Once we got our refugees organized, and they had gathered what few possessions they had, I cast a portal to Varüus’kiel on the shores of Lake Danu. There were four young merfolk and an adult Mermaid among their numbers, and they needed to be carried through by Lilith, Lissany, Nishalle, Pete, and Harley. Despite the efforts of Jennifer Walters and her fellow former agents, the Merfolk were all starting to look dehydrated, especially the adult Mermaid, and they needed to be put in water as soon as possible, rather than taking turns in a kiddie pool as they had been doing previously.

With close to forty new refugees, and roughly three dozen of those being children or young teens, I was going to need to find some people who would be willing to take the kids in and raise them. It took ten minutes to even get a complete census of what I was dealing with and by that time, Rei and Salem had arrived with Jennifer’s niece, Evie. Thankfully, Rei managed to stabilize the young girl with healing prayers, but she was still suffering from major burns and nerve damage and was in a lot of pain, so we were going to have to put her in an F.I.T once Jennifer was properly informed and could make some decisions about her recovery.

That was one less worry hovering in the back of my mind. Now I just needed to sort out what we were going to do with the thirty or so kids who were now parentless and understandably scared after everything that had happened to them and now being whisked off to a strange place. Thankfully, quite a few were distracted by the colossal fantasy palace made of glowing crystal.

It turned out that a couple of the adult Beastkin were parents of some of the young teens. So, I was able to send them off for a good meal and put them in the hands of the people I had arranging eventual housing and other needs for refugees. The adult Mermaid was the mother of two of the younger merkids and was willing to take care of the other two as well, so that was another worry off my list once I had some of the Merfolk in the lake take them all in hand.

It took over an hour to find people willing to raise the other orphaned or cast out children and make sure they were going to be a good fit, but I managed to find people who were more than happy to take in a child in need and teach them what they could. There was even a Centaur woman who had been trapped in the Veil fell who was ecstatic to take in the young Centaur boy. In the end, there were only three children who I had trouble finding people compatible with.

The first of those was the Valkyrie girl, whose name I learned was Sara. She was fourteen and very pretty with light blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a pair of pristine white wings that rivaled my own. She also didn’t look very happy as she sat by the lakeshore and watched children paired one after another with people of their own species. It wasn’t that she was wistful or jealous, she seemed almost angry.

Finding people who were a good fit had been easy for the more populous Races like the Beastkin or Kitsune, and there were even a small population of Fauns and Centaurs that we had been able to bring to Varüus’kiel through rescue operations. Our current census showed no presence of any Valkyrie’s on the island though. I was about ready to try and contact Thor and Sif to see if they would be willing to take her in when Lilith and her eldest daughter, Chalise approached me.

“We have encountered her kind before,” Lillith said with a faint smile. “Both on the battlefield and in more peaceful times. They have much in common with us; they fight hard, drink hard, and have a great passion for the pleasures of the flesh once fully mature. They are warriors through and through, often very emotional and aggressive when going through puberty, but they show unwavering loyalty to those who earn it. Usually, they channel that aggression into combat training, and they are gifted healers and spirit shepherds as well. She will need training as much as she needs a loving parent figure.”

Chalise took that moment to speak up. “My Goddess, Mother, I would like to be that person. If you would allow it, my Goddess. I have not had a child in a very long time.”

The Succubus matriarch looked to me and at my slight nod, she cautioned, “This will not be like raising one of our own kind, Chalise. She will not be able to share our minds in battle.”

“I know, Mother, but I’m one of our best healers and the most experienced in combat besides you. I think that I can adjust our training to suit her,” Chalise pressed. “She may not have our natural armor or a tail to use as an additional weapon, but we are all well-versed in using mundane weapons as well. When she is ready, we can have the Dwarf who is making our Goddess’s gear make her proper armor and weapons. I believe that if she is willing, and our Goddess accepts her as a Priestess and gives Her blessing, we could form a connection with her mind as well.”

I smiled and gently placed a hand on Chalise’s shoulder. “It has to be her decision. Let me talk to her for a bit and get a feel for her. She might not even be a good match for you.”

Both Succubae bowed their heads and said, “Yes, my Goddess.”

With a long sigh, I stepped away from the pair and approached the winged girl by the shore. We had barely been introduced before I ushered them all through a portal and I wasn’t quite sure how to approach this. I sat beside her as she watched the reflection of the Moon Palace on the surface of the lake. “This is a nice view, you should see it from the sky though,” I offered conversationally.

“I can’t,” the girl snapped as she turned to glare. I thought the glare was directed at me for a moment before realizing that she was glaring at her white-feathered wing over her shoulder. “I don’t know how to use these things yet.”

“You can learn,” I told her.

“What would you know?” she snapped.

“More than you’d think, Sara,” I replied as I allowed my wings to manifest, and my right wing brushed against her left. “I learned to fly, though I was fighting a giant dragon goddess at the time. Maybe I could teach you. Flying under your own power is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.”

Several minutes passed in silence as she stared at my wings in awe. Finally, though, she managed to blurt out, “You’re like me. Is this where you offer to adopt me like all those other people were with the other kids?”

I shook my head. “I’m afraid not, Sara. Your wings are because you’re something called a Valkyrie, while mine are because I’m a Demigoddess. Unfortunately, I’m a very busy Demigoddess. I have a country to run and subjects to take care of, Gods to fight, and working toward world peace isn’t easy either. I don’t have time for raising a kid, so I’ll have to burst your bubble there. I do have some options for you though.”

If she was disappointed, she wasn’t willing to show it, her expression carefully neutral as she asked, “What kind of options?”

“Well, Kiddo, I could tell you here or I can tell you up there,” I said, pointing to the moonlit sky above where the occasional light, brighter than the stars flew through the night sky.

One such light caught Sara’s attention. “Is that… a shooting star?”

“Nope,” I told her casually. “That’s one of the Sül’shael, they’re one of your options, if you’re interested.

“I guess… I…”

I didn’t wait for her to finish stumbling over words as I picked her up, beat my wings, and gave myself a magical boost to launch myself into the sky. Sara let out a squeal, but the moment of fear passed quickly as I adjusted my flight path to take me to a trio of Sül’shael who eagerly rushed over to greet me as soon as they spotted me. As the group excitedly hovered around us and squealed out, “Inu’Mahair!” I could see Sara gazing at them in rapt fascination.

“Hi, girls, this is Sara, we’re up here for a flying lesson,” I told the girls. “Sara, these are some of the Sül’shael. Introduce yourself, girls.”

“I’m Kura!” one offered happily before she was eagerly copied by both Riki and Xavi.

For the next half hour, I tried to give Sara a good start on learning to fly while the three Sül’shael flew along with us and offered encouragement. I started by holding her in place with a telekinesis spell while having her get a feel for the wind on her wings. She started to fall for a moment when I released my telekinetic hold but quickly caught herself and was soon gliding under her own power. From there, it was just teaching her how to properly beat her wings for lift and how to turn in the air.

It was a basic lesson, but she seemed to be enjoying flying under her own power as much as I had hoped she would. Between giving her various pointers, I told her about the possible options that I thought would be good for her. I tried to give her what background I could and was careful to explain the possible pros and cons of each.

First, I told her about the Sül’shael. They would be only too happy to provide her with a loving family if I asked them, and they were all wonderful girls, but I wasn’t sure that they could provide what Sara really needed other than a loving parent. They were pacifists and from what I had been told about Valkyries, from both Lilith and my Aesir friends, that sort of life would not suit someone whose very nature was to be a warrior.

Then there was Thor and Sif. I knew that the pair of Norse Gods would be only too happy to give the Valkyrie a loving home and train her in the ways of a warrior, but they spent much of their time in their domain and away from the mortal world. I was afraid that she might start to feel isolated and felt that she needed to be around other kids her age, even if it was just for combat training and stuff.

Finally, there was the Succubae, and I told Sara that one in particular had already shown an interest in taking her in. They had a lot in common with Valkyries, they trained their whole lives to be warriors, and Chalise could teach her the healing arts as well. I knew that they love their children as much as the Sül’shael do and they had kids Sara’s age in the village who were training to be warriors as well, so she could make some friends too.

I landed once more by the lakeshore and her landing, while clumsier than mine, was good for a first timer, or at least, that’s what I felt. We had spent much of the past five minutes in silence as I left her alone to consider her options but as I helped her to get steady on her feet, I asked, “What do you think, Sara?”

“I…” She seemed to have trouble forming the words at first, but eventually, she did manage to form a response. “The Sül’shael seem nice, but they seem so innocent, and you said that they aren’t used to violence. I… don’t think I’d be a good fit with them. Ever since I started changing, I’ve felt so… not angry but…”

“Aggressive?” I suggested. “A bit pent up?”

“Yeah, that,” she agreed. “From what you said, Thor and Sif sound nice, but you’re probably right about being around kids my own age and making friends too. You said that this Priestess could teach me healing and stuff, but can she really show me how to fight? I thought priests were all peaceful and stuff.”

That got a good laugh out of me. “Not these Priestesses, Sara. The Succubae are all war priestesses. They’re technically my own little army as well as my Priestesses. Like I said earlier, they start training from childhood. I’ve seen Chalise fight, she will be able to teach you both combat and healing very well, though they heal through prayers, and their belief in me grants them power.”

“So, I could be your Priestess too?” she asked, suddenly perking up.

“If that’s what you decide that you want, then I will give you my blessing. Take some time to think about it and see if you even want to stay with Chalise first though. You don’t need to rush into anything,” I cautioned her. I could feel the belief in her and had been able to since we started our flying lesson, but I didn’t want her to make any decisions in the spur of the moment.

I introduced Sara to Lilith and Chalise and if she was at all bothered by their demonic appearance, she didn’t show it. In fact, she and Chalise seemed to take to one another very quickly and Sara was soon listening raptly as Lilith’s eldest daughter started talking about making a room for her in her hut and what she wanted to teach her. It sounded like there would be teaching not only lessons in combat and healing but also in the history of the Succubae, and being a ‘Priestess of Taelya’ if that was something that Sara was interested in.

From the way Sara was hanging on her every word and occasionally looking at me, I had a feeling that I would be anointing a new Priestess trainee soon. It was probably my own fault for showing off my wings, teaching her to fly, and casually mentioning the whole Demigoddess thing. I just wanted to cheer her up and give her some choices for her future, but I probably should have kept that loyalty thing Lilith had mentioned in mind and kept her at arm’s length. She needed someone to make her feel less alone though, and I thought I could be that person.

Oh well, since Chalise had Sara well in hand, I could now look into doing something for the other pair of children who were going to be hard to place. I returned to Rei, Salem, and Daenyss, who were keeping the two kids entertained, not that that was easy without a common language. I arrived to find Daenyss playing patty cake with the youngest of the two while Salem was casting illusions to entertain the eldest.

Both children looked to be Kitsune, but they didn’t have the distinct Japanese looks that Rei and most others had, though they were Asian, possibly Chinese. One was a girl, barely a year old by my guess, while the other was a boy who was maybe four or five. Jennifer told us that a woman she assumed was their mother (due to the similar features and fox traits) had died from a mob while keeping them hidden in a dumpster before she showed up. She took the mother’s body in but hadn’t mentioned the children in the report and hid them at the lumberyard with the other refugees.

“Were you able to find anything out?” I asked Rei as I approached. I had left them in their care since the kids practically clung to Rei once they first saw her.

“Tien thinks the boy is speaking Cantonese, so they could be Huli Jing rather than Kitsune,” she said with a sigh. “The problem is, we don’t have many people on the island who can speak Cantonese, and Tien only knew a few basic words. Mandarin is supposed to be similar, from what I’ve heard, but we don’t have many people who speak that either and most of them are in China with groups looking into some suspected black sites and possible prison camps for Changed.”

A long and weary sigh escaped my lips. “Surely we can’t have sent them all off to China.”

“Tien recalled Becky mentioning speaking some Cantonese, which makes sense since her mother was one of the people sent to China to act as a translator. She’s gone to grab Becky so she can babysit and hopefully tell the older one what’s going on until we can organize a more permanent solution,” my Kitsune lover explained, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief. Becky would be a good choice until something more permanent could be decided.

“The sooner, the better,” Salem added as she glanced in the direction of the older child, who was transfixed by her illusions. “We can’t keep passing them between temporary caregivers and the younger one needs proper care. She’s still in diapers, which she is going to need soon, and she hasn’t used any real words yet, I don’t think, just baby babble.”

“Well, shit. I’m open to suggestions here,” I grumbled. I knew that we could always put them in an F.I.T to teach them English or Elvish, but they were young, one was barely more than an infant, and it would probably be a scary experience for them without a soothing presence. I didn’t want to worsen any trauma they might already have, and I wanted people going into those devices, for any reason, knowing exactly what they were getting into. Even if we could properly communicate that to them, they were too young to make that decision themselves, and I wouldn’t want them going into a simulation alone.

“What about Mr. and Mrs. Chan? They seemed very nice when we visited their restaurant and they probably speak either Cantonese or Mandarin,” Daenyss suggested.

My eyes widened and my lips turned upward in a smile as I thought about it. That was a very good idea. Those two would provide a loving home for any kids, given what I knew about them, and I had been considering offering them a go in a F.I.T and a place to open a restaurant in Varüus’kiel anyway. I moved over to quickly kiss Daenyss, “Great idea, Sweetie. I have a few other people to check on, but we’ll go to the restaurant and talk to them later.”

I quickly gave Rei, Salem, and Daenyss each a kiss and then headed off toward where I had left Jennifer Walters and her fellow agents a little further down the shoreline with my protectors flanking me. They were waiting right where I had left them, and Jennifer was holding the hand of the severely burned five-year-old girl who lay on the grass beside her. Salem had been able to give her niece something to manage her pain, but our medical supplies outside of magic and artificed tech were limited and Evie would need to go into an F.I.T soon to do anything about her current medical needs. Agent Jacobs’s sister, Amanda, was there too and none of the group looked like they had any idea what they should be doing.

Evie seemed to be resting now, but the others all looked nervous, out of place, and a little bit shell-shocked, to be honest. That was fair though. Amanda had just been told that the agency her brother worked with was probably going to try to use her as a hostage against him, I had transformed her into the girl she desperately wanted to be, and then we absconded with her and brought her to what was, admittedly, a very unusual place filled with non-human refugees.

As for the now-former DCA agents, they likely had their own issues to work through. Sure, they had been trying to hide Changed people and keep them safe, but now they had been seen by the agency consorting with the enemy and were branded traitors. Worse yet, now that all the excitement was over, they didn’t have time to think of much else and were probably uncertain where they fit in here.

It was perfectly normal that they would feel that way and they probably needed something to focus on in the future rather than the recent past. The former agents especially needed goals, a purpose, something to work toward to replace what they’d lost. It was a good thing for everyone involved that I had something in mind.

“How’s your niece, Jennifer?” I asked as they all looked toward me while I closed the distance between us. It would be a wonder if me showing up would not surprise anyone though, at least at night, with the glow of my hair and eyes.

Jennifer gave me a shaky smile, took a deep breath, and replied, “She’s in less pain and sleeping now, thanks to Rei and Salem. You mentioned some options for her earlier, Your Majesty?”

Giving her an encouraging smile and a nod I moved close enough to the group so the men would be out of the range of my aura and sat on the ground cross-legged. Even though we were in Varüus’kiel, and most likely perfectly safe, my Guardians remained standing and on guard while Pete and Nishalle joined me in sitting on the grass. Keeping this much distance between my group and Jennifer’s wasn’t ideal since we would all have to speak louder to be heard, and under other circumstances might come across as me not trusting them.

“I apologize for not sitting closer,” I began, motioning to the near twenty feet of distance separating us. “I don’t want my aura to turn the men into lust zombies. There are options for all of you that we need to discuss, and I would rather that you are all capable of doing so with clear minds.”

“That’s okay, we understand and appreciate it,” Maleko said, his voice loud enough to carry across the distance.

Nodding my thanks, I began to explain. “As I see it, you have two options if you wish to avoid the wrath of the DCA now that you’ve associated with me. The first would be to change your appearances and try to start new lives somewhere else. We could help you do that fairly simply by either polymorph spell like I used on Amanda or by placing you in F.I.Ts so you can learn new skills and even languages to help set you up in those lives. The other option is that you stay here, make a home in Varüus’kiel and work for me.”

“What kind of work?” Jack asked cautiously.

“Nothing that you weren’t already willing to do, just in a more formal position,” I told him with a smile. “I need diplomats to start opening communication with other countries, people who believe that the lives of non-humans are just as important as those of humans. I can’t be everywhere at once, so I need people that I can trust, who will negotiate with my ideals in mind and report directly to me. I would like to have one Fae, one Changed, and one Human, or at least someone who passes as one without a glamour, on each diplomatic team.”

“We’re… not exactly trained for that kind of thing,” Mike pointed out.

“That’s why you would be going inside an F.I.T to learn new skills; diplomacy, geopolitics, a few languages, and any other skills you might be interested in knowing. If you decide that you would like to give being another species a try, we could do that too, and you could change your appearance to almost anything you might want. Jen, you could use the time in the F.I.T to strengthen your bond with Pryswik and learn more about using elemental magic too.”

I went on to tell them how the F.I.Ts worked, what would be involved, and the various options that would be available to them. They listened intently and I think they were a bit in shock over what the devices were able to do. Finally, I turned to Jennifer and said, “The plan for your niece would be to put her into an F.I.T, so we can monitor her health as she changes and keep her comfortable. The options of new skills and a new form would be available to her as well, but I leave that for you to discuss with her as her current guardian.”

“Umm… couldn’t you just use the same kind of spell you used on me for the little one? She would be healed instantly, right?” Amanda asked with a confused expression.

“That’s an option,” I agreed, “but not one I’m eager to try given the extent of her burns. It isn’t a healing spell; it just changes a person’s physical form, and I’ve never tried it on someone who is seriously injured before. I would rather not try that for the first time on a child. With all those burns, doing that could have unexpected consequences, she could end up with chronic pain because we try a workaround instead of dealing with the real issue.”

“Aren’t these machines doing basically the same thing though?” Mike’s sister pressed.

I shook my head sadly. “The spell I used on you is merely a cosmetic change, much like gender-affirming surgeries, only much faster and more thorough. The DNA underneath it all is still the same. It is why I was going to suggest that you go into a F.I.T, Amanda, because while you may have the appearance of a woman, your basic building blocks are the same as they always were. While you’ll look like a very convincing woman, you could never experience periods or have a baby. The F.I.Ts work differently than the spell, they rebuild your body from the ground up, using it as raw material to create a new one from the DNA up based on the genetic samples they have stored and your adjustments in the appearance designer.”

Amanda looked disappointed but nodded her head in understanding. “I guess I want to go into one of those machines then. Even if periods will probably suck, I want the whole experience, and learning new skills would be nice too. Maybe I’ll try becoming a Witch since you said they look human but can use magic.”

“I would like to get a simulation started for some people either tonight or tomorrow morning,” I told them as I turned my focus to Jennifer and the girl lying beside her. “Evie should be placed in an F.I.T as soon as we can get the sim set up. My personal driver, Megan, will need to go through one soon too, plus any of you who wish to, and there is a couple in Vancouver I would like to offer the chance as well. You’ll all have until then to decide what you want to do.”

My next stop after speaking with the former DCA agents was to check on Zera, the Sül’shael who had gone into labor this morning. She and the newborn baby, who she had named Tala, were both in good hands with Xixie and I was told that the birth had gone smoothly. I even got to hold the newborn for a few minutes while Xixie and Zera gushed about how happy they were that I had personally come to check on mother and child.

Little Tala was so small and cute that she almost made me wish for one of my own. She was perfectly safe to hold without fear of her back and head bursting into flames too since Xixie informed me that they didn’t start manifesting flames until they were two or three years old. I probably wouldn’t have to worry about her waking anytime soon either since Zera had finished nursing her not long before I arrived, and she fell asleep soon after.

“I’m your Inu’Mahair,” I told them with a smile as I rocked the sleeping infant in my arms. “You’re my girls, and I’m happy to welcome this little one into our world.” With all the loyalty and love the Sül’shael showed me, the least I could do was make visits like these if I had the time.

I had a suspicion that these visits might become a tradition, and not just for the Sül’shael, as we left mother and child resting under Xixie’s attentive care. Lilith had caught up with me by that point, with the news that Chalise would be taking Sara to their village and the Temple of the Heavens to get her settled in and introduce her to people. “That was kind of you to visit the new mother and child, my Goddess,” she told me with a look of pride on her face. “I try to do that when new members of my brood are born, and Inanna used to do the same.”

“It seemed appropriate,” I agreed, though I now figured that I would be doing the same for at least the Sül’shael and Succubae from now on. Ah well, it wasn’t like either species, or even both together, would be having babies every day with their small populations.

The last stop I intended to make before going to speak with the Chans was the F.I.T chambers on the lower floors of what would soon be a proper hospital. There, I was able to let one of our server administrators know that I needed another simulation set up for a small group of people and some skill trainers. I also informed him that at least one would probably want to be a Witch so he could contact one of the Fae going out into the woods to forage to collect some small animals that would be good for potential Familiars to place in F.I.Ts and add to the simulation as well.

I would rather that Amanda bonded with a Familiar in the simulation since it would give her time to train with her magic and I would rather not have another Dire Wolf running around yet. People were scared enough of Yuki already even though she wouldn’t harm anyone without Suki telling her to. If the simulation had to run long enough to properly rebuild Evie’s damaged body and give Megan whatever form she wanted to have going forward, then they would have at least a month inside from their perspective. It would be better for Amanda if she was able to spend at least some of that time learning to use her magic.

If the Chans accepted my proposal, I wanted them to be able to enter the simulation with the two children, if possible, so they would have time to bond with them in the simulation and to get on the same page language-wise, if they weren’t already. Hopefully, Becky would be able to communicate well enough to tell the older of the two kids what they would be in for with the sim. The Chans might choose to change, or at the very least become younger, but the kids would probably have water in their tubes rather than the transformation catalyst. Even so, they deserved to know what was going on rather than us just putting them in there without information or a chance to refuse.

When my protectors and I were leaving the hospital, we ran into Jhena, who was supervising the installation of the last of the building’s lighting, specialized hospital beds to monitor patient health, and various other artificed equipment. Jhuras’s daughter expected the task to be finished later in the evening, so soon all we would need would be the equipment, medications, and such that we ordered from McPherson Medical in Mississauga.

After telling me about their progress, Jhena inquired, “So did you just come to check up on our progress, Your Majesty? Or is there something else you need from me?”

I couldn’t help but laugh that she would ask that after giving me the lengthy progress report. “Jhena, I didn’t come to check up on you, I know things are in good hands between you, your father, and all the other Atlantean Artificers involved. I just came to let Laren know that I needed him to start up another simulation as soon as possible for some new refugees and allies we brought in. One is badly wounded, and I’d rather not wait longer than we have to.”

“Oh!” she replied with a chuckle. “My bad. Though, if you’re setting up another sim, would you mind if me and my girlfriend join it? I want to be an Atlantean again, and my girlfriend agreed to try it as well. She wants me to teach her to be an Artificer.”

I considered it for a moment and nodded. “I don’t mind giving you the time to do it, even if I’m a little worried that things might not run as smoothly without you and your dad both on the job. You’ve both been a huge help with getting things done here.” She deserved the time off to get back to being herself, even if I was unsure. She had already done so much and had been working practically non-stop since she returned from Vancouver with her girlfriend.

Jhena began to laugh and then gave me one of her cheeky grins as she informed me, “You have an adorable pout, Your Majesty. Honestly, I’m not needed at the moment. The mana batteries and most of the important stuff for the homes are already being mass-produced in the workshop domes we set up at the bottom of the lake. The installations can be done by just about anyone and our crews have been getting them done almost as fast as the buildings to place them in are being completed now. We have a few more mass-production workshops under construction under some planned warehouses in the city itself as well, for other necessities like those monthly supplies you mentioned last time we talked, though it’ll be a week before they’ll be fully up and running.”

“Fine, fine, I was going to let you go in the sim anyway, there’s no need to convince me,” I countered as I gave her a hearty raspberry. “What are you going to do with your time off in the sim?”

“Other than changing back to my own body? I’ll relax with my girl and do some artificing,” she told me with a shrug before giving me a grin that told me that those weren’t the only reasons she wanted to do this. “Oh, and I might do some research on that mineral you brought back from that domain with the floating islands. I already did a thorough scan so I could add it to simulations. Think of it, I’ll get over a month of research done in five days or so, I might even be able to come up with some designs to make use of it before Dad does.”

Oh, that devious Atlantean, I should have known that she’d want to use this chance to make more cool artificed toys and beat her father to the punch. She was Jhuras’s daughter after all, and they both got this look in their eye when they were thinking about making something awesome. “I want a really cool flying vehicle with lots of seating for my driver to take me around in. Oh, and a new bike for Nishalle!” I told her, matching her grin.

Jhena thrust out her hand and enthusiastically agreed. “Done! Dad is gonna be so cheesed when I beat him to a workable design!” she enthused as I grasped her hand, and we shook on the deal.

We left her mumbling to herself about armoring, layered shields, and a bunch of other stuff I couldn’t follow. Nishalle on the other hand was grinning as she walked ahead of me, and I could see the confident swagger in her hips. My sister was probably dreaming about a flying motorbike bristling with weapons to protect me or something, from the way her eyes had lit up when I mentioned a new bike for her.

It was while we were on our way back to the Moon Palace, where hopefully my lovers and Becky would be waiting with those two children, that I felt a light push at my mind. I didn’t even have the chance to reply to the mental knock before Lillith turned to me and said, “That was Kleo, my Goddess.” Wait, wasn’t Kleo one of the Succubae we had watching over those eggs in Tiamat’s former domain? “That thought was confirmed when Lillith added in an uncharacteristically serious tone, “Some of the eggs are shaking, she thinks they will hatch very soon.”