The antiseptic ozone and metallic scent of blood filled the white-walled medical bay aboard the tilt-rotor. This place was a contrast, to the Grand Willows tranquil dusk or the Crucibles harsh arena. In this buzzing environment suspended between land and sky the two chairwomen sat opposite one another at a stainless-steel table.
The remains of their agents—one one injured one massive orc having its wounds closed by an auto-suture—served as evidence of a broken model. The soft drone of the aircrafts machinery emphasized the quietness surrounding them.
Felicya Aurora wiped the peat off her hands. A slight stain lingered beneath one thumbnail, a small dark blemish she fixated on as though it were a deep fault in existence itself. Alexa Solara sat across from her her coat with lapels left open a streak of another persons blood dried like a war mark, on the charcoal wool of her pants.
"The Parliamentary leak. The theft of my data. The ambush in the glen." Felicya's voice was a thin, precise wire. "They are not isolated events. They are movements in a single composition. And Edgar Walker is the composer."
"Hes manipulating the tenets of the Covenant " Alexa observed, her voice measured, yet her gaze was ice-cold. "He stirs discord to observe how we respond. He welcomes outside examination to compel us to reallocate assets. He strikes during a shared point to assess our unity. Hes putting the Quadrumvirate under pressure."
"And we are not passing the exam " Felicya said at last lifting her eyes to meet Alexas. The usual compassion had vanished, replaced by a piercing intellect. "Our beliefs clash. You find power in enduring by strength. I find steadiness through peace.. Walker thrives on disorder as a means, to destruction. Confronted with that our disagreements become a luxury beyond our means."
Alexa nodded once deliberately and slowly. "A provisional understanding. Not a partnership. A truce, with one goal."
"The containment and elimination of the D.M.N. Threat " Felicya concluded. "We manage intelligence coordination regarding Windsor. We do not exchange our secrets but we do share discoveries. We set up procedures to avoid mishaps, similar to what happened in Leith.. We display a unified stance, towards Arthur Cooper. A three-party agreement will entirely isolate Walker."
It was a severe calculation. No comfort no confidence existed. Solely a shared acknowledgement of a more urgent threat. Alexa perceived in Felicya not an ally, but an advanced device that had been mistakenly launched. Felicya perceived in Alexa not a comrade,. A crude strong implement capable of destroying what she could not repair.
"Conditions " Alexa stated, leaning in. "First: a devoted encrypted intelligence link, distinct, from all communications. Windsor-related activity. Second: a suspension of all intelligence-collection actions targeting each others premises. External operations remain permitted. Our strongholds are forbidden territory. Three: if another D.M.N. Provocation occurs towards either side we reply in kind. We notify the other beforehand to stop Walker from manipulating us against one another afterward."
Felicya reflected. "Understood. However with modifications. The intelligence provided should be. Confirmable, not an analysis. My people are wary of deceit.. The reaction must receive consent from both sides. I refuse to get entangled in an escalating conflict due, to your… tactics."
"A council " Alexa responded. ". Me. No juniors involved. We evaluate we approve. Each holds veto authority." It was a deadlock procedure. An equitable one.
Felicya offered her hand. It wasn't a sign of camaraderie. A symbol of agreement. "So an accord, for now. Until the Windsor matter is settled."
Alexa clasped her hand. The hold was solid, steadfast, from both parties—there was no effort to control, just to confirm the pact. The hands contrasted much as their bearers: one fragile meticulous, smudged with soil and sorrow; the other tough, wrapped in leather bearing the scars of battle.
"For the moment " Alexa said, loosening her hold.
The pact was. Documented nor captured in writing. It lived in the realm between them in the recollection of blood, amid Highland heather. It was fragile. It might break with one move one gesture seen as treachery.. For now it stood as a fresh boundary marked in the sand of their hidden conflict.
As the plane started its approach toward the glowing expanse of the Central Belt Felicyas tone softened as she spoke more. "His target was Bryn-4. It wasn't merely to harm me. An elf subject, particularly one experiencing amplified awareness… inside Walkers laboratories could serve as a crucial tool. A resonator for suffering or a gateway, to dimensions he could exploit as a weapon."
Alexa grasped the meaning. "This implies his efforts are moving toward fields that need… delicate instruments. Beyond brute-force demonkin." She stored the notion mentally. It was insight. The initial result of their measured comprehension.
The tilt-rotor touched down at a private airstrip. They exited without a word spoken. Felicyas squad gathered their injured and fallen progressing quietly to a stationed E.L.F. Transport. Alexa observed Orsus-12, now wrapped in bandages lift an equipment box as though it weighed nothing making his way, to an O.R.C. Vehicle.
By the tarmacs border beneath the glow of a security light the two chairwomen exchanged one last glance. Alexas pink satin lapel stood out as the splash of color, in the faded darkness. Felicyas brass goggles shimmered in the light bouncing it off without expression.
"Be cautious of your shadows, Solara " remarked Felicya.
"Care for your roots, Aurora " Alexa answered.
They. Moved off heading not to a common destiny but distancing from a mutual adversary. The Understanding had been established. A brief delicate truce between sides created not from faith but from the clear acknowledgment of a shared disruptive enemy. The balance of power was now three versus one.. Deep, within Windsor Castle, Edgar Walker if aware would probably grin even broader at the thrilling fresh strain his disorder had sparked. The Balance of Terrible Power had not been restored. It had been irrevocably split.