"I don't really know which long shots are best to talk to in what order. Any opinions?"

"Fell, probably. They already hate the Lord."

"Also all thoroughly controlled, with maybe one exception. We can try to hide out nearby to get you out in case it turns out he's got her too."

She nods. "But I'm going to try to not be obvious about it, I don't want to ruin my record of not stating things outright."

"I don't think there's anyone on your list who wouldn't see right through it," Doug comments. "Especially her; enchantresses are good at subtle."

"Maybe so, but still, I'll do what I can."

"Good luck. Probably we should save this for tomorrow; it's late and you do have to have discovered the fire and so on first."

"Yeah true." Sigh. "I should go back to my place; you'll be alright here?"

"We will. See you tomorrow?"

"Or no," Doug says, "Maybe better to be paranoid for a while. You can send a panicked-sounding message for Diana to ignore, and we'll know it means you're about to start approaching people."

"Yeah, paranoid is probably good." Sigh.

"I'll see you when it's safe, then." A matching sigh.

She returns home.

She isn't obviously followed, and Conquest doesn't seem the subtle type. Probably safe.

The next day she is appropriately horrified by the remains of the fire and goes to investigate.

She can find the note from Diana as soon as she drops it somewhere suitable.

It looks like it's Conquest's fault! Shock, horror!

Damn you Conquest!

She takes some time. She's not gonna storm Conquest's place, that would be stupid, but she's angry and she's confused and she should message Diana.

A crow shows itself shortly afterward. Then backs off to follow her from an unobtrusive distance.

She is so completely oblivious to the crow. Yes. What crow even.

She texts Diana being very what-the-fuck about it and waits.

Diana replies with elaborations on what she did and why, and how she's super not telling anyone she cares about where she is. Nothing new, but now it's in writing.

Ugh ugh ugh.

She returns home. She'll probably spend a couple of days there before looking for Fell, in case Conquest's minions want to talk to her.

Sure enough, the day after next one of the minions delivers a polite message informing her that she will be speaking to the Lord at her earliest convenience.

Of course he will. It is convenient now. He will go speak to the Lord.

Same procedure as last time, but the door guards are more attentive on the way in.

Upstairs, a swollen red sun hangs in the illusory sky. And while Conquest's domain before was both too warm and too cold, this time the heat has gone from uncomfortable to sweltering. Conquest is alone: the stones that people were sitting on before are now splintered.

"You know why you are here," Conquest begins. "Tell me why summoning you was worth my time."

He bows. "I was as surprised as you, perhaps even more, to learn of what happened, my lord," he says, and it doesn't sound like that's an insult but that's by design. "Her place was burnt to the ground. I found a note from her, there—I have no idea why someone'd burn their own place like that and then go back to leave a note." He looks up at the Lord, pursing his lips in something like contained anger and hurt. "But apparently she won't tell me where she went and—" He stops himself from talking and just breathes for a while.

Conquest does not pause for Sadde to catch his breath. "Then what was the content of this note?"