After spending the rest of my night fretting over what Zrysa said, I joined Harriette in the dining room for breakfast.

  “You’re quieter than usual,” Harriette commented, a hint of concern in her voice. “Has something upset you?”

  A soft puff of sound escaped my lips. I wanted to tell Harriette everything, but would she believe me? As fantastical as this world was, I’d been visited by a god. Even crazier, said god cimed to be my mother.

  My heart was still overcome with a slurry of emotion. I didn’t know Zrysa. She seemed to care for me, but it could’ve been an act. How could I even know? Did I even want to cim she was my mother before I knew more? I hardly knew what I was supposed to feel.

  As I tried to decided what I could say, I touched the charm of the neckce Zrysa gave me. It felt warm to the touch. There was something comfortable about its warmth. It gave me courage.

  “That neckce,” Harriette leaned forward, gazing intently at the purple and bck stone. “Where did you get it?”

  “I…” Words twisted in my throat. As much as I wanted to answer Harriette, I felt as if I’d suddenly forgotten how to speak.

  “That looks like a Dragon Stone,” Harriette noted, moving into the chair beside me. “May I look more closely at it?”

  I nodded and allowed Harriette to hold the charm in her hand. Rubbing the stone with her fingers Harriette’s eyes widened. “I cannot be completely certain, but this appears genuine.”

  “W-What is a dragon stone?” I stammered, suddenly finding my voice.

  “They are gemstones full of draconic mana and extremely rare. My mother had one, until today hers was the only one I’d ever seen.”

  “Otrea doesn’t have one?”

  “Not that I have been shown. Even with all of her power, it would not be easy to obtain. I don't believe Lady Otrea would attempt to acquire one unless she had a pressing need."

  "Then... this isn't something I should wear openly is it?" Zrysa had wanted me to wear the neckce always. But if the stone was so rare, it would likely only cause chaos. Given that Otrea still hadn't hidden the color of my eyes, I didn't need more things to draw attention to myself with.

  "Dragon stones are said to have a will of their own," Harriette gently released the charm, allowing it to fall into pce just above my breasts. "Attempting to steal one from its rightful owner could result in life-threatening injury. According to legend at least."

  "Last night," Taking a deep breath I steeled myself and began to tell Harriette about Zrysa's appearance in my bedroom. I carefully recalled everything that was said between us, including her cim that I was her daughter.

  Once I'd finished telling my story, Harriette fell silent. Her eyes were fixed intently on the neckce Zrysa left me. I could feel my heart pound heavily in my chest as I anxiously waited for how Harriette would react.

  "That's... a lot to take in," Harriette said finally, her voice measured. "The Primordials are the highest pantheon of gods in Arealus. Of them, Zrysa is considered the goddess of all life. She commands the forge of souls. According to scripture, without her none of us would exist."

  I nodded, feeling a mix of emotions swirl inside me. If Zrysa was responsible for all life, that made her everyone's mother in a way. I wasn't special. I must have misunderstood. Doubt needled at my weakened heart.

  "Because of her domain, Zrysa is venerated above all others. If word ever got out that you are her daughter... the world would bow at your feet. I can see why she'd want it kept secret."

  "You believe me?" I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the weight of my own doubts.

  "There have been too many things about you Bernice which have made little sense. You being the daughter of Zrysa would expin all of the impossible things you represent. That neckce alone is a sign that someone extremely powerful favors you. I believe you. But I don't know what to do about it. How should I treat a daughter of the gods?"

  Harriette's words sparked a flicker of hope within me. Maybe I wasn't just one out of billions? Maybe I really was Zrysa's daughter. Maybe she did love me.

  "I don't want you to treat me any differently than you have been," I closed my eyes and rested my head on Harriette's shoulder. After everything, I needed a moment to collect myself. Thankfully, Harriette seemed to understand. Instead of pushing me away, she began to gently rub my back.

  "The primordial god who wants to harm you, Zaserdizar, commands both time and fate. It is said he can peer into the future and uses that power to weave the destinies of mortals as he sees fit. People have long feared him. Prayers to Zaserdizar are often desperate pleas to be freed from future tragedy."

  "Is there no such thing as free will?"

  "There is. Among the primordials is a goddess who's power often interferes with the others. Laurnaja, who cims fortune as one of her domains. Those who earn her favor can become fortunate enough to escape the fate Zaserdizar wrote for them."

  "Laurnaja—" I repeated the goddess's name. Zrysa had nearly said the name of her partner before. At first I'd almost believed she was going to say Laura, but that didn't make sense at all. Doesn't that mean that Laurnaja is the other mother Zrysa spoke of?

  "Does the scripture mention anything about the primordials dating? Zrysa mentioned having a partner who was also my mother."

  "It does not," Harriette replied thoughtfully. "It does touch on their retionships a bit. Only as advise for how best to pray and give offerings. Due to their conflicting domains, for instance, we are told to never pray to both Laurnaja and Zaserdizar at the same time. To do so will only invoke misfortune and bring about a terrible fate."

  "That makes them sound like fussy schoolchildren."

  "Perhaps," Harriette chuckled. "But we've spent enough time discussing the gods. Would you like to go practice magic? It might help you clear your head."

  "I think that's a great idea," I smiled weakly at Harriette. Even with my whole world crumbling around me, there was still something I had to do. The princess Eurycelia cherished as a sister was dying. Saving her life took precedent over everything else. I could brood over the implications of my newfound family once her life was no longer at risk.

  --?--

  Amongst the stone caskets housing the various bodies created by Otrea Ladnier, a single woman casually strolled. Brushing a hand through her long crimson hair she stopped before the coffin containing a young fox-eared girl.

  "You're te Rysa," The woman spoke casually as golden particles coalesced into another woman. This one youthful in appearance with blond waist-length pigtails. "Baby Bernie will be coming back from training soon. We don't have much time."

  Zrysa gred at the crimson-haired woman. "Governing your domains in addition to my own for so long has put considerable strain on my body. I can't keep jumping around on a whim. I need time to heal."

  "You still had the energy to steal that stone from the god syers."

  Zrysa's gre deepened, her eyes fshing with a hint of annoyance. "That was different," she said, her voice low and even. "Unlike you, Laura, I haven't got to spent a single day with our daughter."

  "Nor did I," Laura's amethyst eyes wavered as she met Zrysa's irritated gaze. "Bernice has only ever known me as her aunt. I vowed that until we could both stand at her side, I would not reveal myself to be her mother."

  "To whom did you make such a foolish vow?" Zrysa's expression darkened. "Bernice will hate you when she learns the truth."

  "For a time," Laura sighed, looking back at the fox-eared corpse. "But she's a good girl, she'll forgive me."

  Stifling a sigh, Zrysa joined Laura beside the casket containing the fox-eared girl. "Why are we here Laura?"

  "Did you bring the soul I asked for?"

  "I did."

  "Good," Laura grinned. "I'm going to give Bernice a sister."

  "We can't create children Laura. The moment you do, she'll die. That's why we kept Bernice on Earth for so long. We had to wait until she was old enough to get around Zaserdizar's curse."

  "I'm not creating our child, Rysa. I'm creating a sister for Bernice. It's different. If the girl happens to see us as her mothers, well so be it."

  Zrysa's expression turned from irritation to concern as she looked at Laura, her eyes narrowing. "You can't be serious. Zaserdizar curse is not so—"

  "Rysa," Laura cut Zrysa off and pced a hand on her wife's shoulder. "I can bend the rules to our favor. Fortune is my domain is it not? And thanks to little Otrea, we're unbelievably fortunate."

  "How so?"

  "Look here," Laura waved a hand over the fox-eared girl. "A body infused with Bernice's own blood. This girl can stand at her side, when it would be impossible for any other."

  "How exactly do you pn to train her?" Zrysa raised a brow. "All the power in the world is worthless without the knowledge to wield it."

  "Just a few false memories. Enough to wield her power and recognize Bernice as her sister. Nothing more."

  "Yet another thing Bernice is going to hate you for," Zrysa let out a deep sigh, her eyes roving over the stone caskets housing various bodies. Walking down the row she stopped in front of the casket containing the body Otrea had left behind when she became Weyr.

  "Forgive me, Otrea," Zrysa raised her hand causing golden particles to swirl around the body before her. As they did, small white bubbles of light floated up, coalessing into a pulsating semi-opaque gel.

  "How?" Laura's grin faltered, her mouth agape.

  "I governed your domains for a century, do not believe they are beyond me just because you returned." Zrysa huffed. Holding up her hand a golden sphere appeared, floating into the gel-like mass. After the sphere had consumed the mass, Zrysa held it out for Laura to take. "The soul you requested."

  "Infused with some of the knowledge Otrea left behind," Laura ughed. "In a way, does this not make Otrea our daughter as well?"

  "You're splitting hairs," Zrysa groaned. "I didn't take anything Otrea needed. Only what would be useful for any young girl to know. It doesn't feel right for everything in her head to be artificial."

  "Thank you, my love," Laura blew a kiss before taking the soul from Zrysa. As soon as she lowered it into the fox-eared girl's body, it began to change. The girl's ruddy brown hair turned a bright shade of copper, and her skin took on the pinkish hues of life.

  Shortly after her chest began to rise and fall with her first breaths the fox-eared girl's eyes opened. Sitting upright she gazed about the room, her deep purple irises quivering with confusion.

  "Where...?" The girl's voice was hoarse from disuse, her words ced with a deep uncertainty.

  Laura stepped forward, a gentle smile on her face. "Good morning sleepy head, do you remember me?"

  "Mommy?"

  "Good girl," Laura pced her hand on the girl's head and gentled mussed up her hair.

  "Bernice is going to kill you," Zrysa mumbled under her breath. Stepping forward she gazed at the little girl. "Have you thought of a name for her?"

  "Eskame."

  A mixture of emotions danced across the fox-eared girl's face. A second ter she smiled. "Eskame," she muttered her new name to herself before carefully sounding it out. "Ess-kah-may."

  "Good girl," Laura gave Eskame another pat on the head, causing the little girl to giggle in delight. "Now then, I need you to look after your big sister for a while, can you do that for me?"

  "Big Sis?"

  "Yes, your big sis need your help. Will you help her out for us?"

  "Yes!" Eskame raised her little hand into the air. "I'll help Big Sis!"

  "Very good girl," Laura motioned over to a small box she'd left in the corner of the room. "There's some fancy trinkets in that box, they're all yours okay? Use them to protect your big sis."

  "O~kay!"

  "Trinkets?" Zrysa asked, her voice ced with exasperation. "Even if she shares Bernice's blood, anything else you've touched is off limits."

  "I didn't touch anything. Even the box was brought inside by the cat-eared maid, though she won't remember it."

  "And what is inside?" Zrysa asked as Laura helped Eskame out of her casket so the girl could run over to the box.

  "Artifacts. All made by mortal hands and thus not poisonous to our poor unharmonized daughter. I pilfered them from the crypts of powerful sorcerers all over the realm, while you were hunting for the god syers. Alone Eskame could never match Zaserdizar, but with these I hope to give her a fighting chance."

  "I can't say it feels good to turn such a young girl into a weapon."

  "Only if she has to be," Laura smiled as Eskame began to carefully pull items out of the box, examining each with a mixture of fascination and curiosity. "If Dizar doesn't try to fuck around, she'll just be a cute little sister for Baby Bernie. I'm sure she'll love her."

  "I wish I could move my soul into another body," Zrysa sighed, a hint of longing in her voice. "Bernice is already all grown up. I never got to be there for her."

  "Even if she's old enough to get around the curse, in many ways, she's still a kid. You have time, Rysa."

  "She cried, you know." Zrysa's expression fell. "When she read your letter. It took everything I had not to rush back and try to console her. That you never once let her know you're her mother... my heart breaks just thinking about it."

  Laura pced a gentle hand on Zrysa's shoulder, "It won't be long. Soon you'll be able to hold her close and chase away all of her tears."

  "You speak as if you won't be there."

  "If she wants me there, I'll be there."

  "You're going to make her cry again."

  "Most likely," Laura smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry I took your pce at her side."

  Zrysa looked down, her eyes welling up with tears as she thought about Bernice's reaction to Laura's letter. It was obvious Bernice loved Laura dearly. Even if she would be angry when the truth came out, Zrysa doubted Bernice would ever reject Laura. No, she would accept Laura as the mother who raised her, and Zrysa would never be more than a pretender.

  "We have to go," Zrysa said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Bernice will be coming back soon."

  Laura nodded, "We're leaving now Eskame, don't forget to look after your big sis, okay?"

  "I will!" Eskame singsonged. "Bye bye mommy, momma!"

  With a final wave to Eskame, Laura and Zrysa both vanished into clouds of golden light.

  Cossimeri