The midday sun beat down on Alnur, his neck and brow were covered in a thick layer of sweat and grime from the day's work. Running a hand through his short black hair, he straightened his back as a series of pops and cracks echoed in response. Every year he marveled at how sore the field work made him, he allowed himself a moment to imagine the nice hot bath he would take when he returned to the Keel.

Looking around the field, pride filled his chest at the sight of the many workers gathering this year's harvest. All across the Black Coast, hundreds of such fields dotted the landscape, from the edge of the great city Navalia to the coral highlands encircling the nation, and every one of them was filled with every able bodied citizen doing their part to help with the Finis Messis, it was already the third day of the festival and this year was shaping up to be a bountiful harvest.

A young girl clutching a basket of damp rags ran up to Alnur grinning from ear to ear. She lifted the basket to offer him a rag to cool himself off. He smiled and took two of the rags, “Thank you, this is just what I needed”. The girl bowed her head slightly, then turned and bounded off to the next worker. Alnur reached one of the rags out to his right towards Fel, who took it without looking up, their back bent to reach the crops below. Alnur wiped his face, taking a moment to adjust the circlet on his head to clean his brow properly before fixing it back in place. “Gods, I’m afraid if I bend down again, I’ll never get back up” he said with a chuckle.

Fel took a moment to stand upright, they were a whole head and a half taller than Alnur, towering over him. They wore simple work clothes that did little to hide their imposing physique. Despite all the dirt their incredibly long white hair was pristine. Rag in hand, they tried to get the worst of the grime wiped away. Fel kept their eyes straight ahead, brows slightly furrowed, to anyone else that scowl would have seemed intimidating, but Alnur knew his not-so-little sibling well enough to know that they were just lost in thought.

“If you’re already whining this much at twenty three I dread to see you when you get old” Fel spoke in their usual soft singsong tone. An odd juxtaposition considering how fierce they looked at a glance.

Alnur let out a sharp laugh. “You have me there, I’m just trying to get my whining out of my system before the Court’s representatives arrive.” His face soured, “I can’t say I’m excited for a week of bootlicking”, he said with an overly dramatic sigh as he snuck a glance to see Fel’s response. They managed to crack a smirk, Alnur felt a bit of relief. He thought of the coming visit and how hard this would be on Fel. He wanted to reassure them, but Fel was ever stoic, their face looking more like it was chiseled from marble than flesh.

Fel kept their gaze on the ocean, their voice dropping to a near whisper, “I know you’re concerned. I can’t say I don’t feel anxious myself, but we’ll get through this. Somehow”.

Alnur glanced down at Fel’s hand, clutching the rag, shaking faintly. He reached out and placed his hand on Fel’s shoulder. “We’re in this together.”

A sudden cry of shock drew the pair's attention as they turned towards the source of the sound. It didn’t take long for Alnur to make out what was causing the uproar. In the nearby field an ox was thrashing wildly as it tore at the harness it wore to till the soil. The group of farmers backed away from the poor animal as they called for help.

Alnur and Fel shared a glance as they both sprinted over to try and help. Even as they approached the farmers were hard at work trying to control the situation to their credit. Six of them had pulled out their thresher whips and were trying to restrain the ox; they made sure to avoid using the barbed hooks of the whips on the beast.

One of the farmers looked over and made eye contact with Alnur. “I don’t know what came over him, he’s as gentle as they come, sir.” The man said.

Before Alnur could respond the cause of the animal's ire became clear as jagged pillars of red crystal burst from the beast's skin in a dozen different places.

Another farmer cried out the obvious. “Bloodstone! Don’t let it touch you!”

Alnur watched the ox’s owner as his face fell; there was no treatment for bloodstone poisoning; it killed far too quickly for such a thing. The Ox must have been unlucky enough to step on a shard that had gone unnoticed.

The beast roared as it lashed out wildly, ripping the whips from the hands of the other farmers as they cried out in alarm. Alnur reached down to his hip where his own thresher whip hung and unrolled the long black leather, being careful to avoid the wickedly sharp hooks that dotted the surface of the whip.

He stepped forward as he held the beast's eye; the remaining one that was. The other eye was now a branch of red crystal that was curling towards the sky. In the churning sea of rage he saw the ox’s pain, its fear. There was only one thing he could do for it now, give it a quick end.

With a lazy swing of his arm, Alnur let the whip float through the air above, an instant later he snapped his arm in a series of well-practised motions. The ox blinked in surprise as its head suddenly dropped to the ground. The body followed soon after.

Alnur sighed as he stared at his thresher whip, the surface covered in the beast's tainted blood. Reaching his left hand to his mouth he bit down on his glove as he pulled out the rotting blackened flesh of his dead hand. He grabbed the whip with the husk as he let the Nightfather’s gift flow through him. Green flames spread from his dead hand as it coiled along the whip and burned away any traces of the infected blood.

The farmers stared at Alnur. He had hoped he would have felt less nervous about the way people looked at him by now. Thankfully Fel was quick to step up and begin ordering the farmers to burn the corpse so that the infection couldn’t spread. The ox was dead but the bloodstone was still hard at work twisting and growing from the beast’s corpse as it knotted around itself, reaching up towards the sky like a tree. If left alone for too long the thing would eventually bloom as tiny shards were whisked away by the wind to repeat the horrid process again and again.

Fel whispered to Alnur as they stood by his side. “I could have dealt with it.” They said.

“I know. I just felt like I had to be the one to put it out of its misery.”

As Fel opened their mouth to speak there was a tug in Alnur’s mind. He let the connection through with a thought.

Is everything alright? I felt something was wrong. His sister Tayla’s voice rang in his mind. The message had a hint of concern intermixed in it.

Fel and I were sharing our excitement of the coming visit from the Court when we had to deal with a small issue. He reached up to grab Fel’s shoulder as the link shuddered with their joining.

How goes the preparation for our proposal, Tayla? Fel sent as they changed the subject.

Tayla replied with a sigh of frustration, I would prefer to be out in the fields with you two, it feels wrong to spend Finis Messis indoors. Father would never have let me hear the end of it. A twinge of sorrow and a hint of joy came across like the interweaving of branches.

Well, if any of us can convince the fools in the Court of our crazy scheme it would be you Tayla. Alnur sent. Don’t miss the fields too much. He shared his aching back pain. Speaking of, we should get back to - The thought was interrupted by the sound of the Herald bell, its pure note rang through the minds of every Twin. The sounds of field work came to a halt. Men and women stopped mid swing, children froze in place as the whole Coast held their breath for a moment. A second ring of the bell rang out, the feeling of anticipation rose in Alnur’s gut. A dreadful excitement that caused his heart to race. The seconds stretched on for eternity. Slowly he released the breath he had been holding. Two rings, it was a call to attention, not an emergency, but a signaling that something of importance was happening. The other’s in the field began looking to Alnur and Fel.

Tayla, what’s happened? Why was the bell rang? Alnur asked, his thoughts were focused and serious.

Just a moment, oh no. Scouts have just sent word. The Court’s representatives are early, they ignored the border guards plea that none may enter during Finis Messis. They will be at the Keel within the hour. Tayla’s message carried the acrid scent of bitterness. Fel and Alnur locked eyes for a moment. Fel’s eyebrows furrowed a fraction of an inch. They were furious.

Alnur quickly sent back, Understood. We’ll make our way back right away. I’ll grab a horse or something. Alnur cut the link, removing his hand from Fel’s shoulder as he looked around at those working the fields. They had stopped and were looking to the two of them for information and guidance.

“It would seem our honored guests have seen fit to come early. Be not alarmed, we will go to personally meet them.” He turned to those around him with a smile on his face as he tried to reassure them. He switched to a jovial tone as he looked down and grabbed the bottom of his tunic, “Not my best attire, but I think this will make quite the impression on our honored cousins wouldn’t you say?” The crowd broke into laughter, cutting the tension away with a calculated motion.

The sound of hoofbeats came over the hill as a young field hand on horseback quickly approached Alnur. The horse came to a stop and the young man jumped down in a hurry. “I heard you may need to get to town fast. Please, take my horse sir.” The young man was flush in the face as he reached the reins out to Alnur. The boy quickly glanced up at Fel and a look of shame crossed his face. “I-I’m so sorry, I only had the one horse,” the boy said.

Fel raised a hand to calm the boy. “That’s alright, I can make do.”

Alnur grabbed the reins, and jumped onto the horse. “You have my thanks, I’ll make sure your horse is taken care of. Be sure to come by the Keel and I’ll reward you for your kindness”. Alnur looked down at the boy with a smile for a moment, then he shifted his focus to the Keel on the horizon. He snapped the reins, urging the horse to a full gallop. The horse took off, thundering down the rough road towards the city. He glanced to his side, unsurprised to see Fel keeping stride with the beast. Anyone else and that would have seemed insane, then again, Fel was a special case. He knew from experience that they could keep up this pace for a few hours with little issue. He had long since stopped being surprised by his sibling.

At full speed Alnur thought he might just beat the Court to the Keel, the staff were all working the fields, there would be no one to meet the representatives and give them a proper greeting. No doubt that would cause yet more friction and more headaches. Alnur still wore his filthy work attire, would he even have a chance to bathe? What in the world would he feed these nobles, the cooks were halfway across the coast pulling potatoes for crying out loud. Maybe Grandmother Rosel would be able to help. This wasn’t the greeting he had envisioned. This could set the negotiations back wholesale. Well, if nothing else, he still had his crown on. That had to count for something, right?

◆◆◆

Tayla slammed the doors control panel with her heel, nearly falling backwards from the shift in her balance. Her arms were filled with documents and maps, she tapped her foot as the door began to raise slowly; she could have sworn the doors were taking extra long today just to spite her. As it passed halfway she quickly ducked under the raising door to save a few precious seconds. Waddling over to her bed she released the culmination of the better part of three years of her life’s work with all the grace of dumping a bin of laundry to be sorted. She bolted for the wardrobe, throwing it open with wanton disregard. While she had hated being cooped up the past few days while everyone else toiled away in the fields. She had enjoyed that without the staff present, she had been able to waltz around the halls of the Keel in her pajamas and slippers. There had been little need to brush and braid her hair, or bother with make up for that matter. Nightfather be praised, it had been wonderful.

That was until the Herald bell had been rung.

Was it so much to ask that the representatives of the Celestial Court, those that spoke for the very gods made manifest, be punctual? Tayla let out an exasperated sigh. Three hundred and sixty days of the year this wouldn’t matter in the slightest. But no, they had to arrive during Finis Messis, the only five days of the whole year that they closed the border. If they happened to be this early couldn’t they have found somewhere to wait the two days left of the festival?

Tayla was ripping through her gowns and clothes looking for something that said ‘We welcome you, we love the gods, but also, get bent for making me have to wear a dress’. She came across her dress for the send off and paused. That’s going to be a nightmare, even amongst her own people it could be a hard ceremony to watch, they might have to throw the Court’s people in the brig for the evening. She smiled at the absurdity of the image.

Tayla eventually settled on an outfit, nothing extravagant, pants and a dark red long coat with her family’s seal on the back. The two headed snake. In her rush she had almost forgotten her glove, it was black leather and stretched to her elbow, she slid it over her right hand to cover the husk of her deadhand as was polite with outsiders. She couldn’t be bothered to try and do her make up, there was simply not enough time. Her hair was wet from having to dunk it in cold water to try and give it some semblance of cleanliness, she brushed it while she ran down the halls.

She took a moment to try and see where Alnur and Fel were. The cold rush of the link stretched out, a heartbeat later she could see the back of a horse’s head, wind rushing through her face, the hairs on her neck stood on end from the sudden cold wind. She could feel the reins in her hands, the leather biting from the hard grip, the soreness from the field washed over her and she had to fight not to brace against the wall. Alnur was aware of her presence, the link was voluntary, you had to welcome the other in. He knew she wasn’t linking to speak, but just to get an idea of his arrival time. Tayla closed the link with a brush of her mind. The weariness ebbing away, Alnur had pushed himself in the fields. Tayla had warned her brother to pace himself, but he wouldn’t dare show himself slacking off to the people during harvest. Her siblings would be another ten minutes, hopefully that was enough time to get into their rooms and grab them something to change into.

The Keel was an odd makeshift palace, from the outside it was a dark spire of dark purple crystal jutting out from the earth, its stern buried some hundred paces deep into the rock as the bow stuck out of the ground at a slight angle skywards, pointing towards the ocean below. Every surface of the Keel was plated in metal, despite being built by the ancients a thousand years in the past halfway across the stars, the Keel still shined as if it were new. Guests often found the most puzzling aspect of the Keel was the lack of windows. There were no exterior windows of any sort, many outsiders found the Keel to be a dark and menacing place. But to Tayla it was her home, she could navigate its winding halls and junctions blindfolded.

Tayla turned a corner and saw a hunched figure in the darkness at the end of the hall. It’s mangled body covered by robes and cloth. Tayla smiled “Grandmother Rosel, what are you doing here?” She quickened her pace towards Rosel, embracing her gently.

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“I…hear-r-rd we…hav-ve gues-s-sts. I.. wi-l-l ..hel-p-p. Cook-k-king… never… wa-was you-r-r-re st-t-trong suit… Nor-r-r… dr-r-ressing… it-t-t seemsss.” Rosel reached a shaking clawed hand up to adjust Tayla’s top button that was in the wrong hole. There was a time when her voice was warm and kind, before the flesh change had taken it away. “G-g-go… my d-d-dear-r… I’ll… st-t-tay.. In t..th..the… kit-t-t-chen….”

Tayla let the embrace end, while taking the clawed hand of Rosel in her own hand. “You’re a lifesaver Grandmother Rosel.” Tayla paused.

Rosel placed her other hands atop Tayla’s. “Fr-r-rown… and-d-d… yo-ou’ll… end-d-d up … look-k-king…lik-ke m-me.” She raised one of her extra appendages while fluttering its clawed fingers. Rosel’s bulbous body shuddered in what was left of her once beautiful laugh. “I’ll…k-k-keep… t-t-to ..the ..kit-t-chen. Pr-r-r-omissse”. With two hands she shooed Tayla to be off, another hand waving Tayla goodbye.

Turning to run, Tayla waved back, darting down the dark halls towards the main entrance. The sounds of skittering claws on metal echoed from behind her. She decided on a shortcut as she jumped into a small circular alcove in the wall. The alcove had a metal ladder bolted to the back with a hole cut into the floor and ceiling. The ladder stretched from the bottom of the Keel, all the way to the top. Throwing the clothes over her shoulder and holding the bundle with one hand, she gripped the ladders side, hooked her heels, and slid the half a dozen decks to the bottom level. As she landed on the ground floor, she ran into the main entrance. There, recessed in the wall beside the raised ramp, was a control console.

Her hands flew across the keypad, entering command after command. She stirred the Keels’ heart from its slumber, conduits of power thrummed to life in response. It was like coaxing a sleeping beast to wake and work the field. The walls and ceilings began to shine with embedded lights, illuminating the darkened halls; vents and air exchangers hissed as they turned the stale air into a perfectly controlled environment. The Keel seemed to resist the attempts to wake, lines of minor errors crossed the screen. Nothing major though, the beast was whining for a few more days of slumber to fix minor issues while it had some downtime. Tayla dismissed the errors, she would still only bring up a portion of the main systems. Just enough to be comfortable, but not enough to draw the Keels' anger. She entered the command for the main ramp to lower. There was a loud pop as one of the many cables leading to the ramp sparked and fell lifeless on the floor with a thud. Glancing at the screen, a new error came up, almost as if the Keel was throwing a tantrum about its nap being interrupted. Tayla placed her hands on her hips, she leveled a withering look at the panel. “Come on now, if I have to get dressed up for this stupid thing so do you! Don’t give me any more lip, we have to appear like a ‘normal’ kingdom, even if just for a week”.

The error disappeared without her touching the console. A shot of air blasted out from a nearby vent like a huff. Manipulator arms lowered from a hidden hatch on the ceiling, grabbing the dislodged cord and fixing it back in place in an overly dramatic fashion. The ramp began to lower to the street below.

Tayla placed a hand on the console screen. “Thank you. Now, how do I look?” the screen of the panel went dark, offering a semblance of a mirror. She ran a hand through her hair, still damp. Damn.

The vent above her angled down and a blast of hot air bellowed out for a moment. Tayla blinked in surprise. Reaching up, her hair was much dryer. “Thank you kindly”.

Another huff of air belched from a vent.

Tayla had been told her whole life that the Keel was just an advanced old world artifact. There was no intelligence in its code, just hundreds of thousands of lines of gibberish that no one could remember how to properly read since the exodus. Yet she still found herself humanizing the machine. Seeing little moments here and there that gave her reason to believe a spark of life yet existed in something that should not have it. Her Father had told her that she was just seeing patterns where there were none. Alnur and Fel humored her, but they didn’t agree with her that the Keel had a spirit of its own. That didn’t stop her from talking to it when she wanted to.

From the bottom of the ramp there came a few staff members in various states of dress, frantically trying to get into their uniforms mid run. They came to a halt in front of Tayla, standing at attention. “Sorry we took so long my lady, we came as soon as we could.” One of them said, trying to catch their breath.

Tayla waved a hand dismissively. “Nonsense, I’m just thrilled some of you managed to get here as quickly as you did. Please take a moment to ready yourselves, I suspect it will be a long night for all of us.” The staff smiled in return, moving into the hold to finish getting themselves presentable.

Tayla spoke to herself. “Now, once Alnur and Fel arrive, we can go over the game plan”. She had barely finished saying those words as a golden carriage pulled up in front of the ramp below. The carriage was followed by a dozen others of equal size and splendor. Each had a different crest from one of the different Celestial clans.

Tayla sent a frantic cry over the link. Alnur opened it immediately, Brother, we have a slight massive problem. It would seem the Court has sent representatives from every house. There was growing panic in her thoughts.

Alnur’s response was filled with dread. Oh Gods, Nightfather take me.

◆◆◆

Alnur shot a worried look to Fel beside him, raising his voice to be heard over the horseshoes hitting the cobblestone. “Tayla just informed me that we will be entertaining diplomates of each of the clans, and over a dozen other officials from all over the Empire. So much for just being the usual faces.”

There was shock on Fel’s face. “We really need some more staff, this could get out of hand.” Despite the noise, their voice could cut through the wind and the ringing of hoofbeats while still sounding subdued. “Should I try and gather some citizens from the nearby fields?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t really know.” Alnur let out a grunt of frustration. “The harvest is our priority. But there are simply too many nobles for us to handle on our own. Get a message to the House of whispers, see if any of the other great Houses can send us able bodies. I’m sure Admiral Broadsen will make a scene, if he gives you any lip tell him that he can kiss his position in the new trade lanes goodbye. Also, see if we can get word to Uncle Cyrus and Lillian. I’m sure they are busy on the outskirts, but they’re probably confused at the ringing of the herald bell.” His frustration with the situation was growing by the second. He wished Lillian had stayed at the Keel. He knew that it was vital work, going around the outskirts to check on the clanless Twins. But still, he missed his fiancee.

With a nod, Fel turned abruptly, changing course to the House of whispers without another word. Alnur noted that Fel seemed to have had little issue out pacing the horse when the need arose.

He finally turned the last corner as he came to the large circular plaza that was the central hub of Navalia; it usually acted as a marketplace, surrounding the Keel’s main entrance on all sides. Now, it was a parking lot for every noble this side of the Empire. He could see the ornate carriages pulled around the entrance to the Keel, the many flags and crests marking the many races of the Court. He slowed his horse, turning slightly, hopefully he could sneak in the side entrance and get himself looking a bit more regal.

Some of the elders had come out of their homes and were gathering to watch the arrival of honored guests. It was true that everyone had an obligation to work during the festival, but these folks had given their all year after year, and with the send off in just two days, they had earned the chance to rest. Many saw Alnur and met him with bows, waves, or the occasional prayer. As he neared the last stretch, he got down from his horse, looking around for a good place to hitch it.

An elderly man approached him. “Your highness, can I be of service?” Alnur took a moment to recall the man's name. A simple kindness that he found went a long way in making those around him feel appreciated.

“I’m sorry to bother you elder Braum, you should be resting. But I’m afraid that our honored guests are in need of my hospitality. Would you do me the favour of caring for this horse, a young man will be by in a bit to pick it up.” He paused as his face felt flush. “But, being the oaf I am, I forgot to ask his name.”

Braum laughed, reaching a shaking hand to grab the reins from Alnur. “I will keep an eye out, if anything, it’s nice that I’ll have some company with me before the send off”. Braum ran his ungloved hand through the horse's mane.

Alnur glanced at the growing crowd, he knew he didn’t have time for idle chit-chat but he needed to help. He put his hand on Braums shoulder. “I’m sorry you’ll be alone for the send off, but if you will allow me, I would be honored to give you your final goodbye.”

Tears welled in Braums eyes as he stared at Alnur. His chin quivered. “I could never thank you enough, your highness”.

“Nonsense, you have given your life to the Coast. You’re the one in need of thanking. This is the least I can do for you.”

Shouting broke the heartfelt moment. Alnur turned his head to the source, a terrible hunch crossing his mind. A man was standing at the base of the Keels’ main ramp next to Tayla. From this distance Alnur couldn’t make out what was being said, but could see how animated the man was. He instinctively reached out to link his senses with Tayla. A moment later her vision overlaid his own. He could see a man, he looked to be in his late twenties with short blond hair and ridged features; the gold trim on his white robes denoted him as a Secundus, one of the highest ranks in the Court's holy order.

Alnur’s hunch had been correct. The man was a Stormpriest.

The priest's tone and cadence was akin to a sermon, broadcasting to the other nobel houses disembarking from their carriages. “-The indignity that we have to face is unrivaled! This is what they think of the Gods, those that granted each of us purpose and life! The Holy ones that took us from the cold darkness of the old world and shaped us in their images!” The man continued to shout, never pausing for a breath.

Alnur was already jogging towards the scene, he knew Tayla could handle this better than he could. She handled most of the diplomatic interactions on his behalf. Alnur had the terrible habit of being honest, which as Tayla had informed him, was not the goal in diplomacy. He had no doubt his sister had the situation under control, however, someone was yelling at his family, and that was unacceptable.

As Alnur approached, he passed several of the other representatives, most of whom were frozen watching the spectacle unfolding before them. Tayla could be seen trying her best to politely interject the ramblings of the Storm Priest. By now a few of the staff members had made it back to the Keel, they stood in line with Tayla. The priest for his part seemed to care little that Tayla was there at all. Seeming more interested in the finer points of why the Gods should strike down every Twin in the land. The priest spun in place to face the other nobles. Readying yet another barrage of xenophobic slander. The priest was quite surprised to come face to face with Alnur instead. Finally stopping his impassioned tirade for a blessed moment.

Looking Alnur up and down the priest responded with a click of his tongue, “Well, this is the best you heretics can do? He looks able bodied enough but he’s filthy. You would have such a disgraceful servant handle the precious belongings of an agent of the Gods!” The priest huffed. “Fine, the All Mother has seen fit to give me the humility to look past this! Come now, grab my bags and let's be off.” He pushed the bags he held in his hands into Alnurs chest, who grabbed them out of reflex as he processed what had happened. The priest turned on a heel towards the Keel without another word.

Tayla and the staff bowed their heads. The priest smirked at the sight. “We greet the King of the Black Coast, Alnur Ebontide.” She raised her voice, letting it reach the gawking diplomats. The priest froze in his tracks, slowly turning back to Alnur, the priest's eyes bulged, almost popping out of his skull. His slack jaw moving up and down slowly.

Alnur held the priest's gaze. Raising an eyebrow, the rest of his face unmoving.

I really want to punch him. Alnur sent over the still open link.

Tayla laughed internally. Only if I get to hit him first. For now, any chance you can reign in the anger and be polite?

By way of answering, Alnur slipped the bags under one arm. He beamed a jovial smile. “Honored guests” Turning to meet the eyes of the growing crowd of representatives. “We are humbled to have the pleasure of welcoming you all into our homeland. You have found us in the middle of our yearly harvest, Finis Messis. This is a special and holy time for us, for we are given the chance to pay tribute to The Celestial Court and all of the Gods' children. To pay back the kindness and mercy that the All Mother granted us, her forsaken sons and daughters. We all take this tribute seriously, working tirelessly to give our thanks, even a simple ruler such as myself. These clothes are filthy, my brow covered in sweat, my hands stained with dirt and sod; for that is my commitment. To do all that I can do to provide for each of you and your people. You may see my appearance as disrespectful. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, I came the moment I was made aware of your early arrival, wasting no time with outer appearances. I wanted to welcome each and every one of you, with open arms-” He paused, glancing at the arm still holding bags. “-Open arm, welcome to Navalia”. There was a roar of laughter at his joke, the odd clapping of hands intermixed.

He let his eyes pan across the crowd. Tayla was no doubt using his eyes, making note of everyone's response, seeing who was sympathetic and who was hostile. The moment over, the crowd continued unloading and going about their business.

Nice script, when did you have time to write it? Alnur sent.

I’ll have you know that that was off the top of my head. Well played with the joke, broke the tension nicely.

Sorry for stepping in, I’m sure you had it handled, but that lightning rod didn’t seem interested in giving you a chance to rebuke his lunacy.

Tayla sent a wave of frustration. I barely had a chance to wish him a good day before he went off. You presented me with the perfect way of shutting down his nonsense, while ingratiating yourself with the crowd. All I had to do was wait.

Alnur chuckled out loud, doing his best to hide the odd outburst to any onlookers. So Tayla did have a plan to deal with the priest, wait for her over protective brother to waltz up; and he had played his part just like she wanted. This was why he left the complicated plans to her. And why she left the small talk to him.

The link was convenient in many ways, but one of Alnurs favorite aspects was the speed. Entire conversations could be had in a fraction of the time. Alnur turned to face the priest, who was quickly shaking off his embarrassment, no doubt winding up for another monologue. Alnur was quick to interrupt the man, “My honored cousin. Allow me to carry your bags into the main hold. There we can see about getting them ushered to your room in a more dignified fashion.” Alnur walked towards the ramp, pausing for a moment to walk in step with the priest before whispering. “Let us try and put this behind us, cousin. This will be a long week for the both of us if we let this sour our interactions to come.” He still smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

The priest allowed his voice to lower, a feat Alnur wouldn’t have thought possible. “That stunt back there may have gotten the others to overlook this insult, but I am not so quick to forget. Do you look down on the gods so much that you make light of their most favored servants?” There was bitterness in the man's voice, a testament to his honest faith, and that he viewed this as all just a ploy to undermine his masters.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Alnur pushed his anger and frustration down. It was not his goal to make an enemy out of the man. He came to stop at the top of the ramp, glancing to make sure they were out of ear shot of anyone else. He turned to the priest, meeting his cold gaze. Alnur took a moment to place the man's bags on the ground of the hold. “I will be frank with you, you have arrived during a time when our borders are closed, my people are working themselves to the bone from sunup to sundown to meet the growing tithes on us. I came as soon as I could, and when I get here I find a shepherd of the All Mother raising his voice at my own blood, at those that volunteered to come back to serve you and our very unexpected number of guests. Why? What more could be done with such little notice?”

The priest for his part softened, “You really didn’t know we were coming? We sent word two days ago via the old network.”

“The old network?” Alnur said in disbelief. He raised a hand to his forehead. “We only have one place able to receive such messages” gesturing around him to the Keel, “which we have to shut down during the festival for maintenance.” The absurdity of it all was comical.

“What? But, we received a response. Stating that we would be met with great fanfare. How could this be? Can we check the logs?”

It was Alnur’s turn to be shocked; what message? There could be no way to send such a thing. Nothing else in the coast had the ability to access the orbital array. Such technology had been lost hundreds of years ago. “I would very much like to verify this response as well honored cousin. But once the Keel has started its work, coaxing it back to life is outside our current understanding of its systems. In truth, getting the air and lights functioning is the limit during this time.”

The priest's face was twisted in confusion. “There is truth in what you say, your highness. I don’t doubt your kind is antagonistic towards the Court. But there would be little to gain in such a childish display.” The content of what he said was still grating, but the tone had shifted becoming much more approachable. “Let me speak clearly and without formality. My actions were made with the gods in mind, but it would seem that I acted without a full understanding. That is to say, I owe you an apology for my outburst.” He seemed uncomfortable with the notion of being wrong, and more uncomfortable with having to speak humbly to a Twin.

Alnur, for his part, was trying his best to follow his fathers advice of judging the ‘what’ someone said, and not the ‘how’. Brushing the mild insults aside, he focused on the apology. “Thank you, I only ask that you offer the same sentiments to my sister and staff. Once the Keel is back up and running at full power we can try and get to the bottom of this, I would ask you to be present when we restore the link so that you can verify our claims.”

Nodding, the priest said, “A sound idea, one that I would gladly take. If there is someone attempting to slander or mislead the agents of the Court I would track them down and see that they are made to reflect on the gravity of such actions. I will also be sure to share my apologies with those I blamed unjustly. The All Mother would have it no other way.”

“I believe that we are long overdue for introductions, I am Alnur Ebontide, welcome to our home.”

The priest clasped his hands together and bowed. “I am Secundus Thoren of the Order of our Mother’s holy remembrance.”

“Well Secundus Thoren, I must leave you now. As you have noted, I am in dire need of a change of clothes.” Alnur said.

Thoren let a smile cross his face. “Thank you for your time, your highness.”

Alnur took the chance to slip away, guided by Tayla via the link, he found a nearby washroom. A pile of clean clothes, a few hot towels and some privacy were waiting for him. Not the hot bath he had been dreaming of, but it was a start.