“Yes mother,” he nodded. “Now, back to our discussion. We could have freed those under the grip of these unknown group, but that would have given our knowledge of their existence away, so we left them to it. Though we didn't make it easy for them to spy on us.”

  “Lost in the throes of indecision, Dear Vanis wailed for my help, and gracious prince that I am, I came to his aid!”

  Vanis rolled his eyes. “Exaggerated though Huiron might make it seem, I did request his help.”

  “Why?” Sareina asked, brows furrowed as she stared at Vanis.

  “We needed a way to catch them. They were the most effective of the bunch and would have vanished with the slightest bit of suspicion. And adept strategist that I am, I know when somebody is better at something than I am. Huiron just so happen to be within reach, unexpected though his quick arrival was. He—”

  “So I concocted a plan!”

  “—concocted a plan,” he grimaced. “We already had the issue of the greedy houses to deal with. We couldn't force them to back down, so we—so House Filenus,” he gestured to Lady Filenus, “offered to shepherd them away from any decision that might doom them to something irreversibly stupid.

  “Our Dominance—House Verrille, Saulae, and Duveyar—of the alliance is not a secret affair. This has protected the alliance from the wolves that stalk our borders, waiting to pounce should we show the slightest bit of weakness. From within however, it has caused no small feelings of malcontent that has begun to fester as the other houses question our unchallenged power.

  “House Filenus is the closest in strength to us three. However, they are perceived to be rejected from our circle.”

  “Ahhh,” Keilan realized, finding his bearings. “Lacking the strength to challenge you themselves, the snakes chose to ride on the shell of the one who can.”

  Vanis smiled. “Exactly. We used this as a means to corral them, taking from them what we wanted in a way that would cause no cries of unfairness.”

  “The duel,” Sareina said. She glanced at Huiron with an expression Keilan found hard to decipher. The Saulae seemed to understand what it meant, seeing as he grimaced, shrinking back to his seat.

  “Yes, the duel. What better way to handle their complaints than a duel, which they so conveniently demanded for us,” he glanced at Lady Filenus, who remained stoically silent.

  “So your fight with Relira Filenus was…”

  “A sham? Yes, Keilan, it was.”

  “What would have happened if you had lost?” Sareina asked.

  “I would not have,” he said, and added as Keilan opened his mouth, “and neither would she. Our duel was planned to end as a draw, to showcase the might of House Filenus as well as keep House Verrille's reputation intact. I guess we have the hollow to thank for making sure the plan went accordingly.”

  Keilan frowned as a thought that had been plaguing him for a while finally came to light. “It is well known that House Uzeer and Filenus are staunch allies, and I can't help but believe it, considering both of them were the ones responsible for our rescue off Za.” He glanced at Lady Filenus. “Yet House Uzeer was one of the opponents you faced during the duel, taking a family heirloom as prize for your victory.”

  “Why have one inside mole when you can have two?" Huiron shrugged, answering in place of Vanis.

  “So your words and insults during the duel were just…”

  “A means to stoke the enmity between the opposition and us, so much so that they failed to see that they were being played? Yes. Yes it was.” He smiled. “I call it the threefold lockdown. Verbal assault, physical assault, and a grave theft of their treasured armor. Those three alone were enough to remove any suspicion they might have earned.”

  “But it earned you the enmity of Lord Uzeer, himself,” Sareina perked an eyebrow. “I can't imagine he would let such an insult to his house pass without rebuttal.”

  “The price I pay for perfection,” Huiron sighed.

  “So,” Keilan grimaced as he forced the words out of his mouth. “The armor you won for me?”

  Vanis grimaced and looked down, unable to meet his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak when Lady Filenus cut him off.

  “Now that brings me to my presence here, and the reason I would have found you regardless of whether we met today or not.” She paused. “DarkMoon has asked that I convey his greetings to you, as well as the greetings of the House Patriarch. In light of your deeds and achievement, Lord Uzeer has asked that I inform you to keep the armor,” she stared intently at Keilan. “Consider it a gift from his House.”

  Ahh, so that was what it was, Keilan thought with a small grimace. House Uzeer were already securing their future position and what side they stood in his life. Keilan considered the Karmic debt he would be forced to uphold and accepted it.

  Anything for that sweet sweet armor.

  Vanis visibly breathed in, sending a thankful look towards the Light Divine King, all of which Keilan pretended not to see.

  “You've made known of your talents in schemes and manipulation,” Sareina said as she adjusted her sitting, resting her back firmly against the backrest. Her face was now a stoic mask of neutrality, a mirror to Lady Filenus'. “What does this have to do with the assassins of Shadow Hall?”

  Vanis grimaced, seemingly understanding what that look meant. “There are only three Houses powerful enough to detect even the likes of Shadow Hall; House Saulae, House Filenus, and House Uzeer. Saulae and Uzeer because their element is a playground for obfuscation, and so would be adept at uncovering others in the same playground. House Filenus because of the opposite, having been cultivated to snuff out all things hidden in darkness and shadow.

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  “We couldn't seek outside help from those with more dedicated affinities because we were unsure of whom to trust—the arms of Shadow Hall seems to be dipped in everywhere these days—and we couldn't use House Saulae because their was a high probability that they were being watched, similar to house Verrille and Duveyar.

  “House Filenus and Uzeer had all but publicly declared themselves an enemy of us three, an enmity which we stoked by demanding for items which they would never have let go, all on the tacit threat of invasion should they refuse.”

  “By doing that, you advertently shifted their attention from those who would actually hunt them.” Solis said, having caught on.

  “Correct,” Vanis confirmed.

  “Why all this obfuscation, brother? Why keep us in the dark? I can understand it coming from Huiron. He thrives in secret and deceit, but you brother? You I did not expect.” He sounded disappointed.

  “Ohhh, trust me. I'd have kept it away from you for all of eternity if it was left to me,” Huiron murmured.

  “Don't listen to him,” Vanis glared at Huiron, turning back to his brother. “But you can't blame us, can you? You three wear your expressions in bright red letters. Do not misunderstand me, this is no failing on your part. But simply telling you would have clued in our adversaries to our plans much earlier than we would have liked.”

  “So you chose to keep it from us?”

  “Yes, brother. I did, and I would do it again.” He panned his gaze across the room. “You three fail to understand how much you were watched. All your activities outside of this house were monitored and likely recorded. Keilan, your promenade with the man you seem to be courting. Sareina, your trips with the scions of the minor houses under House Verrille. Solis, you too. And even Huiron, who engaged in so many questionable and detestable things I shudder to even call out. We were all watched, and letting you three in would have put you on high alert, a change that would have surely been taken notice of.”

  Solis opened his mouth, likely to argue, but he sat back down with a sigh. Likewise Keilan and Sareina, although the latter couldn't help but grimace as she let slip a little bit of emotion through her stoic mask.

  “Welp, I guess they understand now. Carry on, Van.”

  He glared at Huiron, but did as bid. “Tightening our defenses would have probably set them back out of caution, likewise if we had loosened it too much. So we took the middle ground. We left the planet,” he nodded towards Solis, “on a trip to reinforce a fleet far away from our home, far away from the eyes of any Ascendant or Divine King. Mother did her part by loosening her protection over Solis and i, enough that it would have been within the limit of an assassin squad with great resources to penetrate.

  “Prior to this, we left behind a few things to aid in their pursuits. Solis, your stained equipment. Sareina, a glass used by you, though I am unsure if that was discovered. And Huiron left an…” his face twisted as he glanced at Huiron, “well, elastic. Though it is to my understanding that it was not found. Instead they took his favorite—”

  “They took Neila,” Huiron interrupted with a morose expression that vanished almost as soon as it had come. “Celestial bless her soul.”

  “What about me?” Keilan asked.

  “You have protectors we are aware of, even though we could not approach. All our attempts have been for naught.”

  “Gray—”

  “Avoid us, then and now.” He shook his head. “I am sure if they found something of yours, though I do not believe any attempt at spying on you would have succeeded, likewise Sareina. No one wants to be burned by the flames of Phoenix kin.”

  “So who was the chink in the armor?” Solis asked. “Shadow Hall found you all, which means they got past someone's defenses.”

  Vanis turned his attention to Huiron, who chuckled as he raised his hand.

  “That would be me, though I assure you it was done on purpose.”

  “How so?”

  “Well,” he shrugged. “It's not like my whereabouts would have been made known had I not willed it so. I opened the door for them, and they came in, though with a thrall—too careful, those ones. Though I did get a name. Kanon.”

  “Any idea who it is?” Keilan asked.

  “No idea. They don't seem to exist, an unsurprising feature for an interstellar organization of assassins with hands in more Nations than we know of.”

  “Understandable,” Keilan nodded. “So I assume that Za was the staging ground for your ambush… or was it theirs?”

  Vanis chuckled. “Call it whatever you will. We couldn't bait them here on Ver—they wouldn't have taken it no matter how good it looked. So we took the fight to neutral grounds.”

  “I transported you, with the understanding that we were rescuing allies in need of grave assistance,” Solis growled out, voice thick with simmering rage. “Meanwhile, I was just a mule that blindly ferried you to your set-down battleground. You put our lives and those of our charges at stake.”

  Vanis grimaced and moved to speak, but Huiron beat him to it. “They would have attacked us anywhere regardless, so long as it wasn't anywhere near this system. Our offer of assistance was genuine, believe it or not, but we did it with the intention that we would be killing two birds with one stone.”

  “That does not excuse the fact that you did this without my knowledge. Had I been made known of the plan, I wo—”

  “You would have what, Solis? Shoot them from the heavens with one of your expensive mega beams? Or better yet, demand their surrender under the name of your rank or the name of the illustrious House Verrille?" He snorted, a mocking thing. “You see things in black and white, Solis. Leave the subterfuge to those who're good at it and stick to your brutish approach.”

  The room went quiet when he was done, deathly still. Keilan expected a quick response from Solis, and he suspected the others also did the same. But the Verrille said not a word. Rather he remained silent, watching Huiron while he stood.

  Solis panned his gaze across the room, taking everyone in. And without a word he left, barging through the double doors in silent rage.

  “Solis,” Vanis moved to chase after his brother but was held back by his mother.

  “Let him be, Vanis. He needs time to himself.”

  “That was harsh,” Sareina said.

  “But needed,” Huiron replied. “Solis thinks the rest of us his subordinates, needing his approval on any and everything we do. The sooner he disillusions himself of that thought, the better it would be for the rest of us.”

  “Anyone can see that you all are shaping up into a team—a great team if my intuition proves correct. And this reminds me of my mother and her days with uncles Vilsus and Nessus. Like you, they had differences, having come from different backgrounds. But in time, they came to understand one another, as you all would in time.”

  The lady turned around as she and Lady Kuno moved towards the door, but Keilan wasn't done.

  He turned to Vanis. “As you well know, we were handed our asses back there. What would have been your plan if Lady Kuno had not arrived? “

  He smiled. “Lady Kuno and DarkMoon were the endgame. A single finger of Shadow Hall is a master specialist, it is rumored. A hand would definitely have been too much for us to handle. There was only one group of individuals capable of hiding from even mother and grandma. It was only right that I brought a bigger master than my enemies.”

  “But the cosmic rules of war—”

  “The cosmic rules of laws forbid higher-tiered wielders from attacking those below them, but as we saw back at the outpost, it does not forbid them from restraining you.”

  “So If lady Kuno and DarkMoon had appeared then, demanding the hand’s surrender,” Sareina began.

  “... They would have been forced to either surrender, or fight their way to freedom, and that would have nulled whatever protection the law bestowed upon them, which would have given Lady Kuno or Lord DarkMoon free reign to end them. Either way suited me just fine.”

  “But the plan failed,” Keilan said. “The demon.”

  “The demon was an unknown variable. A party we neither planned for nor expected.”

  “So what do we do now?”

  “We wait of course. No doubt our schemes are already made known to them. They will not attack us anywhere within Lese territory. That leaves—”

  “The Tower Climb Event,” Keilan said with dawning realization.

  “Yes,” Vanis said back down. “There we will clash with Shadow Hall, with no help from Spirit King nor Ascendant. We will all enter, but only one group will leave alive.”