“ maybe, ” they concede, “ but someone capable of things like that would surely be invested in covering their tracks, so the signs wouldn’t last forever. ” and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to end up with a pile of irrelevant things that send you off on a wild goose chase. “ well, i wasn’t in the room at the time, so it’s easier for me to distance myself from it all. ” lyle is well-practiced in concealing their feelings, and inoculated against the fear that comes with assassinations. not that they’d share that information with her, of course.
A sigh escapes in mild defeat. They were right, of course, that the signs would have been hidden expertly well to ensure success. No amount of her whining would make them appear now, though it did not mean she shouldn’t keep looking in the future. “You’re a lucky one, then. I know there are quite a few people who would have preferred to not be there either.” Tyatha was no stranger to seeing blood spilled, but there were plenty others who had been innocent thus far in their lives. “Perhaps you could help others stay calm- keep their nerves steady?”
“ well, it’s hardly the kind of thing people would be looking out for, ” lyle says with a laugh. “ i mean — secret heir, necromancy… it’s like something out of a stage play. ” they’re just as frustrated as her, to have not heard anything at all about this, but they doubt that most of their informants would have the vocabulary to articulate if they did see something like that. and it is rather improbable, the kind of odd story they would never expect to see play out in real life. “ don’t beat yourself up about it. ”
She had to agree; the entire situation was absurd and on par with any dramatic performance. If this had been written as fiction, Tyatha might have enjoyed the story. But this was real. The bloodshed depicted that day was undeniable. “Something to this scale would have had some signs,” she reasoned, hoping to make some sense out of the chaos. She gave a weak smile before continuing, “ I suppose I’m still in shock. You seem to be handling this well, though.”
ilarya had never been more glad for her four-legged companion’s height. the heat sealed wound at her side was still causing significant pain with nearly each movement, and the support offered by a hand atop umber’s back made existence easier. “none of us could have expected this, tyatha. the dream court was wiped out. that is a truth all of us have been led to believe.” a part of the collective consciousness of vessir, she supposed. spotting a nearby bench, the young lady moved to take a seat, sucking in a breath at the sharp pain the positional shift caused. “because this isn’t like anything that’s ever happened before.” at least not to her knowledge. “but now that it has, all we can do is move forward and prepare for whatever is to come next.”
“Yes, forward.” She echoed her young lady’s words, though her mind was deep in thought. They certainly couldn’t go backward into ignorance; that was how they got here in the first place. Everyone believed what they were told, without question, and it allowed a threat to flourish unchecked. But Tyatha didn’t know what her next steps would be. At this moment, she could only do what she had always done; listen. Feeling the weight of reality on her shoulders, she sat on the empty space of the bench, groaning. “We will have to leave this in Fenran’s hands for now. There isn’t much to do otherwise.”
IN HER SECLUSION AS the lesion on her chest healed nemea had been as accommodating as a feral cat. she’d snapped at healers, torn the curtains from the wall, demanded they be put back up, and finally been told the fresh air might do her good. the heavy shawl against her breast made her skin burn-the brocade fabric trapping the heat. she wondered how long it would be before she would feel comfortable wearing anything besides a high-necked gown anymore. she picked at a loose thread, face uncharacteristically serious. in the moment she’d only thought about reaching her family she hadn’t thought to run straight into the sharp edge of a ghoul’s blade. “how will asking the same question get us anywhere?” she hissed. “it’s folly to reflect on what’s happened before. what matters now is how we strike against these enemies.”
Hearing the other speak of striking the enemies only irked her more and perhaps that was the root of her irritation. Tyatha didn’t know anything past what the woman had said and done. The dream court’s ruling family was supposed to have been extinct and necromancy was extremely rare in this age, though not unheard of entirely. Where had she been hiding? How does one reverse a resurrection? These were the questions in which the solutions lie. It was now her job to find the answers. “Reflecting is where we find our mistakes,” she answered, sighing heavily before continuing, “We wait; more information should be gathered before a move is made. I can only hope the Generals will co-operate together on this.”
The autumn court spy master was seething, and while Emiel would normally take a modicum of perverse pleasure in her irritation— he felt as though he himself had been wounded when Samiris fell injured and he had been forced to look past the glaze of fear and pain in her eyes to feign that she was nothing more than a stranger. His position in the summer court as a spy was one that had been too long in the making, a full year spent would not be wasted. He had stolen away, outdoors to find peace, but it seemed as though Tyatha had had the same inclination. “If it’s any consolation,” the spy voiced aloud, looking up at her listlessly. “There was no whispers within the courts of it. We have all been shown today how little it is we know at all.”
Failure was not something she handled well, in herself or others. There was little comfort in knowing everyone had been surprised equally. “So, we have been blindsided. This can not happen again,” she answered, practically chewing her tongue to keep her voice quiet. She believed Emiel was truthful in his observations of the summer court, but she would still hold her doubts on the others until she could speak to all her spies. Tyatha refused to accept that woman had been able to operate in complete secrecy. “We will simply have to learn more. Before the rest of them, if we can.”
“I’ve heard nothing of this before now.” If anyone were to have a hint of the bloodbath that was coming that day, it should have been her. Tyatha had been able to avoid physical injury, but her pride was wounded and she hated the idea of having missed a crucial piece of information. Her frustrations had taken her outside, away from the lingering tensions that hung in the air. The appearance of a strange woman, claiming to be the true heiress of the Dream Court and flanked by reanimated corpses, brought a dangerous predicament. “How could something like this happen, and no one knew anything?”
according to local gossip , tyatha dascival has been seen wandering the autumn court for three hundred and twenty-eight years . i believe they are from autumn court but those are only rumors aren’t they ? i’ve been told from court spies that the three hundred and twenty-eight year old is rather demanding but also reliable . the master of spies is the talk of the town and has often been associated with hushed meetings in darkened rooms, the wisp of smoke from a smoldering fire, and silent steps through fallen leaves . let’s hope they can survive this impending war .
- the dascivals have always been at service of the autumn court, dating back centuries. they have taken various positions through the years, ranging from talented cooks in the kitchen to respected advisors in the throne room, who were valued for their honesty and efficiency in decision-making. her own father had been master of coin before retiring and nominating tyatha into the master of spies position.
- even as a girl, she had been discreet with her words. it often took a thorough interrogation from her parents to draw any sort of pertinent information from her. she took a special pleasure in sneaking around and listening to others without being noticed, but over time, she realized she could easily gain the same knowledge by being kind and simply allowing them to speak uninterrupted.
- she has spent relatively brief amounts of time visiting the other courts before becoming the master of spies. her favorite court besides her own is the winter court. the cold weather makes for cozy nights by a fireplace and she finds the fresh snow to have a certain beauty that can't be found at home.
- when she was younger, she wholeheartedly wished for a mate to reveal themselves, but as the years went on, none came to her attention. she has taken casual lovers in the past, but let them go after a while when she began to feel they had become a weakness that could be exploited to disastrous results. even now, she would be hesitant to acknowledge a mate until they have gained her trust.
- tyatha has high expectations for her spies and has been known to dismiss recruits after determining they were not fit for espionage, resulting in an ever-changing roster. she has lost a few in the field in her earlier years and she still blames herself for not being harder on their mistakes. it is a firm belief of hers that they would still be alive if she had.
- despite being in constant contact with her agents and other court officials, she lives a rather lonely and solitary life. tyatha makes her visits into the city center brief and rarely enters the taverns. she is cautious about her private life becoming public, almost to the point it simply does not exist for the sake of ease.
