Gemini Torqueburn burst from the eastern mines, her breath ragged, two glowing nuggets of Ether bouncing in her backpack. The prettiest things she had ever seen, yet they weren’t hers. Stealing was wrong, she knew, but technically, she’d helped Mindy extract them. Her nuanced knowledge of precious stones had been invaluable, so this, she told herself, was merely payment for hard work. She knew, however, that others wouldn’t share her interpretation, which was precisely why she was running.

  She was in luck. The train sat in the station, a metallic beast awaiting its journey back to the city, her ticket to freedom. No time to waste. Quick thinking spurred her to snatch up a rock and hurl it in the opposite direction. It was the oldest trick in the book, yet it still worked. Trane Reddington, the conductor, distracted by the loud clang, went to investigate. This gave Gem just enough time to slip onboard, her small size allowing her to vanish into an overhead compartment.

  Trane returned to her post, and a conversation ensued. “Has anyone boarded the train yet?”

  “Hey, Bravira, good to see you too. Nope, no one’s shown up yet.”

  “Mind if I take a look around?”

  “Sure, be my guest.”

  Bravira entered the train, her gaze sweeping down the aisle. She didn’t check the overhead compartments, instead taking a seat with an air of decisive calm.

  “Bravira, is everything okay?” Trane asked.

  “Yes, change of plans. I think it’s time I visited the city. Let’s be on our way.”

  “You don’t think we should wait for others? Seems like a waste to ride the train for just one person.”

  Bravira shot the conductor a look that brooked no negotiation, and soon the train lurched into motion, rumbling toward the city. Gemini, hidden inches above Bravira, pressed herself against the cold metal, willing herself to be silent, invisible. Stay calm, Gem, stay calm.

  “I know you’re up there.”

  The game was up. Gem descended from the compartment, landing with a soft thud, standing before Bravira.

  “You’re a Torqueburn sister, aren’t you?”

  Gem nodded, defeat too bitter on her tongue to speak.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Cheer up. I’m not going to turn you in. The Tanzanights don’t know about these three new pieces, and I want to keep it that way.”

  “But don’t you work for them?”

  “I work with them, not for them.”

  “I think you’re going to get into a lot of trouble,” Gem ventured, a tremor in her voice.

  “We’re all going to be in a lot of trouble if you don’t do what I suggest.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I love the Tanzanights, but this power is getting to their heads. At first, I thought war was inevitable, that we’d all have to pick sides. But then I realized that if the Petalcrests had the power of Ether too, we could avoid battle altogether. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you give one nugget to your sisters and one nugget to the Petalcrests. It’s the only way to balance the playing field and prevent disaster.”

  Gem nodded, though she couldn’t quite grasp how these pretty purple rocks could ignite a war. “Why don’t you just give them to them yourself? Why do you need me?”

  “Because they will trust you more than me. And I also don’t want this getting back to the Tanzanights that I was part of this plan.”

  They sat in silence for the remainder of the journey. When the train finally halted at the city station, Bravira headed off in a different direction, leaving Gem to ponder the fate of her own Ether. Alone, Gemini faced a decision: follow Bravira’s cryptic plan, or forge her own path? Bravira was a Vicinage, after all. Could she truly be trusted? Perhaps giving the Ether to her sisters and the Petalcrests was the very act that would ignite the coming war. Perhaps power would corrupt them too, driving them to attack the mines to seize the rest.

  Gem didn’t know what to do. How valuable were these things, really? She had to find out before she started giving them away. She headed toward Lurelle Veilstorm’s jewelry shop. Lurelle was a good friend, and Gem often traded precious stones with her; she would know.

  Inside the shop, Gem was momentarily dazzled by the glittering gold and jewels that surrounded her. Then she saw Electra, the scariest of the Vicinage sisters. Electra often rode atop the trains, defending them from desert beasts, though mercifully, none had attacked on this journey back to the city. Electra might mention seeing her here to Bravira. So Gem pulled up her hood and approached Lurelle.

  “How much for this?” Gem slid one chunk of Ether across the counter.

  Lurelle named a price, and Gem was utterly bewildered. That much? It was insane. So much so that Gem irrationally agreed on the spot, scooped up the pile of coins, and hurried out. Her family would benefit far more from all this gold than one purple rock. The Petalcrests, on the other hand, had too much gold. And maybe, just maybe, Bravira was right.

  And so, Gem headed toward the palace. Along the way, she met her sister, Fruitalia, who was already boasting about the magnificent gift she had secured for Princess Lilirose. Fruitalia pulled out a ruby-colored plum, plump and glistening, and Gem found herself salivating. It looked delicious, and she hadn’t eaten in hours.

  “So, Gem,” Fruitalia teased, a glint in her eye, “do you have anything as grand to give to Lilirose?”

  Gem remained silent, a secret smile playing on her lips, knowing the gift nestled in her backpack was far, far greater than any plum.