As the barbarians slowly took

the city of Epux

piece by bloody piece,

Empress Alumia,

only fourteen,

stared in confusion

at the braised Denetian lamb

on the dinner plate

in front of her.

It was one of her favorite dishes,

but at this moment,

the idea of food seemed

incomprehensible to her,

something from another,

departed world.

Alumia sat

in the dining room

alone,

her husband,

Emperor Zineus the 37th,

busy directing the last efforts

of his men

to save what was left

of the Empire.

The doors to the opulent dining room

burst open,

and the Emperor

and his advisors,

administrators,

and bodyguards

flooded into the room

in a torrent of anxious conversations

and hurried movement.

“Alumia, Alumia my dear,”

said the Emperor,

“The time has come.”

Empress Alumia set her unused fork

down.

“For what?” she asked, frightened.

“Our defenses are collapsing,”

the Emperor explained to her.

“We must leave.”

“But... how?” Alumia asked him.

Zineus the 37th

approached his wife,

and lifted her out of her chair

by her arm.

“I have summoned Sir Meraquez,”

the Emperor explained to his wife.

“He will bear you

and our child

away.”

Alumia’s heart fluttered.

If Sir Meraquez was here,

in the city,

and if he was coming here,

to the palace,

and if he was coming to deliver her

to safety —

then there must still be hope!

Yes,

Sir Eloquel Meraquez,

the girl

who had become a man,

and the greatest knight —

not just in the present Omniverse —

but in the entire history

of the Permanent Now.

Alumia’s hand drifted

to lay upon her pregnant belly,

as a thrill of hope

flared in her heart.

Emperor Zineus the 37th

led Alumia,

only fourteen,

by the arm

out of the dining room,

into a nearby chamber.

The Emperor’s entourage

vanished,

and the Emperor

and Empress

were alone.

“Alumia...”

the Emperor spoke,

“There is something

you must understand.”

She was silent,

waiting for him

to tell her

what was expected of her.

“Sir Meraquez will deliver you

out of the city,”

Zineus said.

“But I will not be accompanying

you.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I have... other duties

to perform,”

he told her.

“But... our child!

What is to become of me?”

“You will be safe, Alumia,”

the Emperor said.

“I promise you that.”

“But when will we be reunited?”

Zineus the 37th

turned away from her.

“It is not certain

that we will be reunited,”

he said.

“Husband, I do not understand!”

Tears welled in her eyes.

He took her hand

and looked into her eyes,

his own eyes revealing

his desperation.

She burst out weeping.

“I command you one final time,

my wife,”

Zineus told her.

“Protect my child.

Protect my fathers’ line.”

“I know I carry a son!”

she whimpered.

He cupped her face

with his hands.

“I know,” he said.

“This is your duty.

Do not falter.

See myself and my fathers

into the futre.”

The Emperor opened the door

to the chamber,

and as soon as he exited,

his entourage swirled around him

once again.

Alumia clutched her hands

together,

her shoulders trembling,

as her husband,

and the cloud

of questions and directives

surrounding him,

took leave of her,

disappearing into the palace,

and out of her life,

forever.

Her lady-in-waiting

revealed herself outside the chamber.

“Are you alright, mistress?”

“Yes, Lorelle,” Alumia answered,

trying to collect herself.

“We are to abscond from the city soon.”

“I have been told, mistress.

Your belongings are prepared.”

“Good,” Alumia said,

wiping her eyes.

Empress Alumia

lifted her hand

to her heart,

and took the reassuring gold symbol

of Divine Smoke

hanging from her necklace

into her hand.

Yeshua,

the All-or-Nothing’s One Son,

had sacrificed his life,

in immolation,

to redeem the Original Sin,

when Oio, the First Woman,

was persuaded

by the Black Owl

to drink from

The River of Light,

which the Great Father

had forbidden her

and her husband,

the First Man,

Alam,

to do.

So Man had fallen from the Garden,

at the cause of Woman.

But,

Alumia thought to herself,

if the One Son’s sacrifice

redeemed the Original Sin

of Woman —

why do women

still suffer so?

to be continued....