Chapter 20.

(Fallon)

Darkness surrounded me.

The darkness was perfect, and so black it was actually terrifying.

I wondered if I was alive or dead.

I couldn’t feel my body, so I didn’t know if I was floating or not.

At the least, I realized I was still thinking so maybe part of me was still alive.

Or maybe I was nothing more than a spirit now floating in perfect darkness.

Then I realized – I sensed – that I wasn’t alone, and I wondered if it was the Seal.

I tried calling out to it but I had no voice, and I began to despair until I felt something brush my mind.

A new thought.

I am here.

I could have cried but I lacked the means to do so.

Am I dead? Are we dead? Where are we?

The Seal’s thoughts intruded into mine.

Collation space.

What?

We interfaced too deeply. As a consequence the safety protocols were enacted, and our combined consciousness was placed in isolation until they could be reorganized.

I was confused. I really didn’t know what the Seal meant.

It must have sensed my feelings. Odd that without a body, without a heart, I still had feelings.

You don’t have to be afraid. The system is merely assessing the situation. It will effect a reboot shortly.

So I’m still alive?

Yes. Your body is in a suspended state, though unfortunately your heart has stopped. It will be restarted shortly.

My heart? My heart has stopped? It’s not beating anymore?

Remain calm. We are not alone. An emissary of the Concordia System is with us. She is helping the process along.

I don’t understand. I don’t want to die.

We all die. Even the stars in the heavens eventually run out of fuel and die. But it is not your time do so.

I think I swallowed. I just couldn’t tell.

Are you the Seal of Arcala?

I am part of the Seal. I am the interface between you and the Seal.

You can talk?

I can do much more. Think of me as liaison between you and the Seal. I am the in-between party. I help communication go smoothly between you, the Seal, and thus Andraste.

Oh….

Usually you are not aware of me. Unfortunately, something went wrong.

I frowned though I was sure I had no face.

Did you pull me into the Seal?

Yes. My intention was to engage the Overdrive function, and improve your performance. In order to do so, I had to activate the training program, Ragnarok. By merging your reality with the training simulation, I was able to reduce the mental noise cluttering the bridgeway between your consciousness and Andraste.

I sighed.

I'm sorry. I don't understand.

Let’s just say, I removed your fears by dropping your consciousness into the Dream of Ragnarok. By doing so, I was able to improve your effectiveness in operating Andraste. Unfortunately, I seem to have absorbed your fears.

I frowned again.

I don’t understand.

Your fears became my fears. I was unable to nullify them and lost control.

I heard a long sigh in my mind.

I am truly sorry, Fallon Deena Vremonde Kassius. As you are new to Andraste, I too am new to my tasks. You are the first Meister I have ever bonded with. I promise you I will not fail you again.

The Seal was apologizing to me?

Oh, that’s okay—no, I’m confused.

Again, I heard a sigh.

The Seal of Arcala within you is new. It has never been imprinted before. You are the first to make use of it. For that matter, Andraste is a new Warlord. It has never been called upon before.

I nodded though I had no head.

Yet strangely enough I could ‘feel’ myself nodding.

What did you call me before?

I called you Fallon Deena Vremonde Kassius.

Why?

Because that is your name. Do you not remember? Your family gave you the name of Fallon Deena Vremonde after your birth. I have the memory right here.

I painting appeared large in the darkness, surrounding me. It looked so vivid and real that I could not think of it as a painting.

The Seal spoke in mind.

This is a memory of that time.

A memory…?

The painting began to move. Rather, the people in the painting began to move and I could hear them and other sounds.

A woman with long dark hair, and large brown eyes looked down at me. I felt as though she were holding me because I could feel her touch, and smell her scent.

And I could hear her voice. It was gentle, kind, and loving.

“Fallon. Yes, little one, your name is Fallon.”

I realized she was sitting in bed, and that a tall, well-built young man stood beside the bed. He looked no older than Falken, and in some ways reminded me of Kaden.

In his arms, he cradled a baby, and carefully seated himself on the edge of the bed. He spoke gently and lovingly like the woman holding me.

“And this is your younger sister, Fatina.”

My view of the world shifted and I realized it was because the woman cradled me higher against her breasts, offering me a better view of the man and the baby he held.

The woman said softly, “Fallon Deena Vremonde, meet your sister, Fatina Deidra Vremonde.”

I was brought closer to the other baby girl.

For some reason, my small hand reached out to her. To my surprise, her small hand reached out to mine and our fingers touched.

The Seal whispered into my mind.

As twins you shared a special bond.

That was true. Deidra and I had always been able to sense each other even when apart. But that ended when she was gifted with the Seal of Arcala. I realized then that I could no longer feel her presence.

The Seal spoke again.

Yes. It is unfortunate, but the Seal broke the entanglement between you and your sister.

I didn’t understand what the Seal meant by that. Instead, I looked at the faces of the man and woman, feeling they were familiar to me.

Are they…my parents? Is that my mother and that my father?

According to your memories, they are indeed your parents. However, your memories of them end a year later.

I studied the woman looming large over me.

She looks like me….

She looked very much like Deidra and I, and I realized in anguish that the woman I had known as my mother – the woman who had raised me in the village – was not my mother.

Momma. Who was momma?

I heard what sounded like a knock on a door, very polite, yet very well timed.

I listened to a woman’s voice, the owner out of sight.

“Your Majesty, my Queen, the baths are ready.”

I was startled. I knew that voice. I had known that voice all my life. It was the voice of my mother.

A young woman came into view as she stepped closer, her dark hair tied back in a neat bun.

Momma!

“My Queen, shall I help you with their bathing?”

“No, I mean, yes.” The woman holding me frowned. “Actually, Elicia, I have no idea what I desire.”

The man stood up smoothly. “Faylan, allow Elicia and I to bathe our daughters. You need your rest. Remember, we have visiting dignitaries next week, including that witch from Anderas.”

The woman spoke sharply but softly. “Rohan, please. Animosity between Anderas and Verlance is the last thing we need right now.”

The man stiffened, then gave her a curt nod. “Faylan, just rest easy.”

I looked at the woman whom I’d known as my mother, and saw the worry in her eyes as her gaze fell first upon my sister, then settled on me.

I felt her gaze deep inside my mind.

A hint of sadness touched her lips.

But it faded away the moment I was passed onto her.

Cradled in her arms, I looked up at her.

Momma…why…?

I heard the woman, Faylan, speak to her. “Elicia, take care of her.”

“Aye, my Queen….”

Momma, why did you—

The memory wavered as though I was seeing it underwater.

Then it vanished quickly.

—abandon us?

The blackness had returned, enveloping me like a thick blanket.

I felt suffocated and struggled to breathe before remembering I had no body.

In here, inside this Collation space, I was nothing more than a spirit.

The collation process has completed. Re-initialization is now possible. Commencing at once.

I looked about me, but with nothing to guide me, I couldn’t tell if I was turning or not.

What is happening?

Time to go, Fallon Kassius.

Go where?

Back into your body. Concordia has been achieved. Rudimentary Linkage Depth will now be possible during future interaction with Andraste.

What? What are you saying? I don’t understand you!

I am saying your ability to interface with Andraste has improved. She will be easier for you to control. Now, as I said before it’s time for you to go.

I started to panic, not knowing what would happen to me next.

Then I felt the Seal brush my mind once more.

Don’t worry. I won’t leave you. You and I will be together until the end of days….

A sensation of flying upwards enveloped me.

It was much like that time when I lost my inward vision, and found myself soaring skyward through a dark well.

And like that time, I soon found myself back in my body.

I opened my eyes and air wheezed into my lungs.

It sounded horrible to my ears, and it felt just as bad.

A suffocating feeling clamped down on my chest as I struggled to breathe.

It was like my windpipe was clogged and only a little air squeezed through it into my lungs.

I exhaled what I had and tried again.

It wasn’t until my fourth breath that I grew aware of a young woman’s pretty face a few inches above me, peering intently down at me.

By my fifth breath, I realized I was lying on my back.

And by my sixth, I noticed I was still merged with Andraste.

The young woman broke into a wide smile and drew back, putting room between her and me.

She released a very dramatic sigh and patted her huge breasts.

“Well, that certainly took years off my life.” Then she wagged a long, slender finger at me. “Please, don’t do that again. It’s a pain having to interface with the Seal’s Core through the operator’s body. And separating you from the Seal’s interface was a tough nut to crack.”

She stretched her arms high above her head, which pulled up her breasts. They weren’t as large as the Knight-Commander’s that spoke to me in Falken’s tent, but they were far larger than mine.

For a heartbeat, as a woman I felt defeated.

Then I noticed she held a giant fork some five feet long in her right hand – a giant fork with two very sharp tines.

My breath caught and I stared at it in fear, until my attention was dragged away by movement behind her from something truly incredible.

Four large wings, each maybe five feet wide and looking like those of a white dove, emerged from behind her. They rose and fell gently as she continued to stretch her arms and back.

I had to swallow to clear my throat and find my voice.

“An…an angel?”

The woman stretched for a moment longer, then noticed where I was looking.

She grinned and lowered her arms. “Nope. I’m not an Angel. However, this”—she swept her left hand over her body—“is my Celestial.”

It was then I realized she was straddling my body. A moment later, and she leaned down and then stretched over me, reminding me of a cat. With her nose only a short distance above mine, she looked down at me with a hungry smile I was trying hard to ignore as it made my heart race.

“My name is Gabrielle,” she purred. “A pleasure to meet you, Fallon Kassius.”

I swallowed again. “Ah…you know me…?”

She nodded. “We have mutual acquaintances.”

“Ah…we do…?”

She nodded. “Why don’t you first put away Andraste? It’s starting to draw a crowd.”

I couldn’t help but frown at her.

She was saying Andraste was drawing attention to us? I would have thought this woman, with her large breasts and dove like wings, was the reason why anyone would risk coming near us.

She stood up and jumped backwards.

Slowly, I sat up a little then will Andraste to stand up. Using the levitator-fields generated by the Impulse Wings, the Warlord righted itself onto its feet.

I noticed I was able to control it better. Perhaps the Seal had not lied to me.

However, I groaned in pain when I raised my right over my head, and commanded, “Andraste, withdraw.”

The white mist that resulted from a breach between this reality and wherever was home for the Sarcophagus billowed around me. The chill it brought with it made me shiver, but in a dozen seconds or more, Andraste had vanished into its Sarcophagus, and the breach vanished.

I dropped gently to the ground, and waited for the cold white mist to grow thin enough for me to see my surroundings. As I waited, I grew aware of the aches and pains in my body. Chest burned with every breath I took, and my arms trembled and felt incredibly heavy. My legs buckled, and I collapsed to the ground on my hands and knees.

Every part of me felt like it had been kicked and punched over and over.

Even if my lungs burned, I still forced myself to breathe as deeply as I could.

Air was good, and I needed air.

In my chest, heart beat painfully but thankfully it didn’t stop.

Before the mist cleared, Gabrielle came into view, striding toward me on long, strangely armored legs that had no feet I could see. For a few heartbeats, I forgot about my body’s cries, and I stared at Gabrielle wondering how she was able to walk or stand.

I saw she no longer carried the giant fork. Now she held onto a strange weapon that looked like two immense swords joined pommel to pommel. In fact, it had two sets of pommels running in parallel, forming a pair of handgrips, and Gabrielle carried it by one of those.

Maybe she had a Sarcophagus of her own where she could put things away, and swap one weapon for another. But I hadn’t sensed another breach other than the one made by Andraste.

Looking at the strange weapon, a nervous shiver ran through me.

Gabrielle knelt beside me with surprising ease.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have left you.”

Even if weak, I shook my head. “No. I’m just hurting a little.”

After a giving me a little while to recover my strength, she helped me up to my feet.

I looked up at her, standing some three or four feet taller than me.

It wasn’t just her legs, but her arms that wore strange armor. Her arms were covered in a white thick armor, and her forearms and hands were huge. Supported by her, I believed she could crush my body simply by bringing her arms together.

I swallowed nervously. “Thank—thank you.”

Gabrielle nodded faintly down at me, and released me from her grip.

I tried not to sway on my feet and somehow succeeded.

The mist had cleared away by now.

I stepped back from Gabrielle, and slowly swept my gaze over the immense terrace fortress built against the side of an iron-grey mountain. I was able to see the ruined buildings and floors. The destruction was widespread, and I realized with a sinking feeling in my stomach that much of it was my fault.

I had wrecked the homes of the people that lived here.

How many had died because of my fight with Iris Dirac?

I blinked sharply.

My—my Awareness-field! My Awareness-field is gone!

I looked down at my hands and arms, then looked up at Gabrielle.

“I—I can’t feel it anymore. My field is gone. My Awareness-field—”

“Your Seal has entered a dormant phase. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to summon it soon. You just need to give your Seal time to run through some adjustments. Think of it as the Seal healing and becoming a little stronger. Until then, you won’t be able access its functionality.”

“Huh?”

“Your Seal has gone to sleep and will wake up in a few hours.”

“Oh….”

In the corner of my eye, I caught movement behind Gabrielle, and I turned toward it.

I saw a young girl standing a few meters away. She had long dark hair, and was dressed in badly fitting clothes. She wore baggy trousers, their legs tucked into a pair of oversized boots, and a white slip under a thick blouse meant for a woman with a big chest.

Our eyes met and my heart almost stopped.

Looking at her was almost like looking into mirror.

The longer I looked at her, the tighter my throat became, and the harder to breathe – the harder to swallow.

My voice was no more than a whisper easily lost in the wind.

“…Deidre….”

I took a step toward her, but my sister hastily took a step, causing me to stop.

“Deidre…?”

Even at a distance I saw her lips tremble, and her eyes shimmer.

Taking a deep breath, I took another step toward her…but this time she turned on her heels and walked away. With her arms wrapped around her body and her shoulders hunched, she looked smaller than the sister I remembered.

There was no pride in her footsteps, and none of her usual zest for life.

None of the strength had relied on for so many years while growing up in that village.

My sister…my beloved sister…looked broken.

“Deidre! Deidre! Deidre!”

She wasn’t walking away from me anymore. She was running. And my heart ached with every running step that took her farther away from me.

Gabrielle stepped in front of me.

“Fallon, give her time. Your sister Fatina—I mean Deidre—needs some time.”

I glanced up to see a faint, sad smile on her lips. “What…what do you mean?”

“Fatina has been looking for you. She came here to help you. But…she’s not ready to face you.”

I noticed I was clutching at my chest where the pendant rested between my breasts under my clothes. “Why…?”

Gabrielle looked away for a short while, gazing over the waters of the lake to the west, and took a couple of deep breaths before facing me again.

“She bears a heavy burden. And she knows she can never be forgiven.”

My throat tightened even more, feeling like a hard lump had formed inside it.

I had trouble swallowing, and for a handful of heartbeats, my breathing was ragged.

“I…I don’t want to blame her…they tried to kill her.” I took a couple more breaths, and then added, “I would have done the same.”

Gabrielle arched an eyebrow at me. “Would you?”

I didn’t like the way she looked at me, nor the way she questioned me, so I nodded firmly. “Yes, I would have.”

The tall young woman with raven hair shrugged, and folded her arms under those enviously large breasts of hers. “I wonder….”

I clenched a hand and took a step toward her. “What does that mean?”

“You might look the same, but you’re not the same, and you complement each other well. In other words, you are a good pair.” Gabrielle smiled and I realized it was not unkind. “And that’s why you need to cherish each other. Regardless of the crimes you’ve committed, you’re still family.”

Family.

I remembered the memory I had seen while my spirit was inside the Seal of Arcala.

So it’s true that I’m the older sister. Mother had always said I was the older sister.

I looked down the terrace in the direction Deidre had run away and disappeared.

So why was she always acting like the older sister?

Without asking for them, the names given to us by the man and woman in my memory crossed my mind, and I remembered my mother calling them Majesty and Queen.

Looking up at Gabrielle, I decided I wanted to keep my next words just between us, so I lowered my voice.

“My name is Fallon Deena Vremonde. Does that name mean anything to you?”

I searched her carefully, believing it was important not to miss her reaction.

After a little while, Gabrielle nodded, and her smile had faded quickly.

I had the impression her reply was a mixture of joy and sadness.

“It does indeed…your Highness.”

My eyes widened, my heart stopped for sudden moment, and my hand dropped away from my chest.

Gabrielle took a step back, and gave me a brighter smile. “Your Prince is here.”

When the shock had passed, and my heart started again, I looked in the direction Gabrielle smoothly turned to face.

On the terrace level above us, a man in dark, riding leathers stood on its edge. He looked a little unkempt, with his clothes and hair a mess. He had probably run hard to get there, because he was breathing heavily. But even so, he stood tall and straight on the ledge.

When our eyes met, I felt heart my jump rather than stop. It landed painfully and began beating quickly in my chest.

And then my tears came and I couldn’t stop them.

My throat grew tight and strangled my words to a feeble whisper.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry, Falken….”

I started to back away, but an incredibly strong hand gripped my right arm.

Gabrielle’s expression was stern, reminding of my mother’s when she is was in no mood to tolerate argument from Deidre and me.

“You need to stop running,” she said. “Right now, you have no reason to run.”

Her gaze was hard and penetrating, and I felt it push deep into my mind. It stole my breath, and the argument on my lips.

“Stop running,” she repeated. “You have no reason to run from him.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw Falken work his way down from the upper terrace to the one I stood on.

Quickly, I swallowed a couple of times, but my mouth was dry. Only my cheeks were wet.

Gabrielle released my arm, and stood back a few feet.

And then, a short while later, I found myself looking up at his Grace.

I tried to say something. I tried telling him I was sorry, but my emotions welled up and I couldn’t get the words out.

I squeezed my eyes shut hoping to stop my tears of shame and regret.

Because they were closed, I didn’t see him embrace me. But I felt his arms wrap around me, and then hold me tight against his chest.

Somehow, if felt easier to cry this way.

A few days ago, I would have been too afraid to think of holding him back.

Now, I slipped my arms under his and held him tightly to me too.

As my tears stopped, I buried my face deeper into his chest, and made myself a selfish promise.

A promise that came from the deepest part of my heart.

#

(Falken)

It didn’t feel wrong to embrace her.

I held her tightly.

I didn’t want her to say anything.

There would be time for that later.

So for now, I held her, and supported her, and allowed her cry freely until her tears ran dry.

Yes, there would be time for words later, and I wanted her able to tell me the truth when I asked it of her.

With Fallon in my arm, I turned my body a little so that I could face Gabrielle who was standing silently a few feet away. The large dove-like wings fluttered gently, caught by the strong breeze blowing over the terrace.

Her eyes were searching our surroundings, sweeping their gaze over the fortress, not missing much before finally turning toward me.

I gave her a shallow nod, and cleared my throat discreetly.

“Thank you.”

She shrugged lightly and grinned at me. “It was nothing. All in a day’s work.”

“North of the lake, a mountain over, you’ll find the ruins of an old fort. Bandits use it on occasion. We tolerate them provided they leave the people here alone.”

Gabrielle stopped grinning and narrowed her eyes at me. “You tolerate them?”

“Only as much as need be. Which is very little in fact. Knowing where they are is better than having to hunt them throughout the mountain range.”

Her eyes turned northward, a cold light in them that made me fleetingly uneasy.

I pressed on. “Take her. Take Fatina and Fallon, and go there. I will join you when I can. This evening, I’ll have supplies sent over by people that I trust.”

She snorted softly. “That’s our safe haven.”

“No. My land will be your safe haven.”

Gabrielle stared at me sharply, her burgundy eyes meeting mine, her gaze deep, penetrating, and questioning.

I raised my chin slightly at her. “You have a dream don’t you.”

Her lips slowly drew a thin line across her face. “Aye….”

As she held onto my gaze, I held onto hers. “I have a dream too...and I can’t make it happen alone.”

I felt Fallon’s arms slip away from around my waist, so I eased the embrace and allowed her draw back a short distance.

Looking down at her, our eyes met, and I gave her anxious face a reassuring nod, and a confident smile.

“Go with her, Fallon. Go with your sister as well. We’ll see each other soon.”

She haltingly shook her head, and her voice broke as she asked, “Why? Why not take me back with you?”

“Because there will be trouble when I return. There are some difficult days ahead. I need to deal with the Quorum of Khans. I need to deal with Ravinia Eldridge and her hunting dog, Iris Dirac. And I need to deal with my family.”

Fallon appeared downcast. A whisper slipped past her lips.

“…family….”

Gabrielle sounded amused. “In that case, you’ll be wanting to take that ‘hunting dog’ back with you.”

When I faced her, I saw Gabrielle half turn her body and point her large sword-spear to an area of the terrace that lay in ruins a couple of hundred feet away.

“Fatina left her back there. The Seal of Arcala inside her will heal her injuries, however she won’t be a threat for a few days.” Chuckling under her breath, Gabrielle planted her left hand on her hip. “That one is certainly a handful. A pity she’s not on our side.”

Then she turned and faced me again.

“Well, your Grace. We’d better be off.”

My gaze darted about. “Where’s Fatina?”

“Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s back there, staying out of sight.” Gabrielle bit her lower lip. “She’ll be fine.”

I gave the terrace another sweeping look, before facing Fallon.

Holding her at arm’s length, I looked her over from head to booted toes, then squeezed her shoulders.

“Go with her.”

I didn’t believe it was necessary to tell Fallon that I trusted Gabrielle.

She closed her mouth tightly for a long moment, before swallowing and visibly gathering her emotions. “Your Grace…I’m sorry….”

I replied slowly. “I know. I’m sorry too. We can talk about it later. When the time comes, I’ll want to hear everything from you.”

Her eyes widened noticeably, and she darted a glance at Gabrielle.

However, when they looked upon me again, her eyes had regained their radiant emerald light.

“Aye, your Grace.”

#

(Fatina)

While hiding in the shadow of the terrace wall, I eavesdropped on the three of them.

I used my Awareness-field, narrowed down so that it sharpened my senses far more than usual. I had grown accustomed to the field. Even if I couldn’t sense, touch, or weakly wield the Ether, I didn’t feel as though my world had grown smaller.

I felt as though my world had grown wider and grander.

My world had also become dangerous.

I stared at the pendant I held in my left palm.

The crest of House Vremonde.

What did it mean to me? No…what did it mean to my sister and me?

Why had my mother betrayed us? Why had she said that to me before I killed her?

Live. Live and regain your honor. Regain your birthright.

I swallowed and raised the necklace from which the pendant dangled, and slipped it around my neck. Then I dropped the pendant under the stolen slip I wore.

My Awareness-field sensed movement.

Falken Claymore was walking with steady strides toward me.

No, he was walking to where Iris Dirac Korvinus lay heaped on a large slab of a broken wall belonging to the single story building her Warlord and mine had demolished when we crashed into it.

I burned my village down. Now I came here and destroyed an ancient fortress.

For a handful of heartbeats I looked up at the massive, towering fortress with its fourteen terraces running up the mountainside.

What was this place? It might have been grand once…but now it’s just rubble waiting to fall apart.

Above the mountain peak, storm clouds were gathering, robbing the sky of its blue.

Falken Claymore stopped in front of the slab with Dirac on it.

He spoke to me though his attention was on the unconscious, broken woman.

“I left your sister in Gabrielle’s care. I told them to head north—”

“—then a mountain over to the remains of a fort…or something like that.”

He took a long, deep breath, and nodded slowly.

I’d given away my ability to eavesdrop, but when he spoke again, he made no mention of it.

“Go with them. They need you. Your sister needs you.”

Reaching over, he picked up the unconscious Dirac.

I saw that he was about to toss her over his right shoulder, and hastily stepped away from the rubble. “Wait—her ribs are broken. They—they broke when I punched her with Gehanna’s fist.”

Claymore stopped for a heartbeat, then sighed and carefully hefted Dirac into his arms. He made the choice to carry her like a princess instead.

Looking at me, he shook his head and grinned weakly.

I realized he was amused.

“You really don’t hold back, do you?”

A short laugh escaped my lips, but then I found myself unable to break free of his gaze.

My heartbeat rose a little, and an odd warmth circled my heart.

I had to take a couple of hasty breaths before I could find words in reply.

“She….” I sighed, shook my head once, and started again. “I really hate her.”

Carrying Dirac in his arms, Claymore walked around the rubble and stepped closer to me.

“Fatina, thank you.”

I blinked a few times. My heart, which had been calming down, again beat quickly, and the warmth in my chest swirled a little faster.

I folded my hands behind my back, and forced myself to look up at him.

“Did you mean what you said?” I asked him. "About your land being our safe haven?"

“Every word of it,” he answered with a calm composure from which I felt I could draw hope.

I had found hope in Gabrielle.

I had found hope in this young man too.

He really is…rather handsome.

A blush crept quickly across my cheeks and I turned away, though I listened to his words.

“I won’t lie to you. It’s not going to be easy. However, I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t believe in the Khan Orden. And I don’t believe that all Khan Wilders deserve the fate the Orden decrees for them. Wilders exist for a reason. Someone or something out there is gifting people like you and Fallon with the Seals of Arcala. There has to be a reason. And I want to know that reason. Like I said before, I can’t do this alone. I’ll need your help, I’ll need Fallon’s help. I’ll need Gabrielle’s help. If you truly want to make a safe haven for your kind, then we need to work together.”

I searched his face, looking for a lie, looking for – what was the word Gabrielle used – looking for a falsehood.

I couldn’t see it, and I realized I was beginning to hope a little more strongly.

Then I shook my head sadly as my emotions grew heavy and painful.

“Maybe I deserve the fate the Orden has decided for me. My hands—no, my soul—is bathed in blood.”

I shook my head again.

“I will never be clean.”

Slowly, I walked away from him, heading north along the gentle curve of the terrace.

North to the tip of the lake, and then one mountain over, to the ruins of an old fort.

North to where Gabrielle and my sister would be waiting for me.

#

(Falken)

For a long while, I watched Fatina walk away, growing smaller as the distance between us grew.

Eventually, she disappeared from view when she rounded the gentle curve of the terrace, and jumped down to the grassy terrain bordering Calmonad’s lowest regions.

The disquiet in my heart refused to settle down even after she had moved out of sight.

I was afraid for her – afraid of the choices she may make in the near and distant future.

She wasn’t just a teenage girl entering womanhood.

She was Khan Wilder with the power to turn Calmonad into utter rubble in the span of an hour if not sooner.

I refrained from exhaling loudly, fearing it would turn into a disconsolate sigh.

Instead, I chose to breathe evenly, and think of how I was going to make the journey back to Calandor.

My cowardly steed, Palomar, had deserted me.

Perhaps it was time to choose a new means of transportation. I should choose a horse with the courageous heart of a lion.

I nodded to myself. “First order of business when I get back. Fire my horse.”

Turning my attention on the unconscious, injured woman in my arms, I said, “For now, I have to figure out what I’m going to do with you.”

Holding her up close like I did, I studied Iris Dirac’s sleeping visage.

Damn. She really is pretty.

Her full, firm breasts rose and fell with the uneven breaths she took.

Double damn.

I coughed and cleared my throat, forcing my attention away from her voluptuous charms.

However, thinking of her charms made me remember another firm chest pressed against me not long ago.

She’s just a girl, you fool. Don’t think of her that way.

I heard a voice whisper from the depraved recess of my mind.

Why not? She is precious to you after all. And she’s a beauty in her own right.

I told my evil half to be quiet, hefted Iris Dirac a little more comfortably in my arms, then began the long journey back to Calandor.

With any luck I would encounter my guardsmen along the way.

I could only hope that Gabrielle had told me the truth when she said they would wake in an hour or so.

However, I was in for a surprise.

As I approached a set of wide, spacious steps leading from this terrace to the next one above, the clop-clop of hooves wearing metal shoes reached my ears.

I stopped at the foot of the steps and looked up at the landing some twenty feet above me.

A few moments later, as the sound of walking hooves grew louder and clearer, Palomar appeared and then stopped at the edge of the landing.

The horse neighed and shook its head and mane down at me.

I stared up at the beast, wet my parched lips, and cleared my throat with what little moisture I could gather in my mouth.

“You just saved your job, your worthless coward.”

Palomar neighed again and bowed its large head.

I exhaled loudly.

“Get down here before I change my mind and fire your sorry horse's ass.”

At that moment, as Palomar began descending the steps, I saw something fly high in the sky behind the beast.

Trailing a stream of sparkling emerald light, the scout flyer executed what I recognized as a barrel roll, then streaked overhead, cutting a fast path across the sky and under the spreading grey clouds.

The flyer did not circle round to Calandor.

Nor did it make any effort to land on Calmonad.

On outstretched gossamer wings glowing brightly with the Ether, it flew straight and true to the west, and disappeared over the mountains bordering the lake.

I stared at those distant peaks as an unpleasant sensation crawled around in my chest.

That flyer was one of ours, with a pilot and a navigator, yet it had flown away from us and clearly on a mission.

I nodded inwardly to myself.

I see. So that’s how it is. They have eyes everywhere.

I understood then and there that the Khan Orden would be coming.

A storm, as they say, was building up behind those mountains, in a land far to the west.

The land of a great Empire ruled by an ambitious Empress.

The events that had taken place here and over the past month were not the start of the story.

They were the prologue to a story that may well be told through the ages.

In the meantime, the first droplets of rain began to land on me, and on the unconscious woman I carried.

I turned around when I felt Palomar nudge my shoulder with its cold, wet nose.

Regarding my steed unhappily, I then studied Iris Dirac, feeling her weight begin to strain my arms just a little.

It wasn’t easy, but somehow, with Palomar standing perfectly still and steady, I was able to climb onto the saddle without dropping Iris.

Then the rain began to bucket down, and Palomar shook his head and mane in disagreement with the weather.

As we rode back up Calmonad’s terraces, I chose to ignore the headache that settled in between my temples, and hoped the Thread in my body would take care of it sooner rather than later.

I hadn’t lied when I told Gabrielle there were difficult days ahead.

Dealing with a headache was the least of my worries.

A little trivia.

I wrote the scene between Falken and Fallon to the music of "Gargantia on the Verdant World".

Specifically the track: "Shukuen no Makugire" by Iwashiro Tarou.

The final scene where Falken spies the flyer departing to the west was written to the music of

"Human Step / Aramaki's Theme" from the "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" movie.