Chapter 10

The night before the planned assassination of King Santaheim II, Ash once again entered the Church of Taran. Her mind was awhirl with all of the different stages of the plan, playing them out again and again in her head.

She greeted and hugged Trail, who handed off a leather sack. Ash nodded, lifted the trapdoor, and descended into the basement.

There were two beings waiting for her. The massive form of Kwi'fang'fang Ash recognized. The newcomer wasn't much taller than Ash. She had skin as black as night, with long, straight blonde hair. Her face was fair, but her eyes were dull and her expression lifeless. Her upper body was bare, but she appeared to be wearing high-cut trousers made of flaxen fur. If Ash had not known better, she might have mistaken her for a drow, but Ash realized that the fur wasn't leggings; the fur was part of her body, and she had a long, slender tail.

"Ah," Kwi'fang'fang spoke, "there you are, serpent child. May I present: Lahlia, mother of all Sak'trid."

Lahlia stared blankly ahead. Ash extended the sack of soulstones she had been carrying. Lahlia snatched it from Ash’s grip and rooted around, occasionally removing a dark-colored gem to examine it more closely. She turned to Kwi'fang'fang and said in a deep, even tone, "It is acceptable."

The larger demon clapped his hands together and took the bag. "Excellent! I'm needed elsewhere, but I have a message for the elfling before I depart." The demon looked down at Ash and narrowed his eyes. "Treachery waits in the waters, daughter of Seth!" The demon flung up his hands and extended his long, clawed fingers at Ash to emphasize the point. "Beware!"

Ash once again suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Many of Kwi'fang'fang's so-called premonitions had proven to be red herrings in the past.

The demon clapped again. "I'll permit you two to get acquainted!" Kwi'fang'fang uttered a few magic words and disappeared in a large mushroom cloud.

Ash bowed and addressed the remaining demon. "Estro tu'i, fisu Lahlia sak'trid-sumo."

"No need for that," Lahlia responded, and a single tear ran her face. "I will not be insulted by prostrations and false worship. I am no goddess.

"The Tolo'trid needed those gems to satisfy the promised bribes to my jailers. I am in no hurry, for I am to be returned after I have done his bidding," Lahlia said, her voice quiet and distant. "I understand you want to do something like this…"

Lahlia raised her right arm. Golden fur started to grow all over her forearm. Her hand widened and became more like an animal paw. Claws sprang from her fingertips. In less than a second, Lahlia's arm transformed from that of a humanoid into that of a feline without any visible effort from her.

Ash was dumbstruck with awe. "Fantastic."

In another second, Lahlia transformed the rest of her body. The demon was covered with short yellow fur. Her face reshaped itself into feline features: cat-like ears, a muzzle, whiskers. Suddenly, the fur vanished, flattening into rubbery ebon skin, leaving Lahlia a frightful parody of a hairless black panther. Her face regained human-like features, though her hair was now black. "Ash," Lahlia said, "let me see you transform now."

As Ash prepared to transform, she briefly wondered at what manner of crime that demons could commit for which they would imprison one of their own kind…^e