"Welcome to Moretti, Your Eminence. I hope your sail carried you well?"

I scoffed at the greeting.

"It would have if our ship had been allowed to land to shore in the expected delays."

Although we had been in swimming distance from the port, the kins in charge had refused to let us ashore for more than a week despite knowing I was on board.

"Please forgive me, Iron Maiden. The border was closed as we fell under martial law. I had received word on highest authority that no exception could be made, even for you, my Lady.”

I raised a brow.

On highest authority? There was no such thing to me. It was easy to guess whom he was referring to. Meiriem had sanctioned this order.

I grit my teeth in annoyance.

”It would be wise for you to avoid wasting any more of my time, kin.”

He bowed deeply.

”Of course. Please come this way, the emissary should be waiting.”

I didn’t bother with acknowledging him any further and began making my way down the elaborately carved marble docks.

Moretti, being very much an island nation, was first inhabited by the kins of Coloviath, who worshipped travels, and for centuries had remained predominantly so. As such the port was considered as much of a holy place to the Morettians as the Evergreen Tree of Firsland.

Though obviously times had changed, why else would it be that a kin of Meiriem would be put in charge of this port?

Unless, of course, he wasn’t actually in charge…

What was the reason the kin said I wasn’t allowed to land to shore again? Martial Law, right. Meaning that the military ruled the city during that time… And that perhaps it was still ruling for the time being.

I chuckled to myself.

A Meiriemkin enacting a Steihnner doctrine was almost as absurd as one being in charge of a Coloviath port. What a strange world we live in.

The emissary, perhaps reassuringly, was in fact a Coloviathkin. After a quick greeting, he had me and my entourage follow him into a carriage bound for the palace.

”Take me to my sibling, kin.”

I asked instead.

The emissary appeared taken aback.

”Your Eminence! You’ve been travelling for too long, please let us at least offer us our hospitality!..”

I looked over the well dressed kin.

I could almost taste the trickle of sweat running down his neck.

The true meaning of his words were not lost to me.

”I need no such thing as rest and I will meet your king once I have attended to MY businesses.”

I frowned my brow as I narrowed my eyes.

”…And you should consider this a courtesy on my part. I have no interest in the affairs of your ‘kings’,’ rest’ or ‘palaces’ for that matter.”

The mann’s expression worsened, but he did not dare argue and simply bowed to my will as he repeated my orders to the coach driver.

I looked out the window at the sight that I had seen at least once a century since the beginning of time. It had changed. New buildings had cropped up like anthills, the older ones had new roofs and their foundations had turned smoother from erosion…

Similar changes occurred before, and similar changes will happen again.

The same way as this place will go from benign ruled as a monarchy, to an aristocracy, before a peasant revolt topples down its corrupt nobility, only for the most powerful amongst them to rule it as oligarch, until the people once more revolt and create a new puppet king…

And so the cycle will repeat. Sometimes it varied slightly of course, but the cycle itself was inevitable. The many will always fruitlessly attempt to replace the few, only to turn to their strongest once more.

We finally arrived at what I assume to be something of a temple of Meiriem turned estate.

A blue furred Meiriemkin waited for us at the gate, obviously, my siblings were expecting me.

She welcomed me with a smile and wordlessly guided me through the estate, making me wonder what was then the point to make me wait at sea for so long. Unless she had had something to do before I arrived… Or perhaps she anticipated needing me for something at this time and not before.

”Sister!”

”Sister!”

A duet of strident voices assaulted my ears as I finally reached my destination.

”Meiriem”

Before me, my twin siblings, one male, one female. Their female part with sky blue hair and piercing pink eyes, and their male counterpart with blue eyes and thin pink hair. Both of them with protruding canine ears and fur. A remnant of their pre-kindred form of two foxes.

“Why so cold, sister?”

”It’s been so long, come, sit! Talk to us.”

I scoffed at their words, but accepted the seat regardless.

Although their separate bodies might confound you into thinking otherwise, Meiriem was of one soul, one mind, one thought. We all referred to ‘them’ as it was the simplest way to refer to their unconventional nature. So for them to then refer to themselves as ‘Us’, was only entertaining the false notion that they were not a single failiable being.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

An annoying, if not somewhat mischievous habit.

I dismissed my entourage and Meiriem did the same, leaving only us in the large hall.

”It brings us much joy to see you again,sister.”

”I’m relieved to find you in strong spirits.”

”How are you?”

They said innocently with a calm smile plastered across their faces.

My lips, on the other hand, remained as they were.

”Are you not going to ask me what brings me to you?”

I asked them, not bothering to return their greeting.

”My beautiful sister.”

”My wise sister.”

”You’ll tell us anyway.”

”Why would we then ask you?”

”I’d rather ask…”

”...What you otherwise would not allow me to.”

They smiled mischievously.

”Perhaps…”

”…If you didn’t have the habit of running away after getting what you want…”

”…I wouldn’t have to first weigh you down with my words.”

I closed my eyes as my brows furrowed in annoyance.

They were always like this.

”I swear Meiriem, if you were not my favourite siblings, I would have long ripped you to shreds.”

Meiriem began laughing loudly.

”Well then, wouldn’t that make even more of us to deal with?”

The comment brought a small smile to the corner of my mouth.

”But we are ever so glad to see you sister!”

”Yes,very much so! We had been hoping you could help us with this…”

”…Situation.”

I sighed.

”I didn’t come here to help you with any ‘situation’ of yours.”

They laughed in unison.

”Of course not, but since you’re here, would you mind giving us a hand? It won’t take long and we’ll be happy to hear you out afterward.”

I grabbed an olive from the plate on the table as I made time to gather my thoughts.

Annoyance and anger came naturally to me, but consideration? Not so much.

As I spat the seed, I felt something course through my body.

As though my being was being physically gripped, by an invisible hand I looked up at Meiriem, but found them equally discomforted.

My instinct forced my head toward my left… North.

I could almost see it.

An imperceptible beacon, in the deep green of Alenia’s forest, in the kingdom they now refer to as Firsland.

”It’s him, isn’t it?”

I heard Meiriem ask in one unified voice, having dropped all pretence.

I nodded.

They turned to me.

”You knew.”

I shook my head.

”I received a warning. My kinling sent me words of his.”

I thought back to the odd letter and the shifting words I had received from Orr. Its meaning, still a mystery to me.

”Show me.”

They demanded.

I dug the letter from my waist pocket and in one swift motion of the wrist, flicked it to them.

They grabbed it with both their halves and curiously looked at the content.

”Interesting”

”Odd”

It said in unison.

An appropriate response.

”Any of it…”

”…Means anything to you?”

I shrugged.

”Yes, but I don’t see why it would concern him.”

They both raised an eyebrow almost comically.

”Do tell…”

”…Sister.”

I took another olive, squeezing hard on either side, pushing the seed out and leaving only the tender flesh between my fingers.

”It was the original reason for my visit. That name. It belongs to one of my kin. A young rose by the name of Silika.”

They frowned.

”How young are we speaking?”

”Couldn’t it be a coincidence?”

I shrugged.

”It might be. She is barely any more than a newborn, baptised less than a year ago.”

”And this relates to us…”

”…how?”

Meiriem asked, confused.

”Well she was baptised under my name instead of yours for one...”

Meiriem looked at me with pity.

“Sister, you are worthy of worship…”

”…As much as either of us!”

My grip tightened around the arm of my chair, but Meiriem simply laughed it off.

”Well then…”

”…Apart from that inferiority complex of yours…”

“…How does this relate to us?”

I sighed, but continued.

”I believe heresy may be committed in your name. One of its victims being this girl.”

Meiriem’s expression stiffened at the word.

Heresy was not a word spoken lightly. Especially amongst us that remembered the collapse of the immaterium.

”You do not jest, I know that sister…”

”…But are you sure of your claim?”

I shook my head.

”Of course not. Else I would have gone there and dealt with it myself.”

Meiriem nodded their head understandingly, and were pensive as they looked at themselves in the eyes. As though looking for some truth within.

”I understand the seriousness of the situation, but unfortunately I cannot currently absent myself from Morreti…”

”…The situation here is quickly deteriorating.”

I looked at her incredulously.

”How could this ‘vermin hunting’ issue require so much of your attention?! There’s a church out there potentially spreading heresy in your name!”

Meiriem sighed, visibly annoyed.

”Because it’s not actually just some ‘vermin hunting’ business…”

”…It was a front. A ruse…”

”…Something to distract everyone…”

”…Including myself…”

”…From what is truly goin on.”

I looked at her, still confused.

”Which would be…?”

They placed their hands on their knees and looked straight at me.

”War, sister…”

”…A war is brewing.”

I sighed in annoyance.

”And since when do we get involved with mann’s business? They kill each other, they love killing each other. That’s nothing new.”

Meiriem looked at me disapprovingly.

”You are so full of empathy, sister…”

”…As always…”

”…But you’re right, it is none of our business…”

”…But this is no simple war, no. No, there's more to it…”

”…She’s involved…”

”…I just know it.”

I looked at her confused.

”What do you mean? Who's involved? Doing what?”

Suddenly it occurred to me…There was only one person Meiriem would ever refer to in such a derisive tone.

”Wait, you don’t mean that she…?”

They laughed drily.

”Of course it’s her!…”

”…It’s always her…”

Meiriem looked off to the side and uttered words that would cause any Meiriemkin to cut-off their ears.

”Seeir, you damn mutt…”

”…I’ll have your scalp for this!”