Gatehouse

Signe sat atop the opulent gatehouse, an unintended display of excess that didn't align with her sensibilities. The structure around her gleamed with polished stone and intricate carvings, clearly influenced by human tastes rather than the practicality the wendigo usually held dear. While the place had been prepared for her comfort, she had not asked for such luxury. To her, it was a waste of resources.

She allowed herself a small indulgence, though—cheesecake, the only type of cake her kind could consume. The richness of the cheese paired with the subtle sweetness delighted her, though she would never show it outwardly. A veil covered her face, concealing her identity as she was a mere extension of her master, First Princess Sigrun; her face did not matter.

The location she chose offered her the best position to look out over the travelers who moved in and out of Yuhia. The gate was nestled comfortably between two mountains; anyone seeking entry would have to come here or risk the perils of nature and beast. She found herself looking towards the peaks with mild curiosity; she had only arrived two days prior and the landscape still held such wonder for her.

Lillevenn, her familiar dragon dog, lounged at her feet, his wings tucked against his body as he watched the soldiers trying to look busy to impress the Hand. He was large with the appearance of a wolf but not so large that Signe could ride him. His wings made him an imposing figure especially in a fight, not many people know of the dragon dogs. She gave his fur a gentle scratch absentmindedly, enjoying the cool breeze touched with mana that filtered through the gatehouse.

"How long are we going to be here, mom?" Lillevenn said as he huffed with boredom.

Signe laughed softly to herself. "First Princess Sigrun should be here later today, baby, then you can play with Dagny. How does that sound?"

"Fine," Lillevenn said in a whine, but his tail wagged, betraying his attempt to seem sad.

Signe offered him a piece of the cheesecake in recompense which he happily took with as much enthusiasm as she had for the sweet treat. Despite the casualness of her station she was actually far from relaxed. The west border of Yuhia, where she was stationed, overlooked a chaotic land where corrupted ambient mana twisted the environment into unpredictable forms. This was the frontier of their country, where monsters could manifest from nothing, birthed from the overabundant mana. In just her short time there she has had to put down a few monsters seeking to cross into Yuhia; they were terribly unnatural abominations.

Signe's sharp eyes, though hidden by the veil, picked out the details of the travelers below. Most were human, a rarity in the heart of Yuhia. Few wendigo ventured beyond their borders, preferring their lands to those beyond, but humans—reckless, curious humans—seemed drawn to the danger of the chaos lands.

"More humans than yesterday," she muttered, taking another bite of cheesecake. "Travelers and merchants."

"Humans play?" Lillevenn's ears perked.

"No, baby, you can't go and play with the humans," Signe said with another gentle pat on his head. "They are merchants here to trade, not play. They are not our concern today. We only observe."

Yet, even as she watched with detached interest, Signe's mind churned. The human influence on Yuhia was growing stronger by the day. The opulent surroundings were proof enough of that. The once-practical wendigo now indulged in decorative excess, a clear sign of the changing times. While Sigrun, her princess, sought to bring new ideas and alliances to their kingdom, Signe remained ever vigilant, always questioning who truly benefited from these shifts.

She adored the innovation brought into the country. Her communication device prototype was only possible because of her relationship with the dwarves. However, for every innovation the human's brought they also infected the wendigo with vices and distractions, with human politics, human trade and worst human religion. This was the land of the Forest Father not the Divines of man. Yet she had seen wendigo speak the name of the divines. Sigrun wouldn't see it as a problem; she launched herself into progress regardless of risk, but was it worth it? 

Signe wiped the last crumbs of cheesecake from her lips as the soldier approached, bowing low as was expected. She barely acknowledged him, her mind still churning with thoughts of duty.

"Royal Hand Jet," the soldier began, his voice careful. "We have stopped two demons from leaving. We are awaiting your inspection."

"Excellent, take me to them," Signe said as she rose from her seat with practiced grace.

Lillevenn padded beside her as they descended from the gatehouse, the massive wolf with wings matching her stride in perfect rhythm. His soft panting filled the silence between steps, his deep brown eyes scanning the area for threats. Signe could feel his protectiveness through their bond which was a constant as he saw her as his mother. 

The demons were pulled to the side of the gatehouse allowing others to pass. A handful of guards watched over them wearily which was normal when dealing with the sometimes erratic demon kin. Sign herself was quite familiar with demons. She sought to get to know as many different races as possible to be helpful to Sigrun, even if she didn't fully agree with everything the First Princess was doing.

The first demon was a towering eight-foot-tall cacodemon woman. Her skin was azure, and she had an array of short horns protruding from her head. Her muscular frame loomed over the guards, though she made no move to attack and there was no maya in the air around her. Her arms were crossed over her broad chest, and her fiery eyes burned with outrage at being singled out of the crowd.

Signe audibly sighed when she saw the second demon. He was a stark contrast to the first—an incubus with crimson skin, a long, teasing tail flicking behind him. His stance was far more relaxed, leaning against the side of a wagon with a lazy smirk on his lips. Signe already knew she was going to like this interaction even less. She could already here him hitting on everything with a pulse. Then his eyes drifted to her and a devilish smile crossed his lips.

"What a lovely beauty that has graced a simple traveler like myself this afternoon." The incubus said, his voice smooth and suggestive as he straightened up, giving a mock bow that was far from respectful. "The veil may hide your beauty from most but I can see your lovely face. How lucky am I to be stopped by someone like you?"

Signe's expression didn't change, but the tightness around her eyes showed her displeasure. How typical, she thought, her patience already wearing thin.

"State your name," Signe said.

"Dani, at your service, my lady," he said with a wink, his tail flicking behind him playfully. "And I can be at your service."

Signe barely held herself back from striking the man for such blatant advances on her but just managed. Lillevenn picked up on her displeasure and growled at the incubus which caused Dani to take a step back. 

"I do not require any service you offer," she replied, her voice icy. "And you—" She turned to the cacodemoness. "Your name?"

"Maryam," The cocodemoness said with spite. "If you are trying to fuck him be my guest, but I am not traveling with that incubus and your proclivities with him are none of my business."

"I don't care if you are," Signe responded, stepping closer to inspect them both. "You're here because you're demons, and by my orders, all demons are being stopped. We are looking for two of your kind and after I can confirm you are not them, you will be free."

Maryam scowled, her large frame casting a shadow over Signe. "I don't appreciate being stopped for no reason."

"You're in Yuhia," Signe said coldly, her aura flared for a second which caused the demoness to step back. "That's reason enough. Know this demon, you stand before a Royal Hand and I have no qualms with killing you. Now tell me, what business do you have here?"

Maryam's lips twitched in anger, but she reluctantly answered. "I'm passing through to reach the Chaos Lands. No wendigo or human business."

"Same here," Dani chimed in, taking a few steps toward Signe. "Just a simple traveler. But, if you'd like, I could stay a bit longer. Your men look a bit frustrated and I'm sure we could find something to... discuss."

Lillevenn growl intensified, "Back-up!" 

Signe's hand gently rested on Lillevenn's head, keeping him calm."You'd be wise to stop talking. My time is valuable, and you're wasting it."

Dani chuckled, but he raised his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. No harm meant, just passing through, like I said."

Signe glanced between them once more, weighing her options. These two weren't her targets, and detaining them any longer would be a waste of effort. With a motion of her hand several clockwork devices appeared from the air and floated around her. One of them flashed red and Signe nodded her head, understanding the scan revealed what she had already known. They weren't Joha and Tanisha disguising themselves with maya, but she preferred to be safe than sorry.

"Very well," Signe said, turning to the guards. "Let them through."

The guards hesitated for a moment but then nodded, stepping aside. Maryam shot Signe a glare before stomping past, her footsteps heavy with frustration. Dani, on the other hand, lingered a moment, giving Signe one last lingering look.

"If you ever change your mind, about my servi—"

"Move demon!" Lillevenn barked.

Signe didn't bother responding, her eyes already focused on the path ahead. Dani gave a shrug, his tail flicking playfully as he followed Maryam out of the gates.

"Demons," Signe muttered to herself, shaking her head. 

"Bad ones," Lillevenn said simply. "Play?"

***

Kara crouched low, scanning the gatehouse as her pulse quickened. The once loosely guarded border had turned into a fortress overnight. She tightened her grip on her wand. What really sent a chill down her spine was the presence of a Royal Hand. The gate had been reinforced and the lax guard the former Lord of the Nazem domain had paid off to allow them entry had all been replaced by competent soldiers of the First Princess's army. 

"Fuck," Kara said as she bit her fingernail.

"That's a Royal Hand, right?" one of her men asked as he shifted uncomfortably. "Is this our only way out?"

"Yes, see the emblem on her robes, it is the sigil of the First Princess," Kara said grimly. "They wouldn't just send someone like that here unless they think we are trying to escape. We turn back and I am sure we will run into an ambush. They have us pinned."

Kara turned her gaze toward the forest, her mind racing. There was no easy way through this, and the window for a subtle exit had slammed shut. A Hand meant a fight—a brutal one.

"We make camp out of sight," Kara said, finally tearing her eyes from the gate and looking at her small unit. "We can't rush this. If we do, we'll be dead before we even get close." The others nodded, their faces grim but determined. They trusted her. They had to, but unlike their last fight they were going into this one prepared."Get everyone ready for tomorrow. We're breaking through the border and we're killing that Hand."

As the group dispersed to follow her orders, Kara stared back at the gate one last time. Tomorrow was going to be rough, but she'd be damned if they let a Royal Hand stand in their way.