Two hours later Lilith stood with Squall on the pier, and watched in silence as the ferry lowered its gangplank.

  Vector, Fen, Squall’s daughter Wisp, and the noose around her neck named Xain, had been left behind, watched over by three of Squall’s runic using spouses who had arrived an hour before. While Squall should have the largest Talon on Niflheim, circumstances had left the youngest daughter of Nidhogg nearly destitute in both subjects and runic users.

  Lilith’s mother Hera, her favorite of the two she had, told her Xain’s arrival would act as a catalyst in resolving the situation, but for the life of her, she couldn't see how. If he had been anything like Vector, maybe. Instead, he had somehow managed to not even meet her incredibly low expectations.

  Even if what Hera had said was true, and he really was ignorant to his rune, it still was no excuse for being so…

  “Lilith,” Squall said, pulling her from her thoughts.

  “I see them,” Lilith replied, marking the two Dragonkin who approached from their right.

  “Will you do it?” Squall asked, keeping her voice low so as to not be heard by the Asgardian proxies.

  “I…” Lilith started, her mind drifting back to her conversation with Xain.

  Before she could answer though, one of the two Dragonkin, a man dressed in a gold white suit, his scales similarly painted in the Asgardian house colors, called out in an overly genial tone.

  “Princess, may I have a moment of your time?”

  His appearance was no surprise, as it was common practice amongst the Realms for each House to have emissaries, ambassadors, or representatives who hailed from the host Realm. Hel’s embassy on Niflheim was no exception, with the majority of the staff consisting of Dragonkin.

  However, despite being born on and residing within Niflheim, they were all technically citizens of Hel, and could move freely between both Realms. Lilith knew this was a far more ceremonial right than a practical one though, as aside from their inaugural visit to Hel to confirm their residency status, most of them would never leave Niflheim again.

  The genesis of the system was rooted in the fact that, while all the outer Realms allowed for some level of migration, immigration laws varied greatly from Realm to Realm. There were of course exceptions, but outside of Midgard and the slaves of Asgard, the practice of interrealm immigration was relatively rare.

  Due to the lifetime appointments required of the positions, and lacking any meaningful presence or community of their home Realm, it had become far more common to just recruit natives to act as their representatives.

  Lilith knew the degree to which these representatives displayed their status as a foreign citizen varied greatly, but it still felt odd to see one of the Dragonkin, a people Lilith had long thought to be of the most beautiful in all the Realms, dressed so much like an Asgardian.

  Especially since there was little chance anyone on Asgard, aside from a few aides in their foreign office, were even aware of the man's existence.

  Asgard, as a rule, thought of everything outside their own Realm as beneath their notice, with Yid being the singular exception. This outlier was derived solely from their dependence on the runic users the Realm provided; a dependence which was shared by all who existed outside of the Trunk.

  Lilith held back a sigh as she quickly steeled herself, and worked her face into the cold mask of her public facade.

  “Ambassador,” she greeted, her tone a perfect match to her detached expression.

  “I am sorry to bother you, but my House has requested I receive your decision in this… unpleasant manner.”

  Lilith could feel the tension in Squall, but forced herself to maintain her air of indifference as she looked past the man, as if he was below acknowledgement.

  His scribe stood nervously several feet away, his unpainted scales marking him as merely an aide, and not a true member of the Asgardian house, meaning this was likely the closest he had ever been, or ever would be, to a Princess of Hel, or Talon Matriarch.

  “Unpleasant? That is what you call the murder of two of my House? Not to mention the death of those destined for the Path.”

  “Yes,” the man replied, his tone somehow both ingratiating and condescending at once. “Well, as I am sure you are aware, Asgard was distraught when they heard the news themselves. To think, that girl could believe herself so far above her station as to act, wholly without the knowledge of her own Realm. The loss of your Rooted, well it goes without saying, that Asgard would never condone such actions.”

  “Does it?” Lilith asked, keeping her eyes beyond where the man stood.

  “Of course. Asgard holds the relationship with Hel in the highest of regards.”

  “And what of the other two? What of the wolf?”

  “Oh, well,” the man said, clearly preparing to recite the prewritten statement he had memorized for this encounter. Before he could speak though, Lilith cut him off, waving her hand as if brushing the matter away.

  She had only wanted to confirm the man had something prepared. Seeing that he did, Lilith was able to conclude with relative certainty that Asgard believed the lie.

  “Freya,” Lilith said, naming the woman with the healing focused array.

  She had to resist the flicker of anger from showing on her face, as she heard Xain’s voice in her head.

  Ten years had passed, and he was just as infuriating as when they were children.

  Worse still, as Squall had grudgingly pointed out on their way to the pier, he had been right.

  Her mothers, Hera and Hel, had tasked Lilith with handling the Xain situation. They had provided her some general instructions before her departure, but Lilith was also keenly aware of the test which had gone unspoken. They wanted to see if the years she had spent preparing for his eventual arrival had been in vain.

  Upon meeting him again, and it became evident that Xain himself knew nothing about his role, she had nearly abandoned the whole thing, as returning to Hel, even as a failure, was preferable to whatever shit she would be forced to take on.

  Only Hera’s last words had stopped her.

  He must survive.

  If he succeeded in his task on Niflheim, it would mark the first step toward a goal her mothers had only spoken of once when she was a child. She had been nine at the time, but all these years later she could still see their faces atop the wraith bodies they used to reach out to her in Yid from their place in Hel.

  She could remember it so clearly. How her body had gone cold at what they told her, the fear that had nearly driven her mad. She could remember all of it. Except their words.

  “When the time is right, you will remember,” Hera had promised whenever Lilith asked about the gap.

  Now that he was here though, she was terrified Hera had been right.

  “Freya, Princess?”

  “Was I not clear?” Lilith asked, letting a little of her irritation creep into her tone.

  “It’s just that,”

  “I was told,” Lilith said, punctuating each of her words as she finally let her eyes come to rest on the man's face, “compensation for my loss would be made. Did I misunderstand?”

  “No, Princess, it's not that. It’s just, Tor has taken a liking to the girl since the… incident. Would one of the oth-”

  “I have made my decision. I have already agreed not to take that piece of shit son of Amerel’s. And I have been so kind as to not point out that whatever transpired on the ferry, was directly related to him. Should you continue to test my patience, I may find myself in a less generous mood. Now, either go sign your two sacrificial lambs, or tell Asgard that, due to your fucking incompetence, Hel will be forced to find our own resolution to this matter.”

  From the slight tremor of his scales, Lilith knew he was either furious, or terrified. Either one worked for her needs.

  “Yes, Princess. That will not be an issue. They shall soon be remanded to your custody. I hope we may now consider this resolved.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  His clipped words made her think it was anger and not fear.

  Lilith waved her hand once more in dismissal, and focused her eyes back on the ship.

  When the man was a safe distance away, Squall said “That was well done. If I didn't know you so well, I’d think that whole act was real.”

  The pounding in Lilith's chest from the small confrontation should have only betrayed her anxiety to herself, but Squall had known her since her birth on Yid. As Matriarch, she was afforded the benefits reserved for Elders and those of certain status within each House, allowing her to move between Niflheim and Yid with little trouble.

  The relationship Niflheim and Hel shared was far stronger than either had with other Realms, much like how Svartalfheim and Muspelsheim were closely bound.

  It had been this way since the time of the Primal Gods, though the specific reason behind it was known only by Nidhogg and Hel herself.

  Lilith had never cared why it was the way it was. She was just grateful.

  Without it, she never would have had Squall, who was more a sister to her than any of those who resided in her home Realm.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Lilith said, stepping toward the gangplank just as Tryst appeared on the railing above.

  …

  The process of signing her single Rooted went quickly. The details had been worked out prior to their arrival, so all that was required was Maziken's signature, which she received in one of the ship's conference rooms with Tryst and Squall overseeing the process as the required witnesses.

  Aside from the perfunctory pleasantries, Tryst remained silent, his face harder and more weary than she remembered from her own passage not even a year before.

  With that completed, Lilith, Maziken, and Squall departed the ship, and waited on the pier for the Asgardians.

  She had observed the process several times when she had been aboard the ship, so it was easy to notice that the group awaiting the Rooted on the pier was several times larger than was commonplace.

  It was not surprising, as the situation on the ship was sure to raise tensions, but she did find it odd that among the various Dragonkin, and handful of embassy or political officials, stood a squad of six Valkyries.

  Every Realm hosted a contingent of Yid’s enforcers, with the number dependent on factors such as population, total runic users, and level of overall trade.

  Openly, their primary role was to guard the borders of each Realm, and prevent unauthorized movement of Runic users. Secondarily, they were there to provide aid to those walking the Path, as well as perform audits on each House to ensure the accuracy of the manifests which were submitted to Yid in order to record the arrays of every user they had under contract.

  Lilith had come to the conclusion early in her studies that, while Yid’s primary export was runic users, bureaucratic processes were a very close second.

  However, Valkyries also played another role. One that was not publicly acknowledged.

  While each Realm was beholden only to their own laws, through their Valkyries, Yid subtly exerted their own agenda.

  Lilith had heard more than a few stories of relic smugglers, seekers of runes who were not born within Yid, or others who participated in activities the Realm found to be disagreeable, who would disappear or were found dead.

  There was little the Realms could do against their actions, so the incidents were most often written off as the cost of doing business.

  Their presence here now though, was a step far more brash than she had ever seen.

  And by the increasing number of Tryst’s crew who stood by the railing and watched the group, she guessed they shared in her assessment.

  After what felt like hours, but likely was no more than one at most, Lilith saw the Asgardian ambassador emerge from the ship, his scribe and the two Rooted in tow.

  Lilith had already been wary of executing the two, but she also knew that a show of strength in response to the attack was expected. Seeing the two women, their heads down, shoulders slumped in resignation, she was once again forced to admit Xain had been right.

  The thing she found even more ridiculous than that though, was how these two women had agreed to their deaths.

  Asgard could not give her something they did not own, and until the contract was signed, they were essentially Yid’s property. Only through ratification of the agreement did possession pass to Asgard.

  Which meant, instead of choosing to break free and walk the Path, they had agreed to sign the contracts for their own deaths.

  “Do it quickly. Don’t make a show. I will help you take the bodies to the sled, but it must be you who holds the knife,” Squall whispered.

  “I know,” Lilith said, and walked to join them.

  “Princess,” the Ambassador said, his tone flat, as he waved the women forward.

  Without waiting for her reply, or another look at the Rooted, the man set off, his scribe scurrying behind.

  The two women, Prishel and Freya, didn't do so much as twitch as Lilith approached, a display which told her they knew exactly what fate awaited them.

  They were both nearly as tall as Lilith, and aside from the bruises around Freya’s eyes that spoke to what being favored by Tor actually meant, looked so similar they could have been sisters.

  Maybe they are.

  When she had been planning an execution in truth, she had not wanted to know anything about the women. Being acquainted with death because of her Realm was not the same thing as taking a life, and despite her reputation, that was a step she had yet to take.

  She walked around them once, before stopping in front of them, turning her back on the crowd of gathered onlookers who were to bear witness to her performance.

  This close, Lilith saw how their bodies trembled and tears fell from their downcast heads. She knew it would be okay. Or, well she was confident. She had never actually used this poison, and while she had done her best to mitigate the risk during its hasty concoction, there was little room for error.

  Lilith took a breath and glanced up to the ship where she found Tryst staring down at her, his expression unreadable at this distance, but she could guess what it said.

  I’m sorry this fell to you.

  Somehow, just knowing he was watching gave her the strength she needed. As she stepped quickly behind the first woman, Freya she thought, wrapped her arm around the woman’s face, pulling slightly up and to the side, Lilith wondered if he had already puzzled out the truth.

  Before she could ponder the thought any more though, Lilith pulled the dagger from her waist, and slid it across the woman's throat.

  Her work done, she released her hold, allowing the woman to fall to the ground in a heap, her hands weakly clutching at her throat as her life drained away, and quickly moved to the other, repeating the action before she could do so much as twitch.

  It was over in just a few heartbeats, but Lilith remained firm, her gaze locked on the soon to be corpses for what felt like an eternity, until they went utterly and blissfully still. Only then did she look up to face the crowd who stood watching solemnly some hundred yards away, and resisted the urge to scream when their forms blurred, blending into a vague blob, tinged a deep blood red.

  “Lilith,” Squall hissed from beside her.

  “We have to go. Something is happening.”

  Lilith heard the words, but it wasn't until she saw Maiziken and Squall bend down and grab the bodies, that the world came back into focus.

  Squall was right, something was happening. But it had nothing to do with them.

  “Captain Tryst,” one of the Valkyries called, as the group separated from the larger mob, and walked toward the still lowered gangplank.

  “Now, Lilith,” Squall hissed again, as she tossed a limp form over her shoulder and Maziken did the same.

  Her body moved, urged to action by something outside of thought, and she followed the two toward their small sled which sat at the edge of the pier.

  She heard the commotion and murmurs from the crowd, but kept her eyes focused on the sled, letting it ground her as her little group increased its pace.

  “How may I be of service to Yid’s hounds today?” Tryst called down. Despite the words, Lilith heard no humor in his tone.

  “We have orders to perform an investigation into the deaths which occurred on the trip between Yid and Niflheim.”

  “Is that so? Well, you are welcome to our report.”

  “Our instructions were to perform our own due diligence in the matter. With things as they are, I am certain you can understand.”

  “No, no I don't think that I can. Unless there has been a change in process I have not been made aware of, you have no authority over any Company vessel, or what occurs on board.”

  “We have-”

  “I will ask you to stay where you are,” Tryst cut in, the edge in his voice sending shivers down Lilith's spine.

  They had almost reached the sled, yet they could only go so fast without drawing attention.

  “Fuck,” Squall cursed under her breath.

  “I have authorization,” the Valkyrie said, his own tone cool, “to perform,”

  “I will say this one more time. If you take that next step, I will have no choice but to respond accordingly,” Tryst said.

  “Go,” Squall commanded, pulling the sled's door open, and practically tossing the body she carried into the carriage.

  Maziken didn't question her orders, quickly lowering the body she carried atop the other, and climbing in.

  “I-” Lilith heard the Valkyrie start, but the rest was cut off as a thunderclap sounded from behind her.

  Squall grabbed her arm, and unceremoniously shoved her through the open door, before leaping in and slamming it closed behind them.

  It took Lilith a moment to find her seat, as she was forced to stumble over the bodies heaped in the middle of their carriage, but the moment she did, the sled began to move.

  Lilith pulled back one of the curtains, acting more out of instinct than anything else, as if physically drawn to see what was going on.

  She caught only a glimpse as the sled sped off, but it was enough.

  “Fuck,” she cursed, sitting back.

  “Did…” she started, but trailed off.

  He couldn't…

  “Yes,” Squall said, her whole body tense.

  Even with the confirmation, Lilith almost refused to believe what she had just seen.

  The bodies of all six Valkyries, lying headless in a circle, and at its center, stood Tryst.

  “Fuck…” Lilith sighed again, as she pulled her knees tightly to her chest.

  “We have to get back to the hold,” Squall said, her voice distant.

  “And we need to contact your mother. She needs to know her Gods damned son may have just started a war.”