Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

To whom that voice belonged was a woman dressed in white Pathfinder robes. 

She had short blonde hair that was tied into a Dutch braid. 

Her eyes were a deep glowing gold, her lips thin and pink, and her skin pale. She had a long spear strapped to her back, alongside a bolt action sniper rifle and a short dagger on her side. 

The woman had a small but gentle smile, something rare on days such as these. 

"Hinata." Béatrice replied under her breath, "Did Her Majesty send you?" She asked with a hint of disdain in her voice.

The woman- Hinata shook her head. "No," she replied, "I'm here on my own accord, I wish to give my condolences to you and your daughter."

Her smile then faded, "I understand that this is a difficult time for you, so I'll make this quick."

Hinata's gaze remained steady as she approached Béatrice. Her steps were measured and determined, conveying a purpose beyond simple condolences.

Béatrice watched her with a cold and calculating eye. 

Stopping in front of Béatrice, Hinata glanced briefly over at Louise and Charles. "This matter should only be heard by your ears." 

Béatrice raised an eyebrow, "you wish for privacy, here?" She asked while looking around the busy docks, "Do you not know where you are?"

Hinata nodded, "indeed, a place such as this is insufficient for our needs," she then gestured towards the pathfinder's, "but should we risk even further problems?"

Béatrice turned to look back, her yellow gaze landing upon Charles.

The notion of privacy amongst her people was not something to be taken lightly, but then again, Hinata was a D'élite for a reason. 

Béatrice gave Charles a curt nod, gesturing for him to take Louise and the Pathfinder guard onto the carriage convoy. 

Charles, understanding her gesture, did exactly that. 

As the group moved out of earshot, Hinata watched them carefully, her golden eyes hopping from one person to the next, like a 

Predator sizing up prey.

With the last of the pathfinders out of earshot, Hinata turned her attention back towards Béatrice. "Okay, three things you need to know before you meet with Her Majesty," Hinata said, her voice dropping to a whisper as she leaned closer. 

"First, she knew of Alexander's disappearance the day after it happened, second, the Clamori no Longer have Alexander, they lost him, presumably to demons, and lastly, there's a rouge royal blade acting against her majesty, she's gone AWOL and all traces of her are lost."

Béatrice's expression remained stoic as Hinata listened to the information, yet her mind was barely absorbing the information.

Her suspicions of the queen knowing of Alexander's disappearance rang true, and not only that but she knew the day after it happened, that same time Béatrice herself found out.

That meant someone was feeding Her Majesty information as soon as it was procured, suggesting a deep and flexible information network. It also meant that the queen's agents were indeed moving within house Nova.

While this wasn't unexpected, it was another thing entirely to learn that Alexander wasn't just kidnapped, but lost! While this initially seemed like a relief, it quickly dawned upon Béatrice that this could easily end in disaster. 

Why?

Because the Clamori, while a shadowy force, still operated by the rules of the underworld and still played the game chess as everyone else. 

But demons, they would soon burn that chess board rather than sit down and play. A complication that made things harder in the short term, especially if Alexander was killed by them. 

Still, the Clamori lost Alexander, and somehow Charlotte knew of this development? Her agents were truly everywhere, demonstrating an unsettling level of control.

But her control wasn't absolute it seemed, as Hinata also mentioned a rogue royal blade. Just the idea of a royal blade going rogue was almost unbelievable, and if true could be the single most dangerous threat not just to Béatrice, but the entire fragile political landscape as a whole. 

Béatrice took a moment to silently digest the information Hinata provided, before finally responding in a hushed whisper. "This information, if true, is dangerous, especially if used against Her Majesty."

Hinata nodded, "yes, it could ruin her."

"Then tell me," Béatrice replied, "what's the reason for giving this information to me?"

Hinata sighed softly, "Because Her Majesty is playing with fire, and needs a reality check immediately." She answered, "She has this idea in her head that the rogue royal blade is working for you, as this royal blade, she believed to be the culprit who staged Alexander's kidnapping."

Béatrice fought every muscle fiber in her being not to show an expression of shock. "What?" She whispered in disbelief, "but there… I…"

Hinata nodded, "Trust me Béatrice, I have no reason to believe you'd betray her majesty and employ this royal blade, I believe you victim in this just as much as Alexander."

Béatrice fell silent briefly, before noticing Hinata reaching into her coat to retrieve a folded piece of paper. "Here," Hinata said as she placed the paper in Béatrice's hand. "This may help you before the meeting, in the meantime, I need you to play your cards well with Her Majesty, you need to walk out of this unscathed."

Béatrice nodded as she hesitantly accepted the paper, "And how do you recommend I do that?" She asked.

Hinata smiled as she raised her head. "By bluffing as hard as you can." She replied, "Her majesty is convinced that it was you who planned this with the rogue royal blade, so I say play it up, make her think you have leverage against her, because if she senses that you don't…" Hinata's smile faded as her eyes flicked with untold horror. 

Béatrice nodded with understanding. "I believe I get the message." She replied with a sigh, before tightening her grip around the paper Handed to her.

Hinata took a step back, "Good, I'll catch up with you after the funeral, and with luck, we'll find both Alexander and this rogue."