“Pan Ni! Fire!”

Our hug is disrupted by Yuri yelling in our ears. We separate, and if it weren’t for the energy shield I’m putting up, the flames would have engulfed us.

“This is not our fight,” Ms Pink tells Yuri while holding me back with her hand on my arm.

“What?” The look on Yuri’s face is a mix between disbelief and disapproval. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Look,” Yuri points at the furious fight happening a few paces from us, “it is chaos.”

“This is not the first fight in Demortams. Neither will it be the last fight.”

“That has never stopped you from helping before.”

“Just a slight problem. Which side should I help, Yuri?”

“Something is very wrong with you,” says Yuri.

Ms Pink takes two steps back, pulling us further from the fight. “There is nothing wrong with me. I know exactly what I am doing.”

Yuri’s glare hardens suddenly. “It is her, is it not? It is because of her.”

“Say what you will. We are sitting this out.”

“I am disappointed, Princess Pan Ni. I thought better of you,” says Yuri, before turning back to join the fight.

“Ms Pink, what’s going on?” I look deep into those blazing pink eyes, trying to see what the problem may be.

My princess vampire kisses my lips. “It is time.”

“To?”

“Observe.”

I’m not sure who Ms Pink is observing but I need to tell her what I saw. “Ms Pink, I need to tell you something important.”

“What is it?”

“I saw Malvico putting the caepicta on your back.”

Ms Pink’s eyes flare up in molten pink flames. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I saw it all in Tatua’s mind. I saw your mother and your father and your mother when she was a little girl and your grandfather. And Helene. I saw Helene too.”

“Helene? What was she doing?”

“I’ll tell you everything I saw. From the beginning.”

It may seem strange for the two of us to be seated on our ‘throne’ talking while the rest of the Feds and Sovs and Pars are embroiled in a heated fight down under the dome but stranger things have happened in this realm and I really need to pass this information to Ms Pink.

“My grandfather traded me for my mother’s freedom.”

“Is that what it was about?”

“It makes sense now.”

“What makes sense?”

“Now I understand why my father had to seek support from the triple Ps.”

“To save you from the betrothal?”

Ms Pink nods. “It has always puzzled me—why my father had to seek a partnership with supers. His diaries did not speak of any desire to be involved with them, yet he appeared to be playing the power game with multiple associations with supers. But now I understand. He was looking for a way to undo what my grandfather had done. At the cost of his life and all of his family. And he still failed to save me from the supers.”

“He failed?”

Ms Pink nodded, expression grim. “I am afraid my ties to Helene have been destined from the very beginning. And this must be why I have never trusted Helene.” She rises to her feet, hands out by her side clenched into fists. “I must fight this. Stay here.”

I stand as well, ready to protest her order but she has already joined the fray. She is going straight for Tatua who is flanked by several members of the Sovereign. I see Yuri turning towards her, face breaking out into a tiny smile, probably pleased to see Princess Pan Ni imposing her power. But that smile drops along with her jaw when Ms Pink turns her flames against Tatua’s attackers.

And that jaw drops even more when Ms Pink hollers, “Ceasefire!”

Kharne is furious. He goes for Ms Pink’s neck and fear chills my spine, but she dodges. With his muscles threatening to burst, he snarls, “Your true colours have shown, Princess. You are a traitor.”

“The trial should be resumed.” Ms Pink flexes her muscles, flaring her flames high up to the dome, separating the two opposing sides from each other. “We can be more civilized than this after centuries of existence.”

“Tatua is guilty for all to see. The trial is a waste of time. Get out of my way!” Kharne roars.

“We have endless time to waste. This trial is to be respected. What is a few more minutes in view of our endless lives?”

“Princess Pan Ni is right,” says Sintix. “Let us be civilized.” He waves his crystal wand in the air, circling an invisible point twice, and a rainbow appears over our heads, light refracted for our eyes to see. “Tatua, return to your position. Your goodwill is necessary for the trial to proceed.”

“Very well.” Tatua bows to Ms Pink and Sintix and returns to his glass jail. “My goodwill has been presented before you.”

“This is ridiculous. We supers do not deal out of goodwill,” Kharne growls.

“Kharne, please take your seat. I have a few questions for Tatua to answer,” Ms Pink says with a pleasant smile.

The smile seems