whatever conviction had taken root in them, Zonis' judgment ripped it out again. There would be no fighting if they couldn't convince the Whisperer first.
Liron exchanged a look with Emma. He found no doubt in her eyes. Only the echo of the tree. The boundless hunger. Ambition.
For the first time, Liron felt a certain kinship to Adenius. Turning towards Zonis, he understood the joy the Inquisitor gained from these verbal battles and games. Liron regarded Zonis as someone whose opinion mattered. Someone to ground his surroundings with the needed weight of wisdom and measuredness.
Liron wanted the Whisperer to be his friend, but for this one time, he treated him as an enemy. But not one he would cut down with his blade. No, he would defeat him with his words alone. Adenius had taught Liron a few things. Despite it all, he had to give it to the Inquisitor. He forced Liron to evolve.