Fall

Atlas

By their second night of travel, sand was seen. It seemed to bubble up from the earth, like a dry spring, making everything uncomfortably gritty.

When Skye complained, Milla only chuckled at her granddaughter. “Get used to it, dear. You’ll have sand in your ears soon enough, and wish it were only this bad.”

Walking on the sand also proved to be a challenge. As they went deeper into Southern territory, clear paths were swallowed by the uniform paleness of the desert.

Once they hit the full brunt of the Southern desert, Milla had them switch to nighttime travel. During the day, they rested and were protected by umbrellas of tinted vitrum. In the evening their camp was packed so they could stumble under the moon.

“Madoc says we’re lost,” Skye announced one clear night. “There’s only sand around us… in every direction.”

Milla clicked her tongue. “That’s why we have stars, Skye. Remember your name in times of need.”

The girl craned her head upwards. “I don’t see the Nora.”

“That’s a Northern star,” Atlas said gruffly. He softened his tone with a look from Milla. “But there are new ones around us. Full constellations. Like…”

Hudson was staring at the sky. It’s been awhile. There’s the Camel’s Back, Impressa, Pika, the Tower…

“What’s the Impressa?” Skye asked.

“It’s Chestic for strong. It’s their Nora,” Atlas added when Skye’s face clouded. “It leads them home.”

“So we follow that one then?”

“Since we’re going to Chesa, yes.” In the moonlight, Milla’s face shed her time-earned wrinkles. It brought Atlas back to his youth, and reminded him of how he had felt when he was not much older than Skye.

Will Skye be her last student? Atlas wondered.

Hudson watched June plod through the sand. If not Milla’s, then June’s. She looks tired.

It was hard to imagine a world without Milla involved. He would be the next generation of elders. Of masters. Asher had not assigned him a student yet, but that was because he had been in so many crucial missions over the years…

Excuses, and we both know it. Hudson kicked an extra spray of sand. We’ve never had a student because we’ve been selfish with our time. Asher knew we didn’t want one.

Atlas glanced at Skye, who was eagerly chatting with Milla about the constellations. Would he be annoyed by the generation below him? What if his student was lost, or even perished, during a mission?

I think it would be much like raising a cub. We never quite got to do that with our own. Hudson turned his head to see Atlas’s reaction.

Atlas felt a lump rise in his throat. No. I—we didn’t. He couldn’t form his thoughts coherently after that. Bits of memory from his time home in Elbe were strung together on a tangle of guilt. It hung on his mind as much as a ball and chain.

Hudson put a balm on his wound. It’s okay.

Atlas jumped as sharp talons poked through the cloth on his shoulder. Madoc.

“You didn’t look well,” Skye said. Milla nodded.

Atlas was forced to smile as Madoc nibbled his ear with his beak and tickled him with his feathers. “Okay, okay.”

The parrot flew back to Skye. She gave him a thumbs-up. “Better?”

Atlas rolled his shoulders. “Yes. Thanks.”

Milla and Skye went back to a more subdued conversation of the constellations. Atlas followed along with their lesson. Maybe… After this is over, we can have a student.

Yes, Hudson agreed. We can have a student.

Kane

Who’s at the door? Kane said.

An image from Flint flashed in his mind. Blue uniforms and armed fera waited for Thea on the front porch. Kane could hear his mother greeting them already.

“Do come in. Make yourself comfortable.” A troop of five soldiers followed her into the kitchen. They gave polite bows when they saw him.

“Your highness,” the leader of the group said. His raccoon fera peered expectantly at Kane. “I am Will Bishop, and my unit and I are here to inform you of the undergoing investigation for Kit Fletcher.”

He continued with a mute nod from Kane. “Captain Poppy Milton has centered our efforts in the past twelve hours on locating the source of this… action from Nora. As rumored before the Battle of the Valley, Nora seems to be underground. We have sent tracking teams below to route the tunnels that were, unfortunately, left behind in the preparation for the East and West.”

“And?” Thea said after a pause.

Bishop’s eyes darted to his fera before returning to Kane and Thea. “The teams have found no recent developments or tracks. There is no trail to follow.”

“How do you know they are underground?” Thea asked.

“Civilians have been a great help during this time. Sometimes our best leads come from them.” Bishop scratched his goatee. “In the meantime, you are advised to stay inside, but no longer on lockdown, my prince. If you need to leave the premises, your guards will be doubled until further notice. Do you have any questions?”

Kane was reeling from this new information. “Um…”

We need to speak to King Asher, Flint interjected. Ask him that.

Bishop’s features darkened. “Now, Prince Kane?”

A knock came at the door. Thea allowed one of the rear soldiers to open it.

“Prince Kane?” Homer said. Kane could see his miniature pony trying to squeeze into the kitchen. It tossed its head in frustration when the crowd wouldn’t part, and backed out to the front porch.

“Yes, Homer?” Kane said, raising his voice to reach over Bishop’s unit.

“A messenger just arrived from King Asher. He wants to speak with you.”

Bishop ran his hand through his thinning hair. “This day keeps getting stranger.” His raccoon chittered something that made the guard look down sharply. “Yes. Prince Kane, let us escort you to the king.”

Here we go again. Let’s get escorted everywhere. Kane fought the urge to roll his eyes.

It is just a precaution, Flint pointed out.

We seem to have a very cautious king, Kane grumbled.

With good reason, Flint countered as they went out the door. What would you do if your heir and country were in danger?

I don’t know… Fight back a little more? All we’re doing is shuffling around guards like some sort of shell game. We haven’t defeated Nora, Queen Celia or King Kayden. We only stopped them from breaking down the Golden Gates! Kane said. And now they’re going to soften us from the inside, so our yolk will spill out when they crack Elbe’s defense.

Flint gave him a sidelong glance. I think you’re irritable because you didn’t get to finish breakfast.

What?

One of us has to have a clear head in this situation. Flint blew forcefully out his nose. If your thoughts spiral around what we haven’t done, instead of what we can do, we will fall before our stand.

And you think breakfast will help that? Kane demanded.

No. Flint’s hooves crunched the frosted grass around them. But it’s a good place to start.