They ate as they had seldom been able to in Nudo. The three of them swallowed until their stomachs ached, and even then they couldn't finish all their food.

They lingered for a while talking about trivial things, but soon the bodyguards had to withdraw to make rounds and check the security of the hotel. Fir, Sikika and the boys went upstairs for a moment to the crivia's room. This one they had ordered well in advance, so it was even bigger than the humans' and had many more luxuries, such as its own jacuzzi, a bar and a huge tank with a luminescent sea serpent. Fir invited them to sit in the big, comfortable armchairs while she went to the bar to prepare drinks.

—What would you like? We have everything— she said.

The teens looked at each other's faces, dismayed. As they were barely 18 years old, they were not used to drinking alcohol.

—A brava— asked Sikika, as she checked the room for bombs or traps.

—What is a brava?— asked Arturo.

—A common drink in the noni empire— explained Fir— adults like it a lot, although it is a little strong for me, what do you want? I have alcohol for minors, if you like those.

—Do minors drink alcohol in Nudo?— jumped Arturo.

—Of course, don't they have it in your world?

—No, not at all.

—How old are you, Fir?— asked Erica.

—Me? Eleven.

Erica put her hands to her head, Liliana opened her eyes wide and Arturo arched an eyebrow.

—Eleven?!— they shouted at the same time.

—Why?

—I thought you were at least sixteen!— Erica roared.

Fir laughed.

—How do I look so old to you?

Sikika cleared her throat.

—These humas come from an island world. I think they're getting confused with the ages of their own species.

—Oh, right! That must be it— Fir agreed.

—What... What are they talking about?— asked Liliana.

—I see. Different species have different life expectancies— remembered Arturo.

—We nonis mature and age faster than you. I'm a teenager, but I'm not yet old enough to gamble in casinos or get pregnant. I'll be able to do that in about three more years, when I'm fourteen.

—Fourteen?— Erica repeated, astonished— At fourteen you're an adult?

—Legally.

The children looked at each other. All three were 18, legally they were adults in their country of origin, so mentally they had to still be a little more mature than Fir. But that didn't stop surprising them.

—And how old are you, Sikika?— asked Erica.

The bodyguard coughed. Fir poured herself a mug of purple ale and her subordinate's drink.

—I'm sure they don't know, but it's rude to ask the age of veterans— she snapped.

—Oh, I'm sorry— Erica hastened to say.

Sikika made a gesture to downplay the matter. Fir clasped her hands together.

—Anyway, what did you guys want to drink?

—Do you have anything sweet? Not too strong, if possible— asked Liliana, equally anxious to change the subject.

—Of course, that's almost all children's drinks— said Fir.

—Ah, I don't know much about liquors— said Erica— give me the same, please.

—Times three— said Arturo.

—Three children's —Fir confirmed.

She served them all and took them to the coffee table in front of them just as Sikika finished checking the room. They both sat on the other side of the table, facing the humans. Fir took a sip, followed by Sikika, Liliana and Arturo. Erica smelled her drink before tasting it. It wasn't bad.

Fir put her glass on the table and stood upright in her seat.

—You are the first humans free of Mother I have encountered since the invasion of your world began. Tell me... How did it feel? Was it too brutal?

Liliana blinked once and continued with her usual smile. Yes, for her it had been brutal. To some extent she hated the nonis for it, but she wasn't about to let a little resentment get in the way of her good relations with the crivia.

Arthur looked at her for a moment. He was the only one who noticed her regret, but he said nothing. He had a different view of the invasion than she did; it had been a hard blow to humanity, at least to the inhabitants of Mother. Many lives had been lost and many others had been completely ruined. However, none of that mattered when he thought of the enormous amount of knowledge they would be exposed to with the changing times. For Arturo, the invasion had not been a tragedy, but a huge stroke of luck.

—No— Erica replied.

Everyone looked at her, surprised that she was speaking.

—No?— Fir repeated.

Erica looked up at the ceiling for a moment as she found the words to explain herself better.

—I wasn't in the first attack, but I went to the city where it happened soon after and stayed there with the refugees for almost a month. There was destruction everywhere, people resented the nonis as if they were demons, but I never found the nonis to be cruel.

—Hah?— Fir muttered, curious.

—What?!— shouted Liliana.

Sikika nodded, while Arturo compared Erica's opinion to what he had seen.

—They didn't kill any of the refugees?— Liliana argued.

—Yes, a few— the brika recalled— but I'm sure they could have done much more. I would have wiped out the entire city if I were in their position.

Liliana was speechless. She had never considered the possibility that the nonis were softening their attacks. However, it didn't change the fact that they had slaughtered hundreds. She could not be as compassionate as Erica.

—So it was only one city— Fir looked to Sikika for her opinion.

—Yes, I'd say it's little— she said— Perhaps the First realized Mother's crude technology and the difference in power between the two sides, and chose to make a show of force to use in their negotiations. That way the humans would be afraid of him and countless wars would be avoided. It is the most peaceful route.

—I see— commented Erica— Tur is kinder than I thought.

Arturo glanced at Liliana and immediately noticed that the curve of her smile flexed a little more at the edges, that her eyes closed a few millimeters, that her head tilted a few tenths of a degree. She was frustrated. She didn't want to be in a conversation that was about the kindness of those who had wrecked her home and abducted her family and friends. Arturo had his own opinion, but he didn't want Liliana to feel that way.

—I have to disagree— the mage interjected. He waited for everyone to turn to him before continuing, —The most peaceful route is not to kill some, but to let everyone live. A noni delegate could have appeared to show a bit of their culture to the united nations, to explain what a bridge is and what lay beyond. We could have forged trade relations and established ourselves as another of the many human-inhabited worlds in the network of worlds, but that would have been very unprofitable. The nonis had no intention of killing anyone, because they wanted to turn us into slaves. As...

He felt Liliana's hand on his knee. He had to stop. Arturo realized he had been about to declare himself an enemy of the First and the noni government in front of the crivia, a big mistake. Luckily he had Liliana. He looked at her again, she seemed a little more cheerful. She was grateful for his support. Arturo felt better.

Fir began to play with a lock of hair, worried.

—My father and my country have caused you many misfortunes— she remarked— I can't tell you how sorry I am.

—Nah, it's okay— Erica downplayed it.

It wasn't fine for Liliana, but she understood that Fir didn't like the idea of hurting anyone either. Her hatred for the young noni faded.

—I thought you would be in favor of the invasions— Erica wondered.

Fir smiled, then sighed.

—The empire has its priorities, there are many powerful people clamoring for territorial expansion and control of other worlds. The common noni has a great sense of nationalism. The First is chosen for being the strongest noni among individuals capable of leading, but even so, his strength is not matched by the influence of society at large.

—But if Tur knew when a bridge to Mother was going to open, he was the one who took the initiative to go and conquer it, wasn't he?— asked Arturo.

—What are you talking about?— Fir wondered— Father has no way of knowing...

But she stopped and put a hand to her mouth, meditating.

—To tell the truth, he started acting strange a couple of days before the invasion of Mother— she recalled— he cancelled several important events at the last minute and sent several troops to Vergerel.

Disgruntled, Fir looked at her bodyguard, but Sikika shrugged.

—Father knew that bridge was going to open— Fir agreed— But how? You can't control bridges, much less predict where one will appear. Who told you he predicted the appearance of that bridge, mage?

—On the day of the invasion, the news in my world said nothing about the bridge. We didn't know there was one until the nonis showed up. Tur came prepared with an army ready to set up a base. No matter who you are, you can't be that prepared for something like that unless you know about it beforehand. Besides, I could confirm it with what Erica told me.

—What? Me?— she jumped in surprise.

—You mentioned it yourself, that Tur and your dad are friends. We can confirm that he has a connection with the Chainer through at least one person.

—Oh, right.

Erica had decided to interrupt the parade based on speculation, Arturo's words reaffirmed her position. She began to understand why Liliana trusted him so much.

—That's right, that's why I wanted to talk to you!— Erica remembered— Fir, your dad is a friend of the Chainer's, right? I need you to...

But as she looked at her, she realized that Fir had no idea what she was talking about.

—The Chainer?— the crivia wondered— but that... is a myth. It's not real.

The humans looked at each other's faces, dismayed.

—No, the Chainer and his cult of fools were the first people I met when I arrived at Nudo. They almost killed me. It wasn't just any guy pretending to be the Chainer, he had real control over the chains; he could even generate bridges at will. My dad disappeared because he's running away from him, Tur and my dad are long time friends, that's what he told me. As Arturo said: if Tur can predict the place and time of opening new bridges, he must have a connection to the Chainer. Then maybe he also knows how to get to the Core, the heart of the great chains.

—You want to go to the Core?! — Fir jumped— Does that place really exist?

—It must exist— said Arturo.

—It exists— assured Erica— I need you to let me talk to Tur again... please.

Fir covered her cheek with her hand, not sure how to take all that.

—Yes, of course— she smiled— I never thought anyone would try to get to the Core in a physical way. I can't take you to father myself, but I can provide transportation to the capital and get you settled in the castle.

—Really?!— exclaimed Erica— That would be great, thank you so much!

—It's the least I can do— she played it down.

—And while we're at it, do you know where my friends' families might be?— she asked.

Liliana and Arturo turned to her. They had been thinking about how to bring up the subject, but had not found the opportunity. Fir looked at them both, a little tense.

—My father left on his own, but the two of them were separated from their families— Erica explained.

Liliana looked down at the coffee table.

—In my time as a thief, I searched the city's slave centers for my family or anyone I knew, but I found no one. They must have been sold or transported elsewhere, and I haven't the slightest idea where they might be.

—When I was sold, my master immediately took me on a journey with him— said Arthur— if my family was in Vergherel, I never knew.

—Yes, it would be great if you could give us some directions— added Erica.

—There must be a commanding officer who can ask for the records of all new slaves entering Nudo— said Arturo— if we can go with him, he should be able to use the chain of command to reach our families.

Liliana felt ashamed to think only of freeing her family and not everyone, but it's not like that goal was possible for someone like her.

Fir bit her thumb, still tense. She meditated a bit, then sighed.

—No, that won't be necessary. I owe you for the hard time I gave you— she said— How many members are there in your families besides you?

—Three and three— answered Arturo— six in total.

—Well, that makes things easier.

Fir took a phone out of her pocket to make a call.

—Hello, this is Fir'non. Sorry to call you so suddenly— she paused while the other person said hello— good, thank you. Look, I'm calling because I need a favor: I need you to find six slaves for me from among those who came from Mother, that new world full of humas... no, I don't want you to choose for me, I want you to find six specifically.

Then she brought the phone closer to the humans.

—Tell him the names— she asked them.

Liliana approached and named a man and two women. Then Arturo named two men and one woman. Erica tried to remember them all, but their names were immediately lost on her. Fir turned the phone to her ear.

—He got them. I'll get you a report with the details to help the search— she paused again and suddenly smiled sweetly— yes, thank you so much for the task... see you later.

She hung up, put the phone away and sighed again.

—Very well, this should be a good first step— she said.

The three humans looked at her in bewilderment. Fir was puzzled.

—What?— she pleaded.

—There are six people, I thought it would take us years to look for them— Liliana said— You have a much bigger influence than I thought.

—Maybe we were just lucky to survive the power of a crivia— said Arturo.

—It's no big deal, it's only six slaves out of... what, three million? And we've only been here a few months since the invasion began. Even if they had sold them all, they should not have been resold in such a brief period. But don't get your hopes up, the process is going to take a long time. The staff already has a lot of work to do... but they'll be fine— Fir put a hand to her chest— Lili, Arturo, I promise to find and take care of your families.

They both stood up, surprised.

—Really?!— exclaimed Liliana.

—If you can do it, we will owe you our lives— assured Arturo.

—No, no, I'm the one who owes you this— she said— I'm glad that's enough. Now, Erica, I'm sorry, but all I can offer you is to be let into the castle. I would like to help more with your father's circumstances, but it is beyond my power.

—It's okay, you don't need to apologize— she said— but thank you for helping my friends, it's much more than I could ask for.

The brika looked at Liliana and Arturo, both with slightly moist eyes. They sat down, calmer. Erica took them by the shoulders to comfort them, both passed their arms behind their backs to answer her gesture.

—Fir, if you don't mind me asking, why do you treat us so well?— asked Liliana— I mean, with the exception of Erica, Arturo and I don't have any physical strength, don't you despise us?

Fir gave a nervous smile.

—I don't know, I guess it was thanks to Sikika— she indicated.

—What?— said the humans.

They looked at the bodyguard, but she, immutable, only took a sip of her drink.

—She was the strongest warrior in her division for several years before she took her position as guardian. She also taught me that strength has many forms and that it changes over time. Erica is a brika, Arturo has his magic, and you have your munima, but you three are more than that. Together, you managed to oppose me and my guards. You have earned my respect and, if you please, my friendship.

—Of course!— accepted Erica.

—Anyone who feeds me I consider a friend— said Arturo.

—I'd love to— assured Liliana.

Fir smiled from ear to ear and turned to Sikika for a moment as if to say "See, I made new friends".