“There is only one significant difference between raiding a dragon's lair, or the treasure chest of an Old One. In both cases you can surely loot something of immense value and both ventures are very likely to end in death. And that's where it gets interesting. The dragon will just burn or eat you. The Old One will make sure that your death is a deterrence for others.”

- A memory of the Old Ones.

***Norway***

***Cecilia***

There are voices. Why can't they let me sleep? It feels as if I've closed my eyes just a few minutes ago. I force my eyes open, which takes considerable effort. I am lying on my back in a chamber. There is a familiar magical circle on the ceiling. Oh, no. Please don't let it happen again. I've to get up and flee. My body aches when I try to move. It's as if someone forced all the mana out of me. All I can manage is to move my head and even that hurts.

Only complete exhaustion feels like this. I nonetheless try my best to survey the room. There is one door and the room is empty, except for the inked magical circles. One on the ceiling and one on the floor, on which I am lying.

And there are people. At least ten of them. Ow, ow! Now I remember why my throat hurts that much. The bastard stabbed me. At last, I manage to focus on the words. There is a woman with brown hair. She is holding a man at his throat, shaking him like a toy. “...and I promise that I'll disembowel your family if she isn't back to normal! Do you hear me? I'll obliterate the rest of this shitstain of a clan and then I'll find Gavin and put an end to him.”

The voice is familiar, but I don't remember her to be that forthcoming. She is the restrained one between the two of us. “Sis?” I rasp. My throat is so dry that it feels like sandpaper.

“We purged her entire system from any magic. She'll be weak for a while, but her mind is now free,” the man in her grasp croaks and points at me. She turns her attention towards me with her eyes wide. I try to smile and say her name, “Tina.”

Tina drops him and hurries to my side. “Cecilia! You remember me? We already feared that he turned you into a vegetable. You were out for over a day!” She touches my shoulder and I take her in. The curly, brown hair and the full lips which attract the eyes. She is large compared to me, but I was always the stronger one. Being small meant that I had to be twice as fierce to be recognized by others.

Over a day to heal? That's pretty long as far as Old Ones are concerned. Turning my attention inwards, I concentrate and try to assess the situation. The memory of my enslavement is like a puzzle, but the strange haze around my mind is gone. “I feel more like myself than I've in a long time. But I really need some water. And I think that I've never seen you so aggressive.”

“After a hundred years I gave up hope. I thought that some freak accident happened, taking you out. Or an assassination. To have you back is like a gift from the heavens.” She laughs and someone hands her a bottle. I drink greedily until my throat feels normal again. It doesn't change the fact that I feel broken. Hopefully that's not permanent.

I try to remember the events at the clan conference. “They took me during the negotiations. There was poison in our food. Not enough to kill, but enough to weaken us. The next thing I remember, is the first time in that room...” My voice trails off.

Tina nods. “You don't have to talk about it. We've interrogated everyone and have a pretty good idea of what you had to endure.” She turns to the man who is massaging his throat. “Once he recovers his energy, we'll try to get your memories back. Though according to him, the chance is slim. The spell placed you in a dream-like state, making you open to suggestions. So most of your enslavement will be hard to remember. No matter what we do.”

I clench my teeth and grab her hand. “I am not so sure that I want those memories back.”

She sees something in my eyes and nods. Then she gestures at the man and two members of our clan step forward to restrain him. Having done so, they guide him out of the room. “We will split the prisoners up and distribute them among the remaining clans. The Hammons are at an end as far as I am concerned.”

Tina hooks an arm under my armpit and helps me to my feet. “We have a lot to discuss. With you being back, there is question of who's the clan's head now. Technically that responsibility falls back to you, since you had the position before I was forced to take over. And you are the oldest member of the clan.”

I sway for a few seconds until the nausea goes away. With my sister holding me, standing upright works. Somehow.

Once I grasp the meaning of her words, I wince. “I am afraid that you have to stay clan-head indefinitely. Being two hundred years out of touch is disorienting. I mean, even a bottle of water is something incomprehensible to me.” I squeeze the bottle in my hand.

I try my best to sound confident while the questions spill out of me. “Since when do we have flexible glass? Was it really two hundred years?” My expression falters and turns grave. “Do I really have two children?”

I am old. So old that I am not exactly sure how old. I was there when humans were nothing more than beasts who gathered around a fire. My endless curiosity was a big help in keeping up with the changing world. Most other Old Ones are too static to keep up forever. What happened to me was a really horrible way to jump into the future.

Tina's voice is low and serious. “The prisoners say that it's true. You have two daughters.”

I am no longer able to hold back and laugh like a lunatic. Strangely, I just feel like it's the best thing to do in order to deal with the situation. After a while I manage to calm down. “I am sorry. It's not like I am touched in the head. Well, maybe a little. That's forgiveable, given the circumstances. Am I right?”

She nods, so I continue to explain myself. “It's just that I must be well over ten thousand years old and I never had a single child. And I never held back in trying.” My voice fills with rage. “And then some bastard abducts me, rapes me, and turns out to be a matching partner, getting me with child twice!”

I clamp my mouth shut to stop the jumble of words. “I honestly don't know how to feel about it. One side of me doesn't care, and wants to dance in joy. I've two daughters. That's more than I ever hoped for at my age. The other part of me wants to find Gavin and rip him apart, then forget that it ever happened.”

“Everything will work out.” Tina gives some commands to the other people, ordering them to leave. I don't remember her being a leader. She was always my little sister, hiding in my shadow. Even though I am the petite one. It seems that being forced to stand up for herself changed her. She grew up and became stronger. Maybe that's a good thing.

I realize that not everyone who was present is from our clan. Tina is trying to hide my weakness from the others.

When we are alone she helps me out of the room, silently whispering. “I took over after you vanished. We searched for years, but there wasn't a single trace of you. Just an empty room where you and your guards should have been. A few days ago we got a tip, and information started to appear on the web.”

“Web?” I ask.

“A public means of sharing information. Like a gathering where anyone who wishes it can listen. The manner in which the information was shared was insulting beyond belief. Even if it had turned out to be a hoax, I had to react. Apparently your daughters were about to face a similar fate as you. But they escaped and spread their knowledge about the Hammons. I managed to convince several clans to put the rumours to the test. And here we are.”

“Here we are.” I take another sip from the bottle. “That means that my daughters are well?”

Tina's expression turns dark. “The last thing we heard, is that they disappeared inside the Bathomeus territory.”

I nod. “We'll have them back in no time. I know one of their elders. The Bathomeus are hardy people, but they have a strict code of honour. They won't treat people in need with disrespect.”

Tina sighs and guides me down another corridor. I've no idea where we are, but it seems like an underground complex. The similarities to a labyrinth must be intended. It would pose a big problem to invaders.

At last, Tina speaks. “It just shows that you are really out of touch. The Bathomeus disappeared decades ago. Something wiped out the entire clan. But the Veil is still active and someone or something kills every Old One who dares to enter the territory.”

I stop walking. “Do you mean to say that they are dead?”

She tugs at me to get me going. “They are certainly alive. The rumours on the web are too detailed. The person who spread them must've lived in this complex for a long time. There are only two who escaped from here. Your daughters are the most likely source for the information that’s flooding the web. So they are inside the Bathomeus territory and alive.”

At the end of another corridor a huge metal door comes into view, but I don't care. My mind is floating. Hatlix was a good friend of mine. He was old and strong. For a few decades we even were involved with each other. Sadly, he is one of those people who refuse to change with the world. To learn that he is simply gone is yet another blow which I am ill prepared to deal with.

Tina tries to calm me down. “Don't worry. I've already used the official channels to demand their release. Whoever governs that territory will give them back. They belong to us by blood. It's a question of honour to ensure their safety. And if they ignore us I'll go in there myself and raise hell.”

“Before you do that, is there a way to reach Aressi?” I ask. I would be happy if the old dwarf is dead, but he is one of those guys who are too smart to die.

My sister mumbles something and pulls a strange artefact from her pocket. It gives me time to study her outfit. Up until now I had other things on my mind than to worry about fashion. “Is it okay for women to wear trousers?”

She purses her lips. “Depends on the culture, but here in Europe you won't cause any raised eyebrows.”

Maybe waking up two hundred years in the future isn't so bad. The first thing I'll do is to get rid of these robes.

Having finished whatever she was doing, Tina holds the artefact to her ear. Then it takes a few moments of waiting. “Aressi! We didn't have a chat in a while. Yeah, sure... Look, I don't want to stress you, but my sister wishes to talk to you.” Then she presses the artefact to my ear. She never liked to deal with Aressi. The old fellow is nothing more than a nuisance to her.

I don't know what to do. The artefact is clearly not magical, so I simply try my luck. “Hello?”

“Flower! It's so good to hear that you are alive and kicking. I thought that you lost the bet. You know, the one about who of us manages to survive to the third millenium. You have to visit me as soon as you feel up to it.”

It's his voice. “I will, but I am afraid that it will take a while to recover. I am not ashamed to admit that they did a number on me.”

“I am sorry to hear that.”

I gulp. “Actually, I want to know if you have any contacts to, or information about the Bathomeus. It seems as if my daughters are in their territory.”

“Hmmm. As much as I want to help, I can't. Knowledge is valuable and someone paid me a hefty sum to keep my fingers away from that region. It's one of those cases where the smart information trader rather decides to take the money and know nothing, instead of burning his fingers.”

That's not acceptable, so I press the subject. “But you have a contact? There must be a way to contact them you stupid, little dwarf! Tell me, or I'll visit you in person and I promise you that you won't like the mood I am currently in!” Okay, maybe I lost it there. Just a little bit.

He audibly clears his throat. “Maybe there is something I can do. For the right price of course. Do you still have that huge, head-sized diamond? The one you snatched away from that Arabian king?”

Do I have it? I look questioningly at my sister, who listened in on the conversation. She nods.

Grinding my teeth, I admit defeat. “I have it. But you better give me credit in exchange for something so valuable. It'll take you a lot of work to clear such a debt.”

“It's priceless!” Tina whispers.

“Good, good. I think I can give you credit for the next two or three decades.”

“Centuries!” I raise the stakes, hissing.

There is some mumbling at the other end, but then he starts dictating some random numbers to me. “...382. Got that?”

“No? What is it?” I ask, but Tina butts in. “We have it, don't worry. She has no idea of phones.”

“It's Fiacre's mobile. Have a nice day.” There is a strange sound and Tina takes the artefact away from me.

She starts interacting with the glowing surface. “Congratulations, Sis. Remind me not to allow you to go shopping on your own. You just paid enough money to make this the most expensive private phone number in the world's history.”

Neither do I understand any of this, nor do I care. If Tina didn't throw away my stuff, then I've more than enough trinkets of that sort. And the stupid diamond is nothing more than that. Just a piece of glittering junk. It's not like it's a magical artefact with a mysterious, unknown enchantment on it.

And Fiacre is alive! When I visited Hatlix I once held her when she was a baby.