Chapter Thirty-Four - Motherly Mem

Mem was having what she suspected was a very bad day. She wasn't entirely sure yet, though. She had had many days that weren't nice, and while today was certainly not a fun day, she wasn't sure if it was the worst of the days she'd ever had.

But it wasn't a very good day.

"Come on, let's go, let's go!" Pep said. She was the smallest of Mem's siblings here, no taller than a human's hip, and she was bouncing up and down next to the swirling portal ahead.

Mem's other sisters weren't nearly so nice. All she got from the rest were snide comments, mean remarks, lots of threats, and they were generally not very helpful.

Mem had never been a leader before, let alone an officer, she wasn't used to giving orders and her sisters weren't used to following them either.

Mister Harold wanted them through the portal in 'good order' which meant without stabbing each other on the way through or without any panicking because someone forgot something.

So Mem had had everyone of her sisters gather their things into little bags that Alex had rustled up for them. Once everyone had finished fighting everyone else for the choicest things, they were told to gather in the big throne-room like hall.

Only about half of them showed up, so Mem had to go searching for the rest. Some were just not very fast about things, like her sister Slo who moved as if she was always waiting in ambush, others couldn't remember where their stuff was.

Mem had spent an hour with For who couldn't remember where she had put things.

It all came to this though, Mem, with forty-two of her siblings in the throne room. She couldn't remember ever seeing this much of her family in one place before. It was a lot of Mantises all in one place and a lot of pent up anger, hungry tummies, sharp scythes, and heaps of trouble all waiting for Mem not to be paying attention.

"Okay everyone!" Mem said. Then she repeated herself... and then she said it again but louder.

"Hey! Idiots!" Rem roared. "Shut up! Mem's talking. Tin, stop making that noise, Ash, I will burn you if you don't put away that torch. Sap, shut up!"

Mem glanced at Rem, then felt a nice warm and fuzzy feeling in her tummy. Rem was helping! Just because she could! She did care!

"Mem! Stop looking at me stupid," Rem snapped.

"Oh, right! Mem wants to thank all of her sisters for being here," she said. "But now it's time for some serious work. Mem was given orders by Mister Harold."

That got everyone's attention. Her sisters hadn't spent too much time around Mister Harold yet, but he'd left an impression already. It wasn't just because he was strong, like some of them had seen in that fight in this very room. It was more than that. The undead had a... feel to him.

It was weird. It tasted like something Mem had tasted before, but a long time ago, something she'd forgotten. It was a taste that she knew she was afraid of, though, and she suspected that her sisters all felt the same way about Mister Harold, because when he said something, they listened.

If mentioning Mister Harold to scare her sisters is what it took, then Mem was ready to mention him all day long.

"Mister Harold doesn't want to kill any more of us, but only if we listen," Mem said. She gestured to the side, to a part of the throne room which was very clean. Alex, standing not too far away, straightened. The maid had done a very good job with that part of the floor. "Remember what happened to Pop?"

Her sisters shuddered.

"That's right. But Mister Harold is nice, even if he's bones. And he said that you should listen to me, Mem." Mem nodded to her sisters and tried to carry herself with the dignity of an officer. She turned towards the portal, almost tripped over her own feet, then regained her balance to point at the portal. "We're going to go through this portal and meet Miss Limpet. She is very nice, and has a nice dog."

"Dog?" Eat asked.

"We are not going to snack on Miss Limpet's dog," Mem said.

"Boo! Boo I say!" Eat shouted. Next to her, Boo joined in as well, more out of principle than anything.

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Mem stomped a foot down. "No. Fang the dog is a nice dog. No eating him. Also, no eating any humans unless Mister Harold says it's okay."

"The undead are alright to fight," Rem added. "But they don't taste good. Also, that undead is mine. No eating the stupid maid!" Rem pointed at Alex with a scythe. The maid blinked at the sudden attention, then defaulted to curtseying to the group of mantises looking her way.

"Okay," Mem said. "Rem, you come in last with Maid Alex. I'll go in the portal first to make sure it's safe and ready on the other side."

"Hmph, are you trying to be brave?" Rem asked.

"Yes, is it working?" Mem asked.

Rem made a so-so gesture by wiggling her scythe arm. It was better than nothing! Mem was actually quite proud of herself and her progress lately.

"Okay, Mem's going in the portal now... bye."

Mem stepped up to the portal. It was very swirly and scary, but she took a deep breath, then stepped into it. The world went warp-warp and voom-swoosh and colours went spinny all around her, then Mem was stumbling out of the portal on the other side and was... outside?

She looked around herself, and it only took a moment for her to recognize the pavilions and pretty buildings as that sect they'd taken over in Yu Xiang, she couldn't remember its name. But she did remember the name of the person blinking at her from a few steps away. "Miss Limpet!"

"Mem?" the limpet asked. "Mem! It's nice to see you! Master Harold said that he was sending some people over via portal, but he never explained whom."

"Yes, it's Mem," Mem confirmed.

And then she froze as the Limpet ran up to her and hugged her.

Mem didn't move. If she did, she might cut the Limpet on accident. But that didn't mean that she didn't enjoy the hug anyway. It was very nice and warm and the Limpet's clothes were soft and she smelled like friend and also like Fang the dog.

"Mem is happy to see you," Mem said truthfully.

"And I'm happy to see you too," the Limpet said. She smiled as she backed out of the hug and let her arms drop. "Sorry, that was a little inappropriate, but I've been eagerly awaiting... well, anyone that I know."

Mem looked back and past the Limpet. There were lots of skeletons around, standing in a line along the edges of the courtyard. "Are these your friends?"

"These? No, they're soldiers. We're raising an army here. Or Seventeen is, in any case." The Limpet looked past Mem and to the portal. "Are you the only one coming back?"

"No, Mem is bringing her sisters here too. Mem thinks that maybe Mister Harold wants Mem's sisters to help you with your war?" Mem asked. She really wasn't sure.

"Oh! So Rem and another?" the Limpet asked.

"Yes. And another, and another. And then... forty more others."

"Forty... how many of your sisters are coming?" the Limpet asked sounding a bit faint.

"Forty two, plus Mem and Rem," Mem said. "It's a lot of sisters."

The Limpet's mouth formed a little 'o' and she made a squeaky noise that Mem wasn't sure was a good thing. "I... I don't know if I have accommodations for that many."

"Mem's sisters don't all know much beyond living in the mountains. Any room should be nice as long as there's food. Actually... Mem thinks there should be lots of food, because if her sisters get hungry, then they might go looking for food. There's still living humans around, yes?"

"A city-full," the Limpet said.

Mem winced. "Mem's sisters would like that."

"I can't have your sisters eat the people of Yu Xiang! They're taxpayers!

"Then can Mem's sisters eat the taxes?" Mem asked.

"No!" the Limpet said, horrified. "No, they'll be eating into my revenue, but... look, can you delay their arrival? I prepared some food here, but not enough for forty-plus of you. I need to contact the local butchers... do they have a guild? Oh heavens, this is going to be a lot."

"Mem is sorry!" Mem said.

"No, no, it's fine. We'll figure it out, Mem, we'll figure it out. At the very least, your sisters are pretty good fighters. I'm sure we can convince them to be worth the effort it'll take to feed them all... I hope."

Mem hoped so too.

***