We go about our new normal. Herman and I talk at length in my study late at night. The transition of powers is relatively peaceful and seamless. One such night, we’ve just finished going over the ledgers for the northeastern plains when he closes the book. “Tony, I…”

I look up at him, but he doesn’t continue. His eyes are held firmly to the grain of the desk. I reach across the desk and cover his hand with mine. “Do you remember the story of the two brothers?” I ask him.

He looks up at me in surprise, and his eyebrows scrunch together before straightening in understanding. He nods. “Yeah.” He smiles.

I look across the room at the slumbering Sybil and Diego, in their chairs. Sybil is curled up with a pillow in a lounge chair, and Diego’s head has lulled back. They’ve been accompanying us in our meetings, but often can’t seem to stay up as late. “You and Diego?”

Herman scratches his head. “Yes. It’s been a long time.”

I smile. “I’ve met someone too.” I think of Tolstoy. I’d received a letter from him earlier that day, congratulating us on our success and letting me know that he will not be attending our coronation ceremony. He’s visiting his family. I don’t mind, actually. The coronation thing is a stuffy affair, and he hasn’t been able to be free and safe with his mother in nearly a year.

“Can you make sure that we disappear?” Herman asks.

“Of course,” I nod. “You and Diego will be safe. If you’re interested in farming–”

“Not in the least,” he chuckles, “I’ve heard Syb talk about it. Sounds exhausting, honestly.”

I grin. “Then godspeed. You’ve died of tuberculosis in the dungeons and Diego was killed as a traitor to Led.” I shrug. “Easy enough.”

“Thank you, little brother.”

I shake my head. “Thank you for helping me to disappear when I needed it.”

He squeezes my hand. “Anytime.”

“Maybe not, actually,” I return, and he chuckles.

***

Sybil has been gathering what she needs to leave on her own kingly quest to seek and train necromancers. Herman and Diego have long left, disappearing into the night before the ceremonies, lest they get caught up in the flood of tourists.

Sybil stands out on the balcony, catching the last of the autumn breeze that lifts her hair and flicks it into her face. Via sits on the railing beside her. They’d been out there chatting for a long while when the footman brings me the letter. My eyes are drawn first to the familiar signature at the bottom and my throat tightens.

I scan the letter and exhale the breath that I was holding. It was coming, just as we suspected. War.

When I get to the door out to the balcony, I pause to look at Sybil and Via in what feels like the last time. There’s a finality to their stance, and I know that they’re leaving soon. They won’t be here when the war comes. Not at first. They have a lot of work to get done before they can join the efforts, and this was going to be a long war. Years. Maybe close to a decade.

There’s something else that gives me pause. Sybil looks fearful, and so does Via. She turns to me, as if she feels me watching and gives me a grim smile. I step out onto the balcony.

“It’s time,” I say, and she flinches, as if I’ve struck her. Via takes her hand as I step forward in concern, but the goddess waves me back. “Are you okay?”

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Sybil closes her eyes and breathes. Via looks on, concerned. Finally, Sybil nods. “I’m okay,” she looks at Via. “Am I?”

Via squeezes her hand. “You’re here.”

She nods, as if she’s thankful for the reassurance. She takes another deep breath. “I’m here.” She turns back to me. “It’s happening?”

I nod, confused. “He has declared war. I’ve already forwarded the notice to the border cities to prepare themselves.”

Via closes her eyes, but she hasn’t dropped Sybil’s hand. “The timeline, Sybil,” she mutters, but I can hear it this time. Timeline?

Sybil nods. “They haven’t come for me yet,” she tells the goddess. “I’m not going to back down now. There’s too much at stake.” I feel like I’m on the outside of the conversation until Sybil says a word that catches my attention. “Arceme is going to have to take me kicking and screaming.”

“Arceme?” I ask, and both sets of eyes shoot up to see me, as if for the first time, in the conversation. “The god of time?” My eyes narrow, and my thoughts run rampant. I feel the world slip away and I reach out to grab something, Via grabs me with inhuman strength and steadies me just in time. “How do you know their name?” Sybil takes my other arm and holds me firm. The world fixes into razor-sharp focus, and I realize what is happening. What she meant by taking. “You. You’ve started again.” Goosebumps crawl over my skin, and memories of brilliant blue rivers creeps across my mind. I hadn’t heard that name in years.

We stare at each other in shock. “How–” Sybil’s jaw drops open, as realization dawns on her face. She steps away from me and covers her mouth with her hands. Via stares at me.

I am frozen in my stance, rooted to the ground. I’ve not been able to utter the words since it happened. My voice always seemed to die out before I had the chance, and then I stopped trying. And then I made a point to forget, I stayed true to my word with Arceme. Until now. “I… I died too.” I swallow. “We… we weren’t supposed to be here, were we? Neither of us?”

It suddenly makes sense: why Sybil had not followed her family into death, despite being duty bound to the crown.

Via shakes her head. “No, no we are not.”

I nod, feeling the blood begin to creep back into my face. “Okay.” I rub my sweaty palms across my knees. My entire body is trembling. I grasp my shaking fists and nod slowly. “No. No problem,” I tell her. I tell myself.

I have questions. Millions of questions. But at the end of the day… there’s only one path forward. If Arceme hadn’t taken Sybil back, that meant that we were either truly, irreversibly fucked, or… “We keep going.” I tell them. I narrow my eyes at Via. “Take Sybil out of here. Find necromancers.” Via nods, and Sybil opens her mouth to speak, but I silence her with a look. “You’re going to build your army of necromancers. You’re going to restore peace. At the end of all of this, we’ll see why Arceme is fucking with us. But until then…” I feel like I’ve lost a shred of sanity, as if a piece of me has spiraled away. “Until then we do our damndest.”

Sybil frowns, “Tony, you… died? When?” She shakes her head. “We need to talk.”

“We will,” I tell her. “But not now. Go get your things.” I run my hands over my head and pace back inside. The other two follow me in, and we walk together out of the study. I grab Sybil’s arms. “You’re going to go, and we’ll sort this out when I see you next.”

“That might be years.”

“It might be never,” I remind her. “We might be plucked away at any given moment. Until then, we give this country the best we can.”

She nods firmly and starts to walk away. As an afterthought, she turns and throws her arms around me, burying her face in my neck. “I’m sorry,” she tells me in a whisper. “Thank you.” Her voice cracks around a sob. “Good job, kid.”

The emotions I feel as I hug her tightly to me are heavy. “You too.” I push her away and she gives me one last look goodbye. Via blows a kiss, and then they’re gone. They’ve turned down a corridor and toward their rooms. They were going to leave tonight. Good.

I lean back against the stone wall as my outfit of guards tries not to stare at me. I am confronted with thoughts I hadn’t faced since the first battlefield. I remember Luis’s sword stabbing down, his look of fearful mania. I remember watching the light fade from the world. My hands are shaking now as I picture it, arm crossed over my eyes. “Sire, are you okay?” a guard asks.

“What would you do differently?” I hear Arceme’s voice distantly.

“I would finish what I started,” I’d told him.

“Yes,” I push off from the wall and set my shoulders. “I’ll finish what I started.”