《Feystorm》


 Prologue: A Thread Spun In Trine

    "Lucas!" Her voice yelled amidst the sounds of screeching metal on metal and gunfire. "Lucas, help me!"


    Lucas tried to stand, but his legs refused to work. His heart raced in his chest, and he watched as the train car began to tear itself apart. He felt helpless, shell-shocked.


    "Please! Lucas!"


    "Lethe!" Lucas screamed back. The smoke in his throat tore and scratched and the sound of his voice was shredded by the sounds of the wind and the train itself as it hurtled down the tracks. He bled from wounds all over his body, and with each passing moment the world seemed to get hazier and hazier. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he watched Lethe struggle against shadowy men whose arms held hers back. She thrashed violently against them to no avail.


    "Let me go!" Lethe yelled - her voice rose above everything else. Lucas tasted blood in his mouth as he tried to force himself to stand again but felt the flat of a boot press against his spine. He tried to pull away from the phantom hands, but they tore at his clothes and his skin like the wind ripping through the shattered compartment.


    The train car split in two with a shuddering screech. Pulled to his feet, he screamed, but no sounds came. The half of the train with Lethe and her captors moved ever faster away, and a ring of terrible daylight began to separate her from Lucas.


    Forever.


    <hr>


    Spring 644


    "Hey, boy, you asleep again?" The gruff man''s voice roused Lucas from his dream. "Just like you Riamal Haven kids to be lazy as all blazes. Didn''t sleep enough last night?"


    "Not really," Lucas sat up slowly, shaking his head. He slumped miserably against the passenger door of the truck. The bed of the truck had been cold - the man had slept in the cab, leaving Lucas alone with nothing but the night sky to keep him warm. After being shaken awake before the sun had even come up, they''d left Teliander with at least a thousand miles left to drive. The midday sun shone high over the grasslands along the freeway.


    "Y''know," he continued, coughing as he took a drag on a cigarette, "in my day, we didn''t have the luxury of being able to just go an'' do whatever the blazes we wanted to go an'' do, you hear me, boy? Cybele only knows where that dumbass got the cash to pay me for this. And what''s with the noises, huh? Y''gettin'' attacked by beasties or somethin''?"


    Still groggy, Lucas looked around quietly. A deer ran alongside the road. The man blew another thick cloud of smoke into the cab with a cough. "Whatever, kid. That guy didn''t pay me to talk to ya, anyway," the man said with a curt shake of his head.


    The dream Lucas woke from had been a recurring nightmare. It''d been a terrible memory; one he''d been actively trying to repress for months now - since Lethe was captured. He felt a flicker of pain from where his broken ribs had only freshly healed. He was so powerless then. So weak. And begrudgingly, he knew he was still weak. But this journey would be a chance to change that.


    Lucas continued to stare off into the nothingness alongside the highway as the gruff man smoked and coughed. It was a long way to Burns'' Mill, a tiny farm community in the western part of Velus, in the rainshadow of the high peaks of the Alaerian range. It was a dream offer for Lucas - Jeremy, the truck''s driver, had dangled a golden offer of work at a ranch his friend owned out there. It wasn''t going to be easy work by any means, but it would offer Lucas a chance at a life outside of the slums of Riamal Haven. It would be food, shelter, money - a chance at living.


    Jeremy had arrived at the communal home in which Lucas lived with Lethe, other runaways, and orphans two weeks prior, selling vegetables and fruit out of the back of his truck. Lucas had overheard him speaking with Rocky, the owner of the communal home, about needing farmhands for the planting season. Lucas'' name had come up, and after some negotiation on price, Lucas packed his meager duffel bag of belongings and waited for the day of departure.


    Rocky had told Lucas how it broke his heart to see him go, but he knew that deep down it was the right thing to do. Rocky had saved his life years prior, and now, he was saving it again. Lucas sighed as he looked at the rearview mirror. Riamal Haven was long and away now.


    Jeremy had dropped the kindly facade once the truck left town. Lucas felt uncomfortable around the man, who reeked of booze and cigarettes. His yellowed fingers clutched the steering wheel as he flicked ash off the cigarette out the window of the truck.


    "Good goddess, I need a vacation. You ever been on a vacation before?" Jeremy said, stubbing out his cigarette into a too-full ashtray. "Those mountains over there. The Aquilas, or whatever-have-you. That big one right there, Mt. Sylva. My ex-wife''s got a house up on the other side of there."


    Lucas nodded quietly.


    "Figures a kid from the slums ain''t never been on a vacation before. Probably never been anywhere other than the streets," he said with a harsh guffaw. Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. "Gonna have to scrub down the bed of the truck when you''re gone. Ain''t wantin'' no bedbugs or whatever. That guy''s a moron keepin'' you kids in a place like that."


    "He''s not a moron," Lucas blurted, and the man turned slowly towards him, taking his eyes off the road.


    "Did I ask your opinion? The only reason I''m doin'' any of this is because he paid me good. He''s a moron, but he''s got money. So shut it."


    An oncoming vehicle honked, and Jeremy jerked the vehicle back into the lane, cursing up a storm as Lucas shrank back against the door of the truck.


    "Talk to me like that again, boy, and you''ll ride in the bed for the rest of the trip. Hear me?"


    "Yes sir," Lucas sighed as Jeremy honked at someone in front him. Life in the slums of Riamal Haven had taught him to quickly defer to authority to avoid trouble - the police had let him slide more than once. No matter how many times he bowed his head and let something happen, though, he hated every minute of doing so.


    That''s why Lethe''s gone.


    "Goddamn kids," Jeremy scowled. "I got one somewhere out there. Don''t care about ''er. Never met ''er. Mother was some whore, up somewhere in the north. Best pussy in the North, they called her. I didn''t care. She was a liar though. Got knocked up, said it was mine. You believe that?" He shook his head with disdain. "Your mother a whore, boy? That why you were livin'' like that?" He laughed at his own joke. "Don''t answer me. I don''t care and I don''t wanna know."


    Lucas hadn''t always lived in the slums, or in a four by six foot plywood-walled bunk bed room in a converted warehouse. And one thing was for certain - his mother was very much not a whore.


    The last half-decade had been a whirlwind of misery and survival for Lucas. His parents had been slaughtered in a hail of gunfire at his family home in Mormont. It''d been green and beautiful in the springs there, and the winters were always full of snow and hot chocolate by the hearth with his parents. Lucas felt wistful as he remembered the rushing brooks and gently rolling hills. The tall pines towered along the family''s property line had sheltered him the night of the murders. He could hear disembodied voices calling his name from the house - voices he did not know, would never know - calling him like hyenas hungry for another kill.


    Days passed and he''d found himself aboard a train to Valdena, the capital of Noctavia. He''d been scrounging food from a trash can at the station in Mormont when a stranger gave him money for a train ticket and a hot meal. The man was tall and kind, but his face had faded from Lucas'' memory. When the man offered to provide Lucas a place to stay, Lucas had run away - he was terrified of everyone.


    He was nine years old then. His first night in Valdena, a police officer whisked him off to Riamal Haven, a part of the city known for being home to "undesirables" as the rich folks of Valdena called them. Lucas spent weeks diving into the dumpsters of restaurants and shoplifting clothing and other supplies to survive before Rocky chanced upon him one fateful evening.


    He''d come to the communal home frail and terrified. That''s when he met Lethe, two years his senior. She was tall for her age, lanky. She had eyes that feared nothing.


    She was so afraid then.


    "Got another crossing comin'' up here, kid," Jeremy said, lighting another cigarette. "I fuckin'' hate goin'' into Velus, all red tape and no brains. Don''t say nothin'' to them, y''hear me?"


    Borders on the continent of Terrah were lightly guarded by each country''s military, with the exception of the Noctavian Empire, where a near-constant war with Elegir to the east had kept tensions high for anyone trying to leave. At the border crossing with Alaeris the previous day, Lucas had posed as Jeremy''s son to be let across. He barely knew the man, and it gave him a sick feeling in his gut to think of having to pretend that way once more.


    Alaeris, a mountainous region to the south, had proclaimed neutrality and was, like Beldara to its west and Velus to its east, by and large peaceful. Irusis, the island chain where Lucas supposed the "best pussy in the North" lived, was predominantly concerned with its own affairs and stayed out of the continent''s strife.


    Lucas hadn''t been many places, but he''d seen them in pictures. One of his few joys living in Rocky''s care were the books he''d been able to read. The one that''d stood out most was Terracius Cartographia, a Noctavian Empire-sanctioned series of atlases that covered the entirety of the globe. He''d learned so much from those books, and getting to see even this desolate stretch of highway was new and exciting to him.


    If only it weren''t in these circumstances, Lucas grimaced, turning back towards the window. He heard Jeremy grunt again.


    "Shoulda charged that fat piece of shit some extra money for your bullshit attitude, kid. I got enough stress in my life, and the pay''s barely worth it to be dealin'' with some slum brat." Jeremy breathed a cloud of smoke into the car and Lucas tried not to cough.


    It was late in the month of Conia now, just weeks from the summer solstice. The trees on the roadside were blooming with fresh leaves, and Lucas listened to the calls of chickadees and whippoorwills in the distance. Such sounds reminded him of home. It all seemed too far away these days.


    "Look alive, slum boy," Jeremy said as the truck pulled into the line for the border crossing. "An'' remember, you don''t say shit. You''re my son and you''re mute, y''hear me?"


    Lucas grunted and nodded. Jeremy flashed a yellowed smile as he took another drag on the cigarette. "Good. Cooperative."


    At the gate, the border guard looked over the truck and Jeremy with scrutiny. Her eyes pierced Lucas as if they knew too much.


    "Name and destination," the woman said robotically, her voice crackling over the loudspeaker. Jeremy pulled some papers out of the center console and placed them into the box at the window, and the woman reviewed them.


    "Jeremy Willis. I sell vegetables. This kid''s my son. We''re goin'' to Burns'' Mill."


    The woman looked to him and to Lucas, then back to him again.


    "Are you sure about that, sir? Burns'' Mill is..."


    Jeremy grunted. "Look, I ain''t questionin'' you about what yer kids look like. His mother was from the Minervas, alright? Pale as a Cybele-damned ghost."


    The woman sighed as she typed something into the keyboard. Jeremy shot Lucas a look that rattled his bones.


    "Mmhm. Alright. Go on through," she said, clearly unenthused by the encounter. Jeremy nodded at the woman, but she ignored him. Lucas wondered what she could''ve meant about Burns'' Mill, but he felt too anxious to ask.


    "Welcome to Velus, kid," Jeremy laughed as they drove away from the gate. "Goddess, I hate it here."


    <hr>


    Hours passed in silence as the mountains of Alaeris faded into the distance, replaced by the treetops lining the highways of northern Velus. Since the crossing, Lucas had been in and out of sleep. This time, however, Jeremy had largely left him alone, preferring the company of whatever awful radio program he''d been listening to. The spells of sleep were dreamless, mercifully. No more images of Lethe being held and yanked and punched at. No more thoughts of screaming and rings of burning light.


    Lucas sat up and stretched. From the signs on the roadside and what Lucas knew about the area, Burns'' Mill would be coming up soon. The sun was slowly beginning to dip below the horizon and the peach-orange moon Deneb had already started to make its presence known, casting a warm glow over the Velusian countryside. Jeremy hacked loudly, breaking the peace.


    "So when we get there," he coughed, "I ain''t stickin'' around, alright? We''re gonna get you to where you''re goin'' and I''m outta here. Thinkin'' about a cold beer right now and gettin'' the crick outta my back."


    Lucas nodded, but Jeremy ignored him.


    "Kids are bad fuckin'' luck," he continued as the truck jolted hard and swayed as it hit a pothole, rupturing one of the front tires.


    "Goddess damnit, kid, distractin'' me, look what ya made me do! This shit''s on you! You''re bad luck, y''know that?"


    Lucas flinched as Jeremy slammed his hands on the steering wheel before maneuvering the truck onto the shoulder.


    "Hurry up! Get outta the truck, idiot! We''re losin'' light and you''re sittin'' there like you''re high on drugs or something? Move!" Jeremy growled as he threw the truck door open and trudged towards the trailer. The sun was almost gone now, and the quarter of Deneb showing made everything feel eerie. Lucas could hear Jeremy cursing and felt his stomach clench.


    "Ugh, you ain''t gonna be able to help with this one. Completely useless, kid. I gotta call for help on this, the fuckin'' axle''s toast," Jeremy said, spitting on the ground as Lucas walked around the front of the truck. "Well! You fucked up coming with me, kid! Looks like you ain''t gettin'' where you''re goin'' after all."


    Jeremy pulled a SGNL device from his pocket and dialed a number as he walked down towards the back of the trailer. Lucas felt the chill of the breeze on his exposed arms and all of the hair stood on end. Alone? Stuck here? What does he mean? Lucas thought, feeling sick indeed. He followed Jeremy around the back of the truck, where the shadows cast his face in a terrifying light.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What the fuck? Hold on, man, I gotta take care of somethin''," Jeremy said, closing the SGNL, and Lucas took a step back.


    "I''m sorry," Lucas said, continuing to back away. He could see the hatred in Jeremy''s eyes and he felt like he was going to throw up.


    "You keep fuckin'' up, kid," Jeremy said, advancing. "You go sit in front of this truck right now and you wait there, do you hear me?"


    Lucas nodded, feeling the hair on his neck stand on end. He did as he was told - as he was used to doing - in Riamal Haven, if you didn''t listen to what someone told you to do, you were wont to get stabbed or shot, so compliance was necessary. But here? Lucas thought, his eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the headlights.


    I could run but I''d die alone out here. We''re miles from anything.


    Lucas shivered as Deneb rose higher in the night sky. All around were a panoply of stars, the vastness of space around Terracius so beautiful it was almost overwhelming. He wasn''t used to this kind of darkness, but it reminded him of his childhood as so many joyful things tended to do. While Jeremy worked, cursing all the while, Lucas traced constellations as he remembered his mother''s voice telling him which one was which. He''d almost lost himself in the memory when a loud clang interrupted the quiet.


    "Boy! Get back here! Now!"


    Lucas gulped as the wind continued to kick up. The jacket he''d brought wasn''t quite enough to contend with the wind on the plains, and the wind had a cutting edge to it this evening. He took slow footsteps as the clenching in his stomach turned into a full-on wringing, and he could hear Jeremy cursing even more angrily now.


    "Well, kid, looks like you''re gonna pay for this," Jeremy said, sitting on the tailgate of the trailer as Lucas emerged into the low light. He stood up and loomed towards Lucas, face in shadow again. "Give me the rest of your cash. I know you''ve got some in that bag of yours."


    "What?" Lucas said, stepping back. The bag. Lucas'' bag was stashed under the glove compartment in the cab, and Lucas went wide-eyed as he bolted towards the cab of the truck. Jeremy followed in swift pursuit, his speed surprising for what Lucas had previously assumed was someone that could have been his grandfather. Lucas'' hand found the handle of the cab door and pulled it but could not get in before Jeremy caught up. Jeremy grabbed Lucas under the arm and wrenched him to the ground, throwing him with force. Lucas sputtered as he hit the pavement.


    "Don''t you even fucking think about it," Jeremy said, turning over his shoulder as he rifled through Lucas'' bag. He pulled out the pouch with Lucas'' cash in it, and Lucas felt his heart race. He had to do something, even if it was stupid.


    He picked up a rock from the pavement and threw it towards Jeremy, but it missed and ricocheted off the cab frame. At once, Jeremy dropped the bag and rounded quickly towards Lucas, who scooted backwards towards the guardrail. Then, Lucas saw it. He saw the gleam of silver in Jeremy''s hand, and he scrambled backwards until he couldn''t move - his mouth was dry, his heart raced. He felt totally, utterly frozen with fear.


    Just like the day on the train. Just like when you failed Lethe. This is where you die, isn''t it?


    "I''m sorry, I just wanted to..." Lucas started, but Jeremy simply stood there. He took a step forward. Lucas looked towards Jeremy''s eyes but no longer saw light.


    "You think you can throw a fucking rock at me, kid? You think I tolerate that kinda bullshit? Huh?"


    Before Lucas could react, Jeremy kicked him in the side. Lucas could hear his ribs crack as he crumpled into the fetal position, trying to protect his head.


    "You think I haven''t killed someone before, boy? Hm? You think I''m scared to kill you!?" Jeremy shouted as Lucas wept. The shout echoed out into the cruel emptiness of the night. The weeping was about all Lucas could do; he had to just accept that it was his time now. How long he''d survived just for all of it to end in the cold dark on the side of the highway.


    Another kick and Lucas felt the world begin to slip around him. The pavement was cold. The world was bitter and brutal, and he felt any hope he''d had of making a new life out of this opportunity growing dimmer.


    What would Rocky think? Lucas thought as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, two lights were coming towards them from the south.


    Jeremy spat on Lucas as he stomped back towards the trailer.


    "Looks like my help''s here. You better find somewhere to hide."


    Lucas couldn''t move as pain wracked his body. He knew at least one of his ribs was broken by how much drawing in breath hurt, and the shock of the attack had left him virtually paralyzed.


    "I said move," Jeremy said, the light from the truck gleaming off his knife. Lucas gathered everything he had left to pull himself further off the shoulder into the blackness of the brush. He laid there, staring up at those too-beautiful stars. Every single breath hurt.


    In the near distance he heard Jeremy laughing with the man who had come to help him replace the axle. There were sounds of drills and tools and more laughter as all of the sound seemed to be blanketed in the gauzy sounds of gusting winds. Lucas felt cold. Miserably, terribly cold.


    Clouds covered Deneb and slowly swelled across the sky. Lucas struggled to breathe, exhausted and hungry. He could hear the faintest wisps of Jeremy''s wicked laughter as both vehicles disappeared into the night in seemingly fast motion - everything felt out of sync, a horrifying disconnected feeling. Lucas knew he was running out of time. He looked back towards the moon and saw no light.


    <hr>


    Joel Leonart had the window of his truck down as the cool night air filtered on through. A favorite song played on the stereo, its lulling beat almost hypnotic as bass resonated through the night. Joel knew he had to stay awake. It had been a long drive from Teliander, where he''d spent the night at a friend''s while traveling home from work. He hadn''t lived in Cygnus very long, and he lamented at just how miserable the commute was from the small farming town.


    Damnable Empire, he thought, drumming his fingers in time on the wheel. An associate of his had requested his presence in the coastal town of Teliander, a small but beautiful place that served as the only divider between the Noctavian Empire and Elegir, the sprawling country on Terrah''s east coast.


    He had been driving since the morning but knew there was no way to get back to Cygnus before he passed out from exhaustion. There were a few small highway-side town along the way, and the SGNL device mounted on his dashboard displayed a barebones map. It was so desolate out here - most of Velus centered around its capital, Cape Hale, and its surrounding port towns, but the Empire had sent him to Cygnus.


    Cygnus! Joel thought, irritated. Nothing there but farmers and wide open spaces where nothing''ll grow.


    He didn''t hate it, but it was nothing like his old home in Stormhill Ridge. However, his wife, Espee, did hate the move. She had been struggling to adjust for the three months that they''d lived there. There were too many creature comforts and conveniences in the mountain suburb and adjusting to the slow pace of life in the country had been maddening for her. She missed her friends, she missed her book club, she missed her job at the bookstore.


    Joel''s daughter Ceres also hated the move, perhaps even moreso than Espee. He''d had no idea how viscerally twelve year old Ceres would''ve reacted to the news until she burst into tears upon receiving it. She''d locked herself in her room for three days when he''d told her the house she grew up in was being sold and refused to come out even for meals - which Espee ended up having to crack open the door and wedge in carefully.


    They were probably still stewing about being trapped in the podunk nowhere that was Cygnus. They''d made few acquaintances, let alone friends. At least the schools were reasonable, Joel thought. Cygnus was a town of 500 people situated in central Velus, once known for its mining exports. But that - all of that was centuries ago. The land had been stripped of its mineral goods as the decades passed and the ground was barely arable for farming.


    So why the blazes did they send me there?


    The song changed and Joel hummed along as a woman''s voice sailed over cascading strings and guitars. The call of sleep continued its alluring song though, and no matter what Joel did, he knew he''d have to get off the road soon, even if it meant falling asleep in his truck. There was a blanket in the bed of the truck, but he knew he needed to wash it before he could use it again.


    He still smelled her on his shirt, which was a problem. He''d asked her not to wear her perfume, but she did all the same - the same intoxicating smell that had driven him, blackout drunk, into kissing her for the first time. How it had escalated from there.


    Out of sight, out of mind, Joel thought somberly, the memory of her warmth distracting him from the road. He knew he wouldn''t need to go to Teliander any time soon, but part of him carried the faintest wish of wanting to make that interminable drive again.


    Joel''s thoughts detached themselves from that warmth and returned to the crispness of the breeze - the road down past the remains of where Burns'' Mill had been before it ironically burned to the ground in a wildfire the previous month was a long stretch with no stops. He''d need to stop in Shera to find a room for the night, but the chances of any motel still having vacancy this late in the night were slim to nil. Joel sighed. The clock clicked over to 0100, and his eyes began to droop as the mile marker signs passed.


    A blue flash shocked him from the clutches of sleep.


    "What in blazes was that?" Joel said to himself out loud, looking around for the source of the flash. He felt an overwhelming need to stop the truck and did so, pulling off onto the shoulder. He grabbed a flashlight from the glovebox and turned it on as he slipped on a jacket before stepping out onto the road. There were no other cars around for miles, and he felt stupid standing there as the wind beat against him.


    He turned back towards the west where he thought he saw the light but saw nothing. He shone his beam into the darkness.


    "Hello? Is someone there?" Joel yelled, eyes scanning in all directions. "If there''s someone out here, say something!"


    He turned around again, stepping away from the truck. He''d just replaced the batteries in the flashlight, so there were no concerns about running out of power. The only thing out here that could cause trouble were the coyotes, but they usually stayed away from the highway.


    Where did that come from? Joel thought as the moments passed. He stepped out towards the guardrail on the opposite side of the road and shone the beam down the gentle embankment.


    Nothing there.


    I can''t have imagined that, Joel frowned, walking back towards his truck. There''s just no way. I''m not that tired that I''m hallucinating light, am I?


    The beam caught something reflective in the distance. It wasn''t moving - Joel approached slowly, quietly. If it was something that could hurt him, he wouldn''t want to scare it. He approached the guardrail and shone the flashlight into the brush - where it caught light on... fabric?


    "Cybele help me," Joel said, noticing the boy''s body in the brush. "Oh no, oh no," he said, climbing over the rail and approaching. He watched silently for a moment, mind racing with the horror of the moment. He couldn''t be older than Ceres. What was he doing out here? Who killed this boy? Who left him here like this?


    Joel knelt down and put the light towards the boy. He reached for his wrist to check for a pulse and the boy - the dead boy - was alive. The heartbeats were slow, but he was alive.


    Joel shook the boy''s shoulders, hoping to rouse him. He noticed the blood trickle that ran down the side of the boy''s cheek and prayed to the Goddess that he wasn''t too late to help him.


    The boy opened his blue eyes. He coughed, crunching upon himself in obvious pain.


    "Stay there," Joel said, taking off his jacket and covering the boy. "I''m going to get us help, okay? Just stay there. You''re going to be alright. I promise you."


    <hr>


    Another scary dream, Caroline Fontaine thought as she sat on the window ledge of her apartment''s living room, looking out at the long grass blowing in the ocean breeze. It was the third night in a row that she''d woken up abruptly from what she thought was a deep sleep, but she didn''t know what to make of it. In the dreams, she''d seen terrible, faceless things - everything cast in a ghastly cerulean hue. She''d grown to hate the color over the last few months.


    It was the same color as her sister''s room - the sister who died when Caroline was 9 - the terror of that day remained too prevalent, apparently. Caroline sipped her cup of chamomile tea as the wind changed direction and blew the smell of the sea into her room. That, too, reminded her of home, but in much happier ways.


    She had been at Freyja Chapel in western Elegir for more than twelve years now. Her official ceremony to become the Vestal of the Chapel had been earlier that afternoon, and it was something she had been dreaming of since the first day she came to the beautiful stone halls all those years ago.


    The High Vestal looked so proud, she thought, trying to cast out the bad dream and replace it with thoughts of High Vestal Vivienne''s smile or Turonn''s laughter. They were the closest thing she had to family over a thousand miles from home like this, and while Larnell on Alaeris''s western shore was truly home, the two of them had done wonders to make this place home, too.


    Serving the Church had been a calling for her since the day Phoebe died. She had wanted to be a doctor back then, she remembered. She''d had a lab coat and a stethoscope and fake tools and ran tests on her parents. Not on Phoebe though. She was always too frail, too small. Born "wrong", her Aunt Tina had lamented, but Caroline knew now that was never the truth. There was nothing wrong with Phoebe, Caroline thought, her mind returning to that dark space again. Nothing at all.


    Clouds covered Deneb as she drank the last of the tea, closing the window and shutting out the breeze that had been cutting through her nightclothes. The living room was spartan - a couch, a plant, a Technivision mounted on the wall when she had any sort of leisure time. She was not much for wanting to entertain guests, and the room made that apparent. From time to time, the High Vestal would come over and they would talk about any matter of things. Turonn as a man however was not allowed in her chambers - only women could enter a Vestal''s chambers.


    Caroline took solace in the comfort of her bedroom - while most expensive pleasures were frowned upon by the Cybelian Church, the High Vestal had turned a kind, blind eye towards Caroline''s accumulation of pillows and blankets. A bookshelf stuffed to the gills stood proud against the side wall of the room, and a large bay window made up most of the back of it. The bed, comfortable and plush, was her favorite place. When she did not have to teach the Attendants, her wards, she was free to study and relax at her own pace.


    But becoming a full Vestal came with its own set of new responsibilities, the High Vestal had cautioned her. Eventually, she would need to make the pilgrimage to Sha''ul in the south to the Cybelian Conclave - a journey spanning nearly five thousand miles over land. She was not permitted to board an airship, as stated in the holy scriptures - such usage of Technica was gravely frowned upon by the Grand Luminatrix.


    A bloody backwards woman, Caroline thought, daring not to speak the words aloud. Caroline had grown up around Technica - she didn''t mind using it but didn''t keep up with the seemingly constant strides forward made with it. She''d barely worked out how to use the remote of her Technivision when a new model came out - and using a computer station was well out of her ''need to know''.


    Her SGNL device sat on the nightstand next to the bed - she didn''t like using it much either, mostly for anxiety of having to speak to people she couldn''t see. It felt weird. Her mother and father would call from time to time. Uncle Gavin had died in the last year, and it seemed like her mother was making more of an effort to reach out to her in the wake of the death.


    Caroline flopped back onto the bed, her strawberry-blonde hair flowing out every which way in a corona around her head. She had trimmed it recently but would be letting it grow out as per her new directives - she wondered what it would feel like once it grew past her buttocks. Her mother had joked that while she was a relatively slender woman that she''d inherited the "curse of curves" - and the leering eyes of people in town had caused her much consternation.


    Turonn, however, saw to it that there was no further action than that. He stood a full foot taller than Caroline, and she considered him to be her shield, as did the rest of the Chapel. He''d come to the Church before she had, seeking salvation much in the same way. His dark skin revealed him as a man of the Irusis Isles, the frigid lands of the northern sea. He was probably Caroline''s father''s age, his hair flecked with only spots of grey. However, Caroline knew that she was safe in his gentle yet powerful presence. She always had been.


    The morning would bring new challenges, but she didn''t seem to mind at all. The faceless horrors of the dream were fading from her mind''s eye as she turned out the light next to the bed and stared out the window. Deneb was shining again, its peach-orange light so gentle and calming. It reminded Caroline of home.


    <hr>


    A nurse tapped Joel on the shoulder, and he stirred from shallow sleep. He''d managed to get an ambulance out to the scene and followed it back to the clinic in Shera, forty miles down the road - adrenaline had flooded him then but it was more than gone now. He couldn''t just leave that boy alone, though - he needed to make sure that he was alright.


    What do I even tell Espee? Joel thought as the nurse led him into the room with the boy, who was now resting in the hospital bed. He had an intravenous line into his hand and looked so incredibly frail - like he hadn''t eaten well his whole life.


    "You were lucky you found him when you did," the nurse said, raising an eyebrow. "Another hour, he might''ve died. He had a lot of internal bleeding. No idea what could''ve happened to him, but it seems like it was on purpose."


    "Who would do that to a boy?" Joel asked, and the nurse sighed. "What could he possibly have done?"


    "I''m not sure I want to know," the nurse said, shaking her head unhappily. "We''ve heard of things like this happening before in this area, though. This is the first one who wasn''t just outright dead."


    "Were you able to find out anything about him?"


    "We''ll have to wait until he wakes up to ask," the nurse said, sighing again. "But for now, until we find some family of his to get in here, you''re all he''s got." She frowned and shook her head. "Wait, that came out wrong."


    "No, you''re right," Joel said, looking the boy over. So absolutely frail. "He''s not my son, but I want to make sure that he survives. Maybe I am all he''s got right now." The nurse touched Joel''s arm and nodded.


    "I''ll leave you with him, then. Come get me if you need anything, alright?"


    Joel smiled and took a seat in the chair next to the boy. He sat back and looked up at the ceiling. What will I tell Espee? What will she say? Am I even considering this right now? He''s got to have family out there. He just has to.


    The first rays of morning light eked in around the blinds, and the blooms of sunlight warmed the cold fluorescence of the hospital room as the boy slept.

 Act 1, Chapter 1: Five Years Later

    Lucas


    Spring 649


    Lucas squinted as he drove the cultivator through Mr. Ghannam''s field. The afternoon sun was low in the sky and his work was almost finished for the day, and he was grateful for it. For springtime in Cygnus, it had been unseasonably warm - he felt his mesh shorts sticking to the leather seat of the cultivator and was miserably uncomfortable. Insects buzzed around his ankles as he took the final turn back towards the Ghannams'' barn. He''d initially struggled to adjust to the quiet, rural life, but found that deep down he honestly enjoyed it.


    His recovery had taken longer than expected - he''d contracted pneumonia and had been stuck in bed for the better part of two months, but the Leonarts had been more than kind to have taken him in. There had been so much discussion about what to do with him - the local government wanted to put him back into an orphanage, but Joel and Espee had been adamant that they could shelter and feed him. It had taken almost a year, but the day he moved into the Leonarts'' house in Minors'' End was jubilant beyond all measure.


    He hadn''t anticipated how close he''d ultimately become with Ceres, however. The two initially found their interactions stilted and boring - Ceres had still been coping with the flux of moving across the continent and the further adjustment of a new "brother". The notion of "siblings" went quickly out the window, however. Within the last year, they''d begun to see each other as more than just roommates - they were good at hiding it, but Lucas smiled at the errant thought of the last time he kissed her.


    Espee and Joel had been more than wonderful to him. He had been terribly thin when they first found him, and over the last five years he''d grown eight inches and put on a reasonable amount of weight and muscle. He''d never be as big as his father was - the malnutrition had seen to that - and it seemed that no matter how much he ate he''d never not be lanky. Ceres didn''t mind this, though. She could stand on tiptoe and give him a peck on the lips and it would make all the troubles and worries of the day dissolve into nothingness.


    What would Lethe think of all of that? Lucas thought, but quashed the intrusive idea. He had largely tried to block out those painful memories - everything from that year up until Joel had found him on the side of the road was better left sealed up in memory, where it couldn''t seep out and hurt. But it still did, didn''t it?


    Lucas parked the cultivator outside the barn where Mr. Ghannam was tending to one of his goats.


    "Good to see ya, Lucas," Mr. Ghannam said, standing and smiling broadly. The Solstromi man was missing a few teeth and he whistled as he spoke. "Ya did a good job out there, aya. Be hot ''nough ''fore ya know it, mm."


    Joel had helped Lucas to get a job on the Ghannams'' farm - he''d been working there since his sixteenth birthday, and while the work could be sweaty and miserable, he appreciated Mr. Ghannam''s seemingly infinite patience. Mr. Ghannam led the goat back into its pen and latched it as Lucas took a towel from the shed, wiping his brow.


    "School should be ending soon, huh?" Mr. Ghannam said, and Lucas nodded.


    "Yeah. Finals are coming up here soon."


    "Can''t believe ya be graduatin''," Mr. Ghannam laughed. He took a water bottle from a nearby cooler and tossed it through the air to Lucas, who caught it and took a drink. "Seems like time just keeps on flyin'' by. Rita be graduatin'' too, Erzulia knows."


    "She''s top of the class," Lucas said, and Mr. Ghannam beamed.


    "Damn right she is. Ceres ain''t lazy either," he said, opening a water bottle for himself. He sat down on the highest rung of the fence, still facing Lucas.


    "No sir. Said she wants to go to the Academy in Sylva. She''s been working real hard."


    "Smart girls, those two. They be goin'' places, mm. Ya could do the same, aya. You thinkin'' at all ''bout what ya be doin'' after this is done? Can''t be workin'' a field forever. Don''t seem like ya."


    "I haven''t," Lucas said. He''d been milling and chewing the idea since the last year of school had begun. He had no direction as to what he actually liked to do - he hadn''t really had much of a life for all the trauma of his preteen years, but was still angry at himself for not knowing as so many of his peers did. Even Ceres had known exactly what she wanted to do, and Lucas was terrified that he was disappointing Ceres in some way by not knowing his own future.


    Could I just follow her? Would it be that easy? He''d thought, but the taste the thought left in his mouth was unpleasant. It wouldn''t be that easy - he''d need to figure it out sooner than later, no matter what it took.


    "Well, ya better get on it! Like de Mother say, don''t let it pass ya by, Lucas. Ya taken a lot to get here, so why stop now?" Mr. Ghannam patted Lucas on the shoulder. "C''mon, I''ll bring ya home. Ya wanna stop for anythin''? The tamale guy is at the market again, aya - maybe ya bring some o'' ''em back for Mrs. Leonart? She like ''em."


    "Sure," Lucas nodded as the two walked towards the garage. He liked Mr. Ghannam, but he was too right - he couldn''t be doing this kind of work forever. It just wasn''t him.


    <hr>


    Lucas left his boots outside on the front mat as he finagled the keys into the lock, juggling the overflowing bag of tamales that Mr. Ghannam had insisted on buying for the family. As he walked in to the foyer of the house he could smell Espee''s unbeatable cooking wafting through the air - a delectable blend of garlic and leeks. Lucas could feel his mouth watering as her soups were known all across town - award-winning, even.


    "Joel, is that you? I wasn''t expecting you so..." Espee said as she came down the entrance hallway, wiping her hands on an apron at her waist. "Oh, hi, Lucas. I thought for some reason you were home already, but I guess not! How was work?"


    "Fine," Lucas said, and Espee smiled. She could be Ceres'' sister, Lucas thought, the only evidence of Mrs. Leonart being older were the crows'' feet around her eyes. Lucas knew that Ceres probably wouldn''t appreciate the mental commentary.


    "What''s in the bag?" Espee said, and Lucas handed it to her.


    "Tamales. Mr. Ghannam insisted."


    "Oh, Joel is just going to love this..." Espee said, marveling at the bag. "Mr. Ghannam''s been good to us, you know. I hope you thank him when he does things like this."


    "Always."


    "Good. Now go and get changed, we''re going to be eating shortly. Ceres should be back soon, but I''m not sure when we''re expecting Joel back. He said it might be another late night, so we''ll start without him."


    Joel had frequently worked long nights at his workshop on the northern edge of town. He was always reasonably secretive with the type of work he did - Empire contracts tended to demand that level of security. While Lucas detested the Empire, he knew that Joel''s work kept a roof over their head. He knew he wouldn''t want to be in Joel''s shoes, and tried not to question the ethics of how Joel provided for the four of them.


    Lucas showered and changed before rejoining Espee and just-arrived Ceres at the dinner table, where a pot of thick soup sat at its center, flanked by crusty bread and some varied vegetables.


    He still struggled with the idea that he deserved any of this. Meals at Rocky''s had frequently been threadbare and almost always second-hand. Rocky had done his absolute best to make sure that the children in his care were fed and clothed, but for as much of a miracle worker as he seemed to be it wasn''t always perfect. Hungry nights were a normal thing, and the only salve for it were all-night-long talks with Lethe, who slept in the bunk above him.


    "Lucas, are you alright?" Ceres asked, and Lucas noticed he''d been staring at his bowl for too long. He immediately felt the flush of embarrassment rush into his cheeks, but she smiled gently.


    "Just tired," Lucas said, trying to cast away the memory of those talks. If it wasn''t for Lethe, who knows where he would be? He probably would have died in Riamal Haven at some point. That he knew of for sure.


    Espee buttered a slice of bread and took a bite as Ceres continued to scrutinize Lucas'' face. She always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, and he didn''t care for it. He''d never been much good at veiling his emotions - and that she could see right through whatever face he was making reminded him in some unpleasant ways of Lethe.


    Ceres at last looked away without countering him, and Lucas dug in in earnest to the food in front of him. It was sumptuous without being overwhelming - notes of garlic and fennel and leek floated about and were anchored by shredded chicken and cubes of potatoes. Slivered carrots filled out the rest of it - it was decadent, almost too much so - but having food in front of him was something Lucas never took for granted.


    Espee was in many ways the glue that held the Leonarts together - Lucas had heard from Joel that prior to his arrival that she had hated everything about Cygnus. Once Lucas had come, however, she had rapidly softened her view on the rural farm town - and with her newfound sense of purpose, she doted on Lucas much in the same way his own mother had back in Mormont.


    When will I lose her, too? Lucas often thought, his mind betraying his better senses. He''d spent so long losing people that the idea of keeping a family structure seemed like an alien language to him.


    "When''s Dad coming home?" Ceres asked Espee. It was a recurring question, and Lucas knew that Ceres hated that it was the same answer nearly every night.


    "Working late again. He said that Billy needed some extra time since the parts they need to weld came in late, and he can''t leave until Billy''s wrapped up for the day."


    "Great. Would it kill him to just be home for once?"


    There was the usual, familiar silence. Espee sighed and Ceres shrugged her shoulders.


    "He''s doing his best, alright?" Espee soothed. "I know it bothers you, but he''s trying."


    "We''re going to be gone from here soon," Ceres shook her head. "This has been going on for years, I wish he''d just get the memo already that we hate it." Espee shot Ceres a knowing but stern look. She dropped her opposition and quietly resumed eating her soup.


    Joel was frequently away from the house throughout her childhood, Ceres had told Lucas. His dealings with the Empire had taken him all over the continent, sometimes for weeks at a time. Lucas mused at the idea that his path might''ve taken him through Riamal Haven at one point. Joel had been coming back from a work trip the night he found Lucas on the side of the highway, and it was through serendipitous luck that their paths had intersected when they did.


    Espee liked to call it Cybelian intervention, but Lucas wasn''t so sure about the Goddess. He tempered his opinions around her and Ceres, though, and appreciated that their belief brought them comfort. It was something he liked to talk about with Joel when he was around - both shared similar views. Mr. Ghannam was also quite devout - his goddess Erzulia one of the southern continent Fornacis'' many faiths. It felt strange to Lucas sometimes to hear Espee or Ceres praying - he''d been raised Cybelian but had largely abandoned it after he was left alone.


    "So, are you coming with us to church tomorrow?" Ceres asked - she always asked this on the last day of the work week - Lucas shook his head no. Ceres feigned defeat but smiled all the same. "Maybe next time," she said, just as she always did. It was at Espee''s insistence that Ceres persisted, but Lucas remained steadfast. He enjoyed the weekend mornings with Joel, working on cars or getting breakfast at the Copper Stallion. Between school and the Ghannams'' farm, he worked entirely too hard to give any of his precious free time to the Goddess.


    "I''ve been thinking about starting a book club here at the library," Espee said, changing the subject. "Lucas, what do you think? Do you think you''d want to join us?"


    Lucas shrugged. "I don''t know. I like to read, but talking about books is kinda..."


    "Not his strong suit," Ceres finished, flashing him a smile. Espee chuckled.


    "Well, I figured I would ask. I''ve been following this one author out of Irusis and..."


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    <hr>


    Dinner ended and dishes came and went, and Lucas went up to his room on the second floor. Espee and Joel slept in a master bedroom suite on the first floor, and Ceres'' bedroom was across the hall from his own. The house was modestly decorated - along the wall going up the stairs were a variety of photos from places the Leonarts had been. There were photos from Port Alhena - Espee''s hometown - with Ceres'' grandmother on the beach. Some had people Lucas didn''t know in them - and some were older still, like Joel and Espee''s first photo as a married couple.


    Lucas went into his bedroom - his bedroom, something that still messed with him - possessions of his own that no one could take from him? He splayed out on the bed and stared at the ceiling, letting his eyes unfocus. The farm work wore him out, but it was homework that was hanging over him like a ten ton weight tonight. He knew he only had a few weeks left, but passing classes was going to be a feat in and of itself.


    He rolled over, going back in his mind to thoughts of the future. Would he follow Ceres to Sylva? She was undoubtedly going to pass her entrance exam, but would he be good enough to do the same?


    A knock at the door disturbed him from his thoughts, and he sat up in the bed.


    "Hey, Lucas," Ceres'' voice called through the door. "We''re going to watch Would You Brush Your Teeth with This? in a few minutes, did you want to come down and watch with us?"


    "Eh, maybe later. Kinda tired," Lucas called back.


    "Well, if you''re not asleep later, we should hang out."


    "Sure," he said, and he listened as Ceres'' footsteps receded down the hallway. He flopped back once more and his thoughts turned to those of Ceres - they were in the nascent stages of something more than friendship, but it had been in a strange stasis for the last year and a half. They''d gone as far as kissing and some touching, but clothes were always on - he''d never seen her naked, though he was curious - Ceres insisted that she wanted to wait to progress the relationship until they were both out of the house and, for having sex, being married.


    Lucas didn''t quite get it, but he understood her hesitation. It would be tremendously awkward to get caught being that kind of affectionate under Joel and Espee''s roof, and there was always the matter of Ceres'' faith getting in the way. He had to grin and bear it, even if his hunger made that difficult at times.


    He didn''t want to rush her, though. He cared about Ceres in a way he hadn''t realized he was still able to care about someone. Besides, he''d been much too young and naive to understand how he felt about Lethe. He thought he loved her - still had thoughts of what that all should''ve been - but how could he have really known? He''d come as close as saying the words before, but he had been twelve years old then, it would''ve been ridiculous coming out of his mouth with any true meaning.


    He rolled over and faced the wall, stewing in the thoughts. She''d been so kind to him. More than anyone had in years, truly. Their late-night chats and dreams of escape had kept him alive more than he realized in those days, her constant buoyancy towards that future, a life preserver to him. She had come from hellish circumstances, at least as far as she had told him. A violent mother who cursed her name and a despondent, useless father - both of whom beat her and tormented her, from what she''d let slip. She''d run away at ten and come to live with Rocky shortly thereafter.


    Rocky. How much Lucas missed him, too. He had previously been a teacher in Valdena before budget cuts left him homeless - he devoted his life to taking care of the kids of Riamal Haven, but Lucas never truly understood how he could''ve afforded all of it. A man would stop by once a week to speak with him, and Lucas had always presumed that someone had been funding the place in secret. How else would the lights have stayed on?


    Lucas closed his eyes. He wanted to try to stay up and wait for Ceres to finish watching her show, but he felt too worn out. Thoughts of Lethe hadn''t helped the cause. He''d seen her in his dreams a few times in the past few months, but she''d never spoken, just observed - they were strange dreams, indeed. Fields of vibrant green with a sky that had been ripped in two in violent shades of blue and orange - a dazzling, radiant scene to behold. And always Lethe - sitting on a rock near a stream, like the one they''d gone to when Rocky took them out of town one day - sun-dappled and beautiful, glowing in the light.


    He sighed - it wasn''t fair to Ceres to think like that anymore. It wasn''t fair to himself, either. He knew that she was gone.


    <hr>


    Joel


    Work had yet again been hectic. With orders coming in from the Empire''s headquarters in Valdena, Joel hadn''t had a moment''s rest at the workshop. His associate, Billy Rodriguez, had been a relentlessly hard worker, but even their twin efforts hadn''t been enough to keep up with what seemed like an ever-growing mountain of work. Shandi Oscarman, a newer hire from the city of Saiph in Elegir, had been doing his best to learn the work, but it just never felt quick enough for Joel.


    He knew that Espee and Ceres were growing frustrated with him being away all the time, but he couldn''t help it - these, unlike past late nights, were not of his own volition. It was much too late to spend time with them now - Deneb was already high in the sky, and Joel knew that even if he drove as fast as he could he probably would not make it home before Espee fell asleep. Ceres and Lucas would be out, too - he''d noticed them staying up late together, but didn''t think too much of it - just teenagers too restless to sleep like regular people.


    Joel knew that the influx of work wasn''t just because of the portent of war starting again between Elegir and Noctavia - his connection, Dr. Victor Mataeus, the Emperor''s Chief of Scientific Inquiry and a member of the Emperor''s Hegemon Council, had been dangling information about a new agreement with Velus that would essentially make Cygnus belong to Noctavia. The thought made Joel''s skin crawl, but he had promised Victor absolute secrecy - not even Espee could know about it until it was officially announced.


    It was the double-edged sword of friends in high places - he knew too much, and it was eating at him not to be able to spill the beans. They''d be getting new work into the shop soon in order to prepare for a ''mining operation'', as Victor called it, as the deal had something or other to do with mineral rights - Victor had been intentionally oblique about details.


    Victor, Joel thought, sighing. He''d first met Victor on the other side of an interrogation table in a prison cell under the Emperor''s castle, Spira Rostam. He had been captured during an operation in which the rebel group Renaissance sought to overthrow the Emperor himself. A long, productive conversation revealed Victor''s true intentions - to make use of Joel. Over time the relationship gelled into a strangely respectful friendship - after all, they did indeed share some of the same desires and future beliefs.


    In the distance, Joel noticed something he''d seen the last few nights driving home. Drones had been flying low over some of the pastures along the way home, their purple Pulselight scanning the ground below. Joel reasoned that this had something to do with what Victor had said - but the idea of the Empire being so close made him feel nervous.


    And if Victor is here, then she will be, too.


    Joel shook the thought from his mind. She''d been on it more heavily since Victor told him what was going to happen, and Joel didn''t quite know how to reconcile thoughts of her with reality quite as well as he wanted to. It had been, in the moment, a mistake - but she grew on him like ivy and entrenched in his soul like none other could have - not even Espee.


    Persephone, or Sephie as she liked to be called, was Victor''s daughter and a scientist with the Empire. He didn''t mean for it to spiral off into recklessness, but it did just that on that fateful night - her nineteenth birthday - a party where they and everyone else had been too drunk and happy to stop themselves from blowing up their lives.


    No, Joel thought, grimacing. I was the only one who went too far that night.


    It had been seven years since that night, and four since the last time he''d had his hands on her, his flesh against hers, her taking him in. She''d been pregnant at the end, albeit only briefly - the decision to terminate had not been hers alone, but it drove a deep wedge between them. She had finished her doctorate and went to work for her father, at which time Joel hadn''t seen her - just heard news about her from time to time from Victor, who was blithely unaware of his daughter and his weaponsmith''s transgressions.


    He pulled into the garage at the house and glanced at the clock on the dashboard - it was after midnight. No wonder she''s stuck on your mind, Joel thought, gathering his things and going into the house. Too tired to think right.


    The entranceway was dark - everyone had already gone to bed by now, as he assumed. It had been lonely doing nothing but working for the last few weeks. Ceres would be going off to the Technica Academy in Sylva in the autumn, and Lucas - well, he didn''t quite know what Lucas would end up doing, but he knew that he''d probably be alright with anything he put his mind to.


    After almost 20 years of marriage, he and Espee had become used to each other - Joel grimaced at the thought of being "used to" someone, but it wasn''t quite inaccurate. They''d had Ceres early on, when Espee was only eighteen - they''d eloped when she was sixteen, away from the watchful eyes of her noble parents. The Baron and Baroness had been livid - the Baron going so far as to have a heart attack at the news - he''d died not too long after. Espee''s mother, Baroness Arissa, had eventually warmed to him, though it took a decade.


    Besides, what else was a roughneck of the tough streets of Cirrus Heights to do other than steal the heart of a rich girl? Joel saw a lot of his younger self in Lucas, right down to the lack of impulse control. He worried for him but had been trying to mitigate any future trouble as best as he could. The boy was smart and strong - he''d been a fighter since that night on the roadside coming down from Teliander - he saw him as a son, even if Lucas was still not prepared to call him "Dad".


    The hot water of the shower gave Joel immediate relief - there''d been so much lifting and hoisting throughout the day and so little time to recover that Joel had worried about how he would feel in the morning. The water soothed his muscles as he scrubbed motor oil from his hands and arms, and he let the water beat down on his face for several moments, just trying to recenter and relax.


    0600 would come entirely too early - he''d open the shop doors for Billy at 0700 and they''d mill about and eat breakfast. Shandi would arrive not long afterwards, and the three would get working. Working weekends was not a new thing for Joel, but for his team it had been a struggle - Shandi''s wife had just had a new baby, and it was tough for him to be away. The pay, however, was nothing to sneeze at. Billy''s brother, Bobby, was in Lucas and Ceres'' year - he would stop by the shop from time to time as well. Their father, Ray - or ''Stingray'' as he demanded to be called - was a widower who Joel knew well as a fixture at the Copper Stallion''s bar.


    Joel had taken well to some of the people in town - others, more private types, wanted nothing to do with the out-of-towner - but Stingray had become one of his better friends. Mr. Ghannam, or Carmine, was another close friend. They bonded over being not native to Velus, and Carmine had even offered Lucas a job on his farm, which he had been doing well at. Carmine''s daughter, Rita, was one of Ceres'' best friends. The girl was all loud noise, brilliance, and massive, frizzy hair, but Joel was grateful that Ceres had someone to be close to.


    The move hadn''t been easy at all on Ceres or Espee, and Lucas'' arrival had compounded that difficulty. They''d eventually come around to it, but Joel couldn''t shake the feeling that on some level they resented him for it. Besides, why wouldn''t they have? Their house in Alaeris had been gorgeous - a gift from Espee''s mother. The suburban setting of Stormhill Ridge, nestled in the Aquilas overlooking the Alaerian capital of Sylva, had been a dream come true for his wife and daughter. Two stories high with a wraparound porch, with more space and land than Joel knew what to do with, it had been a veritable castle.


    Ceres had taken her first steps there, and there were many birthdays and parties and festivities throughout the years. Surprisingly, Joel found that he actually liked the new home in Velus more. It reminded him of his own middle-class upbringing - his father Max had been a scientist, and his mother Leanna had been a painter. Their home in Cirrus Heights, a suburb in Beldara, had been comfortable. Had Joel been too comfortable, though, would he have ever run away to the capital and met Espee?


    The train of thought barreled through as he took his place in the bed next to Espee, who rolled over away from him as if to invite him to spoon with her. She wore only a camisole and her underwear and he felt her warmth against his skin as he sidled in beside her. All the talk of being empty nesters had inspired preliminary probings of having another child - at 36, Espee had worried she might not be able to get pregnant again, but she''d been soothed by her doctor who assured her it was still possible.


    While Joel would''ve been happy with a second child with Espee, the thought of the child he and Sephie may have had - forbidden thoughts, painful and the cause of many nights of crying alone in his truck at the loss of what could have been. He loved them both in their own ways - a horrendous duality the weight of which he struggled underneath - at least Sephie had been away for a long time and hadn''t wanted to speak with him. Or, at least he thought as much, anyway.


    Joel closed his eyes as Espee snuggled into him. He felt guilty most of the time for what he''d done, but he knew it wasn''t his fault alone - he didn''t want to blame Sephie for pushing things in the direction they''d gone, but he didn''t want to bear the brunt of the blame himself. You''re a coward, Joel Leonart, he thought as he struggled to get comfortable. A coward in so many ways. How do you live with yourself?


    He beckoned and begged for sleep, and it came, cold and dreamless.


    <hr>


    Caroline


    Caroline had been in this place before. A forest, nondescript yet strangely familiar, with towering pines. The sounds of calmly moving water came to her ears as she walked barefoot on the dirt and pine needles - a brook flowed through, just beyond some rocks nearby. A young woman sat atop the rocks, staring out into the trees. Caroline had seen her before, too. She had tried in earnest to speak to her, but every time she tried, the young woman ignored her and continued to stare out into the nothingness.


    And then, usually, Caroline would wake up.


    The sky was cut in two distinct halves - one lit by the flaming light of Deneb in full moon, and the other in the gentle cerulean glow of the dawn sky - the duality was always so striking and vivid to the point it almost felt real. The configuration of the sky, however, reminded Caroline that this was just a dream, even if it was a recurring, lucid one. She''d talked to Turonn about it, and he had advised her caution - sometimes, he said, these dreams were messages from the Goddess herself - and to listen if the girl at the center of the dreams spoke to her.


    High Vestal Vivienne seemed more cautious than Turonn regarding the dreams - the first few times, she''d dismissed them as just recurring dreams with no sense or purpose, but the frequency had begun to tick upwards in the last six months to a point where it could no longer be ignored. Something was trying to reach Caroline, and she had faith in the fact that it was likely a message from the divine. What else could it be?


    "Excuse me," Caroline said quietly, coming around the rocks to gaze upon the woman, who continued to stare outward and mute as the words fell on unhearing ears. "I was hoping that tonight we could speak," she continued, "I''d love to know more about you. Mainly, I''d like to know why I keep seeing you, if that''s alright?"


    The woman sat as still as stone. Caroline hesitated before speaking again. She knew if she spoke too much that she would lose the dream and fall back into an unrelated thread, usually something fanciful or completely nonsensical. But this? Caroline thought, this feels all too real. How could this be nothing? Why do I keep coming here?


    Caroline waited with her breath held. It was alarming to her that she had this much physical agency within the dream, but as things began to slip away from her once more, she stopped caring as much. The sky always tore itself asunder much in the same way - the split opened up into a vacuum of nothingness, and the world around her would unfold as if it had been made of paper - until nothing remained but her, the darkness, and a faint blue light that shone somewhere in the unknown. She''d never stayed in the dream long enough to chase it.

 Act 1, Chapter 2

    April 19th, 649


    Joel


    Joel woke before the alarm on the nightstand went off - he''d slept uncomfortably, as he''d assumed he would''ve - Espee snored away gently as he extricated himself from the bed and got dressed. Though the sun was barely up over the horizon, he knew he''d have to drag himself to the workshop - notoriously on-time Billy would probably already be there. Can''t fault the guy for his effort, Joel thought as he waited for the drip coffee to finish brewing. He couldn''t survive long without coffee, and though he hated the caffeine addiction, it was just one of the many vices he couldn''t live without.


    The roads were empty on the way north to the shop, and as expected, Billy was leaning against the trunk of his car waiting as he pulled up.


    "Hey, Joel," Billy said, more awake than Joel could ever deem acceptable for this early in the day. "You''re lookin'' bright-eyed and ready to go, huh?"


    Joel grunted and Billy just laughed.


    "I feel ya, bud. I get it. Don''t forget though, we''ve gotta get that one part all squared away before that guy from HQ shows up. You said he was comin'' down here today, right?"


    "Right," Joel said. He felt the feeble dregs of his energy sap away at once. It was no small wonder that Sephie had been so heavy on his mind when her father was coming down to Cygnus to visit. It had totally slipped his mind, and he didn''t want to let on to Billy that he was nervous to see Victor again. It had been about six months since his last visit - coming in from Noctavia required a trip on an airship from the capital, then a long drive from Velus''s capital, Cape Hale. Joel had met him halfway at his home in Teliander a few times, but even that was a substantial distance away. He''d made love in secret to Sephie in that house more than a few times on those visits when her father was away on business.


    Until he installed those cameras, Joel mused, looking up at the security camera at the entrance as he unlocked the door. Billy set right to work as Joel went into the office. He milled about, sorting through some paperwork, and checking his messages on the computer - nothing worthwhile, really. There were some pending requests regarding projects that were upcoming, but the ones he was keeping his eyes peeled for had not yet come through.


    Victor would be stopping in sometime around lunch. Joel knew that even with Shandi helping out, it would be cutting it close to have the part ready for Victor''s evaluation by then.


    Shandi came in about a half hour later and Joel could hear him and Billy laughing about something. He stepped out of the office, and Shandi waved.


    "Hey, good morning! What we got goin'' on today, aya?" Shandi had grown up in Saiph Haven but couldn''t shake the Solstromi accent and tics.


    "Big boss is comin'' in from up north, remember?" Billy said before Joel could answer. "We gotta get this damn thing ready before he shows up. Dude gives me the creeps."


    "Careful," Joel cautioned, motioning at the cameras. "Don''t forget who pays our bills, alright?" The men nodded at Joel. "I think we can get through this before he shows up. If not, I''ll distract him long enough to give you some more time."


    "Pretty sure if he was listening, he heard that," Billy joked, and Joel just shook his head.


    "He''s probably on an airship right now. Must be nice."


    Airships were restricted to VIPs across Terrah - those of nobility, such as Espee''s mother, or those in government, such as Victor, were entitled to travel via air. As the Pulse power requirements for airships were much higher than those of cars or other road vehicles, there had been severe lines drawn around who could access them. Joel didn''t mind much - the one time he had been on an airship, he threw up over the side. Espee, who had traveled much on them as a child, had laughed at him before letting him sleep in her lap for the rest of the trip.


    "Psh, gimme a boat," Shandi smiled, "I''d rather be out at sea than in the air. Can''t fish up there, mm."


    "Ha! Yeah, I''ll take that any day, too," Billy said. Joel wasn''t much for boats, either.


    "I think I''ll just lay down in the forest somewhere," Joel added, and the other men laughed.


    "I mean, there''s fish in the woods, too," Shandi nodded. "I hear there''s some good camping in the Aquilas, mm. Maybe when my boy''s a little older we''ll get out there. Joel, you''re from there, right? How is it?"


    "I miss it," Joel said without skipping a beat. "But this place is pretty alright, too."


    "Nice to have a change of scenery once in a while," Billy said. "Speaking of, the sooner we get this thing done, the better. Lots to do comin'' down the pipeline."


    The next few hours crept by laced with the dread of Victor''s impending arrival. Joel didn''t hate the man, but found it hard to look into his cold, beady eyes. He knew what the Empire was all about, and even though Victor was cordial and business-like with him, he knew that could change at any moment. Besides, if he was that close to Emperor Ignatius, who knew what he was truly capable of?


    And yet he has so many reasons to kill you, Joel thought. If Victor ever found out about his affair with Sephie, that would be it for him. He''d probably vanish off to the rumored gulag on Lili Borea, near Terracius'' northern pole. He put those thoughts aside as he helped Shandi put the finishing touches on the part. Most of the parts that had come through in previous weeks seemed to be for the mining job that Victor''d dangled information about, but there was no rhyme or reason or order to any of it - just disparate parts.


    Shandi and Billy went out back towards town for lunch, as they did the last time Victor came to the shop. In pursuit of secrecy, he demanded that only Joel be present for their meetings - the other two didn''t even know what he looked like. A large utility vehicle pulled into the space next to Joel''s truck, and Dr. Victor Mataeus stepped out.


    He was shorter than Joel by a few inches, but his stocky build and clean cut look gave him an air of intimidation. Just by looking at him, one would know that he was the wrong person to cross. Victor checked his SGNL device as Joel looked through the blinds at him. He smoothed his short black hair back and adjusted his wire-framed glasses, then adjusted his tie before he walked up to the garage door of the workshop. Joel was already waiting at the entrance.


    "So," Victor said, his voice deep and clear, "ahead of schedule, I take it? You do have the part ready for today, don''t you?"


    "Always," Joel said, hoping that the confidence he was trying to project would be seen. Victor looked him over coolly before nodding.


    "Good. The Emperor would be unhappy with the both of us if you didn''t have that ready to go. We have put a lot of faith in you to be able to handle the rigors of this project, and so far you have been doing quite well."


    "Rare praise," Joel said, raising an eyebrow.


    "I''m just the messenger, old friend," Victor smiled, which always made Joel feel uneasy. He knew he trusted the man, at least on some level. Just how much was the real question. Their pact to work together had always seemed a tenuous thing, and images of Sephie played in shadow in the back of his mind. Victor inspected the completed piece.


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    "Looks good. New guy''s really got the art down, doesn''t he?" Victor asked, and Joel smiled. Shandi was a good, hard worker.


    "I''d say."


    Victor was silent as he rounded the part to come side by side with Joel. He studied Joel''s face carefully and Joel hoped his nervousness wasn''t too apparent.


    "So. About what we talked about the other day," Victor started, dropping his voice low. "Should we step into your office, or are those two going to be away a while?"


    "We can talk here. A little stuffy in the office. Been meaning to change the air filters in the shop, but things are hectic, as you know."


    Victor smiled. "Don''t mind if I smoke then, do you?"


    "Outside," Joel said, and Victor shrugged, putting the pack back in his pocket.


    "Suppose I can wait. I would''ve liked you to have been sitting down for this, but I wanted to let you know that the Velusian government has agreed to allow for the annexation of the town of Cygnus to Noctavia."


    Joel turned to the man and tried to keep his jaw from dropping. "You''re joking."


    "Would I come all this way to make jokes, Leonart?"


    "Why, though? What''s even here that anyone would want aside from some dead fields and tumbleweeds?" Joel said. He needed to hear it from Victor''s mouth.


    "This place used to be a sizable mining operation back in the day. From what little I can divulge; they didn''t quite finish what they''d started then."


    "When does it start?"


    "Indeterminate. Sometime in May. Maybe midmonth or the end, depending on how it goes."


    "That''s like four weeks away," Joel said, trying to veil his surprise at the news. "What''s going to happen between now and then?"


    "You may have already noticed the Drones flying around, correct? You should anticipate seeing more of those - ol'' Martine is chomping at the bit to get an eye on the lay of the land with the data we''ve been getting from them. You know how he can get when there''s money to be made."


    Hegemon Council member Martine Erebus - the Emperor''s Minister of Commerce and Prosperity - was a man Joel had never seen in the flesh but had heard extensively about from Victor. Pale, almost sickly looking, Hegemon Erebus was well-known across Terrah for his shrewd nature and cunning. He was the youngest member of the Emperor''s inner circle, and there had been buzzing throughout the Empire that he was the heir apparent as the Emperor had no children of his own.


    "Money. That''s what it''s always about, isn''t it?"


    "You know it."


    "So you said it''s minerals or something?" Joel asked, and Victor nodded, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he looked towards the camera on the ceiling.


    "Just between us, I haven''t had those things on in days," Victor said with a wry smile. "Needed to make sure none of what we''ve been talking about gets captured, you know. Sensitive data."


    "Of course."


    He cleared his throat. "As you were asking - it''s not just any minerals, but it''s rare minerals, actually. I''m only telling you any of this because I trust you, Joel - but what we think we''ve found here... it could change the world. More than Pulse power did, even."


    "Go on."


    He laughed and shook his head. "Look, Joel. I know you hate it when I''m ambiguous like this, but you''ll just have to wait and see. We''ve been studying this for years - it took until the new administration came into Cape Hale for us to even gain a modicum of traction on it - and I''m surprised they bit for it."


    "What is Velus getting from it? Do you know?"


    "Money."


    "Of course. So what''s going to happen to us, here? Honorary Noctavian citizens? You know that the people here aren''t going to take too kindly to that. Will the Empire do what they do in their other ''towns'' and decide the government owns everything, too?"


    "Perhaps. The Emperor seems to want to keep his hands off this directly. Said that this is more a job for myself and Hegemon Erebus."


    "Anyone else?" Joel said, stifling a smirk.


    "If you mean her, then yes, she will be here as well. Ciara will be in charge of public relations, as she usually is. That woman could talk herself out of a Minervan prison cell."


    "How do you feel about her being here?"


    Victor paused for several moments, laughed, and shook his head. "I feel like you should''ve let me have a smoke, Joel."


    "Not in the office. Outside."


    Victor scowled and took the cigarette from its pack, lighting it and drawing in a long breath.


    "Remember who pays the bills, Joel." Victor laughed and gestured to Joel to follow him as he spoke. "Hate these damned things, but Cybele knows they''re keeping me relaxed enough to have to deal with her."


    "Is it that bad these days?"


    "She''s talking about wanting to get back together. We''re... trying it."


    "Ah, well, that explains things."


    He stepped out onto the pavement outside the workshop and took another long drag. Joel stood in the doorway of the workshop.


    "So if Ciara''s here, and Martine''s here... must be a big deal, huh?"


    "You could say that. I mean, I''m not saying that, but you could."


    "Anyone else coming? Denny Nox? The Emperor himself?"


    "The Emperor will be in Valdena, at least for the bulk of the time. Hegemon Nox may make an appearance, but I would assume the people of Cygnus would see his presence as being part of an invasion, not of a gentle annexation. He has a bit of a reputation. I trust that you''re already familiar with that?"


    The Slaughter of Morren during the second Elegian War, Joel remembered. He''d been a child then, but it had been world news - one of the many skirmishes between the Empire and Elegir had escalated beyond the normal tiff into a full-fledged invasion of Morren in eastern Elegir. It took the combined forces of Velus and Alaeris to get Hegemon Dennard Nox''s troops to stand down and retreat, but over ten thousand people had died in the two week long attack.


    "Hard to forget," Joel said. Victor took another puff on his cigarette.


    "Oh, I almost forgot. There will be others coming," Victor said, and Joel''s ears perked up. "General Hawkridge has been selected as the mission''s peacekeeping officer in the stead of Hegemon Nox - she is an... interesting woman, but from all appearances seems to know how to keep people in line. A bit of a hardass, but anyone''s better than Nox." He laughed, and Joel felt the creep of unease in his stomach once more.


    "So all of this in just about a month''s time? What''ll even happen? Will the Empire roll in with tanks or what?"


    "I''ll have more details for you as they''re relevant. For now, that''s about all I can say." Joel grimaced and Victor just shrugged. "Look, Joel. If I didn''t want to help you, why would I tell you any of this at all? We need to stay ahead of the curve with all that''s to come, and I need you to trust me, okay?"


    Joel stared Victor down, and the stocky man just smiled widely.


    "I understand where you''re coming from, Joel, but you''ll just need to bear with me on this. Oh - one thing I do know is that the Empire is planning on adding some high-paying jobs when they arrive," Victor said. "Might ought to ask your boy there to come help out at the shop. They''ll be opening a clinic where the Noctavian troops will be stationed, too. Perhaps Ceres would like to work somewhere like that?"


    "She''s planning on the Technica Academy," Joel said, and Victor''s eyes glinted.


    "Ah, so much like my Persephone then, huh? You''ve got a smart girl, Joel. And speaking of - we''ll be back here sometime next week. Persephone''s finished her licensing process with Noctavia, and we were planning on heading to Costa Sintra to soak up some sun for a few days."


    "Oh?" Joel asked, trying not to sound too surprised. "Well, that''s fantastic. Pass along my congratulations for me, please."


    "Of course. When is Ceres'' graduation, again?"


    "About three or four weeks out," Joel said. "Right before all of this... whatever... going down."


    "Good. We''ll probably stop in then if you don''t mind? Been a long time since I''ve seen Ceres or Lucas."


    "Not since we first found the boy, if I remember correctly?"


    "That sounds about right. It''s strange how time flies, Joel. Speaking of time flying, I ought to get going. Keep up the good work and all of that. I''ll stop by the workshop again while I''m in Costa Sintra - it might only be brief though; Ciara is coming with us."


    "Sounds... fun?" Joel asked, and Victor raised an eyebrow.


    "If we''re making a run at being even slightly together again, we''ve got to start somewhere, yes? Anyway, I see your workers'' truck in the distance. We''ll talk again soon, alright?"


    "Of course, Victor. Thank you."


    "You can thank me when we''re at Samsara and free of this horrible nowhere town."


    Joel and Victor shared a knowing look as Victor departed into the afternoon.


    Samsara. The former home of Renaissance, gutted by fire in the waning days of the rebellion. Slowly, carefully rebuilt over time by Joel, Victor, and some of Joel''s closest confidantes. Was it almost time to return?


    The second wave of the conversation knocked Joel from his footing. Sephie, here? His stomach became a black hole as cosmic butterflies flit about within it. Seeing her again would be quite anxiety-inducing, yet he still welcomed the idea of it. How much has she changed? Is she seeing someone? Joel thought, alarmed at his main concerns being her relationship status and appearance. She doesn''t belong to you anymore. Did she ever, though?


    Shandi and Billy entered the workshop carrying big bags from one of the local burger places, and Billy tossed a foil-wrapped burger to Joel.


    "Eat up, boss," Shandi laughed as the two men set back to work. "Gonna need all your energy this week, aya."


    "Thanks," Joel smiled. Some things, at least, weren''t panic inducing.

 Act 1, Chapter 3

    Lucas


    20th of April, 649


    "You''ve almost got it," Justine said, tenting her fingers in front of her face. The woman was trying, Lucas thought, but he just wasn''t getting it. "Look, how about we wrap up here for the day and try again tomorrow afternoon?"


    Lucas sat back in his chair and sighed. The classroom was empty aside from him and Justine, and Ceres'' distrust of her made Lucas'' insides feel like they were made of flaming oil. Justine, a third-year teaching candidate at the Cape Hale Teachers'' School, had been assigned to Mrs. Osoldo''s class to assist students who struggled with the material. For Lucas, that meant a half hour after school each day in order to catch up on work he''d either skipped out of boredom or a lack of understanding. Lucas shook his head, and Justine shrugged her shoulders.


    "Look, I''m willing to work this out with you. I just need you to try, okay? It''s not like you''ll ever have to think about any of this again in a few weeks'' time, so could you please?"


    "I have been trying," Lucas said, frustrated. Thoughts of what Ceres would think of the two of them alone in the classroom were making it hard to focus. "You''re right, I''m never going to have to read a book and try to write a paper about it ever again. Why do I need to do it now?"


    She sighed, vexed. "Lucas. You need at least a C to pass. Don''t you want to get out of here? Get out of Cygnus?"


    "Yeah, of course I''ve thought about it. Same answer I''ve given to you and to everyone else."


    "And?"


    "I''m probably going to just follow Ceres to Sylva. Still don''t know what I want to do, though."


    Justine looked at him thoughtfully, drumming her pen against her lips. "Not to sound rude, but is that what you want? Just following along with her life and not doing anything for your own? Don''t you want to better yourself?"


    Lucas felt himself blush. It was embarrassing not to know, and he could only imagine what Ceres would think at what Justine had said. He resolved to say nothing about it.


    "Well, I could follow in your footsteps," Lucas started, and Justine raised an eyebrow. "But then again, I''m probably too dumb to teach others."


    "Really? I don''t think so. You''re a smart guy, but maybe literature isn''t your thing. Like my dad always says, if you have no heart for it, don''t do it. Same goes for everything in this life. If your heart''s not in it, then it''s not worth trying to force yourself to do it."


    "See? You''ve made my point for me about this whole thing," Lucas said, closing the book and sliding it across the table. Justine frowned and slid the book back.


    "Look, we''ve talked enough analysis today. Did you bring the essay sample I asked you to bring?"


    Lucas fidgeted. He''d worked late at Mr. Ghannam''s field the night before and completely skipped out on doing the work. Justine''s eyes radiated a quiet fire and he felt even more anxious than he had when he stepped into the room initially.


    "Lucas, you''re making it hard to believe in you," she said, and the words resonated harshly in his ears. He despised failure. Worst of all - when it was self-inflicted. Shame had been a tremendous motivator for him - but some days he just couldn''t find the drive to overcome even that.


    "I worked late, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to disappoint..."


    "Stop," Justine said, her tone gentler than Lucas had expected. "You''ve been doing that thing again. You know, the apologizing and the self-deprecation? Haven''t we talked about that?"


    "Sorry, I..."


    "Lucas," she said, her face now gentle and kind. He felt reassured in her presence but couldn''t help also finding her terribly attractive in the moment. The way her auburn hair fell so long over her shoulders and down her chest over that button-down and...


    Lucas snapped back to the moment. The shadowy wave of failure and the tempest of doubt lurked above the thin shelter of her approval - it was an eerie oasis of calm, and he felt the white noise ebb away.


    "I''m sorry I said it was hard to believe in you. That was unfair."


    "It''s alright."


    "You''re going to do big things with your life. I know that sounds silly and clich¨¦, but it''s the truth. Come on, let''s get to work. We don''t have much time left."


    <hr>


    Lucas knocked on the door and heard fumbling from the other side as footsteps approached.


    "Ceres? I''m back, I don''t have work tonight. Do you wanna hang out?"


    "No, I''m busy. Go away."


    "Is this about Justine again?"


    Silence.


    "Look, she''s my tutor. Blame Mrs. Osoldo or whatever, I don''t see why..."


    Ceres opened the door, eyes puffy from obviously crying.


    "I''m sorry, I just... I get so angry when she''s around. It feels like she and everyone else is trying to steal you from me."


    Lucas didn''t know how to process that feeling. It had only come on in the last month or so of their relationship - he chalked it up to a few things.


    First, the coming graduation must have been weighing heavily on her mind. It would be a tremendous amount of flux for their lives, and not knowing if Lucas would even pass his last year of school was probably driving her mad. They''d spent too many nights up late talking about the future, and he had always heard Ceres'' disappointment and sighs when they''d talk about what he wanted to do. It wasn''t his fault that he didn''t know, but it was his job to figure it out. He needed to please her more than he needed to be happy with whatever he picked.


    The talk of marriage and sex had also worked to a fever pitch over the trailing weeks. Lucas had gone as far as touching her over her underwear when the two were left alone for a few hours. He''d felt her wetness through it and had begged her to go further, but it had been a roadblock she refused to move through. She talked about wanting his children as the two were intimate, and in his heart of hearts he knew he wasn''t ready for anything even remotely close to that. He just wanted to have sex with her, not deal with the aftermath. He''d even stolen a condom from Joel''s bedroom to prepare in the event that they''d go that far, but it remained unused in his wallet. He''d taken great pains not to let her see it.


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    Lucas hugged Ceres, who sank into him like he was a pillow. She was heavy in his arms, beleaguered by whatever wayward thoughts she''d concocted about what he and Justine were doing in that classroom. Lucas had been through this enough to know that it would subside, and she wouldn''t act quite as suspicious, but it was something that really rattled him when he thought about forever with her.


    "No one will take me from you, I promise," Lucas whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "But your mom''s downstairs, so let''s go in your room. Don''t want her hearing us."


    They moved into Ceres'' bedroom, and she shut the door behind them. The walls of the room were painted aquamarine, her favorite color, and there was a thick white shag carpet that covered the entire floor. Lucas liked how it felt under his bare feet and made it a point to never wear socks into the room. She motioned for him to follow her onto the bed, where they laid together in quiet for a moment.


    "Can''t do this too long right now," she murmured. She kissed his neck. "But I''m beginning to think I need to really find a way to show you just how serious I am about you, Lucas."


    "I know how serious you are about me, Cer. You tell me all day long," Lucas smiled. Her ardor had been at times quite intense.


    "Is that a bad thing?"


    "No, of course not. Just saying that I do know, and I understand it."


    She sat up, cross. "Are you saying I shouldn''t say it at all then?"


    Lucas tugged her to lay back down, and she acquiesced.


    "No, of course not. I''m just saying that you don''t need to do anything drastic to prove that you care about me."


    "That I love you, Lucas," Ceres said, sitting back up again. "Did you forget that or are you trying to dance around it on purpose? Did you spend the afternoon making out with Justine or something?"


    Lucas didn''t react. It was a stupid thing for her to say, and any further provocation would go places he didn''t want to go. This time, though, she caught herself.


    "Wow, I said that didn''t I? I''ve been trying harder to keep it in my head, you know."


    Lucas sat up, now feeling quite uneasy. The refuge of his own bedroom suddenly seemed really nice - Joel had installed a lock for his privacy - and he craved the feeling of his own mattress. Anything to be alone right now.


    "Maybe, Cer, you shouldn''t be thinking that at all. You said you love me, right?"


    "Yeah, but what''s that..."


    "Why would you say you love me if you don''t trust me?"


    "It''s not you, it''s other people I..."


    Lucas exhaled, exasperated.


    "It isn''t other people, Cer. You can''t just say things without proof and act like they''re real."


    "You go there in a room with her for an hour every single day. That''s time you should be with me, Lucas. Not there wasting your time trying to get something that you don''t really understand and won''t ever need again soon. Time with me, Lucas. We could be using that whole hour to make out and talk and just spend time together. Don''t you want that?"


    "Of course I do, but Cer, c''mon. I need to at least pass the class. That''s what Justine''s there for. I wouldn''t be sitting in that classroom if it didn''t actually mean something right now. Besides, aren''t you taking this a little too far?"


    She stared him down in a way that made him feel six inches tall.


    "Look, Lucas, if you don''t want to spend time with me, just say it already."


    "I didn''t say that! What do you think I just said?"


    A knock at the door startled them both.


    "Ceres, I told you to keep the door open if Lucas is in there," Espee said, her voice kind but clearly irritated. "And I heard you arguing. Is everything alright?"


    Ceres glared at Lucas.


    "We''re just fine." Ceres said, and she continued to stare daggers at Lucas.


    "Can I come in then?"


    "Sure," Ceres said, standing up and sitting in her chair at the computer desk. She kicked her feet up on it as Espee came into the room.


    Espee''s eyes darted between the two of them. "I was worried," she said, tone stern. "You two aren''t usually arguing this much, are you? It seems like the last few days it''s just been bickering."


    Ceres groaned. "Not like you guys are the best examples," she said. "We''ve got you and Dad to model after, and all you guys did for years and years was bicker about..."


    "Ceres Rachelle Leonart," Espee said forcefully. The full name only came out when Ceres had gone over the line, and Lucas had grown more used to it over the last few months. "That''s a sorry excuse, and you should know it. If this is about that tutor of Lucas'' again, you need to get over it, and quickly. That girl''s 24 years old, she doesn''t want anything to do with Lucas." She turned to him. "Sorry, honey, but that''s the truth."


    "What? Why would you think I''m jealous of that bitch?" Ceres exclaimed, and Espee''s glower turned slowly, deliberately upon Ceres. Her silence spoke the universe, and Ceres, still fuming, looked defeated by it.


    "Can you get out now? I want to be alone," she said, looking between Lucas and Espee. They looked at each other knowingly as Lucas retreated back into the hallway. Espee shut the bedroom door, and Lucas could hear something thrown against the wall as he walked away.


    "She''ll come around," Espee said, shaking her head with annoyance. "Lucas, I think we need to have a talk. Can you come downstairs with me?"


    Lucas had dreaded this moment from the first time he kissed Ceres. They walked down the stairs in silence as Lucas felt like he was walking to the gallows to be hanged.


    "Have a seat," Espee said, her tone indecipherable to Lucas. He felt sweat beading on the back of his neck as he sat down at the kitchen table. Espee sat across from him, stone-faced. Torture! Miserable torture!


    "I saw you and Ceres kissing the other night," she said. There was no anger in her voice - it was gentle, maternal as it always was, and Lucas couldn''t hear any disappointment in it either. "I must say, it''s not what I ever expected to see, but it sort of feels natural, if that makes any sense. You''re not siblings but you''re always together - and with how we found you - Cybele''s divine providence upon us - her blessings seem as if they have not stopped multiplying. I am so grateful that you came to us when you did. Ceres had been so lonely."


    Lucas didn''t know how that made him feel. He hated the idea of the Goddess having any pull in his life, and he hated more that Espee was attributing his hard work and affection and love to something he couldn''t see and frankly couldn''t have given less of a care about.


    "With Joel gone all the time for work, and me just trying to keep everything floating in the house, Ceres had just been sort of rudderless for a long while. She would hole herself up in her room and not want to talk to anyone. She hated it when Joel would go away."


    "What''re you getting at?" Lucas said, perhaps sharper than he meant to. That drew consternation from Espee.


    "She''s worried, you know. It''s written all over her face when she looks at you that she loves you. I''m shocked it took me this long to realize it, but perhaps I was trying to deny the truth of it. It feels serendipitous. Like you were meant to love her, and her to love you."


    "This is weird. I want to go to my room now, Espee."


    "Yes, of course it''s weird, but how often do we actually just talk like this?"


    "We don''t? Do we?"


    "You''re always up in your room or Ceres'' room. It''s like pulling teeth to even know what''s going on in your day sometimes. I''ve had questions, and now I have some answers."


    "Good," Lucas shook his head. "But I really, really just want to go back upstairs now. I''m getting a headache from all of this."


    Espee relented. "I suppose. There''s some medica in the cabinet if you''re out, just me know and I''ll get something together for you."


    "Thanks," he said, feeling his temples throbbing. He usually felt this way after an argument - usually the arguments were substantially longer, and even though Lucas felt exposed and embarrassed by having been found out by Espee, he appreciated her timely intervention tacitly.


    "You know I care about you both very much. If this is what you want to do, Ceres will have to work on stopping being so jealous. I know this well, too - for the first year before Ceres was born, I had so many nerves about Joel that we would argue and shout and... well, those days have passed. Most of the time, anyway. Would you mind if I talked to her?"


    "Uh, I guess?" Lucas said, the awkwardness of the moment permeating. It felt gross, and Lucas hated it.


    "It won''t be today, but I''ll make sure that at least the seed to stop it is planted in her head. Just... just bear it for now, will you?"


    Lucas did not like that question, and he hoped the disgust was apparent on his face. It was a stupid question. Why should he have to bear any sort of abuse like that? Was it expected of him to do so? He''d already had enough of that for a lifetime in his early days in Riamal Haven - just grinning and bearing it - but from Espee?


    He said nothing as she stood from the table and put her hand on his shoulder.


    "Let''s talk again soon, alright? Perhaps one of these days Ceres and I will get you to come to church with us. Who knows? It might be interesting to you."


    Lucas smiled, thin-lipped. He shook his head as Espee walked away, and sat alone in the kitchen, staring at the ceiling.

 Act 1, Chapter 4

    Caroline


    21st of April, 649


    The cool spring morning air drew steam from Caroline''s tea as she ventured towards the window of her bedroom. A faint breeze wafted in - it felt good as it kissed her face. The scent of the sea was always so comforting, she thought, looking out over the Chapel grounds. The weekend had been relaxing - she had spent much time with Turonn going over her lesson plans for the Attendants, and he had been extremely helpful with coming up with ideas for activities for she and the girls to do during the upcoming week.


    With High Vestal Vivienne departing for the church at Saiph Haven tomorrow morning, Caroline would be in charge - a weighty mantle, she knew, but one that she would take upon herself one day, Cybele willing. It was just past 0700, and Caroline had planned on starting classes in just under an hour''s time. The Attendants were Caroline''s charges. Her students, she preferred to call them, as she had been tasked with teaching them a variety of subjects. The mantle of being the Vestal of the Church had been kind to Caroline, and she found great joy in the accomplishment of being able to teach the girls about the arts and sciences.


    The High Vestal approved, too. Rates of retention within the Church had gone up as Attendants chose to stay in the ranks after turning 12. Those who stayed were sent off to other locations to train to become Vestals at their own chapels or places of worship - Caroline had been responsible for no less than ten in her five years in the position. She felt humbled by it more than proud, but even the usually taciturn Vivienne had encouraged her to find pride in it.


    Pride, Caroline thought, chewing her lip. A sin in the eyes of Cybele. So why would that be okay?


    The holy texts had spoken much of the evils in the world, pride and lust being two of them. The Grand Conclave had put them to the page just over 600 years prior at the start of the Cybelian Era, and she knew that their word, although strict at times, was open to interpretation. At least, that''s what Vivienne said. Caroline didn''t know if such things were truly frowned upon, but she appreciated the gentle oversight.


    She finished her tea and prepared for the day - a quick shower, combed hair, fresh robes - the girls would be gathering outside her door soon, she thought as she tied her long hair into a braid that hung over her shoulder. A smattering of knocks confirmed her suspicions, and she smiled as she opened it to find two of her Attendants, Serena and Emilia, standing with their backs straight and hands clasped behind their backs.


    "Good morning, Vestal," they said in unison, to which Caroline stifled a chuckle as she smiled.


    "Come on! It''s so nice outside," Serena urged, big brown eyes wide with excitement. Emilia smiled and nodded excitedly and reached for Caroline''s hand, and Caroline fumbled with the keys to her apartment to lock up as the girls pulled her into the hallway.


    <hr>


    It was a good deal hotter than Caroline had expected for a day this early in the spring, and she felt her robes matted with sweat against her back as the breeze sent a shiver down her spine. It was just after lunch now, and the Attendants were out in the fields digging and planting seeds - Caroline observed from a folding chair that Turonn had dragged out of storage for her. Improper to make you stand, he''d said, as if she were made of glass.


    It was a strange habit of his, even having had known her all these years. He was fiercely protective of her, but she honestly did not mind it too much. The way the cloth stuck to her back was something she did mind, though, and she jostled uncomfortably in the seat trying to find relief. As she managed to get it to move just right, she saw Emilia and Serena excitedly digging away. Some of the other girls had grown bored and were playing games instead, but those two were determinedly digging away and marveling at what they found.


    Caroline appreciated their wonder. She''d been much the same, digging in the black sandy beaches on the shoreline of Larnell, hurriedly carrying sea glass and shells to her parents. Since coming to the Church, however, she found that she hadn''t had much time to do those things - she found vicarious enjoyment in the girls'' laughter and happiness.


    "Vestal Caroline!" Serena called, running in her direction. "We found something cool! Come over here!"


    Caroline smoothed her robe and stood up as Serena''s muddy hand took her hand - she practically dragged Caroline across the field to a hole in the ground where Emilia knelt, big dark eyes like saucers. Both girls'' robes were covered in dirt, and Caroline momentarily noticed the big splotch on her own before her eyes were transfixed upon a strange rock that Emilia held, cupped in her hands. It was about the size of a coin and seemed to catch a rainbow of colors.


    "That''s beautiful," Caroline said, and Emilia looked up at her, alarmed. "May I see it?" Emilia shook her head, and Caroline shrugged.


    "Don''t be like that, Emi," Serena said. "I found it too, and I want to show Vestal Caroline. You can show the Vestal. If you don''t, you''re being rude."


    The two looked at each other with hostility, which made Caroline uneasy. After a moment, Emilia handed the stone to Serena, who handed it to Caroline. She turned it over gently in her hand. It was smooth, as if polished. Perhaps, she thought, this was a piece of jewelry someone lost?


    "What do you plan on doing with this?" Caroline asked, and Emilia looked at Serena before both girls shrugged.


    "I don''t know." Serena said. "What do you think, Emi?"


    Emilia sat in the dirt looking unhappy. "I don''t want to share it," she said after a moment, and Serena frowned.


    "Well, you have to. We found it together. Isn''t that right, Vestal Caroline?"


    "That''s right," Caroline nodded, leaning forward to return the stone to Emilia. "You both found it, you''ll need to share it. If you can''t, I''m sure the High Vestal would love to add it to her collection."


    Emilia grunted, and Serena rolled her eyes. "Goddess, Emi, act your age! Quit being such a baby!"


    "I''m not a baby!" Emilia said, fire in her eyes. Caroline''s stern frown brought the tensions to a crashing halt, though, and both girls looked to her apologetically.


    "Sorry, Vestal Caroline," Serena said. "We''ll stop."


    "Speak for yourself," Emilia said, but Caroline paid her no mind.


    "We should start heading back to the Chapel," Caroline said. She thought it would be a good time to head inside - with the way the wind had been picking up, it almost seemed like rain was on its way in. "Emilia, could you please go get the other girls?"


    Emilia grunted again, standing up begrudgingly.


    "Don''t worry about the dirt. We''ll get cleaned up when we get back," Caroline smiled, but noticed something strange in the way Emilia clutched the stone - her knuckles were white, as if she was squeezing it with all her strength.


    <hr>


    "How was it out there today?" Turonn asked as he sat down across from Caroline in the common area. The common area was adjacent to the classroom in the Chapel''s main building - "faculty only", Caroline liked to joke. The furniture of the common area centered around a large glass coffee table, which shone pristinely. The High Vestal was dutiful about keeping it clean, almost too much so. A comfortable recliner, which Turonn now sat in, was flanked by an armchair on one side, and an end table on another. The couch on which Caroline sat was velvety and extremely plush - so much so that she liked to joke it was eating her when she sat down on it.


    Paintings of Terrahean landmarks adorned the walls, and a vase full of fresh flowers sat upon a mantle near the fireplace. It was an incredibly inviting, comfortable space. The High Vestal had her share of guests visit the Chapel over the years, and many get-togethers had occurred within these walls.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    That, and many late nights of board games. Caroline and Vivienne were always excited to see what Turonn would bring back on his monthly supply run to Elegir''s capital, Rigelios. While the majority of what he brought back was food or other basic supplies, he would sometimes sneak a trip to a games shop in Saiph Haven to peruse their selection. Caroline had become voracious for them - it was far more interesting than reading the news on her SGNL device - none of it had ever been good news, anyway. She was partial to the ones set in fantasy worlds and had been particularly excited when Turonn had brought back Legends of Illyria for them.


    "It was good," Caroline nodded. She''d made a late-evening cup of tea, as was her custom. "The girls have been enjoying their time in the fields quite a bit. Emilia and Serena actually found an interesting stone while they were digging today."


    "An interesting stone?" Turonn said, sitting forward. "What did it look like?"


    "I didn''t get to get too close of a look, but it was sort of glass-like in how it caught light. Very pretty, very smooth."


    "Hm. I know we have some deposits of Rigelite around here. Perhaps they found some of that?"


    Caroline shrugged. "Maybe? What does that look like?"


    "Sort of glassy, as you described, but it has black flecks inside it. They mine it out east."


    "I''ll have to take a closer look. Maybe the next time you see Emilia, you can ask her?"


    "That sounds like an idea," he nodded.


    "You might have to twist her arm a bit to get her to show you, though. She''d been pretty protective of it."


    "That''s strange, but kids do strange things. I remember you being particularly weird about organizing the boxes of tea your mother would send."


    "Weird?" Caroline blushed. "What do you mean?"


    "Like I said," he smiled. "Kids do weird things. You remember the time I caught you in the main hall in the middle of the night, stashing them in a hole in the wall?"


    "I thought you''d forgotten," Caroline laughed. "Yes, I remember that. I had that roommate who would steal my things. Do you remember her?"


    "I remember helping her parents pack her car after we dismissed her, yes."


    "I heard laughing," High Vestal Vivienne''s voice called from the hall as she glided into the room. "Am I missing something funny?"


    "Just talking about the time I found the Vestal stashing her teabags in the wall," Turonn said. He drank from a small glass on the end table - Caroline wasn''t sure what was in there, but the one time she had snuck a sniff it smelled like paint thinner. Vivienne smiled widely.


    "Oh, yes, of course," she said, smoothing her skirt and sitting down on the opposite end of the couch from Caroline. It was late now, and all the Attendants had gone to bed. Some of the other Chapel staff had also gone home for the evening, but the three of them lived permanently on the grounds.


    Vivienne kicked off her shoes and put them up on the table with a smirk. The Velusian woman had always seemed an unorthodox choice for High Vestal, but Caroline was grateful for that. She''d come into the Church in her thirties and were it not for the greying hairs at her temples, Caroline supposed that some people would have even mistaken them for sisters.


    Caroline explained what had happened in the afternoon, and Vivienne nodded, listening intently.


    "I see! Well, it''s good that they''re not afraid to get their hands dirty. I rather like digging in the weeds myself," Vivienne smiled. "How have other things been going with the Attendants? I know we are coming up on the end of the learning year, and that some of them are due to graduate out. Do you feel that they''re ready?"


    Emilia, Serena, and another girl, Dylan, were all twelve this year - Caroline had been paying them extra attention in the hopes that they would choose to stay and train to become Vestals elsewhere.


    "It''s too soon to tell, High Vestal," Caroline said, sipping at her tea.


    "It''s Viv," Vivienne sighed. "When it''s just the three of us, you know you can dispense with the formalities. I''ve only said this..."


    "... a million times, I know."


    "You''re as bad as Turonn about it," she jibed, and Turonn nodded.


    "Can''t help it," he laughed. "Not used to not being formal with Church folks. Do you remember when High Vestal Calista came in from the Minervas and you called her Cal, Vestal Caroline? She darn near burst into flames."


    Caroline smiled. She''d been in training then and had been chewed out for a solid half hour about ''formalities'' - when mean old Calista had walked away at last in a huff, Vivienne pulled her aside and the two shared a hearty laugh about it. There was a time and a place for formalities, Caroline believed, but such strict adherence didn''t really seem too necessary in the modern world. There may have been a time before the Church had really taken root for that sort of structure to be so rigid, but that time was not now.


    "What a hothead that woman was," Vivienne said, shaking her head. "We don''t usually get excited when people pass on to Elysium, but that old crone wasn''t exactly the sweetest person around."


    She was probably enjoying time bitching at Corybas in the Great Blazes, Caroline mused.


    Caroline was fond of her Chapel ''family''. She enjoyed the way that Turonn''s eyes would light up when he''d tell stories of his days before the Church, and particularly loved stories about his family. Vivienne had a quick wit and a capacity to laugh at both herself and the world around her. So many nights had been spent in their company that, while they were not her blood family, she considered them as close as such.


    Turonn plucked a board game from the cupboard - not Legends of Illyria tonight - and the three set to playing. As the game drew to its close, Caroline yawned louder than she expected to, drawing a laugh from Vivienne.


    "What''s the matter? Didn''t get enough sleep last night? It''s only 2130."


    "Been having those dreams again?" Turonn asked, and Caroline nodded reluctantly.


    "Not last night, but two or three days ago I did. It''s weird. They seem to come and go, and I can never do anything but just walk around in them."


    "Hm," Vivienne said, laying a card down on the game board. She grinned impishly as she took several tokens from Caroline''s pile. "I would wager that if it keeps happening that we will need to consult with Sha''ul about it."


    "And get the Grand Luminatrix involved?" Turonn asked, seeming skeptical. "There hasn''t been anything too out of sorts in the dreams, has there?"


    "Nothing unusual," Caroline said. "Just the same field, the same person on the rocks, the same blue light at the end."


    "A blue light? You haven''t mentioned that before," Vivienne said, perking up. "That seems rather strange, wouldn''t you say?"


    Caroline felt her cheeks grow flushed. "Well, we''ve talked about it before, haven''t we? You said it might have something to do with the Goddess."


    Vivienne and Turonn looked at one another cautiously.


    "I suppose it''s nothing too out of the ordinary," he said after a moment. Caroline felt her heart in her chest beating hard. Anxiety felt like a balloon in her stomach. "But if it happens again..."


    "What does the blue light mean?"


    "Of that I am not sure," Vivienne said. "I will raise it to High Vestal Ileen when I am in Rigelios tomorrow, though. She knows more about Dreamseers than I."


    Dreamseers. The term that Vivienne had used was a word not uttered lightly by those of the cloth - to be a Dreamseer meant a particularly special connection with Cybele. Many had claimed to hear Cybele, to see her in their dreams, to be the ''Voice of the Goddess Apparent'' - and all, save for one, had lost their heads. Dreamseer Rin Arondel, who had lived just about three centuries before, had been the only one to prove their connection. Caroline was unsure of how this had come to be proven, but she did know that she died not long after that. The thought of how she died, though, twisted Caroline''s gut into a knot - Dreamseer Arondel had been run through from bottom to top upon a tremendous wooden spike by a splinter faction of Church adherents who deemed her a heretic.


    Will they kill me, too?


    "Caroline, dear, are you alright?" Vivienne asked. "You''ve gone pale as a ghost. Do you need water or anything?"


    "No, I am just fine, thank you. Just feeling a little tired."


    "Cybele does not like a liar," Vivienne said, again with that mischievous smirk. "I understand that you are nervous about me bringing this up to other people, but I feel like we can trust Ileen. She has a been a friend of mine for many years, and she approaches things with a far more level head than say, the Grand Luminatrix."


    That didn''t make Caroline feel any better, but she trusted Vivienne enough that she wasn''t going to push the issue any further.


    "Perhaps we should resume this game when you return next week?" Turonn asked.


    "That seems like it would be a good idea," Vivienne answered. "Caroline, you really ought to head to bed when you get in."


    "I will escort you back," Turonn said, and Caroline nodded. She was feeling rather tired.


    <hr>


    Caroline bid the High Vestal a safe journey to Saiph Haven, then walked across the Chapel grounds with Turonn. Deneb shone down upon the grounds, giving a faint rosy-peach tinge to everything. When they arrived, Turonn said goodnight and continued walking along - he was fond of nighttime walks and would often listen out for owls or other creatures of the night.


    Caroline''s bed looked entirely too cozy, but she was still wearing her dirt-splotched robe from earlier. She changed into her nightclothes and collapsed into a heap on the bed, snuggling herself into a comfortable sleep.


    <hr>


    "So you''ve come back," the girl on the rock said, looking Caroline squarely in the eye. "I thought you''d never return."


    The sky above Caroline was cut into familiar halves, but the girl''s face was as clear as day. She is pale like death, Caroline thought, and to her surprise - the girl''s face scrunched in anger.


    "I am not dead. Why does everyone think I''m dead?" she said, slamming a closed fist upon the rock. It cracked with the punch, and Caroline stepped backwards. "Ah, damnit. I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to scare you."


    "How did you read my mind? Who are you?"


    "I should be asking you questions. Why are you here?" The girl asked, and Caroline felt her heart begin to race. Wait. Why do I feel that here? Am I...


    "Is this Elysium? Are you the Goddess?"


    The girl looked at Caroline for several horrible moments.


    "What? Are you kidding me? Do I look like a Goddess?"


    "I don''t know, I..."


    "Hm."


    Thunder cracked in the distance. The sounds of rushing water followed, and Caroline could feel mist on her face.


    The young woman sighed and shook her head. "You''re out of time."


    "Excuse me? Wait, what do you mean I''m out of time? How do you know my name?"


    "Perhaps I will see you again soon..." The girl said with a wave as the scenery began to fold like paper around the two. The last thing she saw was the girl smiling before the sounds of rushing water became deafening and a bright blue flash of lightning stole her away from the dream.

 Act 1, Chapter 5

    Lucas


    22nd of April, 649


    Lucas sighed as he stared out at the rainy morning through the cracks in the blinds. It was a weekday, but not a school day, and he had a headache as thunderous as the morning itself. The night had brought storms from down over the Aquilas, and he winced as his head throbbed.


    It would be a miserable day working Mr. Ghannam''s fields, but he knew at the end fo the day at least that there''d be warm food waiting in the farmhouse''s kitchen. Mr. Ghannam''s daughter Rita was one of Lucas and Ceres'' classmates, as well as Ceres'' best friend. Lucas didn''t care all that much for her - she was smart but overly loud, and in his eyes, a bit of a braggart.


    It really wasn''t her fault, though. Lucas hadn''t been a fan of most of his classmates throughout his time in Cygnus. He''d always felt like an outsider, even moreso than Ceres, and had trouble reckoning with those feelings on a regular basis. One person that didn''t irritate him to no end was Bobby Rodriguez. The two bonded over a shared love of writing and rap music, exchanging mixes with one another of artists they enjoyed and others that Lucas had never heard of before. Bobby always talked about moving north to Elegir, where the rap scene was vibrant and ever-changing - much unlike Cygnus, which felt with each passing day more like a place where dreams like Bobby''s went to die.


    There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Lucas groaned, stretching his arms over his head. "It''s not locked."


    "Thanks," Joel said, poking his head into the room. "Are you decent? I gotta talk to you about something before I head out this morning."


    "Well, you''re in here already, aren''t you?" Lucas winced as the hallway light flooded the dark room. "I was gonna try to get some more sleep before work."


    "That''s what I wanted to talk about," Joel said, sitting down in Lucas'' desk chair. "I talked to Mr. Ghannam. You''re not going there today."


    "That''s a relief," Lucas flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Why? He fire me or something?"


    "No. He said he''s been grateful for your work at the farm, but he knows it''s not what you''re really looking for. I know you don''t like it when others make decisions for you, but I''ve had an opportunity come up at the shop the last few days and I figured that you might be interested in learning about what I do."


    "You work for the Empire, don''t you? Pass."


    "That much is true, yeah. But c''mon, Lucas. I know how much you want to see the world and explore what''s out there, right? How are you going to do that if you''re stuck in this nowheresville for the rest of your life?"


    "You brought me here. I didn''t have much of a choice."


    "You always say that Lucas, but you know it''s better than you had before."


    "Is it?"


    "I don''t know and I''m not here to talk semantics or argue with you. I know how much you love your atlases and wanting to travel, and if all goes well with this you''ll be able to do that. Will you please hear me out?"


    "No. Not for the Empire. Not for a million terros. Not a chance."


    "I think you''d do more than you think you would for a million terros. The things you could learn working with me might set you on that path. It''s Empire work, yes, but you''d be shadowing and learning the ropes for the most part. It''s assistant work, and the paycheck is nothing to scoff at, either."


    "Don''t you make guns or something? Why would I want to make guns for them?"


    "I don''t make just guns, Lucas. If you think that''s all I do, then you haven''t been paying much attention."


    "Don''t take it personal," Lucas laughed, "but I don''t pay attention to much of anything."


    "I know," Joel laughed. "Sometimes though, that''ll hurt you. You have to at least pretend like you know what''s going on. Just smiling and nodding ain''t ever going to get you anywhere."


    "Maybe I don''t want to get anywhere," Lucas sighed, feeling irritated at the lecture. "When I''m old enough though, I''m just gonna leave town. Take Ceres with me."


    "Good luck with that," Joel laughed again, "but I get a feeling that girl''s going to be the one taking you with her. The test for the Academy in Sylva''s coming up soon, right? I know she''s been talking about that and studying with Rita for a few months now. How do you feel about all that?"


    "Like my brain''s gonna pour out my ears whenever those two get rolling about this and that. I''m not dumb but I''m not anywhere near as smart as them." Lucas'' head throbbed again. "I got a real nasty headache. We got any medica for it in the cabinet in the bathroom or something?"


    "Probably. I''ll go check."


    Lucas watched as Joel left the room and promptly returned with two small orange tablets, which Lucas swallowed with some effort. He hated taking medicine for anything but knew that a migraine wasn''t about to treat him lightly. Some battles were worth fighting.


    "So as I was saying before," Joel continued, leaning against Lucas'' dresser, "I want you to come work with me at the workshop for the rest of the school year and into the summertime. After that, we might be able to wrangle you a job out in Sylva while Ceres is at school. What do you think about that?"


    "Like you''re counting me out of going to the Academy, Joel. I was gonna take the test, too."


    "You sure about that? You just told me you can''t even listen to Ceres and Rita when they talk about it. That exam''s no joke, you realize. It costs a pretty penny, too. You better be as ready as you can be if you''re actually going to do it. Does that Justine you tutor with do any Academy prep work?"


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "If you want your daughter to put my head on a pike, maybe. I could ask her."


    "Ceres isn''t putting anyone''s head on a pike. Not on my watch, anyway."


    Lucas smiled. "I''d like to see you try to stop her. Once she gets on about..." His smile faded as Joel raised an eyebrow.


    "No bad talking my daughter, alright?"


    "Yes sir," Lucas said sheepishly.


    "I know everything from Espee, Lucas. No secrets in this house, that''s what she always says, and it''s better that way. I know you and Ceres have gotten real close, so just watch what you say and what you do, okay? Besides, why do you think I tried to get you work at the shop, huh? Not just ''cause I like you, kid."


    Lucas sighed. He had thought himself so good at keeping his and Ceres'' relationship a secret but felt minor relief at knowing that both Joel and Espee seemed to approve of it. He didn''t feel worthy of the acceptance, though. A girl like Ceres deserved someone who could pull down Deneb for her, and Lucas knew that some ruddy-cheeked boy from the slums wasn''t going to be the one to do it. A doomed endeavor, he chewed the inside of his lip as he thought about a response to Joel.


    "I appreciate it," Lucas said at last with a nod. "When do you need me to start?"


    "I was thinking of having you come in this afternoon once the storms pass through. Should give you some time to get some more sleep in and get showered and such. You were up pretty late, weren''t you?"


    Joel wasn''t wrong. Lucas had been up late watching a rerun of the Empire''s newest reality show, What''s In Your Sock?, and had been transfixed by the premise to the point where 0200 had come before he even knew it. No wonder I''ve got a headache.


    "Espee cut up some fruit last night and it''s in the fridge if you''re feeling hungry. I ate all the blackberries though, so if you''re looking for those you''re too late," Joel stood to leave the room. "I''ll meet you around 1200 on my lunch break and I''ll drive you over to the shop. You might not like the Empire much, but at least my guys are good company."


    "That''s an understatement," Lucas said. "The Empire can kiss my ass."


    "I know. They bought some new lipstick for the occasion. See you at 1200."


    Joel shut the door and Lucas watched the rain lash at the bedroom window. A new job for the Empire seemed like his nightmares made manifest but knowing that he''d be getting paid well and that it''d be laying some foundations for his future deadened the blow of it all. He was sad for a moment about leaving the farm behind, but knew that Joel was right there, too. Why does he always have to be right?


    <hr>


    Lucas waited nervously in the driveway as Joel pulled the truck in just after 1200 that afternoon. He didn''t want to come off as too fidgety, but his shirt itched weirdly and the thoughts of working with Empire folk felt like sacrilege of the worst kind to him. He''d heard about Shandi before and knew a little about Billy through Bobby - the two were brothers. Past that, Lucas didn''t really know what to expect. It wasn''t like Joel talked much about what he actually did at the workshop, and even if he had, it was less likely still that Lucas would''ve even been listening to him.


    The truck pulled up in front of the house and Joel honked the horn. Lucas shuffled down to the street and got into the truck, which smelled faintly of whatever Joel''d had for lunch and a smell Lucas couldn''t place.


    "You ready?" Joel asked as Lucas buckled in. With a wordless nod, the two were off down the long winding roads to the workshop. Buds were starting to come in on the sparse trees along the roadway, and a warm breeze wafted through the open window as Lucas took in the scenery. Cygnus was on the northern edge of a long expanse of what eventually became the Great Tansarian Desert, which spanned the entire southern half of the continent of Terrah. As such, scrub brush and cacti could be seen most everywhere in town, but Cygnus had made efforts to plant actual trees around the town. Lucas missed the greenery of his hometown, but Cygnus''s main plaza at least gave him some reprieve from all the sand and brush.


    "So when we get there," Joel began, interrupting Lucas'' thoughts, "I won''t be saddling you with anything right away. You''ll get a chance to shoot the shit with the guys and get to know them - I know you already know about Bobby a bit but Shandi''s a good guy, too."


    "I''m sure," Lucas said, continuing to stare out the window.


    "I get that you''re feeling nervous, Lucas. Who wouldn''t be, right? But all you really have to do is just listen and help out where you can. We''ve got some paperwork to do later to get you paid, but this should help you get a bit saved up before you leave for wherever you''re going. Should also get you in good with one of my associates. I think I''ve told you about him before. His name''s Tommy, he works as a professor of mechanical engineering. I think you''ll like him. Real vibrant guy."


    "I don''t want to do mechanical engineering, Joel. I can''t do math to save my life, why do you think I''d be good at that?"


    "Mr. Ghannam told me you fixed a bunch of the carburetors on his old mowers. That you spent time meticulously taking apart and putting back together the cultivator blades. You''re good with your hands, you''re good at building things. That''s an important component, Lucas."


    "Yeah, but I did those things because I had to for work. Not because I liked it."


    "So what then, you gonna go off to Elegir and go rap with Bobby? I''ve heard you, Lucas, I don''t think that''s a good idea."


    Lucas blushed at the comment - he hadn''t wanted anyone to have heard him practicing, but he didn''t realize Joel had been home that day.


    "You''ve got time to figure things out. There''s no hurry. You''re gonna be eighteen in a few months."


    "Wasn''t Espee a mother at eighteen?"


    "Yes, but that was..."


    "I know the story. I''m not saying I want to be a parent at eighteen. Just saying, some people seem to know what they''re doing this early. Feels weird not to know what I want to do or to be."


    "Sometimes we don''t get a choice in it," Joel shook his head solemnly. They turned onto another long road and Lucas faced forward. The workshop wasn''t too far away now - the road they were on passed through the middle of Cygnus, where the town''s plaza and a few restaurants were located. The Copper Stallion was Lucas'' favorite, and he found himself craving their nachos more often than not lately.


    Cygnus wasn''t a terribly large town in terms of population, but it sprawled out over a large distance. On its southern edge was Bobby''s father''s orchards - long since past their glory days, sadly. To the west were old farmsteads, including Mr. Ghannam''s. Lucas'' neighborhood of Minor''s End sat due east of the central town area, and other smaller subdivisions flanked it to the east and north. On the northern edge of town were some smaller industrial facilities and set atop a secluded ridge on the north end was Joel''s workshop.


    "I know we don''t always get a choice. But like, don''t people just know these things? Ceres knows what she wants to do. If you think I''m good with a wrench, you should see what she is capable of. It blows my mind how much she knows just from her books."


    "Book smart doesn''t mean as much as some folks think it does," Joel shrugged. "It''s important of course, but it''s not everything if you get what I''m saying. I learned a lot of things just by doing them. Hopefully some of this all rubs off on you."


    As the road sloped uphill towards the workshop, Lucas thought he saw a flash of purple light zip across the sky. Lucas knew about mirages from reading about the Great Tansarian Desert but knew that what he saw just then wasn''t a mirage.


    "Did you see that?" Lucas asked, startled. "Something moved across the sky."


    "A Drone, probably," Joel shrugged, unfazed. "Been seeing a few here and there the last couple of days. Sometimes the farmers''ll use them for collecting data on moisture in the air."


    "This didn''t look like one of those," Lucas frowned. "They can''t afford Pulse-powered Drones, can they?"


    "Maybe it''s the government, then? Velus usually leaves this part of the country alone, but who really ever knows with them?"


    Something about the way Joel said it made Lucas feel uneasy. More than anything, the purple light reminded him of something that made his stomach tremble. The lights of Valdena.


    "Anyway, we''re here. C''mon, let''s go say hello to the guys."

 Act 1, Chapter 6

    Joel


    22nd of April, 649


    Joel pulled the truck into the workshop''s driveway. He was glad to see that Shandi or Billy had had the forethought to put tarps out over the piles of materials in the shop''s front yard, and even more glad that Lucas had stopped prodding him about the Drone he''d seen. The boy was tremendously curious, and Joel knew that sooner or later he would have to own up to having lied about it. However, that time wasn''t now.


    "Hey! I brought Lucas over. Come out and say hello!" Joel called as they walked towards the bay door of the garage, where Shandi was using a large push broom to push water out of the shop''s floor. There was a large air blower set up, and Billy walked into the garage carrying another.


    "What happened here?" Joel asked, and Shandi forced a smile.


    "Ain''t rain, aya," Shandi sighed. "One of the pipes for the sprinklers burst. We''ve got most of it cleaned up, but someone''ll have to come out and fix it tomorrow. The valve to the sprinkler''s shut off at least."


    "I can see that. Guess the grass out front''ll have to be dry for another day or two, eh? I''ll give Tony a call when we get settled in," Joel looked at Lucas, who stood there silently - it was clear to Joel that he didn''t know what to say. He turned back to Shandi. "We''ve got extra hands for the Terradrill prep now that Lucas is here to help - just tell him what to do and it should go pretty smoothly."


    "It''s good to be here," Lucas said, and Joel was surprised at how shy the boy sounded.


    "What''s he know?" Shandi asked, leaning on the mop. He''d asked the same question yesterday.


    "Not a whole lot," Joel admitted. "But we can teach him. Besides, Shandi, you''re good at that kind of thing."


    Shandi leaned forward on his broom. "Yeah? Do I get paid extra for it, aya?" Joel noticed Billy stifle a laugh.


    "If you call the Emperor, maybe," Joel and Shandi laughed as Lucas looked on awkwardly. "But enough joking, we gotta get this all staged for the truck this afternoon. Big part''s coming in as you well know. Billy, can you toss Lucas a mop or something? Let him help get this cleaned up, and Shandi, I''ll need you to focus on getting the inventory list double-checked. Are we good?"


    "Sure, boss," Billy said, gesturing for Lucas to follow him into the workshop. The boy followed quietly, almost meekly, and Joel exhaled an exasperated sigh.


    "Aya," Shandi sighed, "this is gonna be an interesting summer, isn''t it?"


    "You can say that again," Joel laughed.


    Joel''d been preparing for the first delivery from the Empire all week - their newest task for him had been to get things ready for the impending annexation, and that included prep work on some of the digging machinery that they''d need at the mining site. Why exactly they needed him to do it, Joel was unsure - he just knew that Victor had a hand in the decision-making, and as with all things bureaucratic there was a whole lot of handshaking and winking going on. He didn''t waste thoughts on whether or not that was a good thing - it kept a roof over his family''s head.


    Joel set down his bag on a chair near the door of his office and closed the blinds so that the others on the shop floor couldn''t see him, then shut the door and threw the bolt. He''d been craving some alone time, and he knew that unless he locked himself in, someone would come knocking or barge in. He sat down at the desk and turned on the computer - its screen hummed to life as Joel accessed the SGNL messaging system.


    Victor had sent over the schematics for today''s upcoming build, and with a wave of his hand, Joel turned on a much larger Technica screen that hung on the wall of the office. He studied it at a distance, using his hands to change the scale - the motion controls were a newer Technica that he had been prototyping, and it was nice to actually use them. It wasn''t often that Joel got to design things of his own accord - he''d spent a disproportionate amount of time over the years doing what Victor asked him to do. That''ll change soon, I hope, he thought, zooming in on the details of what they''d be working on this week.


    A pair of drills, one large and one small, mounted to a vehicle the size of a large bus - the Terradrill. It had several large cylindrical pipes mounted on the side of it - once the small bore had done its job, explosives would be sent into the deepest part of the borehole, and the large drill would finish off the excavations. It was a neat design, Joel thought, but rather tactless. Anything delicate would be obliterated by the explosions, and the drills themselves were either too small or too large to handle anything difficult without great struggle.


    Joel sent the schematics to the main screen of the garage - he''d be needing them when the truck came with the first crates later. As he began to close out of the SGNL system, he felt the device in his pocket buzz.


    Strange. Espee''s getting her hair done. Who is this?


    Joel turned off the computer and leaned back in the chair to get the SGNL phone from his pocket.


    No.


    "Hey Joel. Hope you''re well. Thinking about you. -S"


    It was the first time in years she''d tried to reach out. Joel felt frozen to his office chair, riveted by the wash of emotions that were dredged up by those eight words. He tried to recompose himself, but nothing seemed to be working - he felt at once quite exhausted.


    <hr>


    "There ya go, Mr. Leonart," the truck driver said, handing Joel a clipboard. "Just sign ''ere and we''ll be on our way. Quite a delivery if I might say so myself, eh?"


    "You can say that again," Joel said, quickly scrawling a signature onto the paper. "Gotta pay the bills somehow."


    "Ain''t we all knowin'' it?" The driver and his helper both laughed. "Long ass drive back to Valdena, but they''re payin'' us good, too. Hey, Erik! Get it goin''!"


    The driver slowly backed the truck out of the garage and maneuvered through the yard, and Joel looked over the prodigious pile of crates and pallets before them. Lucas fidgeted nervously. Joel was surprised - it wasn''t supposed to be this much, not yet anyway.


    "There''s gotta be at least five tons of shit here," Shandi said, walking around one of the wrapped pallets. "I''ll fire up the forklift, you just tell me where you want all of this."


    "I''ll go with him," Lucas said, and Joel nodded.


    "Just don''t let the boy drive the forklift yet," Joel smiled, and Lucas rolled his eyes. Shandi nodded.


    "Yeah, aya. Probably too soon, mm."


    Joel noticed that Billy was looking at the pile just as awestruck as Lucas was.


    "Hey, boss? How are we supposed to get all this done in three weeks?" He said, turning to Joel.


    "Not sure. Still trying to figure that part out, too."


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    As Lucas and Shandi disappeared into the other room to get the forklift, Billy paced around the pile.


    "My goodness, man. There''s so much. Is that Empire guy gonna let you hire anyone else? I know you just brought Lucas on, but my kid brother Bobby knows a thing or two about Technica, maybe you can get him up and rollin'' too?"


    "I''ll talk to him," Joel said, and Billy nodded.


    "Right on, right on. Alright, I''ll go an'' help them get set up. Did ya want me to call Bobby up when he''s out of work tonight? He''s over at CJ''s Groceries but this kinda work would probably do him some good."


    "Yeah, that would be fine. Let me talk to my contact and we''ll go from there, how about that? Maybe he can come in tomorrow and talk with me."


    "You won''t regret it," Billy smiles. Billy had always been a hard worker, but from what Joel knew of Bobby via Lucas and Ceres, the younger of the two Rodriguez brothers was prone to distraction and, even though Joel hated to judge without knowing the boy, may have been the textbook definition of "lazy".


    "There''s something else I wanted to talk about," Billy continued. "Can we talk in your office?" Joel nodded, and the two went into the office, closing the door behind them. Billy sat on the couch along the wall and folded his hands. It wasn''t like him to pull Joel aside - he was usually pretty forthright with what he wanted or needed, and it caught Joel off guard.


    "So, I know it''s gonna be hard to hear, so let me preface this by saying that I really like working here and working for you, Joel. But I''m thinking that y''know, when this is all said and done, this new project - I''m gonna get things in order and move back home."


    "What? Really? Back out to Rhodaile?"


    "Yeah. It might be just a little place, but... well, my pa, he talks about it all the time. Y''know, since my ma died, he''s been talking about ''needing to see the sea again'', and I wanna make sure he can do that every day. He''s been, uh, on the bottle a lot lately."


    Joel nodded solemnly, slowly. He made sure the drawer where he kept his whisky was closed discreetly as Billy continued.


    "So, uh, maybe it''d be good to have Bobby workin'' for ya. He''s got all these big dreams about moving to Elegir and making it big as a rapper but, well, y''know how dreams go. It''s important to me that if he''s gonna do something with his life that he learns some skills, and I think you''d be the best to help him learn."


    "I''m flattered," Joel started. "If I can be candid, it''s going to suck pretty bad to lose you, Billy. You''ve been a good employee and a good friend, and I''ve appreciated everything you''ve done for me so far. I''ll talk to my contact about Bobby, for sure."


    He rubbed his beard. "So, your dad isn''t doing too well?"


    Billy set his jaw and shook his head. It was obvious to Joel that it was worse than Billy let on, but he didn''t push it.


    "Maybe we can have dinner at the Copper Stallion one night, all of us? Bring him along. Seeing people might be good for him."


    At this, Billy smiled. "Yeah. I like that. Gotta keep him from the bar, though. Ain''t your birthday coming up?"


    "Surprised you remembered," Joel laughed. "But yes, maybe we can do it then. Have a party or something. Keep it light?"


    Wanda had died abruptly about six months ago, and Joel knew that her loss had torn the entire Rodriguez family apart. Billy liked to pretend to play strong - he had to, as Stingray had virtually collapsed - but Joel knew that Billy was hurting, too. Prior to Wanda''s death, Stingray had been boisterous and confrontational - but was also one of Joel''s closer friends. How he''d become so timid and hermit-like rattled Joel, and Joel lamented that he hadn''t done more to go take care of his friends.


    Work, Joel thought. Work, always the poison.


    Joel''s SGNL device buzzed once more in his pocket - then another, followed by a longer, more sustained buzz.


    "You need to get that?" Billy asked, and Joel nodded. "Alright, well, thanks for listening. I''m gonna go see what Shandi needs. Let me know when you wanna talk to Bobby, okay?"


    "Of course," Joel said. Billy left Joel alone in the quiet of his office, and as the SGNL buzzed a fourth time, Joel felt the swell of anxiety roiling in his chest. Her again? Please let this be Espee or Ceres.


    <hr>


    Joel looked over the neatly organized piles that his team had put out - it was 1700 now, and with a wave of his hand, Joel activated the display unit that projected the full Terradrill schematic on the back wall of the shop.


    "That''s real neat," Shandi laughed. "You do that?"


    With another wave of his hand, the schematic turned into three dimensions, seemingly hovering over the floor.


    "This thing''s a damn beast. Nice of them to send us something we can actually use instead of how they treat us all the other times," Billy said, squinting at the projection.


    "Must be important," Lucas said, and the others murmured in agreement.


    "Where to begin?" Shandi turned and asked Joel.


    "Well, we''ve got to do some Shadesteel welding, so if you could take Lucas into the booth and go over what you''re doing, that would be great."


    "If you say so," Shandi said, and Lucas pushed a cart with plastic wrapped Shadesteel plating around the corner into the welding area. It was a simple task as most of the plating had already been put together, but it would be crucial for Lucas to know how to work the torch for the later portions of the project.


    Billy and Joel spent most of the late afternoon sorting through the various tubing that the Terradrill was to use to propel its explosives into boreholes. The buzzing in Joel''s pocket was intermittent - the volley earlier had been messages from Ceres asking what he wanted for dinner, and other messages throughout the afternoon had been from Espee saying hello or making other small talk. He hadn''t had any from her, but the portent of it made Joel feel uneasy every time the device went off.


    As 1930 rolled around, Joel noticed the exhausted look in Billy''s eyes.


    "We''ve been doing a while, huh?" Billy said.


    "Yeah, I''d say. You about ready to go home?"


    Billy didn''t need to answer. As Billy, Shandi, and Lucas cleaned up the shop, Joel pulled Shandi aside.


    "Hey, Shandi? Would you mind dropping Lucas back off at my place? You go by there, right?"


    "Yeah, sure. Why can''t you?"


    "I''ve got to stick around later to check in with our friend from the Empire. Empire business, as you know."


    The phrase had ruffled Ceres to a point where she used it mockingly towards him, but it had its place.


    "Of course, aya. I''ll bring him over."


    Lucas waved as the three men left the garage, their cars puttering off down the road away from the shop. Joel took in the silence, punctuated only by the cricking of night bugs. The sun was almost all the way down now, and Deneb''s milky orange light gave the gloaming a peaceful feeling.


    You need to stop thinking and feeling like this, Joel.


    Joel retreated into his office, slumping down in the chair, door left ajar. He''d need to submit status reports to Victor, but it was by far his least favorite part of the job. He hadn''t known what to say to Persephone - what could he even say? It had been a while, and with everything going on, just the thought of mustering a reply made him feel heavily stressed out. He pressed a button on a panel near the desk and the warehouse''s bay door slowly slid closed, then tilted his head back and exhaled deeply.


    Joel took the SGNL from the drawer on his desk where he''d put it earlier after growing tired of messages from Ceres and sent Espee a message about not being home on time - as was normal these days. She didn''t usually reply - it was an unsaid disappointment, and Joel hated it.


    He sat there in the quiet for several moments, drowned in thought. Hunger wasn''t an issue - they''d had sandwiches delivered before Joel had gone to pick up Lucas - but Persephone hung heavily on his mind.


    The SGNL buzzed rhythmically, snapping Joel from the waves. It wasn''t like Espee to call him...


    It''s not from Espee.


    Reluctantly, he picked up the phone and spoke.


    "Hello?" His throat felt like a desert near immediately and tightened up.


    "Joel? Wow, uh... I didn''t think you''d pick up."


    "Persephone."


    "So proper, huh? Are you alright? You sound sick."


    "Sephie. What are you doing? What''s going on?"


    "I wanted to hear your voice again."


    Her voice was like music.


    "What? I don''t understand. I know you messaged me this morning, I''ve just been busy with work."


    "I know. That''s why I called."


    "Why, Seph?"


    A long pause.


    "Look, Joel, I''m sorry. Maybe I shouldn''t''ve called, alright? I just had been thinking about you and I..."


    "Seph."


    "This is silly, isn''t it? I should go."


    "If that''s what you want to do, okay. I mean, it''s not so bad hearing you, either."


    Another pause.


    "Joel, I... look. I''m going to be near Cygnus soon, okay? I wanted to know if you wanted to maybe meet up and get some lunch and catch up?"


    "Is that what this is about?"


    "Kinda sorta?"


    "What is it then?"


    "My father''s bringing me as a third wheel on their trip to Costa Sintra. I know Cygnus isn''t too far away, so..."


    "That''s an eight hour drive, Seph."


    "I suppose our definition of far differs a little bit, then!"


    "Isn''t that a little excessive?"


    Silence.


    "Joel Leonart, you know how I feel about you. These kinds of things, they don''t change too much over time. Just hearing you again feels so good."


    Joel hesitated.


    "I''ll see what I can do, alright? I mean..."


    "What?"


    He held his breath. Cybele, he''d missed her. He''d missed his lips against hers, their talks of the future, their talks of their dreams - so why was it so hard now to open that door again?


    "It wouldn''t be so bad to see you."


    "Joel. You have no idea how nice that is to hear."


    "Hope not to uh, disappoint."


    "How could you ever? Look. I gotta go for now, my break''s over. I''ll let you know what''s going on soon. Don''t be a stranger, alright?"


    The line went silent, and Joel placed the phone back in his pocket, sinking into the strange turn of events.

 Act 1, Chapter 7

    Lucas


    24th of April, 649


    Lucas heard Ceres sigh as she looked up at the cloudy afternoon sky. She''d been doing that a lot lately with him, but he knew she was probably just stressed out about school, or at least he thought. It''d been Lucas'' idea to go on a walk down to the Cygnus marketplace in the town plaza, and she, after much prodding and a promise of sweets, begrudgingly accepted.


    At least it was pleasant outside. Lucas unzipped his jacket halfway as the afternoon sun filtered through the trees. Springtime in Cygnus was much different than those in Mormont, and he rather enjoyed the lack of snow. Springtime is also when you were left on the roadside. The harsh cold of the night air surrounding you.


    Lucas zipped his jacket back up with a shudder.


    "You doing alright?" Lucas asked, trying to distract himself, and Ceres grunted. He took her hand in his, to which she did not protest.


    "Oh, I''m fine. Thinking about too much, like always. I know finals are going to be a cakewalk, but you know me," Ceres shrugged. She really did worry about everything too much. "I don''t really want to talk about that right now, anyway, I just want to try and have some fun with you. What about you? Mom''s been talking about how excited Dad is to have you working with him."


    "It''s only been two days," Luca shrugged. "I think I''m doing okay? I don''t get a lot of what we''re doing, but I''m trying at least."


    "That''s good. It''ll be good experience for the future, you know?"


    Ceres pressed a button on a lamppost and the two crossed over into the plaza. The shops in the plaza buzzed with people milling about as strands of holiday lights crisscrossed the road. Cygnus may¡¯ve been but a blip on the map, but it was one of the last major settlements before Great Tansarian Desert. Traveling vendors and merchants tended to stop in town before the desert crossing, and as such the selection of goods was often pretty good.


    Merchants. Always a risk coming here. Will that bastard Jeremy be here today?


    He took a deep breath as they continued on. Ceres stopped, peering into one of the shop windows. Lucas joined her, squinting at the array of jewelry on display.


    "It''s a little too gaudy, but I like that one pair of earrings."


    "What''s gaudy? Oh, those? You like the sapphires in them, don''t you?"


    "Of course. You know me."


    "They''d match your eyes," Lucas said, and Ceres blushed.


    "Oh, stop it. We couldn''t afford something like that, anyway. That''s got to be at least a full paycheck from the workshop. You haven''t even gotten paid yet, have you?"


    Lucas shrugged but didn''t say anything. He''d been planning in secret something exciting for Ceres'' birthday, even though it was three months'' time away. He briefly considered buying the earrings but decided against it.


    "Don''t do it," Ceres cautioned, winking.


    They walked further into the marketplace, its bustling rows of stalls, trucks, and trailers always a source of excitement and paranoia. There was a decent amount of people in the plaza today, and crowds were another source of anxiety for Lucas. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as he looked around at the line of merchants and quicken further as he eyeballed one trailer in particular - a strange one that brought back all the panic and pain of having been hurt - Ceres squeezed his hand knowingly as he stopped in his tracks at the sight.


    "Lucas," she said, putting her face close to his to approximate what he was seeing. "If you''re thinking what you''re thinking, it''s not him, okay?"


    They''d been through this twice before the previous year - Lucas had thought he''d seen Jeremy, but it''d been someone else entirely. It''s been five years. Why can''t you let it go?


    He left you to die.


    "How do you know it''s not?"


    "I don''t. But the odds are good that it''s not, alright? C''mon, let''s go down another way. I heard that the guy with the baked goods from Larnell was here, and you promised me sweets. Can we could get donuts?"


    "We should leave."


    "I''m not going. It''s not him. I need you to listen to me, Lucas. Even if it was, we''re in a crowded public place, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen."


    Lucas turned to Ceres, who gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. "If it''s him, Cer, I''m gonna kill him."


    Ceres pulled Lucas over into an alcove between stalls under an acacia tree.


    "No, you''re not," she said gently. "That''s so unnecessary. Besides, what''s that going to do? They''ll just lock you away. You don''t want that, do you? What about us? Our future?"


    Lucas held his tongue.


    "C''mon, let''s go check it out."


    "You''re not serious, are you?"


    The look in Ceres'' eyes was warm but steadfast. The world around seemed to spin around Lucas. Left to die.


    "It''s not going to be him. Do you trust me? You can''t always be afraid of this, and I''m here for you. We can face it together."


    "What about facing it with fury?" Lucas asked, and Ceres squint smiled. The Falco Fortis series of movies had been a favorite of theirs, and it had been something the two had bonded over in their earlier days of knowing one another. Now, it formed a place of comfort - they were prone to conversing in nothing but quotations from the series, much to Espee''s chagrin.


    "Of course," Ceres nodded. "And look, I don''t mean it in a way to offend you, I don''t. I... I understand that what you went through wasn''t easy, and you know how I''ve done everything I could to help you with those feelings. But not every silver trailer is going to be that guy, alright?" She kissed him on the nose. "This isn''t the roadside and you''re not alone. Besides... you''ve got me." The warmth of her words filled Lucas with confidence.


    "For all you know, he''s dead. Wasn''t he old? Drunk? Don''t all the old drunks go down to the casinos in Gronby and just die there?"


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    Death would be too kind for that piece of shit.


    Lucas laughed, and Ceres put her hand gently on his cheek.


    "Nothing to be afraid of, Lucas. But if you still want to leave, we can go home."


    Face it with fury.


    "Let''s go check it out."


    <hr>


    The stripped silver and red paint on the trailer gave Lucas pause as they approached it. At one end there was a large navy blue van, which Lucas did not recognize - and as they stepped underneath a canopy that had been set up alongside it, he took a breath of relief. The faint, acrid smell of cigar smoke wafted through the air as they got closer.


    "Hello?" Ceres called as she picked up a small box from one of the tables under the canopy. "Anyone here?"


    "Why hello there," a voice said as a tall, heavy-set man came out from behind the van. His beer belly jutted out from above his belt, and wisps of black hair desperately tried to crisscross across the top of his head. His face softened upon seeing Ceres and Lucas.


    "Huh, sorry about that all. You''ll have to excuse me, y''know how nature calls ''n such. Sometimes when you''re runnin'' this kinda thing by yourself you gotta just take matters into your own hands... anyway, where are my manners?" He chuckled as Ceres and Lucas shared a glance. "Welcome to Traveling Saiph Sundries. Name''s Erdrick, how can I help you two today?"


    "Just looking around," Ceres said quickly. "We weren''t sure if you were still open or not, so we weren''t planning on staying, so..."


    "Well, you two are considerate, ain''t ya?" He yawned and sat down on a folding chair. "Have at it! I''ll be here ''til the moon''s up, maybe later if business is good. Tend to sell out pretty quick most of the time, today''s just been kinda slow."


    Ceres half-smiled. "Thanks."


    Lucas'' previous hesitation had largely melted away as he and Ceres browsed through the boxes. He hadn''t brought much cash, but he knew he needed to do something for Ceres'' birthday, which, while still three months away, seemed to weigh heavily on his mind. Ceres had always made such a big deal of it, given how so many of her younger birthdays were spent in the absence of Joel. She always seemed to be making up for lost time, and sometimes it felt like a little too much for Lucas.


    But you love her, he thought, running his fingers over a smooth stone embedded in a jade brooch.


    "From Sha''ul," Erdrick said, nodding towards Lucas. "Some Erzuli¨¢n jewelry, or somethin''. They sure know how to craft stuff."


    Ceres looked over at Lucas, who gently set the brooch back into its box. The way she looked made him feel uneasy, as if she had some kind of expectations for what he was going to get her.


    Something loud cracked from Erdrick''s direction, startling Lucas.


    "Whoops," he laughs. "Just candy, don''t worry. These things are a favorite, but ya gotta go all the way to the western part of the Empire for ''em."


    "Are those Mormints?" Lucas asked, and Erdrick smiled.


    "Yeah! How''d you know that?"


    "Used to live out there," Lucas said.


    "Hm. Well, if you want a few for the road I''ll throw ''em in with anything you buy. How''s that sound?"


    "I''d like that," Lucas said. He remembered how his mother would leave bowls of them on the living room coffee table for guests. Those days were more than a decade ago now, but the sound still rang clearly in his head.


    "Ooh, Lucas, these are pretty," Ceres said from across a few rows, holding up a string of Pulse lights. They glowed a faint shade of blue as they cycled along the string. "Looks like the batteries might be low, but don''t you just love the color?"


    "Yep, you''ll need to find a way to charge it up separately," Erdrick said, walking over. "I don''t think I''ve got a charger anywhere ''round, so you''d need to come up with something." Lucas noticed that he smelled vaguely of spiced meats. "Maybe a 35P cord, 50P if you want the thing to charge up real quicklike. But hey, that''s your choice."


    "Hm, I like it a lot, but I''m not sure I have a need for it," Ceres shrugged as she hung it back on a hook. "It sort of looks like it should go on a car. Maybe I''ll sleep on it and come back tomorrow after I''ve decided. What do you think, Lucas?"


    "Hate to interrupt ya, young lady," Erdrick said, setting his jaw and giving his rear a scratch. "But I ain''t stickin'' around til tomorrow. Heard up in the bay they''re doin'' all-you-can-eat surf ''n'' turf starting in a couple days, so I think I''m gonna wander on to Cape Hale and get my fill." He scratched his stomach and guffawed. "This old bear''s comin'' out of hibernation."


    "I can buy it," Lucas said, even though he wasn''t quite clear on what he was going to do with it. If it made Ceres happy, that was enough.


    "No, don''t spend it if you don''t have to," Ceres urged.


    "I want to, though."


    "But what would I even use these for right now? I don''t even have a car yet."


    "I''m sure I''ll figure it out. Just let me hang onto ''em for a while."


    Ceres glowered at him, but Lucas just smiled.


    "Fine, fine. But when you figure it out, will you tell me?"


    Lucas shrugged and Ceres narrowed her eyes at him. As Lucas paid and Erdrick bagged up the lights, Erdrick looked at him thoughtfully.


    "So, you two are a cute couple, huh?" Erdrick said. "Always nice to see young folks gettin'' on so friendly."


    "Sure, I guess," Ceres said, and Erdrick just laughs.


    "Ain''t no need to be shy, huh? Ol'' Erdrick don''t bite. I mean I might make a dumb joke here ''n'' there but other than that... anywho, what''re your names?"


    "Lucas."


    "Ceres."


    "Of few words, huh? Well, nice to meet the two of ya." He handed Lucas the bag as he came back around the counter. "Name''s Erdrick Miller, owner and proprietor of this here little slice of Elysium. Been sellin'' for about 40 years now, ever since I could convince my pops to let me drive. You two local? I''m gonna be back in town sometime in mid-May before cutting back north to go home."


    "No," Lucas said, shaking his head. "I''m from out north, from Noctavia, actually."


    "Heh," Erdrick said. "You''re a long way from home, ain''t ya? Me too, actually, but I''m from Elegir originally." He saunters back to his folding chair and stretches. "Summers down here are way too hot, ya know? Ain''t nothin'' like a nice, rainy day in the summertime."


    "Tell us about it," Ceres said. "We''ve been here five years now; I''m still not used to how dry it is. I''m from Alaeris, it''s always so much nicer up there."


    "But the thunderstorms," Erdrick shrugged. "I dunno ''bout those. Too much hail, too much rain. Sure is blazes on the van," he said, gesturing at a number of dings on the roof and side of the vehicle. "Give me a little bit of rain and some heat like a nice summer day in Saiph."


    Ceres wasn''t amused by that, Lucas noticed. Lucas didn''t know what it was exactly about Erdrick, but he liked him and felt relaxed in his presence. The big man scratched the stubble of his five-o''clock shadow.


    "Oh, I don''t mean to offend," Erdrick said, noticing Ceres'' irritation. "Just sayin''. I''ve seen a whole lot of Terrah and there sure are a lot of beautiful places in Alaeris, too."


    Ceres seemed content with that.


    "How ''bout you, Lucas? You said you''re from Noctavia? My ma was born out in Sarrata out there. What city you from?"


    "Mormont," Lucas said. It wasn''t too often strangers asked where he was from, but he couldn''t shake the feeling that he could trust Erdrick with just about anything. It was a weird feeling.


    "Mormont, huh? I''ve been there. Lots of trees. More trees than people, I bet. Y''know, I think I got an extra bag of those mints ''round here. Let me grab that for ya real quick-like and y''all can head on out if you want. Nothin¡¯ like home, huh?"


    "Thank you," Lucas smiled, and he noticed Ceres wasn''t. It was a recurring theme with her - if something positive was happening to him, she seemed almost jealous of it. He didn''t understand quite how she could vacillate so freely between being so kind and gentle like a half hour before when he''d been nervous about the trailer to feeling negative things about him for things he couldn''t control.


    Be in the moment, Lucas.


    "Heck, if you kids are still here come early summer, like sometime in June or July, come back and find me. I''ll make sure to snag another bag or two for the two of you. My treat."


    "That would be great," Lucas said. He wasn''t sure if they''d still be in Cygnus then, but the idea of it made him happy, nonetheless.


    "We gotta go," Ceres said, tapping her foot impatiently. "My mom''s gonna wonder what''s taking us so long."


    "Take care out there, Erdrick," Lucas said, and Erdrick smiled with a wave as Lucas and Ceres headed back out into the plaza. Ceres bit at her cheek, and the quiet discomfited him.


    They continued down and away from the plaza, back towards the house. Ceres seethed quietly.


    "You okay?" Lucas asked. He felt like he said that a lot.


    "I don''t like him. Did you hear what he said about Alaeris? Totally arrogant. And the price on that shitty string of lights? Guy was a swindler."


    "What? Why? What''d he do? I thought you liked the lights?"


    "Did I tell you to buy them? I told you not to, Lucas. Jeez, were you even paying attention?"


    "What? Why would you say you like something if you..."


    "Are you doing this again? Seriously?"


    "Doing what?"


    "Doing this. The thing where you argue over literally anything you can. Why are you starting a fight?"


    Lucas said nothing. He realized how hard he''d been gripping the bag in his hand and loosened his grip. The whiplash from the kind, gentle Ceres who''d convinced him to go check out the van was too much for today. Some battles just weren''t worth fighting.

 Act 1, Chapter 8

    Caroline


    25th of April, 649


    "You had that dream again, didn''t you?" Turonn asked, taking a drink from a steaming coffee cup. Caroline nodded. She hadn''t been sleeping well since that night. It all just felt too real to her, and the prospect that sleep would bring her back into that space with the girl on the rock was enough to lead to budding insomnia. Tiredly, she stirred her own coffee. She''d put too much sugar into it, which would have been okay for tea, but not for coffee. She sipped it with a grimace.


    "I''ll make you another cup," Turonn said, taking hers as she lazily accepted. "I know the High Vestal frowns upon it when I share this with you, but you''ve got to keep your energy up somehow."


    "I know, I know," Caroline said. The aroma filled the room - a blend from Turonn''s home in the snowy islands to the northeast - notes of cocoa and cinnamon filled the air in the faculty room, and she smiled. "I just need to be brave and actually try to sleep, but I''m a coward, Turonn. I''m scared of that girl. Scared that it feels real and that she''s talking like she''s alive." She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. When she inhaled, the steam from the new cup filled her nostrils. She''d avoid the sugar entirely this time.


    "Thank you, Turonn," she said, bowing her head. He nodded in return, sitting down across the table from her. He took another long drink from his cup, and she could tell that gears were turning inside his head.


    "Of course, Vestal. I know that when the High Vestal returns that she''ll certainly want to discuss all of this, but in the meanwhile, I think I have somewhat of an idea of what we should do. Would you like my advice?"


    Does he even need to ask?


    "Absolutely."


    "I''ve been searching in the library for more information about Dreamseer Arondel in advance of the High Vestal''s return. If we can find anything about her, then maybe we''ll have some clues on how you can deal with what you''re seeing in there. I was thinking that today, since you aren''t teaching, that perhaps you could look with me?"


    Caroline frowned at the word Dreamseer.


    "Caroline," he said gently. "We won''t let what happened to her happen to you. Times are different than they were 300 years ago."


    "I know, but it''s still scary."


    "I understand. It''s not something anyone ever asks for, Goddess-willing. We all know how quick the Conclave is to declare apostasy for just about anything that gets brought to their attention. Having you helping me search through some of the old records could help us out later on. Would you mind giving me a hand today?"


    "I''d be happy to. I appreciate that you care this much, Turonn."


    "Why wouldn''t I? We are friends, are we not, Vestal? Cybele knows I wouldn''t want anything of the sort that happened to Dreamseer Arondel to befall you."


    "I''d hope not," Caroline smiled cheekily, receiving a smile in return from Turonn.


    <hr>


    The afternoon swept by as stacks of books covered a long table in Freyja Chapel''s library. Turonn and Caroline had been scouring for hours now, and Caroline was grateful that Audine, the chapel''s librarian, wasn''t around today to see the chaotic mess.


    The research had borne some fruit - journals kept by the Noctavian Empire that were in the public domain had some basic information about an operation to retrieve Dreamseer Arondel from her home, and they''d also found an article about her apparent escape from custody. After that, however, the trail of information ran cold. She''d either been captured and killed at that point or had gone into hiding. As far as her death had gone, Caroline was unsure that the rumors she''d heard of a splinter group were actually true at all.


    Turonn signaled Caroline to join him at the end of one of the rows of books.


    "Did you find something?"


    "Not anything that new, but interesting nonetheless."


    "What''s it about?"


    "Dreamseer Arondel spent a year in Empire custody, as we talked about earlier. This appears to talk a bit about her connection with the other world and her communion with Cybele, which is odd - I thought most of these documents were in Empire custody, but how they ended up here..."


    "What does it say?"


    "It''s similar to what you''ve told me of your own dreams, Caroline," he said, sighing and closing the book. "I know that the idea of this is terrifying, but we''ll just have to wait for the High Vestal to return to talk about it more. She''ll have some good ideas, I imagine."


    Caroline batted a thought around in her head that made her feel deeply nervous. The Empire had held the Dreamseer in their custody in the wake of the war that founded their nation - a war fought between the Empress'' faction of the Church and those of the Bold League, a progressive wing of the Church. It was a deeply turbulent time when Dreamseer Arondel had been captured, and while the state of the world wasn''t quite as tenuous as it was in those days, it was enough to make Caroline anxious. Would the Conclave keep me as a pet, too?


    "I hope she does. Elysium only knows what they''ll want to do to me when word gets around."


    "So let''s not let it, then," Turonn said, placing the book back on the shelf. "The only people who know anything at this juncture are myself and the High Vestal, and perhaps High Vestal Ileen by now, but I know she wouldn''t risk her friendship with Vivienne over it."


    "Would she?"


    "How would I know? This isn''t the sort of thing you''d want to gossip over tea about. You and I both know that there''s a risk involved here, and if Vivienne told Ileen anything, I would rest assured knowing that she probably wouldn''t say anything to anyone else."


    Caroline fidgeted. Rumors always seemed to spread like wildfire, even ones with such potential gravity as this one. She closed a book she''d been mindlessly thumbing through and sighed.


    "Vestal," Turonn said in that kind way of his, "if you''re ready to head back I''ll escort you to your quarters."


    "That may be a good idea," Caroline nodded. She was hungrier than she expected, and the loud growl from her stomach drew a sly smile from Turonn.


    "And maybe a stop at the cafeteria on the way back?" He added. Caroline laughed and the two left the library, stepping out into the afternoon''s cool ocean breeze.


    <hr>


    Caroline sat on a large woven blanket as she and Turonn took the plastic wrap off of their sandwiches - seafood salad, or something like it. They''d encountered the Attendants in the cafeteria, but Caroline deferred from joining them for dinner, which had been unusual for her, and for them as well. She hated feeling this kind of stress; and Vivienne''s return would undoubtedly compound it. She looked at her sandwich miserably but took a bite anyway. It tasted fine, but it reminded her she remembered why she liked to cook for herself so much. Turonn was already halfway through his when he turned to her.


    "Pretty good, isn''t it?"


    "Maybe. Maybe I got spoiled at home with all the fresh fish?" Caroline smiled, picking at the sandwich. "I don''t know, really. Reminds me of gas station food."


    "What''s wrong with gas station food?"


    Caroline laughed. Turonn had traveled all over Terrah before he came to the Chapel, and she felt a sense of regret that she came off as picky to he, who had probably eaten everything on the continent at some point or another. He studied her face; she''d been quiet too long.


    "It''s alright not to feel hungry when things are bothering you, Vestal, but try to eat at least something."


    "Did you grab anything else from the cafeteria?"


    "Some carrots with dressing. You can have those if you wish."


    "Thank you," Caroline said, grateful for the forethought. He was always so good at this sort of thing. At times, he reminded her of her own father, who almost always seemed to have a bag of snacks ready on her childhood trips. Turonn had been a father, too. He spoke fondly of Anaiah, his daughter, as well as his wife Gabriella - both had been lost many years before in a car accident. He didn''t like to talk about them much as the pain was obviously still raw, but Caroline could see the spark of joy in his eyes when he''d talk about them. What he did before the Chapel, she wasn''t sure of, and didn''t want to pry into his past too much. She was just grateful that he was there at all.


    As Caroline ate what she could of her sandwich and devoured the carrots, Turonn looked out to sea as the sun faded lower in the sky. Everything seemed to glow in a brilliant orange - a shade not unlike that from her dream. The cool ocean breeze had a chill to it, and she shivered. Turonn noticed. He always noticed everything like that. It made her feel safe.


    "So what are you doing tomorrow?" Caroline asked.


    "Me? Well, with the High Vestal''s return, I need to see to her chambers and make sure they''re prepared and secured. After that, I might ought to head out to Teliander and pick up some groceries for her since she left a list - it''s good that she''s more like me and less like you when it comes to food," he smiled, "but my word if she doesn''t know how to put it away. I wouldn''t want to be up against her in an eating contest, I''d lose miserably."


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    At over six feet in height and no less than 250 pounds, Turonn was a formidable man - and while he was almost fifty years old, he still had the physique of a trained athlete. The idea of Vivienne out-eating him made Caroline laugh, but she''d had many dinners with the High Vestal that ended with Vivienne needing a break on her couch before coming back for seconds and thirds... Caroline knew of a joke about grandmothers from eastern Velus, where the High Vestal was from, to the same effect. The more she thought about food, however, the more she felt hungry.


    "What about you, Vestal?"


    "Nothing too exciting. We''re meeting with the High Vestal tomorrow when she''s settled in, and you already know how I feel about all of that. Perhaps I''ll take the girls out into the fields again to check on the crops and see what if anything has changed? I know it''s early yet, but it''ll still be a fun exercise."


    "Of course," Turonn nodded. He was always supporting her.


    "Maybe some lesson planning tonight once we get back," she continued. "Cybele only knows that I''m freaked out about going to sleep."


    "The dreams," Turonn murmured with a nod. Caroline nodded quietly.


    "Like, what am I supposed to do? I can''t not sleep."


    "Is it every night?"


    Caroline shook her head.


    "Well, maybe you can will it away?


    "Still freaks me out."


    "I understand."


    "So what do I even do?"


    "If you wish, I could ask the High Vestal to be stationed near to your room for a few nights, Vestal. I know it''s against protocol, but these are strange times."


    "I appreciate that, but I can''t imagine that she''d be okay with that, as kind as it is for you to offer." He scrunched up his mouth and shrugged. "You know what I mean, Turonn. You know how she is."


    "It doesn''t mean I have to like it. Your safety is above the rules, Vestal. What if something happens to you?"


    "Like what?" Caroline said, concerned. Could a dream hurt her? "Like if I fall out of bed?"


    Turonn smiled but shook his head. "I don''t know, honestly. The whole thing with the dreams is admittedly making me feel pretty nervous, too. I didn''t want to say anything as not to scare you, but I am bracing for what the High Vestal has to say about her conversation with Ilene."


    "Good to know that even Turonn the Brave gets a little rattled sometimes," Caroline jibed, but he sighed. "Oh, I''m just teasing. I''m flattered that you care as much as you do and that you''re taking it seriously. I can''t imagine where I''d be without you backing me up."


    He smiled thoughtfully but didn''t say anything further. She always enjoyed paying him compliments as they made him visibly uncomfortable - not out of a dislike of them, but an uncertainty of how to handle them.


    "You''ve got goosebumps on your arms," Turonn said. "We ought to get going. They said it might snow a little tonight, which is strange for this time of year, but who knows with weather anymore."


    Caroline nodded and the two began their walk back to her quarters.


    <hr>


    26th of April, 649


    Caroline squirmed in her seat as she waited for the High Vestal to return. She''d had to step away to speak with Turonn about something or other, she didn''t know exactly, but the waiting was excruciating. She yearned to be outside in the field with the Attendants - it hadn''t snowed at all, mercifully, and the warmth of the day had surprised her when she''d stepped outside in a cardigan.


    Vivienne returned to the room and sat down in her big chair across the desk from Caroline. She leaned forward, tenting her fingers over her mouth, her eyes studying Caroline closely. It made Caroline feel deeply uneasy.


    "Vestal, I won''t keep you waiting. I spoke with Ilene about your... predicament." Vivienne studied Caroline''s face closely. Caroline tried not to show how nervous she was, and she wasn''t sure if it was working. "First of all, I want you to know that I made sure to safeguard your secret by invoking the High Vestal''s Covenant," she paused, "and I know you don''t know that that is, so I thought I would explain it. Typically, I would not be able to tell you that it even exists, but it is a way for High Vestals to discuss matters of the cloth in a discreet way outside of the purview of the Cybelian Conclave. It is something we are not truly supposed to be using, but there are many loopholes in the scripture around it. I felt that this... that this was worth the risk, Caroline."


    "I don''t know what to say," Caroline said, surprised. "But I thank you for doing that. I didn''t want you to have to be in danger, and I''m sorry I..."


    "Nonsense," Vivienne shook her head, cutting Caroline off. "Listen, Vestal. Sometimes we need to do things we are uncomfortable with in order to protect those we care about, alright? You are important to both me and to this Chapel, and I need you to understand that I''m in your corner on this, no matter what happens."


    "Even if I start floating above the ground screaming that I''m the Goddess reborn?" Caroline joked, and Vivienne looked at her with a mix of confusion and bewilderment as she cracked an obviously reluctant smile.


    "Let us hope it doesn''t come to that, Vestal. I''m not entirely sure what we''d do in reaction. We''d probably either genuflect or... well, let''s not go there."


    Caroline smiled wryly. "Yes, let''s not. So what did Ilene say?"


    "Ilene said that there is a library far to the south, on the other side of the Great Tansarian Desert - in the town of Candus, which sits on the isthmus between Terrah and Fornacis. This library apparently maintains records of Dreamseer Arondel, which have been preserved well. I''m not sure if you are familiar with Tansar, but the Dreamseer had been well loved by its people, so much so that there is still a small settlement bearing her name three centuries later."


    "What does the Empire think of that, do you think?"


    "They probably don''t care, to be honest. All of it''s too close to Fornacis for them to want to dig into, but that''s beside the point. Ilene has sent a message to the Candus Library for access to the records, but as they are fragile it may take several weeks before they can scan them and send us a copy of them, and then there''s the whole issue of getting it sent here and having it arrive intact."


    "Could they send it through the SGNL system?"


    "Unlikely," she shook her head. "I''d imagine there''s entirely too many protocols and procedures to be followed to have them even accessed in the first place by non-Tansarian folk, so I am unsure of when they''ll get to us."


    "Did she have any ideas on what I should be doing? You know, to not lapse into those dreams?"


    Caroline hadn''t dreamt that past night - she''d managed to wear herself out enough that she''d fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but she knew that that kind of remedy was unsustainable. She''d woken up tired and in desperate need of caffeination - more than her morning cup of tea could provide, for sure.


    "Unfortunately, she did not know of any remedies for it. If you feel like where you are visiting is a connection to Cybele, then perhaps you should consolidate your prayers to the early part of the day? I know it sounds like heresy to skip your evening prayers, but perhaps in the interim of knowing what will keep you safest we should at least try this approach?"


    Caroline didn''t like the idea of falling asleep without praying - she''d only ever skipped them inadvertently and getting advice from a High Vestal to skip them felt like genuine insanity. Nonetheless, she knew that Vivienne wouldn''t be suggesting it unless she really thought that it would work.


    "I suppose I can. If that doesn''t work though, what then?"


    "We will burn that bridge when we get there, Caroline," Vivienne said, smiling.


    "Burn that..."


    "Don''t think about it too hard. Does this make sense though? We don''t know enough yet, regrettably, to have a concrete answer, but we will continue our research. Let''s hope that the fine people in Candus can get us what we need, and soon."


    "I agree."


    "There is... there is one more thing."


    Caroline''s heart sank.


    "What is it?"


    "One thing about the Covenant is that if the level of threat or magnitude of importance exceeds our station, then the Conclave needs to become involved. It would likely involve sending you and an escort to Sha''ul over land - you know how how they detest modern technology - I know that is frightening sounding, and I would wish to avoid such unnecessary involvement if possible, but..."


    "But what?"


    "We should be prepared for all options, Caroline. I realize you were due to go on a pilgrimage in the near future, but we need to be ready in case things change or take a turn for the worse."


    "How are we supposed to do that?"


    "Like I said, we are trying. We need more information. I hope that we can at least outpace the dreams in the process."


    "I hope so too, High Vestal."


    Caroline hated the feeling. She couldn''t control it. She couldn''t control what she saw in her dreams, and she loathed the idea that she''d have to travel thousands of miles to be put under the Grand Luminatrix''s scrutiny.


    "You should probably get back outside. I''m sure the girls are wondering what''s keeping you."


    Caroline bowed her head and stood to leave.


    "Thank you, High Vestal."


    "Are you feeling any better at all about this?"


    "Not yet, but this has helped a little bit at least."


    "I am glad. I have been quite worried about you. Turonn and I both."


    "I appreciate it, High Vestal. I hate being the center of attention, and it makes it so much worse knowing that if this is truly Dreamseeing occurring that there''ll be even more attention on me. Can''t we make it go away?"


    "If it is indeed a communion with Cybele that you are experiencing, Caroline, you realize you must devote your life to it. Do not give into the lying words of Corybas and run from it. Is that understood?"


    Caroline hated the wrenching feeling in her gut. She had been struggling to come to terms with the dreams even, but to be a vessel for the Goddess for the rest of her life? It sounded like the blazes for sure, but Caroline held her tongue.


    "I understand."


    "I know it is incredibly hard to deal with. It is beyond anything anyone alive has experienced. We will have your back every step of the way. Now go on, they''re waiting for you."


    <hr>


    "Vestal Caroline!" Serena called, waving from the field. "Emilia, Kate, Alison! Vestal Caroline''s back!"


    The girls came running towards Caroline, and their levity momentarily took the fear feelings from Caroline''s mind. The girls had been playing tag in the field - Caroline soon joined the fray, and she lamented being slightly out of shape as Kate''s hand grazed her backside, making her it. Kate''s face was red as a tomato, but Caroline simply laughed.


    As she ran after the girls, she felt happy - even though in recent days she had felt a budding disconnection from her surroundings and from the Chapel itself, she felt reassured and calm as the laughter of the girls carried across the field. At last, she''d caught Serena, who seemed to slow down on purpose.


    The last time they were in the field, they''d dug up what Turonn thought may be Rigelite - Caroline was half tempted to ask the girls to search for more fragments of it after the game so that they could study it in class, but she was surprised by a sudden yell from her right side.


    "I said hands OFF!" Emilia yelled, giving Serena a shove.


    "We''re playing a game, Emi! What do you mean?"


    "I said don''t touch me! What in blazes do you think you''re doing? You just want what I have, I heard you say it earlier!"


    "Emi, don''t be weird. What are you talking about?"


    "Whoa, whoa," Caroline said, jogging over to the girls. Emilia had her hands balled up into fists. "It''s just a game, alright? We don''t need to fight over it."


    "Stay out of this!" Emilia yelled at Caroline. Caroline furrowed her brow.


    "I will not, and you will stop at once," Caroline said, but Emilia looked right through her. It unnerved Caroline in a way she didn''t quite understand. She saw a flash of blue that made her feel slightly disoriented, but as nothing had changed thought it may have just been her imagination.


    Serena reached out to tag Emilia again, and Emilia wound up and punched Serena right in the eye. Serena fell to the ground, howling, and Emilia looked at Caroline, pale as a ghost.


    She unclenched her fists, and what she''d been holding fell to the dirt below. The stone? Why was she holding that?


    "Back up," Caroline said to Emilia, who took several steps backwards and stood still as stone. She helped Serena back to her feet and gave the crying girl a hug. Kate and Alison came running to see what happened and to comfort their friend.


    Caroline reached for her pocket and pulled out her SGNL, messaging Turonn. He replied swiftly - she was grateful he hadn''t left for Teliander yet.


    "I don''t want your stupid stone," Serena cried. "Emilia, you dummy! Why did you hit me? I thought we were friends!"


    Emilia said nothing and Caroline could see tears in her eyes, too. Caroline reached down to pick up the stone, and as she held it in her hand, she felt the skin of her palm begin to blister and burn. The burning sensation crept up down her fingers and up her wrist and into her arm.


    Caroline screamed and clutched her hand as she fell to the ground.

 Act 1, Chapter 9

    Joel


    26th of April, 649


    The discordant beep of the alarm clock roused Joel from sleep, bringing back the crushing tide of reality with it. He''d dreamt of such beautiful things - and her, again, in no small part due to that call. Forbidden things, he thought, the old tendrils of rot creeping just outside the walls of the castle he''d built. He tried in vain to push the memories out and away, snoozing the clock and rolling over to snuggle into Espee - only to find a bundle of blankets and a comforter at the center of their bed. He settled on holding that and drifted back to a light sleep until the alarm went off once more.


    Joel got dressed and walked out into the living room, where Espee sat on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal. On the Technivision was one of the Empire''s morning programs, Cooking is Great! - Joel had been dismissive of but knew Espee enjoyed zoning out to it as she woke up. A burly man with a red apron smiled as he poured a copious amount of vodka into the rind of an avocado, then put both into a blender. Espee''s eyes didn''t leave the screen as Joel kissed her on the cheek.


    "Good morning, sweetpea," Joel said, and Espee turned to him.


    "Was wondering when you''d wake up. Heard that thing go off three times in a row, you know."


    "Three?"


    Espee nodded. Joel felt sheepish.


    "Ah, well. At least I got out of bed, that''s a plus, right?"


    "Mm. Joel, do you have a minute? Can you sit with me?"


    "Sure, sweetpea."


    "Well, I know it''s early and I don''t want to bombard you as soon as you get up, but it''s pretty important."


    The man on the Technivision poured the mixture directly from the blender pitcher into his mouth. Joel flinched.


    "Of course. As long as we can turn this dreck off," he said, taking a seat next to Espee. He rubbed her back gently.


    "No, leave it on. It¡¯s weird, but it¡¯s comforting.¡± She placed a hand on his leg. ¡°Joel, I know you''ve been working late almost every night now, and I know that you''ve been working hard for us. I just... well, I miss you in the evenings. I like our time together, and it makes me feel sad when we can''t have that time. Do you think you could talk to that Empire guy to negotiate even one night off a week?"


    "I don''t know, honey. I don''t know. They''re breathing down our necks to the point where he''s staying in Costa Sintra just to be closer to Cygnus to check in on us. It''s a rough time for us."


    "Not even one night? Do I need to talk to him?"


    "Esp. That isn''t necessary."


    "I''m just saying! I think it''s ridiculous that they expect you to be away like that. Does Lucas need to go in today, too?"


    "I think he said he needs to stay here and study today, so we''re working around that. Almost finals time, isn''t it?"


    "It is," Espee said. "But what happens when he''s done with school? What if he decides to just stop going to work at the workshop?"


    "Esp, that''s a lot of questions. Let me get some coffee and I''ll answer..."


    "Joel, seriously."


    "What?"


    "Look, I''m worried, alright? It feels like ever since you started this project that things have been getting weird around here. It''s enough to make me sleep poorly enough to be up this early."


    The sunrise was just barely cracking above the horizon.


    "The stress is messing with me. I hate this feeling, Joel. Do whatever you have to do, I need you here sometimes, okay?"


    Joel gave Espee a squeeze. "I''ll see what I can do. I can''t promise a miracle, but maybe - just maybe - that guy''ll concede a day. You know how the Empire works, though."


    Espee leaned against Joel, and he rubbed her arm as he pulled her closer. She smelled good.


    "I''m not mad at you, you know," she said, "but I hate all this work. It was like this in Alaeris and now it''s like this here, too. Keeps you away from me and Ceres way too much."


    "Espee, sweetpea. You know that if we''re able to knock this out of the park that it might be the last project I have to do for these people. If we''re successful and have it done before the deadline..."


    "But what if you don''t?" She looked at Joel with concerned eyes. "What if it all goes to shit and you lose the contract?"


    "Esp, please don''t think of it like that. We''re going to get it done one way or another."


    "That''s what I''m afraid of. How long before you''re just sleeping at the workshop at night? You''re going to end up working yourself to death, and for what, money?"


    "I wouldn''t go as far to say that."


    "Well, I just did, Joel Leonart. I love you, and I want you to be here for a long time. Did you forget that?"


    "Of course not," Joel riposted, "and the same to you." He kissed her forehead. As he pulled away, she studied his face carefully.


    "I don''t know about you, Joel. For as long as we''ve been together, you seem like you get possessed about certain things and just drive yourself into the ground. How can I keep that from happening here, now?"


    "I don''t know," Joel shrugged. "But it''s never been a problem, has it? Have I driven myself into the ground yet?"


    The room grew silent, save for the hushed murmur of the Technivision. The man on the screen was using a cheese grater to grate skin off another man''s back into a large wading pool full of pasta. Joel grimaced.


    "Has it?"


    "A little, yes," Espee said. "Ceres is the most upset by all of it, you know. You missed a lot of her childhood on that Empire Business. She hasn''t been too thrilled with it coming back again."


    "As she shouldn''t be. Cybele knows I hate it too."


    "Then why do it?"


    "Money. Securing our future. Terra Promissa, Espee."


    Espee''s eyes lit up at the words. The Promised Land. The dream they''d been chasing for the entirety of their two decades together.


    "If you''re certain, Joel. I''m just worried, and I hope you understand why."


    Joel''s SGNL device buzzed.


    "Ah, blazes. I promised the guys I would open the workshop early today since we won''t have Lucas. Shandi must be there already."


    "I won''t keep you," Espee said, fingers interlaced with Joel''s. "Try as I might, though."


    "Would that I could stay, Esp. I''ll see you later, alright? I''ll let you know if anything comes up."


    "Be careful, okay? We''re not getting any younger - you need to take care of your body before it gives up on you."


    "I''ll try better," Joel said, and Espee looked unenthused. "I''ll take it easy more today. You can take that to the bank."


    "Love you," she said, squeezing Joel''s hand as he left the living room and walked out of the house.


    <hr>


    By the time noon came around, Joel felt like his arms and legs were made of bricks. Espee was right - he had been pushing himself entirely too hard. He called for Shandi and Billy to join him on a bench along the wall to take a quick break and to survey their progress.


    "You alright, old man?" Shandi asked, patting Joel on the back. "Lookin'' a little pale. You eat anything this morning, aya?"


    "I''m fine," Joel said, exhaling. He had a protein bar on the drive in but knew that wasn''t enough to energize him the entire day. There was food in the minifridge in the office, but most of it was frozen, microwaveable junk. "Thanks for the concern, though."


    "Phew, we''ve done a whole lot so far. I''m hungry as blazes," Billy said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. He looked up at the scaffolding around what had become quite a formidable piece of machinery. The Terradrill had come partially assembled, but Joel''s team had been put in charge of its final assembly. It was no easy task - a typical Empire build team would have upwards of twenty members doing the work, and Joel lamented not having the extra hands. Lucas did a good job, but he was too new, too green to really be much use. He was good at saving time by fetching tools, but when he would actively try to help, Joel admitted to himself - albeit regrettably - that the boy was more a hindrance than a help.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Yo, Joel, you wanna come with? Shandi and me were talkin'' about getting some lunch at the Copper Stallion. C''mon, it''ll be our treat."


    "I''m sorry, I''ve got to stay behind. Our liaison''s supposed to be stopping in again today, and I need to make sure that I''m here when he arrives."


    "Man, again? That guy is so far up your ass he''s probably finding chewing gum, aya," Shandi said, shaking his head. "How long we got, 30 minutes? I wanna be outta here by 1900 tonight, I promised my girl we''d go get some drinks an¡¯ watch that show she likes."


    "Take an hour," Joel said, and Shandi raised his eyebrows.


    "Man, you sure you''re alright?" Shandi asked. "You''re gonna work yourself to death if you don''t take a break, too."


    "I''ll be alright. Go on now, get some lunch. I''ll be here when you get back."


    "Alright boss. Well, we''ll head out then."


    "See you in about an hour," Joel nodded as Shandi and Billy walked out of the bay door to Billy''s truck.


    Joel returned to his office and sat back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the desk. He was expecting yet another visit from Victor anytime, at least that''s what the SGNL message had said this morning. The device in his pocket buzzed - after the other day''s call from Sephie, each new buzz sent a wave of anxiety through his blood. As much as he enjoyed talking with her again, he knew it was a dangerous thing to be doing. She loves you, though, Joel thought, a bitterness to the voice echoing in his head. And you? You feed it. You keep the fire burning.


    He pulled the SGNL from his pocket to see a message from Espee, who had sent pictures of a variety of dresses that she wanted his opinion on for a future date together. Joel felt guilty for his thoughts, but hastily replied, emphatic about a red dress in particular.


    Joel sat up quickly as he heard the closing of a car door - Victor was right on time.


    "Leonart, you in there?"


    Joel stepped out of the office and waved at Victor, who flipped up the shades on his sunglasses.


    "My goodness, this thing''s a hulk, isn''t it?" Victor said, giving a thin smile as he surveyed the Terradrill. "I see that progress is moving along on pace, is it not?"


    Joel nodded.


    "That''s good. That''s what the Emperor expects, anyway."


    He ran a hand through his slicked-back dark hair. It looked freshly cut, freshly dyed - he''d always been terribly conscious of the flecks of grey. Joel noticed his outfit as unusual compared to his usual business wear - a polo shirt and khaki shorts seemed rather strange until he remembered what Victor had said about vacationing in Costa Sintra.


    "How''s the vacation going?" Joel asked.


    "We just got in yesterday around midday, actually. We brought Persephone with us since she said she''s been missing the beach, but as soon as we all got up this morning Ciara said she went off on her own. To be honest, I didn''t expect her to hang around, but I wasn''t expecting her to go that quickly, you know?"


    "Heh," Joel smiled. "Bet she''d get along with Ceres."


    "Strong wills for sure," Victor nodded. "But yes, for as much of it as I''ve been able to enjoy, it''s been a nice time. Ciara''s been on me about stopping at Mayo''s on the pier with that Zaus seafood or whatever-have-you it''s called. Apparently the chef there''s one of the best in the world? Have you heard of it? I''m not much for fish."


    "I think so," Joel said. "Not too much of a ''high culture'' food guy myself, though."


    Victor let the tough fa?ade down for a moment. "I remember back in the days when Ceres was what - a toddler? - that we''d go to that one pizza place and get probably the worst pizza I''ve ever had in my life, and you''d inevitably eat an entire pie of it."


    "Ah yeah, can''t forget that. Scoot''s or something? They closed that place down not long after you moved west. Something or other about ''innumerable health code violations''. Bandages in pizza sauce and whatnot. Enough to make ya want to projectile vomit, that''s for certain."


    "Disgusting. But anyway, I wanted to bring you up to speed on a few things that the Emperor discussed with me when I spoke with him last. It shouldn''t be long."


    "I''m listening."


    "He''s really pushing me to have this done far sooner than later. Like, enormously soon. Way sooner than I know you and your team can handle."


    "Yeah? So how does he anticipate us being able to handle that?"


    "He said that he doesn''t care how it gets done, he wants it to get done."


    "What do you think he means?"


    "I think he means he wants you practically living in this workshop until the job''s done. Starting tomorrow."


    "Do I get the 29th off at least, still?"


    "Your birthday, isn''t it? I suppose he''s still a human and will probably allow that, but no guarantees."


    "Espee''ll wring his neck when she''s finished wringing mine, then."


    Victor smiled slyly. "Can''t say I''d blame her. Cybele only knows that man needs sense knocked into him every now and then. He can''t help but be swayed by the people around him, and the people around him just want to eat him alive. But that''s well beside the point. I''ll put in an order to my team to have some sort of couch-bed sent to the workshop for arrival tomorrow."


    Joel bit his tongue. He didn''t like any of this, but he knew he had to suck it up and deal. He was more worried about how Espee would react. As his thoughts drifted, his SGNL device in his pocket buzzed, but he ignored it. It buzzed three more times in quick succession, and he felt a familiar sense of dread from it.


    "Joel, I know this bothers you, I do. I don''t like it for you or for your family, but remember what we''re doing here, alright? This is temporary."


    Temporary. Five years just about in this podunk nowhere town was not Joel''s definition of temporary, but it was true - it had all been a part of their meticulous planning. The only changes to the script over the last decade had been meeting Lucas as well as the Emperor''s sudden interest in Cygnus, and even though that presented a wrinkle in the planning, Joel knew that Victor had contingencies upon contingencies for ultimately getting them out of town and up into the mountains to the west.


    "So what''s ol'' Draconis expecting? A fucking miracle? Gonna work me to the brink of exhaustion and go ''hey bud, thanks'' and then what, they''re gonna come marching in and mess everything up?"


    "That''s accurate," Victor chortled. "But there''s a financial incentive to have it in before the deadline, as we''ve discussed in the past. The Emperor is fond of those who go above and beyond. Just... just don''t do too good of a job that he''s impressed by you. We need you below his radar."


    "Got it," Joel nodded.


    "There''s a lot at stake here, Joel. I know we''ve talked about this numerous times, but it''s so important that it''s hard not to reiterate." Victor turned away; hands clasped behind his back. He walked out onto the cement outside of the workshop as he looked around.


    "Joel. What we are planning is dangerous beyond all comparison, but it will change the world as we know it. Can you imagine? Peace between nations, union between the warring factions? It would be somewhere I would feel comfortable with Sephie having a future to grow in, perhaps for her future husband and maybe even children one day. And you - your daughter Ceres, that boy Lucas - we''re making a better world for them."


    He turned back to Joel, half-smiling.


    "Hard to believe it''s been almost ten years now since we crossed, isn''t it? I still remember that day we met in Stormhill Ridge all too well."


    "You... you did what you had to do. Just strange to think of how we got here, isn''t it?" Joel said, and Victor looked thoughtful.


    Victor had apprehended Joel for his affiliation with Renaissance - he had lied to Espee to keep both her and Ceres safe from the Empire''s other agents about where he was during the detainment. Mercifully, it had only lasted a few days - they had found common ground on wanting a better world to raise their children, and instead of ending up in a work camp, Joel was released back to his family with the hooked barb of a future promise - the revival of Renaissance.


    Victor''s seemingly altruistic move was not done out of charity. He, like the fallen leader of Renaissance, had a similar interest in seeing House Draconis toppled from the Imperial throne - over three centuries of rule were more than enough, Victor had confided in him. It was a clandestine, terrifying partnership that Joel and Victor had, and deep down Joel knew that someday it might come to an abrupt and bloody ending.


    These are the consequences of your choices, Joel Leonart, she had said to Joel back then. Sometimes the things that you''re most afraid of are the ones you need to stare down the most. You won''t survive otherwise. Sephie had been right.


    "I would certainly deem it unconventional," Victor said. "I need to get going here shortly as Ciara is undoubtedly getting irritated with me for being out here, but I wanted to know - did you have any other questions for me?"


    "I''ll let you know."


    "Good. Keep in touch."


    Victor turned to walk back to the large black SUV but paused halfway.


    "Oh. If that couch isn''t delivered tomorrow, give me a call, alright? We''ll see what we can do for you."


    "Thanks," Joel said with a wave as Victor got into the car and drove off into the distance.


    Now alone, Joel checked his SGNL, which had been buzzing intermittently throughout his talk with Victor. His suspicions were immediately confirmed.


    "Is Dad with you?"


    "I want to say I''m sorry in advance"


    "He gets so high-strung sometimes I can''t stand it"


    "I miss you"


    Joel entered the office and closed the door behind him. He took a seat at the desk, focusing on the SGNL. He replied more eagerly than he intended to.


    "He was here, yes. But you''re pretty close, aren''t you?"


    Joel looked at the clock - it was now right about 1300 - but there were still no signs of Shandi or Billy.


    Buzz.


    "Closer than I''ve been in many years."


    "Congrats, by the way. I knew you could do it."


    "You always believed in me, Joel."


    "I won''t take credit for it, Seph."


    "Well I''m crediting you, so you''d better take it."


    "Stop it already."


    "No. You were there for me when I needed you to be. No one else tried like you did."


    "I almost ruined everything."


    "Shut up! No, you didn''t."


    Joel put his head back at the memory, setting the phone down on the table. He picked it up after a few moments of just sitting there and breathing, knowing he needed to write back.


    "I''ve got to go, Seph. Lots of work to do."


    "I know. I believe in you. I love you."


    Joel put the phone back in his desk and stood as he heard the sound of wheels crunching gravel - Shandi and Billy had returned. He thought about how disappointed Espee would be in that he''d practically be living in the workshop, but his disappointment melted into a twist of concern and strange excitement over what Sephie had said to him.


    I love you.


    No matter how many times he had heard her say it in their time together, it never got old. Now... now is no different.


    <hr>


    The clock read just past 2000 as Joel stepped back out onto the floor of the workshop. With Shandi gone for the night, Joel watched as Billy put away the remaining tools and locked them up.


    "Work''s done, boss man. I''m tuckered out. Think maybe I can go home earlier tomorrow?"


    "We''ll see. I might be having some late nights here soon enough."


    "Ouch. I take it the meeting didn''t go so hot?"


    "No, it was fine. Just directives from above our heads. All I can say about it, really."


    Billy nodded knowingly.


    "Aight, well, I''m gonna head out and check on my dad and make sure he''s sober. He''s been doing pretty good with the one-drink-a-night thing at least, but me coming home so late is hard on him."


    "Go on then. Anything else that''s left I''ll take care of, alright?"


    Billy nodded. "Thanks, Joel. I''ll see you tomorrow."


    "Bright and early," Joel said, smirking. Billy smiled and waved as he left the building. He''d done a good enough job cleaning up that Joel really didn''t have anything at all left to do, so he went back into his office. He knew he''d have to be leaving for home soon, but he didn''t want to leave quite yet. A buzz from the SGNL in his pocket all but confirmed that desire. He picked up the SGNL and his heart froze as he read the words from Sephie on the screen.


    "Joel, it''s urgent. I need to see you. Soon."

 Act 1, Chapter 10

    Lucas


    27th of April, 649


    "Lucas, I know you''re trying, but..." Justine said, shaking her head. "Look. I''ll level with you. Ms. Osoldo''s saying you''re not going to pass the year if you don''t do well on this paper, and even then you''ll still need to pass your finals."


    "I AM trying, I swear!" Lucas said, frustrated. "It''s just... when am I ever going to have to use any of this? Is one of my future bosses gonna come up and ask me to analyze a chapter from a book or something? We''ve got like two weeks left in school, why does any of this matter?"


    Justine rubbed her temples. "Lucas," she said, stress apparent in her voice. "You and I both know that you''ll probably never have to it again, so can you please try? Just for this week. Like you said, you''ll probably never have to do it again."


    Lucas knew that she would make a fantastic teacher - way better than stodgy old Ms. Osoldo. But Lucas also felt like she was always frustrated with him because of his lack of effort - he knew he could''ve been trying harder than he was, it was just that he just didn''t really want to. Justine fiddled with the top button of her shirt as she leaned over Lucas'' attempt at a rough draft, and he could see the disappointment in her eyes as she scanned the words. She was kind to him, and he really didn''t like letting her down. But with the additional responsibility of working in the workshop with Joel, Lucas felt stretched thin. He didn''t really know how to explain that to Justine, who he was admittedly smitten with. Like Espee, she was Beldaran, and at times she reminded him of an older Ceres.


    "Terracius to Lucas, I repeat, come in, Lucas," she smiled, tapping him on the arm. He hadn''t realized he''d zoned out like that. "Don''t fall asleep on me now, alright? This isn''t too bad. We should talk about a few things, though."


    Lucas went through a litany of changes with Justine, and he felt rather deflated at the end of their time together. He felt that everything was going wrong, and increasingly was beginning to feel that none of his life choices mattered and that everyone was guiding him on rails to do certain things. Ceres had already gone home as she was yet again irritated with him. A timer on the desktop beeped, signifying the end of their study session.


    "Ah, shoot. 45 minutes already?" Justine said, scrunching her mouth. "We were just getting somewhere, I think. Oh well, we''ll try again next time. You''ve got your marching orders. I believe in you; you can do it."


    "Thanks," Lucas said. He didn''t really feel like he could do much of anything right.


    "You know, I''m proud of your growth this year," Justine said as she packed her binder into her backpack. "You''ve come a long way, Lucas."


    "Really? Uh, thanks. I don''t feel like I''ve done a lot."


    "Well, I''ve seen it. Progress doesn''t always come quickly, you know. You''ve got to work at it and keep working at it. You''re almost at the finish line now, and I look forward to cheering you on at graduation."


    "You know, I''m really going to miss these sessions," Lucas said. His brain felt like pudding. He didn''t know why he said that.


    "Really?" Justine raised her eyebrow. "I''m going to be blunt and say I''m not sure I believe that, but nonetheless I appreciate it. It''s nice of you to say."


    "Oh. Uh... I mean it, though." Lucas gathered his own papers into his backpack. "Like, thank you. I''d be totally screwed without your help."


    Justine smiled and shook her head. "Hey, you''re doing it too, Lucas. You''re the one ultimately writing these things. I''m just here to help guide you."


    "I was just saying... uh..." Lucas froze up, unsure of what to say. Justine just smiled warmly at him.


    "Hey, next week''s our last session. Shoot me a SGNL message if you want me to bring anything special to it."


    "Like what?"


    She looked at Lucas quizzically and laughed. "Snacks? Drinks? I don''t know, Lucas. You tell me."


    "Oh. Uh, yeah. That would be cool."


    Lucas could feel beads of sweat on the back of his neck. Why was he trying to flirt with her? His mouth moved before his brain could react.


    "Hey, Justine? Will you be back at the school next year?"


    "Probably? I don''t know yet. The program I''m in ends this year, but I like it out here so perhaps the school will take me on as a substitute or something. Why, why do you ask?"


    Lucas'' ability to make rational thoughts was on the brink of escaping out of his ear.


    "Oh, nothing really. I was just gonna say that I''m thinking of leaving Cygnus later in the summer. It would be cool maybe to keep in touch?"


    "If you want to," she shrugged. "You could always ask me questions about navigating college or wherever you end up, you know. Just because I tutored you here doesn''t mean I can''t help you once in a while outside of here."


    "Thanks," Lucas said. He didn''t feel quite as stupid anymore, but he could feel his cheeks flushing. Justine''s SGNL phone buzzed aggressively in her bag, and she pulled it out, smiling at what she saw.


    "Yeesh, I better get on the road. My boyfriend''s in town for the weekend, so I''ve gotta get going to meet him in time. Have a good night, Lucas."


    <hr>


    "Ugh, you''re always so late coming back," Ceres griped as Lucas came up the stairs. He''d had to walk back to the house as Espee was out with Carmine''s wife Maureen for the afternoon, and by the time he made it back the sun was almost down. "Why didn''t you call or anything? I was getting worried."


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "I was just walking," Lucas said. "What''s wrong with that?"


    "What''s wrong with that? So what if you''d been hit by a car or something? How would I have known?"


    "Ceres," Lucas said as he leaned against her doorway. "You sound like Espee talking to your dad. Look, I''m back now. No need to worry."


    She pouted and flopped herself back on the bed.


    "I''m tired of you working for my dad."


    "Ceres, I don''t get a choice in that."


    "And I''m tired of you doing that tutoring thing, too. You don''t need it. You''re smart enough without someone telling you how to write."


    Lucas remembered his chat with Espee about Ceres'' jealousy from last week, and it was quite apparent to him that the seedling of reassurance hadn''t yet taken root in her head.


    "Next week''s the last one, Cer. It''s not like I want to go to them, but you know I''ve got to listen to Ms. Osoldo."


    "To blazes with Ms. Osoldo. I lost all respect for that old bitch when she made fun of Bobby when his mom died." Ceres sighs loudly, and Lucas felt a twinge of nerves telling him to just go back to his own room and leave her be. Instead, he sat down in a chair at her desk.


    "I mean, you''re right, but c''mon, Cer. Be realistic with me, okay? If I don''t pass, I don''t get to come with you."


    "Yeah? So pass the class, then."


    "It''s not that..."


    "I don''t want to hear it, Lucas. You spend too much time just messing around reading books and watching TV instead of doing your homework, and when it comes time to actually need to do anything, you''re left floundering."


    "What do you mean? I''m trying. Ms. Osoldo just grades my stuff harder than everyone else."


    "Yeah? I guess that''s possible. Maybe she''s just trying to get rid of you like she did to Bobby''s brother. Maybe she thinks you''re too busy sleeping in class when you''re supposed to be listening?"


    "Oh, come off it," Lucas said, irritated. "It''s not like you''re not part to blame, anyway. You spend too much time trying to get me to fool around with you," he continued, and then felt his heart freeze in his chest.


    "You have a problem with that or something? We don''t have to do that. That''s something I like doing with you, but if you don''t want to, I''ll stop."


    "That''s not what I meant at all."


    "Then you''ve got no point."


    Lucas felt exasperated. How''d they get to that, anyway? It seemed like one logical leap after another, and he felt like it was giving him motion sickness.


    "Hey, Cer? Why are you giving me crap about coming back late? Weren''t you out with Rita this afternoon?"


    "Yeah, and so what? I got back an hour before you."


    "Then why does it matter if it takes me a while to get back?"


    "Ugh, come on, Lucas," she said, sitting up on the bed and hanging her legs off the side. "Can''t I just miss you without playing twenty questions?"


    "Ceres."


    "Lucas."


    "Look, Cer. In a few weeks, none of this school stuff is gonna matter anymore. Alright? What''re you really mad about?"


    Ceres bit her lip and Lucas could see a roiling anger behind her eyes.


    "Seriously? That''s what you do? You ask me another question?"


    "That was three questions you just asked?"


    Ceres threw one of her pillows at the wall and pointed towards the bedroom door.


    "Get out, okay? Go! I want to be alone now."


    Lucas said nothing further and stood up with a grunt. As soon as he got into the hall, he heard Ceres'' quick steps come up behind him to slam and lock the door in his wake. He rolled his eyes. This was getting out of control, quickly.


    <hr>


    The strand of Pulse lights from Erdrick''s shop glowed purple-blue in the corner of Lucas'' room as he lay in the dark, listening to the rain pitter-patter against the roof. Ceres hadn''t come out of her room for the rest of the night, and now that it was time to go to bed, Lucas wasn''t exactly sure he had enough in him to care about checking up on her. She was a big girl; she could take care of herself. She didn''t need Lucas to do everything for her. On a parallel track in Lucas'' mind, though, he was thinking of what he could do to suture up the rift between them.


    While her birthday was still three full months away, Lucas had been planning it since the moment her seventeenth birthday ended. It was going to be a whole big deal that, on a feral monkey-brained level, would end with them making love for the first time. At least, that''s what Lucas had planned for. He knew with the increasing frequencies of the tempestuous interactions between the two that that was going to be an increasingly hard sell. He found himself daydreaming of Justine instead and had to shake the face from his mind. However, when he tried to picture Ceres, another face came to his mind - clearly, even though he hadn''t seen her in the flesh since he was thirteen years old. Lethe - there, as beautiful as the last time he saw her. He felt like crying out, but held it in. Why was he thinking of her, of all people?


    It was an immensely desperate struggle to keep those memories at bay, but some nights Lucas couldn''t set them aside. He relived the moment of losing her in his mind at least once a month, such as the trauma was. It was formative in the worst way, a culmination of hopes instead dashed. He never saw her again after the men on the train took her away, and Rocky had never been able to provide him any answers. He''d never talked about her in depth with Ceres, partially because of the knowledge of how jealously she may react to the perceived ''threat''. Lethe was 15 when they took her, and if Ceres was going to get jealous of a kiss he''d had years before he and Ceres had even met... well, she could just deal with it.


    The rain continued to pour down. Lucas hadn''t been able to get used to the intensity of the rainstorms in Cygnus, brief as they usually were. Oftentimes hail would fall with the rain, denting cars and breaking windows. In Mormont, his forested hometown in eastern Noctavia, he''d enjoyed the calm, gentle rain that would fall every few days. In the winters, it would fall as powdery snow that would be gone before the next sunset. He loved it there, and his thoughts returned to Ceres as ideas for the future cropped into his mind''s eye.


    The confrontation had clouded his thoughts, and he struggled mightily with it. It exhausted him to be at odds with Ceres, worse still when there was no real way to fix it. He couldn''t fix something that she didn''t want any part in repairing, and the realization of that at times felt numbing to Lucas.


    He thought of Mormont again, trying to clear his head of all the bad thoughts. He remembered cutting down a tree at the Winter Festival with his father and mother. It was one of the earliest clear memories he had of them. His mother; her flaming mane of red hair, easy smile, blue eyes as cold as ice. His father was sturdy and strong, with eyes like grey clouds and dark, well-kept hair. Their laughter together was something he tried desperately to preserve in his memory, but as the years had passed, he felt the horror of beginning to forget the sound.


    The sound of Mom''s ''I love you.'' The sound of Dad''s "I''m proud of you, champ." Family. My family.


    Lucas felt like a wreck. He needed a distraction but couldn''t figure one out. Despair threatened to swallow him again.


    Then, he looked at the Pulse lights, and it spurred his mind to jump tracks, trying to come up with something again for Ceres'' birthday. It felt like a fruitless endeavor to be trying to plan something so important so far away, but he knew he had to impress her. He wasn''t doing a good enough job in that department, and her nasty comments were really driving that home. He felt trapped at times, however, in promises he''d made to her about their future. He loved and cared for her, surely, but her intensity in talking about marriage and children had rattled him the first time she said it.


    Children, he thought. While I like the idea of it, I couldn''t actually do it. Lucas thought of his father as he turned on his side and closed his eyes.


    The way his father screamed his name and told him to run away that afternoon. He was 8 years old then. The gunshots. The terror, the fear, the tears. He never forgot those sounds.

 Act 1, Chapter 11

    Joel


    13th of January, 644


    Technica Academy, Sylva


    The fluorescent lights of the dorm room cast it with a disconcerting, uneasy glow. Everything felt dreamlike, displaced. The light flickered, then stayed constant, then flickered again. Joel took a deep breath as he laid back on the bed, comforter cold against the bare skin of his back. Sephie undid his belt deftly, then slid his jeans down his legs and onto the floor. He steadied his breathing, but his heart raced. She smelled too good, looked incredible, and he wanted her more than anything in the world. She climbed back onto the bed and hovered over him in that oh-so-familiar way, wearing naught but her bra and underwear.


    This is not the first time, but it needs to be the last. Joel, you''re a hypocrite. The same thoughts, in spin cycle, never let free from the machine.


    Joel felt his throat tighten as she wordlessly tugged at his boxers, a sly smile creeping across her face. They were both well aware of the effect her presence had on him, and she gave him a wink as she grazed over his manhood with her hand. She traced her hand up his stomach and his chest to his chin and mouth, planting it on his lips. He kissed her finger, and she kissed him passionately as her other hand touched him. He wanted her, he knew, more than anything in the world. And she, he thought, wanted his children. She''d said as much before, and Joel had been completely remiss in being careful.


    "Seph," Joel said. "It''s your turn." He wanted to be inside of her so badly, but instead slipped his hand down the front of her panties. She was slick with wetness for him, and she moaned as he touched her, coils of mahogany hair falling loosely over her shoulders and chest. She looked beautiful with no comparison.


    "I can''t take it anymore," she said, breathing heavily. "I need you, Joel. I need you now."


    He understood that all too well. He mounted her and slipped inside of her, feeling her dangerous warmth and wetness around him.


    "I love you, Joel, I..." she said, his pace quickening as they moved together. They had been compatible from the first time they''d made love, and it''d only gotten more intense from there. She bucked her hips at Joel as if to draw him deeper to no avail, but he loved the look on her face when he knew she felt good. He kissed her, their mouths enmeshing, tongues intertwining.


    It was a forbidden desire like no other.


    "I''m going to..." Sephie said as she gripped Joel and pulled him against her, her back arching in climax. Joel''s logic and reason disappeared as he, too, whipped them into a frenzy.


    "Give me your baby," she whispered as the endless rondo of their love drew to a feverish close. The words were all Joel needed to be pushed over the edge as Sephie wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him in deeply as he filled her with his seed.


    As he pulled out of her and lay next to her on the bed, sweaty and exhausted, Joel remembered it was a dangerous day to be doing this. What he also didn''t know was whether he cared or not anymore.


    <hr>


    28th of April, 649


    Joel''s Workshop, Cygnus


    "Are you alright? You look pale. Do you need something to drink?" Sephie asked as she sat at Joel''s desk. It was late in the afternoon, and it was surreal feeling to have her near again, let alone across the table from him. Her fingers grazed the back of his hand and memories of the love they made came flowing back violently. Joel was unable to respond, but she just smiled warmly at him. Same as it ever was, Sephie.


    "You haven''t said much at all, Joel. Did I really surprise you that much?" She rested her hand on his. "I just know that it''s your birthday tomorrow, and I wanted to come say hello while I was nearby - in person."


    "Seph," Joel said, his tone nervous even though he was trying to keep it in check. "This is dangerous." The last time they''d been alone like this together was the day after the abortion five years prior - and after that, Joel had tried hard to maintain distance between them so as not to spark painful memories. It was increasingly obvious to him now though that the time apart hadn''t deadened anything he''d hoped she felt, or what he''d felt for her.


    She only looked marginally different than the last time he''d seen her, and when he tried to imagine Victor being her father, he had a hard time doing so. Her features were softer, her smile gentle, her eyes still bright and green. She had shown him a picture of her mother once, and he knew exactly where she''d gotten all her genes from.


    "I know it''s dangerous," Sephie said, shrugging. "But well, here I am. I''m on business if anyone really wants to know. And while I can''t stay long today - I have some things to attend to with regard to the upcoming changes in Cygnus later this evening - but I just wanted to make time to come see you today. I''ll be picking up something for your birthday later, too, so you''ll likely be seeing me again tomorrow. That is, of course, unless my dad tries to assign me something to do."


    "You''re working for him now?"


    She sighed. "Yeah. It''s not my optimal career path, but the pay is out of this world, and I''ll be getting to put all that Medica knowledge to good use. The Emperor requested that my father find a good doctor to add to his staff, and well, nepotism?"


    "I''m sure they wouldn''t''ve hired you unless you were as good as I bet you are," Joel said, and Sephie cackled.


    "Oh, please, don''t flatter me. I do hope I don''t disappoint you, though. I probably would never have gotten into any of those programs without your help."


    "The least I could do."


    "Well, thank you. But that''s beside the point. I know you''ve got work to do, too, so I don''t want to intrude on it too long, but... hey. Tomorrow, maybe, do you want to get some lunch? Have it on your tailgate like old times?"


    "Seph," Joel cautioned. He remembered the first time they made love in the bed of his truck. It was alarming for Joel to realize that had been eight years ago now. "Don''t you think the guys will notice I''ve left? I have to leave early anyway tomorrow..."


    Sephie put up a finger to stop him. "I know. I don''t really want to hear about her, though. I hope you can understand that."


    "I do. I get it. I''ll refrain from it."


    "Thank you," she said, standing up from the chair and coming around the desk. Joel stood up to meet her. He stood just about a head''s height taller than her, and she was just the right height to look down and kiss her upon the forehead.


    "You know the guys won''t notice or care if you''re missing tomorrow," she said, attempting to be seductive. "I mean of course, not the whole day, but if you slip away just for like... ten minutes? They''re up to their eyeballs in work, they won''t even know."


    "Seph," Joel implored, but she simply smiled.


    "Joel, look. I''m not in college anymore. I''m trying to build my own life, too. I''m 27. This isn''t just fooling around anymore. Things are different."


    "Sephie. Things are different, you''re right."


    "Then why do I still feel like this for you, Joel Leonart?" she said, taking a step forward. She looked away from Joel, trying to hide her eyes. "We''d... we''d have a kindergartener right now, Joel. I think about that a lot. I think about what he''d look like, how he''d talk. But... I''m sorry. That''s too much. That''s not what I''m here for."


    She stepped back, but Joel stepped forward to meet her. He reached out his hand for her to hold as she wiped tears from her eyes. She gave it a tender squeeze.


    "Well, at least I know I''m not alone in that wondering," she said, her voice tight. "I''ll be alright though. It was hard enough getting in the car to come here today. Do you know how long I''ve been trying to plan to see you and just chickened out every time?"


    Joel stepped forward once more, closing the gap between them. She looked up at him with those radiant emerald eyes. The blinds on the windows were closed, and of his employees Joel knew that only Billy remained for the afternoon. He was on the other side of the warehouse in one of the paint bays, and the noise from the ventilation fans would keep him from knowing anything.


    Goddess, was he actually thinking of doing this again? Her eyes were dewy with tears that seemed to be stuck where they were. Her hair, long in the days of the Academy, was now shorter and tied back but still radiated like an ember. Her pale skin, gently freckled - he''d never known her to love the outdoors - and as Joel wrapped his arms around her, he could smell her familiar perfume. She never changed it, he thought, and she buried her face into his chest. Sephie was smaller than Joel, both in height and stature. One good squeeze and he supposed he could snap her in half like a twig but would never do that. She stayed there for several moments in silence as he held her, and for those few moments he could feel tension leaving her body.


    "How long''s it been, Joel?" Sephie whispered to him after several more moments. "How long''s it been since you held me in your arms like this?"


    "A long time," Joel said, not quite certain. It had been at least since that night in 645 when they found out she was pregnant for the first time. Perhaps the last time he held her like that was after they decided not to keep the baby. He blocked it out in his mind.


    "Well, I''ve missed it," she said, and looked up at him. He wanted to kiss her. It was a primal impulse, unbearable to deal with. It felt normal to do so, but yet he resisted. "Joel. You know how I get when you look at me like that," she said with a chuckle.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Sorry," Joel said, breaking off the embrace. His SGNL buzzed on the desk several times, and she looked at him knowingly.


    "It''s time for me to get going, anyway."


    "Are you going to be alright?"


    "I''ll be okay. Just a little caught up in all of it, you know what I mean?" She gestured towards his desk. "You should probably get going, too."


    "Probably."


    "Yeah," Sephie said with a shrug. Joel saw the wistfulness in her eyes when she looked at him. "I''ll see you tomorrow, alright?"


    "Really?" Joel asked. He felt silly for sounding so eager, but the idea excited him. He didn''t care if she knew that.


    "Of course," she smiled. "Wouldn''t miss it for the world. Well, unless I get sent back to Teliander or something. But never mind that! You know how we celebrate birthdays, Joel. It will be a good day."


    "I know," Joel said sheepishly. She winked at him as she left the office.


    <hr>


    "The big 39 tomorrow," Espee smiled as she leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. Joel could smell what was likely to be his birthday cake baking in the oven, and the thought of it made his mouth water. "Figured I''d get a head start on it tonight given how busy tomorrow might be. My mother even said she might try to stop by, she''s in Cape Hale this week so perhaps we''ll see her tomorrow or the next day?"


    "Oh? The more the merrier," Joel said, unlacing his boots on the landing. Espee shook her head with a knowing look.


    "Well," she said, shrugging, "at least my father isn''t around to crash your party anymore." Joel remembered when the Baron had come to one of their parties many years before, when they''d lived in Stormhill Ridge. The man had gotten so drunk and so angry that when he passed out in the empty bathtub, nobody bothered him until morning. Baron Haellam had died when Ceres was young, though, and while he knew it hurt Espee to make a joke like that, he also knew that she made it at her expense to make him smile.


    "Shame," Joel said. "Would be all the more interesting if he did happen to show up, huh?" He stood and gave her a peck on the lips as she gently batted at him with a dish towel. "I''m sorry I''m late, I practically had to beg our Empire liaison for an early release for tonight and tomorrow."


    "Mmhmm. Well, at least there''s that." She looked at Joel with questioning eyes. "But I did try to call you. Why didn''t you pick up? I was worried that maybe something had happened."


    "Ah, well, I had my hands full. I felt the buzz, but I didn''t get a chance to do anything about it, me and Billy worked right up ''til it was time to go."


    "And when you were on the way home?"


    "Well, I saw that you''d called and figured it''d just be a good idea to make a beeline home. I''m here now, right?"


    "Hm. Can you just call if you''re running behind next time, then? Doesn''t do me any good to worry like that. Cybele only knows that you could''ve been in a car crash, and I wouldn''t''ve even known."


    "You sound like Ceres, Esp. And please, don''t put that out there in the universe," Joel said, shuddering. He hugged Espee tightly.


    "I know, I shouldn''t''ve said that," she said, nuzzling into his chest. He hoped she wouldn''t smell Sephie on his clothes. "Goodness, Elysium only knows what I''d do if I lost you, you know. Twenty years of life together and I wouldn''t change any of it. I''m sorry if I came off too defensive."


    "No apologies needed," Joel said as he stroked Espee''s back. He felt his SGNL buzz in his pocket as he held her, and she noticed, pulling away from the hug. Joel fished the device from his pocket and bit the inside of his mouth. "Work again," he said.


    "Is it Shandi?" Espee asked, trying to peek at the screen.


    "No," Joel said, shaking his head. "That Empire guy, Victor. Hold on." Joel read through the message, feeling more annoyed as he read on. "He''s saying he wants me to go back into the workshop and speak to him on the secure line there. Is he joking right now?" Joel sighed.


    "Can I see?" Espee asked, and Joel turned the SGNL towards her. She scowled as she read it. "Doesn''t he understand that you have a wife and a child you need to spend time with? Ceres never stops complaining about you not being around."


    "Esp," Joel said, gently but firmly, "you know that this is temporary. We''ve talked about this. Remember what I told you about the payout when everything''s finished with this project. It''ll be the last."


    "If they decide to pay you, Joel." Espee looked annoyed, and Joel knew that look all too well.


    "It''s a contract. He''s never stiffed us before, has he?" Joel gestured around the room. All around were their material possessions - new Technica in the kitchen and in the living room - upstairs, a new mattress the last completed job had netted them. "This project... I shouldn''t even be saying this, but this thing? It goes right to the damn top of the Empire."


    "What do you mean by that, the top?" She looked at Joel, eyes widening. "The Emperor?"


    Joel neither confirmed nor denied. Espee''s eyes said it all to him.


    "I see then. I hope you haven''t forgotten about your promise, though."


    "Terra Promissa," Joel said, the words leaving his lips like a spring breeze. A phrase his father used to utter - the "promised land", a dream of a better life for his family. Of all the division and discord between the two men, they''d both wanted to provide for their families and found common ground there. While his father never lived to see that dream achieved, Joel had remained steadfast in trying to make it happen.


    "Will we get there?" Espee asked. To her, the idea of Terra Promissa was akin to Elysium, the afterlife realm of those of the Cybelian faith - while Joel had long since abandoned thoughts of those ideals, he knew it meant everything to Espee. "We''ve been talking about it for so long now. I pray to Cybele every night about it; you hear me. I know you do."


    "I know. I''m trying. This is about as close as we''ve ever been, Esp. You just have to believe in me."


    The night felt frozen around Joel. Other things were clouding his thoughts of good intentions.


    "When will you be back?" Espee said, breaking the silence.


    "I''m not sure. He can be pretty long-winded."


    She studied his face carefully, then nodded slowly. She placed her hand on Joel''s cheek, rubbing at his stubble.


    "Guess I won''t wait up, then." Espee gave him a tender peck. "You be safe driving out there. Call when you''re on your way back."


    <hr>


    "Sorry to have to call you in here at this time of night, Joel, but it couldn''t wait," Victor said, his face looking haggard on the Technivision screen in Joel''s office. Joel unscrewed the lid from the bottle of whiskey and poured himself a glass, placing his feet up on the desk.


    "What''s this all about that you couldn''t even tell me over the phone, Vic?"


    "The Emperor sent out a missive about two hours ago regarding some new developments with the Cygnus annexation - Joel, it''s official now. Things are advancing faster than we''d previously expected, too." He paused and took a breath. "They''re saying on or around the 18th of May is when Commander Hawkridge''s battalion is to be deployed."


    "Peacekeepers or..."


    "I don''t know. I needed to tell you right out because General Nox is now part of the plans again. I have no idea how the Emperor doesn''t think it''s a terrible plan, but..."


    "Do they know you''re talking to me? Are you sure you''re not on a bugged line?" Joel put his legs down and sat forward. "Don''t you think they''d be tracking who the Hegemon Council is contacting after news like that?"


    "I''m on a burner," Victor nods. "I bought this in Amme Reven on the ferry earlier in the afternoon. I didn''t expect to need it so soon, but here we are, right?"


    "Right. So what''s this mean for our plans?"


    "Well, now that we have a fixed date for when things are about to hit the fan so to speak, we can prepare for it. I have a feeling Nox and Hawkridge both will be quite intrigued about the work you''re doing, so we''re going to have to bury our communication somewhat. With them both coming, I feel almost obligated to start coming by once or twice a week. They''re setting up a command post to the west of you at the edge of the Cygnus territory, so I think Ciara and I will be operating from there."


    "Okay, well, that''s worrisome about Hawkridge and Nox, but..."


    "Yeah. I don''t like it either, but what the Emperor wants, he gets."


    Joel shook his head.


    "Look, Vic. All this is great and all and I know it''s gonna fuck most of what we''ve got planned sideways, but I gotta know if this is gonna impact the most important thing I''ve got going on, alright?" Joel couldn''t help but crack a smile as he took a drink of the whiskey.


    "And what''s that?"


    "My time off tomorrow evening. Birthday, Espee''s got me locked down. You''ll have to deal with her if you can''t guarantee it."


    Victor laughed, which was an unusual sound from the usually stoic man. "Ah, yes. I''m familiar with that. I think we can still allow it."


    "Good. It wasn''t a request."


    Victor sighed. "Anyway, we''ve got more to discuss but I don''t think now''s the time. We''ll need to start getting our contingencies into place for later in the summer in the event something turns wrong and you and yours need to escape."


    "Why would it do that?" Joel felt the creeping unease spread across his back.


    "You know Nox. We''ve talked about Morren before, too. While I don''t like invoking that tragedy, it''s always something to be aware of. The man is capable of atrocities. We need to be on our toes."


    Joel nodded. "Noted. Anything else?"


    "Not tonight," Victor said. "Ciara is calling me back to sleep, anyway. We''re going on the ferry to Amme Reven again tomorrow."


    "Yeah? Persephone going with you?" Joel asked.


    "No, she was away most of the day today. Said she''d be back here soon enough, but she''ll probably be too exhausted to go anywhere in the morning. She gets sick on the water anyway, remember?"


    "Ah, yeah, right, you''ve said before. If you see her before you head out tomorrow, tell her congrats from me if you would?"


    "Of course," Victor said. "She''ll probably be glad to hear it. Alright, Leonart. Drive carefully heading home, and don''t hang out there too long. No idea who might be monitoring that place these days."


    "You bet," Joel said. "Been seeing those purple Drones too often lately."


    "Get used to it," Victor said, taking off his glasses and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Oh, and Joel?"


    "Hm?"


    "Have a good birthday tomorrow, alright?"


    <hr>


    "You''re still up?" Joel asked Lucas, who was splayed out on the couch in the living room. He turned, startled - an episode of the Empire''s "Dumbass Davis" sitcom played on the Technivision, its titular character falling down what appears to be an endless set of stairs. "Would''ve thought you''d be out by now, it''s after 0100. You alright?"


    "Uh... oh yeah, I''m good. Just trying to get my brain to chill out. Been studying all night, and I tried to sleep and couldn''t, so... uh..." Lucas said, gesturing around the room. Joel sat down on the loveseat adjacent to Lucas.


    "Yeah? When are the exams? Good to hear you''re studying. That tutoring helping any, you think?"


    "Next week or so. Not 100% on it but like end of the school week? Then we have graduation the week after that. That''s if I pass, anyway." On the screen, Davis came to a cartwheeling collision with a telephone pole. A large bird''s nest fell on his head, and he slumped into a heap on the ground. Lucas chuckled, distracted. "Sorry. Uh, well, tutoring''s okay. Justine''s smart but y''know, we''ve talked about this before. I''m just not that good at writing. It''s rough on me." He turns his attention back to the screen. "I feel like I got bees in my head, Joel."


    "I remember that feeling," Joel said. "I barely made it out, too. As soon as I graduated, I got the blazes out of Cirrus Heights and..."


    "...ran right smack dab into Espee," Lucas finished. "You''ve told me this all before, Joel. Can I just watch this now?"


    "Sure. I might watch for a bit too, been a long day." Joel watched as the ground below Davis shook, and as it stopped a gigantic bird swooped down from above, picking him up and carrying him away. The bird continued its flight all over town as Davis flailed helplessly. Joel looked over at Lucas, who was fixated on the screen with half a goofy smile on his face.


    "Leave it to the Noctavians to make this kind of stuff," Lucas laughed. "Buncha people who just love seeing others get hurt."


    The large bird swooped down over the ocean, and a gigantic whale breached the surface to gobble up both Davis and the bird.


    "So what''s that make us?"


    The smile dropped from Lucas'' face.


    "Man, do you always have to do that?"


    The whale on screen beached, then exploded in a variety of colors, covering everything in a viscous, paint like substance.


    "Do what?"


    "Just come in and suck the fun from everything?"


    "What? Excuse me, Lucas, but..."


    "Man, I''m tired. Please can you just go already?"


    Joel shook his head. He hated the feeling that this was his place in the family, but he knew that all the work he was doing would someday be worth something, or at least he hoped.


    "It''s always some philosophical thing with you," Lucas continued. "Terra Promissa this, in the future that, you know? Ceres is pissed, too."


    "Is that what this is about?"


    "I mean she has a point, but..."


    "Whatever. Let her be mad. You know what''s going on, so don''t act like you don''t."


    Lucas looked at Joel as if he had five heads and said nothing further.


    The Technivision screen blared with no sense of purpose.

 Act 1, Chapter 12

    Joel


    29th of April, 649


    "I''m sorry, Joel, but I''ve got to cancel on you for lunch today. I got home late and just completely crashed out, I''m so sorry! I''ll make it up to you, I promise," The message on Joel''s SGNL device read. He sighed and slipped it back into his pocket as the workshop around him banged and bustled with clangorous noise. 39, Joel thought, his back aching from the unpleasant sleep of the night before. 39, and not getting a minute younger.


    Espee had seemed relieved to see him when he finally came to bed, and Lucas had somehow made it the rest of the Dumbass Davis episode without anything rude to say - he knew that the boy had been through enough in his life and that those sorts of outbursts weren''t too uncommon, but Joel had always felt ruffled when they happened, nonetheless.


    The morning in the workshop had been busier than usual - it was almost noon now, and Lucas had been allowed to stay at home given his embarrassment over the argument - Joel and his crew had been double-timing things on top of that so that Joel would be able to go home for the evening early.


    A large truck was just finishing another delivery of parts from Fort Arcturus, one of the Empire''s military bases in northern Velus. The driver had been curt with Joel, as all the Empire folk not named Victor had been - they would have their work cut out for them for at least the next several weeks.


    "Start getting ready to head out," Joel said as Shandi drove by on a forklift. "We''re shutting down for the day. You guys have worked your asses off." Shandi waved as Joel felt the SGNL in his pocket buzz once more. He ignored it until it buzzed again and began to walk towards the office for some privacy. He knew Sephie was up to something, he just didn''t know what, exactly.


    Just as Joel sat down at the desk, there was a knock at the door.


    "Come on in," Joel said, and Billy waved at him.


    "Hey, Joel. Me and Shandi are good to roll. You need anything from us?"


    "Nah, you''re good. Go enjoy the sunshine."


    "Right on, right on. We''ll see ya tomorrow morning. Have fun tonight!"


    The SGNL buzzed in Joel''s pocket twice more as Billy spoke, and as Billy closed the door behind him, Joel fished the device from his pocket and confirmed his suspicions.


    "I hope you''re not too mad," the first message read. "I mean it Joel, I''ll make it up to you," the second followed.


    "Don''t worry about it," Joel replied, knowing the can of worms he was unleashing.


    "Joel!! How could I not worry about it? It''s your birthday and I''m stuck up here watching Ciara''s stupid cat until the boarder''s opens again in an hour. It''s a stupid reason, yeah. And I slept in til like 1030, too! What am I even doing? I was just looking forward to seeing you."


    "Seph. Don''t worry, I mean it."


    "I know, I know, but ugh! I wanted to see you one more time before we head back up north, alright? What do you have going on tonight?"


    Joel felt his stomach somersault, but he responded anyway. "Dinner with the family. Not sure how late we''ll be out."


    "Oh, fun! Don''t eat TOO much, okay? Let''s talk later, I gotta run for now. Maybe I''ll see you tonight."


    Joel didn''t write back. He slid the SGNL back into his pocket and leaned back in his chair as far as he could go, unleashing a deep sigh. The trouble you are in, Joel Leonart. The trouble you are in.


    <hr>


    "Well now, don''t you look dapper," Espee said, coming up behind Joel and resting her head on his shoulder as she gave him a once-over in the mirror. "Getting a little tight around the belly there, but you don''t look a day over 34," she grinned and patted him on the back.


    "Hey, this shirt''s about that old," Joel smirked as Espee moved back towards the bed. He ran a comb through his hair. "Better steer clear of all that before-bed ice cream, huh?"


    "I suppose," she shrugged. "But I don''t know, I sorta like you with a little bit of a paunch. Still so handsome. Our twenties may be behind us, but the best is still to come, as they say." Espee pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it into the hamper, and Joel couldn''t help but try to sneak a peek. "Can''t believe Ceres is getting ready to go off to college. Time goes too fast, doesn''t it?"


    "Of course. Feels like only yesterday she was a baby."


    "Time goes, but our love remains," Espee said, unhooking her bra and rolling her shoulders. She winked at Joel as she caught him gawping. "Strange to think how much has changed in the last two decades, huh?" Espee rummaged through their closet and came back out holding a cream colored blouse. "What do you think? Will this look good?"


    Joel knew Espee knew how he was staring at her, and she cracked a wide smile.


    "You''d look good in a burlap sack, Esp," Joel said. He couldn''t help still feeling that same electricity he''d felt the first time he''d laid eyes on her.


    "Oh? Is that a challenge?" Espee said, scrunching her mouth as she took a bra from the dresser. "Here, gimme a hand with this thing, I don''t know why it''s so tricky sometimes but..."


    Joel helped with the clasp but found himself pressed against her back. Espee pulled away from him.


    "Oh, aren''t you forward! I was thinking perhaps we could do that later tonight. Don''t want to keep our reservations waiting now, do we?"


    She pulled the blouse over her head and Joel found his mind racing in split directions - Espee wasn''t a bad wife, on the contrary - he wondered why she''d ever settled for him in the first place. But for him to have done the things he''d done with Sephie, he wondered what it was between him and Espee that was so hopelessly broken in the first place. He didn''t blame Espee for it, nor Ceres or even Lucas. The moment of clarity felt sobering, but Joel forced the thoughts back into their box - it wasn''t the first time those thoughts had upwelled, and Joel knew it certainly wouldn''t be the last.


    "Now look at you," Espee said, looking him over. "You''ve always looked great in that shade of blue, Joel. Almost 40 and looking like that, huh? Might ought to put a collar on you one of these days so that people know who you belong to... wouldn''t want you taken from me." She stepped up to him and gave him a quick peck.


    "I''m not a dog, Esp," Joel smirked. A dog, huh? You certainly are a dog, Joel. "Hey, hold on a sec - are those the earrings from that trip we took to Cape Hale?"


    "For our tenth? Of course. I''ve always loved these."


    "Thought you''d forgotten about them; I never see you wearing them."


    "Well, they''re for special occasions. Thought I''d break them out tonight for you. I do love them, you know."


    "Mom! We''re ready!" Ceres called from the hallway and Espee turned towards the door.


    "We''ll be down in a few! Tell Lucas to brush his teeth!"


    "Okay, Mom!"


    "I''d best get out there," Espee said. "You finish up and we''ll see you downstairs, okay?"


    Espee left the room and Joel felt the weight of the SGNL in his pocket - the messages from Sephie had been on his mind heavily all day long. He thought about them as he tied his tie haphazardly - it''d been a tremendously long time since he''d had to tie one of these things, but he eventually figured it out. He checked the SGNL at last - no new messages from Sephie or anyone else for that matter - but her last message stung him with its barbed hooks. "Perhaps I''ll get to see you tonight," it had read, and his mind swam with it.


    To blazes with you, Joel Leonart. To blazes with you for craving her the way you do.


    Joel deleted the message thread and forced the SGNL back into his pocket.


    Resist her, you fool. Resist her. Her touch. Her smell. The feeling of her lips against yours, the touch of her bare skin against your...


    Joel shook the rogue thoughts as he left the bedroom and into the hall. Down below in the living room, Lucas sat with his head tilted back, staring up at the ceiling. Ceres sat against him, her head leaning on his shoulder, dressed in a pastel pink sundress. It startled Joel that she actually smiled at him when he came down the stairs.


    "Everyone ready to go?" Joel asked, and Espee entered the room with keys in hand. His pocket vibrated again as Espee jingled them and they followed her out to the car.


    <hr>


    The crowd at the bar at the Copper Stallion hooted and hollered at the Technivisions mounted on the wall above the liquor shelves. Joel saw runners on a racetrack and hearing the cheering section was helping to keep his mind off of other things as they waited for their food.


    An older waitress came by the table, breaking his distraction. "For midweek, this place is nuts," she said, shaking her head. Joel read her name tag - Paula. "Sorry about the delay and stuff," she grunted, forehead sweating. "Don''t know why it''s so busy but hey, can I get y''all anything while you wait? Drinks or somethin''? Goddess knows I could use one right about now," she laughs.


    Espee raised her eyebrow as she looked between Joel and Paula. "Probably all in town for his birthday," she said slyly. Ceres looked at Espee, surprised.


    "Mom," she urged, "now they''re gonna sing to him and it''s gonna be so embarrassing and..."


    "Oh, a birthday, is it now? Had one of those myself not too long ago," Paula smiled. "Good time of year for it."


    Lucas squirmed awkwardly at the small talk.


    "I''ll have... hm. Whiskey on the rocks, if you''d be as kind," Joel said. "Espee, what about you?"


    "Just more water," Espee said, sipping from her glass as she moved the ice cubes around the bottom of her cup with her straw.


    "Cool, great. Whiskey for the birthday boy and a water for the missus, coming right up," Paula nodded as she walked off towards the bar.


    "Whiskey, huh?" Espee said, giving Joel a gentle nudge. "Hope we don''t have to carry you out of here. Remember that time we came here and you..."


    "Mom," Ceres hissed, and Joel could tell she was embarrassed.


    Paula returned with the drinks just as another waiter set appetizers down on the table - a smattering of unhealthy, fried foods and some more health-conscious fare for Ceres.


    You''re gonna miss all of this when you leave this place, Joel thought as he thanked the waiter and snatched a mozzarella stick from the basket. Ceres and Espee reached for the same one and the two locked eyes in stalemate, only for both to be thwarted by Lucas. Joel''s attention began to leave the table again - another roar from the crowd at the bar distracted him as his thoughts lazily idled over the table''s conversation - Espee and the kids ate and talked about goings-on at school.


    Then, Joel''s SGNL rang, startling him as if he''d been sprayed with ice water. Why was it ringing?


    "You gonna answer that?" Lucas asked, a long string of cheese hanging from his lip as he chewed.


    "Probably not. What could it be this time of the evening, anyway? The guys know where I''m at, and we left the workshop hours ago." Joel speared lettuce on his fork and tucked into his salad so as not to have to reply further to the inquiry. He hoped he wasn''t coming off too defensive.


    "Maybe it''s someone calling to wish you a happy birthday?" Espee smiled as she chewed her own salad. She gently transferred the grape tomatoes from hers onto Joel''s plate with a playful look.


    "Maybe it''s a telemarketer," Ceres said. "I keep getting calls about my car warranty expiring, and I don''t even have a car yet."


    Lucas stifled a laugh and the mood shifted from fear and nerves back to levity, and Joel felt grateful for that.


    "So anyway, Dad, how''s the project going? Lucas keeps talking my ear off about it," Ceres asked. The stress in Joel''s shoulders began to ebb away.


    "It''s going," Joel said, wiping his mouth. "Only a few weeks left. We''re about to start the final stages of assembly next week, and then it''ll be all about testing it to make sure it works."


    "It''s a Terradrill," Lucas said, and Joel shot him a stern glance. "Oh, my bad. I''m sorry, I didn''t think..."


    Ceres leaned forward over the table. "No way, shut up, you have a Terradrill in the shop? And you didn''t say anything to me?"


    A few people nearby turned around to look at the commotion but quickly went back to their meals and conversations.


    "Didn''t know you''d be so interested," Joel said, and Ceres smiled widely. "But I''m sure one of these afternoons we could have you swing by the shop and check it out? Maybe when school''s out?"


    "And maybe you could even work with Lucas for a day on it?" Espee suggested.


    "I''ve always wanted to see one up close," Ceres nodded, eyes bright. "Is it true that they can burrow down over a mile into Terracius'' crust?"


    Joel looked at Lucas, who just shrugged. "Well, you sound like the expert, Cer. I don''t know for sure. All I know is that we''re building it, and the sucker''s huge."


    "Do you get to see it in action? Can I drive it when it''s done?"


    "Ceres," Espee said in a calming tone. "Breathe."


    Ceres reluctantly took a deep breath and calmed herself. She plucked a celery stick from the basket and took a crisp bite. "Oh, I''m sorry. That''s just... well, it''s cool, that''s what. New Technica like that is just so uncommon in the wild and it''s amazing and I''ve been reading this magazine I found at school and..."


    <hr>


    After some time, Paula returned with the four''s meals, and they dug into the food greedily.


    "So what''s going on when this whole drill business is done, Dad?" Ceres asked, wiping her mouth.


    "Not sure yet," Joel said, buttering his potatoes. "It''s looking like it might be the last real big thing we do for a while though." Joel took a moment to veil his smile, knowing that if they were successful with this job that they''d be able to get out of Cygnus and back into the comfortable mountains of Alaeris.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Really?" Ceres'' eyes lit up, surprised.


    "Really," Joel nodded. "This is a good job, so to speak. Might take care of us for a while."


    "We can hope," Espee cautioned, placing her hand on Joel''s leg. "Would be lovely not to have to worry so much about the future, though."


    "We''ll have to see," Joel smiled, placing his hand over hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don''t wanna get anyone''s hopes up quite yet, but we might even be able to get away on a nice summer vacation after this one. Might even be able to afford a few days in the Minervas..."


    "Oh, no way!" Lucas interjected, uncharacteristically excited. "I just read in Terracius Cartographia last month that there''s a volcano on one of the islands, I think it''s Telos, and it''s overdue to erupt and it might -"


    "Lucas," Ceres said, and he quieted, startled and sheepish.


    "Ceres," he countered, "if you can get as excited as you do about Technica, I can geek out about this, okay? Look, so, there''s a volcano there that''s overdue to erupt, right? They said that when it eventually does blow that the plume will be so big that it might block out the sun for most of the northern hemisphere. Isn''t that nuts?"


    "I don''t know what else to call that besides probably a bad time," Espee said, moving some pasta around her plate. "But it doesn''t sound like it would be much fun. Joel, where else do you think we could go instead?"


    "Hm. Hartel Isle''s supposed to be nice in the summertime. That''s out east past Elegir - might be too rainy in the highlands, though."


    "But the history," Lucas said eagerly. "Ah, man! That place is so cool with the castles and the old farms and the..."


    "I think anywhere we end up will be better than here," Ceres interrupted.


    "Hey, excuse me," Paula said, holding a glass in her hand. "The two guys over there wanted me to bring you this, Mr. ... uh, Joel, is it? They said, ''Happy birthday, you sexy old bitch!'' Their words, not mine. Don''t tell my boss I said that." She placed the glass down in front of Joel as he looked over the bar to see Stingray and Billy Rodriguez trying not to lose their composure.


    "Chug it!" Stingray yelled. Espee rolled her eyes and Ceres looked as if she just wanted to disappear completely. Lucas'' smirk told Joel that at least he was enjoying it.


    Bottoms up, Joel thought as whatever was in the glass burned all the way down. "Blech, what''d ya make me drink, drain cleaner?" Joel called across the restaurant as Billy completely broke down in laughter.


    With that behind him, Joel felt ready for a good nap. The SGNL in his pocket had other plans as it buzzed once more. The noise of the bar and restaurant drowned out the sound this time, but Joel felt the cold sweat gathering on his neck.


    The rest of the meal was a quiet affair as Joel and the others stuffed themselves full, and Joel was grateful for the silence.


    <hr>


    Sometime around 2030, Espee pulled the car into the garage. Joel had been feeling mostly alright after the drinking, as he usually did, but other things were still keeping him unsettled and uneasy. Ceres and Lucas bid him and Espee goodnight as they went off into their own bedrooms upstairs, and Joel and Espee retreated into their own bedroom. Joel noticed how Espee seemed to float across the room as they stripped down out of the night''s regalia into something more immediately comfortable.


    Thoughts of Sephie flickered across his mind''s eye as Joel slipped the belt out of the loops and took off his khaki pants. The two images intertwined with a ghostly glow in the low light of the bedroom. Joel blinked hard, tired. Espee went into the bathroom as he sat down on the bed in his boxers, undoing the buttons on his shirt.


    "Going to take a quick shower," Espee said, cracking the door a smidge. "Be right out. Don''t fall asleep without me."


    Joel laid back on his pillow, trying to keep his mind off the intruder within. The fact that Sephie had chosen to come along with Victor and Ciara on their vacation, so close to where he was... it was rattling him. The several hours it''d take to get from Costa Sintra to Velus rattled him even moreso - was she staying at a motel or something along the way? What was she even thinking? On top of that, with Victor and Ciara out of the way for the evening on their rendezvous into the isles, Cybele only knew what Sephie had planned for him.


    Seeing her might not be too bad, Joel thought, counting the dots of spackle on the bedroom ceiling. With Espee out of sight, Sephie slipped back into full color in his mind, hot nights in the Technica Academy dorm room coalescing into vivid memories. He felt his breathing change as he thought about the way her body pressed to his, as he always felt when he thought of those touches - they were engraved in him now, as he wondered if he was in her. The right person at the wrong time, he resigned himself to thinking, but yet his chest ached, his stomach churned, and the desire, above all else, burned.


    He hadn''t realized how long he''d been fantasizing as Espee stepped out of the bathroom, towel on her hair and robe around her body, loosely tied. "Did you have a good night tonight, love? Aside from how busy it was, I think all in all that went pretty well, don''t you?"


    "Could''ve been a lot worse," Joel smiled, grateful for the break in the downward spiral of thought. "But yeah. I had a good time, and it was nice to be out, the four of us like that."


    "Who knows how many more chances we''ll get like that?" Espee asked, sitting down on the other side of the bed. Joel could smell her soap and the ephemeral image in his head shifted back towards Espee now. "With Lucas and Ceres graduating, this house is likely to be empty soon besides us. It''s a weird feeling, isn''t it?"


    "It is," Joel nodded. "Was nice to see Ceres smile, too."


    "I''m glad you noticed. She''s been talking a lot to me about wanting to try harder to communicate with you. I don''t know how much you''ve been around for her to actually try, but at least she still cares. That much is still good."


    "Absolutely. Hopefully I can make good on that vacation when things settle down. Might have to wait until autumn, but it''ll be nice when we finally get to go somewhere that isn''t flatlands for miles."


    "You can say that again," Espee said, rolling on her side to face Joel. He got more than a good look at her as her robe hung loosely to her top, and she smiled at him. "So tell me, Joel, how are you feeling after that thing Stingray sent you? Are you doing okay?"


    Joel wasn''t expecting that question considering the assumptions in his head. He still felt pretty strange after drinking, but most of the initial drunk feeling had long since worn off. "Fine, I guess?"


    "You look a little off though." She studied his face and sat up, placing her hand on his cheek. "Something bothering you?"


    "No," Joel lied. "Stressed about making sure that damn project is done on time. So much of our future rides on that, you know it."


    "Hm," Espee said, giving his stubbly cheek a stroke. "Well, it''ll probably be good for you to get some sleep if you''re feeling like that, huh? We can take a raincheck ''til tomorrow for things if you''re tired."


    Joel squeezed Espee''s hand gently. He felt cruel for denying her like this. "I''ll have to take you up on that. I''ve been feeling beat up for over a week now, it all catches up on you when you take a moment to slow down, doesn''t it?"


    "You can say that again," Espee smiled warmly. "Suppose I''ll read my book for the club then. Did you want me to just use the reading light? I''ve been waiting at a good part for about three days now and I''m actually pretty excited about it."


    "Have at it," Joel said, stealing a tender kiss. Espee gave his hand a squeeze and turned over to take the book from her nightstand. She propped herself up and took out her reading glasses and booklight and set right into reading. Joel''d always been curious about the things she''d read in the book club with Carmine''s wife Maureen, but he had always struggled with enjoying books for what they were. The Street Weaver was the name of the latest book Espee had brought home, and from what Joel gleaned of it, it was a psychological whodunnit thriller. Espee was engaged in it, and it made her happy.


    Why aren''t you happy, too, Joel?


    <hr>


    Joel hadn''t realized he''d dozed off until he looked at the clock - it was 2230 now, and Espee had already turned off her light and curled up beside him in the bed. His mind had departed to scenes from memories locked away deeply - the first time he and Sephie had made love, the time they stole away to camp together under the stars, so many memories lost to the crashing cascade of time apart - but they felt real again.


    Joel''s SGNL buzzed on the nightstand, and he wondered how many times it had done that while he''d been out. Had Espee noticed? She must not have, as she looked comfortable sleeping next to him. He plucked it up and opened the screen - his stomach dropped as he read a slew of messages from a rapidly approaching Sephie.


    "I think I''ve got some ideas," the first read. A second followed, "Just crossed into Velus again. ETA around 2300."


    Joel scanned the rest.


    "Everything okay?"


    "Should be at the workshop soon. My father wanted me to bring you something important. Please come retrieve it."


    Fucking blazes, Joel thought, swinging his legs gingerly off the side of the bed. Espee stirred next to him.


    "You okay?" Espee asked, dazed with sleep. "Where are you going?"


    "Bathroom," Joel said. "Gotta piss. Had a missed call from Shandi, too. Gonna listen to his voicemail."


    "Shandi? What could he need at this time of night? Oh. Alright."


    Joel went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He did have to piss, that much was true. When he finished, he looked at himself in the mirror - he was scruffy, his eyes still gunky with the brief flirtation with sleep. He put on deodorant but knew any further grooming would be met with concern and potential suspicion. Was he really doing this? Why was he doing this?


    Joel came out of the bathroom with an alibi. "Hey, Esp. Shandi called and said we''d left one of the Pulse torches plugged in - he''d forgotten to mention it til now but there''s a risk of a fire at the shop if I don''t go over there and fix it up."


    Espee turned to him, more awake now. "Oh, shoot. That keeps happening, doesn''t it? Are you okay to drive? I can get up if you need me to drive."


    "I''ll be fine," Joel shook his head. "You should really get some sleep."


    "Joel. If you''re not good to drive, I don''t mind getting up."


    "I''ll be fine," Joel emphasized. "It shouldn''t be too long, but it might take a bit to get everything put away the way it should''ve been. At least he remembered to call."


    "I guess," Espee murmured, sighing. "Be careful out there this time of night, too much wildlife out and about. I''ll see you when you get home."


    Joel gave her a kiss on the head and felt rotten to the core for what he knew he was really leaving to do. She looked so comfortable and happy. What a rotten beast he was.


    Joel dressed in the closet and came out in a t-shirt and shorts, something Lucas raised an eyebrow at when Joel discovered him and Ceres in the living room, watching an episode of Would You Brush Your Teeth With This?


    "Going for a run or something?" Lucas asked. Ceres didn''t look up, her eyes riveted to the screen by a man brushing his teeth with asparagus paste. "It''s cold out there. Where you going?"


    "Gotta go back to the shop. Shandi called me earlier, but I missed it."


    "You need any help?"


    "No, stay here and watch over the house. Nothing too crazy that I can''t do myself."


    "Suit yourself," Lucas said, turning his attention back to the screen. The crowd enthusiastically cheered for an old man to brush his teeth with spiders. "Hope it''s not anything I did, though. Hoping we didn''t leave that torch plugged in again."


    "Ha, well, I''ll have to see if the shop''s burned down then," Joel said. Lucas looked worriedly at him.


    "You sure it hasn''t?"


    Joel appreciated the boy''s concern. "Of course it hasn''t. Every fire truck in town would be over there if it did. I''ll be back in a few hours, but you two should get off to bed soon. Enjoy the show."


    Ceres waved goodbye as the show segued into a commercial for rash creme.


    It was a much cooler night than usual for this time in April, and by the time Joel got into his truck he noticed the coldness of the seat against his back as sweat matted it. He pulled the SGNL from his pocket at last and replied to Sephie.


    "Stay there if you''re there. I''m on my way now."


    <hr>


    Joel''s headlights caught her moving in front of the workshop''s garage bay door. There she is, his mind raced, and he parked the truck. Night birds sang and crowed as he stepped out onto the ground. The frogs and crickets from the nearby stream croaked and buzzed. There, in the pale orange light of Deneb, stood his heart''s desire, illuminated by the beauty of the evening''s surroundings.


    "Thought you might not make it," she said, slowly moving towards him. The desire he felt was a glacier against stone. It carved him in two. She was engraved upon his soul. "Happy birthday, Joel."


    "Seph," he started, but she closed the distance between them. Two halves of a heart finding one another again.


    "I hope," she said, her hands behind her back, clutching her handbag, "that tonight has been kind to you. It was a long drive over here, you know."


    "You said you''d have something for me," Joel said, knowing the entendre in his words. Sephie smiled and took another step closer.


    "I did, didn''t I? Well, I mean I do have something for you, it''s just not here," she gestured around with the handbag at the quiet evening around them.


    "I need to be back to the house in about two hours," Joel said. He knew this game well, and he was losing already. "It''s only fifteen minutes to go back, I have time if you need to go get it."


    "Well, it''s actually inside the workshop, Joel. Else I would''ve had it for you right now."


    Joel felt the hair on the back of his neck raise. Sephie was too good at knowing his every weakness. She wore a violet dress, cut low at the chest. Over it, a familiar cardigan - one he had bought for her years ago - he knew what it meant to her. The dress seemed like it wanted to shift out of reality though - it was sheer to the point he wondered how she could''ve even been warm out there. Her shivers explained it quickly.


    "You look... good," Joel said, and she smiled. Her eyes lit up at him and he felt it in his soul.


    "Well, I probably looked better earlier today," she laughed. "Much warmer on the coast than it is here, I''m afraid. You don''t look too bad yourself, you know. I''m getting a little too cold though in this - could we please head inside?"


    "I can unlock the door if you need to run in and grab what you called me about," Joel said, his last line of defense in miserable trouble. You were already defeated the moment you lied to Espee, he thought with loathing.


    "Hm. No, I need you in there too. It''s part of it."


    Sephie was not good at obfuscating her desires, and Joel knew that she usually got what she wanted. She took Joel''s hand in hers and gently tugged him towards the side of the warehouse.


    "Cameras everywhere here," she said, shaking her head.


    "Good thing I''m in control of them," Joel said as he put the key into the lock. There was no turning back now.


    They moved through the foyer together, hand in hand, before reaching the open warehouse floor. Joel flicked a switch on the wall, illuminating the room in cold fluorescence. It felt strange being in there so late at night, even stranger still to be in there with Sephie alone.


    "Is it weird being here right now?" Sephie asked.


    "With you or just here in general?"


    "Both," she said, squeezing his hand.


    "Yeah, kinda. I''ve been here this late before doing work for your father - he''s going to be the death of me one day, I swear it."


    "I certainly hope not," Sephie pouted. Joel smiled at her, and she smiled back - her smile could''ve outshone Deneb.


    "Well, I''ll try to stay alive, then. So... what did you want to give me?"


    Sephie sighed and stepped towards Joel, so close that he could smell her familiar perfume and the warmth of her skin on his.


    "Me. Isn''t that obvious?"


    "Sephie. You know that''s..."


    "Joel. Do you think I''d come all this way just to go home sad? You obviously wanted to come here, too. Please don''t hold yourself back just because of..."


    "It''s not that, Seph."


    "Then what is it?"


    Joel''s mind raced. He felt her against him, she leaned into him. He felt her breathing changing, her breasts soft against his chest and he couldn''t help but put an arm around her. He didn''t have a chance to respond.


    "Because Joel, seeing you the other day... it brought things back, alright? It made me think that we weren''t really done. That nothing is ever truly done until we''re dead and gone. That''s love, isn''t it?"


    She pressed herself more tightly against Joel as he engulfed her in the embrace. She was engraved upon his very soul. Her fingers caressed the forbidden language of his heart, and he longed so terribly for her.


    "Come with me," Joel said, breaking off the embrace. Sephie looked surprised but not unhappy. They moved into Joel''s office, where he swept her up into his arms again.


    "It can''t die like that, can it?" Sephie asked, relaxing against him. "It never went away for me. Not even when I hated you for what we had to do - because I didn''t really hate you. I hated the circumstances of it. I wanted that life with you."


    "Sephie," Joel said, his face half-buried in her waves of auburn hair. She breathed in deeply against him. Something was stirring after so long of not being able to have time alone together - Joel felt the volcano rumbling long before she said the words.


    "I still love you, Joel," she said, the words but half a whisper yet eruptive with the force of a cataclysm. "I still love you and I don''t know how to stop that."


    She looked up at him, those pretty eyes that knew him too well.


    He kissed her. Not a kiss born of a raging passion, but a tender kiss from the remains of a greater fire - he felt her tongue intermingle with his as he pulled her closer. He didn''t want to let it end. It couldn''t end. This was Elysium, nothing could come close to it.


    She ended the kiss and pulled away from him, looking into his eyes. The moment hung frozen in the air, and he felt her writing new words in that language within him, and for the first time in years he felt something strange.


    Peace. Even with the chaos and horror that would inevitably unfold from these moments, he knew peace right now. She kissed him again, the floodgates barely holding on now. He helped her pull the cardigan from her arms and threw it towards his desk chair, he didn''t see it land. She kissed him with a fire he recognized and a warmth he had craved for far too long now. It was part of him. He knew it to be true that she was his missing piece, and no matter how deeply he drove himself into denial about it, he couldn''t let her go.


    Those thoughts swirled as she moved her hands at his waist and his began their descent to her rear - a gentle squeeze and he pulled her closer to him, she moved from his mouth to his neck, and he was immediately cognizant of the way she was sucking at him. He moved and she resumed her pursuit of him back at his mouth, saliva intermingling as he held her. Goddess, he loved this woman.


    "Sephie," he said quietly as he pulled back from her. She nodded at him, waiting. His hands found hers again, and she took his right hand and placed it against her chest. In the silence her heart beat like thunder. He knew his was just as loud. She squeezed his hand.


    "Joel. Even if it''s just this once, will you take me again? Like you used to do?"


    Joel nodded. Reason had left and control with it. Her dress fell to the floor with his clothes and the two stood naked before one another in the office. The couch beckoned the two closer and on it Sephie laid, her hair askew around the pillow at one end. Joel hadn''t seen her naked in years and was surprised in good ways at how she had changed. Her chest was fuller, her body ever so slightly softer - he had changed too, and from how she looked at him, she liked what she saw. It made him feel insatiably hungry to be desired like that.


    From atop her, he kissed up her stomach between her breasts and up to her mouth. Her hand found his manhood and he felt himself hard between them as she moved it back and forth. His hand found her wetness and he was surprised and how wet she''d already become - his finger slipped inside her furtively, but he soon quickened his movements. He felt her breathing go from steady to ragged as his tempo increased - he felt how hard he was and wanted nothing more than to please her. She pushed his hand away and whispered in his ear - he moved down past her breasts and stomach to put his tongue inside of her, and she arched her back. He drew circles and shapes as she pushed his head against her.


    He loved this. He loved her. He wanted her to feel good and to be happy. Espee never let him do anything like this. He banished Espee from his mind as Sephie came for him, he drank her in with a joyful fury.


    "You now," she said, pulling at him to mount her. He acquiesced, and in one fluid movement found himself raw inside of her.


    The last time they''d done it like this...


    He focused on the moment, his body pressed into hers. She dug into his back gently with her fingertips, and he kissed her. Their desires bore bloom on that couch in his office, the room stinking with the smells of sweat and sex and the faint hint of whiskey.


    "Are you close?" Sephie whispered. Joel nodded. She pulled him close, legs wrapped around his hips as he filled her with seed. Joel did not want to let her go. He needed her again and again, but he knew it needed to end - for the time being, anyway.


    "I love you," Sephie said as Joel rested against her. She ran her fingers in small circles on his back. "I love you, Joel Leonart. Until the sun burns from the sky."

 Act 1, Chapter 13

    Caroline


    3rd of May, 649


    Caroline''s hand throbbed as she squeezed it shut. The burn hadn''t been as severe as Mandy, Freyja Chapel''s nurse, had initially thought, but nonetheless it was still painful. Turonn and Vivienne had somehow been able to handle it without getting burnt - Caroline wondered if she had been allergic to something, but the way it burned her was almost like the pictures she''d seen of lightning strikes.


    The Rigelite, or whatever it was, was locked in the High Vestal''s private reliquary. The reliquary was the only part of the Chapel that Caroline was never allowed into - only Vivienne had the key to get in and out. Turonn had been almost overprotective of Caroline as the days had passed and her hand healed, making sure to remind her to change her bandages and to put an ointment Mandy had given her on it. It reminded her strongly of how doting her own father had been - after her sister''s death, Caroline had at times felt as if she was wrapped in bubble wrap when her parents were around. It was an echo of a sad memory, yet she was very grateful for Turonn''s attention.


    "Vestal," he spoke, tilting his head at her. "Are you alright?"


    "Just spacing out," Caroline said. "How''s it looking?"


    The burn looked almost like a diagram of nerves, splintering off into fractal-like patterns from the palm of her hand down to just below her right wrist. The blister had already ruptured, and the core of the burn had largely scabbed over and begun to heal at this point, but the pain had remained rather intense over the last week.


    "Better today. I''ll need to get more of that creme from Mandy before the day is out, but it''s progress. Cybele only knows why in blazes that even happened, though. Have you ever had an allergy to jewelry or anything like that?"


    "Only some cheap jewelry I got for my birthday one year," Caroline shook her head. "But that was millrite, and you know how everyone gets with that." It turned her ears green!


    "Right," Turonn nodded. "Well, let''s get that bandage back on, shall we?"


    Turonn gently looped the fabric bandage around her wrist and hand - normally he would have been forbidden to touch her as for her status as Vestal but given the circumstance it was allowed.


    "I honestly wonder what happened to you. I know I''ve asked you this before, but did you feel anything else when the stone burned you?"


    "I still can''t remember," Caroline shook her head. When she thought about the moment she took the stone from Emilia and it burned her, her mind was a complete blank. Also blank were her dreams. There were no visions of the young woman in the grassy field atop the stone, nor were there any actual normal dreams. Her sleep had been good at least, and for that she was grateful.


    "Well, it may be good to try then at least. Any clues that we can get towards figuring out what happened will help us in preventing it from happening again."


    Caroline studied Turonn''s face. He hadn''t shaven in a few days and was becoming a bit scruffy-cheeked. His forehead was etched with a worry she''d rarely seen in him, and she gently clasped her hand over his as he finished setting the bandage.


    "Vestal," he said quickly, but Caroline held firm.


    "It''s alright. I wanted to thank you for your concern about me. It''s nice knowing that someone cares. Not that you don''t always, but I don''t know if I tell you I appreciate you quite enough."


    "Humbly, Vestal, no such thanks are needed." He pulled his hand away and bowed his head. "Now that that''s done, suppose I should be getting on with the day." He stood and smoothed his slacks, then stretched his arms over his head. "I was curious, Caroline - it''s not often that you''re not working, but would you wish to accompany me on a short jaunt across the river into Sheliak for supplies?"


    "Would I?" Caroline asked excitedly. "I''d be happy to, if you''d have me."


    "I don''t believe the High Vestal will have any issues with this - it''ll be good for your mind to have a change of scenery, and I can''t say she''d disagree with that assessment of things. Perhaps we can make a day of it? I''ve always liked going over to the beaches there myself."


    "That would be lovely," Caroline nodded. "I''ll get my things and meet you back here in a little bit, alright?"


    "Well, we aren''t quite ready to leave yet. The High Vestal takes her sweet time making those lists - it might be an hour or more. I''ll send you a message on your SGNL when she''s ready, but until then it might be a good idea to grab some breakfast. I''ve got a few more tasks before I''ll be ready to go."


    "Alright, well, I''ll get on that breakfast then. You sure you don''t want to come with me?" Caroline asked but Turonn just shook his head.


    "Church business comes before the hunger pangs," he laughed. "I''ll fix something for myself before we go, I promise."


    Caroline hated when Turonn would skip meals, but it seemed like he was constantly busy as of late. It was hard to get him to sit down and eat with her or with the Attendants. She wondered about it and was highly suspicious that he had been trying to figure out what had hurt her. She understood his drive to solve the mystery but struggled to reconcile it with his lack of maintaining his well-being.


    "You''d best," Caroline said, teacher voice coming out. Turonn smiled at that.


    "I promise you. Maybe I''ll get one of those cup burritos from the kitchen?"


    "Those are good. Those''ll do."


    Turonn sighed. "I''ll see you soon."


    <hr>


    Caroline had been in Turonn''s truck many times on the grounds of the Chapel, but it was rare indeed to be able to accompany him on a trip outside of the grounds. Sheliak was a large suburb of the Elegirian capital of Rigelios, and while large cities had never appealed to Caroline, there was something exciting about going out and being able to explore.


    Her childhood in Larnell, in southwest Alaeris, was an idyllic small town existence. The perils of the city were just things she''d seen on Technivision, and she''d sometimes lamented about feeling sheltered from things even as a young girl - not that being cocooned as an Attendant did that sheltered feeling any good. While she wasn''t hoping to encounter anything unusual in the city, the idea that anything could happen while they were there had its own unique enchantment to it.


    "When was the last time we came here?" Turonn asked, watching the road. "It''s been a few years now, hasn''t it?"


    Caroline moved aside her veil to smile at him. Whenever she left town on Church business, she had to dress the part - she hated having to cover her face with the gauzy muslin, and the facelessness of it made her feel like a phantom when they were traveling. The stout and featureless robes, however, made her feel more comfortable in her own skin when surrounded by strangers - on past trips to visit home, lascivious eyes and glances had made her feel less than human. Turonn never made her feel like that, at least.


    "I think it was maybe three or four years back? We had to pick up something for the High Vestal from the Church in Grisport... what was it?"


    Turonn laughed. "Ah, it was that fish dinner, wasn''t it? Needed some fresh lobster for some meeting with one of the men from the Conclave, I think it was."


    "Oh, I remember now! The one with the really bushy eyebrows?"


    "Yes, that''s him. Leardin, I think his name is. I think he''s still around down in Sha''ul, but he was so old and decrepit looking that I''d be shocked if he wasn''t dead already."


    "Seems to be the case with a lot of them," Caroline shrugged. Turonn nodded thoughtfully.


    "Well, we''re not getting any younger either, Vestal."


    "Fair point."


    They continued driving for about another half hour and crossed the St. Saiph River Bridge, which Caroline had looked forward to seeing in person - it hadn''t yet been constructed when they''d come last time, and she''d read about it and seen it on the news. It was supposed to have drawn investors and other businesspeople to develop the lands west of the river along the border with Alaeris, but for whatever reason that never came to pass. Rumors of war were always afoot - the Noctavian Empire held the isle of Mirandis between Elegir and the Cerulea Isles to the north, and tensions between Elegir and Noctavia always threatened to run hot.


    Caroline detested the idea that this place may someday become a warzone, and as they drove through the grid of streets that comprised Sheliak, she marveled at the Rigelios skyline to the east - between Saiph and Rigelios, the "Twin Cities of Glass" as they were known in Terrah, stood no less than fifty tall buildings, each an architectural marvel.


    Her own father was an architect, and many nights were spent learning all about the buildings of the world as a child. The idea of being hundreds of feet from the ground was simultaneously exciting and terrifying to her, but she had yet to get to look off the top of a tower as large as the ones in Rigelios or Saiph.


    "We''re almost here," Turonn said, turning down a side street into a residential area. The houses here were quite different than those in Larnell, and it seemed each subdivision they drove past looked eerily the same. She noted the home styles and mentally judged the yards or lack thereof in some places - but not many places could compare to where she grew up, and she chastised herself for being a smidgen too judgmental.


    Cybele wouldn''t like that much, she thought, but at the same time thought the same of a large, gaudy cat made of what was probably fiberglass or whispersteel - it caught the noonday sun with its angry glare.


    "This is the place," Turonn said, pulling into a spot in a strip mall plaza - Erdrick''s was suspended over the door in dilapidated red lettering. "If you want to hang out in the truck, you''re welcome to. Erdrick usually has some interesting things at his place, but he hasn''t been around much lately. Not sure who all might be in there today."


    "No, I think I''ll come in. Good chance to stretch my legs." Caroline put up the veil and the hood of the robe and stepped out of the truck. The building had seen better days for sure, but what she could see displayed in the windows had a strange sort of charm to it.


    <hr>


    "Hello?" Turonn called as he and Caroline walked into the shop. A man with short, cropped hair and beady eyes stood wiping a mug at the counter at the back. Caroline thought she had seen him before somewhere, but assumed it was just her imagination until he spoke.


    "Hey there," said the man with the familiar voice. "Told I should be expecting ya! Who''s the ghostie with ya?"


    Caroline''s cheeks flushed under the hood, and she knew at once where she''d heard that voice before. Those Technivision commercials at late night with the rash creme! It had to be!


    "She is not a ghost, and I''ll insist just this one time that you refrain from that language. This woman is a Vestal of the Cybelian Church. Please watch your words."


    "Ah, shit, well! That''s my bad. Ol'' Erdrick didn''t say you''d be bringing a Vestal along."


    No harm no foul, I suppose. I''ve been called far worse, Caroline thought. She knew not to speak in the presence of strangers - her presence alone was supposed to be enough to keep people from acting out of line.


    "Language," Turonn said, more firmly this time. The man sighed and chewed his tongue. "But yes, I''m here for the pickup order. I trust the High Vestal has already submitted the payment?"


    "Yeah," the man said. "Oh, uh, where are my manners? Name''s Dorbert. I work for Erdrick, and uh, sorry about the ghost thing, Vestal. Haven''t seen one of you folks in a long time. Don''t get many here. Maybe ever." He shrugged.


    Caroline bowed her head once - an acknowledgment - and the man looked strangely at ease after that.


    "Well, Dorbert, if everything''s good, we''ll need to get moving - I''ve got the bed of the truck cleared out, so you can probably just put the pallets right on in there," Turonn gestured. Dorbert nodded and scratched his neck.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Cool. Well, gimme a minute and I''ll get the forklift and we''ll get that on there for ya. In the meanwhile, if you just wanna poke around in here, be my guest."


    "Thank you," Turonn said. Dorbert gave him a nod as he disappeared beyond a curtain at the back of the store. They glanced around the racks on the walls and Caroline futzed around with some of the smaller items on the shelves. Strange things, they were really - all sorts of tchotchkes in this section, anyway - things like small wooden ducks or strings of Pulse lights. All things no one would pay money for, at least not me, she thought, placing a garish wooden duck back in its place on the shelf.


    She could hear movement from outside along with some very familiar sounds of complaint - Caroline moved her veil aside when she was sure that she and Turonn were alone.


    "Turonn," she urged quietly. "Do you know who that guy is?"


    "Who who is? Dorbert?"


    "Yes!" she whispered. "He''s the guy from those commercials! The ''Oh, my rash! Get the creme, Rondi!'' commercials!"


    Turonn tilted his head at her as if she had five heads. "Can''t say I''ve seen it. How much Technivision are you watching, Vestal?"


    Caroline''s cheeks blushed and she smiled sheepishly. "Probably too much. But I mean, Turonn! It''s memorable! You can''t fault me for..."


    Dorbert returned through the curtain before Caroline was able to move her veil back. They caught one another''s eyes, and she panicked, frozen. She turned to Turonn and by virtue of his stature he formed an effective shield.


    "Uh, I was just gonna say that we''ve got some extra stuff going on this load," Dorbert said. He seemed quite piqued by what he saw, or so Caroline thought. It was a rare enough sight to see a Vestal outside of a church, but rarer still to see one''s face. She felt dirty for having slipped up like that, and through the sleeve of the robe she felt for her prayer beads. Silently, she prayed to Cybele, hoping that the lapse would be forgiven.


    "Erdrick told me yesterday he was sorry he couldn''t be here. Said he got wrapped up in some business with an all-you-can-eat seafood place down in Velus somewheres and not to expect him back until he''s eaten all he can eat? I dunno what he meant by that, but..."


    Caroline laughed. She didn''t mean to, but she did anyway.


    "Yeah, that''s what I thought too," Dorbert smiled at her as if he could see hers under her veil. "Said he had been lookin'' forward to seein'' ya though, Turonn."


    "Maybe he can bring a bucket of clams back for me next time," Turonn laughed. "But extra things? We didn''t order anything extra."


    "Ol'' Erdrick said it''s his apology for not being able to be here. That''s what I was trying to say, but the words just got a little bit uh... messed up in my head."


    "Happens to the best of us," Turonn said.


    "Yeah. Me more often than not, but hey! Showbiz''ll do that to ya. They''re up on the truck right now, but it might be a good idea if you wanna check ''em over before you get on heading back to wherever you''re coming from."


    "A good idea indeed," Turonn nodded. "Vestal, if you would?" He gestured towards the door and followed as Caroline led them back outside.


    <hr>


    Turonn checked over the manifest as Caroline sat back in the passenger seat of the truck - when they were good to go, he said his goodbyes to Dorbert, who waved at them as the truck pulled away and back out onto the road.


    "Dr. Dorbert''s Rash Creme," Turonn said after a few moments'' silence. "I think I remember a bit more about it now. I''ve heard those ads on the radio before. Strange. He didn''t look much like a doctor, do you think?"


    "Stranger people have done stranger things?" Caroline suggested, but Turonn just shook his head.


    "Nah. That guy? No way."


    The drive back towards Freyja Chapel was slower than the way there - the truck was noticeably heavier and Turonn had to drive more carefully as not to lose anything. After crossing back over the St. Saiph River Bridge, Caroline began to feel tired. They''d picked up a light meal at a fast food place, which always made her stomach feel uneasy anyway, but the sleepiness gave her a different reason to be afraid other than a suddenly necessary bathroom trip.


    She hadn''t slept anywhere but her bed since the Dreams started - Cybele only knew what would happen if she started having a Dream with Turonn right next to her. She didn''t know if she would move around or if she would speak. Her quarters were private, but this? These were uncharted, terrifying waters. What would Turonn think of you if you started screaming in your sleep?


    He noticed her struggling to stay awake. "You know, Vestal, it''s alright if you get some rest. It''s not like there''s anything exciting going on. I imagine you might be a little nervous to sleep away from the Chapel, but I''m here to protect you."


    Caroline yawned. "I hate it when you read my mind like that," she sighed. "But you''re right. I''m just..." she yawned again, "...just afraid of being back in that place again."


    "Well, if you start moving like you''re possessed by Corybas or Phyrigias or whoever, I''ll be glad to wake you."


    "I..." Another yawn. "I appreciate that."


    Caroline put up a big fight against it, but sleep won out. She closed her eyes and rested against the truck''s door. Everything went black, then a brilliant blue.


    #


    In the field of blue light came a familiar scene. A wooded plain, pockmarked with large, climbable boulders and outcrops. A hazy sky, cleft in two by a flaming sunset and the clear, devouring blue of midday. Caroline felt herself covered in a cold mist as she walked through the trees but saw no source for it. Focus, Caroline. You''re here again. You need to find that girl and talk to her and figure out what in blazes is happening here.


    Caroline pressed forward carefully, trying not to draw attention to herself. The sensation of cold permeated through her robes - or what she thought were her robes, anyway - she found that she was even dressed differently in here. A simple t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of sandals - clothes she''d probably wear in her downtime alone in her apartment, but not clothes for adventuring in a dreamland wilderness. The cold made her shiver as she continued forward.


    I wish I was warm, she thought, remembering how nice it''d been outside Erdrick''s store just hours before. Strangely, the feeling of the mist stopped at the thought.


    Did I just do that?


    "Perhaps you did, perhaps you did not," a voice called from a close distance. "But how would you know? Who knows, perhaps I did it."


    "Who are you? What do you want?" Caroline looked around, desperately trying to veil her shock at the sound of the unknown voice.


    "Relax yourself, I am not here to hurt you. Not in the way you may be expecting, anyway."


    Caroline thought the voice seemed familiar much in the same way Dorbert''s had - but something about it felt wrong.


    The world around her unfolded as if made of paper. She was losing it. She was waking up.


    "Not this time. Come, there''s things you must see. Must feel. You must understand your fears, Caroline, before you are able to overcome them."


    What the blazes?


    "I know what you''re thinking, and you are justified in your concerns."


    The family home in Larnell appeared in the void, and Caroline covered her mouth as if trying to hold back a scream of shock.


    "But if you can face down your darknesses, you will reveal yourself cleansed by its flame, Caroline."


    "Who are you?" Caroline demanded, but the voice simply clicked at her as if a stern teacher.


    "Not for telling," it said in a flat tone. "You must experience."


    The rest of Larnell unfolded around her, and Caroline looked around, horrified. This has never happened before.


    "You have formed a conduit," the voice said, explaining. "Greater depths may yet be reached, but there are hurdles even here that you must surmount to continue."


    "What if I don''t want to?"


    "You no longer have a say, Caroline. This is your destiny."


    "Yeah? What if I want to wake up?" Caroline felt silly calling out at nothing. She supposed it wasn''t too much different than praying to Cybele. Perhaps this was Cybele. She had no idea.


    "Are you the Goddess?" Caroline asked. The very question made her feel stupid. "What do you want from me?"


    "You have formed a bond," the voice said again, somehow more flatly. "You are connected to me now, Caroline. We will commune in this space until the day you die."


    "Am I a Dreamseer?"


    "Call it what you want, Caroline, but you know the truth of it in your heart."


    "What? What do you mean by that?"


    "Go now. Your destiny awaits you. Walk through that door into your house."


    "How will I know what I need to do once I''m in there? Is what''s in there real or is it just a Dream, too?"


    "You will have to see for yourself, Caroline. Once you are inside, I will not speak until you have experienced. You will not be able to leave the Dream until then."


    "Do I have to do this?" Caroline bit her lip until it almost bled. She was petrified of this place already. It was home but in no way did it feel that way. It felt alien and wrong and looking at it filled her with incomprehensible dread.


    "You must crawl before you walk," the voice said with a surprising amount of pride in its voice.


    "What do you mean? Who are you?"


    The voice did not respond. Birds chirped in the trees as the morning sun came up above the eastern Aquilas. She caught a glimpse of herself in the front bay window of the house and what she saw filled her with surprise and horror - how can this be? - she was nine years old again.


    <hr>


    Caroline''s father Ethan opened the door to the family''s home and looked upon the disheveled Caroline with concern.


    "Carrie? What are you doing out here so early? The bus to school doesn''t come for another hour."


    "Oh! I must''ve forgotten to change my clock," Caroline lied. Her father looked at her with squinted eyes. He wasn''t buying what she was selling.


    "You don''t have a backpack or anything, either. Are you feeling alright?"


    "I''m a little cold," she said. Her father was a pushover for her, he''d always been. She''d been grateful for it - he''d always had her back with everything, even things her mother had been more steadfast against.


    "Well, get on in here and I''ll get some oatmeal on the stove. Mom''s with Phoebe right now, they had a hard night."


    "Phoebe?" Caroline asked.


    "Yeah, come on in, we need to talk about it."


    Caroline looked down the road into the endless black void at the end of the street. The sky past that point seemed to bend into where the ground should have been, and it made her feel extremely uneasy.


    "Is she okay?" Caroline asked. She knew what had happened on this day, it was just playing out in a different way than she had remembered. Her sister had been sick, as her mother had said - she had been a vibrant child until just after her third birthday.


    Then the cancer came, vicious, ugly, and unsparing. Phoebe''s decline had been quick, much quicker than anyone, not her parents or the doctors could have expected. It gutted Caroline then and the idea of reliving that day filled her heart with horrors unimaginable.


    "She''s stable at least. The doctor should be here soon, but it''s not like this is the first time this has happened. C''mon in, that oatmeal''s calling your name."


    Caroline stepped across the dewy morning grass. It was freshly cut, and felt prickly beneath her bare feet. For early Verel, before the turn of spring even, it was oddly cold outside.


    "Dad?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Are you okay?"


    "What do you mean, am I okay?"


    A strangely warm breeze wrapped around her as she stepped forwards towards him. She remembered how the winds had changed in the forest of her memories just prior to coming here, and the gears in her head began to turn.


    "You always look so worried, Dad. I''m just asking."


    "Not your concern, darling. Thank you, though. It''s been hard on all of us, hasn''t it?"


    Caroline nodded as she climbed the stairs and entered the house. Ethan shut the door behind them. In the living room was where Phoebe''s too-small hospital bed was set up, and her mother Cristyn sat half-awake by her bedside. Caroline could smell the coffee from the kitchen as she followed her father in.


    She sat awkwardly on a stool at the kitchen island as Ethan quickly assembled breakfast - a pot of oatmeal, some sliced grapefruit, a glass of milk. Cristyn entered the room, stretching her arms over her head.


    "Hey, Carrie, good morning," Cristyn said. "I hope we weren''t too noisy last night. Did we wake you?"


    "I found her outside standing barefoot in the grass," Ethan said, and her mother looked alarmed. "Not sure if she was just wanting to go outside or what, but it was pretty strange."


    "Sleepwalking, maybe?" Cristyn shrugged. It was unusual behavior, but Caroline assumed that it was the least of her mother''s concerns. "Whatever the case, I hope that you got enough rest. At least next week is spring break from school?"


    "Yeah," Caroline said, nodding as her father put the bowl of oatmeal in front of her. Its steam smelled of brown sugar and he had added blueberries and honey to it as well. "Is Phoebe doing okay?"


    Her parents looked between one another, then back to her.


    "She''s a trooper," Cristyn said after a too-long silence. "She''s asleep now, and Dr. Wilson should be over soon to check up on her."


    Caroline nodded and tucked into the bowl of oatmeal. For being a Dream, the sensation of taste was just as real as it was in the waking world. It made her acutely aware of her own mortality within the Dream and conjectured that she''d need to be careful with what she did and how she approached things.


    Her parents sat down at the breakfast island, too. Cristyn made what was probably her fifth cup of coffee of the day so far, Caroline thought, and the three of them ate in silence. Every now and then, the silence was pierced by the beep of Phoebe''s vitals monitor in the living room.


    The bus honked outside, and Caroline took her backpack from by the front door. Her parents said their goodbyes to her as she stepped out into the now brighter morning light - but there was no bus. She turned around - there was no more Larnell house, either.


    Somewhere in the distance, she heard the rushing sounds of water. Mist filled the spaces around her, cold and moist. It felt almost as if it was tugging at her, and she felt the ground below her crumbling away. A scream caught in her throat as it completely vanished underneath, but she did not fall.


    "You. You are not ready, not yet. But the day will come when you are ready. The day will come when you will understand everything."


    <hr>


    "Goodness, Caroline? Are you alright in there?" High Vestal Vivienne''s voice called from just outside the bedroom door. This wasn''t Caroline''s bedroom, but she felt relieved to be there, wherever she was.


    "I''m alright, I just woke up," Caroline called, sitting up. How long had she been asleep? She looked at her clothes - she was in the same clothing she had been wearing while traveling with Turonn, but she had no idea what day it was or anything. All she knew right now was that she was sweaty, she had to use the bathroom something fierce, and that her head was pounding.


    Vivienne entered the room wrapped in a colorful shawl. "Cybele''s mercy, you had us scared there for a minute there!" She sat down at the foot of the bed and put her hand gently on Caroline''s foot. "Turonn said you fell asleep on the way back and that you were murmuring - he called me because he couldn''t wake you. We carried you up here and you''ve been here since. I''ve been checking on you every half hour since I woke up this morning, Caroline. "


    "What? This morning? What day is it?"


    "It''s the 4th," Vivienne said. "You''ve been out for almost 24 hours now. Mandy came by to check on you during the night, but all of your vitals were fine - we didn''t dare disturb you, though. I didn''t explain to her what all was happening but stressed that it was important to keep it quiet."


    "I had another Dream."


    "I know. I''ve never seen anyone have one in person before, but it was unmistakable from what the scriptures say of Dreamseers, Caroline. What did you dream of?"


    "Forests. Being cold. Seeing my parents."


    "Now that''s a different one, isn''t it?"


    "A voice spoke to me, too." Caroline didn''t know if it was safe to divulge this much, but she knew she had to say something about it.


    "A voice? Like what kind of voice?" Vivienne looked at her with concern.


    "I''m not sure. It spoke inside my head, it felt like. And when I saw my parents, I changed. I changed into myself as a nine-year old girl."


    "Strange indeed," Vivienne said, her brow furrowed. "I suppose I should let you clean up and get something to eat. I can make you something if you wish."


    Even more strangely, she didn''t feel hungry at all.

 Act 1, Chapter 14

    Lucas


    4th of May, 649


    Lucas felt his hands sweating at the desk in Mrs. Osoldo''s classroom. They''d finished their final exam earlier in the morning, and after a short break the class had been called back to the room to pick up their final scores. Mrs. Osoldo, a squat woman from the Minervan Isles, paced back and forth in the front of the room surveying her students.


    "So, how do you think you all did? No matter what the results are, you''ve all tried hard in your own way. Please do not take these scores as a reflection of your capabilities going forward, but as a snapshot of where you are right now in your life. Remember, growth takes time! I''m going to get these back to you now - when I call your name, take your exam and head out into the hallway. You are free to go after that. Have a wonderful summer!"


    She picked up the hefty stack from the desk and called names one by one.


    "Jenny Alisco..."


    Nightmarish thoughts flooded Lucas'' mind. His name wasn''t far away, but thoughts of failure suddenly seemed very, very real.


    "Peter Anderson..."


    What if you failed this? What if you had to take this whole year again, and Ceres went off to the Technica Academy without you?


    "Maxine Barmy...."


    Lucas tried to shove the thoughts away, but he felt his hands turning clammy. He turned to Ceres, who gave him a knowing glance.


    "Cleo Benson..."


    What if you fail? She''ll leave you for someone smarter, someone without all the baggage you have. You''d be no better than you were starving to near-death in Riamal Haven in her eyes.


    "Lucas Beolou," Mrs. Osoldo called, and Lucas stood up. He looked around the room and even though it felt like all eyes were on him, no one was paying attention other than Ceres and her friend Rita.


    "Have a good summer," she said to him as he took the packet and stepped out into the hallway. His anxiety reached full overdrive as his fingers went to unclasp the seal on the top of the packet, and he felt his hands trembling so hard he could barely get it off.


    "I can help you if you can''t get it open," Rita said, coming up behind him holding her own packet. "Whoa. You okay?"


    "Just... uh. No. If I fail this, I''m fucked."


    "You''re not gonna fail it," Rita shook her head. "Look, aya, you''re gonna be fine, okay? Mrs. Osoldo, she doesn''t want any of us coming back. Bet you a million Terros that she passed you just so she wouldn''t have to see ya again."


    Ceres came out of the classroom and saw Rita talking with Lucas and headed over to the two. "Hey! What''d you get?"


    "He hasn''t even opened his thing yet!" Rita said, feigning exasperation. "Tell him it''s gonna be fine!"


    Ceres shook her head at him as she pushed her way between them. "If there''s one thing I''ve told you a million times, Lucas, it''s that there''s no way you''re going to fail this test. Don''t you remember Bobby talking about how his brother straight out skipped the exam and still passed?"


    "Why didn''t we do that?" Rita asked and Ceres laughed.


    "Because we actually want to do well? And you, Miss Valedictorian. Have you even looked at your scores yet?"


    "No, because this chucklehead was goofin'' off and not even openin'' his own results, aya. I''ll wait ''til he does it because no way I''m gonna get a perfect score if I open mine now."


    Lucas groaned as Ceres took the packet out of his hands. She undid the clasp and slid out the exam, which bore a large circled 83 at the top in red ink. He''d passed?


    "See! See! I told you, mm, I told you you had nothin'' to worry about," Rita said, slapping Lucas on the back. Ceres eyeballed her. "All that tutorin'' really did somethin'', huh?"


    "I guess," Lucas said, dumbfounded and relieved by the result.


    "He''s always been smart," Ceres said, shaking her head. "He just doesn''t like to apply himself."


    "Aya? That''s harsh, don''t ya think? I don''t think that''s true, Cer," Rita said, shaking her head. "He applies himself plenty. He just don''t care about writing papers, y''know? I don''t either, but getting out of this place means more to me than complainin'' about it. Don''t wanna work on my dad''s farm forever."


    Ceres raised an eyebrow at Rita. While Rita was the obvious brains of the duo of friends, Ceres was the queen bee - she didn''t like being challenged by anyone, specifically her best friend. Lucas squirmed uncomfortably. He was aware of Ceres'' behavior and tried to gloss it over, but it was increasingly more difficult to put up with. The duality of staying in her good graces and condoning her maltreatment of others left him feeling in the lurch quite often.


    "Right. I don''t want to be here anymore either. But I''ll go to my damn grave before I admit that slut from the Teachers'' Academy did anything at all to help Lucas."


    "What? Why you callin'' her that for? Girl''s in her 20s, if she''s fixin'' on Lucas then she''s got some issues, Cer. I think you''re jealous."


    Lucas could see Ceres'' score - a 91 - and was surprised at himself for doing as well as he did in comparison. Ceres stewed and her face flushed. Bobby Rodriguez walked by whistling as she looked around.


    "Yo! I passed! I''m outta this dump!" Bobby called, leaving the building. Their attention turned back to the conversation.


    "What did you say?" Ceres said, nostrils flaring. "It''s not my fault she''s got her tits out all the time and she sleeps with half of the people she tutors. She can''t keep it in her pants, and..."


    "Whoa. I said you need to chill out, Cer. I don''t think any of that is real. I think you''re makin'' stuff up because you''re scared he''s gonna leave you or somethin''. Hey ¨C let¡¯s be real, we ain''t gonna see any of these people after graduation, aya. Besides, Lucas is your boyfriend. He ain''t mine or Maxi''s or Josie''s or anyone''s. He''s your boyfriend. Take a breath."


    Ceres flushed an even deeper shade of red. The anger and tension left her face and were replaced with what Lucas interpreted as panic.


    "You can''t say that here," Ceres said, shaking her head. "You''re the only one that knows about us."


    "So? Don''t call that poor girl a whore and we ain''t gonna have issues."


    Lucas admired that Rita could stand up for herself with Ceres. He wondered how she did it. Ceres, obviously flustered, shook her head angrily.


    "Look, I was wrong, okay? Can we go now?"


    "Not yet. Just wanna bask in this for a sec," Rita smiled triumphantly. Lucas had heard much from Ceres about how Rita just caused her trouble, but Lucas was increasingly seeing that it was Ceres as the agitator. It didn''t sit well with him at all. With a proud smirk, Rita opened her packet and then smiled widely. "Ah, what do ya know, mm?" She held up the packet - a 100 was circled at the top of the page. "Easy peasy. C''mon, let''s get outta here."


    "Yeah. Let''s." Ceres grunted.


    <hr>


    "Callin'' people names and makin'' shit up over nothin'' ain''t how you should be doin'' this stuff," Rita said as the three walked along the road past the Rodriguez family''s orchards. "Like, c''mon, Cer! You''re better than that. I know it, aya."


    "Can you stop already? You''ve been gloating for like fifteen minutes now," Ceres said, face frozen in the same look of frustration since they left the school building.


    "I just want you to get it, mm. You ain''t gotta shit on Lucas like that."


    "Excuse me?" Ceres said, stopping as Rita kept walking. Ceres clutched Lucas'' arm, and he turned to her. Rita was right, though he knew what blazes he''d have to pay if he even as much as acknowledged it.


    "You know better, Cer!" Rita turned around and put her hands on her hips. "C''mon, let''s go, you''re holding us up."


    "Us? Why don''t you go off ahead if you''re in such a hurry?"


    "Ceres," Lucas said, taking her hand off his arm. She turned the fire on him instead.


    "What, you too?" Ceres hissed quietly.


    "No. This is just getting ridiculous, though. You said it the other night that you were gonna work on it," Lucas whispered.


    "Well I''m sorry I don''t like it when people try to meddle with things they don''t understand," Ceres whispered back forcefully. "And if you want to have a good night together to celebrate how good you did on your exam, you''re going to stop this right now."


    "No," Lucas said. It was a weird, freeing feeling to say no. He hadn''t done it much to her, and he could almost see her deflate. He knew the lull in the rage was short at best - she''d go into stewing about it if it was anything longer than a few minutes, which was far worse. This time however, she took his hand instead of reaching for something to throw at him.


    "Okay. You''re right. Let''s just go."


    Lucas felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle up. This was unusual and unexpected. He gave her the benefit of the doubt and squeezed her hand in his.


    "Yeah. Let''s go."


    "What''s going on?" Rita called.


    "Nothing," Ceres said. Lucas was unnerved by her preternatural calm, but he decided to just go with the flow on it and not question her further. He worried, deep down, that he would catch blazes back at the Leonarts'' house for challenging her like that.


    "Yeah? Well, you sound calm now, aya. Let''s keep going."


    Lucas looked up at the buds on the trees overhead as they continued past the Rodriguez''s orchards and further on past some farm buildings. Spring was now in swing and the temperature outside was getting warmer - he liked that - the fresh air felt good in his lungs. Ceres stayed quiet as they continued along into Cygnus''s main plaza square before Rita departed to head back to her father Carmine''s farm.


    Once Rita was out of sight, Ceres let out a long, shuddering sigh. Lucas looked at her - she looked strange in a way he wasn''t used to seeing her. It was almost as if she had just gone through a full twelve-round boxing match the way she seemed to sway in place, and Lucas put his hand on the small of her back. She looked at him with sad eyes.


    "Goddess, you hate me too, don''t you?"


    This was unexpected.


    "What? No way, what are you talking about?" Lucas said, and Ceres pouted. He took her hand into his and motioned for them to keep walking.


    "Don''t you see it? Rita obviously hates my guts. You know how hard of a time I have keeping friends, don''t you? Then you go and get tutored by that nasty piece of..."


    "Ceres, enough. You''re doing it again."


    "See! I can''t even stop myself. It''s driving me nuts to feel like this and not be able to do anything remotely healthy with it. All it''s gonna do is drive you away."


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "You know what?" Lucas said, looking at her. He could see the surprise in her eyes at the question. "I''m tired of having this conversation, Ceres. Tired of you doubting my love for you, alright? The only reason I worked as hard as I did for that final was so that I''d be able to come along with you to the Technica Academy."


    "Wait, huh? You''re taking the exam, too?"


    Lucas was a deer in the headlights.


    "I didn''t mean it like that, but you know what? If it makes you feel comfortable and safe, then yeah, I''ll take it too."


    "But what if you don''t pass? Will you still come with me to Sylva?"


    "I could ask you the same thing, but I know you''re going to pass. But yes, of course I would, why wouldn''t I?"


    Ceres eyeballed him nervously.


    "What if you break up with me?"


    "Why would I do that?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe you think I''m crazy or something? I just want you all to myself, is that really so bad?"


    Lucas wasn''t sure how to answer that.


    "No? And yes? I mean when you say you want me all to myself, you know I need to have other people in my life other than just you, right?"


    "Like Bobby?"


    "No, not just him. I''m not saying I need to date other people either, but like... how you talk about Justine is weird. She''s not into me, I''m not into her. Same with Rita."


    Ceres chewed at her lip. "Yeah? Well, Rita had a crush on you, didn''t she?"


    "So? I didn''t do anything about it because I don''t like her like that."


    "But what if someone had a crush on you that you were into, what would you do?"


    Lucas stared at her blankly. The thought hadn''t even really crossed his mind at all. Any ''feelings'' he''d had for anyone other than Ceres, including Justine, were just momentary thoughts, fleeting things.


    "Uh, I''d do nothing. That''s what I''d do. I''m with you, right?"


    "I don''t know if I like that answer, but I think I understand what you''re saying," Ceres sighed.


    "So when''s our wedding?" Lucas joked, hoping to lighten the mood. It worked - Ceres smiled at him.


    "Well, probably after school''s over, if we''re gonna talk about that with any seriousness."


    Have to be married to her to make love to her, the carnal part of his brain whispered. She''s not gonna budge on that, is she?


    "That''s a way away, isn''t it?" Lucas asked. They stopped at a crosswalk and traffic passed them by.


    "Yeah, I know what you''re gonna say, but don''t you think it would be better to wait? I know we''ve been together for like three years or so now, but Lucas, it''ll be better if we hold off."


    Lucas wasn''t sure what to say about that, but he just nodded. They crossed the road back towards the Leonarts'' house, and Lucas thought it''d be a good time to change the subject.


    "I''m getting kinda hungry, how about you?" Lucas asked.


    "Yeah, a little bit. Might make something when we get back, but I''m not sure yet."


    "Oh, okay. I was going to say, maybe we should stop somewhere, get a bite to eat?"


    "Do you have money with you? I sure don''t."


    Lucas shrugged, she had him there. As they turned onto the Leonarts'' street, Lucas thought he heard a mechanical buzzing coming from somewhere in the distance and looked around, concerned. He put his hand up and they both stopped in their tracks.


    "Hey, do you hear that?"


    "Yeah, but... what is it?"


    "I''m not sure, but whatever it is... hey! There! Do you see it?"


    Lucas pointed and Ceres squinted against the sunlight.


    "Uh... what in blazes is that?"


    "Is that a Drone?"


    It was moving far too quickly to be any regular old Drone - it gave off a deeply unpleasant purple light as it floated over the neighborhoods. It gave Lucas a sick feeling in his stomach to look up at it, and he suddenly wasn''t feeling very hungry any longer. It was similar to the one he''d seen with Joel just days ago - but bizarrely birdlike. It reminded him of Riamal Haven in a way he had repressed, and he took Ceres'' hand and began to pull her away from staring at the Drone flying around.


    "Hey, what are you doing?"


    "We''ve got to get home, okay? Let''s go, hurry up."


    <hr>


    Lying in bed alone in his room, Lucas'' brain flickered about with thoughts of Ceres and of the Drone they''d spotted along the way home. Ceres didn''t quite understand Lucas'' urgency in rushing back, but he knew that any time that Drones were out and about were unlikely to be good times. He''d been trying to sleep off the thought - Ceres had went off on her own when they returned home, and Joel hadn''t requested his presence at the workshop, either.


    He''d passed, he thought, turning over towards the wall and taking a deep breath. Goodness, that was a relief. Graduation was just after the weekend on the 7th, and he was glad to finally be done with high school for once and for all. He closed his eyes again - he wasn''t intending to be lazy today, but he certainly didn''t have much energy for anything else. Besides - he''d earned it, he thought - but his mind swiftly continued its interplay of relief with anxiety.


    He''d seen Drones just like that the day Lethe had been taken - unnaturally fast-moving, terrible, birdlike things - the Empire had used them to surveil Valdena and its suburbs, Riamal Haven included. His home in Mormont was not subject to this, and he wondered fearfully as to why they might be flying around here in the middle of nowhere of all places. A knock at the door startled him from the thought.


    "Lucas, are you in there? Can I come in for a moment?" Espee called from the other side of the door. Lucas rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head.


    "Yeah, you can come in, I''m good."


    "Hey, so..." Espee said, opening the bedroom door. "Ceres told me you passed the exam, and I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Both Joel and I had been hoping that this would happen. May I sit down? I''ve got a few things I want to talk about."


    "Sure, uh, that''s fine."


    "Thank you," Espee said, sitting in Lucas'' desk chair. "You know, you really did work hard at the end there. You''ve been juggling going to work for Joel and studying for school, and while I''m not trying to come off like I''m making a backhanded compliment, I''m really proud of the work ethic you''ve shown as of late. It sincerely bodes well for your future."


    "Yeah? Well, thank you," Lucas said, smiling. Praise from Espee wasn''t exactly rare, but felt good nonetheless.


    "Ceres said you were considering taking the Academy entrance exam too. Is that right?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "Well, I''ve been thinking about it since she told me, and I would be remiss not to say I''m a little troubled by the idea of it."


    Lucas didn''t know what to think about that.


    "Lucas. This isn''t a knock on you or anything, but I''m concerned that, well, you''re not doing this for you. You''re a headstrong young man. When you want something, you work for it, and you take it. This... this isn''t like that. You can''t just bulldoze your way into the Academy. Joel mentioned that you two had talked about it, and he said the same thing I''m saying now - I don''t think it''s going to work the way you''re expecting. Do you understand what I''m saying?"


    "I guess, but why can''t I? Who says I can''t cram and pass this thing?"


    "Ceres has been studying most of the year for it, Lucas. You''ve got less than 10 days to get all of that information absorbed. Then there''s a cost to it too - it''s not cheap to take - and I know that while you''ve been saving what you''re making at Joel''s workshop, it''s not a whole lot."


    "Wait, how do you know that?"


    Espee looked at Lucas down her nose in that maternal, chastising way.


    "Lucas. What don''t I know in this house?"


    "Point taken."


    "What I''m trying to tell you, Lucas, is that you don''t have to do this just because Ceres wants to do it. Joel told me last night that he told you a friend of his out in Sylva might be able to get you in with him over at the University to work as an assistant in the Terrah sciences laboratory. He said he''s mentioned it to you before, and I just wanted to..."


    "Yeah, I remember."


    "Well, I don''t know much about it to be honest," she sighed, "but I would assume there''s like geology, flora and fauna, etcetera - Joel used to work with him at the shop when we lived in Stormhill Ridge, but I guess he''s over there now."


    "So what would I even be doing?"


    "Again, I''m not sure. Joel said he remembered how much you love those travel guides though, and what this guy does is travel around Alaeris taking readings and surveying areas. I didn''t ask if he worked with that book company, but it certainly sounds more up your alley than the Technica Academy would be."


    Lucas felt paralyzed with thoughts - he would still be able to be with Ceres if he took this job, but he felt nervous about how Ceres would react if he had to leave. Would she be angry with him for being away? He thought about Joel and how strikingly similar their lives would be in Ceres'' eyes, and the feeling made him want to throw up.


    She''d have to come with me, he thought, but Lucas knew that if she was in school that she probably wouldn''t be able to go along. It sounds wonderful, though.


    "I told Joel not to rush you, Lucas. It sounds like he was trying to push you into it before this, but I told him you''re almost a man grown now, and I wanted you to actually put some thought into it. So... think about it," Espee said, standing up. She gave Lucas a pat on the shoulder as she walked towards the doorway. "You''ve got time on your side. That position opens up later in the summer right around when Ceres would be leaving, sometime in July or even August. Just... think on it, alright? I''m sure Joel would love to talk more to you about it."


    "Espee?"


    "Yes?"


    "Thank you," Lucas said. He averted his eyes from her - he felt the tears in his eyes coming and didn''t know how to process it. It was like when they found him on the roadside and took him in, even - that overwhelming sense of gratitude, he just wanted to make them as proud as they''d made him feel safe and cared for.


    Espee noticed and rubbed his back. "Lucas. You''re as good as family to us, you know that by now I''d hope? We couldn''t adopt you but you know you''re practically our son now. I''m sure Joel feels the same."


    The thought sent Lucas'' mind into a freefall of anxiety about his position with Ceres. Again, Espee noticed. She sat down on the bed next to him and put her arm around him.


    "And you would''ve been family someday regardless," Espee said as Lucas felt his cheeks flush. "Like I said, what don''t I know in this house? I mean, Ceres had to tell me, but you''re a good young man, Lucas - just treat her well, okay?" She gave him a squeeze. Lucas wanted to disappear.


    "You''re not mad at me?"


    "Why would we be mad at you? Better you than some of the other boys your year."


    Lucas'' mind raced, and it worked faster than his mouth could hold back.


    "What if it doesn''t last?"


    Espee pulled away from him and raised an eyebrow. "If it doesn''t last between you two? Are you asking me will we still love you and care about you if you and Ceres were to break up?"


    Lucas nodded. It was something he''d feared since the first time he and Ceres had kissed, and to be on the precipice of knowing spooked him something fierce. He could feel Espee''s eyes scrutinizing his face as she thought of an answer.


    "Lucas," she started, shaking her head. "We''d have to kill you."


    "What?!"


    "No, no, I''m just teasing you. Is that what you thought I''d say? Lucas, I just said we care about you as if you''re our own son. You might not be blood to us, but sometimes the family who loves you isn''t your blood. Do you understand me?"


    Lucas nodded. He wanted to cry again, for different reasons.


    <hr>


    27th of January, 644


    Rocky''s Warehouse, Riamal Haven, Noctavia


    "I can''t believe she''s gone, man," Jamal Leclair said, his hand on his forehead. The tall, dark-skinned Cerulean man sat at the bar in the warehouse''s recreation room, drinking something Lucas couldn''t identify. Both Jamal and Rocky had drank a lot of it, and the room stank of sweat and booze. Lucas knew he wasn''t supposed to be listening in, but he''d finally felt well enough to get out of bed - his injuries were severe enough that he''d almost died, but Felicity had seen to it that he survived that first night after the fall.


    Felicity, he thought, the tattooed, tough looking nurse his angel of mercy the past few weeks. She was Rocky''s fianc¨¦e, and a native of Mormont like himself. Lucas knew she''d be mad at him for getting out of bed, but his leg finally felt good enough to stand on for more than a few minutes at a time.


    "I know," Rocky said, sighing deeply. He drank straight from the bottle. Most nights, Lucas had heard, both men had all but drunk themselves to sleep. Rocky, the warehouse''s owner and the man who''d found and taken in Lucas after his parents'' deaths, was a large, dark-skinned, gap-toothed man from Thurn in Beldara. He''d apparently traveled the world prior to settling down in Noctavia, and in his travels developed a love for helping others - at least as far as Lucas knew - and ultimately founded a place of safe haven for the orphans and cast out children of the Riamal Haven area.


    How Rocky kept the lights on, Lucas didn''t know. He''d assumed Rocky was secretly rich, but he truly had no idea. Every now and then, a squat man would come, and cash would change hands - Lucas would peek at that, too - but other than that, the Warehouse was a place of peace and calm for the half dozen youths it housed.


    Lethe had been one of them.


    It had been nineteen days now - Lucas had counted, miserably - since the train took her from him. They''d managed to stow away on it at first, but things went out of control from there. The last thing Lucas remembered was the sound of Lethe screaming, gunshots, and a ring of devastating light as the train car sundered around him. He assumed that the captors had thought him lost for dead and left his body back at the trainyard, where Cat, one of the other girls at the Warehouse, had found him.


    "What are you doing?" Cat whispered, steel grey eyes flat in the pale light of the hallway. She was about Lethe''s age, but the two didn''t get along well. Cat had come from a working-class family in Riamal Haven, but when her mother had lost her job, her mother had tried to sell Cat into prostitution. She''d come to the Warehouse about six months prior, and Lucas hadn''t talked to her much.


    "I''m listening. They''re talking about..."


    "Lethe."


    "Yeah," Lucas said. He didn''t want it to be real. He didn''t want her to be gone like that. He loved her. He still loved her. She isn''t gone. It''s impossible.


    "Did you hear anything about what they''ve been talkin'' about with that whole train thing? Didn''t they say somethin'' on the news about it?" Jamal said, shaking his head. He winced as he drank.


    "That they think it had something to do with the Empire''s Special Forces? Cybele, I don''t know, man." Rocky said, sitting forward, slumping. "Why the blazes would they want a fifteen year old girl like that? I just don''t get it."


    Cat pulled at Lucas'' shirt. "We shouldn''t be listening to them."


    "I need to know, though," Lucas said, leaning closer to the door.


    "Suit yourself. They''re gonna be mad if they find you eavesdropping."


    "No they won''t," Lucas hissed. He needed to know. Nothing would stop him.


    "Lucas?" Felicity''s voice called from down the hall. "What are you doing out here?"


    Lucas and Cat both turned towards Felicity. The talking from the rec room stopped at once.


    "I''m just..."


    "No, Lucas. You need to rest, okay?" Felicity said, hastily making her way down the hall. "You almost died, kid. This is no time to be faffing about."


    Rocky and Jamal joined them in the hallway. Both stank of alcohol, but Rocky at least seemed mostly lucid.


    "Everyone okay out here?" Rocky asked.


    "He was spying," Cat said, screwing up her mouth. With a shrug of her shoulders, she walked back down the hall towards her bedroom.


    "Were you now?" Jamal asked, arms crossed.


    "Yeah," Lucas admitted. Rocky sighed and put his baseball mitt of a hand on Lucas'' shoulder.


    "You heard us talkin'' about her, huh?"


    Lucas nodded.


    "We''ve been talkin'' about her a lot, you know. We know she meant a lot to you," Rocky said in that gentle, calm way of his. "You don''t gotta spy, though. We were waitin'' for you to be feeling better before we talked to you. There''s a lot we wanna know that you might be able to help us figure out, but that''s not for right now."


    Lucas felt the tears in his eyes start to flow and Rocky gave him a hug. Cybele, how he hated feeling this weak, this powerless.


    "Lucas, it''s gonna be alright. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but one day it will. Hey, Liss, c''mere a sec," Rocky said, and Felicity knelt down to Lucas'' height and looked him in the eyes. She may''ve looked tough, but she was just as gentle as Rocky was.


    "We''ve got to get you back in your bed now, but we need you to know something, okay? We''re here for you. We know we''re not your parents or your past, but we care about you very deeply. You''re safe here, Lucas."


    "Ain''t no Empire motherfuckers gonna get you on our watch," Jamal said, but Lucas knew the cold truth.


    No one can stop anything. Least of all me.

 Act 1, Chapter 15

    Joel


    7th of May, 649


    Joel and Espee sat together in the bleachers in the cavernous gymnasium, crowded shoulder-to-shoulder with the other parents as the school''s band played through a processional tune. For a graduating class of 45 students from all over the Cygnus area, there were entirely too many people in the gym, and Joel chafed at how he was sweating through the back of his dress shirt.


    The school''s principal prattled on over the music, reciting a speech Joel was almost positive he''d heard somewhere else before. As she finished the speech, the assistant principal handed her a scroll - a scroll? What is this, a Nell Rogers mystery film? - and with a dramatic flair she unfurled it and began to read names from the list.


    A few of Lucas'' classmates were ahead of him in the order, and Joel waited patiently for his name to be called. Goddess, he was so proud of the boy. He knew how hard Lucas had been trying to make it through school, and he beamed as he watched him, clad in a silvery robe and cap, talking to a friend of his in the waiting line. Further behind was Ceres, who stood attentively, waiting for her name to be called. Joel had no doubt about Ceres'' successes, but the nagging voice in his head told him that he really hadn''t had any real role in it.


    Joel whistled loudly when Lucas'' name was called - both he and Espee stood to their feet and clapped. Espee had told him about the conversation she had had with him the day of the final exams, and Joel knew - rather, hoped - that Lucas would come to the same conclusion that he and Espee had regarding his future. It was important to Joel to know that Lucas wasn''t just making a choice to follow Ceres, but he also knew how stubborn Lucas could be. The boy hadn''t yet asked him for Tommy''s SGNL information, but Joel hoped that it was only a matter of time before he did just that.


    The procession came to a pause as Rita Ghannam took the stage and stepped up to the podium to give her valedictory speech. Joel was happy that even though Ceres didn''t seem to like Cygnus much, she''d at least made a friend like Rita here. As Rita spoke, Joel noticed shuffling in the rows below - a thickly built man, a buxom woman with a too-tight bun, and... Sephie? Joel had expected Victor to make an appearance at the graduation, but Sephie? He tried not to let his nerves show as Espee gave him a gentle nudge.


    "Ceres says she talks too much, but I think she''s doing great. What do you think?"


    Joel just nodded as the crowd roared over him with applause. Espee shrugged and watched as the line continued forward. Joel''s eyes kept peering down at Sephie''s back as she leaned over Victor to say something to Ciara.


    "Hey, you gonna whistle again? I''ll cover my ears if you do," Espee said to Joel, who turned to her with a smile.


    "Ceres Rachelle Leonart," the principal called as Joel stood to his feet and let out a deafening whistle once more. Espee flinched but clapped regardless. Ceres waved from the stage, and as she walked off to join Rita and her friends at the side of the stage, Joel''s eyes wandered back down towards Sephie.


    Sephie didn''t turn around, but Joel felt nervous from her presence nonetheless. The rest of the students'' names were called, and the gymnasium erupted in thunderous applause. Parents and family members filed out from the bleachers and down onto the gym floor, where Espee and Joel found Lucas and Ceres engaged in rapt conversation with Bobby and Rita.


    "Mom! Dad!" Ceres called as she noticed them. Lucas''s smile seemed plastered to his face, and Joel could tell he was ecstatic at having finally finished school.


    "I''m proud of you two," Joel said, and Lucas beamed even more brightly.


    Espee and Ceres were talking to each other, but Joel''s hearing buzzed out as he scanned the room to see where Victor and Sephie had gone - he''d lost them in the muddle of everyone converging on the floor, and he felt acutely out of sorts because of it. Rita and Bobby joined their parents, and while Joel could see Carmine saying something to him, nothing was registering. He waved and smiled as they left.


    "Dad?" Ceres asked. "You alright?"


    "Yeah, I''m alright. Just hot in here. Anyone else hot?"


    "Mm," Espee nodded. "You''d think they''d''ve put fans in here, but..."


    "Let''s get out of here," Lucas said. "If I have to be here for one more minute it''ll be one minute too long." His smile was no less broad than it had been, and Joel was happy to see it.


    "Let''s," Espee smiled, rubbing his shoulders. "We''ve got some celebrating to do, don''t we?" She turned to Joel. "Perhaps dinner at the Copper Stallion again?"


    "Sure, why not," Joel shrugged. Ceres and Lucas looked at each other, clearly enthused.


    Thunder rolled from above them as they walked into the foyer of the school building. The afternoon''s heat had baked this room too, and Joel could see towering storm clouds coming in over the Aquilas to the west through the large foyer windows. As they stepped outside, the smell of rain greeted them.


    "Mr. Leonart," a familiar voice said as Joel turned to face Victor, who stood with Sephie and Ciara in tow. Joel wasn''t used to seeing Ciara - the last time had been years prior in passing as she had been in the process of moving out of Victor''s house in Teliander - the tan-skinned woman was beautiful but dangerous, Joel knew. She wore her black, streaked blonde hair in a tight bun at the back of her head, and smiled the sort of smile that one would give to someone they hated. She was pristinely dressed; with the sort of calculated sex appeal one might come across in a magazine. She was curvaceous, heavy in chest and wide-hipped. She was manufacturedly appealing, yet impossibly terrifying.


    As the Emperor''s Hegemon of Internal Affairs, Ciara Fortula was one of the most powerful people on the Terrahean continent - perhaps even the world. As the amplifier and right hand of the Emperor, she was privy to the Empire''s grandest machinations and by far its most dedicated proponent.


    If Lucas knew, he''d want to kill her.


    Sephie wore thick-rimmed sunglasses and a black dress, adorned with a sunflower pattern. She looked impossibly beautiful in the afternoon''s light, and Joel found it difficult to avert his gaze from her. Victor stood next to them both, cleanly trimmed and styled in a grey suit. Joel looked at his raggedy button-up and khakis and felt uniquely out of place.


    "Dr. Mataeus," Joel nodded at him. "And the other Dr. Mataeus," he nodded to Sephie, who smiled thinly at him. He knew that kitten smile and knew exactly what it meant. "And..."


    "Ciara," Hegemon Fortula said. "Joel, it''s been a long time. I hope you''ve been well."


    Espee looked at him. "Friends of yours?"


    "Espee, Lucas, Ceres," Joel said, "I''d like you to meet my employer as well as his family. Didn''t expect to be seeing you all today. What brings you out this way, Victor?"


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Joel," Victor said, a sly smile on his face. "Did we not talk about Ceres'' graduation when last we spoke? I did say I''d make an effort to come out here before we left to go back north."


    "Point taken," he smiled. Sephie''s cheeks were blushing.


    "But where are my manners?" Victor said, turning to Espee. "My name is Victor Mataeus, and I am with the Noctavian Institute of Scientific Endeavors. Your husband has worked with me over the last decade and a half now on various projects." He nodded to Ciara. "This is my partner, Ciara. She works for the Empire as well. Over there is my daughter Persephone - and she, like Ceres and Lucas here, just recently graduated from her medical school program in Sarrata."


    "A pleasure to meet you," Espee said, shaking his hand and looking over the three. Ciara regarded her with a tight-lipped smile. "I''ve heard much about you, but never anything like this."


    "Well, I do like to keep myself rather private," Victor laughed. "But enough about me." He turned to Ceres and Lucas. "So you two, do you have any plans for what you''re going to do now that school''s in your rearview?"


    "Sleep a lot," Lucas offered, shrugging. He looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, sleep a lot. I work at the workshop too, so I won''t be sleeping there." Sephie''s eyebrow raised as Joel assumed she was signaling something to him.


    "If you''re sleeping, you''ll miss everything," Victor shrugged. "Have you thought about going to any advanced schools or anything?"


    Lucas shook his head. "I don''t really want to talk right now," he said. Joel knew how much Lucas hated interacting with anyone from the Empire and was grateful that the boy was trying to endure it for his sake.


    "I was actually going to take the test next week to get into the Technica Academy in Sylva," Ceres said, changing the subject. Sephie turned to her with a wide smile.


    "The Technica Academy, huh?" Sephie said. She raised her glasses and perched them atop her forehead. Her green eyes sparkled with the dying light of the day. "I actually went there, that''s where I did my undergrad work."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, and it was fantastic. If you have even the slightest love of working with Technica, you''re going to have a blast there. I went with a focus on crafting Medica kits, but there''s so much you can do there that..." Sephie trailed off, looking around. "Whoops, got carried away there for a bit. Where are my manners?"


    Ciara rolled her eyes. "It''s been more than twenty years, Sephie. I don''t believe you''re going to find them."


    "Persephone," Espee said, "perhaps you''d be willing to talk with Ceres more about it another time?"


    "That''s a great idea, Mrs. Leonart," Sephie smiled. "I''ll make sure I give my father my SGNL info to pass along to her this week."


    Joel felt raindrops beginning to fall as his chest tightened. He was struggling to process anything that was happening right now. Thunder boomed again, closer this time.


    "We''ll be looking forward to hearing from you," Espee smiled warmly at Sephie. Ceres beamed. Joel caught Sephie''s eyes scan over them, stopping for half a second on him. As still as stone, Joel.


    "Anyway, Joel, we should be getting going. It''s a long drive back to Teliander, and I''m hoping we beat this storm. I''ll be in touch with you sometime in the morning tomorrow along our way back to go over some additional directives. It was a pleasure to finally meet you all," he said, nodding at Espee, Ceres, and Lucas.


    "Likewise," Espee said, smiling. Lucas grunted and Ceres just nodded. As Victor, Ciara, and Sephie walked away, Espee turned to Joel with a curious look on her face.


    "So, that''s your boss? Strange. I expected him to be taller."


    "And less of an Empire shithead," Lucas offered, and Espee glowered at him.


    "Manners, Lucas."


    Thunder boomed again and the rain turned from a sprinkle to a steady drizzle.


    "We can talk more about it later," Joel said as the wind began to kick up around them. The limbs on the trees above them rustled with their new leaves. "But I''m starving. Let''s go."


    <hr>


    23rd of March, 644


    Technica Academy, Sylva


    Joel stood outside the dorm building as snow swirled on the wind around him. He dug his hands deeper into his coat pockets as he watched his breath go up and away. Sephie had called him to let him know that the procedure had been successful and that she wanted to see him - he''d been away on Victor''s orders and missed her appointment, to which he felt a miserable ambivalence. He loved Sephie, that much he knew for sure. He knew that having a child with her right now wasn''t the smartest idea and rued that he''d been so impossibly cavalier in what he''d done that night two months ago.


    A wretched birthday for you, huh, Seph? Joel thought, chewing his lip. Sephie waved from the vestibule as she pushed the front door of the dorm building open, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.


    "Hey," she said, her smile taut. "Come in before you freeze to death. Been blowing all night like this."


    "I''ve got snow in my mustache," Joel said, and Sephie gave a dry smile.


    "You do. A little frost looks good on you."


    Joel followed her in quickly and the two walked past the empty front desk towards the elevators. Joel had tried to prepare himself for the conversation they were about to have, but his brain felt suddenly like it was full of pudding or mashed potatoes. He couldn''t conceptualize the words he needed to say to deal with the astounding wave of grief he felt for Sephie, and the weight of the air between them felt like an unbelievable crush. She pushed the button on the elevator and took his gloved hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.


    "We can talk more in my room, but I just want you to know that I love you," Sephie said, and Joel noticed how red and bloodshot her eyes were. She''d put on makeup to try to cover up the puffiness, but it was plain as day that she''d been crying.


    "I love you too."


    "I''m glad you still do," Sephie said as the elevator opened and a group of students exited, talking about what they''d be doing that night. Sephie gave a ginger smile as one waved at her but motioned for Joel to get on with her.


    Sephie kept her hand on Joel''s as the doors of the elevator closed. They''d kissed in here numerous times, each time as electric or more as the last had been, but today there was no revelry, no fire to be had. Gravity reigned as they lifted up to the eighth floor, where Sephie''s room was. They walked down the hall in their somber silence as Joel''s mind raced, still trying to piece together something, anything that he could say to make any of it make sense.


    It''s never going to make sense, the voice of reason so frequently absent from his thoughts said gently. Joel grimaced as he entered Sephie''s dorm room - her suitemate was away for the weekend as she usually was, and the TV in the common area was paused in the middle of what Joel guessed was a Falco Fortis movie. There was a bevy of things splayed out around the room - a heating pad on the couch, a few pill bottles on the countertop of the adjacent kitchen, an open pint of ice cream on the glass coffee table that had left a drippy chocolate puddle - Sephie returned to the couch as Joel took off his coat and hung it on the back of the door.


    "Come sit with me," she said, unpausing the movie. Joel felt the cold sweat on his neck - he''d had to lie and make an excuse to Espee just to even be here right now. It was compounding in ways he''d never experienced, and for a moment he considered taking his coat and absconding as quickly as he''d came. As quickly as you decided to cum inside of her, his brain mocked him as he moved towards the couch to sit beside Sephie.


    "It was over a few hours ago," she said as Joel put his arm around her. "I''ve just been..." she trailed, then shrugged. "Some birthday, right?"


    He nodded, and he noticed how intensely she was watching his face. The pain was so clear over hers, but why couldn''t he break down that wall and let himself cry, too?


    "I was really worried about you. I''m... I''m sorry I couldn''t be there for you during it," Joel said, and she put her hand on his lap.


    "I know you were. That you would''ve been. You don''t need to be sorry."


    "But..."


    Joel weighed his words carefully.


    "But what?"


    "But I shouldn''t''ve... I shouldn''t''ve even put you in that position, Seph. I didn''t want to screw up your future."


    "Stop," she said with a harshness that Joel wasn''t used to from her. "Really? I''m the one that told you to do it, why are you trying to spin this so it''s your fault? I wanted you to do it, you wanted to do it, what are you even..."


    "I feel guilty, okay? Like I pushed you into this."


    "What? No! Last I checked you weren''t the pregnant one, Joel. I made the choice. I did. Not you."


    She was crying now, and Joel swept her into his arms. He felt the smallness of her frame heave in his arms, and he could smell that familiar scent of her soap and sweat and shampoo that he loved so much. Goddess, I love this woman. Forgive me.


    Joel felt tears on his face, too. They were his. He''d wanted to give Sephie a child, that much was true. He hadn''t anticipated it would happen as quickly as it had, and though the fruit of their love was nascent and an indeterminate mass of cells he still felt an insurmountable feeling of grief for the choices they''d both made.


    Goddess, how I love her. How I need her, he thought as her tears soaked into his shirt. Seeing was becoming difficult. He buried his face in her hair and let it out. The sounds of explosions and gunfire from the Falco Fortis movie played in the unquantifiable space beyond the island of their grief on the couch.


    The world that needed to matter most was just them two, Joel knew. It would always be.

 Act 1, Chapter 16

    Joel


    8th of May, 649


    Joel pulled the truck into his space in front of the workshop, where Shandi was sitting on a milk crate by the door smoking a cigarette. Lucas had come along for the ride this morning - an unusually early start for the boy, but Joel appreciated his energy and commitment to the offer he knew Espee had dangled before him.


    Tommy Thorne was a close friend of Joel''s from his days in Stormhill Ridge, and Joel knew that the man''s work would be a good fit for Lucas'' interests. The revitalized Lucas had apparently nicked some of Joel''s coffee, and he noticed the boy shaking as they got out of the truck.


    "How many cups are you up to?" Joel asked, raising an eyebrow. Lucas answered with a shrug.


    "Hey," Shandi called. "Tried to call ya but you didn''t pick up," he said, standing up and brushing himself off. "I got your message, are we really staying overnight tonight?"


    "Maybe. We''ve got that delivery coming in right away to start the morning, who knows how long that''s going to take?" Joel shrugged and scratched the back of his head.


    "Better not be overnight. My wife''s gonna kill me, aya. The kiddo barely slept through the night, you remember those days, huh?"


    "Not sure I miss them all that much, that''s for sure."


    "Well, either way, man. Let''s get in there and get goin''. When''s the truck coming with that big piece?"


    "A little after 0800 is what they said."


    "Right on. Alright, let''s get to it."


    <hr>


    The truck from Valdena came on time as planned, leaving a tremendous task before Joel and his small team - they had been making swift progress on the Terradrill''s construction in the days passed, and this new challenge was one that was specially requested by Hegemon Nox himself.


    Looking over the cannon gave Joel a miserable uneasy feeling - there was nothing in the workshop that he could think of that would be able to lift it with the pinpoint accuracy they''d need to assemble it properly, and Joel knew that even Billy''s skill with the forklift wouldn''t be quite enough - they''d need someone up on scaffolding to make sure everything went just right.


    Clouding his thoughts were the impending call from Victor, as well as the abrupt end to relations between him and Sephie. He''d wanted Espee the night before, but she''d refused him - at no fault of hers, but he''d been left hungry nonetheless. He craved Sephie for more than just her body, but he rather did enjoy having his hands all over her...


    Billy waved an irritated hand in front of Joel''s face.


    "Man, stop spacin'' out, boss. Shandi said we''re gonna have to stay overnight if we can''t get this done on time. Let''s get going."


    Joel nodded, thoughts of Sephie''s scent lingering in his mind as he moved towards the workbenches to get his tool bag. He spent the next few hours working with Lucas and the team to try to devise a way to hoist the cannon onto a higher platform without everything collapsing on them, but little progress had been made by the time lunchtime rolled around.


    Joel''s SGNL phone rang - it was Victor - and the rest of the team knew it was time for a break. Lucas walked out with Shandi and Billy, leaving Joel alone in the workshop. As Joel sat down at his desk in his office, he relayed the SGNL''s video chat to the big screen in front of the desk.


    "Fancy seeing you again," Joel said, not terribly enthused to be speaking with Victor. The stress of getting the cannon mounted weighed heavily upon him.


    "Well, what did you expect? Ciara?" Victor halfheartedly laughed. "I don''t have a lot of time because I''m driving, but I wanted to tell you that the dates I gave you the other day have been nearly solidified - we''re looking at a full-scale mobilization on or around the morning of the 20th."


    "That''s two weeks out."


    "I know. Nox is expecting that cannon to be ready, too. Have you made any progress?"


    Joel shook his head. "We''re ill-equipped for that sort of thing, Vic. You know that, I know that. Why don''t they?"


    "Because, Joel, you know that they just want the end result and don''t care how it''s done. I wanted to also warn you about something else - you may notice an uptick of Drone activity in the area around Cygnus over the next two weeks. They look almost like small birds of prey, but they''re General Hawkridge''s intelligence collectors. She knows not to have them anywhere near the workshop as that''s my jurisdiction, but still, be on your guard."


    "Thanks," Joel said, shaking his head. "I know we talked about it, but what am I supposed to do with my family here? Are we supposed to get out ahead of it, or...?"


    "Leaving would jeopardize our other mission, Joel," Victor said, sighing. "It may not be enjoyable, but you''ll need to stay, at least for a little while. We''ll devise a reason for you to have to leave, but until then you''ll just need to endure whatever happens. Can I trust that you''ll be able to handle it?"


    "As long as that asshole Nox isn''t in here all the time, yeah. Or whoever this Hawkridge woman is, she sounds nosy."


    "Not so much nosy as shrewd. She''s a sharp one that you''d probably do well steering clear of."


    "Why, do you two not get along?"


    "You could say that. You could also say that she''s rather ambitious and in the Emperor''s pocket, so just someone for us to be wary of. If Nox is the ''brawn'', Hawkridge is undoubtedly the brains... with brawn of her own to boot.


    "And Samsara? What about that? How''s the construction going?"


    "You realize how hard it is to get supplies into the mountains without anyone noticing, don''t you? We are fortunate to have some of the connections that we have, at least. There''s some good progress that''s been made, but we might have months before the place is habitable long-term. There''s so much damage from the fires that..."


    Victor shook his head. "That''s a concern for another time. You should eat up and get back to work. We''ll talk again soon."


    "Hey, wait," Joel said. "You''re not really going back to Teliander, are you?"


    "No," Victor said, shaking his head. "We''re staying close to where the command post is being set up. This way I''ll be closer to you if something comes up that you can''t handle yourself."


    And Sephie. She''ll be there too, won''t she?


    <hr>


    "Alright, let''s give ''er a whirl," Shandi said, sitting at the controls of the forklift. The idea was likely insane, and Joel knew it. Lucas had apparently convinced Billy and Shandi to give it a go over their lunch break, and while the idea was fundamentally sound, Joel had reservations about its execution.


    Two winches high above the floor of the warehouse draped ropes down, and Shandi carefully maneuvered the cannon, held in place on the forklift, to their loops. Lucas and Billy secured the cannon to the ropes as Joel operated the winch remotely - it made the girders above creak, which set Joel on edge. He had no idea how much the thing weighed, let alone if it was safe for the ropes to even be lifting that much - it was folly, but in the wake of his call with Victor, he felt hurried. The pit in his stomach was implacable.


    "Right on! Let''s get this baby up!" Shandi yelled, and Billy climbed a ladder on the scaffolding he and Lucas had assembled. Lucas spotted from below as Joel carefully raised the cannon further above the ground. Joel hadn''t used the rail system in years, and the controls were more finicky than he was comfortable with them being - the winch ropes slotted into the rails on the ceiling, allowing for freedom of movement - it felt like the cannon was the clapper of an enormous invisible bell as it swung pendulum-like in its ascent.


    "Easy does it!" Billy yelled from above as Joel maneuvered the cannon ever closer to Billy. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as it inched closer. Lucas had his hand on the brake lever nearby in case they needed to stop suddenly - but if something were to go awry and things began to fall apart, Joel knew that stopping it would be easier said than done.


    The cannon inched along the rails as Shandi climbed the scaffolding to join Billy. Lucas watched with wide eyes as it moved, and Joel steadied his breathing. This would be by far the most difficult step of the construction process, and they''d had so little time to prepare due to the revised timeline that Joel was petrified something would go wrong.


    "Stop it there!" Billy yelled as the cannon hovered near the side of the Terradrill. Lucas threw the brake lever and the cannon crept to a creaking halt as Shandi threw another rope around it to pull it closer. Another winch system above them pulled it so close to the Terradrill that Joel was nervous that it''d damage it, but Billy and Shandi set right to work on getting the Technica components put together to get it attached. "Alright, Joel! Get on up here! We need you!"


    Joel nodded and stepped away from the winch controls. He ascended the ladder on the scaffolding to join his crew. He stood by, watching intently as Shandi and Billy worked fastidiously to get things attached. Shandi swore in a language Joel didn''t know as he pinched his finger between two parts, and Billy examined the part he was working on, squinting. He held the wires carefully as he deftly threaded them together.


    "Hold this a sec," Shandi said as Joel wedged himself into the tight space. Shandi ratcheted together several parts, instructing Joel where to hold it and when, and Billy called something to Lucas down below. The boy ran into one of the supply closets and returned with a hammer, which he tossed up to Billy, who shouted at him incredulously. I''ll have to talk to him about not doing that, Joel thought, and Lucas grinned sheepishly.


    They''d worked themselves into a frenzy over the next several hours - Billy and Lucas established a system of getting tools up to the work area without throwing things, and Joel and Shandi worked through the various welds and Pulse-powered components. The sun cast long shadows through the large windows of the workshop, and with a hearty laugh, Shandi pulled a switch on the underside of the cannon.


    "Step back from it," he said as it hummed to life with Pulse power. Joel could see the faint purple-white glow of the control panel that Billy had spent most of the afternoon assembling, and Joel felt a wash of relief come over him as he looked upon their work.


    "Goddess'' shit, guys, you did it," Joel said excitedly, holding onto a railing.


    "Yeah we did," Shandi laughed as he wiped grease off of his hands. "Guess you''ll have to take us out for drinks, tonight, huh?"


    "You can say that again," Billy said. "Man, my hands are so sweaty. I''ve probably lost like three or five pounds or somethin'' just sweating up here."


    "Come on up, Lucas!" Joel yelled to him below. Lucas climbed up the ladder and marveled at it with seemingly hesitant interest, but Joel''s thoughts turned to Ceres. She''d love this, he thought, soaking in their success.


    "What''re they gonna do with this thing?" Lucas asked, touching it gingerly as if it was going to burn him. "Never heard of a drill with a cannon like this before."


    "Not sure," Shandi said, "but it''s probably above our pay grade if ya know what I mean, aya."


    "The less I know the better," Billy said, shaking his head. "Do you know, Joel?"


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Well, they''re using the smaller blasters for excavation, but... this big one? I gotta be honest, I don''t really know."


    "Better not be using it on people," Lucas said, frowning. "But who knows. Maybe they found something big to blow up?"


    "Probably the former," Shandi shrugged. "But y''know, it ain''t us at least."


    "Shut up," Lucas snapped.


    "Easy now," Joel cautioned.


    "Hey man, I''m just sayin''. They''re gonna do what they wanna do, no matter what we do."


    "You don''t know shit, Shandi," Lucas said as he walked towards the ladder.


    "Lucas!" Joel furrowed his brow. "Pull it together, bud. Can''t be talking to each other like that."


    "He started it," Lucas said, staring daggers at Joel.


    "What in blazes," Billy sighed. "Not again, man."


    It wasn''t the first time Lucas had gotten angry at the shop in the few weeks he''d been there, but it was the first time he''d vocally lashed out at anyone. Joel knew he had some decisions to make.


    "What do you mean, not again, huh?" Lucas glared.


    "You get too mad, li''l bro," Shandi said sighing. "Like c''mon, you ain''t the one firing the cannon. You gotta chill out."


    "Don''t tell me to chill out! If you got some shit to say about how good those Empire jerkoffs are, fight me about it!"


    "Is he serious right now?" Shandi said incredulously, gesturing angrily with his hands at Joel.


    "Lucas," Joel stressed. "Get outta here. Now. Go outside and take a breather or something. Come back when you''re calm."


    "I am calm!" He shouted. "This idiot''s over here pissing me off, and you''re telling me I''m wrong?" Joel saw the hurt in his eyes and the boy, red-faced, descended the ladder to the floor below. He sighed angrily and kicked an empty box as he crossed the floor, slamming the door behind him on the way out.


    "Man, he''s just like Bobby," Billy shook his head. "What''s his deal? Empire kill his grandma or somethin''?"


    "Well," Joel said, eyebrows raised. "Espee and I aren''t his parents, as you know." The men nodded. "Lucas'' parents were... well, they''re dead. His father ran afoul of the Empire, but that''s about as much as I know," Joel said as both Shandi and Billy expressed surprise. Shandi put his hand on his forehead.


    "And you''re having him work here? Making shit for the Empire? What are you thinking?" Shandi shook his head in disbelief. "Joel, c''mon, man. What in the name of Corybas are you doin'' having that boy here?"


    "He wanted to. He knew what we were doing here."


    "Still though, man. I dunno. Seems pretty boneheaded to me, mm," Shandi said as he and Billy moved towards the ladder. "He was pretty pissed off. Maybe you should go check on him?"


    "Yeah, you should go an'' do that," Billy said. "Besides, I ain''t got gas left in the tank for anything else tonight. What you say, boss? Think we can get outta here?"


    Joel''s shoulders drooped. "Yeah, I guess. I''ll take care of cleaning this all up and getting Lucas back in order. Maybe I''ll give him the day off tomorrow."


    "Just tomorrow? He''s tryin'' to throw hands an'' shit at me, man. Just huffin'' and puffin'' around the floor and having tantrums. Do we really need him?" Shandi asked. "The extra hands are nice, yeah, but we''re about done with this thing, ain''t we?"


    Joel looked to Billy who surprisingly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, boss. Maybe it''s time to cut him loose. Didn''t he just graduate, too? Give the boy the summer off. Maybe he can help Bobby with his mixtape or something."


    Joel wasn''t sure how to respond. He wanted to help Lucas out, but he also didn''t want to lose Shandi or Billy.


    "Up to you though," Billy said. "I like the kid, but man, what a temper, huh?"


    "You can say that again," Shandi shook his head. "Whatever. Billy, you wanna meet up at the Copper Stallion? An'' Joel, if you get outta here before midnight, you should stop over. I think you owe us, anyway."


    "I''ll try," Joel grimaced. He knew talking to Lucas was going to be difficult, and he dreaded the confrontation. How am I supposed to justify this to him?


    Shandi and Billy left the workshop as Joel stepped outside to look for Lucas. Joel''s SGNL buzzed in his pocket - it was Espee calling, and he answered it.


    "Hello?"


    "Joel? What''s going on? Ceres said that Lucas just called her and screamed a bunch of nonsense at her. What happened at the shop?"


    "It happened again, Esp."


    "It happened... oh." She sighed heavily. "So what are we supposed to do about it? The boy refuses to take anything for it, and you know it''s going to be blazes itself trying to get him to go back to the clinic."


    "I don''t know. It was stupid of me to even bring him here, wasn''t it?"


    Espee clicked her tongue. "No. It wasn''t, Joel. You were trying to help him earn some cash so that when he and Ceres left for Sylva after the summer''s end. But we knew the risk of having him work there, and, well, from the sounds of it it''s blowing up in our faces. Ceres was crying, it''s just all going to blazes here. What even set him off this time?"


    "We installed a cannon on the Terradrill today. A big one, special ordered by one of the Empire''s guys. Shandi got to talking about how the Empire was gonna use it, and..."


    "They don''t know, do they?"


    "They do now."


    "So what are you going to do about it?"


    "The guys want me to let him go. Shandi was all on edge, Lucas looked like he was gonna hit him or something. It''s just a bad situation, Esp."


    "Maybe you should do that," Espee sighed. "It''s not going to do him any good staying there. They''ll have to figure out something else for pocket cash, but..."


    "He''s gonna take that real bad, Esp."


    "I know he is. But it''s not much longer until he goes with Ceres..."


    "Didn''t you just say he made her cry? Do we want him going with Ceres?"


    "I... I don''t know, Joel. I''m a little worried, to be honest with you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"


    "Yeah, but hold on a sec. Did Lucas say he was headed back towards the house?"


    "That''s what Ceres said. Maybe Bobby picked him up, I don''t know. It was hard to understand her, and she slammed and locked her door on me."


    "Okay. Let me get back into the workshop, it''s getting windy out here."


    Joel re-entered the workshop and sat down at the desk in his office.


    "Good now."


    "I wanted to talk about Lucas and his outbursts. He and Ceres have been arguing an awful lot as of late, and I''m concerned that one day she''s going to do or say something and they''re going to attack each other, maybe even physically. I''m not sure who to be more worried about, to be frank. She''s been on him so much about being ''faithful'' even though he barely says a word to anyone who isn''t her, and he''s been awfully mercurial. I told him to try and endure it and..."


    "Why would he need to deal with that?" Joel asked, sitting forward, elbow on his desk. "He''s 17, for Goddess'' sakes. If he isn''t doing anything wrong, why''s she on him like that?"


    "Beats me. I guess I was remiss in telling him to just suck it up, wasn''t I?"


    "A little bit."


    "I''ll have to talk to him again, then. I suppose even with young adults, parenting never truly gets easier, does it?"


    "Especially when they''re not even your kid," Joel sighed. "I don''t mean that to be harsh, but he''s not our son. Suppose he''ll want out eventually. He''ll have his own life to live outside of us, and he''s under no real obligation to hang around."


    "Is that what you want?"


    "No. It might be what he wants, though. You''ve seen the way that boy looks at those atlases. He wants to get out and see the world. I just hope Ceres realizes that."


    "She''s as stubborn as he is."


    "You can say that again," Joel sighed. "Well, I''ve gotta get back to work. The guys left real quick after Lucas did, so I''ve got a lot to clean up on the workshop floor."


    "When will you be home?"


    "I''m not sure yet. I''ve got a lot to do, and if I wasn''t alone I''d be able to get it done a heck of a lot faster. It could be hours, Esp."


    Espee sighed. "Guess we can''t have time together tonight then." Joel could hear the disappointment in her voice, and it was a tone that he''d become all too familiar with over the years. "If it gets too late, maybe you should just stay there? It''s supposed to storm overnight, so I don''t want you driving around if it''s going to hail again."


    "I''ll be fine," Joel said. "If it''s really that bad, I''ll just sleep on the couch here."


    "That''s a good idea," Espee said. "I''ll let you know when Lucas comes back, but I won''t bother you while you''re busy. Love you, Joel."


    "Love you too, Esp," Joel said as the SGNL beeped and Espee dropped off the call. He took in the silence and sat back in his chair, staring up at the panels on the ceiling. There was indeed a large amount of work left to be done, but he''d lost any and all initiative to get up and actually do it. He opened the drawer with his whisky in it and poured out a small glass - just a spot to take the edge of the day so far off, but not enough to make him tired.


    Espee''s words resonated with Joel regarding Lucas, and it set Joel at unease thinking about the way Ceres and Lucas'' arguments might escalate in the future. He wished the two were better at communicating, but he chastised himself for being not too much different - he''d never been particularly good at communicating... unless it was with Sephie.


    While Joel and Espee''s relationship had been built on unstable ground from the get-go, they''d found strength in the struggle of their early days, complicated further by Espee''s surprise pregnancy with Ceres. Times had been tumultuous - Espee had been largely cut off from her family''s fortunes, and Joel found himself working inhumane hours to make ends meet. Their fire had been well-tended then, their hunger for one another unabating and their ability to find common ground felt as easy as it was natural.


    The house in Stormhill Ridge represented the apex of their works together, but also served as a harbinger for what would become of too many days spent apart and alone. Espee had tried to reach through to Joel, but the rigors of his traveling schedule had become almost too much to contend with. He''d spent too many nights in Ceres'' preteen years sleeping in hotel rooms and in the guest room of Victor''s house in Teliander, and the strain between them even radiated out to his and Espee''s bond.


    Joel sat back and took another drink, emptying his glass. He didn''t know how to handle Ceres'' estrangement from him, and he knew at this juncture it was already too late to do anything real about it. How much time did I miss with her, Joel thought ruefully. How much time could I have spent learning that girl instead of doing whatever else I was doing?


    Joel''s SGNL buzzed on the desk. He picked it up, expecting to see a message from Espee about Lucas.


    "Are you free?"


    Sephie.


    Joel weighed responding - he held the SGNL device in his hand and sat back in the chair. He took a deep breath and stood up, then walked out onto the workshop floor. There was an incredible amount of work left to do - the cannon was still roped up to the Terradrill, even though it was no longer completely dependent on the ceiling for support. Tools were scattered about as were bits of wire and other plastic wrappers and debris from the construction. He sighed and shook his head.


    "Yeah. Why?"


    The response came more swiftly than he''d expected.


    "I was hoping that you''d be. Could I meet you at the workshop in about an hour?"


    <hr>


    9th of May, 649


    Joel and Sephie lay on the couch in Joel''s office, fresh with sweat and breathing heavily - he''d had her yet again in a hungry, desperate embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he felt her breasts push against his side as he held her closely. That he''d been able to spend the night here at all was a wonder beyond wonders, and that she was able to...


    She''d been coming to the workshop in the days prior for clandestine visits, but this was the first time since his birthday that he''d had carte blanche to consume of her without having to worry about intrusions or time restrictions. He had taken her hungrily when she offered herself to him, and yet again he''d filled her with the seed of their love - the idea of it made him stiffen again as she sighed lovingly on him.


    "Joel," she said quietly as rain beat down against the roof. A clock on the wall read just past midnight. "If I didn''t know any better, I''d think you were trying to get me pregnant again."


    "What makes you say that?" Joel knew she wasn''t too far off the mark, as hesitant as Joel was to admit it. He hadn''t been careful at all in any of their encounters.


    "It''s possible, you know," she laughed, giving Joel a gentle smile. Joel had thought of it several times since the night of his birthday - the initial panic had given way to a brazen sense of desire and necessity. The furtive, cautious intrusion he''d made just a week and a half ago was replaced tonight by an incendiary, deliberate act.


    "I know it is," Joel said, stroking her hair. "I know. Sorry, I''m not thinking well yet. Fog."


    "You never have been able to think after sex," Sephie teased. She gave his bare chest a kiss and sat up next to him. Joel took in the scene and reveled in the woman''s beauty - how her hair flowed down over her bare chest, how her breasts hung - she noticed him staring and just smiled. "But... Joel? What if it happened again? Would we..."


    "Would we what?"


    She furrowed her brow. "Would we what? If I got pregnant again, Joel, would we keep the baby this time?" The this time rang in his head painfully.


    "I..."


    Sephie stared him down, and Joel relented.


    "I know we would. We would have to find a way to make it work, but we would, without a doubt. Do you think I''d be doing any of this if I didn''t know the risks?"


    She kissed him on the forehead. "I don''t know," she said, reaching for her shirt and pulling it over her head. "But what I do know, Joel, is that I trust you to keep your word on this. If on the off chance it happens again, you know what you have to do."


    "I know," Joel nodded.


    You''d have to leave Espee. You''d have to abandon her and Ceres and live with the guilt of not being able to keep your cock in your pants. How they''d hate you for it. How you should hate yourself for it.


    Sephie stood up from the couch and stretched her arms over her head. "I''m getting pretty tired," she said. Joel''s eyes were drawn to her lack of underwear, and she laughed as she noticed him looking again. "Not too tired to go again, though."


    "You''re incredible," Joel said as she stood over him.


    "No, that''s you," she winked. "Yes, I''d like to have you again, but give me a moment, I need to use the bathroom. Be ready when I come back."


    Joel stared at the lights on the ceiling as Sephie slipped away to the bathroom, then returned, still in naught but a t-shirt and looking quite mischievous.


    "What ya thinkin'' about?" Joel asked her.


    "Oh, just how much I love you. Hey - I''ve got a wish. You wanna hear it?"


    "Yeah. Why don''t you show me?"


    Joel indulged in Sephie for the better part of the next hour, recklessly imbibing in her and her in him - they collapsed in a sweaty, sticky heap on the couch once more.


    "I love you, Joel," she said quietly. She sounded tired, and Joel was feeling the adrenaline of having her with him in the workshop beginning to wear off. "It doesn''t matter how long it takes. It matters only that you''re the one waiting for me at the end of the road ahead."


    "That''s deep, Seph."


    "I''m serious, Joel. I don''t want anyone else. I haven''t wanted anyone else since the first time we met. That sounds so stupid because I was so young, but I just knew."


    She looked at him tenderly. Not even Espee looked at him that way. He felt special. He stared into those beautiful green eyes and felt in that moment that he, too, knew. He''d known from the first time he''d had her in the back of that truck that she was more than just a fling, and the words came like water to his lips.


    "I''ll do everything I can, Seph. I love you."


    She looked at him as if she was expecting more but said nothing.


    "I''m glad you came tonight," Joel said to her as she snuggled against him. "We''ll have to be up early to get you out before Shandi shows up, but..."


    "I know. Let''s enjoy this, just for now. Like husband and wife," she said. "Like my dreams."


    Joel closed his eyes and fell asleep with Sephie in his arms. For tonight, the world is alright.

 Act 1, Chapter 17

    Lucas


    8th of January, 644


    Trainyard, Riamal Haven


    "Hurry up, Lucas, you¡¯re slowing us down," Lethe said with irritation. A light dusting of snow covered the ground around them, and the sunlight from the bright morning made Lucas squint. The industrial park stretched wide in all directions, and Lucas and Lethe walked along the railroad tracks together with her leading. Lucas dragged his feet, exhausted from having barely slept, the excitement of the day to come more than he''d been able to handle.


    "A little urgency, if you would please?" Lethe said, her tone tense. She''d been stomping off ahead, and her legs were longer than Lucas'', making it hard to keep up. The pack on his back sagged with the weight of most of his possessions - things he''d accumulated over his days at Rocky''s warehouse. He''d gone against Lethe''s instructions to keep it light, but how else was he supposed to have anything to take to the new place they were planning on going to?


    The train they''d found was headed across the plains of Noctavia to the south, towards the borders with Alaeris and Beldara - Lethe had said she wanted to try going to Port Alhena on Beldara Bay as work might be more substantial there, but Lucas had pushed for the idea of a quieter town away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Lethe had rejected the tiny port towns of Dorast and Oteil in Alaeris but hadn''t been opposed to the smaller suburb of Serella on Port Alhena''s northern coast. He''d seen it in pictures, and it looked beautiful - its beaches pristine and oddly made of black, almost blue sand - but most importantly, it wasn''t anywhere near the Empire''s reach.


    We''ll leave this place a memory, she said. Lucas was grateful that she''d been willing to bring him along with her, and he found it difficult to veil his puppy-dog crush. He knew she knew but was grateful she hadn''t said anything about it.


    "I''m trying to go fast, this thing''s heavy," Lucas said, sighing. "I know you said not to overpack, but like, I''ve got all the Terracius Cartographia books that Rocky gave us. How am I supposed to leave those, huh?"


    Lethe eyeballed him calmly. "I suppose you couldn''t. But if you need a break, you have to say something. We don''t have long before that train leaves, and if we''re not on it we''re not going to have another chance ¡®til freaking January, and that''s next year."


    "I get it," Lucas said. "I''m doing my best though."


    "And I never said you weren''t. I know you are. C''mon, let''s going," she said, and Lucas felt his cheeks flush hot. Compliments were more common from her as of late, and he was all too greedy for them. He knew that the parents Lethe had run from were angry, miserable people who fought constantly, and he was grateful for her ability to confide her fears and reservations in him. She knew his situation, too, and she gave him stability in ways that he''d never felt since that bloody afternoon at his old home in Mormont.


    The two of them were truly inseparable. Everyone in Rocky''s warehouse had taken notice, but Lethe maintained that they were just friends. Lucas knew he was too young for her - she was on the cusp of sixteen, Lucas himself was almost thirteen - but how desperately he wanted her to love him the way he felt for her.


    "We''re coming up on the meeting point," she said, reading a street sign. "Rocky said 3rd and Croxley, right?"


    "Yeah," Lucas said, nodding. "He said his guy Solar was out here doing something and that he''d get us packed up to go."


    "Doing... something? Lucas, did you ask anything else?"


    "Was I supposed to?" Lucas looked at her wide-eyed.


    "I was counting on you to ask more than that," she said, gently smacking her forehead. "Did Rocky tell you when we should expect to see this guy? This whole area''s a ghost town."


    "Uh... I forgot to ask?" Lucas said sheepishly. He could see the disappointment on Lethe''s face and hated himself for causing it.


    "We might be here a while, then," Lethe shrugged. "I''m kinda hungry, though. You got any food in that bag?"


    Lucas nodded as he pulled a small bag of beef jerky from one of the pack''s pockets, and Lethe chewed a slice of it hungrily.


    "You get this from Felicity?" Lethe asked, smiling. "You know she smokes it herself, right?"


    "Really? I didn''t," Lucas said, taking a bite out of his own.


    "Yeah," Lethe said, sitting down on a large rock near the tracks. "She''s got this whole setup behind the warehouse. It''s neat." She sighed and stared out towards the empty void beyond the tracks'' end. "Gonna miss that place, though. They were always good to us, weren''t they?"


    Lucas joined her on the rock. "Yeah. It was hard saying goodbye to Rocky, but he''s the one who set us up with this guy to begin with."


    "The little birds had to leave the nest," Lethe smiled at Lucas. "A better life starts today. Just stick by my side, okay? Leave it to me."


    Without as much as a word, she put her arm around his shoulder and tugged him closer in a hug that melted him inside and out. It was just a friendly hug, but it meant everything to him.


    <hr>


    10th of May, 649


    Lucas woke with tears in his eyes. He hadn''t had many dreams of Lethe like that over the last few years, but he felt completely gutted in waking up back in Cygnus. It was morning, but it was pouring outside as it had been the entirety of the previous day and night before that.


    He hadn''t left the room much the day prior - when Joel finally returned home that previous morning, he''d told Lucas he''d need to let him go from the workshop, which made Lucas feel acutely worthless. He''d sworn at Joel and felt terrible about it, but what else was he supposed to do? Between the arguments with Ceres and the blowout at the workshop, Lucas had felt completely out of sorts and miserable.


    He felt like he was on the ropes after eleven rounds in a boxing ring, just staggering through the days. The rain wasn''t helping - memories of long, cold, rainy nights in Riamal Haven put him in a truly dour mood on top of it all. He''d decided to skip out on the Technica Academy exam much to Ceres'' chagrin, and the more he thought about it, the more he just wanted to get away from Cygnus.


    Lucas sat up in his bed and looked over at his desk. He stood and rummaged through a stack of papers, pulling out a notebook that he brought back over to his bed. He snagged a pen and began writing something - the words flowed to him almost as if he''d been possessed - and when he finished, he marveled over what he''d completed.


    It''s time to get out of this place forever, Lucas thought, his heart beating hard in his chest.


    <hr>


    Trainyard, Riamal Haven


    Clouds filtered over the sun as Lethe and Lucas waited for Rocky''s contact, Solar. They hadn''t been waiting long, but as they were technically trespassing by being there, they''d had to hide a few times already from passersby. The sounds of trains clacking along their tracks seemed to come from all directions as the morning turned to midday, and though it was sunny out, it didn''t do much to diminish the lingering cold. Lucas shivered in his thin jacket. Lethe moved closer to him, and he was grateful for her warmth.


    Heavy footsteps approached where they hid - Lethe peeked around the edge of the boxcar, then withdrew swiftly. "I think he saw me," she whispered as the steps approached more quickly now.


    "You kids from Rocky''s place?" The voice asked, thick with an accent from somewhere in the Minervan Isles. "My name is Solar. I believe you are waiting for me."


    Lucas and Lethe poked out from around the edge of the car together, eliciting a belly laugh from the heavyset man. "Ah, like baby birds, are ya? Come now, nothin'' to be afraid of. The train should be leavin'' in about 30 minutes or so, so let''s beat feet, yeah?"


    The two followed Solar through and between train cars - he moved far more quickly than Lucas would''ve expected a man of his stature to, and Lucas found himself having a hard time keeping up. The trainyard felt like it sprawled on forever, and Lucas'' tattered old jacket still wasn''t doing much to keep out the cold. He shivered as Lethe panted next to him - she was in shape about as much as anyone else he knew, but even she seemed exhausted at the pace they were taking.


    Solar turned to them, regarding them carefully for a moment, then continued forward wordlessly. Lucas knew that he wasn''t going to get out without some measure of struggle, so keeping his focus on the end goal was of utmost importance. You''ll be free together, Lucas thought. One day you''ll marry and have kids together and tell them all about how you survived it all. One day! It''ll be a great day!


    "Come on, speed it up a bit. I know that guy ain''t feedin'' ya much, but kids don''t eat a lot, do they?" Solar asked as Lucas and Lethe panted behind him. Lethe looked at him strangely but chose to say nothing.


    "No? Huh. Alright then, come on. Less talkin'', more walkin''," he said. "Not much more now," Solar continued. "See that smokestack? The station we''re headed for''s over there. Y''all know the Falco Fortis movies? They filmed that one scene there. It''s famous."


    "Ooh," Lethe said, looking at Lucas. "You love those, don''t you? Try not to get too distracted."


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    About ten minutes later they arrived at the walkway leading up to the elevated train station. Solar was right ¨C Lucas had definitely seen this exact location in the second Falco Fortis movie - he looked around with wonderment at it. How cool is this?


    Above them, a train rumbled over the tracks. It was one of the newer models out of Valdena, an express train - they were going to be stowed away as cargo on Solar''s ''shipment'' as Rocky had explained. Lethe seemed hesitant to be packed away when Rocky had discussed it with them, but he''d managed to somehow calm her nerves - in her pocket, Lucas knew she had a pill for the anxiety that Rocky''d given her. He''d seen her check a few times on the long walk over to see if it was still there.


    "Alright, my guys are on their way. Give ''em about sixty seconds and we''ll get you packed away. Your guy sent over some food to keep ya from starving, but Erzulia forbid if ya gotta use the bathroom or something. Just go to sleep if ya gotta piss. When the train stops in Serella, we''ll get you off and cut ya loose."


    "And you won''t need us to pay you or anything?" Lethe asked, and Solar shook his head.


    "Nah, your guy Rocky took care of it. We got more than enough, let''s just say that. Don''t pry any further, ya hear me?"


    Lucas looked at Lethe and both nodded. Three large men approached - one pushed a dolly cart with two long crates on it.


    "You''re sending us in coffins?" Lethe asked incredulously, and Solar and his men just laughed.


    "Nah, young lady, these normally ship fish. We usually fill ''em up with ice and pack ''em full of salmon and whatever else we catch on the coast. Fair warning, it might smell a bit."


    Lethe scrunched up her nose and Lucas bit his cheek.


    "So we just lay down and..."


    "Yeah, lay down on in there," Solar said, gesturing to the box that one of his men had just opened up. "You first," he said, pointing to Lethe. She gave Lucas another quick hug before laying down inside of it - the men put the cover back over it and sealed it shut before moving onto the next. Several small airholes around where Lethe''s head was were the only light Lucas knew she had in there.


    "Your turn," Solar said, gesturing to Lucas. Lucas had been through worse things in Riamal Haven than this. The smell of old fish seared through his nostrils, but he fought through the feeling of gagging as he laid down in the box. "Seal it up," Solar ordered, and the box closed over him. He could feel himself being lifted off the ground and onto the dolly, where his box banged against Lethe''s.


    "Now shut up in there," Solar whispered. "Not a single peep outta the two of ya the whole trip and you''ll make it just fine. Get some shuteye, if ya would."


    Lucas didn''t respond and neither did Lethe. He could hear the train car doors open as Solar walked the dolly down the aisle. Lucas could only assume where they were, but it was quiet and warm now - they were in the back of the train with the rest of the large luggage, he guessed.


    "Safe travels, and we''ll see ya soon," Solar said, his footsteps receding into the train noise.


    They did it. They were leaving Noctavia. Forever.


    <hr>


    Present Day


    Lucas stashed the duffel bag under his bed when someone knocked at his door. He felt his heart pounding as he kicked it more deeply underneath.


    "Who is it? What do you want?"


    "Lucas, it''s me," Espee said. "I was just checking on you, I wanted to know if you wanted lunch. I made tuna salad and I know how much you like that..."


    Lucas was hungry. His plans wouldn''t go off as well as he''d want them to on an empty stomach, anyway.


    "Yeah, sure, gimme a minute. I gotta get dressed."


    "I''ll make you a plate," Espee said. Lucas didn''t understand her cheerfulness - Joel was next to useless in that he was never home, and all Ceres seemed to do was complain at her. Why was Espee so happy?


    He pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt before heading downstairs to the kitchen, where Espee sat at the table, eyes on the Technivision in the living room. There was some kind of daytime talk show playing, but Lucas didn''t recognize it. He plopped himself down in a chair next to Espee, who''d set down a surprisingly bountiful lunch for him.


    Do you really want to do this? His mind thought, but he''d already made his decision.


    "We got those fancy pickles at Shaffer''s Market," Espee said, side-eyeing Lucas as she took a bite of a potato chip. "I know you like those, too."


    Lucas grumbled. He didn''t appreciate that she was trying to use food to apologize to him, and besides - it wasn''t even her fault that things were falling apart. If there was anyone in the house that he''d miss, it''d be Espee. She''d done up her hair in a messy bun and wisps fell down in front of her ears - Lucas had noticed how good she''d looked in the past, but she seemed somehow more attractive than usual today. He liked her earrings and found himself staring at her a second too long as she turned back to him.


    "Are you alright? I know you''ve been having a hard time. Is there anything you wanted to talk about?"


    "No, I..." Lucas blushed at having been caught, or at least he assumed she was asking because of the staring. "I''m not having a hard time. I''m just bummed out, that''s all."


    "I see," Espee said, taking a drink from a glass of iced tea and turning off the Technivision with a remote control. She turned to face him, and he felt the heat of her steady attention. "You''ve holed yourself in your room since Bobby brought you back. The only reason I even think you''re out here is for the food. Am I right?"


    Lucas shrugged. He liked seeing Espee in a tank top, but he couldn''t say that as an answer. "I like the food. Thank you for it," he said, taking a bite of the sandwich. He just hadn''t been hungry enough to eat a full meal the day before, so something fresh like this was a welcome change from the bagged snacks, lunch meat, and random pieces of fruit he''d nabbed when no one was around.


    "Glad to. You know, I worry about all of you. I just want you to be happy here, and I know that you''re thinking about moving away with Ceres at the end of the summer. I can''t stop you from doing that, but at least I can try to make things easier for you in the last few months we''ve got you."


    "The last few months?" Lucas tilted his head curiously. "Am I disappearing or something?"


    "My goodness, no," Espee laughed. He liked her laugh. It was a rare sound these days. "I''m just saying, you''re going off on your own. I feel like we''re just starting to really get to know the strong young man you are, Lucas, and part of me wishes selfishly that we''d gotten to meet sooner."


    "I''m not dying, Espee."


    "I know you''re not. Do you understand what I mean, though?"


    "I guess," Lucas said, chewing another mouthful.


    "Well, that''s good, then. I hope you know that no one here is mad at you. Joel didn''t want to have to let you go, but he felt pressured by his other employees - it was nothing personal, it was just..."


    Lucas glared at her. Oddly, Espee glared back at him.


    "Don''t you look at me like that, Lucas. This had nothing to do with me and you know it."


    Lucas'' guts rumbled with the chill that swept up his spine. He wasn''t feeling particularly hungry anymore. He pushed the plate away conspicuously before standing up from the table.


    "Thanks," he said, shaking his head.


    "Stop yourself, Lucas. Take a breath, alright? What did I do to you?"


    "You wouldn''t get it even if I tried explaining it," Lucas said. "I need to go out for a bit and clear my head, okay? Don''t come looking for me."


    "Lucas, that¡¯s unfair. Please, sit back down."


    Espee looked so hopeless, and Lucas hated seeing her like that. He knew that if he backed down, though, that he''d never have the gumption to execute on his bigger plans.


    "This isn''t your fault," he said, shaking his head. "If you put that in the fridge I''ll come back for it later, okay?"


    Espee looked resigned to defeat, which made Lucas feel bad, but he saw it as a necessary thing. When did he become like this all the time? He thought as Espee sighed and stood up from the table, reaching for a container in a high cabinet. He forced himself to walk over behind her to reach up - he was a good deal taller than she was, and he handed her the glass container. She gave a pained smile as she nodded appreciation, and Lucas left her alone in the kitchen. She smelled good, he thought as he went up the stairs.


    Once back in his room, Lucas took the SGNL from his desk and sent a message to Bobby to see if he could get a ride to the store - Bobby didn''t respond right away, so Lucas made the decision to walk there instead. He walked down the stairs, avoiding Espee as he continued down the driveway and away from the Leonarts'' house.


    Lucas knew he didn''t need to leave the house behind, but he hated feeling cornered like that. He resented Joel for choosing his employees over him, and it felt in no uncertain terms like betrayal. Lucas could not forgive that.


    <hr>


    Somewhere Between Riamal Haven and Serella


    Lucas had lost track of time in the uncomfortable wooden box, but he knew it had to have been at least several hours now. The trip took them across the entirety of the Noctavian countryside, and Lucas also knew that at some point they''d be going over one of the largest rail bridges on all of Terrah - while he wished that he was able to see it, he was just happy to be safe and away from the eyes of those who may try to hurt him if he left his box.


    "Psst," Lethe whispered. Her box was stacked on top of his, and he could hear her breathing. It soothed him to hear her - they had bunked together in Rocky''s warehouse but had never shared a bed or been this close before. Lucas felt butterflies in his stomach as he thought of her. "Psst, Lucas. I gotta piss so bad."


    "Me too," Lucas said quietly. "But shh, we don''t wanna get caught or nothin''."


    "I know. I just..."


    "Yeah?"


    "It''s weird. We''re getting out. It''s a new day for both of us. I''m a little overwhelmed."


    "Me too," Lucas said. "But we gotta be quiet!"


    He could hear stirring from Lethe''s box, then movement. Had she gotten out?


    "A bit cramped in there, wouldn''t you say?" Lethe said, placing her face level with the floor so that Lucas could see her face through the breathing holes. "C''mon, I''ll get you out, too. We can just hide behind those boxes over there..."


    The train''s bell dinged - they were arriving at the Lake Drail station, immediately before the railway cut west towards the Beldaran border. Lucas was intrigued about getting to see the bridge that was only minutes away and was struggling to justify to himself staying in confinement. He''d already missed seeing Mormont as the train''s tracks snaked east along the bayside, and he didn''t want to miss this.


    "Yeah, get me out of here."


    Lethe lifted the lid and Lucas sat up, happy to be able to move again. It was now at least the middle of the afternoon, Lucas guessed as he looked out the small window, and the golden light of the sun over the fields to the west peeked in between the slats and cast a wonderful glow upon Lethe. Lucas blushed as he looked at her.


    "C''mon, let''s go behind those suitcases over there. At least there we can stretch out. There''s gotta be somewhere to piss here, too. Do you care if I do that?"


    "On the suitcases?"


    "Yeah."


    "I don''t wanna know," Lucas said, shaking his head. Lethe just laughed.


    "I''m teasing, I''m teasing. What do you take me for, a crazy person?"


    "Sometimes," Lucas said, and Lethe grinned.


    "Good. Hey, c''mere a sec. I''ve been thinking about some stuff about when we get there, and like..."


    Lucas edged closer to her, and the two sat side by side in the corner of the slowly darkening train car.


    "Like what?"


    "I don''t want you to... feel burdened by having to have me with you," Lethe said. Lucas wasn''t used to this kind of vulnerability out of her, but it wasn''t the first time he''d seen it. "I''m not saying I''m a burden, but where I go, trouble follows. Is that okay with you?"


    "Won''t no one know you where we''re going? Why would trouble follow you?"


    Lethe rubbed her wrist gingerly. "I guess maybe I''m just worrying too much then. Is that what you''re thinking?"


    "Maybe. But I wanna know. Why, is something bad going to happen to you if I come with you?"


    "Goodness, no," Lethe smiled. "If anything, when I''m with you is when I feel the most safe."


    Lucas knew he was as red as a tomato as he smiled at her.


    "So I''ve got another question," Lethe said, placing her hand on top of his. Everything inside Lucas'' head was beginning to shut down at the mere touch.


    "What is it?" Lucas just barely choked out. Lethe took a breath and put her other hand on his cheek.


    "Promise me then," Lethe said. "Will you promise me that you''ll protect me, no matter what?"


    Lucas nodded slowly. It was a big commitment and probably more than he could ever do, but he''d die for Lethe. He knew that as clearly as anything on all of Terracius that he did.


    "Always, Lethe."


    She kissed him gently on the forehead, then looked at him with hopeful eyes.


    "It''s you and me, Lucas," she said, "until the end of everything. You understand me?"

 Act 1, Chapter 18

    Lucas


    12th of May, 649


    The living room at the Rodriguez family''s house stunk of old pizza and booze, and Lucas shifted on the lumpy couch with miserable discomfort. Bobby had managed to get Stingray to agree to letting Lucas stay for a few days, and Lucas was grateful for the change of scenery. He hadn''t been sleeping all too well, but he was happy to just have somewhere to be.


    He knew that the Leonarts would''ve allowed him back at any time, but the idea of going there made him feel angry and, when thinking about Espee, just a tiny bit saddened. Ceres had tried to call a few times, but he''d been ignoring her - she''d even come by the house looking for him, but Bobby refused to let her in. Lucas had a moment of clarity in that instant when Bobby told her to go elsewhere and leave him alone - Bobby was a much better friend to Lucas than Lucas was to Bobby, and it made him feel pretty guilty.


    Stingray was often drunk upstairs, talking on the phone or arguing with someone. He worked remotely for a company somewhere in Rigelios, and even though the orchard lands were his family''s, he''d taken to outsourcing all of the real work on them in recent years.


    Lucas had tried to avoid Billy when he came around - he lived in an apartment nearer to Joel''s workshop, Bobby said, and Lucas had been nervous that he''d say something to get Stingray to send him home prematurely.


    You''d run away for good if he did that, though, wouldn''t you?


    Lucas could hear creaking from the stairs. "Yo, Lucas, bro, you awake? You wanna play some games or something?"


    Lucas yawned and sat up. It was nice having someone other than Ceres to talk to.


    "Yeah, sounds good. You work today?"


    "Nah, bro. I was gonna meet up with Melisara later maybe, you wanna come with? She got some cute friends."


    What would Ceres think of this? How would she react?


    "Yeah, sure."


    "Huh? Wow, man, thought you''d say some shit about Ceres," Bobby said, sitting in a big plush armchair and opening a can of soda. "What? Don''t look at me like that. It''s breakfast, man. My dad, he gave up on cooking who knows how long ago. You want a frozen burrito or something?"


    "That''d be great," Lucas said. "But uh, me and Ceres, well..."


    "You''re together, right? Everyone knows, bro."


    Lucas had tried to keep it a secret, but he''d rightfully assumed it could never truly stay as under wraps as he''d hoped. He nodded slowly.


    "Yeah, about that. I''m uh... not really sure about it," Lucas said, words leaving his lips faster than his thoughts. "I keep pissing her off. She gets all weird about every girl under the sun. It''s shitty."


    "Yeah, I hear ya, bro. You''re young, I''m young, we ain''t gotta deal with stupid shit like that. But like, you gonna cheat on her or what?"


    "No," Lucas frowned. "Man, it ain''t like that. She''s always so mad about the idea of me cheating that she doesn''t even pay attention to what''s really going on."


    "Man, that''s stupid. I bet she''s cheating."


    "What makes you say that?"


    "People always projectin'' and stuff, man. They say that whatever they''re most worried about is what they''re up to, and that''s called psychology, man. Learned it in Mr. Nunn''s class. You should''ve taken it."


    "Guess I missed out," Lucas shrugged.


    "Whatever. So Melisara and me, we''re a thing, right? She ain''t gettin'' mad about me hanging with her girls. Ruby? She''s a Cygnus 10/10, bro, but I ain''t tryin'' to get in her pants. And her girl Josephine? She got boobs the size of your fuckin'' head, bro. Probably crush a can of soup with ''em. Always wondered what they felt like, but I ain''t gonna go honk honk or nothin''."


    "Bobby, man," Lucas shook his head. "Always with the boobs, man."


    "Sorry, bro. Just the way B-Money rolls, ya know?"


    Bobby''d talked Lucas'' ear off about his nascent rap career, and how he''d hoped to someday get a record deal in Rigelios - Lucas had heard some of his work, and while it wasn''t bad, it also wasn''t good.


    "So like I was sayin'', me and Melisara, we''re like, almost a thing now? We make out sometimes, but like, it ain''t official like you and Ceres. Melisara''s cool with me being cool with her friends just like she''s cool with mine. So to get to the point of what I was saying," Bobby threw up his hands dramatically, soda splashing out of the can and down his hand, "Ceres? She''s fuckin'' cheatin'' on you, bro."


    "Ceres isn''t cheating," Lucas frowned.


    "Yeah? Hold on a sec," he leaned forward, eyes serious. "Are you two even official? You''ve made out an'' shit, right? You touch her tits? You fuck yet?"


    "That ain''t your business, dude," Lucas said, a little more harshly than he meant to.


    "Whoa. I ain''t tryin'' to piss you off. Forget I asked, bro."


    "Sorry. I just like keeping some things private."


    "Fair enough. But c''mon, dude. You gotta come with me today. Get yourself some breakfast and get cleaned up and we''re gonna hang out down at the old millhouse with the girls. You clean up real good bro, but you wouldn''t know it with all that grime-ass peach fuzz on your face."


    "Thanks?" Lucas said, scratching his chin. He hadn''t really been taking care of himself, he knew, but hearing it like that never felt good.


    Lucas microwaved one of the burritos from the freezer and ate it at the counter in the kitchen, just staring off into space. The sink area was a mess - Espee would never allow it to look like that - but the grunting and grumbling from upstairs was enough of an explanation.


    "BOBBY?" Stingray''s voice slurred loudly from upstairs. "BOBBY, bring me some water, hurry up!"


    Bobby shook his head as he came into the kitchen. "He''s gonna freak out if I don''t bring him some tequila or somethin'', but I don''t wanna. Your turn, Lucas."


    "Me?"


    "Yeah, you. I gotta eat, too. You''re stayin'' here for free, might as well pick up some of my slack. And besides, sooner we get the old man back to sleep, the sooner we can get the blazes outta here, yeah?"


    "Fair point," Lucas said, scanning the cabinets for anything that even looked like a clean glass. "Man, y''all need some help or something? I know how to do dishes."


    Lucas bit his tongue. He knew it hadn''t been long since Wanda died, and while he didn''t mean to offend, the look in Bobby''s eyes gave him pause. He knew that pain too well.


    "What you sayin''?" Bobby laughed. "Yeah man, it''s a dump, but we got like, those plastic bottles in the fridge. Go on and take one to him, then get outta there, or he''ll talk at you about nothin'' til he''s sober enough to wonder what the blazes he told ya."


    Lucas held the cold water bottle in his hand and nodded at Bobby.


    "You know where the shower is. Let''s get outta here by like 1100, okay?"


    <hr>


    Lucas stood at the foot of Stingray Rodriguez''s bed. The room smelled like the house did, only ten times worse. It reeked of cigar smoke, booze, and Goddess only knew what else - there were bottles of what Lucas could only assume were urine stashed in a corner. Stingray had been at Joel''s birthday party just two weeks before, but Lucas hadn''t seen much of him in the days since.


    "Wanda, that you?" Stingray said, squinting. "Oh. Sorry, still half asleep, man, uh..." He scrambled to cover himself with his sheets. "You didn''t see nothin'', uh... you got water, right?"


    Lucas nodded and tossed the bottle on the bed.


    "Thanks, kid," he said, cracking the top open and drinking half of it in one go. "Bobby said I gotta get outta bed today, but... I don''t wanna. Tell him that for me, alright?"


    Lucas looked around the disgusting bedroom. Framed photos sat on a dresser and were hung up along the walls of the room - Stingray, much leaner in the photos, had his arm around a smiling, beautiful woman. He looked upon Stingray in the bed, mostly naked, bloated, and enfeebled.


    "I will, Mr. Rodriguez."


    "Good. You tell that boy... uh... if he''s with that girl... uh..."


    His eyes were closed before he finished the sentence. Lucas slowly retreated from the bedroom and closed the door behind him.


    <hr>


    "I look stupid," Lucas said, touching his hair as he looked in the mirror.


    "No way, bro. You look fuckin'' good. Just own it, alright?"


    Lucas didn''t feel good about himself, but he shook his head, sighed, and stepped back from the bathroom vanity. "Last time I let you convince me to do that," he said with a laugh.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Girls love it, I mean, look at me," he said, pointing at his own. This made Lucas feel worse - Bobby''d done his hair almost identically to his own, and while for Bobby it worked, it didn''t work at all for Lucas. The shirt that Bobby had let him borrow was a bit too big in all the wrong ways, amplifying the awkwardness.


    "So uh... that Josephine girl? She single?"


    "Tits over tens, right? Yeah, I think she''s single. She just wants a guy who ain''t gonna stare at her rack all day, but I mean, c''mon. She''s gonna have to find a blind dude."


    Lucas shrugged. "I dunno, bro."


    "Yeah, I''m just teasin''. She''s super cool, you''ll like her. She writes an'' shit, like books and all that. Asked her to write a rap with me and she just laughed and told me to grow up, like... yo, you''re eighteen, you''re not much older than me, get off your cloud. Ain''t you always writing shit down?"


    "Cataloguing, not writing," Lucas said, giving himself a sidelong glance in the mirror. "I wouldn''t say I like writing, I''m pretty bad at it."


    "That girl Justine who tutored you was, though," Bobby laughed. "She graduated Billy''s year; did you know they dated? She''s cool too. Way too old for us dumbasses though." He winked at himself in the mirror and Lucas sighed.


    "So Josephine man, you stare? You get busted? Man, you''re done. But she''s pretty cute too, for whatever that''s worth. I know you like a girl with brains and looks, I mean, Ceres is pretty fuckin'' cute, y''know? Sorta lackin'' in the assets, but..."


    "Shut up about Ceres already."


    "Oh, uh... yeah. So I mean, not like I''m gonna go an'' try an'' get her if you break up. Bros and all that stuff, y''know? Besides, I got Melisara. She''s already talkin'' ''bout our future, smart girl. Got everything all planned out."


    "Oh yeah? Well that''s good? C''mon, hurry up, let''s get outta here before your dad wakes up again."


    "Okay, okay. So what we''re gonna do is we''re gonna take his truck across the farm, keys are in the ignition. That''s unsafe or whatever but who cares, right? He certainly don''t. Go down there and I''ll meet ya, okay? I''m gonna call Melisara an'' see what''s goin'' on. Don''t wanna sit down there all day if ya know what I mean."


    <hr>


    The sun shone down through the maple leaves on the big tree near the mill house as Bobby and Lucas sat atop the parked truck. The girls were running late, Bobby''d said, so the two just sat outside waiting, listening to the sounds of nature around them.


    "You ever think you''re gonna get outta here?" Bobby asked, staring off at the horizon. "I mean, I know you ain''t from here, but do you ever think about leaving again?"


    "All the time. Not that I hate it, but it''s... well, it''s just not me."


    "Yeah. You''re from Noctavia. I ain''t from here either, you know that, right? My dad brought us up from Fornacis when we were little. Little coastal town called Niandra. Man, I miss the ocean."


    "Oh? I think you''ve talked about it before. I''ve never lived near the ocean. What''s it like?"


    "Real pretty. Used to pass out on the beach all the time as a kid and when I''d wake up, Billy and his friends would''ve buried me under a foot of sand. Like clockwork, man. The first few times it''s scary, but Billy''d never let me get hurt, no way." He took a long drink from his water bottle and put it behind him on the roof of the truck. "You got siblings, right? Where they at?"


    "I don''t, actually."


    "Oh, well, that kinda sucks. Nice having a brother. Ceres ain''t got siblings either, does she? Y''know, people used to think you two were siblings."


    "I know."


    "People were gettin'' all weird an'' shit when they''d talk about it. Said your kids would have like, three eyes and one leg? Stupid. I made sure to put ''em in their place, though." Bobby laughed as he shadowboxed. "But we ain''t gotta worry ''bout that place any longer, huh? I won''t miss it."


    "You want to go to Rigelios, don''t you?"


    "Oh yeah. Me an'' Melisara were lookin'' for somewhere to live out there. Maybe get some roommates, our own little slice of Elysium, or whatever. Heard the city''s a nice place to be, and they got beaches real close."


    "Rocky ones," Lucas said, taking a swig. "Mormont wasn''t too far from the beach, but it''s in the bay with the Cerulea Isles and Lili Borea and all those places. Cold as Corybas'' frozen ass in the wintertime."


    "Blech," Bobby shook his head. "No white sands? No beautiful sunsets? How you supposed to take a pretty girl on a date on a beach full of rocks and shit?"


    "I don''t know. I haven''t lived there since I was eight. Bigger fish to fry."


    "Yeah. I hear you. Besides," he laughed, "that''d be freakin'' weird, dude."


    Lucas looked at him and laughed and Bobby gave him a hard pat on the back.


    "But you''re like, an adult now. You gotta think about these things. Psychology, remember?" He nudged Lucas. "Look out over there, I think that''s them. Jeez, Melisara drives like a nutcase. You should see her on the highway."


    Bobby waved as the beat up silver car approached. It kicked up a cloud of dust as it parked near the truck, and Melisara got out of the car first with a wide smile on her face. Her front teeth had a small gap and Bobby''d once told Lucas that it was her "ticket" into modeling - Melisara was shorter than both of them, curvy and, as Bobby lovingly referred to her, "thick". Her hair was tied up in a bun and she wore bold pink lipstick, which smeared off on Bobby as she gave him a smooch.


    Ruby was a whole head taller than Melisara, and about even with Lucas. She was dazzlingly pretty, as Bobby had repeatedly told Lucas on the way over. Her brown hair was cut short in a bob, and her light blue eyes stood out against her tan skin. She was from Tansar, in the deserts to the south of Cygnus, Lucas knew. He''d always been intrigued by people from there. She was thin, thinner than Ceres, but he could see the definition in her arms. She''d been the volleyball team''s ace in school days, and Lucas could see why.


    Josephine was last out. She was about Melisara''s height and wore a baggy sweatshirt. She didn''t make eye contact with either of the boys but gave a furtive wave at them as the five started talking. Lucas was intrigued by her silence and her appearance - she had dyed black hair covering one of her eyes, and like Ruby, had the same bright eyes and tanned skin - the contrast was striking. He noticed she kept glancing over at him as Melisara and Bobby led the conversation, and he decided to glance back, at which point her glances stopped altogether. She whispered something to Ruby, who just smiled at her.


    "So when are you moving?" asked Josephine, who now sat atop the truck with Melisara. "Meli said you''re thinking about the end of the month? How''re you gonna get the money for that?"


    "My dad," Bobby said. "Mom''s life insurance, rest her soul, but I apparently get a cut. It''ll be enough to go and find somewhere to live at least for a few months til I get a deal."


    "You should probably work there, huh?" Josephine said quietly. "Like, what if it doesn''t work out?"


    "Can''t crush a guy''s dreams like that, Jo," Bobby shook his head. "Melisara''s got some job leads, anyway. I can stay home and work on my beats and my poetry," he said, and Melisara gazed at him lovingly.


    "He''s too good not to get signed," Melisara swooned. "Jo, you know Bobby''s stuff. He''s better than half the shit on the radio, they''d be crazy not to."


    "What you think, Lucas? They gonna put my name up in lights in Rigelios?" Bobby asked, surprising Lucas from his trance. He''d been imagining what Josephine looked like under that sweatshirt from Bobby''s earlier description and lost himself for a moment as she spoke. She had a soothing way of speaking that he really liked. He found that he couldn''t look away from her, and it really wasn''t the worst thing in the world...


    "Yo, Lucas, I asked you a question!"


    Lucas turned towards him and felt his cheeks flush. "Man, I don''t know. That kind of stuff''s all about who you know anyway."


    Bobby frowned. "Bro, don''t be a buzzkill. You know I''ll get the connections. I''m B-Money, dude!"


    "Yeah, if the B is for Broke," Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "If you ain''t gonna work, then what''re you gonna do? Sit home and let Melis do all the work?"


    Melisara turned to Bobby, who was now also blushing.


    "Like I said! No shame in stayin'' home and perfecting your craft. I mean Lucas does his woodcarving and stuff like that, right? You gotta be getting better at that?"


    The girls and Bobby turned their attention on Lucas.


    "Sometimes? I haven''t done it in a long time, though. This place isn''t really all that inspiring."


    "Psh, half my shit''s about how much I hate it here," Bobby shrugged.


    "Right? This place is lame," Melisara added.


    "It could be worse," Josephine murmured. "Could be that one place in the Minervas that''s always underwater."


    "Clothos?" Lucas said, surprised.


    "Yeah, that''s the one. You know about it? Horrible floods, all the time."


    "How do people live like that?" Bobby shook his head. "Yeah, maybe you''re right. This place is lame, but at least it''s not always drowning."


    Josephine shot a smile at Lucas. He was surprised anyone from the area even cared about the world outside their small town, and it made him hopeful that he''d get some time alone with her in the near future.


    <hr>


    The afternoon blew by faster than Lucas expected it would, and by the end of it he found himself on the tailgate of Stingray''s truck, waving goodbye to the girls as Melisara blew Bobby kisses.


    As they watched the beat up old car recede into the afternoon sun, Bobby gave Lucas a playful slap on the back of the head.


    "Bro, I told you! I told you!"


    "What did you tell me?" Lucas said, rubbing his head.


    "I said that Josephine was your type, man! And did you even get her number?"


    "Bobby, bro, I''m with Ceres."


    "Nah, dude. Listen. I got this extra sense, y''know, like I read minds? Psychology, or whatever? She''s into you like crazy, she couldn''t keep her eyes off you!"


    "I don''t think so."


    "Oh yeah? So why was she talkin'' to you so much? Why did she start laughing randomly at everything you said? Melisara don''t even do that, bro."


    "She''s just being nice," Lucas shook his head. "Not everything like that has to mean a girl''s into you."


    "Well, maybe with that one it does!" Bobby hooted. "Oh, brother. Man, you gonna tell me next that you''ve never been with a girl other than Ceres, huh?"


    "Not exactly, but yeah, you''re not too far off."


    "A dude then? ''Cause I don''t judge, alright? Love is love."


    "No, it''s not that. I was close with someone before Ceres, but we didn''t ever date."


    "Oh. Yeah, I mean if you made out or something, that counts," he said, nodding in agreement with himself. "Lots of things count. She lets you grab her boobs? You''re her boyfriend. Hold her hair while she pukes? Boyfriend. It''s easy, bro."


    "I don''t know if that''s exactly how it works, but I don''t know enough to tell you you''re wrong?" Lucas shrugged. "But man, she ain''t into me like that that quickly."


    Bobby''s SGNL device buzzed, and he looked at it with a mischievous smile. "Maybe I should just ask Melis what she thinks, what do you think?"


    "Please don''t," Lucas shook his head. "Man, I keep saying, I''m with Ceres."


    "But you don''t really like her. She treats you like shit, dude."


    "You keep saying that, but it''s different when you''re in it."


    "She give good head or something? I could see staying with a girl who treats me badly if she''s good at that, but like... teeth?"


    Lucas gawped at Bobby, who just laughed.


    "Man, I''m fuckin'' with you. I get it. Sometimes it takes a long time for someone to realize they''re in over their heads."


    "Psychology, right?"


    "You know it, bro."


    "Thanks?"


    "Well, we better head back before my dad gets all pissed at me for being gone all day. Wanna bet on if he''s awake or not?"


    "I''d rather not," Lucas said, slipping off the tailgate and getting into the truck.


    "Suit yourself," Bobby shrugged. "Sometimes you gotta just cope if you know what I''m sayin''."


    Lucas nodded wordlessly as the truck kicked up dust and they headed back towards the house.


    <hr>


    "Hello? Lucas? What''s going on, where are you?" Ceres said on the other end of the SGNL line. Lucas felt cotton mouthed. It was late - just past 2300 - he''d been mulling over things ever since they''d returned to the house, where Stingray had finally mustered the energy to come downstairs to make dinner for the family.


    Lucas lay on his back on the couch, covered with a wool blanket. "I''m fine. I..."


    "Fine? Fine? I''ve been worried sick about you. Mom''s worried sick about you. When are you coming back?"


    "Ceres..."


    "No, don''t cut me off. I have a right to know where you are. Are you just sleeping on the street or something? Did you go to Bobby''s? Did you talk with that slutty bitch Ruby?"


    "Ceres," Lucas said, more forcefully.


    "Don''t cut me off! Look, I''m stressed out enough between taking this exam for the Academy and dealing with whatever meltdown you''re going through. I don''t need this out of you, I need your support!"


    "Ceres, let me talk!"


    "No! You think you can just go and screw around and act like you''re not a total jerk? Do you know how much I''ve cried the last few days? You act like I''m dead! You don''t care about me at all, and I hate that I even considered giving you my virginity and thinking about it grosses me out and I just want you to know that..."


    "Ceres. If I didn''t care, why would I call you?"


    "I''ve called you fifteen Goddess-damned times today, you ass! You ignored them or just laughed when I called, didn''t you? Stupid Ceres having a breakdown like a moron for thinking that maybe her boyfriend cared about her at all? How do you think you make me feel?"


    "I want to break up," Lucas said, more coldly than he wanted to. "I don''t want to do this anymore." The silence on the other end of the line resonated as if it would never end.


    The line went dead, and Lucas rested the SGNL on his chest. Things were about to change, he knew, but maybe, just maybe, they''d be changing for the better.

 Act 1, Chapter 19

    Caroline


    16th of May, 649


    Caroline sat at the desk across from Emilia, who had been marched before her by Turonn for having punched one of the other girls in the mouth during their outdoor time. She studied the girl''s face, puckered in a foul frown - Emilia had been acting out violently, but in talking with her parents and Nurse Mandy, all parties involved seemed to be taking a ''wait-and-see'' approach to figuring out things. By now, though, it''d been long enough. With this new rankle, Caroline didn''t want to wait any longer.


    "Emilia," Caroline said calmly, "what happened out there?"


    "I wanted to hit her, so I did. What''s it to you, Vestal?"


    Turonn stood by the door, keeping watch. He sighed.


    "It''s everything to me, Emilia. I''m worried about you, you know?"


    Emilia looked up at her with a piercing gaze. "Why in blazes would you worry about me? I''m an animal, everyone here hates me. I should just start punching everyone and we''ll see what happens then!"


    "Emi," Caroline came around the desk and squatted down at the side of Emilia''s chair. "Listen to me, please. What''s going on?"


    "What''s going on with what? Everything''s fine. I just want to fight someone. I''m strong, you know."


    Caroline shook her head sadly. "Yes, of course you''re strong. But you''re not going to prove everything by attacking others. Deirdre''s in the infirmary getting stitches right now, you know."


    Turonn nodded. "We''re lucky she didn''t lose any teeth."


    "Tell him to keep out of it, it''s none of his business," Emilia sulked, folding her arms in a huff. She turned away from Caroline indignantly.


    "It is very much his business, Emilia," Caroline said, much more firmly. This grabbed Emilia''s attention. It wasn''t often that Caroline took this tone, but she knew she had to. It was draining to be aggressive and firm, but the situation demanded it. "Had he not been there, it could have been much worse. What even happened between you that you decided to attack her?


    "She looked at me funny," Emilia said, still turned away.


    "Look at me, Emilia," Caroline said curtly. "You don''t do that to other people. Do you understand me? It''s incredible that the High Vestal has let this go on this long without sending you home. Goddess knows I would''ve already!"


    This shocked Emilia, who turned to Caroline mortified, blue eyes full of tears.


    "What? Really?"


    Even Turonn looks surprised, Caroline thought. I shouldn''t''ve gone so far, but it shook a response out of her.


    "Look, Emi. If you did that on the street outside of here, you''d get arrested or kicked out of town! You''d be a menace to society! We don''t just go around whacking people just because they look at us funny or because..."


    Emilia''s nostrils flared. "Why don''t we?" The fa?ade of indignance had quickly been restored - Caroline felt baited by the vulnerability, and now felt quite foolish for thinking she had taken an opening.


    "I refuse to have to explain that to you any further. If you cannot keep yourself from attacking the other Attendants, then you will leave and not return. Cybele''s grace be with you, for you need it desperately." Caroline stood up and walked towards the window of her office. She turned and cast a defeated look at her student. "I expected better of you. I am so very disappointed, Emi. I know you can do better. You just have to want to."


    Emilia stared at her with eyes of cold stone.


    "You are hereby assigned to assist Selda in the kitchens for the rest of May, and two weeks into June. For the next two weeks, you will also be unable to join the rest of the Attendants in unstructured free time activities in the evenings and will be confined to your bedroom. Is that understood?"


    "You can''t do that, Vestal! I''m not a prisoner!"


    Caroline shook her head. "This is not imprisonment," she said, turning back to look out the window. "This is penance in the eyes of Cybele. Violence is never allowed. You knew this when you took your rites as an Attendant, and if I am to be blunt with you, you should be thankful that this is the penance you are receiving. Elysium knows that if the High Vestal were doling out this judgment that you would be washing pots and pans until long after the end of summer. You are dismissed."


    Emilia huffed and stood up; her hands balled into fists. Caroline watched her stare down Turonn, who opened the office door for her. Once in the hallway, they could hear the sounds of Emilia crying - she was not a bad youth, but she had certainly changed in ways contrary to the Church''s teachings, especially lately.


    Caroline sighed as she slumped down into her chair. Turonn looked at her sympathetically.


    "Never gets easier, does it?"


    "I would agree. Although I''ve been in her shoes before."


    "The time you put the decaffeinated coffee into the High Vestal''s supply, yes?"


    "I still can''t believe I got caught for that."


    "At least she was lenient. You also didn''t punch any of your fellow Attendants."


    "At her age, getting in trouble feels like the end of the world, Turonn."


    "I suppose it might," he said, sitting down in the seat across from Caroline. "I don''t think you were necessarily too harsh with her, though. You are uniquely cognizant about your tact with the girls, I have noticed - although I confess how Emilia reacted was quite the opposite of how I would''ve expected her to follow your lead."


    "Yes, that was... that was unusual, wasn''t it?"


    "What should we make of that?"


    "We''ll report it to the High Vestal, naturally," Caroline said, resting her head on her hand with her elbow on the desk. "I don''t know what to do about her anymore. For all I know, she''ll poison all of us or beat up poor old Selda or who knows even? I''m exhausted by it. It''s the third time this week you''ve had to march her in here, and she isn''t getting it, Turonn. Was she always like this?"


    Turonn shook his head. "She was always just quiet, almost reticent. I suppose it could easily be her real personality, but... well, I''m sure I don''t need to tell you about how stressful it is to be her age, right? Maybe something''s going on with the girls or she''s being bullied and they''re using her acting out as a scapegoat?"


    Caroline bit her lip. "I hadn''t thought of that. Perhaps we need to talk to the other girls about this?"


    "I would say that''s a wise first step, wouldn''t you? We should start that tomorrow, though. It''s getting late in the day, so once you''re wrapped up here, I can escort you back to your quarters if you wish."


    "That would be lovely," Caroline nodded. "It''s a beautiful afternoon, isn''t it? If you were allowed in my quarters, I would be happy to host you for dinner."


    "That''s quite alright, Vestal. While I appreciate the offer, there''s something magical about the pizza they''ve had at that gas station down the road from here. I don''t know what it is, but it''s calling me tonight."


    "Oh yeah? Next time we go into town, you''d best bring me along," Caroline said, standing and packing her things into her satchel. "Or if you feel so inclined, bring me back a slice for lunch?"


    "I would happily, Vestal, but I fear it doesn''t keep well. I tried reheating it in the microwave in the faculty room, but for some reason or another it decided to entirely melt as opposed to simply heat. I don''t really care to know why it did that, but..."


    They laughed as Caroline followed Turonn out of the office and into the classroom building''s long hallway. Outside the sun was dipping below the horizon and it cast the landscape in that beautiful golden tone Caroline had been dreaming about - a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above, and Caroline noticed that some of the flowers along the walkway were starting to bud. Spring was always so beautiful at Freyja Chapel, and part of the Attendants'' work over the previous months had been preparing and planting flowers all over the grounds. It was lovely to see their hard work bear fruit, and the prospect of the grounds becoming awash in rainbows of color in the days to come filled Caroline with joy.


    <hr>


    Caroline clicked her tongue as she waited for the pot of water on the stove top to boil. Pasta had sounded like a good idea initially, but in having not had a break for the entire day, her stomach growled like an angry beast. The Technivision had nothing worth watching other than some Falco Fortis movie, and she glazedly stared at it as scenes of needlessly gory violence played out on screen. She was happy she''d muted it - even if it was the only thing remotely decent to watch, it was much too loud for her tastes. She shook her head and sighed, then walked to her bedroom to change out of her robes.


    She''d been neglectful of her own self-care other than making sure her burn healed properly - its progress had been slow but steady, and other than some faint lines on her palm, not much of the original wound remained. For this she was quite grateful, as initially it had been excruciating to the point where she could not even flex her hand. She settled on a t-shirt and shorts to rest in - no one would be coming in to see her, anyway - and once changed, returned to the kitchen where the pot was at last boiling.


    She''d learned the recipe from her mother - a local Larnell favorite with fresh shrimp, white wine, peppers, and other spices from the coast - and soon, the aromas of home filled her senses. Caroline had thought of home at length lately, and the homesick feelings of days past seemed to be rearing their head once again. Thoughts of the last Dream she''d had had cemented those desires. The idea of going into that house in the Dream left her fraught with anxiety, however, and as such she had not had another Dream like it since.


    Caroline turned off the Technivision as she sat down with her dinner on the couch - the smell of freshly grated cheese meshed too nicely with the perfectly seared shrimp and the creaminess of the sauce, and while she''d planned on keeping some for the next day''s leftovers, she couldn''t help but finish off two heaping bowls.


    Stress had been stealing her appetite, so it was nice to finally tuck into a meal without reservation. She cleaned up the kitchen and laid back on the couch, taking a book she''d been pecking at from the coffee table. The Street Weaver, the cover read, and it''d come to her as a suggestion from the High Vestal when she''d been sharing her quarters. It seemed like a light enough read, but Caroline wasn''t entirely thrilled with the flow of the story. She knew that others frowned on them, but she favored stories with more meat on their bones, epic fantasies and tales of heroism. She''d already burned through all of the ones the Chapel library held, though, and Vivienne hadn''t seemed entirely keen on purchasing more to Caroline''s bitter chagrin.


    Turonn tried, at least. He''d brought her back books on his trips into Rigelios or the other surrounding cities, and while some had been excellent reads, she hadn''t really found what she was looking for.


    After about fifteen pages, though, the after effects of the food began to take hold of Caroline - an inexorable wave of sleepiness crested upon her and she snuggled into the couch, book held in hand. She wanted to get through enough of it to speak with Vivienne about it the next day, but the siren''s call of sleep just kept on calling. Disgruntled, she set the book facedown to save her page and dragged herself around the couch and into her bedroom. She''d left the door open, but the front door was locked. The only people who had keys were Turonn and Vivienne, and barring a tragedy, neither would be entering her chambers without a damn good reason.


    She sauntered into the bathroom where she readied herself for sleep - she washed her face, unbraided her hair, and tried not to look in the mirror for too long as she marveled at how she''d gotten through the day without anyone telling her how absolutely haggard she looked. That wouldn''t be for them to say anyway, she thought, toothbrush in mouth. She liked how she looked, but some days were harder than others to reconcile that self-image. There would always be parts of her she didn''t particularly care for - her chest was too big against her thin frame, and she hated the leers others gave her for something that was out of her control. Sometimes thinking about her body sent her down a dark spiral, but mercifully tonight was not one of those nights. The specter of sleep loomed too large, too close to deny, and Caroline smiled at herself as she combed a knot out of her long hair. You''re pretty alright, you know.


    Back in her bedroom proper, she turned off the lights and settled into bed. She''d been longing for its embrace all day - it couldn''t fight with her or argue or make her feel useless. At last, she pulled her blankets up around her into a cocoon of comfort, closed her eyes, and fell deeply asleep.


    <hr>


    The land before Caroline was an infinite plain marked with rolling hills and cut with streams and rivers. The sky above her was clear and blue and there was not a single cloud to be found. Sounds of wildlife murmured in the thickets and overgrowths beyond, and at once she knew she had returned to the world of the Dreaming.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    This time, she decided to stay quiet, tiptoeing down towards a stream and following its length so that the sound of her gentle footsteps were masked by the burbling waters. Above her, the sky seemed to ripple as if drops of water were falling upon its other side - the idea of which startled Caroline, as she''d never thought about the sky like that. As she stared at the ripples, she noticed a crack along its center, which slowly gouged itself open into a rich shade of vermilion. It was almost as if the sky was wounded, she thought, but had no idea what any of it could mean.


    She looked away from it - there was no point in fixating on something she didn''t understand or that she wasn''t in control of. She spotted something moving in one of the bushes along the creekside and felt the hair on the nape of her neck bristle - someone was watching her. But who?


    Caroline kept her mouth shut as she hastened her pace along the creekside. On the other side, bushes continued to rustle, as if whatever may have been watching her was keeping pace. When she stopped, the rustling stopped, and when she resumed her movements whatever was over there was doing the same thing. She felt her heart beating hard inside her chest as fear crept in - she''d been doing such a good job locking it out, but the idea that something was stalking her, following every move she made - it was too much.


    "Stop following me," Caroline called across the water, which seemed to grow wider across as each word left her mouth. The creekside became a brook which became a river, and soon she couldn''t see the other side at all.


    The next step she took was one into warm sand. When she turned around, she saw the boardwalk and main strip of Larnell, her hometown. Another step landed her foot onto a fortunately dull piece of sea glass, and as she carefully stepped further up the shore she felt seashells and other debris poke into her bare feet. This place wasn''t real, either, but it certainly felt real.


    The cut sky was now fused once more, a solid blue speckled with high cirrus clouds. A crisp breeze cut through Caroline''s shirt, and she shivered. It was morning here, and she knew that inevitably this Dream would end up right where the last had ended. She remembered from the last time that she had some level of influence within her surroundings, and soon found herself with a jacket, pants, and shoes to keep warm. She was still her adult self - the transformation into her past self hadn''t happened yet at least - and as she walked down the boardwalk she took in the sights and sounds she''d been missing so much in her time away.


    The smell of fried dough wafted on the air as she walked by a stall where a faceless person worked, endlessly turning dough in a large open fryer. Another person without a face organized and folded touristy shirts behind the closed doors of another shop - much like her memories of this place, the peripheral things seemed imperfect. Some of the details, the names of the shops or the words on other signage were obfuscated into words that were unrecognizable. One shop in particular along the boardwalk stood out as clear as the day, however.


    Caroline''s uncle Gavin had owned a sandwich shop on the waterfront, and as she passed by it and its papered-over windows, she pressed her hand to the cool glass of the window and tried to peer inside. As she did, the vacant building began to rapidly coalesce into the way it looked when she was a child, and she watched with awe as her uncle and her aunt Tina worked diligently at the counter, talking with a slew of customers as they entered and exited the shop. They paid Caroline no mind - besides, she was just a child, what could she possibly -


    Caroline was once more her nine year old self, and she could feel her heart pounding as she realized the moment she''d been running from was now almost certainly an inevitability. Caroline knew she had to act - something was terribly wrong, and she needed to tell someone right away. Will that appease the voice? Will that tell the Dream I reject it? Or do I risk rejecting Cybele herself in doing so?


    "Uncle Gavin," Caroline said, pulling open the door so hard that the bell hanging from it flipped over the top. "I need to talk to you, right now!"


    Gavin and Tina looked at her with concern. "Carrie, aren''t you supposed to be in school right now?" Tina asked, hands on her hips. Caroline scowled.


    "Yeah, but I''m not. There''s something going on at home," Caroline began, but as she tried to speak her voice felt compelled to work against her.


    "Something at home?" Gavin turned to Tina suspiciously. "Is it... is it Phoebe?"


    Caroline wanted to scream. She wanted to claw at her throat to make the sounds stop, but whatever unseen force had spoken to her quite clearly had her in its thrall. Her voice came without her permission.


    "Phoebe has not been doing well today," Caroline said, and Gavin looked at Tina with sad eyes. "Mom sent me to get lunch for us all."


    "What''s that sister of yours think this is, Gav? A soup kitchen?" Tina balked as Gavin sighed deeply.


    "No, Tina. And seriously, you gonna tell that sweet girl that we can''t help her out? She''s goin'' through blazes too, ya know."


    Caroline hid her face in her hands. She didn''t want them to see that she was crying. She''d done all of this before. This is exactly how it was before. This is different than the last time I was in the Dream.


    Choice is merely an illusion of permission, the deep voice bellowed. Caroline looked around for it, but it didn''t seem like anyone other than her heard it. You have been fighting against the tide, child of Cybele.


    "I''ll get some sandwiches done up for you," Gavin said. "It''ll be a few minutes, but I already know what y''all enjoy, so I''ve got it covered. Don''t even think about paying." Tina gave him the side-eye but knew there wasn''t much she could do to stop him. As he worked, Caroline watched. She knew in the present that he''d gotten sick and died just the past year - a second wound in her heart. She had not been home for his death or burial, but she missed him terribly. It is good to see you again, Gavin, even in circumstances such as these, she thought, a gentle smile coming to her lips.


    An offering of grace before it resumes, the voice said. May this gesture of goodwill grant you the strength you need to overcome what is next.


    As Gavin came around the counter with a tied-up bag of sandwiches, Caroline wrapped him in a tight embrace, surprising him.


    "Ha, what''s that for, kiddo?"


    "I just wanted to. Thank you so much for doing this for us."


    And thank you, voice, for giving me this chance to say goodbye.


    "In times like these, you need all the help you can get. Don''t forget that, alright, Carrie?"


    She nodded and waved as she left Gavin and Tina and the sandwich shop behind. As she stepped outside, bag in hand, the world morphed again before her eyes - she stood in front of her family''s home once more.


    I can do this. I know I can do this.


    <hr>


    "Carrie," her father said, meeting her at the door. "That was quick, is everything alright?"


    Caroline could hear the murmur of the hospice nurses in the room adjacent. At the time she didn''t know what they were there to do, but the thought of it now chilled her to the core. She shook her head at her father''s question as she handed him the bag of sandwiches. "Uncle Gavin made some extra. He said to make sure we were eating, even if we didn''t feel like we should be."


    "Your mother''s family has been good to us," Ethan said, scratching his beard. "It is hard sometimes, but he''s right. Have you eaten, Carrie?"


    This is a different day from the first time I came to the Dream.


    "I didn''t. Everything smelled so good that it was almost impossible to make it home without sneaking a bite."


    "Well, you know, I wouldn''t''ve judged you. Come on into the kitchen and we''ll have some lunch. Mom will join us soon."


    Caroline unwrapped her sandwich - chicken salad without onions, her favorite - the smell of freshly made bread combined with the chicken salad made her salivate, and she found it difficult to wait for her mother before digging in. Cristyn joined them at the table with only a gentle acknowledgment of Caroline''s presence, and quickly and surgically picked at her own meal.


    "That brother of yours is a good man," Ethan said, wiping bacon grease on a napkin. He poured lemonade into a cup and passed it to Caroline, who accepted it gratefully.


    "He''s been through a lot too, you know," Cristyn said quietly. "It''s a small comfort to have someone else who has been through something similar to this so close to us, but honestly I wish it wasn''t happening at all."


    Caroline knew her uncle''s first wife had passed to a similar cancer to Phoebe''s just after Caroline was born. From photographs her mother had shown her, her aunt Kendra had been a vibrant, artsy sort of woman. Caroline wondered what it would''ve been like to have known her.


    "No one ever wants these things to happen," Ethan said, shaking his head. "But what can we do? If it''s Cybele''s will, then we must be pliable to it. Is that right?"


    "I wouldn''t call it right by any stretch, Ethan," Cristyn said, defeat apparent in her voice. "But there''s no stopping it now, either. Is it wrong of me to just want it to be over?"


    A hush fell over the room. Gone was the beeping of the machine in the living room that tracked Phoebe''s vitals. Cristyn went white with abject horror and turned to Ethan, whose eyes met hers with the unspeakable knowledge. The moment had been permanently seared into Caroline''s mind''s eye, and once more that familiar terror flooded into her.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Fontaine," Dr. Wilson said, lowering her surgical mask. "We need you in the living room, now."


    "Carrie," Cristyn said, crying now. "It''s time to say goodbye to Phoebe, okay? I know you aren''t ready. I''m not ready. Dad''s not ready. But it''s time."


    Caroline stifled a scream. She looked around the room for anything that could tear her from the Dream but found nothing - every time she went off ''script'' the scenery froze fast around her, constricting her movements. There was no resisting the moment this time, only the bitter acceptance that she''d need to face it down once more. May it be the last time.


    "O holy Goddess, who art in Elysium," the Vestal of Larnell''s church said aloud as Caroline and her parents slowly filtered into the room. The life support machines had been turned off, and Phoebe''s fight was almost over. The little girl laid lifeless on the plush bed at the center of the room, eyes glossed over, staring upon oblivion.


    Caroline tried to hide behind her father, who simply took her hand in his. "We do this together, Carrie. We need to." Her mother nodded and took her other hand.


    "May your gentle winds ferry young Phoebe into your hallowed halls," the Vestal continued, voice cracking. "May her spirit entwine with yours in perpetuity."


    "I love you, my baby," Cristyn said, kneeling beside the bed, her face pressed against Phoebe''s. Ethan and Caroline crowded in with her. Caroline remembered the fear she had felt at touching her sister, as stupid as that seemed now as an adult - she''d spent so much of her life regretting not taking her sister''s hand in hers as she passed that when she took Phoebe''s hand in hers this time, the room exploded around her in light.


    A triumph. Perhaps you are worthy.


    <hr>


    The burst of light turned to a single pinprick of singularity as the world dissolved around Caroline and she felt herself falling. Rain buffeted her face as she turned end over end in her descent, and when she tried to scream the sounds from her mouth were naught more than a deconstructed whisper. She was back in her adult body again, and the jacket she''d conjured seemed to fade in and out of reality as she fell.


    As the rain intensified, the voice parted the din of the deluge.


    "You have been tried and found worthy," it intoned flatly. "You will look upon one of my faces and I will bestow upon you a gift."


    The rain stopped all at once, freezing in place around Caroline, who was now suspended in midair. The sheets of rain converged upon one another, forming walls around her that created a waterfall-ringed room that expanded, then stopped. Caroline was lowered onto a cold, stone floor. Her shoes and other clothes that she''d conjured were now gone - the dampness of the floor chilled her feet as she stepped forward towards a bright blue pillar at one end of the room. The floor seemed unstable under her feet, and each step made her feel as if it was going to give way underneath.


    "Vestal Caroline," the voice said, reverberating and echoing around the room of four waterfalls. "I have chosen you as my Vessel. You will bring my gift to the people of Terracius. You will spread the gift far and wide. For this, Child of Cybele, I require fealty."


    "Fealty?" Caroline asked, stepping back. "To whom? Are you the Goddess?"


    "I do not give my True Name," the voice said, disdain palpable. "Look upon the dais before you. Upon it is a chalice containing the gift of the Dreamseers. The gift you bear within you is only half-formed, Caroline. You must germinate it and let it grow strong. Only then will I be able to see through your eyes and become as close as one with you."


    She turned to the chalice, which was tall, golden, and encrusted with what had to have been billions of Terros worth of gemstones. She did not budge from her place, however.


    "How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know that whatever in there won''t kill me? Is this not what happened to Dreamseer Arondel?"


    "Ha," the voice laughed in a way that deeply unsettled her. "Who do you think you are speaking to?"


    Caroline felt her blood run cold. "There''s no way. Absolutely not. How did you..."


    The blue light coalesced into the shape of a young woman about Caroline''s age. Her eyes shone cerulean as she stepped towards Caroline in calm, proper steps.


    "It is I," the voice said as the woman from the paintings looked upon her with triumph. "Dreamseer Rin Arondel, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. The All-Seeing Eye of Fornacis, the Champion of the Eternal Azure herself."


    Caroline stepped back once more. "How can this be? Where are we?"


    "What matters now is your compliance, Caroline. You must acquiesce to the power. My time draws short now, such is the need for a new Champion. Within that chalice swirls my own blood and the blood of the Goddess Cybele. Once you slake your thirst with its contents, you will share the same power as I and as Cybele - you will become a Goddess, Caroline."


    Fear paralyzed Caroline as she turned to Rin Arondel.


    "I do not wish to be a Goddess," she shook her head. "That is not what I want. I do not want this gift you speak of; I just want to go home and be free of all of this."


    "Such is not your fate," Rin''s voice said harshly. "Choice is an illusion, as I have already told you. Everything you have done, everything you will ever do, everything that you think of - all of it is predestined at my hand, Caroline!"


    Caroline shrank back from the scream. Rin took the chalice into her hand, lifting it as if it weighed nothing at all. Every alarm in Caroline''s head blared as she stepped back once more, but Rin continued her advance.


    "You lost your choice, Caroline! You succeeded where too many had failed before! I cannot let you go."


    "I will not do this!" Caroline yelled back at Rin. She took another step back towards the waterfalls. "I will not! You cannot force me to do this. No Goddess would do such a thing!"


    Rin paused and raised her head to look down upon Caroline haughtily.


    "No. No Goddess would do this, would she?"


    Caroline looked on in horror as Rin''s face shifted and her body contorted until she was Phoebe. Caught off guard, Caroline fell to her knees in despair.


    "It''s me, Carrie. It''s me! Haven''t you missed me? Do you want a hug? I found a neat bug and..."


    "Stop this," Caroline cried, begging. "Please. Please, I beg you, stop this and let me go."


    Phoebe, or Rin, or whoever this being was, looked straight through her. The terror she felt was so complete that she could not as much as budge from her place. I need to run. I need to get out. I need to get out before...


    The mold has been set and the die has been cast. You are not the one, Caroline. You are an ill fit, and now you must be disposed of!


    Blue light radiated out from Phoebe as her face distorted into a scream. Caroline screamed. Phoebe''s arms extended snakelike as they coiled around Caroline''s body. She could feel the being''s breath in her ear. Make this end. Hurry up.


    Thunder shook the waterfall space.


    Ah... so another window opens. It is time for us to leave, the voice said, subdued. We shall leave you with a parting gift! This is not the last time you will hear this voice. No... certainly not the last...


    Caroline screamed in pain as radiant blue claws tore at her back, running the length from her neck to above her rear. She fell forward, completely unable to move.


    <hr>


    18th of May, 649


    Caroline woke with a start in her bed, gasping for breath. The cold, wet feeling she''d felt in the Dream from the waterfall chamber''s mists soaked her clothes in reality. She tried to steady her breathing - what was that she''d just seen? - but as much as she tried to breathe and hold it together, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Seeing Phoebe had been enough emotional torment for a lifetime, but thoughts of the waterfall chamber, the chalice, the shapeshifting presence claiming to be Rin... Why? Why can''t I calm down?


    The morning broadcast from her nightstand radio talked of something Caroline only got bits and pieces of ¨C but all of that seemed so distant right now, so far away.


    She felt herself shivering - the coldness just seemed to get colder. She tried to wrap her arms around herself and felt the most hideous pain she''d ever felt in her life as she moved. She howled in agony as she lifted her shoulder from the bed and looked behind her - the sheets were soaked in her own blood.

 Act 1, Chapter 20

    Joel


    17th of May, 649


    Joel buttoned his shirt as Sephie lounged on the couch in his office. He''d been thinking a lot about her words the previous week - what would he do if she were to get pregnant again? He shook away the thought as he stretched his arms over his head. The visitation this time was not just conjugal, as Sephie had come to discuss job opportunities that Ceres might''ve been interested in.


    Joel''s depth of secrecy had reached a new level with this meeting - Ceres had asked Espee to ask Victor to ask Sephie about the Technica Academy, and Joel seized upon the opportunity to cut out the middleman and ask Sephie himself. Besides, he had already experienced more than just a little bit of it in hearing Sephie talk about it in those feverish early days. He couldn''t exactly tell Ceres that he''d been sleeping there!


    Lucas and Ceres'' break-up had come as a surprise to both he and Espee - it was no small wonder that Ceres had become galvanized to plot her own course, separate from Lucas. She''s always been headstrong, Joel thought, and it''ll get her far if she''s careful. Neither he nor Espee had heard much from Lucas in the intervening days. Joel knew from Billy that Lucas was safe at least, sleeping on the couch at Stingray''s house - he just hoped that the boy would come to his senses eventually and come home and talk things through.


    With the impending arrival of Noctavian forces and the annexation of Cygnus just days away, Joel felt like he needed some degree of grounding. Espee was so frazzled with keeping Ceres centered that Joel felt more unmoored than usual. He sought refuge in all-night worknights at the workshop with Sephie in his arms, and though he felt somewhat guilty about all of it, he attributed it - at least this week''s encounters - to the pandemonium to come.


    "So, are you working late again tomorrow night?" Sephie asked. Joel loved it when she''d lounge around in her lingerie after they''d had sex, and it was something she''d been doing with him since her days at the Academy. Mention something you like once, Joel thought, and she''ll remember it forever. The crimson lace was beyond enticing, and Joel found himself staring at her hungrily again. They''d already indulged in one another''s bodies twice over the workshop''s lunch break, but with Shandi and Billy set to return any moment he knew he''d have to wait until she came back in the evening to take her close to him again.


    "That''s the plan," Joel said, and Sephie stood from the couch to come around behind him, wrapping her arms around his stomach.


    "Good. I''m getting to the point where I couldn''t possibly sleep without you," she said sweetly, nuzzling into Joel''s back. "It''s everything I could''ve possibly wanted all those years ago, but it''s real now, isn''t it?"


    Joel nodded slowly. "Yeah. It''s real." She sighed deeply against him. He loved the way she felt against him, but parts of him had been so chewed up by guilt and fear lately that he wasn''t allowing himself to truly enjoy it. Sure, the physical components were incredible, and the emotional connections were more than there - there were just things in the way, Joel thought. Goddess, how callous, he thought as Sephie kissed his back and stepped away to go put on her own clothes. Have I come to thinking of Espee as an obstacle? Is that where I am now?


    "Do you mind if I work in your office today? Will the guys have questions if I''m in here?" Sephie asked, putting her skirt back on. "Of course they will, but are you able to keep them out of here?"


    "It shouldn''t be an issue to keep them out," Joel shrugged. "Maybe we should turn on the fans or something, though."


    Sephie grinned. "They would have so many questions..." She continued to put her clothes back on, buttoning up her own shirt as she stepped towards Joel. "Joel, don''t take this the wrong way, but... does getting caught ever... appeal to you? Thinking that we might be in danger can be sort of hot."


    Joel looked at Sephie and tempered his expression of incredulity. "Seph. In the dorms, maybe, but here? What if your father shows up and walks in on us?"


    Sephie shrugged. "At least I''d die doing what I loved." Joel had no response to that other than to laugh, and the two hugged one another tightly. "I''m going to tidy up if you want to get out there. Don''t want the guys getting too suspicious. I parked discreetly enough that they wouldn''t see me out there, I hope."


    "You''re fine, no sense in worrying. If push came to shove I''d just tell them you were from the Empire and that''d shut ''em up. There''s some truth to that, anyway."


    "You''re cute when you''re worried," Sephie said, getting close to his face. He stole a peck from her lips, and she smiled. "Don''t tease me like that right now, Joel. They''ll be back soon." Somewhere outside a car door shut and she raised her eyebrow at him. "See? Alright, get on out there. I''ll see you soon. Love you."


    "Love you too," Joel said quietly as he returned to the floor of the shop. Billy and Shandi had been working extra to make up for the lost productivity of not having Lucas on staff anymore, and Victor was not particularly pleased with Joel''s hire crashing and burning. With the annexation coming any day now, Joel felt like he was under incredible pressure to perform, but at least his team was doing the best that they could. If only I could, Joel thought, nervously watching as Shandi and Billy entered and waved at him.


    "Alright, we''ve got a lot to do, guys. Let''s get rolling."


    <hr>


    Joel sent Shandi and Billy home just after 1830 - while most nights as of late he''d have stayed at the workshop straight through, he''d promised Espee that he''d come and pick up dinner from home before returning to the workshop for the overnight shift. Sephie didn''t mind - she had her own work to do, and the quiet comfort of the workshop''s office was ''conducive to good thoughts'', as she had said.


    Joel took off his work boots at the entrance and smiled at Espee as she came into the foyer. "Hey, Esp. How''s things going today?"


    "Well, you know what I said on the SGNL earlier. Ceres is having a rough afternoon, but she took the Technica Academy exam this morning. Results for that should be in relatively soon."


    "Oh yeah? How''d she do?"


    "She doesn''t know, but she sounded confident that she did well, at least."


    "Didn''t expect anything less out of that girl. Smart as a whip."


    "Well, before you grab some food and jet on out of here again, maybe you should go see her? Remember what we talked about earlier in the school year. Y''know, the thing with the..."


    "Ah, yeah, well... I''d sort of forgotten about that," Joel said nervously. "I mean, everything''s in place on your mom''s end, isn''t it? Like that went all through months ago?"


    Espee nodded. "That''s what she said, and she sent me the paperwork for it. You and I both know how hard it''s been to keep it a secret this long."


    "Will it be weird going back?" Joel asked, and Espee shook her head with a smile.


    "No. I''ve grown used to this place, but it''ll never be home. There''s only one home for me, and it isn''t this. Ceres can''t shut up about it some days, so I wonder how she''s going to take the news?"


    Espee''s mother, the Baroness Arissa Haellam, had reached out to Joel and Espee with a proposition late in the previous year - as an apology for how she and the Baron had treated her years ago - an olive branch to Espee to try to mend fences, she offered to buy out the owner of their old house in Stormhill Ridge and bestow it upon the family as a permanent home. Arissa had been fond of the house, as she had visited on several occasions for events like Ceres'' birthday parties and to spend time here and there with Espee.


    Espee had been reluctant to accept it but came around to it when considering Ceres'' future - giving her a safe place to live without the concerns of paying for housing on the campus of the Academy would be certain to catch her by joyful surprise. At least, Joel hoped.


    "I would wager good, but you never know. Especially because, well... all the Lucas goings-on. It ain''t good for her to be this stressed out."


    "You''re telling me," Espee shook her head. "I''m on the front lines with her. Lucas hasn''t even picked up his SGNL in a few days now, do we even know if he''s still at the Rodriguez family''s house?"


    "Billy said that he saw him last night, so I''d assume yes. Not sure what he''s up to, but the boy''s almost a man grown, it''s not on us to pry. If he''s staying away, we should respect his space. Why, how many times has Ceres tried to call him?"


    Espee looked down towards the floor. "Probably too many," she admitted. "But she''s seventeen, she''s nervous about so many things - there''s only so much that you and I can do to soothe her when she''s like this. Whether we''re ready to admit it to ourselves or not, Lucas has become a huge part of her daily life, and that he''s so outwardly callous about getting away from her hurts me, too."


    "I''m sorry, Esp. It bothers me as well. I should drive over there, shouldn''t I?"


    "No, he didn''t want to answer the door for Ceres, and he almost certainly won''t for you. I could try, if you want me to."


    "I don''t know if that''s a good idea, either. You said he got mad at you and stormed off when you tried talking him down."


    "You''re right," Espee sighed. "But what are we to do?"


    "Wait him out. I''m just worried he''s going to try to skip town or something, really. There''s..." Joel said, trying to bite his tongue - he hadn''t mentioned the annexation or anything around it to Espee for fear of sending her into a panic - Victor had explicitly said not to tell her, and if she and Ceres were to be spotted leaving town it would''ve been considered far too timely to be a coincidence.  "I just get this feeling he hates it here. What Carmine said got inside his head last month, about this not being his ''thing'' forever. We saw him trying to change to match Ceres, then he tried getting more involved in the shop and just ended up getting in the way... I don''t know, Esp. I think if we make any waves, that bird''s gonna fly off."


    "I hope you''re right," Espee shook her head sadly. "Maybe we weren''t meant to have him as long as we did. I know that''s a horrible thought that makes me a horrible person, but I appreciated having him around."


    "He''s not dead, Esp. He''s a few blocks away. If I wanted to, I could go pound down old Stingray''s door and see what Lucas is up to, but like I said, the boy probably just needs space."


    Espee nodded slowly. "I really hope that everything goes well with Ceres'' test. It''ll be nice to get out of here in the near future. Hopefully Lucas..." she grimaced, "comes to his senses. Even if he and Ceres don''t date again, it would be a bitter pill to swallow to be without the boy."


    "His 18th birthday''s in the middle of next month," Joel sighed. "He''ll be free to do what he wants, wherever he wants, within reason. If he wants to leave us forever, we can''t stop him."


    Espee turned away. "You don''t have to be so blunt about it, Joel. It hurts to hear."


    "C''mere," Joel said, wrapping her close to him. She cried into his shirt, and Joel hated himself for seemingly failing everyone in his family. He just wanted them to be happy, why couldn''t he be happy too? Espee snuffled, then sniffed at Joel.


    "You smell... not good. You should probably shower before you go back," she forced a laugh through tears. "Have you been working on that horrible thing all day? Does that workshop even have air conditioning?"


    Joel laughed nervously. "Empire''s best," he grinned. Espee laughed harder, smiling now.


    "Well, you smell terrible. I''m sure they won''t mind you taking a little bit of a break between here and there to clean up, get all that grime off of you."


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Some things can''t be washed away so easily, Joel thought as he kissed Espee. "Alright, I''ll go and do that. Hopefully Ceres is still around when I get out."


    "She hasn''t left the house in days," Espee said ruefully. "I think that''s a near certainty."


    Joel slumped his shoulders with a sigh. "Wish me luck."


    <hr>


    "Ceres, it''s me. May I come in?"


    Joel didn''t typically dread conversations with Ceres, but with the strain in their relationship as it was and the compounding factor of everything going on between her and Lucas, Joel knew he was walking on dangerous ground.


    "It''s unlocked," Ceres said from the other side of the door. It was strange to Joel to not hear her immediately defensive, and he opened the door slowly to find Ceres sitting on her bed in the dark. It was obvious that she had been crying, and tissues were strewn all over her sheets.


    "Sweetpea, may I sit down?" Joel asked. Ceres nodded, pointing to the end of the bed. "Thank you. I just wanted to check on you. I know things have been hard for you lately, and I..."


    "This is your fault, Dad. He wouldn''t''ve left if you didn''t fire him from the shop."


    "Ceres, be real with me. He was trying to pick a fight with Shandi, what was I supposed to do, let him hang around and get his ass kicked?"


    Ceres huffed. "Well, you didn''t know what was going on with him. Did you even ask him why he was so upset? Hm?"


    "Ceres," Joel shook his head. "None of that matters right now. You''re what matters, sweetpea."


    "Well excuse me for thinking that I matter enough to you that you don''t fire my boyfriend and ruin his life and stress him to the point where he dumps me."


    Joel had willingly walked into this hornets'' nest, he surmised, and he needed to find a way out of it.


    "Ceres, can I tell you something in full honesty?"


    "What is it? Is it about me?"


    "No, it''s about Lucas. You probably won''t like hearing it, but the boy''s almost eighteen years old now, and if this is what he wants in his life... I can''t stop him. Your mother can''t stop him. We didn''t adopt him or anything like that, so it''s not like we can go to the judge and force him to be here. Would you even want him to be here if he was forced to be? I sure wouldn''t."


    Ceres melted back against the wall. "I love him, Dad. I hate that he doesn''t want anything to do with me anymore."


    "I don''t think it''s just you," Joel shook his head. Ceres leaned forward.


    "Oh? Then what is it?"


    "He''s told you his past, yeah? About his parents and the Empire and all of that?" Joel asked. Ceres nodded slowly. "Well, I regret not getting the boy into therapy or something sooner. I was just..." he looked at Ceres sadly, "I was just too busy for anything. That includes you and your mother, and I''m sorry for that."


    Ceres stared him down hard. "Isn''t it a little too late to be apologizing for that? I find out if I''m leaving for the Academy when the summer''s over in a few days, and then I don''t have to be your problem anymore."


    That stung Joel. "Wait. When did I ever say you were a problem, sweetpea? You''ve never been a problem."


    "I hear you talking to Mom about me sometimes. I hear what she says about me, too. You two are always whispering this and that and it drives me mental to not be involved in anything."


    "Ceres. I don''t think we''ve been talking about what you think we''ve been talking about. You''re sounding paranoid, and I don''t blame you."


    "Of course I''m fucking paranoid!" Ceres snapped angrily, then pulled herself back. "I''m sorry. I... I''m just under a lot of stress right now and I don''t think now''s a good time to talk to me. At least... at least you tried."


    "Do you need some space?"


    Ceres nodded. Joel patted her on the back as he stood to leave the room. "Should I close this again?" She shook her head. "Alright. Well, I''m going back to the workshop for another overnight. You try to get some sleep if you can. Mom was baking something downstairs if you''re interested, I think she got some peaches from one of the shops downtown earlier. Smells like cobbler. Hope it''s cobbler, at least."


    Ceres smiled at this. "She''s trying to butter me up too, isn''t she?"


    "Maybe a little. I''ve got to go, but you be good and keep your head up. Remember what Grandpa always used to say?"


    "Face it with fury, angel?"


    Joel nodded. "Thatta girl. You''re a strong person, Cer. You''re gonna get through this, but don''t hesitate to ask us for help. You''re my daughter, after all."


    "Thanks, Dad."


    "Don''t sweat it, kiddo. I''ll see you soon enough."


    <hr>


    A light rain began to fall as Joel drove along the roads through Cygnus leading back towards the workshop. He sat in the quiet, mind pulled in a hundred directions, the only sounds other than the road were the intermittent clacks of the wiper blades. The rain made it hard to see, but he swore he saw more of the Drones and their uneasy Pulse-purple light than usual along the drive - but thought that it may''ve just been a trick of the light and the rain.


    Espee was sad, Ceres was irritated, Lucas was gone - things at home really are falling apart, aren''t they?  The truck rumbled over an overpass as he continued towards the workshop. His thoughts turned to Sephie, who he knew was waiting for him there - he hoped he hadn''t kept her waiting too long but knew that she''d understand even if he had. At least one thing in my life isn''t falling apart.


    At the workshop, Joel pulled in around the side of the building and parked next to Sephie''s car, out of sight. He was glad she had stayed - for a moment, he''d worried that she might''ve left, but knew that was just his mind playing tricks on him with everything else going on. He walked into the workshop to find her in the office, lounging on the couch reading a book, her work laptop closed on his desk. The room smelled faintly of food; she''d reheated something from his fridge for an impromptu dinner.


    "You get lost on the way over?" Sephie joked, looking over from her book to Joel. "Oh, huh, guess not. You look all cleaned up. Don''t you look good? You did that for little old me?" She winked and turned back to reading. "I was wondering what was keeping you, I sent you a message but I''m not sure if it went through."


    "I''m sorry, Seph. I was talking with Ceres about what happened the other day with Lucas, and, well, you know how she can be."


    "I hope you were kind about it. She sounds like she''s going through a real rough patch, so you do what you need to do to make sure she''s got support."


    "I tried, Seph. She blames me for firing Lucas," Joel said. "Mind if I sit with you?"


    "Not at all," Sephie said, lifting her head to let Joel sit down. She rested her head in his lap. "You didn''t fire Lucas to be a jerk, though. I can see how she''d be upset by it, and I assume you''ve already explained to her the rationale."


    "You know it," Joel sighed. He stroked Sephie''s hair as she continued to read. Goddess, how much I love this woman.


    "Did you have any more actual work to do tonight?" Sephie asked, looking up at him. "If you didn''t, I was thinking I''m getting a little bit tired and that we can maybe watch something on Technivision together? And of course, other things," she said with a wink. "It''s been so wonderful to get to fall asleep with you again. The couch bed isn''t the most comfortable thing, but it''s somehow better than the dorm room bed at the Academy. I did like how close together we had to sleep, though..."


    "No, no more work for tonight. We finished everything earlier, and even if we didn''t there''s so much other work that needs to get done that no one would even notice going into tomorrow that it wasn''t complete."


    "Good," she said. "I was just thinking about how comfortable I am and how I hoped you wouldn''t have to get up any time soon."


    "Did you want to watch something or keep reading?"


    "Depends. Maybe a movie? Do you have any snacks or anything in this place?"


    "Probably some popcorn in the break area?"


    "That would be perfect," Sephie smiled at Joel as she sat up. "Sorry, I know I just said about being comfortable and all, but you know me well enough by now to know I''m not going to say no to popcorn."


    Joel kissed her, and he could feel her smiling as she kissed back. "What are you kissing me for? Because I like popcorn?"


    "No, because you''re too damn cute," Joel said, kissing her again.


    "You keep it up like that, Mr. Leonart, and you''re in some deep trouble," Sephie said. "Goodness, we''re not going to end up watching anything, are we?"


    "We could... or we could make love again," Joel shrugged, and Sephie laughed and kissed him once more.


    "After the popcorn," Sephie said sweetly. "And the movie. Good things come to those who wait, you know."


    Good things indeed, Joel thought, looking at the mirage of a woman in front of him. Goddess, she''s beautiful. "Y''know? You''re absolutely right," he said, standing up. "I''ll go make the popcorn; you pick something for us to watch. Be back in a second."


    <hr>


    Sephie had drifted off on Joel''s chest before the end of the movie, but they''d paused it midway as they were having trouble keeping their hands off one another - a recurring problem for them both when together. Joel knew the dangers of what he''d been doing with her, but as she dozed and drooled on him, he knew that if it came to it that he''d uproot his entire life to be with her. To support our inevitable child, he thought, mind curiously restless. I can''t see this going any other way at this point. He''d eschewed any protection, both of his volition and of her request - he knew what she wanted, and he wanted it too.


    The rain outside continued to come down in gentle waves, and Joel could hear it coming down against the metal roof of the workshop. The office was largely insulated from noise at least, and the only thing louder than the rain was Sephie''s gentle snoring against him. He kissed her forehead as she slept on his chest. His mind, ever the anxious ball of misery, found itself curious as to Espee''s whereabouts and feelings. Joel had been good at batting down those thoughts before they came to a head, but tonight he felt it acutely. What will Espee say when you tell her you''re leaving her for another woman? You''re a bastard, Joel Leonart.


    He closed his eyes and imagined her alone in their bed for yet another night, wondering when he''d be coming back. It made him feel deeply rotten in ways he''d never felt before. He wondered just how deep the corruption ran at this point, and a painfully rogue thought dared to ask the question - if you could do it to Espee, will you someday do it to Sephie, too?


    Sephie stirred as if reading his mind. She turned pressed her back and her rear into his front, and the two snuggled up closely. Such darknesses will have to wait for another day, Joel thought, sighing and melting into Sephie. There is only light with this woman. We''ve seen it all. There is no one in this world who could replace her. He closed his eyes and banished the thoughts of Espee and of his self-destruction - he gave her a final peck and lost himself to the slip of sleep.


    <hr>


    18th of May, 649


    "Seph," Joel said, giving her a gentle nudge. "Do you hear that?"


    Sephie yawned as she turned to him. "Hm... it''s not morning yet... what?"


    "I thought I heard something weird; it woke me up. Guess I was dreaming."


    She turned around and gave him a gentle kiss. "You''re probably right, love. Goodnight," she said, laying down and snuggling against him.


    Joel felt deeply uneasy by the low thrumming he kept hearing - for one, the workshop was generally well-insulated from sounds, and two, there weren''t any major roads that ran by the workshop, which was isolated off in a more wooded area. The sounds seemed to be coming from all directions, and every time he put his head down on his pillow, he thought he could feel that deep, bassy rumble. He closed his eyes and pulled Sephie closer, she adjusted until they were practically fused.


    His mind raced but sleep just would not come back. The clock on the wall read 0337 - it was far too late at night for traffic or anything like that, but Joel wracked his mind trying to figure out just what could be making all that noise.


    Focus, Joel, he thought, trying to shake it from his mind. Focus on Sephie. Match your breathing to hers. Take in her smell. Think of the great night you just had together. All of this pain will be worth something one day.


    He closed his eyes again and exhaled deeply - in his mind''s eye, he pictured himself and Sephie in a modest home somewhere near the beach - probably Teliander or somewhere along the northern coastline. In the dream he stepped out towards the waves, hand in hand with her. She wore a long white dress, and he, a suit - was this their wedding? - he stepped into the water, his shoes filling up. His socks squished as he walked in up into his ankles.


    Sephie followed him, still holding his hand. She kissed him with no obvious regard for her wedding dress getting destroyed by the surf, and they embraced as the sounds of the sea drowned out everything else. The world blurred as if watercolor, yet Sephie remained in crystal-clear focus.


    As they pulled apart, they looked at one another, intoxicated in love. Seagulls cawed as they flew overhead, and Joel smiled as one dove a little too close to them. The sky was beautiful in this dream - a beautiful gradient of sunset colors, fading off into the first whispers of night. Joel took her hand, and they walked back up onto the dune, sitting down on a blanket they''d put in the sand. She leaned on his shoulder as they watched the sun disappear below the horizon.


    Then, the sky tore. Joel did not understand what was happening, but he was suddenly consumed with an immensity of fear.


    Joel, wake up.


    Inside the tear came shafts of azure light that seemed to radiate out as if the tentacles of an octopus or a squid - Joel went to hold Sephie to protect her but found that she had disappeared.


    Joel, wake up!


    "Who are you! What do you want?" Joel yelled, his voice much his own for being inside a dream. No answer came.


    "Joel, damnit! Wake up! Something''s wrong!"


    <hr>


    Joel sat up quickly in the bed to find Sephie with her hands on his shoulders. He looked at her in confusion.


    "Seph, what in blazes is going on?"


    "You were... something was going on in your sleep, you were making all these awful sounds. And then... well, you''ve got to see this," Sephie said, standing up and wrapping herself in a blanket. She beckoned him to follow her out of the office onto the workshop floor.


    Joel rubbed his eyes groggily. That dream had taken a turn for the weird, but Joel''s reservations about it were quickly set aside as he stepped out onto the workshop floor with Sephie and looked out the large windows that lined the upper half of the workshop''s front wall.


    A large number of airships filled the night sky above Cygnus ¨C the largest of which seemed to sunder the clouds themselves.


    ¡°Goddamnit.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again. That¡¯s them, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Joel nodded.


    ¡°They were supposed to be here today, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d show up in the middle of the damn night.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Sephie said, pulling closer to Joel. ¡°Oh, shit. I need to go, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that, Seph. You¡¯ve got to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Damnit,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Okay, but what do I do if my dad shows up?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Joel sighed. ¡°He¡¯s at the base, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°How should I know? He almost never tells me anything.¡±


    ¡°But that ship¡­¡± Joel trailed, looking up at the goliath in the sky above them.


    ¡°Isfandiyar,¡± Sephie finished for him. ¡°Nox¡¯s ship.¡±


    They stood and watched the ships for a moment in their vibrating silence.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Sephie asked.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do? I¡¯m sure we¡¯re safe here. The Empire¡¯s already accounted for us. It¡¯s the people in town I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone here even know about this besides you?¡±


    Joel shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about Espee and Ceres, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Joel nodded.


    ¡°I see. I think they¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth losing sleep about. They¡¯ve probably got a bunch of things to do before they get started with whatever they wanted this place so badly for,¡± Sephie frowned, pressing herself closer to Joel. She held his arm tightly. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just go back in the office. I need your arms around me.¡±


    Joel stared at the ships as they passed out of sight. He joined Sephie in the office where he lay next to her, stroking her hair as she returned to sleep. With a kiss on the back of her head, Joel closed his eyes as the sounds of ships lulled him to join Sephie in sleep once more.

 Interlude 1

    Rin Arondel


    13th of August, 344


    Town of Sarrata, Noctavian Empire


    "They''re coming soon. Probably within the hour," Pyrus Arondel said, itching at his beard as he scraped at the pan of eggs on the stovetop. "You know, Rin, it''s alright to feel nervous. You are different. You always have been."


    "Father," Rin said, staring numbly down at her plate. "This is not the thing you drop on someone the night before it happens. I barely got any sleep at all."


    She didn''t want any of this attention. She had just been having strange dreams, and if not for Percy Mandel telling her father, then none of this would even be happening.


    "If your mother was still here, dear, she would be so proud of you," Pyrus carried on, ignoring her. Rin''s mother Antandra had died five years before - the unimaginatively named "year of the plague" as it was known in Sarrata - many in her village had lost their lives, and many children had been orphaned. Rin counted herself lucky for having her father, but ever since she had been forced to tell him about the Dreams, he had not quite been himself. Rin hated that.


    Pyrus shoveled a heap of scrambled eggs onto her plate. "I don''t want to do this anymore. I can''t go through with it."


    "It''s too late for that, Rin," Pyrus said, shaking his head as he sat down across the table from her. "The Empress herself took interest in your powers; you know. They''re sending the Queen''s Hand for you, as I said last night. This is a big deal. If you try to back out of it now, there''s no telling what could happen. They''re already on their way."


    Rin had her first Dream after her mother died. She was eleven years old then. She remembered how green the grass had been, how vivid the cuts in the sky were - blue and orange for endless miles. But then, at the center of it all - a meadow full of verdant grass and vibrant marigolds - her mother''s favorite flower. The first time she stumbled into the Dream, she stayed in one place the whole time, completely unaware of her lucidity and agency. The second and third time, the colors became more saturated and beautiful, and she began to feel the Dream as if it were real.


    Because it was all real.


    "You''re going to need to eat up if you''re going to have the energy for the trip back to the capital," her father said. "It''s a long way from there to here. Would you like me to make some coffee?"


    "No, I''ll pass. Maybe they''ll bring snacks," Rin said dismissively, and her father sighed.


    "Siryn is not well-known for her patience, my dear. They''ll probably have you travel with her the entire way."


    "That''s what I''m afraid of."


    "Dear. You know that becoming a Dreamseer is a blessed thing. It is the Voice of Cybele through a common person - truly, the greatest gift anyone alive could wish for."


    "But what if I''m not?"


    "Well," Pyrus said, spreading butter on a hunk of bread. "We don''t want to think like that, now do we?"


    There was silence, and Rin stewed with swirling thoughts.


    "What if I want to?"


    "Rin, darling. Your mother was among the most devout women to walk this planet. You know as well as I do that souls carry on together forward through life, even after death. Seeing her in your dreams is more than just a coincidence, Rin. You told me you could speak to her, and that she spoke back. That''s more than just a dream."


    Silence again.


    Percy, curse him. Rin had mentioned the vivid dreams in passing, and the stupid farm boy latched onto it. In order to keep him from telling everyone, she''d kissed him - a horrible, gross kiss at that - and he ended up telling her father, anyway. The black eye she gave him was well-deserved.


    "But what does it all mean? Why is it so important to them that the Empress would send her girlfriend out here to us? Don''t you think it''s weird how quickly they decided to send her? Didn''t you just tell them two days ago?"


    Pyrus was caught off-guard by the question, and Rin noticed. He studied her face as if trying to open a safe.


    "Rin, my dear, you have heard of the Culling of the Bold League, do you not?"


    "Yeah. That was the battle that ended the war, right?"


    "Yes. The Queen¡¯s girlfriend Siryn Elland led the Noctavian Army in that battle, and she is the one coming to bring you back to Valdena. I don''t know if you recall, but the Bold League were heretics who claimed to be the true branch of the Cybelian Church. So says the history records, anyway - but what I''m trying to tell you is that there are people out there that do not believe in Dreamseers. Dreamseers have a troubled history, Rin. There are some groups that hunt people who even claim to be Dreamseers - and they... well, I assume you know how apostates are treated. But for Noctavia to send the most accomplished military general this side of the Elegia River is a statement. You realize that others are probably aware of your existence, don''t you?"


    Rin had been desperately trying to compartmentalize it all - she loathed Percy for having ratted her out, and loathed the idea that her future, everything she''d hoped to accomplish - had been hijacked by these Dreams. How I wish I''d just kept my Cybele-damned mouth closed!


    "What does that mean? People suddenly want to kill me or something now that the word is out?"


    "Rin, dear, I meant no harm in telling Jenorelle, I didn''t believe she would send word to the Empress, she said I had her word that she would keep it a secret, but I didn''t mean for it to ¡ª-"


    "Blazes of Corybas you didn''t!"


    "Rin! Do not speak that devil''s name in my hou¡ª"


    "Why would you do this? Why would you tell them? Do you care about me at all?"


    Pyrus looked humbled by his daughter''s outburst and set the bread and knife on the table gently. He stood and came around to place a hand on her shoulder while she hid her face in her elbow. She was crying - something she''d done a lot since she started having the Dreams. She now knew without any hesitation that the connection was a curse, and that no matter what she did, it was too late.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She could kill herself.


    The dire thought ran through Rin''s head as she looked up at her father, her auburn curls matted to her cheeks. Her father''s eyes were so proud. She knew that if she did something that drastic then the Empress''s people would undoubtedly blame him, and with that thought, ushered the suicidal impulse away from her mind.


    "But why, then? Why did Jenorelle tell the Empress? Couldn''t you just keep it to yourself if I''m that important to you?"


    She had been the one who passed along the rumor to those close to the Empress. It made Rin feel deeply uneasy. Her father trusted her.


    "It''s the Empress'' law, Rin. We talked about this yesterday."


    "To blazes with the laws," Rin said, angrily shaking her head. She wanted to scream out loud and cry and wanted the entire world to go away.


    "Rin. I would never do anything to put you in harm''s way."


    "You don''t think I already know that?" Rin stood, putting some distance between them. "Well? Did they tell you where we were going?"


    Her father bit his lip. "Of course, they said back to Valdena."


    "But won''t that take a week...? Wait. You said you told Jenorelle three days ago. How is the Hand getting here?"


    "I am not sure." Her father looked uncomfortable. "Riding horses, perhaps?"


    "How did you not ask them more questions? Isn''t this serious?"


    "You see, Rin, it''s just that... well, I tried to ask them, and they said they couldn''t elaborate and..."


    Her father did not speak. The silence once more filled the room, and before she could say anything else, he stepped back from her with his head bowed.


    "I am sorry. I don''t know. I don''t, it''s just ¡ª" he said, and she could hear his voice sounding rougher. She hadn''t seen her father cry since her mother died and seeing him so suddenly panicked gave rise to a wave of panic within herself. She stifled back nausea as breakfast decided it was no longer content to stay in her stomach - she felt light-headed and completely miserable.


    "It''s just what?"


    "I''m so sorry."


    "What are you apologizing for?"


    Rin recentered herself and placed her hand on her father''s back. She could feel him shuddering. She''d never seen him look this afraid.


    "Father. What aren''t you saying?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "I don''t know how much longer we will have together, Rin. They said..." he said, his eyes rimmed with tears. "I didn''t want to say it last night, but they said that you probably would not be coming back to Sarrata."


    "What?"


    The world froze around them.


    At once, a low thrumming came from outside. Rin could feel it vibrating the stone floor beneath her feet, and her father looked at her with sadness so profound in her eyes that she could not bear to speak.


    The beaches. The night of the hurricane when Mother and Father had you sit on the top shelf to stay out of the water.  The big chair in the living room where you and Father read books.


    The thrumming intensified. It shook the chairs and the plates on the table. One clattered to the floor and shattered. Rin held her father''s arm.


    The cool night breeze through my window. The sound of the waves. My mother''s songs that she would sing. So many memories in this house. So much I could never bear to lose or to forget.


    The windows rattled now, and it felt for a moment as if the walls of the house would collapse. She didn''t realize how hard she was squeezing her father''s arm until she noticed a trickle of blood running down it. He, too, had been in shock.


    At once, the thrumming stopped, leaving a horrific silence in its wake.


    Rin thought she could hear a hissing noise somewhere in the distance. She let go of her father''s arm and stood still as stone as the sounds of footsteps ran past their kitchen window. She saw the shadows on the wall.


    Then, a knock at the door.


    Silence. A final, devastating silence.


    "Rin Arondel!" A voice yelled from the other side of the door. "I have come by order of Empress Miranda Draconis to take you to the Imperial Palace for questioning. We suggest you step outside at once, or we will be forced to enter."


    "Father? Why?"


    Her father said nothing. Tears streamed down his cheeks.


    "This is your final warning. Open the door, or we will open it."


    Her father looked at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Rin knew he didn''t anticipate this - she forgave him without as much as a second thought.


    "I am opening the door," her father called. As the door swung inwards, Rin saw a figure shadowed by the morning''s light - Siryn Elland, tall and muscular - taller than she or her father, even. At her side was an ornate longsword, and she kept her left hand on its pommel as she surveyed the Arondels.


    Behind her were several other figures wielding crossbows and swords, lined up at a distance as if to preclude her escape. Two men in armor stood just behind her.


    "Olson, take the father into custody. He knows too much," Siryn said forcefully, pushing her way into their home. A squat man with beady eyes entered and drew her father''s hands up with rope. Rin did not understand why her father did not resist them.


    "Bring him outside. We''ll take the others, too."


    She looked at Rin with indifferent eyes. "How many know of this, heretic?"


    Rin felt her blood chill. "I don''t know who everyone told and I..."


    "Silence. If we must raze this entire town, we shall. Names. I will not ask again."


    "Percy." You''re a rat.


    "Vestal Jenorelle." A filthy, worthless rat.


    "And of course, your father," Siryn said, surveying him. "Cosban, take him outside. We will deal with him in a moment. Leave me alone with this Dreamseer. Until I am ready, locate the boy Percy and take the Vestal into custody as well. All involved must face up to their crimes."


    Crimes?! Rin could hardly breathe. The tall man Cosban and the short man Olson brought her father outside, leaving her with Siryn. The woman stared at her coldly.


    "The Empress is quite alarmed at the prospect of a Dreamseer, you know," Siryn said, head held high. The confidence she exuded was palpable.


    "I did not ask for this," Rin said, alarmed with herself at how quickly the words came. "I did not tell them to tell..."


    "Silence."


    Rin could hear agitated yelling outside - Percy, the neighbor boy - and then once, more, quiet.


    "What did they do to him?"


    Siryn said nothing and cocked her head.


    "Did I tell you that you could ask questions, heretic?"


    More screaming - a woman''s voice. More silence.


    "Please," Rin said, dropping to her knees. "Leave my father alone. He didn''t do anything wrong. Just take me already."


    Siryn looked her over, stone-faced. "Knowledge that a true Dreamseer may walk among us is too dangerous to allow anyone who has heard it to live."


    Her cold visage melted for a moment. "I am sorry. Truly. But suffering sometimes is the only way to truth."


    Her father screamed from outside.


    Silence. Cold, disillusioning silence. Rin felt like she was about to faint.


    Siryn stood over her as Rin slumped forward towards the floor. The tears came as the world she knew ended.


    The two men came back and hoisted her under her arms. She did not resist as they dragged her outside of the Arondel home.


    Outside, she saw the beheaded bodies of Percy, Jenorelle, and her father. Cold, unfeeling eyes. She could barely process what she was seeing. Shock paralyzed her from speech, and as the men loaded her onto the back of a wagon, Rin looked up.


    An airship?!


    She stared dumbfounded at the immensity of the ship floating above her - it seemed to stretch on infinitely upwards, its purple and black cladding making it an alien sight in the cold blueness of the morning sky. There were thick clouds of steam billowing from its back, and Rin wondered how something that vast could stay airborne.


    Siryn came out of the house as other soldiers under her command cleaned up the grisly scene, throwing the bodies onto the back of another cart. She locked eyes with Rin.


    Rin sat up. She felt something violent within her - something broke.


    Before she could move to attack, everything froze up. The world, at once, fell quiet. Siryn and the other soldiers became smeared masses of color as trees and homes became indistinct. Then, the landscape of Sarrata unfolded, replaced by a black room, rectangular, yet seemingly infinite. After that came the sounds of rushing water and a cold, stone floor.


    No. Not here. Not now.


    The blue light radiated from the center of the room. Rin could feel its ambivalent cool and warm radiating in cycles as she approached it.


    She reached out to touch the light.