Quills: the Rise of the Northern Matriarch-Chapter 106: Downfall (4)

"Ugh, I think I am going to be sick." Solina said, she wretched as she read through the report. She looked for something desperately to vomit into. Luckily it was dry for now.

The office environment usually warm, tranquil and her sudden reaction interrupted the quiet atmosphere that was filled with banter into that of concern. Solina looked around and found a waste basket and let loose away from the physical interface device that she was working on. The Terminal was more ergonomic than waving one's hands around. You could tilt your head to look at someone without your work screen partially blocking your field of vision.

"Soli, let's wash your mouth out." Anh said as he walked up with a beverage platter. A pot of tea sat on top of it. An alluring scent wafted from it. There was a bowl of Sugar and a pitcher of sanitized Bo cream. Anh set the tray carefully down on the table. This pot and set was precious. It was made by Nora herself and decorated by Kai. He did have quite the talent. Anh poured a cup of tea and added cream and sugar to his cup. He sat back and brought the cup to his lips. He heard a gasp and almost spilled the cup.

"Oh my, it has been a while since I heard you make a sound like that. What is going on?" Anh asked and took a slurp from the cup. The hot bittersweet and creamy drink flooded his mouth. He swallowed it quickly.

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"Lara Huldai is dead, she was murdered by one of her spouses." Solina said aloud. Solina looked up from her work station; surprised by the information that she had just received from the Peacekeeper team that was sorting out the mess at Hudai Technologies.

"Was it our people that went in?" Jun asked.

"Yes, Griot had to leave, he is still in counseling, it was very bad." Solina said. The squalor and the reports from the counselors were bone chilling. She was reminded of her experiences as a child and surprised that Talan came out of the environment. She would try her best not to change the way she looked at him. But it was going to be hard. Solina disliked the pitiable looks she received during the first few cycles of her recovery. This could open up the wound the poor boy had been desperately trying to heal. Anh gasped.

"It must have been quite awful," Kehye remarked. At least these children would have more of a future and Solina was prepared to step in and help any children that did not have a home to go, or their paternal families were reluctant to take them in. She could empathize with them.

"I did not think that there could be anybody worse than Hera." Solina said as she stood and shuddered. "These poor children, Erel, three are from your family, do you want to give them a home with us? Our boys are all grown." Solina asked one of her spouses. Erel nodded and notified his own maternal family by communication that they would be taking in the children. They were the Setton, Erel's family could be only notified that it was happening. They could not, however, take children that they had no ties to.

"How many more are there?" Kehye asked.

"Just one more, he is just seven years old. Poor thing," Solina said as she read off the information. The peacekeeping group had a hard time convincing him to come out of a small storage space. The boy was already malnourished and was found with a litany of wounds all over the visible portions of his body.

"If no one claims him, let us take him in." Kehye said sadly, looking at Solina. They exchanged a sad and knowing look.

"The rest of them are adults now, and have already gone home in advance of their fathers to their paternal homes, while the remaining spouses are being prosecuted for their crimes. You would be shocked. Especially on sorting out their true Paternal homes." Solina said as she sighed, her face went downcast. It was disturbing, but a relief they were safe now. She had experience on going down the wrong path after abuse. She was confident that she could give the children an environment in which they could overcome what had happened to them.

'How many Matriarchs like this were there out in the world? There were probably not many worse cases out in the world than the Hudai.' Solina thought. Solina ironed her palms down her face as she stopped reading briefly. She felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that she was part of taking the Hudai down, but miserable that they had been living like that. She also had a sense of responsibility and had missed her chance to really mother children. She felt grief for them. The younger children were developmentally delayed from the assessment they received so far.

"Solina, you are crying. Is it that bad?" Kehye asked. Solina nodded. She started to weep. All of those children most likely had attachment disorders and mental health illnesses from the trauma. Some were so damaged that they urinated out of fear when the doctors examined them. Many of them were in hospitals receiving care. They would have to work with the children that they were going to be caring for and set up arrangements for them for the rest of their lives. She knew that her brothers and her own biological children could be counted on to provide for the children in their stead. Still, she worried in advance for them anxiously. She had hope for them. Talan had come out of this. He had changed so much in the years that she had known him. He used to be quiet and reclusive. His glances turned from fearful to empowered and strong.

'Talan has an upbeat demeanor now, he has changed in the time we have known him, and I am proud of him for that. During his bonding ceremony with Nora, he reminded me of my brothers. Most men went into Binding nervous. Talan seemed to be happy to be leaving his maternal home. I now know why.' Solina thought. She felt deeply sad for him, now that she knew more of the story.

'It makes so much sense to her why they were ready so quickly with a viable operating system and software. He must have been working on a version of this for years as a young boy. How much had he endured to drive him to work so hard? He must have a deep amount of hatred and pain for his parents and home to want to destroy them. I am so glad I was able to sort things out with my own son. I would never do all that to him though.' Solina thought.

"What if we expand our mental health program outwards to other Clans. We could train our Peacekeepers to use the skills when encountering victims and with those they apprehend. We could even create a shelter, so spouses or children can safely leave abusive situations," Solina said. She would contact Allurai Allari about adopting the mental health program first. She would be the next best person to implement it into her Clan's organization structure, next to Nora Quill. She hoped that she would partner with her in implementing it. There would probably be a lot of children who would need help outside of military and peacekeeping training. It looked like something that would have to begin in early education now. Solina sighed thinking about the children as she worked on a message to Allurai Allari to propose they work together before her office hours were done.

"Imagine if I could have found help earlier on and Hera was forcefully retired. What would life be like for us?" Solina said.

"It would be a completely different world," Jun said.

"Do not feel regret, feel proud. It took many people to stop the cycle. It was well worth it for Kelly," Erel said.

"It was well worth it for all of you. It was her support for my son that made me realize I had a problem. It was Kai who, like his father, started this change in me. I still have a long way to go to become a person like her. I will spend my days making up for what we went through and missed in our youths." Solina said, she sipped the hot cup of tea again. She looked up and cast an appreciative glance at her spouses.

"I can contact her in your name, I know she can be excitable in talking to the others." Jun said. That way the Provincial Matriarch Prime would not wag her mouth about their partnership to allies.

"No need. I know how to handle her." Solina said, thoughtfully. Allurai Allari needed to remember who she was dealing with. Halid was far too kind to her already, consider the memorable gossip that had gone out about her heir a decade ago. There was a reason why the woman stopped having children after she had Lena years ago. She finally had another candidate. The problem was not with her children but the way she chose to teach them. Had this spread to her sons?