Alnur returned to the main hold feeling more human. Tayla had picked out his attire, she knew he preferred simple sensibility. His outfit consisted of a black coat that ended above his ankles, on its back was the two headed snake of house Ebontide. Hanging from his hip was his family's heirloom sword. The sheathe did well to hide its true nature from prying eyes.

  By now the rest of the diplomats had disembarked and were making their way up to the hold. Alnur began the onslaught of greetings and polite small talk, trying to slowly ford the flow of people between him and his sister. Whom at this very moment was directing the growing number of staff in how to handle our unexpected guests. He didn’t recognize some of the staff's faces, the different hints of color on their uniforms indicated that many were from the other great Houses, there were even a few from Broadsen. Fel must have been successful in getting the stubborn fool to see reason.

  He was almost to Tayla when he noticed the two giants walking up the ramp; towering above the rest of the guests in full praetorian armor. The plates of the armor appeared like molten gold, swirling and churning as if alive. Beneath the molten gold was the burning brilliance of a captured star, radiating an aura of light all around them. Praetorian armor was the pinnacle of old world technology and Celestial power. If even half of the myths and legends were true, a single suit of armor could turn the tide of almost any battle. Only one race was given the honor of donning such artifacts, the Ono. Champions of the gods, the unparalleled hunters of the stars, paragons of loyalty and honor.

  Excusing himself, Alnur changed course towards the two warriors. The world seemed to grow quiet as he moved through the crowd towards the pair of golden giants. His mind buzzed as he tried to inch ever closer to the pair. Just as he was about to reach them the link gnawed at him with a burning sense of irritation. He clicked his tongue as he opened the link.

  Have you finally lost your mind! You ignored not one, but three important trade partners without bothering to give them a simple ‘Hello’! Tayla’s inner voice filled with rage. Alnur shot a glance towards his sister. She was speaking to a woman across the main hold, the woman's head was covered in patterns and runes tattooed into her bald head. Her white and red robes marked her as a Necromaster of the Blood swamps. What in the hell was she doing here so far from home.

  Tayla for her part wasn’t showing any of her rage outwardly, she was better at that than Alnur. Even while she smiled and made small talk she continued to scold him. I know you love to fawn over anything Ono but meeting your idols and whatnot can wait. I can’t have you leaving me to this mob to fend for myself. Need I remind you? You are the face of the nation, I am your shadow.

  Alnur felt his stomach knot up as his face grew red. Tayla was right, he had lost his senses when he saw the Ono in person. He had almost put all of his ancestors' hardwork in jeopardy. They had waited almost eight centuries, there was no point in all that strife if he bungled it now. I’m sorry, I lost sight for a moment. I’ll be sure to make amends with those trade partners you mentioned. He tried to change the subject quickly. Any word on the great hall? Is it almost ready? The hold is a bit cramped with so many people in it.

  When Tayla responded there was no hint of her anger from before. She would always call Alnur out for his mistakes, but was never one to dwell on them. I’m just getting word, it would seem they are ready. Would you do the honors?

  Alnur moved to the back of the hold, turning to face the crowd. “My esteemed guests, I cannot thank you enough for your patience. I’m sure you can all agree that although wonderful, our main hold is a rather poor reception hall. Our staff has readied rooms for all of you to relax and refresh yourselves. After which we would ask you all to join us in the gathering hall for refreshments and to discuss the details of your visit. The Keel can be a bit confusing, and as our staff is limited in number at the moment, guiding you all individually would be a timely undertaking.” He gestured above his head, where on cue a glowing orb of blue light appeared on the ceiling panel, its light pulsing gently. Another similar blue light appeared a slight distance beside the first, a line of lights danced one after another towards a nearby hallway, turning at an angle and progressing down the length of the hall. As the line of lights grew, the old ones faded, until after they had almost gone out, the cycle repeated again.

  “These lights will guide you all to our guest deck. There you may each claim any of the rooms available. If any of you have any issues with your accommodations please let any of our staff know and we will do our utmost to rectify any issues.” As the gathered crowd began to turn towards the indicated hallway Alnur raised his voice once more. “One last thing, I must humbly ask you all to please not wander off. The Keel is currently in a partial slumber, many decks and corridors may not be safe to those unfamiliar with them. Getting lost is all too common for newcomers, and that’s when the lights are usually on. I ask that all of you keep this to heart during your stay.”

  ◆◆◆

  The gathering hall was abuzz with activity. It was one of the largest non-essential rooms in the Keel, the cold metal walls having been overlaid with rich imported wood, a large wall screen encompassed the port wall. The screen was set to show the view from the exterior of the palace, overlooking the city below. Navalia was unique for being a coastal city with no means of actually accessing the ocean. A massive wall of stone one hundred feet tall stretched in a large half circle roughly one thousand feet from the shore. The wall created a barrier between Navalia and the ocean beyond. In the space between, the rivers and streams from the coral highland flowed into the basin, forming a pool of water about shin deep. From this shoreline, the city was built into the steep hills, houses were built into the sides of the sharp incline. Each house was built in the shape of a boat of various sizes; paying honor to the ways before the Twin’s fell from grace, their bows pointing oceanward, supported by wooden pillars.

  On the crest of the hill sat the great houses. These like the Keel had come to rest here at the nation's inception, great warships that now housed the shipmasters and their families. Quazi nobles, these shipmasters made up the councils that oversaw the Black Coast’s inner workings, alongside the various guilds. The Keel looked nothing like the other warships, they were built for conventional naval warfare, while the Keel had a much more ancient purpose.

  That was long ago in its prime, now it simply sat idle, a strange purple spire of crystal from a forgotten age. A monument of a glorious past, and a tragic reminder of what had been lost.

  Tayla often loved looking out over the city, she also found that adding some views of the outside helped guests with the cramped nature of the Keel.

  Tayla pulled her attention back to the guests. They had been expecting a delegation of the same tired bureaucrats that came to check that the Empire’s vassal state was still operating as intended. What they were met with was a little over two dozen nobles from every corner of the Empire. Tayla would have bet that many of those that had come wouldn’t have been able to point to the Black Coast on a map before today.

  Not to mention the various representatives made up of all the Celestial Courts' many children. Tayla had never thought she would find herself face to face with a Necromaster from the Blood swamps. It had been a pleasant conversation until the subject of family had come up. The woman, one Denesia Oaksbane, had been quite frank that in her luggage she carted about was in fact a pair of human skeletons. Apparently they belonged to her uncle and aunt who had wished their remains to be of use after their passing. The Necromaster had had enough common sense to not animate the pair for dinner, though they did ask if she could take them on a stroll around town afterwards to ‘Show them the sights’.

  Tayla, like all the Twins of the Coast worshiped the Night Father, a psychopomp and literal embodiment of death itself. Even with that in mind she still found the thought of walking the corpses of her family like pets on an evening stroll was an entirely different level of comfort with the dead that she had found extreme. Say what you will, at least this situation gave Tayla the chance to make new connections where she never thought possible before. That was, until Fel entered the hall.

  Tayla had warned her siblings that even amongst their own people seeing Fel in their full armor could be a bit hard to handle. Fel had chosen to ignore that advice, entering the hall in their full regalia. Standing at seven feet tall they towered over even the Ono in their praetorian suits. The armor was made of dozens of segments of overlapping black leather plates, like some sort of insect carapace. Their ankle length white hair was braided and fastened with iron bands, occasionally scraping the floor as they turned their head. A bone white mask hung from their belt, it had angular cheeks, a long narrow chin, and three evenly spaced holes in the place of eyes and a nose. Staring into those pits was like looking into an endless abyss, they sucked in any light around them, like holes punched in the fabric of reality itself, oozing some unseen energy. Even Tayla avoided looking at the mask for too long. On Fel’s waist was a coiled thresher whip. Its barbed hooks were a thinly veiled threat to any who wished harm to their king.

  Fel came to a stop beside Alnur at the end of the long table, standing at attention by his side. A mirror to the Ono, at the other side of the table.

  The silence was thick with tension. Tayla knew that something had to be said or done to break this awkward situation, her mind raced through every possible avenue of polite conversation starters. She hadn’t noticed Alnur standing from his seat. She almost jumped when he raised his voice to the silent diplomats. “It is my pleasure to introduce my younger sibling, Fel.” He gestured with his non gloved hand, his face beaming with pride.

  There was a chorus of confusion in the crowded room. Many looked amongst themselves in bewilderment. It was the delegate from the Trest that stood in response, a slab of rock in human form. The outer layer of the man's skin was a rough stone like substance, jet black in color with striations of grey and blue. He wore bands of iron in his long beard and along his exposed arms; revealing an admirable physique for a man of his age. Every inch of his skin from his bald head to his bare feet was covered in tattoos of gold, telling the man's life story.

  The Trest man's voice was like the grinding of stone, “If you will excuse my ignorance your highness, but as your folks name suggests. I was under the assumption that you were always born as twins, I’ve never heard of a triplet.”

  Tayla stood at this “As you say. We are the Twins of the Black Coast. We aren’t sure why, but the old ones who originally designed us made sure that we are always born as twins, a pair. We are born bonded, two halves of a single being. Blessed with the link, we are forever connected.” She tried to carefully step around the part involving the Nightfather. No need to give their enemies ammunition to throw back at them later. “Once every generation, a triplet is born. The exact reason is unknown.”

  The Trest man nodded. “I have never heard of such a thing. I, like many others, have heard tales of the Twins ability to communicate over vast distances in the blink of an eye. If I may ask, do you all share that connection?” The question was innocent enough, but Tayla still winced at hearing it. She had hoped to avoid making their personal family matters the business of the Court.

  “They do not share it directly. We can partially connect by making physical contact though.” Alnur said..

  It was Denesia that spoke up next, “You refer to your sibling as ‘They’? For what reason?” There was a hint of confusion in the woman's tone.

  Before Tayla or Alnur had a chance to speak, Fel said, “Twins are born as a pair. One the left hand, the other the right hand. One graced with the passion of the heart, the other blessed with the logic of the mind. Always, one is born female, and the other male, as a triplet, I am neither. I am simply me.” Fel’s eyes never moved during their whole speech. Their voice calm and matter of fact.

  Some of the diplomats nodded their heads, accepting the explanation. Others looked confused, a couple had furrowed brows, anger written on their faces. Alnur cleared his throat, drawing attention. “Fel is Fel, the why and how matters not. Moving on from that, my sister Tayla has been working on a proposal that I think you would all find most interesting.”

  Tayla felt her gut drop. She didn’t bother with the link, staring daggers at her brother openly. This wasn’t part of the plan at all. She wasn’t ready for this. She had been preparing for a small group, one she could slowly work on, getting them to see the merits of such a bold plan without seeming crazy. Alnur had just thrown her in the middle of the ocean to sink or swim.

  Tayla turned to the waiting eyes of the diplomates. “It is true I have been working on something that I believe could have far reaching potential, something that if I and my team are correct, will need to be addressed in the next few years lest we suffer a loss of life unseen since the century of strife.” At the mere mention of one of the darkest times in the history of the Empire many shifted in their chairs, it was a horrible time that wasn’t generally discussed in polite company. “I had hoped to have a bit more time preparing for a more in depth presentation after the festival.

  “To cut to the chase, if our math is correct, the whole of the celestial Empire will face a crisis the likes of which we have never seen before. This will result in the deaths of tens, perhaps even hundreds of thousands over the coming decades.” She let the weight of her words hang in the air. The faces around the table were aghast, quickly they shifted to disbelief, an understandable reaction and one that she knew was coming. Tayla had reacted the same way when she had come across the numbers some months ago.

  Several diplomats were raising their voices in anger. Tayla ignored the cries of alarm as she walked towards the screen along the port side wall. She laid her hand on it, entering in sequences to open the data she had been formulating. In a moment the image of the city cast in the evening glow was replaced with graphs and charts. Tayla raised her voice, but over the heated rabble at the table her words fell on deaf ears. With a sigh she looked at Fel who met her gaze with a raised eyebrow.. Tayla nodded towards the table of growing voices. Fel walked forward, clearing half of the long table in a few strides, until they came to the source of the loudest voice. The voice belonged to an older woman, the representative of the port city of Freeholm, she was half raised from her seat yelling about something or other. Fel gently placed an unnaturally long gauntleted hand on the shoulder of the woman, the woman's legs gave out as she fell back into her seat frozen in fear. Fel leaned over the woman from above. Towering over all those seated, they raised a long finger over their mouth, shushing them calmly like they were children speaking during a play. They then pointed their finger towards Tayla, the entire table turned their undivided attention back to her.

  “As I was saying, to understand the issue we must look at the census data from the imperial survey. Looking over the data we found that the population of the nations under the Empire's umbrella are growing at an alarming rate. The crux of the issue however is food, at this rate the Empire will simply not have enough food for all of its citizens. Our entire infrastructure relies on machinery from the old world, but after a thousand years these machines are breaking down more and more and we simply don’t have the knowledge or resources to maintain them.

  “These machines range from air ships, to mills, to power plants, but the one that has me most concerned are the machines capable of preserving food for long periods of time. Flash freezing, cold storage, and many simple processes that allow us to store food for winter or long periods are being lost year after year. If our population were to plateau now, we might be able to survive with the crops and food supply chains we have at our disposal. Once we pass the point of no return we will be unable to keep up with the demand for food throughout the Empire. While we have no way to replace the machines from the old world, we can develop new methods of storage and transportation of goods.” Tayla winced internally. She had wanted more time to refine her speech, areas that she felt were weak. But the foundation was solid, her math was accurate. The threat was a real and pressing one. She just hoped that the Court would listen.

  A quiet man stood from his seat as he adjusted his glasses. His robes and blue skin marked him as a high ranking Tideborn administrator from some imperial order or another. While the gods might rule the land, the Tideborn were the men and women that spent their lives ensuring that the massive beast actually ran smoothly as they saw to the various daily needs of the Empire.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “May I ask for a copy of the census you used to draw these conclusions. I would like an opportunity to verify your findings.” The man said.

  Tayla knew this could make or break her proposal, the Tideborn were one of her people's sister races along with the Stormborn. The other two races regarded the Twins with hatred and scorn, which was understandable considering the part her people played in killing their gods.

  While Tayla prided herself in her skill with numbers and analysis, she paled in comparison to the graduates from the imperial academy of the Tideborn. Was it glamorous? No, but no one dared say they weren’t the most efficient at it, they had had a millennium to perfect the craft of paperwork to an artform.

  Tayla nodded at one of her staff members who stood at the other end of the gathering hall. The young woman hurried forward to the administrator with a leather bound folder of documents. With a polite nod he sat down and began looking over the complex data. Somewhere from his voluminous robes he had made a calculator appear from thin air.

  The room was silent, the minutes grinding by waiting for the administrator to come to a conclusion. The only sound was the furious clacking of the calculator keys. Tayla had a moment of panic, perhaps she had been wrong. If it was found she had been mistaken, she would never live this down. It would be a new black mark on her people for years.

  The Tideborn reached up and took his glasses off, rubbing his brow. “The numbers do not lie, according to this, the point of no return-”

  “Was five years ago.” Tayla said, finishing the man’s sentence in an attempt to steal back the weight of the declaration.

  The room was filled with cries of concern and frustration. Many took a moment to pray for divine guidance. Those in disbelief at Tayla’s claim turned to the Tideborn, who nodded in agreement.

  Tayla slapped the screen to gain the room's attention once more. “We are faced with challenges that we could never have foreseen. Asking the gods to wipe away our blunder will not erase our inaction. We must work together to forestall the coming loss of life. The old ones made their machines to last, but it has been almost two thousand years since the exodus began. If we are to survive we cannot solely rely on them.”

  The representative of the free city of Valherst raised her hand. “Could we simply not plant more crops here in the Black Coast.”

  Tayla responded quickly. “The Black Coast was charged with providing crops for the Empire, for seven hundred years we have done all that we can, but when the All Mother made the Coast, it was as a punishment for us. The ocean is always within sight, but we are forbidden from the seas' bounty, ample land to farm, yet we must import soil for our fields from elsewhere; a process we must repeat regularly as the ground below poisons the soil over time. We only have one main road through the coral highlands and that has to circumvent the great lake of wraith, which is a winding and unforgiving path, as I’m sure you all have now found for yourselves. Simply put, we have almost reached our limit as things stand now. The main road is in constant repair and can be down for months. Even if we grow more crops, much of it will not survive the transportation to Fulcrest, where it must be ferried further up the elder and younger sister rivers.”

  The room fell silent once more.

  The person who broke the silence was the last one Tayla would have expected as Thoren said. “You said you had a proposal. I feel like you’ve done well with the build up. Let us hear the plan you’ve come up with.” His face was one of deadly seriousness. Storm Priests could be zealots, but they took any threat to the Holy Empire as a matter of life and death.

  Tayla bowed slightly “We have thought of a few solutions. I am sure every nation under the Celestial Courts Empire will have to take steps to prevent the worse that is to come. For our part, we keep coming back to one issue. The transportation of fresh soil to the Coast, and the transportation of crops in a timely manner to other major trade cities. As such, the solution we have to offer could be seen… as bordering on heresy.” Tayla readied herself for the barrage of anger. Several chairs crashed to the ground as their occupants stood up in a frenzy.

  To everyone's surprise it was Thoren that slammed his fist into the table, his eyes glowing with energy. His voice rumbled like a thundercloud. “SILENCE!” The wooden table top had branching arches of black electrical burns in it around Thoren’s fist. “We are the children of gods, act like it!” Thoren said as he took a breath. “I’m as concerned at this revelation as anyone else, a revelation that went unnoticed by our greatest minds for years. I hold no love for the Twin’s, but they have had the most time to consider solutions and we should hear them out.”

  Those that had knocked over their chairs sheepishly sat them back in place, trying to avoid the glare from the angry priest. Thoren turned to Tayla, his face serious, but the rage in his voice was gone. “Please continue”.

  “Thank you honored cousin, I understand that my wording may have been severe. But our proposal is not as insane as it might sound. It is true that we Twins were cursed by our maker, the All Mother. We may never eat the seas’ bounty, nor may we cross bodies of water, we cannot even touch the ocean for that matter until the day we die and can be returned to the endless sea. But, we can cross the shallow tide.” Tayla said.

  At a flick of her fingers the image on the screen returned, but now a top down map of the Black Coast. “The shallow tide is shin deep, and leads to the stone wall that makes up the barrier erected by the All Mother. We can tread freshwater without the curse claiming us. An oversight by All Mother, perhaps to allow us to still bathe, or be in the rain. Regardless of the reason, this would allow us to bring our goods to the edge of the barrier. Where I believe we should build a dock.” Many seemed uncomfortable by the notion that they should be allowed to build a dock, it was close to flying in the face of the All Mother’s punishment.

  The Trest man raised his hand. “Would your kind work these docks? How would you carry the goods across this shallow sea?” He said.

  Tayla was glad someone asked that, and seemed to be taking it seriously enough not to brush it aside immediately. “We believe that we could not in good faith work the docks. We would offer to pay others to do so on our behalf. Perhaps hiring personnel from one of the port cities who already have experience. The building of said docks would be contracted out to artisans and engineers that could be trusted to oversee the construction. They would have to be trustworthy, as we would not be able to set foot directly on any such dock ourselves.”

  “Hm, an interesting challenge. Having to get the goods up from the shallow sea, and loading it on ships outside. There are several factors that would be difficult to overcome. The ocean waves alone. Unless, we had the whole of the docks built on the top of the wall, using cranes and pulleys to lift and lower cargo. A worthwhile endeavor, I could recommend some of our finest engineers to oversee such an undertaking.” The Trest man was grinning from ear to ear, he waved some of the staff over to bring him paper and charcoal to draw with. He seemed the sort to love a challenge.

  Tayla took a moment to address the other question from earlier. “As for crossing the shallow sea, that could prove challenging. We can’t build a road, or structure spanning it. But we could build small skiffs, or floating sleds. Nothing that could be considered a boat, but just enough to allow us to pull goods across on the water's surface to one of these lifts.” She turned to the Tidefolk and Stormborn. “You are of the All Mother as are we, I would love your feedback on these ideas. Do you believe they fly in the face of what she would want?”

  The Twins had spent centuries being punished for their crimes against the gods, in that time her people had come to be viewed as lesser in the eyes of the Empire. They held little to no real power politically, but if this plan worked they might finally have a chance at redemption.

  Something itched at the back of her mind. Until the Heralds signal the tolling of the bell.

  The two men crossed their arms in thought, it was the administrator that spoke first. “Truth be told, I don’t know. I cannot speak for the All Mother, nor for all of my kind. But personally, I think we tread dangerous waters. Yet, we do so for the good of the empire, I am torn.”

  Thoren kept his eyes closed as he said. “I am in agreement, when you mentioned heresy I was prepared for some scheme or grand plot to undermine our Mothers punishment. You have given this ample thought, the fact I can’t just shut down the idea speaks volumes for its merit. If ships could dock here and ferry back crops, we could increase the food stores in the Empire drastically. I would ask time to think it over. This proposal of yours is worth discussing more.” He turned to Tayla, a smile crossing his face. “If nothing else, you have given us a chance to save innocent lives. Of that, I am sure our Mother is proud of.”

  Tayla found herself feeling a bit choked up. She glanced at Alnur and Fel as they each gave her dramatic thumbs up.

  “I believe that we should put this subject aside for now.” Alnur said as he stood up. He had let Tayla do the talking as they had planned originally. “It has been a long day for us all, I’m sure for some of you the long days of travel have worn down your usual composure.” He was giving those that had been quick to anger a chance to regain their dignity. “For now, our grandmother Rosel has been hard at work in the kitchen, our main cooks will be back tomorrow for proper full meals. But grandmother Rosel’s baking is the best in the whole of the Black Coast.”

  True to what Alnur had said, Rosel’s baked goods were heavenly. Tayla observed many of the diplomats making quite the surprised look after taking a bite. Even Thoren had snuck two when nobody had looked. The staff had been sure to offer the Ono guards some, which took some convincing, but eventually they broke. Soon after they asked for seconds.

  Tayla had managed to spot that one of the Ono was a man and the other a woman but their helms obstructed too much to get a good look.

  “Those were wonderful, your grandmother is an excellent baker.” The Trest man said, Tayla had finally gotten his name over dinner. Graum Bellowsbreath.

  Thoren spoke while licking his fingers. “Yes, you must have your grandmother come out here so we may give her proper thanks!”

  Tayla’s heart lurched. Grandmother Rosel’s appearance would cause a state of panic. She sent her thoughts to Alnur who agreed. “Rosel, though we call her grandmother, helped raise us from childhood after our mothers passing. She is family, and such a caring woman. Unfortunately she is ill, this illness can happen to our kind, and for outsiders, it can be… disturbing.” Tayla didn’t want to give too much away. Lest they found out the truth.

  Thoren wiped his mouth. “She is ill? Perhaps we can offer help? I have studied some medical history, what kind of ailment?”

  Alnur sighed heavily, sending to Tayla. He is like a bloodhound given a scent, I doubt he’ll give it up easily. We have already admitted there is some issue, this priest will want to be sure it isn’t a sign of corruption, which we both know it is.

  They might strike her down! Perhaps we can grab someone to pretend to be he-

  The staff door swung open just then, the bundled form of grandmother Rosel shuffled in. In a moment, all hell broke loose, the Ono guards sniffed the air once, and without warning were running full tilt towards Rosel, swords drawn and raised to strike. Fel responded in kind, casting two whips out around the Ono’s sword arms, Fel braced and pulled with enough force to hurl the two armored guards over the full height of the table. In unison the Ono righted themselves and quickly broke free from the restraints, wasting no time as they burst forward towards the new threat of Fel.

  In a heartbeat the Ono were on them. The blades fell as one, Fel took a half step forward as they grabbed the Ono's wrists and stopped them dead in their tracks. The sound of servos and hydraulics screamed in distress from the arms of the Praetorian armor, over-taxing the intricate machinery as they fought desperately to overpower Fel. The wood between their feet buckled and splintered, the metal plating underneath straining against the force.

  “Enough! You dare point a weapon at my Grandmother!” In the face of such an absurd spectacle no one had noticed Alnur leap from his chair, unsheathe his broad sword and bring it into the blind spot of the male Ono, the blade tip pressed into the soft seal of his throat between helmet and chest piece. Tayla for her part stood on the table, the barrel of her revolver pressed firmly against the female Ono’s head.

  It had all happened in a few heartbeats, the guests were stunned. The standoff stretched on and on, each second felt like an eternity. Each party waiting for something to give.

  A clawed hand came to rest on Fel's side, another on the female Ono. A raspy gurgling voice came from the bulbous Rosel. "..I…t-told…you…no-t-t…to..f-fight"

  With the sudden interruption, the tension vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. Fel relaxed their grip, the Ono backed away slowly. Alnur and Tayla lowered their weapons, shifting to stand between the Ono and Rosel.

  “This, is your grandmother? What has happened to her?” Graum said as he broke the silence.

  Thoren stood, his voice rumbling. “What is the meaning of this? She has obviously been corrupted by the void!”

  The male Ono’s gaze was fixed on Alnur’s blade. The female's voice barked through her chest piece. “Do not deny it, we smell it’s filth on her.”

  Tayla took her grandmother’s hand in her own. Reassuring her.

  Alnur finally snapped. “For the love of the All Mother, of course we have the voids stench on us! We don’t go mentioning it because of how much it upsets you all, but we owe our lives as much to the All Mother as we do the Nightfather.” Alnur ripped off his gloved left hand, revealing the blackened shriveled husk from his elbow to his finger tips. “This is our pact, we Twins offer to be His hands and in return he will usher our souls into the eternal sea.

  “Sometimes, when our bonded twin dies, the survivor's body undergoes a terrible fate.” He turned and laid a hand on Rosel’s head, placing his forehead on what remained of her skull.

  Thoren’s voice had lost some of the vitriol, but still had an edge of finality. “If she is in so much pain, why let her live through this? It is obvious that she suffers greatly at the touch of the Night Father’s evil.” He was walking around the table to stand closer to Alnur and Tayla.

  “Could you do it? Could you kill the woman who raised you?” Tayla said as she took a breath instinctively calling on the part of her mind she called the tranquility as ice coursed through her veins and steadied her shaking hand.

  Graum sheepishly stood from his seat. “I feel like this is a private matter. If you’ll excuse me I feel it would be best to retire for the evening.” It wasn’t long before the rest of the diplomats followed suit as one by one they left, leaving only the triplets, Rosel, and the Ono.

  Tayla gestured to the staff who were quick to follow the guests and see them to their rooms.

  Rosel spoke to her three grandchildren. “It-t-t… is….t-t-t-ime…”

  “Wait, grandmother, do you mean you wish to be sent off?” Tayla said.

  Rosel responded by way of nodding her misshapen head.

  The three shared a look as they fought to maintain their composure. Alnur nodded. “The day after tomorrow, I will send you off. To be with those that left before you.”

  “N-n-no…” Rosel turned to Fel. “Wi-l-l…. You… do m-m-me the…Ho-n-or… N-n-now? I hav-v-v-e…hear-r-rd… t-the…night-t-t …fat-t-ther …c-c-all.. me… t-t-to…hisss ssside”

  Fel’s face of stone nearly cracked. “If that is your wish.” They said.

  Tayla hugged Rosel deeply. “If that is what you need we won’t hold you back any longer grandmother.” Rosel reached a hand to all of their faces, Fel leaning down to meet it.

  “I….I’m…s-s-so…proud-d-d.” Rosel heaved slightly in soundless sobs.

  The Ono were sworn to strike down any sign of the archenemy and its foul stench.

  Alnur gestured to their grandmother. “Please. She deserves to be laid to rest in peace.”

  After a painfully long moment the Ono relented as they made their way to watch over their wards once more.

  Without another word the triplets ushered their grandmother out of the hall. As they entered the corridor they found Thoren, who seemed to be waiting outside despite the gentle coaxing of one of the staff.

  He walked up to Rosel and reached for one of her many limbs. If he was disturbed by her appearance he didn’t show it. “I wanted to thank you for the lovely meal. I hope I can have it again before we leave.” He said.

  Tayla tried to open her mouth to speak but Alnur nudged her to leave it be. The priest bowed his head as he finally let himself be guided to his room.

  The doors to the chapel were made of a blacked warped wood. It was damp with moisture from no source. The smell of mildew hung in the air around it like a thick blanket. The doors opened, revealing the holy room used for communion. The air inside was heavy and cold. There was a clawing humidity and a smell that burned at the nose.

  The room was small, with an arched ceiling. There were a few benches on either side, facing a pair of statues. One was the All Mother, in all her radiance, a cloth of marble wrapping her mortal form, holding an urn of water that flowed into a basin in the center of the room. The stone work was almost life-like. The other statue was hard to look at directly, a hunched figure with a body of oozing liquid, the stone carving looked so real that it seemed to undulate, beads of moisture ran down the amorphous body, adding to the sense that it was in constant motion. The head was an elongated skull, three perfect circles carved into it in lieu of eyes or a nose. Its chin was narrow and long, no teeth, just smooth crevices on either side. Long Insect wings draped its body like a cloak.

  Fel moved to the pool, unbuckling the mask from their belt, a striking effigy of the Nightfather that was rendered a little too well.

  Alnur hugged Rosel. “You have given me so much, I will always remember what you taught me. I love you so much.” Alnur did little to hide his tears.

  Tayla was next to hug Rosel. “May the Nightfather reinate you with grandfather, and your children.” She let go and stepped back.

  Rosel shuffled over walking into the pool. It was barely knee deep. She grabbed Fels’ face. “I…hop-p-pe… you…for-r-rgive…your-r-r-rself…” She turned to all of those in the room. Mustering her strength. “I will always love you all.” Her legs gave out, her body collapsing into the pool below. Her body was twitching and convulsing, the water splashing and foaming in response.

  Fel put the mask on, and the world devolved into nightmares.