**

Chapter 46: A Light in the Darkness

**

Millisin, Nabiil’s Governess, sat tall behind the desk, her luxurious, curly, black hair fell behind her laced collar. She looked at the Ahrman Queen with a serious expression that didn’t quite fit someone her age. “While I do sympathize with you and the people of Ahrmania, your highness,” she said. “I’m afraid that Nabiil doesn’t have the capacity to accept a large number of refugees.”

Queen Katherine didn’t expect anything else from the Governess. After all, Nabiil was a city that was growing too fast for its own population, let alone millions of Ahrman citizens. But she had to try, for her peoples' sake. “I understand that Governess,” the queen said. “But I was hoping you would be able to house a few hundred thousand.”

Millisin shook her head briefly. “I can’t help you.”

Short and to the point, just like her waistline!

The queen didn’t hear any of that sympathy the young woman claimed to have in her voice. She sounded annoyed more than anything. Millions of peoples’ lives were at stake. The least she could do was pretend to care.

“I see.” Queen Katherine left her seat. She never had to beg for anything in her adult life, and she wasn’t about to break that streak now.

“Queen Katherine?” Millisin said as the queen started to leave. “How long do you plan on staying in Nabiil?”

She didn’t bother turning away from the door. “Why do you ask?”

Millisin rose from her chair and tugged the hem of her Jabot blouse down. “We’re both leaders and we both have an obligation to put the safety of our people ahead of anything else, do we not?”

“Of course.”

“Then please don’t take offense by my decision not to house your people.” Millicynthia walked ahead of the queen and opened the door for her. “And don’t be offended at my request that you leave Nabiil as soon as possible, your highness.”

The queen clenched her jaw and clenched her fist. One hard slap to the face would satisfy her more than voicing a few dozen unpleasantries. The queen settled with a threat, instead. “I hope you’re not offended when your precious Nabiil is in need of aid and finds none!”

She stormed out of the Governess’ building, her thoughts filled with many choice words unfitting for someone of her stature to speak in public. So distracted by her thoughts the queen hadn’t noticed Sisten had been calling for her attention since she left the building.

“Katherine!” he said, grabbing her by the bend of her arm. “Where are you rushing off to?!”

“That...child refused my request! And release my arm!” the queen ordered, snatching herself free from his grip. “The nerve of her, turning me down!”

“I could encourage her to change her mind,” Sisten suggested.

The queen gazed up at Sisten with a look of disapproval. There was something about the way that word ‘encourage’ rolled off his tongue that didn’t sit well with her. She already held a less than favorable opinion of the man who said it. And his eagerness to act unsettled her more than she was willing to show.

“No, we’re heading back to the hotel,” the queen said. “Jericha may have returned.” And hopefully with some better news.

*

Their voices could be heard by the time the queen reached the top of the stairs. Jericha was back and she was having an argument with Isa. The queen stopped and looked herself over. Had she known Isa was going to be here she would have dressed more formally. Why did it matter how she looked to him? The last time Katherine cared about how she appeared in the eyes of others she was twenty-five years younger, and in hot pursuit of the future king.

Queen Katherine threw her red hair back and proceeded to her hotel room. Jericha, Breuke, Isa, and Idris were standing around a round table with enough tension between them to choke a whale. Their loud voices were kept at bay when the queen arrived.

“I swear, you all are like my sister’s eighteen babies,” the queen said, resting her hands on her hips. “I can’t leave you alone for a moment without you bickering.”

“They don’t want us looking for the Rebirths!” Jericha blurted out, angrily.

“I never said that,” Isa rebutted, careful to keep the tone of his voice at a respectable level.

“That sounded like what you said to me,” Breuke disagreed.

“Jericha, did you and Idris locate the map?” the queen asked.

“Ask Idris. I didn’t get a look at the thing.” Idris parted his lips to respond but Jericha interrupted him. “Those two have the location of three Rebirths but they don’t want to share it with us!”

“That’s because we don’t trust you,” Isa said. “One or more of those Rebirths could be as powerful as Catalyst. How do we know you won’t use them on us?”

“You used it on us first!” Jericha scoffed.

“Your emperor destroyed our city without provocation, General,” Breuke said. “I’d say we’re the ones who can’t trust you with that kind of power.”

“Yes, and because of that, it would be careless of us to let you gain access to the same, now wouldn’t it?” Isa argued.

The queen rubbed her forehead, aggravated by their argument. There was no time for such division. Alba could appear over Nabiil at any time and summon another creature cloud over the city while they argue. Did no one understand the severity of the situation? Millions of their people, both Midaharian and Ahrman, were being displaced as they quarreled.

How could Lisador let relations with our neighbors get to such a state?

Nevermind the king and his failures, or Emperor Taimoor and his unnecessary aggression. Both rulers were dead and gone. For better or worse, she was the queen and her people needed a light out of the encroaching darkness.

Katherine snatched her gloves off her hands. “I’ve heard enough! Breuke, please find me some paper and ink! The rest of you sit down and keep quiet!”

Breuke placed the queen’s requested items in front of her as she took her seat. “Thank you, Breuke,” she said, immediately starting to use them. “It’s a sad day when the fate of our citizens lies in the hands of people who can’t agree on how to save them. Obviously, we have our differences and disagreements but this is not the time to fall back on them. Not when our people, and quite frankly, the entire world needs us the most.”

She finished writing and slid the paper across the table to Isa. “I don’t know if our nations ever officially agreed to coexist in peace, so I am declaring it now.”

“What's this?” Isa said, scanning over the paper. "A peace treaty?"

“For as long as I am Queen of Ahrmania.”

Isa secured his glasses on his nose and looked closely at the paper. Under this treaty using Rebirths ( or any other weaponry ) against the neighboring nation was not permitted under any circumstance. “Without a sitting ruler all five generals are needed to sign this.”

“Stop being so technical,” Idris said, snatching the paper from Isa. He grabbed a pen from across the table and went to work. “I’m signing for Lahan, Tears, and myself. I’ll sign for you too if needed.”

“Something as important as this shouldn’t be signed or written in haste, Idris,” Isa scolded.

“We can get together and iron out each other’s concerns once this ordeal has been properly handled Isa,” the queen insisted. “As I said, we are dealing with a crisis that affects all of us! We must set aside what divides us for the sake of our future!"

Silence fell over the table for a moment until Idris turned to Isa and asked, “Am I signing for you or not?”

“I’ll sign it,” Isa capitulated. “No one can read your handwriting.”

“Excellent!” the queen exhaled. She jumped from her chair wearing a satisfied smile. “Let’s celebrate this momentous breakthrough with a glass of wine!”

“That'll have to wait, your highness,” Jericha said, parting her chair. “I think we should go after those Rebirths instead then form a strategy for defeating Damnation.”

“For once, I agree with you,” Isa said. He retrieved a map from his suit and unfolded it out on the table. “The points on the map are Rebirth locations. There’s one close by in the Sarracen Forest, the other is closer to Ahrmania’s northern border, and there’s one across the ocean, in Rudraksha.”

“Sisten and I will get the one in Ahrmania,” Jericha said. “Judging by its position, that cloud is probably sitting on top of it by now.”

“I’ll grab Badr and head to that forest right away,” Idris said, leaving his chair.

As the last person left the room, the queen found herself pestered by the quiet and empty surroundings. She poured herself a glass of wine and walked out to the balcony. Maybe my feathered friend wouldn’t mind having a drink with me.

*

Hundreds of miles away in grassy plains outside of the Ahrman capital, an unusual form of art sprawled along the ground. The artwork was large enough to fill a Verglas stadium. Its deep, dark colors depicted a tear in the earth and a black abyss running parallel to the sunrise.

Alba stood, teetering on the edge of the abyss, his shoulder-length hair at the mercy of strong winds. He stared into the darkness with a look of anticipation. A sinister grin grew on his face at the sight of a ripple appearing in the void.

Csh A'il vstzla yso megn usultm.