*Master* I was waiting in the throne room for Selene to make her presence. With Merna taking up a great deal of my workload I had more time to pay attention to tasks that require attention. I would never admit it but having her around has not been bothersome. Merna is quiet, the majority of the time I have to instigate conversations. In recent times Merna has started tasks without my order. The first time she did this I was furious, no one did a thing without my orders. Yet here Merna is doing everything to my liking, without a word being spoken. Now I expect it out of her! There is not much that she does that astonishes me. “Brother!” Selene made her presence known as she strolled through the entryway. “Dear sister, you finally have come, I have been waiting and you know how much I do not like to wait.” “The course of the moon does not move any fast just because you are impatient!” My sister reminded me that she was under the influence of the moon. I calmed my disposition, “What news do you have for me, dear sister?” I did not see any point in dragging out this conversation. I knew that she would only have a certain amount of time. “I prefer our conversations straight to the point. Our siblings are after Merna, and of course the usual, their attempt at getting you off the throne.” Selene paused, “if my information I have gathered is correct, dear brother, Chaos … you need to be very cautious this time. They have been collecting energy for a long time. We do not know what they are capable of doing. It is not like they care about the damage that will be caused!” There was a hint of worry in her tone. “I have noticed!” My tone was lower than I meant it to be. “I have lost count at how many spies I have had torture to get information out of them.” I grabbed the goblet with wine in it. “Would you care for some wine?” “No, I appreciate the offer but I have never liked the taste, bitter substance it seems to me!” Selene joined her hands loosely in front of her, “did the spies say why they were sent to you? Besides the obvious reasons!” “Just who their master was!” I answered her inquest. Selene hummed for a bit, “how are things going with Merna?” She raised her brows. I snapped, “That is none of your business!” “Touchy! So you enjoy her company it seems!” She said with a coo.“Selene!” I said her name in a warning way. Merna’s voice started to boom in my head, “Selene, did you bring anyone with you?” Selene tilted her head to the side, “you know I never bring anyone with me when I come for our little meetings. Why?” I was not happy about this situation, Merna could be in danger. “It seems that Merna has picked up movement in the Northern terrain,” I answered her inquiry. I messaged my sons and Merna at the same time. Making sure all three of them knew of my wishes. Selene took a step towards me and placed her hand gently on my arm. “They are not going to stop! Brother, would you like some advice?” I snorted, “I get enough advice from Merna!” “Get her to eat or let her go! Things are only going to get worse for you.” Our eyes were locked, “I have not forgotten how you responded when your lovely wife lost her life, do not make the same mistake.” Selene took her hand off me. Once Selene mentioned the event of my dead wife, panic set in. I had sent hunters in the direction in which Merna spoke of. Then I gave orders for a few hunters to collect Merna. “They have been doing the same thing for trillions of years. What makes this any different?” I made sure my tone did not give way to what little emotions I could display. “Dear brother!” Selene was thinking about how she was going to approach this topic. “How much has Pirapancam told you about Merna?” “Merna is her daughter reborn in a human born body. By Pirapancam’s account, Merna is not stable and has outbursts that cause devastation.” “Which daughter is Merna? Pirapancam has several!” Selene pointed out. This is something that I had never considered to question her about. Pirapancam had several sons and daughters. As the mother of all mothers, she never stopped creating life. It was in her nature to produce life. “She did not say which daughter is in the human born’s body. What I can tell by Merna’s account and observation, balance. She has a combination of everything that makes each of us different from the other.” “Brother? Do you ever remember such an offspring of Pinapancam’s?” Selene started to question the validity of the information that we both had. “I am not trying to discredit Pinapancam’s action, she has spent a great deal of time protecting Merna. I am just wondering which child she speaks of!”I thought about it, and there was not much that I did not know about who was our bloodline and not. “No!” I leaned back into my chair. “Now that you have mentioned it … by scent alone we know who is blood and not! Even if Merna has been reborn several hundred times, the scent would still be there!” “Something is missing!” Both Selene and I said at the same time! “Brother!” My sister began, “I do not wish to question our sisters motives or actions …” Selene paused for a second, “does it not seem remarkable that our siblings are aiming to dethrone you and all of a sudden a very talented Merna seems to end up on your doorsteps!” “There is no such thing as coincidences!” I leaned forward ready to get up, “Pinapancam knows what is coming and is keeping the information to herself!” “I can come up with one thought as to why she is not speaking the full truth. The future is not set in stone meaning … there are too many variables … for once our sister doesn’t know what is going on!” The wheels in my mind were turning, “With Merna being here things could change!” I muttered. “That is what I am thinking is Pinapancam’s motive!” Selene and I studied one another. I cleared my throat, “Sister, I need to know where you stand?” “I will not join the fight but if you must know, I will give you free passage long before our siblings have a chance to get the upper hand!” “That is all I need to hear!” *Pierre* We have spent a great deal of time patrolling and hand-to-hand combat. Today was the first day I was going to have the chance to fight with a weapon of my choice. My pick was a dagger, it is something that I am familiar with and comfortable with. Before I was given a real dagger, I had a mimic of the weapon. Sadragon had informed me that this was a normal practice. They wanted to make sure I was in control of my actions before the real deal was in my hands. Even though I was popular among many hunters, there were a few who would have no issues getting rid of me. It could be the fact that I was classified as a human born and they believed me to be the weaker of species. Or the fact I could easily replace them. My physical fitness and endurance were great. Fast reflexes were above average. Active listening skills I struggled with. I had the attitude of wanting to still work alone. Powwaw, another trainer pulled Sadragon off to the side. I could not see what they were talking about, but Sadragon kept glancing back at me. Then Sadragon’s facial expression changed, he was wearing a smile on his face. Whatever the topic was about, it had to be good. Glancing over at Powwaw I nodded my head as a means of greetings. Powwaw was a mix of a dragon and a child of the land. He was only five feet, slim built, but do not mistake his size for weakness. He was the fastest, most flexible and had a shit ton of stealth. He was not a trainer because of his silk tan-like skin, stunning smile and great manners. He was one of the top killers that the Master had at his disposal. “Training is done for now!” Sadragon said as he was strolling in my direction. I was kind of disappointed, I could have gone a couple of more rounds before starting to feel tired. With a sigh, I followed him to the bathing room. Getting into the water, “what were you and Powwaw talking about?” Sliding beside me in the water, Sadragon shifted my body so that he could wash my back. “You have caught the attention of all the trainers.” “I have!” I tried to act shocked, yet I already knew I had gained their favour a while back. “How so?” “This will make you an enemy among ranking Hunters!” He started. “You will be training as an assassin starting the next shift!” Sadragon kissed my shoulder. “This training is saved for those that have been marked to show they have passed all of their training. Then they work up the ranks as a simple hunter!” I wrinkled my forehead, “When is the marking going to take place?” “When the Master decides.” He rinsed my back and turned me around, “this is a great honour among hunters. Not everyone is chosen for this position.” I motioned for Sadragon to allow me to wash his back. “What does the marking process mean for me?” “It is when you swear your legends to the Master.” Sadragon paused for a second. “To be trained as an assassin before your oath means that you are valuable to the Master. This does not happen much among the human borns!” *Camile* My fondness for Puabi was growing. Every Time I saw her my heart started to feel less pain and more warmth. I reminded myself that I could not allow myself to have feelings, one day I was going to be sold. I could not afford to have a broken heart again.Secretly, deep down I prayed that the Master would overlook my presence and allow Puabi and I to stay together. I mastered everything that Puabi had taught me. When we were not in training, I would find myself useful in the kitchen, washing the bedding, and cleaning whatever needed to be done. Anything to make my being here valuable. Puabi was convinced that if I proved myself to be more than a pin cushion maybe the Master would change his mind. I knew what the other pleasures and serfs were saying behind my back. They made fun of me, calling me desperate. It was not far from the truth, in a world like this, it is not meant for anyone like myself. I am emotional, which is considered a weakness. Weaknesses can be used against you. Yet I worked hard every chance I had to prove that I was not weak or a nobody. Washing the dishes, the other female serfs were talking. Many times they would glance my way and start whispering again. The way they glared at me, something told me nothing good was coming my way. There was only one thing that loomed over my head. ‘I was told that I would not be sold until the Master needed gold!’