《Starlight》


 Starlight

    Before you stand the world¡¯s nations tried


    To you belongs the sole and perfect measure


    Let shining steel and searing flame decide


    The judgment of our Patron, at her pleasure;


    Polaris, perfect arbiter of all


    And you, the instruments of every verdict


    Her eyes illuminate each wicked flaw


    And guide your hands to make this world perfect


    So burn until no blemish there remains


    Cleanse evil with your Patron¡¯s righteous flames


    ¡ªCreed of the Daughter of Polaris, Section 1


    ***


    The winter night was cold, a north wind bringing snow and ice in dark, billowing clouds that blotted out the stars and even the moon itself. The sky should have been formless and void. And, across most of the heavens, it was. But trails of fire blazed faintly across the darkened skies, barely perceptible from the ground far below. Falling stars with few to witness them, and yet fewer who understood their meaning. They were the sparks of change that would set the world alight.


    The sparks were our fire: the fire of engines roaring, planes gliding above the snowy hellscape of the Corruption. On our descent, its features came into harsh relief beneath us: a twisted plague of metal, a scar upon this face of our world, colder and harsher than even the very snow and ice that cloaked it, ever growing, ever evolving, ever threatening to devour us all. Time and time again this perversion of life had encroached upon our homeland. Time and time again, we¡¯d pushed it back with fire. We¡¯d chased it away with light. But it had always returned, stronger, fiercer, angrier, washing away our homes and cities beneath a tide of blades and scales until our fire rose to banish it once more.


    Indeed, it was our fire: the fire of our Patron, Polaris, manifest in us to burn away every trace of evil and sanctify our homeland. A burning lance to pierce the heart of the darkness and put an end to it once and for all. For now we knew the secrets of the Corruption¡¯s deepest place, where our stolen light had become an abomination and birthed this blight upon the world. Soon, that which was taken would be returned to us and all would be made right again.


    And the first step to that redemption was flame. The first offensive: to strike the very depths of the Corruption. The first battle: to pry what was rightfully ours from its steely grip. To let this wicked metal veneer flake off and shatter and burn to ashes. To make the world beautiful and peaceful once again.


    It was quite the task, but we were up for it¡ªno, we were made for it. We were fearless, perfect, the best and brightest of our generation, handpicked by our Patron to be her light and might and fury, chosen to lead her people in this crusade against the forces of darkness threatening to snuff us out. Though others quivered in fear, knowing the dangers that lurked within the thorny landscape below, I was quivering only in anticipation. Excitement. After all, who wouldn¡¯t be excited to stand at the end of an era, and the start of something new?


    My eyes wandered across the airship¡¯s steel interior. They came to a rest, as always, on Alicia, my partner, my other half. Her glowing silver eyes cut through the night while the steel of her Complement danced around us, silver marbles hovering in their ready position, our shield and sword all in one. I smiled at her, and she smiled back again. The time had almost come.


    But only almost. I checked behind us. A row of ordinary soldiers stood in the bay, dressed in dull blue-grey coats that fell to their knees. At least they¡¯d managed to get their uniforms somewhat presentable. They brandished modern weapons: heavy rifles and bayonets stowed on their backs. Coarse. Inelegant. It was embarrassing to be seen next to them. Was this really the best our nation could do?


    It was no matter. They were only here to witness the wondrous things that were to come.


    The doors began to open, letting in the howling winter wind and snow. I checked my watch. We were right on time. I gave Alicia one final look, took her hand in mine and squeezed it. She gave a curt nod and smiled.


    Jump.


    I took her hand and leapt, our parachutes unfurling cleanly above us. As nobody seemed to be plummeting past us, I supposed that all the soldiers had managed their parachutes as well. The wind whipped around us on all sides, jostling us violently in all directions. Nothing that we hadn¡¯t done before. We landed in a small clearing, a deep bed of snow cushioning the impact. Getting to our feet, Alicia did a quick headcount before we started moving.


    Our boots crunched in the frost, scattering the powder behind us with every step. Far above, the burning trails vanished among the clouds as the planes circled back toward our home. We were on our own now, deep, deep into the Corruption. There would be no turning back until our mission was complete.


    As if we would even consider turning back.


    True, we were alone, for now, with hours of winding trails ahead before we¡¯d meet up with our allies. True, we were surrounded by the Corruption, that wretched place where everything pure was put to death, or worse. True, we could fail. But we wouldn¡¯t. That much was obvious. With the will of Polaris behind us, we were untouchable.


    The clearing ended abruptly, snowy fields giving way for the true forest of the corruption. I stopped marching, slowing down to clamber over tangled vines and stare into the darkness of the forest interior. Beneath our feet, fallen leaves lay frozen in place, sheets of ice trapping them in their moment of death. Above us, silverleaf branches reached out like arms, thorny branches casting a spiderweb of shadows on the forest floor. We needed light.


    Sparks flickered in my chest, warmth welling up within and flowing down to my fingertips. Light blossomed from my hand, held high to lead the way forward. The soldiers settled into position behind us, a few fainter lights emanating from their untrained hands. Soon, the darkness was overtaken by our light.


    I turned around to see my partner¡¯s beaming smile staring right back at me. ¡°I love the way your eyes glow when you do that,¡± Alicia said.


    ¡°Right back at you,¡± I said. Her own eyes were glowing silver, after all, staring back at me as she brushed a lock of indigo hair from her eyes. Alicia kept smiling as she unfolded the map, the labyrinth of unmarked and false trails and frozen streams our only landmarks to find our way to the rendezvous point. After a few moments, she folded it back up and pointed ahead at a segment of forest that looked just like all the others.


    ¡°This way,¡± Alicia whispered. ¡°I think. Or maybe a little further over there,¡± she said, pointing to yet another gap between the trees. If there was a trail there, it certainly didn¡¯t show.


    ¡°No jokes please, Alicia. I don¡¯t want us to get lost.¡±


    ¡°Oh, loosen up, Iris,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s this way. Come on.¡± She led the way, her own sky-blue uniform standing out easily from the dull greys of the soldiers that we led.


    Though sheltered from the wind and snow outside, the forest was no safer than any other part of the Corruption. Everything was thorny, from the winter flowers just barely poking through the snow cover to the greatest silverleaf trees, their trunks as wide as my outstretched arms. Each was sharp and deadly and had that dull artificiality to it, a veneer of rusted metal concealing the true evil that lay inside.


    And, of course, they were here. Somewhere. The shallow footsteps in the snow ahead were the first signs of their presence. Because wherever the Corruption was, they followed, little manifestations of the Patron Antares¡¯s power, metal wrought into strange perversions of life, animated with her scales, commanded by her every word. Scales already skittered across the ground, many-legged flecks of gold and silver and steel that ran across the snow and roots, swarming on every branch and leaf in spindly masses. Little spies, watching and waiting for them.


    Alicia put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Iris? Come on, time to keep moving.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I hadn¡¯t even noticed I¡¯d stopped. We marched onward, mostly in silence save for the sound of branches and ice crunching beneath our boots. The makeup of the forest began to shift, the silverleaf rising higher and the undergrowth receding, tangled vines giving way to bristly carpets of moss peppered with rocky outcroppings, covered only by the thinnest layer of snow and frost. ¡°How much further to the rendezvous point?¡±


    ¡°Maybe another hour or two. It¡¯s going to be a quiet walk,¡± she answered.


    I wondered how the other groups were doing. Were they also marching through a quiet forest? Or had they yet encountered the creatures of twisted metal that called this place their home? Certainly, it¡¯d be no trouble for them, but my mind wandered nonetheless.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked my partner.


    Alicia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good. It¡¯s almost like we¡¯re out on a leisurely stroll. It¡¯s nice.¡± She put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s nice to be doing missions with you again.¡±


    ¡°It has been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± We laughed.


    The soldiers didn¡¯t seem amused by our idle chatter. Perhaps they were afraid? Didn¡¯t they know they had nothing to fear with Luminare leading them? And Alicia and I were already sixteen years old. We weren¡¯t children; we could handle ourselves. If anything, I was worried that they would only hold us back.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Progress was slow and steady. The path was hard to discern between the vegetation beneath, but Alicia led the way diligently nonetheless. We followed it as it curved to the west and sloped down toward the river valley. Mist began to set in, tendrils of white rising from the ground like smoke and swirling around our feet.


    Then we heard it. Rustling in the frozen leaves. Twigs snapping. Ice cracking beneath their feet. A torrent of moving metal, of writhing limbs and claws and teeth, making their presence known despite the thick and heavy fog surrounding us. Converging on our location.


    ¡°Stop.¡± I held up my hand and looked to Alicia. She nodded. They were here. ¡°Excaeli.¡± A murmur passed through the soldiers.


    The terrain was far from ideal. The mix of moss and ice made for slippery footing, a slick layer over the already uneven rocks beneath. A single fallen silverleaf log provided the only substantial cover from the coming onslaught. It would be easy if it weren¡¯t for the rest of them. I was never much of a fan of babysitting. ¡°Ready,¡± I said. The soldiers thankfully listened, shuffling clumsily into position, dropping their packs into the snow and drawing their firearms and bayonets. ¡°Keep your backs against the tree and hold firm.¡±


    One among them spoke up in a quivering voice. ¡°And what if they come from behind us?¡±


    Silly little soldiers. ¡°We have your back,¡± I said. The group shared concerned looks. Clearly they had no idea what we were capable of. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me none of you have ever seen a Luminare in action?¡±


    They shook their heads.


    ¡°Then today¡¯s your lucky day.¡± Metal gleamed in the moonlight that filtered through the darkness. One. Two. Five. Twelve. Twenty. ¡°Twenty-eight approaching,¡± I relayed, clambering over to the far side of the log. ¡°Hold position.¡± If you can, I thought.


    Their figures emerged from the darkness, blurs of tarnished metal streaking across the forest floor. Maybe seven or eight were approaching the half-dozen soldiers hunkered down behind us. That would leave at least twenty for the two of us.


    I liked those odds.


    In an instant, Alicia¡¯s voice was in my head. There was no time for spoken words. Thankfully, there was also no need for them. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked. Her Complement swirled into a defensive position, steel balls arranged around us, ready to strike true and smash metal. I felt the invisible hands of her telekinetic power around me, the push and pull of her powers tugging gently at my arms and legs. I was light as a feather.


    The telepathic connection made speaking as easy as thinking. ¡°I¡¯m always ready.¡± The sparks in my chest burst into flame that flowed through my veins and down my arms. Energy concentrated in my fingertips, overflowing in twinkling pinpricks of light. While the soldiers behind us relied on modern, fragile mechanisms, ours was an ancient, and powerful way. Polaris¡¯s way. Two as one in perfect harmony. Minds linked. Bodies linked. Puppet and puppeteer. But although I was the puppet, there were no strings on me.


    ¡°Here they come.¡±


    The dance began. Alicia and I moved in tandem, gliding across the snow as the first Excaeli reached our position. Scales crawled across its skin, iron flaked with rust. Teeth bared. Talons out. Its skull collided with my hand, my fingers digging into its skin, holding fast while my flame burned away scale and flesh and bone to ash. And in just an instant, the first one was dead, crumbling bones dissolving into the snow.


    My movements settled into cadence with Alicia¡¯s. Something about this always felt so right. The spring in my step from Alicia¡¯s telekinetic strength, her little adjustments that let me weave effortlessly between our opponents, the whistle of her Complement flying alongside us, steel marbles shattering joints and readying each Excaeli for a purifying strike by my burning palms. ¡°How are the others holding up?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re keeping position for now. Two targets down so far. They might need our help once we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Duck!¡±


    She spoke and I obeyed. I was already crouching by the time the words registered in my conscious mind. Excaeli claws kissed the air where my neck had been just moments before. So close. But not close enough. My palm slammed against its skull, all the force of Alicia¡¯s might behind it. Searing heat burst from my hand, burning the puppet to cinders where it stood. My breathing was heavy. I¡¯d almost gotten a scratch.


    And one scratch was all it took.


    One scratch, and the scales would crawl inside of you, devour your flesh, strip you down to the bones. One scratch, and you were a dead man walking, soon to be nothing more than a hollow shell, another puppet used to enact Antares¡¯s will.


    ¡°Behind you.¡±


    I turned in place, letting the creature¡¯s clumsy strikes find only air, locking its limbs in place and charring them off, tossing the body down into the snow. Puppets. I smirked. They and I weren¡¯t so different after all, guided in these fights by someone else. But while those wretched things were tools for evil, servants of the Corruption, servants of Antares...


    I was in Alicia¡¯s hands. And together, we were tools for good.


    Alicia¡¯s Complement whipped about, steel balls finishing off our remaining assailants. I walked between the carcasses one by one, pressing my hand against each one to burn away the corruption.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give the soldiers some help, shall we?¡± she said aloud, climbing up onto the log and helping me up behind her.


    The infantry were shaken, dancing around the creatures with their bayonets. From the looks of things, they¡¯d managed to pick off five of them from a distance, but the remaining three were giving them trouble in close quarters. Despite their gloves and jackets, it seemed they still feared the touch of Excaeli claws. They had good reason for that. But we did not. ¡°Step aside,¡± I commanded.


    We hopped down from the log and the soldiers hurried behind us, keeping their bayonets pointed out at the three Excaeli. Alicia¡¯s Complement flew in, a hailstorm of metal striking the Excaeli to the ground. I walked between the paralyzed creatures. One, two, three quick strikes of and they were purified as well. Scales scurried away from their smouldering skeletons, disappearing back into the forest. Alicia brushed a few stray scales off my neck.


    I pressed my hands into the snow to cool them before checking Alicia¡¯s neck for scratches. My partner returned the favour, carefully checking my face and peeking behind my collar. Her Complement returned to her side, orbiting her in lazy circles as she reached back into her pocket, pulled out the map, and pointed us back in the right direction. The soldiers didn¡¯t follow right away.


    ¡°What are you all staring at?¡± I asked. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re going to be late.¡±


    ***


    We reached the rendezvous point quickly enough, following the valley upriver as far as we could before venturing back through the forest once again. The clouds had cleared somewhat by then; the moon was high above us now, dappled rays filtering through the dense canopy. But a second glow burned nearer and warmer. Its light was peeking out just over the top of the ridge, casting the forest in unusually warm light. I couldn¡¯t quite see it, but naturally I knew what it was. It was the very heart of the Corruption. The Cradle.


    As much as I wanted to climb all the way up over the top of the hill to see it for myself, we had to wait for Jonathan and the others to arrive. Instead, we sat just below the ridge, making idle chatter while scanning the dark surroundings for any sign of my instructor.


    ¡°Are you excited to see the Cradle?¡± I asked Alicia.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see it for real. Perhaps it¡¯s mechanical,¡± she said. ¡°Twisted metal gears and springs and ticking mechanisms, just like everything else here. Beautiful, but artificial, grasping at the natural but failing miserably in every aspect.¡±


    ¡°I that so?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s alive. A beating, fleshy thing, tendrils snaking into the earth around it, sickly glow corrupting everything nearby with all this... stuff. The thorny plants, the razor-grass, the scales crawling, crawling, everywhere.¡± She tickled the back of my neck.


    I slapped her hand away. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    She just laughed. ¡°Well, what do you think it¡¯s like?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, after I went on like that? Just take a stab at it.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s hard to say,¡± I finally said. ¡°The last time anyone was here was... must¡¯ve been at least twenty years ago.¡±


    ¡°Instructor Jonathan ever talk about it with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of course. He said it was... unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen before or after. Something otherworldly. Like a fallen star, chained to the earth. It¡¯s hard to even imagine. It¡¯s almost a shame that we¡¯ll have to destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Imagine that, destroying the Cradle,¡± muttered Alicia. ¡°Mere humans, attacking the works of the gods.¡±


    ¡°But we are not mere humans. We are Luminare,¡± I reminded. ¡°We are Polaris¡¯ chosen. If there are any people who could dismantle something built by a Patron, it would be us, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It would,¡± she smiled, now. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but consider her words. Indeed, the Cradle had been built by Antares herself, to take that stolen treasure and keep it safe as she tended to it, as she whispered her lies, as she corrupted it so it could blossom, not into beautiful light, but into death and pain and darkness. ¡°Let¡¯s just not incur Antares¡¯s wrath while we¡¯re at it.¡± We laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not take Antares too lightly, either.¡± my instructor said. When had he come up behind us? Jonathan always looked striking at night, two glowing golden eyes set into his bronze face, casting harsh shadows that emphasized the sharp angles of his facial features. His warm skin was complemented by his blue instructors¡¯ uniform, the same sky-blue as Alicia¡¯s and mine, but just a little more ornamented, sitting comfortably on his frame after years of regular wear. And, of course, around his neck glowed that necklace of light, the echo of what was taken. Of what we would be getting back.


    ¡°Instructor Jonathan,¡± Alicia straightened her uniform before turning to face him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    He held up his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Good to see that you two are here on time. Come, we¡¯ll walk up to the ridge before Elizabeth and the others get here.¡±


    The soldiers milled about behind us, greeting each other with smiles and hugs and relaying the events of the night to each other. But Jonathan and I pushed ahead to the hilltop, where the ground sloped gently down once more. This hill was one of many, forming a large ring around a circular valley. The trees ended here, stunted shrubs and thickets giving way for snow-covered grass down the hillside and into the clearing several hundred paces across.


    And, in the centre of the clearing, there it was: The Cradle. The seed of the corruption burned bright orange in the night. Ribbons of gold danced across its surface. It looked neither organic nor mechanical, but was seamless and pure, an otherworldly marble sunk into the earth. And surrounding it, a swarm of Excaeli drones mulled about in its glow, hypnotized. Or perhaps they were receiving commands from its sickly light?


    From our position here, we could see straight across to the other side of the clearing. The snow at our feet would make the descent slippery, not too hard to traverse, but it would certainly much harder to climb back up. Once descended, there would be no quick escape.


    For now, though, we were hidden. Footsteps collected behind us, soldiers coming to a stop at the forest¡¯s edge and peering out into the clearing. ¡°Jonathan.¡± Instructor Elizabeth¡¯s voice cut through the night, cold as ice.


    ¡°Ah, ¡®Liz. No issues on the way here, I trust?¡±


    ¡°No issues.¡± She crouched next to my instructor, deep violet curls framing her cold, brassy eyes. ¡°Irene contacted me. Her group is unable to follow the planned route. The ice is too thin to cross. They need to follow the river until they reach a ford. They should be here later tonight, if all goes well.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± My instructor gestured at the Excaeli milling about below. ¡°You think we can take them without her?¡±


    Instructor Elizabeth scoffed. ¡°With you? You¡¯re kidding, right? Why even ask?¡±


    My instructor stood up and stretched, brushing bits of snow off his pants and jacket. ¡°Okay. After me, then.¡± He jumped over the top.


    His eyes glowed brighter, his necklace shining as wings of light spread out behind him. He was the spiritual child of Polaris. He was the inheritor of her daughter¡¯s legacy. He was our bright and shining star, but also my very own instructor, his warm and guiding hand ever with me these past four years, showing me what it meant to be a true Luminare. Angelic, yes, in these moments of elegant light. But there was no mercy waiting behind his actions. Only judgment.


    I covered my ears.


    Lightning flashed, not from the clouds above, but my instructor¡¯s hands, messy tendrils of light that cracked the earth and left the ground in flames.


    ¡°What a show-off,¡± muttered Instructor Elizabeth with a smirk as she started down the slope herself.


    Alicia and I slid down the rocky face as well, my partner¡¯s telekinesis guiding me down to the snow at the bottom. Everything around was a torrent of scales and flames, of sky-blue and dull grey all mixing together around us. I rubbed my hands together and set my palms alight. ¡°Guide me, Alicia.¡±


    ¡°Things sure are... heating up, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you can do better than that.¡±


    She giggled. We cut forward at the earliest opportunity, weaving through the chaos with ease. Alicia¡¯s Complement guided me, locking down Excaeli one by one to meet my open palms. The blue and grey faded away, the flames and the light from the Cradle melting together into a perfect golden backdrop to our performance. My eyes focused only on the glimmering metal, targets disappearing one by one beneath my flame. It was normal. Easy, even. Hardly different from the stage performances we¡¯d given in our academy days, a dance of blood and flame and steel.


    And all too quickly, it was over.


    Excaeli collapsed, their vessels discarded by Antares and left to dissolve into the earth, bones and ash abandoned by the metal that once coated them. Scales vanished into the slushy remnants of snow beneath our feet.


    ¡°Scratch check,¡± I called. Alicia hurried to my side and we checked every bit of exposed skin for scratches that we knew weren¡¯t there. Still, there was no harm in being careful. Alicia hummed, letting her Complement return to her wrists, marbles reforming a familiar pair of steel bracelets while she lifted up my hair to check my nape.


    The camp went up. Canvas rippled from packs, supports impaling themselves into the frozen ground on command as everyone settled in. We set our bags on the ground and set up our tent as well. After so many months setting it up on my own out with Jonathan, Alicia¡¯s telekinesis made it almost insultingly easy, and it went up in no time at all.


    The camp set up, we had some time to reflect on the greater task at hand. ¡°So this is the Cradle,¡± muttered Alicia.


    The sphere towered over us, glowing duller now. Its surface was smooth and shiny, like the polished marbles of Alicia¡¯s Complement, surface pulsing gently, contracting and expanding like a beating heart. Four slender metal arms rose from the ground, mechanical hands gripping it, as if to keep it anchored in the earth. As if this great metal sphere would simply float away into the heavens. The Cradle was icy cold. If it was mechanical, it showed no outward signs of it; its surface was smooth and almost soft to the touch. Still, I had a hard time believing it could be anything alive, either.


    ¡°Well, which is it, then? Alive or not?¡±


    ¡°Something in between,¡± I muttered in a daze. What an otherworldly thing. And yet we were supposed to go inside of it? Just how much space could be in there? It was only maybe ten steps wide from end to end. How had it so callously destroyed those who ventured in before? And where even was the entrance? Its surface betrayed no seams of any sort, merely a continuous orange glow that emanated on all sides. Everything about it just seemed slightly off. How could this exist? Why did this exist? What strange magic had Antares used to create such a sickly engine for the Corruption that now stretches so far across the world?


    ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s beautiful,¡± said Alicia. ¡°You were right. It¡¯s really a shame that we¡¯ll have to destroy it after.¡°


    I had said that. But seeing it now, despite its inarguable beauty, there was something that just made me feel uneasy. ¡°It¡¯s evil. There¡¯s nothing about this that is natural or right. It¡¯s an abomination.¡±


    ¡°But it is beautiful.¡±


    She was right. ¡°Still. The world will be better off once we rip out the necklace trapped inside. And I can¡¯t wait to do that.¡±


    My partner smiled in return. ¡°I can¡¯t wait either.¡±


    Our chat was interrupted by a cry of pain.


    I already knew where this was heading. Even so, I had to see. Sure enough, a lone soldier sat off at the edge of camp, cradling his arm. His jacket and gloves lay discarded in the snow beside him. There was blood. He looked young, maybe just four or five years older than me. What... what a shame.


    From across the camp, my instructor¡¯s eyes locked with my own. I gave him a gentle nod. It was all he needed to see. We both knew what had to be done. Together, we approached the soldier.


    The boy looked down as we approached, silver eyes staring back at me behind his wispy brown hair. I grabbed one hand and pulled it away from his wrist. As I¡¯d feared, there was a small slit cut into his tanned skin. A place where a claw had rent the flesh and delivered its deadly pathogen. So young. I felt wetness in the corner of my eye. A tear rolled down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. No time for that. ¡°How long ago was the cut?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Jonathan frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯re only going to make things harder for yourself.¡± He took his arm and rolled up his sleeve. The skin was covered in flecks of metal already. ¡°Come... come with me,¡± my Instructor said.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he started, before realizing any argument was futile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a scene.¡± I whispered. ¡°Make your peace with others, if you must.¡± I could see the pain on my Instructor¡¯s face. He had to do it. Not because it felt good, but because the alternative was worse.


    The boy simply nodded. ¡°I¡¯m already prepared.¡±


    We led him to the edge of camp. He knelt in the snow, head down. I crouched in front of him, tilting his chin up so our eyes met. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Damian¡±, he said. His eyes looked so much like Alicia¡¯s. The same silver light reflecting deep within. But she had been perfect. Flawless. And he had not. And the price of failure was absolute.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything else anymore. You¡¯ve been very brave so far, Damian. Polaris would be proud of you.¡± He showed no reaction to the mention of our Patron¡¯s name, only shaking. His breaths were short and shallow, wisps of vapour scattering in the wind.


    My Instructor continued. ¡°But it¡¯s too late for you now. Antares has her hold on you. The scales are already eating away at you, and soon there will be nothing left. Polaris would never want one of her faithful to be profaned in such a way. I know you understand. I know you¡¯re ready.¡±


    He broke into tears, falling wet and hot and melting the snow before him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± he choked out.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I comforted him.


    Jonathan spoke again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this, either¡± He ran his hand down the boy¡¯s face from forehead to chin. Once. Twice. Three times. His tears stopped.


    ¡°There, there,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Poor thing. What a waste. What a stupid, stupid waste of life. One scratch. One scratch! But that was all it took. And now, there was only a single path forward. I took a deep breath.


    Jonathan pressed his palm against the boy¡¯s face and let the fire flow down his arm and into him. Damian¡¯s body burst into flames. Jonathan¡¯s palm must have been burning. Still, he held it fast against him. The soldier was silent. Flesh curled and darkened, flaking away until bone turned to ash and the corpse collapsed into the snow.


    The scales scurried away, disappearing beneath the earth and among the trees, hiding and waiting for their next chance to strike. His ash scattered, carried off by the breeze and disappearing into the darkness.


    ¡°Get inside, Iris. The wind is picking up,¡± said Jonathan. ¡°I have a feeling there¡¯ll be a storm tonight.¡±

 In the Dead of Night

    I woke up in the middle of the night to emptiness beside me. Alicia was gone, a depression in our blankets where she was supposed to be. The space was cold. Just how long had she been gone? Yawning, I got out of bed and buttoned up my shirt. It was chilly. I raised my hand to illuminate our tent, warmth flowing from my chest and down my arm, shining from my palm to cast a golden glow over my surroundings. Besides our bed, the only things here were our bags. Mine was still packed, my few personal possessions stowed safely inside, and the pieces of my uniform scattered haphazardly on top. Hers lay open, packed neatly with books and letters from her family, her uniform folded and laid to rest beside it. Where could she be?


    Wait. Her uniform? Why hadn¡¯t she taken her uniform?


    I called out for her with my mind. ¡°Alicia?¡±


    It took a while before I heard her response. ¡°Iris? What are you doing up at this time of night?¡± Her voice was soft but clear, as if she were whispering in my ear.


    ¡°I could ask the same of you.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re awake, then come out and meet me. I¡¯m outside of camp.¡±


    I unzipped the entrance to our tent and peered outside. It was snowing. The wind blew in gusts, whipping snow around in billowing swirls through the camp. ¡°You¡¯re outside in this weather? Without your uniform?¡±


    Silence.


    Then, after a few moments, she replied. ¡°Ah. I am outside. That¡¯s right. I might just be a bit lost. And cold. Do you mind coming out to get me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to freeze to death like this.¡± I threw on my uniform, buckling my pants and buttoning my jacket up to my neck. Holding her own jacket and pants tight against my chest with one hand, I let the other shine like a searchlight, scanning the white all around for any sign of her. ¡°Can you describe your surroundings?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Trees on the left. And the right. And ahead. And behind me... what a surprise. More trees.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in the forest?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Oops. Oh my, so dangerous. I might just die if you don¡¯t find me in time.¡±


    The snow was piled up to my knees, getting into my boots and chilling my toes. ¡°You know, you aren¡¯t fooling me one bit with this whole ¡®I¡¯m lost¡¯ bit,¡± I said. ¡°May I remind you who held the map the whole way here last night?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she teased.


    The edge of the clearing rose up high ahead. I scrambled up the frosted twigs and leaves to reach the first trees rising high above the snowdrifts. Tall shadows stretched on as far as the eye could see, branches masking the way forward and cutting visibility almost as much as the snow swirling around me. Thankfully, however, the dense canopy would preserve Alicia¡¯s footprints. I skirted the edge of the clearing, searching for her trail. Fresh prints in the snow wandered ahead into the forest, disappearing into the shadows. ¡°Just how far in did you go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not too far. What, you¡¯re gonna leave your partner alone in the cold?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m considering it.¡± She laughed in response. Because we both knew that I would never.


    The soft blanket of white was punctuated with the thorny boughs of fallen silverleaf branches poking out of the snow. It was even darker here, thanks to the dense canopy of needles above me, but at least that provided a reprieve from the wind. Alicia¡¯s footprints were clear and easy to follow now. I raised my hand and lit the way forward, keeping an eye out for any other prints in the snow. But, at least tonight, there were none to be found.


    Finally, there she was, shivering at the base of a huge stump, a small travel bag nestled in the snow beside her. Her loose pyjama shirt and pants were wet from the snow and frozen stiff. The ten silver spheres of her Complement revolved around her like little moons. At least she hadn¡¯t forgotten them. I almost tackled her with my hug, wrapping her in my arms and holding tight. Her body was nearly frozen. I let my heat flow freely from my heart down arms and hands to her, melting the remaining bits of ice and drying her clothes all at once. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    She turned and stared into my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m right here, Iris. I want to hear your voice.¡±


    I let go and moved to sit by her side, dimming my hand to a gentle glow. ¡°Fine. What were you thinking?¡± I said aloud. ¡°You got up in the middle of the night and wandered off to who knows where... for what?¡± I draped her jacket over her shoulders.


    Her lips curled into a smile. ¡°Why does there need to be a reason? It¡¯s nice and calm, and far from camp. A little alone time never hurts. We can just sit and enjoy the ambience.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d much rather be nice and calm in bed. Alicia, we¡¯re in the Corruption! And it¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure, you¡¯re the one complaining that it¡¯s cold.¡± She squeezed my hand, instinctively releasing a rush of heat and light. ¡°The Corruption,¡± she mused. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t deny it. If it weren¡¯t for the metal, for the scales, for Antares... you¡¯d agree with me.¡±


    I had to admit, it was warmer here than out in the clearing. Everything was still, and the forest had a sort of sterile beauty to it. Flowers poked out between the tangled roots, crinkled petals glowing softly in the darkness. Those scales scurried over every surface, glittering like diamonds where they caught the scraps of moonlight that passed through the thick canopy above.


    But every shine and sparkle masked killing intent, from the thorns on the branches and the razor edges of the grass to the quiet, almost indiscernible metallic buzz that permeated everything. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, isn¡¯t it,¡± I said. ¡°Antares is here, and so this place is a perversion of what it should be. Everything is wrong. When the purification is done, perhaps, we¡¯ll be able to enjoy the forest. Until then, we must stay on high guard.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder. ¡°And you need to remember your jacket.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t forget, Iris. I knew that you¡¯d come bring it for me.¡±


    ¡°Alicia!¡±


    She smiled. ¡°What? It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°What about the danger?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s going a bit far?¡± She smiled, raising a hand and letting the steel marbles of her Complement circle her fingertip, lining up one by one and connecting in a line to wrap around her wrist. ¡°There¡¯s danger, yes, in the Excaeli. Maybe. But they¡¯re nothing to people like you and me. Target practice. Really, you and I can handle ourselves against them just fine. There¡¯s no need to cower in fear. For us, at least.¡±


    ¡°For us, at least.¡± A pang shot through my heart. ¡°But not for them.¡± Not the pitiful soldiers that accompanied us, cowering at the first sign of trouble. Letting doubt come in and destroy what little semblance of discipline and strength that they had. ¡°They have no blessing from Polaris, no training. Their light is weak, their hands shake. And they make mistakes.¡±


    ¡°They die,¡± whispered Alicia. ¡°I know. You went with Jonathan to purify someone yesterday,¡± Alicia said.


    ¡°You saw?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s never pleasant. But he didn¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± Not for a moment. How could he? It had been far from the first time he¡¯d done it. How many times had I seen that scene before my eyes, smelled the ashes in the air all around me, seen his kneeling silhouette outlined by the fire emanating from the body burning before him? Too many times. ¡°I just hate it. I hate this. I hate Antares. She does this to people who¡¯ve done nothing to deserve it. She hurts them, twists them, corrupts them, hollows them out and fills them with herself. And the only way to save them is through fire. Through death. I don¡¯t want to hurt people.¡±


    Alicia squeezed my hand. ¡°You aren¡¯t hurting them. You know that.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. It feels like a warm hug as the fire envelops you. You shine one final time and you become one with Polaris¡¯s light. I know. I can even see the beauty in it. But it still makes me angry at the loss. They¡¯re only children, barely older than we are, fighting on a battlefield far greater than they know. They don¡¯t belong here.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be for much longer,¡± she said. ¡°Soon, Instructor Irene will be here, and Emily, and you¡¯ll be able to go inside the Cradle and take back what belongs to us, and this curse will be lifted. No more Excaeli. No more Corruption. No more purification.¡±


    It sounded like a dream. ¡°Right. We¡¯re so close to the end.¡± And that made each remaining purification more useless, more wasteful, more infuriating. But these soldiers, these dead weights, they had to be here for the plan. There simply weren¡¯t enough of us, enough Luminare for the great work of purification. So they had to be there, out on the fields, holding back the edge of the Corruption with their sticks and stones and bayonets. And they would die. A painful cost. But for the final absolution of our world¡¯s greatest evil, what cost could be too great?


    ¡°Anyways,¡± said Alicia. ¡°Coffee?¡± My partner pulled out a bottle from her bag, pouring a cup for each of us. Steam swirled into the winter air, the bitter aroma recalling cozy memories of times long gone: sharing breakfast watching the winter sunrise, or evenings in the Citadel playing games by the warmth of the roaring hearths. I took a deep breath, letting the wave of nostalgia wash over me and carry all my worries away. After all, there were few things more refreshing on a cold winter night than a hot cup of coffee.


    I took a sip. It was delightfully bitter, as always. ¡°You know, Alicia, you¡¯re awfully prepared for someone who just wandered out into the cold ¡®by accident¡¯¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°Oh just tell me the reason we¡¯re out here. In the cold.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just want to have a little chat with you?¡±


    ¡°We. Can. Talk. At. Any. Time.¡± I gave her a gentle knock on the forehead. ¡°You did not have to walk out here in the middle of... of all this to do that! That¡¯s the whole point of being paired up.¡±


    ¡°Yep. And how long have we been paired for?¡±


    Oh. Of course. How had I been so ignorant. ¡°Four years. To the day.¡± She seemed mildly amused, but I really had no excuse. ¡°Sorry for forgetting.¡±


    ¡°Feels like it was only yesterday, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Iris. I know you¡¯ve been really busy these past few days. I can¡¯t blame if it slipped your mind.¡±


    ¡°No. I really should¡¯ve remembered.¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s okay.¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not like I needed you to do anything. Just spending some time together tonight is all I could ask for. Sitting together and having a picnic in the woods, like we did all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°We have forever to spend to together, Alicia. You know that. Plenty of time to sit together and chat and have picnics.¡± I rubbed my hands together, letting a little heat and light flow out to keep us both warm. ¡°But the forest here is a little more gloomy. And, um, cold.¡±


    ¡°Cold?¡± She rested her head on my shoulder, a few stray indigo hairs brushing against my cheek. ¡°Wherever you are is warm. And, well, I looked hard for this place. Don¡¯t you recognize it?¡±


    I looked around. The trees, the ice and jagged icicles and rocks weren¡¯t scattered haphazardly, but arranged carefully, by hand. Patterns were traced in the snow and ice and dirt underfoot, echoing something from our past. How had I missed it? ¡°You did all this?¡±


    Alicia beamed. ¡°When we passed this place last night, it reminded me of that time. The day our minds were connected. I don¡¯t know... it just made me all sentimental. I wanted to commemorate this. Especially since we¡¯re actually together, for once. I really tried for our third, but you know what happened. And, well, the second would have never been possible. So fourth it is. Four years.¡±


    ¡°We could repeat the ritual,¡± I suggested. Though our bond was permanent and unbreakable, until death and even beyond, there was always something special about repeating the ritual. Even though we were paired for life, it was worth it as a reminder. ¡°Given... how uncertain our situation is.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡± She smiled, eyes already glowing brighter silver as she stood up, setting down her cup and stretching in anticipation. She held her hands out, palms open and fingers splayed. Her bracelets shattered, steel marbles filing down her fingers and swirling into the air around us, shining silver and gold as they reflected the glow of our eyes.


    I set down my glass and clasped her hands. They were warm, hot, even. The heat swirling in my chest coursed through my veins, down my arms, pouring out through my palms. Not fire, but gentle warmth from me to her and her to me, fingers interlaced, arms connected in a ring of light.


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to say something, right?¡± she asked. ¡°What was it again?¡±


    ¡°Two as one,¡± I prompted.


    ¡°Right, right. Two as one, under light of one true Patron joined, now and forevermore.¡± Light began to shimmer on Alicia¡¯s forehead, golden circle and crescent gently fading into view against her tanned skin. I could tell from her expression that the same was happening on my own forehead, mirrored brands of Polaris glowing hot on my skin and hers alike.


    ¡°Polaris, accept this union as one being to be your light and fire in a world of ice and darkness,¡± I said.


    ¡°Polaris, accept this union to walk as one along the paths you carve through the unchanging rock of time,¡± she echoed.


    ¡°As of this day, we have served you faithfully for four years.¡±


    ¡°And we pledge to serve you faithfully forevermore.¡±


    ¡°Forevermore,¡± I echoed. With those words, a sudden pain shot through my skull. The symbol of Polaris glowed brightly on my partner¡¯s forehead, and, though I couldn¡¯t see it, my own, leaving a shadowy brand as the light faded to nothing. Alicia rubbed her forehead to soothe the pain. I resisted the urge to do the same. The mark faded away almost as soon as it had appeared, but for now, seeing the tangible sign of our connection made me happy.


    Alicia¡¯s fingers grazed the mark on my forehead. ¡°How come it didn¡¯t hurt for you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Of course it hurts. But it¡¯s only a little pain. Nothing to be concerned about.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Iris, you don¡¯t need to try to be so tough all the time. Not for me. I know you like to think of yourself as a dark and brooding heroine with an immense burden on your shoulders, but it¡¯d do you good to lighten up a bit. We¡¯re not on the verge of death, you know.¡±


    ¡°But we are in danger,¡± I said, ¡°You¡¯re too carefree, and so I need to be extra serious to make up for it. Otherwise, you¡¯d be... well, frozen, for example.¡±


    ¡°I would not,¡± Alicia said, picking up her cup once more to take a sip of coffee. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t gotten you out of as many scrapes. Remember our little camping trip on the Red Ribbon Cut?¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t remind me.¡±


    ¡°You walked right into its mouth.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me!¡± I laughed. ¡°Fine, fine. You help me. A bit. A lot. Even if you don¡¯t take things as seriously as you ought to.¡±


    ¡°Well, someone has to balance you out. Otherwise it¡¯d be all doom and gloom all the time. Whenever a new batch of students approach us back at the Citadel, waiting expectantly for their first missions, I half-expect you to tell them to stop smiling because... because a third of them will be dead by next year or something.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true. They shouldn¡¯t take things so lightly. It¡¯s for their own safety. I just want them to stay vigilant. I want them to make it home safely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± She sighed. ¡°But sometimes it¡¯s best for them not remind them of all that danger. It can really put a damper on everything. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°Well that¡¯s probably why they like me more.¡±


    ¡°Alicia!¡± I gave her a playful nudge. ¡°You may have come first in the popularity poll, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shall I read out the comments?¡± She took her journal out of the bag, flipping through the pages to where a cutout from an old issue of the student-run magazine had been pasted in. ¡°Let¡¯s see... ¡®Alicia is my vote for sure. She¡¯s always so friendly and shares the cookies from her family¡¯s bakery.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Alicia¡ª¡±


    ¡°And another. ¡®Alicia is the best! I even chose to dye my hair purple just like hers! I especially love when she brings golden crown crisps to our class.¡¯¡±


    ¡°They all just picked you because you bribed them with cookies.¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m just so sweet to be around.¡± She giggled a bit at her own pun. ¡°But I didn¡¯t forget that you were also quite popular in a different way with our underclassmen.¡± She opened the journal and showed me the two-page spread. On one side was the page for the ¡®Graduating Luminare: most popular,¡¯ with Alicia¡¯s face printed front and centre. But on the opposite was the adjoining page. ¡®Graduating Luminare: who I want to be like when I graduate.¡¯ And on that page, I saw my own face staring back at me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me.¡±


    ¡°Should I read these comments too?¡± said Alicia. ¡°How about this one: ¡¯Iris may be a little scary, but she¡¯s super cool when she gets serious. Everyone in our class looks up to her.¡¯ I have to say, I can¡¯t disagree with that statement. You are super cool.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°You¡¯re having a little too much fun with this, Alicia.¡±


    ¡°Hey. You¡¯re smiling too,¡± she said. ¡°I do think we made a great pair of role models for them. Very balanced.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± I sighed as well. ¡°You¡¯re right. You balance me out.¡± Balance. The word stuck in my head. That¡¯s certainly how it felt. Even now, sitting on the soft blanket of snow that covered the ground, I felt secure, kept safe by the gentle pressure of her telekinetic powers wrapping around me like a warm hug and keeping us in place. I let my hands glow, warm orange light keeping us both warm as the wind howled beyond the forest¡¯s edge, rustling through the leaves and branches above with its passing.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot!¡± Alicia rummaged through her bag, carefully removing her books before reaching both arms in and triumphantly pulling out a colourful metal tin. She popped open the lid and laid it down beside us. ¡°Cookie?¡± she offered.


    I finished my coffee and put it down on the stump. ¡°Your family?¡±


    ¡°They insisted. After all, they know how much you like them. And they packed enough for both of us.¡± That was an understatement. The tin was stuffed to the brim with carefully arranged cookies of all sorts: black medallions, crumbly and bitter; golden crown crisps, thin wafers and cream glazed with sugar and lime; and my favourite, crescents, bitter coffee cookies coated with a shiny layer of turquoise icing.


    ¡°So you¡¯re bribing me now, too. Well, I¡¯m not going to refuse.¡± I took one and popped it into my mouth. ¡°Delicious.¡±


    ¡°As always.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Your dad is so good at baking.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t make these.¡±


    ¡°No way. Sparky? Little Sparky?¡±


    ¡°Iris, Spark¡¯s almost thirteen already. You¡¯ve got to stop calling him that.¡±


    Thirteen. Had it really been that long since I last saw him? ¡°Maybe I should. But you and I both know that I won¡¯t.¡± We laughed. ¡°These are really good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯ll do well to take over the family business, eventually. More coffee?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± I held out my cup and she filled it. ¡°I take it your parents are glad that he¡¯s so good at baking?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They did worry, back then. I mean, they certainly hadn¡¯t planned for their eldest to nearly die and be saved by Polaris, and be taken away to become a Luminare. And what if he didn¡¯t want to do it? What if he wasn¡¯t any good, or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, everything worked out for the best, in the end, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Polaris¡¯s plan in action,¡± she said. ¡°Everything according to her wishes. Everything following the paths she sets for each of us. Protecting us. Saving us. Providing for us.¡±


    Polaris. Our comfort and truth and light in a world that was cold and dark and full of deception. ¡°It¡¯s so good to know that she¡¯s looking out for all of us, isn¡¯t it? That everything will work out in the end. We need only depend entirely on her, and everything else will follow.¡±


    Alicia nodded. ¡°It is. But it makes you wonder, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Wonder?¡±


    ¡°You know, if we¡¯re just puppets too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m already your puppet.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Yes, I know. But I¡¯m not talking about that. It¡¯s nor just Polaris, either. It¡¯s all the Patrons. They know what¡¯s going to happen. They plan for the best. So then what are we? Do we have free will? Or are we just their pawns, unwilling actors on their stages, made to play out their stories for them?¡±


    ¡°Well look who¡¯s being all serious and dark and brooding now?¡±


    ¡°Iris! I am serious. That¡¯s why¡ª¡±


    We both stopped. Footsteps in the snow, scraping along the forest floor, through the dead leaves. Approaching. North. North north-west. Close.


    ¡°You hear that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Light burst from my hands, dim glow replaced with a blinding gleam that cut through the shadows that surrounded us. The creature was visible, a hollow drone meandering towards our position. Its bladed claws hacked through the undergrowth, slicing through metallic bark and leaves with ease.


    ¡°Just one, this time.¡± Alicia¡¯s bracelets shattered, the marbles flying into position around us.


    Wait. Not one. Two.


    I slid to the side as gleaming bronze claws cut through the air between us. Careless. How had I been so careless? Alicia was fine, if startled by the sudden arrival of our second assailant.


    Our training kicked in. Mouths shut. Minds connected. The creature that stood between us was covered in copper scales, reading its claws for a second strike.


    A second strike which would never connect, of course. I slammed my palm into the side of its head. Hard. It reeled and fell to the ground, black smoke swirling from the wound. With a flick of Alicia¡¯s wrist, a torrent of steel rained down on it, shattering every joint and leaving the puppet lying motionless against the frozen ground.


    ¡°The second?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There.¡± She turned my head to see it running, a flash of metal bearing on our position, cutting aside everything in its path. It stood no chance at all. Alicia¡¯s Complement rose from the body of its partner, surrounding the creature with a swirling vortex of steel, beating it down into the snow as iron smashed through metal skin and buried itself in the creature¡¯s sinews and mechanisms.


    I knelt at the first one, burning what was left, the compromised vessel already being abandoned by its metallic scales. We approached the second at a leisurely pace. It certainly couldn¡¯t move anymore, with Alicia¡¯s steel wedged between its joints. Instead, it flailed about on the ground, uncertain how to animate itself. I placed my palm against the top of its skull and pressed hard, incinerating all but the scales that skittered away, back into the earth and the trees and the vines snaking across the forest floor. Alicia extricated her Complement from the remains, carefully polishing each marble clean of blood and ash with her handkerchief.


    Then she stopped. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± In her hand lay a small metal sphere, hardly larger than the pieces of her Complement. Its surface was rough, slightly dented and tarnished, but not grimy. Rather, its surface shone copper-brown in my light. Patterns were etched into its surface: lines and images and a familiar set of criss-crossing lines. The personal mark of Antares.


    Of course, that was to be expected out here. This was Antares¡¯ domain, after all. But this object... I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something more to this. Like the Cradle, it made me sick to my stomach.


    The night¡¯s ¡®festivities¡¯ had been spoiled. ¡°We should probably head back to camp, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Alicia asked, slipping the ball into her pocket.


    ¡°Yes. Probably.¡±


    She tossed her effects back into her pouch and slung it over her shoulder, running off towards camp. I did a quick sweep to ensure we hadn¡¯t forgotten anything, then followed in her footsteps.


    ***


    The snow had stopped falling by the time we reached the end of the forest. Someone was waiting for us at the edge of camp. It was a tall figure in a dull gray overcoat. A rifle hung fastened on his back, silver eyes glowing faintly in the late darkness. A regular soldier, not a Luminare. Not one of our instructors. Not one of Polaris¡¯s chosen.


    ¡°Who are you? What are you doing out there?¡± His voice was hoarse, as if he¡¯d spent the entire night shift screaming into the darkness. ¡°Everyone has been instructed to stay in the camp¡±


    Alicia helped me down the slope, sliding down right after me. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°We were just out for a bit. There¡¯s no need to be concerned. We¡¯re Luminare. We can handle ourselves.¡±


    He sighed and crossed his arms, wispy breaths condensing in the chilly air above us. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. Stay within the camp boundaries, especially at night. It¡¯s very dangerous, and we can¡¯t have people like you running about like this.¡±


    What nerve. ¡°Did you not hear her? We are Luminare. We are Polaris¡¯s chosen, and we can go where we please. Unlike you, we aren¡¯t afraid of the Excaeli. Unlike you, we can take care of ourselves.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Aren¡¯t you acting a little immature for a pair of Luminare? Oh right. I nearly forgot. That¡¯s probably because you¡¯re still children. If it were up to me, my men would not be babysitting you. But Polaris says so, and we can¡¯t disobey Polaris, now can we?¡±


    Them? Babysitting us? How backwards could you possibly be? ¡°How dare you insult our Patron. You insubordinate¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jonathan stepped forward, heavy footsteps crunching in the fresh snow. My cheeks flushed. How long had he been watching?


    ¡°Sir.¡± The soldier turned and gave my instructor a curt bow. ¡°They left camp without notifying anyone. I was merely reprimanding them for such irresponsible¡ª¡±


    ¡°I understand, Benjamin. Leave them be. I will talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Alone.¡±


    ¡°Right, sir.¡± Benjamin disappeared into one of the tents. My instructor turned to us, golden eyes glowing softly, illuminating his chestnut curls and the smooth bronze skin of his face. His lips were pursed, words trapped just behind them, ready to burst out at any moment.


    ¡°I can explain, Jonathan,¡± I said. ¡°Alicia got lost, and I wandered out into the forest to look for her.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Alicia. ¡°I went out and told Iris to come after me. I know it was irresponsible, but I just wanted some time away from camp.¡±


    ¡°Slow down.¡± Jonathan laughed. ¡°My, my, leaving the camp already? We only set it up this evening.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not upset?¡± I asked.


    He put a hand on my shoulder and leaned down to look me eye-to-eye. ¡°I have the utmost confidence in your abilities. I¡¯m sure Saul would say the same thing of you, Alicia.¡± I¡¯m not upset. He gave a deep sigh. ¡°That said, we are supposed to be setting an example for the rest, now, aren¡¯t we? And leaving camp like that does not reflect well on yourselves, on the Luminare, and on our Patron.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I said.


    ¡°So tell me, why did you leave camp at all?¡±


    Alicia spoke up. ¡°I just wanted us to spend some time alone together.¡±


    ¡°You have your tent. You don¡¯t need to walk out there to have some privacy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But?¡± he asked.


    Alicia bit her lip, shuffling in place slightly before responding. ¡°I just wanted to, okay? It¡¯s not the same here, and I could set everything up nicely out there. And it¡¯s so much better to really be alone with your other half. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    My instructor narrowed his eyes, as if to scold my partner more, but decided not to pursue the matter any further. He sighed. ¡°I suppose Saul and I used to do the same when we were your age. It¡¯s hard to fault you for feeling the same. Just get some rest. You really shouldn¡¯t be up this late.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I almost forgot¡± said Alicia.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She pulled out the brass sphere from her pocket. ¡°We found something on an Excaeli while we were out. Something with a... just look at it.¡±


    My instructor rolled the sphere between his thumb and forefinger, examining it with the narrow beam of light shining from his other hand. After a few moments, he held it up to ear and gave it a gentle shake. Apparently satisfied, he handed it back to her. ¡°It¡¯s just a trinket,¡± he concluded. ¡°Something that Antares might attach to one of her puppets. A decoration. Nothing more. Rather... rather horrid thing, but I won¡¯t stop you from keeping it as a souvenir, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, instructor,¡± she said, putting it back in her pocket.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re keeping it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a souvenir from tonight.¡± She winked.


    My instructor yawned. ¡°Now, you two had better go off to bed before Saul¡ª¡±


    ¡°Before I what?¡± my uncle interrupted. He walked over to stand behind Jonathan, his massive form blocking the way back to our tent. His eyes were glowing silver, heavy arms crossed over his chest. The silver cubes of his Complement floated in the air just behind him. ¡°Why are you two up?¡±


    ¡°No reason,¡± I said.


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Alicia?¡±


    ¡°R-right, instructor,¡± she said. ¡°I... we went off a short distance from camp. To celebrate our pairing. It¡¯s been four years, you know. And today¡¯s the anniversary, so I wanted to do something a little more special.¡±


    ¡°Four years. Wow. Time flies,¡± my uncle said. ¡°That said, you really shouldn¡¯t be wandering off like¡ª¡±


    Jonathan put a hand on my uncle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Saul, I¡¯ve already told them.¡±


    ¡°It bears repeating,¡± Uncle Saul continued. ¡°I¡¯d expect something like this from you, Alicia, but Iris? Why didn¡¯t you bring her back right away?¡±


    Of course. It was always my fault if we got into trouble. Of course he¡¯d lecture me. Even if Alicia was the one who¡¯d left on her own and told me to follow her. Even if Alicia was the one who planned all of this. Even if Alicia was his student, and I was Jonathan¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Uncle Saul. I know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Iris. You know why I expect more from you. Why we all do. You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the heir to Lumis.¡± I knew these words by heart. They¡¯d been drilled into my head more than any other. ¡°I¡¯m Polaris¡¯s special chosen one. As was Jonathan. And all the others that came before him. Chosen to take the mantle of her daughter.¡± My eyes drifted to the necklace of light that glinted against my instructor¡¯s neck. ¡°To someday wear her light around my neck. A blessing from our Patron, to make up for what was taken.¡±


    Uncle Saul nodded. ¡°A blessing, yes, but also¡ª¡±


    ¡°But also a responsibility. To dutifully lead, torch held high, light shining brilliantly. To be the very best. To show the very best of what we can be. To lead our people on the straight and narrow path she draws for us.¡± I knew these words, and they were true. And I knew they meant that we shouldn¡¯t have gone out like that and fooled around in the Corruption. But... ¡°I know this, uncle. But this was a special occasion. It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s not like we were in any danger, or anything. And even if we were, we¡¯re perfect. We don¡¯t fail. Come on. It was just this one time.¡±


    ¡°One time? One time is all it takes.¡± He held up an Excaeli claw, its jagged edge brushing past my neck. ¡°Everyone is perfect until they make a mistake, Iris. And the need for perfection doesn¡¯t stop when you¡¯re out of combat.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I said.


    He dropped the claw, the steel cubes of his own complement whirling through the air and shattering it into glittering shards before it could hit the ground. ¡°I just want you two to be ready. Jonathan and I won¡¯t be here to guide you forever.¡±


    My instructor put a hand on his partner¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But hey, that won¡¯t be for a while. Right now, you kids need to get some rest, okay? We have another big day ahead of us tomorrow.¡± He motioned for us to leave.


    We returned to our tent, tossing our stuff to the ground before diving under the covers. He was right. It was late. We needed the rest. And I hadn¡¯t been perfect enough. Hadn¡¯t been a good example. Hadn¡¯t acted as I should have. I should¡¯ve just told Alicia to come back the moment she called out to me, instead of fooling around. After all, this wasn¡¯t the time for that. We had a mission to complete. ¡°Next time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Iris, just sleep,¡± Alicia¡¯s voice cut through my thoughts. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried, and I¡¯m sorry I got us into trouble¡ª¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have gone along with you. Uncle Saul was right. It was irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. It was worth it. It was fun. And it¡¯s not like they were always setting the best example when they were our age. You let Instructor Saul get to you too much, you know. Every time, it¡¯s always like this¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just concerned about our well-being, Alicia. Of course I take what he says seriously. And he¡¯s your instructor! I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so nonchalant about him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s concerned about our well-being? Are you sure that¡¯s the reason that you¡¯re always so bothered by what he says?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°If you say so,¡± she said aloud, before rolling over and pulling the covers tighter.


    Maybe there was a little more to it, even if I couldn¡¯t yet admit it. ¡°Alicia?¡± I asked. ¡°I am perfect, right?¡±


    But she had already fallen asleep. The bed was warm, we were together again, and I was also very tired. With the question still lingering in my mind, I drifted off as well.

 The Light at Dawn

    I woke up early the next morning. Alicia was still dozing off peacefully on the mat beside me. As I tiptoed out of our tent, I was greeted by a sky full of stars fading away before the approaching dawn. Although the Cradle¡¯s light still dominated the camp, it was another light that caught my eye. A small fire was burning up on the ridge at the edge of camp. Curious, I made my way up to the source, being careful not to slip on the icy ground as I scrambled up the slope.


    The source of the fire was Jake. My friend sat on a rock, his sky-blue jacket hanging dishevelled over his frame. At his feet, a campfire flickered, thorny branches and needles crackling in the early morning calm, casting a warm glow onto his olive face. Nestled in the flames sat a tin kettle, whistling softly as the melted snow inside came to a boil.


    ¡°Good morning, Jake,¡± I said.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± He didn¡¯t look up from his task, warm flame-golden eyes matching the fire that he gently prodded. His left hand carefully arranged the burning wood while his right rummaged through the satchel at his hip, fingers rustling through the beans mixed with dried herbs and flower petals, gathering them all together in his fist.


    A familiar aroma rose out of the kettle. ¡°Coffee?¡± I asked.


    He nodded. ¡°Emily¡¯s been up all night. She and Instructor Irene still haven¡¯t gotten here. Their whole section was caught in a storm while crossing at Palatia Falls. Maps lost, supplies lost, but thankfully nobody died. They¡¯re still out there. I couldn¡¯t get any sleep. Instead, I¡¯ve been chatting with her. I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get out and about before roll call.¡± He reached for the kettle, flipping the lid open and tossing in the mixture in his hands. ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks.¡± I brushed some snow off the ground and sat beside my friend.


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± He filled his cup, holding it under his nose to savour the scent before taking a sip. The rich, dark liquid gave off a distinctive aroma, not the simple black coffee that we all got as standard rations, but one imbued with fragrances of the meadows of the southern provinces, of autumn and the late harvest festivals, and of the coming Solstice and winter darkness. Or so Jake would say. Probably.


    ¡°Are you worried about her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Emily?¡± He shook his head. ¡°She can handle herself better than anyone. Well, except maybe for Instructor Irene. But it¡¯s not that that¡¯s got me all upset, Iris.¡± Jake chuckled. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just being selfish. I wanted to spend Solstice together, is all. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be here in due time. Early enough that we can crack this Cradle open.¡±


    At its mention, both our gazes were drawn to the mammoth structure that dominated our camp. The Cradle was calmer than it had been yesterday. Calmer? Was that right? Why was I acting as if it was alive? Its bright orange had faded to almost black, with hairline cracks of deep red coiling around its surface, like the burning embers that rolled to the edges of Jake¡¯s fire, each giving off a shower of sparks when he tossed them back into the hearth.


    ¡°Are you anxious?¡± he finally asked. ¡°About the Cradle.¡±


    ¡°Anxious? Barely at all.¡± Though I was approaching our situation with a healthy dose of caution, I couldn¡¯t deny that I was excited. Excited at the prospect of shattering the Corruption. Of cleansing our world of this sickness. Of reclaiming the true gift of Polaris that had been stolen from us long ago.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve heard the stories, right? Of what awaits you and Emily inside? What happened before. What happened last time¡ª¡±


    I¡¯d heard, alright. I held up my hand. ¡°It won¡¯t be like last time,¡± I reassured him. ¡°We have Polaris¡¯s map now. Precious pages, ripped painstakingly from the enemy. We will not fail. We will not be lost.¡±


    ¡°And the stories?¡±


    ¡°Jake, we¡¯re not going to go crazy. We¡¯re not going to get crushed or stabbed or sliced or pieces, or caught in spiky traps or living coffins. We¡¯re not going to be spirited away and twisted, hollowed out and filled with those wretched scales. And we¡¯re certainly not going to find ourselves face-to-face with the dread Patron Antares in there. We have the map. We have our Patron¡¯s instruction. That¡¯s all we need. This time, we¡¯ll be prepared, and we¡¯ll be perfect.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I appreciate that you can say all that completely unfazed. Everyone who went in before you died.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Some of them just came out corrupted.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help your point.¡±


    ¡°Mistakes are failure. So they were failures. And we, by contrast, are perfect.¡± We had to be. There was no other option. To think otherwise would be, well, unthinkable.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they thought they were perfect too, Iris.¡±


    ¡°They were wrong.¡±


    ¡°And you aren¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Um, of course not.¡± I smiled. ¡°We are the best there ever was and the best that ever will be. The brightest flames of the greatest generation. And on top of that, we have our Patron¡¯s direct instruction. Nothing can go wrong. Nothing will go wrong.¡±


    Jake smiled back. ¡°I envy your faith in our Patron, Iris.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± But it wasn¡¯t hard. It wasn¡¯t even to my credit. It was easy as breathing¨Cno, easier than breathing. Polaris. Polaris! My dear and perfect Patron. She¡¯d saved my life, rescued me from certain death, raised me into the brightest star of the Luminare, lavishing me with her tender love and care. I was her daughter in everything but blood, inheritor of the legacy of Lumis herself. Future inheritor of the necklace of light that Jonathan bore. Rightful heir even to the true necklace that had been stolen and awaited us inside the Cradle. Though at first I¡¯d borne this title with uncertainty, each Excaeli skull I¡¯d crushed had hammered its truth into my very bones. Such was what it felt like to truly be blessed by the first and greatest of the Patrons.


    I¡¯d heard the murmurings of those soldiers, their longing for home. For their families. For their parents. Even Alicia had fondness for the people who birthed her. But what had my mother and father ever done for me? Tossed me out like garbage. Dropped me into the frigid waters of the Citadel Lake, left me to drown in the icy depths. But now... now that I was she shining star Polaris made me, they paraded me like I was their treasure. They showered me with gifts upon every return to the Citadel. As if that would make up for never wanting me in the first place.


    But Polaris had always been there for me. And she always would. She was inescapable, light and warmth and life that you couldn¡¯t help but run towards and embrace. ¡°After all Polaris has done for us, Jake, how can we not trust her? How can we not cling to her every word? She¡¯s the only thing that makes sense in this horrible world.¡±


    ¡°Without her, we¡¯d certainly be lost,¡± he murmured, pulling his kettle out of the flames and refilling his cup. ¡°We live in confusing times.¡±


    ¡°Not for much longer,¡± I reminded him. And myself, I suppose.


    ¡°Not for much longer,¡± he echoed, and our eyes were drawn once again to the Cradle. It was really that simple. Go into the Cradle, to its deepest part, and find the source of the Corruption. Unseal the seals. Wrest away the original perversion of Polaris¡¯s gift, and purify the world of the metal facade that clung to it so tightly. Even now, in its dim state, the Cradle had a certain gravity to it, as if the dark embers were calling me to it. I needed to go inside. I had to. More than just for the mission.


    It was my destiny.


    ¡°Morning!¡± Alicia called, breaking me out of my trance. My partner yawned as she clambered up the slope to sit between us, leaning forward to inhale the steam rising from the kettle. ¡°May I have some?¡±


    Jake nodded, pouring her a cup which she immediately pressed to her lips, burning them.


    ¡°Ow!¡± she cried. ¡°It¡¯s hot!¡±


    Jake just raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the fire, before taking a sip of his own.


    ¡°No fair. I¡¯m not fireproof,¡± she said, blowing on the cup while keeping it suspended in the air in front of her. As she waited for it to cool, the marbles of her Complement detached from her wrist one by one, tracing circles in the air. Once the drink had cooled sufficiently, her Complement snapped back together, the bracelet sliding back onto her wrist. Alicia downed the whole cup in a single gulp, setting it down at her feet. ¡°Man, this really brings me back,¡± she said.


    Jake smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been using his blend ever since our academy days. Drinking it reminds me of those winter survival hikes. You two, and me, and Emily. You remember?¡±


    ¡°Emily!¡± said Alicia. ¡°That¡¯s right. Did they get here alright?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been held up around Palatia Falls,¡± I explained. ¡°There was a storm.¡±


    ¡°The crossing wasn¡¯t properly frozen,¡± said Jake. ¡°The ice got all torn up. It¡¯s too dangerous to cross. They¡¯ll be walking upriver until they can find a place where the ice is flat.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine, Jake,¡± She gave him a few pats on the back before resting her hand on his shoulder.


    Jake placed his hand on hers. ¡°Thanks.¡± Then he brushed her hand away. ¡®But I¡¯m not worried. We¡¯ve been paired for eight years. If there¡¯s anyone I know can handle the situation, it¡¯s her. If there¡¯s anyone who¡¯s worried, it¡¯s actually Emily.¡±


    ¡°Emily? Worried?¡± I asked. It was hard to imagine Emily of all people expressing even the slightest bit of concern. She was the model Luminare, after all. I¡¯d never seen her with as much as a hair out of place. She never failed to do a full and proper salute to our instructors. In battle, she¡¯d never move an inch more than was absolutely necessary, her Complement¡¯s fifteen needles weaving with expert precision¨Cprecision that was scarcely needed against the brutish, rusted puppets of the Corruption.


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Jake. ¡°But don¡¯t tell her I said that. She worries sometimes that you¡¯ll think she worries too much.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad she shares that with you, at least,¡± said Alicia.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m glad for that. Even if it¡¯s only because she¡¯d rather not talk things out with her instructor.¡± We all chuckled, because what else could we do? For all her other strengths, Instructor Irene had never been much for words.


    ¡°You know what it¡¯s like, though,¡± he continued. ¡°Once you¡¯re paired, you just get each other so much better. It¡¯s so nice to have someone who¡¯s perfectly open with you. Someone you know inside and out and can share everything with. No secrets.¡±


    Alicia and I shared a look. ¡°No secrets.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That reminds me. Last night, we snuck out of camp for a little while.¡± Alicia brushed aside her bangs to reveal the mark of Polaris, already slightly faded, but still clearly burned against her skin. ¡°To have some quality time together. For our fourth anniversary.¡±


    ¡°Four years. Wow.¡± He smiled. ¡°Good on you both.¡±


    ¡°She got lost in the snow,¡± I said.


    ¡°I did not! That was intentional!¡±


    ¡°So you finally admit it.¡± I crossed my arms over my chest in mock disappointment.


    ¡°You never believed me anyways,¡± she said. ¡°I carefully orchestrated this marvellous plan to bring Iris out, since she¡¯d forgotten.¡±


    ¡°I did not!¡±


    ¡°Sure you didn¡¯t.¡± She laughed. ¡°So by carefully sneaking out before her and making my way to a pretty little clearing out there, I convinced her to leave the tent.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Yes. To leave our warm, cozy tent, because otherwise someone would freeze to death with no coat.¡±


    ¡°Details, details,¡± said Alicia, taking another sip of coffee. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have agreed to sneak out otherwise.¡±


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t have. Because sneaking out like that would¡¯ve gotten us in trouble with our instructors. It¡¯s a good thing that didn¡¯t happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Look, Iris, you have to admit it was worth it, in the end. Some quiet time. A lovely view. Sweets to share, under the moonlight.¡±


    ¡°An Excaeli or two.¡±


    Alicia winced. ¡°Right. That too. That reminds me, I still have that... thing we got.¡± She pulled that strange metal piece out of her pocket, releasing it into the air and rotating it slowly on its axis with her telekinetic powers.


    Jake¡¯s eyes narrowed at the symbol of Antares engraved into its surface. ¡°You got this... from the Excaeli? You know, this looks an awful lot like¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, we know what the mark of Antares looks like, Jake,¡± I interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s just some trinket. A mark she puts on the puppets she conjures with those scales. Nothing more.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± He snatched the sphere out of the air, scrutinizing every scratch and indent on its metallic surface. ¡°You know, in the old stories, they all looked like this. Keys.¡±


    ¡°Keys?¡±


    ¡°Keys to the Cradle,¡± he said. ¡°You know, to go inside. Dropped by some mysterious creature, to poor souls lost in the woods. Little things that entice you to get just a little too close to the thing. It¡¯s not just the necklace lying inside, after all. It¡¯s a store of those scales, it¡¯s a resting place for Antares. And a resting place for the princess of the Corruption. So of course there are... keys. Many keys. They appear to any would-be heroes, would-be treasure hunters, each and every one ground up and spat out a husk of their former self, or never returning at¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Jake,¡± said Alicia. ¡°The thought crossed my mind as well, but Instructor Jonathan told us that this is just a decoration. A trinket. Nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Sure it is.¡± He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Want me to prove it?¡± said Alicia. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± She stuffed the object into her pocket, hopped down the ridge and stepped towards the Cradle.


    ¡°Alicia!¡± I grabbed Jake¡¯s hand and we scrambled down the slope behind her.


    She walked slowly, fumbling in her pocket before pulling the piece out and holding it out in front of the Cradle. The Cradle didn¡¯t change. The ribbons of light continued to flow over its surface. She looked back to us and shouted. ¡°See? I told you. It¡¯s nothing to worry about. It¡¯s not as if Instructor Jonathan would lie to us.¡±


    Jake and I reached the bottom and rushed to her side. ¡°Alicia.¡± I pulled her close. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Even if it¡¯s safe, it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I scared you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you scared us!¡± said Jake, taking the trinket from her and turning it over in his hands. ¡°Thankfully it¡¯s not genuine. It¡¯s odd, though, isn¡¯t it? It certainly looks like it¡¯s the real deal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± said Alicia, snatching it back. ¡°And even if it were the real thing, what could have possibly happened, hm? Ooh, I¡¯m so scared,¡± she said, walking closer to the Cradle. ¡°The Key is... it¡¯s puling itself towards the cradle.¡± she laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t let go of it!¡±


    ¡°Stop it,¡± said Jake. ¡°This is serious.¡±


    ¡°Oh knock it off, Jake. It¡¯s just a meaningless trinket. Nothing more.¡±


    Suddenly, the Cradle pulsed excitedly, light glowing brighter on its surface. It unfolded in pieces, metal panels and coils shifting and rippling out of place to reveal a dark, consuming entrance, just tall enough to walk through.


    ¡°Nothing more?¡± said Jake.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± she said, taking a few steps back. ¡°Seems I was...I was wrong.¡± She chuckled nervously.


    Of course, we knew we were supposed to leave and go tell our instructors immediately if anything like this happened. But I couldn¡¯t help but take a peek into the open entrance. I raised a hand and shone my light inside, but the darkness within hungrily extinguished it. The ground sloped steeply down below, disappearing into the shadows. I got the feeling that it descended far, far deeper than we could see.


    ¡°Can we please take a step back from the black void?¡± asked Jake. ¡°You¡¯re a little too close for my comfort, Iris.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just looking.¡± I backed out.


    A click. ¡°It¡¯s moving,¡± Alicia said, ¡°Iris? Jake? Help me. It¡¯s moving on its own.¡± The metal piece rattled in Alicia¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Nice try,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke like that,¡± said Jake. ¡°You almost¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking¡± Her eyes were glowing silver now, the smug expression wiped away completely. Alicia was afraid. The trinket continued to shake in her hand. She steadied one arm with the other, straining to keep it in place. But it seemed to have a mind of its own, attracted by some strange force down into the deep darkness. She took one step towards the open void, boots tapping against the smooth surface lying just beyond the threshold. Her whole body turned, twisting away, pulling against the invisible force drawing the piece into the inky depths. ¡°Get Instructor Saul. Now.¡±


    ¡°Just let go of it!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not... it¡¯s not letting me.¡± She seemed to be struggling with her hands. Were those claws reaching out from it? Segmented legs gripped her skin as tiny metallic chains started to snake their way around her hand and arm.


    Jake pushed past me to shove her away. But the edge of the entrance was slippery. He lost his footing on the ice and tumbled back, reaching out for anything. But the only thing he could reach was her hand. Together, the two of them tumbled down and vanished into the darkness.


    ¡°Help!¡± I shouted. At this point, the commotion was rousing the attention of the soldiers. Their footsteps crunched in the snow, but stopped a safe distance away as they noticed the yawning entrance of the Cradle. Clearly, none of them had been expecting anything like this. Foolish people! Did they think the power of the Patrons was a thing of the past?


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I called through my mind.


    ¡°Yes. I think,¡± she replied. Her voice was still clear as day, though I couldn¡¯t even see her in the darkness below.


    ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°I... I can¡¯t explain it,¡± she said. ¡°I see, Iris¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A gravelly voice cut through the commotion. The soldiers settled into line. This was the one called Benjamin. Probably. Okay, they all looked the same to me. But the look of scorn on his face seemed awfully familiar. He marched right up to the opening, peering down into the darkness. ¡°Light!¡± he barked. One of the soldiers tentatively stepped closer, apparently singled out by his comrades and left to tiptoe towards his superior.


    ¡°They fell inside,¡± I explained. ¡°Now go, fetch Jonathan and Instructor Saul. And step back. You have no idea what you¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ¡°I know enough.¡± He turned toward the soldier. ¡°Light! What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± he snapped.


    The soldier spoke up with a shaky voice. ¡°Sir, with all due respect, the entity has changed. It seems to be animate. And she says¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who is in charge here?¡± said Benjamin. ¡°Come here and give me a light.¡±


    The soldier nodded and shuffled up to the entrance, gingerly reaching his hand inside, as if it could snap shut at any moment. The light that shone from his hand was uneven. Poorly trained. Typical. Pathetic. Was this what passed as proper training and control outside the order these days?


    But as low as my expectations were, the meagre light should¡¯ve still penetrated much further than it did. It was clear as day to me what was happening. The darkness was swallowing it up.


    I¡¯d had enough of this foolishness. Benjamin was already peering inside, taking a step straight past the threshold to test his footing on the smooth floor inside. I had to appreciate his bravery, even if it was only due to ignorance. But I also had to stop him before he made everything even worse, and it seemed like none of these good-for-nothing soldiers were going to do anything. I ran across the camp to our instructors¡¯ tent and barged inside, hurrying to their bedside and shaking my instructor awake. ¡°Jonathan! Wake up!¡±


    My instructor rubbed his eyes and yawned. ¡°What is it, Iris?¡±


    ¡°Jake. Alicia. I... they... the Cradle. They went inside and¡ª¡±


    At the mention of the Cradle, his eyes widened, glowing that cool, bright gold that they always did. He gave Uncle Saul a nudge as he got out of bed, throwing on his uniform and hurrying outside. My uncle followed suit.


    ¡°Iris?¡± Alicia¡¯s voice came to me again.


    ¡°Alicia. Is everything alright? Jonathan and Saul are coming. They¡¯re going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Iris, you¡¯re there, right? Up there?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s all I needed to know.¡± Thank you? Puzzled, I hurried out behind our instructors. The crowd of soldiers parted for us. I overheard snippets of conversation, murmurs about the Cradle, and madness, and all the stories of the wretched things that laid within. Benjamin was still standing at the threshold, thankfully showing at least a bit of apprehension at the prospect of descending down into the pitch blackness that stood before him.


    ¡°Stand back!¡± Jonathan shouted. His voice cut through the commotion and silenced everyone. He turned to me. ¡°Alicia and Jake are in there?¡± I nodded. He shook his head, muttering something to himself. ¡°Stay here.¡± My instructor gently pushed Benjamin aside before diving into the darkness. Everyone simply stood, waiting at the entrance. Waiting to see who or what would come out.


    Uncle Saul approached me. ¡°Are they going to be alright?¡± I asked.


    He gave me a pained expression. ¡°They weren¡¯t meant to go inside. The Cradle is dangerous. It was only meant to be you and Emily. They must not falter in there. Not even for one second. Or else...¡± He didn¡¯t need to finish the sentence. I already understood perfectly. Would they be alright? If they were anything but perfect, if they showed any doubt, any crack, any weakness that Antares could exploit¡ªah, but that wouldn¡¯t happen, would it.


    ¡°Alicia?¡± I called.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Her voice trembled. She seemed startled.


    ¡°Keep calm.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Iris,¡± she reassured me. ¡°What else do you expect? I¡¯m going to be perfect. Perfection is the only acceptable option. Just¡ª Ah!¡±


    ¡°Alicia? Alicia?¡±


    It seemed like an eternity before she answered again. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s just a little¡ª¡±


    ¡°Iris. Are you listening?¡± My uncle¡¯s voice interrupted our conversation. ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Jonathan told us that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Instructor Jonathan told you that..?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t time for¡ªwhatever. Instructor Jonathan told us that... well, we found a trinket yesterday, and he said it was nothing, but it wasn¡¯t. It was a key to the Cradle. And when I showed it to Jake, he brought the key close, and the Cradle opened, and pulled them in, and Alicia slipped and fell and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll need to see this trinket for myself. And perhaps give my partner a stern talking to,¡± he said. ¡°Thank Polaris that you went and got us when you did. I¡¯m glad your safe. But you should have come and gotten us right away, instead of letting things escalate. Especially once it opened. What were you thinking? You were just going to play around the entrance?¡±


    ¡°Not now, Uncle Saul¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± My instructor¡¯s voice cut through all the commotion. Everyone was silent. He emerged from the shadows, drawing all eyes to him. Alicia and Jake were leaning on his shoulders, heads hanging low. My partner lifted her face, eyes locking with mine. They were bloodshot and swollen, as if she¡¯d been crying. Jake barely moved at all.


    ¡°Alicia¡ª¡± I rushed to her side.


    ¡°Not now, Iris.¡±


    ¡°Alicia, don¡¯t worry. Just tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Later. I¡¯ll explain. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    As they shuffled forward, my eyes were drawn once again to the open void of the Cradle, its empty, yawning mouth beckoning me closer. The call in my head was growing louder and louder. I needed to go in there. I had to. I watched as the Cradle folded back, panels sliding into place, golden light glowing, mouth closing up piece by piece until it was impossible to tell that it had ever been open at all. I was starting to dread what lay inside it, thoughts licking at the sides of my mind, whispering¡ªbut I quickly pushed those feelings away. There could be no room for true fear in me. Because I was perfect. I had to be. Otherwise, I might really have something to fear.

 What Remains

    ¡°Can I come in now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Alicia sat curled up on the bed, notepad resting on her legs. In her right hand, she held one of her pencils, with the two others floating beside her, all three gliding in elegant harmony as they danced across the page. She turned the page one more time; I noticed her finger was bandaged where the key¡¯s claws had gripped and bruised it. She turned to stare at me with her silver eyes: silver eyes that were still just a little swollen, and a little red from crying. Still, she looked far better than she¡¯d been just an hour ago.


    On the other end of the bed sat Jake, also curled up, his legs held tight against his chest with his arms wrapped tight around them. His eyes, too, were red, glowing faintly gold. His brow furrowed as his gaze seemed to fixate on me, scanning up and down my body with a scrutiny that I¡¯d never seen him show before.


    Both just seemed to stare at me. I stood in silence for several moments before clearing my voice and speaking up. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡±


    Jake shook his head silently. Alicia set aside her notepad, pencils clattering down on top of it. She stood up and walked to me, slowly. She stared at me with the same gaze that Jake had, eyes running up and down my body, over and over and over again. Finally, she spoke, though it was only in a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± She crushed me in her embrace. ¡°It¡¯s really you.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Of course it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that...¡± She frowned, eyes darting over to Jake for just a moment, so quick as to be imperceptible to anyone else. Anyone other than me, of course. ¡°Oh wait. I¡¯m not supposed to tell you. Instructor Saul told me that we shouldn¡¯t say a word about what we saw in there.¡±


    ¡°Alicia¡ª¡± I started.


    ¡°Well, a tiny bit can¡¯t hurt,¡± she winked, smiling for just a second before her face returned to its gentle frown. ¡°There are scary things in there, Iris. Illusions, yes, but so much more real than just illusions. Illusions you can touch and hold.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, very real,¡± muttered Jake. ¡°Too real.¡±


    Alicia let go of me and hurried to his side, hugging him tightly as well, patting him on the back. ¡°There, there. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°It felt like so long,¡± he said. ¡°I know that it was only a few moments, but it felt like...¡±


    Alicia nodded. ¡°Yeah. Being back out here is like waking up suddenly in the middle of a dream. It¡¯s disorienting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It makes you want to go back to sleep,¡± he said.


    ¡°Jake!¡± Alicia scolded.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He closed his eyes and shook his head rapidly to clear his thoughts. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not feeling quite like myself anymore. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Anyways,¡± my partner continued, ¡°Instructor Saul told us to put as much as we can to paper while it¡¯s still fresh in our minds. So that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re just about done with my part, right?¡± added Jake. ¡°So I¡¯ll leave you two alone for a bit. Elizabeth probably wants to check in on me for today¡¯s lessons, anyways.¡± He shuffled off the bed and hurried awkwardly out of the tent.


    As soon as he left, Alicia grabbed the notebook and pressed it into my hands, pretending to cover her eyes.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Uncle Saul say¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know we¡¯re not supposed to tell you anything,¡± she said, ¡°But you have to read this.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡°


    ¡°You have to,¡± she insisted. ¡°It¡¯s important, okay? Just trust me.¡±


    I nodded, taking the notebook but setting it aside for now. Instead, I held her hands and took a step back, looking at her from head to toe the way she¡¯d looked at me. ¡°I¡¯ll take it. But right now I just want to make sure you¡¯re okay.¡± Her hands were still warm, like freshly baked bread. That was something, at least. ¡°How do you feel?"


    She brushed me away. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Iris. Just look at the pictures.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me. If you¡¯re going to show me anyways, why can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and listen to me!¡± Alicia put her hands on my shoulders and shook me violently. She stared into my eyes with her own, silver eyes glowing dull and faded. My hair stood on end. Or perhaps she was lifting it with her telekinetic powers. ¡°Sorry. Just look at the pictures. Because the words won¡¯t come out of my mouth, Iris. I can¡¯t¡ª¡± She bit her lip, as if her tongue was tied in a knot. ¡°I can¡¯t arrange the words in my mind. I can¡¯t express myself with them. Not well enough. Just look, okay?¡± She snatched the notebook off the bed again and shoved it into my hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡±


    ¡°And important. If only you knew. Iris. It¡¯s even worse than I thought. I¡¯ve drawn so many things this morning, and yet there¡¯s an endless ocean still bottled up inside. Countless more visions to put to the page. I can¡¯t get them out of my head, Iris. The pictures. The sounds, the sensations, the feelings... everything in there just sticks. Get their claws in me. I¡¯m thinking things I probably shouldn¡¯t. Things I definitely shouldn¡¯t. All I can do is try to get them out.¡±


    ¡°Alicia, it¡¯s fine,¡± I reassured her, taking the notebook out of her hands and holding it against my chest. ¡°Everything will be okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doubting, Iris. I feel like I need to hold on to something. I feel like I¡¯m slipping or worse. I feat that I¡¯ll lose faith in Polaris. Lose faith in everything she¡¯s done for us. That I¡¯ll be lost.¡±


    I squeezed her hand. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be lost, Alicia. I¡¯ll make sure of that. Hold on to me. Remember where we are. Remember that I¡¯m with you.¡±


    She smiled and pulled me back into a hug. ¡°Thanks, Iris. That¡¯s the confident, dependable partner that I love. Even if you are a little melodramatic.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be lost, Alicia,¡± she mimicked, holding back laughter. ¡°You thought that was so cool, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We were having a moment!¡±


    She laughed again, but her smile faded as her eyes landed again on the notebook, which she scooped up and slid carefully into my bag. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ***


    Uncle Saul¡¯s tools and instruments were scattered in the air around him, each metal hook and wooden handle polished to a shine. One by one, they flew toward the key that he had suspended in the air before him, prodding and tugging at the material. Engrossed in his work, he didn¡¯t even acknowledge that I¡¯d entered the tent until I called him.


    ¡°What do we have here, uncle?¡± I asked.


    The tools clattered to the floor, though the metal sphere of the key remained suspended in the air, its mechanical legs whirring in the air, seeking something to grab onto. My uncle turned his head just long enough to see who I was before returning to his work. ¡°It¡¯s a key alright,¡± he said. ¡°Jake was right about that. The trouble is, how did it get here? Did it walk? These things don¡¯t come from nowhere.¡±


    He tossed an object my way.


    ¡°This is the key you were going to use?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yep. A little more... fitting, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    It was larger, a hefty sphere fitting comfortably in the palm of my hand. While the trinket we¡¯d found last night was brassy, this was polished chrome, not a single dent nor scratch in its surface. Instead of the symbol of Antares cut roughly into it, here the symbol was clean, nearly machined into the surface, the mark highlighted in gold that shone somehow even brighter against the silvery backing. Looking from one to the other, the tiny piece that had opened up the Cradle this morning looked like a piece of junk. ¡°Does it make a difference what it looks like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... not sure exactly what makes it work,¡± Uncle Saul admitted. ¡°I¡¯d been studying the piece that our Patron had given us but this thing is a lot less straightforward. Knowing what it is, though, perhaps I¡¯ll try some more invasive techniques.¡± He smiled, plucking it from my left hand and lifting a few wicked-looking tools from the floor. ¡°That is, if I can get it to stay still. Anyways, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jonathan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s Instructor Jonathan gone off to?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s out looking for the skeleton of the Excaeli that you two purified last night.¡± After seeing my puzzled expression, he explained. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it a bit odd that some random Excaeli wandering the forest at night had one of these on it?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± And wasn¡¯t it odd that Jonathan had said this key was a harmless trinket, too? But I held my tongue.


    ¡°Is it time for your lessons?¡± he asked.


    I nodded, handing him back the large key. He took it with one hand and tossed it into the air. Rather than falling, he caught it with his telekinetic powers, leaving it suspended in place as he returned to focusing on the other key. ¡°His footsteps should still be fresh.¡±


    I thanked him for the advice as I hurried out back into the snow.


    ***


    The snow was soft and powdery. Our footsteps from last night had been somewhat filled by the wind that endlessly whistled through the trees. Still, my instructor¡¯s trail was indeed easy to follow; his deep footsteps retraced Alicia¡¯s and mine deep into the Corruption.


    In the daytime, the forest seemed much less threatening. The blanket of snow had dusted everything in a thin layer that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Under such conditions, the thorns and barbs and blades on all the foliage seemed no more than harmless decorations. The scales that doubtless still skittered beneath the snow were out of sight, if not quite out of mind, though occasionally one or two would glimmer from a tree trunk or skid over the surface of the snow. Little messengers of Antares spying on us, although it wasn¡¯t like burning them would do any good. For every one that was visible, thousands more scurried beneath the ground, and in the trees, and even suspended in the air. Only Polaris¡¯s light could purge the Corruption that they spread.


    My instructor was kneeling in front of the charred skeleton of the Excaeli from last night, carefully examining the bones scattered in the snow, humming a melody to himself without a care in the world. As I approached, he tossed one bone far off to the side.


    I ran the last few steps toward him. ¡°Jonathan! We¡¯re supposed to be training now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± He barely looked up from the bones. Up close, the blackened pieces scarcely looked like the puppet they¡¯d been a part of. I suppose that made sense. It was the scales that held the bones together and gave them their uncanny likeness. Without those, the bones seemed hardly more than blackened sticks, devoid of form and divorced from their sinister purposes.


    ¡°Is that so? Do you have nothing better to say? Jonathan! You¡¯re my instructor! You can¡¯t just¡ª¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Slow down, Iris. You can loosen up a bit.¡±


    ¡°Loosen up? What, am I just too serious? Is that a thing that you can be, now? First Alicia, and now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alicia? Alicia said that you¡¯re too serious?¡± My instructor turned his head to face me.


    ¡°She said to loosen up. And now you¡¯ve said it too. Jonathan, I don¡¯t wanna be the sort of person who takes everything too seriously. Like, am I crazy? Alicia¡¯s the one who¡¯s too carefree around the Corruption. Sure, we¡¯ve never lost, never failed, never had so much as a scratch, but it¡¯s.... it¡¯s the Corruption. It¡¯s the place of Antares herself, twisted Patron doing everything she can to warp us into her image. We must be perfect. Doesn¡¯t that mean keeping our guard up at all times?¡±


    He stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not crazy, Iris. We¡¯re all concerned about the Corruption. But have a little faith in yourself. Alicia does. Maybe all she wants is for you to see that too.¡±


    ¡°I... I guess.¡±


    ¡°And for the record, I agree with her. You¡¯re going to be fine. It¡¯s not healthy to be anxious like that. Remember, you¡¯re my dear student. The best and brightest student I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Jonathan, please. I¡¯m the only student you¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make it wrong.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Is there a reason, then, that you told us that that... thing was just a harmless trinket last night? Figured your best and brightest student would figure it out on her own?¡±


    He paused. ¡°It was an accident.¡±


    An accident? My instructor was an even worse liar than Alicia. ¡°How could you, of all people, make a mistake like that? You expect me to believe you?¡±


    ¡°There are things that I don¡¯t know, Iris. I know that¡¯s hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°You know what? That¡¯s not actually that hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°Then believe it.¡± He tapped me on the forehead. Though he looked me straight in the eye as he did it, there was still a sense of fogginess in his expression, a dullness behind the fire in his glowing golden eyes. It was just enough to make me wonder if he was hiding something. Then again, he held that expression so often it was hard to say if it meant anything at all. ¡°But right, yes. The lesson. Lesson, lesson, lesson. Um... How¡¯s your lightning going?¡± Cutting right to the chase, wasn¡¯t he? Even put on the spot like this, my instructor knew exactly where I¡¯d been slacking off.


    ¡°It¡¯s, well¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. Show me.¡±


    I shot my instructor a look. He smiled back and nodded, eyes glowing softly as he flourished his hands, letting little trails of white electricity fly between his fingertips. He closed his hands, letting the sparks die and crossing his arms over his chest expectantly.


    I held out my hands in the same position, fingers spread, palms facing each other. I closed my eyes, feeling out the sparks of energy coursing through my veins. All that was left was to tap into them. A few faint sparks flew between my hand before fizzling out. Pathetic. Come on, Iris. You could do better than that.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been practising, have you?¡±


    I smiled, embarrassed. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve been meaning to, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve been distracted by Alicia¡¯s presence here these past few days.¡±


    ¡°Well we¡¯ve been apart for so long. I just want to spend as much time with her as I can, Jonathan. You understand, don¡¯t you?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°I understand. I¡¯m proud of how far you¡¯ve gone as it is. You¡¯re progress these past few months has been absolutely stellar. You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What? But you¡¯re... I¡¯m barely able to make these tiny sparks, while you¡¯re flinging lightning like it¡¯s nothing. And you¡¯ve been training me for years now. Years! I should be better. I need to be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Iris. Just because you¡¯re¡ªbecause you¡¯re going to take my place doesn¡¯t mean you have to be exactly the same as me. I started out just like you. And right now, as you see me, I have a little bit of extra help.¡± He pressed a hand against his neck, the necklace glowing at his touch, ornate patterns engraved into his skin that marked him as the Daughter of Polaris. The same necklace that would mark me someday. ¡°Before I inherited this gift, I was... well, Saul and I were sort of troublemakers, just like you and Alicia are sometimes. Honestly, we were probably worse. And I wasn¡¯t flinging lighting back then, let me tell you that.¡±


    ¡°But even then, you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not special, Iris. I¡¯m just the inheritor of something that is. But you are special.¡± His warm hands were on my wrists and fingers, adjusting and correcting the mistakes in my form. I concentrated again, and a thin line of electricity flew between my index fingers, the beam wavering in the winter wind but holding steady nonetheless.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, Jonathan. You don¡¯t need to tell me that I¡¯m special just to make me feel better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth. Polaris really, really cares about you, even more than all the other Luminare. She cares about you more than each and every one of us. She picked each of us, chose to snatch us from the jaws of death to serve her higher calling. But even among her handpicked, she chose you. And even though I, or Saul, or ¡®Liz or even Irene couldn¡¯t see anything in you, she told us all that you would be the next to bear this mantle. To be her daughter. And to be my student. She changed the rules just for you. And, looking back on it, she chose right.¡±


    ¡°But there are so many Luminare. And I can¡¯t compare to you. I can¡¯t compare to Uncle Saul. To Instructor Elizabeth or Irene. You¡¯re all so much... have done so much...¡± The sparks between my hands fizzled out again. So much more than I¡¯ve ever done to prove my worth, I wanted to say.


    ¡°We¡¯re older, Iris. Each generation shines brighter than the last. It was true for us. And I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be true of you as well. Polaris does not make mistakes. Our Patron does not choose wrong.¡± He re-adjusted my wrists. ¡°Try again.¡±


    I closed my eyes and concentrated, letting the gentle coils of energy coalesce around my fingertips. A few more arcs formed to connect them. ¡°I know, I know,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll live up to you. To what¡¯s expected of me.¡± I had to.


    He put his hand on my shoulder and steadied me. I hadn¡¯t even realized I¡¯d been shaking. ¡°Let me tell you a story,¡± he said. I let his words wash over me, my concentration still fixated on the brilliant energy flowing between my hands. ¡°It was during the last wave of purification. The Corruption had spread even further, tendrils of metal snaking across our land, encroaching even on the fringes of the Citadel of Lumis. It was early in the autumn; the crops were being rushed to harvest, the great combine harvesters thundering across the fields to bring in every last husk, lest they succumb to the spreading blight and be lost to us. Novatica¡¯s army routed before the unending tide of Excaeli, the Luminare were called in as the final line of defence.¡±


    Though my eyes were still glued to the gossamer beam of energy flowing from finger to finger, my mind¡¯s eye was racing. I saw the Citadel, its gleaming spires dwarfed by the great lighthouse rising some three hundred metres into the sky above the endless plains, light shining as a beacon even as the darkness clawed at its borders. I felt the rumble of the harvesters, towering hunks of metal, mechanisms pushed by ten or twenty, leaving only tremors and trampled earth in their wake. I smelled the wet autumn air, the mud, the fresh rain and fallen leaves. I¡¯d been there, after all, just two years ago. Spent the end of the year walking those same fields, scouring each hedgerow in the shadow of the Citadel lighthouse, burning each and every trace of Corruption that sought a fresh foothold in those lands.


    ¡°I was your age, back then. Maybe a bit older. The blessing of Lumis had not yet been granted to me, I was just one of many Luminare who answered our Patron¡¯s call. Polaris herself was busy, tending to important business in the old country. But we knew she was returning. We knew we didn¡¯t have to stop the Excaeli. We just had to slow them down. My instructor at the time was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Magdalene.¡°


    Jonathan nodded. ¡°Magdalene. She was... well, she¡¯s been somewhat overshadowed in the time since, hasn¡¯t she? The statues and plaques may have faded a bit already, but let me tell you, to me, she was everything I am to you and more. She had no partner left, but even so, alone, she was stronger than any pair among us. While many of us, especially the younger ones, were apprehensive at the task that faced us, just the fact that she was there, that Magdalene was standing among us... well, it sure helped a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. You talk about her a lot.¡±


    Jonathan chuckled. ¡°Then please remember to talk about me all the time, too. Now, where was I? Right. Magdalene was never much for making lightning. Nothing like that. But alone she stood and did more than ten, singlehandedly holding our position even as the other groups faltered one by one and broke, running for the Citadel. As each one left formation, she did not even turn her head. They had not been perfect, and in their failure had scorned our Patron. But she would be perfect. I knew she would. We were standing right behind her, watching her shine. Her eyes. Her eyes! The most brilliant gold, like staring into the sun as she turned the tide aside with her light and flames. We were holding the line. Even until Antares came.¡±


    Antares. Of course. It always was her, of course. Sometimes disguised in almost human trappings, the lady in pale dress, the scales of her skin just barely glimmering up close. In those moments, she could look nearly human. Or so they said. But at other times, the dread queen was far more fearsome.


    ¡°She stood in full battle dress, a titan on the field, wreathed in thorns, gleaming bronze. Before her, everyone scattered. How could we not? But Magdalene stood firm. She stood up against the dread queen all on her own. Perhaps for revenge for her partner. Perhaps for some other reason. She glowed brighter than I¡¯d ever seen, shining like Polaris herself, the necklace of Lumis glowing around her neck as she stood to face the Patron of Corruption.¡±


    ¡°And then what?¡±


    ¡°And then she died.¡±


    For the briefest moment, lightning flashed between my fingers, white-hot and blinding. Then, as quickly as it had come, it went dark, leaving only the fuzzy echoes of its arcs tingling at my fingertips.


    ¡°One hit. That was it. One little touch of Antare¡¯s blade and she fell to her knees, and the Excaeli all around surged in and tore her to pieces. I knew she was dead, though I couldn¡¯t see a shred of her blue uniform in all the sea of scales that surged. I knew, for the blessing of Lumis¡ª the mantle of Polaris¡¯s daughter¡ªhad burned itself into my neck. I was upset, to put it mildly. I lashed out. That was the first time that I made lightning. Was pretty spectacular, Saul would say, I¡¯m sure. But for me, it didn¡¯t feel any different at all. I was so consumed with rage and sorrow for my Instructor that I could not see the joy or spectacle. Only rage.¡±


    ¡°What happened next?¡±


    ¡°My lightning raged.¡± Jonathan gently tapped the backs of my hands and electricity flared back to life between my fingers. ¡°And the thunder followed. Everything went silent. Or maybe my hearing had been blown out by the noise, I¡¯m not sure. But the Excaeli were scattered. Even Antares was taken aback. She simply stared at me for a bit before continuing her approach. I... I distracted her. Nothing more. We stalled.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°Saul, of course. At my side, with his Complement protecting me, and, well, even that only for a few moments. Lightning flashed. Her blade met steel time and time again. We held her off just long enough for Polaris to return, brilliant and bright, and overwhelming. With her, order was restored. The land was purified by her fire. The dread queen Antares was banished. She ran. The land was saved.¡±


    His voice rang bittersweet, and I knew why. That land had already been lost again. By last spring it had been all too late. Now, the Citadel¡¯s doors were locked shut, the lush fields overrun. Thickets of sharp-edged razorgrass and thorny stems of silverleaf poking through the earth, their roots deep-set and unyielding. And we¡¯d had no time to linger there, no task to save them, to burn away the blight that festered in the earth. Only a moment to pause, to speak with the residents caged up in their tower before moving on to more pressing matters. ¡°Was it all for nothing?¡± I finally asked. ¡°The plains are already lost again.¡±


    ¡°Iris, light is a virtue in and of itself. Even if the end result is the same, there is beauty and glory in our righteousness, in our struggle for our Patron¡¯s cause. As our enemy grows stronger and stronger, as our world grows darker, so our light grows brighter. Polaris shines more brilliant than ever. These are the end times. The twilight of the world. And we stand before... an ending.¡± He gently turned my head to face the Cradle again. ¡°The Corruption may be at its greatest extent, Novatica¡¯s forces as fractured and aimless as ever, but from the darkest darkness shines the brightest light. And ours is not the burden of vanquishing the dread queen Antares ourselves. Even the brightest mortals can only slow her down. Ours is only the duty to do what we can, to persevere until Polaris comes and brings salvation for us all. To do whatever it takes to win back what was taken, to win the little battle that turns the tide in this endless war.¡± Jonathan looked to me and sighed. ¡°Iris. I don¡¯t know when, but the day will come when you will be the great one. Where I am remembered merely as another fading Luminare, while you¡¯ll be the star.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being silly.¡±


    ¡°Believe it, Iris. In this present darkness, you¡¯ll shine brighter than me or Saul, or anyone else. Once you¡¯ve inherited your birthright as Polaris¡¯s child, I¡¯m so excited for what you¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°But you won¡¯t be around to see that,¡± I said, looking down.


    ¡°I can still be excited for you,¡± he said. ¡°I know that it¡¯s a scary prospect. A huge responsibility. But it will happen. And you won¡¯t have to bear it alone. You¡¯ll have the strongest Patron at your back. Are you prepared for that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m past my prime, Iris. I¡¯m not so young anymore. I¡¯m sure the time will come when I must pass on this mantle to you. And it might be sooner than you expect.¡±


    Something felt off. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re going to die? Has Polaris told you¡ª¡±


    He raised both hands. ¡°Slow down, Iris. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going anywhere just yet. But I¡¯m going to ask you again. Are you prepared to take this?¡± He pressed a finger hand against his neck, letting Lumis¡¯s necklace glow again, filigree patterns of gold traced into his skin. Then he pressed that same finger to my neck. An echo of those same patterns shone ever-so-faintly against me. It felt warm and sweet, like one of Alicia¡¯s cookies.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do one better. I¡¯ll take that.¡± I pointed to the Cradle. The message was clear. We¡¯d reclaim the necklace that had been stolen deep inside. Not the echo of an echo that I¡¯d inherit from him, but the original one, the pure gift of Polaris to her blood daughter in the times long past. ¡°And you¡¯ll be alive to see it.¡± The uncertainty and fear of the earlier hours evaporated, leaving only the same sharp purpose I¡¯d had in the sky last evening. How easily it had started to slip! But thankfully my teacher had known perfectly well how to bring it back.


    Jonathan laughed, slapping me on the back. ¡°I expected nothing less from you Iris. I know you¡¯ll do me proud.¡±

 Minds Aflame

    It was early in the morning. Through the sliver of our tent¡¯s opening, the Cradle cast it¡¯s orange glow over my surroundings. Alicia was still fast asleep, curled up with a novella held tight against her chest. She must have stayed up late reading. My wandering eyes settled at the foot of our mat, where her notebook peeked out of my bag.


    I reached over and picked it up.


    Curling up under the blanket, I skimmed through the pages. Thankfully, the faint light that shone from my eyes was enough to illuminate the sketches. She had told me to look at them, right? And at first, that was my reason to flip through. But as I continued, some strange desire drew me in, compelling me to scrutinize them more closely and burn each image into my mind¡¯s eye. It was as if they where whispering my name into my ear, and this was the only way to make them shut up. Iris. Iris! They told me to continue. They demanded it. It was the same magnetism that had drawn me to the Cradle. The same source. The same madness.


    I flipped through the old sketches, familiar faces and places each pleasantly drawn in Alicia¡¯s neat linework. One by one, the pages brushed past my fingers. Then, abruptly, the drawings changed.


    At first it was subtle. The normally crisp, thin lines of her penmanship began to waver, oscillating ever so slightly, blurring at first imperceptibly but quickly well beyond what my mind could dismiss as normal. Soon, they were wholly replaced by coarse scribbles, rough shading, and sketchy outlines. A face caught my eye. It was a self-portrait, Alicia¡¯s face captured perfectly on the page, frozen in time. Silver eyes stared back at me from the page, looking through me, past me. The soft curves of her face were drawn taut, her lips pursed; words were just inside her mouth, waiting to be spoken. Her face was not consumed with terror, nor sorrow, but realization. A moment of enlightenment, perhaps? But as much as I wanted to pore over the drawing, understand what exactly made it so unsettling to me, a few words pushed me on. The words were scrawled in the margin of the bottom-left corner of the page, a handful of words in Alicia¡¯s neat pencil handwriting. ¡°Keep reading.¡±


    Heeding her words, I flipped through the following pages carefully. The next few drawings were relatively calm: fantastic landscapes of rusted iron, metallic briers carpeting the ground while thorny trees towered overhead. Entire cities consumed and overrun by the Corruption, their every surface covered with a hideous metal sheen. The Citadel of Lumis, crumbling and collapsing under the weight of every vine and tangle. Even the great Citadel of Polaris, sinking beneath the waves, the greatest city in the world reduced to nothingness by an unchecked evil. They had a dreamlike quality to them, not for lack of realism, but because the very notion of these landscapes was somehow impossible to be real. They simply could not be, and something deep within my psyche knew it.


    Then there was a drawing of us. Of myself, and Alicia, and Jake, and Emily, standing in a line in our uniforms, as we often had in our academy days. Everyone was smiling. I wanted to linger here, to rest in those memories of happier days from long ago. But I needed to continue. Alicia had asked me to, after all.


    The next page was a gross distortion of the previous. Alicia stood like a corpse, her skin marred with patches of shining scales, eyes dull and lifeless. In places, the scales flaked off, revealing bloody, pitted flesh beneath. Instead of holding my hand, her arms were crossed behind her back so that I couldn¡¯t see them.


    I was beside her, my eyes glowing as if my head were hollowed out, and a fire lit inside. Inscribed on my neck was a collar of light. My right hand was on Alicia¡¯s shoulder, and the other was on Jake¡¯s. Where my fingers touched their uniforms, smoke rose up in black clouds, and fabric burned away to ash. The rest of my body was smouldering, my normally light brown skin black and cracking like charcoal in a fire.


    Jake was looking away from Emily. He held her hand¡ªno, she held his, in an iron grip that crushed his fingers, mangled the bones and sinew and flesh all together. Of the four of us, he seemed the most normal, but still the look in his eyes was plaintive, tears rolling down his cheeks, mouth seemingly open to say something, but covered by Emily¡¯s other hand.


    And Emily, for her part, was looking at her partner like a predator with its prey, her nails sharpened like the needles of her Complement, digging painfully into his skin. Her face, normally so stoic, was scrunched up with tears of blood tracing dark trails down to her chin. Despite her pain, she managed a smile, her perfect white teeth making me uneasy for reasons I couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint.


    I turned the page immediately, but the images were burned into my memory forever. Alicia, just what had Antares shown you in there?


    And the drawings went on and on and on. So many more. How many more? Page after page, I was greeted with nightmarish perversions of ourselves, of our instructors, even of her family, all staring back at me through the pages. There were harrowing creatures, too wicked to call human. There was torture, and death in a thousand ways, and fates worse than death. Each page prodded me forward, demanded that I turn to the next, gave me hope that finally there would be an end to them, only to take that hope, and crush it, and grind into dust.


    And then it ended¡ªbut not as I expected. The last dozen or so pages were torn out of the notebook. Why? Where were they? I glanced around the room, shining a thin beam of light across my surroundings, but found no trace of them. I wanted to shake Alicia awake, to ask her what had been here, why so many pages had been ripped out. But she¡¯d had a hard time getting to sleep last night and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to disturb her. I¡¯d have to ask her later.


    I looked back at the notebook. Despite the pages torn out before it, the last page hadn¡¯t been removed. Though it looked empty at first glance, the sheet was wrinkled and indented. Something was scribbled roughly on the other side.


    So I flipped the page.


    It was a face, scrawled in thick pencil lines. Its lips were cracked and sewn shut, threads criss-crossing from top to bottom to top again. The skin was shiny. Scaled. Tiny, tiny scales, covering every surface, crawling into every crevice. Sprinkled on the cheeks were dark patches of blood beneath black empty sockets where eyes ought to have been. The hair was short and uneven, falling in spiky locks around the face. The scalp was crowned with thorns, twisted brambles and barbed wire piercing the skin to hold them in place. But it wasn¡¯t the face that stuck with me. It was the words written at the bottom of the page, scrawled in jagged letters, jumping off the paper and assaulting all my senses.


    ¡°See you soon, Iris.¡±


    The sound of rustling canvas startled me. But it was only Instructor Elizabeth. ¡°Sorry, am I interrupting?¡± Her violet hair was slightly unkempt from the two days afield, now tied into a rough ponytail that swayed back and forth as she moved. Her amber eyes glowed with a cold light that still shone brightly in the early morning dark. ¡°I¡¯m leading a morning patrol, and I would like you to accompany me, if that¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± I asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Jake?¡±


    Instructor Elizabeth frowned. ¡°My student was feeling unwell yesterday. After what happened, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s surprising. So I think he could use a break, just this once. If you¡¯re willing to be his substitute.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± I said.


    She gave a curt nod. ¡°See you outside. Thanks.¡± Her voice trailed off with a harsh whisper, like the winter wind. Throwing on my uniform I followed her out to the edge of camp. There, a raggedy bunch of soldiers were waiting. Their uniforms were dishevelled, even though their long, dreary overcoats should have left little room for sloppiness. Some were buttoned up, others simply draped loosely over their shirts and cargo pants. All had rifles slung over their backs, bayonets carefully detached and hanging from their belts.


    The route was straightforward enough. It was a simple loop sweeping out a wide area around our camp. ¡°We weren¡¯t planning on doing patrols, were we?¡± I asked.


    Instructor Elizabeth shook her head. ¡°We thought that we¡¯d neutralized everything in the vicinity, and that we¡¯d have more time before Antares decided to take action against us. But judging by what happened last night... well, Saul doesn¡¯t like leaving things up to chance. And I would have to agree.¡±


    We set out, embarking on what should have been a simple, quiet patrol of our surroundings. Occasionally, a fallen branch or bunch of leaves would rustle in the wind, turning the eyes of half the soldiers. If the gust was particularly strong, perhaps someone would fire a shot or two with their crude rifles, making a puff of caustic smoke and an unholy noise that seemed to shake the whole forest.


    So much for being quiet.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Iris?¡± Instructor Elizabeth whispered to me. In stark contrast to the soldiers, she¡¯d scarcely looked to one side or the other all morning. Naturally. Why would she need to look aside? Unlike them, she knew what to worry about, and what was no concern, without doubts, or second-guessing, or being fooled by every little scrap that swayed in the breeze.


    ¡°They lack discipline,¡± I said. ¡°Are they really helping? They said they were needed for the operation. Why put them at risk by letting them do any more than that?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps their skills are a little less... polished.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°But isn¡¯t it endearing?¡± she asked. ¡°These are our brothers and sisters, and they walk blindly. Without our guidance, they don¡¯t know their left hand from their right. Without our lights, they can only stumble in the dark and poke at the shadows that scare them so.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s at the very least our responsibility to take care of them, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°I just wish they were better-trained. That they didn¡¯t have to be afraid of the Excaeli. That they could be confident and perfect, as we are.¡±


    Instructor Elizabeth chuckled. ¡°Not everyone can be raised by our Patron¡¯s loving hands, Iris. It is your privilege, and also your responsibility. As it has been for generations. We are their caretakers. Shepherds for the people of Novatica. And they look up to you.¡±


    I found myself blushing. ¡°I know that.¡± Every time I walked the streets of the capital, people thanked me, or shook my hand, or saluted me for my service. And I had to admit, it felt good. Good to know that what I was doing was helpful, that these were the people I was protecting, that for all the blood and fire and death it was worth it to continue our endless struggle against the Corruption.


    My face was on the posters too, sometimes, my image on the covers of newspapers or magazines that circulated among the city¡¯s elite. Not that I was privy to the goings-on in aristocratic circles, but my sisters would prattle on and on about it whenever I was in town.


    I supposed that made them better family than my parents, at least.


    Instructor Elizabeth¡¯s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. ¡°You like it, right?¡± Their admiration?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course. It¡¯s nice to feel some validation for our efforts.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°And nothing more than that?¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps a little bit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She put a hand on my shoulder. Cold. ¡°There¡¯s no shame in that. Sometimes a little encouragement is helpful. So long as you know your place. And your place, Iris, is as our very best and brightest example to these soldiers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡ª¡±


    I was silenced by the sensation of Instructor Elizabeth¡¯s icy finger pressed against my lips. ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered. ¡°You hear that?¡±


    I closed my eyes. I could hear the sounds of footsteps in the gravel, dead leaves and twigs being crushed underfoot as the soldiers behind us came to a stop, the wind rustling in the trees above, and, above all, the inexorable hum that permeated everything in the Corruption. And then I heard it. ¡°It¡¯s a bell. That would mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nothing good.¡± Instructor Elizabeth nodded. ¡°Search the area carefully,¡± she shouted. ¡°Find it.¡± The soldiers fanned out slowly, investigating the trees and rocks, hands always kept close to their firearms. Understandable, given that it was a bell. Granted, it could just be a lost trinket, blowing alone in the breeze. But it could also be...


    No. No time to let my thoughts wander. We needed to look. Bells were a hallmark of Antares. She used them to toy with people, driving them insane with incessant ringing that permeated her Corruption while its source lay maddeningly out of reach. Already, the sound was getting on my nerves. But where was it coming from? The sound seemed all at once to be everywhere and nowhere. We fanned out further and further from the path, into the tangled vines and brambles, walking between the great silverleaf trunks that rose like pillars from the forest floor.


    I hastened my search, dreading what would happen if these soldiers stumbled upon something on their own. Sure, they were technically armed, but would be woefully unprepared for any of the Excaeli that could emerge. The puppets came in all shapes and sizes, each tailored according to Antares¡¯s whims, and bells were associated with some of the worst. Specifically, they were usually used to coordinate blind hunters, the ringing directing the wretched creatures as they crept through the forest, waiting for anything to pounce upon. While Instructor Elizabeth and I were able to keep quiet, as our training dictated, the soldiers wouldn¡¯t shut their mouths even if their lives depended on it.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± murmured Instructor Elizabeth, picking at the loose rocks and branches that peeked through the blanket of snow. ¡°Odd.¡±


    It was odd, indeed. We were so dispersed now that any hunter should¡¯ve been drawn out, flashing its metallic scales as it lunged at whatever poor victim it had selected. I closed my eyes again, cocking my head to try to locate the source of the noise. The ringing was coming from somewhere... ¡°Above us,¡± I whispered. With a glance upward, my fears were confirmed. Between the prickly needles and thorny boughs of the forest canopy, figures slithering toward our location.


    ¡°To me!¡± shouted Instructor Elizabeth. The noise agitated the creatures above, the ringing growing more intense, the leaves of the trees betraying their true colours as they took Excaeli forms.


    Though some soldiers scrambled into a makeshift position near her, when the first of the Excaeli dropped to the ground, most of the soldiers were thrown into disarray. One by one, the creatures hit the ground, scattering the snow and twigs with their impacts. Some bolted off, scattering thorns and broken branches everywhere as they raced to pick off the stragglers among us.


    One dropped in front of me, cloaked in rusted iron scales that had hidden its sheen so well. But it had already lost the element of surprise. Its metallic claws swung clumsily, meeting only air, receiving a searing palm in return, my touch melting away scaly skin and flesh alike. A second dropped behind me and met the same fate. Staggering after a swift kick, I pushed it down into the snow and crushed its skull against the rocky ground.


    Fog materialized out of the air, dense, and thick, and cold. So cold. Instructor Elizabeth¡¯s doing, of course. On cue, she stepped out of the fog, her golden eyes cutting through it like the early morning sun. Mist pooled around her hands, the water in the air condensing as it made contact with her icy fingertips. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re doing fine,¡± she muttered. She raised an arm and pointed through the mist. ¡°Check everyone on the west side of the trail. We had six there. I will protect everyone here.¡±


    I nodded and hurried through the forest as she turned to check on the others. Six. So she¡¯d been keeping track of how many of the soldiers there were, and where each of them had gone. I probably should¡¯ve been doing the same.


    The mist that followed me was not quite pure fog, I knew. It was laced with some of Jake¡¯s floral essences. Black Diamantine? It was for the Excaeli, but for the soldiers. To calm them down. The enemy¡¯s greatest asset was fear, and Instructor Elizabeth must have known that. I had to say, the scent helped me to stay calm as well.


    The snowy ground was marked with footsteps leading off in all directions. The trail vanished deeper into the forest, rocks broken up by thorny roots snaking across the ground. The earth sloped down here, forming a small bowl ringed by tall silverleaf trees. Three of the soldiers were at the bottom, surrounded by Excaeli. Their rifles and bayonets were levelled, but they seemed oddly hesitant to fire. Paralyzed by fear. Did I have to do everything myself?


    I scrambled down the slope, grasping stray roots and branches to keep my footing on the icy rocks. The puppets wouldn¡¯t know what hit them. My eyes glowed, fire bursting from my chest and flowing through the veins to my very fingertips. My touch burned them. My strikes melted through their scaly shells with ease, casting aside those wretched exoskeletons like the garbage that they were. In my wake, I left only the charred skeletons smouldering in the snow and the awed faces of the soldiers that had stood by and watched. I flashed them my best smile. ¡°Where are the others who were with you?¡± They pointed vaguely to the far side of the bowl, slightly to the southwest, still somewhat dazed from their encounter. I nodded. ¡°Hurry back to the trail and meet up with Instructor Elizabeth. I¡¯ll get them.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hurry.¡± I said. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    As they made their way back up toward the path, I pressed onward, using the tangled vines and thorns as handles to clamber up the hill.


    ¡°Iris? Where are you?¡±


    Alicia. Right. I¡¯d left her in our tent. ¡°Finally awake, are you? I¡¯m out on, uh, patrol, right now. Replacing Jake, okay? I¡¯m a little busy.¡±


    ¡°Is something happening?¡±


    ¡°Um... yeah. I¡¯ll fill you in later.¡±


    At the crest of the hill, the dense undergrowth made way for a small clearing, filled with silver razorgrass shining brightly in the early morning sun. Another pair of soldiers seemed to be resting there. Perhaps they¡¯d fended one of them off.


    A flash across the field. Another Excaeli. Its body shone in the morning light, rusted copper tearing towards their location. They wouldn¡¯t see it coming. Thankfully, they wouldn¡¯t have to. I sprinted forward, flashing lights to blind it as I closed in and knocked it to the ground. My momentum carried us into the snowbank, where I pressed my palm against the creature¡¯s face until it crumbled into ashes.


    I looked behind me. The two soldiers were staring wide-eyed in my direction. Now that I was closer, I could see that the shorter of the two was tending to some sort of wound on the other¡¯s leg.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I feared the worst. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked.


    The short one spoke first. ¡°It¡¯s just a fracture.¡± Their rifles lay in the field beside them, still hot from use. He tore a strip of fabric from her gray overcoat, setting the other soldier¡¯s leg alongside a stick those thorns had been carefully trimmed.


    ¡°We got them,¡± the other said. Her teeth were grit into a grimace as he tightened the makeshift splint around her shin. ¡°None escaped.¡± Sure enough, around them lay several carcasses, stripped of their metallic scales in death. These hadn¡¯t died of flame, and so looked gaunt and disfigured without their metal coatings. Their dark, pitted flesh festered and writhed under the sun. How horrid Antares was, to animate such pitiful creatures with her scales. To turn them into her puppets and simply discard them when their bodies could bear no more, leaving them naked with no Patron to call their own.


    I set my hands upon the carcasses to purify them. ¡°Are either of you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Only blunt injuries,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve done a scratch check. We¡¯re fine. Nothing broke the skin, thankfully. And thank you. We couldn¡¯t have taken another one.¡±


    I nodded. That was good. At least these two had been somewhat competent. They hadn¡¯t hesitated. They hadn¡¯t failed. Warmth poured out of my palm into the first carcass, setting the organic material inside aflame. One by one, I lit them up like bonfires, sending any residual scales skittering away through the grass beneath our feet.


    ¡°And the last member of your group?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± he started.


    ¡°Where is the last member of your group?¡± I interrupted.


    He pointed across the far side of the clearing, near a particularly tall silverleaf that towered above the canopy. ¡°She¡¯s that way, but miss, I don¡¯t think you should go.¡±


    ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡±


    They looked at each other, then back to me. Neither of them spoke a word. Their silence told me everything I needed to know.


    ¡°Thanks. Just go back to the rest as soon as you¡¯re able.¡±


    The taller of the two headed back immediately. But the short one stayed just a moment longer. ¡°Miss, please... don¡¯t hurt her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I must.¡± I couldn¡¯t look him in the eye as I said it. The path ahead was marked with blood.


    ***


    She must have sprinted off. No other way to explain how far from the trail she¡¯d managed to have gotten in the minutes since the altercation started. Her trail was easy enough to follow, given the blood that stained the snow and paper-white silverleaf bark all the way. It wound through the forest, over the rolling hills and right to the very edge of the cliffs, a scar that ran across the center of these cracked and broken lands. The river roared down below, though from this height the sound of rushing water was dull and distant.


    And, of course, she was there, sitting on a rock by the edge, looking over the Corruption that spread still onward down through the valley as far as the eye could see. Alerted by my footsteps, she turned to face me.


    She looked like the others, drab overcoat falling almost to her feet, rough-cut tuquoise hair framing her medium-brown face, dull golden eyes glowing within their sockets. But her hands were laced with cuts, blood dripping down into the snow at her feet. Despite the obvious pain, she held her rifle tightly, palm gripping the barrel ready to fire, muzzle and bayonet pointed at me.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± I said. ¡°The Excaeli are gone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here to kill me.¡± She coughed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been tainted by the Corruption. There is no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes there is,¡± she said. ¡°You can leave me alone. You can let me be. And I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Where is your partner?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone. As soon as they dropped, he ran. Coward.¡± She smiled. ¡°But I can¡¯t exactly blame him, can I?¡±


    He¡¯d been a coward, perhaps, but he was still alive. I took a step forward. ¡°You didn¡¯t fare any better. Look at you. How many mistakes did you make? Your hands. Your face. So many cuts.¡± Indeed, up close it would be hard to say where she hadn¡¯t been cut. Several long scratches were traced across her cheeks and down her chin, most shallow, but some deep enough to bleed. Another young one. She couldn¡¯t have been more than four or five years older than me.


    ¡°Stay back!¡± She thrust her rifle forward, the bayonet at its tip stabbing the air in front of me. She glared at me, eyes glowing slightly brighter, as if she was preparing to fire. At me?


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    ¡°Keep your distance.¡±


    She was afraid. ¡°I have to purify you,¡± I recited. ¡°For the good of everyone.¡± Nobody else was here, so the responsibility fell on me. Frankly, I¡¯d never seen the sickness progress this far. The claws had only been the beginning. Now that her body was a vessel for the sickness, the scales were doing their part, gathering at her feet, skittering into her boots, up her legs, over her arms and face. ¡°You¡¯re not going to survive. You made a mistake. One mistake is all it takes to be consumed. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be fine.¡± She spat blood in the snow. Her eyes, though still glowing golden, were growing clouded by the second. Her voice was trembling. The sickness had carved away her body, letting the scales enter and devour her from the inside out. Where the light hit her skin, it sparkled with the first glimmers of metal already binding themselves irrevocably to her. For a moment, the sketch of Alicia¡¯s face, afflicted by the corruption, came to mind, a ghostly image overlaid over hers. But just as quickly, it vanished. This woman was not Alicia.


    ¡°Can you really say that you¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Tears welled up in her eyes, and fear. I doubted she¡¯d ever even believed those words. ¡°The first cut didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°It did.¡± I knew it. It couldn¡¯t have been from just now. I¡¯d never seen the sickness progress this far. The lacerations that snaked their way up her arms were the marks of the scales squirming beneath her skin. ¡°How long ago was it?¡±


    ¡°When we first got here. Just a little scratch behind my ear. Nobody else noticed. I was fine.¡±


    ¡°You felt fine,¡± I corrected. ¡°You were already dead then. It was inevitable.¡± I took another step forward. The skin around her knuckles was sharp. Hard. Spiny, irregular shapes jutted out between the joints, moving and squirming as they prepared to emerge.


    ¡°You know who killed Excaeli?¡± she said. ¡°Me. I did. From the moment that we got here, I¡¯m the only one in my squad that actually did anything. I didn¡¯t freeze up. I didn¡¯t hesitate to shoot, to stab, to tear, to fight tooth and nail to push our group forward. I¡¯m the reason we kept pace with Lady Elizabeth. When those creatures dropped just now, I was the one who killed them. You must¡¯ve met them on your way to me. But because I got some scratches, I¡¯m the one that needs to die? I¡ª¡± She broke into another coughing fit, clutching her belly in pain. Her rifle clattered to the ground, forgotten. ¡°It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t. ¡°It isn¡¯t. Your frail, untrained bodies aren¡¯t prepared for this. These are dark times. Ordinary citizens such as you should not have been conscripted, but such is the darkness that we face. We¡¯re fighting so that things like this can¡¯t happen anymore, miss...¡±


    ¡°Evelyn.¡±


    ¡°Evelyn. That¡¯s a beautiful name. Polaris would be very proud of you. So please, try not to cry.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to cry. You¡¯re going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t make things harder than they need to be. You¡¯ve served your Patron well, far more valiantly than your peers. Is that not enough?¡± She reached for the gun at her feet, hands clawing at the rocky ground. I kicked it aside before she could grab it. ¡°Evelyn, please calm down. Everything will be okay. You¡¯re not in your right mind. I¡¯m going to make things better.¡± I was going to make everything better. Better. It had to be. Otherwise, how could all this pain be worth it?


    She shoved and clawed at me, but I gave her a gentle push. That was all it took for her to fall to her knees. Her strength had already left her. There was little she could do but flail pitifully before looking up at me with blank, teary eyes. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    She turned away from me, looking out over the vast forest that spread out below the cliffs. I knelt behind her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. She didn¡¯t push it away. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not ready,¡± she snapped, ¡°How can you ask that with a straight face? How can you be okay with this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already in great pain, and there is no recovery from this. All I can offer is this little mercy. Just be calm, if you can muster the strength. I know your will is giving out.¡±


    Her voice dropped. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be calm. I¡¯ve been a slave of Polaris all my life and I¡¯m not going to be one in death. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore, right? No matter what happens, you¡¯re going to kill me. You¡¯re going to burn me alive.¡±


    ¡°A slave to Polaris?¡± The echoes of Alicia¡¯s musings reverberated in my head. What if we¡¯re just puppets? At that moment, I¡¯d had no answer. But now I did. ¡°Better a slave to Polaris than to Antares. Better anything than Antares, who twists our people, who corrupts our soil, who kills our spirits.¡± She was being lost to the Corruption. It terrified me to see one of us so broken, even the least of our soldiers.


    ¡°I know that look in your eyes,¡± she said. ¡°You think that I¡¯m going crazy.¡±


    ¡°You are.¡± The sickness had progressed to her mind. She would grow enraged first, then panic, then fall into sorrow. Antares always twisted, twisted, twisted minds away from what was right and good.


    ¡°I¡¯m still myself!¡± she growled, brushing away my arm and lashing out with a closed fist. But I caught her wrist, and the fire in her eyes drained away. ¡°I¡¯m still myself.¡± She didn¡¯t sound so convinced anymore. ¡°Or won¡¯t you at least give me the freedom to be who I am? The freedom to hate Polaris as myself?¡±


    I put her hands back on her lap and placed my own hands on her shoulders. ¡°Hush. The night is falling on your mind. Antares is corrupting you. You have little time left.¡±


    ¡°I hate her. I hate Polaris,¡± she said. ¡°Why is she my Patron? That¡¯s what¡¯s unfair. I¡¯d rather be dead. I¡¯d rather belong to Antares.¡± She coughed again, blood and scales mixing in the snow at her feet.


    ¡°Listen to yourself. You¡¯d belong to Antares? You¡¯d give yourself away to the one who destroyed you, just to spite the one who protects you?¡± She wasn¡¯t in her right mind. It was a lost cause to try and reason with her. Even hearing those words from her made me feel sick. Polaris guided us all in her light, towards a future of peace and prosperity. She lavished us with care. She¡¯d saved my life, gave me everything, made me everything I am today. To even compare her to Antares was unthinkable. I looked Evelyn in the eye. What lay behind them, in her mind? Was she a prisoner now, reciting what Antares told her to? Or had the dread queen taken hold of her mind, so that she could truly think that good was evil and evil was good?


    ¡°I understand the pain Antares inflicted. Even so, I can¡¯t help but hate Polaris. Can¡¯t help but wish I had any other Patron.¡±


    ¡°Why hate her?¡± Why was I even asking? Maybe I was waiting for some moment of final clarity. Instead, I only got more venom.


    ¡°Why? Why does she send us here to die? Why does she make us follow you? A child, leading grown adults in war? Judging us? Killing us? She hates us; there is no other conclusion. It¡¯s true, so true, so clear. And at last, in these final moments, I can tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± They said that in those final moments of delirium, they would see things with Antares¡¯ eyes, completely and wholly turned to belong to her. It was frightening to see.


    She trembled, but said nothing. Perhaps she¡¯d regained control of her faculties enough to keep quiet. Or she simply was too weak to resist, as much as Antares desired to make her struggle against me. ¡°How can you live with this? How can you follow her demands? Don¡¯t you feel the tension building up inside, telling you that what you are doing is wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy.¡± It always had been. ¡°Polaris is my everything. And I happily give all that I am to her.¡±


    A moment of lucidity. ¡°I envy your faith in her.¡± Then her eyes clouded again as she struggled one final time. Her whole body was shaking now, and all I could do was steady her.


    ¡°Hush. It¡¯s over now.¡±


    I placed my hand on the back of Evelyn¡¯s head. Her hair caught fire first, turquoise strands lighting up one by one like candles. She burst into flame, flesh burning black and crumbling in my hands, flecks of ash flying into the sky.


    Evelyn screamed.


    Her voice was soon swallowed up, for soon she had no mouth, no lips, no throat or lungs from which to cry out. The last part to be consumed by the flames were the hands. Those palms had, just like mine, been used countless times to conjure up echoes of the same heat, if much weaker, their endurance under the flame a sign of how they¡¯d been tempered, as weak as they had been. Perhaps she¡¯d used them to warm herself up on a cold night, perhaps to fire the rifle that now lay discarded in the snow. But now the hands simply lay amidst the burning heap that used to be their bearer, slowly, too, crumbling into dust and scattering in the wind.


    It was done. I pressed my hands into the snow to cool them down. The rifle was bloody, but there was no need to waste it. I slung it over my back and fetched the fireproof overcoat from the ashes, brushing off the bits of soot that clung to the fabric.


    ¡°There you are.¡± Instructor Elizabeth¡¯s voice cut through the cold winter air. She took the overcoat from me and draped it over her shoulders. ¡°Evelyn,¡± she whispered, bowing her head slightly and closing her eyes. A few tears dripped onto the snow.


    ¡°It had progressed too far,¡± I said. ¡°it was necessary.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, wiping her eyes. ¡°And it she¡¯s the only one we lost today, it seems.¡± Her hands were clenched, her breaths growing shallow. ¡°If only I¡¯d been faster. If only I¡¯d have gotten the rest to safety more quickly, if only¡ª¡±


    ¡°Instructor, there was nothing you could do. She¡¯d been scratched days ago.¡±


    ¡°I see. Sorry, I¡¯ve acted in an unsightly manner,¡± she said, regaining her composure. ¡°Thank you for purifying her, Iris. It was not your responsibility to bear. It was your first time, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It was.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said. ¡°Should I? I... there¡¯s something about the feeling of someone¡¯s body burning up beneath your hands. I¡¯ve seen it so many times before with Jonathan. And yet I wasn¡¯t ready, I don¡¯t think. Her body was so light. The ashes are like air. They scattered so quickly in my hands.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fragile, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°So fragile,¡± I said. Their bodies and minds alike.


    ¡°It gets easier,¡± Instructor Elizabeth said. ¡°But a loss is always a loss, and I always have a hard time with it. I can¡¯t wait for Irene to get here. I can¡¯t wait for this to all be over.¡± She sighed. ¡°Evelyn... she must have been a brave soldier.¡±


    ¡°You know them by name. Even though It¡¯s only been two days since they were assigned to us.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Iris. That¡¯s our responsibility. To be an example for these children to follow. To cherish and protect them with the same love Polaris lavished unto us. To purify those who are lost with the same dignity of any hero. I know my soldiers so that they understand these truths and live by them. I¡¯m sure Evelyn followed my example to the very end. She didn¡¯t waver at all, did she?¡±


    I considered the question carefully. ¡°Nope. Not once,¡± I said. Was I lying? I wasn¡¯t even sure. Surely those were the ravings of a madwoman, twisted by the dread queen Antares. Surely those around us didn¡¯t harbour such venom for the Patron who guided and protected us all.


    ¡°Good.¡± Instructor Elizabeth smiled. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go back to camp.¡±

 Repetition

    When we returned to camp, Jake was cutting vegetables for the midday meal, chatting with some of the soldiers who¡¯d been assigned to meal prep. Alicia was also there, ¡®helping,¡¯ though she seemed out of it, slowly slicing the vegetables in the air as she sat with her hands on her chin. Occasionally, she¡¯d lean over and whisper something into Jake¡¯s ear, and he would mumble something back in return.


    Upon noticing us, Jake ran up to his instructor and gave a bow. ¡°Sorry, instructor. I shouldn¡¯t have slept in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± said Instructor Elizabeth. ¡°Iris handled things fine in your absence. Were you able to get the rest that you needed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m feeling better now.¡± He noticed the overcoat draped across her shoulders and frowned. ¡°What happened?¡±


    The soldiers started murmuring among themselves. Instructor Elizabeth bit her lip. ¡°Later, Jake. For now, let¡¯s focus on what¡¯s ahead of us. Lunch. Sharing a new recipe with the soldiers? It smells delicious.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Right. Right. Yeah, it¡¯s a new recipe I¡¯m trying. If we¡¯re going to be stuck eating plain rations for a week, I¡¯m going to go crazy. So a few things here and there to spice things up can¡¯t hurt.¡± He turned to me. ¡°Oh, and, before I forget¡ªthank you, Iris. For covering for me.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°No problem, Jake. You don¡¯t need to thank me for this. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay.¡± Still, behind his smile, there were bags under his eyes. And Alicia didn¡¯t look much better.


    ¡°You alright?¡± I asked her.


    She turned to look at me. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine. I talked things out this morning with Jake, again. And I... everything will be okay.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to make things easier for you? We have some time before our afternoon lessons.¡±


    She considered my words for a few moments, tilting her head from side to side before answering. ¡°Well, in that case...¡±


    ***


    It had been some time since I¡¯d last posed for Alicia¡¯s sketching, although I¡¯d often done so during our academy days. It had just been so hard to find the time between our crammed schedules in the intervening years. Often we¡¯d only see each other at Solstice, and even then only intermittently between formal events and dinners and festival processions. To simply have the time to sit on the edge of the bed and let her sketch me felt almost luxurious.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it,¡± she said with a smile, as if reading my mind. She sharpened her pencil and tapped the eraser against her lip. ¡°I feel so... rusty.¡±


    ¡°Rusty? After all the drawing you were up to yesterday?¡±


    ¡°That was different,¡± she said. ¡°That was more like... aggressive meditation. For my well-being. Under Instructor Saul¡¯s direction. That was work.¡±


    ¡°And this?¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°This is all for me.¡± She reached into her bag and pulled out a brand new notebook. Because she¡¯d filled out the other notebook yesterday. She paused for a moment, her own mind retracing those same thoughts. ¡°You saw the sketches inside the notebook yesterday, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°They were well drawn, as always. Your artistic talent always shines through. But¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t like what I drew,¡± she said. The room was silent. Even the scratching of her pencil had stopped. ¡°Right? I hope so.¡±


    She hoped so? ¡°Is that what you saw inside the Cradle?¡± I asked.


    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not the least of it, Iris. The illusions in there move and shift and roil endlessly. Waves on the sea, swirling around you from all sides, just to torment you. Just to convince you to leave, to wander, to step into the ocean of scales. A personalized hell for you. For me. But to step off...¡±


    ¡°To step off would be so much worse,¡± I finished. ¡°Oh, Alicia...¡±


    ¡°Sit down! You¡¯ll ruin the drawing!¡±


    ¡°Let me give you a hug first.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She laughed. ¡°Sit down. Hugs later.¡±


    I sat back down on the mat. Alicia walked over, repositioning my hands and legs into the same pose that I¡¯d been sitting in prior, humming quietly to herself all the while.


    She sat back down. ¡°But it¡¯s nice to sketch something pretty, for a change. In general. Not just after yesterday. It¡¯s depressing out there, you know. When it¡¯s just me and Instructor Saul, all we see is hopelessness and desolation, being swallowed up by this beautiful, deadly, Corruption. It¡¯s beautiful, but tragic. It gets me down. Our enemy is winning.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°Seeing you again reminds me of what we¡¯re trying to save.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s being melodramatic now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Our tent was silent again, save for the sound of her pencil against paper. ¡°Can I see yet?¡±


    ¡°No peeking until it¡¯s finished.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I tried my best to keep still as she sketched. The scratching of her pencil was the only sound for a long time. I kept wondering what was going through her head. We may have had the connection above all, our bond as partners, but even so, things could be oddly distant.


    Especially now.


    Especially after so many months of sunlight draining, of Corruption spreading across the landscape. I felt like it had drained the love and life from everything. Even from the way we had connected. That night out in the forest with ritual and idle chatter had been lovely. In our early years, fresh from the academy, our days had been filled with moments such as those. Thinking about it now, all we¡¯d managed to capture that night was the tiniest flicker of those dying flames.


    And now there was the Cradle, too. And, to be honest, I was a little jealous. Only Alicia and Jake had gone inside. They had a shared experience that I couldn¡¯t understand, yet. And I knew that had happened before, but this time...


    This time it was different. It was personal. And the thoughts kept creeping into my mind. What had they been doing as I¡¯d entered the tent yesterday? What had they been talking about, working through, that I could not be a part of? Weren¡¯t Alicia and I partners? Weren¡¯t we supposed to share everything? And deep down, there it was. The itching feeling that there was something that I couldn¡¯t provide. That my companionship wasn¡¯t enough. That something would happen, that we¡¯d be separated, or even drift apart.


    Ugh. It wasn¡¯t good to let this melancholic mood sweep over me. Just two nights ago, we¡¯d been happily sharing snacks beneath the starlight, and now even that was growing clouded by uncertainty. I focused my gaze back on her, watching her pencil trace the lines of my body, gently shading my clothes as the light hit them. My heartbeat dropped back to normal. The wave of unease dissipated, because I remembered that those fears were completely baseless. Things would never turn out like that. We would be together forever. And we would both make sure of that.


    ¡°You¡¯re smiling again.¡±


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Iris.¡±


    ¡°Thanks?¡±


    ¡°For being my model. I was a little worried. You seemed a little on-edge, and I wanted you to relax a little. So thank you for smiling again.¡± Even now, Alicia had been doing this for me. She was so wonderful. I got up, trying to give her a hug again.


    Jonathan leaned into our tent. ¡°Girls, I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything. Please come out now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked.


    My instructor smiled. ¡°Emily¡¯s back.¡±


    ***


    Emily.


    Her pink, wavy hair was dishevelled, her uniform muddy and slick with ice, her breaths ragged as she stumbled down the path. But it was Emily. In her fist, she clutched a bundle of steel needles, her Complement caked in blood and tarnished from wear.


    ¡°Ha!¡± She cried out in victory. ¡°Two days early! I knew we could do it.¡±


    The rest of her group slowly crested the hill behind her, a row of dull grey uniforms not nearly as battered as Emily¡¯s, though each of them seemed far less enthusiastic, shuffling along at a glacial pace and throwing down their packs in relief.


    ¡°Jake!¡± Emily ran to her partner, leaping into his arms with a bone-crushing embrace. ¡°Surprise! I made it back in time for Solstice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re... icy.¡± He held her at arms length. Her jacket was frozen, bits of ice flaking off and shattering against the ground. Despite how cold she must have been, she didn¡¯t shiver at all. Jake pulled her closer again, eyes glowing golden as he warmed her up.


    ¡°Just a bit icy,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I fell into the river a few times trying to find a safe place to cross. But it was all worth it to see you a little faster.¡±


    ¡°And the blood?¡±


    Her eyes glinted with their signature, almost sinister, silver glow. ¡°There were some Excaeli along the way. A few dozen. A few hundred. What¡¯s the difference, am I right? Annoying little pests. It¡¯s all the same. Just more busy work.¡± She tossed her needles in the air, and they began to circle her head slowly, like a crown, before disappearing one by one into her hair. ¡°None of the blood is ours. And I got us here in the end, anyways, even if some of the soldiers are a bit spooked.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did get us here.¡± Instructor Irene was the last of the group to cross the hilltop. She walked down the slope without slipping, not even using her hands for balance as she stepped between loose stones and icy outcrops down into the camp. In stark contrast to everyone else, her uniform was dry and spotless, sky-blue jacket buttoned all the way up to her chin. Her hair was tied, as it always was, into a pair of short braids that rested on her shoulders. Her Complement simply hovered in the air behind her, a set of rings that coalesced into a polished steel chain before slowly disappearing down the back of her coat. ¡°And I am very proud of you, Emily.¡± Her words, like everything about her, had a precision to it. Every word, every syllable, was perfectly formed, not a second too long or too short as they tumbled out from between her lips. ¡°Well? What are you all standing around and waiting for?¡± she quipped. ¡°Set up your tents. We are late, and there is still much to do.¡±


    The rest of their group removed their packs and unzipped them. Canvas, poles, and ropes quickly filled the air, completing the rest of the camp in orderly fashion.


    As for Instructor Irene, she and our other instructors huddled together, talking in hushed voices as they disappeared behind the soft glow of the Cradle, filing one by one into Jonathan¡¯s tent. As they passed us by, she gave me a silent nod of acknowledgement, tapping me on the shoulder to move aside for them.


    They had more important things to deal with.


    ***


    The evening meal had a cheerful atmosphere. Jake and Emily were far from the only ones who had been separated these past few days. The soldiers were boisterous, shouting and cheering loudly as they shared stories and remembered the fallen. Jonathan had allotted an additional half-ration for everyone to keep our spirits running high in anticipation for the coming Solstice.


    It had been years since all four of us had met together like this. Usually at least one of us would be missing when we saw each other at the formal Solstice celebrations back at the Citadel. Away from home, the odds of crossing paths were even slimmer. Indeed, we probably hadn¡¯t shared a meal together since our time at the academy. I remembered those days fondly, especially those idyllic weeks of rest after our selection, as we waited to leave to share our Patron¡¯s light with the dark world beyond. We¡¯d spent those days training with our new instructors, and the evenings eating together, playing games, and simply enjoying each others¡¯ company.


    Of course, Jake was the most energized by the return of his partner. It felt like forever since I¡¯d seen him smile like this, beaming with admiration as Emily shared the past few years¡¯ adventures with Alicia and me.


    ¡°We faced our fair share of storms on the rift,¡± she said, ¡°It was already a nightmare navigating the shallows and dead-iron reefs in the day, much less at night. But when a storm whipped up from the southwest, the waves would tower above our ships, crashing over the deck with great roars, as if Antares herself was trying to keep us away from her rocky shores. But ultimately we were the ones who prevailed.¡±


    ¡°And the islanders?¡± asked Alicia.


    Emily frowned. ¡°Many of the islands were already abandoned and overrun, and the precious few that weren¡¯t are slowly succumbing. Where once the Rift was lit up like the starry sky each night, now the beacons flicker and fade. Only a handful remain active. We had to cauterize entire islands to slow the spread.¡±


    ¡°I wish for once there was any good news,¡± muttered Alicia. ¡°Nothing of the sort from where we were. A whole summer spent walking the edge of the Corruption, burning what we could. We scoured so many ghost towns for survivors.¡±


    ¡°Did you find any?¡± asked Jake.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Alicia paused just too long for comfort. ¡°A few. And, well, you can guess what happened next.¡±


    Purified. Because no way anyone who had lived on the front for that long had remained pure. Not without a body readied for combat from years of training, with a roaring flame burning inside, stoked by Polaris¡¯s hand and honed to perfection. No, for those poor souls who were not chosen, the Corruption quickly left its mark: first in the cuts, and then in the scales that ate you from the inside out. ¡°We¡¯ll have good news soon,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Emily. ¡°I¡¯m here. And so we can get back on track.¡± She looked at me with her silver eyes, glowing nearly white in the evening darkness. So similar and yet so unlike Alicia¡¯s, which were soft and calm, Emily¡¯s gaze was filled with determination. She lifted and flicked the needles of her Complement into the snowy ground, pulling them out of the earth with her fingers before stabbing them back in one by one. ¡°We can go inside and finish this business with Antares once and for all.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Alicia and Jake seemed hesitant to affirm the sentiment. Their eyes darted from place to place, locking with each other momentarily only to break eye contact again right after. Jake started to mumble something, but Alicia interrupted. ¡°I know that you¡¯ll do great.¡± Her quivering voice have the opposite impression.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m glad it¡¯ll be the two of you,¡± said Jake. ¡°And not either of us.¡± Alicia nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Because you fell inside yesterday?¡± asked Emily. Jake said nothing. ¡°I was so worried about you both, you know. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe.¡± She embraced them both.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be easier for you. To go inside, that is. It was just jarring to enter the Cradle in such a sudden way,¡± said Jake.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have nothing to fear,¡± said Emily. ¡°And honestly, I don¡¯t think you do either. You both emerged in one piece. That alone is a testament to your strength. If anything, you now know even better what awaits inside, and how to fight it. I almost wonder if it¡¯d be better if you went in our stead.¡±


    Though both our partners smiled weakly, neither said so much as a word in agreement. The pictures Alicia had sketched in the book came to mind once more, the twisted images of ourselves overlaying themselves on top of the scene before my eyes. I could understand her hesitance. But what of Jake¡¯s? Was it driven by the same fears? Wouldn¡¯t he have been afraid of his own partner, then?


    The heavy silence was broken by more lighthearted topics. ¡°How¡¯s your family?¡± Emily asked me. Okay. Perhaps not quite so lighthearted.


    ¡°Mother and father are in good health,¡± I said, trying not to scowl. I was not very good at not-scowling.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so rude,¡± Jake chided. ¡°Your sisters were very friendly, as always, when I was back in the Citadel. I had them over for tea. Lovely young ladies.¡±


    ¡°My sisters... they¡¯re fine, I guess. But my parents... I¡¯m just sick of them. Sick of their empty gifts.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve made something of myself, all of a sudden they¡¯ve always supported me, always loved me, always believed in my potential. All of a sudden I¡¯m their favourite.¡± As if. As if they hadn¡¯t thrown me out like the garbage they thought I was.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to get over it sooner or later,¡± said Emily. ¡°They¡¯re being nice to you. Indulge them a bit. Let them spoil you.¡± She grinned. ¡°At the very least, they¡¯re useful to have on your side. And I¡¯m sure your father would love to have you visit when you¡¯re in town.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not my father.¡±


    ¡°What, and Instructor Jonathan is?¡± Jake teased.


    ¡°Jake¡ª¡± Alicia started.


    ¡°That was just once!¡± I felt myself blushing. I mean, yeah, I¡¯d tried to get him to adopt me. Once. Or twice. ¡°And I was twelve, okay?¡±


    Alicia grinned. ¡°Or should I remind you who wanted to keep an Excaeli as a pet when he was twelve?¡±


    It was Jake¡¯s turn to go red in the face. ¡°Okay, fine. That was... maybe a bit too far. Sorry Iris.¡±


    ¡°What do you two care about my family, anyways? It¡¯s my business. You guys wouldn¡¯t understand. Your parents actually love you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what this is about,¡± said Emily.


    ¡°Then what is it about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about making the mature choice, Iris,¡± said Emily. ¡°To bear with their failings, not for yourself, but as an example for the other Luminare. For the Novatican children that look up to you so.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, but the kids are just going to have to learn that sometimes your birth family sucks. Sometimes it¡¯s not even worth humouring them. I¡¯d be absolutely nothing without Polaris, and I don¡¯t need anything besides what she¡¯s provided. My training, my instructor, my friends... everything comes from her.¡±


    Emily sighed, but smiled nonetheless. ¡°Okay. How¡¯s your family, Alicia?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing well. Thanks for asking. The bakery is... well, these are hard times, but we¡¯re managing. Everyone¡¯s in good health ad sends their love. And cookies.¡± She opened up the half-eaten tin of cookies from a few nights ago and lay it between the four of us.


    ¡°They¡¯re very good cookies,¡± said Jake, taking a bite.


    Alicia beamed. ¡°They¡¯ll be glad to hear that.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really want to listen to them talking about family. My mind wandered, and my gaze drifted to our instructors. They sat in a closed circle, too, all of them smiling and embracing, talking softly as they shared their stories and reminisced about their past. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if we¡¯d be in their shoes in a decade or two, old friends that had stuck together through a turbulent youth and had come out stronger, closer, wiser.


    ¡°Iris.¡± Jake tapped me on the shoulder, noticing my gaze. ¡°Are you wondering what I am? If they felt the same as us, when they were here, long ago? Before everything that happened.¡±


    Jonathan had spoken with me of a lot of things that had happened when he was my age. He¡¯d regaled me with stories of the last wave of purification, about Magdalene and their other instructors, about their escapades and adventures together, and yet... Jonathan would always stop short of talking about what had happened before the Cradle, all those years ago. Instead, he¡¯d always look away and say he¡¯d rather not talk about it. ¡°The time wasn¡¯t right,¡± I said.


    ¡°It was the middle of the purification,¡± said Emily, picking up on the conversation. ¡°And the four of them were here, gathered before the Cradle. Ready to dismantle it. But before they could...¡±


    Antares. The word was left unspoken, but it clawed its way into our minds. The dread Patron Antares had come, had attacked them, but more than that.


    ¡°Instructor Irene was never the same again,¡± Jake muttered.


    Despite Jonathan¡¯s refusal to speak of what had happened, it was obvious that she had changed. In all his stories she had been the most outgoing of the group, always laughing and fooling around. In all my years knowing her, I¡¯d never so much as seen her smile. The thought of her telling a joke was laughable in and of itself. She sat rather stiffly among our instructors, not really seeming to engage with them even as they smiled and hugged her.


    Emily nodded, taking another cookie from the tin. She snapped it in half, handing one piece to her partner before slipping the other into her mouth. ¡°She was changed, yes. But they all were. And... we might be too.¡±


    ¡°Or already have been,¡± said Jake. Alicia¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, glancing around despite the fact nobody was watching.


    ¡°Or already have been,¡± I echoed, putting a hand on my partner¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But let¡¯s not worry about that. We have the map. We will succeed. The culmination of centuries of trials is upon us. The Cradle will fall. The Corruption will end. With Polaris¡¯s gift reclaimed, light will finally be able to return to the world.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like such a big thing,¡± said Jake.


    ¡°It is,¡± I said. ¡°What we¡¯re doing is important. We¡¯re playing a part in the final battle between good and evil. Even as Luminare, fulfilling our Patron¡¯s purpose, we are part of this. That¡¯s exciting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exciting, alright,¡± said Emily. ¡°We¡¯ll be legends.¡±


    ¡°Legends!¡± Alicia echoed, laughing and raising her canteen in a mock toast.


    ¡°Legends!¡± Each of us echoed, raising our canteens in turn and joining in the laughter. Though, at least from me, I knew the words were genuine. I understood who we really were.


    ***


    Uncle Saul took me and Emily aside to his tent after the meal. I¡¯d expected as much: Uncle Saul always made sure we were on top of things, and now that Emily was back it was time to get to business.


    He unrolled the map on the table, revealing a labyrinth of gargantuan proportions. The paper was coarse and faded, lines drawn in charcoal criss-crossed with arrows and inked labels. A thick, silver line was traced in metallic paint, snaking through the maze toward the centre, which was marked with the symbol of Antares. The symbol felt particularly ominous after seeing it so often in Alicia¡¯s drawings, its curved lines and horizontal slashes seeming especially violent against the background of the map.


    ¡°This is what the Cradle looks like inside,¡± he said. ¡°Vaguely. It changes constantly. But on the whole, this is the route permitted. Straying from the path will be... unpleasant. It reacts violently to trespassers. But I¡¯m sure Alicia and Jake have already told you that.¡±


    We nodded. I¡¯d certainly had some inkling of that already, but hearing the words from my uncle¡¯s mouth gave the idea a much weightier sense to them. Yeah. It would be dangerous to stray from the path.


    Uncle Saul continued. ¡°You will not be alone down there. There will be a third. One of the soldiers, as has been requested. Our original choice has withdrawn from the operation after yesterday¡¯s events at the Cradle, alongside some... unforeseen tragic events from this morning. While unfortunate, I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll find someone who isn¡¯t afraid to accompany you.¡±


    Coward. That soldier was too afraid, despite knowing that we would be with him. Emily and I, the best and brightest of the young Luminare. ¡°I still don¡¯t like having to bring them in,¡± I said. But the instructions said so. Our Patron said so.


    ¡°Noted,¡± he said. ¡°But Polaris knows best.¡±


    ¡°I know, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But..?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just feel more comfortable if the third person was someone strong, like, say, Jonathan.¡±


    ¡°Iris.¡±


    ¡°Instructor Jonathan,¡± I corrected.


    ¡°Better. But you know why¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know why.¡± It had been written and requested. Novatica wouldn¡¯t send us in without someone to keep an eye on us. ¡°Why can¡¯t they just trust us to do what needs to be done?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late to change things. So it¡¯s pointless to ask that question. The soldier won¡¯t be doing anything too important. It is you from whom much more is being asked. They will just keep watch while you use your powers to manipulate the lock.¡±


    Right. The locks. My uncle slid a model of it onto the map. It was a small sphere, about the size of my fist, with a glass surface revealing an incredibly complex little machine inside. Countless gears and levers whirred inside of it, carrying the silver marbles that kept the whole thing running. The real thing would be much bigger, but the principle would be the same: careful application of my heat and light, along with Emily¡¯s careful mental strings pulling at the pieces within, would unlock the device and open up the treasure within.


    ¡°There are three locks within the Cradle,¡± he continued, tapping the three points on the map, each marked with a neat red circle, forming a triangle around the mark of Antares. ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be going for the first. The entire operation should take no more than an hour. Are both of you prepared? Iris?¡±


    We nodded. I still felt a vague sense of unease, but I pushed the thoughts away. There would be no room for doubt inside the Cradle.


    Emily¡¯s eyes met mine and she smiled, squeezing my hand. I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been shaking. ¡°Nothing will go wrong tomorrow,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emily echoed. ¡°We will be perfect. Nothing less is acceptable for Polaris.¡±


    ***


    It was late at night when I returned to the tent. The moon shone faintly through the dense clouds, while the Cradle seemed to glow even brighter than it had before. The blazing light cast long shadows over everything in the camp.


    I stepped inside. Alicia was still awake, sitting in our bed reading one of her dime novels. Her eyes glowed silver, just bright enough to illuminate the pages. She licked her fingers and turned another page.


    The pages. Of course. Between everything else, I¡¯d completely forgotten about them. Alicia had sketched something and then torn it out, and I could only dread what had been on them. ¡°Why did you rip the pages out of your notebook?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hm? Rip pages out of my notebook?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She held up the notebook she¡¯d been sketching in this afternoon, careful to hide the half-finished sketch of me.


    ¡°Not that notebook. The other one. With all your drawings in it from yesterday? The one you told me to look at?¡±


    She slid a bookmark into her novel before setting it aside at the foot of the bed. ¡°I didn¡¯t tear any pages out of that.¡±


    ¡°But... when I read it, there were some pages missing. Near the end.¡± I rummaged through my belongings, finally finding the notebook full of sketches and showing it to her. Sure enough, the pages near the end were still torn out, jagged bits of paper still bound to the spine where they¡¯d been ripped.


    She yawned and turned over to go to sleep. ¡°That¡¯s odd. But we can figure this out tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alicia¡ª¡°


    But she was already asleep. Or maybe pretending? No way she could¡¯ve fallen asleep so quickly. I shook her shoulder a few times, but she only laughed softly before turning away. I tried a few more times in vain to bring it up, but it seemed she just didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Or maybe she really could fall asleep so quickly.


    Perhaps I should¡¯ve slept that night as well.

 In the Depths

    The morning was warm. Thick, swirling clouds filled the morning sky. The Cradle had become even more agitated since I¡¯d last seen it at night, its orange glow shining so violently that the sunrise paled in comparison. It was the day before Solstice. But more importantly, today was the day.


    Today, we¡¯d be going inside the Cradle.


    The haunting images from yesterday still lingered in my head. The words tugged at my consciousness. It was hard to fathom that thesy weren¡¯t merely born from Alicia¡¯s imagination. No, she had really seen these things inside the Cradle. Perhaps they were waiting in the darkness there, visions of apocalypse, twisted reflections of who we were. Again, I pushed the thoughts away, filled them with the light and warmth I knew from Polaris.


    Emily was waiting to go down with me. She¡¯d cleaned up since yesterday, her pink hair tied back as well as it could be, her uniform dry and free of debris, all as expected. Despite the long trek here, she must have spent hours and hours more last night fixing it up. Still, she had an energy and cheerful demeanour about her, and I tried to muster up the same. She gave me a smile. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± She chuckled. In one hand, she was gripping the needles of her Complement, polished to a shine. In the other, she held a rolled up sheet of paper, bound by a string. The map.


    Uncle Saul placed his hands on our shoulders. ¡°Okay. Remain calm no matter what happens. Be careful. The Cradle will do everything it can to make you stray, to drive you off the path. You must disregard it. You must block it out. The first lock is relatively close to the entrance. Let¡¯s make this quick, okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± we replied in unison. My eyes drifted to our partners. Jake sat quietly beside Alicia, playing with a clump of snow between his fingers. Alicia¡¯s eyes were glued to the ground, her Complement circling them both in lazy circles.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I asked her.


    She looked up for a moment, smiling weakly. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just a bit nervous. Guess that¡¯s why it¡¯s Emily going in with you. And not me.¡±


    ¡°Nervous for me? You don¡¯t need to be afraid, Alicia. Nothing¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡±


    ¡°Benjamin, are you ready?¡± said Uncle Saul. Benjamin?


    ¡°Yes.¡± The soldier sided up behind us, his ashy blue-grey coat blowing in the wind. He looked over the two of us before speaking. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, alright? You won¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m not afraid of what¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°You should be,¡± I mouthed. I could barely believe it. Of all the people who could possible come with us, it was him?


    ¡°I look forward to working with you, Benjamin,¡± said Emily, giving a polite bow and offering her hand.


    He hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just go in,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just following orders.¡± He didn¡¯t even acknowledge my presence. That was fine with me. Better than dealing with the insubordination he¡¯d shown a few nights before.


    My uncle held up the key before the Cradle. Waves of light danced upon its smooth surface before it unfolded like a flower, revealing the inky depths within. The crowd around us stepped back, but I stepped forward. The darkness drew my eyes. I needed to go inside. I had to. But this time, I didn¡¯t need to fight that attraction. I simply let it lead me forward.


    And Benjamin followed, muttering something under his breath.


    The slope descended ever onward into the darkness. I led the way, putting one boot in front of the other, always careful not to lose my footing as Alicia and Jake had. After just a few steps, the sunlight faded away, and soon we were descending further with only the light that I could muster. Even that rapidly faded as we continued our descent, and by the time we reached the bottom, I felt my light being devoured by the still air.


    My feet sank into the ground. It was soft, shifting beneath my feet. Like sand, but not sand. The ground was made of scales. Thousands upon thousands of scales covered the ground as far as the eye could see. With each footstep, hundreds of scales skittered out of the way, thousands of little legs running across the unmoving husks of their counterparts. Were they dead? Something deep in my gut told me that they weren¡¯t. They were asleep.


    Although my light was swallowed up by the darkness, it hardly seemed to matter. Instead, a dull, glow shone from everywhere and nowhere at once. I could just make out the outlines of the shapes that towered above us, monolithic pillars that rose from the ground and disappeared into the shadows above. Evenly spaced about two meters apart, they seemed to stretch on and on forever. Their surface was rough to the touch, sparkling under the faint light. They were made of scales too. Everything here was made of scales. My skin crawled. I pushed the thought away.


    Emily unrolled the map. It was surprisingly easy to read in the dim light, the silver paint catching the ambient glow and nearly glowing. Orienting the map against the slope behind us, the needles of Emily¡¯s Complement flew into position, gleaming silver pointing the way forward. ¡°This way.¡±


    We started in silence, for a few blissful moments before Benjamin interrupted it.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± he asked, ¡°It¡¯s so...¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve probably found out before coming inside with us,¡± I said.


    ¡°This is the Cradle,¡± said Emily. ¡°The heart of the Corruption. The place where the gift of Polaris was corrupted by Antares and turned into... all of this, and all of that we see above.¡± She gestured around at the empty vault around us.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that story before. Is that really what you believe?¡± The nerve of this guy. Who did he think he was? ¡°Your instructors aren¡¯t here, you know. You could tell me what you really think.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± said Emily. ¡°It is what I really think.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a better answer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Look around you. How can this place be so much larger on the inside? The thing clearly doesn¡¯t have room for this. It must be some sort of... trickery. An illusion. Orentican eyes. Or something like that. How could this possibly be a real place? And how could it be responsible for everything you¡¯ve seen outside?¡±


    ¡°Is it so hard to believe what you see with your own eyes?¡± asked Emily. ¡°This is real, soldier. That¡¯s the truth. See the scales beneath our feet? Those above the ground are the same. You know this. Then what else could you believe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. I can¡¯t believe what I see with my own eyes. Eyes can be tricked,¡± he said. How simple he saw this. How wrong he was. ¡°And I don¡¯t suppose you have a real explanation. Only more of the same superstitions that your instructors are constantly going on about. I could barely get through that horrible briefing they gave me. Stay on the path. Watch out for Antares. Antares this, Antares that. But look, this place is empty. Where are all those dangers? Or could it be that this isn¡¯t all it¡¯s hyped up to be? Just a waste of time for your Patron to send you on to keep you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt fate,¡± said Emily. ¡°Benjamin, you don¡¯t need to accept the truth. But if you can¡¯t, at least acknowledge the danger of this place. There are many shapes that Antares¡¯ scales can take; do not be deceived by them. Our partners have witnessed this; we can only hope that ours will be easier to overcome. I ask you to accept our authority at least in here. Please, stay on the route and do not stray from it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what¡¯s right. I¡¯m not here to let children like you order me around. And I¡¯m not just going to give into the fear that seems to infect everyone as soon as anyone so much as mentions this place.¡± He continued onward. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep what you¡¯ve said in mind. Even if this place is real, I do wonder what cruel tricks this place could possibly play on me.¡±


    ¡°This place?¡± said Emily. ¡°More than you could imagine. Benjamin, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve lived your life so far, but there are truly unbelievable places in this world. And you¡¯ve just entered one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡±


    We marched. Our boots crunched in the scaly ground as we wound between the pillars following the chosen route. As the ramp behind us vanished into the darkness, the full scale of the Cradle unfolded. The columns were all identical and evenly spaced, giving the eerie impression that we weren¡¯t moving at all. Emily marked our route carefully, tallying our steps as we went, her needles swivelling like a compass to point us as the map directed. Without her tracking, progress would have been impossible.


    There was one thing that did seem to be changing as we continued on our path. The ground shifted more and more beneath our feet, scales agitated by our presence. They were waking up. A dull hum permeated the air, like the buzz of the forest, but lower pitched, sometimes fading to the periphery of my perception only to rebound with an intensity that shook my bones. There was no obvious danger in the unstable ground. Only a feeling of unease. But that feeling was more than enough.


    ¡°Help!¡± A voice cried out from far off in the distance. It was soft, barely discernible, but the sudden noise cut through the air nonetheless. Benjamin immediately swerved to face the sound, straining his eyes to try to see its source.


    ¡°Left,¡± said Emily, turning sharply in place.


    I followed suit, but Benjamin nearly stepped off the route. I grabbed his sleeve and yanked it in the correct direction. ¡°Focus.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course I heard it. But We can¡¯t afford to be distracted. Keep marching.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, distracted? That¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Keep. Marching.¡± I sensed his motion before he even started, gripping his sleeve to stop him before he had the chance to ruin everything. ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t move.¡± I sighed. It seemed every hint of his confidence had left as soon as this voice had called out. ¡°Whatever happened to not being afraid, Benjamin? To not believing in those ¡®silly superstitions?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Help!¡± The voice seemed closer.


    He pulled his arm out of my grip. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I need to go there. Now. I know what you say, what you believe, but it¡¯s wrong. That voice is... I need to check it out. I need to find him¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± Emily¡¯s silver eyes were glowing nearly white as she slowly walked towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Benjamin. I understand the things you hear are frightening, but you must not falter. We are in a dangerous place. Be strong.¡± She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I understand this is distressing. The voice is one that you recognize. But don¡¯t be deceived. The voice is coming from the Corruption. From Antares. Come on. Trust me at least this much. I told you that this a powerful place. Do you believe it now?¡±


    ¡°I... But if it is, then that voice must be¡ª¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Whatever you see or hear is false. Whether this place is real or not, no? So ignoring it. It¡¯s for the best.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her words seemed to convince him, and, taking a deep breath, he continued on the trail. Emily walked beside me. ¡°You¡¯re more patient than I would¡¯ve been,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Patience is expected of us, Iris. We are Polaris¡¯s servants.¡±


    She was right, of course. But it was still hard to do. I bit my lip as we continued. We kept walking through the unending space, following the path in silence. The voice calling for help soon faded, or was drowned out by the dull buzzing that permeated the air.


    Finally, we arrived at our destination. The first lock was much as expected, a small sphere, almost a recreation of the Cradle in miniature, sitting on an ornate pedestal that rose up from the scales below. It reminded me of the models we had practised on back home, though this was clearly more... alive. Its surface glowed with moving patterns, masking the mechanism inside. But not for long.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been told to watch us, right, Benjamin?¡± said Emily. ¡°Then watch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve orders to watch,¡± He said, though he didn¡¯t seem to be paying much attention to us. His voice already seemed distant and dreamlike. Instead, it was our surroundings that he scrutinized, as if there was something waiting for us in the shadows. There wasn¡¯t, of course, at least not anything that could lay a hand on us.


    Emily¡¯s eyes met mine as we approached the lock. She put her hands around it, using her telekinetic powers to feel out the mechanism within. It only took her a few moments. ¡°Come closer,¡± she said, guiding my hand to the top. ¡°Heat please.¡±


    The surface was cold to the touch. I kept my hand pressed against the freezing surface, taking deep breaths to focus my power. Unlike on the battlefield, these locks required precise control. I felt the threads of flame snaking through my veins toward my fingertips. I tensed my muscles, holding back the flames, letting a thin but steady stream of warmth flow into the device. ¡°Tell me when,¡± I said.


    ¡°Keep going.¡± Emily¡¯s hands were fixed on both sides of the lock, fingers quivering as they doubtless manipulated the delicate gears and levers within. I heard a few soft clicking sounds, followed by the tapping of marbles being released into the machine¡¯s depths.


    The surface light flickered, then died, glow fading to reveal the glassy surface and the complicated machine within. Marbles clicked and whirred along their tracks, spinning turbines and reaching weighted locks, keeping the mechanism live. At the centre of the sphere, there was a brass funnel, a black pit descending into the depths of the cradle, right through the pedestal. When the marbles fell in, they¡¯d tumble down into the depths of the machine, the great lock that held the treasure in place.


    It was almost like a game.


    ¡°Do you ever wonder why the lock is... the lock?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s almost tailor-made for us to open it.¡±


    Emily chuckled. ¡°Well, they say Altair himself designed these for his sister. A lock so devious none would be able to solve it. At least, not without going mad from the illusions first.¡±


    As if in response, the voice resumed its calling. ¡°Help! Is anyone there?¡± Emily and I ignored it, focused on moving the little arms and tracks to get the marbles into the funnel. But from the corner of my eye, I noticed Benjamin grow alert. He turned to face the source of the voice, staring out into the darkness.


    ¡°Stay alert,¡± I warned. Now that the surface was transparent, it was much easier to fiddle with the mechanism. Emily and I both knew what to do, and so we moved wordlessly, shifting the marbles onto tracks that slid down into the funnel. Into the darkness.


    The voice grew louder. Closer. ¡°Help me, Benjamin,¡± it called. The soldier grew more agitated, his boots crunching in the scales as he paced feverishly around us. I tried my best to ignore him. We were about halfway there. The mechanism was beginning to unravel, clockwork pieces grinding to a halt as we knocked the bearings out of the system one by one.


    ¡°Done,¡± Emily exclaimed. A wave of relief washed over us. The lock clicked, everything within returning to rest as the last few marbles swirled into the funnel and disappeared into the pit, their bouncing within the brass pipe making a chorus of echoes that quickly faded away to heavy silence.


    Benjamin broke the quiet. ¡°He¡¯s just over there.¡± He pointed to a figure lying a few metres off, among the scales. Its body sprawled painfully, bloody, battered, limbs bent in awkward, unnatural gait. It crawled along the ground. It looked human.


    ¡°You think you recognize him,¡± said Emily. ¡°But this is not... whoever he is to you. Or was.¡±


    ¡°So you say,¡± he whispered. ¡°But if this place is real... perhaps he is too. Couldn¡¯t that be the case?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± said Emily.


    He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed. Perhaps it had been the sharp certainty in Emily¡¯s voice, conveying the truth behind her words. Or perhaps the soldier was just feeling addled from the sights. We started on the long path back, turning our backs to the pitiful figure that writhed on the ground. It would not distract us. This would be a success.


    ¡°Help me, Benjamin. I can¡¯t last much longer.¡± Its voice was hoarse. Broken. I locked eyes with Emily. We both knew what was going to happen. But neither of us were fast enough to stop him from sprinting to the fallen soldier, scattering the scales in his wake. As he crossed between the giant square pillars, the ground erupted from beneath his feet. The walls shifted, sheets of scales roiling and crashing in great waves that separated the three of us.


    ¡°Emily? Emily!¡± I called, but my voice was muffled by the storm of scales around us. I lost my footing on the unstable terrain and tumbled to the ground.


    The scales were waking up.


    The ground beneath me sloped down, a yawning pit opening to swallow me up. The sound of falling scales filled my ears, growing from the tinkling of chimes to a thunderous roar as they tumbled ever more quickly down into the darkness. I scrambled to find any grip on the falling ground, but the scales simply slipped beneath my fingers. I tumbled down into the abyss, curling into a ball to brace myself for whatever awaited at the bottom.


    I fell in the darkness. Scales buffeted my uniform and scraped against my skin. I didn¡¯t open my eyes for fear of what I might see in the turmoil. But as quickly as it started, it stopped. The scales hit something solid, the bottom of this hellish sandpit, and quickly piled up to cushion my fall. And when I finally opened my eyes, I was face to face with...


    It was Alicia.


    She stood before me, silver eyes and indigo hair and sky-blue uniform that were all so familiar to me. She smiled, reaching out a hand to help me up. But of course, it couldn¡¯t be her. Right?


    ¡°Alicia?¡± I got to my feet. Behind her lay the pile of scales, gently sloping upward. On all other sides, the scales stayed rigid, moulded into glimmering walls of sand that towered far above to where we had been walking just moments ago. There was no way to go but forward. No way to go but through her. ¡°Alicia?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± my partner replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re not... inside the Cradle, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am,¡± said the Alicia standing before me.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not, Iris. Why would I be inside?¡± I trusted the voice in my head far more than the one before me. This had to be an illusion. Still, I had to admit, it was nearly indistinguishable. How did this place know what to create?


    ¡°Iris, don¡¯t listen to her,¡± it said. ¡°This place is playing tricks on your mind. It¡¯s mimicking her voice in your head.¡± This Alicia closed the distance between us, placing its hand on my shoulder.


    I brushed it away. ¡°Leave me. You¡¯re not Alicia.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± it said. ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s me. The real Alicia. Don¡¯t you see? Antares sent a false Alicia up out of here, to trick you. Even now, she¡¯s fooling everyone. Even you. I thought you¡¯d notice. I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t recognize your own partner.¡± It reached its hand for mine, but I stepped back before it could get its claws on me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Iris?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s just a little illusion.¡± Of course this story was a fabrication. If Alicia had really been trapped in here, she¡¯d have been far more excited to see me, far more teary-eyed and touchy. She¡¯d have never approached me with such a cold demeanour. Its feeble attempt to throw me off had only strengthened my conviction. No trick of Antares would be fooling me today.


    I took a deep breath, letting the heat well up in my chest before exploding in a flurry of blows. The puppet burned away before me, blackened patches of scales falling away in chunks. The false Alicia screamed, but already the illusion was breaking. Its voice didn¡¯t match my partner¡¯s in the slightest, its human veneer melting away to reveal its true form, a writhing mass of scales, their bodies clambering over each to try and maintain the semblance of a human body. Charred to ashes, they finally collapsed, the remaining live scales scattering underfoot.


    Having settled down, for now, the slope back up was manageable. I made my slow ascent, step by step, careful not to slip and tumble all the way back down again. Several times, I very nearly did just that. But soon enough, I reached the top and surveyed my surroundings.


    The interior was as vast and empty as it had been before. Even the pit of scales, where I¡¯d been just moments ago, was rapidly closing up, scales filling in the gap back up to the surface level. For a second, I contemplated trying to shine my light, before remembering that that was nearly useless here. ¡°Emily!¡± I called first. Then, with no reply, ¡°Benjamin!¡±


    ¡°There you are.¡± The voice was Emily¡¯s.


    But was it really her? It was as if she¡¯d appeared out of thin air. I scanned her body carefully for any discrepancy, any hint of warmth in her cold, silver eyes, or any blemish on her neatly fitted uniform. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop staring, please?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I hadn¡¯t realized. ¡°I¡¯m just making sure you¡¯re not another illusion.¡±


    ¡°Another?¡± She raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t pursue the topic further. ¡°Whatever. You know, you really scared me back there. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting awfully calm, given what happened.¡±


    ¡°Iris, staying calm is the only thing we can do, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I said. ¡°What about Benjamin?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Since when had he been standing behind me? The soldier stood gripping his rifle tightly. His breaths were ragged. His posture was very poor. He¡¯d been so irresponsible. I wanted to strangle him on the spot, to slam him against the scales and smother him beneath them. But I managed to compose myself, taking a deep breath, steadying my shaking hands and holding them close to my side.


    Emily pursed her lips. ¡°Iris? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± I glared at him. ¡°How could you run off the trail like that? Do you not care at all for your own safety? For the sake of everyone here below and everyone there above? That was incredibly reckless. You¡¯re extremely lucky to still be breathing.¡±


    Rather than apologize, he looked away. ¡°I get it,¡± he whispered. ¡°I thought... never mind.¡±


    I wanted to say more, but Emily put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Not now,¡± she said. She was right. His recklessness had put us in danger, but there was no need to agitate him further. No need to risk another incident. At least the lock had been broken. At least we¡¯d made some progress. Emily¡¯s Complement flew into the air, the needles leading the way back toward the entrance.


    We walked back in silence.

 Cloudburst

    The sky above swirled with angry black clouds, rain pelting the ground, soaking the wood and fabric and my skin, down to my very bones. Thunder echoed, though there was no lightning to be seen, only the heavy darkness of the moonless night. All of those things barely registered, though, in face of the thing that truly drew my eyes.


    It was her.


    The first thing that struck me was the dress. It was the purest white I¡¯d ever seen, almost glowing despite the pouring rain, not a single scratch or tear or stain upon its surface. The fabric was translucent, ethereal and finely patterned, a stark comparison to the body that lay beneath.


    It was her. Antares. Queen of the corruption. Her skin was shining bronze, metallic scales twisted into humanoid shape. A Patron, corrupt, twisted, battered, bruised. Between the scales were cuts and scars, blood dripping from her hands and bare feet, staining everything she touched with dark crimson. The bloody hands clasped a sword longer than I was tall, iron wrought into what might have once been an elegant blade, now wreathed in thorns and barbs that wrapped along its whole length, not stopping at the hand but continuing up her arm all the way to the shoulder.


    And where her face ought to have been, there was a mask lacking all human features, a blank sheet of metal criss-crossed with jagged gashes. Hot steam poured out of the cracks in regular intervals¡ªit took me a moment to realize that they were breaths. A crown of thorns twisted around her head, regal and grim and oh-so-painful-looking as the barbs dug into her hair and scalp. But she showed no discomfort. She wore it as if it were nothing.


    We were paralyzed, staring awestruck at the Patron standing in our midst. It was Jonathan who broke us out of our stupor. Of course it was. ¡°Benjamin, get the other soldiers out of danger.¡± My instructor stood up calmly, stretching his arms as his necklace began to glow.


    It took a moment for Benjamin to register that Jonathan had been speaking to him. Of course, even he¡¯d been stunned by the appearance of a Patron in the flesh. ¡°But sir¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts. This is no place for them. She is a Patron. She is here for the Cradle. She is here for the Luminare. She is here for me. Not for you.¡±


    For me?


    Jonathan¡¯s eyes were glowing too, now, gold and bright and strong. ¡°Stay out of her way.¡± There was commotion among soldiers, the sounds of shuffling and some footsteps. But of course, nobody would really run. Nobody would seek cover. In such a situation, who wouldn¡¯t stay and watch?


    ¡°What do you want us to do, Jonathan?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Stand back, Iris. She is a greater power than you can possibly imagine. I alone have truly seen her. I alone will take her on.¡± Magdalene. The name flashed through my mind. The way he stood before Antares recalled the murals I¡¯d seen of her, of her stand in ages past. No. I wouldn¡¯t let him. ¡°Jonathan don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    His wrist slipped out of my hand. Ethereal wings spread out behind him as he stepped forward to face her. ¡°Antares.¡± Jonathan¡¯s voice was firm. Unafraid, even. And why would he be? He was the very best. The greatest hero of our generation. He had stood before her before, and lived.


    But she was still Antares.


    She didn¡¯t even acknowledge him. ¡°Oh. I remember. It was that story. That story about that little brat, Lumis. That¡¯s what I was interrupting.¡± Her voice was the sound of nails scraping against ceramic, an assault on the ears that blotted out every sound, every sight, every thought, filling in the void with simply agony. I covered my ears. It made no difference. The sound permeated every fibre of my being, leaving nothing but the sensation of each and every letter carved onto the inside of my skull.


    But Jonathan approached her still. ¡°Antares, look at me! What are you doing here?¡±


    The Patron pressed forward, bare feet not even touching the ground as she glided silently across the clearing. ¡°Do I even need to answer? I am here for you, as you said.¡±


    For him?


    She was close now. So close. From here, she towered over even Jonathan, a giant walking among us. But even more than her bloody scales and ghostly dress, more than her featureless face or the crown of thorns atop her head or her voice that rent my mind asunder, her presence was the worst of all. Despite the winter chill and pouring rain, it was warm¡ªno, hot, even. My skin tingled and crawled and itched like crazy, as if her scales were already scurrying around beneath the surface, eating away at my flesh and bones. The smell was overwhelming, a heady mix of cinnamon and spices that made my mouth tingle and my eyes water and my throat burn. But still I couldn¡¯t help but breathe it in, take it in. Despite the pain, I wanted to experience every moment of it with every bit of my being.


    Around the camp, the soldiers shuffled yet more uncomfortably in their hiding places. Alicia nervously scratched at her palm. Jake kept his eyes shut, arms crossed tight across his chest while Emily clung to him from behind. Instructor Elizabeth¡¯s eyes were red, glowing silver only faintly as she pressed a hand against her neck to calm herself. Uncle Saul leaned forward, resting his chin on his fist, taking laboured breaths as he thought and planned, his Complement circling us to keep us safe. Instructor Irene leaned over to whisper something in his ear. He nodded, muttering something back.


    ¡°Leave us, Antares.¡± Jonathan alone stood unfazed and radiant. The Mark of Lumis around his neck glowed brighter than ever. His eyes shone like the sun. Arcs of electricity danced over his skin and flew between his fingertips.


    ¡°Leave? Don¡¯t play games with me. You know what I¡¯m here for, child. I spared your life before. I am only here to reclaim what is mine.¡±


    ¡°I do not belong to you.¡±


    Antares laughed, the sound of nails raking across my eardrums. Her blade swung through the air to point its jagged tip at Jonathan¡¯s neck. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± The blade flashed in the rain.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Antares staggered, because eighteen bullets buried themselves in her torso. Then a second time, and a third, and a fourth. It had been a ploy. A trick. No shining light, no elegant power of the Patrons, just the lead of modern machines, loud shots echoing in the air, harsh impacts sending scales and blood and flesh over what was once a god. Modern power. In that instant, I understood, felt it shaking my bones. This was something new, perhaps. There was something resembling courage in the faces of the soldiers, grim satisfaction in their smiles. For a moment, Jonathan¡¯s eyes lit up. It was going to work. A few men even laughed.


    The dread queen Antares lay in the water, pooling from the pouring rain. Blood poured from countless wounds, mixing and swirling as it seeped into the earth. She was dead. It had been that easy. That simple.


    Of course it wasn¡¯t.


    Antares stood up and laughed, an inhuman shriek of scraping bones and shards of glass that compelled everyone to cover their ears lest their share her agony. Her dress was still impossibly white, ethereal, not a single hole in the wet fabric. The body underneath was peppered with holes, but she showed no sign of discomfort. Spindly fingers reached into her wounds, pulling out the bullets one by one, flicking them to the ground and crushing them beneath her bare feet.


    Because of course she was okay. For a moment I¡¯d been transfixed by the modern lie, the dream that we mere humans could approach the power of a god. She was a Patron. She was Antares! And she revelled in her performance, her feigned agony, mocking us and our frail mortal bodies, which were so easily broken, so easily twisted by her own tricks and torture.


    Antares spoke again, addressing only Jonathan. Nobody else was even worthy of her consideration. ¡°I did not expect Polaris¡¯s chosen daughter to act so lowly. To use such crude methods does not befit your station.¡±


    ¡°And I did not expect a Patron to disturb us on this night before Solstice. Why defile a sacred day?¡±


    ¡°It is not yet Solstice,¡± she said. ¡°And you are the ones defiling this day. You are the ones violating my daughter¡¯s Cradle. And you are the one who has returned, daughter of Polaris, despite my warning. Despite my prophecy. Do you not recall the words I gave you that day?¡±


    ¡°I do not believe your lies,¡± said Jonathan. ¡°But if it¡¯s a rematch you want, I¡¯d be happy to give you one.¡±


    Antares levelled her sword. ¡°Give me? You misunderstand, child. What you will give me is not a competition. It is not a battle. Do not misunderstand who it is that controls your life. I am a Patron, and you will become mine. Your path is set. It was set when I spared you, long ago.¡±


    ¡°Keep your distance now! For real this time.¡± said Jonathan, addressing us one final time. The soldiers needed no further encouragement, scurrying back into their hiding places. ¡°But watch. You will see a demonstration of our Patron¡¯s power. The light of Polaris still shines bright.¡± The necklace began to glow once more, fire tracing the lines and more, rushing over his skin in spiralling patterns.


    And then he went dark and sparks began to fly.


    As his light vanished, the clearing was plunged nearly into darkness. The dim orange glow of the Cradle provided a backdrop for the spectacle, just barely illuminating the silhouettes that danced around in the moonlight. But every few moments, the battlefield was illuminated by flashes of his lightning, images in brilliant clarity for just a moment before fading back to darkness just as quickly. Vignettes. One step, then another. The dance had begun.


    Of course, he was no match for her. Her movements were too fast, her sword carving half-moon arcs that only missed him by a hair¡¯s breadth, scattering pebbles as each swing struck the rocky ground. With every step and lunge, her dress scattered droplets that caught the light like embers. There was a jagged, disorienting flow to her movements, locking in place after every miss, never following through. It was like her body was wound up like a spring, delivering an ever-flowing barrage that sliced apart the air around her.


    Jonathan was already feeling the heat of the moment. Less than a minute had passed, but already in the momentary light of every strike I could see the sweat glistening on his brow, his chest heaving, his hands smoking. It was taking everything he could muster to keep up with her. But despite it all, he was moving closer and closer. He was pushing her back.


    Antares was on the defensive. Her feet shuffled back, struggling to find a sure foothold on the slippery rocks. Through the dim light and pouring rain, Jonathan¡¯s dark form was a blurry target until it exploded in blinding clarity, like a spirit of lightning flashing through the storm.


    Thunder crackled. Antares staggered, and everyone cheered. But Jonathan didn¡¯t let up at all, continuing his push in closer, lightning flaring from his hands, fire glowing in his eyes. His assault sped up, palms striking at air or grasping at her gossamer fabric. Each time his fingers just grazed the material, missing her skin but igniting the fabric. Close. But not close enough. Never close enough.


    The back-and-forth motions hastened, a dance of steel and light that grew ever more complex and strangely beautiful. In the darkness, there was only the drumbeat of torrential rain and the rhythm of Jonathan¡¯s footsteps, punctuated by the heavy sounds of Antares¡¯ thorny blade slicing through the air.


    I almost missed the melody. It was quiet, at first, barely discernible over the crackling of the wet gravel. The sound was discordant, a wall of wailing echoes and bells that I didn¡¯t really register as music. Still, it wormed its way into my consciousness and pushed everything else out. The Patron¡¯s movements kept time with her humming. It grew louder and louder, hooks digging into my flesh and tugging my soul into her sway.


    Jonathan was feeling it too, his movements staggering in resistance before locking in step with hers, captive in the dance they shared. Still, he didn¡¯t falter, his light flashing and shining brighter with each deflected strike, each miss bringing her heavy blade crashing into the stony ground and sending a splatter of mud and ice and jagged pebbles flying into the air.


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    I could already tell from his movements what Jonathan was trying to do. He danced ever closer to her, each strike missing by a narrower margin. Antares felt it too, pulse and pace quickening as she felt the sure strike approaching.


    There it was. A feint. Jonathan shifted his body just long enough for her to commit to another heavy swing before lunging forward. His body lit up, cloaked in all our Patron¡¯s brilliance. He was more than just Jonathan, in that moment. He was Magdalene, and Lumis, and everyone in between, an echo of their brilliance, taking his place among the stars in the sky.


    But that wasn¡¯t the light that struck me.


    Most people in Novatica knew the two lights well. The first was the bright light, shining from our hands, making paths clear, banishing the darkness before us. The other was the red light of fire, hot and painful, a weapon to cleanse and purify and burn the impure to ashes. Every child with golden eyes was taught to use them, to harness and control the gift of Polaris flowing within their bodies. Even those who were not Luminare still knew and used these lights, if only weakly.


    I remembered teaching some children of the lights myself, bright-eyed orphans newly adopted into Polaris¡¯s family, five or six years old and reaching out their hands in awe as they realized the awesome power that was theirs by birthright.


    But there was a third light. One that was not taught to children, nor to adults. The third light was dark. Not black, but truly, truly dark. invisible. A light that cut through flesh and bone and turned it to black rot and slime that melted away to nothingness. No purification. No cleansing. Only agonizing pain and death. Of course, we didn¡¯t use it, not really. It was incredibly dangerous to the user. And by tradition, it was forbidden. A truly dreadful and terrible option. A last resort. But Jonathan had always been a little loose with the rules and traditions. I¡¯d even seen him use it before. And he was doing it again.


    I caught his gaze for a second. The look in his eyes told me everything. He planted his feet and sprung forward like a firecracker, the deadly strike aiming for Antares¡¯s heart.


    And as quickly as that, it was all over.


    Antares caught his hand, snapping it back at a painful angle. Keeping his wrist in her grip, she lifted him up off the ground before slamming him into the wet gravel. ¡°Impressive, child. Now, if you¡¯re done with your tantrum, I am going to take what I came here for.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Jonathan, struggling to his feet.


    ¡°You¡¯re in no place to bargain, child. Know your place.¡± Her talons curved to grasp his arms and legs, leaving burns where hot metal tore through his jacket and raked at his flesh. Not from the heat, but from... something else.


    ¡°Jonathan!¡± I screamed. But my voice was a hoarse whisper. It was nothing. I was nothing. Nothing compared to her.


    Antares dominated the field with her presence, holding her grim trophy up high as she marched toward the Cradle. ¡°Behold. The daughter of Polaris dies once again today. For what she did. For how she defiled my daughter¡¯s Cradle.¡±


    Nobody could move. We could only watch, eyes transfixed, as she lifted him up. What could stop her? Polaris herself, only. But our Patron was far away. She¡¯d entrusted this mission to us. Had she set us up for failure?


    No.


    We were the only ones left who could do anything.


    My eyes locked with Alicia. ¡°No¡±, she said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything yet.¡±


    ¡°No, Iris.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s now or never, Alicia. We can do this. We have Polaris on our side. Jonathan needs us. Everyone needs us.¡± This was it, right? The time had come, as Jonathan had said. He was in danger. They were all in danger. Antares, that wretched queen, was closing in on him. The stage was set. The actors were all in place.


    All we needed to do was play our part.


    I squeezed her hand. ¡°Alicia, we need to do this. We... we have Polaris¡¯s eyes watching us. We¡¯ll be safe. I promise.¡±


    ¡°R-right.¡± Though her voice quivered, Alicia was readying her complement. Her bracelets shattered into steel that whipped into the air around us. Her eyes glowed brighter than I¡¯d ever seen before.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it our all.¡±


    ¡°Antares!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Iris.¡± Jonathan just said one word. But that one word said everything I needed to know. He didn¡¯t want me to step in. He¡¯d told me, yes, but I¡¯d disobeyed him before. This was different. I¡¯d only heard this voice three times. It triggered something primal in me, something deep down in my training that could never be ignored.


    But I pushed through it all because I knew it was what I had to do. I grabbed Alicia¡¯s hand. We ran into the clearing.


    And in an instant, she was before us, her blade¡¯s jagged edge tearing through the air. We tumbled to the side just in time as rocks and roots shattered against the metal, dust and debris scattering into the air. Her presence filled the air around us, heavy spices burning my lungs with every breath.


    ¡°What do you hope to accomplish, children?¡± she asked.


    ¡°O Patron,¡± I said aloud, my voice quivering with each syllable. I couldn¡¯t continue. My lips and throat burned, the noxious scent making me nauseous. The words just wouldn¡¯t fall out from my lips. ¡°O Patron.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± she taunted. She looked away, not granting us so much as a shred of her attention as she bore down on Jonathan. ¡°If you have something to say, speak now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Alicia spat. Having mustered up the courage to act, Alicia would be unstoppable. Her complement whirled forward, and that was the only push I needed. Just like that, we were in lockstep. My heart roared to life, fire bursting through my veins, light streaming from my eyes. We would be perfect. We would do something.


    She still didn¡¯t even turn her gaze to face us. Her blade just traced lazy circles through the air that slashed at where we would have been.


    Her slashes struck air, of course. We crouched just in time, rolling into position. Alicia¡¯s gentle adjustments kept me just ahead as her complement circled around us, blunting the sword strikes and feeling out the Patron¡¯s defences. ¡°We need to keep our distance,¡± said Alicia.


    ¡°Right.¡± We hung back, letting Antares¡¯s sword dance in the air between us, our footsteps locked in step with her rhythm. She kept bearing on Jonathan.


    ¡°Look at me!¡± I shouted, though I was distracted too. My eyes couldn¡¯t help but wander to my instructor, to the patches of flaky skin, to the bumps and bruises on his hands and feet, crawling through the mud towards the rest of the group. ¡°Just a little longer,¡± I insisted.


    ¡°And then what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! We¡¯ll get Jonathan to safety, okay?¡±


    Alicia screamed. The ground where she¡¯d been standing seconds ago was split open, the pulverized dust mixing with the rainfall like rivers of blood across the ground.


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. Sorry. I was distracted. Keep moving. Keep moving!¡±


    My boots slipped on the gravel, my pants getting soaked with the mud that splashed with each step as we scrambled around her. Of course, we were tiring. Each strike landed closer to us. Every attack I tried was just a little too far away, a little too slow to catch her as she danced circles around us.


    This couldn¡¯t go on forever. Jonathan was still struggling up the slope. Nearly there. Just a bit longer and he¡¯d be safe. And then... and then...


    And then Alicia¡¯s boots slipped on the slick terrain, just enough for her to stumble. That was more than enough opportunity for Antares. She turned in place, swivelling straight towards her. I leapt to my partner¡¯s side, my mind racing to find something, anything that I could do to stop her. Anything to slow her for just a bit. Even just to distract her...


    Lightning. Lightning. I needed to... Sparks sputtered between my hands, flickering just too weakly. Just too little to do... to do anything.


    ¡°It is over.¡± Her blade was already heading straight for both of us, a metallic flash of her own lightning that cut through the rain with deadly speed and precision, and would cut through our flesh and bones just as easily.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Jonathan. Just moments ago he¡¯d been on the far side of the clearing. But now he was here, body battered, half-broken, carried only by the glowing wings emanating from the necklace engraved into his neck. Even his eyes were almost entirely shut, barely held open by sheer willpower. He couldn¡¯t stand straight. He held up his hands as if to threaten her, despite his obvious inability to fight.


    ¡°Silence, child. You¡¯ve caused enough trouble today.¡±


    ¡°I have a message from Polaris.¡±


    She paused, surprisingly. The heat emanating from her dissipated; the smell subsided, the noise went quiet. Just for a moment. She held him up to her ear, and he whispered something to her.


    ¡°Is that so? The cost will be great.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Fine. It will be so.¡±


    In an instant, the sensory assault resumed. I fell to my knees. Jonathan screamed, falling to the ground and writhing about in agony. ¡°Keep your word, Antares...¡± Jonathan¡¯s voice, as quiet and hoarse as it was, cut through the cacaphony and reached my ears.


    Her blades started moving again, coming ever closer. A storm of steel that was unstoppable. I heard the screech of metal scraping against metal: Alicia¡¯s complement attempting to slow it down. But it was hopeless. Would this be the end? What had Jonathan said? I could barely keep those thoughts together as everything around me faded to black.


    The last thing I heard was her raspy voice, knives carving words into my memory. ¡°I will keep my word. A Patron¡¯s word is always trustworthy.¡±

 A Moment of Silence

    Right after our ascent, my uncle took me aside, walking just out of earshot of everyone else before he began to speak. But I didn¡¯t really need to hear his voice to know what this was all about. The look on his face told me everything. I was in trouble. Because of course this was my responsibility again. Even though we¡¯d at least managed to undo the first lock. I guess it hadn¡¯t been enough. ¡°Okay, one more time, Iris,¡± he said. ¡°Tell it to me from the start.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it was Benjamin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Iris. Take responsibility for what happened. You are the Luminare here. You are the leader.¡±


    ¡°For real? What are you even saying? How could I have led him? He wouldn¡¯t even listen to me. What was I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Something. Anything. Iris, if something like this were to happen with Alicia, would you blame her? If something serious happened to her, if she¡¯d done something out of line and put herself into danger, if you were the only one who could help her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d do it in a heartbeat. But this guy is not Alicia.¡±


    ¡°Treat him as if he were.¡±


    Impossible. ¡°If he were Alicia, he wouldn¡¯t have just... gone off like that. Rambling on and on about all those silly things, only to get immediately tricked by the very first illusion that showed up. Alicia is smart. Alicia doesn¡¯t make ridiculous mistakes like that. Emily was there, too. Ask her.¡±


    My uncle sighed. ¡°Iris. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to tell you?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Do you care about Benjamin?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I couldn¡¯t even bother to lie and say that I did. ¡°And if that makes me a bad Luminare, then so be it. I¡¯m just so done with all this. It¡¯s not my job to take care of him.¡±


    ¡°It is¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jonathan¡¯s presence was a mercy. My uncle started to say something, but my instructor cut him off. ¡°Saul. Let me take things from here, okay:? I promise I won¡¯t go easy on her.¡±


    My uncle raised an eyebrow, but nodded and left.


    ***


    ¡°You don¡¯t care about Benjamin?¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t even name him, Jonathan.¡±


    ¡°Do you care about any of the soldiers with us?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. I don¡¯t want them to get hurt. I don¡¯t want them to be so afraid. But of all the soldiers, why did it have to be this one? This one, who doesn¡¯t care about us, who doesn¡¯t listen, who doesn¡¯t do what he¡¯s supposed to do? I can¡¯t believe Uncle Saul chose him of all people to drag into the Cradle with us.¡±


    ¡°He was the only one brave enough to volunteer,¡± said Jonathan. ¡°And either way, you got the lock. That¡¯s what matters. Congratulations.¡± My instructor shifted on his chair and took a sip of his coffee, completely unperturbed by the absolute disaster that had narrowly been averted within the Cradle.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t... he¡¯s not taking any of this seriously enough. The importance of our mission. He has such disdain for us. He doesn¡¯t listen... he ran off like that and... and...¡±


    Jonathan put a hand on my shoulder to calm my trembling. ¡°He is not Luminare, Iris. You must remember that. Be patient.¡± Jonathan smiled. ¡°You know, I kind of like him. I¡¯ve got a good feeling about him. I think it would do you good to try getting along.¡±


    ¡°Me? With him?¡± I asked. ¡°Is there nobody else who can simply accompany us? They have nothing to fear, so long as we are there, so long as they just listen. So that they don¡¯t wander off the path and put us all in danger.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a reason he isn¡¯t listening to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course there is! He¡¯s not listening to be because he¡¯s has no respect for us. He knows nothing of our situation, of what we¡¯re doing, of the potential risks. He thinks he knows better. He thinks I¡¯m just a child.¡± Jonathan chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh,¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not laughing at you,¡± he said. ¡°I see a lot of myself in you. How I used to be. But I learned that there is much still to learn from them, because they are not us. They are not Luminare, and because of that they see things so differently. They live in a whole different world. A new world.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in denial about the truth of the world, you mean. A world where the Patrons still rule, still have power and authority over them. Our authority. The natural order of things that has endured forever.¡± And by disobeying us, Benjamin had defied Polaris, defied his Patron, scorned his rightful place in the tapestry of history. ¡°They reject what¡¯s real. They deny the things they see before their very eyes. I feel they¡¯ve gone crazy. Are we the only ones can still hold on to the truth?¡±


    ¡°That may be. But it may be that the truth will not last.¡± The words caught me by surprise. Some things didn¡¯t last, of course. People came and went. But the truth? The world? The world always stayed the same. The Patrons still held their dominions, and we fought their wars. The struggle of good against evil continued as it had since the beginning of the world. My instructor took a deep breath. ¡°The world is changing, Iris. You haven¡¯t lived quite long enough to see it. It¡¯s really quite astonishing, to me. New ideas. New machines. New... you know, when I was a child, the idea of soaring through the sky was so far beyond our reach. But look at where we are now. Just between you and me, I feel that the Luminare have not learned enough from all these new things, not understood them well enough, only kept our own traditions, perhaps for too long. In years past we protected the world with our light and flames. I fear we will not be able to do the same in the modern world. That things are moving far beyond our pace. Beyond our capabilities. That the day will come when the power we wield is no longer enough.¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Jonathan. There are useful tools that have come to us in recent days. Just tools. In the end, it is our Patron who stands behind us, with power beyond anything in this age or any other.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± My instructor chuckled. ¡°But still, do not discount the new wisdom, the new things in our world. It¡¯s probably too late for someone old like me to change. I¡¯m too set in my ways. But you¡¯re still young, Iris. Please, give Benjamin a chance. I know his way of thinking is different. Wrong, even. But he is different. Modern. And sometimes I wonder if a modern Luminare is exactly what we need.¡±


    Modern. I scorned the word, the concept. The gross and brutish trappings of our age. But I understood what Jonathan meant. Listen to Benjamin, take in only what was useful, tempered by the purifying flame of Polaris, and discard the rest. Discard the useless dross, the trappings that created the weak: weak people who understood nothing about the Patrons, people who thought that reason and science could explain everything. ¡°If you insist, Jonathan. But only because you say so.¡±


    ***


    Thunder crackled in the distance as we gathered in Jonathan¡¯s tent for the Solstice ceremony. Though the raid had yet to start, the clouds roiled in the air, tumbling violently through the sky in premonition of the downpour to come.


    Still, the inside of the tent was cozy. The great open map table had been pushed to the side, leaving the ground bare, with enough space for everyone to sit on the ground. Candles were the only light, set up in a ring around the perimeter: seven little flames casting their soft glow to fill the darkness of the tent.


    Benjamin stood by the entrance, arms crossed across his chest, occasionally leaning outside to peer into the night. Was he not even going to go inside? I nearly caught his eye, but he seemed to avert his gaze. At least he had the decency to be embarrassed about his horrendous showing in the Cradle. As we passed, I simply sighed and found my seat between Alicia and Jake. For a moment, I considered heeding Jonathan¡¯s words and standing all the way back alongside the soldier. But I just couldn¡¯t bear it at the moment. Even if I was going to respect my instructor¡¯s suggestion, there¡¯d be plenty of time to ¡®learn¡¯ from him.. Just not now.


    The ground was hard and cold, each lumpy rock and twig and blade of grass painfully evident through the thin canvas floor. But if anyone felt uncomfortable, they dared not voice it. Instead, we all sat in a circle, eyes fixed on Uncle Saul¡¯s little safe, which sat in the middle of the room. Jonathan walked into the middle and stood beside it, clearing his voice and beginning the ceremony.


    ¡°Thank you for gathering here,¡± he said, looking from person to person all around the circle. ¡°You all know why we¡¯re here tonight. Tomorrow is Solstice. A day of rest and peace and harmony.¡±


    Solstice. The day of all seven Patrons at peace, for just one day. For us, it was a day for Polaris to come and speak to the inheritor of her daughter¡¯s legacy. For her to come and speak to Jonathan, imparting her words of wisdom and guidance for the coming year. Jonathan smiled, unbuttoning his collar to reveal the mark of Lumis traced around his neck. ¡°As the one who bears the symbol and inheritance of our Patron¡¯s daughter, it¡¯s my honour to repeat her legacy tonight, the ancient story that we commemorate each Solstice. I will lead the recitation. I trust you all know the words to repeat.¡±


    Everyone nodded, some more tentatively than others. Uncle Saul left his place on the edge of the circle and walked to stand beside his partner. His eyes glowed silver as the safe clicked and unfolded, the cube opening up so all its faces lay flat upon the ground. Within the safe were puppets, each unique in form and function, each brought to life by his invisible arms, his telekinetic powers guiding each and every one into position.


    I¡¯d never seen this set before. Back at the academy, we¡¯d had to re-enact the stories ourselves, dressing up in costume and performing for the younger students. These past few Solstices, I¡¯d been out in the field with Jonathan, who did his best with a small set of wooden figurines which he moved by hand. Or, if we¡¯d been back in the capital, it¡¯d have been a grand performance in one of the great halls, with all the majesty and spectacle of the stage, with its cranes and gears, its lavish costumes and colourful makeup. But although all those had been lovingly crafted experiences, they paled in comparison to the little puppet set that lay before us. I had to wonder where they¡¯d come from. At first I thought that my uncle had made them himself, but looking carefully at the pieces, the materials were far too fine and extravagant. Tiny wooden bodies, painstakingly articulated with uncanny likeness, each dressed in finery of precious metals and other rare materials. Uncle Saul was never one to waste time on luxuries, and these... well these puppets were certainly that.


    ¡°Seven. Seven Patrons.¡± Jonathan¡¯s voice filled the room as easily as the light of the seven candles around us. ¡°At the beginning of time, before history began, they created everything and imparted their gifts unto the people of the world.¡± He raised his hand, shining a spotlight on the ground. One by one, the puppets began to march towards the light.


    ¡°Polaris was first,¡± Jonathan continued. Our Patron had fiery hair, just like mine, crowned with a blinding halo of light. The puppet sparkled with gold and platinum sequins, lit up with a phosphorescent glow that shone far brighter than anything else around. ¡°The Patron of light and life and truth, who banishes all darkness. And of all the Patrons, she gave herself to guide us in this life, to be our guidepost and trailblazer, to lead the way for all who pursue what is good in the world. To us, her people, she granted us a special gift, the light that wells up within us.¡± His eyes glowed a little brighter.


    ¡°After her, Altair painted the world into existence.¡± The puppet of Altair bowed, emerald-green Patron waving his brush to paint broad strokes through the air. ¡°The one who creates and destroys, who gave to us our bodies, moulded out of clay.¡±


    ¡°Then, Deneb.¡± Tall and stark, the doll was white, the wooden skeleton framed in porcelain. Its body was swaddled in cascading robes of black silk that shimmered and changed like water under the candlelight. ¡°Ever-changing one, who takes whatever she desires. To us she gave the fire in our hearts, the passion that drives us forward.¡±


    ¡°Fourth, Vega.¡± The scholar Patron stepped out, masked and clothed in heavy robes that hid every aspect of the skeletal marionette beneath. ¡°Though frail in stature, abounding in endless wisdom of the world¡¯s secrets, and imparting a small share to us as a gift, that we would not wander this world aimlessly.¡±


    Jonathan paused. ¡°Fifth and most terrible of all, Antares.¡± As if in response to her name, thunder echoed again in the distance. The puppet was gaunt and twisted, rusted metal pins and scrap held together by seemingly nothing, clad in faint white sheets and crowned with barbed spines. She raised a rusty little sword as she bowed and joined the rest. ¡°Patron of war, and pain, and corruption, of every crawling rust and filth and disease that plagues us, of the crawling scales and thorny branches that encroach upon the good and fair places of the world. Her sole existence is endless torment. Her sole purpose the eradication of everything that is good. For just as Polaris is the only Patron truly virtuous, Antares stands alone, the most hideous of them all. And her ¡®gift¡¯, if indeed it can be called one, is the seed of doubt in each of us, that we must guard, lest it bear its terrible fruit.¡±


    But she was not the last. Sixth was Procyon. The weeping Patron emerged, tears painted upon his marble face. The puppet¡¯s body was made of glass, hollow vessels filled with water that splashed around inside with every movement. ¡°Procyon, ever dwelling on the past. He gave us the gift of retrospection, that we may look upon our pasts and perhaps learn something for the future.¡±


    ¡°Finally, righteous Canopus.¡± She stepped out, double-bladed harvest scythe balanced delicately on gold-and-wooden fingers. ¡°In all her grace she granted us the conscience in our hearts. May we be found righteous in her eyes at the end of days.¡±


    ¡°And with these gifts, the Patrons beheld the world they had created, each claiming lands and peoples to be their own. Solstice was their day of creation, the greatest and most sacred day that all commemorate. A day of peace, to remember the Patrons and their gifts to us. And for we, the people of Polaris, Solstice means something more.¡±


    The first response to the recitation. Everyone knew what to say. ¡°For to us, Polaris gave far more. A message and a mission.¡± The words flew off my lips without a second thought.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± My instructor smiled. ¡°No Patron was more brilliant, more perfect than Polaris herself. Our Patron.¡± Jonathan illuminated the effigy again, light scattering off in all directions. To its side, a smaller puppet walked, tottering on its tiny legs to hug Polaris. ¡°And nothing in all the world was more important to Polaris than Lumis, her daughter, the light of her life and everything that gave her joy. Polaris granted her daughter a necklace imbued with her light, to make Lumis¡¯s brilliance shine even brighter. But such beauty brought jealous eyes that lurked from within the shadows.


    The collar of light glowed around Jonathan¡¯s neck. In the dim lighting, it was easy to see the intricacies of the patterns traced around him. The figures of Polaris and Lumis now retold the same story, engraved upon his skin. On the little puppet, too, glowed a collar of light. But our appreciation of it was cut short by a rattling from the edge of the circle.


    ¡°Ariana,¡± Jonathan continued. Ariana. The child of Antares, and everything that Lumis was not. Jealous, immoral, vicious, and cruel, the little puppet was made of the same hooks and spines as its mother, crawling pitifully across the floor of the tent, skeletal arms reaching out with spindly fingers to grasp and claw at the fairer child. ¡°Like their mothers, the daughters were mirrors of each other. While Lumis was kind and pure, and treated her people with grace and justice, Ariana was cruel at heart, devouring the lives of those who toiled under her thumb.


    ¡°Antares saw Lumis¡¯s brilliance, and, rather than rejoicing, sought to snatch the gift for her own daughter¡¯s ends. So on the sacred night of Solstice, as little Lumis slept, Antares crept into her chambers and slit her throat, prying the necklace from her and bestowing it upon Ariana as a gift of her own.


    ¡°When dawn broke, Polaris found her daughter dead, and saw the signs of the one who had done it. She wailed and wept for her only daughter. Determined, she rose and vowed to protect the children of her people, as none had protected hers. And so Polaris brought us into her fold, the Luminare, each snatched from the jaws of death by her own hands, adopted daughters to take the place of the one who was lost. And upon the dearest of the Luminare she bestowed a second necklace of light.¡± Jonathan touched his neck again, the patterns flashing once more against his skin. ¡°A symbol to be passed from child to child in unbroken chain until the true necklace of Lumis is returned to its rightful owner.


    ¡°For that ill-gotten treasure was warped by Ariana. In her hands, light turned to darkness. The necklace was sealed away in the Cradle, deep beneath the earth. The evil within seeped into the soil and trees, the Corruption blossoming all around it and devouring the world.


    ¡°And as for Lumis herself, she still watches over us immortalized in purest crystal, standing guard within the Citadel until the end of days, when her gift shall be returned to her and shine in the world once more.¡± I had seen Lumis myself, her crystalline form entombed above the grand hall in the Citadel. She sparkled with the light at dawn each morning that I was there. I¡¯d often imagined what would happen when the necklace would be returned to her. To think think that we were now so close to that moment sent chills to my very bones.


    My instructor continued. ¡°So we gather here on Solstice to commemorate the birth of the world and, through the death of Lumis, the birth of the Luminare. We remember our Patron¡¯s anguish, and how she saved our lives from certain death.¡±


    Uncle Saul began to pour the coffee into each person¡¯s metal cup. In the closed tent, the aroma filled the room, strong and bitter, as it always was. The tray slowly floated around the circle, soldiers taking the cups one by one and holding them in anticipation. The metal was hot, steam rising off the black liquid inside.


    ¡°Now, we repeat the lines,¡± said Jonathan. ¡°I trust you know them well. Polaris lost her daughter many years ago this day.¡±


    Here it was. I took a deep breath before replying. ¡°Now we are her children, following in Lumis¡¯s footsteps.¡±


    ¡°In following her, we testify to our Patron¡¯s perfection, her message of hope and light to follow.¡±


    ¡°We are ever grateful for her gift to us,¡± we echoed.


    ¡°Now she calls us into the Corruption, to wrestle with it until we reclaim what belongs to her. She only asks that we follow her unconditionally.¡±


    ¡°We gladly take up her mission as our own.¡± And now we were so close. Already one of the locks within the Cradle had been broken, one binding of the necklace that lay so deep within. I could feel it within my grasp already. My own neck ached, as if the same pattern etched in my instructor¡¯s flesh was being branded into mine.


    ¡°To show our devotion, we drink the bitter cup that she provides.¡± Jonathan held his own cup high. ¡°Now drink.¡± He downed the glass, slamming the empty cup against the ground. It rang clear as a bell.


    I pressed the cup to my lips, downing the bitter drink in one gulp. It was hard to swallow. The coffee was tempered with bitter herbs and spices. A vile liquid that burned my throat. But I did so willingly, to show my devotion to the one who¡¯d done so much for me. Opening my eyes again, I glanced across at the others, their eyes closed in thought. I recalled how Polaris saved me, catching me as I fell from the spires of the Citadel, discarded by my parents, finding my everything here. And each and every of us were the same, clutched from death to life by our Patron, if not in body at least in spirit, through her watchful eye and presence. I couldn¡¯t imagine a world without her, without everything she¡¯d done, because that was a world where I never existed, a world where my life was a single cold drop from the windy spires of the Citadel to the icy lake below.


    One by one, the metal cups rang against the rocky ground, like raindrops falling on the roof at night. A melody that showed our devotion to our Patron.


    Silence. A golden moment. How I wish it had never ended.


    Then the thunder reached us. A whirlwind consumed us and the ground crumbled beneath our feet. The canvas above was shredded, tent poles falling aside to reveal the sky above. Thunder crashed. The clouds burst, rain falling in sheets to melt away the carpet of snow and reveal the jagged metallic landscape beneath. Then her voice echoed across the clearing scraping across my eardrums as it carried through the air. It was impossible. And yet it was real.


    ¡°Oh my. Am I interrupting something?¡±