"Very well, Your Highness," (Patreon)

Lana declared with a sharp salute.  "I shall pursue your mission with all due speed and efficiency.  Naturally I have anticipated your unspoken order to spy on The Sisterhood for you.  No doubt another of your ingenious tests.  I can only aspire to be worthy of the trust you have placed in me."

I regarded Lana skeptically for a moment.  It was almost better before, when she didn't try to disguise her contempt for me.  Now she was just being obsequious, and probably sarcastic.

"You must of course not let The Sisterhood discover what you are up to," I reminded her.  "And the information about Zandar takes priority over anything else."

"Of course," Lana grinned.  "It will be a challenge, but you'll find that I am equal to the task."

"In that case," I declared, summoning a small swarm of butterflies, "I send you forth upon your noble quest!  Let nothing defeat you nor deter you from your mission, my fleecy minion!  Speed toward your goal with the ferocity and the singleness of purpose of the mighty butterfly!  I give you my royal blessing as you go on your way!"

"By the Lady!" Lana gushed.  "You're going so far as to bestow upon me all of the vain pomp of a royal send-off!  Its very meaninglessness means so much to me, my liege!  I'm deeply honored that the Niknak Padiwak would take the trouble, especially in such reduced circumstances as the ones in which you find yourself!"

"Yes well, a mission like this is worthy of celebration!  The proper formalities must be observed." I declared, eager to be rid of her.

As I watched Lana disappear into the forest, I felt a keen sense of satisfaction.  Somehow, inexplicably, I had managed to trick her into seeing me as a nearly omnipotent super genius, and effectively banished her by sending her on a pointless assignment.  Perhaps I was a grand arch-schemer after all!  With any luck, I would never see her again.  Even the worst-case scenario meant she would not be back for a very, VERY long time.

"Now then," I said to myself as I turned back toward the stone circle.  "Time to get back to ..."

I looked around.

There would be no one but the trees to talk to and nothing to do ... for a very, VERY long time ...

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