One week later (Tuesday, March 29, 2022) Aqrabuamelu compound; Flushing, Queens, New York, United States

Ella knew it was only a matter of time until she had to drop out of her PhD program. She ended up discussing it with Arcsa and Bahu. They both encouraged her not to, both because it would be forced soon enough, but also because she needed to keep plausible deniability.

“It serves its purpose for now. As do you: outing the enemies of the Emperor. More will appear, but those will be emerging from hidden kingdoms, unprepared for modern life. "

“So who is still out there to re-emerge?”

“We do not know. Over the millennia we searched for others. We did not even know of the elves you met in Iceland. We did not know the drow had returned. And the two hidden worlds we found, were dead lands. The first one it was obvious they killed one another in wars. The second? Perhaps they were trapped without food. We do not know.”

“But of the major races of the People, there were the elves, the dwarves, the Nüwa, and the orc. There were hundreds of other races of lesser numbers. We do not know who still survives or shall emerge.”

“Who are the Nüwa?”

“Reptilian people.”

“Oh!” and Ella remembered the party and seeing some there, so long ago, which brought up another memory.

“I once saw someone who looked human, but when they moved, they left a trail behind them.”

“What? Where?” Arcsa looked alarmed.

“At a party, a long time ago…” And Ella went back and filled in some details from when she first met Kothin.

“That was an Ascended. Ekerri warred with them for a long time. We do not know how one Ascends, but dragons and fae travel freely between our realm and the Ascended realm.”

And so they continued to discuss plans.

At the same time, Ella realized that she needed to bond the Aqrabuamelu to her, she needed their military might. And how could she fix whatever was broken in them? She learned more about Aqrabuamelu mating rituals and practice than she ever wanted to. And then she asked to witness when they used magic to create more.

Bahu looked downcast, “You just missed our quickening ceremony. And it was… " She ran out of words, something that had never happened before.

Arcsa stood up and laid his hand on Bahu’s shoulder. He finished it for her, “It failed. For the first time there will be no more Aqrabuamelu. Our other hives, they have reported the same.”

The sorrow in his voice was palpable.

And Ella was moved. They were allies of convenience. And as she learned more of their ways, she became more scared. The years after endless years had worn away at them. The inner core was hollow, emptied and desperate to be filled. And her presence, instead of being a balm, was salt in the wound. The thirsty man in the desert seeing water and not knowing if it was a mirage.

“Bahu. Arcsa. I need to see the ceremony. I must learn how it is done. I have magic, as you know. Let me try.”

Arcsa and Bahu looked up at that. “We hope but we fear failure too. It is making us irrational,” Arcsa said.

Bahu smiled wanly, “Say it straight, we have become chickenshit. We must set that aside. Innana-Reborn is here in front of us. I believe.”

Arcsa murmured ritualistically, “May we serve the Blessed Innana.”

Ella thought about it. About how she felt uncomfortable with the idea of worship and how the Aqrabuamelu had toned down their reverence due to that discomfort. How they spoke, how they acted; it had all been minimized for her benefit.

And then she realized. She had her Prophet in Arcsa. Who had found his way out of Kur and thus foretold her arrival. Her High Priestess was dead, killed by the drow. And it made her angry. That someone who had put their faith in her, that had put their dreams, their aspirations, their people’s wellbeing — that they were killed for it. She owed something.

And more than that, she thought about her studies of public policy, particularly the writings of Amartya Sen who said that maximizing the degrees of freedom of choice people have was the highest moral imperative. That enabling opportunity was paramount. And thus, she realized she was not a ruler. She did not want to rule. She had been called to serve these people.

She got down on her knees. She heard Bahu’s quick intake of breath. “May Innana, if I am her, serve the Aqrabuamelu and the People and humans all. Let me find a way for all of us so we can all be free.”

She waited, head down. Trembling and unsure if she had just committed blasphemy of the worst sort or done something overly melodramatic and silly.

She heard a sob. And she looked up to see both Arcsa and Bahu with tears on their faces.

Nothing more needed to be said.