The room was darker and dingier than any meeting room the committee had ever met in before. This was an unofficial meeting and one where many of the community leaders were not present. This wasn't vital information for them to know, so they'd chosen another location.
Gon Hezer, the newcomer representing the Coast Guard, should have been the one who stood out the most in the room, but he and all others were more occupied with the appearance of the Bastion Guard's representative.
Eight couldn't help but wince a little whenever she saw her girlfriend's usually lovely face still swollen and discoloured. She had bandages over the worst injuries, but her spirits appeared not the least bit affected.
Scylla remarked, "he really did a number on ya, eh girl?"
Three managed some semblance of a smile, her mantle a sunny yellow. Scylla responded with a smile of her own and patterns and colours Eight couldn't follow.
By now the whole city had heard about Three's bout against the Grand Master of the Hallar. It was big enough that Pearl and Marina had covered it on their news show. Seeing the damage first hand was painful for her as well.
"Is this everyone?" Superintendent Lavaridge asked.
"It should be," Three said, her speech slightly slurred. "Hachiko is representing Pearl and Marina who couldn't be here. Are you chairing the meeting?"
"I suppose I might as well, even if it isn't official." He cleared his throat. To put it bluntly, as I'm sure you've guessed, we may have found the Consortium's logistics chain."
Scylla blinked. "Already?"
He grinned. "Well, investigations are often a lot easier when you know what it is you're looking for. Captain?"
Hezer flashed green. "Inkopolis Security spoke to the crab communities and gave us a list of common items crabs tend to import, that is, items in large quantities, including food. From there we narrowed them down to items imported from countries that still trade with the Grand Consortium."
From his spot along the wall, Gangrin spoke. "So ships that can carry goods from the Consortium stop at those countries to pick up the legally imported goods, which gives them a reason to enter Calachora."
Hezer flashed green. "Right. Officially, Calachora has forbidden any trade with the Consortium or the transfer of any Consortium goods within our borders. Unfortunately, that doesn't forbid Consortium goods from actually entering the country. It's a loophole they're clearly exploiting to smuggle in cargo not officially on their manifests. By some means or another, they offload it with their legal cargo, and because of language issues, it's usually crabs that offload those ships too."
"They have their people among the dockworkers," Molter, the crab community representative, said. "But we've always known that and it doesn't really matter as much. As long as the number of containers they offload matches the numbers bound for the warehouse, it won't raise any flags."
Nari Vost'yan tapped her thumbs together thoughtfully. "How do we figure out which containers have their logistics without giving ourselves away? It's probably not just food they're importing either. They might be importing equipment to avoid leaving a paper trail in Calachora."
"We should focus on the food," Gangrin insisted. "Because we know they're importing that. They would probably disguise it as something similar enough that it could be hard to distinguish from something imported."
"We looked into that," Hezer said. "Closest thing we could figure among the items the crabs legitimately import is actually a kind of paste that assists with moulting, and wouldn't you know it, over the past year or so imports of that particular item have gone up considerably, but levelled off right around the time of the Liberation before going back up again."
Vost'yan grinned. "What a remarkable coincidence." She was in much better spirits than any other time Eight had seen her. That would hopefully encourage more people to cooperate with the Greater Bastion.
Scylla leaned on the table with one arm. "So, does that mean the number of crabs only just now has gotten back to what they were at during the Liberation?"
"I think it's safe to assume so," Lavaridge said. "But I'm not sure we could get an accurate count of how much of that crab mush is getting in without giving ourselves away. Surprise may be our only advantage."
Mantles flashed and heads nodded around the table. Surprise was vital if they were going to stop the Consortium and catch them.
"But how do we track the stuff to their base?"
"Ah… that's the tricky part, I'm afraid. We'd have to suss out which containers hold legitimate goods and which ones don't."
Hezer grinned. "Not as hard as you might think. Since the Consortium doesn't want to offload these containers and transfer them to other ships in case their smuggling gets exposed, the containers from the Consortium that arrive here are in the same place they were when they left their last port."
Eight's eyes went wide. Was it really that simple? "But, how do you know which ones are witch without seeing how the ship was originally loaded?"
Hezer's grin only grew broader. "Well, while our policies have left us vulnerable at home, we've got plenty of eyes and otoliths elsewhere and the Coast Guard's been tracking Consortium shipping. We know exactly which containers we need to watch. We just have to keep an eye on them after they get here."
"Which isn't so easy," Lavaridge admitted. "Not only are we short on personnel but the ones we have can be pretty easily identified. We're going to have to rely on Molter's community and the inkling sailors and dockworkers. Jellifer mentioned some jelly truck drivers he might be able to count on too.
"Pity he couldn't be here," Captain Hooker sighed. "At least we have the basics of a plan on how to track them down now, but do we know how they're getting their people in?"
"The same way, for all we know."
"We need to make sure we delay long enough to map out their whole network," Three said. "We will only get one chance to bring them all down at once."
"I don't like the idea of delaying at all, frankly," Vost'yan said anxiously. "It means we risk them attacking before we get the chance to catch them."
Lavaridge scratched his head with a troubled expression. "I know how you feel but I also think it's a chance we have to take. If we don't get all of 'em at once, we'll be back to square one again."
Three placed both of her hands on the tabletop, an almost predatory look in her eyes. The damage to her face made her smile look warped and twisted. "And when we have them all, the Guard will be ready."
Hezer crossed his arms. "I don't like the idea of using an army of kids."
"It's the only army we have. It probably won't be enough on its own but combined with IS, the NSF (including the militia), we should be able to take them on. It's all we've got."
Hezer looked distressed but flashed green anyway. None of them were happy with the arrangement.
It was more or less normal in the domes for octolings the same age as most of the Guard recruits to be considered full fledged soldiers. Then again, we're proven, the inklings have never done this before. Perhaps they did have some right to be concerned.
"Have there been any developments elsewhere?" Lavaridge asked. "In the ward?"
Scylla pulsed grey. "Not really. Some people tried to protest but we ran 'em off."
"Protest what?"
"Just the Octarians bein' in Inkopolis and the Guard in general."
He sighed. "Scylla, you can't do that; they have a right to protest, it's in the constitution."
"We aren't Inkopolis Security and I'm not gonna' let someone else 'ave their way on my turf! We operate differently."
"Can we save this for an official committee meeting?" Hooker asked. "We should stick to the reason we're here."
Lavaridge grunted and adjusted his posture. "Alright then, let's talk about what we'll actually do when we find their route to their underground base. We need a plan of action."
Three leaned forward. "I think we should have a scouting force go in. Small and with members from us, IS, the NSF and Coast Guard. I'd like to have at least a couple crabs of our own so they can listen to any crab speak too."
Eight couldn't help but smile as Three went into the mission parameters. Clearly she'd been thinking about this a lot.
And she's having fun doing it.
She shook her head inwardly. Three was entertained by odd things sometimes. Or maybe it was just because she had managed to come to some kind of understanding with her family. Having that burden off her shoulders had to be extremely liberating.
An hour or so later, they were in Marie's car as Three drove her back to Pearl and Marina's penthouse. Although Pearl and Marina had been spending the night at Callie and Marie's house, Eight and Vella had insisted on staying to defend it. Vella was unafraid of what some common Inkling civilians could do.
"I was glad to hear you and your parents came to an understanding."
Three grimaced. "Well… something like that. I don't think they've fully accepted it yet. Maybe they think it's just how it has to be for now. Maybe Iya is afraid I'll run away."
Eight frowned. "Why?"
"Because that's what she did when she was my age. Mama did it when she was fourteen too. I wonder if that's also why she let me get away with so much these past couple of years."
"Did you ask her?"
She flashed red. "I was afraid to. It's not something she likes to talk about, and even she never knew everything behind Mama running away, only that it had to do with her family."
"I see." Eight let a few seconds tick by before she asked, "are they still angry?"
Three flashed green, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. "I guess I would be too if you or Four lied to me for so long, even if it was for a good reason."
"So what actually happened?"
"We had dinner with Marie and I was able to introduce Four as my little sister. Somehow, it felt like they were more shocked by that than learning I was fighting the Octarian army for two years."
"And did they get along?"
"I think so. Four was a little nervous and not sure how to act. Marie seemed happy to have company for dinner. I think she's been lonely."
Eight saw Three's frown deepen and her mantle began subtly pulsing in that way it did when she was thinking deeply about something.
"You should not do that while you're driving."
Three blinked. "Huh?"
"If you get too deep into your thoughts you will lose the situational awareness you need to drive."
Three's mantle rippled and she focused straight ahead. "Sorry, I was just thinking about Marie. I think she's had something on her mind besides loneliness. I'm not sure what it is but it's been bothering her for a while. What could it be?"
"I do not know, but if Marie is worried then I doubt it is something insignificant. Let us pray it is resolved quickly and peacefully."
"Until we find where the Consortium is hiding, praying is all we can do. Let's hope it's enough."
—-
Luna Orvenii stared at the sheet of paper in front of her, probably the single most dangerous piece of tree in the world at that moment. The ink letters that stained its otherwise pristine, white surface might as well have been written in pure poison.
Foreign Minister Brentuk and Patriarch Keeper sat opposite her, with Nari Vost'yan as Chief Pein's representative sitting just a bit further away. Everyone's expressions were grim.
Orvenii avoided picking up the paper. She felt like it would taint her if she touched it, but the words were few and written large enough that she could read it anyway.
"This is the result of our negotiations? An ultimatum?"
"Can you blame them?" Keeper asked bitterly. "I don't blame you for not giving them Callie and Marie's heads, but allowing for the creation of this 'Bastion Guard' of theirs and letting Callie escape to Octarian territory is practically an act of war!"
"And the increasing vandalism and threatening messages being left by Consortium agents in the city are making the people frightened out of their minds," Brentuk added. "They have us and they know it. The only reason they haven't hit us already, is probably because they're afraid of their neighbours. If they show amiability with us, it will ease tensions and fears between the Consortium and Bellchora's other neighbours. The reason they've been holding out so long is to prove their patience and mercy to the international community."
Brentuk said the words with disgust, but there was also an undercurrent of hopelessness in him as well.
"Can't you see we've been had?" Keeper argued softly. "Our militia is weeks away from being ready with only its first intake of soldiers, we still haven't found any trace of their base, and hundreds of our best young people have all been put into one convenient little place, thanks to the arrogance of a couple of self-important, spoiled, teen celebrities."
"The teen celebrities you so famously spoke of saving our nation and recovering the zapfish? It wasn't their idea, it was the children who wanted to become an army."
"All according to plan, obviously. Everyone got it into their heads that they're some kind of saviours, but I proved that they're no saints. They're deceivers and liars who conducted rogue operations which could have thrust us into war with the Octarians while we were in the midst of dealing with the Consortium. And your administration made things worse by ignoring all warnings of Octarian involvement when we could have gone in and wiped them out before sending all of our defenders across the sea!"
"Funny how you failed to bring up much of that during the Assembly session."
"The focus then was on your government's incompetence," Keeper said in rumbling voice. "They can't save Calachora, and the Consortium knows it. The fact that they don't ask for their heads among their demands is remarkable in itself."
"We won't get a better chance than this to back down peacefully," Brentuk insisted. "We have no choice."
Orvenii looked between the two of them and glanced at the despondent and hopeless looking Vost'yan, whose normally dark-orange mantle was an ugly brown.
With a defeated sigh she read the demands again. "A complete withdrawal by all our forces from Consortium and Bellchoran territory by spring; an end to all economic sanctions against the Grand Consortium…., and my resignation."
"Among others," Brentuk said, though he failed to look as displeased as he may have wanted. He was a good actor, most of the time, but Orvenii had known him for years, and had been playing the political game longer than he'd been alive. He had already jumped ship and was now trying to secure his position in Keeper's crew, staying on as the Minister of Foriegn Affairs or better.
"In return," he went on. "They offer peace, a non-aggression treaty between them and us. There's already a draft of it on my desk."
"I'll bet there is," she muttered. "I don't trust a treaty from them any more than I would the Octarians."
"Agreed," Keeper said. "But we can more easily fight the Octarians than the Consortium. They're a rising power while the Octarians are on their very last legs. It doesn't matter what miracles Callie may have done, it won't make a difference in the end. Once our forces are back from Bellchora, they'll be all we need to defeat the Octarians once and for all."
"The Octarians aren't that stupid or ignorant," Orvenii agrued. "Once they hear what's going on, they might attack us before our forces even get back home."
"Not if we offer a non-aggression treaty first," Brentuk argued. "It'll buy us all the time we need."
Orvenii stared at him, open mouthed. "You would do the same thing to them that they did to us a century ago?"
"It's poetic justice," Keeper argued. "In any case, this is the best we can do. War is coming, Monarch, whether we like it or not, and that means making some hard choices. If you aren't capable of making those choices, then make way for someone who can."
Orvenii slumped in her chair, the weight of a nation on her shoulders, and the horrible feeling that she was partially to blame for its current predicament. She'd tried to honour her nation's commitments, its friendships, but the Consortium had completely outmanoeuvred them. They'd overstretched themselves and now they were getting cut. She'd done everything she could to avoid war, and all it had done was make it inevitable. Agreeing to the Consortium's demands was tantamount to becoming the Consortium's footstool, and Keeper would ruin the country trying to pursue an unnecessary war effectively taking out the Consortium's enemy for them, and making them an easy target for invasion. He both underestimated the Octarians and overestimated Calachora's resources.
Orvenii had to admit that had she been more willing to make the hard choices, this could have been avoided, but she still had one card to play and that card was to, once again, refuse to make a choice.
Straightening in her chair she finally placed her hand on the ultimatum and pushed it away. To the two stunned inkyar she said, "I resign."
—-
Marie felt bitterness swirl about her in the water, even as it also coursed through her. There was just no end to all the disappointments, and she considered herself to be one of them.
I could hardly do anything because I've been trying to avoid antagonising the government, in case it got everyone else arrested and reflected poorly on the Octarians.
She felt like she'd been walking a tightrope or down a dark alley just waiting for someone to come out and attack her from the blind side. Instead, she'd tripped and fallen flat on her face. She never had taken defeat well.
A buzzing noise caught her attention. She was sorely tempted to ignore it but she knew from experience that it would only become progressively more annoying. Groaning, she floated up to the surface and found Lufelza waiting for her with a towel. Her simple robes were hanging nearby. So whoever was coming was someone familiar.
"Your grandmother is on her way to see you. She has something serious to discuss."
Marie expected this. The Assembly was panicking. An election for leadership was going to be had and unless something happened it might be Keeper who won and he was going to send them all to war against the Octarians. Even if he didn't win, he would have too much support in the Assembly to ignore and the balance of power would be terrible for whoever replaced Orvenii. They would be a partially loved monarch and would not have the loyalty or dedication of the Assembly. Because of that mere possibility, Keeper would probably end up winning. Even misguided leadership was better than no leadership at all, sometimes.
She wearily got out of the pool and allowed the attendants to dress her. She just didn't care to make a fuss today.
Floa arrived just as they were finishing up. "Wow, did someone just wake up? You look like you always did on the way to school."
"I haven't slept well lately, as I'm sure you are aware."
"I'm aware. How about a nice change of pace then? We can have this meeting in the throne room. You haven't been there yet, right?"
Marie hesitated, her mantle rippling tightly. "Throne room huh?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Fine, sure, whatever."
Floa smirked. "So excited. Come on then, I'll take ya."
Instead of leading her into the main corridor, Floa brought Marie to one of the side doors of the queen's chambers. This side corridor had the queen's bathroom, personal study and multiple different meeting rooms. It also had the back door to the queen's dining room. At the very end of the hall, a large pair of doors waited for them.
"One of these days, I'm going to need a proper tour," Marie said dryly.
"The throne room was used for storage while we did work on the other rooms," Floa explained. "And without the drapery, it's hopeless to have any kind of conversation in there."
The hallar guards opened the doors for them and Marie followed Floa into the throne room of Calachora's last queen.
The throne room was huge, easily as large as an indoor arena. Enormous iron girders supported the arched ceiling, which had a raised section above it to let in light through small rectangular windows. Between the ceiling and the huge supporting pillars lining the walls, more windows helped bring additional natural light. These were supplemented by large modern lights built into the original sconces along the walls and on the pillars.
Directly ahead of them was a dias, raised only a single step and cast in the light from the largest windows on the wall behind it, with a set of tables and raised seats on either side. The centrepiece of the dias, and perhaps the entire chamber, was a silver chair that looked like it had been sculpted by the wind, with long flowing lines, folds, curves, and embedded gemstones it seemed impossible to have been shaped by mortal hands: the throne of Queen Immelina.
Marie felt drawn to that throne. In her head, she knew that, on paper, it was nothing more than an elaborate chair, and yet, when she got close to it, gazed at it, she thought she could feel some kind of power emanating from it, as if it had some kind of mystical quality. Just for a second, she thought she could see the ghostly outline of Queen Immelina herself.
Floa walked up to the chair and placed her hand on one of the flowing silver legs with a bittersweet expression.
"You know, she was known as the Soren Kyver, the Silver Monarch. Part of it was because silver was the colour of her mantle and because she preferred silver over gold. That's why Gold was chosen to represent the position of monarch after she died."
Marie smiled wearily. "Starting the tour early?"
Floa pulsed grey. "When I was first brought to the Vasilika, wanting to become a priestess, I was given a tour of the palace and the throne room was the one I remembered the most. That was before the renovations though. It was a lot darker in here back then."
Marie looked around the room, noting the positions of newly installed electric lights, none of which were lit. "Even though the lights are off?"
"The windows were dirty or boarded up. These are all new, as far as I know. The room's been well designed to make use of natural sunlight, but because of Winter, they didn't want huge windows in the wall, so that's where they're only high up. Works well enough for inkling eyes."
Marie nodded and looked over the throne again, noting the new-looking cushion on the seat.
"Why is it, whenever they shoot a movie in here, they never use the original throne? I know it's a priceless artefact but it looks pretty sturdy."
"It's forbidden. Nobody is allowed to sit on the throne except for Queen Immelina's successor. Not even the monarch or archon are allowed."
"So this chair hasn't been sat in since Queen Immelina died?"
"Not as far as anyone knows."
"And yet someone saw fit to add a brand new cushion?"
Floa pulsed grey. "Maybe the old ones were all rotted. It's been 300 years."
Marie looked at Floa but Floa kept her back to her, continuing to stare at the throne. A long silence stretched out between them until it was broken by the sound of Floa's phone chirping.
"It's Nana. She's just arrived. She shouldn't be more than ten minutes."
Marie continued staring at her childhood friend. "Floa, you wouldn't avoid telling me something you thought was important, would you?"
"Not unless I promised not to, or if I knew that telling you would only make things worse."
Marie frowned. "You know my philosophy has always been to know about a problem as early as possible to deal with it before something else happens."
"You mean like how you told the government about the crab gangs the minute you found out how bad things were?"
The sarcastic remark made Marie turned around and met Marie's gaze unflinchingly. "You also never told Nana about the Octarians stealing the zapfish, or about Callie's kidnapping."
"That was different. We were the best ones to handle the situation and if the government knew about it then they'd try to get involved. Given how they've been handling things since, I think it's safe to say that it would have all been a disaster."
"Exactly. Sometimes, things are best left to those who are the most able to deal with it. Sometimes, blissful ignorance can produce better results, because they are focused on what they can deal with while someone else deals with the issues they can't. It's like delegating."
Marie glowered at her. "And you think I can't handle this?"
"It would be hypocritical of you to assume you know better, especially when I know what it is and I know you."
"So there is something then."
"No point denying what you already know. I'm just trying to explain why I never told you. You know me enough to know that I wouldn't withhold something like this from you without good reason, right?"
Marie didn't reply.
The doors of the throne room opened and her grandmother entered. She looked tired, haggard even. With Monarch Orvenii announcing her resignation with an ultimatum from the Consortium hanging over them, no doubt the Assembly had gone from being in crisis to rampant panic. That level of desperation meant people would consider options they never would have otherwise.
Marie offered a friendly greeting in tuk'yan, but her grandmother's greeting, though expressing warmth, also showed regret.
"Relax Nana, I know it wasn't your idea to come here."
"Not entirely," she admitted. "Obviously, I don't want to burden you with the fate of our nation but at this point we can't overlook any ideas that might get us out of this mess."
"I've already told you; I told you from the beginning. Peace with the Octarians, deal with the Consortium. It's simple."
"Not so simple, not after everything Keeper revealed about their raids and what they've done. Oh, we'd be willing to accept the Octarians in Inkopolis aren't involved, they've proven themselves, but Keeper's been flying his banner and desperate people are flocking to it. Besides, I've heard from the Monarch herself what happened. If we do make peace with the Octarians to deal with the Consortium first it won't stop a war with them afterwards."
Marie could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "Is he serious? The Octarians will see through that in an instant. Gramps talked our ears off about how the Great Turf War started. Callie will recognize it even before the rest of them do."
"Which might result in the ugliest war in our history, because if I still know Callie as well as I think I do, she'll fight."
"She will." The words tumbled out of Marie's mouth without hesitation. Inside her, frustration, fear, and despair swirled within her, reacting violently with the burdens of responsibility, expectations, and the terrible truth of what she really was.
"It's too much," she said in a quivering voice. Her grandmother looked up at her, puzzled.
"What?"
"It's not fair! We did everything to protect Calachora, we exposed ourselves to the public and government; we sacrificed our freedom, our time, our careers, all to protect everyone and everything we cared about, and now that same thing we tried to protect is throwing it all away!"
Her grandmother hid her hands in the large sleeves of her robes, guilt and shame rippling in her mantle. "I know you must be angry and disappointed with me, Marie. I know I should have done more to push forward your point of view. I thought I was protecting you, but it wasn't my protection that you wanted or even needed. As a result, I've ended up putting you in danger. I'm sorry."
Marie tightly grasped her robes and half turned. "I'm used to danger, maybe that's why I'm able to see clearly through this mess. But Nana, why was nobody willing to listen to us? After everything we did, do they honestly not trust us?"
Her grandmother's gaze fell. "Marie, everyone there wants to believe peace is possible, but most of them don't, and right now, they're much more afraid of the Consortium than they are of the Octarians. Too many of them were around during or after the war. Wars leave scars, Marie."
"I know," Marie growled. "I wear some of them myself. So do Three, and Four, Callie, Marina, all of the Octarians! But they chose to let the scars fade and move on."
"You're preaching to the choir, Marie. I know all this. But for everyone else, there's so much mistrust and misinformation that nobody can make the right decision."
"Is that the real reason?"
Both Sansea's turned at the startling harshness in Floa's voice. The acolyte looked at the matriarch, anger burning in her eyes and mantle.
"For the past year and a half, members of the Assembly spoke against Callie and Marie, how they were dangerous because of their influence, how they might try to usurp the Assembly and the Monarch's influence and power; and 'ow their opinions and ideas would colour 'ow the world would view our people. But the truth is they're jealous, right? They don' like that people as young as them could possibly 'ave such influence or they might even be wise enough tah use it properly! When Keeper revealed their conspiracy, he also exposed 'how capable they really are, and it gave credibility tah Callie's position as an Octarian Noble. It also means they're afraid of the Bastion Guard."
Marie's lips parted slightly. These days, it was rare for Floa's original Xapheerel dialect to emerge after so many years of learning the proper speech expected of a cleric. It only came out when she was genuinely angry and riled up.
Floa let out a hiss and stomped her foot against the stone floor. "The truth is that Callie an' Marie 'ave ashamed everyone in the Assembly by doin' more an' better than all of 'em combined! Isn't that one of the reasons the monarch kept you distracted by acting as an errand girl? Isn't that why almost the entire Assembly moved to prevent you from doing anything, using yer love for Callie and Marie to freeze you in place?"
Marie turned her head and watched her Grandmother closely, eying her shaking fists held tightly at her side, watched the distraught and furious colours roiling through her mantle, the twisted tightness of her angry expression.
"I noticed too late," she said through a gritted beak. "At first, the monarch really did use me because I was the only person you would tell everything to. I tried finding allies after that, but lines had already been drawn because the Monarch wouldn't reveal what you had told me to the Assembly."
"So when it was revealed, it was to Keeper's advantage instead of yours," Marie murmured.
"And because I'd kept the secret by the Monarch's order, believing she was right about the Consortium's reaction, I was considered part of the conspiracy, and what support I'd managed to gain almost fell away." She sighed. "And now they're using me again. Or maybe they want me to prove I'm still useful."
She looked deflated. It was a far cry from the matriarch everyone in the Assembly had called a firebreather. Marie couldn't criticise her too much though; she felt much the same way.
"Sounds like it'll be a tossup as to whether an Octarian or Crab is the next one to sit on that throne," Marie muttered. "It will take a miracle for Calachora to survive this."
"We have a miracle, Marie; we have you!" Floa stepped towards her. "And the Octarians have Callie. Together, we can find a way out of this!"
"But the Assembly doesn't want to work together!" Marie snapped angrily. "They don't want to work with the Octarians, Callie, the Guard, or me! Do you really think they'd suddenly accept and start working with me, even if they knew the truth, even if they knew what I really was?"
Her grandmother frowned. "Marie, what are you talking about? What's happened? Did the doctors finally figure out what was wrong with you?"
Marie turned away, bitterly. "The doctors might have been stumped for a while, but they figured it out soon enough. They just never told us."
"What? Why? What did they find out? What's happening to you?"
For Marie it was all too clear. The cryptic words from Floa, her caretakers, the Grand Master, the very room they were in. Floa's actions and words had all been deliberate and calculated.
Marie turned her head to look down at her friend. "Care to tell her, Floa?"
Floa hesitated, the anger and frustration replaced with fear, guilt, and uncertainty. Her grandmother stared at her, stunned.
"What? How do you know?"
Floa clasped her hands together tightly and wet her lips. She stared down at the floor, unable to look the matriarch in the eye.
"I… I…."
She froze, and the hallar guards in the room suddenly became stiffer. Marie felt it, as if a bubble of denser air had engulfed them, and inside that bubble the air crackled with unseen energy.
All eyes turned to the front of the room as the massive bronze doors swung open, revealing a single figure in cloaked robes so black they seemed to swallow the light that hit it. Underneath the large shadowy hood, all even Marie's vision could see were a pair of glowing red eyes.
The hallar all genuflected while Floa got down on her hands and knees. Marie and her grandmother, after a moment of petrification, did likewise. This could only be one person.
"Rise."
A clear, sage-like yet feminine voice filled the room. It was spoken softly yet the word seemed to carry equally across the entire vast chamber.
As the figure drew near, Marie watched her grandmother out of the corner of her eye as she rose but kept her head low.
"Archon, this is such an honour."
A black gloved hand reached out beneath the shadowy cloak and gently touched her on the shoulder. "You will receive your answers now."
The Archon resumed walking, passing by Floa and stopping a few metres from Marie.
Marie had adopted a kneeling position. It seemed wrong to stand at her full height before the Archon, the head of the Ecclesiarchy.
The glowing red eyes under the hood met hers, and she felt the very chain that connected her soul to her body tremble. That withering gaze held her only for a few seconds but it felt like a year before they closed and the Archon's head lowered.
"Tell them, Floa."
Floa let out a sigh, a deep one. Her mantle displayed gladness and guilt in equal measure.
"Marie, do you remember around the time we met, the recurring nightmare I had?"
Marie frowned and searched distant memories to try and remember. "I… think so. I don't remember any details."
"It wasn't just a nightmare; it was a vision. In it there were two humans, male and female, on a ship at war undergoing a battle against our dreadnought squid ancestors. Their ship was attacked by two squids, one black and one grey. They succeeded in destroying the ship, and the two humans fell overboard, into the sea, helpless against the squids. But instead of killing them, the squids brought them to their nesting grounds, where their masters had them lay their eggs so that their young could also fight in the war. They were going to be fed to those young squids.
"Eventually, they learned to communicate with each other, and the humans figured out how the squids might escape to freedom and no longer have to fight someone else's war, but in order to do so, they would have to abandon their clutch. Effectively, they would have to sacrifice their children in order to free their species.
"But, the humans managed to escape too with some of their eggs. The humans then taught the squids to nurture their young, something that was necessary for them to survive."
Marie and her grandmother stood motionless, blinking with confusion. The Archon let out a small chuckle.
"We know that the Precursors created the dreadnought squid to be used as a weapon of war against their own kind. The two squids in Floa's vision had lived long enough to grow to such enormous size that they could threaten a ship made for war. The product of that long and difficult life were those eggs that they were forced to sacrifice for the greater good of their species. And it was from the humans they had shown mercy to that they learned to nurture and care for their precious few young. It is believed that those two humans later became one of the gods watching over us now, who blessed our kind with the powerful maternal instincts all Inkyora have today.
"It was thanks to some of our other prophets that we were able to interpret her dream, though it was not complete at the time and it took years for Floa to see all of it and comprehend what she was seeing."
"But how does that relate to Marie?" Her grandmother cried. Desperation lanced through her mantle like lightning bolts as she grasped for some kind of lifeline.
"Not just Marie, Matriarch. There are two squids: one grey, one black. The two of them together defeated their enemy but showed mercy to a few of them, and in doing so, freed their species from dying in slavery. And their former enemies helped them and taught them how not only to survive, but to live."
"The humans represent the Octarians," Marie murmured, the puzzle slowly revealing itself before her. "We fought them, defeated them, but we showed them mercy and offered peace, a way out. In return, they've helped us with the Consortium, but we're still trapped."
Her grandmother's eyes switched back and forth between her and the Archon. "And the eggs?"
"Represent sacrificing something precious to them," the Archon reassured. "Marie will not be sacrificing her literal children, quite the opposite. Do you know what a kyria is, Matriarch Sansea?"
She frowned. "In ancient times, special females hatched to suffering inkling tribes as a gift from the gods to help them recover from war or disaster. They had incredible fertility and always had many child…ren…" She trailed off, understanding coming as she said the words. She stared at Marie in shock and Marie could not look back at her. It was too painful. Even now, her soul felt like it was being ground down by a belt sander.
"Marie is a Kyria? But, there's no way small tribes could have looked after someone as big as her!"
"You are correct on both accounts. Kyria were always larger than even the largest inklings of any tribe, but never as large as Marie. The only one as big as her was Queen Immelina."
The archon's words hung in the air and Reina Sansea's eyes moved from her to the glorious throne gleaming a short distance away.
The Archon made an exaggerated nod that could be clearly seen through her hood. "But unlike her predecessors, Immelina was not the Kyria for a single tribe, she was Kyria for the entire nation."
"The lowering population," she breathed. "This was the god's answer to our prayers?"
"Part of it, but even Marie won't be able to fix the problem by herself."
"Which is why there's two of us when there was only one of Immelina."
Marie tried not to sound bitter, but she couldn't help it. Her anger was boiling beneath the surface, threatening to burst out at any moment, something she couldn't permit with the Archon present. She couldn't tell the Archon to her face that she didn't want to be a Queen, or how unfair it was that this burden had been placed on them when they had already done and sacrificed so much already.
"No."
Marie whirled around in surprise, and stared at the Archon. "What?"
"Callie's not a kyria?" Her grandmother asked.
"She is but she is not meant for us. We have not been the only ones praying for deliverance from a difficult situation."
Maire had to sit down, lowering herself onto the dias. The revelation was too much for her to take at once. It seemed so obvious in retrospect, yet she had missed it. Now she understood why the Ecclesiarchy had been so willing to give the Octarians their land back, to hold onto their artefacts. Just how long did they know this was going to happen?
"But why did it have to be us?"
"Why indeed. Why any of us? Why now? Why not earlier when we were not in this situation? Perhaps, it is to teach a lesson. We may not know what the lesson is until the end, but that must mean it is a lesson worth learning."
Marie covered her face with her hands and whined into them. "I can't do this. It's too much. I never wanted to be a queen, neither of us ever did! All we wanted to do was to sing on stage in front of huge crowds, to be like the pop stars we listened to as kids!"
"And haven't you done that? Why do you think we waited before telling you? We wanted you to live out a full life and achieve your dreams. You have used your gifts wonderfully and brought happiness and peace to many people, but such great gifts come with a price, Marie. You were hatched to fulfil this purpose but the gods also gave you a chance to live out a real life of your own choosing for a time. Part of that was obviously to help the Octarians, but they are not cruel. They wanted you to be happy and satisfied. Are you not?"
Marie shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "Of course I'm not! We could still keep going, we could do so much more! More albums, more songs, more concerts, seeing just how far we can go, together!" She sniffled, unable to hold back the tears any longer. "I don't want it to be over."
The Archon stepped forward and laid a compassionate hand on her leg. "Marie, I know it seems unfair and hard, but unless you accept your role, your dream will be taken away from you anyway."
She was right. Down to her soul Marie knew she was right. But the larger part of her was drowning in too much anguish and bitterness to care. Damn them all; hadn't she given enough?
"This country would never follow me; the Assembly won't even listen to us. They're doing everything they can to do the opposite of what we say. Do you really think people like that would accept me as queen? Would the people accept someone their own matriarchs wouldn't trust?"
Marie stood up and sharply turned away. "No, they wouldn't; I know I wouldn't. It's too late for me to do anything anymore. I tried and I failed. It's too much for me. I couldn't handle it."
"Marie," her grandmother argued. "You aren't being fair to yourself."
"Neither is anything else! I can't think of a single thing that would get us out of this situation without also landing us all in jail. Am I supposed to sacrifice Three and Four too, after they've given so much?" She shook her head, mantle flashing crimson, and began to walk away. "I can't do that, I won't!"
Marie went through the huge door and slammed it behind her, stomping all the way back to the queen's chamber, leaving a damp trail of tears on the cold, unyielding floor.
—-
Reina started after Marie but the Archon grabbed her shoulder firmly.
"No, leave her. She needs time. Have faith in your granddaughter that she will do the right thing."
Reina brought a hand to her head, still processing everything she had just learned. "These past couple of months have just been one shock after another."
The Archon let out a small chuckle. "A time neither of us will forget, I'm sure."
"But Marie isn't acting like herself. She's always put the greater good above everything else."
"Her spirits have been badly beaten down. Without her family or friends around her, she has been losing some of her support. Even congregations aren't a replacement for that. It does help that they too are working for the benefit of all, but like her, they are all tired."
Reina let her hand fall back to her side, and gritted her beak. "She's right though. The government won't follow her just because you say she's queen."
"Which is why it must be kept secret for now. And, I never said she would be queen; I only said she would be Queen Immelina's successor."
Right turned and stared at her, bewildered yet Archon's eyes glittered with amusement.
"Don't worry," she repeated. "She will come around, but Marie is not the only one being tested."
Those glowing red eyes settled on Reina for a moment, chilling her blood almost to feezing before the Archon turned back the way she came and left the room.
"She's right," Reina admitted as she calmed down. "We're all being tested here. The heat's being turned up and the gods are all looking to see who can stand it or not."
"An elegant way of putting it, Nana," Floa said with a weak smile. "So, what will you do?"
"What I have to do is get the other idiots in the Assembly to see sense. If we accept the Consortium's treaty, we'll be doing their dirty work for them and making ourselves vulnerable to them in the process. Sometimes you have to take a stand! What's the point in fighting to keep your kids alive if all they'll be is ashamed of you for doing it?"
"You might be right about that. As for me…" Floa turned. "I'm going to stay with Marie. Now that I don't have to keep this secret from her, I want to devote myself fully to being her friend, her anu eelae, for as long as she needs me."
Reina looked at the girl who was like another grandchild to her, who had been Marie's friend since they were eight years old, and had become true family.
"It was hard for you, wasn't it, Floa."
Floa flashed green. "It was, but it will be worth it in the end. Marie will make it worth it. I believe that; I believe in her."
"We'd both better believe it, Floa. Because I have a feeling that if we don't, the gods will be done with us for good."
Author's Notes:
Yes, I don't remember if it was ever stated before, but Floa is originally from Xapheerell. Of course, members of the Ecclesiarchy are expected to talk a certain way so... yeah, she had to learn to talk politely. So Marie and Reina have a lot on their mind at the moment. No doubt some of you anticipated this. This is something I had been setting up since Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin', but more significantly during In Shadows Tall. That being said, we don't know if Marie will actually accept this role or try to find another solution ;) We also finally meet the Archon. I hope her appearance was worth the wait.
