I awoke quite early, thanks to a phone call from my mum.

"Are you okay, bab?" she said. "Kostya says the Zone's in lockdown. They've closed the gate."

"I can believe it. Yeah, I'm fine. Tired," I said. "Kostya's the vampire? Is he still there?"

"Yes, of course. I had to put blankets up at the windows; you know how sunny my bedroom gets," she said, sounding excited.

"Okay. Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm sore, I suppose…"

"Oh my god, mum, no," I said. "I meant, are you alright with a vampire?"

"What do you mean? I raised you better than that. Kostya is a perfect gentleman."

Well, I suppose she was used to men whose concession to hygiene was a blast of Lynx to the tackle, "for the women."

"Okay, mum, good," I said. "Just don't tell me about his aubergine, okay?"

"Oh, I was sort of wrong about that," she laughed, "but he has a bosting strap-"

"NO, no, please stop talking." Once children become adults, your parents should stop having sex. It was only fair. "Anyway, mum, I've got to go. Head into work."

"On a Saturday?"

Oh. I didn't actually know. "There's a lot going on at the moment. Important council stuff, I guess."

"Aw, your dad would have been proud of you," said mum. The convention was that we spoke of my dad as if he was dead. There's a non-zero chance that he's back in Ireland, or somewhere else. Death was easier for all of us than him being Schrödinger's father. 

We said our goodbyes, and I set off for work. I might find the folly deserted, but my instinct was that Lyssa at least would be in. She might have news about Cassie.

The queues at the checkpoints were smaller this morning, but still considerable. Bracing myself for evil looks, I walked to the front of the queue, ignoring the murmurs.

Lyssa was right; I announced that I was with the council, the guards consulted some sort of magical – presumably – crystal, and waved me through. I fought the instinct to apologise to the queuing crowd. What was I going to say?

***

The council chamber was busier than I expected, but it was Cassandra that caught my attention. I ran over and embraced her. She folded her wings briefly around me.

"Alright, alright," she said. "Don't have to make a fuss."

She looked sad, and definitely the worse for wear. A bandage was round her crown, and a bunch of the wing feathers were cut in half.

"What happened?" I asked. 

"We were just trying to make her tell us," said Bunny. "Lyssa and Aem- the demon dropped her off."

I looked around; Cass, Bunny, Astrid, Molly, oh, and Zabiya. No sign of Lyssa.

"Okay, I'll give you the short version," said Cassandra. "I was almost back to the folly, after meeting Elder Seer Jamyang..."

"How did that go?" I interrupted. "Shit, no, sorry, carry on first."

"It didn't go well," said Cass. "No help. I was on my way back, coming through a checkpoint at ground level, when… when I got a magical intuition, I suppose, or a message. Concerning the Seer. The Guard didn't like me backing out of the checkpoint, even though they had been about to wave me through. By the time I got back there, it was too late. Just the body."

"I'm sorry," Bunny said.

"And then Terat Guard showed up," Cassie said. "Arrested me for the murder, and for skipping out on their checkpoint. Even though the second thing contradicted the first. I mean, I think they realised pretty soon that I couldn't be the killer, but they probably wondered if they could get away with pinning it on me."

Molly swore.

Cassie sighed. "So, I stayed in gaol, across the Circus. They brought in Zabiya as well, even though she was at home. Put her in the next cell. Threatened her. We were there until this morning. Then the demon, and Lyssa, turned up and released us. No word of explanation. Lyssa was nice, concerned, but wouldn't answer any questions."

"Oh, Zabiya, that must have been awful," said Bunny.

Zabiya shook her head, but in a way that didn't deny the awfulness.

"Could the death of this Seer be to stop us from unravelling the dream?" I asked. "I know you spoke to her first, but… was she going to think about it? Or get someone else to help?"

Cass shook her head. "No. She doesn't think humans should be allowed in the Machine Numinous. Believes that will have messed up the visionscape beyond any use."

"But you've had humans in the visionscape before, once or twice, right?" I asked.

"Technically no, but I didn't want to give you a big head by saying that," said Cass. "Plus, I'm sure that was a genuine vision. The Elder Seer was, well, a bit of a racist. Harpies first, that sort of rubbish. That's why I told Zabiya to stay home. But Jamyang is supposed to be an expert on the Machine Numinous, even if she's set in her ways, so it seemed worth a try. But she mostly harangued me for not keeping to the old ways."

"Ylfa, um, the guards think you probably nearly caught the killer," said Astrid quietly. "They found the wings nearby. They think the killer must have dropped them. Ylfa says some of them, the guard, were looking to name you as an accomplice, giving the idea that they were making progress. I told Lyssa where you were."

"Okay, well," I said, "we really need to speak up, the council, on behalf of the people."

"Depending on what Cassie and Zabiya want," pointed out Molly.

"Lyssa was discouraging," said Bunny. "She told us to go home. Said the council work was suspended. And left."

"Hmm," I said. We could all go home, I suppose. But I think they were waiting for someone to say no. "Do you want to?"

They all shook their heads. Cassie continued, "But Zabiya should…"

"No, absolutely not," said Zabiya. "I stay with Miss Cassandra. I should never have stayed home yesterday."

"Right. Okay, Molly, will you rewrite our script and put some of Cassie's story in there?"

"Sure, but how angry should I be?" said Molly.

"Measured but quietly livid," I said. "We're partly in Britain, so some passive aggressiveness, please. Cass, are you able to speak about this? Relating what happened to you?"

"Um, I guess, yes," said Cassandra. 

"Good. Write down the main points, but don't over-rehearse. Astrid…"

"Check on the guard," Astrid said.

"Right," I said. "And then come back and help with the speech. You too, Bunny, after going across to the radio and getting us on for tonight."

"I'll try," said Bunny, "but who's giving the speech?"

"Our Lead Councillor, of course," I said. "I'll persuade Lyssa."

***

Lujayn ran me over there. Lyssa's house was reasonably near the centre; probably in walking distance, really, but I probably would have got lost. We trotted along the edge of a canal for a bit; it was nice, in the weak sunshine. The canal had always been a bit of a different world, tall, grassy banks hiding you from the urban reality. It was gradually silting up, though, overgrown with reeds, now that there wasn't the occasional narrowboat.

Lujayn seemed quiet. She asked about Cassandra, nodded sombrely. 

Lyssa's house was pleasant; one of the posher ones, of course, though hardly a castle or a manor. For some reason, I'd been expecting a castle, somehow. But this was an agreeable, large-ish detached house, with a brick wall around, and neat lawns and trimmed trees on the way to the front door. The wrought-iron gate stood open. There was a coach in the drive. I mean, an old-fashioned Victorian stagecoach. There was no sign of any horses, though, or fucking unicorns, whatever they had here.

"Thanks, Lujayn," I said, sliding off. "Oh, I forgot the riddle. Got the page offline."

"Maybe later," said Lujayn. "I'm going to hang around for a bit. I saw Miss Lyssa earlier, and she seemed to be very angry. You may be given short shrift. Maybe soon, too."

A person was walking towards, holding a black golf umbrella above her head. A servant? Butler? Assistant? Her clothing was dark and austere, her hair was light grey-purple. She looked familiar, but it took me a moment to work out from where.

"Miss Vexillum is indisposed-" she began.

"Are you Kostya's sister?" I guessed.

"Indeed," she said. "But you'll have to take up any dispute with him, and he's in the human world at the moment."

"Yes," I said. "In my mother's bedroom. But I'm not here about him; I just thought you looked familiar."

She smiled, showing her fangs. "Our family has served the Vexillum's for years beyond memory. The young Miss Vexillum's mother would have beheaded my brother for his behaviour."

"Yes, good thing that Lyssa is marginally more chill than her mother," I said. "I want to see her, please."

"As I said, Miss Vexillum does not want to see anyone."

"It's alright, Fyokla, I'll see her," said Lyssa, tiredly, from the doorway. When I looked across to respond, she was already turning away.

Fyokla shrugged at me. I went in. The hallway was impressive, but I didn't have time to admire it; Lyssa's tail was disappearing up the grand staircase. I followed her up; she did not look back. She led me into what seemed to be a library slash office. There were books lining the walls, some of which – Human Anatomy: A Torturer's Guide – were disturbing. At the far end, in a bay window, was a chaise longue and cushions. Nearby stood an impressive mahogany desk and filing drawers. Lyssa's sword and belt were discarded on the desk.

"Drink?" Lyssa asked, going over to a drinks cabinet. One of those ones built into a globe, although the globe was Terat rather than Earth.

"No," I said.

She shrugged and poured herself a few fingers of some dark spirit.

"I'm glad you've come here, Rose," she said, moving over to the desk. "I have some papers I wish you to convey to the council." 

She took a swig from the glass. Then she picked up two sheets of vellum and passed them across to me. There were a few lines of Lyssa's elegant handwriting on both, as well as an elaborate signature.

"The first suspends the council," she said, "until the murders are resolved. The second tenders my resignation from the council, effective immediately."

"No," I said, not taking the papers. 

"I have decided, human Rosemary Dulahan, and you shall not persuade me in this matter."

"The council needs you, Lyssa," I said. "I don't know why you've decided this now, but it's bloody inconsiderate of you."

Her long body went still.

"The guard basically brutalised Cassie and Zabiya. They were lucky not to get the murders pinned on them," I said, "But some other terat won't be so lucky. We – the council – needs to speak up. And that means you."

"The council needs to lie low and let the guard go about their business," she said bitterly. Her coils roiled about us.

"Bullshit," I said. 

"No," she said, suddenly blazingly angry. Her tail looped around me, a thick wall of muscle around my chest. She shook me. "No. Not bullshit. You don't have to tell me about Cass. I know. It is why I struck the deal with the demon to get them released. The council sits this one out."

She released me just as suddenly as she had grabbed me. She took her drink and slithered over to the chaise longue, where she cast herself down, the rest of her body on the floor cushions.

"Just go, human," said Lyssa. "Take the papers or don't, I can have Fyokla drop them off."

I cautiously moved closer, stepping carefully over her tail.

"I don't think so," I said. "Look, you traded one immediate problem, Cassie in gaol, for a longer-term problem, your deal with the devil. That was smart, exactly what was needed. Now we solve the second problem."

"You stupid fucking human," she said. "There's no getting out of the demon’s deal. And why would I want to, anyway? The councils are a joke. Hell's claws, we had to hire a goddamn human to get us in order. I couldn't manage it. A stupid bloody human, a know-nothing non-monster, an over-sexed slut of a human. For the last time, human, go away."

"Oh my god," I said. 

"Yes," she said, trembling in anger. "Goodbye, worthless human."

I laughed. "I'm sorry," I apologised. "I know I shouldn't make your misery into a meme, but oh my god…"

"Meme?"

"You wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid," I quoted.

"No! My mother would have beheaded you!" she said, cold fury in her voice. "Actually, no, that was only for people she respected..."

Again, her tail wrapped around me, muscular loops. "She'd have crushed you into bloody paste."

"Ah yes," I said. I took the tip of her tail in my hands, stroking it, feeling the powerful muscles under jewel-like scales. "But you are so much better than your mother."

"No, she would have-"

"All I hear about your mother is that she used to execute people. Big deal," I said. "Did she brave a demon to rescue her friends? Was she courageous enough to be the voice arguing for the people? Also, is it alright if I kiss your tail?"

"What?"

"To which bit? To you being an excellent leader, or to me kissing your tail? Because if it's the latter, if you don't object soon, I'm going to assume it's okay."

Lyssa just double-eyelid blinked at me.

I kissed the tip of her tail and felt a quiver run through the coils wrapped around me. 

"I insulted you, human!" she said, but seemed a little resigned. Her cheeks were red.

"But not very well," I said. I traced my fingertips across her scales. "And I remember, when that demon grabbed me, you had no hesitation in lying for me."

"It wasn't a lie, just a… mild misstatement," she said. "I thought she might hurt you. Anyone would have done the same. I didn't want the paperwork."

I kissed the tail tip again, for longer this time. Again, she quivered, the red diamonds on her tail shaking. 

"Oh, just didn't want to do admin stuff, right?" I said. "I understand. I misunderstood. I should probably go then."

"Well, you have been an adequate administrator," Lyssa said. "And clearly you're popular with the other councillors…"

"Just the other ones?"

"You are personable, I suppose," she said.

I continued to stroke her tail. She moved slightly, subtly bringing more of it within my reach.

"I didn't like my mother," Lyssa said, blankly. "But I can't help feeling how scornful she would be of my so-called leadership."

"Yes," I said, "but why would you care what a murderer thinks? Why don't you care about what a group of clever, independent monster girls, and one non monster girl, think instead?"

"Psh," she said, "Bunny, maybe; she is so nice to everyone. But Cass laughs at me, Molly argues with me, and who knows what Astrid is thinking."

"And yet they all listen to you," I said. "They're not blindly obedient. They have disagreements. But no-one suggested that I not bother to come here. No-one thought that it was good for the council that you'd gone."

"But maybe…" she said, "I wish I wasn't in charge so much. But my mother used to say…"

"Never mind that," I interrupted. "I keep telling you, she's not a good example. Hand off responsibility. Seek other opinions. Honestly, you seem to be doing that."

"Yes," she said, looking down. "But in the rest of my life... I always have to be in charge."

I kissed the tail again. "Lyssa, do you want me to take charge here?" 

Lyssa looked down, her face bright red. She gave the tiniest nod. "But my mother-"

"My god, Lyssa, it's not your mother that I intend to fuck in this library. If you want, of course."

She gave the tiniest nod again. 

"I'm going to need you to use your words," I said. I put her tail down, stepped over her coils, and perched on the chaise longue. Gently, I brushed the side of the face with my hand. It was warm. Cold-blooded does not mean literally cold; I remembered that from a biology class. Although I didn't think I'd need to remember it in a sexual context.

"Do you want me to take control, Lyssa?" I asked. "Do you want me to take control and fuck you?"

She turned to face into my hand and was quiet. Her lips moved, but no sound. Finally she kissed my hand, a small kiss, with the tiniest flicker of snake-tongue. "... yes."

"Good," I said, and leaned forward and kissed her lips firmly, aggressively even. When I pulled backwards, she rose up, seeking another kiss. I stopped her, moving my hand to her shoulder.

"If you want to stop, or slow down, you should say so," I said. "Otherwise, you will remain silent. I've seen how you get in your own way."

I saw anger spark in Lyssa's eyes. She opened her mouth. And then closed it, a look of relief washing over her. I kissed her again, my tongue brushing against her forked tongue. 

I looked around until I spotted a curtain tie. I stood up to fetch it, and Lyssa made a worrying, questioning noise. The curtain half closed. I sat back down, brandishing the tie. "Now remember," I said, "if you don't want-"

Lyssa moved, snaking her limbs through the chaise lounge's armrest, placing her wrists atop each other. I tied them together. 

I ran my hands down her body; from her shoulders, her breasts, stomach, pelvis. Seeing how the scales changed from tiny impressions on the skin to the full raised scales of her tail. She shifted to press her flesh against my hand at each stage. I unbuttoned the first few buttons on her silvery tunic-like dress. She had a jade pendant on a silver chain inscribed with various glyphs. I think I recognised some of them.

"Protection charm, right, for sex?" I asked.

"Not just for sex," Lyssa said, defensively. "Against diseases, bad luck…"

"I thought I told you to be quiet."

Again the flash of anger, and then a desperate remorse.

I undid the rest of the buttons. Her bra unclipped at the front, so I did that too. She went very still.

"Would you like me to touch you, Councillor?"

She nodded. I cupped her breasts; again, she pushed into me. I handled them more roughly; she moaned and flexed. It occurred to me that I still hadn't checked the video on why lizard girls had boobs. I suppose "Life hard and cold, titty soft and warm," would do for now. I massaged them again; sweeping movements centred on the nipples. Lyssa moaned again.

"You have beautiful tits, Councillor," I said, watching her blush. I bent and licked a nipple, a broad tongue across it. She pushed into my mouth, making a desperate, wordless cry. Her tail shook, the tip wiping out a shelf full of books. I pushed her back down, and then softly sucked on the nipple. The wood of the chaise longue creaked as Lyssa spasmed.

Her panties were a wide elasticated band; gussetless, for obvious reasons. I rolled them up. Her pussy was human-like, although the angle was slightly different. Thinking about it, I was glad it wasn't some weird cloaca or something. I'd have to put the session on hold as I scanned Wikipedia for anatomy pointers. 

I glanced up at her face; it was still very red.

"Are you alright, Lyssa?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Is it okay if I do this?" I said, making a vague gesture. 

She gave an emphatic nod.

I rested my hand on her mound. Again she pushed against me. She was wet. I traced my finger round a rough perimeter. She made a frustrated whine. My fingers brushed up, lightly over the lips; rising off when Lyssa tried to push herself onto my hard. When she collapsed back down, I lightly grazed her clit, converting her whine into a hungry groan.

My girldick had escaped my panties, and was currently tenting my skirt.

I moved towards her face again, taking her chin in my hand and forcing her to meet my eyes. I kissed her again, more delicately than she wanted.

"Shall I fuck you, Councillor, with my dick?" I asked.

Lyssa nodded. 

I stood, removing my skirt and panties. She watched, blushing but not turning away. She licked her lips with her forked tongue, probably without even realising.

I straightened her out on the chaise longue, straddling her a little awkwardly, there not being a lot of room. She flexed and raised herself slightly, adjusting the angle. I slowly guided myself into her warm and damp inside. She came almost immediately, moan/screaming and muscles clenching around my girldick. I waited until the muscles relaxed some, and the moaning stopped. 

"Do you want me to stop, Lyssa?" I asked.

She shook her head urgently.

I began to move, pulling part way out, then pushing in. One hand on the back of the chaise longue for support, the other caressing Lyssa's breast. I got faster; the chaise lounge creaked and Lyssa moaned. I really was gambling on antique Terat furniture being sturdy. Faster again, my fingers now pinching Lyssa's nipple. Her moans were unconstrained now, her blush spread down to her chest. I finished; an euphoric spurt, warm on warm. Lyssa wasn't far off. I kept going, moving my hand down, in close, brushing her clit. She gasped and came in short order, a long and erratic orgasm. Muscles pushed my detumescing cock out, and I lay down, squeezing in beside her, waiting for our breathing to return to normal, awkwardly untying her hands. 

"Was I good, Rose?" she asked, quietly, face turned away from mine. I caught a hand and kissed the wrist.

"Very good, Lyssa. And did you have fun?"

She nodded, intensely, colour doubling up in her cheeks. "Can we just lie here awhile, before we have to get up and deal with everything?" she said.

"Of course," I murmured into her shoulder.

***

"So what did the demon actually ask of you?" I shouted above the noise of the shower. A shower cabinet big enough to handle a lamia was almost threateningly big for me. It reminded me of the communal showers at school, only much posher, and mercifully free of boys.

"She told me not to comment on the Terat Guard's behaviour or policies, and that maybe the council should focus on things within its remit," said Lyssa. She was sitting on a bench, fastidiously drying herself. It didn't look like her blush was going to go away anytime soon, but she had no objection to me using the shower while she dried herself.

"That's pretty loose wording," I said.

"I suppose," she said, "but it was between elites, I think; authority to noble, you know."

I stepped out and grabbed a towel. "Okay, that probably would have worked on your mother."

"I think we've established that I am not her," said Lyssa with a smile.

"Right. How do you feel about saying 'The Servitor Martial has instructed me not to comment on Terat Guard actions,'? And we'll take all the commentary out? Leave it unsaid but obvious."

"Yes," said Lyssa. "That will make her furious, though. She could just imprison us all."

"Indeed," I said, "but if we get the message out there first, and she acts against us, that will leave her managing a PR battle as well as a murder enquiry. And under the scrutiny of the whatsit."

"Dynast Martial," she said, distractedly.

"Yeah," I said. "Incidentally, are you aware you're staring again?"

Lyssa blushed even more, but didn't avert her eyes.

***

Lujayn was curled up dozing around an apple tree on the front lawn. 

"Looks like I'll get the sphinx back," I said. Lyssa looked disappointed for an instant.

"Probably for the best," she said. "The coach does not have much room. And I could do with clearing my head. See you back at the folly."

She gave me a smile and coiled herself into the carriage. It drew off, still sans horses. Magic, I said to myself.

Lujayn was stretching in a very catlike way.

"You surprise me, Miss Rosemary," she said. "I thought Miss Vexillum would throw you out."

"Oh, I'm sure it was close," I said. "We had quite an intense discussion."

"Yes," said Lujayn. "I see you've showered as well. Back to the council?"

"Um, yes, please," I said, climbing aboard. "Sorry for using you like a taxi."

"No trouble, I enjoy it."

We went the same route back; it was a little overcast now, but the canal was still pretty.

"Hey," I said, "do you think it's alright if I use my phone? Aeroplane mode?"

"Probably?" Lujayn said. "As long as you turn it off the moment it does anything strange."

"What sort of strange?"

"Grow legs, for example, or a blood-sucking proboscis."

"Right," I said. I was pretty sure I would remember those as bad signs.

I brought up the saved doc. "Ready for a riddle?"

"Sure." 

"Okay." I scrolled through the document at random. "Right. I have no feet, no hands, no wings, but I climb to the sky. What am I?"

Lujayn said nothing.

Wait. Feet, hands, wings?

"Hey, doesn't that sound like what the murderers do-"

Lujayn stopped suddenly, ducking her head and bucking. I flew off, and landed hard, luckily taking it mostly on the arm, rather than the head. Lucky too that the gravel had mostly grown though with weeds. My phone bounced out of my hands, vanishing into the weeds. 

"What the fuck!" I said, sitting upright. "What's-" I stopped at the sight of Lujayn's face.

"Of course humanity would know that riddle," she said, full of quiet anger. "Put it into their silly machines, so that any human can just look it up. They are – if you'll excuse me, Miss Rosemary – a people without artistry, without feeling. In the old days, a riddle was a sacred thing; you'd rack your brains against it. Your mouth would go dry, chewing the bones of it. Life or death. But nowadays people don't like to wait. Don't like to think, for more than five minutes."

"Lots of people like riddles, they… just don't want to be eaten," I said.

"They don't want a real challenge," Lujayn said. "Riddles were made by people, and made to have teeth. Like an earthquake or a famine, a riddle should kill you, if you do not understand it. Otherwise, what's the point? Understanding the mind of another is the most vital, the most important, thing. A contest of wits, not some silly game. And not something you have to get sign-off on, anymore than an earthquake, fire or famine requests permission first."

"Lujayn," I said, "did you-"

"Yes, Miss Rosemary," she said. "I killed Labhrann, Malinalli and Jamyang. No feet, no hands, no wings. I'm sorry you had to find out."

"But why?"

"That's what I'm saying: it's a riddle!" she said, grinning a touch manically. "The Coadunate says we can't even ask riddles without getting the victim's sign-off. But this is a riddle that the Terat Guard, the Council, the Servitor Martial, everyone is trying to answer. A contest of wits. A real riddle, with teeth."

Okay, I thought, but (a) that isn't how you ask a riddle, and (b) some idiot answered accidentally by searching the internet. I didn't say any of that, though.

"Terats will see how stupid the rules are. How stupid it is to bend in this way. Sphinxes are meant to ask riddles, not hide behind paperwork; and riddles are meant to be dangerous," said Lujayn, stepping towards me. I scrambled to my feet. "I'm sorry, Miss Rosemary," she said, "I really would have given you the easiest riddles. Let you build up your mind until you can handle the real ones. I'm not a brute. But now I've got to act fast; your body won't go undiscovered for long, and I've got to tell everyone the answer. I'll make your death quick."

I backed off; I was limping a bit. Not that I would be able to outrun a sphinx if I was at full fitness.

"Um, I thought you were just asking the question," I said, trying to keep her talking until… I had some sort of brilliant idea. "Why are you telling them the answer?"

Lujayn unsheathed a single claw, her catlike paw flexing. It was silvery, hooked and sharp, and large; three or four times as large as a tiger's claw. As far as I remembered, anyway. I didn't really interact much with tigers on a day-to-day basis, but Birmingham Museum had an ancient stuffed one, and I'm pretty sure it would have felt inadequate next to Lujayn.

"They've had long enough," said Lujayn. "And your body will, Miss Rosemary, sadly mess up the riddle. I want it to be clean and perfect, not messed up with a human corpse. If you could adopt a 'meaningless bystander' expression..."

She leapt forward and struck, claw flashing. I felt the world tumble about me. Fuck.