Page 117 of Conspirators' Kingdom

“You look exactly like him, height and all. Have you actually shrunk, or am I looking at your chest without realizing it?” Vasilisa asked.

“Both,” Mereruka answered with Inkaef’s voice.

“That doesn’t—”

“It’s complicated. Take us through the void to the tribute barge as quickly as you can.”

“Fine, fine.” Vasilisa sighed before doing as he asked.

The end of this task couldn’t come soon enough for Mereruka’s liking. He closed his eyes as he slipped into the void once more.

Taisiya was undeniably drunk. Thankfully, so were Inkaef and Itet. While Inkaef was snoring into his cup, Itet vainly tried to coax Bas into coming down from the ledge, where he was vindictively swiping at vases and other trinkets from on high.

“Be a good kitty, or Itet will turn you into a pair of shoes,” Itet said in a sing-song voice as she failed to catch Bas’ latest victim. “Not the skull! Not the skull!” she pleaded as Bas taunted her, his paw slowly tilting the monstrous skull perched on the edge.

Dressed in a frilly pastel vest and decorated with several bows on his tail, Bas’ dignity had set sail some time ago and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Taisiya would’ve had an equally hard time being merciful in an outfit so hideous. After an hour of dress-up, Bas had given up being docile.

“Leave him be. He’ll get bored,” Taisiya slurred.

Itet was torn between Taisiya’s suggestion and the potential loss of another trophy. She backed away from Bas and took her seat after a few failed attempts to stick the landing. Bas, for his part, seemed to cool down. He began furiously tugging the bows off his tail, shooting them murderous glares the whole while.

Itet poured herself the last of the spirits and drank them down. She looked over at Inkaef affectionately and patted his head. Whatever else she was, Itet was obviously fond of her twin. They were the only royal siblings Taisiya had seen who had any real fondness for one another.

“This was a nice evening. Think we all needed to loosen up. Losing Nefertnesu like that was bad, especially after what those Keftu bastards did to her. If it had been Inky…” Itet trailed off.

“How powerful are the heartless fae?” Taisiya asked.

Itet looked up, thinking, and then thought better of it. Swaying in her seat, she was forced to brace herself on the table.

“I’m not good with complicated magic. Not patient enough.” She giggled. “But those creepy bastards? It’s like Oblivion is at their fingertips.” She snapped her fingers. “Build a palace? Boom! Done. Turn an army into frogs? Bye-bye army, hello plague of frogs!”

Taisiya shivered.

“Exactly!” Itet nodded. “Rather face a feral dragon.”

“Feral dragon?” Taisiya asked.

“When they refuse to go two-legged and lose their minds, start eating people. There’s a bunch of them mucking up some royal project or something.” Itet waved a dismissive hand. “So what about you? Enjoying Maat?”

Taisiya nodded, though it made her head swim. She gripped the table for the support her body lacked.

“Most of it. Some of you are real assholes though.”

Itet guffawed.

“I think I know whom you’re speaking of.” Itet giggled and put her fingers up by her head to mime an extra set of horns, “I’m a red shithead because no one will fuck my scaly ass. Grrrr,” she snarled.

Taisiya howled with laughter. Encouraged, Itet grinned and began flapping her arms like wings and making clucking noises. Objectively, Taisiya shouldn’t be laughing—the servants were present, after all—but the liquor was colouring her perception.

“Oh, thank the gods,” Bas grouched in her mind.

Taisiya turned her head and fell out of her seat to Itet’s peals of laughter. Taisiya looked up to see Mereruka. Well, several of him.

“Meri, what are you doing up there?” Taisiya asked.

“I think it’s past time I came to collect you, wife,” he answered.

Mereruka bent down to lift her, the ascent making her dizzy.

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