Zoombieverse - Memory 2: The Knife

Part 1: The Mission - Chapter 1

"And so, that ends my report on the lacrimal production in the Lake of Tears under my purview. I hope that is satisfactory to everyone's needs but if not I can..."

I hope this ends soon. I can't bear this for long. A young undead god stifled a yawn and suppressed an urge to stretch and shift in his seat as the minutes went by. He couldn't afford to show his boredom in front of everyone here. His Uncle would forgive him and even find him amusing but his siblings won't and they will make sure he'll regret his transgression.

"...the extraction and gathering of the incorporeal compound in the..."

He made a discreet scan around the table, looking at each of his siblings who were with him this time. This is a dangerous combination. The Thirteenth and the Twenty Second have been secretly watching my every move, looking for an excuse to go after me, and I'm sure the Sixth would join them once they get started. There's no guarantee that the Fifteenth will take my side, but if she does, she'll quickly abandon me if I become a liability. The Third will watch quietly until I'm cornered and then deal the finishing blow.

"Yes, indeed. That is quite good. May I suggest..."

Left with no other options, he mentally shrugged and pretended to care about what was being said around him. He'd attended a lot of these meetings as his Uncle frequently requested that he be a part of the delegation sent even though he really has nothing to contribute. He suspects that his Uncle has simply been making up excuses to have him come to this realm and see him more often though he can't figure out why.

"...might be difficult to contain any contaminations from the..."

At least they treat me nicely here and even give me special accommodations. In his younger years, he'd stay for much longer until someone was eventually sent to fetch him. The punishments he'd received for 'inconveniencing the ancient Lord' were worth the few moments of freedom in this realm. But as he grew older and started getting wiser to the way the world works, he became uneasy with and suspicious of the frequent requests and would try to find a way to dodge them.

"That could be problematic in the long run. Maybe we should..."

I know he has some sort of plan for me but he won't tell me what it is. He glanced at his Uncle sitting at the head of the table. At that moment, the elder god looked at him, as if he had read the young god's mind. Slightly alarmed, the young god quickly averted his gaze in fear of falling into the abyssal depths of those ancient eyes again. He had begun wearing reflective glasses to hide his eyes after he first met the older god but the ancient Lord always seemed to know what's going on behind them.

"And what of the one called the Feathered Princess?"

Hearing that title broke him from his mental preoccupation. Oh, no. Not her. Not with these people. Glancing around the table, he saw that everyone was looking at him, overtly and covertly, watching and waiting for his reaction. He pretended not to notice and waited for someone else to chime in but several moments of silence passed and it became even more apparent that everyone was waiting for him to speak up. Not wanting to make the first move, he desperately looked at his Uncle, hoping that the ancient god could actually read his mind and help him out.

He almost flinched when his Uncle met his eyes and stared at him. His Uncle seemed to be contemplating something but, before he could even begin to try to figure it out, the ancient Lord turned to the rest of the table. "Hm, yes. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

Silently, the young god thanked his Uncle though he knew that it barely delayed the inevitable.

"Oh! I just remembered." The Thirteenth smacked his forehead and gestured at the young god theatrically. "Doesn't our youngest brother here know her?"

Oh, no. Here we go. "Knew her, brother. I've had no contact with her in a long time," the young god answered, mentally cursing his insidious brother.

"Well then, wouldn't you want to have contact with her again?" The Thirteenth waggled his eyebrows as he made an obscene gesture with his hands, obviously hinting at a very specific meaning.

What is he trying to get at? "I'm not sure what you want me to do," the young god said, feigning ignorance.

The Thirteenth smirked. "Come now, Youngest. I'm sure you haven't forgotten about her. You're practically entangled with each other every time you're together." He locked his fingers together in demonstration and pulled them apart with a flourish. "And you even made a very public declaration of your... love, was it? How did it go again?" He straightened up, put a hand over his heart and put on a solemn face. "I will give you my heart. Quite literally, if you ask for it." He turned to his little brother again and snickered. "Wasn't that how you said it? It was quite cute. You even knelt on one knee."

What is he up to this time? "I don't see how that is relevant to the topic," the Youngest said coolly.

"Why don't you tell us about her? You knew her intimately, did you not?" the Twenty Second chimed in. She examined her fingernails with indifference but her choice of words was deliberate.

"I did. But my information is not up to date and I'm not the one with spies running around everywhere," the young god answered pointedly. "Besides, I know you've also had close contact with her before. As did several other members of the family." He stopped himself from adding that some of those present at the meeting also got involved with her and almost gestured flippantly at them. Instead, he contained himself to a concealed glance at each of them, knowing that everyone was listening and paying attention to his every word and action. One of them looked amused and smirked openly, another one simply looked bored and disinterested at the proceedings of the meeting.

The Twenty Second sighed and seemed to have become lost in some distant pleasure, her eyes glazed while looking at nothing in particular. "Oh, yes. She was... quite good... and creative. Very creative. Quite crafty, too. She wouldn't have made it this far if she wasn't," she said wistfully, breathing out her words and biting her lip at well-timed moments that matched her words. She gave a very pleased smile like she was still enthralled by a faraway dream before looking at her brother shrewdly with clear, sharp eyes. "Were you disappointed that she did not choose you? I heard that you kept on pining for her for a long time after she had left you. That you kept on calling for her even when you're with someone else."

The young god tried not to breathe too sharply or too audibly to keep his irritation hidden. I'd better just give them what they want and get this over with quickly. My temper is starting to get the better of me. "Would it satisfy you and move this conversation along if I just say, 'Yes. I still miss her.'? Or do you require something more substantial, sister?" He kept his resentment away from the tone of his voice but he knew that his words gave him away. He hoped that it would be enough to get everyone to stop.

The Twenty Second's face and body language suddenly radiated with pure concern. She leaned forward, furrowed her brows, widened and narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips, frowned, pouted, and smiled in just the right way at just the right moment. "Ah! What's this? Is she still a touchy subject to you? Poor, Youngest. Even with everybody practically lining up to be with him, he still can't get over the Feathered Princess. I suppose it really was true love then," she sighed with a sad smile.

Damn her. She's good at hiding her motives. Why did both of them have to be here at the same time? The Youngest clenched his jaws to avoid saying his thoughts out loud. And why did this damned topic have to come up with both of them here? He shifted in his seat to get into a more comfortable position to calm himself. "This is ridiculous. The topic isn't about my past relationship with her. It's about how to deal with her and the threat she currently represents."