Free Web NovelCHAPTER 44 — MASKS AND DAGGERS
Rain fell softly over the Abyssal Domain.
From the palace balcony, Vespera watched merchants hurry through the streets below in her human form. Cloaked travelers mingled with monsters and humans alike, disappearing beneath awnings as thunder rolled across the mountains.
Peace.
At least on the surface.
Behind her, the council had already assembled.
Lirael stood beside a map covered in colored markers.
Kragga leaned impatiently against the wall, arms folded.
Sylvana quietly tended a small flowering plant growing in a stone pot.
Captain Rowan organized stacks of reports.
Nyxara arrived last.
Without a word, she dropped five leather pouches onto the council table.
Each bore the seal of a different kingdom.
Kragga frowned.
"You robbed them?"
Nyxara shrugged.
"They never noticed."
Captain Rowan opened the first pouch.
Inside were coded messages.
Military routes.
Supply inventories.
Merchant contracts.
Lirael looked up in surprise.
"You stole their intelligence network."
"I borrowed it."
Nyxara corrected.
"They're still trying to figure out why their couriers never arrived."
Vespera examined one parchment.
"The Holy Empire is moving faster than we thought."
Nyxara nodded.
"They're recruiting mercenaries."
"They're also paying bards."
"Bards?"
"The Church understands something."
Nyxara pointed toward the map.
"People fear stories before they fear armies."
"They're spreading rumors."
"'The Monster Queen drinks human blood.'"
"'Children disappear near the Abyss.'"
"'Monsters are replacing human villages.'"
She looked around the table. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"A lie repeated often enough becomes truth."
Silence settled over the chamber.
Darius sighed.
"We can't fight rumors with swords."
"No."
Vespera agreed.
"We fight them with truth."
Nyxara smiled faintly.
"Exactly what I hoped you'd say."
Three days later...
For the first time in history...
The gates of the Abyssal Domain opened fully to foreign visitors.
Merchants entered.
Travelers wandered the markets.
Craftsmen displayed their work.
Visitors watched goblins and humans building houses together.
They saw orcs helping elderly merchants unload wagons.
Children laughed as harpies carried them high above the town square before gently returning them to the ground.
None of it matched the Church's stories.
Among the visitors...
Several spies walked unnoticed.
Or so they believed.
Nyxara had identified every one of them before they crossed the border.
One posed as a merchant.
Another as a wandering monk.
A third claimed to be a scholar.
Nyxara quietly assigned agents to watch each of them.
"Don't interfere."
She instructed her operatives.
"Let them see exactly what they came to investigate."
That evening...
One spy sat alone inside a crowded tavern.
He expected monsters.
Instead...
He found laughter.
Music.
Shared meals.
A goblin child accidentally spilled soup across his clothes.
The little boy immediately apologized.
His human mother bowed repeatedly.
"We're so sorry."
The spy stared.
This wasn't possible.
This wasn't what he'd been taught.
Outside...
Nyxara observed through the tavern window.
Vespera approached quietly.
"You planned all of this."
Nyxara nodded.
"They'll carry these memories home."
"Some won't believe them."
"But others will."
She looked toward the lively streets.
"Sometimes the most dangerous weapon..."
"...is simply letting people see the truth."
Meanwhile...
Hundreds of miles away...
Inside the royal palace of Valenor...
King Aldric listened as his own spies returned.
The first knelt.
"Your Majesty..."
"The reports were exaggerated."
The king raised an eyebrow.
"In what way?"
"There are monsters."
"Many."
"But..."
He hesitated.
"They aren't behaving like monsters."
Another spy stepped forward.
"I saw human children playing with goblins."
"I witnessed monster guards protecting merchants."
"No one was enslaved."
"No villages burned."
"No sacrifices."
King Aldric slowly leaned back.
The room fell silent.
"So..."
He whispered.
"Perhaps the greatest lie..."
"...is the one we've believed for generations."
Elsewhere...
The Cathedral of Light.
The High Archbishop slammed a report onto his desk.
His expression darkened.
"Our propaganda is failing."
An elderly cardinal bowed his head.
"The witnesses aren't telling the stories we expected."
The Archbishop turned toward the stained-glass image of a saint slaying a dragon.
"Then we stop relying on rumors."
He looked at the assembled Inquisitors.
"If people won't fear the Monster Queen..."
"...we'll give them a reason."
Every Inquisitor straightened.
The Archbishop spoke one final command.
"Prepare the Black Banner Legion."
"They march within the month."
Late that night...
Nyxara stood alone atop the palace roof.
The rain had stopped.
Stars stretched across the sky.
She felt someone join her.
Vespera.
Again in her human form.
"You don't sleep much."
Nyxara smiled.
"Neither do queens."
For a while...
Neither woman spoke.
Finally, Nyxara broke the silence.
"You know..."
"I spent years believing trust was just another weakness."
She looked toward the lights of the city below.
"This place is changing that."
Vespera smiled softly.
"It's changing all of us."
Far beyond the mountains...
War was quietly preparing to march.
But for one peaceful night...
The Abyssal Domain simply lived.
End of Chapter 44
Thank you for reading Chapter 44!
Arc 3 is shifting from survival toward politics, espionage, and the clash between ideals. The battles ahead won't be fought only with swords—they'll also be fought with lies, diplomacy, and difficult choices.
As always, your comments, theories, and reviews help me improve and keep writing. I'd love to hear what you think!
