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    Phaedra stared at the fox demon and tried to keep herself from slouching, or even collapsing. She was exhausted. The bath had helped for a little bit. But then she’d had to walk from the airship to his throne room in that oppressive heat.


    Annoyingly, Yroth walked by her side and didn’t look the slightest bit fazed by the incredible heat. Then again, she was a dragon. At least Phaedra’s wool was only a bit damp and not entirely compressed down from sweat. She didn’t want to think about how sick she looked. She had a job to do.


    She was liking this idea less and less, though. Carth didn’t look the slightest bit fazed by this heat. If anything, he seemed to be reveling in it. As a fox demon, he had one normal red tail and then two more tails, one seemingly made of flame and the other of lava. She doubted they actually were, as the amount of magic wasted from using fire and lava constantly would be exhausting for little benefit. It likely meant he had a fire or lava demon in his ancestry. She wished that she did, right now.


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    Phaedra eyed him. She would have sworn for a moment his eyes flickered towards Yroth. Was it her imagination? Was he worried about her? Well, this had been her territory until recently. Perhaps he was just surprised to see her bound and collared in such a form. She wondered if he could even recognize her, she doubted he’d ever seen her in the form of a kobold. “His heart was satisfactory, it--”


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    Phaedra froze, staring at him. “I… what? Did you… not… send him with that message? To devour his heart if his meal was poor?”


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    Phaedra blinked a few times. Wait, he had? But Kun had seemed terrified. She glanced towards Yroth, who appeared to be… fuming. Her tail was occasionally flickering, her eyes were narrowed and her wings were partially opened and only barely stopped from going into an aggressive stance. “That was not what he told me,” she said before turning towards him again. “He said that he was told to offer his heart if that paltry meal was insufficient.”


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    There was DEFINITELY something going on here. Phaedra narrowed her eyes slightly before glancing between him and Yroth. She wished she could figure out what it was, what he was planning. Was there something she was missing? “Indeed,” Phaedra said. “I’ve come here for a simple reason. To challenge you in a Rite of Conquest. I desire the territory that my pet once held.”


    Carth froze, though for a moment she swore she saw the corners of his lips twitch. “The Rite of Conquest. I see. You desire my territory, interesting. Very well then. What do you offer in opposition?”


    “Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


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    ------


    Phaedra sighed and stared at the roof of her room. Something was up, she just didn’t know what. Carth was giving into her demands with such ease. He was polite, kind. She’d been shown all over the local territory and things seemed… nice.


    Nothing like she would have expected under his rule. She’d heard that Carth was anything but generous. Gibs’ descriptions of him had been far from kind. Perhaps there was another Carth? Then again, he was one of the rising demons, gaining a reputation. Perhaps it was all slander from the jealous.


    He’d even had a second bed brought to her room when she mentioned her pet would be staying with her. “He’s nicer than I thought he’d be,” Phaedra said.


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    Yroth just stared at her incredulously. “You are far too naive to survive.”


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    That, at least, seemed to give the dragon pause. “I… do not know. I don’t believe he knows what you are. If anything, I believe he expects you to be crueler than you are. But… I don’t know why. Do demons not normally see mercy such as yours as a weakness?”


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    Phaedra took a deep breath before jumping to her hooves and walking to the door. She pulled it open to see one of Carth’s guards standing there, a nervous look on his face. “Lady Phaedra,” he said. “Lord Carth has asked for you and your pet to join him in the main courtyard. He has prepared the Rite of Conquest.”


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    Yroth got to her feet and let out a low growl before walking after her.


    Well, here was hoping whatever Carth had planned, she truly was ready to deal with it.