Interlude XIII — Until the End of Eternity

  "Thank you all for being here. Happy New Year."

  The cheers echoed across the vast meadow. It seemed like every single person in the camp, awakened or mundane, had erupted into applause. Cinza took a short bow.

  On her mark, Ruby threw everything she had left into one final burst. As the firework shot into the sky, she added lights and trails to its wake, creating an effect unseen by any pyrotechnician before or since. She held tight to the fuse at an inch away from the pouch of gunpowder, watching the clock tower Rufus maintained every day.

  The moment it struck midnight, Ruby lit off the firework.

  Perfect.

  Panting from the exertion of the entire show, she hurried forward to join her love in the center of the meadow. Cinza was just stepping off the platform when Ruby barreled into her, throwing her arms tight around the shorter girl and twirling her around the meadow.

  "It was perfect, every moment," said Ruby, still dancing Cinza through the meadow as the rest of the camp transitioned into a party. The other Greycloaks were filtering into the camp, except for Makoto, who hung back by the treeline watching from afar. "You were brilliant."

  "I did nothing," murmured Cinza, though her arms didn't loose for a moment around Ruby's sides, clinging to her back as Ruby practically carried her through the soft grass. "You and the others made the show. I only played my small part at the end. This was your triumph."

  "You directed us," said Ruby. She kissed Cinza on the forehead. "Take your well-deserved credit. You earned this."

  "I get all the credit when you deserve the lion's share," Cinza sighed. She hugged Ruby tighter as they slowed to a stop, a secluded part of the meadow where they could no longer be seen by the camp. "You're reward enough for me."

  Ruby giggled. "Come on, we should go. Everybody's celebrating."

  "Must we?" murmured Cinza.

  She nodded. "Everyone just heard your message. Now you have to actually go meet them. The world knows you from afar. Let them begin to know the true face behind the movement."

  "No one knows my true face," said Cinza.

  Ruby smiled. "Then let them see the face I know, because it's already perfect."

  She grabbed Cinza's hand and pulled her back across the meadow. Cinza followed reluctantly, but by the time they'd gotten halfway to the camp, she'd lifted her head high. Her stride was confident and sure, her expression benevolent and wise. Cinza put on the face they knew, the noble leader of the new world.

  Ruby fell back a little as Cinza walked into the camp. She wanted to watch and let Cinza enjoy the praise of her people. The other Greycloaks stood out in the crowd by merit of their namesake, but they weren't treated as particularly special anymore by the pilgrims. They mingled as one with the rest of the new world, as Cinza had wanted.

  However, no matter how much she secretly wished otherwise, Cinza could never melt into a crowd. Within moments, she was surrounded by a clamoring mob, each scrambling over the other to ask her questions, offer praise and thanks, or simply to be in her presence.

  Ruby couldn't fault them on the last one. Being near Cinza was intoxicating. She gave off a vibe of true power, where simply by standing nearby, one might somehow be blessed by her spirit. Ruby often wondered if Cinza had found some measure of the power their goddess held, with how they both seemed to project the same air of cool competence and selfless compassion.

  And even more similarities than that, Ruby sighed. Cinza also held much of the same melancholy as the goddess, though she kept it as secret as she could from the public. Ruby's love was not fond of her position or the sacrifices it required of her. Cinza's only goal was to protect her family, and to welcome the new world with open arms. No matter what the world thought, Cinza stood ready to shield them from the onslaught, regardless of the cost.

  Ruby loved her even more for it. Though she hated how Cinza had suffered, Ruby admired her absolute willingness for self-sacrifice. She only wished she had such a capability.

  I want to be like her. I don't know how to be, but she's who I want to be like.

  Ruby knew she was younger than everyone, possibly every awakened in the world besides Natalie. A taboo had circled through all the Scrap-sellers about awakening someone under eighteen, given the permanence of the choice and how little science understood of its potential side effects. Given how publicly cruel life had been for the two underage awakened so far, the more superstitious chalked it up to fate.

  Ruby didn't believe in fate, but many of the awakened did. Legends sprang up about the curse of the Knowledge affinity, or that those with Creation magic were forever marked as dangerous and unstable. Further still were the legends about the Olympic forest, which at least kept most from wandering the woods at random in the winter. Then, of course, the many superstitions and rumors about the Three Gods and the Eight.

  Ludicrous, of course, all of it. It wasn't because Ruby and Natalie were under eighteen that terrible things happened to them, it was the fathers they happened to be born from. Ruby related to the younger girl in so many ways. She wished they'd been able to talk more. She might have seen Natalie like a little sister, had events unfolded differently. Their last conversation, a quiet morning phone call with Natalie whispering while her boyfriend slept only a few feet away, had been stuck in Ruby's mind for a month.

  Could I have done something more? Could Cinza?

  She'd left Natalie with Cinza. By the time she came back with Nikki, Natalie had fled the Greywood. Ruby had no idea what happened. Cinza wouldn't speak a word, of course, and Ruby loved that she would keep absolute privacy for the girl, but… still Ruby wondered.

  As the night wound down and more groups returned to their tents, it was time for the Greycloaks to take their leave. Cinza found Ruby's hand, and though she did her best to hide it, she needed to lean on Ruby all the way back to the Greywood.

  She's so stubborn. Never letting anyone see weakness. I wish I could be as strong as her.

  The other Greycloaks moved ahead, leaving only Makoto behind to trail the couple. Everyone knew that Cinza and Ruby liked to walk together, and afforded them their privacy. The pair were both quite capable at magic if they happened to be attacked. Cinza was far stronger these days, and with Ruby at her side, the two rarely felt in any danger. Makoto always remained close enough to call reinforcements if truly needed.

  Remembering their new method of communication, Ruby pushed her mind into that second-sight Rachel had taught them. The relationship web was a truly miraculous thing to her, and even more than its effects, she delighted in the sheer overwhelming strength of the bond between herself and her love. They'd never required a visual confirmation of their mutual devotion… but to see that the universe itself agreed with their feelings was a powerful effect nonetheless.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  When Ruby strummed on those strings like a guitar, it sent a shiver through Cinza's body, one equally as powerful as any physical touch might produce.

  "Yes?" murmured Cinza, glancing up at her.

  Ruby smiled. "I just wanted to make sure you're awake."

  "I'm thinking."

  "What about?"

  "Where we came from, where we are going, and how long it will take to get there."

  "...Literally or figuratively?" asked Ruby. She giggled. "Because I think the Greywood's only like… five minutes away now. Ish."

  Cinza smiled. "Do you think they will take the message to heart?"

  "I don't know," said Ruby simply. If it were anyone else, she'd claim total confidence in Cinza's message, but she knew her love would appreciate direct honesty.

  "I pray for their safety," said Cinza softly. "Too many of us have died."

  Ruby nodded. "Everybody in the camp is still hurting. It's been a month and it's not getting easier for most of them."

  Cinza shook her head. "A month cannot equate to everlasting death itself. They will never truly be past their pain, only learn to accommodate it." Her voice dropped to a fierce tone. "The crimes committed deserve the utmost punishment."

  "But we gave him up. Natalie left him. We could have claimed him," said Ruby. "After the blackout, we were basically in control. You told us not to."

  "I must balance many plates," said Cinza. "We are a small community, and the world is a large place. We have only been dealing with one government, and though it represents one of the most powerful countries in the world, there are many more which clamor for our power. Brian Hendricks is of their world, and must be tried by their rules. We have no authority of sovereignty."

  "Yet," said Ruby pointedly.

  Cinza smiled. "Yet indeed. Though I must say I think Natalie has claimed sovereignty far faster than we might ever have dreamed."

  "She wanted a home," said Ruby with a shrug.

  "Hm?"

  "I can relate to that so much." She nodded forward, where the Greywood was just coming into view. They were so used to the forest maze that they could navigate it unconsciously, following the tingles of magic left in the air by sense alone—though it had become more difficult with Natalie's magic hanging over the whole forest. "It's what I always wanted."

  "A desire universal," murmured Cinza. "I always wanted a home too."

  "And then you made your own," said Ruby, grinning. "With my help, of course."

  Cinza shook her head. "My home is with you, wherever you may be."

  Ruby's heart fluttered, as it did every time Cinza spoke romantically. It never got old, no matter how many times they told each other of their love. They crossed the Greywood, arm-in-arm, returning to their cabin as the other cloaks vanished into theirs. Within minutes, they'd disrobed, climbed into bed, and wrapped themselves in warm blankets with the roaring fire… but nothing more.

  Her body longed for her to reach out and kiss Cinza, but Ruby could see it in her eyes and her expression—Cinza had too much on her mind. She waited, arms wrapped around her love, ready to listen as soon as Cinza was ready to speak. Hope she does it soon though… I was already super tired from the performance. Nikki didn't end up helping nearly as much as she thought she could, I had to pick up a lot of slack.

  "I'm worried," said Cinza finally, to Ruby's relief.

  "About?"

  "What comes next." Cinza closed her eyes, placing her head underneath Ruby's—letting Ruby wrap her up and contain her. Sometimes, Cinza would enter this withdrawn posture, a relic of some part of her life Ruby would never know, a defensive curl that spoke of past dangers.

  "Do you mean the trial?"

  She shook her head slightly. "Those are the affairs of the mundane," said Cinza. "I fear the next stage of our world. We've faced threat after threat, from the fight of the Gods to the near-overthrow of the Council, the destruction of Rallsburg, the terrorism of Brian Hendricks. It's been a month of quiet now, without a single sighting of our goddess. I fear what may come next."

  "You think she isn't coming back?" asked Ruby, a question she would never utter outside their cabin.

  "She never left," said Cinza. "She decided the world is no longer worthy, and I will forever wonder why. I've no doubt she continues to watch over us, but something about Margaret Bensen's awakening changed things."

  "Maybe not," said Ruby. "Sometimes it's not the last thing that causes the end, right? It could be another event we don't know about."

  "You're right, of course," said Cinza. "It doesn't matter. Whatever the goddess decides is our fate. Until then, we press on with what we have and what we know."

  "And now you're afraid of what comes next," said Ruby, nodding. Her chin brushed against Cinza's thick brown hair. "What do you want to do about it?"

  "How can I prepare for that which I don't know?" asked Cinza. Her voice echo made it slightly harder to tell she was asking genuinely, not out of sarcasm. Ruby would never tell her though—she loved the voice too much, and knew Cinza had long-since moved to unconsciously casting it. "All I wish is for us to all live in peace, free to follow our own way of life without persecution. Beyond that, I don't know."

  "Is that why you never went out to meet with the President or Mr. Gatiss again?"

  Cinza shook her head. "I've no need to see them. We needed to meet when magic was a continually growing thing and I could do some good for the people who were not yet part of our community. Now that's gone, the rest can be handled by the politicians. They actually enjoy that sort of thing; let them have at it."

  "I heard you were really good at it though."

  She backed away slightly to look at Ruby, raising an eyebrow. "...From whom?"

  "From Makoto, duh. Who else was with you the whole time?"

  "Mr. Ashe, but I digress." Cinza withdrew into Ruby's arms once again. Ruby treasured every moment she could hold her like that, provide a space for Cinza to work out her thoughts and fears. "They argue and posture about things of which I have only a passing interest. Now they've gotten Nathaniel to agree to let us keep our land, I've little more desire to deal with them."

  Ruby growled involuntarily at his name. "That snake."

  "Someday, he will face a painful comeuppance," said Cinza. "But let's not waste our lives worrying about a sniveling wretch scraping out wealth through technicalities."

  "Okay," said Ruby, smirking slightly. She enjoyed undercutting Cinza's more flowery sentences with something plain and ordinary, and Cinza often returned the favor in kind when Ruby got theatrical.

  They lay in silence for a while, holding each other while the fire crackled and the wind whistled outside. Ruby couldn't think of a thing she'd change about her current situation. Sure, there were plenty of things in the world she might want to change, but here? With Cinza, in their own cabin they built together, warmth generated by magic they invented and in a bed all their own?

  Nothing could make her happier.

  "I read something in a book once," said Ruby slowly. "Something about how the best leaders are the ones who don't want to lead."

  "Hm." Cinza made the sound simply to show she was still awake and listening, prompting Ruby to continue her thought.

  "Because, like…" She frowned. "People who don't want to lead are less likely to be dictators or corrupt. They'll take the problems of the people seriously and then stop when they aren't needed anymore."

  Cinza shook her head. "I don't think that really works."

  "Why not?"

  "Any leader who doesn't want to be a leader might also simply look for the quickest solutions to problems, rather than the right ones, in order to relinquish their leadership as soon as possible." Cinza sighed. "The world needs a leader who both wants to lead and wants no personal gain from doing so."

  "You used to be that person," said Ruby.

  "I wanted many things," said Cinza. "I wanted power, I wanted authority. I wanted control. I sought these things with the leadership I had been given and nearly lost everything truly valuable. You set me on the right path."

  "Which was?"

  "Family. Connection. Love." Cinza looked back up at Ruby. "I'm never truly afraid as long as you're all by my side."

  "And in your bed?" smirked Ruby.

  "That position's just for you," said Cinza. She wrapped her arms tighter around Ruby, and though she hadn't done anything yet, shivers of anticipation and joy rushed through Ruby's body. "Thank you, Ruby."

  "For what?"

  "Every minute, every hour, every day, every year, and every lifetime, from now until the end of eternity."

  Ruby giggled. "Just shut up and kiss me already."

  Cinza laughed. A moment later, she did just that… and the fire burned all the brighter, both in the hearth and deep in Ruby's heart, a perfect ending to a perfect night.