Caleb took a deep breath, and then dove from the rock, plunging into the frigid waters of Grimson Bay. A short distance below him was his guide, several shining lights on her specialized wetsuit illuminating her form in the dark waters, so Caleb could ably follow her.
I was prepared to deal with shock, but nothing at all? These wetsuits are amazing!
Caleb wore a similar wetsuit to that of his guide. The skintight material was specially Augmented, given magical protections against the cold and the wet, keeping him warm and dry as he swam. A glass helmet afforded full range of visibility while also providing a steady supply of oxygen without the need for bulky tanks, and the entire suit and helmet together were designed to regulate pressure as well, so Caleb and all other divers could descend and ascend as quickly and suddenly as they wished without dealing with pressure sickness or other adverse effects.
I have got to get me one for personal use. This is way too cool to just borrow!
And down here in the water, Caleb was in his element. He swam with practiced ease, relishing in the aid of flippers on his feet. He had to hold back, actually, or he’d easily overtake his guide. But that let him take his time, swimming in various poses and spinning often as he shone a flashlight around at the ruins.
I’ve never seen them from beneath the surface. Those models were really accurate, but…
…there’s nothing like seeing it up-close.
Grimson Bay was deeper than he realized, and the size of the towering buildings were staggering, especially since he only knew them by the short, ruined tops that poked up above the surface. While there were signs of wear and decay, with moss and mold growing on walls, cracks and crumbled sections here and there, Caleb was stunned at the number of windows that weren’t broken, or even cracked. Swimming a little closer, he realized the tower his guide was using for reference as she descended was actually completely devoid of water inside! Through the windows he could see various rooms and floors, some even with furniture or wall decorations, that were dry and safe.
“Do try not to get too distracted,” came the voice of his guide over an earpiece radio. “Mister Crowley didn’t agree to let you assist us just so you could goof around.”
“I’m not goofing around,” Caleb said. “Just… it’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
His guide was a Hunter he barely knew, and whose name he unfortunately, and embarrassingly, kept forgetting. She was about twice his age, and was the rare Hunter who doubled as an Investigator, which made the chances of she and Caleb crossing paths even less likely.
But she knows what she’s doing. She used to be the one in charge of diving operations like this.
This was, ultimately, a whole world of the Hunter Guild that Caleb had never even known about. He had no idea they did regular underwater training operations and research excursions in the Bay and out in the ocean! He had no idea these wetsuits had been first commissioned by his guide before he was born, and that she was the one who had trained the current generation of divers that were now tirelessly working to solve the mysteries of this ruined city.
Here I always thought of Hunters as the superheroes who fought the Howlers. Investigators may be in the same guild, but they’re totally different — detectives, not fighters. And now I find out there’s so much more that we do.
I… kinda really want to sign up to be a regular diver.
Caleb was most used to swimming on the surface of the water, owing to his many years of swim team. But he always loved the world under the surface, and the different ways of swimming possible only when completely submerged. The various ways he had to move his body to handle a vertical world, not just a horizontal one, fascinated him, and he’d swam in Grimson Bay every summer for the brief period when the water was warm enough.
I’ve never been able to go this deep before. It’s too dangerous without proper equipment.
Thinking about the pressure of diving deep underwater brought Time Magic firmly to the forefront of Caleb’s mind. His new Time Magic allowed him to “swim” like this no matter where he was, as if the River of Time came along and assisted him directly now, rather than pressuring and endangering him.
I can’t fight Hollows, not yet. Still sticking to Mister Midnight’s schedule of recovery.
But even though it’s Hollow Hour, I can still help out somehow.
Actually, come to think of it… it’s really fortunate that there aren’t any water-dwelling Hollows. That would be…
He gazed around him, taking in the dark, alien depths of the Bay.
…way too freaky.
But casting those imaginings from his mind, he couldn’t help but grin at the sights as he shone his light around.
If only Chelsea was a swimmer. This is way too cool not to share with her.
Of course, Addie had wanted to come. But there was no way a child would be allowed on this kind of excursion, so she’d stayed behind with Chelsea.
Oh well. I’ll just have to share with everyone when I get back.
Everyone…
Caleb’s excitement waned as the descent continued.
Fae…
Fae’s sudden return just a few hours ago had been heartbreaking. The condition she was in, the explanation the Dragon — Caleb still couldn’t believe that a Dragon had spoken to him — had given, the extra bits of explanation from Fae’s friends… all of it had done nothing to assuage the concerns of Fae’s family.
She’s been through so much before this. And now, after all she’s overcome, after all she’s fought through, after all the people she’s saved and healed…
Why is she like that? Why…?
“I said don’t get distracted, Greyson,” came the brusque voice of his guide.
“Right, sorry,” Caleb said, laughing it off as he course-corrected, following the lights of her wetsuit.
Just hang on, Fae. Your friends are with you.
While the rest of us…
Caleb’s heart sank, for what seemed the hundredth time that evening.
There’s… really nothing… that we can do for you…?
That had been the most crushing blow of all. Aside from providing a bed and a safe haven, the Greysons could do nothing to help Fae. If she was ever to get her body back, it would be by reaching the Orphan of the Dawn, a journey which none of her family members could take with her.
Why do we all have so much to deal with now, of all times? When we should be banding together around the Greyson who’s suffering the most, we have to just keep soldiering on with our own missions?
But…
I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t lose heart. She has so many new and old friends with her, now. And she has a Dragon.
I suppose having a Dragon does count for something.
She’s not alone. They’re gonna get her right.
Fae hadn’t left yet, though. They were letting her body rest. After the torment it had suffered at the hands of Wasuryu, even though it could no longer properly house Fae’s soul, even though it had a much more powerful soul running the show, her body still needed rest to heal.
I’ll see you off when you leave. That’s…
That’s all I can do for you.
More lights came into view farther below his guide, and Caleb picked up the pace. They’d reached the bottom of the Bay.
Right here, right now…
I just have to do what I can.
——
Chelsea sat on the couch in the Greyson Manor living room. On her right was Addie, and on her left were Lorelei, and then Gwen.
Across from the four were Callum and Oscar Greyson.
After the panic over Fae had started to die down — in truth, no one was going to stop worrying about her, but when there was nothing they could do, they eventually started attending to things they could do — Callum and Oscar had pulled Chelsea and Lorelei aside.
“There’s something we need to talk to you two about,” Callum had said. “Concerning Elemental Magic.”
Chelsea had been confused, but Lorelei’s eyes had brightened in surprise and understanding. “You know something, then?” she’d asked, and at the sage nod from Oscar, she’d convinced Chelsea to stay and hear them out.
Not that there’s anything else I could’ve done. Caleb and I aren’t allowed to fight Hollows for at least another day. He can go diving during Hollow Hour, but… there’s nothing for me to do.
So she’d stayed, and Addie and Gwen had stayed with her and Lorelei. It was nearly midnight, and with the Hollow Hour starting early, Hollows already roamed the streets. Because of the late hour, and all the excitement that had preceded this meeting, despite her best efforts Addie was asleep, lying on the couch with her head in Chelsea’s lap.
“I thought of you two while I was training,” Callum said. “And I would have explained all of this to you right when I got back, but, well.” He grinned. “You decided to ambush me with an amazing celebration. Can’t really complain about that.”
“You were training to properly harness your own Elemental Magic,” Lorelei said. “Electricity, right?”
Callum held up his gloved hand, which sparked with blue bolts of electricity. “That’s right.”
“Some of our training took place here,” Oscar said. “But much of it took place within the Enchanted Dominion, in a hidden place, a place that holds great meaning to all Elemental Mages. My wife, you see, was a Wind Mage. She found that place, and often took me there with her during her own training.”
“It’s not a place you just go to,” Callum said. “You need a good reason — like me needing to learn to control a power I previously couldn’t — or you simply need to be an experienced mage in your element, spending enough time with it to properly bond with…” But he trailed off, looking like he’d said more than he should.
“With our Elemental,” Lorelei said, making Callum’s eyes go wide.
“You already knew?” he asked.
Lorelei held up her own gloved hand, gazing at her Talisman. “There have been times,” she said, “when I’ve seen a strange, ghostly figure while wielding my magic. During the fight with Kaohlad, I became more certain than ever. I didn’t just see him — he helped me. My Elemental, that is. I assume that’s the proper name for them?”
“That’s correct,” Oscar said, his eyes twinkling. “I’m impressed. You figured so much of it out yourself.”
“Hold up,” Chelsea said. “Elementals? What’s this all about?”
“Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to tell you,” Lorelei said. “A lot happened while you were gone. But it’s something I’ve theorized for a long time. Elemental Magic… it isn’t like other magic. First of all, there’s the fact that we don’t choose which Element we control — and also that no Elemental Mage can ever wield two or more Elements.”
“We don’t choose?” Chelsea asked. “But I chose Fire Magic. Because of my mother and grandmother, sure, but I still chose it.”
“It isn’t as simple as either of you think,” Oscar said. “An Elemental Mage is called to that type of magic, that is true. And they don’t entirely control which Element they wield. But their own desires are taken into account. It’s a cooperative exchange, a fascinating collision of fate and free will.”
“But the only one Element thing always seemed a bit strange,” Chelsea said, nodding. “Okay, so… there are Elementals?”
“They are beings from the Enchanted Dominion,” Oscar said. “Not unlike Will Wisps, in that they seek out a mage to fulfill their purpose. But unlike Will Wisps, they are not very malleable to their mage’s desires. They have their own personalities, desires, and hopes. And they rarely take an active role in their mage’s magic, unless the situation calls for it.”
“Like when I pushed things too hard,” Lorelei said. “First at the Library of Solitude, and then again against Kaohlad.”
Chelsea stared at the sleeping face of Addie, letting these revelations sink in. And she thought about her long history with Fire Magic.
Lorelei and I are the same, in that regard. We both started as little kids, we were both inspired and taught by our mothers.
The majority of Hunters started active training with their magic just a year or less before they became active Hunters. Even most Elemental Mages. But Lorelei and I…
We’ve been at this a long time.
And…
There have been times…
On Hollow Island. Chelsea remembered that vividly. When Caleb had fallen due to overuse of his Time Magic, she’d exploded with fury. She’d thought she was in control, and there was an element of that, but…
It was a conversation. I spoke to the fire, and it responded to my commands.
And then…
In the Library of Solitude. During that vicious battle to protect Shana and the Dream Forge, when Chelsea had seen Lorelei’s Ice Magic completely freeze her, taking her out of the fight…
I exploded again. But that time… I saw what I was doing. I knew what I was doing.
But I could never recreate it. And the more I think about it…
The less I think I was in control of that.
“There’s some kind of magical being secretly playing a part in how our Elemental Magic works?” Chelsea asked, looking up at Callum and Oscar.
“That’s quite the apt description,” Oscar said.
“It’s different for everyone, too,” Callum said. “For me… it was out of control. My Electricity Magic lashed out without my control, and it even attacked me sometimes. It also… manipulated my emotions. It took me to dark places, and while I was powerful, I wasn’t myself. And I couldn’t control that power, not until I met my Elemental and fully understood what was going on… and reconciled with my past fears and struggles.”
“For my wife,” Oscar said, “it was a very amicable arrangement, even before she met and came to understand her Elemental. The only times her Elemental ‘interfered’ with her use of Wind Magic before their meeting were all times to aid her, without causing her any undue harm or wrenching control away from her.”
“So… you’re saying it’s time for us to go to that place and meet our Elementals?” Chelsea asked.
“You’re the most experienced Elemental Mages I know,” Callum said, “aside from a few retired Hunters. And more than that…” His expression grew grim. “The Endless Night is coming. We all need to be as strong and as ready as we can be. There’s no more time to waste.”
“But I…” Chelsea started, pausing as Addie seemed to stir, but then just rolled over to bury her face in Chelsea’s stomach, happily snoring away. Chelsea chuckled, stroking the girl’s hair. “Caleb has a whole list of places he has to go to. I… I was going to go with him. Addie, too.”
“I know you just got engaged,” Callum said, “and that makes this the worst time to be parted. But… well, it’s up to you.” He smirked. “I’ve awakened a whole slew of powers and full control over them, but even so, you’d still clean my clock in a fight. You’re one of the fiercest fighters this city’s ever seen. Just like… your mother.” He looked away then, sighing. “So… it’s your choice. Think about it. And we can talk about it more.”
“I’m definitely going,” Lorelei said. “I’ve been seeing my Elemental more and more as I’ve progressed with my magic. And I’ve run into multiple encounters now where being stronger, having more understanding and control, would have helped everyone a great deal.”
“I…” Chelsea started, leaning her head back against the pillowy softness of her owl Summon, who dozed happily on the back of the couch. “I need to think about it. Don’t worry, I won’t take too long.”
“Whatever you decide, you’ll have the full support of everyone here,” Callum said, smiling. “We’re all gonna band together, the best we can. We always do, but especially now… no one’s leaving anyone to struggle on alone.”
Chelsea nodded, but said nothing, as her thoughts whirled with hopes, with possibilities, and with the challenges of making the right choice.
——
Delilah gazed in awe at the various models on display. “This is what your city was like?” she asked, looking across the model at Marcus.
“Oh, it was even more grand than that,” Marcus said. He smiled, but there was a melancholy look to his eyes. “By the time the Lunar Architects found this place, my people were long gone, and much of the splendor and grandeur of our home had faded away.”
“But what happened?” Alice asked. “And where’d you go all that time? Were you the Paladin of the Moon right away?”
“I could tell you the story,” Marcus said. “And I intend to. Though I had hoped I could take you into the city proper. It seems our mage friends are having difficulty opening the way.” He gazed down the long hall filled with the history of this place. At the end, gleaming with the flowing blue light of the crystalline walls, was a great stone door, sealed shut.
“Can’t you open it?” Isabelle asked.
“I could,” Marcus said. “But not from here.” He looked back the way they’d come. “It’s quite the trek to find the right place. These chambers and halls were also part of our city, but long befouled by darkness, things have changed drastically.”
“So we have to go deeper,” Delilah said, looking back. “Should we get started?”
“I think that is best,” Marcus said. “The divers might be able to open it from the outside — that’s the only way anyone’s going to open it, if we can’t find the proper chamber in here — but if we can find the keystone, that will speed things along nicely.”
“Keystone?” Delilah asked.
“Not of any relation to the Key of the World, unfortunately,” Marcus said. “It’s the city’s keystone, and the device that sealed off the rest of the city from here. It also sealed the darkness, but… the Lunar Architects brute-forced their way through that one.”
“So we find the keystone and unseal the rest of the city,” Alice said. “Easy-peasy. Can we get started?”
“If you’re all right with being awake for so long,” Marcus said.
Alice grinned. “I barely need sleep anyway, so I’m all set!”
“I’m wide awake,” Delilah said with a nod.
“We’re raring to go!” Isabelle said, pumping her fist and holding up Maribelle’s hand as well. Maribelle chuckled and raised her hand high, nodding.
“And you can tell us your story while we search for the keystone,” Maribelle said. “I certainly don’t want to wait any longer to hear it.”
“Me neither,” Delilah said. “Will you tell us?”
Marcus chuckled, then started forward. “Yes, I think I will,” he said. “Come along, everyone. I’ll lead the way. And while we walk, let me tell you a story…”
——
Shana crouched on a rooftop overlooking Lunar Plaza. She crouched in shadows, her hat pulled down over her ears, her scarf wrapped tight around the lower half of her face, her gloved hands clasped together for warmth.
Down in the plaza itself, light reigned. Kathryn danced, her ribbon wands flashing as they lashed Howlers, Splicers, and Weavers alike, destroying some outright while causing others to stumble and trip. That made them easy prey for Brutus. With Rae on his shoulder, the burly red Summon brought down his powerful fists onto any Hollow that came near him or the other Dawn Riders. Other Hunters joined the Dawn Riders now and then as they passed through the plaza in trios, offering support with a variety of amazing magic, and frequently praising the teens with smiles and cheers.
In the center of the plaza was Shias. He wielded his pen Talisman like a sword, with tight, focused slashes and thrusts. But the actual effect of his magic didn’t happen at the tip of his pen, but all over the plaza. Gleaming white shields materialized in a flash with perfect timing to block and deflect enemy attacks, before winking out of existence the instant their job was done. Howlers yelped as they crashed into a sudden shield mid-leap. Splicers’ bladed arms chipped and cracked on contact, or were deflected with incredible force into their fellow Hollows, turning them to ash.
“Two more Hollows coming from the north!” Ben called, Blinking into existence in the plaza and then Blinking away just as quickly. He was Blinking all over the city, and so were his numerous Illusion-Magic-born clones, giving him an incredible breadth of knowledge that he quickly relayed to the team.
Meanwhile, Shana watched and waited. Sitting obediently at her side was Altair. And on her other side, crouched on the roof and bundled up in winter clothes as well, was Annabelle.
“There’s one,” Annabelle said, pointing. “It just darted across that alley.”
“Great,” Shana said, taking a deep breath, then letting it out.
This’ll work. We’ve trained for this.
“Nightmyr spotted,” Shana said, racing down the steps from the roof, Annabelle right behind her. “Altair, recon! Don’t let him get away!” Altair barked once and dashed off, his glowing blue form racing down the alley on the opposite side of the plaza that Annabelle had indicated. “Guys, we’re on the move. Cover us!”
“You got it,” Shias said, a gleaming shield materializing to Shana’s left, sending a lunging Howler crashing to the ground in a dazed heap. Two Splicers moved to block the girls’ path, but Brutus came leaping in, squashing them in an instant.
“Altair’s on him!” Shana said, putting on a burst of speed, running as fast as she could. Beside her, the smaller Annabelle was keeping pace easily, her bare feet pattering across the snow-dusted stone of the plaza.
Both girls were running as fast as they could. This was their first Nightmyr — their first chance to see the purification process in action.
There’s no way we’re missing this.
They rounded a corner and saw Altair chasing down the Nightmyr. It was certainly easy to mistake the monster for a new kind of Hollow — it was like a badger, but all black, with glowing red eyes not unlike a Howler. Vicious claws protruded from its paws, and razor-sharp fangs were bared in rage.
But there was one telltale sign that this monster was born of fear and Nightmares — a dark purple, so dark it was almost black, cloud-like mist swirled around the Nightmyr. An aura of fear, it marked the creature for what it truly was.
“Now, Altair!” Shana cried, holding up her hand. Even though she wasn’t holding her Talisman, her palm blazed with magenta light. Altair leapt into the air, and a beam of light shot from Shana’s hand to Altair. Together, the pair opened up a portal from the Waking World to the Dreamworld, a special portal that only a certain type of creature could travel through.
A thrill of joy ran through Shana’s heart as a trio of Dream Sprites came flying out from the portal, wings beating lightly, scattering golden motes of light all around. Two were like ordinary fairies, tiny humanoids with butterfly wings, but the third was a pink dolphin with cerulean wings that did beautiful flips through the air.
Altair landed and barked twice. The Dream Sprites responded immediately, darting forward to encircle the snarling Nightmyr. The beast lashed out at them, but a single bark from Altair subdued it. Golden light scattered across the Nightmyr’s body, and it slowly sank to the ground, shuddering.
“You don’t need to act like this,” Shana said calmly, approaching the Nightmyr. “You can rest easy, now. And soon, the one who made you will rest easy, too.”
The dolphin Dream Sprite came down and lightly bumped its nose against that of the badger-like Nightmyr. Golden light spread across the Nightmyr, until it was completely enveloped, and then it transformed. Its black fur was now white, its red eyes now gleaming gold, and beautiful golden wings stretched from its back. The Nightmyr was purified, now a Dream Sprite, and it smiled as it flew with the other Dream Sprites into the portal, back to Dreamworld. Shana raised her hand, closing the portal, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
“We…” she started.
“We did it!” Annabelle said, smiling. Altair barked happily, spinning once and wagging his tail.
“We really did,” Shana said. But she couldn’t stop at that. She started looking around, and soon Annabelle pointed. Shana looked where she indicated and saw it, something only the Dreamer, and her Apprentice, could see — a faint cloud of dark purple. A miasma of fear. It hovered at the edge of a second-floor window.
The Dawn Riders joined Shana, and Brutus graciously lifted Shana up to the window. She tapped the glass of the window once, and the latch unlocked, allowing her to slide the window open and peer inside. Just inside the window was a small bed, and shivering under several layers of blankets within it was a young girl.
Shana’s eyes widened. She recognized the girl instantly.
She’s one of the ones who was taken. One of the children who went missing, who we found in the grove.
Shana perched on the windowsill and reached over, gently touching the girl’s shoulder. “Wake up,” she said softly.
The girl’s eyes opened and she sat up, still shivering. It wasn’t from cold, but from fear, Shana realized.
“Oh no!” the girl suddenly cried, hugging a fluffy teddy bear tight. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I did it again. I told myself I wouldn’t sleep, but I fell asleep anyway.”
“Why didn’t you want to sleep?” Shana asked.
The girl shuddered. “When I sleep, I make monsters. I… don’t want to trouble people. I don’t want to hurt anyone. As long as I’m awake, I don’t make monsters. So I… I’m trying to… to stay awake as much as I…” She sobbed.
“It’s okay,” Shana said. She came in and sat on the girl’s bed, hugging the child tightly. “It’s okay.” She stroked the girl’s hair and smiled. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
The miasma of fear that clung to the child began to glow with golden light. The light spread, until it touched the entire cloud, and then…
The cloud vanished.
“I…” the girl started, wiping her eyes. She gazed up at Shana. “Are you… Shana?”
Shana’s eyes widened. “I… am,” she said slowly. “But how did you know?”
“I only just realized. When all of us were saved from the forest, I tried to thank the old man who brought me home. But he told me I needed to thank Shana. I… I didn’t know who Shana was, but I’ve been thanking her every day. And now I can… thank you.”
Shana hugged the girl again, mostly so she could hide her own tears. “I’m just so glad you’re safe now,” she said. “And you don’t need to worry anymore. There’s nothing to fear. So sleep, and rest easy.”
The girl nodded. Shana tucked her in, and the girl fell asleep almost immediately with a smile on her face.
Shana left out the window, closing it behind her and tapping the glass lightly to lock the latch tight, and Brutus lowered her to the street. Shias came up and cocked his head to the side. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Shana said, wiping at her eyes. “They’re happy tears.”
And they’re exactly what I needed.
Fae…
I can’t help you. But… I’m going to do the best I can. To help everyone I can.
So please…
Get better soon.
——
Madeline entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor of the Hunter Guild building — her father’s office.
As the elevator rose, her head spun with all that had happened, and all that was still happening.
And her heart stung. It stung with guilt, and with shame, and with heartache and hopelessness.
“For hope.”
Even though you said that, I…
When she’d signaled Mercury for Wasuryu’s computer system to be shut down, she’d had a moment of relief. Fae was freed, and she carried her gently in her arms. The horrific transformation of the Silver Star Sanctuary’s lower levels was undone, and the halls were clean and bright.
But when she met the others…
“How did it go?” she’d asked, finding hope in the way they smiled. “Your memories…”
“Oh, don’t worry about all that,” Mercury had said, waving a hand. She looked over Fae. “She’s… been through so much. We need to get her help, as soon as we can. At least somewhere to rest. But…” Her eyes took on a hard edge to them, just for a moment. “This place won’t offer that.”
As they’d climbed their way up to the Silver Star Sanctuary’s main floor, Madeline had probed them all for answers.
“Check ‘em out,” Jupiter said, holding up several small spheres, the same spheres that they’d been downloading their memories to.
“So you did it!” Madeline said.
“We sure did,” Jupiter said, but she looked away quickly.
“Wait…” Madeline started, staring.
“We got as much as we could,” Neptune said. “Please, don’t worry about it.” She handed over one sphere to the little masked boy. “We got as much of your memories as we could, too.”
Madeline’s heart had suddenly grown very heavy. She’d needed to rescue Fae, but even so…
“I… I should have waited —” she’d started to say.
“Shut up right there,” Mercury had said, and the edge in her voice had an immediate effect. “Don’t you dare say you should have waited longer. Look at Fae. None of us would ask for her to take even a second more of whatever was done to her for our own sakes. Okay? We got some memories back. Some is enough. We don’t even know what they are yet, but that doesn’t matter.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Madeline asked.
“We’ve gotten by without them for so long,” Jupiter said, shrugging. “It’s exciting to think about what we might learn. And there are things we want to know. But no secret would be worth extending her suffering.”
Their conversation hadn’t been able to go on much longer. They’d soon met Toryu, who had insisted that they hurry from the Sanctuary, and that he would come with them. The Matron, he said, was nowhere to be found, likely hiding somewhere in the wake of her “deal with the devil” being undone, and fearing the repercussions.
“Where do we go, though?” Mercury asked. “It took so much just to get to this place!”
“I can help with that,” Toryu said. “I’ll get all of us directly to Grimoire.”
“Grimoire?” Madeline asked.
Toryu had smiled, despite the urgency of the situation. “Fae needs a place where she can rest comfortably and safely. So… let us take her home.”
And so they had, with Toryu performing some kind of magic — “Dragon Magic,” he’d called it, with no further explanation — that got them from outside the door of the Silver Star Sanctuary to Grimoire in a single step.
And then…
Then he dropped a million bombshells on us all at once.
Fae…
You’ve become a Vessel. And I couldn’t… I couldn’t stop it. And no one knows how to fix it.
I’m so sorry.
She had stayed as long as she could bear, but she also had things she needed to do, and someone she needed to see. She’d been gone from home a long time, and even with how bad things had suddenly become…
She couldn’t forget the things she’d learned.
Father…
Mother…
Madeline wasn’t alone in the elevator. A small hand enclosed in her own, warm and soft, reminded her of that. The small masked boy no longer wore his mask. He’d activated his sphere of memories as soon as he’d been granted it, even as he walked. And as soon as he’d restored what memories lay in the sphere, he’d removed his mask, but he hadn’t discarded it. It sat sideways on his head, not covering his face, but resting just above and behind his left ear.
With the reveal of his beautiful blue eyes also came the reveal of his name: Ciel.
“How much do you remember?” Madeline had asked.
But Ciel hadn’t given a clear answer. “I’m back,” he’d said. His face remained as impassive as always, even without the mask. No emotions showed on his face, not at first. “And I remember.”
“But how much?” Madeline had asked again.
“I remember,” Ciel had said, and as he looked up at her, he’d smiled. That single, sweet smile had struck a chord in Madeline’s heart, and she’d stopped asking.
After all this time…
He’s no longer a ghost. No longer some masked phantom.
He’s Ciel.
The elevator doors slid open, and Madeline stepped out, walking with Ciel through the striking black décor of Jacob Crowley’s office. When Madeline had last been here, just before leaving for the Enchanted Dominion, Jacob Crowley had been the only one here, all of his aides out handling urgent matters. The office was still quite empty this time — there weren’t enough hands for all that needed to be done — but one of Jacob Crowley’s junior aides, a young man who’d been a senior at Grimoire Academy when Madeline had been a freshman, was at a desk behind one of the glass partitions, and he nodded to Madeline before returning to his work, typing frantically at his computer.
Sitting inside his office, bent low over his desk, was Jacob Crowley. Madeline paused at the glass door, knocking three times. Her father looked up, his expression dark, but at the sight of his daughter the darkness vanished. He stood, motioning for her to enter, and she did, bringing Ciel with her.
“You’ve returned,” Jacob Crowley said, his imposing voice, as always, betraying little emotion.
“Yes,” Madeline said. “But I… I wish I could say I’m here for a while. But I still have a lot to do. I’ll be leaving again soon. And I’ll be back again, but… that’ll be brief, too. I’m not sure when I’ll be home for good again.”
“You don’t need to check in with me on these matters. I’ve handled things at the school for you as well. Take all the time you need.”
Madeline held back a sigh. “Father, I… I need to talk to you. I want to tell you all that’s happened, and all that’s still happening. But first… I need to talk to you about mother.”
Jacob Crowley was silent, and even as Madeline waited for some sort of reply, she got nothing. Finally, after a long silence, she continued. “Did you… know about the Enchanted Dominion? Back when I first left, I told you where I was going, and you didn’t seem surprised.”
He never seems surprised at anything, but even so…
“I knew of it,” Jacob Crowley said. “But I’ve never been there before.”
“But mother had,” Madeline said, looking up, “right?”
There was a pause, then a simple, “Yes.”
“Do you know about the Silver Star Sanctuary?”
Jacob Crowley nodded. “Your mother told me all about it. The times she’d spent there, and how she desired to…” his gaze flicked to Ciel and then back to Madeline, “save the children she’d met there, the children who’d helped her. She’d always planned to go back, and I was to go with her, but…” He bowed his head. “Time was not on her side.”
Madeline bowed her head as well, in reverence. For her mother, gone too soon.
“She talked so often of those children,” Jacob Crowley said. “She… in truth, she had hoped that… perhaps one day… they could be your siblings.”
Madeline looked up.
Mother… you said that much? You… hoped for that?
Then she bowed her head again, tears stinging her eyes as she clutched Ciel’s hand tightly. “Of course,” she said softly, fighting against a sob. “Of course she did.” The tears that stung her eyes, and the smile that played at her lips, were bittersweet.
“Is he…” Jacob Crowley started, pointing at Ciel.
Madeline nodded, and brought Ciel forward, placing her hands on his shoulders. “This is Ciel,” she said. “He’ll probably say that I saved him, but… he did so much to save and protect me. We both looked out for each other.”
“I see.” Jacob Crowley came around his desk and stood over the boy, gazing down at him. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Ciel said. He held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Jacob Crowley hesitated, and Madeline watched her father’s face, trying to guess at the emotions behind the stone-faced mask. Then Jacob Crowley shook the boy’s hand. “Thank you for all you have done,” he said. “For my daughter, and my wife.”
“I owe them both so much as well,” Ciel said. “Your family is wonderful.”
Again, Jacob Crowley seemed to hesitate. “Yes,” he finally said. “Yes, they are.” He turned his gaze to his daughter. “There was another child, wasn’t there?”
“Yeah,” Madeline said. “But she… it’s… well… complicated. She had other things to deal with today. I’ll be back, tomorrow, so you can meet her, too. It’ll be easier to explain with her to tell the story.”
“I’d like that,” Jacob Crowley said.
“And… father…” Madeline gathered herself, rising through the surging emotions. “It’s Fae. I found her, and we’ve done so much together, but now… she needs help. So we can’t stay. We have to go. I have to go. We’ll probably leave tomorrow, so…”
“Are you asking me to come with you?”
Madeline looked up, stunned. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but words wouldn’t come. And then her shock intensified when her father stepped forward and embraced her.
“I know,” he said, holding her close. “It’s your journey. I just didn’t know how else to tell you… I’d go. Wherever you asked. I’d do anything to keep you safe. And I know. I know you’re grown, and strong, and healthy, and brave. You don’t need me. Just… come home safe.” He let her go, and it was only when he stepped away that Madeline realized she hadn’t hugged him back.
“I will,” Madeline said, finally finding her voice. She nodded, several times, definitely more than she needed to. “I promise. And, I just… I’ll…”
Can I really come back again tomorrow? He has so much to do, and —
“I’ll be here,” Jacob Crowley said. “All day, tomorrow. So don’t hesitate to visit again before you leave.”
“I…” Madeline started, studying her father’s face. His voice, his expression, both had remained as unreadable and unchangeable as ever. But there were subtle things, little shifts, that Madeline wished she understood. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
She and Ciel left, and in the elevator Madeline was still reeling.
“Your father seems so kind,” Ciel said.
Madeline stared at him.
I’ve never heard anyone call father “kind.”
But…
Is that what was happening?
“I just didn’t know how else to tell you…”
There’s a lot he was trying to say. Probably a lot he’s been trying to say for a long time.
Really? Father, you…
When’s the last time you held or hugged me? Even as a child, you…
And then, in the privacy of the elevator, Madeline let the tears fall. But she laughed a little as she wiped at her eyes.
Thank you, father.