[Ren POV]
"They're awake."
Before following Zelda through the heavy door, I pulled one of Leah's translators from my pocket and fixed it against the side of my neck.
The small device settled against my skin.
I had no idea what language the foxes spoke naturally, and this was easier than standing there hoping they happened to know Narlic or English.
"You think those will work with them?" Zelda asked as she opened the door.
"I think so."
"And if they don't?"
"I point at things until we understand each other."
"That is your backup plan?"
"Yes."
Zelda shook her head and stepped through.
I followed her into a wide underground corridor lined with reinforced holding cells. The place looked less like a prison and more like somewhere built to keep large monsters alive until someone decided what to do with them.
The walls were thick concrete, the doors heavier than anything above ground, and each holding section had two barriers between the prisoner and the corridor. Cameras covered every angle while armed guards watched from reinforced positions at both ends.
The male fox occupied the first cell.
He was still in his full monster form, taking up most of the space even while lying down. Black fur covered his body, with dark red mixed around the neck, shoulders, and tails. Heavy restraints held his front and rear legs to anchor points in the floor, while another broad restraint circled his neck.
He had enough room to move around the cell, but not enough to reach either barrier.
His eyes followed me as soon as I entered.
Zelda stopped beside the observation panel.
"He has not tried anything since arriving."
"That worries me more."
"He seemed worried about the female. Every time she growled or hit something in the other cell, he started moving."
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing. We couldn't understand him."
"Right."
The fox's ears moved at the sound of my voice.
I looked at him through the barrier.
"He can hear us."
"I assumed he could."
Zelda activated the communication system.
A small light changed from red to green near the inner barrier.
The fox lifted his head.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
I watched him.
He watched me.
The same way he had at Gibraltar.
Calm. Patient. Thinking.
I still preferred when enemies shouted.
I stepped closer to the barrier.
"Can you understand me?"
The fox's ears shifted forward.
"Yes."
His voice was deep and rough, but the translator changed the words just enough for me to understand them clearly.
I glanced at Zelda.
"It works."
"What did he say?"
"He understands me."
"Can he understand me?"
I looked at the fox.
"Can you understand the woman beside me?"
The fox looked toward Zelda.
"No."
"Only me, then."
Zelda nodded and opened her tablet.
"You'll have to translate."
"I figured."
"And don't shorten everything."
I looked at her.
"I never do that."
"Just making sure."
"Fine."
I turned back toward the fox and leaned against the wall beside the barrier.
"Who sent you to Gibraltar?"
The fox stayed quiet.
I waited.
There was no point rushing him. We had the doors, the food, and control over whether he saw his mate again.
He eventually answered.
"The one we follow."
"That is not a name."
"No."
"Then give me one."
The fox looked at me for several seconds.
"Khan."
I glanced at Zelda.
"He said the one they follow is called Khan."
Zelda started typing.
"Ask whether it is a name or a title."
I looked back at the fox.
"Khan. Is that his name or a title?"
"I do not know."
"That's useful."
The fox ignored the comment.
I translated the answer for Zelda.
She frowned slightly but kept writing.
"Where is Khan now?" I asked.
"I do not know."
"When did you last see him?"
"Several days before the attack."
"Where?"
The fox stayed quiet.
I waited.
Finally, he answered.
"South."
"This continent is large."
His ears moved slightly.
"I do not know the names humans use."
That was fair.
"Could you show us on a map?"
"Maybe."
I looked at Zelda.
"He doesn't know human place names. He might be able to identify a general area from a map, but he says he doesn't know where Khan is now."
"Useful enough. We'll do that later."
I nodded and continued.
"Did you receive your orders directly from Khan?"
"No."
"Who gave them?"
"One of his followers."
"Do you know its name?"
"No."
"Position?"
"I do not know."
"Appearance?"
The fox shifted against the restraints.
"Large. Armored body. Four arms."
I translated it for Zelda.
She wrote it down.
"Ask whether he has seen that one before."
I did.
The fox nodded.
"Several times."
"Close to Khan?"
"Sometimes."
"Then probably some kind of officer."
"I do not know your ranks."
"I know. I'm guessing."
I passed the answer to Zelda before moving on.
"What exactly were your orders at Gibraltar?"
"To observe."
"Observe what?"
"The fort. Human soldiers. Reinforcements. Strong fighters. Shields."
"And demons?"
"Yes."
That answer came without hesitation.
I folded my arms.
"Did Khan know demons had arrived before the attack?"
"Yes."
"Did he know who?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"He knew some from the ruling family would arrive."
I frowned.
Zelda noticed.
"What?"
"He says Khan knew members of the demon royal family were coming, but not exactly who."
Her expression tightened.
"How?"
I asked.
The fox's ears lowered slightly.
"Humans."
I stared at him.
"What humans?"
"The ones caught before the attacks."
I looked at Zelda.
Her expression had changed immediately.
"The missing scout parties."
She went quiet.
I turned back to the fox.
"How many humans were captured?"
"I do not know."
"Alive?"
"Some."
"Did you see them yourself?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?"
"Others spoke of them."
"What did Khan learn?"
"That new forces had arrived. Demons. Some belonging to their ruler."
"How?"
"I do not know."
I translated everything carefully.
Zelda stopped writing for a moment.
"So the missing scouts talked."
"Or somebody got information from them another way."
"Either way, that explains why the enemy knew a royal group was coming but didn't know exactly who was in it."
I nodded.
That was better than an unknown leak inside Kriti.
Not good.
Just better.
I looked back at the fox.
"How were you supposed to report what you saw during the attack?"
"Messengers."
"What kind?"
"Small burrowers."
"Monsters?"
"Yes."
"What do they look like?"
"Four legs. Long claws. No eyes."
"How large?"
The fox looked at me, then toward Zelda.
"Smaller than her."
I looked at Zelda.
"He says smaller than you."
She pointed at herself.
"That does not narrow it down much."
I translated that.
The fox looked at Zelda again.
"She is tall."
I looked at Zelda.
"He says you're tall."
"Wonderful."
I smiled slightly.
She gave me a look.
"Continue."
I turned back to the fox.
"How fast are they?"
"Fast enough."
"Can they carry written messages?"
"No."
"How do they pass information?"
"They remember short orders and return."
I frowned.
"They can talk?"
"Some."
That was new.
Not completely shocking anymore, considering I was standing in front of a fox the size of a building while having a conversation, but still useful.
I translated for Zelda.
Her attention sharpened.
"Ask how they avoided our soldiers."
I asked.
"They stay underground," the fox answered. "They come up only near the one they seek."
"Do they leave tunnels?"
"Some collapse behind them."
I passed that on.
Zelda immediately started entering something into her tablet.
"You were about to send people looking, weren't you?"
"I am sending people looking."
"He says the tunnels sometimes collapse behind them."
"Sometimes isn't always."
"Fair."
She sent the order.
I turned back toward the fox.
"Why were the attacks launched?"
"To test you."
The answer was simple enough that I stopped for a moment.
Zelda noticed.
"What did he say?"
"They were tests."
Her expression changed.
"Ask what they were testing."
I looked back at the fox.
"Test what?"
"Everything."
"That's vague."
"Response time. Where reinforcements come from. How fast the shields recover. Which commanders move. Which fighters are strongest. Whether humans and demons fight together."
There it was.
I translated it for Zelda.
Her face went colder with every answer.
I thought back to Gibraltar.
The first monsters had thrown themselves forward with barely any thought.
Later groups had started avoiding certain lanes, reacting to my siblings, adjusting around barriers, and changing direction when the fighting shifted.
The foxes had not been watching for their own benefit.
They had been feeding information back to whoever directed the attack.
Zelda looked at the battlefield report on her tablet.
"Ask if they were actually expected to take the forts."
I did.
"No."
"Did the monsters attacking know that?"
"Some."
"How many?"
"I do not know."
"Did most of them believe they were trying to win?"
"Yes."
I looked at the fox.
"And Khan sent them anyway."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
I translated for Zelda.
Hundreds of monsters had died between Gibraltar and Ismaila.
Maybe more.
Khan had spent them to measure the defenses.
I had seen humans do worse for smaller reasons, but that did not improve my mood.
Zelda tapped her tablet.
"Find out how long Khan has controlled the local groups."
I looked at the fox.
"How long has Khan controlled the local monster groups?"
The fox took longer to answer.
"Some time."
"How long is some time?"
"More than a year. Less than three."
"Very precise."
"I did not count."
I translated it.
Then I continued.
"What was the situation before he arrived?"
The fox lowered his head slightly.
"Different."
"Explain."
He stayed quiet.
I stepped closer.
"Separate groups?"
"Yes."
"Packs?"
"Yes."
"Families?"
"Yes."
"Territories?"
"Yes."
"Were they all attacking humans?"
"No."
That caught my attention.
"Some avoided human settlements?"
"Yes."
"Some avoided the forts entirely?"
"Yes."
"Some traded?"
The fox hesitated.
"Sometimes."
"With humans?"
"Rarely."
"With other monster groups?"
"Yes."
"Was there any central leadership?"
"No."
"Anyone commanding attacks across different regions?"
"No."
I turned toward Zelda and translated everything.
That mattered.
Before Khan, the monster groups in this part of the Human Realm had been scattered. Dangerous, sometimes hostile, but scattered.
Some hunted humans.
Some defended their territory.
Some stayed far away from human forts.
The fact that they were monsters had apparently made it easy for everyone to treat them as one giant enemy even when they had not acted like one.
Khan had changed that.
I looked back at the fox.
"How did he take control?"
The fox's eyes settled on me.
"He defeated the strongest."
"Leaders?"
"Some."
"And the rest?"
"Some followed. Some ran. Some died."
"Did he challenge every group personally?"
"No."
"Then how?"
"He gave choices."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What kind?"
"Join. Leave the territory. Refuse."
"And refuse meant death."
"Yes."
Simple.
Effective.
I was starting to dislike Khan without even meeting him.
I translated it all to Zelda.
She looked toward the fox through the barrier.
"Ask why they joined."
I nodded.
"What about you and your mate? Why did you join Khan?"
The fox's gaze stayed on me.
"To survive."
"Nothing else?"
He was quiet for a moment.
"He promised reward."
"What reward?"
"Land. Safety. Position."
"In the Human Realm?"
"Some."
"Some?"
The fox shifted his head.
"He speaks of returning."
"Returning where?"
"The Monster Realm."
I looked at Zelda.
"He says Khan intends to return to the Monster Realm."
Her expression sharpened.
"Ask why."
I turned back.
"He plans to go back?"
"Yes."
"With an army?"
"I do not know."
"With territory?"
"I do not know."
"Then why attack human strongholds?"
The fox watched me.
This time, the pause was longer.
"Khan said he would return as more than what he left as."
I stayed quiet.
Zelda watched me.
"What?"
I repeated the fox's words to her.
She lowered the tablet slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"I'll ask."
I faced the fox again.
"What does that mean?"
"I do not know."
"You worked for him."
"I listened when he spoke. That does not mean I understood everything."
"What did he say?"
"That victory carries weight. Territory carries weight. Followers carry weight."
"Political weight?"
The fox tilted his head.
"I do not know that word."
"Status."
"Yes."
"Rank."
"Yes."
"Power over others."
"Yes."
I translated slowly for Zelda.
Her expression had become more serious.
I looked back at the fox.
"So this entire campaign is about his position back home."
"That is what I believe."
"Not hatred of humans?"
"He hates many things."
"Religion?"
"I do not know."
"Revenge?"
"Maybe."
"But the reason he wants the strongholds is prestige."
The fox nodded.
"Victory."
I relayed that to Zelda.
She stared at the fox for several seconds before looking at me.
"Ask what victory gives him."
I did.
"I do not know."
"Who decides his rank?"
"I do not know."
"Who rules the Monster Realm?"
"We do not know."
I frowned.
"We?"
"My mate and I."
"You were born there?"
"No."
"Your mate?"
"No."
"Your parents?"
"Born here."
"Grandparents?"
"Here."
"How long has your family lived in the Human Realm?"
"I do not know."
I stared at him.
That explained the gaps.
The foxes were monsters, but they were not visitors from the Monster Realm.
They had been born here.
Raised here.
Their parents had been born here.
Possibly more generations before that.
Everything they knew about the Monster Realm came from stories, travelers, other intelligent monsters, and whatever Khan had told them.
I translated that for Zelda.
She stopped typing.
"All of it?"
"Everything they know about the Monster Realm."
She frowned.
I turned back to the fox.
"What exactly do you know about the Monster Realm?"
"Stories."
"From family?"
"Some."
"Other humanoid monsters?"
"Yes."
"Monsters who crossed over?"
"Sometimes."
"And Khan?"
"Yes."
"How much do you believe?"
The fox thought about that.
"Enough."
"That is not an answer."
"It is the only one I have."
I translated it.
Zelda looked toward the far wall.
Humans had been fighting monsters for decades.
Demons had been doing the same.
And apparently we knew less about the Monster Realm than I knew about human politics, which was impressive considering how hard I avoided learning about those.
Zelda started listing questions.
I asked them one by one.
The fox did not know what rank Khan wanted.
He did not know who Khan answered to.
He did not know how Monster Realm leaders were chosen.
He did not know how many major factions existed.
He did not know whether Khan represented any government or whether this entire campaign was something Khan had decided to do alone.
That part mattered.
For all we knew, Khan was a warlord trying to build a reputation.
Or a soldier working for someone larger.
Or one ambitious idiot with enough power to become everyone else's problem.
The fox could not tell us which.
By the time we finished with the male, we knew more about Khan than we had an hour ago, but most of it had opened larger questions.
I stepped away from the barrier.
"Your mate will be questioned separately."
The fox lifted his head.
"I want to see her."
"After."
"She is injured."
"So are you."
"I want to see her."
"I heard you the first time."
His restraints tightened slightly as he shifted.
I looked at him.
"Answering honestly helps."
"I have."
"Mostly."
His eyes narrowed.
That was enough for now.
I turned off the communication system.
Zelda and I moved farther down the corridor.
"She gave the guards more trouble," Zelda said.
"How much more?"
"Three attempts at the first barrier. One at the door. She also tried using an illusion to make one of the medics think the cell was empty."
"Did it work?"
"For six seconds."
"That's better than nothing."
Zelda gave me a look.
"I am not praising the prisoner."
"It sounds like you are."
The female's cell had an extra barrier between the main corridor and the inner security field.
She was in her fox form when we arrived, dark fur still marked with dried blood around one shoulder where the medics had treated her.
As soon as she saw me, the air around her blurred.
Her fox body disappeared beneath the illusion of a woman.
The restraints did not match the human shape at all.
Metal bands that were actually around her legs seemed to pass through empty space, while the collar floated strangely below the illusion's neck.
It was easier to see the trick now that I knew it was there.
She moved closer to the inner barrier.
Or at least the illusion did.
The sound of claws against the floor gave away what her real body was doing.
I activated the communication system.
Her eyes locked onto me.
"Where is he?"
"Alive."
"I want to see him."
"That seems popular today."
Her eyes narrowed.
"We have questions first."
"I already told your people nothing."
"Because you couldn't understand each other."
She said nothing.
"Now you have me."
"That is worse."
I smiled.
"Probably."
Zelda looked at me.
"What did she say?"
"She likes me."
"I doubt that."
"Fine. She said this is worse."
"That sounds believable."
The female looked between us.
"Did he speak?"
"Yes."
Her expression tightened.
I smiled slightly.
"Relax. I'm not telling you what he said."
"You are trying to make me disagree with him."
"That would require telling you his answers first."
She stared at me.
I stared back.
Zelda waited for several seconds before looking at me.
"Are you two finished?"
"She doesn't understand you."
"I know. Ask the first question."
I turned back toward the fox.
"Who sent you to Ismaila?"
The female stayed quiet.
I waited.
Eventually, she answered.
"Khan."
Same name.
I glanced at Zelda.
"Same answer. Khan."
Then I continued through the basics.
The female confirmed that Khan had appeared in the Human Realm some time ago.
She confirmed that local monster groups had been scattered before him.
She confirmed that he defeated or killed strong leaders, threatened weaker ones, and promised protection and rewards to groups willing to follow him.
Her answers were shorter and rougher than the male's, but the important details matched.
I translated as we went, stopping whenever Zelda wanted a follow-up.
Then we moved to the attacks.
"Why Gibraltar and Ismaila?"
"To test the forts."
"What were you observing?"
"Response time. Reinforcements. Strong fighters."
"Shields?"
"Yes."
"Command?"
"Yes."
"Human and demon cooperation?"
The female's illusion flickered slightly.
"Yes."
"Were the attacking waves expected to survive?"
"Some."
"Most?"
"No."
There it was again.
The waves had been expendable.
The scouts had not been.
That explained why the foxes had stayed outside the main fighting until they were discovered.
I translated the answers.
Zelda wrote silently for a moment.
"Ask what happens after a test."
I looked at the female.
"What happens after Khan gets the information?"
"Khan decides."
"Based on what?"
"What was learned."
"What does he want?"
"Victory."
"Why?"
Her eyes shifted briefly toward Zelda, then back to me.
"To return."
"To the Monster Realm."
"Yes."
"With more status than he had before."
The female said nothing.
"Your mate explained that part too."
Her illusion shifted slightly.
"What exactly did Khan promise you?"
"Safety."
"From him?"
The illusion's mouth tightened.
"Partly."
"What else?"
"Land. Better hunting grounds. A place near his followers."
"In the Monster Realm?"
"Maybe."
"You don't know."
"No."
"Have you ever been there?"
"No."
"Do you know who rules it?"
"No."
"What rank Khan wants?"
"No."
"Who he answers to?"
"No."
"How many powerful factions exist?"
"No."
The female became more irritated with every question.
I understood why.
The answers made all of us look ignorant.
Zelda noticed my expression.
"What?"
"She knows almost nothing about the actual Monster Realm either."
"Ask what she does know."
I turned back.
"Then what do you know?"
"That strength matters."
"Anything else?"
"Victory. Territory. Followers. Names people remember."
"Who told you that?"
"Khan. Others."
"What others?"
"Travelers. Old stories. Monsters who came through long ago."
"Reliable sources?"
The female's illusion smiled without humor.
"How would I know?"
Fair.
I translated for Zelda.
The questioning continued for another twenty minutes.
I asked about routes, command habits, staging areas, messenger paths, and anything else Zelda wanted compared with the male's answers.
Their stories matched closely.
The foxes knew some routes and meeting places used by Khan's followers.
They did not know his exact location.
They did not know where his main force stayed.
They did not know his full numbers.
They knew enough to give us places to watch, but not enough to hand us Khan on a plate.
That was probably more believable anyway.
When Zelda was finished, I looked at the female.
"You can see him now."
The illusion disappeared instantly.
Her real fox form stood beneath it, larger than the woman she had been pretending to be.
She moved toward the barrier.
"Now."
"Yes."
I looked at Zelda.
"She wants to see him immediately."
"I guessed."
Zelda arranged the transfer.
The two foxes were brought into a larger containment section between the holding blocks. Both remained restrained, but the guards adjusted the anchor points until they could reach each other near the middle.
The female crossed the space as soon as she was allowed.
She pressed her head against the male's neck and checked every visible injury before settling close to his side.
The male lowered his head against hers.
Neither spoke for a while.
Zelda and I stood outside the barrier, reviewing the information.
"The intel is enough to start surveillance," Zelda said.
"Not attacks."
"No."
"If Khan used the forts as a test, I don't want us charging into the first place they mention."
"Neither do I."
"We watch first."
"Good."
The foxes started speaking quietly behind the barrier.
I could understand them.
Zelda couldn't.
I ignored the conversation until the male raised his voice.
"We have an offer."
I looked at him.
"What kind?"
The female's head snapped toward him.
"No."
He ignored her and looked at me.
"We will follow you."
I frowned.
"What?"
"We become your subordinates."
The female shoved her shoulder into him.
"No."
He barely moved.
Zelda looked at me.
"What is happening?"
"The male just offered both of them as my subordinates."
She stared at me.
"They were prisoners five minutes ago."
"They still are."
"That did not answer the problem."
"I know."
I stepped closer to the barrier.
"You worked for Khan yesterday."
"Yes."
"And now you want to work for me."
"Yes."
"That is a terrible way to build trust."
"We do not ask for trust."
"Then what are you asking for?"
"A place."
The female growled.
"We do not need one."
The male turned toward her.
"We cannot return."
"We can leave."
"Khan will know."
"He has other problems."
"He does not forgive failure."
"We were captured."
"That is failure."
The female looked away.
Zelda watched them.
"What are they saying?"
I held up a hand.
"Give me a moment."
The male continued more quietly.
"We stay together. We live. We choose."
The female looked at him.
"You trust her?"
"No."
I raised an eyebrow.
At least he was honest.
The female's tail moved sharply behind her.
"Then why?"
The male did not answer immediately.
His eyes shifted toward me.
Then toward the swords at my side.
The female followed his gaze.
Something passed between them.
Neither explained it.
I had a feeling there was more to the offer than they were saying, but I wasn't going to pull an answer out of them in front of Zelda.
The male spoke again.
"Because I choose this."
The female stared at him for a long time.
Then she looked at me.
"I do not like you."
"That makes two of us."
She showed her teeth.
The male nudged her shoulder.
She growled at him too.
I turned to Zelda.
"The male says Khan won't forgive their failure. He wants another option. They stay together and serve me."
"And the female?"
"Strongly disagrees."
"That part I understood without translation."
I looked back at the foxes.
"What exactly are you offering?"
"Information. Service. Fighting."
"And what do you want?"
The male answered immediately.
"We stay together."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"No territory?"
"No."
"No payment?"
"No."
"No freedom?"
He looked at me.
"Eventually."
"Better answer."
'Nyx and Arty will like two new pets, and the outside of the Warehouse is big enough for both of them anyway,' I thought, amused at what Nyx would say about two fluffy pillows.
The female looked annoyed.
"I want freedom."
"Then don't join me."
She glared.
The male pushed his head against hers again.
She closed her eyes briefly.
When she opened them, she still looked angry, but less certain.
I stepped closer.
"If I accept this, it is not immediate trust."
"We know," the male said.
"You stay under guard."
"Yes."
"You answer more questions."
"Yes."
"You give us every route, camp, officer, messenger point, and staging area you know."
"Yes."
"You do not contact Khan."
"Yes."
"You do not attack humans or demons under my command."
The female's ears flattened.
I pointed at her.
"That one was mostly for you."
"She attacked first."
"I'm sure."
"She did."
"Still counts."
The male looked at his mate.
She stared back at him.
"No."
He waited.
She growled.
He kept waiting.
Eventually, she looked at me.
"If someone attacks me?"
"Defend yourself."
"If someone threatens him?"
"Depends what he did."
Her ears flattened further.
Zelda looked at me.
"What are you negotiating?"
"Rules."
"You look like you're losing."
"I think it's going well."
"It does not look like it."
The male fox made a low sound that might have been a laugh.
The female looked at him.
"You are enjoying this."
"No."
"You are."
He ignored her and looked at me.
"We agree."
The female turned sharply.
"I have not agreed."
"You will."
"You do not decide that."
"You will stay with me."
The female opened her mouth.
Stopped.
Looked away.
The male waited.
She finally sighed.
"I agree."
I nodded.
"Provisionally."
The female looked back at me.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I still think both of you might try to kill me."
"We could have done that already."
"You did."
"That was before."
"Exactly."
The male lowered his head slightly.
"We accept."
I translated the final conditions for Zelda.
She closed her tablet.
"This arrangement will need approval."
"From who?"
She looked at me.
"You are asking me that?"
"I was hoping there was someone else."
"There is always someone else."
"Unfortunate."
The foxes settled beside each other.
I looked at the male.
"Why me?"
He stayed quiet.
The female looked at him.
He looked back at me.
"Because you gave us a choice."
It was not the whole answer.
I could tell.
He did not look away.
Neither did I.
Then I shrugged.
"Fine. Keep the rest."
The female's eyes narrowed.
"You know he hides something."
"Everyone does."
That seemed to confuse her.
Zelda touched my arm and pulled me a few steps away from the barrier.
"We need to discuss this with the others."
"I know."
"You accepted before discussion."
"Provisionally."
"That word does not solve everything."
"It solved that."
Zelda rubbed her forehead.
"You are becoming difficult."
"Becoming?"
She gave me a tired look.
Fair.
I glanced back at the foxes.
The female had lowered her head against the male's front leg. He remained awake, still watching us.
Whatever reason they had not explained, it could wait.
For now, we had two prisoners becoming possible subordinates, routes to watch, a name for the commander behind the attacks, and the first real explanation for why any of this was happening.
Khan wanted prestige.
Power.
A better position when he returned home.
The attacks on Gibraltar and Ismaila had been tests.
The missing scout parties had probably told Khan enough to know members of House Daimonas were coming, but not enough to know exactly who.
And we did not know enough about the Monster Realm to tell whether Khan's plan made sense, whether anyone supported him, or whether another hundred Khans were waiting on the other side.
Zelda looked back toward the containment section.
"How long have humans been fighting monsters?"
I thought about the files, the dead, the ruined forts, and everything the foxes had told us.
"Long enough that we should know more than this."