Earthly Desires

Parmassa Part 2

“Are you surprised to see me?” Antoxus asked as he stepped into private chambers.

“Always a surprise, my son,” she replied tucking a pair of twitching feet into the folds of her of her robe as she rose to meet him at eye level. Her presence filled the room with an unsettling authority, every gesture deliberate. “What brings you here?”

Antoxus frowned briefly, weighing his words. “I need you to speak with Pertesh” he said, voice low and firm. “Convince her that the war with the humans is in everyone’s best interest.”

Almatheaeyes narrowed, the shadows of the chamber flickering across her features. “And if she refuses?”

“Then we will have to find another way,” Parmassa replied, his tone cold. “Time is short, and hesitation will cost us everything.”

A tense silence filled the room, broken only by the faint scrape of the floorboards under their feet. Both knew the stakes: alliances, loyalty, and the fate of countless lives hung in the balance.