Semet/The Grey Night

The Queen's Voyage, Arc Finale

In-universe date: Era Nova, February-March, Year 4

Real-world date: 2026-09-10
Author: Semet

The flames danced, encircled by round, regular stones. Still lying there, I watched the spectacle. We had been there for a week now. I was feeling way better. The nearby forest contained everything we needed to feed ourselves, and the river, to drink.

I had a dream last night. In this dream, on the small hill where we were camping stood a modest wooden cabin - actually quite large, considering its number of occupants. Percival was chopping logs as I approached from the dirt path, carrying a wicker basket filled with carefully - and cautiously - picked berries and fruit. Noticing my figure growing larger in the distance, he put down his axe and ran to help me carry my bounty. Surprisingly, Isis, my miit, was there too, lying in the grass basking in the sun. Hurried footsteps sounded from inside, and the door creaked open…

……………….

"What’s on your mind?" Percival asked me, bringing me back to myself.

I turned around rather abruptly. This dream had carried me far from reality, and waking up from it had been brutal. I took a deep breath.

"Another, more peaceful world," I said, lifting my head towards the stars.

That cannot exist. What a shame.

A new thought came to me. This fire in which my mind wandered… It didn't remind me of the Grey Night…

Perhaps it is time.

"Percival."

He tilted his head, looking inquisitive.

"There is something I need to talk to you about. But before that… could you come closer? I am afraid this might prove… difficult."

The leader of Koperdam sported this expression - the one that appears when he is about to discover or learn something new.

He'll never change for that, I thought, chuckling inwardly.

"I must tell you about one of my fears. An irrational fear, yet one rooted in reality."

I sat on my knees, facing him, to begin my explanation.

"I fear the sight of fire. But not because it devours wood and flesh. You see… More than a decade ago now, strange men with grey skin appeared in Kedet’s desert. At first, just a few. We initially thought they were only nomads. We were used to seeing some tribe pass by, so, without really welcoming them, we let them settle, presumably temporarily. And then one day… One day, hundreds - perhaps even thousands - assailed our city. I don’t quite understand how they managed to breach the walls, but soon, corpses littered the ground, and blood soaked the sand. I remember that I had gone to pick flowers farther away, near the Coronado meadows - far from the grey encampment, since I was forbidden to approach it."

I lowered my eyes, trying at least to avoid reliving the scene for the umpteenth time.

"I saw, on the horizon, a reddish-orange glow. At the location of Kedet. It was the light produced by my burning city. Abandoning everything I had, I ran as fast as I could to join my parents, my brothers and my sisters."

Instinctively, I took Percival's hand in mine to give myself the courage to continue my story.

"In the general chaos, I was relieved to find Shed, my older sister. She grabbed my arm and led me through the alleyways that led to our family home to protect me from the horrible grey assailants who were massacring everyone. Towards the end of the journey, she carried me, ordering me to keep my eyes closed. Even so, the echoes of the murders still haunt me. Finally, she placed me in the well-hidden carcass of a wrecked cart before disappearing."

I swallowed hard, masking a sob.

"Forever."

And as always when I recall this story, at that precise moment, sadness turned into powerful anger.

"That is when I recognized him. A hooded man, seemingly a stranger with grey skin, emerged from the grounds, dragging Amos, my father, along the ground. Still alive. I could not truly grasp what they had said to each other. But I guessed everything when I saw his face. For in reality, that man was a Kedeti. He was one of my father's political enemies - the second in line for the throne, but one who had never managed to have a daughter. His followers were all powerful mages. But lacking an heir, the succession had thus turned to my family, more specifically to Shed, the eldest daughter. Their family championed two principles: the shift to a patriarchal system, and the development of magic. I believed it was a settling of scores, this mage taking advantage of the chaos to seize the city once the invaders were repelled. And they were repelled. Time passed. Everything I had was lost, for that same mage had, of course, set fire to my house. I was sent to the temple of Ta-Hapi, where I learned to listen to the wishes of other citizens. But because of my past, the priestesses nevertheless took the time to instruct me as best they could, and I was granted access to the Great Medjat, the city library. There, one day, a stranger gave me a strange book that spoke of magic. I read it cover to cover. It spoke, among other things, of summoning. My blood ran cold, page after page. These grey men. They were not nomads. Nor had they arrived there by chance. There was a way to summon them, or rather, to provoke them. To make them attack a city."

I realized that my hand was transcribing my hatred and crushing Percival's. I released the pressure.

"I think you understand now. About magic. I do not need to explain any more than that, the rest is self-evident. I hope you understand why I am destroying all sources of occultism from now on."

I sank into silence for long moments, alongside my traveling companion.

"Well… there may be one thing left."

Something that is probably even harder to admit.

"I know that we are both people carrying heavy responsibilities. However, this trip has convinced me of one fact…"

At that moment, I could have called upon Ib-Deben. She would have done it for me, since she is the goddess of love. But no. It was Semet's responsibility to find the words. Not Kheta-Semet. I took another deep breath.

"Your presence… is necessary to me. Regularly. So… do you think you could… come to Kedet more often? My house is big, and quite empty. You could probably even set up your workshop there - be careful not to scatter your maps too much though."

I simply smiled at him. It wasn't perfect, but it would suffice.

Percival looked at me for a few moments, at first, he had a concerned and serious expression, though that was quickly overturned with a more lighthearted, softer expression followed by a little laugh.

"Sure, I don’t see why not, spending time with you thus far has been quite enjoyable for me as well."

And so, we prepared our belongings and took Percival’s small ship to journey back to Kedet.