Lion Head Mesa ordinatio

crowfeather was gone.

in the days that followed that evening, the shadow had remained within akashingo.

but he was not here now.

the imperator strode to the apartments of the queen @Satsu and informed her quiet maid he wished an immediate audience. he was led to her small personal throne room and there he stood dismal and weighted.

lately satsu was busy, too busy to think of one thing at a time. her mind buzzed with too many thoughts and when she had enough of it all, she retired to her room.
today she was not long alone.
germanicus, drifted her voice from the inner sanctum.
moments passed, and as she drew to her feet again satsu moved to meet him.
he is silent; but he is often so, and satsu does not make much of it.

"crowfeather is not here. i believe he has left akashingo." they had spoken of spies, and then.

"i must go to look for him. did he speak of any reason he might leave to you, highness?" his was the rigid bearing of a soldier chafing at an inner rein. germanicus wished to leave at once.

a sombre look to germanicus shifted violently to something doe-eyed, stricken.
he's gone?
no, he wouldn't—!
he said—!
there was pressure building in her throat as if an invisible force vice-gripped there, but she choked out some words, her features brandishing a measure of concern.
that fool, her words were steeped in a great and sisterly love, though the rest of her was a touch unhinged. he said there were plans to send a spy to the saints; he came to ask me about herbs, things to hide his scent -- he said he would not go!
she began to pace, wheeling about.
go! you must go and find him. maybe i am wrong —
but maybe i am right, and he is dead!

in one moment germanicus realized two things. the first was that he had been wrong to believe satsu had such designs upon crowfeather. her tenderness for him was familial.

the second was that his own sensation for the shadow had become strangled with a muted horror. 

the eagle kept himself reined. not a fool. germanicus swiftly believed he had driven the boy to this. shame choked him. "i am leaving at once to search for him. i will go there."

"you must stay with your guard, please, highness. if he is found out then the saints will come alive once more. they will believe it is akashingo who has sent him."

she follows the grizzled man despite the insistance of his voice, or the stiffness of her feet from the week's various activities; this was more important, most important. he could not stop her—except his statement rang true and she faltered, looking aside to where she knew her guard rested, then back to germanicus.

call for sabah, take her with you! satsu made few demands of people but this was to be obeyed. @Nephele would be somewhere upon the mesa, perhaps with the wolves of ursus training, or off on her own, but she would not be hard to find.

i am safe here. i have arsenio, the fellahin, others — hurry, go!
it was a wonder she did not demand he seek out merrick, to send whatever force they had so far mustered in to the canyon and let the pillaging begin; but she did not think of him immediately.

She was inside the palace when she heard her own name, well, the name she had been using while here.

Call me for what? She called, speeding up until she met with the stricken faces of Germanicus and Satsu. Her ears went back, eyebrows pressing together.

Something has happened, hasn’t it?

it was a testament to the queen's power that nephele came at once.

he looked to the captain of the guard respectfully. here he was not imperator.

but here satsu was not his mistress. twice she had shouted for him to leave.

he would go swiftly but with pragmatism.

"crowfeather has disappeared. the queen and i fear he has gone to spy upon the saints. i am able to go alone. but if you come with me, i will leave a plan for you, your highness," and here the eagle's gaze came back to the royal, "pharaoh, and the guard arsenio."

if he did not return, akashingo would still stand.

they would not need to search at all! sabah, there, at the ready; satsu felt her heart swell that it might explode in her chest, thrilled and terrified and all manner of things at once.
germanicus speaking quickly now, and satsu had to listen, but she wanted to shush him and send him off, and yet could not make herself order him again.
staring intently to the man now she waited, imploring him to hurry.

Crowfeather was gone. To attempt to spy on the Saints. Internally, she scratched his name off a list of those currently alive she had spoken to.

Hell, she’d been a spy, a thief, and she knew the kinds of things you had to do to survive such. Sorry Crowfeather, you hadn’t hit that mark with Nephele. She closed her eyes, and then nodded.

I will come.

She did not ask what they would do if they could not find the other man. That was a question for the road.

"i will speak to pharaoh and to the guard. then i will call for you at the gate."

to satsu the eagle turned now. a bow and then he turned upon his heel and strode away.

in his heart burnt the fire of a living god. anger. shame. frustration. and a low billowing threat upon the head of anyone who had dared to harm the shadow.