Season 4: Episode 7 – The List
© 2026 Heather L. McMillan / Anturia LLC. All rights reserved. This episode is provided for personal reading only. Reproduction, redistribution, republication, or commercial use without permission is prohibited.
This dark fantasy series contains mature themes that may be triggering and is intended for adult listeners.
Imprint of Bryn Tal
Myr, Dahlfia, and I sat in an office in Facility Two. The Immortaleum had been here for seven months. We had gotten to know them, and they had gotten to know us. They learned about Anturia, and we learned more about the different times on Earth they all came from.
We had prepared them in our way of life and our way of fighting, supplemented by what we knew of Dax’s methods and conditioning. We did everything we could to prepare them.
The night before, Kylah, Dahlfia, Myr, and I read over the thousands of documents, medic reports, trainer reports, and assessments. For this meeting, we had selected the ones we wanted to work with more closely.
Kylah was due back any minute with the first person. We would not trust something this important to a runner.
I took a sip of water as we waited, and then finally Kylah opened the door. A petite woman with auburn hair and olive-colored skin stepped inside.
I motioned to the chair across from us, but she remained standing. I let it pass without comment.
Kylah stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
“Good morning, Rhosvara,” I told her.
She merely inclined her head but said nothing. Her dark green eyes lingered on the three of us, one at a time.
“We have chosen you as a candidate to work with more closely in our attempt to remove Emperor Daxingovan’s influence from Landoris. You have already pledged your support, so I will not ask for your consent again. If you have changed your mind, however, you should speak now.”
I paused and stared at her. She was difficult for me to read, even with all the notes on her in front of me. She didn’t look surprised. Or anything at all, really. She did not react like someone hearing it for the first time. She did not even speak.
“In two months, you will be receiving your first assignment as we begin to move you all off the island to the mainland. Do you have any questions for us?”
“What part of this is mine?”
“What you need,” Dahlfia replied without hesitation. She looked back down at her notes on our next person and did not re-engage with Rhosvara.
“What you earn will expand,” Myr added right after.
This one already knew more than she should have. She hadn’t asked what we expected from her. She had asked what belonged to her.
She looked at us one last time and slipped out the door without saying a word.
I looked at Dahlfia and Myr. That was not the reaction I expected from her. No hesitation. No confusion.
“Well,” I let out a short laugh to release the tension.
Dahlfia smiled at me, and Myr chuckled.
“Who’s next on the list?” Myr asked, looking down at the papers.
“Kerrih,” Dahlfia said.
“It’s a shame her sister was not a contender. It would have been ideal to have two of them,” Myr noted.
I said nothing. The list contained only one hundred names. Thousands of others would have to be told they were not on the list.
“She may still serve in other ways,” Dahlfia replied.
Kylah came through the door again with Kerrih. As always, she was barefoot. She wore a vibrant yellow dress that drew the eye, setting off the red tones of her hair.
She stepped in front of us, standing tall with her shoulders back. Her footsteps were like those of a ballet dancer.
“Good morning, Kerrih,” I said.
“Good morning, Bryn Tal, Dahlfia Dewr, Myr Seren.” She used our Ffurfiol names, inclining her head slightly for each of us.
I appreciated her ability to shift from casual to formal environments—not to mention her memory. From the day she arrived in Anturia, she understood how to adapt to the people and circumstances around her, a crucial skill for a leader under pressure.
“We have chosen you to work more closely with us in our fight against Emperor Daxingovan. By acknowledging our choice, you understand that your consent to move forward is implied,” Dahlfia said evenly, perhaps a bit colder than I would have preferred.
“I acknowledge,” she answered without hesitation.
“Do you have any questions?” Dahlfia stared at her.
“How much autonomy will I have?” she asked.
“Very little. In the beginning,” Dahlfia cut off what I was about to say in response.
Myr said, “Agreed.” I closed my mouth.
Her face tightened, and I thought she would push back. But she quickly composed herself and smiled softly at us. “Thank you.”
She turned and left the room without saying another word.
Once the door was closed, I said, “Karrah has been watching her.”
“We will need to give the sister a function,” Dahlfia said.
I looked down at the list. Kylah would bring the Legate in next. “Myr, the next one is yours.”
Kylah returned once more and stepped aside as Caius ducked through the doorway.
He entered wearing full Legate military attire. His leather boots were oiled so they wouldn’t squeak when he walked. His cloak was a deep crimson and fastened at his right shoulder with a yellow brooch. The same brooch I had seen Kerrih give him at the beach a few days earlier.
They had been spending a great deal of time alone on the island. I had heard enough from Dahlfia, Myr, and Kylah and seen enough myself. I expected they understood they would not be assigned together in the future, but I chose not to interfere with their personal relationship.
Kylah closed the door with a smirk at us. I knew the kinds of conversations she’d had with each person as she brought them to us.
He stood at attention in front of us, his head held high. A gilded helmet covered his bald head, its tall plumes adding to his already formidable stature.
“Good morning, Legate,” I said.
“Good morning, Senators,” he returned stiffly. He called us “Senators” all the time instead of “councilors,” but we did not correct him. The man relied so heavily on structure that he coined the term Immortaleum to make sense of the two groups of humans we deliberately brought to this island. Now, everyone, including both batches, referred to themselves that way.
I sat back. We all watched him.
“Legate, your expertise in leadership and battle is well documented. Under duress, you have maintained order not only for yourself but for over five thousand men. It should not surprise you that we have chosen you to work with more closely in our efforts against Emperor Daxingovan. Your pledge for your legion stands. Do you understand the implications?”
Myr’s voice sliced through the air like that of the military general she was.
“I understand,” he replied.
“Do you have any questions for us, Legate?”
“Under whose command do I serve?” he asked.
“To me, for now,” Myr answered.
“Roma victrix. The orders are accepted. The Ninth Legion never falters.”
He inclined his head and then opened the door, ducking to step back out.
“What does Roma victrix mean?” I asked, not wanting a translation from my Porta Cor.
“Something like victory to Rome,” Myr said with a grin. “I should have liked to have seen Rome.”
“You would have made an excellent Legate,” I said to her.
“I’m not sure the chest armor would fit me, though.” She smirked.
“We’d need taller doorframes for the plumes,” Dahlfia said dryly.
Myr laughed. “Dahlfia, I didn’t realize you had a sense of humor.”
“Surprises lurk everywhere.”
Dahlfia finished saying that as the door opened again, and Kylah stood there with a hesitant Flandan Reynolds.
He was tall and lean, his dark skin almost reminiscent of a Croenddu, with dark hair and brown eyes. Muscular, but not in the same way as Caius and his men. He loved to run. I often saw him and Kerrih circling the island at first light—the only two awake that early, aside from the legion.
He was easygoing. People sought him out, and he built trust effortlessly. In what we were preparing to do, that ability could be as valuable as strength. He glanced nervously at Kylah as she shoved him inside and closed the door behind him.
He turned to face us, fidgeting a little. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Flandan,” I said, offering him a reassuring smile.
“Good morning, ma’am.” He smiled nervously at all of us and stood a little rigidly.
“There is no need to be nervous. We have brought you here today to let you know that we have chosen you to work more closely with us in our efforts against Emperor Daxingovan. You have pledged your support to us, so we will not request further consent. If you do not wish to proceed, you should let us know now.”
I kept my voice softer to ease his tension.
He paused, looking at each of us, nodding his head in thought.
“I will proceed,” he said finally.
“Good. Do you have any questions for us?” I asked.
“What happens if I’m not what you expect? Or if I let you down?”
My heart. I inhaled slowly before speaking. “Then we will find where you are most effective.”
“Okay.”
He turned and left the room, but his question remained with me.
We continued meetings like this all day until all one hundred had been told. He was not the only one who asked about letting us down. Dro ar ôl tro. It was a terribly long day.
As we left late that night, Dahlfia and I walked from Facility Two to our temporary housing unit. I saw Kerrih and Karrah together talking near the base of the Porta Segreta.
Kerrih’s back was turned to us, and I could not see her face. Tears flooded Karrah’s face. Kerrih was attempting to put her arms around Karrah, and Karrah slapped her hands away. I could hear Karrah say, “What about me? Where will I go? You are all leaving me. You should refuse and stay with me!”
I couldn’t hear Kerrih’s reply, but afterward Karrah buried her face in her hands and ran off down the path we had just come from. I saw Flandan come from the garden path and run after her.
I turned to look at Dahlfia, and the hard expression on her face told me she read everything in that exchange that I had. I sighed.
I took off my shoes as soon as we got inside, and this time I brought drinks for both Dahlfia and me. I carried them over to the couch and sat next to her, handing one over and sipping mine.
She put her free arm around my shoulders.
“We need to head back to Teithia to let the council decide where we will first assign all these newly chosen people. And we will need to find purpose for those not chosen.”
Dahlfia paused as she sipped her drink and then said, “With Karrah, I’m not convinced this will solve the problem.”
“That’s what worries me.”
We had spent seven months deciding whom we would choose. I wondered too late whether we had given enough thought to what being left off the list would do to others.
>End Porta Cor imprint.<
