“My dear, I believe we are going to need more details to accompany that statement,” Orla drawled in stunned amusement. “Would you care to elaborate?”
“Which part?” Dys replied with an eyebrow raised. “Bridget and Thea’s families, the cultists, the duke, or the spy?”
“All of them, I suppose,” the gnome woman gestured broadly.
“What do you mean, cultists are spying on us?” Villum spoke up, a look of outrage on his face. “The Hero drove all of those bastards out of the city after the attack! There can’t be any still here!”
“But if there are…” Humbert growled darkly, his meaty fists squeezing the wooden mug he held hard enough to make it creak.
“Which duke are you referring to?” Gunnar asked, his normally passive demeanor having shifted into a stony scowl. “Do you have the names of anyone the duke might be colluding with?”
“Cold Brook was attacked?” Cora asked with deep concern in her voice. “Was anyone injured?”
“Hold on, hold on,” Jay raised her hands to quiet everyone down and gain their attention. “Look, there’s a lot that happened since we left. I think I started this the wrong way. I’m going to give you all a rundown on exactly what happened. Ask questions if you need to but let me get through the full story if you can. Then we’ll discuss. Okay?”
When no one objected to the plan, Jadis launched into a quick and accurate retelling of all the events that happened on their trip to visit Cold Brook and Brightstone. She left out the relatively unimportant details like Tegwyn and Vera becoming an item, or any of the family dynamics going on in Clan Warsong. But she made sure to bring up Meli’s misunderstanding, the plot enacted by Count Holtz and Countess Voclain, the involvement of the shapeshifter Maeve, and of course the attack on Cold Brook by the cultists and their demonic allies. Tegwyn filled in some of the story from his perspective, as did Aila and some of the others for brief moments, though Jadis did most of the talking. There weren’t too many interruptions, though there were a few questions asked for clarity where Jadis’ recounting lacked enough detail.
By the end of her tale, Jadis could see that most of her new employees were looking worried. That worry was reasonable, in her opinion. Being linked to her was inherently dangerous, a fact that the others might not have fully comprehended. She just hoped that none of them were thinking of leaving their new employment now that the truth of the situation they were all in had been made so abundantly clear.
“Why do you think there’s a spy?” Violetta was the first to speak up. “I don’t think any part of what you just said really guarantees there was a spy involved.”
“No, it doesn’t guarantee it,” Jay responded while leaning against the huge barn door that took up the far wall of the building. “But I don’t think it’s coincidence that cultists showed up at Cold Brook at basically the same time that we did. I think they have someone watching us, watching our movements at least.”
“You don’t think… it would be anyone here, do you?”
Terrance’s hesitant question was met with nervous glances between the various people in the room who weren’t Jadis’ lovers. Even Tegwyn frowned in contemplation of the suggestion. Shaking her head, Jadis hurried to dismiss the idea.
“No, I don’t think so,” Jay spoke while shifting her gaze from one person to the next. “I firmly believe that everyone in this room is a friend. I know none of you would ever intentionally do anything to harm me or my family. But that doesn’t preclude the possibility that someone unintentionally passed on information that was used by people with malicious intentions.”
“How does that work?” Violetta asked, her tone slightly defensive. “Are you saying we’d blabber about stuff we shouldn’t and that’s the cause behind all this?”
“Maybe,” Dys answered the younger woman bluntly. “It happens all the time. Someone goes out for a drink. They hang out at a bar or tavern with friends, and while they’re out they talk about work. That person talks about the latest project they’re working on, maybe says a little too much about business details than they intended to because alcohol and good company loosens lips. It’s all innocent. No harm intended.
“But some sneaky fuck sitting at a table nearby who’s been watching that particular person for who knows how long overhears everything. And now the spy has a bunch of information they were looking for and they didn’t even have to talk to anyone. Just listen.”
The looks on everyone’s faces shifted across a gamut of emotions, from concerned to impressed. It looked like few of them had ever thought about that kind of simple espionage, except for Gunnar, who looked utterly unfazed. Considering who he was and how he was employed, Jadis wasn’t surprised he seemed familiar with that method of information gathering. Inwardly, Jadis was just glad that her mother was so into spy movies and crime procedural shows. She’d gleaned a little knowledge from watching them with her mom from time to time. She wasn’t so sure laser watches and flying cars would come into play in her current situation, but some aspects of those old movies translated to real life well enough.
“I’m not blaming anyone,” Jay reinforced as she made firm eye contact with everyone. “I don’t even know for sure that what I just suggested is how the information leak happened. I just want to make sure that everyone is aware of the possibility, and the inherent danger. Just keep your surroundings in mind if you do talk about anything that you think might be the sort of info a spy would want to use against us.”
“There are magical means, of course,” Aila interjected from where she sat in her usual chair. “Spies could have used various methods of listening in on our conversations if they possess the right spells or enchanted items.”
“There wouldn’t be much we could do about that, if that were the case,” Nevan said as he contemplatively drew his thumb and forefinger across his lips. “Especially if the one doing the spying is funded by a duke or some other wildly rich lord of the realm.”
“That’s true,” Aila nodded, “at least for now. We will be looking into a few different means of preventing magical spying that we can install in the base.”
“However, I doubt Duke Colgrave and the cultists are working together,” Dys added. “Though I suppose they could both be spying on us, independently of one another. As could quite a number of other parties, including one or both of the princes.”
“And if anyone is spying on us on behalf of either prince at this very moment,” Syd said in a loud, overexaggerated tone, “they can tell their boss that he’s a fucking asshole!”
There was a bit of laughter in response to Syd’s rude antics, but the mood didn’t lighten overmuch. Jadis imagined everyone was still working through how they felt about the idea of cultists and nobles and who knew else spying on them in a bid to get at Jadis. It wasn’t a pleasant thought for her; she doubted it was much better for anyone else. She gave everyone a few moments to think about what had been said so far before pressing onward.
“The big thing to remember is communication,” Jay said as she surveyed the room. “We all need to be careful about what we talk about and where we’re talking, since we don’t know who might be listening. But more than that, we need to talk with each other. If you see something weird, tell me. If there’s a person hanging around that you think is suspicious, tell me. Even if you don’t think they’re all that suspicious but it’s still someone hanging around a lot—tell me. If I’m not around, tell Aila or Eir or any of us. Tell Alex if you need to. Just make sure you’re keeping us in the loop. And by the same token, you will be kept in the loop by us. We can’t expect to protect each other if we keep each other in the dark.”
Jadis was pleased to see that as she spoke, the looks on people’s faces firmed from uncertainty into resolve. She wasn’t sure that she was doing the best job at making a motivational speech, but it seemed that her employees were stirred to some kind of positive action by her words. She wanted to be honest with them, since she was expecting honesty in return, so she hoped that her sentiments were accepted with the same sincerity she intended.
“Does anyone have any questions about anything so far?” Jay asked the room at large. “Or do any of you have any suggestions? I’m going to be brutally honest here, I’m about as new to this whole ‘spying’ thing as any of you are. If anyone has any ideas on how we can protect ourselves or what we can do to catch whoever has been spying on us or anything else, please speak up. I want to hear what you have to say.”
A few people stirred in their seats or where they stood around the large, open space of the main hall, but no one voiced any questions or suggestions. That reaction was fine. Jadis knew she was putting everyone on the spot at that moment, so she probably wasn’t going to get any real suggestions for what could be done until later, when people had had time to think the situation over and come up with ideas. Just as Jadis was about to move on to discuss her plans for the expansion of the headquarters, Cora rose from her seat and addressed Jay directly.
“Jadis, if I may, I have a theory about who might have been spying on Fortune’s Favored.”
Jay raised an eyebrow in question, but motioned for the priestess to continue. She was surprised that Cora of all people would volunteer a theory. Not because she was innocent of subterfuge; far from it. She knew that Cora was a spy of sorts since she reported directly to High Priestess Aurea. Her surprise came from the assumption that Cora would want to keep that aspect of her service out of the spotlight. Why draw attention to her dual loyalties if she didn’t have to?
Jadis didn’t begrudge Cora for her spying anymore than she did Gunnar. The two were both working in the services of people that Jadis trusted anyway. Their spying was more a formality than anything else. Neither of them would do anything to endanger her or her family, she was sure. Still, she hadn’t expected Cora to voice her opinion so openly.
“Now, I freely admit that what I am about to say is pure speculation,” Cora started as she turned slightly to address the room before reorienting her focus onto Jay. “I have no proof since this situation was just brought to my attention. However, based on what you have told us so far, I have an educated guess as to the circumstances, if not the particulars of who the spy is.”
“Go on,” Jay said with a nod. “Let’s hear the theory.”
Cora smiled and did a half-curtsey.
“Thank you, Jadis,” she continued while taking a few steps forward. “My thought is this: whoever spied on Fortune’s Favored was someone who does not have access to the inner circle, as it were, but does have enough access to glean information that would not otherwise be easily available to those on the outside. Therefore, the spy is likely someone who has intermittent access to the headquarters or to an information stream that comes directly from the headquarters. Essentially, an outsider who is overlooked due to their station. This spy is also likely not a cultist at all but is instead a professional informant who is being paid for their work. It is quite possible that they do not even know that they are working for cultists, and could be selling information to multiple parties, including Duke Colgrave.”
“Those are some pretty big leaps of reasoning,” Dys said as she stood and took a few steps to the left of her Jay self so that she was at an angle to Cora. “What led you to those conclusions?”
“My full reasoning might be seen as tedious, were I to list it all out,” Cora replied demurely as she turned to address Dys.
“We’re here to talk this stuff out,” Dys said.
“Yes, please continue,” Eir said with her usual kind smile. “I am most interested in hearing your thoughts on this matter.”
“Yeah, didn’t know you had it in you,” Kerr leaned forward from where she sat on a table. “Lay it all out, spy master.”
“I’m hardly that,” Cora demurred. “But I have a little experience from intrigues in the high temples. Those circumstances aside, I will explain.”
As Cora spoke, Syd pushed away from the wall and moved to stand next to Terrance and Gunnar, opposite from where Dys was standing by Aila and Eir. From her position, she could see the door leading to the kitchen while Dys could easily see the front entrance to the building.
“Whoever has been spying on us delivered incomplete information to the cultists who attacked Cold Brook. Considering the size of the force who came to attack the village, I do not think they intended to attack you openly. It’s possible that they sent everyone they could, but I think it is more likely that if they intended to attack with pure brute force, they would have sent far more Demons in order to overwhelm you. The number they sent might have been able to kill if you were alone, but they had to know that you would be with your full retinue of extremely powerful lovers as well. Such a force never would have had a chance against all of you together. No, a straightforward assault is unlikely. I think it far more likely that they were there for Thea’s mother.”
“You think they were trying to kidnap Vera?” Aila asked. “To use as some kind of hostage?”
“Most likely they were trying to possess her,” Cora corrected the redhead. “They had all of those possession Demons who specialized in explosive self-destruction. I think the plan was for them to arrive in Cold Brook before you, possess Vera and many of the other villagers, and lure Jadis into a trap. Imagine the results if those Demons had exploded when you had your guard down? Or if they had been around others?”
Jadis didn’t need to spend much time thinking about what could have happened. She’d already had bad dreams enough involving those possessed villagers exploding.
“Well, if they were trying to get to Cold Brook before us, they did a shitty job of it,” Kerr said with a curled lip. “We were already there and gone again when they attacked.”
“Precisely,” Cora smiled at the horned woman. “The spy who passed on information to the cultists lacked the full details themselves. They knew you were travelling to Cold Brook to visit Thea’s mother, and they knew the day you were leaving. However, they did not account for how quickly you would be able to travel to such a remote village. If you had left by normal wagon, it would have taken several days at least. Instead, you got there the same day you left. The spy did not realize how fast the airship was able to travel.”
“That makes some sense,” Jay nodded along with the explanation. “But the cultists could have had that caravan waiting nearby the whole time. Maybe they overheard the plan to leave for Brightstone and return a few days later?”
“Why wait?” Cora countered. “In point of fact, you would have been at your most vulnerable during the night you spent in Cold Brook, if they had planned on attacking you directly. No, I don’t believe those cultists were watching you out there. They were still on the road, hastening their pace to get ahead of you. When they arrived in Cold Brook and found that you had already come and gone, they likely attacked with such reckless abandon out of anger and spite that their plan had not gone as desired. Otherwise, I’m sure they would have taken a more subtle approach.”
“That could be true,” Bridget called out from where she sat next to Alex. “But I don’t see how you could know for sure.”
“I don’t know for sure,” Cora lifted an elegant shoulder in a shrug. “I am only offering a theory.”
“How does your theory conclude that the spy is a professional and not an actual cultist?”
Cora turned to look at Gunnar, smiling lightly at his direct question.
“If the spy were a cultist, I believe they would have taken the opportunity to attempt an assassination, rather than simple information gathering. Our headquarters are not exactly the most secure premises in the capital. In fact, our security leaves much to be desired. If the spy had the same ill intentions as the cultists, I think they would have slipped some poison into one of Hans’ fine pies and killed off as many of Fortune’s Favored as possible. Such an attempt likely wouldn’t kill Jadis, but most, if not all, others would die considering the level of poison that the cultists appear to have access to.”
“So you think it’s a spy who’s in it for the money, not a zealot,” Jay summarized.
“Precisely,” Cora nodded in agreement. “Again, I have no hard evidence. This is just my conjecture. But a spy who has intermittent access to Fortune’s Favored makes the most sense. Someone who overhears information but doesn’t have all of the details. Hence why they knew where you were going, but did not have the knowledge of how fast the airship is capable of flying. They likely have some skill, otherwise they would have been caught by those who have a vested interest in protecting you and those you love by now. They may even have a class that specializes in information gathering, though if they do, I do not believe they are at a high level otherwise they would have been able to gather more accurate information.”
“I can’t really think of anyone who spends enough time in our headquarters to get that kind of information that isn’t one of us,” Sorcha folded her arms and frowned at no one in particular. “Most of the people Aila hires to do contract work are pretty infrequent since we do most of the work ourselves.”
“Delivery drivers aren’t in contact with us enough to get that kind of information,” Aila added.
“Then it may be someone who is closer,” Cora said with a tilt of her head. “Perhaps we cannot exclude all who are present here just yet.”
“Or maybe more than one person is involved,” Gunnar spoke up before anyone could react to Cora’s almost-accusation. “No one contractor would be able to get much information. But across multiple visits from multiple different individuals…”
“What, are you trying to say all the carpenters and metal workers and cart drivers we hire are part of some kind of spy ring?” Kerr scoffed. “How fucked are we then? That makes it seem like half the people in the city are spies!”
“No, they wouldn’t have to be,” Dys shook her head. “Not if the spy was good at disguises.”
“Someone skilled with illusions could slip in among the regular workers,” Cora nodded her head at Dys.
“Illusion magic would make sense,” Aila agreed with the suggestion. “Or at least someone who has skills that aid them with disguises.”
“Many who have spy classes are skilled with disguises,” Cora smiled at the arcanist. “If they can change their outward appearance, they could visit many times and we would be none the wiser.”
“You mean like a Fetch?”
Cora paused at Syd’s words, a brief flicker of stillness that was so momentary that no one else would have noticed. No one but Jadis.
“Destarious’ Children are often employed as spies,” Cora agreed. “They have natural talent in that regard, or so I am told.”
There was a beat of silence in the room as Cora stared into Syd’s violet eyes, her gaze confident and unwavering.
“She always calls me ‘Lady’, to tease me,” Syd said without blinking.
“What?” Terrance asked, confused by Syd’s statement.
“Who calls you that?” Villum voiced his own confusion as he glanced back and forth between the giant and the priestess.
Aila, however, was already reaching for her staff while Alex had moved forward, multiple tentacles wrapping protectively around Dys. The rest of her lovers were slower to react, not quite yet catching on, but within a second everyone was already stirring as Cora stood motionless, unblinking, her smile wide as she gazed into Syd’s eyes.
At that moment, the front door to the building banged open and Cora bustled inside, her head down as she pulled a light cloak from around her shoulders.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” the priestess called out. “I was delayed at the temple by some unexpected requests from a fellow priest I simply couldn’t refuse. How did the trip to Cold Brook and Brightstone go—”
Cora cut her own question off abruptly when she looked up and saw everyone gathered together, including an exact doppelganger of herself standing in the middle of the room.
“What?” Cora asked dumbly as her mouth hung open.
“Oops,” Not-Cora said without any change to her expression.
Not even a second later, both Syd and Dys had crossed the distance between themselves and met in the middle, catching the fake before she could move or utter another word. Syd had one hand around her neck and the other around her mouth, while Dys had the false Cora’s arms in her hands, preventing any kind of movement. At the same time, Jay used her great speed and strength to roll the giant barn door open, revealing the alley outside so they had somewhere to throw the fake just in case she showed any signs of casting some kind of explosive spell.
In the two heartbeats Jadis took to decide what she was going to do next, Alex shifted forward and brushed a tentacle over the back of the fake Cora’s head. The Demon had been clutching onto Dys’ back, so when she had shot forward, Alex had come along for the ride. Jadis noticed the way Alex’s tentacles twitched and twisted in a way that signaled recognition and familiarity. When Alex opened her mouth to speak, Jadis knew what the Demon was going to say a second before the words came out.
“Hello… Maeve…”
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