"... another volunteer for the arena?"

Hyra's eyes snap back into place - and she grins. "Oh, no, not me!" she said. "Never mind me. I'm just here to observe - just let me pull up a seat!" She walks quickly, hands in pockets, over to the side of the room, takes a finely embellished chair, and [i]drags[/i] it across the hall. The wood screeches against the marble, a long, drawn out, disrespectful motion, which ends with Hyra tearing the back pillow out and tossing it aside so there'd be a space for her tail to fall out the back. This is important, because her tail has a lot of wagging to do.

Keron watches all this, looks at the smiling wolf sitting upon her ruined furniture, and decides to take the bait. She raises her hand in the sign that her handmaidens place her laser gauntlet upon her wrist.

... and it does not come. She glances about. Mistrile isn't there, neither is Hena. Where are -?

*

"The Countess wants her balloon prepared at [i]this[/i] time of night?" Hena asked, exasperated, brushing her hair away as the wind tugged at it yet again.

"It's probably for something romantic," sighed Mistrile dreamily, working on the rigging.

"Romantic? In this weather?" grumbled Hena, looking out at the windstorm. "I don't see anything romantic about it. Airplanes, sure, but balloons? They're so... cramped!"

"That's the point!" said Mistrile. "Stuck in this tiny basket alongside another person, no matter how your bodies twist they're always touching, a little world in the sky that nobody else can touch..."

"Yeah, the genuine utility closet in the sky experience," said Hena.

"You don't think utility closets are sexy!?"

The argument went on, neither girl noticed the sound of a knife sawing away at the anchor line, even as the wind raised higher and higher...

*

"Oh?" said the Countess, eyes flicking back onto Hyra and staying there. "I see what your game is, little wolf."

"Do you?" said Hyra, red eyes widening in mock surprise.

"I do," said Keron. "This is a magic trick. You're trying to distract me. In fact, I'd guess that another crisis is due to start any second now."

She paused meaningfully. The silence dragged on for just long enough to make it seem like she might be wrong - and then a shattering explosion erupted from the second floor balcony. A huge wash of fire rolled out along the ceiling, sending handmaidens running and shrieking in all directions.

Keron didn't even blink. She smiled, eyes fixed on Hyra.

"There we go," said Keron. "Right on schedule."

*

Smuggling explosives into or out of the castle was a difficult matter - rearranging the flammables already inside was comparatively easier. The airplane hangar was guarded, though, but the bathhouse wasn't. Princess Jessic enjoyed the occasional flame baths and moving around a basket full of ignitable lotions seemed perfectly in character for a handmaiden...

*

"Anybody could have set that bomb," said Hyra innocently. "Why are you assuming it was me?"

"Because I've seen this show before," said Keron, drawing herself up to her full height atop the throne. As she does a hidden compartment on the armrest springs open, the Countess' movement concealing the draw of - a tennis ball. The Countess doesn't even look at it, doesn't even show surprise, just lets it fall from her fingers without breaking her stride as she starts to come down the stairs. "Your plan is based on distraction. Surprise. Keeping me off balance. The same as any magician. Making a show with the right hand while the left hand picks my pocket. All that's required to defeat someone like you is to [i]maintain eye contact[/i]."

Hyra continued to smile, but she could feel a bead of sweat run down the back of her neck.

"That," she said, "might be easier said than done. You've worked so hard, you deserve to take a rest..."

*

An evening of hard work in the kitchens, up to her elbows in dough. Everything smelled of bananas. Why was this so hard? Flour-caked, recipe book held open in one hand, trying to retrace her step and reverse engineer why the finished product didn't look anything like the picture. 

In the end, she had to run down to the market. Passing off store-bought as her own was humiliating, but the mission demands.

*

"Are you referring to the sleeping poison in my breakfast? My food taster caught that one," said Keron.

"You have a food taster!?" said Hyra. "Seriously?!"

"No," said Keron, "but Wen Zi got up earlier than I did and ate my last piece of banana bread against my express instructions. I do not have Princess Chen feeding me grapes [i]entirely[/i] for the spectacle of it."

In the background, a Handmaiden's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed into the arms of her fellows.

"I thought you could keep them in line," said Hyra.

"Such are the problems of running a household of masochists," sighed Keron. "Everyone wants to be punished."

"So," said Hyra, as Countess Keron drew closer still, "what? Do you intend to fight me with your bare hands?"

"If I must," said Keron, flexing her fingers. "But more likely I will simply take your weapon. Then your heart. Then your dignity."

"What makes you think I'll let you?" said Hyra, looking up at Keron as she drew closer.

"I think that you'll let me because -"

+Keron!+ both women flinched at the sudden sharp jolt of telepathy as Princess Jessic burst into the hall, a rolling surge of sky blue scales. +I saw the fire, is everyone all right?+

"Yes dear," said Keron, looking around. "I'm just dealing with -"

And then her arm was twisted around behind her back and Hyra's sword touched her neck. "Hi there~" said Hyra.

"..." Keron let out an extremely long and testy sigh. "Are you serious?"

"What?" said Hyra. "You said it yourself. Maintain eye contact."

"You went through all that trouble [i]and[/i] -" the Countess pursed her lips tightly.

"Oh, I didn't go through any trouble," said Hyra. "I had a girl on the inside."

+Keron! Are you okay?+ said Princess Jessic, flaring her wings out threateningly as she moved towards Hyra and Keron.

"I am fine," said Keron tersely. "But can you do something for me?"

+Anything.+

"Grab Cyanis. She is the inside girl," said Keron. "You get her and you have leverage."

In a flash of blue lightning, Jessic is moving. She leaps, clapping her wings to the ground just enough to carry her into a crouch against one of the hall's marble pillars, eyes scanning the room. With predator's swiftness they lock onto the wide eyed fox standing trembling in the midst of a rapidly departing circle of handmaidens - and then the dragoness launches. Like a thunderbolt she crosses the distance, knocking Cyanis to the floor to the sound of a terrified and indignant shriek of [i]"It wasn't meeeeeeeeeee-"[/i]

"Ooh, good guess," said Hyra.

"Thank you," said Keron.

[i]"This is an injusticeeeeeeee-"[/i] said Cyanis.

"Wrong, though," said Hyra.

"No, I stand by it," said Keron. "Jessic, darling? Make sure to bind and gag her."

[i]"Fox is innocent of crimes! I demand a - mmph!!! Mmph!!!!"[/i]

"I'm being serious, she's not actually my agent," said Hyra.

"Listen," said Keron, "I understand that you're desperate, but this ridiculous bald-faced lie has run its course. Release me or the fox will never see the light of day again."

"Whatever you say," said Hyra. "Sorry Cyanis."

[i]"Mmph! Mmph!!!"[/i]

The Countess doesn't look around, even as the spear of Vogodoris, the stone warrior god, comes down to shatter the chain that binds Yue to the throne. She doesn't blink as the master thief Elkibrant pulls off her veil, draws two swords from hidden folds beneath her dress, and tosses them to Chen and Rose from the River. Guards yell and draw swords and race to the alert, looking to recapture the Countess' treasures in the finest traditions of martial arts movie extras. Indeed, the Countess appears serene. She has made her decision, and she stands by it.