"You know, the others will not let you get away with this sort of blatant manipulation. Not after what happened last time."

The hairs on the back of Fortuna's neck stood on end, a jolt of unwelcome surprise shooting through her at the sound of that voice. In theory, it was a near impossibility for anyone to sneak up on her without her highly developed defensive Skills kicking in, but then again, who was she to snark about the improbable?

With deliberate slowness, Fortuna turned around, her best shit-eating grin plastered all over her face. She also kept her empty hands visible at all times: it never did to give unexpected visitors an excuse to act precipitately. Especially this one.

"Moira! How lovely - and entirely unexpected - to see you here! What brings you to this tiny, insignificant planet in the middle of its initial integration? Not enough fun to spoil back at the old homestead?"

The young woman was standing a little way back from the upturned ice cream truck behind which Fortuna had chosen to watch her Herald's struggle with the Graffiti Imps.

Not that the distance would matter if it came to throwing hands.

Moira, the Weaver of Fate, was currently in the form of a very attractive teenage girl - which Fortuna thought was a bit rich. The last time the two had met in person, the daughter of Chronos had more wrinkles than an octogenarian's ball sack. The girl was dressed in some sort of elaborate kimono, which Moira liked to brag was woven from the very fabric of time and destiny itself.

It looked like last season's Primark, Fortuna thought sniffily. The Goddess of Luck's full attention, though, was fixed on the spindle and thread that Moira was rolling through her fingers. The weapon was at the heart of the other Old One's power, giving her control over the strands of fate that connect all beings. It exuded an aura of inevitability and certainty, and Fortuna would not have time to draw anything comparable of her own.

"I might ask the same, Fortuna. Imagine my surprise when I felt your presence somewhere you were strictly forbidden to be. 'How unusual', I thought. 'It's not like Fortuna to play fast and loose with the rules of Integration, is it?'. In case you were wondering, that was sarcasm."

Fortuna took a deep breath. Moira could be tricky to deal with. She was utterly without a sense of humour, stern and frustratingly unyielding. She believed in - in fact, some would argue she embodied - the strict order of the universe and the predetermined paths that all beings must follow. Unlike Fortuna, who revelled in the unpredictable dance of chaos and the ebb and flow of chance, Moira saw randomness as an insult: a disruption to the natural order of things. She was methodical and precise and took maintaining the balance in all things rather personally.

For some reason, the two of them had never got on.

"I think you're laying it on a bit thick, Moo. It's not like anyone has explicitly told me to avoid newly integrated worlds. It's more like a guideline than a hard and fast rule, isn't it?"

With crushing inevitability, Moira produced a scroll entitled 'The Edict of Celestial Non-Interference' from within her kimono and began to read aloud in her dry, flat voice.

"Let it be known and forever inscribed upon the Scroll of Ages that the Old Ones, in their ancient wisdom and boundless power, shall refrain from direct intercession in the realms of newly integrated worlds." Moria paused and glanced up, ensuring Fortuna was paying attention, before continuing. "Thus, it is decreed: upon the joining of a world into the celestial fold, the hands of all who walk the timeless paths shall remain as shadows unseen, their influence indirect and their touch unfelt by mortal kin. The destiny of these nascent spheres is to be wrought by their own denizens, free from the designs of those who dwell in eternity.

Let no Old One cast their gaze with intent to alter the course of these fledgling realms, for to do so is to sunder the sacred balance ordained by the primordial covenant.

Thus, by the authority vested in the Eternal Council and witnessed by the stars themselves, this edict shall stand inviolate, a testament to the wisdom of restraint and the sanctity of mortal agency. So, it is written, so it shall be."

Fortuna cocked her head. "First time I'm hearing that."

With a blur, Moria closed the gap between them and suddenly stood directly in front of Fortuna. "It may surprise you to know that I do not find you amusing."

"Really? I am shocked - shocked, I tell you - to hear that. I'm a hoot!"

Moira's blank stare remained impassive. "Nevertheless. It has always been a matter of concern for me that the others have allowed you to act with such latitude. I have petitioned, on numerous occasions, for your influence to be curtailed, but you, of course, have your allies."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Fortuna licked her lips, glancing again at the spindle and thread. It wasn't that she did not think she couldn't take Moira in a straight-up brawl, but she was - oddly for her - not that keen to hazard everything she had in play on a single throw of the dice. Moreover, she doubted Moira would be here if she were not certain she had the upper hand.

Diplomacy it was then.

"Look, Moo, we both know how the game is played. You like things just so, while I prefer it all a bit more, you know, randomy. Some of the others are of your way of thinking, and I, as you say, have friends who watch my back. But we don't need to get all cataclysmic about it. It's not like the universe isn't big enough for us to coexist."

Moira held her gaze, not blinking. "You are interfering in the progress of a newly integrated world."

"Yeah, but just a smidgen."

"That is forbidden."

"Look, it's not like I'm doing this for shits and giggles. My Herald manifested here. I was just popping in to see how she was getting on. No harm, no foul."

"According to my reading of the Threads of Fate, Lorelei Norton - your Herald - should have been killed by a [Junior Dragon], Level 3, on Day One of the integration." Moira turned her head to look at a human woman trying to make sense of the flood of notifications that had just come her way for - technically - wiping a group of Level 40s. The other survivors of Lorelei's little group were likewise as dazed. "And yet, who do I see standing just over there?"

Fortuna opened her arms wide. "What do you want me to say? She got lucky. It happens. I know you would prefer it didn't, but it never hurts to have a little randomness in the universe."

"Yes. Yes, it does."

"What do you want from me here, Moo? Because you're right. I shouldn't be here. So it is written, so it shall be, and all that jazz. But if that is true for me, then I'm damned sure it will be true for you too. And don't for a moment think that I've not picked up that someone has been playing fast and loose with the Threads of Fate around my Herald either - "

Moira opened her mouth to speak, but Fortuna pressed on - "I'm not calling you on that, but let's just say if we need to make this all official, I'm sure your beloved father would be interested to know how the luck of Fortuna's Herald seems to have been so spectacularly bad of late."

"I was only seeking to rectify what you . . ."

"Ah, but that's the beauty of it, isn't it? The others all expect this sort of shit from me. They'll roll their eyes and tut and, maybe - and that's a big 'maybe' - decide to slap me on the wrists for being a bad girl. It wouldn't be the first time, and it sure as eggs is eggs won't be the last. But you?"

Fortuna stepped forward until she was nose to nose with the other Old One. "Can you imagine the reaction if it gets out an A.I. had to urgently hot-fix things because Moira, the Weaver of Fate, was interfering with a newly integrated world? Because I can. I can already see the giggling."

Moira blushed a deep scarlet, and - for just a moment - the teenage aspect she had adopted glitched out to reveal her true form.

Yep, Fortuna thought with satisfaction, that is one wizened old crone. "They will understand. I was simply trying to return things to how they should be after your flagrant interference!"

"Maybe. But I'm going to have a ball throwing all kinds of shit around about it. I mean, who's to say I didn't have to come here to undo the damage you caused? I'd quite like to be the good guy, for once."

"No one will believe you," Moira said, but her face had lost its implacable certainty.

"Probably not. But it'll be funny as hell watching you try to prove it. Are you there, System?"

Shit. Really? I'm very happy indeed to stay out of this.

"Glad to hear it. Because that's what I'm just checking with you. You have no evidence whatsoever of any interference by any Old One in this integration, do you? Either me or . . . some other unknown entity."

There was a pause.

It is entirely possible that I have a few corrupted logs that, now that I think about it, would benefit from a thorough purging.

Fortuna winked at Moira. "What say you? Least said, soonest mended?"

"You are seeking to suborn an A.I. to remove evidence of your -"

"And yours."

"- of our actions from its records?"

"I'm doing it for you, Moo. My reputation can stand being bollocked for this escapade. How about yours?"

There was a silence during which universes were born and died. Finally, Moira gave an imperceptible nod. "And you give your solemn promise you will not manipulate fate on this planet henceforth?"

"Absolutely." Fortuna beamed. "Never again. I promise on my honour as an Old One that I shall not interfere in such a way again. Nope. No sirree. You have my word. Never again."

Fucking hell, Fortuna heard the System whisper in her mind, even she is going to spot the subtext in that.

However, the young woman simply took a deep breath and put the spindle and thread away inside her kimono. "So be it. However, I will keep a close eye on this part of the universe. Should I sense your interference again, I will bring the others with me, and I can assure you that you will never get away with such behaviour again."

"I hear you. Trust me, I have learned my lesson. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways. It's appreciated.

If you lay this on any thicker . . .

Fortuna muted the System in her mind and held out her hand for Moira to shake. With reluctance, the Weaver of Fate did so, and there was an awkward moment when both tried to read the intentions of the other through the contact.

Fortuna was the first to break away. "Now then, I'm sure you have places to go, people to see, destinies to - you know - chop off."

Moira vanished without any further ado, leaving the woman in red alone. A thin layer of sweat broke out on her forehead. After several calming breaths, she turned around to look at Lorelei once more.

"Shit," she murmured. "Well, that's going to make pulling this off a touch more complicated."