{Cinder | Six Million Years Ago}
“Silence, I will not permit this.”
Words that rang against the walls, floor, and ceiling, all honed of crimson rock.
Permit this? Permit this?! “You arrogant, mortal being! How dare you speak to me in such a way when I created you? Elden, I am your maker.”
“Then stay.” No gratitude. No platitudes. Only a demand.
Why? Tears streamed down Silence’s face. Why can’t you say it? Just say it! Fractured, she muttered, “You cannot cease what already comes.”
Elden, in his black shroud that hid even his eyes from her, took no step forward. Lifted no hand to stave her leave. “I want no war with them. Do not unmake this paradise.”
I beg of you hung in the air between them, but was never said.
On a shaking breath, Silence tried once more to make him understand. “Elden, your paradise is my prison. I must complete the mission.”
“Then proceed knowing you risk your creation for chaos. The iron of your will could silence the stars. See the threat for what it is. Silence…”
She fell to her knees and opened her wings. Unbidden, she stretched her arms above her head and lowered her face to the red stone, subjugating herself. Please say it. Give me a reason to stay—
A baby’s cry echoed from down the hall.
Savis.
“Is she not enough, Silence?”
She. Not we. Not I.
{Enki | Now}
The heart that broke that day never mended.
When the Martyr Complex glowed magnesium light, Silence understood hers wasn’t the only heart that remained wounded. Lucas stared at the box, calm but at the ready. Smith grinned at it with an emotion akin to pride.
Rayne stirred, and all of Enki knew.
Storms erupted across every continent and blanketed every ocean. The girl was a prodigy. Silence would still bury her if she risked the mission any further.
Stolen novel; please report.
Smith whistled at how much this impressed him. “The War King is unhappy.”
“Three Two Four’s mistreatment of Sagan upsets us all,” Lucas declared. He stood there as if ready to greet her.
Silence agreed. The Seamswalker deserved better. All the women fallen prey to this nightmare deserved better. Still, Silence stood from her throne and walked toward the glass coffin on its raised dais meant for this moment. The woman who slayed night blinded them with her fury until the light receded back inside her young form.
This sucked.
Silence missed Kyle and Andrew. Chief Lynn and Dr. Suarez. And Twenty-One, of course.
Why?!
Why did she go and build a family while afflicted with amnesia? Why was she drawn to the Shadow? Every fiber of her being ached to gain access to their operations.
Now that Imminent had Rayne, of course, it made sense. But…
Why…
Rayne smiled. It was warm and not at all a response to Korac’s Verse.
“She does that sometimes. We assume she’s dreaming,” Smith answered the unasked question.
Silence looked up to find Lucas’ gaze intent on her, measuring. They all understood. The mission shifted, not changed.
Unleash Rayne on Enki.
Monitor the Atheneum.
Wait for the Shadow to locate Ishkur.
A simple itinerary. In the meantime, keep the others occupied with busy work. The Shadow needed time to understand what Silence was before they came after her. Legir and X should know the stories, but they didn’t recognize her, affording her some anonymity. At the time, it was welcome as Silence still needed to capture Rayne. But now…
“How much longer, do you suppose?”
Lucas and Smith exchanged a look before the former cleared his throat to offer, “While the Shadow excel at their righteous endeavors, they take a gloriously endearing amount of time to puzzle things together.”
Smith chuckled.
Silence gave in and sulked. “I grow tired of this waiting—”
“Mother, we return with Nox’s Verse, as you requested.”
Abresson delivered the capsule, flanked by fully dressed Para and Karter. There was something wrong with his face, but Silence didn’t care enough to inspect it further. She wanted to flay him where he stood for violating T.a.o., but all in due time.
Lucas paused the playback of Korac’s Verse, undetected.
Capsule in hand, Silence spared no time uploading it into her nacre memory bank. While she experienced her grandson’s life, Lucas looked at Smith and Smith looked at Lucas. Both with similar expressions—She’s not going to like this.
Elden dying.
Umbra rising.
Savis… oh, Savis.
And Nox…
Xelan…
Rayne.
All their pain and all their suffering at Primary Rem’s hands. With Korac’s Verse continuing its first run, more misery came to light with each passing minute.
Karter’s delivery.
Korac’s childhood.
Pehton… poor Pehton.
The children of Gait.
Countless, nameless slaves.
Sagan.
This was not the chaos Silence had intended when she first touched Cascading Light. Thus far, those she wanted to suffer most instead siphoned power off the lives of the people she slept to save.
“Remorse.”
Even with her back to the two Valkyrie Remorse inhabited, Silence sensed the tensing and flinching of Karter and Para’s bodies. Clever, so very clever, to use the Icarean females as shields. Deliverers of bad tidings. But the Primary underestimated Silence.
The Mother glanced at Lucas. He nodded to the Martyr Complex.
Surra glanced at Smith. He also nodded to Rayne Callahan, but with a wide grin and a sparkle in his brown eyes.
As the Silence in our Stars stared at the War King with renewed clarity and a deeper appreciation, she moved a piece on the board forward.
“Report on your progress with Tameka.”