The sun has long since set as I patiently wait in the darkness for the human rider to approach. I have been waiting for the better part of an hour, forgetting how dreadfully slow humans can be. However, my patience is vast and with Renna in bed, I can take as long as I need.

I chuckle as I think back to the mini-tantrum she threw earlier today. She does not like it when I do not tell her about threats, and yet she is incapable of defending herself, and telling her would serve no one. The little empress seemed, at least for the moment, begrudgingly mollified after our little talk. It is a balancing act with her, as always, giving her space and freedom, while also guiding her and protecting her.

It does worry me, the possibility that Renna could become cruel and uncaring. She has a tendency to throw tantrums when she does not get what she wants or if someone angers her; already, she exhibits many of the behaviors of the past empresses. I believe her greatest strength lies in how different she is to past empresses, indeed, the qualities she adds to the collective knowledge of the vess could lead us into a future more bright than ever before. At times, it almost seems impossible to strike a balance between encouraging her to embrace the vess while guiding her to retain some of her humanity. I am sure the path forward lies in that careful balance.

The sound of hooves pounding through sand brings me out of my thoughts. Finally.

Almost casually, I stretch a thread of razor sharp shadow across the path of the rider. Ignorant of the danger, the rider gallops past me. My wire easily cuts through the hide of the mundane mount, killing it, and sending the rider flying through the air.

Before the pitiful human can even land, I snatch it from the air, and twist its neck, snuffing the light from its eyes. I drop the corpse into the sand with disdain.

Rifling through the human's bag reveals a letter, stamped with the seal of a Magus. I already know the contents of the letter, having watched the man dictate the contents to a servant to write for him. It never ceases to amaze me how utterly unaware humans are, they think that just because the vess cannot speak they cannot report what they hear. The scout inside of the man's tent wasn't even particularly hidden, he just assumed it didn't matter.

While I already know the contents of the letter, intercepting these messages is crucial all the same. Disrupting human communication is laughably easy, and devastatingly effective. Magus Gozzamere seems intent on making the vess his enemy, a mistake that will prove to have dire consequences, and will likely result in the end of his lineage.

All in due time, however.

I order a few drones to clean up the mess of bodies while I begin making my way back to the camp. This makes the seventh letter I have intercepted, and soon Queen Etta will have quite a lot of proof of her Magus' treachery. The only question is if she will actually act on it. Unfortunately, I am thinking no.

So, I will wait until we leave to deposit the letters into her possession. This is her problem to solve, after all, not that I am opposed to helping. Either she requests our help, she will certainly need it, or she does not, and we clean up the mess ourselves. Either way, Renna will gain significant power over Karnaka without having to outright invade it anymore than she already has.

My lips curve upward into a serene smile, Renna likely would not be happy with how unaware she is of her current situation. She would probably insist on helping the Queen, as she has grown to like her, her vess side drawn to the power Etta wields. It would be adorable. However, the Queen can only be helped if she allows it, and Etta has proven to be stubborn, and surprisingly indecisive. She wants to hold on to as much power as possible for as long as possible, and I understand this, but it is a weakness. Sometimes one needs to prune a few branches for the tree to grow stronger. Better to let the Queen decide what she wants to do while Renna focuses on something more productive, rather than waste time in human court.

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Emerging from the shadows behind Renna's palanquin, I circle around and nod my head at the orcs guarding the door, satisfied that my charge is safe, I head towards my next destination only to get interrupted by a stern looking human.

"Enna." Captain Tess' voice is stern and her expression hard, "Out late tonight."

The unspoken question and accusation raises my hackles, but I smooth myself, answering easily and calmly, "Indeed. Keeping our empress safe is a constant engagement."

Tess hesitates for a moment, "I don't like this. My loyalty is to Renna first, but I still want to do right by Karnaka."

I arch an eyebrow and cock a hip, staring at the human.

Her stoic facade cracks for a moment, "I believe that you have Renna's best interest in mind, that's easy…" She regains her composure and glowers at me, "Watching you cut the legs off of my homeland and letting it collapse into a pile for Renna to pick up the pieces, is not something I can just stand by and watch."

She squares her jaw and stares back at me, unyielding. I do like this human, she is a credit to her race. Perceptive enough to realize that I am meddling, and courageous enough to confront me about it. There is a reason Renna took interest in her, after all.

When I still don't respond, she shifts her weight, palming her sword out of reflex; I don't sense any hostility from her. I can practically see the gears turning in the human's head. For all of her bravado, she understands that there isn't much she can do to me, besides going to Renna and hoping she agrees with her.

"Fine." The human finally says, "I just." She hesitates, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it, "It's hard to standby and watch your homeland suffer. Not that I expect you to have any empathy. Most people assume the vess are monsters, and they are right. I've spent enough time around you to understand that Renna is the only reason the vess don't just wash over everything like a wave."

That finally gets a chuckle out of me, "And yet, you still serve the vess." I point out.

A grim nod from Tess, "Renna saved my people and gave them a place to live, a good place, a safe place." She glances at the palanquin, "Even now, my mom is back in Blackroad, well fed and happy." Her scowl returns to me, "I don't trust you, but I do trust Renna. She likes having happy humans living under her. I can at least take solace in the fact that she will care for Karnaka once the worst is over… but it doesn't make it any easier to watch."

"You have so little faith in your kingdom?" I can't help but prod.

She glares up at me, "I see the signs, the food crisis is being downplayed, and the Magus would rather use it in a bid for more power than actually do anything about it. I know that the vess are eager to scoop up more power. You will help after the collapse, not before."

"Perhaps it is for the best." I remain aloof.

That elicits a scoff from the Captain, "Debbs certainly thinks so. All of the diplomacy she has been doing exposed her to a lot of corruption, at this point she wants nothing more than a clean slate for Karnaka. I would agree, but I just can't justify all of the suffering that is going to happen." She lowers her head and closes her eyes, fists tightening by her side, "People are going to starve, a lot of people."

"The vess are nothing if not efficient." I sway up to the human and put a claw under her chin, lifting her eyes up to meet mine, "Perhaps the transfer of power will be easier than you think. The vess have prevented your people from starving before, what is to say they will not do it again?"

She narrows her eyes at me and smacks my claw away, "Damn it, I already said that I'm loyal to the vess, okay? You don't need to bullshit me."

"Very well." I back away from the testy human, "Will you voice your concerns to Renna?"

"No." Tess shakes her head, "If she wanted to involve herself more deeply into Karnakan politics, she would have. Could she make a difference if she hung around and backed Queen Etta? Sure, but I'm not going to put that burden on a two year old." She chuckles to herself, "Even saying it out loud sounds wrong." The human relaxes her stance and sounds curious, "Why do you let her do what she wants? Shouldn't she stay in the hive until she's older?"

"Renna must grow." I say simply.

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