Duskwind prided himself on being a master manipulator.

  He had talked his way through life before arriving in the Boundless Continent. He had secured internships, jobs, and promotions without ever being the most skilled.

  He knew how people worked.

  And he knew weakness when he saw it.

  Selene was powerful. Unquestionably so.

  But power, Duskwind had learned, meant nothing if it wasn’t controlled properly.

  She relied too much on her Fae.

  And that was a flaw.

  Because loyalty was not absolute.

  It could be tested.

  And if he could make them doubt, if he could pull just one Fae Lord away from her, it would be the beginning of her downfall.

  ---

  Fenric was less subtle.

  “We should move faster,” he muttered as they walked through the Verdant Nexus.

  Duskwind shook his head.

  “Too fast, and she’ll see it,” he replied. “We need to be careful. We don’t want to trigger an outright war—not yet.”

  Fenric grumbled, but he didn’t argue further.

  They had been working quietly, feeling out the cracks in Selene’s empire.

  And now, it was time to test the waters.

  They would start with the Fae Lords.

  Because if they were truly independent, intelligent creatures—then surely, at least some of them had doubts about the Queen they served.

  And Duskwind would find them.

  ---

  They approached the first target.

  The Fae Lord of Foxes.

  A trickster. A being of deception, mischief, and cunning.

  If there was one Fae that might be open to shifting alliances, it was him.

  The Lord of Foxes lounged against a gnarled tree in the Nexus, his many tails flicking lazily.

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  Duskwind forced himself to act naturally.

  He sat down nearby, letting silence stretch for a moment before speaking.

  "You've been watching things carefully, haven't you?" Duskwind said.

  Foxes yawned.

  "Watching, listening, thinking. It's what I do," he said, voice casual.

  Duskwind smirked.

  "So tell me, what do you think?"

  Foxes turned his golden eyes toward him, lazy and sharp at the same time.

  "About what?"

  Duskwind leaned forward slightly.

  "About the Queen."

  A pause.

  Then, for the first time, Foxes seemed to hesitate.

  "She is… powerful," Foxes said, carefully. "She has woven a strong web."

  Duskwind nodded. "But does that mean it's unbreakable?"

  Another pause.

  Foxes tilted his head.

  "Nothing is truly unbreakable."

  Duskwind's heart sped up slightly.

  This was progress.

  This was what he needed.

  "So then," Duskwind pressed, "why do you stay loyal? What if the web she has woven is a cage?"

  Foxes exhaled slowly.

  For a moment, he looked almost thoughtful.

  "You ask dangerous questions, Duskwind."

  Duskwind smiled. "Only if the answers are dangerous."

  Foxes's eyes flickered with something unreadable.

  Then he smiled—a sharp, fox-like grin.

  "Perhaps."

  Duskwind tried to hide his excitement.

  He had expected resistance.

  But Foxes had not dismissed him outright.

  He had engaged.

  Which meant there was something there.

  A weakness.

  A chance.

  ---

  Fenric, meanwhile, was trying a different approach.

  He had approached the Fae Lord of Tides.

  A being of calm strength and patient power.

  Tides was harder to read.

  But Fenric had learned something about soldiers.

  They valued order. Structure. Leadership.

  And Selene?

  She was powerful, yes.

  But was she stable?

  Fenric leaned against the stone walls of the castle, speaking in low, careful tones.

  "She's playing a dangerous game," he murmured.

  Tides stirred, turning to face him.

  Fenric continued, keeping his tone neutral.

  "These human lords," he said, "they're going to see her as a threat. They're already afraid of her."

  Tides said nothing.

  Fenric pressed on.

  "And that means war will come," he said. "One way or another. You know that."

  A pause.

  Tides's voice was steady.

  "And you believe she will not be prepared?"

  Fenric smiled slightly. "I believe that anyone, no matter how strong, can be overwhelmed."

  Tides's gaze was unreadable.

  "An interesting thought," the Fae Lord murmured.

  Fenric nodded.

  "You serve her now," he said carefully. "But when the time comes, will she be strong enough to protect you?"

  Tides was silent.

  But he did not reject the idea outright.

  And Fenric knew that meant something.

  ---

  They continued their conversations over the next few days.

  Pushing. Planting seeds of doubt.

  Foxes remained playful, but open.

  Tides remained distant, but thoughtful.

  Duskwind and Fenric thought they were making progress.

  They thought they were winning.

  They thought the web was beginning to fray.

  But they were wrong.

  Because every word they spoke was heard.

  And every moment they thought they were planting doubt…

  …they were being watched.

  ---

  When the report reached Selene, she did not react with anger.

  She did not summon them for punishment.

  She did not crush them for their betrayal.

  She simply smiled.

  Because the Fae had played along.

  They had listened.

  They had tested the limits of the game.

  And in the end, they had returned to their Queen.

  Foxes had played his role beautifully.

  He had dangled false hope.

  He had drawn Duskwind in.

  And he had done so because it was what she commanded.

  Tides had done the same.

  They had learned how far the traitors would go.

  And now?

  Selene knew exactly what kind of threat she was dealing with.

  She did not punish the lords yet.

  Because they were not yet done.

  Let them believe they were winning.

  Let them push further.

  And when the time came…

  She would remind them why Balance was inevitable.

  She leaned back in her throne, golden eyes glinting in the dim light.

  “Good,” she murmured.

  “Let them continue.”

  Her Fae Lords bowed.

  And the trap was set.