The woman who'd been caring for me took on a new light.

Surreal was not my savior. She'd lied to me. It was her decision for me to spend so much time stuck in that room. Yet, at the same time, she was the only reason I'd learned Diction. I wonder, how should I be feeling in this moment?

"I want to leave." My hands slipped off of Surreal's shoulders.

"Ferrowill, you have to understand I did this for you. I did it because I believe in you. The more I see, the more I come to believe you will—"

"Stop. Surreal, I'm going to leave."

Her chin wrinkled. "And you can, I will not keep you longer, but…"

I turned abruptly. How did I not try leaving sooner? Surreal was with me at every hour of the day. I didn't even consider it.

I stopped halfway to the door. "Where are Keeper and the wanderer?"

"I sent for them before. They will be here in a few days… Listen, Ferrowill—"

"Great," I said. "I'll meet them on the way."

And that was the last thing I said to Surreal before I left the room. I held no desire to thank her, not even for all the hours—the days—she spent watching over me, but neither did I feel the need to anger and yell. All I wished was that I'd never have to say another word to the girl. Ever again.

I was surprised to find that the room I'd been staying in was underground. The cold wet air that flew in whenever the door opened was the chill of a damp tunnel.

Immediately, I stepped in a puddle. Water was leaking down one of the walls, and I worried that I'd somehow been kept underwater all that time. I'd had my fill of underwater caves.

As soon as I came to the stairs though, the source of the cold and wetness became apparent. Snow.

I looked down as if noticing my clothing for the first time in months. They were a plain set of brown linen. I had nothing to cover my bare feet. I'll freeze. How in the gods did they keep the room warm enough?

The further I inched towards the stairs, the more it became apparent how swiftly my death would come if I were to walk even a day in this cold. I looked behind me, the door stood slightly ajar. Maybe I could Repair myself over and over. How many could I get through before passing out from exhaustion?

I knew I wasn't in prime condition either. I took one step further up the stairs, my bare foot pressing into the snow that had drifted into the tunnel. The cold shot up my leg. This has to be some sick joke.

I took a deep breath and turned back to the room.

Surreal was not surprised to see me return.

"I was trying to say about the weather…" She scratched behind her ear.

I felt a bead of sweat rolling down my neck. Gods, it really is warm in here.

"The Seers will prepare for your departure. You will not tell them what I have done… I hope."

I glared at her, and her worried face grew softer.

"Even if you avoid the words," she began.

Even if you avoid the words you still communicate with your body and expressions, I know! Gods, I wish I hadn't paid such close attention during some of those conversations.

I let out a huff. "Are they bringing me clothes?"

"I asked them to."

"And where are the rest of my things?"

She glanced at the door. "We have kept all of them safe."

"Well," I said. "We have a few days. Since I'm stuck here, help me practice my Diction."

----------------------------------------

I paced back and forth across the room. "The problem is that I can't keep track of it. So how do I imagine myself, in that state of mind, stopping after a set amount of time?"

Surreal nodded carefully. She never rushed for the answer, it was always a slow and methodical consideration. "There is another way. You would perform the action instead of imagining it."

That could work. "But how do I know if I've transformed for too long?"

Her eyes lit up. "That is where you rely on me."

"Gods, you were waiting for that."

She burst into a fit of laughter, her hand covering her mouth. "I would never!"

I wanted to smile, but forced a stern expression. I hated that she was getting her way. I would have much rather stayed upset at the girl.

"Fine, warn me if I'm under too long. If you don't interrupt me, I'll turn it into a word."

She nodded only faintly, as she always did.

I prepared myself. Not more than a minute. This will be reserved for those special sorts of situations. I don't want to lose a week to this stupid ability any longer. Just a little. And then the word echoed in my head. Escape.

I faded away for only a heartbeat, less than that. My body mixed with reality and time seemed a pointless thing. But I had prepared, and before I knew it, I was standing in the room again. I thought about the action I'd taken. I placed a word to it. But before I could say it out loud—

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Surreal glanced up at me. "Oh! You are back! Stop, stop! That one was no good."

I groaned and brought a hand to my forehead. The memorization of the action flushed out of my head like a leak in a barrel. "What? What do you mean no good?"

She gave an incredulous stare. "You really cannot tell, can you?"

"I swear to the gods, that's exactly what I was saying. How long was I under?"

She brought a hand to her mouth. "Twenty minutes," she whispered.

"And I thought it was only a few heartbeats…" How do Chasers live like that?

I tried using the Chaser's ability a few more times. I'd either be gone for half an hour or three seconds, and there didn't seem to be a middle ground. After another dozen attempts, Surreal didn't interrupt me when I came out of it. Finally. And I know exactly which word to encapsulate it with.

"Escape," I said, and reality melted away again.

When I came back out, Surreal stood with her arms crossed, nodding approvingly. "Half a minute."

Damn. I was hoping for twice that. I'd rather not have to reactivate the ability over and over. At the same time, I didn't want to spend another three hours until I got it perfect. It'll have to do.

"I've been meaning to ask, I've only needed one word so far," I said.

"Yes, it would seem you have not needed anymore."

"But the first you gave me, those were three words?"

She paused a moment. "You may have come to understand as much already, but the more words you use, the more detailed you can get. Those first words of yours… I might call beginner's luck."

I'd prefer to call it a natural ability, but I guess I'll have to recreate it first. "I haven't felt the need to use more words in the Diction we've practiced so far."

"That is because we are practicing simple things, you mustn't push yourself at first. A healthy learning process leads to healthy knowledge."

"Can I try two words?" I asked. "I'd like my Diction to—"

As if in response, the door to our room swung wide open and slammed against the wall.

The only other Seer whose name I'd learned, Pragmatic, stood in the hallway.

I froze up. Did he hear me? What's he doing here, anyway?

"Surreal." He held up a large sack. "I've brought the boy's items, as requested. I trust he is healthy and will be leaving soon?"

"Your trust is well placed. He has made a full recovery."

The man dropped the bag on the floor in front of him. "There is one other matter I come to you with. It seems Ether has diagnosed the problem with the Stones. And she wishes to speak with you."

Surreal's face went blank. "She did not tell you what it was about?"

"No… She refused. Her lips were sealed through the beatings, too. She only continued to ask for your presence. I suggest you hurry before she faints. You know what will happen if you dawdle, I suspect?"

She nodded stiffly. "Yes, Pragmatic."

And the door slammed shut once more.

"Ether knows…" Her gaze darted to me. "You must go."

"Did he say beatings? And aren't I waiting for—"

"No, you must go now." She looked down, muttering, "If Ether knows, she is doing me a favor not telling the others. She wants to speak with me directly, but once she does she will see I have done it on purpose. She was already suspicious of me, I will have to… I do not know. Later, I will figure it out later." Her head rose. "I will get you a pair of shoes, I know you do not favor them but they are better than the alternative."

The alternative? Is losing my feet an alternative?

Before I could say anything, the girl had already darted for the door. She stopped before leaving and said, "Get dressed, I will return in a few minutes." Then, she slipped away.

It took less than a few minutes for her to return, and I'd only just gotten my pants up when she burst through the door. She practically threw the pair of shoes at me. They were a thick leather, yet much less rigid than the things Watcher had once given me.

"Where is your waterskin?" she asked. In her other hand was a pitcher of what smelled like the spiced blood soup I'd grown to hate.

I tossed the thing from my hip and went on trying to strap the shoes to my feet.

"What will they do to you?" I asked.

She stared at me a moment, with wide eyes. "I had not yet considered. I wonder, is there precedence for this?"

"Will you be expelled from the Seers? Or will they beat you first?"

She scoffed. "They cannot expel a Seer. It would be like expelling you of your Name. Actually, Eater may be able to do that… Nevermind. I will be alright. Some light torture, nothing I cannot handle." She shoved the full waterskin into my arms.

I nearly laughed in shock. "You'll be alright with light torture? What even is light torture? Are you kidding me?"

"The sacrifice will be worth it for what you have gained, Ferrowill."

"Is Diction all that useful, even? They didn't want me to learn it so badly they'd torture you… Do they hate me or do they hate you? I can't tell."

She shook her head. "No, no. They do not hate you." She paused. "Well, maybe. Really, they like the way The Realm functions, they have their place and they enjoy sitting in it. I care not for such stagnation, I have only been around a short while and already the routine is boring. But ever since your arrival, Ferrowill, The Realm is changing.

"You may not notice, you certainly would not, but this place has remained stagnant for an insufferable amount of time. The Eater is growing old, he will not be around much longer, and when that happens there is bound to be change. The Seers only wish to postpone that as long as possible. Stopping you is one of those ways."

"I see…" But to torture her? For this? There must be something to Diction I don't understand, it felt magical, sure, but not all that strong, right? "Will they really torture you?"

She was looking at my feet, one with a shoe, the other bare.

"Surreal."

Her head came up.

"Will they… Are you going to be alright?"

"Oh, yes… I imagine. Worry of your own safety before you worry of mine. I am struggling to predict how this will turn out, so you must promise me to be safe. They may come after you after they are sorted with me."

"Right," I said. "Safe."

"Well then, I will be off. Do great things, Ferrowill." And she went for the door.

As soon as she trotted off, the memory of a gift for the Seers lit up like a beacon. "Wait!"

And she leaned back in through the doorframe.

"I have…" I scrounged in my sack and pulled out the fan I'd gotten from the fake Maker. "This is for you."

She took it carefully and opened it only halfway. She gave a sad smile. "Thank you, Ferrowill. I will keep it safe."

The fan snapped shut, and I watched her white dress flutter off down the hall.

I left a short while after her, before any of the Seers would think to come for me. It was certainly cold out, but nothing I could not handle for half a day. That was how long it took until I met with them on the road.

Their faces lit up and they ran to me from the distance. Wanderer's arm had healed. The singe of pain reignited within me when I saw proof of the time I had lost.

But more important than that, I needed their help.

"Before the greetings," I said. "We have to go back. We have to save Surreal."