Part 1: Asfalia Chapter 8: The Plan

“Quiet!” Cronus yelled as the chatter died down. He waited for full silence before continuing, “Our sources have informed us that we stand on the edge of a unique opportunity. We have been informed that the king of the fae has taken ill. This has granted us special knowledge to the rest of the royal family as they stepped forward to fill the gap left by the king. The king’s son will take his place once he has passed so according to the laws of the fae a new court will be created for the king and his queen. We must infiltrate the kingdom of the fae and destroy the line of the king. It will cause turmoil in their kingdom allowing us a chance to destroy the barrier and end this war.” Clearing his throat it allowed a projector to start casting images behind him and we all became aware of the need for secrecy.

No human has ever successfully infiltrated Idyllian let alone caused enough harm to the fae crown as to destroy the king’s line. I turned to Dreyma seeing that same scared look. Were they really expecting us ten girls to do this? Centuries of fighting and only now were they thinking infiltration was the key? Surely the fae had been weakened before through the years. What was different this time?

“Behind me,” Cronus continued, “you can see the layout of the kingdom. We have had many cartographers map this from a distance along with some inside knowledge we believe this is the most accurate layout.”

I had heard of this before. When we developed video camera we found we could attach them to our planes and fly them overhead. Images circled around of the fae world. It was primitive, medieval at best with cities small and far between eachother. Ground level knowledge though was not something we had ever accomplished when it came to land beyond eyesight of the barrier.

Inside knowledge? I looked across the group Lyra was a fae, did this mean there were others like her that wanted this king to be defeated too? What were we getting into exactly?

“You will be dropped at the southwestern border at an outpost. From there, you will travel up to the kingdom.” As he spoke, a dotted line traced this path on the picture as if it were a task as easy as following a simple line. “Once you reach their capital, you will gain access to the king’s court through various favors and implant yourself into the new or soon-to-be queen’s handmaidens. From there, it will be a matter of convenience for how you dispatch the royal line.”

“You make it sound so easy!” Sylis burst out, her confidence growing. Based on how she had treated the men who noticed her I knew it was only a matter of time that she would rattle off her own opinions. “I’m sure everyone here knows from basic first year schooling, humans who don’t immediately die from the influx of magical energy crossing that barrier will be killed on sight.”

“Very astute, “Cronus interrupted, “We have been researching ways for getting around this rather, unfortunately issue. Recently we have had success with some spies. Many of them have since gone dark and only one we will have regular communications with. Humans can survive there, we know it’s true. I will not deny though it is rare, our expectations are low with the survival rate. However, the tactics we will be utilizing are more assured. You will all undergo a series of vigorous training, teachings, and exercises that will challenge every part of you. At the end you will be subjected to a procedure,” he paused, clearing his throat once more as his demeanor slowed. He was approaching the more difficult part of the presentation and we were all waiting to hear what this great plan was, “Afterward, you will be indistinguishable from the fae kind.” He paused again and the picture behind him changed to that of an anatomical model of a female, “The process will take time.”

“We’ll be changed?” I whispered looking at the model whose former form was clearly a regular human; her new body had butterfly wings that sparkled even in this still image they were magnificent. Her fingers elongated and her mouth grew smaller as her eyes changed to resemble more of a bug.

“As you all know, there are many different kinds of fae.” Cronus continued, “Lyra is what we call a manipulator.” Lyra walked up to the head of the group on cue taking a stand at the table across the room near Varis. “She is able to take physical things and change them as well as having some psychic abilities. Though she is still powerful she is considered to the others a lesser blood. Her kind are meant for servitude and would not be easily welcomed into the highest of the noble king’s court.”

“Are you expecting some of us to be these higher fae then?” Sylis’s protests sounded far more respectful now.

“Obviously some of us were just bred better.” Gallo snuffed.

“Yes yes,” Cronus interrupted before a skirmish could break out between the girls, “When we took your blood earlier we had it tested with some mages who have been preparing for this procedure. We have divided you up into groups that we feel will benefit the mission at large most.”

The next slide showed a list of all our names. Next to them was either noble, mid, or lesser. There it was next to my name halfway down the list: Ashai Sumter - Noble. Dreyma had mid and Sage’s lesser. Was this sick hierarchy some joke to them? I was bound and determined to not think too much into it.

“Don’t think this is set in stone.” He corrected before we lost ourselves. “This is just a projection, through the course of your training you will take regular assessments and see a counselor who will determine your true path. Any questions so far?”

“Yes!” Sylis stood up, maybe it was the fact that she was projected to be noble too or maybe because she thought of things beyond what others did. Whatever the reason she was the only one who cared to ask, “Wouldn’t it be easier to seduce the king himself and then kill him directly? Why infiltrate the court? Why play this long game when we could solve this problem by turning enough people and then sending an army over the barrier?”

“Excuse me?” Cronus coughed looking back to her table, “Miss I don’t know where you got that idea-”

“We are all women.” She argued not caring how much trouble she could get in for insubordination, “It seems like your plan doesn’t make sense. We’ve never been forced into service before why would we do this? You’re either wanting us to fail or we are some test group to see how far we can get. You have no plan for us to succeed do you? So why not just come out and say it?”

“I understand your observation, however, you are missing vital information that I think if you sit down and pay attention will answer a fair few of these questions you have. You see the male constitution will not allow for the process that we have outlined.” The slides continued as if expecting this was where the clarification was going to take place. “We have tried several situations and scenarios already and it has been determined that it is not possible. No matter the effort, blood test, or commitment. I would also strongly discourage any of you from trying to seduce the young prince directly. Fae are not like us. They are cruel, far more powerful and devilish than you could ever believe. Direct access without first obtaining a foundation to stand on would end in a fate worse than death. Joining the court is at the present our best option and we cannot allow this team to be sidetracked by illusions of grandeur.”

“So we get to his new wife and what? Play out our lives until we find an opening to kill the guy?” Gallo, surprisingly also a noble, took her chance making sure her own voice wasn’t going to get lost.

“Yes, you will travel with your party which will provide you with the perfect cover story and social status that we found desirable to the queen when she builds her own court.”

He continued to explain it as if it was going to be as simple as putting on a new pair of pants or walking extra in your shoes until they fit. In practice I imagined we were all going to experience a very different plan, one that was riddled with improvisation that none of us were ever going to be prepared for. This was uncharted territory. How could any of us ever think we could be prepared for this?