Lewis looked to Xeik, and asked a simple question. “I take it you’re done, then?” Xeik nodded, and Lewis smirked, looking back at the elders with a cruel smile. “Good. That means it’s my turn to ‘negotiate.’ He stood up and drew a dagger, tossing it idly up and down. “I swear to the Gods above that if a single thing happens to my Simone…that if even the slightest hair is touched on her head without consent…I will kill every last one of you. And it’ll be you three who go first…” There was bloodlust in his eyes. “And while my….associate here represents the Goddess of Life and Love…” He grinned maniacally, “I do not.”

The healer sighed, “Sit down and calm your ass. I didn’t work this hard just to have you ruin it. Nothing is going to happen,” Xeik said as he shushed Lewis. “Just make sure they can get to each other, and we’ll be out of your hair in two days. In the meantime…is there any way we can take some of these books? It might help us locate other night phoenixes, and also might he;p us train Simone.”

With the negotiations out of the way, the talks between Xeik and Thomas turned into something quite different, and soon it dawned on Xeik that there must be healers of some kind here to take care of the phoenixes. “Would you be willing to introduce me to one?” Finally he had the opportunity to one up Angela on something, and he wasn’t about to miss out on it.

Simone adjusted in her seat to listen to Lewis which meant he had her full attention. His Simone. She absolutely loved the touches on it. The embellishments. He had said she was his and he meant it. As long as it was what she wanted he would continue to say it.

“Your goddess… The one who made her,” Thomas looked at Lewis and then at Simone. “Has a sick sense of humor. Death hangs on you like a cloak.” Studying Simone once more he tilted his head. “An omen of death. The perfect companion for someone who brings death.” There was a laugh, “This goddess is interesting.”

“She certainly has her quirks. Not everyone can understand Angela and her motivations.” Simone waved her hand. “She’s… hard to tell when she is coming or going… What side she is on if she’s on a side at all. She might very well be playing on a chessboard all of her own. I guess the only one of us who would know… Would be Xeik.” There was a smile from Simone.

Finally, Thomas stood up, “You can take what you need with you. We have no one to pass it on to and if you do find someone else they will probably have it all. If we need it we can just ask. As for healers… Yes, I can. They are a very soft-spoken lot and there aren’t that many of them but you can trust them. They told the others they looked over Queen Simone when she had refused.”

Simone was the next to stand up as she went over to Lewis and held his arm. “Do I have to show you the way? Or… Do you want to play cat and mouse?” Simone had already pretty much half disarmed Lewis without batting much an eye. “Hmm? I’m going back to my room,” she told the elder. “Make sure to call everyone off.”

Lewis would have a map at least if he looked inside of her mind it wouldn’t be too hard. Her room was dark and gloomy. There were blue flames that lit it up and she took off her robe to hang it up wondering just how the assassin would choose to make his way in. The window balcony? The front door? The shadows maybe? There was a smirk on her lips.

As Lewis and Simone wandered off, eventually separating to do their thing, Xeik and Rhenakos parted ways as well. Xeik was off to learn more about the night phoenixes and how to appropriately take care of them when they needed healing, which left Rhenakos to wander about on his own.

And so the hunter found himself alone, and lost in the underground tunnels. Left. Right. Left. Left again. Damnit. Rhenakos crossed his arms. This was a problem. Maybe if he found one of the night phoenixes, they would be kind enough to show him the way. Unlikely, in his mind, but it was a possibility. He went into the first door he found, closing it carefully behind him.

He could hear words, almost a prayer or a chant coming from deeper in the room. Curious, he pressed forward. He was in what appeared to be an antechamber of sorts, with two pathways on either side of the room that lead to somewhere deeper in the back. The voices were coming from there. He carefully made his way through, and started to pick up on the words.

“…and so, we add yet another offering to the shrine…”

Rhenakos peeked over, and his eyes widened. Oh this is just fucked… There was a makeshift statue of sorts, crudely cut into Simone’s form. Around it were offerings of feathers and hairs, probably taken when they had come off of her at various different times. There were at least ten of the night phoenixes in line with various other offerings, most of which were more feathers. At the front, the one leading the whole thing…

That looks like the one from dinner. The pushy one… The hunter glared.

To say that the whole situation was fucked up… Didn’t quite explain it all. The offerings were numerous and the feathers glittered with magic. Things that Simone had touched were also there. Her old clothes too. The perfume that she had touched but decided she didn’t like were lined up.

“What do we do? She isn’t interested in us?” One of the smaller ones asked allowed. There were glares as they were all hushed. This was obviously secret even for them.

“Then we make her interested. We don’t give her a choice,” the pushy one from dinner said aloud.

“You heard her, it won’t work.” Another groaned.

“We just need her for a few egg batches. Once we have enough females we can get rid of her and her coldness. Or if she reforms we can forgive her.” This was obviously not the answer the others wanted to hear but the pushy one held his hands up. “She will never willingly give us what we want. What would you have me do? She’s emotionless and she’s cruel. Broken. At least my Amiya had a god damn heart when she was alive.”

–

Meanwhile, in Simone’s room, there was a sick game of cat and mouse. Lewis chasing Simone around the bed and Simone pretending she didn’t actually care. She ran around a few times and stopped just late enough he hit her when she turned around. They kissed and he pulled her up holding her legs around his waist. She was kissing him hard and holding onto his shoulders. “Sorry,” she smirked a bit. “Were we supposed to play a bit more?” Lewis rolled his eyes at her. It was new, this sneaking around thing. It was exhilarating a bit too. Taking his dagger he easily got rid of what she was ‘wearing’.

“Oh now they are just going to ask questions,” she laughed in a whisper as the scraps fell.

“Fucking let them,” he rolled his shoulders as he carried her against the wall.

Sitting in the closet with an almost salivating mouth one of the phoenixes watched as Lewis toyed with Simone. When he had enough he left the closet through an entry and ran down to where the shrine was. “I SAW IT,” he yelled and it startled the group around the statue.

“Saw what exactly? Besides more of Simone’s naked form,” the pushy one rolled his eyes.

“The one human that was with him. He got into her room somehow. He’s going to steal her fertility from us,” he was waving his hands in hysterics before the pushy one clamped his mouth shut.

“Don’t be so loud. We should have known. Tainted by a filthy human no wonder she doesn’t want us. We’ll just have to take her by force. Tomorrow. There is at least ten of us and only three of them.”

There was a latecomer, and they came in the other route, behind Rhenakos. He was pushed into the room, and called out. Exposed.

So he went with it.

“Man, and here I thought I was fucked up,” Rhenakos said as he walked into view, followed by a night phoenix. “But I mean, damn…this is some high level creepy shit.” He looked around and whistled. “Shrines, idol worship…and even some lower than dirt perving.” He clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Shame, shame…” He waggled his finger.

“If only Simone knew…she’d have your balls on a silver platter…” The hunter crossed his arms. “I suggest you give it up now. The moment you get close to her, they’ll both kill you. And I’d hate to see such a limited species such as you guys lose more people.” A lie. He didn’t give a damn. “Besides…it’s only ten of you…” Rhenakos smirked. “Even I can handle just ten of you. You ain’t nothing special….”

The group was circling around him. Rhenakos knew what he was doing. I can’t win, but they can’t kill me either. But…they’ll notice I’m missing. And that is clue enough. Right? He could only hope. Lewis was smart, but with him being distracted by Simone, would it be in time?

It didn’t take long for the birds to subdue Rhenakos. “Take him to the hole and toss him in it,” the impulsive one ordered. “Once we do that we can plan for the mating ritual for the morning. Whatever one gets to her first wins.”

Rhenakos got hauled over to a gaping hole that wind was rushing in at. It was almost like he was being sucked in but the bird men were keeping him still using their wings. “I would say it was nice to get to know you but… You are kind of an asshole. I really don’t like the way you and the white-haired brat oogle our queen when you have no right,” the leader of the small circle whispered into Rhenakos’s ear before pushing him into the hole.

When he was a good way down the deep pit a flash of color appeared swooping him up. Once they were close to the top the bird set him down on a small ledge hidden from the birdmen. It was then that his savior revealed herself, “HIIII!!!!” The pink-haired wonder waved at him and her excited hello was hushed as not to echo. “I am your rescue parrrttyyyy. ANDDD BOYYYYY IS SHE MADDDD~”

–

In the morning Simone took a bath and came back to climb into bed with Lewis who was still sleeping. Though from the resonance link she could tell that he was on guard. This place made him nervous. The plush bed almost hid him from sight. She threw the towel down to get dressed when the impulsive one broke through the closet and pinned her down. “I was wondering when you would fuck up,” Simone sighed a bit as she spoke to him.

“You let your guard down. It was the perfect time,” he answered her and pinned her hands to the bed. “Where is your fight now? That worthless lover of yours is where now?”

“In bed with about twelve daggers,” Simone smiled up at him. The color drained from the man’s face as he saw the spot of white hair hidden in the blankets. Lewis had never left her room like the man thought he would.

As Rhenakos found himself in front of the gaping hole, he merely smiled. “You guys…you don’t get it, do you? Just how much you’re fucking up right now.” He struggled against the restraints, but to no avail. They were definitely secure, and there was pretty much no hope of Rhenakos escaping. As the bird man whispered into his ear, Rhenakos scoffed.

“Oh fucking please, as if I’d want anything to do with that heartless, ice cold biIIIIITCCHHH-” mid sentence he was kicked into the hole, the last word slowly fading as he fell. With that, the phoenixes had done their duty. All that remained was Simone, and taking her for themselves.

It was just Rhenakos’ luck though that he had a guardian angel looking out for him. As he was rescued, the woman revealed herself…none other than Raine. “Oh boy…my second least favorite phoenix…”

—

Lewis was comfortable. At least, as comfortable as he could be in the heart of what he considered enemy territory. Which, to be fair, as an assassin, was pretty damn comfortable. He was half asleep, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware. The moment he felt something off, his senses went into full effect. Simone’s position. The cocky bastard’s position. Distance.

It was a good thing he slept with knives. It was even better that he got to use them last night for their ‘fun’, but that meant he had extras. He bolted up, throwing two at once. Each one struck the top joints in the night phoenix’s wings, giving Lewis a chance to get up fully. The next two went into the bastard’s shoulders. This gave the assassin the perfect chance to slam his foot into the phoenix’s face, kicking him back.

Lewis casually walked on the bed, grabbing the phoenix by the back of his hair. He dragged him off of the bed, and across the floor. Without hesitation, Lewis pinned him down, crossing the next two daggers across the impatient one’s throat.

“Talk. How many of you are there. Ten seconds and I’ll slit your throat.” There was no hesitation and no remorse. So there Lewis was, completely naked, but still always ready to kill. “Don’t test me.”

“RUDDEEEEEEEE,” Raine tilted her head. “Do you want to go back down the hole?” Her rainbow eyes batted at Rhenakos innocently.

“We gotta stay here til the morning when the sparks fly~ So get comfortable. We’re an espionage team now~” Raine gave him a smile.

–

The bird man knew he fucked up the moment he felt the daggers go into his wing joints. It didn’t take that long for Lewis to get him off Simone. Casually Simone sat up and crossed her leg taking a more sultry position on the bed as she watched. “Enough to kill a little bastard like you. She belongs to us. She is of our race! SHE WAS MADE FOR US.”

Simone yawned a bit and rubbed her neck, “Love, do you want to smash his perfect image of me… Or should I do it?”

From the closet came another and Simone was quick with her own reflexes as she sent a single dagger into that one’s shoulder. “There’s definitely more than one,” she tilted her head and purred a bit towards Lewis. “I told you these young ones are a problem.” The birdman found himself unable to use his magic or fight back. Poison?

She got up and went over to the one who was still living, “I got a secret to tell you before I kill you myself.” The man was heaving on the ground as Simone leaned over him. “I’m infertile,” Simone whispered in his ear and his eyes got big before she carved his heart out and severed the head. “Honestly, you boys are dumb.”

Looking at the hole in the closet no more seemed to be coming, “It looks like we spooked them. We could always take the bodies and see what else we can get.” The heart in her hand burned up in blue flames.

Xeik found himself engrossed in the teachings of the phoenix healers that had taken him away, and the hours passed by with him barely noticing. Even after many of them retired, Xeik was still wide awake, pouring over notes, and making his own as he scoured every last record of their magic, healing techniques, mana sources and veins, and anything else he could learn.

Soon, though, he realized that there was a problem. He wasn’t sure how long he had been gone, or how much time had even passed. The healer frowned, realizing just how dependent on the sun he had become, and sighed. “Guess I better go check on things…”

As he exited the room, there was murmurings of something happening, and a few guards rushed past him in a hurry. “Uh oh…” Xeik narrowed his eyes. “I have a bad feeling about this…” He followed the guards, and surely enough, was lead straight to the royal chambers, better known as Simone’s room. Standing at the door was none other than Lewis, standing stark naked. In front of him was a dead night phoenix, who’s heart had been ripped out and his head severed.

“Anyone else want to try and take my Simone? Cause keep at it, and maybe I’ll just preemptively make your species extinct…”

“Oh gods…” Xeik said as he put his head into his hands. “Are you telling me…that they couldn’t go a single day without trying to…” The healer pushed his way through the crowd. “Move aside! I said move already! Don’t push! Look, I swear to the Gods I will leave you in a-” He finally got to Lewis, and dusted himself off.

“All right…what the fuck Lewis. I leave you alone for…” He paused. “How long was I gone?”

“Fourteen hours,” Lewis said.

“Fourteen hou…wait, really?” Xeik gave a look. “That’s….impressive. Figured I would have-, wait, no…this is about you. What did you do!?”

“They tried to force themselves on Simone. So I forced my dagger on them in return. Was a fair exchange…”

“One pinned me to the bed after my bath and didn’t notice Lewis in the room.”

Fourteen hours Xeik had left them for and Simone had barely noticed. She crept up behind Lewis and wrapped her arms around his waist peeking her eyes over his shoulder at the others who had gathered. She was just as naked as he was and it didn’t bother her. If Simone were anyone else Lewis would have killed her right then and there. She kissed his shoulder which got some muffled agitation but the others weren’t moving. “Not so bold now… Are you?” Simone looked at Thomas who was shaken. “They are idiots. They couldn’t go one night without trying to forcibly breed me~ These poor pathetic men…”

The phoenixes who were offended summoned fire to hurl at them. For a moment, Simone almost started to panic until… That little spot of pink showed up. “WOOSH!” Raine spun around in the fire and the turned it rainbow as it shot back. “RIGHT IN THE KISSER!” It had been weakened severely as it knocked the phoenixes on their butts. “And next time I’ll make it hurt,” she put up her fists and was punching the air. “YOUUU!!!!” She looked at Xeik, “Left without telling Lady Angela where you were going~ She is upset to find out that a clan of night phoenixes… A. Exist B. Are trying to rape Simone, which had to be explained to me–” Her eyes looked at the phoenixes. “That’s nasty and rude. You should feel ashamed of yourself.”

“SHUT UP LESSER PHOENIX,” an angry one came at her and tried to punch her. She dodged it with incredible speed.

“ANDDD THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHERE SHE SAID,” Raine jabbed quickly in a few spots as the phoenix man fell down paralyzed, “that’s where I can disarm you~ NEXT! Hey, espionage partner are you here yet?! He can identify the men! Also~ I’m not a lesser phoenix, I’m Raine the Rainbow Phoenix. Rare and special… and certainly I smell better than you.” She nodded to the men.

Simone frowned a bit and looked up at Lewis, “We’ll have the plotters soon enough, Love~” She kissed his shoulder and her eyes almost burned into all of them. Raine was busy playing with the big warrior phoenix who she had disarmed. She kept dropping him like a rock but no one was moving towards her as she unnerved them.