Not Afraid To Die; Not Afraid To Kill

Prince Jerachi and Elena walked inside the palace and looked at the huge palace. Prince Jerachi said, "My job as a cook is temporary, so I may not be in the palace all the time, but remember to keep your cover intact all the time and serve everyone without making them suspicious. Leo is a filthy man and may try to have sex with you and you shall not resist. I know it sounds bad, but right now it is all we can do." Elena asked, "When will Aliyah come?" Prince Jerachi said, "Aliyah will come when she feels like coming. But, remember that right now, your acting is your shield and if it falls down, we are doomed." Elena hugged him and walked inside the kitchen. Elena was stopped by a tall woman who asked, "Where do you think you are going, young lady?" Elena said, "I am appointed as the new handmaid of the palace." The lady laughed, "Appointed? It is not a job, idiot. You have to show your skills first. If you manage to impress me, you are hired. But, otherwise you are going back to your home." Elena asked, "Who are you, ma'am?" The lady smirked, "Looks like you are a foreigner. I am the Head of Social Affairs, Ms. Tamana Ferki Valisus alias Madam Tama. I have been here since the First War and served three generations. Anyone who wants to become a servant here has to get my permission first." Elena asked, "What is my test?" Tama smiled, "Queen Licha has decided to keep those evil brats here for a long time. Leo raped and killed the former chef. Prepare dinner for them and if you manage to impress them, you have a job." Elena said, "I'm not a chef, ma'am. I'm just a house maid." Tama smiled, "Aliyah doesn't know how to prepare people for spy jobs. She sent a failure." Elena asked, "How do you know Aliyah?" Tama smiled, "Aliyah and I studied in the same school and moreover she is the lover of my sister." Elena asked, "Are you Vexana's sister?" Tama smiled, "Yes. I'm Vexana's elder sister and my name is Maki." Elena said, "Aliyah and Vexana never told me about you." Maki smiled, "They are big people. Why would they mention the names of us small people? Aliyah is not a big fan of mine because I don't like her. In fact, no sensible person would agree with Aliyah's principles. She is too rough and aggressive and is egoistic. Aliyah is that kind of person who will never accept their mistakes and will try everything in their power to prove their hollow points." Elena asked, "Why does everyone hate her so much?" Maki said, "Because of her nature. Bloody nonsense creature!" Elena asked, "What is my next step?" Maki said, "Aliyah will not come to help you unless you provide her a vital intel about Licha and her partners. So, our first step will be gathering information about them. Let's start with the weakest link, Leo."

Maki and Elena entered Leo's room and looked around. Maki said, "Leo is fond of harassing women and using them for sexual desires. So, you have to honey trap him and make him reveal important information about his and other partners lives. We have to keep an eye for any potential danger like Bron who is a very sly person and would be difficult to fool. The demons are not regular visitors here and so we don't have much problem from them. We have to keep Licha and Halidesus from getting suspicious and therefore I will tell everyone that you are my sister. You can't speak our language but is an expert in all household work. Leo will only be enticed by you if you show some body to him, so wear as many short dresses as possible. I will always be nearby and will help you if you need my help. Now, sit here and start cleaning the desk." Maki walked outside and hid behind a curtain. After half an hour, Leo entered the room and looked at Elena who was silently cleaning the bed. Leo asked, "Are you new here?" Elena didn't replied but nodded in approval. Maki entered and said, "Saila. What are you doing here? I told you to not enter any room without my permission. Please, forgive her, sir. She is new here and cannot speak." Leo smiled, "She's dumb? Brilliant! I always wanted a silent servant for myself. All the day these nonsense lowlifes keep chattering about their sad lives and I'm fed up listening to their melancholy." Maki said, "But, she is still new. She won't be much help to you, sir." Leo walked towards Elena and smiled, "I am not some cruel dictator, Tama. I believe in harmony and love. In fact, I never pressurized my workers until they stop being productive and giving me adequate profits. I will take care of her and you don't even have to worry about her for even a single moment." Maki said, "But, she is naive." Leo pushed her out and said, "Don't worry. I will teach her everything." He winked and closed the door.

Leo walked towards Elena and smiled, "So, you cannot speak. That means you will be silent when I teach you new things. I will be gentle since it's your first day." Leo pulled Elena and threw her on the bed. Elena didn't say anything and lied on the bed silently. She closed her eyes as Leo slowly raped her. Elena controlled herself and after half an hour, Leo rose and wore his clothes. Leo smiled, "Don't always lie like a dead body. If you don't put efforts yourself, I cannot teach you entirely." He walked outside and went away. Elena wore her clothes and walked outside. Maki looked at her and said, "Come here, dear. Let me put some medicine on your wounds." Elena sat on a stool and Maki started putting turmeric and a green paste near her genitals. Elena asked, "When will this happen again? Does he do it daily?" Maki said grimly, "I don't know what and how he thinks. But, for the next five days, he would be busy in the works of the factory. Things are accelerating at such a hurry and therefore, he has decided to move his main factories to the far East side of Namaria, where the effect of the war will be less." Elena asked, "So, what is the future plan?" Maki said, "We have no other option but to send you with him. Licha and Halidesus would accompany him to the hills of Saileo and it will be very important for us to know where Leo has decided to make his factories. If we can destroy those hidden factories before the war, half of the wealth of Namaria will get depleted. The security there would be equally strict and therefore, the attack will be simultaneous with the seige on Namaria. Aliyah, Vexana and Elgin will attack the main palace and I, Prince Jerachi and some of my warrior friends will attack the hidden factories. You and Trisha will stay with Alice in Mount Tysogame where the sages will make a barrier to stop any unexpected enemies from entering. But, I personally suggest you and Trisha to stay near the Western border that is the Magna Mountains. Alice is strictly against the Magna Mountains because it is a very barren place and filled with poisonous spiders and snakes. But, that place is still more safe than Mount Tysogame because the Magna Mountains is a very unexpected place for anyone to hide and therefore it will never be attacked. But, the decision is all yours. Both places are accessible in the nick of the war, so no pressure on that." Elena asked, "Why would Licha and Halidesus agree to take a common harlot with them?" Maki said, "They won't. Licha and Halidesus are very smart and is nothing like what Aliyah must have described. In fact, Licha and Halidesus are very notorious for their slyness. But, we are prepared too. We will smuggle you there as a extra help. You just have to deliver three bottles of wine in Licha's room after exactly two hours. The wine is very special and will create a thirst for it after they drink it. I will tell everyone that you have made the wine all by yourself and want to serve it to them all over the journey. Licha and Halidesus will have no other option, but to agree to take you with them. You will take thirty bottles with you for your future service. I will mix each bottle with an increasing amount of sweet poison that will slowly make them sick. You just have to wait for them to get sick and then, meet me near the opening to the forest through which the way goes. Then, we will attack and destroy the factories." Maki disappeared in silver mist.

Aliyah and Vexana were sitting on a bench and looking at birds flying away from the trees. Vexana smiled, "One day, we all have to fly away like this. The swift but firm hands of death will take us all away." Aliyah smiled, "Why are you being so philosophical today, Vexana? What is in your mind?" Vexana said grimly, "We are marching slowly towards a very brutal war. No one knows the horror of wars like us. We have seen three big wars even before we reached adulthood." Aliyah said grimly, "Those wars were civil. Fights happened in only two or three cities and not even thousand people died or got wounded. I don't call it a "horrible" war. But, the war that is coming will be much more than just "horrible". It will be catastrophic. Even if we capture Namaria, we still have to fight the political power of the common folk. Again, there are demons and Xao Chang. I don't see any optimism." Vexana asked, "Why are you so sad? Don't you have faith on Mother Manaca?" Aliyah smiled, "It is not about my faith. It is about facts and the biggest fact right now is that we are weaker than our enemies. We are vulnerable till Alice doesn't gain consciousness and become the Blood Queen. We have to safeguard her and make sure the demons never reach her. Elena and Trisha are also not very promising. Trisha has no experience of war and Elena is very innocent. I hope Maki keeps her safe." Vexana asked, "What is Maki doing in Namaria?" Aliyah said, "Maki has been living in Namaria since the end of the First War. She informs us about the affairs of Namaria, but she is also inconsistent like you. Her reports has seldomly disclosed any important information to us and maybe that is the reason we are still not the rulers of Namaria." Vexana said, "Don't blame my sister. Namaria was never an enemy state, till you decided to make Licha an enemy. Namaria was the most tolerant state and still you send my sister to spy on them. Don't you know that they drown spies in boiling water?" Aliyah said grimly, "You shouldn't be afraid of dying, if you are not afraid of killing." Vexana said, "That's a warrior's motto. Maki was never a warrior. She is just a strategist. Your passion will kill us all one day." Aliyah said, "Stop blaming me for your mistakes. I never told anyone to act stupid and get in trouble. Licha had an option to swore allegiance to us and be a friendly state. But, she chose greed and deceit. She started doing business with cruel industrialists and those pesky ogres. Kystion and Kavana are allies of them. Licha and her minister, Halidesus has planned to kill you and break the old Blood Temple, so that the Blood ritual would never happen and the demons could easily defeat us. And you are still saying that my passion is going to kill you." Vexana sighed, "You always listen wrong. Licha and her partners are doing wrong, but your behaviour is also wrong. Instead of waging war, we could have peacefully give them Namaria. Why do we need Namaria? We can barely manage the Elf Kingdom right now. Half of our tribe lives away from the Elf Kingdom. Elgin and you stay in mortal world. I reside in Mount Malin. The remaining elves can live here and peacefully spent their lives. Why do we even need to waste time in this useless war? Licha is not doing any harm, so why are you so obsessed with her death?" Aliyah sighed, "You are myopic, Vexana. That's the reason I had to leave you. Licha is not just exploiting Namaria. She is exploiting a state of Elf Kingdom without any resistance and that means only one thing. Anarchy. Today, she is disobeying the ancient rules, tomorrow someone else will and one dayz the whole Elf Kingdom will turn into a place filled with violence and crime. All our ancestral values will be forgotten and Xao Chang will manipulate them into his slaves. The number of our enemies will increase and the chances of us winning will decrease. Licha has planned to destroy the Blood Temple, an ancient place of our masters and the birth place of Mother Manaca. How can we let them do such a sin and not stop them?" Vexana said, "I don't see any way. Everything is happening against us. When will these dark clouds disappear?" Aliyah said grimly, "They won't disappear themselves. We have to make them go away. Whenever Alice wakes up, the first thing we will do is conduct the Blood ritual." She gave a weak smile and disappeared in purple smoke. Vexana sighed and looked at sun setting behind the horizon.....