"I'm not in the mood, Esther," she said sharply in the tent, "I'm just waiting for my summons."
"Apologies." The maid said meekly, "Did something happen?"
Amelia nodded, unsure of how information flows worked in her situation, "Is Akatsuki around?"
Esther shook her head, "She's been called away temporarily. Sabreman will arrive today."
"Excellent, what else?"
Chelsham parted the curtains with a lunchtime meal of chicken breast and peas. Once he set it down, she devoured it quickly and sprawled out on her bed... though she wouldn't mind some comfort. She beckoned them over, "No sex, just stay here with me for a while so I can get warm."
"I'll return in a moment," Chelsham said, ever the dutiful young man he was. He took the tray, plate and cutlery and vanished out the front while Esther brought over the blanket and huddled up beside Amelia.
"Is this what you want?" she said, "I thought you'd be more sexual."
"What brought demons to this world, Esther?"
"Well they were always here," Esther said, "In small numbers, we fought them back through history until there was a period of time where we started killing each other for territory, belief and resources. Someone or multiple nations in those battles decided to make a deal with the so called devil and wagered something incredibly valuable."
"The moon?"
She shook her head, "No one knows."
"Then perhaps the souls of his entire nation." Amelia glared at the roof of the tent, "I'll kill them all."
"Did something occur that struck you?"
The sounds of soldiers' steps outside had her sit up. Sabreman called from outside: Targon and Harlow would like to speak to you at the Papacy tent."
She kissed Esther on the cheek and went outside to say hello to Sabreman, who had his eyepatch under his shaggy hair, "You look dashing," she mused.
"Enough," he said, "Go, I've been instructed to wait for you outside your tent."
An exchange of waves goodbye, and she paced through the camp. A cook yelled her name and tossed her a ration of pork, saying that she needs to keep her muscles up. She thanked him and devoured the dried beef whole. For a nation at war, they were incredibly well-resourced, which said a lot about their King, or more appropriately, emperor-to-be and his choice of subordinates.
Once she was outside of the tent, Knight Dornwald gave her a sharp nod, and two guards who looked like knights in training stepped outside to take his place as he ushered her in with a grunt and a light push.
Inside were Targon, Harlow and two other men she didn't recognise behind blank masks. She stood at the opposite end of the room to everyone else, with Dornwald joining them behind a round table where a map of Raha Isora sat, largely blank except for landforms and the Salem Kingdom in the south.
"What is your first thought upon seeing this map, child?" one of the masked men said.
"Salem must become an empire."
Everyone in the room seemed taken aback by that answer, "Why?"
She relayed what she had killed and seen in that horrendous room, how they had altered the structure of the mine, by her assumption, to try to stop any human being from reaching that area. They all nodded, scowled and hissed curses through their teeth.
"And why do you care?"
"Because I want to stay in Salem," she saluted.
"Why? Was your previous life boring? Were you no one of note without these powers?"
"As a nineteen-year-old with a rough background and no connections, being a nobody is normal, especially in the age I lived in. I had some reputation as a blues singer. A genre that's all about expressing sorrow, addiction, hope, loss and most importantly: hope. Through lyrics and vocals full of soul. Give me a few years, and I'd have made enough to go from inn to inn and raised people's spirits. But instead of just singing, I can... embody hope, especially for the women that they brutalise in their regime. I want to destroy Morgulith, sirs, it's shallow rage, but I feel like I can learn about them from you, so I can understand where this obscene amount of demonic force came from."
Dornwald raised a hand for her to remain still while they convened in a back room that seemed to trap all soundwaves. They emerged minutes later, the two masked men remained inside while Dornwald spoke.
"Hatred," he said, "That is a tool for Breakers and Blunters, a force of men and women that come from east Salem. Understanding and wisdom, I vote for you to become them, but it seems even Gwyllion and his wisdom have seen this coming, which has outweighed my vote and one of the Solomes against you."
"Thank you." She said.
"The Morgulith burned our records, laid waste to Salem and captured many of our men, women and children four hundred years ago. The original Knights of James brought them to heel and exterminated the majority of them. They are still active in Salem and are the ambition of all Knights to join, including myself." Knight Dornwald said, "So consider it an honour, to be brought into the knowledge of the higher military of Salem, child."
"I'm assuming, Knight Dornwald, the known history is incomplete."
He nodded, "Rightly so, child, venom is all that history is. Hamala was summoned by a king of Salem, who was executed shortly after, thus why we were suddenly locked in battle with Hamala and several nations who all worshipped demons. Whereunto we retreated over the Dragonspine mountains to the Salem Kingdom, you know, today."
"They followed you over, but you had the advantage," she said.
"But not the numbers to press them without costs that were as high as midheaven," he pointed to the mountains on the map, "They overwhelmed us with the undead waves of flesh forged from our own and their own losses, this allowed the Morgulith dreadlords to claim many of ours, especially women and children, where they began their slave trade. And it continues today, their methods are..." he spat on the floor, they breed our women and children like animals, force them to bear children until they die. And force their children to do the same. If they reach old age, they are given to demons and their breeding holes where they are forced to birth imps, succubi and the like."
Amelia raised a hand, "I need to smoke and hit something."
"Stow your rage for the enemy, child, control yourself."
She clenched her fists and took a few ragged breaths, "Fine."
"The Knights of St James raided them under the leadership of Ewan Hall, Mikhail Targon, Jeanne Targon, Darius Malainedred and a stranger from another world," he said, "King Dace Malainedred intends to multiply these significant people under his rule and take back all of Raha Isora from the Morgulithic empire."
"How many more strangers do we need?"
"Four," he said, "Unlike you, we will force them to specialise with Hashtar, if they are required. However, if you become powerful enough, we may worry about that later."
He spoke again before she could, "Anger is a poor motive, hatred would make you a tool. Go to your... harem, see that you do not become a woman akin to a Morgulith with their slavery."
"Dornwald." A priest said.
He shook his head, "I make no secret of it, I dislike degenerates and knaves."
She ignored his comment and stopped clenching her fists. "I need to train."
"Spar with the soldiers," Targon said, "Then rest for today."
She saluted, "Yes, sir." She made to leave, "Oh, I do apologise, but could you tell Sabreman to take the evening off since I'll just be training."
Targon nodded.
Amelia returned to her tent as she felt night time finally hit with her body sore after today's ventures and the extra training. Esther waited outside with a few rations and a mug of milk.
"You prefer to eat on the go," she handed Amelia the rations.
She ate them one at a time as she went to settle down in the tent for the evening.
"You still have an appetite after learning about them?"
"That's presumptuous." Amelia settled down on her bed, the blankets were perfectly folded, the sheets smelled clean. Her pillowcases had been replaced with black silk. A small set of rations were set in a plate with a jug of water.
"A maidservant must have her wits, and a woman's intuition," she held out the mug of milk to Ammy.
She quietly thanked Esther and drank the milk, "Chelsham?"
"He's resting for the day," she said.
"No sex," Amelia said... and noticed the woman's pleasant scent. It wasn't flowery like Akatsuki's but made her think of the glow mothers always had about them, good mothers anyway... "Will you rest with me?"
"Happily."
"Yes, Miss Carbyne," she settled down beside her. The woman was nothing like Akatsuki or most of the women she'd met in her life. It almost made Amelia nervous as to what she was dealing with...
"Esther," she cleared her throat, "What do you like to do with your time off?"
"I like to study, sew, and I sometimes go drinking with my brothers, but most of the time I'm just keeping an eye on them and being ready in case of a demon raid. But since you're here and reaching the second level, I don't think that will happen for a while. I sometimes watch over others' children and cook to test recipes..."
While the woman talked, Amelia spun the question of getting her pregnant in her head. It was obviously her ultimate goal. But why would a woman choose a woman for this? In this age? That's utterly ridiculous. Much as she believed in doing whatever the bloody hell you want, why would a woman want another woman to get her pregnant, and how would that- right, Nullshade could probably facilitate that balance by modifying her semen to fix whatever imbalance there was. You just have to be strong, Ammy, you can have whatever you want—
"Miss Amelia..."
She sighed when she noticed the hardness between her legs that tented their blankets, "Ignore it," she said, "I was just thinking about... never mind."
"Is something wrong?"
"No," she said, "I just want to take it slow with you, Esther, is that alright?"
"You mean... romance?"
"Just so," she said, "You want children, don't you?"
"Yes."
"We should take it slow," she kissed Esther's lovely cherry cheeks, "Goodnight, Esther."
"Goodnight," she whispered.