The two-day voyage along the northern coast of the continent, from Keyic in the northeast to Tvokess in the northwest, was nearly over. At first, Suri had been incredulous when Her mother insisted on a normal family trip, instead of using a portal to join the ship when it got close. What a waste of time! But now that the Tvokess lineage's seaside palace glinted on the horizon, through the window in Her quarters, She was glad for Her mother's wisdom.

In any case, it wasn't like the portals only worked one way.

"Is that it?" Telf asked, from Suri's right.

"Yes. Believe it or not, that shiny white building currently houses the greatest concentration of evil in the entire world," Suri answered. "You'll need to head back soon. Do you want to go over everything, one more time?"

"Once You disembark, Your husband will struggle to hear any prayers from us, so far away. If I need to contact you, ask Vavilly to send a message to the men staying with the ship, and they will deliver it in person. If there is a risk to the ship, the highest priority will be to destroy the portal or throw it overboard, so never use it without first confirming that it is safe. If someone who seems like an ally comes through the portal, but You are unable to return, show them where Your instructions are, tell Vavilly, and then contact Your Sisters immediately. Otherwise, follow my usual routine, and You will be back on the third night."

Suri wrapped Telf in a goodbye hug.

"My first and only Helper," She said, and left it at that.

"Show them all what a real Goddess is," Telf replied. "Make them feel their fakeness."

"That's part of why I'm here," Suri assured her.

It was time to strut into a gilded ivory palace filled with delusional narcissists, who had the nerve to call themselves deities and demand worship while stealing toddlers from their parents to sell as sex slaves. The unique relationship that Nyrkatess of Tvokess had with her 'pet,' Villacqui, who was acquired in that sort of auction, was more than anything else what was causing Suri to take the rising Heiress seriously as a possible ally-in-hiding.

Suri knew well what it was like to be disgusted with every available suitor. What if Her parents had been anathema, and tried to force Her to marry anyway? For someone in that position, She would sail into a shining white den of depravity at the far end of the continent.

----

Suri lined up with Zyriko, behind Her parents in the middle of the Keyic procession. There were four members of the honor guard at the very front, and four at the far rear, in ornate armor colored Keyic's deep blue. Around half the false gods in attendance would be white, and thus, harmless, but this force would prove very much ceremonial in the event of serious violence. Between the guards and the Keyics themselves were two groups of four attendants, two pairs in front and two behind, wearing the deep blue Keyic livery. Everyone else would remain on the ship, with Sieniel in command in the Matriarch's absence.

<Are you alright?> Suri asked Zyriko.

He betrayed nothing outwardly, but as always, the link was honest.

<I'm used to it,> he replied. <It's no worse here than in the Zyzz palace.>

<That's not what I asked.>

He smiled slightly, and patted Her arm.

<I endured for thirteen years completely alone, then five speaking with Izenakee once every month or two. Today, my arm and mind are linked with the Goddess I married. I'm more than fine. Besides, feeling all this suffering is helpful for maintaining a strong sense of purpose, in case my mana needs to hold itself together.>

<That's good, but I need you to stop dumping love into the link, or I will be unable to walk across the gangway.>

<Shall I carry You?>

Hmm.

Suri stared straight ahead, expressionless, while She considered the offer.

Every first-rank white lineage in the world would be in attendance, which meant a lot of delusional first-rank white 'goddesses' who were not at all accustomed to being ignored. Maybe it would be a good idea to set the tone immediately...

<Unfortunately, I must decline,> Suri decided, regretfully. <I need to project majesty, not give a first impression of seasickness. Glowing My color will be enough.>

Zyriko smirked, knowingly, and interlocked Their fingers.

<Their brothers are here, too,> he reminded Her. <I almost feel bad for them.>

<No you don't.>

<Not at all,> he admitted. <That wasn't very 'God of Honesty' of me, was it?>

The two-by-two procession started forward, off the deck of the ship and onto the gangway leading to the ivory dock.

The ascendant Tvokess Patriarch was waiting for them, with his wife on his left, and his daughter, the ascendant Heiress, on his right. All three were seated in ornate ivory-and-gold chairs--lightweight thrones, really--near the edge of the shade provided by an ivory canopy projecting from the palace itself. The Heiress' siblings who remained members of Tvokess were conspicuously absent. Too spoiled to bother being here, or too embarrassingly weak to be allowed? It wasn't clear.

Conversely, there was no point in having an expensive pet if you didn't flaunt her, so Villacqui was on an ivory-and-gold stool a little behind and to the right of Nyrkatess' chair. She sat with her ankles crossed to her left, and her back straight, an exemplar of well-trained elegance, carefully not looking directly at any of the mages on the dock. Almost all of the guests milling out here were from white lineages--families eyeing Nyrkatess couldn't afford to leave her vicinity, with all of their rivals present or about to be. Combined with the white dock and white-and-gold Tvokess attendants bustling about, it was a very white scene, on the whole, and one that, at its core, was not so very different from an auction.

In preparation for the formal introductions, the Tvokess family stood from their chairs, and Villacqui from her stool, as the Keyics stepped onto the gangway. Moments later, all remnants of the hubbub on the dock died out. Those who had not already been watching the Keyics' arrival turned to see what everyone else was gawking at.

While partway across the gangway, Suri made eye contact with Nyrkatess, and waved. The ascendant Heiress was staring with mouth agape, but returned the wave weakly. She half-turned, motioned for Villacqui to lean over her shoulder, and murmured something in her ear. Villacqui shifted her gaze to slightly below the gangway, and murmured a reply in Nyrkatess' ear.

As Suri approached, and got a better view of the pair, She, too, was impressed.

<Nyrkatess' beauty spells were always her forte, but look at her and Villacqui,> She said. <She has made a lot of progress, in just one year. They look a little like how I imagined Myself, wearing the tunic, minus any glow.>

<I see what You mean, like a primitive version of immortality. Perhaps Nyrkatess has developed her own limited version of Menelyn's maintenance spells, restricted to the outside?> Zyriko suggested. <Skin and hair? Maybe eyes and teeth? She's, what, a third of the way to passive immortality? She ought to be strong enough, for herself and Villacqui, if she has figured out how to do it.>

<I think you're right,> Suri agreed. <I can power two tunics casting the full version Myself, with mana to spare. Ignoring all internal organs would make it a much cheaper and simpler task. Seems doable, with dedication.>

<I wonder what she would give, for half an hour with Menelyn?> Zyriko mused.

They were in front of the Tvokess family, now, just outside the shade of the canopy overhead. Suri took Her place next to Her mother, across from Nyrkatess, causing the border of the shade to retreat almost to the Heiress' toes.

"I am Tyri, Matriarch Keyic. I wish to enter the domain of the Tvokess divine lineage, in order to celebrate the investiture of that illustrious lineage's ascendant Patriarch and Heiress."

That new Patriarch managed to wrest his attention away from Suri and Zyriko, to play his role in the formal introduction ceremony.

"You are welcome, Tyri of Keyic. We are grateful and proud that you join us to celebrate the perpetuation of the illustrious divinity of Tvokess into eternity."

While Her father suffered through the same nonsense, Suri watched Nyrkatess, who was fixated on Her. There was no sign of the ascendant Heiress being upset that her stage was being stolen, or of envy. Instead, she gave the sense of a zealous hobbyist who couldn't wait to discuss her passion with someone who shared it, combined with a child who had just figured out who she wanted to be when she grew up. Her enthusiasm was so pure that even Suri couldn't help smiling. Neither, apparently, could Villacqui, who hid hers behind a hand. All encouraging signs.

It was Suri's turn.

"I am Suri, the Sky Goddess, wife to Zyriko, the Sunset God. I am the first real Goddess to manifest on this world, and have decided to allow those who would claim divinity to witness Me, at this ceremony."

The gravitas of True Divinity revealed delusional, pompous nonsense for what it was. It would seem stranger to everyone here if Suri meekly submitted to the old customs, instead of treating them as beneath Her dignity.

The fakes had no leverage. What were they going to do? Send Her away unless She recited the expected lines? Hardly! That would leave their curiosity unquenched, and squander an opportunity for their names to be attached to a party that would be remembered for millennia. Or, would they stew in envy, and conspire to form an anti-Keyic bloc? That was the point. If they would be so kind as to announce a list of domains to be liberated next, Suri would be grateful.

Nyrkatess' father had powered through his bewilderment so far, but he was as speechless as everyone else.

How to proceed? Suri would like to pull Nyrkatess and Villacqui aside immediately, but it was dangerous to do that without knowing the full details of the situation. For example, it could be that Nyrkatess' family suspected her of harboring sympathies for the Red Goddess. If that was the case, and Suri showed up looking like this, seeming oddly interested in her? Potentially disastrous. In the meantime, there were other objectives to take care of, starting with--

Nyrkatess lost patience with her father's silence.

"How did you do it?!" she burst, crossing the gap between her and Suri in a few quick steps, glinting in the tropical sunlight as she emerged from the canopy's shade. "Please, let's--Uh, on behalf of Tvokess, welcome, and thank you for coming. Please! Come with--Father, I think I should serve as Suri's guide, personally! That seems appropriate, for such an illustrious guest!"

...Either Nyrkatess lacked any semblance of self-control, or this was a hint. Suri chose to believe it was a hint. The other objectives would need to wait. At least Nyrkatess had been smart enough to suggest something reasonable, instead of, say, randomly asking to board the Keyic ship.

"Great idea! I would like that!" Suri answered. "To My eye, it looks as if you may be on the path to achieving True Divinity, yourself." Literally true, if Nyrkatess had the character required and was willing to endure a great deal of pain, but let the others wonder about the details of what Suri meant. "Perhaps I can help you to become the last, eternal Matriarch of Tvokess, as I will be of Keyic. A real Goddess has no need for heirs, of course."

That caused a stir. Suri and Zyriko certainly looked immortal--there was that sense of being in front of reality, outside its flow of time and immune to its entropy--so between that and Suri calling Herself 'the first real Goddess,' everyone watching would have already been wondering.

As Suri had intended, Nyrkatess' father looked back and forth between Her and his daughter, surely noticing the hint of similarity between Suri's underlying, physical form, beneath the glow and transcendence, and Nyrkatess' own magically-achieved appearance. Suri imagined what was going through his mind to be something like, 'Were the blessings that Nyrkatess used on herself more than simple beauty enhancements? Was she truly capable of achieving the same state as the Keyic Heiress had attained? Could Tvokess afford to miss such an invaluable opportunity, after it fell into their laps? Most of all, how much bargaining power would he lose, if he questioned Suri's evaluation of his daughter in front of so many of her suitors?'

After giving Nyrkatess' father enough time to develop a strong fear of missing out, Suri added a condition.

"But for such a sensitive matter, We will need to speak in complete privacy," She announced.

And, She strongly suspected that Villacqui would need to be part of any conversation about Nyrkatess' future.

"But do bring your Villacqui along," Suri 'requested.' "I recall that you go nowhere without her, and why would you? Just look at her! Ah, Zyriko, without attendants to operate blockers, their minds will be exposed. Would you kindly shield them, like you do for Me?"

"Of course!"

"Do not worry about him." Suri kept speaking quickly, in the manner of a swindler, so that Nyrkatess' father would never have a chance to sort out his thoughts, and object or make a counterproposal. "I would not marry a man so uncivilized that he would intrude into the mind of an Heiress, or her companion. With his wife right next to him, no less!"

For only an instant, Suri indulged Herself, sweeping Her eyes across the faces of the white mages gawking from the shaded part of the dock.

'Yes, look,' She thought. 'We are the standard of a True God and Goddess, you throng of narcissists. Do you meet it? Lay awake, tonight, wondering how divine you truly are.'

"So, lead on?" She proposed, aloud.

"Yes! Please, follow me! Let's go, Villacqui!" Nyrkatess spun and headed for the door to the palace interior, with steps that followed the form of refined elegance, but so sped up that Suri needed to suppress a giggle. Villacqui fell in behind her.

Suri tried to follow as well, but Zyriko didn't budge. This was no time to delay!? Nyrkatess' father might--

"I am Zyriko, husband to Suri," Zyriko proclaimed hurriedly, and only then allowed Suri to pull him away. Half of the Keyic honor guard and attendants followed briskly.

<It's not fair if only You get to say it,> he complained. <I've been waiting a full year. I needed that.>

<...God of Courtship later, God of Secrets now,> Suri admonished.

Behind Them, She could hear the conversation continuing.

"Would Tyri, Matriarch Keyic, be able to offer us any insight?" Nyrkatess' father asked. "I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are most intrigued."

The average person would have smirked, but Suri managed to keep Her face blank. Her parents had been waiting nearly a year to savor this bragging session, not-so-patiently.

On the opposite side, near the entrance to the palace, Nyrkatess was rebuffing a group of Tvokess attendants and supervisor-guards trying to accompany her.

"There's no need! Suri's people will suffice. Remain here, with father, and assist other guests."

Nyrkatess seemed more and more like a prisoner arranging the conditions for her escape. Suri's Own memories of feeling similarly trapped were so visceral that it was a struggle to remain objective, and be mindful that She did not yet know if Nyrkatess was a true ally, or simply a spoiled Heiress who didn't want to give up the life of a socialite bachelorette. Nothing ruled out the latter, but Suri wanted to infer so much more from her obvious care for non-mage-born Villacqui.

<I am irrationally seeing My eighteen-year-old self in her, mixed with you suffering under your awful family,> She told Zyriko. <It's clouding My judgment. Keep Me grounded.>

<I will,> Zyriko assured Her. <She reminds me of Twilight, more than You. Like, if she didn't have the mannerisms of a refined aristocrat drilled into her, I think she would be skipping and twirling. That said, I know what You mean. For what it's worth, Villacqui is more like You: introspective, self-aware, and reticent by necessity. She trusts Nyrkatess. To know how deeply, and why, I would need to violate her mind.>

The world through the eyes of a historically powerful empath.

Inside the palace, the Keyic attendants and security formed a half-sized version of the procession, providing a screen in the hallways. Suri hoped that this would minimize the number of non-mages who would see Her or Zyriko, conclude that help had come at last, and be disappointed. The Tvokess domain would not be liberated today, not with an army of eight honor guards.

Surveying the interior, Zyriko remarked, <It really is ivory everywhere. I thought that must be an exaggeration.>

Flawless, milky white covered everything, floor, walls, and ceiling. It was impressive and tasteful in a vacuum, but the display was so grotesquely lavish that it still struck Suri as gaudy, even before accounting for where the wealth came from. Could they really not have used marble? It had to be literal ivory, everywhere?

<I suppose white magic makes harvesting large amounts easier,> Suri reasoned. <Healing, and life-guiding.>

Nyrkatess led the party down the hallway. Once well away from the supervisors near the door, Suri said, "Villacqui, there's no need to keep your eyes averted, or behave deferentially. I think all three of Us hold the entire concept of 'taint' in contempt, correct?"

Nyrkatess froze, then spun around. Suri had seen this before: a pent-up volcano was erupting.

"The bigots are so loathsome! What is a goddess, anyway? Is it not someone who enthralls? Who awes? Who inspires a need to worship her?! Am I wrong?" Nyrkatess challenged, but she did not wait for answers. "Villacqui's divinity is fresh, it's original, and it's all her own! She has more divinity in one enchanting diamond eye than all her detractors and their millennia of stale, derivative mediocrity. It is fragile, yes, a seed that needs to be cultivated, but that only makes her more captivating!" Light glinted down Nyrkatess' arm as she unfurled it dismissively back toward the door. "The wilted remnants of last season's blooms are insecure."

Villacqui had silently buried her face in her hands. Suri inferred that Nyrkatess had either never expressed this sentiment before, or never said it publicly.

"See?" Nyrkatess breathed, watching. "Doesn't she make you want to...sit her down and, and pamper her?!"

Suri didn't quite know what to make of Nyrkatess' attitude, but it seemed like something She could work with? Nyrkatess herself might be a seed in need of cultivation, in a different way.

"I apologize in advance, on behalf of my loathsome bigot parents," Zyriko interjected. "When they arrive, this evening, I'll try to make sure they don't bother you."

"It's alright," Villacqui wheezed, into her hands. "The Heiress always ensures that no one is too cruel to me."

Strangely, Nyrkatess' enthusiasm wilted, glint turning to gloom.

"I will practice my shields," she murmured to Villacqui, before returning her attention to Suri. "Now, to be honest, my Villacqui and I don't know the palace all that well. You might say we don't get out much. Mostly, we go from our chambers, down the stairs to the garden, and back, or to the harbor or garage, if we're headed out. I have some delightful blossoms well on their way." She pointed to the golden one in Villacqui's hair, then her own ivory counterpart. "There's more where these came from, in the garden. Shall we head there?"

"Will We have privacy?" Suri asked.

Nyrkatess pressed a finger to her lips.

"Usually, yes, but with so many guests, perhaps not...I swear, if anyone disturbs my flowers..." She frowned briefly, before snapping back to white-hot enthusiasm. "To our chambers, then! Same direction, anyway!"

Passionate yet scatterbrained, with Villacqui serving as a calm and steady reference point, was the impression Suri had thus far.