After some tense and uncomfortable conversations hammering out the details of the reinforcements, Tumu escorted the Progeny and Xelan to Cinder’s conduit. Sorta. All conduits landed in bays called Shrines. Made of special nacre glass, they afforded a beautiful, unhindered first impression of Enki.

Except for Cinder.

After the news of Cinder’s armies had spread, Enki reinforced their conduit bay with a militarized space station.

Stepping off the ocean-view platform into the conduit, Sagan once again noticed a weird glimpse of an expansive room between worlds, but she let it go. The black corrugated metal gave off Alien vibes. There were no windows to view Enki from within. Perimeter lighting glowed red from the walls, ceilings, and floors. Surely it was baited with traps for ‘warmongering’ invaders. Sagan stepped through with caution.

Xelan and Tameka stood off to the side, with Xelan’s eyes bouncing from Tumu to Rayne. Kyle swept his hair from his face with a shaky grin. Anticipation built.

“Okay. As promised.” Tumu touched a button on his compression belt, and bulky objects fell from the ceiling onto the floor, clunking.

Sagan cried, “My axe!” The feel of the grip in her hand stabilized her and relieved at least some tension.

Rayne slipped her dagger back into her sling, keeping her eyes on Tumu the entire time.

Man, they were all in need of a team huddle. Sagan caught Kyle glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. Nodding to assure him, they finished rearming.

Kyle collected some shreds of fabric mixed in with the weapons. “Hey, what are these?”

Xelan lifted one, shifted, and glanced at Tumu. “Clothes?”

Tumu said, “Yes, you’ll need disguises to travel to Cinder.” He turned to Rayne. He tried for passive as he said, “Your sling will stand out.”

“Jeez. If only she had a nacre that would heal her arm.” Tameka snarled and bared her fangs.

Rayne glanced between the two as she worked on the many straps and buckles which kept her sling in place. Predictably, Kyle rushed over to assist her. He muttered reassurances as he went along.

Without a nacre, Tritan facial expressions came across as empty in comparison. With a nacre, Tumu’s face fell, stricken. He mourned the loss of Tameka’s trust. “Peaches, I—”

“You have a lot to explain and make up for before you can ever call me that, again.” Tameka curled into Xelan’s side, obviously seeking comfort. Their guardian glared at Tumu over the top of Tameka’s head.

The Tritan sighed as he said, “I promise I will. Let’s get you through this.”

While the others geared up and changed into Icarean clothes, Sagan contemplated the implications of a nacre for her. Her entire body thrummed with energy. Every muscle was connected and strung like a puppet, with her in perfect control of the strings. Clear, sniper eyesight was a benefit of recessive, Icarean genes. No aches. No pains. And Sagan’s hair even regressed to the golden blond from her toddling years. No more bleaching.

Sagan wished the Tritans had provided a mirror, but she was afraid she might miss her scar. Reminded of the promise of her wings, she hid a secretive smile. Until eternity took Korac? Sagan would see about that.

And then there was Rayne. Sagan knew her too well. The girl was hiding so much pain, and no amount of reaching out would soothe her. Wincing, tensing in Rayne’s shoulders, looking away. The Tritans had robbed Rayne of a nacre and expected her to waltz into the dragon’s lair, retrieve some quested object, and return with ease. Inside a Dyson’s sphere qualified as one of the most wondrous sights Sagan would ever see. Rayne had gotten half the experience. This was such bull—

Sagan’s stomach growled and interrupted her spiraling thoughts. She asked, “Do you guys have anything to feed us before we go?”

Xelan’s eyebrows shot up, and Tumu peered at her with his head sideways.

“I’m not hungry,” Tameka confessed.

Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I feel full.”

Xelan said, “You’re supposed to. Nacre deplete rarely without exertion, and even then they only need nourishment at most every six hours at your age.”

“More like twelve,” Tumu corrected.

Sagan reiterated, “What can I say? I’m starving.”

“Can I have something to eat?” Rayne chimed in. Everyone looked anywhere but at her.

Xelan produced cheese cracker packs from a bag. He handed one to Sagan, who beamed at him. Then, in the false privacy of everyone stepping off and away, he approached Rayne. She’d grown small in her humble request for a snack amongst beings who required less food, apparently.

Rayne had changed into some loose trousers and a makeshift top. Kyle belted her immobile arm to her ribs and hid the belt with some extra fabric. She tried her best to look strong, but in the end, she appeared vulnerable and lost.

Tears sprung to Sagan’s eyes as Xelan murmured, “I’m always here.” Three words promised so much.

Sagan looked up and glared at Tumu. He stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

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Rayne munched on a cracker. “At least most of you can’t fly off and leave me.”

Kyle disrupted their moment. “What? You mean we can’t fly, yet? Man, I had a fireworks show planned and everything.”

Sagan allowed the small smile on her face. Tameka shook her head.

Rayne patted Xelan’s shoulder with a curt nod. “It’s time.” She looked down the corridor to the Tritan. “Tumu, is it straight along this path?”

“Affirmative.”

Rayne called, “Shadow Progeny!”

They straightened with one fist to their chest over their nacre.

“Let’s move out!”

Sagan answered in unison with the others, “Yes, sir!”

“We’ll see you soon, Tumu,” their General threw over her shoulder to the Tritan.

They gathered and marched on in a loose formation. Two steps in, Sagan misstepped, almost plowing into Kyle. “Sorry,” she muttered.

“Fall on me anytime, Lt. General.” The boy even waggled his eyebrows at her.

Sagan rolled her eyes and nudged Kyle in the ribs. Four more steps staring at the back of Xelan’s head, and she slipped again.

This time Kyle caught her by the arm. He asked, “Are you all right?”

Sagan said, “Yeah. I feel fine. Just hungry.” She brushed her fingers through her hair and thought long and hard about her clumsiness. Was something else wrong? Was her nacre faulty? She looked up to catch Rayne peering back at her. Blowing a kiss, Sagan hoped to reassure her. Her best friend rewarded her with a sweet smile mixed with worry. Sagan would take it.

Her boot connected with the metal surface on her right foot. Then her left. Again, her right—

The metallic surface disappeared.

A solid white stone took its place. Hesitating, Sagan glanced up and up. The cathedral ceilings vaulted higher than the Primary. Columns chased it up along the walls. The entire arch effect lent itself to a lost emptiness in shades of gray. Like someone forgot to paint the colors—

Sagan’s face planted back on the floor of the space station. “Ow.”

Rayne stopped and knelt beside her, asking, “Is something wrong?”

“I think my nacre is broken.”

Tameka asked, “Why? What’s happening?” She and Xelan hovered close, but far enough Sagan didn’t feel claustrophobic.

Sagan said, “I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. One minute I’m here, and the next… I’m—”

Distantly, she heard Rayne scream, which made Sagan’s transition back into the scary gray world a little more horrifying.

“Rayne! Xelan!”

Sagan spun around and took in the great big nothing. Little flakes of snow fell. No. Not snow. She smelled the powder on her hands. Ash.

“Sagan.” Xelan’s voice never sounded so reassuring to her ears.

She called into the vast nothing, “I’m here!”

“Can you hear her?” Kyle asked.

“No, but she should hear me. Sagan. I need you to remain calm.”

“Yeah fucking right! You disappear into nowhere and remain calm!” Sagan screamed and blinked into the faces of her friends. Her heart pounded, and her breath came so fast it burned her lungs. “What’s happening to me, Xelan?”

He said, “You’re traveling into the Seam. It’s a space between worlds. At least that’s how T.a.o. described it.”

Sagan said, “Xelan. I’m scared. If I go again, what if I don’t come back—”

She shrieked into the weird gray temple again. The Seam. “Xelan!”

Tameka cried, “How do we get her back?”

Xelan said, “Sagan, listen to me.” So calm. So reasonable.

Sagan pounded the stone floor with her fist. How could he expect her to listen when she was trapped in some nether space?

He continued, “Want to be with us. Visualize the space you were just in—the station—and step forward.”

A deep breath. Count to ten.

Sagan stood and thought hard about the station. She thought about Rayne’s sad face and how much she needed to hug her. With eyes closed, Sagan took a step. One arm encircled her, and tears poured down her cheeks. “Rayne…”

“It’s okay. Shh.”

Xelan’s super reasonable, super calm voice asked, “Sagan, can you look at me?”

She opened her eyes and watched a trace of surprise light his face.

“Wow,” Kyle muttered.

Tameka swatted him.

Sagan peered at Rayne, who grinned at her. “They’re beautiful. Your eyes—I wish I had a mirror for you.”

Kyle offered Sagan her axe. “Here you go.” He even polished it with his sleeve for her.

Sagan held it up to her face and admired her reflection in the blade. Violet had swallowed her eyes and her pupil had narrowed and stretched into a solid white stripe in the center. She asked, “What’s happening to me?”

Xelan explained, “It’s T.a.o.’s ability. You have it. The others called it an affliction, but that’s not quite why. She could travel to other worlds. The vastness of it combined with her isolation from her own people—It drove her mad.”

Ignoring the insanity part, Sagan asked, “What do they call people like me?”

Xelan shook his head. “There are no people like you. She was the first and only since.” He gave her a warm smile. “I suppose that means you can name yourself.”

Tameka threw an arm around Sagan. “So, what do you wanna call it?”

Sagan finally broke into a smile. “Something with Seam…” She shuddered. “I don’t feel so good.”

“Hey, you have a nosebleed,” Tameka said as she pulled away.

Sagan asked, “Does that come with the territory, Wingmaster?” She blotted her nose with her sleeve, accepting extra fabric from Kyle.

Rayne rubbed soothing circles on her back as both girls waited on Xelan’s answer, expectantly.

“Not as far as I know, but we’ll find out more when we train with it.”

They continued walking as Sagan groaned, “Ugh, gimme a break. One accidental trip into nowhere land and you want to start incorporating fight moves with it.”

Xelan grinned back at her. “It’s the best way to utilize it.” For a moment, he fell deep in thought, biting his thumbnail. “You know, I think that’s why you’ve been so hungry. Have you noticed any signs of this before the nacre?”

Panic, sharp and coarse, lanced through Sagan so fast she failed to keep it off her face. Korac’s words came back to her, “You opened the door. I simply stepped through.” She’d let him in Iona this way.

Without thinking, without intending, Sagan stepped into the Seam. The unpopulated neutral environment intimidated her less and less with each entry. It was an immense grand hall and totally empty.

Rayne asked, “Sagan, can you make it back this time?”

Kyle proposed, “How does ‘World Drifter’ sound to you?”

“I want to be with my family. I love them, and I want to be with them,” Sagan muttered to herself. She kept her eyes open this time as she took a generous step. Said family had grouped around the square foot she’d last occupied on this plane. From behind them, she smiled. “I think I need to practice concentrating on being here.” At their collective startle, she giggled.

Tameka asked, “What’s it like?”

“Big and gray.”

Both girls peered at her. Rayne pushed, “Like a big hall?”

Sagan said, “That’s right. Have you seen it?”

Kyle said, “Every time we walk through a conduit.”

Xelan elaborated, “That’s the Seam. The space holding our worlds together for the conduits to work.”

“Is it inhabited?” Sagan asked.

“No. It’s not exactly a reality, but the absence of it.” Xelan looked away. “I wish T.a.o. were here to teach you.”

Sagan patted him gently on the arm. “You’re doing a great job.”

Rayne changed the subject. “Are these weapons?” She stared up at a horizontal rectangular box with a split in the middle.

Cold, unhappy, Xelan answered, “Yes. They are.” He gave Rayne a small smile. “Good eye.”

Tameka asked, “Why would they need weapons and an entire space station surrounding the conduit from Cinder?” They stepped around the last corner, and the conduit shimmered before them.

“In case of war,” Rayne said.

Kyle stared at the conduit with the others as they arranged themselves for the proportions. “They might need it.”

“First, we take care of Cinder. Then we figure out what to do with Enki.” Rayne took Kyle’s hand. Sagan placed a hand on her bad shoulder. “But first, Xelan, I have to tell you the truth about Elden and Li.”

Rayne told him everything as they stepped through.