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:Ezra, other than the elevator, are there other access points to the basement from the tower above?: Guillaume asked.

:Yeah,: my bear replied. :There’re two sets of stairs on each end of the building.:

:You and Daire take the north stairs. Itztli and Tlacel take the south ones. Durandal, Warwick, and I will guard the service elevator.:

:Not Itztli and Tlacel,: I said. :I want them to guard the tree. Just in case.:

:How about Gerard and Vivian?:

:Done,: I replied.

Vivian smirked and tapped one of her swords against Gerard’s fencing blade.

:Sekh, how are the sphinxes doing in the tunnels?:

:They’re feasting so much they may actually want to take a nap at some point.:

:Have they found the master thrall yet?:

:Unfortunately, no. But there are still miles and levels of tunnels for them to search. The immediate vicinity beneath your tower is clear.:

I paused for a moment, munching on the crispy end of a scone. :Should we call more of the legion?:

:I considered it,: Sekh admitted. :Just to make sure the master thrall doesn’t escape. But they will also be reluctant to leave your service once called, and keeping too many sphinxes fed—and occupied so innocents don’t suffer—will become my sole focus.:

:I want that master thrall captured or dead. I don’t think we’ll be able to get much intel from him, but I’d like to know if he’s the Dauphine’s alpha or if we still need to keep looking for him.:

Sekh’s eyes burned like twin suns for a moment, and I smelled the blowing sands of the desert mixed with the thick smell of lion musk. Then a sleek, golden sphinx appeared beside him. Smaller than Ini and Isesi and leaner, like a greyhound. Though this one had a humanoid androgynous head with the flared black and gold striped headdress and the cobra uraeus on its forehead. Black and gold striped wings tucked against its back. They were remarkably short and small for the weight of even a lean lion, making me think they might only be ornamental.

:Your Majesty, meet Tapj, the legion’s most elite hunt and destroy sphinx. If the master thrall’s still in your city, they will find him.:

I inclined my head to Tapj and pierced the palm of my hand with a nail, silently offering my blood.

Tapj quivered, eyes shining as brightly as Sekh’s, waiting for the general’s approval. At Sekh’s nod, Tapj leaped closer, claws scrambling on the floor in their haste to taste even a drop of my blood. Despite the humanoid head, the sphinx licked my palm with a lion’s rough tongue, and I caught a glimpse of brutal canines, just like Sekh’s.

:Thank you, Tapj. Happy hunting.:

The sphinx gave one last swipe of the rough tongue and then lifted its head. Nose tipped up, mouth cracked open, Tapj inhaled deeply. The cobra’s ruby eyes flashed on Tapj’s forehead. Swaying as if alive, its gaze hypnotic.

Tapj let out a harsh bark like a rattling cough and whirled away. The small wings opened, and Tapj disappeared.

:They have the scent,: Sekh said. :The master thrall should be dead by sunrise, and Tapj will capture his image for me so we may determine whether he’s the alpha or not.:

:Excellent. Thank you, my general.:

I leaned back in the chair and sipped my tea, letting my brain work. Ideas flowing. Feeling my team moving toward my goal. Rik gently kneaded my shoulders, his big hands warm and steady. Not demanding anything of me, even though he was my alpha. Usually I left sending the Blood to him, but I had so many pieces to maneuver on the board.

Not just game pieces to me, though. These players were my family. They were at risk because of their service to me. So I’d best be very sure before I sent someone out to face the unknown Occulta. Something still felt incomplete.

:I should probably wear the jewelry again,: I told Nevarre. :Though it may do me no good against this enemy.:

He bowed low, his dark hair slipping over his shoulder. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the chunky gold necklace and bracelets. :I kept them close, just in case, my queen.:

Something about his dark hair caught my attention, even more than usual. Of course I loved his long, silky hair. Not as shiny as Xin’s. More muted. Like his raven’s gift of Shadow.

Shadow. Ping.

I needed to move in Shadow, the same as Occulta. I could wrap myself in his Shadow. Or even use the Eleusinian Mysteries… It would mute my face, though I refused to keep trophies like the Dauphine so I could masquerade as someone else entirely. According to Jeanne, it would protect me from everything except creatures of the natural world. Maybe that’s why she’d worn the veil so much. Not to protect herself, but to hide her face. Her true face. Not from other queens, but Occulta.