Itzaiitai Plateau

"Another drought. Surely, something can be done!"

"We must petition the Domei, surely we can get water from the sea!"

"But at what cost to our independance, this time?"

"If our people are not alive, they are not independant, Ancient Wyrrval. The grave is no freedom."

"'The grave is no bar to my call.' Said the elements, too, Surely dying for our beliefs makes us no less heroes!"

"You assume the Domei is like those that cheated and swindled us, when this one sends her own son to visit us and determine our plight? You are a pickled prune, Wyrrval, and no sweet fruit."

"I have yet to make my mind about the son, but he does come as a friend, indeed, he comes as a worthy, with all that green, green in his eyes, green ribbons..."

"The Domei has more green, being for all intents and purposes, Meihomei's own sister, and our caretaker selected by Meihomei herself."

"A careful politician, she is, and canny."

"To those enemies of Kagomei, that has been proven true, it remains unproven for people under her sacred care, for she is Aumhava and of the The High Twenty-Five ."

"That little chit of a girl?"

"She's a mother, not a girl, after all, possibly a grandmother soon, if the youngsters are any indication." Both chortled.

"How shall we petition her?"

"Let us ask her son, what is the best way to reach his mother, he was trying to help Randiv with his crops just yesterday, surely he will be sympathetic."

"A prince of the blood, mucking in a ditch?"

"A prince of the blood, helping where he is needed, with hand or power, as needed, as befits a Sorcerer of his rank and power."

"Oh, he is mighty?"

"Not like his mother, but our village priest pales when he walks around, I suspect he's no trifling matter, either."

"Just how mighty is his mother?"

"I won't profess to understand the twenty-five, nor their rules. But it is said each of the three circles is the very best of each of the three Over-conclaves.

"How big are these?"

"An over-conclave is Aumhava to one-third the nations and peoples of Arnd."

"So she is one of the seventy-five most powerful sorceresses alive?"

"She cannot be less, but she is most likely higher, the Kautanissian Over-conclave is the strongest in magic, and the one with the richest, oldest traditions, and she is not twenty-fifth there, indeed, she is barely past tenth."

You think referring to me by title, not by name, will let me avoid knowing you're talking about me, Wyrrval? And calling me a chit of a girl?" Both men turned apoplectic. "I see my son has done the work I expected him to do, clearing the irrigation channels for what's to come, even if I didn't have time to give him instructions."

"Worthy Zim, you came."

"I was joking, about overhearing you, I need to pick up my son, his childhood pet does not have long for the world. But I will spell him, to help you, it's not my will that you suffer for feeding or attempting to feed so many of Kagomei."

"What was that mother?"

"Robyn, she will be put to sleep tonight, she is too sick and hurt to continue living much longer."

"But she was fine last month!"

"Yes, until she caught that slate plague, it is not merciful, and we had not seen any animal before that had symptoms, but from what the experts say, she had a rare immune system disorder, where the other cats are asymtomatic for a short while and fight it off, she is unable to fight it off, she's been put in containment as she is shedding so much virus, she's dangerous to others."

"Oh no, and Nellun?"

"Nellun is the one that got her to the vet, figuring Meihomei's pet having a high fever, even for a cat, was worthy of investigation, he's tested negative for the virus, since. As usual, he repays my trust with ruthless efficiency and brutal competence."

"Let me get Flora. You've said your goodbyes?"

"All right, yes, I did, I'm the one who adopted Robyn, and gifted her to Amalthéa, after all, I had to say goodbye to the old girl."

"Oh, are you zapping me back to the palace?"

"Yes dear."

"Thank you."

Six weeks later.

"Well, we've cleared up the damage from the typhoon, think you'll be all right for the shearing?"

"Yes, of course, we've never recovered from a typhoon this fast before, you've been amazing."

"Most parts of me feel dead, I'm just so tired."

Amarat zapped in. "Mom!"

"Amarat! I didn't expect you back, everything ok back in Megamisama?"

"We need to talk about that mom, back in Megamisama."

Back in Megamisama, a short zap later. "What's the bad news?"

"Amalthéa, she caught the slate plague from Robyn, just like Rudiger did."

"Amalthéa? You are kidding me!"

"No mom, she summons you back home, she wants to say goodbye, through the health shields."

"Can't a priest do something?"

"We asked the most powerful sorceress on Arnd..."

"I doubt Sothlee cares as much as Dan, Amarat."

"Does that matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

"But I did try dear, it's not in our power to heal her. The elements said so to my face!"

"Dan! You're saying goodbye too?"

"And visiting the mother of one of my sons, who is losing her sister."

"Is that what it takes?"

"No, of course not, it has been too long though..." He caressed her cheek. "Kei-Mist is more jealous of you than all the others, because you were the first to give me a male child."

"She should know better, Sriracha is the apple of your eye, daddy-pants."

"You know that and I know that, but apparently Kei-Mist won't learn that. Or maybe she does know Sriracha is my favourite, but she's afraid Amarat will displace her."

"Not bloody likely! Besides, Sriracha's cool."

"Who's Sriracha?"

"Sriracha's my half-sister, Dan Ma annd Kei-Mist Aixpee's eldest daughter, a sorceress training to join the Imperial Kagomine Stellar Forces as an officer."

"Hmm, who does she remind me of, sorceress, officer, female..."

"She's older than you by two years, but you skipped some grades because we needed flyers so badly, Sriracha did not get an exemption, so she won't be setting any records, but she is incredibly young for a flag, especially considering she'll be Ship Captain to the SFOF-10 himself."

"To Maelle's dad?"

"Yeah, she impressed him, knows her way around stellar navigation, three-d visualisation, orbital mechanics."

"What's his flagship?"

"Remember that enemy dreadnaught we crashed?"

"CSS-1 Revenge? Yup, hardly likely to forget..." He patted the ribbon of the first merit of honour he earned. "It's flying the Kagomine pennant now, as KSS Tolerance, Meihomei's own star-flagship."

Urk!

"What? You ok?"

"You... think about what you just said, what you just told the Bameimeito of Kagomei..."

"Oh Elements above! It'll be YOUR flagship..."

"I didn't want one that badly, and, not like this..."

"Of course not. We've digressed long enough, Domei Mikhala?"

"Yes, Meritant of Honour Rolli?"

"I am to escort you to Meihomei, since Bameimeito-Meritant Amarat is far too precious to be spared."

"We've never had a Monarch who had been the Valour-keeper of Kagomei , before. I suspect it'll be interesting."

"Dan?"

"Yes Mikhala?"

"Can you stay?"

"Of course, no one expects me back in Dunkehl before a month, I made sure of that."

"Oh, I was hoping you'd overnight, this..."

"You don't get me ALL to yourself, though, I figure it's bad enough that I spend time fighting for my son's attention with his mom, but now I'll be fighting against his duty, as Meihomei."

"Oh, father-son bonding, perfect."