Astrophel’s feet made little noise as he padded down the torchlit tunnels, wings gently brushing the tapestries hung over the walls. The Beast Paladins followed him, along with Sepehr’s companion Priam. “Wouldn’t it be safer to have our briefing away from the caves, if you think Korst suspects us?”
“For fear of valley spirits,” said Sepehr. The blind Wildclaw’s talons tapped the floor in front of him, searching for any unevenness or stray rocks, and Priam walked at his side. “Jorell tells the matriarch everything, ‘tis not safe to be discussing secret plans under the open sky.”
“Indeed he does,” rumbled a voice behind them, like rocks sliding together, and Nyrasis and Iseult whirled, talons out, as Korst appeared in the tunnel, her gilded horns glittering in the light. Astrophel hissed and pressed himself back against the rocky cave wall.
Tybal and Aslesa filled the tunnel in front of them, golden and brown eyes shining fiercely. “Looks like we found our traitor,” growled Tybal, scraping his claws along the rock.
“Gently, Tybal,” warned his sister with a ruffle of her shining feathers. She turned her attention to Astrophel, tilting her head. “We knew about the activities of the shapeshifters, stealing from other clans and assassinating their leaders, but... I never thought it would be you who was giving them their instructions.”
Astrophel protested, “It’s- it’s not like that! We need the money, it’s expensive to outfit an army, and you make so many enemies- you aren’t the most tactful-”
A flick of Korst’s tail silenced him, and the ridgeback drew herself to her full height, eyes gleaming red in the dim and flickering light. “Enough,” she boomed. “You could have left the clan, many times over, if you disagreed with me. But instead, you went behind my back, made us more enemies than I ever have.” A long, forked tongue darted between her teeth.
“The three of you I give two days to leave the valley,” she growled. “Astrophel will remain under close supervision until such time as we can arrange him a trial. Tybal, escort him to his quarters.”
Tybal moved forwards and shouldered the smaller imperial roughly, forcing him down the hallway, and the shapeshifters scattered. Aslesa’s head drooped, and she sighed. Sympathetic, Korst draped a wing over the slender skydancer.
“What happened to us?” asked Aslesa, her deep brown eyes searching. Korst only sighed, her eyes on the orange flames of the torches.
