Her second day of parliament was no better than her first, and today, as it ended, Corinne wasn’t able to slip out before her mother caught her.

She’d made it almost through the chamber’s side door, when Sabine’s sharp, “Corinne,” pulled her up in almost involuntary obedience.

The only good thing about the situation was that most of the ministers had lingered above, still talking, or had gone towards the main door at the back, so whatever humiliation Sabine was about to visit on Corinne, it wouldn’t be witnessed.

“There’s no need to leave so quickly,” Sabine said, letting the nima float her down the last few feet of the air path. “Come up with me and I’ll introduce you.”

“There’s no one in this entire hall I want to meet.”

“Don’t be difficult.”

“Difficult?” The word came out too loud and Corinne dropped her voice back down at Sabine’s sharp look. “You’re such a hypocrite. You talk about service to the clan, but you’re taking me away from the Phoenix Guard just so you can have me yes-ma’aming you in front of parliament.”

Her mother’s voice was calm, patient, as though she were explaining something complicated to a five year old. “You have to look at the bigger picture. You’ve never been willing to do that.”

“What bigger picture?”

“This position is a gift. An opportunity. This is a chance to learn the real work of the clan, to make connections. Bright stars, Corinne, you can’t stay in the Phoenix Guard forever. It’s time to live up to your worth.”

There it was. Corinne’s worth.

She couldn’t tell if her mother did this on purpose, or if Sabine genuinely had no idea how horrible it was every time she said something like that. Either way, Corinne wanted to yell, to throw something.

But her punishment for an angry response at dinner had been this, so no telling what horror her mother would find if Corinne actually made a scene in public, so Corinne choked out what she considered a very reasonable, “Not today. I’ll meet people some other time.”

“Soon,” Sabine said. But let her go with no more than that.

Corinne went back to her room just long enough to change. Bigger picture, indeed. Screw her bigger picture. Corinne would show her a bigger picture. Sabine and Girard both.

It was annoying to have to borrow a ship, but Corinne needed to fly, and couldn’t do it under her own power right now. Even more frustrating, the look of pity from the mechanic in the workshop. Still, she took the access codes, took the flyer, and head up, out of the fortress.

The rift. The demon and the rift. Why didn’t anyone but Corinne seem the slightest bit concerned? Her father had at least acknowledged it was something that needed looking into, but he hadn’t seemed in any particular hurry. As for her mother—well, it certainly hadn’t come up in the talk Corinne was now forced to listen to.

Captain Cécile had been told to let it go, so she would. Cécile had many admirable traits, but she had always been blindly obedient to orders. Something Corinne couldn’t bring herself to be. Which was probably why Cécile was in charge of the Guard and Corinne was still a mere squad leader.

Had been a mere squad leader. Corinne knew—she knew—she was never getting that back. Her new assignment might look temporary. There might even be paperwork somewhere that said it was just until Corinne had a new flight suit, but Corinne knew her mother. Knew that now Sabine had Corinne where she wanted her, she would never let her go.

Corinne arrived at the spot where the rift had been. It was gone now—sealed back up by Academy hikmaics—but even if this particular place in the sky hadn’t been burned into Corinne’s memory, the nima-less void that remained was as good as a flashing sign.

Was that normal? How long would the nima avoid this space? Corinne started a mental list of questions she needed answers to.

This ship wasn’t capable of hovering, and Corinne wasn’t sure what more she could learn up here in the air anyway, so she aimed down, landing as close to directly under the rift as she could manage. This whole area was wild, undeveloped mountainside, so it took a bit of work to find a clearing large enough she could fit the ship.

The rift had been opened either from this side or the darkspace side. If it had been opened in darkspace, Corinne was out of luck. But if it had been opened by someone standing on this side, it’s possible that person left evidence behind.

In particular, Corinne was hoping the nima had seen something. The rift, the demon, was traumatic. They would remember. The main trick would be getting them to communicate whatever they witnessed in a useful fashion.

It was a good plan. Corinne was sure of it. Except that as she stepped off the ship and reached out for the nima around her, everything was suddenly wrong.

The nima here were angry. They swarmed around Corinne, dove against and through her, filling her with tiny bursts of rage and fear and pain. Corinne sharpened her will, focused, pushed them back, but it was a delicate wall she was holding against a storm.

“I’m not your enemy!” she called out, filling the words with power and intent.

It had no effect. The nima storm continued. It seemed to be growing, as more nima filled the air, surrounded her.

“Back off!” she commanded. But again, it made no difference.

These nima were more than wild. It wasn’t just that they were difficult to command. These nima were hostile. Vicious, even.

Something here was wrong. Very wrong.

Corinne retreated back into the ship. If she’d been here in her flight suit, she would have had the means to fight back, but without any bonded nima to work with, she couldn’t defend against this frenzy.

One thing was certain—she’d been right to come out here. She’d been right to push. The rift might be closed, but the world still wasn’t right.

Corinne was going to figure this out. She just needed to figure out a way to protect herself, then she’d come back and get to the bottom of all this.

Then, she’d make her parents listen.