Rider winced at the booming, bartender's voice.

"Y'know, the whole thing about agreeing to kidnap someone is that you bring the person with you!"

She groaned loudly at his lecture, nursing more than just a hangover. The Dirty Troll wasn't known for its cleanliness but it was the only place that was empty and served the very drink she needed. Blackwing rum.

"I know how kidnapping works, Tuskarr. Ixis would've burnt this entire place to the ground if we tried. Besides, you wanna mess with Kalaris after last time?"

The Havalog let out a nervous grunt, sweeping aside what little Guilar's he had made from the evening's sole patron. But Rider wasn't here for a simple catch up and a couple of drinks. Tuskarr had gone into a shady deal without collateral and only she knew how to get him out of it. For a favour.

"That's why you threaten to target her Oathed instead. Why else did I give you the sorrowbane?"

Rider let out a huff of frustration, her wan smile doing nothing to placate the Havalog. The badger-like wartog was shrewd but standoffish. One of his eyes was fixated on the half broken clock in the corner.

"If you want to threaten a Sea Screamer, be my guest." Rider quipped, running a stray hand through her hair and flicked her treasured hat into place.

Her bones ached no matter how much she rested. Rider's hands shook every time she attempted to take a swig of the small black bottle. Rider's overuse of Shadow Trait had cost her dearly. But she didn't need her Trait tonight.

"Didn't think so." She added, ignoring the aches and pains.

Tuskarr was one of the only people she could openly allow herself to be vulnerable with, his own warthog-like tusks still broken. For a Traited their life was their grimoire. For Havalogs it was their tusks. Tuskarr had once been the leader of his tribe before he broke them in combat.

"So what's your plan now? Tempt her to the dark side?"

Rider lit another cigarette, counting how many she had in the back of her head before pocketing the flimsy casing. She gave Tuskarr a sly grin and he rolled his eyes, Enchanting the end of it with a small prick of flame. Rider merely raised an eyebrow at his Havalog power.

"No...you aren't serious. It'll never work."

Tuskarr's uncomfortable laugh echoed around his bar, Rider leaning forward and steepling her fingers together as she thought. Quiklit helped ease the ache a little, despite it being a pain in the arse but unfortunately it didn't help with the pain in the arse in front of her.

"You and I both know that Opalis is clutching at straws. They want to start a war against the demons, against me but they can't. Not after Scholar's Keep."

"I thought you said that wasn't your fault?"

A plume of smoke made him cough, Rider's only answer was a reassuring smile. Tuskarr's distribution warehouses for Blackwing had been in the middle of Scholar's Keep disaster. His ticket to freedom had gone up in smoke along with his entire business venture.

"The attack on Scholar's Keep has scattered the Excelliars forces, dented her support and completely derailed her hopes of uniting the other countries together until after this crisis is resolved. Blaming the Shadow Traited was the first step. Getting her stuck in the Undercity was the second. I take it you can guess what the third was?"

Tuskarr gaped, finally following her train of thought.

"Hell's teeth, Rider. No wonder they called you Hellraiser back in the day. That's an insane amount of planning for one job."

Rider toyed with her cigarette between her fingers, pondering on the nickname given to her back during her Regency days. She didn't have this constant ache in her prime. But that didn't matter anymore.

"I don't know, Rider. I've seen war before. I'm not sure I can take another one. Putting all your trust in an enemy Regent?"

Her shadows extinguished the ash of her cigarette while she drained the last of her Blackwing rum to stop herself from responding in anger.

"Ixis knows there's something not quite right about this. Heck, even if she has no memory of it, Aria's already lost one Regent. She can't lose another. The Throneholder is clearly affected and she's forcing her to remain safe in the Undercity out of fear. We can use that. That's why my name is out there. Fear is a powerful motivator."

"You still want to bring her in even though she's so close to..."

"Aria would be distraught at the loss of another Regent but she'd replace Ixis just as quickly. You and I both know that. Bringing her in is the only way to stop that." Rider said firmly, shutting his theory down before it could take root.

She took a deep breath, tucking her hands into her lap to avoid herself from checking for the tell-tale signs of the Eternal Death. The ashen disease that befalls every Traited without a grimoire, without an Oathed to tether them all together and keep her and her dragon alive. Without her distractions, the anxiety of her entire plans collided together in a mess of questions.

Ixis could back out. Skyla could get caught. They could get hurt. The demons were close. It had been ages since her last check in. Should she wait a bit longer to get Skyla out of there or trust her to handle it? Should she just deal with Aria herself? The lack of sleep from sleeping rough for several days was slowly catching up with her, running her hands through her hair and the rim of her hat to calm her nerves.

"He's here."

Rider didn't recognise her own voice. Her Trait flickered around every dimly lit lantern, her shadows detecting the small group of people before they entered the tavern. They loitered beneath the sign, muttering small talk to give Rider a chance to breathe.

Two of the silhouettes were remarkably similar while the third was far shorter and stockier beneath an overly ornate cloak. A Tinker Mole. She gave the Havalog a look. Tuskarr hadn't told her that.

"Shut up you pesky little bugger. I know what I owe you. I'll play along but you better get me my cut."

Rider smiled knowingly, confidence renewed and tipped her hat and the last of her coin at Tuskarr. She rose to her feet and gripped the bar until she was a few metres from the door and stood with the shadow of it.

Tuskarr watched with the same measured gaze he gave every patron, clearing away any trace of her presence just as the door to the Dirty Troll swung open.

The last member of her Axis crew had arrived.