"Please?" Elina took her hand, making Kamila feel cornered.
She looked at Lith, hoping for a way out.
"Please?" He rerepeated and his sad eyes became the final nail in the coffin of her determination.
"I'd love to dine with you. See you later, kids." She walked in front of Solus, extending her a hand. "Nice to meet you in person, Solus. You look great."
"Thanks, you too." Solus felt the awkwardness in Kamila's voice, yet her grip was firm and so was her gaze.
For a moment, Solus felt like a boxer studying her opponent on the ring right before the sound of the gong. Then, Kamila let go of her hand, put on her coat, and walked out the door quickly followed by Lith.
She had several comments about how pretty Solus was and even more questions about how her relationship with Lith had evolved since his so-called partner had regained her human body, but after seeing Lith so glum, Kamila put everything aside.
"How is your work as a Constable going?" He asked.
"It was already bad when I was Jirni's assistant, but now that she's gone on her second honeymoon it's a nightmare. I'm swamped in so many reports and so much paperwork that I need overtime just to deal with the daily activities.
"It's over one week since I haven't worked in the field but it feels like years. I swear, if Thrud attacks, I'm confident that we can defeat her army simply by drowning them in the paperwork that the war preparations require.
"They sure work on me." She chuckled while showing Lith the many paper cuts on her fingers. "What about you?"
"It's easier if I show you rather than tell you, especially because the members of the Queen's Corps are around." He said, offering his hand to her.
"Go for it." The moment Kamila touched him, the mind link showed her everything that had happened in Zeska, from Lith's demoting Pelan to the fight with the Black Dragon.
Kamila was terrified seeing the power of the Divine Beast and his Harbinger, seeing not only Lith's battle, but also Solus'. Witnessing the Void Flames and Locrias' Demon joining the fray made everything even more scary.
Yet Lith didn't stop there and also showed her the meeting with Silverwing and the events in Faluel's mines. He wanted her to realize how deep Thrud's web of connections was and to get rid of everything left unsaid between them.
The mind link ended with Ekidna's death that made Kamila cry a bit.
"Poor girl. She lived all of her life as a slave. I can't even imagine how she must have felt knowing that her destiny was in the hands of a bunch of strangers who only saw her as an asset. Not even a monster deserves such a cruel fate." She said.
"I'm supposed to know it better than anyone else since it's what Solus went through until she was forced to bond with me. What she goes through every time someone like Silverwing discovers the existence of the tower or that I risk my life.
"Yet I'm such an asshole that when Ekidna died I was only saddened by the loss of the opportunity to study her bloodline abilities. What's wrong with me?" He asked while looking at Kamila in the eyes.
She pondered those words for a while, questioning herself and the reason she felt compassion for a stranger like the Fomor, and yet she had never shown such consideration for Solus.
After all, the only difference between Ekidna and Solus was their master.
"You are not an asshole, you are just human. See?" Kamila showed him her hand again and how Lith had instinctively healed her during the mind link. "You are the reason Solus is a happy woman instead of a crazy artifact like Night.
"You are the reason both our families are happy instead of being trapped by misery. Zinya, Solus, and I will never forget what you have done for us. No one asks you to be perfect so stop beating yourself up."
"Thanks." Lith nodded, feeling a burden lifting off his chest. "By the way, if Mom didn't call you, I would have. I really needed to talk with you."
"I'm glad she did. I had no idea how much I needed this talk." Kamila said, feeling lighter as well.
'Even though Elina lied through her teeth.' She actually thought.
Lith had no idea of the thoughts that were crossing her mind so Kamila's words confused him quite a bit. He was certain that they were having a moment but he couldn't understand the reason and was afraid of ruining it.
"Don't get me wrong, I love having you around, but this is a serious matter that I needed to share with you." Lith said.
"I know and I'm glad you trusted me enough to do it." Kamila gave him the first dazzling smile since the day they had broken up, making him feel even more like an idiot for not stopping right there.
"I'm not talking about Ekidna, but about what the undead said to the Doppelganger while they argued for the crystals." Seeing her smile disappear and turn into a puzzled expression made his stomach twist into a knot.
Lith took her hand again, replaying a short clip of Lekha the Vampire saying:
"You've been sent here solely because your Queen's precious freaks need a babysitter and because she's scared of giving a Harmonizer to a Skinwalker.
"You are nothing but a pale imitation of what they could be if along with their core they regained their mind as well. All they would need would be a bite and you'd have a new Queen without even noticing."
"Don't you understand?" Lith said, seeing Kamila too calm for someone who had grasped the situation. "Thrud not only has Doppelgangers, but Skinwalkers as well. Which means that creatures capable of mimicking anyone to perfection walk among us, ready to attack when we less expect it."
"This doesn't make sense. Skinwalkers are slaves to their hunger and are impatient creatures. They could never stick to a plan for so long." She replied.
"Have you forgotten about the slave array that earned me two weeks of quarantine just for being in the Golden Griffon for a few hours? Imagine what it can do on someone trapped there for days." Lith said.
"Let's say that you are right." Kamila's mind went to Constable mode, thinking how she would best employ such creatures in Thrud's shoes. "It would explain why those who opposed the rebellion weren't executed by the traitors.
"After being freed, they are treated as heroes and the whole Nestrar region is in their hands. It would also explain why Thrud's plan in Zeska almost succeeded despite having involved only two nobles.
"They were probably aided by the Skinwalkers disguised as guards, nobles, or whatever she needed to get access to the city armory. Yet there's something that doesn't add up.
"I read your report and I've watched Manohar in action. You both examined all those involved and yet you didn't spot any sign of the slave spell. He is the god of healing and you are an Awakened.. How is that possible?" She asked.
