I join Via and Maggie back at Yvolstein’s after I store some of the vegetables and bugs in Soleil’s pantry and cleaned up a few things around his little house. Not enough to stress him out, but enough that he would know that I was there–that I wasn’t a dream, and that I cared for him very much.

They’re sitting up at the bar, drinking the same minty cucumber drinks. Maggie’s gray has come in thick streaks in her auburn hair and the lines have deepened in her face. They look up when the door closes behind me and a rush of hot air floods the dining room.

Maggie smiles warmly, “Sybil, I was wondering where you got off to.”

Via rolls her eyes and sucks at her drink from the straw Yvolstein commissioned Haven for specifically for their tiny zombie resident. “Probably seeing Haven and Spider Guy.”

“Oh, they’ve been proper mopey since you’ve been up at the farm,” Maggie pats the seat beside her and I take it gratefully.

“Thanks. Yeah, I’ve missed them too,” I tell the mayor, eyeing Vi on the other side of her. Vi ignores me, kicking her feet. I lean on the counter, “Thank you for hanging out with Vi.”

“Of course, she’s such a sweetie,” Maggie rubs Vi’s back and the little goddess swells with pride, as if she isn’t thousands of years old, but is actually the eleven year old sitting on a bar stool with her grandmother Maggie believes her to be. “I’m glad you were able to see them. It’s been making my job a little harder, keeping an eye on those two.”

I chuckle. Soleil can only work through the night in the summer because of the heat, and he picks up much of the physical labor around the town when he’s not buried in his books. He and Haven make a fantastic team in keeping the town of Reisau in shape. “How is Reisau?” I ask her.

“Getting busier, against all odds,” Maggie sounds stressed. Yvolstein’s head drops a little behind the counter.

“More visitors?” I ask.

She nods solemnly. “We used to only get a few people here and there, now we see more than twenty new faces daily.”

“It’s got all of us on edge,” Yvolstein adds, his honeysuckle voice trickling over the bar.

“Probably keeps Mathieus’ business thriving,” I joke half-heartedly.

Maggie nods. “Yes, but his stocks are running low.” Her knuckles tighten on the glass. “Sybil, I hate to intrude but…”

I level a hand on her shoulder. “I can ask the bones if they wouldn’t mind building some housing. Just in case.”

She smiles at me, her eyes tired. “Thank you, Sybil.”

I nod. “When is the next town hall?”

“Tuesday. Will you be able to come?”

I shake my head, “Lasis has me meeting with a buyer in Torsen. Haven’s got an order to drop, so I might accompany her.” I smile, “If she’ll have me.”

Maggie casts a side glance at Vi, and I pick up on her hint. “Vi, sweetie, I have an order from Mathieus pending, can you go pick it up for me?”

Vi rolls her eyes at me where Maggie can’t see and I shoot her an apologetic smile. I’ll fill her in later. “Sure, Mom,” she chides and hops off the stool.

We wait until the door closes behind her and Maggie leans forward, “Sorry, Syb. I don’t want to scare Via.”

I wince. “That’s okay, Mags. What’s going on?”

“We got word that they’re moving some prisoners through, heading up north. They should be through on Tuesday.”

I frown. “Prisoners?”

She shrugs, “I have some connections in Torsen that have warned us.”

“Must be some pretty rough folks if we’re getting warned.”

She shrugs, “You’re right that we don’t normally hear about it, but I can’t say I know for sure.”

“But it makes you worried.”

She nods, steepling her fingers over her drink. “We don’t have any town guard or policing. Never needed it.”

I wince, “I wish I could lend you Willard or Henry. They’ve kept us pretty safe.”

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“They can’t glamour though,” Maggie agrees. She rests a hand on mine. “Anyways, I’m telling you this because I need to know your farm is going to be safe.”

“I’ll make sure everyone stays inside.” I assure her.

“I’m sorry, I know that interferes with your harvest.”

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about that. Will they be staying in town?”

“I hope not, but who can say?” She sighs. “These new laws will be the end of us.”

I pat her hand gently, a small fear nagging in the back of my neck.

That night I stare up at my ceiling. Worry has tied itself into a knot in my stomach and the tea that Jun brought up for me has grown cold in my stomach. I explained to Via on the way home what Maggie had told me. She was quiet for a little while, but she eventually nodded and changed the subject. It did nothing to assuage my concerns that the goddess Herself didn’t want to talk about it.

I turn over, folding my pillow under my head.

There’s a light knock on my door and I sit up, “Come in.”

“Still awake?” Samantha asks, shuffling into the room. She sits on the edge of my bed.

I can’t help but smile. “What brings you up to the house anyways, Sam?” I pull my pillow into my lap and cross my legs. She leans back, crossing her arms behind her skull.

“Jun mentioned some cobwebs up in the ceiling rafters, they couldn’t reach it themselves. Thought I’d help.”

I smile. “You all are so kind.”

“I hope I didn’t wake you.”

I shake my head. “You were very quiet.”

We sit in the quiet for awhile before she pipes up. “So…? Is it the same reason Vi can’t sleep?”

The thought of Via lying in her own bed doing the same thing I was tugged on my heart. “Maybe? I can’t imagine the stresses of the mortal world really worry our goddess over the turnings of the cosmos.”

Samantha laughs, her pink magic glitters in the air. “She loves us a lot.”

I agree. In the time that we’ve spent together, I’d expected her to turn into the forest and return to her work as a deity. Instead, she slept in our home and ate our food; she made friends with the people of Reisau under the guise of a little girl, and helped our crops grow. Every once in awhile, maybe two or three times a year, she might disappear into the forest for a few days, but would return as though she had never left to begin with. She stopped asking me about the life that had been, and how different this timeline was from the one that I had experienced. Not that I could tell her. Even then, as time marched on, it was becoming more and more difficult for me to guess what had changed since my resurrection had altered the line we’d set upon.

Sometimes I did wonder if some of the events in the shift of power would have been different. Some sort of butterfly effect that would have resulted in some sort of overturn of the power grab. There was no doubting that Led was more prosperous financially since it had been invaded by the Cainern empire. It probably influenced the increase in visitors in the area, too.

Samantha nudges my leg with her knee, bringing me back to her question. Sigh and knock my head back against the headboard. “I’m going to be out of town when a prison escort comes through,” I tell her. “And we need to start building some temporary lodgings in the east fields once we clear out the wheat. Reisau is getting busy.”

“That’s not a good thing,” Samantha agrees. “I see why you’re worried.”

I nod.

“Have Haven and Soleil said anything?”

“I didn’t get a chance to talk with either of them much today.”

Sam pats my knee. “You’ll get to.”

I smile tiredly at her. “Thanks. This year’s harvest is harder than it was last year.”

She chuckles. “Of course it is. Your honeymoon phase is over, we’ve never had so many fields to clear, and the threat of the empire is getting ever-closer.”

“Is this what life was like for you?” I wonder.

She smiles weakly at me, as much as a skeleton can. “You know I don’t remember,” she tells me. “But probably.”

I hesitate. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What made you want to come back to the land of the living?”

Samantha plucks at the quilt, contemplating her answer. “I think… I think I wasn’t ready for the great beyond. That, and the necromancers I’ve had the honor of working with were the right people.”

“Would you have passed on if I didn’t raise you?”

“Of course, we all do.” She shrugs. “It’s not as if we get a choice in that matter, one way or another.” She pauses. “You’ve never asked any of us that question before?”

“I wasn’t sure it was my business,” I admit.

She nods thoughtfully. “The memories of these bones are not the same as the memories of the shells these bones held up,” she reminds me. “Not all of this,” she gestures lamely at herself, “is the same soul.”

I nod.

She pats my leg. “Well. Anyways. I think the others will be looking for me. We’ve got a game going on down at the bone house.”

“Thanks, Sam.”

“Of course,” she squeezes my hand and stands. “I hope you’re able to get some more rest before morning.”

“Thank you.” I slide back under my covers, tucking my pillow beneath my head again.

She pauses at the door. “One more thing,” she hesitates. “I don’t mean to add to your cart filled with worries but…” I gesture for her to continue. “We think Jun might be almost ready for committing. They’re slowing down quite a bit.”

Sadness fills my chest, and I feel like I might drown. I’ve relied on Jun so heavily in the past three years. They were the oldest bones of all, besides Willard and, obviously Henry, but they weren’t as spry. Their soul was quieter, more tired. I nod stiffly. “Have they said as much?”

“No,” Samantha admits, “And I don’t mean to be a gossiper.”

I shake my head, “It’s okay. I’ll talk with them.”

She nods. “Thank you.”

The door closes and I’m plunged back into the darkness of my bedroom. I pull the quilt beneath my chin and sigh. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day, I realize with dread. Especially if I can’t get to sleep. I know Samantha meant well, but she was right to be concerned about adding to my cartload of worries.