[Lauchenoiria]

Undisclosed Location
Three days ago

Zichitla tapped her fingers thoughtfully. Her plans were beginning to come together in multiple areas, though the world had not yet noticed. There had been snags, of course, but she had found a way to turn the majority of them to her advantage. All except one: Huenya.

The behaviour of the Huenyan government was a problem, in multiple respects. A number of Auroras still refused to pledge loyalty to her cause due to their infatuation with Yauhmi and the country she founded. The news about the abolition of the monarchy had sent a number of them wavering, but they still would not commit. And Zichitla herself was angry at Huenya for this reason. Yauhmi, after all, was the only non-Aurora she held any respect for.

If Yauhmi still led Huenya, they would not be a problem for Zichitla. She would have left them alone even as she burned the rest of the world. But Yauhmi did not lead Huenya; a conspiracy of Necatli did. At least, that was Zichitla’s position after seeing how easily the Necatli had managed to oust the royals from power, and with them Huenya’s last hope of escaping Zichitla’s wrath.

All this meant that Zichitla, aka the Aurora Nelly, aka someone willing to threaten a good third of the Council of Kerlile just to get across how much she hated her, was considering approaching Calhualyana for an alliance.

Of course, if Zichitla was to do this right now, from the shadows, the Xiomeran Empress would laugh in her face. Zichitla knew this fine well, and she also knew that her group could not yet reveal the extent of their strength, or their plans. Which meant that Zichitla had to find a way to show the Xiomerans, little by little, that she was a threat to their common enemies. This, she could do. And would.

*

Itlacan Federal Prison, Itlacan, Huenya
Today, 3am

The CCTV cameras were still running; there had not been any attempt to either hack them or erase their tape. The intruder who broke into Itlacan Federal Prison had not gone to any efforts to hide her presence. She would be too quick for it to matter. And when the tapes were reviewed after the incident, she wished for the story to be crystal clear. Huenya would know who she was, and what she had done.

Huacue was asleep in his cell, miserable but oblivious to how much worse things were about to become for him. There was the faintest click in the door as it unlocked, not enough to wake him; but four seconds later he was awake anyway as a severe pain shot throughout his body, causing him to sit up and scream at the top of his lungs in shocked pain.

It was the screaming which drew the attention of prison authorities to the fact that something was wrong. Those watching the cameras had not paid sufficient attention to the shadow who moved throughout the prison. Later, it would be questioned if they had been slipped something before the incident, but nothing would be conclusively proven one way or another. Regardless, the screaming quickly set the crisis response machine into operation, though by then it was too late and the intruder was no longer on the premises.

*

Macochu’s Residence, Huenya
Today, 6am

When Macochu, tlatoani of the Necatli, woke this morning, he would do so to a most unpleasant sight. Next to him on the bed, sitting in a pile of blood, was his imprisoned father’s severed finger.