Tales of the Ice Harpy from Glacia

"Mother Night," Karla whispered. "Mother Night."

The group had stepped out of Raven's netherverse on a flat-topped hill that was one of Sceval's official landing places, the gently rolling land spread out below them. Large meadows provided good grazing. Stands of trees provided shade on summer afternoons. Creeks veined the land with clean water.

She had stood on this hill a handful of times in the past five years, looking down on unicorns while the stallions kept careful watch over the grazing mares and the foals playing tag.

Now she looked down on a slaughter.

Turning to the north, Lucivar shook his head and swore softly. "This wasn't a few bastards who had come for a horn to take home as a hunting trophy. This was a war."

Karla blinked away tears. Of all the Blood, of all the kindred races, the unicorns had always been her favorite. They had been the stars in the Darkness, the living examples of power and strength blended with gentleness and beauty. And now that gentleness and beauty was marred by violence, torn white bodies hacked and brutalized and left to lie in the dirt. There were foals as well as pregnant mares in the carnage, protected by rings of stallions and juvenile males who'd been overrun.

"No," she said, shaking her head at the scene. "No. We can't--we can't let this happen. We can't let this stand." Her hands balled into fists and she shook with reaction and rage. "Call them," she said, slashing a glance at Raven and Emma. Surely, together, they could figure out something. "Call them. Call them all. Everyone and anyone you can think of. I want the largest cavalry in the history of Fandom riding to our aid."

She looked back over the hill and buried her face in her hands. "Call them and tell them the unicorns are being massacred. And we need their help."

( The cry for help )

[Once again, many thanks to trigons_child and icecoldfrost. Descriptive text taken from Anne Bishop, Emma and Raven's awesomeness is purely their own. FB is someone wants to report people on the island getting mental messages (fine if they don't!) and this thread for any actions and reactions of people on the receiving end. Actual interaction with Kaeleerans and plotty bits go in the next post.]

Saetan Daemon SaDiablo, Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, High Priest of the Hourglass, and High Lord of Hell, was having a good day. Mrs. Beale had made his favorite lunch today, he had a new book from Halaway, a Winsol gift from Sylvia, and there had been no cringing tutors or fretting merchants come to beg audience about something one of the boyos, or--worse yet--one of the coven had done. It was a good day to be Saetan.

It was about to get precipitously worse.

*High Lord?* Beale's psychic thread sounded oddly...odd. Saetan couldn't quite place his tone. *You have a...guest.*

*Who?* Most of his attention was still on the book, it was true. *Send them in.*

*...She's on her way already, Prince,* Beale sent. It was impossible to wince over a psychic thread and yet Saetan had the distinct impression that he did. But he didn't get a chance to probe further before there was a sharp rap on the door and Karla slipped in.

"Prince SaDiablo," she said, coming a few steps into his study. She then gave a precise curtsy, Queen to ranking Warlord Prince. Saetan said nothing for a moment, regarding her. There were many reasons Karla might choose to use his titles; they hadn't spoken much since the disaster in Agio and she could still be harboring ill-feelings towards him. But her curtsy, now, that told him much. Karla was adhering to Protocol.

Which meant that he wasn't dealing with his adopted niece, or even his daughter's best friend. He was dealing with the incipient Territory Queen of Glacia.

He could be forgiven his slight trepidation, right? Especially if he didn't tell anyone about it?

"Lady," Saetan murmured, rising from his chair and bowing back to her. "What brings you to my study?"

Karla tilted her chin up the slightest bit, even as her psychic scent swirled with apprehension, and said, "I thought it best to inform you that I will be having my Virgin Night in three days' time."

Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful.

[Continued in comments. NFI, NFB, Karla will be back in plenty of time for NYE festivities. Conversation has veered into discussion of sexual abuse. Trigger warning in effect.]