Ravyn had lost an eye. The other was badly damaged, but it was the opinion of both herself and Morningstar that this remaining eye was still sufficiently intact to heal under the powers of the Pod in her Tower. She was remarkably unperturbed by the permanent loss of one eye. She had always scared me, but all the more for the easy way with which she accepted the outcome. Before an hour was out she claimed to have enough vision back to be able to travel. I somehow doubted this, but I was not going to be the one to physically force her to rest further or take a companion. She departed for Baltimore.

  Lucius wasn’t dead, as it turned out. We found Lucius semi-conscious and tangled high in the branches of an old oak tree four hundred yards from the clearing, such had been the power of Julia’s blow. After much deliberation as to how to reach him, be it using CUT to feel the tree or climbing up to bring him down, Morningstar solved the issue by firing BEAM and letting gravity solve the rest of his problems. Once he roused himself he departed with haste. He had come on Enki’s demand, but the Empire treated its Griidlords like soldiers, and he was clearly already fearful of the consequences of too great an absence. He had a long journey ahead of him and left before he was probably recovered enough to safely do so.

  When I explained to Olaf that I had plucked him from his station in Albany and dropped him on a mountainside that was fully four hours or more away, he was staggered and not best pleased.

  “Four hours, Ti! We’re at war! What if something happens?”

  I sighed, “Nothing’s going to happen. There won’t be an attack today.”

  Olaf was not soothed. “How can you possibly know that? If there’s an attack we’ll be sanctioned! Worse. This is desertion, dereliction.”

  I said, “I’m so sorry I did this to you. She would have died without you. I had no other choice.”

  His eyes took in Racquel, who was now sitting up, and he hissed at me, “You still haven’t told me what’s going on.”

  I said, “I will. Really I will. I have to now. But it’s a long story, and you’re a long way out from Albany. Maybe you should go back and we’ll get a chance to talk about this again when we’re not four hours deserted?”

  Olaf’s eyes were wide with disbelief. But he nodded, aiming a finger at me, “You owe me an explanation.”

  I said, “I owe you more than that.”

  Maybe something in my voice revealed more than I intended, because he glanced at Racquel again and back to me, and his severity faltered somewhat. After a moment he said, “We’ll start with answers.” With that he turned and sped away from the clearing, a dancing bull, moving through the forest with a grace and speed that belied his size, Griid-suit on or not.

  And that left us three: myself, Racquel, and Morningstar. So much flooded me. My relief and pleasure at Racquel’s survival became muted at the realization of what we had discovered about each other. She heard the voice as well. I wanted to be angry that she had kept this secret from me, but I had kept the exact same secret back from her. She seemed to mirror my feelings exactly. The revelation simultaneously deepened our intimacy and left a veil of doubt between us.

  Morningstar stood between us, where Racquel, shocked, still gathering herself from her near death, and I stood, my mind reeling with thoughts: Racquel’s revelation, Joel’s sudden appearance and shocking demise.

  Morningstar pointed from me to her, “You two kids are making a huge mistake.”

  I winced. The depth of despair I had displayed in trying to save her had revealed more than I had intended. Still, I couldn’t regret it. I had saved her—that’s what mattered. Whatever it cost me in the aftermath I was willing to pay.

  Morningstar said, “You could lose your suits if this is discovered. Worse. And whatever about you, I know you’re chummy with Balthazar and you’ve got some protection with the way the people of your city feel about you, she won’t be so lucky. Minneapolis is different. They run to the old Skarls people rules there. It will mean death for her if this is revealed.”

  I wanted to respond, but Racquel spoke before I could. “You think we don’t know that? It’s none of his business to worry about my consequences. It’s worth the risk to me.”

  My heart fluttered and my eyes widened at this admission. She was saying out loud that it was worth risking death for the moments we stole together. The weight of that pressed down on me and lifted me up at once.

  Morningstar said, “It’s easy to say that now, kids. It won’t be so easy when you’ve been stripped of your suit and are hanging from a rope, and you’re hearing the news about it all on the grapevine a week later.”

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  I swallowed hard.

  Racquel said, “No-one will know.”

  Morningstar shook his head. “I know, now. Your shield friend from Boston has it figured. I can guarantee you that Ravyn figured it out. The only miracle you could have is if Lucius hasn’t realized it. A secret can’t be kept with that many aware of it.”

  I stared at him. “You won’t spread it.” It was an assertion of definite fact.

  He said, “Of course not.” I knew it was true. Even if Indianapolis joined the surrounding cities in a campaign to persecute Boston for the outcome of our war with Buffalo, I knew there was no way this man would leverage the information.

  I said, “And Olaf won’t. And Ravyn won’t.”

  Morningstar laughed, not kindly, “How can you know what Ravyn will and won’t do?”

  She was of the most vicious reputation. The deadliest Axe alive, worse even than Pike Jaxwulf. A Griidlord for a city that made most of its wealth by hiring its armies and Griidlords to the highest bidder. But I thought of the way she’d kept the old man Arnold cared for him and wanted to do more for him. There was too much humanity in her, I thought.

  Morningstar shook his head and threw his hand in the air, “It’s none of my business. But I couldn’t leave it unsaid. If you want to end your careers over something like… this… then that’s your choice. But you’re playing with fire.”

  He paused. There was silence. I waited with expectation. Then he said, “A moment, kid. If you don’t mind.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him but followed as he walked away from Racquel, down the slope toward the treeline.

  Racquel’s helm was down so her senses were unenhanced. Speaking low, he said, “What about Joel?”

  I shook my head. My feelings for the event had not straightened themselves out yet. I couldn’t have said that I had any affection for the mad old Wildknight. But he’d been part of my world since before the suit; he’d become a part of my odyssey. There were mysteries sealed away with his death. There were feelings I had at the way in which he’d lost his life. He’d clearly been hovering during the battle. Why had he stepped in at that moment? Clearly he had come to oversee Julia finding peace from her madness, but the moment he had revealed himself seemed to have been an intervention on my part. My mind was confused on the subject of Joel, but there was a strange creeping sadness at the mention of his name.

  I said, “He can’t be buried here. Not Joel Montagnion. He belongs in the Empire. He might have left them, but he also built them. They’d honor him.”

  Morningstar raised a brow at me and said nothing. I could read the question: why had I concealed him? I said, “I will take the body back. But not the relics.”

  Morningstar nodded. There was no judgment or distaste there, just confirmation. “What do you want relics for, kid? You’ve got a suit.”

  I unfolded the armor at my left wrist to reveal the broken relic. I was disappointed that such a priceless artifact had been destroyed. Twice it had saved my life. I had hoped to use it longer. But I couldn’t regret it. Without it I wouldn’t have lived long enough for Joel to intervene on my behalf.

  Morningstar said, “That’s a neat trick…”

  I just shrugged. I wanted him to go now. I wanted to speak with Racquel.

  Morningstar looked, if anything, a little uncomfortable for a moment. Then he said, “Fine. How are you planning on taking the body back to the Empire? It won’t go well for you if you march into the City of Angels carrying the body of their founder…”

  I said, “I have a plan. I’ll bring the body back to Boston. I’ll hide it somewhere until tomorrow night. The Door will reset tonight, at midnight, right? Well, tomorrow night, a minute before midnight, I’ll step through and take the body with me to someplace outside the city. I’ll put it on the main road, where it will be found. Then a minute later, Door will be available again, and I’ll step back.”

  Morningstar nodded slowly. “That’s… a… why didn’t I ever think of using Door like that?”

  I smiled.

  Morningstar said, “Kid, I know we’ve been on the other side of things. You killed a friend of mine during the Falling, and I can’t say I got over that easy. I know, I know, it’s what happens. It’s what we signed up for. Heck, in my lifetime I’ve killed a lot of friends of a lot of people during Fallings. But now there’s this thing, Balthazar making moves on Buffalo—”

  “If anything, they’re making moves on us,” I cut in.

  He waved the thought aside. “The region’s been on edge ever since your Lord Supreme took his seat. The man’s built his whole reputation off war. He’s been building up the armies of the city, we know this. He’s been spending more and more on military resources, more than can be sustained or justified by successful Fallings. We know he’s got appetites. I’m telling you right now, Indianapolis, not the New Yorks, nor a handful of other cities, is going to stand by and watch him start building an empire in our back yard.”

  I said, “Buffalo needs to be contained. The Green Men are a cancer on the land.”

  “Not arguing that. All I’m saying is what I said to him. If you win this war and slave that Tower, it won’t go easy for you. We won’t stand by and watch it happen.”

  I said, “We have to win this war for that to be a problem. With the forces they can employ that’s a lot easier said than done.”

  Morningstar looked down and away, thinking for a moment. Then, “I’m just saying, think about your choices. This thing with you and her, I know how the heart can make a fella do stupid things, I’ve been young myself, I’ve been in love. And this thing with Buffalo. Don’t let yourself get roped in and roped up. We’ve been on the other side of things, but I like you, kid. You’ll be at least as strong as me one day. I’d prefer not to have to take you down before you get there.”

  I didn’t step back from the admonition, the threat. I just nodded, “I wouldn’t want that either, honestly.”

  He nodded, face grim, as if to say he’d said enough. He turned to go and I stopped him, “Hey. Your Axe, the one with the beard, who came with you with Kestrel. Who is he? He seemed familiar.”

  Morningstar let out a puff of air. “That’s a friend of yours, kid.”

  I frowned at him. He looked so familiar, but that mad tangle of beard could have concealed almost any face I knew.

  Morningstar said, “That’s Gideon.”

  My jaw dropped in surprise. It made too much sense. His rage during the Choosing, the way he fought. He had been born for the Axe. I supposed I had expected he’d find a suit somewhere.

  Morningstar left and it was Racquel, two bodies, and me.

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