Chapter 10

“Are you here to tell me your pet has turned?” Cyra asks looking through the mirror at her daughter and Hera.

“No, Mother,” Eris replies. “I am here to declare my innocence and give you the head, or I should say heads, on a patter for you.”

Cyra sets down her brush and slowly stands up and turns around. Her robe flutters briefly, showing off her body and lush breasts to the two women before flowing closed. “And you have evidence?”

Eris looks to Hera. They already discussed what would be said and agreed it would be Eris that leads the discussion. The only thing that didn’t sit right with her is Hera wanting to throw her brother’s name into the mix. “We have reason to believe that there are three conspirators in play,” she finally says, looking back to the matriarch.

“Three you say,” Cyra repeats, almost mockingly. “And Hera is here to attest to this?”

“It is with her help that we were able to find out who two of them are,” Eris says, not missing the questioning glance from Hera.

“Two of a supposed three,” Cyra says in a hum. “And I should dissolve you of any guilt based on this information?”

“Give me more time and I will provide you with the third,” Eris proclaims. “Give me the permission to interrogate the two and I’ll get you your third.”

“That sound very convenient,” Cyra says with a shake of her head. “We have a missing, unknown third conspirator and my daughter wanting to interrogate the two suspects. Do you see a pattern forming?”

“And you think I’m the third and I want to hide something,” Eris answers.

“It’s not what I see,” Cyra says, sounding very motherly for the first time. “What is going to matter is what others see. And when they are not convinced with what you are bringing me, they will see me as weak and thus you. This family will falter and then our line broken.”

“What is it you want from me then?” Eris demands.

The corners of Cyra’s lips curl up. “Let’s start with the names of your two cohorts.”

“Reef and Saul,” Eris says, the names rolling off her tongue with ease.

“The twins?” her mother asks, looking suspicious. “They’re probable the farm’s best trainers.”

“And they don’t appear to be ambitious either,” Hera pipes in for the first time. “Which is why...”

“Why we believe there is a third,” Eris cuts her friend off. “But it makes sense that they would participate because no one would suspect them.”

“I want them brought before me,” Cyra says calmly, though anger and irritation is clearly seen by Eris and Hera.

“As you wish, Mother,” Eris answers.

“And for...” Cyra begins to say when alarms suddenly begin to blare.

Eris turns to look at Hera. The blonde woman allows the flash of a smile before feinting ignorance. “We’re under attack? By who?”

“Who else, you fool!” Cyra snarls. “The ferals have grown bold enough to strike at us!”

Eris smiles, a thought bouncing into her head. “Or our mastermind is orchestrating an attack!”

“Don’t just stand there then!” her mother roars. “Get out there and defend our home!”

Eris and Hera rush from the room. The doors are quickly closed as two guards suddenly appear outside the door.

“Well, my mother is obviously not going to join the fight,” Eris says with a frown.

“Yeah, it kind of dampens the possibly of her being killed,” Hera comments.

Eris grabs Hera by the arm, dragging her down the hall and out of the guards hearing. “Be careful with your words,” she admonishes her friend. “Now, I hope part of your plan didn’t require the ferals getting this far in to kill my mother.”

Hera looks sullen. “It actually did,” she admits. “Well, not this far in, but I expected her to be out there joining the fight.”

“I guess she doesn’t want to take any chances at being stabbed in the back,” Eris presumes with a shrug. “Can’t say I blame her.”

“This isn’t good for our plan,” Hera pushes.

“I know. So we alter them,” Eris says, her eyes lighting up a bit. “You get the twins to leave, run away. I’ll take care of the imprisoned ferals.”

“How the fuck do you expect me to get them to leave so freely?” Hera questions.

“I don’t know,” Eris admits. “Feed them a bullshit story. Whatever it takes. You’re good at that shit so I’m sure you can make something up.”

“Fine,” the blonde says after a moment. “You be careful though.”

Eris smiles at her and says, “I haven’t a choice.”

Hera runs through the halls that take her closest to the attacking ferals. She runs different scenarios through her head and none of them come out right. Every excuse she comes up with sounds right, but when she imagines what the twins will says doesn’t. So her only option is Rob, and she hopes he hasn’t yet joined the fight.

She takes every short cut she can manage before reaching his door. Without a knock or announcement, she bursts through the door and into the room and she is met with the tip of a spear at her throat. Rob quickly drops the weapon and takes her into his arms.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

“Coming to stop you from going out there to fight,” she answers.

He looks at her and grins. “That’s kind of you to worry, but I was born to fight and I can’t turn down a chance to kill ferals.”

Hera pulls herself away from him and pushes his chest, pushing him back. “You big, dumb bastard,” she smirks. “You can go kill and get killed to your hearts content for all I give a damn. I have something else important for you to do.”

“Thank for the vote of confidence,” he murmurs. “Now what can be more important that the fight?”

“The plan,” she answers with a huff. “Did you forget about it?”

He waves his hands at her. “Hey, I wasn’t going to kill them all. I planned to leave some for the others.”