After lun the first day on the ship, Emily sticks with Ash and Podrick, dug into crawlspaces and pulling off panels in the corridors to access the ship’s internals. Ash is amazed by Emily’s uny ability to find the ship’s faults at a gnce, and, by the end of the day, they give her free rein to make repairs alone, designating a se of the ship for her to work on.

  The day, Podrick chooses to follow Emily around, mesmerised by her increasing w speed as she slowly slips into her own pace, only limiting herself enough not to give away her superhuman nature. He barrages her with questions about her ons and creatioween repairs, showing a passioerest in maes.

  In the evening, as she meditates alone in the engine room after dinner, enjoying the hum of the ship’s beati, Emily starts to sider the excitable d.

  I wonder if he could bee an awakened meic. I’ve never really stopped to think about it, but if I awakened as one, surely someone else with as much passion for maes should have a ce.

  The air arouarts to buzz as she lets the maa in her body flow out, crag along her skin.

  I couldn’t find a single refereo a sed type of awakening in The Dome’s library, so I assume I’m the first. How would a normal awakening for a meic work? I know mages help each other awaken in a multitude of ways, but I help another meic awaken? Do I want to? I have no reason to help Pod in particur, but it’s o see another person as passionate about maes as me.

  The thought bounces around her mind as she cultivates and by the time she opens her eyes to stand up, she still hasn’t e to a decision.

  “I’d quite like to try awakening someone else to see if it’s possible, but I probably want it to be someone I’m close to. I’d rather keep information about my dual awakening hidden. So, I o be sure they won’t tell others,” Emily mutters as she stands up. “I could always try to awaken him, just to see if it’s possible, the time if it works. Then again, if the system ts it as a hiddeo awaken someone else, I’d be forced to leave him be or kill him, and I’d rather not do the tter. He’s a sweet kid.”

  Emily leaves the engine room, her debate about awakening Podrick fading into the background as she walks towards her room and the foreboding dread in her gut bees her focus again.

  We’re arriving early in the m tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’m ready to fana again.

  The image of Anna staring at Herber’s corpse with tears streaming down her face rises to the front of her mind unbidden, a ball of anger and grief f in her chest. She takes a deep breath to calm herself as she disables her trap and opens the door.

  “I’ll just have to be,” she whispers to herself as she shuts the door and drops into her bed. “She deserves a proper expnation.”

  ***

  Early the m, Emily intercepts Anton on his way to the bridge and pulls him into a half-empty cargo room.

  “What’s up, Emily?” Anton asks with a raised brow.

  “I wao offer you a deal,” Emily responds, leaning against a crate auring for Anton to get fortable. “First, I want you to swear you won’t say a word about what I’m about to tell you to anyone.”

  “You don’t work for a noble family for as long as I have without learning to keep your mouth shut,” Anton responds with a griling down against a barrel as his face drops into a more serious expression. “I won’t say anything. You have my word.”

  “Good. Because what I want to talk about involves said noble family. To keep things short, the Mandrago family killed my father,” Emily says with a fierce glint in her eye, raising a hand as Anton’s expression twists in e, gesturing to let her tinue. “So, I pn to kill their Patriard a few of the others involved iurn.”

  “You what?” Anton excims, his anger giving way to pure disbelief. “I get that you’re angry, but that’s suicide!”

  “Actually, it’s not. You see, magic’s real,” Emily responds, lifting her hand and juring a crag bolt of lightning above her palm, “and I’m quite good at it. I’m fident in my ability to plete my goal and escape the try safely.”

  Anton stares at the fizzling glow above her hand in silence for a few seds before shaking his head and looking into Emily’s eyes with a look nation.

  “Okay, that’s crazy, but I’ll take you at your word for now. What does this have to do with making a deal with me? Do you wao help you escape?”

  “Yes.” Emily nods calmly. “I’ll be a wanted criminal and you’ll bee ooo for aiding me and stealing Calypso, but think about it. It’s a ce to be free. Isn’t that the best part of taking to the skies?”

  “Where would we go?” Anton asks, a flicker of hope igniting in his gaze. “We ’t go to Morzea. I’m not a traitor.”

  “You don’t have to. I may pn to kill important members of a noble family, but I don’t pn to join my birth try’s enemy. We’ll go to Dennari.”

  “Ha, the war-torn ti? Now that’s a death sentence.”

  “No, it isn’t actually. You may not know, but most of the fighting only happens on the frontlines, and New Denntimo is retively stable within its borders. It’s not perfect, but that’s where we’d go if you agree. I’ll defend the ship until we get there, and I’ll outfit it with defences and ons as well in payment. Then, in a few years when I’m strong enough to return to this ti without fear of the sequences, I’ll help you get a pardon so you return with pride and full ownership of Calypso, even if I o talk to the royal family myself.”

  “And why will they listen to you? Just how strong you get in a few years?” Anton asks, disbelief still written in his expression.

  “I’m a prodigy in magid maes,” Emily says with fidence. “I know you don’t uand magic - hell, you’re probably struggling to believe it’s real - but i year and a half, I’ve grown enough that I could destroy the entire family on my own if I chose to. Give me a few more years and I’m fident the royal family themselves won’t want to make an enemy of me. You don’t have to make a decision now. I pn on making sure my sister is safe then gathering some information on my targets before I strike. So just sider it. Anyway, we should head to the bridge, we’ll be nding soon.”

  Antoates for a few moments, judging her with a scrutinising stare before nodding with a small sigh and leading the way out. They quickly arrive at the bridge and Antoles down to check his and sole silently as Emily’s gaze is drawn to the rge window and the rolli before them. The city, ed in a metal wall with a sea of sandy-brown surrounding it on all sides brings an odd sense of familiarity and fort to her.

  “Ha,” she chuckles. “I didn’t think I missed it.”

  Anton gnces back at her as he hears her muttering.

  “You’re excited to be back?” he asks with a fused quirk to his brow as she leans against the side of his chair.

  “Mixed feelings,” Emily admits, her eyes trailing across the city, from the clustered scrap heaps outside the walls to the sparse noble’s district. “It looks so small now.”

  “Ha, that’s what travelling does,” Ange says, her face pressed to the periscope as she adjusts the dials on her trol panel. “Your hometown never quite looks the same when you have something to pare it to.”

  Tony and Anton both nod at her words, and Emily turns her gaze towards the sky as they begin their dest towards the docks. She sees thick, dark clouds looming above, a rare oddity for the desert-locked city.

  “Was there no rain here st year?” Emily asks as she stares at the clouds with a frown.

  “Not as far as I’m aware,” Anton says, his eyes remaining on his trols. “Why?”

  “We’d normally get raihree years,” Emily expins. “And st year marked three years sihe st time.”

  “Is that a problem?” Tony asks, notig Emily’s frown.

  “No, not really,” she says with a shrug. “It’s just a dumb local superstition. The st time the rain skipped a year, there was a rge beast wave when it finally came. Sihen, people say the rain ing te is a bad omen.”

  “Well, it looks like it’s going to rain soon,” Ange says. “And I ’t see as. So, I think you’re fine.”

  “Probably,” Emily agrees. “As I said - just a dumb superstition.”

  ***

  The ship nds, tg onto a tra the floor that spins it around before carrying it deeper into the docks to its hangar. Emily says goodbye to Tony and Ange before walking with Anton to the exit, her backpack slung over her shoulder. They find Podrick, Ash, and Eva waiting by the door with Jon and a few other tired-looking members of the night crew when they arrive.

  “Hey,” Emily says as they approach. “Why are all of you here?”

  “We’re going out to check the ship’s exterior,” Ash expins, pointing to Podrick. “And we wao say goodbye. Thanks for all your help. You’ve reduced my workload by a substantial amount in the few days you’ve been here. I holy wish you were staying with us.”

  “Haha, it’s no problem,” Emily responds with a smile. “I e.”

  “Thanks for telling me about your ons,” Podrick says, his hand. “ime we meet, I’ll make something cool to show you!”

  “Ha,” Emily chuckles, shaking the enthusiastic boy’s hand. “Sure thing. I look forward to it.”

  Yeah. I don’t want to risk killing him. I guess I find aest subject for awakening ter.

  “We’re going to visit our families or sleep ier beds,” Jon expins with a yawuring to the tired faces behind him.

  “And I’m going to buy more spices,” Eva says quietly before falling silent.

  Emily nods, unbothered by her retit nature. The ship shudders slightly before ing to a stop as a familiar horelling them it’s finished dog. Anton flips the lever by the door, opening the hatd dropping the steps.

  “I guess this is goodbye again,” he says, patting Emily on the shoulder. “I’ll think about what you said, but regardless of what choice I make, it’s been a pleasure flying with you again.”

  “Sure thing. Thanks for the lift,” Emily says with a smile and a nod, stepping backwards onto the path down. “I’ll see you around.”

  She waves goodbye and turns to tinue down to the floor. Not wasting any time, she heads straight for the pathway to the main hub of the docks, dug into the narrow corridor and walking ahead with speed b on unnatural.

  She quickly reaches the end of the private hangar access, stepping into the open hall with a surprisingly sparse crowd.

  Strahere were at least double this amount of people here when we left. Has the rain really made people jumpy?

  She tiowards the exit to the docks, notig groups of people huddled together around the stalls at the edge of the room, quietly chattering with each other. As she looks around, Emily spots a familiar, chubby man with salt and pepper hair, Gregory, sitting at his stall whispering to a few rich-looking dies. She siders going to ask about her letter, but her desire to see Anhe better of her as she tinues walking, leaving the docks.

  She steps out into the street and notices the guards she passes, standing by the side of the entrao the dock, cheg her out cautiously, their eyes sweeping over her cloaked figure. They share a few looks and quietly muttered words before one of them lets out a sigh and starts to approach her.

  “You there. Stop,” he calls out in a gruff tone as she approaches.

  Fuck that.

  Emily ignores him and quickly ducks into a side street. She hears him increase his pace to catch up to her, but she dashes forward, reag the other side and stepping out of the alley before he even look in.

  “Why are the guards on edge too?” she mumbles, slipping into another alley to pletely lose her pursuer. “It ’t just be the rain. Something’s wrong.”

  The feeling in her gut only grows worse as she speeds through the familiar, winding streets of Eimdon, finding them surprisingly empty of people. It doesn’t take long for her old home to e into view, and a pang of pain twists in her chest as she takes in the ges.

  The small shop no longer has dispys of watches and clocks in the window. Instead, the windows are full of tris and toys with a few cheap-looking dresses hanging behind them. Above the door is a small sign belled ‘Scrappy Merts’, and in the tre is a sight that sends chills down Emily’s spine and causes her to grit her teeth in anger: a carved crest of the Mandrago family.

  She approaches the shop, pushing on the dhtly and finding it unlocked. The door swings open, a familiar bell ringing out as it does, and Emily steps in. The room’s empty of people, and the dispys inside have been rearranged, ems filling the gss ets that used to be poputed by Herber’s favourite works. Emily looks around with tears f in her eyes.

  There’s no sign of him left.

  Taking a breath to calm herself, she walks towards the kit door, hearing no movement deeper within the building.

  Why is the door unlocked if no one’s in? Anna isn’t that careless. Did she move out?

  She pushes open the door with , finding the kit unged. After a quice around, she tinues on to the hallway, approag the living quarters. She stops in front of the first two doors, first turning to her old room and pushing the door open.

  Inside she sees the room shifted about slightly, clothes that aren’t hers left lying on the bed and a et hanging open, clearly inhabited since she left. Frowning, she turns to Anna’s room and opens the door, expeg the worst.

  The room is as Emily remembers it, but a cursnce reveals a few ges. Beside the bed, lying on the floor, are a few weights that Anainly never owned before and, on the bedside table, there is a pile of used bandages, stained with old blood. But, she lets out a sigh of relief as she sees a unique picture frame made of clockwork pieces sitting on the bedside table, fag away from her, holding a picture she remembers drawing.

  “It is still her room,” she mutters walking closer.

  She walks around the bed, heading straight for the chest of drawers that she knows Anna keeps her diary in, and pulls out the bottom drawer pletely. Underh is a smooth panel of wood with a few finger-sized holes In the er. She pulls up the panel, revealing a hidden partment that she made for her sister with a small, leather-bound book sitting itom.

  Emily pulls out the diary with a small smile, remembering Anna askio help hide it from Herber, and turns around to be greeted by a sight that breaks her heart. The picture beside the bed that used to show her, Anna, and Herber sitting together has a violently scribbled blotch of bk pletely c her image.

  “Did she do this?” she quietly mutters in shock.

  Tears roll down her cheeks and a small, bubbling cloud starts to form around Emily as she walks back around the bed to pick up the picture and take a closer look.

  I thought she might bme me, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. What happened?

  After a few moments of staring at the picture, she sets it down and sits on the bed, flipping the diary open in her p. She wipes the tears from her fad draws her mana bader trol as she flicks through the poorly divided entries, searg for the day it all went wrong.

  I buried Dad today.

  Emily stole something from the Mandrago family, and they put him to death for it.

  I watched him bleed out as she left with them.

  And I buried him.

  They sent someoer me too. At least I think they did. He showed up at our door while I was trying to move Dad’s body. All he said was “Your sister sends her regards.” as he drew a sword ay face.

  It hurt so much. I wasn’t sure I could stop the bleeding. I’m not sure I could have if it wasn’t for the nice couple door hearing my scream and ing to help. Was that really from Emily? I don’t want to believe it, but why did she go with them?

  Emily’s tears flow again as the air around her crackles, anger and sadness mixing as she turns the page to the entry.

  I went to ask her today.

  I walked all the way into the noble’s district, despite what Dad always said. How he stop me now? He’s gone.

  He’s dea

  I asked at the gate to speak to her. But they said she refused to see me. Why?

  Why is she w with them?

  Did she want this?

  I need answers.

  “Wait, does she not know I left the city? Did she not get my letter?” Emily mutters, her mind shifting to the chubby mert as a low growl leaves her throat. “Gregory!”

  With a deade to front him ter, she tinues reading.

  I went to ask for her again today.

  It’s been a month now.

  She hasn’t agreed to meet me once.

  Did she even love us?

  I think I’ll have to force her to.

  Dread starts to fill Emily’s chest as she frantically flips through the diary’s pages, skippiween the importaries.

  I applied to join the guards today.

  I needed an excuse to get into the Mandrago estate.

  They ughed and told me I was too weak. They said to e back when I’d built some strength.

  Two guards came to fioday.

  They said their names were Todd and Howard. They said they knew Emily and wao help me because of that. They think I want to join because I he money now that Dad’s gone.

  Like I want help from her friends.

  They gave me some weights and said one of them would visit every day to help me train until I was strong enough to join the guard’s training.

  I let a mert move in today.

  I ran out of moo keep buying food, and I wao focus on training. Apparently, I would o train for years until I’m sidered elite enough to join the Mandrago’s estate guards, so I think I’ll have to break in.

  It’s a year since Dad died today.

  I went to the Mandrago estate again to ask for Emily. She still refuses to see me, but I met the man who ordered Dad’s death.

  He taunted me about it.

  I never uood Emily getting into fights, but I think I do now. I would have shot him if I’d brought my gun.

  Why does he get to live?

  Why does she?

  Today’s the day.

  I’ve been watg the estate for a while now.

  I’m fident I have the guard’s schedules memorised.

  There’s a gap between their watches.

  I sneak in.

  I’m scared.

  I’m going to see Emily.

  I wish she never left.

  I’m going to get answers.

  I’m going to kill the ohat took my father from me.

  Even if that includes her.

  KeroKeron