Before leaving the Tricorn, we still needed to check in with my grandfather. Aside from not seeing him for quite a while (mom coming to the wedding was one thing, but a Pope showing up on Callus was bound to draw some negative attention) we also needed to make sure the S-rankers didn’t need us for anything.
Chelsea and I went alone, though she was unusually quiet as we entered the chamber where we were meeting my grandfather. Mom assured me it was shielded for dignitaries and was impossible to spy on, especially without her noticing, so at least there was that.
When we found him, I was surprised to see how tired he looked. “Damn.” I said as we sat down across the table from him in the meeting room. “You look like shit.”
“Laugh it up.” He groused. “Someday you’ll be as strong as I am and you’ll have to deal with all this nonsense.” He glanced at mom. “I heard from our Lord. I briefed him on everything that happened. He said to tell you that you did well.”
My mom’s expression was complicated, which I imagined came from knowing he was talking about HER grandfather, and she had to pretend to be a near stranger.
“So…where are you going to go?” I asked worriedly. “Are they sending you to the front lines? They have more S-rankers than expected, no way it was just those five each. Those worlds definitely have more. What if you get ambushed.”
He smiled confidently. “Moonlight and I are sticking together. We have reports of what sounds like an S-ranker wreaking havoc at the edge of the Holy Dominion. Between the two of us we’ll be fine. Not to mention that the Holy Dominion isn’t your average space. Much like the Enshrining Abyss of Black Sorrow, the Dominion is a sacred place. Killing us there will be harder than you might think.”
I wondered if that was related to the Red Revenants world and its location. Was the Holy Dominion under the direct protection of a god?
Seeing my expression, he chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. We’re being careful, and there’s nothing you can do at this point. Break through to D-rank and I’m sure we can find you something- ow!” He winced, rubbing his head as my mother held up a glowing hand she’d just used to smack him upside the head.
It was impressive her ability even let her damage him, though he might have just been humoring her. “You will NOT plan to send my baby into a warzone, especially not right after his wedding.”
“Sasha, no one is going to be able to stay out of this.” He warned. “Our Lord pulled strings to get you reassigned so you could go to the wedding, but once it ends you’ll be expected on the front too. It’s all hands on deck.”
My mom didn’t seem bothered by that comment, apparently me being sent out was more worrying to her than going herself, which was actually reasonable given the strength disparity.
“Anyway.” My grandfather said with a smile. “Good luck kid, and I hope your wedding is a blast.” He pulled me into a tight hug. “Your grandmother wishes she could be here to see you, but things are still complicated…for the moment.”
My mother’s eyes widened. “Wait…is mom thinking of using the war as a platform to come out in the open? But Black Sorrow-”
“Black Sorrow won’t do shit during the war.” He said bluntly. “But how about after? Celia is tired of sitting at home worrying. She’s thinking of using the enforced detente as an excuse to finally confront her mother. If she comes out of hiding then the rest of you can do the same. She just needs to pick the right time.”
That was a big risk. Black Sorrow was…nuts, as far as I could tell. The perception that her daughter had sided with the Revenant, who she hated, would make her murderously angry as far as I was told.
He just smiled at my contemplation. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Celia isn’t stupid. Despite being a bit inspired by you standing up to that brat Aiden, she wouldn’t do this if she didn’t have a plan. Black Sorrow is a lunatic, but even she has things she wants. There’s no such thing as a grudge that can’t be mended.”
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I was pretty sure they were being optimistic, but I didn’t know half the shit that went on at that level. If they thought they could bribe Black Sorrow to come to the negotiating table I was fine with it. If it worked my family would be free of that lunatic.
Chelsea stepped up next to us, holding out her arms for my grandfather, who laughed and gave her a hug too. “Be careful.” She said sternly. “You and grandma both. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. If she can settle things, I want to bring Shane to the Holy Dominion for a visit.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He said with a smile. “You two be safe.” He fished into a pocket, pulling out a small silver charm bracelet. “By the way, this is for Callie from your grandmother and I. A wedding present.”
I took it, studying the item, and Chelsea gasped. “That’s grandma’s starpluck bangle!” She said in shock.
He nodded. “The bangle will let you leave positional marks on places you visit, Callie can teleport there at intergalactic distances. It’s an excellent escape treasure. She won’t be able to bring anyone with her, sadly, but you’ve got Zeke looking out for you, so we figured a bit of insurance for your future wife might be just the thing.”
I stared at the unassuming bracelet, hung with little silver stars wrapped around shimmering crystal cores. I didn’t notice the light until I focused on them, but once I did, I couldn’t unsee it. I stepped forward and hugged my grandfather again. “She’ll love it, this way she can visit her mom more. Can she use it? Anything that powerful has to be high ranked.”
“The stars are individually enchanted and work with the bangle.” He assured me. “It was designed to be used by lower ranked Ascendants as an emergency escape measure. Celia got it as a gift when she was a girl, though she’s held onto it for a long time because it remained useful. It takes a month or so for it to recharge each star, but otherwise it shouldn’t be a problem.”
There were four stars on the bracelet, which meant she should be able to avoid getting stranded on any trips.
“Thanks gramps.” I said sincerely. “Even with the month recharge, she’s still going to be over the moon. She can set a point on Callus when we’re there and see her mom every two weeks. Can she use a person as an anchor point?”
He chuckled. “From what I’m told, your grandmother asked the same thing when she got it. Sadly no. Has to be a planet. I assume you were thinking of using yourself so she could return more easily. A ship would work though, so at least there’s that. If you ever get enough cash, you can pay Killian to fly to Stratholme, pop over and leave a star point, then teleport back.”
“I’ll mention it to her.” I promised. “Not to mention that kind of long distance teleportation must go THROUGH something. Maybe she’ll get some ideas about her Path. Being able to do even a limited version of that would be amazing.”
He grinned at me. “Why do you think your grandmother doesn’t need it anymore. Her Path of the Stardancer was partly founded based on that bangle. I’m not sure how realistic it is to adapt an existing one, but as long as it isn’t solid maybe she can get some inspiration. Just tell her to be careful. Even stepping on the path to an ability like that can be dangerous.”
I glanced at Mom. “Wait, is that where the idea for your Path came from? A combination of your parents?”
She waggled a hand. “Stellar Flame Fist is a Solid Path ability, of course. My Path is the Path of Stellar Flame. But the Path of the Stardancer is more complicated than it sounds, and has more than a few aspects of my mother’s inborn power in it. When she dances across the stars, they often go out.”
I wondered if her Path spontaneously occurred during evolution like mine did. Her soul was Mirror from birth, and I couldn’t imagine what kind of iron control and flexibility that would give you with Skills. I put the bracelet away in my ring excited to give it to Callie, and finished saying my goodbyes to my grandfather, then waited for Chelsea to say hers.
“Hey.” I said as we left. “You’re not like…mad Callie is getting the bracelet right? I mean, if it was grandmas maybe you should be the one who-”
My sister held up a hand. “Not even slightly.” She said firmly. I exhaled in relief. I didn’t want to sound like I was being a dick about it, I was just genuinely worried she’d be upset. She smiled warmly at me. “I don’t begrudge you anything I have Shane. You’re my brother. My twin. I spent years getting resources and treasures from the Church.”
She pulled me into a hug, continuing. “Even if there wasn’t a good reason for her to get it I would still be fine, but you and I both know she’s the most vulnerable. You’re protected by Zeke, and I’m always under guard.”
“Yeah.” I said with a relieved laugh. “Grandpa really came through. No one is going to be able to chase her across galaxies. I mean, the sheer EXPENSE of an heirloom like that. They went all out to welcome her to the family. I haven’t met grandma yet, but just this one gift means more to me than anything else they could have done.”
The generosity staggered me. You could probably build an entire S-ranked faction if you sold something like this. I’d never even heard of it, but I knew that people would undoubtedly go to war for something this powerful, especially something their kids could use.
As we walked out of the Central Location back to the others, I frowned over my shoulder. “Do you think they’ll be ok? Trying to fix things with…her.”
“I think they know her better than we do.” She said bluntly. “And grandpa is over the moon for grandma. He’d die before he let someone touch a hair on her head. Combined with the safety they have while the war is ongoing, it should be fine. Plus if they can do it…”
I nodded. “It would be invaluable.” I admitted. “I got targeted by her people a few times, and I’m pretty sure they only happened to notice who I was by accident.” I still had no clue how Aiden had figured out my identity back when this all started, but it had caused a lot of trouble since then.
She sighed. “I’ve had assassination attempts too. One of my childhood friends turned out to be a heartripper.”
I winced, pulling her into a side hug. That was terrible. I reminded myself to have her spend some time with Cass. Maybe she could help the girl get past things, given her obvious experience there.
As we approached our group, I smiled widely at all my friends. It was finally over, finally time for all of us to go home. Once we were underway, we could stop and digest our gains from this mess in terms of renown, though aside from wishes, I didn’t think I’d be doing any training on this trip. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my future wife. Something told me alone time would be at a premium during a wedding this size. I couldn’t wait.