Debt of Skin

Thirteen: Blood, Love, and Agony

There was a stack of papers in his arms that felt too heavy to bear. Mahe held them tighter and bowed his head slightly in appreciation. "Thank you, Uncle Xiane. I'll look things over and try to find the best solution. How many did you say went missing?"

King Xiane had a solemn expression as he thought it over. "I believe it was three children. A child of eight, one of nine, and the other of thirteen."

Mahe swallowed the bile rising in his throat. "I understand."

"It was reported last night, but it occurred the day before. Do you want help with this?" He asked cautiously.

Shaking his head, Mahe said, "There is no need. I will get this done as quickly as possible."

It was not shocking that Mahe wanted to put in the work alone. There was no exact role that he played in the palace, as he was not born into this life. Some people treated him like no more than the king's adopted son, while others viewed him as a leech. It was often said that he did nothing at all other than hide in the palace and pretend to be more righteous than he was.

This wasn't true, as Mahe actually had many duties he fulfilled. But unlike nobles, he felt these were all too trivial to announce. There were smaller tasks he completed, such as helping plan events. He would assist with making invites, budgeting, or decorating. Another thing he took on was maintaining or restoring artifacts alongside Emelo, since he enjoyed the patience it required. Mahe did not like to feel entirely useless, so he tried to keep fairly busy when he could.

However, what he did most often was assist with human rights issues.

This was a task he sort of stumbled upon. There was a reason that Mahe had been sired, because a title like that was not something easily earned by a man who had no military achievements. In private, King Xiane had even offered Mahe the title of Viceroy. Naturally, Mahe profusely declined and requested that he never mention such a thing again.

Mahe had been at the forefront of his bloodline's genocide more than once, and he understood greatly the efforts needed in order to prioritize safety for Blood Immortals. Thus, when he was almost sixteen, King Xiane offered to give him jurisdiction over said efforts. At the time Mahe had been fairly depressed, feeling incredibly useless locked up in the palace but also unable to leave for fear of kidnapping or murder. This was only amplified when it was announced that there was a delegation of people leaving for the drought, and that Kaliya and Perice were included in that.

Mahe thought that he was truly of no use at all, because if he left with them, he would only be a liability. He was not as strong as the princes, and being a Blood Immortal meant that people would always search for a way to take his life for themselves. It was too dangerous.

So King Xiane began to inform him of the various kidnappings or murders happening across Renoa as a result of discrimination. Most of these were Blood Immortals, but some extended to other races. Argons were the second most common case. Mahe would help develop plans for convicting the criminals responsible, coordinate rescue efforts, and direct teams to watch after affected groups. It was a good use of his time, and kept him busy. It made him feel important.

That didn't make it any easier, though.

Bandits often chose to target children, since they were easier to control and they were young enough to be of long-term use. It was disheartening, but overtime Mahe had grown used to this reality. He could only hope that one day the constant reinforcing of the law would cause less and less pushback. Until Blood Immortals could live freely.

Mahe walked to the library and found a nice spot to sit. Close to the window so that he could utilize the natural light as he began working. At some point, the sun started to go down. He lit a lantern.