‘I wonder what Deirdee is up to?’ Caei asked idly while looking through the window at the courtyard below.

We were in the apartment the three of us shared in the Citadel of the Sun, a giant obsidian fortress that housed both the grandfather’s legion and the god of this realm - The Sun That Burns No More. Lilyth said the place looked like a cigurad, whatever that is. I guess it’s some building with multiple levels that get smaller the higher it gets. The highest level was occupied by Lord Sun, and the one below him by my grandfather, his staff and the god’s priesthood. Our apartment was in the middle of the central level. It was a fairly large room with a bed that could fit all three of us, a wooden table where we ate most of our meals, a couple of dressers where we stored our things and a bookshelf. There was nothing in terms of adornments, but there was a bathroom attached to it with a bathtub, sink, toilet and what made my slimy cutie almost orgasm from sheer joy - running water and a shower.

The Abyss itself turned out to be a massive disappointment. The place was a massive network of caves all lit by some reddish orbs hanging on ceilings.

‘Leading a happy and fulfilling life?’ Lilyth suggested.

She was lying on our bed and staring at the ceiling, her hands behind her head. I think of the three of us she hated the Abyss the most. Or rather, as she explained, it was not the place that was the problem, but rather us not being able to leave it.

‘Don’t get me wrong, babe,’ she said the previous night when the three of us were cuddling in bed before we went to sleep. ‘I find it extremely ironic, and not in the Alanis Morissette way, that the safest and happiest place I’ve been so far on Dwynveia is the local equivalent of fucking hell, but a gilded cage is still a cage.’

The discussion almost immediately then derailed into who Alanis Morisette was, but the phrase Lil used there stuck with me.

A gilded cage is still a cage.

Were we really inside of one? Lilyth has been incredibly paranoid from the moment we made our first steps in the Abyss, and after almost three days of mostly being stuck in a single room, I was fully on board with her. For one, we weren't allowed to wander around on our own, and the locations we could visit were extremely limited. One time, Lily asked if there was a library in the citadel. She was told that yes, and if she said what she was interested in they would bring it to her. It was brief but Lil’s eyes narrowed and she simply said: some novels would do in an even voice.

While the guard was gone I tapped Lilyth’s notebook and she wrote:

“I can’t trust anything they bring me. Because it won’t be what I want to learn but what they want me to learn.”

Caei, who was also interested in the library, nodded with disappointment clearly visible on her face.

The notebook was the first of Lilyth's “paranoid measures”. When we first got to our room and started unpacking Lilyth tapped the windowsill with her pencil. When she had our undivided attention she put her finger on her mouth, which I understood meant “hush” and started writing.

“Don’t talk about anything important (inc. our plans) while we are here. They are likely spying on us.”

Caei raised her eyebrow and asked for the notebook. They passed it between each other for a while as they “conversed”.

Caei: “Spying? How.”

Lilyth: “The room is likely bugged.”

Caei: “Bugged?”

Lilyth (after facepalming): “On Earth, we call listening devices “Bugs”. Those are small machines that can be used to listen and/or watch some location from afar. In this case it could be spells.”

Caei’s eyes got wide and she wrote:

“Haven't considered that. You really think Zekuthran would listen in on his granddaughter and her lov us?”

Lilyth: “He is not Aki’s grandfather. He just happened to fuck her grandmother. There is a difference.”

Aki: “I agree. Why was he angry?”

Lilyth: “Elaborate.”

Aki: “He said you're a good friend but wasn't happy.”

Lilyth (after an exasperated sigh): “You asshole grandfather was “testing me”. He said I passed his little tests, but I think he actually hates that I saw through his bullshit and was trying to salvage the situation.”

Lilyth then summarised the conversation. Caei hissed when she finished reading it. I felt anger rise in me too. I had to bite my tongue not to speak up.

Caei (shaky handwriting): “You are right. We can’t trust him.”

I simply nodded in agreement, as I got tired of writing with my left hand. Being ambidextrous had its uses but I didn't have enough practice with my right hand and tried writing with the left one maybe twice before.

Lilyth: “Good. Caei can you burn these?”

Caei wordlessly opened the window, took the paper sheet into her hand and burned it with her Flame Tongue spell.

That sordid business handled we just lay there on the bed and comforted each other. The hospital cost us a lot. Caei's wings, my hand and Lilyth's ability to use most magic. Poor Caeileera was absolutely devastated. The wings were her pride and joy. So we just let her cry it out with us. And then cry some more. And cry.

Eventually, she fell asleep and we just lay there with Lilyth to keep her company. She didn't get to sleep for long, however, as a demon came to our room and told us to get ready for a “welcoming dinner”. I think the only reason it happened on a remotely friendly foot was that Lilyth was too focused on helping me with my food to bicker with Zekuthran. It was humiliating to be no longer able to handle it on my own, but it would take me time to relearn how, so I really appreciated her. Once Caei was done eating she changed Lilyth so that our slimy girlfriend could eat. We mostly made small talk with my grandfather that evening. After we were done eating he commented “It was good I had such good friends.” I could sense Lilyth wanted to say something nasty, so I kicked her under the table and she got the message.

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The second day was when our limitations became really apparent. We were told to stay in our room. The only places we could go were the doctor’s office and the kitchen. The first we were brought to anyway for “check-ups”.

In my case, they checked how I was healing and took the measurements of my arms.

Apparently, the healers here were also very interested in Lilyth and examining her elemental contamination. She had other ideas and when one particular doctor, called Kavel I think, was too insistent on running tests on her, she allowed him to come closer to her and summoned one of her knives and put it really close to his crotch. The doctor scrambled away from her as if she was a poisonous animal and called for the guards. The two demons who burst in were really perplexed by the sight as we were searched for weapons before entering and nothing was found.

‘I have my ways,’ Lilyth shrugged and hung the knife on her belt. ‘Tell Doctor “Can’t fucking understand the word ‘No’” over there to mind his own fucking business and that knife will stay on my belt.’

‘I will have to insist you give it to me,’ the guard said impassively. ‘It will be returned to you when you return to your room. I understand your feelings ma’am, but we’d rather avoid any incidents.’

With a wide smile, Lilyth gave him the knife hilt first. The guard took it but it immediately vanished from his hand and reappeared in Lilyth's.’

‘Oh,’ the guard said. ‘I’m afraid you will have to come with us, ma’am.’

Lilyth shrugged and followed them, a smile not leaving her face.

When she was led back to our room later, by then me and Caei have already returned, she said that he managed to wrestle a concession out of my grandfather that the doctors would “respect her boundaries”, and in exchange she would wear a small bracelet that would limit her ability to summon soulbound items. It would be removed from her when we would be leaving the Abyss. She hushed us and then showed us the arm where the bracelet was. She then effortlessly slid it off her hand due to her flesh shifting to account for that. Seconds later she slid it back on and gave us a shrug with an innocent smile.

She then wrote in her notebook:

Lilyth: “I doubt they forgot about this or didn’t think I would figure it out in less than three minutes. Probably a face-saving measure for them to give the doctors a false sense of security”.

Caei: “And to give you a rule you will have to break.”

Lilyth (frown): “That too. Good point.”

We didn't get to eat dinner with Grandfather that evening. Apparently, he was busy with his duties.

You would think Lilyth’s the one who is a demon, I thought as I was slowly drifting away to sleep in the warm embrace of my girlfriends.

‘She lacks grace but means well, my friend,’ a suave female voice said.

This made Aki jump, disturbing Caei and Lilyth, but she waved them off as she realised what was happening.

Let me guess… Lady Irmen?

‘Correct,’ the goddess laughed. ‘How did you guess?’

Lilyth serves Ladies Ereshkigal and Ter’ius so I can't imagine why they would contact me instead of her.

‘Half-right. You are missing one possibility though, Aki. Nyxie and Ere could have had something to tell you.’

Ah. That makes sense. So how can I help you, my lady?

‘It’s me who wants to help you. You are in the nest of snakes and the only one here without any protection. And I find myself in need of a champion.’

Why contact me now? The timing of this is… suspect, to say the least.

‘You’ve been listening to Lilyth. Good. What she lacks in grace and common sense she makes up in knowledge. The world she is coming from is complex. Far beyond anything either you or Caeileera ever had a chance to experience. For them, the constant risk of surveillance is a fact of life.’

Surweilens?

‘Sorry, spying. But yes, you can usually trust her advice on this.’

Than… wait, you didn't answer my question.

‘I can see we are going to get along just fine. To answer you: we were observing you but chose not to act due to your interest in your heritage. None of us expected you to end up here so quickly. So we decided to interfere. And yes. It is unfair of us to meddle in the lives of you mortals. But we can't always get what we want. So I want to warn you - if you ever meet the Sun, and I suspect you will quite soon, your days as a free agent are over.’

What do you mean?

‘Can you imagine ever refusing a god to his face? I suspect Lilyth would try and suffer the consequences, but would you?

She would probably insult him too. Me… I’m not sure. Why is Lilyth like this?

‘She is from a world with different customs, though her use of insults is just her being herself. I’m not gonna lie to you: Lilyth was only looking to align herself with one of the powers to protect you and Caeileera. Not because she wanted it. She would happily follow you into the service of the Sun, but she would be unhappy there because Lilyth is the kind of a person who will never play nice with any god. That possibly includes us. Which is why we play nice with her - we need her help. And we need your help, Aki if you will grant it.’

But what about the Great Game? Don’t we need protection?

‘You do. But who says it needs to be from us gods? Trust in yourself, Aki. Trust in your companions. Trust in other mortals.’

It’s weird to hear a goddess say that.

‘Our six always wanted to aid you. Help you find your place. Not to rule over you. We will always be there when people need us.’

That's… sad.

‘Such is life. And such should be the lot of gods. The only rules we establish are those to prevent or punish your worst impulses. I am fine with you fishing for food and even for trophies so long as it is within reason. I am not fine with hunting sea animals specifically for the value their bones or fat have. Or destroying unique structures that took hundreds of years to form and cannot be fixed.’

I understand. Won’t Lord Sun and my grandfather mind?

‘This I cannot say. They are fine with Caeileera being aligned with Akh’ret and Lilyth with Ere and Nyx. So why should you be different? And their existing patronages make them into potential allies for the Sun rather than subjects.’

Why you and not Lord Gin’ig, though?

‘Because you will need guile to get by. And that's my area, as are your combat style, and interest in alchemy. You can always ask him for support. I won’t mind. And do long as you don't pull a Lilyth you should be fine with using both fire and water. What we would be establishing would be more of a mentoring arrangement. Of course, you would have duties as a champion, but nothing too bad. Ironically, Gin’ig would be a perfect match for Lilyth with how reckless and impetuous she is.’

I see. Very well. I accept.

Irmen is now your Patron Deity

‘Perfect. Try to stay safe. I will contact you once you get out of the Abyss, as I fear I may have outstayed my welcome. Be seeing you.

And that's how we got to that morning of the third day. I was going to respond to Lilyth’s comment about Deirdee, but someone knocked on the door.

I opened it and saw our usual guide.

‘Miss Aki,’ he began. ‘You are expected in the medical wing.’

When he saw that Lilyth and Caei started moving towards the door he shook his head.

‘I was told to just bring Miss Aki. Don't worry. It’s about getting her a replacement hand.’

This soon?

‘Lead on, then! I said happily.