Chapter 99:Lure.
A few minutes before the attack.
The forest loomed around them, the light penetrating through the branches leaving grotesque shadows on the ground.
Even just standing there, the corrupt aether coiled around them like snakes.
Most high elves would avoid this kind of place but he did not, his plan was too important to act reserved.
"They’ve entered."
A low voice came.
One of the clocked figures stepped forward his gaze far off beyond the trees.
The carriage hadn’t even entered the zone but he didn’t need to see it since he already knew.
"....on schedule," he added.
There were five of them. Men who did not stand in the open unless there was something to gain from it.
Her dead brother’s faction.
Two of the men didn’t belong. Lord Dusk, Lilith’s former fiancées father and a man who made the dark clocks look... different because of the countenance she carried.
"You’re certain of the route," the older man said his voice carrying quiet authority," I hope there won’t be any deviation."
The speaker remained composed even beneath the concealing clock.
He was someone who had always been near her, one of her twelve council members.
A person who should not be in the forest but in their homes as he waited for the investigation to reach his house.
He glanced at the oldest man.
"She doesn’t hesitate when time is a factor," he calmly said," you knew that before you approached me."
His gaze moved beyond the forest.
"She will take the fastest route," he added quietly.
The council member inclined his head slightly.
"... Even when it’s dangerous."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Especially when it’s dangerous."
"You’re certain she won’t detect us?" lord dusk asked.
The council member scoffed softly.
"She might," he said simply, " if we’re foolish enough to get closer."
Lord Dusk shifted to the object embedded in the ground. This was the reason they had approached him.
It was a small construct he had found in one of the smaller ruins. How they had found out, he didn’t know but the benefits were enough.
As long as the target is set, it could lure a specific corrupt to them.
"Are you confident the creature will respond," another clocked man asked him.
Lord Dusk didn’t lift his confidence.
"We can only depend on probability."
A low tremor passed through the ground. It was still subtle but growing.
The council member’s gaze shifted briefly downwards, studying the reactions.
"A mountain drake," the council member said quietly.
Lord Dusk nodded.
"Yes," he responded," it wandered too far from its territory weeks ago."
Now the thing wasn’t worth mentioning, it had been corrupted after it entered the corruption zone. Probably ate something that was also corrupted.
Silence lingered among them.
"She will kill it," one of the men stated.
"Of course she will," the council member replied without a hint of doubt.
None of them was foolish enough to believe otherwise.
"That isn’t the purpose, " he added.
He had been the one to propose this method.
The older man finally looked at him directly.
"Then state it plainly."
The air fell silent.
"We’re not testing her strength," the council member said," we are testing her priorities."
The poison incident had been a trigger but they needed to raffle her even more.
Lord Dusk leaned against one of the trees.
"She already chose," he stated the obvious.
No one asked what he meant since they all understood.
"This diverts her attention," the council member said," limits her response and holds back where she otherwise wouldn’t."
A small beat passed. A smile graced his face.
"It creates openings."
"For later," another masked man added.
"Yes."
The ground beneath them shook even more violently, closer now. The lure had worked.
"And if this fails," the older man asked.
The council member didn’t hesitate.
"It won’t," he said then added more precisely, " if it fails... we proceed to the next stage."
Of course they will, this was never going to be a single attempt.
"And the throne," Lord Dusk asked.
This was an important conversation among all of them. Each had their goals but they all converged into one.
The council member’s steady gaze settled fully on him.
"The throne will not remain unsteady for long," he said," it requires alignment."
He stepped closer to him, but not in a threatening manner.
"Your son," he continued, "is ...suitable. He’s more competent than the other."
Lord Dusk held his breath. Elydrah was not his only child, his death had been a shame but he had found another opportunity.
"When the current obstacle is removed," there was a slight pause," he will be present."
This was the perfect political move. His expression didn’t change but his eyes gleamed.
"If she doesn’t accept?" He asked.
The faintest hint of cold touched the council member’s gaze.
"She will have fewer options."
Behind them, the sound of trees felling reached them. A distorted vibration echoed through the forest. It had fully taken the bait.
"It’s moving," one of the men said quietly.
No one reacted visibly but everyone could feel it deep within.
The council member turned slightly.
"It’s time we withdraw."
He didn’t move immediately. His gaze remained fixed towards the unseen path, the carriage was almost visible as a small dot in the forest.
"Make it count."
Then he turned. The lure pulsed one more time before it dimmed again.
.
.
.
Lilith turned her gaze towards the forest.
"Stay here," she commanded him.
Her hand patted his chest.
She didn’t go where the drake had died. There was nothing there, her powers didn’t even leave a trace behind.
"Have you noticed something?" Atheline asked while following her gaze.
She nodded. Her gaze narrowed.
"There."
It wasn’t visible at first, not to the others. There was a small shift in the air like a magical mirage coming from underneath the ground.
She stepped forward then vanished leaving Atheline confused.
He stepped forward the moment he saw her appear a little further away.
Lilith stepped on the much more saturated ground her brows furrowing.
The amount of corrupt aether was more concentrated and there was a hint of both solar and luna aether.
She crouched, one hand hovering slightly above the forest floor.
For a moment she didn’t touch it, not like she planned to.
"... Crude," she murmured.
The soil simply gave way on its own, revealing what lay beneath.
A small construct.
Both aether pulsed through it but there were inconsistencies.
The patterns were crudely drawn and the joints barely held together.
It was also too carelessly placed.
Her fingers hovered over it, barely brushing against the item.
The reaction was immediate to her aether. It trembled violently, and a small whisp of aether escaped into the air before it went towards the drake’s previous location.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bait."
It was little enough to be negligible but still enough to attract a corrupt and the drake had been on its radar.
She studied it for a moment then at that moment a stick broke behind her.
She turned to see Atheline a few steps from her, unsteady but still upright.
"You’ve noticed."
He had followed her on foot since it wasn’t far away from the carriage.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"You shouldn’t be here," she said sharply.
He ignored that. His gaze dropped to the exposed construct.
"So that’s what it was."