Ever since the Western Gates were reopened, cargo from Yuna had been coming in like crazy. Some of the vessels were huge—bigger than some towers in the city—and they had enormous containers stacked on top of them. There were gates within the Western Gates, assigned to different types of arrivals. They were numbered from Gate 0 to Gate 99. The first forty or so were meant for visitors, where the border control tunnel was. The remaining gates were for various kinds of cargo.

  The first time she’d come here, she’d thrown up. It wasn’t just the smell of fish or fresh onions or whatever—it was the sea itself. The water was murky and kind of thick in a way she couldn’t understand. Mariel had told her it was also because of the high concentration of marker ascension in the area. Now that Mariel mentioned it, she remembered the large white triangles painted on the floors, on the sides of ships, and even on cranes and trucks moving about. The spells were meant to make the shipments lighter for transport, but if you weren’t used to the smell of marker spells, it made you queasy.

  Ashey did not throw up this time as she walked down the length of the harbour. She counted down the gates, approaching the nineties. She was far from her family and the general public, but she didn’t mind. Don Roy had said he’d been at the last gate, and that’s where she would go. It didn’t matter that he had no business being there—he’d do the same for her.

  Someone hissed at her. She stopped to look around and found some dock workers sitting on top of a stack of crates. One of them tipped his head at her, grinning. She shouldn’t have taken so long to figure out what that meant. She hurried along. It happened a second time, and then a few more times. She pressed her chin to her neck and covered her butt with the back of her hands. Some called to her in a foreign language, but she didn’t need it translated.

  Finally, she arrived at the last gate, where a small green ship had docked, bobbing on the water. It had golden rims, and on its sail was a sun emblem. It was kind of cute. There weren’t any dock workers nearby, and neither was any cargo on board. She texted Don Roy, who asked her to come in.

  Ashey had been on boats many times, but she’d never boarded a ship like this before. She stared at the ramp and bit her lip. With no one looking, she stepped onto the deck. The wind this high up was different—it ran evenly across her face, making the sun’s warmth pleasant for once. From here, she could see the gates in a perfect line. Outward, a fleet of ships moved along their channels.

  The ornamented halls and furnished doors did not match her expectation of what a cargo ship would look like at all. She reached Don Roy’s cabin door and turned the knob. He was standing in front of a mirror, straightening out a brown jacket. His briefcase stood beside him on the red carpet. Sunlight streamed in through the window, hitting her eyes and stretching across the floor.

  “How do I look?” he asked.

  “Really good,” she said. She jumped in front of him and posed in the mirror. “How about me?”

  He rested his arms on her shoulders and leaned in, as if he couldn’t see her properly in the mirror, making their cheeks rub. “Like a try-hard tomboy.” She’d accept that. The overalls might have been too much. “You’re going to get used to seeing this face around.”

  “You’re joining my class.”

  “Yup, but I don’t mind as long as I have this.” He went for a large case near the bed and unzipped it to reveal his guitar. Ashey’s eyes glittered with stars. She reached for it, but he didn’t let her touch it.

  “Where did you get it?”

  “I served as a waiter on board the vessel I was on. Charmed the ladies, got the tips, borrowed a thousand, thousand kliqs from my dad’s bank account, and here we are.” He took it out of its case. “Want to hear?”

  “I want to, but I have to go,” she said. “My grandma’s probably looking for me.”

  He ran his fingers over the strings as he stood. “Us poor folk had no one waiting for us.”

  “Are you even supposed to be on board?”

  “Who knows.”

  “Are you coming?” she asked, heading out.

  “Which vessel are they on—your family?” he asked, looking out the window. He was going to make her late.

  “The Valentina. Why?”

  He whistled. “The Valentina.”

  She joined him by the window and pointed at the colossal ship on the sea. It made the other ships look like paper boats. Three stouts puffed out steam as it rumbled toward the waterfront.

  Don Roy nodded in approval, gazing. “Royalty.”

  “It literally can’t go any slower.”

  “You don’t rush Valentina.”

  “Does it have to be that big, though? Come on.”

  “I don’t know much about the emperor, but I do know he likes to make an impression. I’d bet my life he’s got a family member on board. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the Fairy Prince.”

  “Never heard of him.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Fairy Prince,” Ashey mouthed. “Why do they call him that?”

  “Let’s go. The ship will arrive sooner than you think.”

  There were a lot more people out and about than when she had arrived—ten times more—all going about their business. Don Roy was tall enough to push his way through, so she stayed behind and followed.

  When they got to the first gate, they had to cut lines through the queues heading to the border control tunnel. It would have taken a long walk around the railing to reach the executive area where her family was waiting. Don Roy jumped over the railing, helping her do the same.

  An officer blew his whistle. Don Roy ran, suitcase swinging. Ashey’s legs couldn’t carry her fast enough. Don Roy was far ahead when the officers charged past her, pinning him to the ground. She caught up a full minute later, out of breath, holding her knees.

  “I brought your daughter in one piece, didn’t I?” he grunted, smirking at the less-than-pleased Mariel standing in front of him. Everyone nearby moved on with their business once they realized it was nothing serious.

  She dismissed the border control officers. They did not want to comply, but a few stern warnings satisfied their urge, making them return to their posts.

  “Thank you very much, Renna Sorel,” he said, brushing off his suit.

  “Where is your mother?” Mariel asked, picking a pebble from his hair.

  “She says she’s been humiliated enough and won’t be standing in the sun for any Yunnishman,” he replied.

  Mariel sighed. “Thank you. Make sure not to get into any more trouble.”

  “I will.” Don Roy patted his coat—only to find his papers scattered on the floor. Ashey helped him pick them up.

  “I’ll see you around,” he said, offering his goodbyes to Mariel and Helen as well before leaving.

  Had Don Roy not said his mother wouldn’t be showing up, Ashey might not have noticed the councilmen standing in neat rows behind Mariel. They were fanning themselves, barely able to contain their annoyance at the entire situation. The soldiers on duty remained steady, except for the music parade, whose members fidgeted constantly with their instruments.

  An hour passed, then half an hour more. Ashey was beyond exhausted. She begged her knees and bladder to hold out for Terry.

  Finally, the moment arrived. Valentina blew her horn—a rumble so loud it seemed to bury itself inside her head! Cheers erupted from both the onlookers and the passengers on board. Hands waved in the air. Fatigue fled from Ashey’s body, caught in the haze of excitement. She cheered at the top of her voice. This was like the time Jacqolin had arrived—but better.

  Valentina drew closer, its long shadow stretching across the port. Ashey’s eyes travelled up its immense length, and it made her dizzy. There was no way to explain just how massive this ship was. The anchor dropped. The ramps released. The time had come.

  Two girls descended. Both wore green cloaks that hid their bodies completely, including their arms and legs. The taller one had a silver helmet decorated with golden feathers. The girl beside her had no helmet, but pink ribbons tied together her ashen-blond braids.

  Their descent was slow—slower than Valentina could ever move, if that was even possible. Mariel signalled to the councilmen, and they began to applaud. Moving away from their side, Mariel stepped closer to the ramp, smiling the fakest smile she could muster.

  The girls arrived, and she gave a respectable bow, shaking hands with them. She led the way through the gathered councilmen, introducing them to the uninterested Yunnish women. They hadn’t reached Helen and Ashey yet, but as they drew closer, Ashey got a proper look at the one wearing the silver helmet. Her face was pale as milk, and her eyes were a faded green. She wasn’t a girl, though—he only appeared to be one.

  This must be who Don Roy was talking about. “Is that the Fairy Prince?”

  “Felis’ youngest son,” Helen said. “Nothing but trouble, your aunt. Nothing but trouble for this country.”

  “Who the hell is Felis?”

  “Oh dear, what do they teach you at school?” Helen replied. “No wonder you fail your exams.”

  “I passed this time,” Ashey hissed.

  “Felis is the emperor of Yuna,” Helen said. “You can think of him as God—except he uses the bathroom sometimes.”

  “Woah,” Ashey said, taken aback. “Where is Mariel taking them?”

  “Who knows,” Helen said. “I don’t make it my business to ask.”

  Passengers descended from the ship in single file, following a path guarded by railings toward a straight tunnel. The line moved more slowly than it should, meaning it could be a while before Terry emerged.

  “Wait, is he really a prince? Like, a real prince?” Ashey asked Helen.

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Kings and queens don’t exist,” Ashey said, quoting something priests say in church. “Only Rheina is king.”

  “Ashey, when you want Yunnish coinage, you shut up and play the games the Yunnish play. Besides, did you come here to suck up to royalty or give your favourite auntie the welcome of her life?”

  “It’s very annoying when grown-ups do that,” Ashey ranted. “We get curious about something, but then you tell us to shut up.”

  “I can tell you one thing that’s more annoying to me,” said Helen. “How fat your aunt has become.”

  “What are you talking about—TERRY!”

  “ASHEY!”

  Ashey jumped over the railing and into the queue. Terry pushed travellers aside. They fought and shoved until they reached each other, hugging tightly.

  “It’s really you, it’s really you, it’s really you,” Ashey sobbed. “You’re home, Terry! I can’t believe you’re home.” Tears poured from her eyes. Terry sniffled as well.

  The whistle blew. Officers grabbed Ashey by both arms and carried her out of the queue, back to her place. The small commotion passed with little consequence. Terry returned to her spot in line, where the rest of the family stood.

  Terry wasn’t fat. Helen was just a bitter old woman who couldn’t be happy for anyone. Terry looked fabulous. She had gained some weight, but it was the kind that gave her curves. She was perfect. Her adorable smile, the glitter in her eyes, the air of joy, the sunshine—it was all there.

  Her husband, Marcel, stood behind the family. It was strange seeing him in anything other than a suit and tie. Here he was in a red vacation shirt and shorts. He still had a phone to his ear, though—that hadn’t changed. Neva was taking pictures of herself and forcing her baby brother, Tori, into them. He tried to peel away but ended up pocketing his hands and looking elsewhere.

  Neva, though… she was different. Her baby cousin had grown into a supermodel now—tall, probably as tall as Ashey despite being two years younger. And her chest… bigger. How? Why? She wore a blue sundress and shades, laughing over the phone with someone.

  Helen and Tori waited on the other side of the border crossing. So many families had gathered here. Some had set up tents for the day and were just about packing into trailers to leave. Others stayed at the beachside, sharing cold drinks as they sat and talked. Just how many Henrikians lived abroad?

  “My goodness, you’re not Tori,” said Helen. “You could barely walk when I last saw you.”

  Tori kept his hands in his pockets, looked up at Helen, and raised his eyebrows. “You don’t scare me anymore,” he said.

  “Tori,” snapped Terry, embarrassed. She approached Helen and gave her a hug.

  “You need to find a treadmill,” Helen said, patting Terry on the back. “And keep that child away from magic and the spells.”

  “He goes nowhere near it,” Marcel said, shaking her hand.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “It’s good to see you again, Marcel,” said Helen.

  “I admit, it feels good to be back.”

  Ashey waited and waited for Neva to end the call so she could greet her properly. Neva never did—until Terry finally took her phone away.

  “What did you do that for?” Neva asked, hysterical.

  “Say hi to your cousin and grandma,” said Terry.

  The silence that followed was a little awkward.

  “Hi, Grandma, hi Ashey,” Neva said, embarrassed.

  “Hey,” said Ashey. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  Neva forced a smile. “I’m happy to be here too.”

  Terry returned Neva her phone, but Neva didn’t go back to her call. Marcel prodded her along, and they followed Terry and Helen to the parked cars. Marcel placed a hand on Ashey’s back and smiled at her.

  “It’s okay to admit it,” said Ashey. “You missed me.”

  “Not as much as that guy behind us,” Marcel said. “He never shut up about you the whole trip.”

  No one obvious stood out in the crowd behind the border tunnel. She took a closer look and found one oddly dressed man in a pure white shirt, loose trousers, and a yellow fabric belt. He carried a single side bag and had no shoes. His long hair blew in the wind, and he wore a thin moustache.

  “No.” Blood drained from her face. “No!” She rushed down the hill, grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him. It didn’t travel far but it caught his attention. Kalin, the worst tutor she’d ever had, was back. “Get back on that ship and leave!”

  In a flash he was beside her. He grabbed her wrist, pried her fingers open, and let the sand she’d clenched fall. “I will fulfil my promise to your mother, Ashamel,” he said, as quick and intense as she remembered. “After years of training in Adamic Institute of Supernatural Combatants, also known as the AISC, I can testify that my powers are far beyond what they used to be. There is no idiot I cannot beat into shape. Once I have settled in, we shall resume your training.”

  “The war is over, idiot,” said Ashey, and they ascended the slope together. “And Mum’s not here anymore.”

  “Even more reason to train you,” he said. “You must be prepared to defend yourself. There are enemies surrounding us, Ashamel. Your mother was strong, so they did not make a move.”

  “And now?”

  “I shall protect you until you’re strong enough to protect yourself.”

  “How about me?” Tori piped up. He’d slipped away from Terry’s side. “You’ll train me as well?”

  “No,” Terry and Marcel snapped together.

  “Get back here,” ordered Terry.

  Tori did not go just yet. He wanted to see what Kalin’s response would be.

  “If we are going to maintain control over this land, you need me at my best,” said Tori. “Train me.”

  Marcel picked him up, carrying him away. Tori was not pleased.

  ‘WELCOME HOME’ read the banner, large enough for the neighbours to see. Ashey had not cleaned up Terry’s old home in vain. Terry was so overwhelmed by the surprise that she broke down into tears when they arrived.

  “Honey, do you remember that bird post you made? I can’t believe it’s still here.”

  Ashey and Helen exchanged looks, agreeing to keep their thoughts to themselves. It wasn’t common to hear anyone using a pet name. Terry used to call Marcel by his first name before they moved to Yuna.

  “Marcel, look, look,” said Terry, tapping Marcel, who was in the middle of a phone call. She showed off the lemon tree in the garden. He smiled longingly at it, then apologised because he had to return to the call.

  “I don’t know what to say, Ashey.” Terry took Ashey’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for all of this.”

  They were to have a housewarming party tonight, when Mariel returned from work. Terry borrowed Helen’s driver and car, needing to pay an urgent visit to some friends. She carried bags of souvenirs in the boot and drove off.

  Neva remembered the house but wasn’t really sure where her old room was. Tori didn’t have time to stay in one place. He ran down the corridors, peeling carpets off and stomping on creaking boards.

  “What’s he doing? Why’s he doing that?”

  “He’s not right in the head, sadly,” said Neva. “Ever since he found out he’s related to Aunt Schemel, he’s been that way. He wants to be a Gaverian when he grows up.”

  “Tori, there are no spies in the house, I promise,” said Ashey.

  Tori crawled from under Neva’s bed and frowned at Ashey. He slowly got up and cleaned himself. “Where is Kalin’s room?” he asked.

  “He doesn’t have a room.”

  He stopped to think, then looked around. “Where’s his bed, then?”

  “You’re not sharing a room with Kalin,” explained Ashey. “Kalin isn’t staying in this house.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Go bother someone else,” Neva said, prodding him out of the room. “I can’t believe I have to share a whole house with him.”

  They sat on the bed, taking in the feel of the room. Neva rushed to close the door and returned to Ashey’s side with a mischievous grin on her face. She took Ashey’s hand.

  “I need your help,” said Neva, batting her lashes. “Please say yes.”

  “Of course,” said Ashey. “What do you want me to help you with?”

  “So, I posted on my blog that I needed someone to be my vacation boyfriend for the next month. And I got a lot of replies, but then my real boyfriend got mad at me, so I had to take it down. But I really thought about it and did the whole thing again. Now, I met this guy who I really like. He’s very cute—about our age. His name’s Austin. And he wants to meet me at this place.” She showed the map on her phone. “Do you know there?”

  Ashey took a closer look. There was some kind of carnival going on. “That’s either Khalandron or Norsidy. Those are the only places I know that do that sort of thing.”

  “Can you take me there?” asked Neva. “I don’t want to go alone.”

  “Why do you want to meet some guy you don’t even know?”

  Neva snorted. “You sound way too much like my mom when you say it like that.”

  Since when did Ashey become the responsible adult in any room? Bad things had happened to her a lot in the last year. Maybe it had aged her up a bit. But did she really want to ruin Neva’s fun like this? They were on vacation, after all.

  “Alright, I’ll go with you,” said Ashey.

  Neva squealed and hugged her tight.

  Tori was circling his father, who was half asleep in the armchair. Marcel groaned at Tori to go play soldier somewhere else, but Tori insisted it was his duty as Firstman of the family to protect the High Commander at all times. It didn’t make any sense how Tori even knew that.

  Ashey felt bad for Marcel and offered to take Tori out. “There’s a carnival at Norsidy. I was wondering if I could take Tori. He’ll have plenty of ways to spend all that energy.”

  “Thank you,” breathed Marcel. “I don’t know how they do it—from Terry to the kids. They’re all so full of energy, you know. Is it a Sorel thing?”

  Ashey led the way down the street, her baby cousins following behind. They hadn’t gone far when Neva suddenly stopped.

  “I don’t like my outfit,” she said. “Can I go back and change?”

  She returned wearing something much more fitting for the weather.

  They made it to the nearest Ring, where the officer asked them where they wanted to go. After Ashey said, “Norsidy,” Tori walked over to the dashboard, standing on tiptoe to see what the officer was doing.

  “Don’t you guys have Rings in Yuna?” asked Ashey.

  “We do, but they’re not this small, or this many,” said Neva.

  The trip to Norsidy didn’t begin immediately. The Ring they were trying to access was in use by other people also on their way to Norsidy.

  “The Festival is starting early up North,” the officer said. Ashey, like every Henrikian, knew exactly what he meant.

  Rheina’s sacred day was in a few days. February 26th marked the beginning of the new Rhen year. The church would bring out the throne of God and make a procession throughout the country, starting from Henrik City, all the way up to Ghalandron. Lots of singing, eating, dancing, crying, and a whole lot of hysteria. Ashey wasn’t much of a fan herself, but it definitely wasn’t boring.

  The officer had called it correctly. Norsidy was packed with artisans and street performers. From the moment they stepped out of the Ring, the city was alive again, and a hoard of tourists shoved their way onto the streets. Ashey clung to her family, leading them down the stream of people.

  Norsidy was a small city. It had narrow streets and square building blocks, close-knit families that shared backyards. It wasn’t the kind of place Ashey usually visited. In a sense, she was a tourist herself.

  Tori tugged at Ashey’s hand, pointing toward the horizon. He’d seen Gaveria—the six statues were the largest anywhere in the country, and a popular site for both foreigners and religious devotees. If Norsidy was this busy, she didn’t want to imagine what Gaveria looked like. Tori wasn’t taking no for an answer, though. He was already on his way. Ashey grabbed him before he got lost in the crowd.

  “Later, Tori,” promised Ashey. “Let’s help Neva find her friend first.”

  On one side of the street, a long golden fabric rested on the laps of old women sitting on their porches. Each had needles and threads, stitching hexes and spells into it. A few yellow banners were already hanging across the streets, stretching from lamppost to lamppost. Paper lanterns were suspended above, shifting colours every few seconds. Technicians were on rooftops setting up fireworks, clashing with décor artists over designated spaces.

  There were calls for audiences to try their luck at all kinds of games. “Play to win for Rheina’s gold,” they said. Some games had players guessing the right cup under which a gold nugget was hidden. Other hubs offered dice games, dart games, shooting lasers, ring tosses, rock climbing, face painting—all glittered in gold.

  What surprised her most was the number of Rheina portraits on display. Anyone with even a little knowledge of Hexism would know it was a bad idea to put up any depiction of Rheina for sale. The church hated that. Rheina rubber bands sold for two kliqs a piece. Rheina mugs, the original staff Rheina wielded—totally authentic—went for twenty kliqs. And here was an idiot approaching them in a Rheina t-shirt.

  Neva waved her hand, and the boy showed his perfect set of teeth. He came over, and they hugged as if they’d known each other for years. “Wow, you look amazing in person,” said the boy—Ashey assumed his name was Austin. Neva deflected his compliments with a humble brag. Neither of them seemed to notice Ashey and Tori standing right behind them. They made silly faces at Neva and left. Ashey didn’t mind—they wouldn’t want to be around when the priests came to smash everything anyway.

  Ashey took Tori to Gaveria, where the Hessen River cut through the country. In the rainy season, the water would reach high enough to cover the giant statues’ knees. Now, it ran around their algae-covered boots and sandals. Many people were taking pictures from the Hessen Bridge, the riverside, or while floating on invisible discs. A booth sold tickets to climb the statues for close-up photos.

  “Who are they?” asked Tori. His head would have dropped to the floor if he had lifted his chin any higher.

  Ashey raised both eyebrows. “You’ve never heard of the Six?”

  “The Six,” repeated Tori. “Is Rheina one of them?”

  “Yes, and Fury, and, um… yeah.” She wrinkled her eyebrows, struggling to remember the name of the lady in the robe. Her Henrikian pride would be weeping right now.

  “Fury,” said Tori, pointing at the god with the giant blade.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to climb him?”

  Tori nodded. He was surprisingly decent once he focused. He bought two tickets at the Fury booth and received two marker plates to stand on. Tori was too small to handle one on his own, but the seller knew better than to refuse a customer who resembled a Sorel.

  They were handed a strip of paper with an incantation spell. After mumbling the chant, the marker plates lifted, sweeping them high above the ground. Ashey screamed from the thrill, clutching Tori when he wobbled. She stiffened all at once, reminding herself to look at the sunset.

  The sky up here, the wind, the warmth—it was intoxicating. She’d been on the ship that morning, but this feeling was even better. From this distance, she could see Valentina at the harbor, its many lights bright and numerous enough to be mistaken for stars.

  “Miss, please move out of the way,” a photographer behind them called. Ashey apologized, navigating aside, only to bump into another photographer. They were like flies up here.

  Tori had better control, veering around the statue and observing every inch of it. He would sink low, rise, then circle it again. Finally, he faced the statue head-on and looked into its eyes.

  “Do you like him?” asked Ashey. “He’s like our great-great-grandfather, you know?”

  “Where did you learn all that stuff?” Tori asked.

  “Well, everyone kind of knows it. I’m not that special.”

  “Do they teach you at Se Fina?”

  “Not just Se Fina, but yeah, I picked up a thing or two there too.”

  Tori drew closer to the statue, reaching out a hand. “I wish I grew up here. I want to learn magic, but my mom says she’s scared.”

  “Scared of what?”

  He touched the nose of Fury. The marker disc beneath Ashey vanished.

  “Tori!” she screamed, thrashing as she fell. Then, just as suddenly, the disc reappeared underneath her. She pressed against it, cold and shaken. Tori’s mouth hung open, panting beside her.

  Tourists wailed to be let down. Some turned it into a joke and laughed, though their haunted eyes told a different story. She hadn’t been the only one who had nearly fallen to her demise. No one died, thankfully, but no one knew what had happened either—except Ashey and Tori, who left before anyone could point fingers.

  Back in Norsidy, the two cousins avoided the rollercoasters and other rides that went a meter above the ground. To get Tori’s mind off things, Ashey got him into a go-cart racing contest, which he won by an unbelievable margin. His mood improved, and so did hers. They distracted themselves with more games, tagging team in a dodgeball match with another family. She was out after the first round, but Tori didn’t even have to try to win.

  There was a real horse at the carnival, which he climbed. He called himself a general and lifted his plastic sword. The horse didn’t charge when he kicked it, but it gave those watching a good laugh.

  As he and the trainer trotted along the street, a man in a red robe stepped in their way, folding his arms. Once the first one appeared, more followed. They were everywhere she turned—priestly boys, looming through the streets with sneers. It wasn’t long before the carnival music ceased.

  Then a harsh voice boomed from a megaphone somewhere.

  “Sin! This is sin!” the voice shouted. “Our god is not a commodity. This is sacrilege. A sacred day is not a day of indulgence!”

  “Piss off!” a stranger yelled.

  “We bring doom on this nation!” the megaphone screamed. “Turn your ways, children of Rheina!”

  “Stick it to the church!” the crowd shouted.

  The crowd booed him, which only made him scream louder. Meanwhile, Tori grew irritated by the priest blocking his way. He urged the horse trainer to continue the ride. It turned into a scuffle, and Tori swung his boot, kicking the priest in the teeth. Ashey hid behind her snack bag, slipping deeper into the crowd.

  “I curse your family!” the priest screamed, bloodied teeth and all. “Your line will end, Sorel boy! You will pay for your arrogance!”

  He was booed even louder until officers arrived to drive them away. It turned out the priests were in the wrong for trying to prevent the fun. Mariel had changed how people could celebrate the sacred day.

  Tori and Ashey continued their fun afterward. This time, she joined him in a shooter game. They had to use these guns to take out as many monsters as possible. It was really weird. Games like these used to have Earthen targets, she thought. Things must have changed with video games too.

  They finally met up with Neva and her perfect-teeth, noodle-haired boyfriend, Austin, at a cotton candy stand. Neva had made new friends—some girls and other boys. They gathered at a café, where Neva finally introduced Ashey to them.

  “Ashey, I’ve seen you around a couple of times,” Austin said. “Where’s that boyfriend of yours?”

  “Who are you talking about?” asked Ashey.

  Neva’s mouth formed an ‘o’. The girls turned away from their phones for a moment to listen, giggling when she looked back at them.

  “That earthen boy who came out of nowhere,” he said. “I’ve forgotten his name.”

  “Jesse,” a girl behind Austin said. “Wasn’t it Jesse?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” the others agreed.

  “I’ve never had a boyfriend,” said Ashey. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  “Come on, you guys were everywhere—on TV, on billboards.”

  “Really?” said Neva, brightening up. “How come you never told me?”

  “Jenne wasn’t my boyfriend,” Ashey said plainly. “It was for the cameras. We were running ad campaigns for the army.” She gave Neva a look. It was time to leave. Neva didn’t press further.

  “I had some friends in Glen Jacobs, and they said he used to come over to pick you up after school,” Austin added.

  They tittered and squealed, calling it romantic. One of the girls said she wished her boyfriend would do that. Neva was completely absorbed, unable to stop asking for details.

  “Did you two ever kiss?” Neva asked, smacking her lips. “Him being an earthen kind of makes me want to try it myself.”

  Ashey stood up to leave, but they goaded her to sit back down.

  “That’s not even the crazy part, believe it or not,” said Austin. “I don’t know if your cousin kissed him or not—it’s private, none of our business—but I definitely couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Ashey’s mom kiss her boyfriend.”

  They hooted. Neva covered her mouth, telling them to stop joking around.

  “You liar,” sneered Ashey.

  “It did happen, though,” Austin said, laughing. “Ask her.”

  “Why would my aunt do that?” Neva asked. “That’s totally disgusting.”

  “She wanted to know what it feels like to kiss an earthen,” one of Austin’s friends said.

  Ashey sat on the bench at the community volleyball court. Tori was facing off against the Norsidy local champions in a handicapped match. Watching him move at the speed of a gun distracted her enough not to think about what had just happened.

  She got a text from Neva asking where she was. About half an hour later, Neva appeared—alone. She dropped onto the bench, folded her lips, and looked down. Tori had won the match, and one of the players carried him on his shoulders as supporters cheered his name.

  “I broke up with Austin,” Neva said.

  “Why?”

  “I turn into this other person when I meet people,” she admitted. “I got scared he wouldn’t like me.”

  “I like you,” said Ashey.

  “I haven’t been fair to you at all,” Neva said. “And I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I’ll take you out. You and me, at the spa. My treat.”

  Ashey wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Neva hugged her. It had been so long since she’d had a hug like this—from someone who truly understood her.

  “We should get Tori before they crown him king,” said Ashey.

  They returned to Terry’s place. Every house in the neighbourhood had their lights on—except Terry’s. A blackout, caused by some electrical fault, left the family sitting together in the dim living room, quietly. Terry was back and busy in the kitchen, making snacks despite everyone insisting it wasn’t necessary. Marcel had put his phone away, but he didn’t seem present. Helen sat on the couch opposite Ashey, her finger resting on her cheek, lost in thought.

  “Why are you all so bummed out?” Ashey asked, hoping it had nothing to do with the incident at Gaveria.

  “We’re not bummed out,” said Terry, laughing nervously. “We’re having fun. Yay, fun.”

  “Sit down, Terrel.”

  It was Mariel’s voice. Ashey hadn’t noticed her arrive.

  Mariel approached the family. Even in the dim light, Ashey could see the frown directed at her. Had she done something wrong? Mariel picked up a wine glass, filled it, and drained it in one go, letting out a long, measured breath.

  “The prince and princess would like to meet the person who murdered the Grand Mason of Yuna,” she said. “That means, Ashey, that your mother will be free for a few minutes. You never got to properly say goodbye to Schemel—this is the time.”