Prime, Fourteenth Day Before the Kalends of June

Fountain in Front of the Town Hall, Larkins, Bahim, Drum

Hazel Drina conducted the Ritual for Garth. Garth stood in the fountain, naked, submerged up to his waist. At the centre of the fountain was a statue of Dorin, one of the First Philosophers. Hazel produced a blade from inside her ceremonial cloak. Garth held out his left hand, palm open. Hazel sliced open his palm in one clean stroke. Garth squeezed his hand into a tight fist, and blood began dropping into the water, exploding into red clouds.

At this point in the Ritual, the conductor would say a prayer to Helion to ask for him to accept this body as a new vessel for His Mind. One wrong syllable and the Ritual would be deemed futile. However, Hazel omitted a prayer completely. This, in itself, was a small act of rebellion against the helia, who would find it heresy for a conductor to conduct a Ritual without proper prayer. It was said that the death of the older Anselm boy was due to some error on the part of the conductor, though what this error was was never identified.

Logan was watching Jack Anselm. Jack was standing beside Logan, a little distance away from the fountain. Jack’s hostility towards Logan had disappeared suddenly after the victory in Larkins. Logan suspected that Hazel was involved somehow, but had not questioned the boy. Jack’s eyes were fixed onto Garth.

Hazel placed a hand on Garth’s bare chest and slowly pushed him down, until his entire Body was submerged underwater. Then Hazel reached within her cloak again and produced the Stone of Water. She held it up for the crowd to see.

“Behold,” she cried. “The Stones that now belong to us, the braxin!”

She gave a knowing look to Logan, then dropped the Stone into the water. For a moment nothing happened.

Then the fountain exploded.

The crowd cheered.

Garth was screaming.

Logan looked down at Jack. He was shaking. Logan put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at Logan. Logan cocked his head back and Jack nodded. They slipped away from the chaos.

Dwarf’s Hills, Larkins, Bahim, Drum

Logan and Jack exchanged blows as the first of the sun spilled onto Dwarf’s Hills. Hazel had, of course, been right about Jack. He had improved drastically in just a few days. Every now and then Logan could not Sense Jack’s next attack. Were it not for his much greater reach he may have been struck multiple times already. Logan struck the ground with his fauchard, indicating that they should take a break.

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They sat, side by side, taking deep, painful breaths.

“You are improving very rapidly,” said Logan.

“I wish to protect Kate,” said Jack. “And the others.”

Kate Rinehart was still at Eastpoint, recovering form her injuries. Logan had not spoken to her since her return from Larkins.

Logan and Jack sat in silence for quite a while. Only when Logan made to rise to his feet once more did Jack speak.

“Do you believe that we will win,” said Jack.

Logan thought about this for a moment. Until the day that Kate had returned, covered in blood, Logan had not thought once that victory was possible for the revolutionaries. But now, as Logan himself had said, it was five against one. Gulldon would fall soon enough, then after that, Tarrin. It was more than possible, if not inevitable, that the revolutionaries would take over Drum.

“Drum may fall,” said Logan. “But there still remains Cyrill, and Maple. It will not be easy.”

Jack nodded gravely.

“Why do you wish to fight,” said Logan.

“I wish to repay Hazel and Kate,” said Jack. “And you.”

“Repay me for what,” said Logan.

“For saving me,” said Jack. “Hazel told me what had happened.”

Logan turned to face Jack. “What did she tell you.”

“That Marrow had betrayed my father,” said Jack. “That he killed all those at Greghorn Castle. That you saved me from him.”

Logan felt a tightness in his chest. He could not speak.

“It is a strange thing to begin a war,” said Jack. “I am grateful that everyone is fighting for my sake, but I see their deaths, I see Kate injured, and I feel horror. I must avenge them, and repay my debt.”

Logan grabbed Jack by the shoulder.

“Did Hazel tell you all of this,” said Logan.

Jack nodded, staring at Logan with wide eyes. Logan loosened his grip on Jack’s shoulder. So this was Hazel’s plan. She knew that Logan could not tell the boy the truth, for that would destroy him. The lie, though it was cruel, though it was simply a tool to have Jack fight for them, was the only thing that had rescued Jack from the horror of what had happened.

But to leave this child with a lie, such a simple, beautiful, and dangerous lie, would be a horror in its own.

“Do you believe that the revolution is right,” said Logan. “That we are good, and they are evil?”

“The helia have taken away Connexion from the braxin,” said Jack. “The helia have taken away their freedom.”

Tell a child a story and they will believe it. Feed a child an ideology and they will become its mouthpiece.

“Do not be swept up by all this, boy,” said Logan. “You are not part of something bigger. No, your sole responsibility is to survive.”

Jack bit his lower lip. To survive has been his only task, his only purpose. Survive the Ritual. And in doing so allow the Anselm Family to survive in the politics of Drum.

“I do not wish to survive,” said Jack. “I wish to fight.”

“Then fight for yourself,” said Logan. “Do not be part of the illusion that you are fighting for a cause, that you are fighting for freedom. Become your own person. That is the only way.”

Suddenly Jack swung upwards. Logan, who had not Sensed this attack, dodged, but his left cheek received a superficial cut. He felt a thin line of blood drip down from this wound.

“I will show you,” said Jack.

Before Logan could respond, he Sensed someone approaching from behind. He turned. It was Hazel.

“Eastpoint has been attacked,” she said. “The Ramani Family. Keys is beginning to act.”