The talks with were driving me crazy, so I had decided to take some time off and do something else to clear my mind, not that that meant I wouldn’t be working. At least having Ethan by my side was making the whole situation a less dangerous and more fun adventure.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” I asked him again, his plan was simple and I was pretty sure he would be able to do it, but the consequences in case we failed or they didn’t find our joke funny, were really bad.
“Come on, mom, you can’t seriously be thinking of walking out of this, you promised me we were going to do this, and remember, dad and Greca are doing the same thing, if we don’t keep going, they’re gonna win .”
“I’m not sure how you convinced your father that this was a good idea,” I told him, but I couldn’t help thinking it was an excellent idea, and that we, or course, were going to win.
“A little danger to keep you feeling alive. Besides, my dad thinks it’s a good opportunity for him and Greca to bond as a family.
“It’s also a good opportunity to train you, right? So tell me, what are we going to do next?”
“We are near our objective, so I think it’s time to change tactics and start using our camouflage.”
“Remember that the suits cannot be used for more than two continuous hours or they start to overheat,” Yoweri reminded him, he was the only of I had allowed to join us for the last part of our journey. “We need to make sure to reach a safe point to rest before that happens.”
“What do you think mom?”
“This is your mission, don’t ask me, you have to decide for yourself.”
“But as the person in charge of this mission I’m asking you to use your powers, maybe some astral projection, to see which path is free.”
“Nice try, but no, you need to do this by yourself. Didn’t you bring your espionage gadgets?””I did, but I wanted to use them as a last resource.”
“I’m just here to watch and help if something goes bad, so deal with it yourself and plan accordingly.”
“Ok, ok, I get it,” Ethan complained, but got to work immediately.
Yoweri was covering us with his powers and I knew that for most people it would be impossible to notice us, even if a patrol decided to come near us, but I really doubted anyone would move near us, not at that time, not in that area, we were safe.
Ethan was focused on his work, and I didn’t need my powers to see that he was doing a good job, he was being cautious, but was constantly moving forward. In just a couple of minutes he was already working on getting the best route to our objective. I knew that everything could go very well or terribly bad, it all depended on how our little game was received, but my walks in the fog and my own knowledge of the people there made me confident that everything would be fine. Still, I couldn’t help but feel some fear, because there was a small chance that things could go wrong, and no matter how unlikely, the plan could fail and Ethan could be hurt.
“Ok, everything is ready, it will take about twenty minutes to reach the next safe point, once there we will take a minute to rest and give our equipment time to cool down and check on the next part our journey,” Ethan projected a map over the floor and started to explain the route we needed to take, and the possible obstacles we could find. “Ready?”
“Ready,” confirmed Yoweri.
“I’m ready to go,” I said.
Mzansian’s camouflage suits, plus Yoweri’s power to be invisible being replicated by Ethan, and the few tricks I had at my disposal and it was a sure thing that we would be able to go there without being detected. Still, there was the possibility that someone would have a power that would make our precautions obsolete, but despite my fears, we managed to get to the first rest point without problems.
The last part of our adventure was really short, but also the most dangerous. Following Ethan’s indications we knew that it would only take us fifteen minutes to cross, but the number of guards we would find in that part was much bigger. I used my powers to create a few illusions to distract the guards, any time I felt that their focus would be able to see past our camouflage, but between Yoweri, Ethan and I, there was really nothing to worry about. Yoweri’s power was part of him, the need to be invisible, born from his need in a time when he had been in need, and vulnerable. Even with that, Ethan had done a good job or understanding the root of his powers so he could replicate Yoweri’s ability, complementing and increasing his power.
I finally started using my powers and my previous knowledge to guide the group to our final destination. We entered the room and Ethan moved across it, to find a place where anyone would be able to see him once the door was opened. Yoweri on his part moved to the side of the door, to a blind spot, in case his powers weren’t enough. I decided to move to a point closer to the door, but where I wouldn’t be immediately noticed, I was hoping that would buy me a couple of minutes before I needed to act.
I wasn’t sure how long we would be waiting, but I was ready to wait as long as necessary. Luckily, less than an hour later we heard noises in the hallway and just a couple of minutes later the door to the room was opened. First, two soldiers entered the room, both noticed Ethan immediately and pointed their guns on him. I noticed that one of them was watching the room while the other kept her attention on Ethan, they were blocking the way to the members of the Council, keeping them safe. Yoweri’s powers and a simple illusion trick kept us invisible to the couple of guards, with all their attention back on him.
“How did you get here?” one of them asked, taking a couple of steps deeper into the room, her gun still on Ethan.
“I was in the area and decided to come say hi, then I noticed you had a small security problem. You should be more careful, anyone can walk in.”
“You are hardly anyone,” Molpadia pointed out, ignoring her guards and walking into the room, “but I don’t like your little trick. I would like you to explain exactly what are you doing here, and to give me a good reason not to drag you back to my jail.”
“First of all, I’m here officially as an envoy from the Dominion, to talk to you, as the leader of the Amazons, and it’s not a good idea to send an envoy to jail.”
“Neither it is to walk into a territory without invitation, or into the Palace without being announced. Again, I need you to give me a good reason not to tell my guards to arrest you.”
“I don’t know if this was a good idea or not, but I would be very angry if you arrest us for coming to visit,” I said from my sitting place, letting the illusion masking my presence fall.
“Kaiserin?” Molpadia asked, unsure, as if she couldn’t get herself to believe I was really there. “Is it really you?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come before, but I have been watching you from afar, and I can tell you have done a great job so far. I’m very proud of you and everything you these last years.”
“I’m glad to hear that, I have been working very hard to make sure my people safe and content. Still, I don’t get why you came here like this, there was no need to enter the room like that.”
“Yes, I’m really sorry about that, I would have preferred to walk from the front door, but Kimball and Ethan, for some reason, thought this would be a good idea. It was part to show what we are capable of, and to prove who is the best one.”
“Kimball is here?” Molpaid asked, looking around.
“Unless he significantly changed, I don’t think that’s Kimball,” Areto said, staring at Yoweri.
“Yoweri is one of my bodyguards. Kimball must be in the Militaries’ base, talking to Spike,” I explained.
“No, I’m pretty sure they must be just getting into the camp, our way was much faster, I’m confident we beat them by an hour,” Ethan said.
“So this was just a test? What are you trying to prove? That the Militaries’ security is better than ours?” Molpadia asked, angrily.
“My mom said that the security in both clans was equivalent, in our case the open areas were both a challenge and an opportunity, it could be said that it’s even harder to navigate because it had less places to hide.”
“The Militaries have everything locked in, which is also a challenge for anyone without technological abilities. In fact, during our first talks, both Kimball and Ethan decided that it would have been much easier for him to break into their base, so they decided for him to come here for the biggest challenge.”
“Men!” Areto exclaimed. “Always looking how to make things even more complicated.
“That’s certainly one of their biggest talents,” I agreed.
“Hey! I feel offended,” Ethan said, but the smile on his face lessened the seriousness of his words.
“I’m still not sure what this is all about, and I would like an explanation,” Molpadia repeated. “You can go,” she told her guards, before moving to take a seat opposite to where I was sitting.
“Do you want to know where I have been?” I asked.
“Of course,” she responded.
“The place I have been is known as the Dominion. Mzansi, Kimball’s home country is part of the Dominion.”
“I remember that there were problems in Kimball’s home. That was part of the reason he disappeared for a while, if I remember correctly,” said Euryleia, another one of Molpadia’s cousins and part of the group that was taking seats around the table.
“That’s right,” Ethan said. “For a while the Dominion fall under the control of a pair of tyrants that did all they could to force every country under their power, and even if Mzansi had been part of it for a while, when they noticed what was going on, they decided to separate from it, but the leaders of the Dominions didn’t agree and started a war to get them back. As a member of royalty and a General in their army, my father was part of the efforts to fight back and remain independent.”
The Amazons were an intimidating group, but Ethan was talking to them as if they were allies, not showing fear of intimidation, he looked completely comfortable in the middle of the group of warriors, even if some of them were watching him as if he was a rabid dog that they would be forced to kill.
I let Ethan tell the story, it was fun to see the story from his point of view, everything sounded more heroic that it really had been. He told everything, from when his father and I had arrived at Mzansi, our time in Aquarium, my plans to infiltrate Emily’s and Faakhir’s government, to how I had overthrown them and everything I had done after that to restore the Dominion to what it used to be. I noticed he failed to mention my fight with Kimball, and I knew why he had done that, after all it wasn’t really important, but I knew that once I had a chance to talk to them, I would have to mention something about it, I didn’t want them to find about it from anyone else and get the wrong idea.
“I see you have been pretty busy,” Molpadia said, once Ethan finished his retelling of my life. “But, why are you here? This doesn’t seem like a social visit.”
“The Dominion is trying to let other people know about them, and try to start trade with other territories,” Ethan explained. “Since my mom already had a relationship with you, they thought it would be a good idea to include her in the first group to reach out to you.”
“As the leader of the Amazons, one of the most important of the Free Clans, we thought it best to talk first to you and see what you thought about it.”
“The Militaries should be included,” Areto said.
“And because of that, Grecan and my father are there, talking to the Militaries, offering them the same deal. If you want to make contact, we can arrange for a meeting with the leaders of the Dominion so you can listen to what they have to offer. Once you talk to them you can decide if you want to share the offer with the rest of the clans, or if you prefer to stay out of it.”
“Have you talked to the Empire?”
“There was a meeting between the Emperor and the leaders of the Dominion, but Pompeyo and some of his advisors are not sure if making a deal with the Dominion is a good idea, especially since they were getting ready for a campaign against the Light, but it turns out they are under the Dominion’s protection.”
“So they already have a deal with the Light?”
“Not exactly. Camil, a Prince from the Dominion, from one of the most powerful families there, got lost during the war in the Dominion and ended up in the Light, he grew up there. Camil feels a strong connection to the people who adopted him and since he lived with some of the leaders there, and there are some revolutions taking place right now, he feels he needs to intercede for his people, and has been working on having the Dominion help them. Camil trust that they will be eager and grateful to them once they do establish contact.”
“I can see how that situation could anger the Imperialists, I’m sure they already felt like the owner of all those territories,” Euryleia commented.
“I guess the same goes for us, we would have to promise not to attack those territories, right?”
“It’s not really a good idea to attack territories so far away from us anyway,” Molpadia said. “It would be insane to conquer a land that is separated from our own by enemy’s territories.”
“The idea with all of this, is to minimize the need for fighting, opening trade between us all, so you don’t have to fight for goods. Any conflicts you have between clans is your own problem, they won’t try to affect your decisions,” I quickly assured them.
“Your actions could affect the way we do business with you,” Ethan added. “For example, the people from the Dominion may choose not to trade for certain products if they find out they are being stolen or that they are being adquired in a way that goes against the Dominion’s principles.”
“So it wouldn’t be by direct action, but blackmail, that they try to change the way we act.”
“Basically,” Ethan said.
“I’m finding it hard to decide if I should take you seriously or not. I also find it hard to decide if I like you or despise you,” Molpadia said.
“Believe it or not, that’s actually a quite common reaction from people who just met him, but after a while most people end up loving him. And that’s not because of his powers, we have tested it, and it’s mostly thanks to his personality.”
“I find the idea of these people you talk about very interesting. I would like to meet the leaders you mentioned, but I would like to do that at the same time as my brother. We have been working hard on keeping everything balanced, I wouldn’t like any of us to accuse the other of acting behind the other’s back.”
“That’s actually one of the reasons that we are here while Kimball and Greca are with them. If you two agree to the meeting, then we want it to be with the both of you and the leaders of the Dominion at the same time.”
“And how would we do that?”
“We have the technology to make it possible for all of you to talk as if you were in the same room, even while being in your respective territories. It’s just one example of the things we can share with you,” Ethan said.
“If my brother accepts, then so do I,” Molpadia said. “Now that that’s settled, would you like to take a walk with me? I want to show you everything we have done,” she asked me.
“Of course, it would be my pleasure. There are so many things I would like to talk with you.”
Truth was that I had been keeping an eye on her for years. During my walks in the fog I usually took a moment to take a peak at her life, and even if sometimes I had been tempted to intervene, I knew that she would eventually take the right choice, so far I hadn’t been disappointed. When I had arrived to the Amazon’s Clan, Molpadia was only an obligation, something to do to keep the Amazon’s protection, but the more I got to know her, the more involved I had gotten. It became one of my most important tasks to make sure she could reach her full potential, and even after I left, leaving her behind, my mind couldn’t help but to think of her. I knew how much she had accomplished and all she had done while I was away, and I felt proud of her, because of that I wanted to take that walk and give her the chance to show off all of her accomplishments.
Kaiserin Novel 