Queen Kohra

"Welcome back your majesty" They all say as she descends from the carriage. She's happy to be back home but she can't stop the dread that pools at the pit of her stomach. Jeir and Sephira are quick to embrace her and she's happy for the warmth.

"Where's Lesker and why is she here?" Sephira asks, pointing at Eline. Eline blushes and hides behind Kohra, scared they'll rip her apart. Especially Jeir, whose concubine she had slept with once.

Sephira also had a husband but many had hardly seen him before so Eline wasn't able to touch him. He was definitely in her to do list, not that anyone knew.

"We can't discuss anything here. Let's go inside the throne room. Oh, don't hurt Eline. She's here to help. I promised her I'd protect her so leave her be"

Jeir nodded but as soon as Kohra turned he back, she made a cut throat motion at her. Eline scampered off to Kohra's side.

They reach the throne room in minutes and Kohra takes in the apperance.

"You didn't sit on the chair Jeir"

"I could never. Only the Queen has the right to. I would always be loyal to you"

"Hmm, thank you Jeir. Mother should be here right about now. Have you collected the items I asked for?"

"Yes. They're all here in my secret storage"

Jeir procures the items for her and Kohra surveys them. They were all in good quality and quantity. She smiled. Her victory was so close she could taste it. Or, it could just be her death.

"Kohra, Oh my darling, you're back" Kitari ran into the throne room and embraced her daughter with tears in her eyes. She had been so worried and afraid her daughter would never return.

"Oh Kohra, I've been such a terrible and neglectful mother. I was selfish and short sighted in the past. Do forgive me my love"

"You try your best mother. I'm back now so don't be sad"

"Kohra, my dear" Her father said, opening his arms wide. Kohra crashed into him, leaving her mother's embrace almost immediately.

She inhaled his scent and her body relaxed. You can never go wrong with a fatherly scent.

"Father..." Kohra, for the first time in a very very long time, cried. Despite everyone watching, she sobbed like a little girl and just poured it out. It was no use acting strong anymore. She was breaking inside and her mind was derailing.

"It's all right my dear. You're home now" Atu pet her and let her grieve all she wanted.

The others there, when they saw her break down, realised that despite her powers and her demeanour, she was just human and she was prone to fear. To anger, to disgust and to defeat.

"You.....who scarred my precious little girl?" Atu raged, seeing a tiny scar on her arm from her fight with Aairon.

"It's fine father.." she sniffed.

"It's just a little cut"

"One you can't heal?" Jeir asked, skeptic.

"Well, he had the power of a god. I would need more time to heal it. Let's plan accurately" Her rigid demeanour was back and everyone straightened up.

She went to sit on her chair while everyone else took their seat in the spacious throne room, not too far from her. She looked at the seat beside her and bit back the sigh that came.

"That's right, where's Lesker?" Sephira asked, seeing her behave like that.

"Muni took him"

"What? The goddess Muni? I thought you said someone was keeping him safe for you" Eline asked, seriously confused.

"She's holding him hostage and she won't kill him. He's far too precious for that"

"Precious? I thought he was a scholar at the Burmi monastry?" Atu asked.

"We noticed he carried a mark on his neck, a mark very common to the monastry of Burmi. The mark of Ishai"

"Isn't that the mark of death? Where did he get it? And Kitari, didn't you notice the mark before you married him off to Kohra?" Atu raged at Kitari.

"Of course I didn't see it. I used my magix to find him and it showed he was the perfect match for her" Kitari argued and they had to stop the two from bumping heads.

"Father, mother, please calm down and let me finish my explanation"

"Sorry Kohra" they both said and were back to listening to her.

"The mark of Ishai is given by Burmi to the young boys he molests and rids of their divine spark. Apparently, the divine spark is more common than we think but the gods have been ripping them out of humans for thousands of years. Once it is ripped out, the vessel only has a few years to live. Only a few survive for more than twenty years. Lesker is one of them.

Muni took him for that reason but also for another reason I'm not too sure about it. We have to call Anak quickly to perform the ritual. We're running out of time"

"I guess you'll need all the help you can get then?" Britta said from the entrance of the throne room. Beside her was someone they hadn't seen in years.

"Mother?" Jeir called out hesitantly, like she was going to disappear at any moment.

"I'm back, your majesty" Jowe, the former Queen, bowed at Kohra.