Aran goes low, using the mace as a pivot, covering with the shield; his legs spin out under the half-orc Sister, catching her at the ankle and sending her flying. She lands with a thud on her shield, and then Aran is on top of her with a dagger at her throat. He moves to kiss her and feels a prick at his side. She smiles at him, “Rasome.” Aran looks at her confused, “My name is Rasome, but if Sister Stoutstorm is around, it’s Sister Rasome.” He presses his lips against hers. They drop their daggers. Lines and the human Sister try to look under Rasome’s shield, “I think he did it.” She says, “I think you’re correct. What’s say we get them and go to a more private training ground?” Lines is already standing, “Crap, Kara said not to leave the temple grounds.” She looks at him, “We won’t. There are all kinds of hidden rooms and stuff around here.” The human Sister holds her hands out to Lines, and he lifts her off the wall. “Tai Chiome.” Lines sits her down, and she presses against him, “Come on.” She pulls him from the wall.
Tai crawls under the shield with Aran and Rasome. They are still kissing, and she nibbles Rasome’s ear, “Come on, you two, let’s go to our place.” Aran looks at them, “Sister Stoutstorm said “snip, snip” if she hears a moan in the dorms.” Tai kisses the tip of his nose, “We’re not in the dorms, dummy.” She kisses Rasome, and when their lips part, she says, “Our place.” Rasome lays her shield to the side. Aran sees Lines standing there, “All four of us?” Rasome looks at Lines, then Aran, “You may be right. Just the two of you may not be enough. Now, are you two coming or not?” She rolls Aran off her, stands, and pulls him up. Lines smiles, looking at Aran, “I’m up for it. If you don’t want to come, I’ll care for these two magnificent ladies.” Aran tries to reply, but Rasome snatches and drags him behind her. Tai runs after them, followed by Lines.
Ari looks at Ula and Seit, then to Ava and Sylnoa, “Spending time getting to know each other is great. But we all know that tomorrow may never come, at least not in this world.” She looks at Ula and Seit, “I think we’re done with the bath. We’ll leave you two to get to know each other.” The three Sisters stand, help each other dry off, and leave; Seit winks at Ava and Sylnoa on her way out, “I’ll hang the towel on the latch so no one bothers you.” She closes the door behind her. Ava looks at Sylnoa, “What did you see in her mind when you said “Oh wow.” Sylnoa moves in front of Ava, presses her lips to Ava’s, and shares the images with her. Ava says, “Oh wow.” and smiles when they part. Sylnoa looks into Ava’s eyes, “I mean, you’ve been in my head, I’ve been in your head. I think we know each other intimately enough.” Ava pulls Sylnoa between her and the bath wall and presses against her.
Xanathe carries in a tray of food and drinks, “Sister Stoutstorm said I should personally, oh, Kara. She didn’t say you were down here.” Kara looks at her, “Xanathae, I was just getting to know Xau and Serlia. We’re reviewing my journal. Would you like to join us?” Xanathae replies, “I really should.” Kara interrupts, “Pull up a chair and join us. I’m sure the acolytes can survive without you.” Xanathae sits the tray down carefully between some scrolls and stands, looking at the journal. Kara turns to a picture of her brother, “I know it’s a long shot, but was there anyone in Silent Star with black hair?”
Xanathae shakes her head, “Anyone like that would have been thrown to the wild the instant they were born. The only exception was Sylnoa, with her red and blonde hair. I’ve never understood why they didn’t throw her to the wilds. Beyond that, your features were different. When you were born, my mother mentioned they should leave you in the wilds, but when they realized you were seraphin, you may as well have been a newborn goddess. Everyone wanted to see you, touch you. They could only talk about how Silent Star was moving closer to becoming divine, and you were proof.” Kara, Serlia, and Xau look at Xanathae, waiting for more. She says, “Then when you vanished, they just about lost it. Search parties were looking everywhere. Everyone was being questioned like common criminals. The place was crazy. But not a trace was found of you.”
Kara lets them read and ask questions. Xanathae is amazed at the questions Serlia and Xau ask, telling them she wished she had gotten to know them long before now. She didn’t even know their first names until now; they’ve always been Sisters Xiam and Varsk. Serlia and Xau tell their story of how they had been imprisoned as part of a harem to bear children for some self-important ruler at Port Winterharbor. When they couldn’t bear children, they were given to the guards. How they escaped and stowed away on a ship, then sneaked off in Port Summereach. They then worked odd jobs here and there before hearing about the Sisters. When bounty hunters showed up in Port Summereach looking for them, they sneaked into a caravan and traveled up the Shae Skya Coast, eventually working their way to Chillight and then here. They feel safe down here, in the vault, protected from the outside world. Kara asks all three, “Can I tell your stories in my journal?” All three nod. They spend the entire evening talking.
Kara returns to the rooms late that evening. Shae looks like a frazzled mess, “Shae, what happened.” Shae looks at Kara, “Shae, go poof, and poof, and pop. Shae doesn’t want to go poof again.” Kara laughs, “Well, did it work?” Shae nods, “It worked, but Kara will need to grab Night Talon to poof.” Kara says, “Excellent, Kara, thanks, Shae.” She looks in the other dorm rooms. Ava is sleeping, wrapped up with Sylnoa, and both look very happy. She decides not to bother them and let them sleep. She looks in Aran and Lines’ room, but it’s empty; she looks back in at Shae, “Where are Aran and Lines?” Shae shrugs, “Poof.”
She walks down to Sister Maen’s room. She is sitting, studying a book, “Sister Maen, have you seen Aran or Lines?” Sister Maen jumps up at the sound of Kara’s voice. She answers, “The last I saw of them, Ava was pissed that Aran beat her sparing. They were still on the training field.” Kara hears Aran laughing down the hall. Aran and Lines walk around the corner, smiling and laughing at each other. Kara waits for them, “Where have you two been?” Aran looks at her wide-eyed. Lines does something she’s never seen a shadow elf do: blush. Aran says, “Training.” She asks, “All day?” Both of them nod. Kara smiles as it dawns on her what they mean, “Oh, oh, okay.” She turns around, goes back to her room, and lies down. She’s asleep within seconds.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Ava roams the roads between cities. She hears no animals, birds, or anything. Insects, an abundance of them, are everywhere; since there are hardly any animals left now, insects are the only living things left. The sun is almost down, and she sees a car, “That’s more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. They will be out soon, looking for food. They won’t eat me, but still, they’ll keep roaming around me, moaning and screeching if they see me. It’s hard enough to sleep as it is.” She opens the door of the car and climbs into the back seat. The roof is clear glass. She pulls the door closed and opens her backpack; digging around, she finds a few cans, “Let’s see, beans, beans, fish, canned meat of some sort of mush, crackers.” She opens a can of beans and starts eating, watching the sky grow dark. The stars are bright, and overhead satellites pass by, oblivious that no one is watching after them now. There are so many stars, she looks to where her mom showed her, where her star was. It’s too far away to see without a powerful scope. Something runs by outside. She pulls a blanket out of her pack and curls up in the seat, closing her eyes, hoping they never open back up.
Sylnoa stands outside the oddly shaped carriage, looking at a young Ava as she sleeps. She hears the undead roaming around, looking for food. One shambles over to the carriage, sniffing the air. When it gets close, it turns and runs away as if it fears what’s inside. The road the carriage sits on is black, with faded lines painted on it. This world was once incredible, “What did Kara call it, a tech world? Having a world without magic seems so strange. But Ava called it home.” She looks around. She can’t roam far from Ava’s dream. Many of these carriages of all shapes are lined up on this road. The night sky is beautiful, full of stars and a single moon, “I wonder if another moon is hidden.” Something roars in the distance; she hears a click behind her. Turning, she sees Ava has gotten out of the carriage and is looking toward the roar. She hears a scream from the wood line, a person comes running out, and the thing roars again. The person sees Ava and starts running in her direction.
Ava hears someone screaming and crashing through the brush, running toward her, “Why won’t they learn not to scream? The noise just attracts more of them.” Someone breaks from the wood line; they see her and start running at her. It’s an adult man, the first person she’s seen in at least a month. “What the hell does he think a little girl will do? The idiot probably thinks the thing will stop and eat me while he gets away. Well, I can only hope.”
Sylnoa sees Ava standing there and watches as the man runs toward her. Something big looks like it was once a bear breaks from the wood line behind him. Ava stands there, fearless as the man and the thing close in on her, “No, not fearless. The look in her eyes, she’s hoping it kills her.” The man runs past, and the thing turns hard to her left just before it reaches her, then jumps. It clears the carriage and pins the man to the ground. It sinks its claws into his shoulders. Ava walks around the carriage next to it, and the man screams for help. The thing stops to look at Ava. It sniffs, then bites into the man’s shoulder and drags him off. Sylnoa stands invisible next to Ava, looking into the distance where it went, listening to the man scream for several seconds, and then it comes to a gurgling stop. She listens to the flesh being ripped for a little while as it feeds, then Ava climbs back into the carriage and goes back to sleep.
Ava wakes up just before dawn; she feels Sylnoa crying in her sleep; she strokes Sylnoa’s hair, then settles down and snuggles into her, “I could lay here forever.” She looks back down at Sylnoa, looking over her shoulder at her. Ava wraps both arms around her and holds her until she hears Kara get up. She kisses Syl’s forehead, “Ready for the morning, Syl?” Sylnoa lays the side of her face on Ava’s chest so she can hear her heartbeat, “Can we stay in bed all day, Beautiful? I like it when you call me Syl, but that name is for you only.”
Ava holds her tight, “I would like that, and one day, we will find a quiet someplace and stay in bed. But today, we need to get up; I hear more than just Kara moving around.” She releases her, and they get up and help each other dress. Kara has already left her room, and all the Sisters seem to be filing out. Outside, two spots are next to Kara’s right for them to sit. Sister Maen sits to Kara’s left, and the Sisters sit all over the steps. When Ava sits, Kara takes her hand, and she takes Sylnoa’s hand. The Sister to Sylnoa’s right takes Sylnoa’s hand until everyone is linked to Kara. Kara says the tenants of The Dawn Bringer once with Ava, and then everyone joins collectively. The dawn breaks at the start of the third, and there is a collective gasp, then silence. Kara says the tenants of Veleris, as Ava says the tenants of Galathor. Sylnoa sits there, lost in the euphoria, not only her own but everyone’s, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
On the way to breakfast, Ava asks, “Were you having a bad dream this morning, Syl?” Sylnoa shakes her head, “Promise you won’t be mad, or please don’t be mad. I didn’t mean to; sometimes it just happens, Beautiful.” Ava looks at her, “I won’t be mad.” Sylnoa says, “I fell asleep in your arms and ended up in your dream. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Ava thinks back, trying to remember what she dreamed; she grimaces, “I’d prefer to show you good dreams; that one wasn’t a good one.” Sylnoa asks, “Did you want to die?” Ava nods, “I just wanted it to be over back then. Now, I’m so happy that it didn’t happen. I have you now.” Sylnoa leans against her as they walk into the main hall, “What was that carriage you were in?” Ava says, “We called them cars. Instead of horses and wagons, they are what we got around in.”
Ava chuckles, “You realize you’re calling me Beautiful, just like Sasha calls Kara Beautiful?” Sylnoa realizes it then, too, “Oh gods. I didn’t. I mean, you are. Way beautiful. With Sasha in my head, I must have picked that up from her. You don’t mind, do you?” Ava kisses her, “No, not at all.” She leans back to look at Sylnoa, “What do you see when you see Kara through Sasha’s eyes.”
Sylnoa’s eyes tear. “I don’t know how to describe it. I see the most beautiful being you can imagine through Sasha's eyes. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I was drawn to her. Then I saw Sasha in Kara’s dream and how Kara sees her. Ava, the way they see each other almost goes beyond sanity. Every time they see each other, it is like the first time Elirae touched you. I don’t understand how they can stand to be apart.” Sylnoa sees Ava looking almost embarrassed. She tells Ava, “I take that back. I do understand it. It’s the same way I would feel being separated from you.” Ava hugs her, kissing her ear, and she whispers, “Let’s go get some breakfast, Syl.”