Chapter Forty-Five

“Blessed? Blessed Heria?”

“Oh- yes, Ji-Hu?”

She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting there staring at the ground. Luna still dominated much of the sky so it couldn’t have been more than a few hours, but the small naked Lumifaen was a welcome sight nonetheless. Heria’s heart lurched in desperate hope and nearly closed her throat.

“Would you care to follow me? The Mukeko have finished your ally’s treatment. They- uhm, that is, the one you called Korrin- still sleeps but it is safe for you to enter now.”

Heria shuddered thinking about what might have made entry unsafe before, she’d likely never forget some of the sounds she heard while waiting outside the Mukeko’s massive medical hut- literally the hollowed out trunk of a native gigan-palm- though she felt it was wrong to be anything but grateful as she slowly stood. Heria nodded to Ji-Hu and fell into place behind the tiny golden creature.

Lumifaen must be the envy of all others. Big rounded breasts, dangling cock, and a plump little ass. Unbelievable. She felt a smirk build at the corners of her mouth but stopped it for fear that Ji-Hu would turn and see Heria staring his tiny ass down with a grin. Might think I’m looking for my next meal. Stop floating Heria. Focus.

Heria wasn’t quite sure what she expected to find through the giant gigan-palm’s threshold but one thing she definitely did not think she would find inside was a huge, flat projection of images that moved hither and thither at the flick of a tall Mukeko’s wrists. They looked like scans of a smaller person, curves that spoke to breasts and a nice head of hair, who was splayed with arms wide. A person with only one hand.

“Ji-Hu… is that Korrin up there?”

“Hah! Not entirely, no, just her information that the Mukeko have gathered. She is there, see!”The Lumifaen darted forward leaving a golden trail behind him that Heria followed to an egg shaped dome made entirely of hearty glass. The thick glass that chilled Heria’s large hands at the slightest touch. Protruding from the freezing glass egg were a good thirty or forty thick strings and tubes with alternating colors of blue-red swirling around one another. Heria could see essence traveling up the colored strings towards the screen before coming back down like a swift burst of gold imbued blue-red light that shone through the thick lining of the tubes with ease. Laying with arms and legs spread wide inside the chilled egg was none other than Korrin, entirely naked, and without a single wound visible on her body.

Korrin’s left hand looked like new, with no scars, scratches, or bulging bones and cracked knuckles. It looked smooth and clean. Korrin’s right hand was new. Where there had been a stump ever since Heria had known the troubled young woman now sat a similarly clean, smooth, fresh-looking hand. Soft flesh that matched Korrin’s perfectly twitched now and then as essence came and went.

This is…

“Amazing, isn’t it? The Mukeko can heal any wound, no matter how deep. Mental, physical, spiritual- they can fix anything that is wrong with anyone. And they do. Death does not persist where there is Mukeko, Blessed Heria. Your dear new pal Ji-Hu has been beneath their healing touch a great many times! All Lumifaen have been granted near endless life under the rule of our gracious masters.”

“Live a life of danger do you, Ji’lon Hutum?” Heria’s eyes were stuck on Korrin. She felt no desire to hold back a smile now, it simply refused to come.

“Oh yes! Do not let the tiny stature of the Lumifaen-”

“The partially tiny stature.” The levity wasn’t in her voice, but Heria tried.

“I don’t believe I under-” Ji-Hu’s hands slapped against the large breast bouncing about it’s own chest. “Oh! Hah! You are a great deal of fun to be around Blessed Heria! The other Lumi will love to hear that one.” Ji’lon bent forward laughing and slapped a glittering hand against Korrin’s egg.

Heria didn’t smile, she was too intent on Korrin to worry about such small pleasantries or appearances at the moment. “I truly do appreciate the compliment and feel quite the same about you, my friend.” She did, though the fact felt moot to Heria. Everything else was distant, dark, muffled to the point of non-existence. Everything except Korrin. She should be happy that Korrin was obviously breathing. Alive. Without a single wound to behold… but she knew Korrin. That new hand may not come off as the gracious gift it was intended to be. Even if it was…

Who do they both look brand new? And they look like flesh, but…

Something was buzzing in her animal brain, Heria didn’t understand what, but something was off. Even the logical remnants of Helena De Seires felt high strung and on alert. Ji’lon giggled continuously to her right but Heria turned her attention to the left. To the large flat square projected high above. There was no longer a tall Mukeko flipping through the images. No longer one in the massive room at all. Heria was sure that wasn’t right, but her “danger-brain” told her to move her hairy ass anyway. She didn’t wait for Ji-Hu but the Lumifaen followed beside her silently. No objections. No warnings. Heria couldn’t judge whether that was a favorable sign or not. She liked Ji’lon, but there was a distinct border between those she liked and those she trusted. Heria liked a great many others… she only trusted a few.

She hustled herself over to the exact spot she’d spotted the Mukeko before and looked up towards the images that seemed to float in the air. There were no words or characters that she recognized but there were vague pictures, outlines of Korrin’s body. When Heria had entered with Ji-Hu the image was of Korrin with a still missing right hand. Now, both hands were present and accounted for. Heria cast a couple of quick glances over her shoulder and raised a large, timid hand skyward. A small, soft light formed a circle where she pointed but refused to move with her pointed finger. She nearly punched herself.

Use essence, you idiot.

Reaching out with her own essence did the trick. Now, when she moved the finger left or right, the small circle above followed suit, after a short delay. Heria tested up and down. After she was pleased enough with the novelty of the performance, she shot an eyebrow up at Li-Hu.

Help?

“What is it that you seek, Blessed?”

“I want the images from during the treatment. I can see before and after, but…”

“Ah, yes, I see. May I?” Li-Hu flew down next to Heria’s hand and extended his own small arms.

“Yes, please.”

“Alright… so you need to go here- make sure to keep casting now, Blessed- do one of these little loops, side, side, and…. Poke! Hah! That is exhilarating, I must say.”

“You’ve never used it before?”

“No, no, only ever watched the Mukeko use the imaging slab.” Li-Hu still held Heria’s massive hand, though she did not pull it away. The winged Lumifaen was also looking at the images above them, oblivious to their continued contact, it appeared. “Oh, oh my… that is odd. Do you see?”

Heria did indeed see. The images above them moved from a vague outline of Korrin with one hand and a stump to images of Korrin with no hands, finally to the image of Korrin with both hands. There was also some array of colors swirling around the inside of the image’s head. Heria presumed it was essence from the tubes and thick, colorful strings that rose high into the gigan-palm’s segmented bark.

“Why did they take the other one?”

Li-Hu guided her hand from side to side in a swift motion that played the images in reverse, then forward again, and back in reverse until it finally satisfied the Lumifaen. “There was no permanent damage to it that the Great Mukeko should have struggled with repairing… not that I can see, at least.” The tiny golden sprite peeked around quickly and giggled, “Lowly Lumi aren’t meant to interpret these images or documents, but some Mukeko reward their Lumifaen if they can pass on news faster than the others. So we all learn- In secret of course. Sh.” Li-Hu gave a quaint chuckle, but turned eyes back forward and up. Intent on the investigation at hand.

“And the essence around Korrin’s head?”

“That… most of it… appears to be her own. Not uncommon in someone with injuries so severe, though some of it is… well, not. It doesn’t appear to be Mukeko essence either, theirs is a very distinct green-mahogany-ruby mixture. That's closer to a sapphire, to my Lumifaen eyes, at the least.” Heria nodded. She saw red and blue, that was enough for her to know that something was happening to Korrin, something around her brain.

“Last question, if I may, Ji-Hu?”

“Anything, Blessed Heria. Anything.”

“Can you see what they made the hands out of?”

“My, you truly are a curious one, aren’t you Blessed?” Ji’lon didn’t even have to move her hand this time. “It says here… well, that actually looks very commonplace, if I do say so. It is a mixture of essence, soil, animal bones, a few metals, and something labeled as “current”. No idea what “current” is, though, just below that it says “host material”. Hm… host is an odd word for this matter, wouldn’t patient or source fit better? The Mukeko surely are a great mystery to me even now.”

“ Only as curious as you are talkative, Ji’Lon, but truly that is odd phrasing on their end, I’d say. And that's not just because of translation?”

“Absolutely not! I am one of the most well versed Lumifaen in Mukeken and, uhm… people speak! Humans speak?” Ji-Hu was steeped in thought about the semantics of it all when Heria heard a creaking that made the hairs on her neck and dreads on her arms all stand at attention.

“Shit. Ji-Hu, come one!”

Heria whisper-screamed at the little naked creature and basically sprinted back to Korrin’s dome. Ji’lon was already almost at the freezing glass egg by the time Heria had taken a few steps. She made it back to her exact position from before just as the tall Mukeko returned. Heria slammed her head into the glass, leaning on it in panicked exhaustion, which she hoped looked like sobbing from behind.

The Mukeko had either not noticed or did not care either way and went right back to examining the images.

I hope he doesn’t notice that we messed with it…

“Do not worry, Blessed Heria, Ji-Hu returned the images to their last display!”

How did-

“I do not read minds, only faces.”

Ah. Right. Heria eased her grimace. “Thank you Ji’lon Humut. You are a truly noble Lumifaen.”

“ Noble… noble… ah- oh, why thank you!” A soft pink shot up Ji-Hu’s bloomed shaped head.

Did they just blush?

Heria chuckled and caught herself, turning it into a fake sob at the end; just in case the tall Mukeko was feigning their disinterest in her at the moment. Korrin twitched a few times beneath Heria’s gaze which fell to both freshly made hands; symbols of what could have been for Korrin had she not met Lord White. She was glad to see her dear friend sleeping peacefully, and pieced together, but watching Korrin’s steady breathing unnerved her for some reason. Heria felt as if she were tempting a storm with an irresistible calm while she watched Korrin. She was afraid that the peace, the joy, was just as tainted as ever; that something waited for them just around the corner.

Heria slid to her backside just in front of Korrin’s cold egg dome and bowed her head into heavy hands.

“Korri… please wake up. Please be okay.”

Heria heard the sound of a squeaky wheel, all too familiar to her with all the Indentured pushing around ill-maintained carts, and watched it pass through her peripheral. Transparent containers, some solid jars, other flimsy packs, rattled on a cart seemingly made of wood and roots. Vines twisted about the contraption and held it together in multiple spots; an observation which gave her another hint as to the ways of the Mukeko.

There, rattling in a jar just on top, bobbing up and down in a clear liquid, was a severed hand with trails of blood still seeping out from where a wrist once was.

Heria froze for a moment, analyzing all the information she had. She had to be fast and discreet, which left only one option.

“Ji’lon Humut… would you be willing to do me one last favor?”

***

This is it. This is our only chance.

The Lumifaen were a long-lived race in general, once considered to be of divinity themselves by the Ta’ entirely due to their lengthy life-spans. Lumifaen were worshiped and revered by a good many people, from within the Wilders and beyond. Including the Mukeko. They’d always accepted the worship and reverence with an air of humility, never letting their hold over others lead them into abusive leadership; they served as sages of Noctra. A people whose purpose benefited everyone. The Lumifaen’s system of honor and ethics helped to keep them neutral in all disputes, which ultimately led to their downfall and subjugation at the hands of the Mukeko.

Ji’lon Hutum had been fairly young at the time, scarcely a day over one or two hundred years old; an infantile welp in the eyes of the Lumifaen. Too young to make a difference, at the least. Though, in all fairness, the elders ended up in much worse positions than Ji’lon.

They were all dead.

The Mukeko were very methodical, expertly precise with which Lumi were left alive. Mostly, they left the young and impressionable, with a few thousand exceptions in the way of familial executions. None of the remaining Lumifaen held any connection to royals, legends, or Lumi of importance from the past. No connection to their heritage or culture.

Ji’lon was not the only Lumi upset about this, though some more docile of their people seemed content to stay serving under the Mukeko, if only because it was somehow easier than rebellion. Ji’lon understood, though still, saving them all was the goal. Helping Heria was the first step to achieving that goal.

“Could you possibly… follow that cart? Just to observe and report back?”

Heria was kind and intelligent; Ji’lon was ever grateful for that stroke of luck. For all things the Mukeko were, for all they had become after usurping the proverbial throne from beneath the Lumifaen, they still were ever fearful of their gods. The Alta. The Blessed. If Heria would side with the Lumi, they could pull off an even more subtle, intricate, and ultimate subjugation than the Mukeko had which Ji’lon was sure had been aided by an ally in the shadows.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

They used to be so peaceful. Though… so did I.

Now Ji’lon Hutum followed a cart being pushed by a stout Mukeko who stumbled about smacking into walls and contraptions as if with intent. Short, round, and made almost entirely of stone and soil that seemed to shed pebbles and dust with every step as the body nearly split and crumbled before being pulled back together by stark green vines spiraling up the backside of the clumsy creature. Ji’lon could see why it thrashed about so freely, though refused to feel pity for the beast.

Mukeko were the enemy, no matter how unfortunately put together or meek one may be. An enemy Ji’lon wanted to eradicate. They’d bred, beaten, and belittled Ji’lon for nearly a millennium; every ounce of compassion that may have existed at one point or another for the Mukeko people was replaced with flame-licked ire. Abhorrence, for how they’d desecrated the once lovely porcelain complexion that all Lumifaen naturally had by subjecting their entire race to vile treatments and experiments.

The ‘Great Mukeko’. Hah! Their native word for ‘great’ is ‘lumon’! They feared our retribution so immensely they removed all color from our skin to keep an eye on our essence supply. The cowards wanted to keep us from casting! The radiant Lumifaen! The race that brought the Mukeken savages the art of casting in the first place… now, now that we have an ally, for Heria will be an ally after I help her and the woman, Korrin… Now, they will be reminded of who we once were.

The cart stopped in front of a doorway blocked with a stone slab. Ji’lon floated high near a lumin-lantern, a ghastly design constructed of the still glowing skin of slaughtered Lumi. Most had been revived. Harvested. Revived. Repeated. There had been enough tears spilled over the damn things for Ji’lon to even worry about it now. All there was to do for the time being was observe the clumsy Mukeko. The thick green vines about it fought to hold the repulsive fragments of unnatural bodies together.

No bark or moss, just stone, dirt, soil. No roots to be seen. No discernable face.

It suddenly became obvious to Ji’lon that this Mukeko was one of the ‘Crafted Kin’; pitiable, infertile abominations pieced together from Mukeko’s remnants when they are “reborn”. Meaning the creature pushing the cart amounted to nothing more than pint-sized golems. Mindless. Obedient. Silent.

Poor beast. I am sorry to begin this holy retribution with you. I do hope you may forgive me. Blessed Heria will not treat you well when she sees what you are about to do.

Ji’lon waited for the ‘crafted’ Mukeko to move the stone slab and enter the room beyond it. When the slab slid back over the threshold, Ji’lon whistled. Two trusted Lumifaen zipped out from somewhere below and began rubbing the stone slab with little golden hands that left smears of glittering light on the stone-door. If they did their job right it would be coaxed open by the time Ji’lon returned with Heria.

If they fail… if I fail… this may truly spell the end of the Lumi.

***

Heria kept a long arm draped in furry dreads wrapped about her forehead as she leaned on Korrin’s freezing egg-dome. She kept the doorway she’d watched Ji’lon disappear through in her peripheral, as well as the Mukeko who worked nearby.

Kori…. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you out of here safely. No matter the cost.

Heria spent much of her time there observing through the corners of her eyes and thinking. Trying to piece together the structure of the Mukeko society, of the Lumifaen’s place within that society, all with direly limited information. She’d nearly forgotten Mezir and the others, sending them to some place far in the back of her mind so she could focus on saving Korrin. She could get to Trallengaed later, they’d be traveling a good six months by sea anyhow. She had time. Forgetting the rest of the group revealed to Heria an immensely improved amount of time to ponder and plan there amongst the Wilderfolk of her childhood dreams. It appeared that Helena was still fully alive, somewhere within Heria.

She couldn’t help but smile at the prospect.

Perhaps one day we’ll even be the same.

An odd, resonating thought that brought Heria a small peace through all her worry and terror. She felt her arm warm slightly against the glass as blood rushed through it from her increasingly speeding heart.

Perhaps one day, I’ll truly be-

“Blessed?! Blessed Heria?”

Ji’lon was abruptly in her right ear. Panicked, by the sound of it. How the tiny glittering sprite had eluded her vision entirely Heria did not know. Some part of her wanted to explore that, to dissect it for the palpable mystery that it was.

Not now, Helena. Now is the time to act.

“Ji’lon? Oh, glorious Legends- I was losing my mind with worry!” Not exactly untrue. Just a bit misleading. Worry about who exactly? Ah, doesn’t matter! “I must say I severely missed your presence. The Mukeko are a bit…. Unnerving, are they not?” Heria needed Ji’lon to remain an ally. At this point the little naked creature was entirely indispensable to her rescue efforts, so she felt obligated to supply a little stroke of the ego.

It had the appropriate effect as the Lumi lit bright with a red burst, what she was certain now was indeed a blush of sorts. Ji’lon’s broke into a wide smile before shaking the bloom shaped head atop their shoulders.

“Blessed, please, you must follow me! Promptly, i-if you please.”

Heria cast a glance back at Mukeko behind her and shot Ji’lon a quizzical look.

“That Mukeko cares for nothing other than their experiments. They will not notice your absence- please Heria, we must go!” This time Ji’lon shot bright with an orange-red flicker.

She looked at Korrin sleeping soundly in her newly renewed body and felt happiness tarnished by the prospects of their situation, sickened that her departure was absolutely necessary. Heria needed Ji’lon to trust her.

She ran close behind the bright gold Lumi and found herself increasingly thankful for her tiny ally’s brilliant glow. The lanterns adorning wide-set corridors were far too high above to be of any use to her, which spoke to the grand size of most the Mukeko. All rays of light that they cast were darkened to her by distance. Gratefully, their quiet, segmented sprint came out to be fairly short. Heria was certain they’d only gone down one corridor and made a left, yet up ahead she could see a faint glow.

A sign of more Lumifaen, only two though, so far as she could tell. They looked like they were rubbing a barely open door concocted of a single stone slab, their tiny hands left small golden shimmers at the base of the stone; leaving splotches of light behind. As they cast Heria could see some of the gold-shine within them disappear.

Casting? Didn’t even know the little ones could do that… interesting.

Though nowhere near as interesting as the shambled room just visible through the crack the Lumi had opened, maybe enough for one of Heria’s feet. Still, plenty of room for her to peer through unhindered.

At first, she only saw a massive wall that seemed to extend all the way to the top of the gutted gigan-palm. It was adorned with thousands of thin, single wood panes that served as pitiful shelves; shelves that bent and curved throughout, obviously not meant to hold as much weight as the Mukeko intended them to. As Heria focused her eyes and neared the door, however, she was able to discern some of the things resting so precariously on those shoddy shelves. Mostly Heria only saw large jars all filled to the brim with a thick, cloudy liquid. When she reached a few paces from the slowly sliding stone slab Heria smelled something pungent, harsh, and extremely familiar.

Vinegar? Ach. Father used to drink a shot of the vile juice every morning. Never understood why. Every time a young Helena had questioned him about the drink he had just smiled and said, “Preservation, my little Lady. Preservation.” A bit ironic, I suppose. Preserved himself perfectly for the fire. Still, it begged the question, what were the Mukeko trying to preserve? And for what purpose?

The Lumifaen that had been gently willing the door open stopped when it was just wide enough for Heria to slip through. Only Ji’lon followed her into the room and a swirling mass of scarlet shot through the lone Lumi’s body, dancing about their translucent head. Much more fierce and active than a blush; Heria recognized the sensation immediately.

Rage. Pure and unhindered. She’d felt it before, witnessed the glow traverse her body like a savage flame consuming an ill-made wicker hut.

Upon seeing the jars at a closer range, Heria felt the terrible burn building within herself.

Container upon container, anywhere between one and two hundred jars per shelf, Heria could see little winged bodies bobbing up and down. Lifeless. They dominated the deceptively large room, which was vertical as the gigan-palm shell itself. The Lumifaen corpses ranged in size, shape, and color. Heads had been replaced or modified to resemble different plants. Some were without conceivable limbs altogether.

Experiments. Ji’lon mentioned experiments… this- this is fucking awful. Why did he come in here with me, this must be excruciating!

“Ji-Hu you don’t have to-”

The tiny scarlet-gold creature with immodestly large assets held up a hand to stop her and pointed towards the other end of the room. Eyes set forward, flowery face was frozen in a grimace. There, at the end of Ji’lon’s sightline, was the clumsy-looking Mukeko Heria saw pushing the cart; the aforementioned cart beside it, with much more than just Korrin’s hand atop it. The cart was full to the brim with human body parts.

Any and all. Argonia’s words made much more sense to her suddenly.

A pair of eyes and tongue floated in one jar; beside it, contained in a much taller jar, were different arms of varying length. For some nauseating reason, Heria couldn’t help but think how much their forearms all stored together so closely looked just like a flesh-toned forest full of mismatched trees.

Heria’s mind went blank. She stood for a moment, unsure if she could hear anything at all until she heard the unmistakable sound of the ocean frothing in her ears. All around the tall jar and squat Mukeko, the world turned to a blur. She felt so much closer than she was; Heria hadn’t moved since spotting the tall jar. Didn’t know if she could. Knew that she couldn’t think about anything.

She was frozen in place. Might as well have journeyed out into the tundra of the Shardlands ass naked after a good soaking. Heria couldn't lift the weight to her arms or legs and was unable to judge their strength. She felt like they had none left. Without warning the Mukeko disappeared to her, blurred along with all else, leaving only the jar visible. She watched. Waited. Unsure for how long, she simply stood. And then she saw something, peeking through the fleshy forest afloat in vinegar, something that lit her blood utterly aflame and forced Heria into action.

Floating between two muscular arms bobbed a set of short, stubby, infantile fingers.

***

Ji’lon knew he had Heria as an ally the moment she spotted the crafted Mukeko’s cart and its contents. The long hairs on her oversized arms stood on end, bristling with the vibrations of violence. A vast amount of the human body parts harvested by the Mukeko were actually from corpses or “willing” sacrifices given to the Wilderfolk by small tribes who’d never migrated eastward in the Noctra’s first millennium.

Heria wasn’t aware of that fact, however.

She didn’t seem to be aware of anything at the moment. Except for a single jar. Ji’lon felt excitement shoot up their spine and knew it must be visible, but she took no notice this time. No inquisitive twinkle in her eyes, scanning Ji’lon for information.

Heria was blind with rage.

Ji’lon couldn’t have been more pleased.

She is ours now, our ally in the fight against the Mukeko! There is no feasible reason she should ever trust them or attempt peace after seeing this. Even if she discovers the practices, the “ethics”, to the whole process… I’d say it’ll be too late to turn back by then.

It was hard for Ji’lon not to smile. Heria was standing there, shaking fiercely.

Wait until she notices the grinder! Oh, she is going to lose it!

But something else made her snap first, something to do with the jar Ji’lon assumed. Heria suddenly shot forward into action so quickly Ji’lon didn’t think her feet were touching the ground. Her arms were aglow with a brilliant spiral of red and blue essence building beneath her skin. By the time she slammed into the crumbling crafted Mukeko, both arms were consumed in light down to the dreads of fur that hung down below. The pitiful creature burst into all directions upon impact. Those poor, lovely vines finally offered a reprieve from their monumental task, took the chance without hesitation to snap and fall to the floor in a shower of soil and stone.

Heria stood there in the dusty remains watching the individual pieces writhe and grind until they were finally sapped of what little life they held, to begin with. Ji’lon was not proud of his deception of Heria or proud of having her kill the poor crafted creature. Ji’lon was, however, extremely proud that their plan had worked. Now came the hard part. Heria was undoubtedly still full of hate and anger and Ji’lon had to talk her down.

To offer his plan on how to destroy the Mukeko.

They will make Heria their monarch. Their ‘Blessed’ will rise to the head of their society without so much as a question. Then she can unleash our combined fury upon them! This will go much quicker than I originally intended! Hah!

The massive Alta woman who had seemed so intelligent, kind, and inquisitive to Ji’lon before suddenly looked like an animal. They could almost see the hate seeping through her pores. Ji’lon just needed to give her a moment to direct that hate, that violent intent, towards the right target.

Ah, there it is. Heria’s eyebrows shot up, her eyes slowly cleared, and then she fell back against the wall. Now, it's safe to approach. Or, should be at the lea-

A large, leathery hand was wrapped about Ji’lon’s enter being. Their breast and dangling meat stick pressed hard into Ji’lon’s body and elicited a yelp. What in all that is reverent-

“You. You knew what was in here. What I would find. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Blessed Heri- ah!” She squeezed harder, Ji’lon heard cracking. “Ah- okay, okay- Heria. You had to see for yourself. Would you have believed me if I simply told you? They’re out there saving your friend's life. I couldn’t take any chances of you thinking I was lying!”

“So, you lied?”

“No! I withheld information! I am so sorry but I- I have a plan!”

“A plan? For what you pint-sized prick?!”

“To take out the Mukeko! To stop them from doing this to our people, both of our people! They’re taking those parts and grinding them into their meals of soil and bark! Don’t you want them gone?! They want to make you their monarch Heria! You can take all their power and then-”

“Give it to you? Quite ambitious for your size, aren’t you, little liar?”

The other Lumi had no doubt fled thinking Ji’lon’s plan a failure but this could be salvaged. “Heria! Please…. They’ve done so many horrible things to all of us. They’ve changed me in so many ways over the course of thousands of years and I… I saw a chance in your support, I-”

Heria’s cold glare strangled the words silent in Ji’lon’s throat.

She remained quiet for a moment, staring at the golden body wrapped in her maliciously large, leathery palm. There was a quiver working its way through Heria’s fanged lower jaw, shaking her vicious teeth as she looked down upon Ji’lon. For a moment the Lumifaen was certain Heria was going to devour their pretty head as payment for their transgressions but when she leaned forward, further overtop of Ji’lon, she kept her mouth closed.

Ji’lon chanced a swift glance at Heria’s eyes.

She's thinking. Reasoning… good, good! Hopefully…

The captive Lumi swore there was a softer edge to Heria’s jaw already. Her grip on Ji’lon’s body loosened, ever so slightly. After a moment of further internal deliberation, Heria relented and placed Ji’lon on a table before her, where the Lumifaen promptly fell to their knees.

Oh, thank the Vivian Ammun! All magnanimous twelve of them! I can breathe!

Then, however, there was a sound. So resolute and resounding, so firm and swift, that it stole away all remnants of air within Ji’lon’s lungs. A crack-crunch-rumble that all Lumifaen were far too familiar with.

The sound of the stone slab door closing.

***

When the infernal rage subsided, all in one instant just as it appeared, Heria felt immediately drained. Heavy. Exhausted. She wanted to do nothing more than to press her back upon the slab she’d just pushed closed and close her eyes.

A quick nap, then vengeance, yeah? No. No, of course not.

Heria turned back to Ji’lon. She needed to keep up her act. Fortunately, “pissed off” seemed to be her natural appearance, so she didn’t have much to care for in that area. Heria walked past a set of empty carts that she was sure once held parts of people and directed the vivid disgust of such a thought straight to her face. Locked in on a grimace that she set on Ji’lon.

“ I’ve liked you since our meeting, Ji-Hu. I didn't’ trust you, being a stranger to me, but I liked you.” Heria made sure a low and unpleasant growl escaped at the end. Let it hang in the air over Ji’lon for a moment, let the Lumifaen feel the weight of her anger. “I was starting to think we may be able to help each other, barring any lack of trust, to achieve our separate goals… yet, here, barely two days into our association, you’ve already withheld information from me and plotted to use me as a means to usurp power for yourself.”

“For my people-”

“Furthermore,” Ji’lon whimpered at Heria’s intrusion, she didn’t enjoy the sound, but it was favorable for her purposes, “ You purposely led me to a disgusting scene, likely knowing how I’d react, and even in your admission I can sense that you are still hiding something, Ji’lon Humut.” Heria hated to see the small creature shudder under her words.

Ji’lon’s silence was admittance enough.

“ Right. So, the way I see it” the way that matters, “ is that we are both desperate for assistance. I want to save my friend and continue my mission, you want your people to be free. We can help one another. But I need to know everything. And Ji’lon. If the Mukeko people do make me their monarch and ruler, I will be retaining that power. Whether or not you will be there by my side is up to you, dear Ji-Hu.” Heria was employing all the tactics of fear, hope, and manipulation that she had learned watching Lord White over the years. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that she was doing it so well.

Ji’lon Humut looked up at her as if she had just handed the creature their salvation. It was as if the threats were fodder. Their mouth opened to speak, she interrupted once more.

“And, Ji-Hu, I want you to know, from this point onward I am your monarch. If you betray my trust in anyway way, shape, or form, if you withhold any processions or proceedings, no matter how noble the reason, I will clip your wings and wear you about my neck on a gaudy chain. For all of my life.”

Ji’lon’s face went slack for a moment.

Good. It is understood then. Now-

It was Heria’s turned to be interrupted. She lost all train of thought. Ji’lon had dropped to one tiny knee before her, head down. When the Lumifaen spoke her heart skipped a bit.

“Yes, Queen Heria. Yes, my Blessed Queen.”