The ceiling in Skye’s room had a distinctive pattern that resembled a bird mid-flight. He stared at it, unable to sleep, pale gemlight drifting through the window. Absentmindedly, he caressed Rierana’s old azure ribbon, wound around his forearm; Jella had cleaned it for him.

  The conversation from earlier repeated in his mind over and over, and he didn’t know what to make of it.

  Part of him felt all this worrying and anxiety was his fault. Instead of using his bell for fun, pranks, and trying new foods, he’d locked himself in libraries and wasted his time arguing with constables. The choices he’d made led him to this state. He’d selected to be miserable.

  Conversely, none of this made sense. The wardens’ plan would bring devastation to Troqua, would claim thousands of lives. Skye would be a heartless coalson if he didn’t do everything in his power to stop them.

  But if he had the power to choose. Could he… opt to forget what he’d seen in that cave and live —what remained of his life—happy?

  ‘I can’t believe you’re even considering this!’ Redeyes chided in his mind. ‘Why are you still here? Get a move on!’

  Skye turned over in his bed, wrapping his head with the pillow

  ‘Waiting for the bell to ring and Stenser to come beat you bloody again?’ Redeyes asked. ‘Haven’t you learned from last time?’

  “Shut up,” Skye told the imaginary voice, feeling foolish.

  ‘Coward! Quitter!’ Redeyes scolded. ‘I was right; you do deserve the curse.’

  Skye held the pillow tighter, trying to choke his thoughts silent.

  ‘I was present when you woke up, you know,’ Redeyes taunted. ‘I saw your crazy act. Begging bloody wardens to release you. Bah!” He switched to a high-pitched voice. ‘Can’t you see I’m chained?’

  Skye grunted, curling into a ball.

  ‘They all saw you cry. Pathetic.’

  “I said leave me alone!” Skye shouted, sitting upright.

  In the doorway, Rierana and Lyonel stood frozen.

  “I brought your medicine,” Rierana said with an apprehensive smile.

  Later, Skye washed down the bitter brew with a cup of water, and thanked Rierana.

  “You forgot this,” Lyonel said, placing a heavy book on the desk. Skye thanked him too; he’d forgotten all about it.

  “‘Seeking the Duke’s Road: A History of Troqua’s Expeditions,’” Rierana read aloud. “Sounds interesting. Why haven’t you shown me this one before?”

  “I just discovered it the other day by accident,” Lyonel said, scratching the back of his neck. “We can read it together later… if you want? Once Skye’s finished with it, I mean.”

  “Lyonel,” Skye interrupted, “have you ever come across any mentions of a successful expedition?”

  “I’m sure I haven’t,” Lyonel said. “Sorry.”

  “Ooh, I know a story about a successful expedition!” Rierana chimed in. “Want to hear it?”

  Lyonel frowned. “Where’d you find it?”

  “I’ve got my sources,” she said, placing a hand over her chest. “So? Want to hear it or not?”

  ‘She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,’ Redeyes said.

  “Yes,” Skye said.

  ‘Oh, please!’ Redeyes groaned.

  Rierana hopped onto the desk beside the window, gemlight catching on her blue nightdress. Lyonel sat in the chair.

  “Once upon a time,” Rierana began, voice soft, “there was a doctor whose wife fell terribly ill. She was pregnant, and when her beautiful baby girl was born, the poor thing was feeble from her first breath, her cries quieter than her mother’s ragged gasps."

  ‘She’s talking about her own family,’ Redeyes noted.

  “Shh,” Skye hissed.

  Rierana paused, glancing at him. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No! Please continue,” Skye said, cursing Redeyes inwardly.

  “The newborn girl was dying, and the doctor tried everything he could to cure her,” she continued. “He visited all the libraries in Troqua and consulted every doctor he could find, but they all told him her disease was incurable.”

  ‘This is a waste of time,’ Redeyes said. Skye chose to ignore him.

  “As the days passed, the daughter became sicker and frailer. The doctor knew that if he didn’t find a remedy soon, he’d have to bury his only child. Desperate and out of options, he decided to do the impossible.”

  Rierana grinned, glancing from Lyonel to Skye, then continued in a quiet voice. “One night, he packed his supplies, wrapped his daughter in warm clothes, and strapped everything onto his back. While the city slept, he scaled a tall column at the city’s edge and escaped through a hidden tunnel to the surface.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Skye frowned. He’d heard of such tunnels before, but never found any.

  “Wasn’t this hard?” Lyonel asked. “Climbing while carrying a baby?”

  Rierana nodded. “It was grueling, but he didn’t have a choice. Back then, there was no Solarite, no walls, barely any wardens on the surface. Hiding among the trees, guided by the stars, the doctor ran towards the city of Kastrala beyond the mountains, his daughter sleeping on his back.”

  Skye leaned forward. “The monsters would find them within minutes.”

  “They did,” Rierana said. “But the doctor was a skilled channeler and managed to escape.”

  ‘Stenser is no channeler,’ Redeyes said in Skye’s head. ‘She’s making this up as she goes.’

  “Many times they were attacked,” Rierana went on. “Fire monsters, earth monsters, air monsters, forest monsters… and each time, they almost caught them!” She lunged with her hand as if catching a fly, making Lyonel flinch.

  “When dawn broke, it only got worse. The sunlight made them easier to spot, so the doctor stopped to rest. But the monsters didn’t care for sleep. They hunted the pair from one hiding spot to another, giving them no respite. That night, a storm hit. Rain soaked the ground, lightning lit the sky, thunder shook the trees, and the little girl wouldn’t stop crying in the cold. Worst of all, the pair were lost.”

  “How could they get lost when all they had to do was head for the mountains?” Skye asked. That sounded foolish.

  “They couldn’t see the mountains,” Rierana said, shaking her head. “It was too dark, and foggy, and the forest grew too thick, blocking their view. The doctor had to push through dense branches and brambles while monsters tore through the trees behind him, tearing them from their roots. Then he found himself falling over a cliff, a river waiting below. The freezing water swallowed them, the weight of his bundle dragging him under. He had to let go of everything—his food, his tools—just to get to the shore and save his daughter.

  “After nearly forty hours with no sleep, he was beyond exhausted. He didn’t know where he was anymore, could barely move. Although he was brave, doubt corroded his courage. He believed himself foolish for attempting what thousands before had failed.

  “He wanted to turn back, but didn’t know the way. And just when it seemed they were going to die, leaving his poor wife all alone, he found in the middle of the forest a lonesome house.”

  “That’s impossible,” Skye said.

  “But how?” Lyonel asked.

  ‘Rubbish!’ Redeyes shouted.

  “That’s how the story goes,” Rierana said, shrugging. “It was carved into a giant tree, like Troqua’s homes are carved in stone. A wide garden surrounded it, filled with fantastical flowers. Inside lived an old and wise hermit that wasn’t entirely human.”

  “What was he, then?” Lyonel asked. “He couldn’t be a monster, right?”

  “He wasn’t,” Rierana said. “Remember that book you showed me? The one with half-animal people? He was half-man, half-tortoise, and half-bear.”

  “That’s three halves,” Skye said dryly.

  “That’s how he looked.” Rierana shrugged again. “The hermit welcomed them in. When he heard the doctor’s story and the child’s cough, he took down a wooden jar from a cabinet and gave the girl some medicine. By sunrise, she was cured.”

  “What was in the jar?” Lyonel asked.

  “A special elixir that could cure all diseases,” Rierana said. “Or so the hermit boasted.”

  Skye tilted his head. That sounded just like the panacea Stenser had used on him.

  “The doctor saw that the hermit was a master healer, so he begged him to share his secrets. The hermit agreed on one condition: the doctor must help everyone, even those who couldn’t pay. For three weeks, the doctor shadowed the hermit, learning about magical plants, honing new skills. And when he finally returned to Troqua with his daughter, he became the best doctor in the city. The end.”

  Redeyes sneered. ‘That’s the most stupid story I’ve ever heard. It should have ended the moment they stepped into the forest.’

  “That’s it?” Lyonel asked. “But they never even made it to another city.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Rierana replied. “They achieved what they set out to do.”

  “How’d they find their way back?” Skye asked.

  Rierana put a finger to her lip, eyes turning upward. “Umm… I think there were birds in that part, but I forgot what they did.” She rubbed her temple. “Sorry. Been a while since I last heard this tale.”

  “Children,” Mrs. Jella called from the doorway. “Skye needs his rest.”

  After saying goodnight, Lyonel and Rierana left, leaving Skye alone.

  ‘Not alone,’ Redeyes reminded, his red eyes gleaming in the window. ‘Never again alone.’

  Skye laid on his bed, his bell floating beside his head.

  ‘It’s about to ring. Any moment now.’

  “I know,” Skye said.

  ‘So, what’s the plan? What do you choose?’

  Skye rested his forearm over his eyes. “They came to see me. After I abandoned them. After I yelled at them during dinner… they came to spend time with me and tell stories.”

  ‘They’re your friends.’

  “They don’t know that.”

  ‘They are good people.’

  Skye sighed. “Am I a good person?”

  ‘You’re the most despicable coalson I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.’ Redeyes hissed. ‘You want to forsake your mission! You want to leave your friends to die! You are worthless scum!’

  “I can’t do anything on my own.” Skye turned on his side, eyeing the book on the table. “I’m not a channeler.”

  ‘Become one!’ Redeyes shrieked. ‘Is Nakais better than you? Is that crybaby Lyonel more of a man than you?’

  Skye kicked the covers off and stood. From the desk, he retrieved the book.

  “Where do I start?”

  ‘You know where to start, you fool!’ Redeyes snapped, his eyes glowing brighter through the glass. ‘Don’t ask me. I know only what you know. I live in your head after all.’

  “The channeling tests are held at the academy. But the next one’s not until after Green Eve.”

  ’Really? ’ Redeyes sneered. ’You’ll let that stop you? ’

  Skye hugged the book to his chest.

  ‘Find a way, Void take you!’

  Dong!

  A wave of ease washed over Skye as his trepidation vanished. He shivered. Before him, the bed became made again.

  ‘If Stenser sees you here, you’re dead.’

  Skye sat on the bed, flipping through the book. “No one will see me,” he assured. “I’m not repeating last time’s mistake.”

  ‘Then why haven’t you left yet?’

  “Because I need something from this house.” He landed on the page depicting the expeditions’ map and tore it, then folded it carefully. “And I can only get it while everyone’s asleep.”

  ‘You’ve already decided then.’

  “I have.” Skye stood, opened the closet, and pulled out a gray jacket, pants, and a beige shirt. “When the doctor said I had to choose, I knew I had but one choice: I have to chase the solution with the highest probability of saving lives… Even if it’s likely to get me killed.”

  ‘Yes! You’re finally making sense!’ Redeyes crowed. Then, quieter he inquired, ‘So… What are we doing exactly?’

  “Same thing I’ve been trying to do for the last month,” Skye said as he changed clothes. “I will stop those wardens and get justice for Gideom and the others.”

  ‘To the Void with that justice load of coal!’ Redeyes spat. ‘We want vengeance. We want to inflict pain. We want to torture them worse than they had tortured us!’

  “We’ll do that too.” Skye fixed his shirt, staring at the mirror. “But first, I need to visit the doctor’s medicine cabinet.”

  ‘Hmm. And then?’

  Skye licked his palms and flattened his fuzzy hair. “Then, since there’s nothing left for me to try in Troqua, I’ll become a channeler and seek help in Kastrala.”

  In the mirror, Redeyes stared back from where Skye’s face should have been, his eyes aglow, his skeletal face afire, and his teeth shining in a wide grin.

  ?????Days until Green Eve: 24?????