War Of Men

Arcane

The next morning was the warmest in a while and the sky was blue as sapphires, but Arcane didn't pay them any attention. Instead, she was worrying big time.

Last night Merari had woken her up to give her a quick update. As glad as Arcane was to no longer be harbouring her secret, Merari's new position meant nobody was there to make sure her siblings didn't get caught. Yesterday's events had been a scarily close call and when the traces of magic didn't fade, there'd be trouble.

Arcane got out of bed and wandered over to the power concealment potion. Should she give it to the kids? Probably, but her petty side couldn't stand the thought. She'd given them so much already and despite all her warnings, Lilith had ratted her out to their father. But she'd sworn she'd get them somewhere they were loved and safe. She refused to break her promise.

She frowned at the bottle, searching for a solution. Then she ran a finger across the little tag. Who had given her it? The old question resurfaced and she realised that might be her solution. If she could find whoever had written the tag, maybe she could find their saving grace.

Part of the day's plan was a repeat of the Primracon. Arcane neither fancied the idea of it, nor was she willing to waste time that could be used searching for the mystery helper. The one question was how to wriggle her way out of it.

Once she'd made herself presentable, she headed to breakfast. Seeing Merari there threw her off; the sheer size of the buffet presented another surprise. There were platters of fish, bowls of compote, plates of fèreen algea. Arcane gaped.

'You're welcome,' said Merari, picking out the most appetising fish.

Arcane pinched her. 'Wakey, wakey, this isn't your doing.'

'Uh, actually, it's to honour my long anticipated arrival.'

Medea snorted from across the table.

'Actually, it's to make sure everybody fills up before the Primracon,' Nancy commented. 'It's been organised like this for years, although traditionally there should be more restraint and less overeating beforehand.'

'Thanks for filling her in,' Merari whined, then bitterly added, 'You'd better be off soon.'

'I will be. We just... There are matters to deal with.'

Medea spoke up, 'Merari, please tell Sorita to shut up today. She's been winding me up all night.'

That caused Kaya to pipe up, 'Why didn't you tell us?'

'Sorita said not to. Don't ask me why. The Chèr already yelled at me last night,' Merari sobbed.

'Is that why...' Sabrina trailed off.

Merari nodded and Arcane understood nothing of the exchange, so she tucked into her food. Out of the blue, the fish across the table caught her eye again. A foolish and reckless idea crossed her mind and she hesitated. Triggering an allergic reaction was a risky move. Previously, it had always just consisted of hives and a bit of vomiting, but she couldn't guarantee that would still be the case after all these years. Besides, it felt rather drastic.

Arcane requested somebody pass the fish while gesturing at Merari to stay quite with a two fingered wave—their code. She stared at the fish once it was on her plate, disgust swirling in her stomach. She decided she might as well leave it for last so that she could enjoy the rest of her food.

Once she'd finished everything else, she considered leaving the fish. Surely her siblings could handle another day. However, there was no guarantee she'd find the culprit within a day. She needed all the time she could get.