Maya chanted the words of water one last time, launching a stream of water into the air, her ancestor –Lumiko– watched the water fly. Silently summoning wind to disperse the stream into a gentle mist, fine enough that the growing plants began to glisten as water coated their leaves. Never harsh enough or heavy enough to bead and tumble. Their work complete, Lumiko nodded in satisfaction.

“Another marvelous rain Maya.” She said, running her fingernails across Maya’s scalp.

The gesture made the young eclispiarch tingle with joy, tension fleeing as her grandmother groomed her.

“I know I'm awesome. Can we play in the pillows tonight?” Asked Maya, referring to Lumiko’s private rooms that had served as the duke’s ‘cushion storage’ for the past three hundred years. A double role that was perfectly acceptable to Lumiko, and concealed her presence to all but the most loyal household maids.

“Are you going to slash any cushions again?” Asked Lumiko, putting her hands on hips.

Maya’s ears flicked back, low with guilt.

“Promise not to scritch the pillows! They’re just so fluffy and squishy! They just, jumped onto my fingers!” Cried Maya, eyes closed but more eager than a beaver kissing a tree.

Lumiko bit her lips to avoid laughing, stalking away until she stood at the door to the rooftop.

“Okay Maya, lets go make a pillow fort.”

“Yaaay!” Shouted Maya, becoming a tan blur as she shot off the roof, dashing out of the open door and through the Duke’s palace. She shot through grand corridors, nimbly crossing between ranks of Kharmites, and never touching the maids, except when she dashed between their legs, careful to rub her tail against exposed skin, a harmless way to make them yelp in surprise. Though none dared to interfere with the yellow dressed catgirl, recalling the Lightning Lord’s wrath. Besides, Maya wasn’t harming anyone, not really. She was merely partaking in a race. And Maya had no intention of letting Lumiko win.

Through the palace she flew, arriving at Lumiko’s private pillow em-purr-ium within moments. Her claws landed on the door.

“Oops,” gasped Maya, willing her claws to retract before she opened the door–

–and found Lumiko sprawled out across a half dozen velvet cushions.

“NNYYYAAA! How?!” Gasped Maya.

Lumiko giggled, giving her a wink before patting a particularly floofy looking pillow at her side.

“Saved one just for you.”

“How is grandma so speedy!?” Muttered Maya, taking a seat on the cushion and laying her head against Lumiko’s stomach.

“When you learn to use your wind, you’ll be far faster than I ever was.” Promised Lumiko.

“Eu-ick! Wind reminds me of the gross guy.” Said Maya, a shudder running down her spine. “So gross, a grown man in a child’s body!” She protested, extending her claws and swiping at the air.

Lumiko pulled her in tight, giving her a loving squeeze before picking up where she had left off grooming. Contented purring filled the room as the two mage-cats rested, weary from their long day of casting.

“You keep bringing up Tufan, so I feel compelled to ask, did he ever touch you Maya?”

“He played with my ears, and held my hand… And each night he would curl up and hide under my arm.”

Lumiko prodded further, mimicking the gestures Tufan had performed. Maya’s ears were fluffed pleasantly, a finger was held, and the exact nature of Tufan’s conduct towards Maya was ascertained. After long minutes of scritches and cuddling, she spoke again.

“Did he ever watch you bathe?”

“Uhm… No, he always made the maids bathe me, and ran away before they started…” Said Maya, her tail swishing across velvety cushions.

“Taloc has a long history of reincarnating Lightning Lords, once upon a time he told me how the process works, though most of it was beyond my understanding.” Began Lumiko, running her fingers over Maya’s ears. “Taloc is the god of lightning, death and magic are his domains, not rebirth. So when he needs a Lightning Lord his choices are limited, kill someone and plant a necessary personality inside that body, or hold a soul until a stillborn can be implanted. Though they must start over from scratch, grow and mature on Gaia’s timeline and not their own. Tis a terrible thing to depend on a mother and father who are younger than yourself. In many ways it's more of a curse.”

“Then why didn’t his dad come get him?” Asked Maya.

Lumiko’s fingers froze. Guilt rose inside her throat, why hadn’t she hidden all the eclipsiarchs? She was safe in the Duke’s palace, while her family were slaves.

“Probably the same reason I couldn’t come down and take you. Taloc gave me orders. Until Tufan granted you that yellow dress and his protection, others would have hunted you down and slain you. It isn’t common, but there are still bounty hunters who know how to cash in an eclipsiarch’s ears.” Whispered Lumiko.

“I’ll kill them.” Said Maya instantly.

“Ha, you’re months too late, Tufan slew them all with his lightning! He could not have aimed more truly if Taloc had guided his aim! He slew every bounty hunter and the guards who paid their bounties inside of a moment. He deserves my thanks.” Lumiko snuggled up to Maya, squeezing her with all her substantial might. “For doing what I was too weak to do, and bringing my family home.”

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Maya cuddled closer, eager for the familial contact. It was pleasant, but foreign, an affection that no pantherian felinid dared show their superior, even if they would risk their lives to protect the eclipsiarch. It was a strange relationship, with other felinid races obeying a child rather than correcting her. Or shielding her when they should have allowed Maya to prick her finger on the thorns of a rose.

“He’s still creepy.” Muttered Maya.

“Don’t be so harsh on him. I’ve met other Lightning Lords, all who fell before their missions could be accomplished. Or succumbed to Pandora’s temptations. They are far creepier when they act their age, just look at how the servants whisper Tufan Biliam Alhusam. They mutter as if death itself is about to rain down on them. No my love, Tufan treated you as an older sister, after having lost his mother. Such a tragedy generally brings out the worst aspects of a child, yet he treated you as kin. I don’t expect you to forgive him, but I will thank him and treat him as an honoured guest when next we meet.”

Maya’s response was muffled by the cushions, as the catgirl swam into their fluff, hiding there until a knock on the door caught their ears.

“Who is it?” Called Lumiko.

“My Lady, the First Paladin of Kheresh seeks an audience with the desert eclipsiarchs.” Called Farad.

“Send the toddler’s dog away!” Snapped Maya, annoyed at having her evening interrupted.

“Let him in Farad.” Called Lumiko, disentangling herself from Maya and sitting up, lounging across the cushions with a disinterested face, as if she were queen of the world; and not entirely at his master’s mercy.

Thaddeus marched into her room, alongside a rather sweaty looking werewolf. The men bowed, then took a knee, bringing their height to eye level. Lumiko ignored them, flexing and unflexing her claws, as she examined them, watching the two men from the corner of her amber eyes. Six felinid men lingered in the hall outside their room, an escort sent to protect her. Lumiko tried not to laugh, it wouldn’t be seemly to laugh at slaves who were trying their best to integrate into society, but she was a more martial threat than all six former slaves combined.

“Thank you for seeing us Lady Lumiko and Lady Maya, I have come to ask a favor concerning my sparring partner.” Said Thaddeus, raising an open hand towards the lycan.

“Oh, a favor for the First Captain? And how do you intend to repay this favor? Last I checked you were castrating my children. And before that, it was the fulminonimbus who vivisected those of my kind wherever they were discovered.” Said Lumiko.

Thaddeus winced, like a mouse caught between a cat’s paws. “My lady, you are right, my actions have been insufficient to justify any favors. I became a paladin to serve the faithful, to become stronger and aid my lessers in the same task. Yet the orders I received were always to hunt and kill the defenseless, a sin I intend to spend the rest of my life repenting for in Lord Alhusam’s service. A penance that Karnak wishes to share in.” Said Thaddeus.

Maya’s ears twitched towards Karnak, the lycan meeting her gaze. “What do you mess up? Did you poop on the carpet again?” She asked.

Karnak’s face furrowed. “My lady, that was a single time, and only occurred because they chained us to a post- for a week!”

“Ahem, maybe now isn’t the time…” Whispered Thaddeus.

“What? Oh!” Said Karnak, eyes going wide at Lumiko’s raised eyebrow.

At least they had her attention now.

“Maya– I mean, Lady Maya, when Lord Alhusam visited you I failed to protect you. My life would have meant nothing– and taken no effort to snuff out. I left you helpless and undefended when the first actual threat reared its pointy ears. This is an unforgivable sin I must make amends for.” Said Karnak, speaking directly to Maya.

“It’s okay Karny, you let me use you like a cushion when it got cold. So you protected me great.”

She’d meant the words as a compliment, lounging on the soft cushions of the Duke’s home and finding them to be cozy and warm, just like those winter nights when her collar had frozen to her skin. She’d been on a shorter chain then, and only Karnak’s unenchanted leash could reach her. Without his warmth, she might be missing several fingers. Or even a paw. If she’d survived the northern winters at all.

Karnak knew this, and appreciated it for what it was, but he yearned to be something more than a cushion. A sentiment Thaddeus and Lumiko agreed upon.

“Ya know, we could brush ole Karnak here each day, and oh boy, the way he sheds, we’ll have enough fluff for the biggest pillow you’ve ever seen!” Said Thaddeus, grinning mischievously.

His words earned a knowing smile from Lumiko, and a giddy grin from Maya. “Why does he have to go away to be brushed? Grandma has the best brushes in the whole wide world!”

Her smile was infectious, but Lumiko understood what Karnak needed. She would not allow the man who had shielded her granddaughter to be emasculated or robbed of the opportunity to become more than an enslaved cushion stuffer. Her fingers found Maya, scritching her ears until Maya’s purring filled the room.

“You’ll have to repay this favor at least a dozen times over paladin. And Karnak, I’m ordering you to return alive, you are not allowed to die. Unless Taloc or his Lords command you directly.” Said Lumiko.

Both men blinked in surprise, seeing the mercurial nature of the lord but not quite grasping it.

“Thank you my lady!” Said Karnak.

“Thank you my Lady, as for the debt, I shall seek to undo all the evil that has been heaped upon your kindred. Wherever I go, I shall endeavor to find and free you kin. Even now I have devoted half the treasury to buying out slavers, getting them to sell me their stock and move into a different business. We’ve halted several… uhm-” He glanced at Maya and quickly rephrased his words, “we’ve ensured no harm comes to your kind, neither from church nor king, I shall find a way to undo that damage. Even if it takes the rest of my life.” Said Thaddeus.

“Swear it on the name of Taloc, let him judge your works.” Said Lumiko.

Thaddeus swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew his intentions were true, but Taloc kept a few spare bolts for paladins who swore on his name too lightly.

“I swear on my fidelity to Therun, Perun, Taloc, that the harm I have caused you, and your kind will be repaired.”

Lumiko’s ears swiveled when Thaddeus mentioned ‘Perun’; and for the first time during their interaction she looked upon him with favorable eyes. She had expected him to squirm and negotiate, not bend and offer his most binding and sacred oath.

“So it is thrice witnessed.” Said Lumiko, already contemplating on how she might test him. “I have a condition.” She added.

“Yes, my lady?” Said Thaddeus, the blood draining from his face.

“Induct all felinids into the church, work them into your weekly sermons. Integrate them completely.” She said, her tail flicking as she put the squeeze on Thaddeus.

Yet, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. “They’ve already formed a militia within the fulminonimbus at Lord Alhusam’s command. I’ve tried teaching them letters, but none have expressed any desire to learn how to read or write, which is preventing me from appointing any as scribes or clerics. Which also precludes them from the clergy. Even Lord Alhusam’s influence cannot seem to change their minds.”

Lumiko frowned, realizing she had issued an order that she would now have to fulfill.

“You think I can change their minds.”

“If not you, then I know Maya can.” Said Thaddeus, showing the cunning that had made him first captain of the Dukedom’s church.