Adele had already confird that Ines was the traitor, but she lacked any hard evidence. The longer she observed in secret, the more she marveled at Ines’s caution and cunning, and the less daring she was to tip her hand—one wrong step could an exposing herself and losing everything.
She needed a paladin’s help. Now, at last, she’d gotten her wish.
In that mont, her heart was pounding so fast that the opening remarks she’d carefully prepared went out the window. She simply followed Charles’s lead. "As for rank... Ines isn’t officially listed anywhere, but in terms of status and influence, she’s definitely one of the top leaders in the Alliance of the Mountain Purifiers. She’s the only one who can mobilize the minotaurs to their full potential—she’s the reason they get the toughest work done."
Thinking of the underhanded ans Ines used to achieve those things, a flash of disgust crossed Adele’s face. "And that’s why I haven’t dared to move against her directly. The fallout would be more than we could handle right now."
Charles’s gaze narrowed.
So, if anything happened to her, the already struggling alliance would collapse into chaos and the minotaurs would lose their standing overnight?
Heh, sounds perfect for my own plans.
"Not a problem, Miss Adele." Charles gave a calm nod. "We’ve got experience in this kind of work. We’ll make sure it happens safely."
But then he brought up a key question: "But can you actually confirm what she is? Is she a cultist, or a demon?"
Adele shook her head. "No, and that’s exactly why I need a paladin: to determine whether she’s just a minotaur who worships demons, or the real thing."
She added, "Based on what I’ve observed, honestly, the odds she’s a succubus are extrely high."
After all, who else besides a succubus could be that deeply corrupted and still keep up Ines’s level of nightly debauchery?
Charles nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "So first we need a plan—one that confirms her identity, before we work out how to take her down?"
Adele gave a sheepish look. "Yes... Exactly. I’m just a druid. I don’t have a paladin’s power. No evidence has been our biggest obstacle so far."
She turned to Anno. "But now that we have a paladin, that changes everything."
Anno just chuckled, noncommittal.
Charles pressed, "But you are certain she’s a demon plant and not just a spy from inside your alliance, right? I’d hate for us to cause a ss and find out it was only so petty tribal intrigue."
He was having a hard ti trusting this kid; he needed to be sure about the basics.
Adele nodded quickly. "I’m positive. I saw her use a small altar myself and communicate across worlds."
"And after that, I kept close tabs—there’s no doubt."
Charles was about to say more, but Anno suddenly spoke up: "Why not just bait her and purge her at the sa ti?"
"We could slip sothing into her food. If she gets poisoned, she’s just a cultist and we deal with her as such. But if the poison doesn’t work, she’s a succubus and we just ambush her and take her out."
Adele stared at her in shock. "Are you sure you’re a paladin?"
"She’s a black knight," Charles explained quickly. "Sworn to the Oath of Vengeance. Against demons and their followers, all options are on the table."
Adele actually took a step back, staring at Anno in real alarm. Anno just smiled, unbothered. "I always keep a few vials of venom handy—the kind that paralyzes most folks. I just never rember to actually use them."
"Maybe this is the perfect ti to test it?"
Charles thought for a mont, then looked at Adele. "Could you arrange to poison her yourself?"
Adele’s eyes got even wider. She never imagined the paladin’s strategy would be so ruthless.
She thought, So this is Daevyl’s recomndation? Of course it would be soone from the Zhentarim. Of course it would be soone from the legendary shadowy intelligence networks!
Her wariness toward those shadow brokers grew a notch deeper.
She replied, "Maybe I could try. But if she really is a succubus, she’ll be immune, and might escape—or worse, catch us off guard."
"If that happens, what then?"
Charles almost said, "We just kill her." With Theresa’s power, no one was escaping alive. But he stopped himself—no way would Adele trust a plan with that many holes. "That’s true... Could you lure her out, maybe ambush her?"
Adele shook her head. "Not likely. I’m pretty sure she’s already on guard around ."
She looked back and forth between Charles and Anno. "Would you be able to infiltrate the camp and make your move inside? It’s much easier for to bring her to a set location on my own turf."
Charles’s gaze narrowed. "Are you sure that’s a good idea? We’re from Liberl Port. I’m not just an outsider—I’m Silver Kin. There’s not a lot of trust between mountain tribes and city dwellers; these ruins we’re standing on now are proof enough."
The only real trust link here was Daevyl. That old fox wouldn’t lie without reason, but he couldn’t be fully trusted either.
Marching into the enemy’s headquarters like that—bad idea, no matter what powers Theresa could bring to a fight.
Adele gritted her teeth. "I’m sure. I can keep everyone safe."
Charles smiled, a little skeptical. "How, exactly?"
"I can set aside a few rooms in the satyr residential area. Those would be perfect for hiding you all."
"You have the authority to do that?"
"My mother is chieftain."
Charles and Anno both perked up. "Wait—you’re Willo’s daughter?"
Behind them, Theresa’s eyes went bright, her gaze raking Adele up and down with new interest.
Nidalee looked a bit awkward, while Ekta glanced from side to side before tugging on Nidalee’s arm and whispering, "Nidalee, who’s Willo?"
Nidalee leaned down, keeping her voice low. "She’s the satyr matriarch who’s been a widow for years, beautiful as a spring night, curves that can compete with Theresa’s, and rumor has it she can lactate for a lifeti..."
Ekta nodded, a saucy smile drawing a flirtatious outline in her imagination.
Up front, Adele—lacking satyr hearing—never caught their whispered conversation. Seeing everyone’s surprise, she blinked. "Wait... you know my mother?"
Charles gave a nod, his expression softening. "Yeah. We hunted fiends together, even Cthonians. We all got trapped underground for a long ti after that."
Anno added with a gentle smile, "If we’d known from the start you were Willo’s daughter, we would’ve been way less cautious."
Adele blinked, startled. "Wait... it’s really you all?"
She’d heard the story before, but Willo never ntioned the nas of her fellow survivors—Adele was never interested anyway. To her, it was a one-ti encounter, with no reason to expect they’d ever et again.
Theresa grinned. "It’s us. And we got along pretty well—your mother and I had plenty of... deep conversations."
She flashed a little wink, a glimr of teasing mischief in her eyes.
Charles caught the look and turned away, raising an eyebrow and giving Theresa a pointed glance. She was obviously implying sothing, but he hadn’t the faintest idea what went on between the archwitch and Willo Green Vines.
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