After leaving the Game Hall, Estella went to the private quarters of the Rhits Palace. She knocked at the Director’s Office door and entered without waiting for an answer.

“Estella!” she was greeted by the owner of the establishment, Ernest the Liar.

“Uncle!” she replied politely while he hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. That made her frown because she disliked very much being treated like a child.

Like always, Ernest was dressed at his best. A deep rock oil blue suit, black lacquered shoes, high collar impeccable white shirt, and a pale rose tie matched with a pale rose in his chest buttonhole and a slightly off white handkerchief.

“Uncle Ernest, you look very elegant. Even more than usual, I’d say.”

“We have guests.”

“An elf?”

“Our bread-fruit begetter, yes, but how do you know?”

“I’ve met him at the Casino and help to be in a good mood. I figured that was why you summoned me.”

“Well, thank you. But it’s not that. Your aunt has guests too, and she would like a bit of advice for them.”

“Ah...” she sighed. “I see now. There is a clew of strange probabilities there. I’ll go check.”

“Thank you, sweetie!”

He hugged her again, but now she took it gladly. She needed as much kindness as possible before doing a reading. When she was on the doorstep, even closing the door, she suddenly stopped and turned on her steps.

“Uncle?”

“Yes, dear,” said Ernest, raising his eyes to her from his desk. “Is something wrong?”

“I just want to ask you something; it’s about Sirinn, the Beauhemian, your protégée. Do you trust him? He’s very young for his position, and somehow, I cannot read him. It’s like my readings slip away from him like I’m trying to catch a fish barehanded. Never met somebody alike.”

“Sure, you’ve met, darling. Me, or your parents, and a few others. Can you read us?”

“Well, you, I can, sincerely, however strong you think your magic defenses are. Father, no, he’s not a probability guy. He’s a certitude maker. What he wants, he just makes it happen. He’s the strongest magician around, you know. And mothers are covered in the same energy; they’re one item. But Sirinn is different; he’s slippery by nature, yet I do not feel any meaningful magic in him. What’s the catch?”

Ernest gathered his thoughts for a moment.

“I’ll tell you his story; that’s all I can do. First of all, I don’t think he’s so young. He might be nineteen, even twenty. Cannot be sure, though. You know about the Leaving, Estella?”

“Sure, Patrifoy the Mad took half the beauhemians with him away on another planet. Dad stopped him from taking them all.”

“Indeed. Fits Patrifoy had isolationist views and imposed them on the beauhemians by trickery. Many don’t know that when your dad stopped that wormhole, some beauhemian children were separated from their families. When you divide that amount of people in half, things happen. They were about two hundred, a tiny fraction if you count the whole picture, but a lot, if you count the real cost: sentiments, feelings. Your parents wanted to build a special institution for them, but Ejlsa, their new leader, opposed it. Beauhemians will take care of their own, she said. They were adopted among their folks, most of them. But some ran, unwilling to accept their new families, and became street urchins. So was he. I’ve met him at a corner of the Main street, in Southport, the Archipelago Capital. I have no idea how he got there. Maybe he hid on a ship or hired as help, who knows. Anyway, he was selling some hats or whatever things the small peddlers sell, and he had that sign they use to recognize themselves, a red and white bracelet, a simple yarn thread mixed. He looked at me and said: If you take me with you to the City, I’ll serve you seven years only for food and water. Providence! I do not know how he had come with that. Stories, most likely. I couldn't refuse. He had those big eyes, and me and Sall we had troubles conceiving for a long time. So I took him. I even wanted to adopt him, but he refused our offers and every bit of money we wanted to give him. He took only food, water, and clothes, but those are granted to every employee. We did hire some private teachers for him because he didn't like school at all; he called it worse than prison. He’s very independent, goes out always in his free time, and never says what he does, but I think he’s happy here, with us. I hope he’ll stay on after the seven years because they are due in less than a month, and yes, I trust him. This is all I can tell you about him.”

The girl nodded silently.

“Thank you, uncle.”

With these words, she left the bureau for real this time, going to her aunt's apartments. There was a lot of agitation inside and many people, Sal, Ernest's life and business partner, their two kids, and their math tutor, another woman, and a dozen of solid big men who looked very awry in that place.

“Estella! Come here!”

Hugs, again, of course, and presentations.

“Let me introduce to you, my dear friend Matriarch Snejiana. The most important matriarch of the Schiavoni tribes. Our best guards are hired among them. She’s leaving tomorrow and is in dire need of your advice.”

“Your Highness!” the matriarch bowed, as etiquette asked.

Her blond hair was divided into woven strands. Still good looking, she approached her forties and was pregnant, probably in the middle of the term.

“May it be a girl, and you have an easy delivery!” Estella saluted with the appropriate greeting for a matriarch. “How can I help you?”

“Oh, your highness, I beg you to help us with your wise light!”

The woman fell to her knees before her, a thing which Estella had seen before.

“Please, no, sit somewhere!” she shouted, frightened. “Don’t agitate yourself so much in your condition.”

The woman followed the advice, sit on a chair, then spoke with big breaths.

“We want to be a part of the new order of the Continent. We need technology, peace with the Western Autarchy, education, trade. We need permission to have settlements on the Continent. You know that the ley lines of our islands make us born very few girls.”

She knew, ninety percent of the Norse children were boys. Women were precious, and as such ruled, but common wisdom was pointing that it was no more a tenable situation.

“Please help us,” continued the Matriarch. “We don't have a lot of money, but for sure we have an excellent qualified workforce. And I do not mean only warriors. I dare to say we have the best babysitters in the world, by the way. Sall, I’ve brought you our best sitter, as a gift. Boris!” she called.

One of the huge warriors, almost seven feet tall, advanced. Half-blind and his face covered in scars, as all northerners who managed to reach old age, he had specialized in some household skills. He raised the two kids with a fluid motion and put them each on one of his shoulders, which made them giggle, having fun. Looking with his only eye on the papers they were writing with their math teacher, Boris stated solemnly:

“6 times 9 is not 54. Tomorrow you write the multiplication of 6 ten times, and if you get it right, I’ll teach you riding!”

“Of course, 6 times 9 is 54!” protested the math teacher vehemently.

“Yes?” Boris was either amazed or an outstanding actor. “Then we can skip the math and do the riding directly.”

“Yeee!” the kids exclaimed.

“See?” said Snejiana. “He introduces the ludic factor into the equation, and the open-air is fantastic for personal development. All the children he took in his care turned well.”

Meaning what, pirates, brigands, or mercenaries? thought Estella. Keeping her thoughts for herself, she raised her hand, demanding silence.

“The future of nations is not for me to see, you see it yourself, and that means it will come to be. Yet, I can read individuals. Some of those can help you speed the process. It will still take years, but you’ll live to see it. It has a price, though.”

“Anything! Ask me for anything!” said the Matriarch, breathing fast.

“Him.” pointed Estella towards a young and now startled warrior. “He is the price. Your firstborn, isn’t he?”

All the warriors were looking with scared eyes at her now. It took her a few seconds to realize why. Many children's books told stories about evil witches that demanded a firstborn as a price for whatever service she had done. Usually trying to cook him in an oven afterward.

“He'll be safe!” she rushed to say. “I want him to stay here in the city, instead of Boris, and to study diplomacy. I read that he will be a good ambassador and help you tremendously in making peace with the Autarchy. Don’t know exactly how, but I’d bet my reputation on it.”

Thank you, thank you so much! said her aunt’s eyes, relieved to be rid of Boris.

The matriarch looked uncertain; the advice she begged on her knees just a few minutes before was stranger than she had expected.

“He’s Frey’r, the fruit of my romantic weakness for a rival Allemain tribe warlord, long ago. Are you sure?” asked Snejiana.

“Pretty sure.”

“Take the deal!” Sall pushed her. “We like to say about Estella that she’s not the reading in the stars; it’s the stars who read in her. Take it!”

“Frey’r, what do you say?” asked the matriarch. “I’ll let you choose. Do you want to stay?”

The young warrior pondered things. He scrutinized the princess and decided she didn’t look like the type to eat human flesh.

“I’ll stay!” he said. “Of course, I’d rather go in raids – he added, a little unconvincing – but this is for our people's sake.”

“Great!” exclaimed Sall. “Now, let me escort you back to your car; I suppose you want to get back home in time for dinner.”

On the way back, the girl took the woman's arm and leaned on it heavily. She looked pretty tired.

“Oh, my dear. I’m sorry, I’ve imposed on you that reading on such short notice! It was unthoughtful of my part…”

“We’re family!” replied Estella. “It’s what family does, imposing or helping, be it easy or hard. Don’t bother yourself with such thoughts. But, in your place, I’d double the guards. I have a faint feeling of danger. Very faint and hard to read, but it’s there. Maybe somebody wants to rob the Casino, who knows. ”

She left her aunt more troubled than when she had arrived, which, in a way, made her feel a little sadistic satisfaction. Because she was sure that now the good sleep gathered from the bridge floor had been reduced in half.