Celeste woke up with a dry throat, a pounding headache, and extremely hungry. So this was what a hangover felt like. And people willingly put themselves through this? She dragged herself to a standing position and gathered up her things. The sun was brighter than she expected, but her eyes adjusted after a few seconds. She noticed the liquor bottle but decided not to pack it. It hadn’t done anything but make her miserable.

She was about to put on her pack when she heard someone behind her. This time, she made sure to hold the blade the right way. The people who approached her didn't seem to be cautious of the weapon. Celeste would be the first one to admit that she wasn't intimidating.

"Sleeper, our leader requests that you come to visit our camp since you are already close to it." The lead one, a young woman, said. "He said that you're welcome to not come, but that it would be a good time to get answers."

Celeste didn't hesitate to take the offer. Maybe Davik had been wrong in his assessment that Orsic avoided her. Owain had never liked confrontation, but she would never regard him as cowardly. Perhaps Davik made a move earlier than Orsic expected.

"How did you know that I was the Sleeper?" She questioned as they walked.

"Funnily enough, your looks are the only thing consistent in the rumors." She paused. "And Glyda told us what you looked like when she came back from Rusty's."

She hadn't thought much about that. Of course, Glyda would've informed them about her. That was her job, no matter how nice she seemed. Everyone had an agenda. The trip went in relative silence, though it was past noon once they arrived. At least they had given her something to eat along the way.

The Reviver camp was surrounded by great walls, though she could see peaks of buildings over the walls. They reminded her of the outer ring of Feon, though the buildings were in better shape than those had been. They came to a guarded gate. The leader of the small group turned to her.

"You'll have to hand over your weapons and supplies. Don't worry, you'll get them back. It's just camp policy for strangers. Nothing personal."

Celeste was too tired to argue and handed everything over. "I heard you didn't like outsiders."

"Yes and no. It's complicated." She stated before scratching the back of her head. "My name's Bea, I'm the lead scout. I'll be the one escorting you around. It’ll help people be a little less suspicious. And what’s your actual name? It feels odd calling you Sleeper.”

Bea was probably the youngest person Celeste had met so far. She barely looked old enough to be considered an adult. She wondered if she had been old enough to see Feon fall.

"Celeste Avon, though Avon street doesn't exist anymore, so maybe I should drop the last name."

"Only if you wanna. It won't help or harm you. There’s a few people that still use their last names, especially if they have a very common first name.”

The others with Bea split off and the woman led her through the camp which looked less like a camp and more like a town. People gave her suspicious looks and a few ducked back into their houses, but some kept an eye on them until they passed. Well, the stranger did say they had a problem with spies in the past.

They arrived at a building in the center, where several people with armor and weapons seemed to be gathered. They nodded at Bea but barely acknowledged Celeste’s presence. Bea opened the door for her. Once again, she found herself in a main hall, though this one only had someone cleaning it.

“We’re heading to the room at the back of this one to the right.” She informed her. “And don’t be nervous. We just want answers so we can stop all these rumors once and for all. Glyda will step in if things get to be too much.”

She had faced Davik and a couple of his higher ranked people. She’d be able to handle people who didn’t seem as violent. There were ten people in what looked like a study. The room was lined with shelves full of books and there weren’t even enough chairs for everyone to sit on. There was an empty chair that she assumed was for her. The chair behind the desk was empty.

"Where's Orsic?" Bea questioned. "He's the one who called this meeting."

"He said to start without him." A man who looked like he belonged in the Renewer camp stated. He wasn't sitting down, instead choosing to lean against one of the shelves. It shifted slightly under his weight “Let’s just get this over with so we can get back to doing something productive.”

“Don’t be so grouchy, Hunda.” Glyda entered the room with a smile on her face. “You were the one going on about how quiet things have been around here.”

“It’s only a matter of time before the Renewers do something and I want to be ready.” He replied with a scoff. “I assume you’ll ask her questions since you know her. Honestly, I don’t care who she is or isn’t.”

“I was hoping you would do it since you’re so good with people.” Glyda only chuckled at the glare she received as she sat on the desk. “Oh, don’t give me that look. You know I’m joking.” Finally, she acknowledged Celeste’s presence. “Why don’t you take a seat? You’ve been walking for quite a while. And Bea, Orsic requested that you stay for the meeting.”

“Oh, okay.” She must’ve not been invited to the meetings very often, probably because of her age.

Celeste quickly sat in the chair, eager to get this over with. Either Davik didn’t have people with him when she met him because he made most of the decisions himself or because of the personal nature of their meeting. Orsic didn’t seem to have that problem. She played with the edges of her sleeve.

“So everyone, this is Celeste Avon, the one they’ve been calling the Sleeper.” Glyda began. “Don’t know why. She’s been awake every time I’ve met her. But anyhoo, ask your questions. But be nice about it.”

An older woman in the back spoke up. Celeste had to turn around to see her. “Do you have any proof that you’re from the past?”

“Would people who can confirm my identity be enough?” Celeste questioned. “Because I don’t have any physical proof. I didn’t have anything on me when I woke up.” Someone coughed, which was more like a laugh they were holding back. “Well, besides what I was wearing.”

“Who are these people?”

“Well, the elves, particularly one named Kyn and the pinions, can vouch for the fact that I was kept asleep by a time crystal.” That caused a small murmur, (if the Pinions were correct, they probably didn’t know about the existence of time crystals) but it quickly quietened down. “As for my identity…” Maybe she should keep this to herself. They probably wouldn’t take it well. But Glyda nodded encouragingly. “You’d have to go ask Davik...and Malatar and Andra since they were in the room too.”

The room erupted into a series of loud questions and Hunda had to slam his fist against the shelf to get everyone quite. He stared straight at Celeste with a hard look. She wished she was sitting behind the desk so she could hide under it.

“You’ve been with the Renewers?”

Celeste shook her head. “No, he just summoned me for a meeting yesterday! I don’t even know where their fort is exactly because the goblins knocked me out then I was knocked out when I left!”

Glyda stepped in. “He sent Inquisitors for her, but she wasn’t there at the time. Yesterday was the first time they met.” She wasn’t sure how she knew all of that, but she was glad she did. “So no, she hasn’t been with them for this whole time.”

“What did Davik want?” Another asked. “He doesn’t just summon people for no reason and he’s never been one to listen to rumors. And why would he be able to confirm your identity?”

“I...He...We…” Celeste was finding it hard to form a sentence. She didn’t know these people, yet they wanted to know something personal. And Revivers disliked Renewers as much as the Renewers disliked them. There was no telling how they would react. “It’s…”

“Well, spit it out!” Hunda demanded, departing from his spot and getting in her face. Glyda hopped off the desk.“If you aren’t an ally of his, how does he know who you are!?”

The door suddenly opened and everyone turned to face it. Orsic must’ve decided to show up to this meeting. Owain always did have a flair for dramatic timing. Celeste remained where she was, afraid to move lest Hunda react. He could catch her easily.

“Hunda, back off. I will explain things.”

She recognized the voice and turned around in her seat. Who should be walking up to the desk but the stranger from the night before? Now that she could see his face in the light, she saw the face of Owain, albeit older, more worn, and with an eye patch. Hunda backed off and returned to where he was, albeit now glaring at her. Orsic sat at his desk with a small sigh. Glyda came back to her spot on the desk.

“As I’m sure everyone is aware, I took my current name and so did Davik before the civil war, as is tradition for those not born into the upper classes. Everyone also knows or at least heard rumors that we grew up together. What most don’t know is that we had a sister who disappeared five years before the civil war started whose fate we could not discover.” He paused for a second. “This woman right here is that sister.”

The room erupted for a moment before Orsic held up a hand and everyone fell silent. She was sure a few glanced her way, but she was too busy watching Orsic. He had always been a good speaker, able to keep the attention of his audience and age and experience had only sharpened his skills.

“Tell anyone who asks that as far as the rumors go with her being from the past, those are true. But the information I just told you doesn’t leave the room, especially the part about Davik. Some people barely tolerate the fact that I was close to him. I do not want her harassed over past associations. We know how malicious some people can be over things like that, right, Hunda?”

The man stood straight up so that he no longer leaned on the shelves. “No one will hear it from me, sir,” Hunda assured him. “Not sure about Silvvy, though. She’s a bit of a gossip.”

The woman who asked her the first question huffed. “Gossip, not secrets. At least I’ve never been the cause of an intelligence leak because I got a little too drunk with a person that was suspected of being a spy!”

That quickly shut the gruff man up, about that subject at least. “But Orsic, how do we know she and Davik didn’t cut a deal of some kind? After all, there’s no telling what he told her. What if he told her we were the bad guys and she volunteered to help?”

She hadn’t thought of that being a possibility. Maybe he had a mind behind that rough exterior. Why hadn’t Davik tried that? Perhaps because he knew she was a lousy liar or already people who could do the job better.

“Celeste, how long has it been since you woke up in this time?”

The fact that Orsic used her name caught her by surprise a little bit. She tried to regain her composure.

“Um, a month, I think. All the days have blended together, to be honest.”

Orsic nodded. “One month is not a long time. And I know her. She’s not a great liar. I doubt a mere month made her any better. Davik no doubt came to the same conclusion too.”

“I can attest to that fact,” Glyda confirmed. “She told me a cover story the other day. It wasn’t a bad one, but she didn’t put on a believable performance when telling it. And she’s been staying with Rusty. If Davik wanted to use her in some way, she’d be much closer to Fort Invar than that.”

Hunda seemed satisfied with that answer, a little bit at least. “If you say so, Orsic. Doesn’t seem like she’d be able to do much damage anyway. Probably why Davik didn’t keep her.”

She couldn’t help but wince a bit when Hunda said that. He wasn’t being malicious, just stating a fact, but she was still struggling with the rejection from the man who used to be someone she looked up to. No, she wouldn’t have liked it if he made her stay, but he didn’t even give her an option. He clearly had his mind made up before he sent for her.

Orsic seemed to sense this. “All right, the meeting is over and remember what I told you If anyone needs me, you know where to find me.”

The room quickly emptied. Glyda passed by Celeste and gave her and Orsic a wink before leaving the room. Orsic shook his head.

“Forgive Glyda. I think she believes we had something at one time. Even if we had, I’m old enough to be your father now.” He rubbed his temples a bit. “You may stay here as long as you’d like, if you so wish. I’m sure Bea wouldn’t mind if you stayed with her. But if you want to leave, then I suggest you at least stay the night. You’re lucky I was the one who found you and no one else.”

All Celeste could do was nod. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, she didn’t know where to start. But before she could, Orsic went away, closing the door behind him. She thought about following him, but decided against it. Perhaps he needed time to gather his thoughts. Owain had always been good about answering questions, even if he didn’t answer right away. Hopefully, Orsic would be the same way.