LasTirk was furious. She was pacing back and forth in full battle gear in front of the highest ranked men in her kingdom. Her top general and all her overseers were before her on their knees, heads bowed low. Greyson leaned on a distant wall with his cabal looking disinterested. It had been five days since Marley disappeared and there had been no sign of him. These men supposedly had scoured the entire kingdom and were now sitting here telling her they still did not have the slightest clue to the whereabouts of her son. Her eyes fell on Notalap, the one that initially reported the incident. She stared daggers at the back of his head as he kept his face to the ground. As she stared in disgust at the large man, she noticed he was shaking. She snaked her tail under his chin and bade him to his feet, then wrapped the tail around his neck and lifted him into the air. Her gaze burned into his teary eyes as she slowly tightened her grip.
"You greasy snake." her voice low and menacing, "What are you hiding? What are you not telling me?"
Notalap choked, gagged, and kicked his feet. "I'll tell you everything I swear!" Lastirk dropped him, letting him fall to the ground with thud. "talk" she said coldly as the men coughed and gasped trying desperately to refill his lungs. The moment he could breathe he told her everything. He stammered and cried as the words spilled like vomit from his mouth, everything from the secret meeting to the plot on Marley's life, including the part when the other overseers turned their back on him. The tale was a jumble of feelings and anxiety, garbled with crying and blubbering. When Lastirk had finally heard enough she raised her hand sharply, causing the broken man to stop in his tracks. The look on his face was like a scared child. Lastirk looked at the men kneeling before her, seething with rage. Her face was bright red and her eyes wild as she spoke through clenched teeth, forcing herself not to scream. "You four ingrates have been my top men for decades. I decided to give my son what would have been a largely ceremonial position, and instead of coming to me like real Rednasi men, you conspire to kill MY SON like a bunch of snakes. To top it off you couldn't even finish the job. Disgusting. General, at first light I want you to scour the planet AGAIN, and find. My. Son. The rest of you will be remanded to the brig until he is found, and you had better pray to every god in the universe that we find him alive." The guards move in and pull the men to their feet roughly. As they turned to leave, Lastirk stopped them. "Notalap, stay" as if she was commanding a dog. "Didn't I tell you; you had two days?" Just as the rest of the men reached the door, they heard the sickening sound of a blade slicing through flesh, the unnerving sound of a man trying to breathe through blood, and the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor.
Grayson had a wicked idea and formed a dastardly plan. He met with Cleo in a quiet corner somewhere in the corridors of the palace. He knew the military would never find Marley if he was in the slums like he thought. They would see them coming from a mile away, move the prince if they could, and never tell anyone a thing. He needed someone to infiltrate the slums and gather information, and he knew the Speed Demon kept her small network of spies, each one as quick and quiet as she was. He gave her the task and told her they needed to report to him the moment they found Marley. She responded with a wicked grin that made Grayson's skin crawl. "What's in it for me, my prince?" Her hushed voice dripped with both lewdness and sarcasm. She was the only one of his allies he could never read. She was normally quiet, stoic and stayed in the shadows. She liked to lurk and work in the background and never spoke out before. She always did as she was told, what could she be asking for now?
"What do you mean, what's in it for you? Since when do you question me?" Greyson replied sharply.
"Since when does the mighty prince whisper official orders in darkened corners? No, you're asking me for a personal favor. One personal favor deserves another, does it not?" The look on her face was extremely mischievous and her voice bordered on giddy. Greyson found the experience more than a little unnerving. Cloe wasn't hideous, but to Greyson she wasn't wholly attractive either. Given her build and her demeanor, he always saw her as more soldier than woman. He could only imagine what less-than-noble intentions she had in mind for this "favor". Greyson shook his head. "Fine, what is it that you want?" he answered. He needed this done fast and his plan would not work without her help.
"I am always at your disposal, my prince." She looked in his eyes pointedly. "All I ask is that you be at mine, for one night."
"If you get me the info I need, I will give you exactly what you need, and more."
The wicked grin returned to Cloe's face as she shook the prince's hand. This was music to her ears. Given her station she knew any kind of relationship with the prince would be absolutely out of the question. But this new mission presented a unique opportunity. She could have him all to herself if but for one night, and she planned to take full advantage of it, as well as him. At the same time Greyson retched mentally but kept his face stoic. He would do and say whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. He had no intention of letting this woman touch him, but if that is what she needed to hear in order to get him the info needed then he would play along. If he had to kill her later, then so be it.