Karral looked down at his notes. “Overall, the subject was intelligent, friendly, and extremely capable. Very interested in Avalon and humans here.”

“Oh?” Pryvani said.

“Not in a bad way,” Liss added. “More curious and impressed. After she made us, she asked a lot of questions of Nest and me; just wanted to know what life was like here. Not just for the humans, but for the Titans who lived here.”

“I see,” Pryvani replied. “Any subjects in particular?”

“Well, she was interested in…human-titan relationships. But politely so,” Liss said.

“Can’t fault her there,” Xele added. “It’s the fastest-growing pornography search right now.”

The four other people in the room looked at her.

“What? I’m not searching it out. Karral knows me well enough that if I wanted to try that I’d write a holo program for us. But pornography is a leading indicator. Most media experimentation starts in the pornography industry and spreads out from there.”

“Ms. Vilum, you are quite correct. And incidentally, I do not judge anyone who wishes to look at erotica; I believe that 98 percent of hominins have done so at some point, and the other two percent are lying. To get back on track, however; she was interested in life here for titans. Did it seem like an attempt at intelligence-gathering?”

“No, no,” Nest said. “Not like that. Just…like Liss said, curious. I think she was interested in the parallels. You know, she’s built this camp to preserve the wilderness. Titans come to visit, but the idea is to see nature, not change it. I don’t know if it was conscious, but….”

“You read Rixie’s profiling guide, I see,” Karral said. “I keep saying she should publish it, but she says it’s something that she wants to give to allies and friends. And yes, I agree, she wanted to know how titans helped humans without overwhelming them.”

Liss shook her head. “I don’t know about all that. I think she just was legitimately curious. She seemed very interested in how Rixie and Brinn helped me get over being a jerk to Nest and go apologize.”

“For the record, I’m the one who finally convinced you,” Xele said.

“Yes, yes, you’re quite special, kid. No, I told her some things Rixie had told me about being in a relationship with a human. They’ve come in handy.”

“It’s about how annoying we are, right?” Nest said.

“No, that’s just Alex,” Liss said with a grin. “And just when he wants to be.”

“So she was interested in Rixie?” Pryvani asked.

“Well, yeah, but that’s understandable. She said she’d watched the swearing-in, and saw Alex’s speech,” Nest said. “And gorram, most of us don’t get the chance to tell the whole Empire how much we love our partners, but if you get the chance, that’s the way to do it.”

“Indeed,” Pryvani said. “So in the end, you say that she’s not interested in being used by anyone, she really just likes her campground and her family and she’s content.”

“Correct,” Karral said. “I don’t know why you wanted us to check her out – and it’s not our business – but if you’re wondering if she’d spill whatever secret she knows, she gave no indication of it.”

“And that cuts both ways. If you want to use that information, I don’t think she’ll share it with you,” Liss added.

“Well, as Mr. Villum noted, it is not your business, but for the record, I want no harm to come to Ms. Skamøld, and indeed, I hope she is able to enjoy her campground for many years to come. It sounds like a lovely place.”

“To be honest, we’ve booked a cabin for a week next year,” Xele said. “The kids loved it.”

“Excellent. Thank you all so very much.”

“Thank you,” Liss said.

“And again, we’re sorry our cover was blown,” Nest added.

“Oh, not at all. If I’d wanted you to go undercover, I would have told you to, and had Rixie work up papers for you. Or let Xele do it, I’m sure she could take care of it. But no, part of what I wanted to see was if she was the kind of person who would catch on to who you are. I got the answer I needed. Now, go on, I’ve kept you from your other work for long enough.”

As the four investigators left, Pryvani looked over the report once more, pausing for quite a long time on the holo of Vwokhu that Xele had taken.

Now that Pryvani knew who Rixie’s father was, she could see the family resemblance a bit – the cheekbones, maybe. And the eyes. Definitely the eyes.

But there was no looking for the family resemblance here. If Pryvani had bumped into this woman in the hallway, she would have said “Pardon me, Rixie,” before she realized it wasn’t her. Her build, her hair – this was unquestionably Rixie’s mom. No genetic test was required. More than anything, Pryvani thought…Rixie had Vwokhu’s smile.

She picked up her pad. She should call Rajenlif. Let her reach out to Kullervo, have him talk to Vwokhu. Make the arrangements through them. That was the proper thing to do.

Pryvani did the proper thing quite often enough. She would be leaving the next day for Chirae Apstilles attend Sen. Idia’s funeral (such a shock, and a shame; Leu was only 53, and had been a strong supporter of human emancipation; moreover, Pryvani was unimpressed by her daughter and the new Lady Idia, Bindil). Then it was a week of meetings on Granav. There would be wrists to shake and banal pleasantries aplenty. She didn’t complain; she was used to it.

But that didn’t mean that occasionally, she didn’t want to breach protocol.

Pryvani looked at the holo, and thought back to the conversation she had just had. Liss, Karral, Xele and Nest did not know why Vwokhu might be interested in life on Avalon. But Pryvani knew. This was a woman who had taken a list of names and connected it back to her in a couple of hours. With years to wonder, years to search, of course she had done a search for Jotnar Hoplites. At some point she would have found an out-of-the-way story about a brash young imperator with braids, or the new security official at the Tarsuss Corporation, or maybe speculation about whether a Hoplite imperator was Iron Maiden. She would have followed the leads, put two and two together, and realized that she had probably found her daughter.

The glowberry didn’t fall far from the bush.

Pryvani dialed the pad.

Soon enough, a young man with a hairstyle that appeared halfway between Jotnar and Melpoman answered.

“Hyrikkenwuode, dydat munn vekhi dije?”

“Hello, I’m wondering if Vwokhu Skamøld is available?”

Namø blinked, shook his head, and blinked again. That…couldn’t be who it appeared to be, even with the pad displaying her name and a confirmation code. (Pryvani had long ago set outbound calls with confirmation of identity included; there had been too many times that calls had been terminated by people convinced she was a prank.)

“Um…I’m sorry…you’re Lady Tarsuss,” Namø said.

“Yes dear. I just had some employees of mine come back from a vacation at your camp, and they were raving about it, simply raving. I wanted to congratulate the owner on a job well done. Is she available to take my call?”

“I…yeah. I think…I think mom would probably…probably want to talk to you.”

Pryvani smiled. “I’m glad. And what was your name?”

“Uh…Namø. Namø Skamøld.”

“Lovely to make your acquaintance. I believe Liss mentioned that you and your family were helping out. While your father recovered?”

“Yes, yes, he had knee surgery. They…enjoyed the camp, then?”

“I understand that Karral and Xele made reservations for next year,” Pryvani said. “And I know that Xele is not a fan of camping in general, so the fact that they want to go back…well, I’m quite impressed.”

“I’m glad. We’re…I mean, not to brag, but mom found a spot right at the place that three climate zones collide, it’s phenomenal.”

“I can imagine. Now, is your mother there?”

Namø winced. “Yes. Yes! Sorry, um, one moment, please hold, and if you get cut off, please call back, she would definitely like to get praised by you.”

“I hope so,” Pryvani said. “To be fair, I would think she would enjoy getting praised by most anyone.”

“Depends on the person,” Namø said. “One moment.” He put the pad on hold, and sprinted from the office to the cabin next door.

He threw the door open. “Mom!” he called, as he had a half-million times before in his life.

Vwokhu had been sitting and reading while Akwe dozed on the sofa. “Your father is napping, Namø. Please don’t wake him up, he needs his….”

“Lady Tarsuss is calling. For you.”

“Lady Tarsuss?”

“Yes. Prvyani Tarsuss. She said her friends had a great time here – I guess she knows the folks from Avalon – and she wanted to tell you personally.”

Vwokhu closed the book she was working through and opened her pad to calls. “I’m going to take this in the bedroom so as not to disturb your father. Once I close the door, transfer the call and drop off.”

“Mom, if Pryvani Tarsuss shared the camp with friends of hers….”

“I suspect that she recognizes the power she has, Namø, and I suspect that she might be asking if doing so would be too much for us to handle. And it might be, so I appreciate it. Now, when I close the door….”

“Right. Transfer. Got it.”

Vwokhu walked into the bedroom she and Akwe shared, took a deep steadying breath, and shut the door.

A second later, the pad chimed.

She took one more breath, and answered.

“This is Vwokhu Skamøld.”

“Hello Ms. Skamøld,” Pryvani said. “Is anyone else on this line?”

“No, I had my son transfer the call.”

“Good, I’m sending you a link via pad. I’m going to ask you to please select it. It will, I’m afraid, download a cryptographic security system designed by my director of security and Ms. Vilum, who you’ve met; I think we both agree it would be best to have this conversation totally secured.”

Vwokhu smiled warily. “I am glad to see that you are continuing to be direct, Lady Tarsuss.”

“You are owed no less, Ms. Skamøld. The link should be coming through…now.”

Vwokhu looked at her pad, and indeed, a link had appeared on her screen. She paused, just for a moment, before pressing it. Just a moment to savor the fact that the program she was executing…her daughter had helped to make it.

She pressed the link, and the screen flickered three times; the call was otherwise uninterrupted. “I think it’s done loading,” Vwokhu said.

“It is. The link is secure. Ms. Skamøld, I know something about you. Something that is your deepest, darkest secret, and not necessarily by your choice.”

“As I told your friends…I’m not interested in being used to attack anyone.”

Pryvani smiled. “Good. Because I have no intention of using you to attack anyone. What a waste of a perfectly lovely person that would be. No, I wanted to let you know that I have spoken with your ex-boyfriend’s sister. She identified you as the mother of someone I know.”

Vwokhu found that she was having difficulty breathing. “You know that I am not supposed to tell anyone of anything regarding that.”

“I know that Dronung Hirera would have ordered that. And I know that you need not believe me when I tell you that Dronung Rajenlif has already allowed me to tell my friend that her father is Kullervo Throden, Rajenlif’s younger brother. But she has. What I want to know, Ms. Skamøld, is whether you want me to tell her that you are her mother.”

Vwokhu sat down on her bed. “I…I don’t know,” she said.

“That is understandable,” Pryvani said.

“Is…is Rixie Carey my daughter?”

Pryvani smiled. “If I tell you that, would you tell my friend that she was your daughter?”

“I don’t want her to hate me,” Vwokhu said. “I don’t want her to…I know she must have been lonely. I know she must have wondered why her mom had abandoned her. And I did, even though…even though….”

“You were fifteen when she was born,” Pryvani said, gently. “I know the story from Rajenlif. I don’t know whether you consider what happened assault, or love, or something else, but I know that you were far too young to be a good mother to your daughter. I know that because I was once fifteen, and I would have been an atrocious mother, even with all the resources of my family behind me. You found a place she would be cared for. That is an honorable choice.”

“There was a point where I might have terminated her, to go along with the Dronung. What would that have made me?”

“Fairly normal, I think,” Pryvani said. “And this would be a different universe, but then, there is a reality where my mother did not happen to sink her claws into my father, and I do not exist; we are here because of the choices that were actually made, not the possibilities that were considered. But again, I come back to the question at hand.”

“I don’t want my life to be destroyed. Not with so few years left,” Vwokhu said. “I don’t want…with all due respect, even your kindness could destroy what Akwe and I have built here. A spotlight on the camp, a story about me being the mother of a princess…we would be overwhelmed. And I am not as spry as I used to be.”

“Ah. A very valid concern. Do not worry about that. This will remain a secret. My friend…she doesn’t want or need a title. She has already earned enough glory through her own hard work and bravery. She just wants to know who she is. And to know that…she needs to know who her parents are.”

Vwokhu nodded. “I have always worried about her. Even when I figured out who she was…I worried. I knew she was not in an easy job. And eventually, I saw she was married to a human. I wasn’t sure what to think about that, though as I read more about it, I figured that if that professor could be a professor, well, humans must be as smart as titans, and if that was so, well…then she was just loving someone from a different background. I married a Melpoman; my mom believed in Pure Savarnan Flesh, but flesh isn’t pure to begin with. And I’m sorry, I know you’re married to a human, I sound….”

“You sound like someone who looked at the issue sensibly and considered the evidence, and drew the right conclusion. If more people had done that, my husband would have been a citizen ten years sooner.”

“Anyhow, I know I’m babbling a bit…I don’t…I want her to know who I am. I just don’t want to see what I’ve build destroyed. And maybe you can’t promise that won’t happen, but can you…can you at least….”

“Ms. Skamøld,” Pryvani said, “there was a time when the people of Avalon were taught to view me as a goddess. And I portrayed one. And I learned from that experience that if I was not careful in the exercise of my power, I could harm a great many people, not through anger or cruelty, but from sheer carelessness. I have spent the rest of my life being very, very careful. I cannot promise that no harm will befall you, but what I can promise is that I will make sure that harm does not come from me, and if it comes from elsewhere – my friend is very dear to me. And you are her mother. And I am quite protective of the people I care for.”

Vwokhu nodded, and took one more deep breath. “I want her to know that I am her mother.”

Pryvani smiled. “Your daughter is Rixie Carey.”

Vwokhu was surprised to find herself suddenly sobbing. “Oh…oh, I’m…I’m so….”

“You knew,” Pryvani said. “But you couldn’t be sure. I am. Just as I am, Rixie is very protective of those she loves, and very good at following the evidence where it takes her. Even if you did not resemble her as much as you do, I would know that you were her mother.”

“I wasn’t her mother. I gave her away.”

“And yet I know she will be far happier to hear that her mom is a successful businesswoman on Sininentavas than she would be to hear you were the head of a noble family. Rixie is happy, I think. She doesn’t want her life upended either. And she would not want to upend yours. But she would, I think, like to meet you, if you would like to meet her.”

“I would…but Lady Tarsuss,” Vwokhu said, wiping her eyes, “I do need to hear that it is okay for me to do so from the Dronung. You told me enough that I knew you knew. But for me to actually talk to Rixie…if you were somehow working around her, and that got back to her….”

“In truth, I should have called Rajenlif first,” Pryvani said. “But she will forgive me. And I will have her contact you, or perhaps she will have Kullervo – if you want to talk to him.”

“Kullervo and I were both young and foolish, I don’t bear him any ill will.”

“Very well. Then I will let Rajenlif know that I called you.”

“Why didn’t you call her first?”

“Because, like I said, Rixie is my friend,” Pryvani said. “I wanted to meet her mom, before Rajenlif did. I had a feeling I would like you. And I do. Now, if your son asks why you were crying, just say that you were so very moved by my words of praise, it felt overwhelming coming from a very important person like me. But between the two of us…your accomplishments are more impressive than mine.”

“You could buy and sell me a trillion times over,” Vwokhu said.

“Yes, but as my friend Alex would say, I’ve been playing life on easy mode. You built what sounds like a lovely getaway with help from your husband. That’s actual work. It’s easy to be a trillionaire if you inherit a trillion credits.”

“I did get a payoff for my silence.”

“And you invested it well. No shame in that.”

Vwokhu nodded. “Well…thank you, Lady Tarsuss.”

“No, no,” Pryvani said. “You are my best friend’s mom. Call me Pryvani.”

* * *

“Hey, Kit.”

Keaerte Throden leaned forward toward the pad on her office desk. “Hey, Swi. So I guess you got a call from dad too.”

“Yeah. I’ve got Isku here too, gonna loop him in. Isku?”

“Hi Kit,” said the athletic man, leaning back on his couch. “You want to try to talk Swi down? She’s kinda freaking out.”

“I am not freaking out!” said Swipul, Princess Royal of Jotnarherath. “Dad told us he had another…other…kid. But Rixie Carey? She’s an exec for the Tarsuss Corporation! If Pryvani Tarsuss knows about this, it would give her all sorts of leverage over Jotnarherath. Kit, you study economics, tell him!”

“Swi, I’ve got bad news,” Kaearte, her younger sister said. “Pryvani Tarsuss already has all sorts of leverage over Jotnarherath. And the Empire. There’s a student of mine writing her thesis on why there should be a subdiscipline of economics devoted specifically to studying the actions of the Tarsuss Corporation, and from what I can tell, she’s right. Besides, I guarantee she knows about this; dad said Aunt Raja had been approached by a friend, that must be Tarsuss.”

“Well, that’s phenomenal,” Swipul said. “Do you know how much of my job is finding exceptions in Imperial and Jotnar and Ler and Avartle and Dunnermac law that have been carved out for the Tarsuss Corporation over the years? And don’t get me started on Avalon, I wouldn’t want to oppose Tarsuss in their courts.”

“To be fair to them, she literally gave them their world. And why are you on about Tarsuss?” Kaearte said. “You’d think Pryvani Tarsuss was our surprise sister, not Rixie Carey.”

“I’m just excited that I’m related to Iron Maiden,” Isku said.

“What’s that now?” Swipul asked.

Isku sighed. “Oh, come on, I know neither of you follow Tol-Bot, but how do you not know who Iron Maiden is? She’s consensus top-five of all time!”

“Oh, right, Tol-Bot. The one with the black suit,” Keaerte said. “What about her?”

“That’s Rixie Carey!” Isku said.

“I thought nobody knows who Tol-Bot players are,” Swipul countered.

“I mean, officially, nobody does, not unless they break Kayfabe,” Isku said.

“Kaywhatnow?”

“But there are all sorts of stories out there guessing. Sometimes it’s pretty obvious, like, the Marionette is Darren Xanthopolous.”

“Oh, I remember when I was little, when he won. The human, right?”

Isku shook his head. “Anyhow, the 2100 Tribute is the first one I can remember, and I remember thinking that Iron Maiden was the coolest. I was really bummed when she retired, though given how my knees are feeling today, I understand why she did. But I read all about her, and all the theories of who she might be, and even back then, Imperator Rixie Tam was a name that kept popping up. That made me like her even more, because every picture I ever saw, she had about five hundred braids in. Meant she was Jotunn. Best Tol-Bot player ever was Jotunn. I always wanted it to be her because of it, and where does Darren Xanthpolous live? Avalon. Where does our big sister live? Avalon. Where’s the woman who’s probably Feltree living?”

“Avalon?” Kaearte said, clearly bored with the discussion.

“No, Tuaut. I’m pretty sure Felltree is Aisell Maris, not totally sure, but the timeline fits, and there are some persuasive stories, and she’s dating Loona Armac, and Floor Leader Armac is big on the human rights movement, and….”

“Okay, I’m getting a headache. I thought you explaining knadlegr was dull, at least that was about the game and not seven-connections-to-Lady-Tarsuss,” Keaerte said.

“Fine, fine, you guys can be bored, I’m just excited to have another pro athlete to talk to. I know she’s retired, but I guarantee she knows some great training regimens. If I’m gonna be around for the 2030 Cup, I’m gonna need some advice.”

“Well, that’s great for you,” Swipul said. “I’m not looking forward to meeting her. Aud is bad enough.”

“Honestly, from what I’ve seen, she’s nicer than Aud,” Keaerte said. “Aud wouldn’t marry a human, that’s for sure. Not powerful enough.”

“Eh, can’t blame her if she is like Aud. You know me, I don’t blame Aud,” Isku said. “Dad should’ve told everyone right from the start. Not saying he shoulda married Aud’s mom, but I was always extra-careful. You have a kid, if you can afford to raise them you should. I get why he gave Rixie up – he was 17, even as prince, he wasn’t ready. But Aud? He had a degree, he had a job, you know Aunt Raja would have helped him. You take care of your kids.”

“Yeah, I know,” Swipul said. “And I don’t usually blame Aud, but…I didn’t abandon her. Otna’s sake, Dad at least took care of her financially, that’s something.”

“I don’t have any problem with Aud being mad at Dad. Or us,” Kaearte said. “It’s not rational – at least the us part – but we had two parents, we had our titles we could wear openly, we had people who paid attention to us because we were Princess Swipul, Prince Isku, Princess Kaearte. Don’t get me wrong, all of us worked hard. Isku, I may not love knadlegr, but I know that the Valkyries wouldn’t keep you around if you weren’t really good at the game. I asked for and got my thesis graded blind, so there was no possibility of favoritism. And Swi, half of your business is from outside Jotnarherath, where being the daughter of Kullervo is about as exciting as being, I dunno, the son of the sister of the LrLr of the Ler. It’s cool for whoever that is, but that’s about it.

“But Aud…you can just tell that it bothered her. That she really would have loved to have been Princess Audara.”

Swipul snorted. “That’s because she never had to be Princess Audara. It’s more work than it’s worth.”

“Nah,” Isku said. “I get it. First, if you’ve never been royal, you don’t see the troubles, you just see the title. And second…I play hard. I work hard. And yeah, Kit’s right, if my knees give out and I can’t get in position to strike, the Valkyries aren’t gonna extend my contract. But as long as they’re working and I can get into position…well, I’m not hurting for endorsement deals. And some of that is because I’m such a nice guy. And some of that is because…I’m Prince Isku, and isn’t it wild that Prince Isku plays knadlegr? The prince? A knadlegr player? So interesting. I’ve had teammates who resented it. I’ve always tried to be a good changing-room guy, because if I wasn’t, they’d have more reason to hate me, and if you’re a wing whose mids hate you, they’re not gonna sell out on the block.”

“You had to mention knadlegr,” Swipul groaned.

“Point is,” Isku said, “that you’re gorram right, being a royal kid is work. But let’s not pretend it doesn’t open doors too. And Aud is smart, we’ll all agree on that. She can see the doors that have been opened for us. Why wouldn’t she resent they weren’t opened for her?”

“Aunt Raja gave her a job,” Swipul said.

“That might not make it better,” Keaerte replied. “It might have felt like…charity, you know? Like she got it to keep her quiet, content. And to be honest…it kind of was to keep her quiet.”

The three royal siblings were quiet for a moment, before Swipul said, “So do you think Rixie will feel the same way?”

“Won’t know until we meet her,” Isku said. “But I’m guessing she won’t. She was Iron Maiden. She won her sixth Tribute and walked away right after. I don’t think she’s the kind of person who’s worried about whether she didn’t make the right connection.”

“But she still might resent us,” Kaearte said. “Because we had something else that neither Aud nor Rixie had.”

“What’s that?” Isku asked.

“A father who was there for us. A father who has always loved us,” Swipul said. “And yeah, you’re right Kit. If that’s why Aud is a brat, and if it turns out Rixie’s a brat…I guess I can understand that.”