A barely organized chaos had consumed Last Shadow.

Ironpeak had become a faction of refugees even among a people who hid in caves, and they filled the tunnels of Last Shadow's base. The echo of their footsteps and muted conversation through the stone halls, even with the dampening cloths, was a constant buzz. Koruuksi had dimmed his clearnodes below their resting brightness a while ago.

Koruuksi paused for a moment as he handed out waterskins and spare rolls of blankets, wiping the sweat from his brow. It wasn't hard work, but the flow of people, while slow, seemed endless. He'd been on his feet for hours as they trickled in through Last Shadow's various entry points, bottlenecking farther up the tunnels, closer to the entrances. Transports and speeders brought some, though those were mostly used for resources. Most walked, making their way across Atonga's rocky wastelands while they baked in the sun, and traveling in small groups to avoid detection. From what he'd heard, many still hid outside under rocky outcrops or in the various crags and canyons near the base of the mountains, waiting for Imaia patrols to cease.

Whatever Estingai and Uuchantuu had done, it had rattled the hornet's nest, and most people agreed with Paiz's and Anarak's assessments that Estingai's actions would lead them to ruin, just as Kweshrima’s had. Most weren't angry. Just scared, or wondering why the Last Knight would do this. Some wondered if it was what they deserved for putting stock in one of Kweshrima’s Knights after the goddess had broken the world. Others wondered if this really was a mistake.

Koruuksi took a deep breath and forced a sympathetic smile as he handed water and supplies to a Natari couple and their child as they came up to him. The closer man smiled, taking the blankets, while the other, his face even redder than most Natari, drank greedily before passing the skin to their daughter, who glanced at Koruuksi with wide eyes.

He held his smile, wishing he could do more, but even as the couple walked deeper into the tunnel, their child's eyes haunted him, tightening his throat. He'd seen that same confusion far too many times.

You helped her as much as you can for right now. Worry about that later.

As Koruuksi helped the next group of people, he thought about finding that couple and having Nomlana play his mandolin for her, or maybe he could conjure some darklight for the girl to bounce things off of.

Yet the more people came, the more he wanted to help. The knowledge that he couldn't reach out to them all individually weighed on him. It grew harder and harder to smile.

How did Svemakuu do it?

His brother always seemed to know how to help people—individuals and groups—even better than his Uncle Suule had.

Did he ever have to deal with this many? Or such a hopeless situation?

Koruuksi sighed. It didn't matter. Svemakuu would have found a way. Koruuksi had offered to help in whatever way he could, and though the pain in people's eyes as they passed tightened his chest, the smiles and gratitude they showed from the simple gift of blankets and water helped a bit.

Is that how he did it? Did he look for those smiles and remember them instead of the pain?

It was something he could try, at least.

When the stream of people slowed for a moment, following the ebb and flow he’d come to expect over the past day, Koruuksi looked across the tunnel to his friends.

They had positioned themselves at one of the places where a few tunnels from the outside met before continuing onto the larger caves within Last Shadow's base. Nomlana and Lysanda stood a short distance away near their own piles of water skins and folded or rolled-up blankets, and a few of Koruuksi's friends from Ironpeak waited both closer to the entrances and deeper within the base, directing their people as they entered their new home.

As the stream started up again, Koruuksi tried to focus on the smiles and the kind words to keep himself going. He answered questions when asked, and prodded when given the opportunity.

Most of Ironpeak had reached Last Shadow, it seemed—Kytai had people recording the actual numbers, and Koruuksi's friends deeper in the base would help with that as they directed people—but those he spoke to estimated anywhere from a sixth to a quarter of their number still trekked across the desert, and the ships still traveled back and forth as frequently as they could, transporting resources. Koruuksi knew that process would take a while. They rarely used vehicles to transport anything directly from one base to another. That would be too risky. They used three or four supply dumps, sometimes getting the resources in and out of each base on foot before loading them into the vehicles at nondescript transports.

As Koruuksi pointed a group of siblings deeper into the base, he noticed some irregular movement in his line of people. He turned back to see two men and a woman pushing their way through the line toward him, expressions dark. They wore their masks at their hips, so he didn't know their names, and he didn't recognize them, either.

He brightened his clearnodes again, and his yellownodes for luck, just in case, then primed his amber and greynodes.

"Hey," the woman, a Natari with vertical stripes up her jawline, snapped. "You're Koruuksi, right?"

Koruuksi showed her and her companions a pleasant smile. "Yes. You'll have to get back in line, though. We want to make sure we account for—"

"You're the one responsible for all this, then," one of the men, a Samjati with a short crown of antlers and an aquamarine gemcrest, said, raising his voice.

Koruuksi kept his expression neutral. "You mean for making sure you and your people have water and blankets when they get here? And familiar faces to help them get settled?"

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The third one, a bulky Samjati with a sunstone gemcrest, pushed forward and Koruuksi had to actively restrain himself from punching the man just below the sternum to knock the wind out of him. He brightened his ambernodes just enough to make sure the man wouldn't actually harm him, then stepped backward with the man's shove, dimming his ambernodes again.

"Don't get cute with us," he rumbled. "You're the one responsible for this mess. You and Estingai. It's your fault we all had to leave our home."

A few murmurs of agreement from the people they'd cut in front of reached Koruuksi's ears, and he clenched his jaw.

"I had nothing to do with what happened at Memfoso," he said. "If I'd been there, things probably would have gone better. But I wasn't, so now I'm just trying to help the best I can. You're welcome to help, if you want. I'm sure your people would—"

The man grabbed Koruuksi's collar, and Koruuksi grabbed his wrist. He met the man's gaze and made his voice low and dangerous as he brightened his greynodes.

"Do you really want to do this?"

He didn't know if this man or his friends were Auroramancers. A suncrest or aquacrest wouldn't do much, but the woman's clothing hid her gemcrest. Still, he could take them. He could snap this man's wrist, shattering the bones, then restrain the other two with darklight before they even realized what had happened.

And that would play right into their hands.

For a moment, Koruuksi wondered if Anarak had sent these three to provoke him and give Mahele reason to expel him from the base.

"What's going on here?"

Koruuksi recognized Lysanda's voice, but kept his eyes fixed on the Samjati man before him.

The man narrowed his eyes, and Koruuksi tightened his grip just a hair.

The Samjati's eyes widened, and a moment later, the woman spoke.

"Jaak, let go of him."

The man, Jaak, frowned, but then glanced to this side. His eyes grew wide, and he let go of Koruuksi's collar. Koruuksi held on a moment longer, squeezing just a bit before he let the man go and stepped back.

Jaak retreated, clutching that wrist with his other hand, and Koruuksi followed his and his companion's gazes over his shoulder.

Lysanda, Nomlana, and a few of Koruuksi's friends from Ironpeak stood behind him, faces grim. Koruuksi shot Lysanda a smile, but she didn't return it.

Koruuksi frowned at that, but looked back to his three would-be assailants.

"Like I said—you're welcome to help us get everyone settled, if you want, but for now, you're holding up the line."

Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Koruuksi bent down to pick up a few water skins as Lysanda and Nomlana stepped forward to grab some blankets.

They handed the supplies to the hostile trio, then Koruuksi nodded toward his friends from Ironpeak. "I'm sure you know Noxolo and Daiduu, they'll either help you find a place to get some rest, or set you up at one of the stations."

The three hesitated, and the woman's face darkened. She tossed her blankets and water skin to the ground. "You think you can win us over that easily?"

“I’m not trying to win you over,” Koruuksi said, raising his voice so those gathered could hear. He let a little bite enter his tone as well. He’d been expecting something like this. “I’m doing the best I can to get you—people I’ve never met and owe nothing—settled so you can have some semblance of comfort in a world that’s gone to shit. If you really think that Estingai would intentionally give your home up to the Imaia after everything it’s taken from her, then you’re the problem, not her.”

He picked up another bundle and handed it to the nearest of the three, the Samjati woman.

“If you’re just looking for an excuse to be an asshole,” he said, voice low, “then you should turn around and walk out into the desert, because there’s no place for that here.”

The woman swatted the bundle to the ground, holding Koruuksi’s gaze.

Koruuksi sighed, then tensed as he noticed the dark expressions of some of the other refugees. A few of them moved forward in the line, glares fixed on Koruuksi.

Starless freezing nights.

If he struck first, he could make sure this ended quickly and without any serious injury, but that would play into their hand. If he waited for them to move…

Either way, this is bad.

"What's going on here?”

Koruuksi blinked at Kytai's voice, straightening as he turned to face her. He'd been so focused on those before him that he hadn't picked up her footsteps.

I'm getting sloppy.

Kytai frowned as she took in the scene, “Why has the line stopped?”

As Kytai came up next to Koruuksi, he put on a smile and gestured to the instigators.

"These three just wanted to know how they could help their friends get settled. Their interest attracted a few more volunteers who just couldn't wait to help out.”

Kytai raised an eyebrow, then narrowed her eyes as she looked toward the trio and the others who had stepped out of line. Koruuksi doubted anyone from Ironpeak recognized her, but her neat, more formal jacket and pants, and the way she carried herself, made plain she was someone with authority, and those who had been ready to fight a moment ago now appeared far more uncertain.

"Last Shadow welcomes any and all volunteers in helping everyone get settled," she said, raising her voice. "And I'm sure your people will be grateful that you chose to assist them even after your long journey here."

She smiled then, looking to Koruuksi, then back to the trio and lines of Ironpeak refugees, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You should consider yourselves lucky. One of last two Auroraborn fighting the Imaia chose to come help you all personally. If the Imaia finds any of your people still on their way here, I know he would be the first to race to defend them. He came to Last Shadow because he knew we needed help, and has become a valued asset."

Kytai stressed her last few words for all to hear before turning back to Koruuksi and smiling. "Let me know if any more… volunteers come forward."

Koruuksi nodded, smiling, then caught her arm as she turned away. She cocked her head, raising an eyebrow.

"Thank you. I'll send someone if we need anything else."

Kytai nodded, then walked back down the tunnel toward the main part of the base. The trio followed soon after, and Koruuksi and his friends took their places once more. He caught Lysanda's gaze as she passed him, raising an eyebrow, and though she said nothing, he got the impression he needed to talk with her later.

A hundred and thirty four minutes later, when the lines finally slowed to a trickle and their replacements came to relieve them, Koruuksi found his way over to Nomlana and Lysanda as they headed back toward their room.

"Thanks for backing me up earlier," he said, smiling. "I don't know—"

"Stop."

Koruuksi blinked, stopping to study his two friends. Before he could ask what was wrong, Lysanda spoke up again.

"This isn't going to work anymore, Koruuksi."

"What do you mean?"

Lysanda frowned, glancing back toward the tunnels, then stepped in close, lowering her voice.

"We backed you up because we don't want you dead or exiled," she hissed, "but we know you haven't been telling the truth. Rushing to talk to Mahele earlier, and that little exchange with Kytai? You're not just here to get away from Estingai, and we've had enough of the lies."

Shit.

He'd waited too long. The hurt in Lysanda's eyes hit him like a punch to the gut.

Koruuksi sighed. "I should have read you in from the beginning. I'm—"

"I don't care if you're sorry," Lysanda said. "I don't know why you really came here, or why you felt you had to keep it from me. I just don't want to have anything to do with your secrets." She held his gaze for a moment, then took a deep breath and shook her head, turning away. "Just find somewhere else to sleep for a while."

Koruuksi frowned, then looked to Nomlana. Lysanda's cousin held that same hurt in his eyes, though with a bit more anger. He turned away without a word and slung an arm around Lysanda’s shoulders as they headed toward their rooms, leaving Koruuksi alone as Ironpeak refugees trickled past.

As he stood there, looking after them, Koruuksi realized he had no idea what to do.