“GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF ME!!!”

Even if he hadn’t been able to see into the future, nor possessed senses far beyond a mortal’s, the bellowing voice was more than enough to inform Lex of who the intruder was, recognizing it from a few days – and what now felt like several lifetimes – ago.

Shadow Star, Fail Forward’s masked mare.

A moment later Sirrush strolled into view, a broad grin on her face as she carried her prisoner by the tail. Held upside-down in the draconic drey’s grasp, Shadow Star furiously kicked her back legs toward her captor’s face even as she slashed at Sirrush’s ankles, knees, and hamstrings with her daggers, all while cursing at the top of her lungs.

“I SWEAR TO ALL THE GODS IF YOU DON’T RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT I’LL RIP YOUR INTESTINES OUT AND GARROTE YOU WITH THEM!!!”

The show of defiance only made Sirrush grin wider, ignoring her prisoner’s wild thrashing. Neither the kicking nor the dagger strikes drew her attention in the slightest, being completely unable to harm her. But Lex could tell from her thoughts that she approved of the earth mare’s efforts, even if Shadow Star’s total inability to injure her made that appreciation patronizing rather than sincere.

“Looks like I caught a wild one!” laughed Sirrush as she strode closer, swinging her arm and tossing Shadow Star forward in an underhanded swing. “She’s loud now, but she was quiet as a mouse when I spotted her sneaking toward the village in all the confusion.”

Shadow Star hit the ground and immediately came up in a roll with her daggers at the ready, snarling as she gave her surroundings a quick glance-

Only to freeze as she caught sight of Lex.

The sheer force of his presence was enough to erase the fight left in her, leaving the earth mare staring up at him like a mouse that had just come face-to-face with a dragon. The angry shout that she’d been about to give voice to died away in favor of a terrified squeak. Her legs, coiled and ready to spring a moment ago, turned to jelly in an instant. Her pupils shrank, as though struggling to take in the sight of him-

And then her eyes caught sight of his horn, and recognition managed to force its way through her shock.

“L-LEX?!” she gasped, backing away from him.

“What are you doing here, Shadow Star?” he rumbled, not happy to see his recent adventuring companion. “You’re supposed to be in Bright Night, watching over Thermal Draft.”

“I...we were...that is...”

Lex frowned, knowing that Sirrush hadn’t informed her of his ability to read her thoughts, and that he couldn’t ethically do so without giving the earth mare proper notice.

But his foresight was already informing him that he wasn’t going to get the chance, as Long Road was approaching him.

“Your Highness,” announced the donkey as he strode forward. “I must speak with you about what just happe-”

“MASTER!”

Barreling past the donkey, Nisha – back in her human form – threw herself at him with a howl of sorrow. Warned of her approach, Lex rose onto his hind legs to receive her, keeping one foreleg around Mei Li’s waist as he made a half-turn so that he could could embrace his fourth wife with the other.

“I-I-I’m so sorry!” she wailed, her body heaving with sobs as she buried her head in his chest. “I knew what you were feeling and I wanted to help but I couldn’t because I felt so sad and I’d do anything for you but I didn’t know what was happening or how to make it better and I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry please don’t leave me I swear I’ll make it up to you I’m a good girl...”

On his other side, Lex registered a combination of pity and disapproval from Mei Li, hearing it reflected in her thoughts. While the kumiho was sympathetic to the fact that Nisha hadn’t been able to stop what was happening, the crisis was over now; a proper wife wasn’t supposed to break down in view of others.

Even so, she said nothing as he stroked Nisha’s hair and did his best to soothe her, telepathically reassuring her that he wasn’t upset with her, that she was indeed a good girl, and that he wouldn’t send her away. Each word sent another spike of guilt through him, driving home what Mei Li had said about his loss of control harming the very people he most wanted to protect.

Nor, he knew, was she the only one who’d been so adversely affected.

Nenet, are you alright?

Despite the fact that the sphinx’s emotional state had regained its equilibrium with astonishing speed, Lex still felt the need to check in with her. That she hadn’t come running out from where she’d holed herself up in the demiplane during the crisis was mildly concerning – Mei Li had managed to come looking for him before being overwhelmed – but not necessarily cause for alarm. Like Nisha, Nenet had a delicate emotional state, one that in Lex’s estimation left her almost as vulnerable to what had happened as the black wolf.

Except that, in his foresight, the sphinx made no response to his inquiry.

Fighting down a trickle of anxiety – as far as he knew, there was no reason for something to have happened to Nenet...but he’d thought the same thing about Solvei as well – Lex tried again.

Nenet, give me your status immediately!

Before he’d finished, his foresight had an answer for him, as the sphinx’s emotional state changed.

But what caught him completely off-guard was how it changed to annoyance.

I’m fine, she snapped. Leave me alone.

The curt dismissal was enough to bring Lex up short, even with a six-second warning. He almost made another inquiry, but his trans-temporal sense informed him that doing so would only irritate the sphinx more. Summoning her would be even worse, driving her into a tirade that he never would have expected.

Which was all the more stranger considering that, upon borrowing her senses, all he could tell was that she was reading a book.

Or rather, a spellbook.

That was enough to make Lex frown inwardly; where had she gotten that from? Had it been one she’d made herself? The spell in question wasn’t a potent one by any means – a minor illusion to change one’s coloration in keeping with their background as a form of adaptive camouflage – but he knew it wasn’t one she’d known before. Had she invented it on her own? Was she planning on teaching arcane magic to the adlets here, perhaps to Yotimo as a continued apology for what had happened with Grisela?

All of those questions and more ran through Lex’s mind in an instant, but the only thing he knew for sure was that the sphinx didn’t want to be interrupted...regardless of the grief she’d just felt from him.

Or perhaps because of the grief she’d just felt from him.

Fighting down another wave of guilt, Lex decided to let Nenet be.

There were other things he needed to deal with right now anyway.

“Do you want me to take her inside?” offered Dima softly, the veela leaning closer to him as she glanced pointedly toward Nisha. Despite not knowing who the black-haired woman was – Lex not having introduced her to anyone besides his other wives since bringing her back from Darkest Night – Dima’s thoughts were filled with sympathy for how obviously distraught the newcomer was.

But Lex shook his head, knowing that in her current state, trying to separate Nisha from him would only make her worse.

Dima nodded, stepping back just as Long Road took the opportunity to press his case. “Your Highness,” he called again, one hoof still around his spear, though he made sure to keep the weapon pointed skyward. “I’m sorry, but I must ask if you were the cause of what just befell this village.”

“You forget yourself, paladin,” replied Carnelia, adjusting her glasses as she stepped forward, placing herself between Lex and the donkey. “His Highness does not answer to you.”

“I’m more concerned that he seemed to forget himself,” replied Long Road evenly, “and that he did so to the manifest injury of the people here.”

“Injury?” snorted Yamini, yawning. “Why? Because it was dark and quiet? I still don’t get why they didn’t all just lie down and take a nap instead of panicking like they did.”

“For the light of day to be suddenly quenched might mean little to you,” retorted Long Road, “but for those who call this place their home-”

“All of you, shut up,” ordered Lex, the words coming out as a sigh. It hadn’t escaped him how, all over the village, the adlets were terrified. He could hear more than a few shakily asking their friends and neighbors what had happened and if it was over. Several had sustained minor injuries, though Agapay was already treating them. Off to the side, he could see Yura approaching him, and Yotimo was coming from the opposite direction, Bloodletter in hand.

I’ll need to apologize to them.

There had been a time, not so recently, when that thought would have made Lex grit his teeth in shame. He could remember with perfect clarity all of the times he’d castigated himself – or when his tulpa had done it for him – for failing to live up to his own standards, along with the humiliation of having to admit that to others.

Now, though, all he felt was numb.

But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t aware that there were other things that needed to be taken care of first.

“I’ll address what happened here shortly,” he informed Long Road. “Right now, I need to see to this one’s welfare.”

The donkey set his lips in a thin line at that, but made no protest. “Of course, Your Highness,” he answered, giving a small nod, though he never took his eyes off of Lex as he did so. “And once you have, I look forward to hearing what you have to say.”

Being able to hear the donkey’s thoughts – he’d had Sirrush repeat the warning she’d given to the Pimao Jingzhi to everyone else when she’d gone outside – Lex was aware that Long Road was viewing him in an increasingly negative light. While he knew that the paladin was grateful to him for being rescued, he was also aware that Long Road was a person of deep principle, one which held that consorting with fiends – such as Spice and Carnelia – was indicative of a corrupt nature. His recent loss of control was enough to make the paladin deeply suspicious of him, especially after what had happened with...

Damn it all.

“Yamini.”

The tiger-woman grinned, putting one hand on her hip as she glanced his way, the other laying her flaming sword across her shoulder. “Yeah, babe?”

Mei Li frowned openly at her addressing him so casually, and from her thoughts Lex could tell that Carnelia wasn’t happy about it either. But Lex was less concerned with that than with what had happened between Yamini and Long Road a short time ago, his trans-temporal sense informing him of what he’d learn if he asked the two of them some pointed questions.

He needed to deal with Shadow Star’s unexpected appearance, but he couldn’t very well ignore how one of his retinue had raised havoc either.

Such a thing could not be allowed to go unpunished.

“From now on, unless you’re bathing or in a fight, you’re to keep yourself covered when in the presence of anyone other than me.”

Yamini’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped in dismay, her flaming sword sputtering out. “Huh?! But why-”

“Because I said so, that’s why.”

“You can’t-”

Or would you like me to cite your conduct toward those girls whose clothes you set alight before? he continued, switching to telepathy. Because I distinctly recall telling all of you that I wanted the people here kept from harm, rather than having injuries inflicted on them!

She winced at that, her tail beginning to thrash in agitation. They were harassing me! I was just trying to make them go away!

And was Long Road harassing you when you attacked him during the confusion a few minutes ago?

No, he did it before that! The thought slipped out before she could catch it, and Lex could see the blood drain from her face. I...I mean, I thought he was attacking you! He ran at you with that spear, and I thought he was-

Under other circumstances, I would dismiss you – after cursing you – for what you’ve done. The only reason I’m not is because I want the seven of you to work together as a cohesive group, and it would undermine that if the other six had to get used to whoever Echidna sent in your place. But if you make a nuisance of yourself one more time, I’ll decide that altogether minor inconvenience is worthwhile, do you understand?

Grimacing, Yamini looked down, ears flat against her skull as she nodded. I understand.

Say it, he ordered. Out loud.

“I’ll cover up from now on.”

“Good,” replied Lex evenly. “I trust that will quell some of the adlets’ tension. I’ll deal with the rest later.”

He finished that with a glance at Long Road, the paladin canting his head slightly in response.

Satisfied, Lex turned his attention back to Shadow Star, not bothering to ask if she’d come here alone. The more important question was why she’d made the long and dangerous trip in the first place. But since he couldn’t see the answer to that in her future – she was still too shocked by everything that was happening to generate a coherent answer within six seconds – he settled for the more pressing issue of making sure the rest of her party was alright. “Where are the others?”

Her eyes bulging from everything that she’d witnessed, it took Shadow several attempts to make an intelligible reply. “They...they’re a quarter-mile back. I went ahead to scout...Lex, what happened to you?!”

Lex ignored the question, turning back to Dima. “Go find...”

He wasn’t able to finish, instead holding back a groan as he became aware of who was about to speak up.

“Oh, no worries about those other ponies,” giggled Spice, putting her hands on her hips and thrusting her underdeveloped chest out proudly. “I already summoned my rack to go patrol the wilderness. They’ll take care of it.”

Uncertain looks were exchanged by all present, save Lex, who had already figured out what the pint-sized succubus meant (and wished he hadn’t).

“Your rack...” repeated Yamini, having conjured a ring of fire around her chest and another around her hips in order to hide her nakedness.

“Yep!” answered Spice with a grin. “Ginger, Rosemary, Jasmine, Sage, and Juniper! They’re the cutest little alus you’ll ever meet, and even though they all turned out rotten, they’ve never let their mommy down!”

The second-to-last word caused more than a few eyebrows to raise. “Wait, ‘mommy’?” sputtered Dima.

“An alu is the offspring of a succubus and a mortal,” muttered Carnelia, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose, as though simply knowing that pained her. “Since the father rarely survives their conception, they usually take after their mother.”

“You can’t be serious!” groaned Sirrush, pointing at Spice accusingly. “We have to deal with five more of her?!”

“My greater concern is for the ponies she sent them after,” noted Long Road, already walking back the way Sirrush had come. “I’ll go and see to their safety. I have experience with demons.”

No sooner had the donkey said that than Lex felt Mei Li rest her head on his shoulder. My husband, please allow your retainer to perform this task for you rather than taking it upon yourself, she pleaded. I feel certain that you’d prefer to see to the safety of those ponies yourself, since they are your people. But while it might be impertinent of me, I would ask that you cease to work so hard, at least for a short while.

It’s alright, answered Lex, knowing that Nisha and Nenet weren’t the only ones who needed to be given special consideration now. He’d already driven Solvei away by ignoring what she wanted; after how hard she’d worked to get him to calm down, he could at least show Mei Li the same degree of concern. Particularly since what she was asking of him was moot. Look, they’re already here.

Sure enough, at the edge of the tree line that lay past the edge of the village, a collection of figures could be seen: five humanoids, three ponies, one almiraj, and a large polar bear with riding gear.

“Nangiannatuk!” exclaimed Yotimo, relief in his voice as he spotted the bear. “I was starting to worry!”

“I wasn’t,” grinned Yura. “That old bear is smarter than you are. He was always going to make it back safe.”

But Lex was less concerned about the bear than he was about how there were only three members of Fail Forward accompanying it: Valor, Spinner, and Woodheart, plus the latter’s familiar.

Where was Mystaria?

Author's Note

Everyone reacts to Lex's breakdown even as new mysteries make themselves known!

Why has Fail Forward come out to the adlet village? Why isn't Mystaria with them? Why is Nenet being so standoffish? And can the village survive Spice’s daughters?