Duality

Up to chapter 24 for first tier patrons, and chapter 26 for second tier.

"What did you do?" Lyra asked. Taen lowered her eyes.

"What I had to, in order to save your life." Taen said, but lifted her eyes. "I may have sacrificed a few decades, but it was worth it to prevent that wound from killing you."

"That was a huge blob of discharged damaged manna. It wouldn't have just been a few decades." Lyra said. "What did she do?" Lyra held Merla to her belly.

"She scrubbed out my veins, repaired the vessels, and reinforced them." She closed her eyes. "She reached in, and forcibly did it." She watched Merla rub her cheek against Lyra's belly. "Is she okay?"

"Her manna veins are so huge, and heavy, she practically bursts with manna by the morning." Lyra said, and held Merla gently. "This didn't do anything other then take the edge off." She sniffed.

"Would you have told me? If Merla wasn't entrusted to us, would you have told me how much pain you were in daily?" Lyra looked at her angrily. She soon snorted when Taen didn't answer. "Of course you wouldn't."

"How could I confess to that? You were ready to lay down in the forest! Do you think I would tell you?" She asked, even angrier than Lyra. How could she tell her that her entire body ached on a daily basis, and as her manna veins degraded, the pain increased? Her wife was ready to kill herself in her grief. She would never tell her that the result of her actions not only took their daughter's life, but also reduced her wife's life expectancy.

Taen could have saved herself that day, but Lyra was driven by instinct and took the blade meant for her. She could never blame her, and now that Merla was home, she would never speak of it. Lyra looked down as Merla rubbed her cheek on her belly again.

"Have Mother Queen and Lady Lixiss scan you carefully." She growled. "I will not submit again until you do!" Taen groaned.

"You don't play fair."

* * *

"Taen." Meena stood at her counter, while her cheeks flushed. Taen folded her arms over her chest.

"Merla chose you. That is the only reason I'm not tearing your arms off right now." Taen said angrily.

"I didn't pursue her!" Meena said sadly. "I woke up and she was there. On my belly." Meena folded her arms over her belly, and shivered. "She's so strong, Taen. So much manna radiates from her."

"And that didn't attract you to her?" Taen asked through grit teeth.

"She didn't manifest it until she was on top of me, and while I slept! Don't blame me for this! You two didn't watch her to the point that she was able to climb down those stairs on weak legs, walk across the village, and climb onto my bed!" Meena said angrily. She glared at Taen fiercely. "Do you even know who is watching over her?" Meena asked, in a voice that slowly lost strength.

"What do you mean?"

"Duality." She said softly. "In my dream, Merla forced her way in. Behind her was Duality. Both our goddesses." Meena said, and in a smaller voice. "Merla had to infuse manna into my soul to prevent me from being destroyed."

"Mother Queen said it was Duality." Taen said in a small voice. "If Merla chose you, I will not prevent her from seeing you, but I won't allow your relationship to progress until Duality allows it."

"As you should." Meena said. "But there is something you should know, Taen."

* * *

"We see you a lot more these days, Taen." Lixiss said, and felt her wife's displeasure as she walked away from the throne. "Sorry, momma."

"Stay at my side. You know how much I hate it when I can't touch your skin." Vanya said softly. She glanced only a little at Taen before her eyes returned to her daughter's figure. She licked her lips, then looked back, her eyes narrowed.

"What brings you to us, Taen?" Vanya said. "As you can see, we are a little bit preoccupied." Taen swallowed a lump in her throat as the Mother Queen's displeasure was easily detectable.

"Momma, stop intimidating her. We have to bathe, then we can return to that." Lixiss said, which made Vanya's eyes blaze intensely.

"Speak, Taen. I'm losing patience."

"Mother Queen. Lyra wants Lady...the Queen's Consort to scan me. My manna veins were damaged when I healed Lyra that time in the forest. Merla repaired them." Lixiss perked up.

"You finally admit it." Lixiss said, and leaned against Vanya. "Gendran Taen, report." Lixiss said and watched as Vanya tried not to let her concern show.

"She was badly injured. To the point of death. If I didn't overdraw my manna veins and core, she would have died." Taen said, now on one knee, her hand to her chest.

"That is not the report you filed then." Lixiss said and waved a hand. Her concubines rushed into the library and pulled out the appropriate books. She was handed the book and found the place she made the notations. She knew this report well as she made it herself.

"Gendran Taen reports an injury to Shec Lyra, although minor, it pierced the womb and made her discharge the nearly full formed child. Eight years into the pregnancy. No magic performed could save the child. No further information reported." Lixiss looked carefully at Taen. Vanya grit her teeth.

"Do you wish to alter this information?" Vanya asked in a tone that allowed no negotiation on her report. Nothing but the truth would be accepted.

"Shec Lyra received a report about the attack while at the garrison. I received some injuries, but nothing that could affect my life." She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Shec Lyra could not be held back. She put herself in a position where it became impossible to block the oncoming enemy attack. She didn't receive one sword attack. They aimed for her." Vanya's eyes blazed.

"Continue."

* * *

"Retire, Taen." Lixiss said tiredly. "Return to your family. We'll handle the appropriate response that should have been given long ago." Lixiss closed her eyes. "You are hereby stripped of your rank for not properly controlling your wife, and allowing her on the battlefield while so far along. You are to serve on the gate for a month straight, no pay. You are to provide the proper amount of boars to feed the garrison at the gate during that month." Lixiss looked at her angrily.

"If you didn't have to take care of Merla, you wouldn't get off that gate this year!"  She said through grit teeth. Taen bowed her head.

"I agree with my wife's judgment." Vanya said. "We could have not played nice after that attack on our people, but you withheld information from us. If we had known, you would have never been allowed to take care of her. That is in spite of her being your lost child." Vanya turned her head in disgust. Lixiss shook her head.

"You allowed them to do this to your wife, and child, without a response. How do you live with yourself, Taen?" Lixiss asked.

"Until this morning, in enough pain to put a vampire on their knees." Taen said. Lixiss slowly nodded.

"True, which is also why your punishment is only a month long. You have tortured yourself long enough. Do not fail your kin again. She is not allowed out of those gates until she gives birth, unless a disaster occurs. She will not be allowed to go to the garrison, nor to visit you while on duty. If she doesn't learn her lesson, she'll lose the privilege of raising her own children. Dismissed." Lixiss waved her away, and ignored Taen's tears after she turned away and left.

"You were harsh, love." Vanya said as she drew her into her arms.

"She was crushed by guilt. She'll serve her penance, and leave it behind." Lixiss laid against her. "We must respond, momma." Vanya nodded.

"I know, love. Assemble a squad of Ninn* ranked skill users, and Din* ranked speakers. Burn their closest keep to the ground, and kill their governor. Take out their officers. Let the monsters do the rest." Vanya was angry because this should have been taken care of two decades ago.

Even those a few hundred years old can still make mistakes.

** - Ninn, Din - Both mean low ranked officer, higher than the Voll, the common soldier ranks.