Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Five: 'O, fledgling commander, falter not...'

The reapers all turned to look at Hector. None of the Rainlord heads were immediately present. They were all either asleep or Dimas Sebolt, the man with chronic insomnia.

It wouldn't take long for the reapers to fetch them, of course, but judging by the expressions on all these skeletal faces, they were expecting him to step up and do or say something first.

Well, then.

A part of him wanted to pretend he hadn't heard anything and just go crawl back into bed. Someone else would handle it. And Abbas probably wanted to talk to a Rainlord, not him, right? Yeah.

...Eh, who was he kidding?

He took a long, deep breath and walked over to the reaper who'd delivered the news. "What kind of contact?" he asked. "Remote or direct?"

'Direct,' said the reaper. This one's name was Levinox, as Hector recalled, and he was linked with Cristina Sebolt of the scouting team. 'My servant is looking at him at this very moment.'

Hector nodded and turned to the others. "Inform the family heads. Bring them here, please."

'You got it.'

'Sure thing.'

'Heh, yes, sir.'

Three reapers departed instantly, followed by two more who said nothing. That number made sense, because there were currently five Rainlord heads in Warrenhold: Zeff, Dimas, Horatio, Joana, and Salvador. The only other one was Evangelina, who was in Vantalay.

'Garovel, I need you,' thought Hector as he turned back to Levinox. Garovel said something, but Hector was too busy processing what he wanted to say to Abbas to respond.

Levinox spoke up again before him, however. 'Lord Abbas is talking about their status. The Sandlords have been completely pushed out of the Drylands. They're scattered. The Vanguard has apparently regrouped in the Wetlands, but the Sandlords are having difficulty linking back up with them. They've been running into fierce opposition wherever they go.'

"Have they talked to the governments of Callum or Intar yet?" Hector asked. Logic would dictate that Sair's neighbors didn't want Abolish conquering it, either. They'd been dragging their feet so far, but they had to be reevaluating their positions on the matter now.

Levinox took a minute to relay Hector's question and receive an answer. 'Intar has proven difficult to reach. They have spoken to Callum, however, and unfortunately, it appears that Morgunov has promised not to invade them as long as they don't provide refuge to the Sandlords.'

Oh shit.

"And Callum's government actually believes him?" said Hector with wide eyes.

'It would seem so,' said Levinox. 'Callumi authorities have been trying to capture them on sight, ostensibly to turn over to Abolish.'

Damn. "Is it even safe for them to be having this conversation, right now? Is their current position secure?"

Another long pause. 'That is debatable. The Callumi authorities themselves aren't too much trouble for the Sandlords, but if they alert Abolish to their location, then the situation could worsen again.'

Hector knew what he wanted to say here. But it would be taking a huge leap. It might ruffle a few feathers.

He grit his teeth for a moment as he mulled it over.

He had to say it. Of course he did.

"If they can at least make it to Lorent, then I can provide them with a place to regroup."

Levinox fell silent again, relaying the message.

Hector wanted to say that they were welcome in Warrenhold--because they were, of course--but at the moment, it seemed safer to just say Lorent. It was a lot closer for the Sandlords, too.

And while he didn't think the Queen would refuse to help them when her own family had ties with Sandlords, he also didn't want to test his relationship with her too much. And welcoming another group of refugees who were being hunted by one of the most powerful organizations in the world without her permission... well, that seemed like it might annoy her.

Just a bit.

They could work through the details later. The Queen couldn't get mad at him as long as they weren't actually coming to Atreya yet.

Well. Okay, maybe she could. But she couldn't do anything about it if she did. Lorent was outside her jurisdiction.

President Dance might have a thing or two to say about it, though--if he ever found out about it, that was.

As he waited for Abbas' response via Levinox, Hector noticed Garovel hovering there next to him. The expression on the reaper's skeletal face implied that he had something he wanted to say, but he merely remained silent.

'Lord Abbas says that would be much appreciated,' said Levinox. 'They will head for Lorent right away.'

"Do they have civilian refugees with them?" asked Hector.

'...Yes. Many.'

Hector nodded. "Can I get a rough estimate of the number?"

'...Perhaps three hundred.'

Hmm. Less than he'd imagined, but that amount would still prove challenging to conceal from the Lorentian government. Would it be better to just ask the Lorentians for help directly?

Maybe, but he still didn't fully trust them. He might've gained their favor, but this was an emperor of Abolish they were dealing with. If Morgunov made the same promise to the Lorentians that he did to the Callumi, they might very well agree to it. He highly doubted that they liked Hector Goffe of Atreya more than they feared the Mad Demon.

Hell, he wondered if even Queen Helen would be able to hold out against something like that.

He did not wish to find out. Yeah. It was safer for everyone if he just tried to keep everything as quiet as possible for now.

"Alright," he said. "Tell the scouting team to stick with them and keep us updated on their movements. We'll try to link up with them at the Lorent-Callum border and proceed from there."

He still had plenty of questions, particularly regarding casualties, but the situation was still too fluid for that, Hector felt. He could ask those things later, once Abbas and his group were safe.

Hector was concerned about why Abbas hadn't been able to get through to Intar. From the conversation that he'd had with Prince David not too long ago, it had seemed like the Sandlords were on fairly reasonable terms with the Intarian government. Maybe that had been too much to assume.

Or maybe there was something else going on in Intar.

Prince David had mentioned a "culture war" dividing the country at the moment, but Hector hoped that wasn't the cause of this. Surely, the Intarians would be able to see that there was an actual war going on right now and that it needed to take precedence. Their neighboring country was on the verge of collapse, after all. That had to be a wake up call for them, right?

The Rainlord heads soon arrived--Dimas first, followed by all the rest in a group.

Naturally, they had plenty of questions that Hector didn't yet have answers for. He brought them up to speed on the conversation he'd just had.

"Just like that?" said Zeff. "You've already offered them asylum?"

And maybe it was the man's tone, that voice of a perpetually judgmental teacher, but Hector abruptly felt uncertain. Had that been a mistake? "I... didn't think it would be wise to delay," he said, struggling to maintain his composure.

Zeff said nothing further, however. He just kept looking at Hector with that stern-as-hell face of his.

That was just his normal expression, though, Hector knew. It was intimidating, but it didn't necessarily mean that he disapproved. He shouldn't read too much into it, he decided.

Or tried to decide, at least.

He was suddenly feeling more self-conscious. Maybe because everyone was staring at him.

'You made the right call,' came Garovel's words, cloaked in the echo of privacy.

Hector had to consciously avoid reacting to that, but it was a relief to hear. Had Garovel guessed what he was thinking? Yeah, he probably did, didn't he?

Heh. Dammit.

Axiolis floated forward. 'I would like to speak to Worwal.'

Worwal was Abbas' reaper, as Hector recalled. Hector saw no reason to get in Axiolis' way and so just motioned toward Levinox. "He said that they were heading for the border right away, so he might be too busy to talk, but feel free to give it a shot."

Axiolis just nodded and hovered closer.

"I want to head out soon, too," added Hector, focusing on the urgency of the task ahead. That always seemed to be the best way of distracting himself from his feelings of insecurity. To just concentrate on what needed doing immediately. "I'll need Levinox to come with me, so we can work out the best location to meet up."

Dimas, who was not one to chime in very frequently, cocked an eyebrow at him. "You intend to go personally?"

Hector didn't know why the man seemed surprised. "Of course I do. I'd like for everything go smoothly and quietly, but if the Sandlords end up attracting attention from the Lorentians, then I should be there to help smooth things over with the government."

The Lord Sebolt's eyes shifted to Hector's left, where Lynn was standing. "And what of your guests?"

Ah...

Hmm.

The Queen had just talked about staying a full day at Warrenhold. Moreover, he knew that he and she still had quite a bit to discuss with regards to Lorent. If he suddenly decided to leave, it might look like he was trying to avoid her--or that he just didn't care what she had to say.

Agh.

Either way, he still felt like he needed to be there for the Sandlords, right now. He'd have to go and talk to her before he left. According to Garovel, lords weren't supposed to apologize, but for inconveniencing the Queen, an exception definitely needed to be made, Hector felt.

"I'll go talk to the Queen, right now," said Hector. "Levinox, please meet me at the Entry Tower in half an hour."

'Okay.' He motioned to two other reapers behind him. 'Rokoz and Orongel are also connected to the scouting team. They should probably come with us, too, in case something happens to my connection.'

Hector paused at that, thinking it over. It was a fair point. If Cristina Sebolt somehow ended up killed, captured, or separated from the Sandlords, then meeting up with them would become a lot more difficult.

But he didn't want to overcommit, either. These three reapers were their only connection to the scouting team--and by extension, the Sandlords. The scouting team did have more non-servant members as backup, but Hector didn't want to rely on them unless he had to. The non-servants of the team were meant to provide support for the servants in the field, not to send intel back to Warrenhold. He didn't want to divide their attention any more than was absolutely necessary when lives were on the line.

"Alright, but not both of them," said Hector. "One reaper needs to stay here and keep Warrenhold updated on what's happening out there."

The three reapers looked between themselves for a moment, then gave Hector an acknowledging nod.

'Very well,' said Levinox.

And with that, he left the Rainlord heads there to converse with the scouting reapers and Sandlords. They probably had a lot to talk about and not much time to do it in.

He made his way over to the Tower of Night again.

Lynn followed, of course. "Seems like you're being pulled in a hundred different directions, lately."

"Sorry," said Hector. "I was... really looking forward to spending time with you and the Queen tomorrow."

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"Today, you mean. It's after midnight already."

"Right." He wondered if there was anything he could do to make it up to them.

When they arrived at the Queen's room, Hector reached toward the door to knock on it, but her voice arrived first.

"Enter."

They did so and found her sitting on the edge of her bed with the adjacent lamp to her turned on. Mehlsanz was floating there next to her, which explained how she'd known they were there before Hector even knocked.

There was something else, however, which probably shouldn't have been an issue but was.

The Queen was in a nightgown.

It wasn't particularly revealing, but it still made Hector feel intensely awkward all of a sudden. Where did she even get that? Hector hadn't seen any luggage when she and Lynn arrived.

Ah, Ms. Rogers had probably procured it for her, hadn't she?

"Mehlsanz informs me that something has happened," said Helen.

Hector did his best to explain, though it was made more difficult because he didn't know where to put his eyes.

"...So you will be leaving for Lorent immediately, then," she summarized.

"Y-yes."

"I see..."

There arrived a long pause.

Then the Queen stood up from her bed and started toward the bathroom. "What coincidental timing. I was just thinking about paying a visit to Lorent, myself."

Hector blinked, awkwardness forgotten, and he exchanged looks with Lynn.

She seemed just as surprised.

"Y-your Highness," said Lynn, "it could be very dangerous. You really shouldn't--"

"Oh, I know." The Queen assessed her own hair in the bathroom's mirror while speaking through the open doorway. "I will not be accompanying you on your mission. I will simply be going to Riverton, P.J. and meeting with President Dance."

Lynn shook her head, not with disapproval but with confusion. "What? Why?"

"I was planning to do so soon, anyway. Now seems like a good time. Hector wishes to operate discretely, no? But he has become quite famous there. My presence in Lorent will provide a helpful distraction for both the government and the media."

That was... one way of looking at it, Hector supposed. He couldn't help feeling like there was more to her reasoning here, though. "Are you sure it'll be that easy? Won't they also try to beef up their security while hosting such an important guest?"

"Perhaps," said the Queen, "but such increases would be limited to P.J., I am sure, and you are heading for the border, are you not?"

"Yeah..."

"Then there should be no problem. And besides, if the Lorentians catch you acting suspiciously, I will be there to bail you out. So to speak."

Hector looked to Garovel for help.

The reaper shrugged. 'Doesn't sound like we can change her mind,' he said privately.

Hector was getting that impression as well and breathed a sigh. "Alright, then, uh... I guess I'll try to pay you a visit in P.J when I can, then."

"Oh?" said the Queen, looking away from her mirror to eye him. "You are not intending to march the Sandlords right up to Riverton Hall, I hope."

"No, no. I'll find them a suitable place to rest first, of course."

"In Lorent or in Atreya?'

Ah. The big question. "Well, I was thinking Lorent first, but if you don't mind me bringing them all the way here to Warrenhold, then..."

"I do not mind. But will your Rainlords?"

"No, they're worried about them even more than we are."

"Mm."

He still couldn't see her again, and he couldn't tell what she was doing. "I, uh... I gotta say, Your Highness, I'm a little surprised that you aren't pushing back more against providing refuge for them..."

"Hmph. I resent what you are implying. Abbas Saqqaf himself has come to you for help. What did you imagine I would do? Order you to turn a blind eye like some stone-hearted louse?"

"No, I just mean... I know it's not exactly an ideal situation."

"Heh. You have a talent for understatement, Hector." She moved away from the mirror and disappeared deeper into the bathroom. "But the Sandlords are our allies--and valuable ones, at that. If they have come to us in their hour of need, we should not turn them away."

Hector could only agree.

And yet, it did feel a little strange, hearing all this from her. While the Sandlords were indeed allies, there was the minor issue of Helen's own relationship with them.

It wasn't even a year ago when Helen had been run out of Sescoria by a handful of Abolish terrorists. Certainly, if she had been able to acquire the Sandlords' aid at that critical time, they would have been able to make quick work of Abolish--and saved everyone a lot of trouble in the process.

But obviously, that hadn't happened.

Atreya's alliance with the Sandlords stemmed from a political marriage between Helen's brother, Prince Meriwether, and Nasira Saqqaf. And while Prince Meriwether had turned against the conspirators at the end, he had still been a part of the inner circle that had ousted her in the first place.

So ultimately, in the Queen's own hour of need, she could not go to the Sandlords for help. Yet here she now was, telling him that they needed to behave like good allies.

She wasn't wrong, of course, but Hector couldn't help sensing a level of awkwardness beneath this whole situation. He had to wonder if she harbored any feelings of resentment toward them.

Probably not, he figured. She was the Queen. She had to be dignified and stuff. Above that kind of thing.

...Right?

"You're not concerned about Atreya getting dragged into the war by helping them?" asked Hector.

"Of course I am concerned about that," said the Queen. "But I am also concerned about the war coming to our doorstep while we have few strong allies who are willing and able to support us."

'I have to agree,' said Garovel. 'If Abolish manages to conquer western Sair as well, then that will almost certainly pull the neighboring Intarians into the war, whether they like it or not. And if Intar enters, it has the power to impact all five war fronts at once. Which is why I'm thinking that Abolish won't actually try to finish Sair off--or at least, not yet. It seems more likely to me that they will want to expand their influence AROUND Intar first.'

'Which would mean invading Callum next,' said Meslhanz, 'followed by Lorent, and then quite possibly Atreya.'

'Yes,' said Garovel. 'I doubt they consider us anything more than a speck on the map, at the moment, so there's a slight chance they might just pass us by and not even bother invading, but that's one of the best-case scenarios, as far as I'm concerned.'

'I don't know about that,' said Mehlsanz. 'The best-cases would all involve Abolish being defeated before even getting close to us again.'

'Mm. Call me a pessimist, but that sounds too optimistic to even humor.'

The Queen reemerged from the bathroom, having redonned her dark attire from when she'd first arrived at Warrenhold. "In any case, we should not dawdle. Matters must be attended to. I look forward to seeing you in Lorent, Hector. Hopefully, we have a greater opportunity for a long talk."

From there, the conversation didn't last much longer. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, the Queen and Lynn leaving first.

Hector made a quick trip over to his own room since it was so close and changed into some clothes that he didn't mind getting destroyed. Unfortunately, he didn't have a black cloak at his disposal like his royal guests did, but he had plenty of dark coats and pants--and of course, the Scarf of Amordiin.

It didn't take him long before he was ready, and he made for the Entry Tower to meet up with Levinox.

When he arrived, he found the reaper in question there waiting for him.

Along with a whole bunch of other people.

And for some reason, Hector found that surprising. He'd intended to go alone, but that seemed like an altogether foolish notion all of a sudden--not because it would be dangerous for him to do so, but just because the Rainlords simply wouldn't allow it.

The sight of them all there pulled a faint smile out of him as he approached. "You guys really don't need to come with me," he tried, knowing it was most likely a futile effort.

'Yeah, what are you all thinking?' said Mevox, the reaper of Salvador Delaguna. 'We'll be just fine without your help.'

'Ah, yes, agreed,' said Iziol. 'Dimas and I must obviously go with him, but the rest of you are unneeded.'

'You're all adorable,' said Voreese, only then making Hector notice that she and Roman were there in the crowd. 'Roman and I are all the assistance Hector needs. Too many of you clods will just slow us down.'

Axiolis hovered forward as well. 'Amusing, but let us be serious. A large group would attract attention. You wish to be fast and quiet, yes? Then we should send only those of us who are most suited to that end.'

'Heh, well, no offense, but I'd say that eliminates ol' Zeffy boy,' said Mevox.

Zeff gave the reaper a look but said nothing.

'As much as we might like to accompany you, we feel that it is best we stay here,' said Axiolis.

Which Hector found surprising. And quite agreeable. Zeff did have Marcos and Ramira to look after, so it made plenty of sense.

'I'm glad you think so,' said Garovel. 'We'll be more at ease knowing that Warrenhold is safe in your hands.'

Axiolis just nodded.

"A part of me thinks that you should be staying as well," said Zeff, looking at Hector. "Any among us could serve as a reasonable liaison without putting you in danger."

Hector met the man's hard gaze for a moment. His tone was harsh, but Hector still somehow sensed a warmth in it.

Zeff was worried about him. Or he just didn't think Hector could handle it. Maybe a little of both.

"...Only 'a part' of you thinks that?" said Hector, trying to restrain his smile.

Zeff did not react to his prodding, however, and merely maintained the same stony expression as always.

Well, that was fine. Hector decided to change the subject. "A small group, then," he said. "Dimas and Roman are easy choices because you both have such great aerial mobility."

Those two exchanged glances with one another.

"Hmm," Hector continued, "and I feel like Mevox will throw a fit if I don't bring him and Salvador."

'Whoa, hey now!' said Mevox. 'I take offense to that, Mr. Warrenlord! You're not allowed to talk that kind of shit to me! We don't know each other well enough yet!'

"Oh, I think he knows plenty about you already," said Salvador with a chortle.

'Ah, and you've turned my own servant against me, I see. Truly, a wicked mind is leading this operation. I fear for all our safety now.'

"We can leave him behind, if you want," said Salvador. "Lock him in an iron box. I give you my consent."

'I'm pretty sure it's MY consent that's important here!'

"Eh."

Hector assessed the remaining candidates. Horatio Blackburn, Joana Cortes, and a few more Sebolts and Delagunas. "Horatio and Joana, I would like the two of you to stay, as well."

They both frowned.

"Why?" said Joana.

Because she was Zeff's one and only sister, that was why. Plus, her husband Rick was incredibly helpful in the reconstruction of Warrenhold. But most of all, Hector didn't want to take so many of the family heads with him.

Only the last reason sounded good enough to vocalize, though. "I don't think it would be wise to bring the heads of all the families. We already have Evangelina out in the field."

Joana's frown deepened, but she said nothing further.

Horatio's expression was tough to read. The man looked a bit haggard, but he usually looked that way, of late. He and Dimas had only very recently become the heads of their respective Houses, but Horatio seemed to be having a significantly harder time with the transition than Dimas did.

Many times now, Hector had wondered why that might be. He'd offered to lend the man an ear, if he needed one, but Horatio always politely declined.

Truthfully, Hector was worried about the guy in more ways than just one. Sending him out on a mission right now didn't seem like a good idea, if for no other reason than because he still seemed to be finding his footing.

All the Houses had suffered in one way or another, but House Blackburn was in an especially peculiar situation. The former head, Ismael Blackburn, had been killed by Ivan at Dunehall. Right in front of Hector's eyes, no less. And in the aftermath, his wife, Nere Blackburn, apparently had a mental breakdown. Hence why they had all turned to Horatio and not her.

However, Nere had recently returned to taking a leadership role. Sort of. From what Hector had seen, it was mostly Sentsia, the woman's reaper, who did the talking.

It was all quite odd, and Hector could tell that there was a lot more going on with them than he knew about. He hoped that he would be able to grow closer with them one day and learn more of their history--and of what was troubling them so much, perhaps--but he didn't want to rush things. They were a grieving family, after all.

With the team more or less decided on, there wasn't much else to do other than leave. A couple more Rainlords ended up joining from House Sebolt--as well with Matteo Delaguna, as always. Hector had been about to ask where that guy was when he suddenly appeared, clad all in black and ready to go.

They ascended the Entry Tower together and headed over to the halfway-constructed garage. When finished, it would be similar in size to the underground bunker that Hector and Colt had used when on the run from the law. This one connected to the Entry Tower just below the top level and already had enough space in it for a dozen or so large vehicles.

At the moment, there were only a few here, but the team didn't need more than one. They all piled into a black SUV, save Roman and Dimas. Matteo got behind the wheel, started the engine, and drove it up the ramp and out onto the freshly-paved surface.

Matteo just headed toward the gate, apparently thinking that they would be driving the whole way there.

Dimas Sebolt, however, had other plans.

The vehicle lifted off the ground, ignoring gravity and flying over to Dimas and Roman, who were already headed north.

Hector had the front passenger seat, and Matteo just gave him a flat look along with a few dull blinks. Then he turned the engine off again and sighed before leaning back in his seat.

Hector hadn't quite expected Dimas to just take the initiative like this, either, but it did seem pretty convenient. And from what Hector understood, after what had happened to his last two airplanes, Roman hadn't been eager to get his hands on a third one just yet, even as a rental.

It wasn't the most comfortable flight, of course. The car wasn't exactly aerodynamic, and it definitely wasn't pressurized properly; but that didn't bother the group of undead servants and incorporeal reapers very much.

Hector wondered if Dimas could somehow make this a more viable means of travel for normal people. Could his gravity alteration power be used to vacuum seal and pressurize the vehicle? Or could it be used to counter the effects of air resistance to mitigate turbulence?

He felt like it might be doable, but without knowing more about how Dimas' power actually functioned on a technical level, Hector couldn't be sure. At the very least, it seemed like it would be a lot more complicated than just wrapping the car in a gravity bubble.

Whatever the case, they appeared to be moving at a pretty good clip. The landscape below was mostly dark, but the lights from roadways and small homesteads were passing by relatively quickly. In that regard, at least, it didn't feel much different from a normal flight.

Lorent was a big country, though, and its border with Callum was pretty far. It would probably be a few hours before they arrived, Hector figured. And with all the noise from the roaring wind, it was almost impossible to hold a conversation.

With physical voices, at least.

The reapers settled in rather quickly and began talking, as usual.

Garovel asked one question in particular that caught Hector's attention. 'Have you been able to learn anything else from Lord Abbas about the situation in Sair?'

'Indeed,' said Levinox. 'Even before their forces in Kuros were scattered, many of their people were already unaccounted for. He doesn't have confirmed numbers at the moment, but he fears that even after regrouping, there will be a large number who are MIA.'

'Does he know the whereabouts of Lord Asad Najir?' said Garovel.

'Zeff asked that earlier,' said Levinox. 'Abbas said that Asad is currently unaccounted for, but that he was on the front line at Uego, where the heat of the battle took place.'

Oh no.

The reaper said nothing further, but he didn't have to.

Hector tried to keep listening, but he found it difficult. Even with Focus allowing him to divide his attention, it was hard to let any of what the reapers were saying into his head now. They were saying something about machines and armor, but Hector's mind was too far gone.

If Asad had been on the front line, where the Mad Demon himself had been, then anything could have happened. He could be captured or dead or even still fighting for his life at this very moment. He could've been on the run or trapped somewhere or leading his own band of refugees like Abbas.

Hector just didn't understand how this could be true. Rasalased would have warned him. He would have. This made no sense. So was Levinox wrong? Was Abbas mistaken?

The Shard was right here in his pocket. Hector had been sure to bring it with him.

He'd been trying to contact Rasalased again ever since that night when he accidentally did while asleep, but after so many repeated failures, he'd begun to think it was just straight up impossible. That night must have been a fluke or something. He'd been about ready to call it quits, at least until he thought of some other way to approach the problem.

But now.

Now he was just mad. And confused. Something obviously wasn't right here.

He needed to understand. More than anything else, he needed that. It was the single most important thing in the world, at the moment. Why the fuck had Rasalased not warned him about what was going to happen? Did Rasalased just not know? Was Morgunov just that powerful? Was Asad actually just fine? Or was something else going on entirely?

Unconsciously, he reached into the vest pocket of his coat and clutched the Shard tightly with one hand. And with frustration filling his mind, with emotion and determination filling his heart, he closed his eyes and concentrated, pouring as much of his soul power into the Shard as he could possibly cram in there.

And instantly, he felt an enormous shift take place.

His mind was divided more noticeably than a moment ago. He was still in the car, being carried through the sky. He could sense himself there, feel his limbs, hear the half-muted words of the reapers passing through his head.

He was somewhere else, too. Somewhere different. Deeper. Yet still tethered to himself.

Maybe this was what they called an out-of-body experience.

Hmm. Or maybe not. It felt similar to when he'd contacted Rasalased the last time, but not exactly the same. Probably because his physical body wasn't asleep.

Or was it? Shit, this was confusing. He felt split, yet whole. Near, yet far.

And the Shard. It was in his hand, yet all around him. It pulsed with life, reverberating like a heartbeat. Like his own heartbeat.

"Young Hector," came that familiar voice.