***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***

***Astra***

I giggled as the actors gave their best to portray the events with the Thich delegates at Hochberg. The whole scene was there, down to the exact number of actors. They even had a young woman playing Vanya, sitting on a throne and overlooking the stage, but the chosen actress was physically still much too large for the job. Knowing the real Matriarch, I found it hilarious even though the play was meant to be a serious and as close as possible depiction of the events.

We had gotten ourselves one of the private lounges which overlooked the entire theatre, allowing us to bring along my mother and Magnus’s uncle. Isaac was riding on Gunnar’s shoulders to gain the necessary height so he could watch too. The girls were thankfully sleeping after I had given my best to tire them out with playtime beforehand.

Leaning over, I placed a wet kiss on my partner’s cheek. Magnus had given in after many complaints, ultimately accepting that there was nothing to be done about the plays. They were tradition, and it was better to know the version of events which was given to the public than to be ignorant.

“Oh, come on. It isn’t all that bad, don’t you think?” I tried to cheer him up. “If you want we could go and watch the Patel’s play once it is back on schedule. That’s a truly hilarious one. I think they did a wonderful job with ours.”

Magnus sank back into his chair. “I suppose they aren’t too bad performance-wise, but...”

He groaned and face palmed when the actor playing Tulkas began to deliver Magnus’s speech with fervour. “Why do they have to do this to me? I just made up some bullshit to provoke the delegates!” He sighed after listening a little bit further. “At least they streamlined the speech a bit…”

“So it is truly a ‘Sinner’s Eden’,” I mused while I watched Isaac cheer worshipfully at the outcome of his father’s duel and the Thich delegate’s Dejana’s assassination attempt being thwarted.

“I only hope that stupid speech doesn’t stick.” Magnus shook his head. “You mentioned something about the Patels? They have a play of their own?”

I nodded eagerly. “I don’t know whether someone told you, but their wing mutation can have some side effects if you get very unlucky.”

He nodded and shuddered. “I think someone mentioned them rolling zeros when they partnered up. Something about switching X and Y chromosomes.”

I grinned. “So, imagine a play of two people partnering up and the guy waking up as the woman and the woman waking up as the guy.”

“I can only say this: I would lose my shit,” Magnus said with utter conviction. “Why would anyone who has his marbles together risk such a thing? I mean, even if the chance is just one in a thousand, I wouldn’t do it. Unless they were, you know, those kinds of people?” He gave me a meaningful look, to which I shook my head.

“You are the one who ended up being chased through half of the third strata’s mining complex with Bruce on his heels,” I winked at Magnus. “So you tell me why someone would risk it.”

Magnus grumbled. “Those hummingbird wings are just bullshit. It’s like they are made out of metal. And Bruce being resistant to electricity is even more unfair.”

I laughed and patted his hand to comfort him in his misery about the unfairness of certain mutations. The play ended soon afterwards with Aerie and Hochberg forming an alliance and the actors promising a part two as soon as there was enough material to go on.

“I think it was perfect,” was Teresa’s first comment after the curtains closed. “I especially loved the scene when Astra brought Magnus home and we met our new son-in-law for the first time.”

“As I remember it, there was a lot more complaining and nastiness involved,” Magnus grumbled.

“Hogwash! You have to forgive Etan for being a little bit sceptical of you at first,” Teresa replied. “Hasn’t he come around since then?”

“At least now I know what you have been up to,” Gunnar commented with glee. “Hearing it told like this was a thousand times better than the boring summary you gave Chloe and Jakob when we met you! I have to make sure they see this too. You are a true spoilsport for leaving out all the interesting stuff.”

Magnus raised a finger. “Don’t you dare.”

“Come on, what are you going to do against it?” Gunnar gestured at the coliseum-like theatre around us. “With this being a repeat performance they will inevitably see it at some point.”

“Where he is right, he is right,” I commented and rubbed Magnus’s shoulder. “Do you really think it was that bad?”

Magnus gave a tired sigh. “No, no it wasn’t bad. When you mentioned a play I thought it would be either boring or over-dramatized, but it was more of a movie-like narration of the events. Surprisingly tame and in good taste, altogether. I am just afraid of people seeing us as heroes when we are not. At least I don't see myself as a hero. Can we even go out in public without being accosted after this?”

I scoffed. “I think you are worrying too much and not thinking enough, Magnus. There are heroes and there are heroes. Nobody in Aerie will give us grief about the things we did for them and there will be no hordes of admirers running down our doors. Everyone who earns the title of juggernaut did at least something heroic with their power. Like the Halls single-handedly holding the lower living floors against a ratkin incursion till defence could be mustered. Or the Smyths finding out how to tame molerats and use them as draft animals for the good of all.”The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Teresa raised a finger. “And as long as you don’t walk out onto the streets and start screaming you are Protector Tulkas Frost, juggernaut and hunter of the twelfth strata, nobody will know who you are. In case you didn’t notice, that actor down there and you don’t look alike at all.”

Magnus massaged his forehead. “Yeah, yeah, I guess you are right. Maybe I got some stage fright even though I wasn’t truly involved.”

I bit my lower lip, unable not to point it out. “Though, only in my humble opinion, this play will be a hit nonetheless! I think someone mentioned it having full attendance each time since they started performances.”

“I want to watch it again!” Isaac called out, forgetting to moderate his voice in a childlike manner.

I winced and used a few filaments to pick him off Gunnar’s shoulders. “Maybe some other time, Isaac. And try to moderate your voice when you are in public or we won’t be able to go out again. It’s rude to be noisy where others can hear you.”

Isaac covered his mouth, whispering through his fingers. “I want to watch it again.”

Magnus ruffled his hair. “We can try to get seats once the attendance recedes.”

Isaac pumped his fists in response.

What followed were three relaxing days at home before Magnus and I were called to listen in on a meeting at the flagship.

Among Vanya and her entourage, there was an assortment of elders besides my parents. Among them, Juliana and Skye Rumen were at the forefront.

What I found surprising was to see representatives from the Church of Gaia among the participants with priestess Maria among them. I also recognized the current head of the church, Esmail Aida, which was surprising. Esmail normally refrained from taking part in anything related to political affairs. The church affiliates were sitting with the elders Hayne and Casey Ortega since the fifth strata was closely affiliated with the church.

Forming yet another party, the Organisation’s leaders, Jakob Lang, Chloe Pastell, and Gunnar were sitting in on the meeting with Gurney Camacho.

The meeting was started by a tired, but much better-looking Vanya who handed out stacks of paper which turned out to be interrogation protocols and a report of her findings.

“There is likely a lot more to unpack on the topic for which I have called you here,” Vanya began. “You were all informed of the recent events which led to the deaths of several high-ranking Thich prisoners. Among other psychics, I was also working on them. I wasn’t ready to share our findings, especially since the results were so disjointed. Though, after the recent events I feel like everyone must know at least in partial what’s going on, even if the picture remains incomplete.”

She gestured at where the Organisation’s leaders were sitting, in particular, at Gurney. “Why don’t we start with the psyling assassin – which hit us completely unprepared. Thankfully, the Organisation, who assisted us against Earth’s influence brought a lot of scientific equipment with them. Equipment which Gurney managed to make good use of. I assume there is no need to explain why Gurney’s expertise is of use in this case, even if he is not in the good graces of most people present.”

Gurney cleared his throat and got to his feet. “I analysed the psyling’s remains with the equipment I had at hand. Disconnected from what conclusions you might draw from the result of my analysis, I came to the following results. First, the psyling is a genetic chimaera, similar to what most people with mutations are nowadays. It was made up mainly of human DNA, drake, changeling, something I had no reference for, and in smaller parts of numerous others.

“The second result of my findings is, as I see it, the creature was without a doubt ‘designed’. With so many different components seamlessly mixed into a functional whole, there is no way this would have happened naturally. Even assuming that one of Tirnanog’s creatures evolved the ability to incorporate the DNA of others into its makeup, an ability strangely similar to my nanites and recombination virus, the given result seems impossible.

“And third, since the question already imposed itself. No, the creature was not created with my nanites. As far as I could tell, it had no inherent ability for gene alteration.”

Having delivered his speech, Gurney sat down.

Vanya quickly raised her hand in a halting gesture. “You can all ask questions later. Just don’t forget Gurney’s findings as I present you more pieces of the puzzle.”

She gestured with a finger and her bodyguard placed a wooden box on the table for everyone to see. Inside it was the second communication device we found.

“Now we have two communication devices, taken from Thich saboteurs and their affiliates. Please note that their design is not intended for human use.”

One of the Aerie elders, Alex Mora, raised a hand. “Do you want to tell us that the Thich are somehow collaborating with a non-human faction? Deviants, or something worse?”

Vanya shrugged. “I am not saying anything, not yet at least. As I said, I am in the process of presenting facts which I deem pieces to a puzzle which everyone holding a position of power should be aware of. I hoped to come up with a satisfying conclusion before presenting this to everyone, but with the loss of all those prisoners I decided to hurry along the interrogation of the remaining ones and present the facts to everyone.”

The matriarch gestured at the documents she had handed out. “Before you are the prisoners’ interrogation protocols. Taken all together they paint a disjointed picture of Thich society. At least as long as you are unaware of the split in their society, separating what I would call an upper caste from a lower one.

“I am afraid the Thich we had contact with so far are all part of the lower caste, which includes mainly slaves and aspiring warriors, as well as recruits drawn from the Old Camp. May I also remind you of the strong indicators for a breeding program among those recruits? From what I can tell, only those who are close to the upper caste have an idea of what’s going on in Thich high society. From what I could find out about their fortress city, it cleanly separates the two groups, explaining how this situation could develop in isolation without our knowledge.

“The closer I got to the top, the more I learned about their ideology. Not sure whether to call it a religion or a cult, though their behaviour certainly fits a cult. They call themselves the ‘Children of Tirnanog’ and they preach an ideology of survival of the fittest. Let the strong rule and take what they need. The weak are to be left behind.

She tilted her head. “We have several recounts from young recruits who witnessed the ‘entrance ceremony’ which is to be taken if you want to become a military officer and rise in rank to eventually join the upper society. I suggest for everyone to read the procedure for themselves and form their own opinion.”

Vanya leaned forward onto the desk and interlaced her fingers. “Besides the worrying ideology the Thich developed, I want to draw your attention to the split in their society. To the need to rise to a certain status before you are allowed into the inner city. Recruits aren’t even allowed to venture beyond the outer walls.”

Skye Rumen raised his voice. “A society like that would be very helpful in hiding what’s at the top. So, are we supposed to believe that Thich’s upper brass was taken over by deviant changelings? Wouldn’t be the first time for a human settlement to fall victim to one of Tirnanog’s horrors. Though, for one of the great clans to fall would be a first.”

Vanya shook her head. “I don’t believe the situation is quite as dire. The Thich still have Zacharias and he is an ancient. Hopefully, he would have rooted out any malicious infection. Though, he might be on board with whatever is going on. I have never met him personally, but from what I have heard he is the type who thinks the results justify the means. I am done with my presentation. If anyone has questions which aren’t answered in my report, you may ask them at the follow-up meeting tomorrow.”