2
Aural Impash
She sat silently at the other side of the table, fully aware that she couldn't trust her guest; or anyone alive in the marshlands of Voodan. As most people at some part of their lives Tabatha believed she had seen it all. She saw herself as a tough-skinned brave mother. She had lost some of the boldness of her youth, that was true. But this was merely because the new lifestyle didn't require being bold. In practical matters, her willingness to disregard rules never really paid off, but she still considered her guts as a secret weapon. As I said, Tabatha thought that she had seen it all, lived it all, and plowed through it all. She was right, until last night. A deep treason had severed her few links with reality, the ties of love and family had been cut. Luckily, she was still young enough not to deny this. Her mind didn't have to accommodate the fact that she had been played and used, she understood clearly. The feeling of a deep dark void within her had brought memories of her first broken heart. Although profoundly hurt, it was not her feelings what distraught Tabatha; it was her thoughts. She needed to make sense of everything, and her time was running short.
"Everybody lies, you know?" said her guest, a sizable man who had surrendered to the complacency of the Administratum's bureaucratic life.
"Does he do anything but lie?" she growled.
"We all lie, Tabatha. Aren't you a bit old for me to tell this?" mocked her guest.
"I don't understand why you come here, then."
"I am here to see that everything is fine with you. That the household of our honorable late Aurelio will not go to ruin. And, of course, I am here to make sure that you understand that what you know about your departed husband is valuable for us." the man stopped to take a sip of coffee.
"I don't belong here. We will be traveling to Prime in the next…"
"I'm not done." interrupted the large bureaucrat. "We know about your plans and your family in Voodan Prime. Your authorization has been revoked. You and your child will wait here until further instructions." he emptied the cup with a single swallow and walked to the door. "It has been an honor. Thank you for the delicacies."
He opened the door and the whole inner dome's mutter of communal life flooded the apartment. There were two guards waiting outside Tabatha's place. A second before closing the door behind him, the man turned back, his head poking out the door. "And again, Mrs. Impash; my most deep condolences to your family. Aural Impash will be remembered for the great man he was".
After shutting the door behind him, silence reined back into Tabatha's central room. Anger flowed within her, but the frustration had to wait. The sound of her daughter sobbing in the next room was the only thing she could hear. While comforting her child, she would clarify the suspicions and find out what happened to her husband.