08-07-2023, 05:57 PM
“No,” Nirmala Patel said simply. “No.”
“This is a trick,” said Pierre.
“No, it is not,” replied Chiu.
“You are lying. You have to be.”
“I am not.”
“This is fake, a prank.”
“It is not.”
“IT CANNOT HAVE GOTTEN OUT!”
“It has.”
“SHE CANNOT BE ALIVE.”
“She is.”
“Then all of us are as good as dead.”
*
“Did you know about this!?” Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez of Lauchenoiria demanded, bursting into her bedroom where Jennifer Hale still slept.
“Know about what?” Jennifer yawned, sitting up.
Alvarez tossed a copy of A Daughter’s Manifesto to Hale, who opened it and began to read. As she did, she shot out of bed rapidly, standing upright.
“How? Where was this published?” Jennifer spluttered.
“Kerlile, by the Free Kerlian Press,” Josephine replied.
“Thank the Goddess,” Jennifer exhaled, sitting back down. “If it was foreign, the Council would probably have done something stupid. Xiomera is going to regret those missile deliveries anyway, I wager.”
“So, you did know,” Josephine replied flatly.
“Come on, you can’t have expected me to dredge up deep secrets that I don’t even think about. It never even crossed my mind to tell you, because it was a piece of history that would never come to light. Did a Quinn really survive?”
“Yes,” sighed Josephine. “Now I have to go work out how Lauchenoiria is going to respond to this.”
“If you want my advice,” Jennifer turned to her wife, looking her directly in the eyes. “Stay the hell out of it. I don’t know what’s about to happen, but it won’t be good. Not for Kerlile, nor Lauchenoiria, nor anywhere else on this entire planet.”
*
“Well, hey, someone’s done a worse treason than us,” Natasha Robinson told her mother once the news made it to Eiria.
“Be serious for a moment, Natasha,” Carmen sighed. “This does not paint our family in a particularly good light. Thank the Goddess that the author identifies herself, or we would be falling under suspicion. Leaking the Secret of the Six is quite possibly the worst thing a Kerlian could do. This Amelia Quinn will not survive.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Natasha pointed out. “Seems to me like she’s trying to capitalise on an already volatile situation. You’ve seen how desperate the Council is to avoid civil war. No, the fallout of this is going to be far more unpredictable than we expect.”
“This is a trick,” said Pierre.
“No, it is not,” replied Chiu.
“You are lying. You have to be.”
“I am not.”
“This is fake, a prank.”
“It is not.”
“IT CANNOT HAVE GOTTEN OUT!”
“It has.”
“SHE CANNOT BE ALIVE.”
“She is.”
“Then all of us are as good as dead.”
*
“Did you know about this!?” Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez of Lauchenoiria demanded, bursting into her bedroom where Jennifer Hale still slept.
“Know about what?” Jennifer yawned, sitting up.
Alvarez tossed a copy of A Daughter’s Manifesto to Hale, who opened it and began to read. As she did, she shot out of bed rapidly, standing upright.
“How? Where was this published?” Jennifer spluttered.
“Kerlile, by the Free Kerlian Press,” Josephine replied.
“Thank the Goddess,” Jennifer exhaled, sitting back down. “If it was foreign, the Council would probably have done something stupid. Xiomera is going to regret those missile deliveries anyway, I wager.”
“So, you did know,” Josephine replied flatly.
“Come on, you can’t have expected me to dredge up deep secrets that I don’t even think about. It never even crossed my mind to tell you, because it was a piece of history that would never come to light. Did a Quinn really survive?”
“Yes,” sighed Josephine. “Now I have to go work out how Lauchenoiria is going to respond to this.”
“If you want my advice,” Jennifer turned to her wife, looking her directly in the eyes. “Stay the hell out of it. I don’t know what’s about to happen, but it won’t be good. Not for Kerlile, nor Lauchenoiria, nor anywhere else on this entire planet.”
*
“Well, hey, someone’s done a worse treason than us,” Natasha Robinson told her mother once the news made it to Eiria.
“Be serious for a moment, Natasha,” Carmen sighed. “This does not paint our family in a particularly good light. Thank the Goddess that the author identifies herself, or we would be falling under suspicion. Leaking the Secret of the Six is quite possibly the worst thing a Kerlian could do. This Amelia Quinn will not survive.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Natasha pointed out. “Seems to me like she’s trying to capitalise on an already volatile situation. You’ve seen how desperate the Council is to avoid civil war. No, the fallout of this is going to be far more unpredictable than we expect.”
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax