Art by CtheTtheG

But what was more idiotic, more slovenly, was the issue of the foolish woman's motives. Indeed, I have scarcely in all my years alive seen someone make such enormous mistakes in their logic.

❂❂❂

Shadow Weaver's reason for coming to the Whispering Woods was not simply to play with Micah. No...even she acknowledged that the Horde had quite the predicament on their hands; the Whispering Woods separated the Fright Zone from virtually all of the Etherian supercontinent. Hordak's orders had been clear: if they were to perform the large-scale attack he planned – a scheme Shadow Weaver didn't know anything about – the woods would be their first obstacle to remove.

Shadow Weaver sighed happily, wandering through the forest. The magic was unusually strong here; the Spell siphoned it from all around her, making her feel wonderful. The Whispering Woods were dangerous, she knew; she didn't want to be here at night. Yet she wasn't afraid. Compasses didn't work here, but she could follow the shadow of the moons and find her way home.

Of course, that didn't help her find a suitable entrance to the Meyan tunnels. Everyone knew of the extensive chambers hidden deep within Bright Moon. The Seraphite originators had supposedly built them when they'd come to Etheria for a reason that was unclear, but now the tunnels were solely relics of the past.

Shadow Weaver stepped on some underbrush, but slipped, tumbling down a set of stairs. She clung to a step, thick with moss, and breathed heavily. Sparks flew in her vision, her body aching with dull soreness.

With a groan, she looked down, situating herself onto a step. A hollow sound echoed from the passage below, and a musty odor lingered in the air. Shadow Weaver swallowed. The Underworms – a fierce species of animal that prowled the Meyan tunnels – were not a creature she wanted to provoke. But if she could explore the tunnel, perhaps she could find a way through to their...destination.

Shadow Weaver carefully levitated down the rest of the way, tapping her mask for night vision. She stepped along the moss, the wet squelch yielding an uncomfortable echo as she walked. Wandering into the tunnel, she gazed around; the walls were made of teal glass, with veins of gold encrusted in the material and dark spindles built into its layers.

It was almost...familiar, somehow.

Beautiful, but useless, Shadow Weaver thought. At least that's what Hordak would have said, if he were down here. Her alien commander was a strange creature, fierce and yet somehow still quiet. He intrigued her...and frightened her.

She stopped in front of a mural. The First Ones and the Seraphite originators had both been fond of painting riddles on their structures. A symbol of twelve stars stood in the center – the Seraphite picture for Amenity. Around her, there were seven pairs of hands, each holding an ancient Meyan word.

Shadow Weaver sighed. Old Meyan – not Delvala-Meyan, the ancient Arxian language – used the same writing system as Eternitas, the language of the First Ones. She was no scholar in Eternian studies, but her father had been. Perhaps she could remember those days when he'd taught her how to write her name in the ancient language...

One of the hands was missing a word, ruining the mural. Shadow Weaver thought back to the seven Spheres of Amenity. Transcendence. Levity. Intrepidity. Devotion. Fidelity. Tranquility. Veracity.

Stupidity, she thought. But her curiosity was piqued. One of the spheres, according to them, is missing. The scholar in her awakened, longing to prod the tunnel for answers. But just then, Shadow Weaver heard a hissing sound.

This tunnel is not safe. She would need to tell Hordak to requisition troops slowly and carefully to the Snows. Their plan could not fail, but it would take longer than was originally estimated.

Fortunately, Shadow Weaver followed the most important lesson in life: good things came to those who awaited them.

✧✧✧

Micah went to Queen Ruta of Plumeria alone, as Angella had said he needed to practice his diplomacy skills. He wasn't entirely sure that resting the fate of Plumeria's alliance on him was a good idea.

"You were unwise to come, King-Consort," King Rei said as Micah exited the wagon. "We will not budge."

"I'm not king yet," Micah said, smiling widely to disguise his nerves as they walked toward the queen's pavilion. "Just someone looking to get you into our happy family."

"A family built on bloodshed and violence."

"Don't cut yourself on that edge."

The king gave him a peculiar look. "Son, with those wisecracks, I believe you're going to make someone's day here even brighter."

"You...find me funny? Most people get miserable when I bust out the...skele-puns." He paused. "Because...we're in a war?"

"I cannot believe you were the one Angella chose."

"Oh, trust me. Her sense of humor is just like mine."

"Then why isn't she here?"

"She wanted me to try negotiations by myself. Said it would teach me how to do so in the future."

"Aye. Well, our parlay isn't like the others. We judge the heart, not simply the goal."

"What's the difference?"

"Hm." Rei faced Micah with a kind smile. "People do good things for bad reasons. And bad things for good reasons, too. You of all people must understand this, given the...person you decided to associate yourself with."

Micah had learned not to take the bait whenever people berated Light Spinner. "I understand, sir. You say you're judging both motives and execution, right?"

Rei nodded. "That will be the key. You must speak to my wife. I will follow her decision. Now, come. Regardless of what she chooses to do, she has refreshments waiting, and it's rude to be tardy to a Vernish gathering."

❂❂❂

Did you know...

- There's a lot of setup in these few chapters, I know. But I think it's necessary to really set up Micah's character conflict. Soon we'll be seeing some action between him and Shadow Weaver, and then it'll be faster-paced.

- One of my readers asked me to change the First-Ones' script in the 5.1 illustration to say "Nell is Hot". I did it, but you can only see that if you're a part of my Discord server. Invite is on my profile (for readers only!)

Tell me what you think...

- Is there any way Micah can escape the stigma associated with Light Spinner? Why or why not?