Renault.
Here, hidden by both the forbidding terrain of the Antarctic tundra and by incredible magic, was the most renowned of all mage communities on Earth. It had always been a secretive city, choosing to hide itself from the world, to allow mages to live as they liked, use and experiment with their magic in the open, and thus was the only place on Earth where magitechnology was booming.
Fae had seen pictures. But though she’d always longed to come here, she’d never had the chance. She’d almost applied once for an exchange program in her final year of high school, but had decided not to at the last minute.
I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders back then.
It was almost funny, thinking how sullen and anxious she’d been back then, when all she’d really had to worry about were school, friends, and family. Now…
So much has changed in such a short amount of time. And now, I’m finally here.
But…
She let the thought die. She’d been thinking that same thought, over and over, since ending up in her current predicament. She wasn’t really in her body — she couldn’t feel what everyone else felt, couldn’t smell what others smelled. She could see, all right. But she couldn’t be a part of it.
Even so…
It’s so beautiful.
Renault was a city ringed by a grand wall, designed entirely for protection against this city’s version of Hollows: Stalkers. They were nothing like Hollows, though, not really — the smallest were as big as an ordinary house, and the largest loomed higher than Greyson Manor. They assailed Renault’s walls every night, and unlike Hollows, which appeared only from midnight until one o’ clock, the darkest hour of night, Stalkers had much more vicious schedules. Since Renault could go six months without a sunset — and then six months without a sunrise in their winter — the Stalkers came from just eleven at night until three in the morning during the Antarctic summer…
But attacked for seventeen hours every single day for the entirety of the dark Antarctic winter.
They’d arrived in Renault in the Antarctic summer, in the middle of the afternoon, so no Stalkers were present. Even so, never once in the city’s existence had the wall been breached. Damaged, certainly, worn down as well, but repairs had been made every time.
The city’s successful defense wasn’t entirely due to the wall, though. It was most due to…
Fae’s gaze drifted to Olivia.
The Guardians. They were Renault’s version of Hunters, and they fought the Stalkers at every hour of their appearing. Where Hunters were often outnumbered by Hollows, but any one of them could destroy multiple Hollows alone with relative ease, the Guardians weren’t just always outnumbered by Stalkers, but also had to work in larger teams to destroy each one.
Fae remembered the second Echo of Truth, and the image of Olivia alone on Renault’s wall.
Did she really fight the Stalkers all alone?
Inside the walls, Renault was a truly beautiful and fantastical city. Sparkling, gleaming skyscrapers formed a glittering skyline of white and silver. Yet it wasn’t all high-rises everywhere — Renault’s zoning laws were either lax or nonexistent, depending on who you asked, and so there were all sorts of fascinating neighborhoods, with massive spires right up against simple two-story shops, restaurants, and homes. Like Starlight Spires — and Wasuryu’s city, Fae realized with a shudder — there were multiple layers of bridge-roads spanning the skyline, offering all sorts of avenues between locations both on the ground level and at many different heights above.
Snow swirled around everything, and it must be truly bitter cold, yet Fae saw hundreds of people outside all over the place. Children played in the streets and in parks, and older teens and adults walked to university courses or work despite the presence of numerous monorail systems to zip around the city in ease and comfort. There were even a surprising number of elderly folks sitting on their porches, bundled in blankets, sipping at hot cocoa or coffee or tea.
The sky above was ashen, not nearly as bright as it should be, just like in Grimoire. Yet Renault was lively and energetic all the same.
“It isn’t as cold as it is outside the walls,” Olivia explained. “Though it is still, most days of the year, colder than Grimoire’s coldest winters. So you should likely —”
“Bundle the heck up!” Jupiter said. She, Mercury, and Neptune were already reaching into Conjuring portals, pulling forth heavy coats, scarves, hats, gloves, snowpants, and snow boots. They ducked into a convenience store to use its restrooms to change.
Madeline had it much easier. A simple application of Manipulation and Conjuring Magic, and ribbons of light swirled around her, in a moment replacing her summer hiking clothes with a cozy winter ensemble. She looked at Fae’s body and her eyes brightened. “Oh, I just had a thought,” she said. She flourished with her paintbrush Talisman, and ribbons of light swirled around Fae’s body. Soon her usual clothes were replaced with winter gear, and even her hair tucked itself into the winter hat on its own. Madeline smiled. “We’re not quite the same size, but at least they’re slightly big rather than too small, right?”
“I don’t… feel the cold,” the Sojourner said, to Fae alone. “But… I do appreciate the gesture. It’s important to protect your body against the elements. Should I…?”
“Go ahead,” Fae said.
She saw her head bob in an uneasy nod, followed by her voice saying, “Thank you.”
“Could you… help me, as well?” Sonya asked. She had pulled her spring jacket close and was bouncing on the balls of her feet, shivering. Madeline obliged immediately, and Sonya breathed a sigh of relief when her clothes were replaced with winter gear. “Thank you. You certainly have a lot of clothes tucked away in magical space, don’t you?”
“I’ve always been a bit of a, uh…” Madeline started, hesitating shyly. “Well, you see, I… I do cosplay. And I like making my own costumes, and that bled into making my own regular clothes, too, so I have a lot of different outfits.”
Fae found herself smiling. Madeline loved what she did, but she didn’t often talk to people about it outside of her few close friends. Of course, Fae shared some of the shyness over Madeline’s cosplay endeavors, since many of the characters she took on the persona of and dressed up as were characters the two of them had designed as a team.
“You’re not cold, Olivia?” Madeline asked. Olivia was still in the same clothing she’d worn as the Sealed Vessel, which Fae had learned were her actual clothing, the same outfit she’d been wearing when Wasuryu had found and trapped her, and they appeared to have a lot of sentimental value for her. But even so, her white hooded jacket looked more like something for a cool spring day than an Antarctic winter, and the same went for her pants and boots.
“They’re Augmented,” Olivia said. “They adjust for all climates and temperatures. They also help wick away sweat and body moisture while proofing against rain and other exterior elements.
“And it’s strong enough magic for even this kind of cold,” Madeline said, gazing studiously at Olivia’s attire. “Fascinating. And Toryu? Ciel? Are you two all right?” She frowned apologetically at Ciel. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any clothing that would fit you.”
“I’m not cold,” the boy said, smiling up at Madeline. He wasn’t even wearing a hat over his orange hair, and yet his cheeks weren’t flushed, his nose and ears and fingers weren’t changing color.
“And I’m always marvelously warm,” Toryu said, puffing at his pipe. “Some Dragons aren’t so, but I’ve always burned hotter than others. But the boy knows far less than he says.”
“I don’t know everything,” Ciel said, still smiling warmly. “I know that I am not Human, but also not Enchanted. Yet… I don’t have the word for what I am.” He didn’t seem at all put out by that fact. “I already knew I didn’t feel the cold from Grimoire. But now I know for sure. But… no, it’s not that I don’t feel it. It’s that it doesn’t bother me or hold adverse effects like for you.”
“It’s like those girls with Delilah and Shana,” Sonya said. “They ran around Grimoire barefoot despite snow and ice and all, and yet their feet never even got dirty, let alone cold or hurt.
“Okay!” came the excited cry from Jupiter, slightly muffled behind a scarf that covered nose and mouth. “We’re ready!” She and her sisters came out from the convenience store, all bundled up — Jupiter comically so, with red earmuffs over her hat, the lower half of her face tight within a pair of scarves, and her arms huddled against her sides while gloves hands were shoved deep into pockets.
“Gosh, it’s just gorgeous here,” Mercury said, beaming as she looked up and around. “We have got to come back when things quiet down.”
“Assuming they ever will,” Jupiter said.
“They will,” Neptune said. She nodded to Fae. Though her blue hair still hung long to one side, obscuring her right eye, her left eye gazed at her with startling intensity.
“So we head for the Time Tower,” Madeline said.
“Yes,” Sonya said, though she was gazing away, seeming lost in thought.
Fae spoke through the Sojourner, saying, “Olivia, Sonya, will you lead the way?”
Both girls looked back at Fae, understanding dawning in their eyes. They nodded, and then led on.
Find what you need first. We know where we need to go, but we don’t have to hurry to get there.
…How long has it been, really?
That was the question that she knew hung over both the girls’ heads. The only clue they had came from the Fault Line Dungeon, where Lairah had simply said that the Broken Vessel — Sonya — had been brought there by Olivia close to fifty human years ago.
But how long had Sonya been seeking the Orphan of the Dawn before falling into Wasuryu’s clutches? And how long had she been his prisoner before Olivia was commanded to take her away?
And then there was Olivia. She had left first, and had been the Sealed Vessel for “some time,” in her words, before Sonya showed up. She didn’t know how long it had been, either.
None of them ever spoke in terms of numbers. Specifically, dates. What was the last month, day, or year they remembered? And no one had asked. Fae hadn’t dared to broach the subject. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them to know the truth, no, it was…
What horrible way that would be to learn the truth.
There’s no good way to learn this truth. But… I think, if it were me, I’d want to be faced with the full reality of it. I’d want to see how my home had changed — and if there was any home for me to return to. That… would be probably hurt more, but it would be more complete.
Fae would want closure. She always did. A simple equation to determine the length of years could never provide that.
Closure could be a lot more painful than simple facts, though.
“Should we…” Olivia started, walking slowly in the lead with Sonya, looking questioningly at her, “perhaps… take Neven Avenue, or…”
“I thought…” Sonya said, “that we should go through Edenhollow. If that… works for you…?”
“Yes,” Olivia said, starting to walk with a bit more confidence. “And from there… it isn’t too far to Gracefield.”
“Right.” Sonya looked both ways, then led the way across the busy thoroughfare to a bustling plaza with all sorts of outdoor vendors selling hot drinks and pastries.
Jupiter and Mercury both clearly wanted to try things, but they didn’t ask to stop. Fae thought that was largely Mercury’s influence, as a well-timed elbow-jab to the ribs cut short a childish whine from Jupiter.
They didn’t go far to reach Edenhollow, which was a cozy neighborhood. Built around a series of terraces and stairs, it was a very vertical neighborhood that was filled not with skyscrapers but with many individual houses with proper yards, and there were a great deal of well-tended (and obviously magic-assisted) flowerbeds. They traveled up three sets of stairs to a wide terrace, and passed three houses before they stopped at the edge of a short stone walk shaded by arcing trees on either side. That walk led up to the front porch of a cozy-looking cottage, with smoke dancing lazy arcs up from a white brick chimney.
Sonya stood at the edge of that walk, staring at the cottage with longing and fear mingled in her eyes.
Fae stared at her, having no idea what to do. Should she encourage her to go up to the door? Or was this close enough?
How much knowledge was too much? How much could her heart take, after being gone for so long?
“This…” Sonya started, her voice trembling. She bowed her head for a moment, closing her eyes. She continued in an emotional whisper. “This was my home.”
Was. That past-tense struck Fae so deeply that she could cry, if only it were possible in her current form. The weight of unshed tears, of tears she couldn’t shed, overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes, just listening.
Time passed in silence for a while, the constant bustle of the city seeming so distant. Sonya finally spoke again, her voice a bit stronger, a bit more clear. “Let’s move on.”
They were walking. Fae could hear the footsteps and feel the tug of whatever force tenuously connected her soul to her body, and she opened her eyes. Sonya still led, Olivia beside her. Olivia was holding Sonya’s hand, and Sonya gripped hers back tightly.
Their next stop was several more blocks away: Gracefield. Along the way, Fae was able, for a little while, to take in more of Renault, of this city where magic was set free, without need to be hidden from “ordinary people.” Summons were here, there, and everywhere, in all colors, shapes, and sizes. They flew, they walked, they ran, they rode on their Summoner’s shoulders or in bags or backpacks. It wasn’t at all uncommon for someone to find a stretch of unobstructed road — not always easy with the constant foot traffic, but people here were quite crafty — and Blink a block or two, making a speedy way to their destination. People plucked their wallets from magical space when paying for something, then tucked them safely back in when they were done.
But there was definitely a certain understanding of etiquette, a certain culture around how to responsibly use magic within city limits. Mobility Magic could allow people to skate through the air, to run along walls, to defy gravity in all ways big and small. But people stuck to regular roads and ways of travel, and no one ever went extraordinarily quickly. There wasn’t much in the way of flashy displays of magic by anyone, aside from the simple presence of Summons everywhere Fae looked.
There was also one truly inspired piece of magitechnology that Fae and the others discovered along the way. They occasionally saw these circular metal panels on the ground, always in clearly marked and open areas as if they were meant to be easily accessed by regular passersby. When someone stepped onto the panel, it blazed with emerald light, and a moment later, the person vanished, transformed into motes of emerald light that shot up into the sky, to…
Fae — and everyone else, except Sonya and Olivia — stared.
The Time Tower might be the tallest building in Renault, but its top was not the highest structure in the city. Floating in the sky, unattached to the ground, were several massive silver globes.
“Are those… floating buildings?” Mercury asked, gaping.
“The Cardinal Project,” Jupiter said, her voice full of awe and wonder. “There are four, one in each cardinal direction — North, South, East, and West. I… I never thought I’d… really see them.”
“Magitech really allows something like that?” Madeline asked. “Those spheres are… they must be able to fit thousands of people.”
“I’m gonna check it out,” Jupiter suddenly said.
“You what? Hey, wait —!” Mercury cried out, but Jupiter darted for the nearest circular panel and stepped onto it. With a wave, she vanished into motes of light.
“We’ll never get her back now,” Neptune said with a long-suffering sigh.
“Should we just leave her behind?” Mercury asked.
“She really does love technology,” Ciel said, smiling. “Everyone should be so passionate about something.”
“That’s one way to look at it, I guess,” Mercury said, folding her hands behind her head, gazing up at the nearest floating sphere. “I guess music isn’t enough for her.”
“She certainly has enough energy for multiple passions,” Neptune said.
A moment later, Jupiter reappeared, eyes wide, her whole self practically glowing with amazement and delight. “That. Was. Amazing!” She could barely get the words out, squealing with glee as she danced around. “Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! It took everything I had to come back right away! It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen and we totally have to go back when we have time seriously this is the best day of my life I’m so happy we’re here and I know I’m not reading the room right now but please just let me have this for a second wow!”
She went on like that for several moments longer, and while Fae agreed that Jupiter should definitely “read the room,” on the other hand…
It was a nice breather in the midst of what had come, and what was to come. And as Jupiter calmed down (relatively speaking) and they all continued following Sonya and Olivia, there was definitely a lighter step to everyone’s stride, a more relaxed atmosphere to the group.
And thank goodness for Ciel. The young boy listened so intently to all of Jupiter’s gushing ramblings, responding enthusiastically, giving her the validation that her sisters, in this instance, refused to provide.
They soon reached Gracefield, a more metropolitan neighborhood than Edenhollow. High rises stood alongside fancy mansions and high-end shopping arcades.
Olivia stopped at one of the mansions. It was a beautiful, alabaster building with numerous rounded balconies, and a gorgeous circular stained-glass window was the centerpiece of the fourth floor.
Olivia gazed up at it. There wasn’t much that could be read in her eyes or expression. Slowly, she raised her hands, stared at her fingers. “Mercury,” she said in a small voice. “You… when we first met… asked if I… liked music.”
“Yeah,” Mercury said.
“I remember, now,” Olivia said. “I play the viola. And my…” She paused, gazing up at the mansion. Then she shook her head. “It’s… all in the past, now. This… is no longer my home.” She turned away and started up the street without another word.
“Olivia…” Mercury said softly, staring after her.
Slowly, one-by-one, they all started following. For a long time, they walked in silence — even Jupiter, who had shut up once they’d arrived at Olivia’s old home.
From there to the Time Tower wasn’t far. A great clock face marked its highest level, but Fae saw now that she was close that it wasn’t just immediate time that was marked by this tower, but time as a whole. There were dates etched in small script all along its lower levels, and higher up could be seen faint tracings that formed an entire year’s calendar, without being loud or garish. Dates marked themselves off through magic, and as she watched, she saw the current day slowly fading away from the calendar.
“Before we find the Echo of Truth,” Sonya said, gazing at the entrance, “there’s something I’d like to do inside. It can be done on the ground floor, so we don’t have to go far.”
“It’s… okay if we all come with you?” Neptune asked.
Sonya nodded. “Please do.” She led the way, Olivia still close beside her, while the rest followed.
Inside, the bottom level of the Time Tower was a huge, open space with polished marble floors, big windows along the walls, and numerous countertops helpfully labeled. Sonya went straight towards one of them, labeled above with “Family Records.”
“Hello,” she said as she approached the counter. The man behind, a thin, elderly fellow with half-moon spectacles, smiled brightly at her. “I’d like to request records on the family Marlow.”
“Marlow, hmm?” the man asked, already typing on his computer. “And what time period are we looking at, Miss?”
“As recent as possible,” Sonya said. Fae found it admirable how clear and steady her voice was. “And then… we’ll work back from there.”
“Let’s see… ah.” The man’s eyebrows lifted. “Yes, I thought the name sounded familiar. Goodness, but the most recent records don’t even start until thirty-seven years ago. That’s when the last Marlow to live in Renault, a Raymond Taylor Marlow, moved to Europe. Met a lovely lady and married her, and, well…” There was a sad tinge to the man’s voice. “There wasn’t all that much left for him here, after all.”
“Would you mind explaining?” Sonya asked. “And going back as necessary.”
“Is there nothing specific you seek, Miss?” the man asked.
“I just… wanted to be thorough.”
“Quite right.” The man typed and scrolled as he spoke. “Raymond’s great-grandmother had two children. That’s really where we should start, for you see, one of those — a girl named Sonya —” Sonya stiffened slightly at the mention of her name, “went missing. Just nineteen at the time. Her brother —”
“Keiran,” Sonya said, with reverence in her tone, and the man looked up at her.
“Quite right,” he said, nodding. “Yes, you know some of this history, then. Yes, Keiran Marlow married and had two sons, but he passed when they were still very young. Sickness, though a strange one. There were several — his wife included — who said he died of grief. That after so many years of hoping, when his sister still never returned… he simply couldn’t bear it anymore. I… like to think things weren’t quite so tragic. I never knew Keiran Marlow myself, but I did see him a few times. He was a grown man when I was just a boy, but he struck a keen impression. Ah, but listen to me ramble.”
“No, go… right ahead,” Sonya said, hesitating only slightly.
After a pause, the man nodded, smiling. “Yes, well. Keiran Marlow, he… he looked so very sad. That was what struck me the few times I saw him. He stood alongside his wife, held his children in his arms, and yet… while he smiled, there was a great depth of sadness in his eyes, like I’ve never seen elsewhere.” He sighed. “Yes, well, moving along… his wife never remarried, but lived quite a long and healthy life. His older son never married, and died at twenty-three — he was a Guardian, and gave his life in battle against the Stalkers. The younger son, Harold, he went on to marry and had just one child — his son, Raymond Taylor Marlow. Raymond’s parents passed together — research expedition, just a freak accident, really — when Raymond was a young adult. He… well, he carried on as best he could. But I suspect he felt he didn’t have a reason to call this city home anymore. When he was traveling abroad and met a lovely woman, that was his ticket out of here.” The man stopped fussing about his computer. “Yes, well, that proved to be a bit of a story, but if you’d like to go back further, or if I missed a detail that you were looking for…”
“Is there… anything more about Sonya?”
“Oh, certainly.” The man didn’t need to look at his computer to tell what he said next. “She vanished at only nineteen, but she had always been spoken of highly by all those who knew her. As a child, she had such a talent with words, such a way with a pen. She wanted to be an author, and all those who knew her knew she would one day accomplish that dream. She did publish one novel, before she vanished, so I suppose you could say she did. First in a series, left uncompleted. Such a shame, given how much potential is clear from that first volume. They’ve made sure to keep it in print.” The man pointed to the bookshop. “Even after all these years, you can find a copy at any bookshop in the city, and the Tower bookshop keeps them well-stocked. No one will ever forget Sonya Marlow.”
“I see…” Sonya said, lowering her gaze slightly. “How long ago was it, exactly, that… Sonya… disappeared?”
“Ah, right,” the man said. “Got caught up in the storytelling and didn’t follow along the dates. But I needn’t look at my computer to tell you, Miss. Most everyone knows. Sonya Marlow went missing eighty years ago, nearly to the day. The eightieth anniversary — if we dare to even call it such — was thirteen days ago.”
“Thank you,” Sonya said quickly. “That’s all.” She turned away, walking past the group but not leaving the Time Tower. She just moved to a place where no one could see her face.
Olivia stepped forward. “I would also like some records, if that’s all right,” she said in a small voice.
“Oh, there’s no need to be so shy about it, young Miss,” the man said, laughing gently. “How can I help you?”
“Quinn, sir,” Olivia said. “I’m… not sure how many there are, but…”
“Hmm,” the man said, typing away. “Quinn… yes, I thought not. There hasn’t been a Quinn in Renault for some time. Not that they were a bad or poor-off family at all, no, they just… ah. Yes.” He bowed his head. “It’s… strange. And more tragic because of the symmetry. But the Quinn family faced much the same pain as the Marlows, only… there’s no one left of them, now.”
“No one?” Olivia asked in a tiny voice.
“There was Olivia Scarlett Quinn, the young Miss who went missing,” the man said, looking intently for the facts. “She had a brother and a sister, though… ah.” The man shook his head, then lifted a hand as if to wipe away a tear. “Young Olivia wouldn’t have known about the sister, though. Born seven months after Olivia went missing, at the age of nineteen. And, well… yes. Their family simply… faded. The last Quinn passed away forty-one years ago, after a long and healthy life, but with no family remaining after him. A great deal of friends, though — I remember his last days a bit, there were many people around him. He didn’t pass alone or sad, nor with regrets, no. But…” He shook his head. “No more Quinns in Renault, I’m sorry to say. Young Olivia… she is also missed. Accomplished musician, and one of our best Guardians in her day, so she was well-loved by the city for both her talent and her service. Olivia’s brother loved her so dearly. In his adult years, he had a small memorial plaque installed at Renault’s Second Concert Hall, where all young musicians make their start. Olivia played many a recital there.”
Olivia ducked her head so her hood hid her face from everyone. For a long time, she was silent, but the man waited patiently. Finally, Olivia said, “How long… since Olivia…?”
“Ah, right,” the man said. “It’s been… well, goodness me.” His eyebrows lifted. “Forty years before young Sonya. One hundred and twenty years, nearly to the day. Thirteen days ago, just like young Sonya.”
“One hundred…” Olivia said in a bare whisper. Fae, too, was staggered by the number. So long away, so long alone, so long with no one ever knowing what happened to her. And now…
Now what? What comes next, for her or Sonya?
Even if they continue on this journey… which I’m sure they’ll see through to the end even now…
What comes after, even if we succeed in everything else, may be the hardest part.
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