“And Shane informed me that he didn’t want to get ‘caught up in the rat race’.” Zeke said with a wide grin. “When I asked him where he heard that term, he said a bunch of the boys on the sixth floor were racing rats and they kept making everyone bet their lunch money.”

The crowd around us burst into gales of laughter, and I sulked a little bit, because I’d been TEN and had no idea that phrase had another meaning.

“You were so CUTE.” Cooed Callie from the other side of me. We were all seated around a huge table in a park in Valen, and all around us people were dancing, eating, and competing (there was a lot of overlap between those three things, and I gaped at the sight of Jessie demolishing a fifty scoop sunday while Abel desperately struggled to catch up). Our reception, months late but still happening.

Benny shook his head. “I remember those guys, Shane was right, they were dicks. They tried to get me involved in that race every time I came over.”

“At first.” I pointed out. “But once they realized you could afford to just keep going double or nothing until you won, they stopped. You lost like five times that first day you agreed, but number six cleaned them out. Then you just left.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, they were dicks. I was lucky I won too, because I lifted those credits from my dads wallet. I did NOT have that kind of cash on hand when I was ten. I returned it though, and I had a bunch of extra money for the next few months. We ate SO MANY moonbeam pops.”

Amber, Benny’s mother, glared at him from across the table. “Theft and GAMBLING?” She said reproachfully. “These are not the kinds of stories I enjoy hearing about my ten year old son.”

“Sorry ma.” He grinned shamelessly. “People want to know about my rise to power.”

“I think it’s sweet.” My mom said with a laugh. “He was defending his friend. Admittedly, they BOTH could have used a bit more oversight.” She stared at Zeke, who was leaning back in his chair sipping a bottle of some kind of beer as Stella listened to the stories.

My uncle just sipped unapologetically. “He turned out fine. No need to coddle the boy. I was keeping an eye out, and they handled it well. Though I did have to have a word with that Kyle kid’s dad. He seemed pretty intent on insisting Benny and Shane pay his son back. Something about rich bastards cheating salt of the earth folks like him.”

“Wait, what?” I blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know about that.”

“You didn’t need to.” He smirked. “He and I had a casual and forthright discussion about boundaries, and he made the calm and rational decision not to pursue the matter any more. Just a mature discussion between grown adults where no one dropped anyone else in a pit full of snakes.”

We just stared at him, but he didn’t even bother to look at us, just smugly sipping his drink and staring off into the middle distance. There was a brief lull in the discussion, everyone at a loss for what to say, until finally, Amelia cracked up. Her laughter set the rest of us off, and even Amber laughed a bit.

Benny’s dad, Hector, grinned at him. “I have to say Zeke, I like your style. I’m sad we didn’t get to know each other better when the boys were growing up.”

“Yeah, work kept me pretty busy.” He shrugged. “Working on my projects, running things at the local branch.”

Stella nodded. “He’s shockingly reliable if you catch him RIGHT in the strike zone of things he actually cares about. Otherwise he’s a lazy good for nothing with a drinking problem.” She winked at him, and he just snickered as everyone else laughed. Zeke wasn’t the type of person to be bothered by a little shit talking, he was easily one of the most self confident people I knew.

My mom laughed along with everyone else, but it was kind of forced. Not in a sad way, but in an impatient way, like she was desperate to hear more stories. She’d been really intense about listening to the ones everyone had been telling, and I got the impression she was trying to make up for lost time a bit, or at least experience my childhood secondhand.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Chelsea was at the table with us too, but she seemed content to just go along with the flow of the conversation, listening politely and asking questions. She looked like she was having fun, but it was less…aggressive than mom’s attention.

“So, Amelia.” I finally asked. “You said you think the baby will be a boy? Any of these stories putting you off the idea? There’s still time to change your mind. Not that it would do much, but still, at least you won’t feel complicit. Though if you do have a son, Shane is a very strong and dignified name for a baby boy.” I winked, and everyone laughed, though Amelia rolled her eyes as she did.

I was joking, but Callie cut that line of thought off immediately. “Nope.” She said bluntly. “No Shane’s in the family until at least the generation after next. That sounds like a one way trip to tons of annoying misunderstandings.”

“We could just give him a nickname.” I protested, getting into it despite having no real stake in this. “Like…” I paused. “Fuck, how did I never notice that there aren’t any good nicknames for Shane.” I glanced at Benny. “Did you notice that? Someone has to have called me by a nickname at some point.”

He shrugged. “Well in our third year of childcare they called you-” I lunged across the table, hand clamping over his mouth.

“I will tell EVERYONE about your most humiliating memories.” I hissed. “That bird attack, the time you tried to adopt that scorpion, the LANYARD incident! If I go down, you’re going down with me.” I released his mouth, slowly backing off the table to take my seat like nothing happened.

Benny cleared his throat. “They called you Shane. Because that’s your name. The only name you’ve ever had and the only thing I would ever call you.” His tone was robotic, but his eyes were darting side to side desperately.

“Ok, as intriguing as THAT was.” Said my mother with a laugh. “Maybe we should change the subject. Shane, Callie, have you considered where you’re going to take your honeymoon? There’s a LOVELY paradise planet in the Holy Dominion I could get you into. The clouds are edible, and there are waterfalls of delicious fruit juices. Plus there are unicorns.”

Chelsea clapped her hands. “Oh, you mean Obvium! I love that place, you guys have to go. The animals there are all so sweet and cuddly, and the fruits and vegetables are delicious. There’s no hunting, obviously, but you’re free to bring meat with you. It’s a favorite planet for cooking enthusiasts.”

“I’m enthusiastic about cooking!” Cheered Callie. “Mostly Shane’s cooking, but it still counts.”

“I love cooking for you.” I laughed. “And anything described as a paradise planet definitely sounds like my kind of place. Is it like…super high ranked or something?”

My mom shrugged. “B-rank.” She said cheerfully. “Now that the two of you have passed your Mastery Milestone there are far more places open to you. If you had any other locations in mind you can ask about those too. We can drop you off and hang around in orbit for a few weeks. The Necromedes is an excellent place to post up and enjoy some relaxation time.”

And so the topic switched to honeymoon destinations. My mom and Zeke took turns trying to one up each other’s suggestions while Chelsea chimed in occasionally. Bethy actually made a few declarations of her own, but her idea of fun tended to be a bit more…energetic than we had been hoping for.

Finally, it started to get dark, and it was time to cut the cake. Callie, excited as I’d ever seen her, manifested a giant carving knife out of shadow and stared at the thing from across the party. “I’m gonna cut it up so good.” She said emphatically. “And we get the first piece.” She turned to glare at me. “And if you smash it in my face instead of letting me actually eat it, we’re getting the world’s fastest divorce.”

“You are severely underestimating how quickly people get divorced.” Said Benny bluntly. At our look he coughed lightly. “Not you guys though, you guys will be together forever. I know that was just a joke.”

Callie glared a bit longer at him, then got up, dragging me by the hand to stand next to the cake. She gave a little speech thanking our friends and family for coming, then she cut the cake, and the two of us each took a bit of the first piece before everyone swarmed the table. It was fantastic, of course.

“Hey who saved the cake when the invasion happened?” I asked as we headed back to the now mostly empty table. “I didn’t think to grab it, did you?”

Off in the distance, as the sun set completely, a fire sparked up, and I was amused to see a familiar shape set alight. Travis, burning in effigy on the first night of the new festival we were starting to celebrate…well a bunch of stuff honestly.

“I grabbed it on the way out.” Callie said in an embarrassed tone. “It’s been in my ring. I was just looking forward to it so much.”

I laughed, then gave her a quick kiss. “Come on.” I said, pulling her hand before we reached the table. “We should dance. We ARE the guests of honor.” She giggled and I spun her onto the dance floor, where we slow danced despite the quick beat of the song.

The rest of the night went by in a flash, and then it was time to head home. We’d be back tomorrow, and I told everyone I’d catch up as I ran back to the main tent to get my mask, which I hadn’t been wearing during the festivities. It wasn’t like it could get lost or anything, tracking was part of the enchantments.

When I entered the tent though, I found a girl sitting inside. I stopped as I saw her examining the mask.

She was…odd. Supernaturally good looking, as was common with Ascendants, but kind of scary. Her features were symmetrical and sharp, kind of like a razor blade, and she had this aura of icy contempt around her, though that was the only aura. I realized that I couldn’t feel any Impact from her at all.

“Excuse me.” I said as I stepped closer. “That’s mine. And the party is over, maybe you can come back tomorrow.”

She glanced up at me, and as I met her eyes, I realized I recognized them. The same icy blue as my mother. My blood ran cold in my veins. I was pretty sure my grandmother would have introduced herself if she was visiting. She seemed to notice as I figured it out, because her lips peeled back, exposing bright white teeth that were just a BIT too sharp.

“Whats the matter?” She asked in a voice like a cyanide popsicle, cold and sweet and poisonous. “Can’t a goddess visit her own great grandson’s wedding celebration?”

I went still, like a deer in headlights, as I stared into the eyes of one of the most dangerous beings in the universe. “Of course.” I told Black Sorrow, goddess of the Enshrining Darkness, mother of Drowning Shade and wife (or ex wife maybe) of the Red Revenant. “You’re welcome here great-grandmother. To what do I owe the pleasure?” I felt the weight of fate slam down on me, catching me like a rat in a trap, and I knew this was the coming disaster I’d been sensing. Gee, thanks fate sense, real fucking helpful.