“So, I don’t suppose any of you have been in N’s prison,” Garder asked sarcastically.

  “I’ve heard that the corridors are so tight, demirriages can’t come in safely. Probably part of the design plan,” Jeryn replied. “And, you know, sneaking into prison is harder than escaping. How are we going to do this?”

  Milla looked out of Shin’s apartment window. The streets were soaked with rain, and Guardsmen were posted on every corner. The City was definitely on a heightened state of alert.

  “In any case, we’re lucky to have gotten back in at all. If Shin didn’t have a home here, who knows what we would’ve had to do to to get back in. Look at that—they’ve even brought in a dreadnaught.”

  “Really?” Garder leapt off Shin’s couch to take a look.

  “Mmm… Looks like the Gods’ Palm,” Shin replied, looking up at the massive airship hovering above the City’s towers, its spotlights on a constant vigilance, and its engines lightly vibrating the windows.

  “Bit of a pretentious name, don’t you think?”

  “Gods—plural,” Verim said as he put on a pair of wooden bracelets. “Built by the Romans to celebrate their deities. That’s how old it is.”

  “A two-thousand-year-old airship?” Simon questioned, looking for himself. “Somehow, I can believe that.”

  Milla explained, “Non-organic decay is slower in Aurra with the physical shift. On top of that, maintenance is never a problem with basic synthesizers. The Guard almost never adds to their armada. No need to.”

  The Gods’ Palm dipped and floated upwards again in the high winds, occasionally going outside of N’s protection and showing off its own provided by its three onboard suns, all kept safely nestled in its interior. Hundreds of lights covered its belly and dorsal, and the cannons attached to it could easily go up against Earth’s strongest artillery.

  “We’ve got to do this without alerting that ship,” Milla worried. “They have enough men in there to overtake the City.”

  “At least we won’t be returning to Earth for a while…” Garder sighed. “No need to lug these suitcases around anymore.”

  “What if we used the claws to get in?” Lechi suggested. “Maybe we could get lucky and find a crevice or quarry on Earth, and sneak right in.”

  “But we already know what’s on the other side around here. It’s just a farming field. The prison is at least a hundred feet below ground, too.”

  “Actually, there’s an entire subterranean complex under N,” Shin explained. “But if we could just find this boy Temki, I’m sure we could escape right out from his cell.”

  “What kind of complex?”

  “I’ve seen the upper levels. N may be one of the few Cities to have one… I’m not sure, could be some big, global control center. I’d guess that there are a few others around Aurra.”

  “So how are we going to do this?” Milla wondered.

  “The military building has access to this underground complex.”

  “Ugh. That’d be the worst place to go right now.” Garder retorted.

  “Actually, she might be on to something…” Jeryn replied. “A City’s independent military forces typically are not legally allowed to hold Guardsmen for fear of inducing martial law. It’s the same in each of the twenty Cities not totally run by the Guard.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Milla added. “I believe my predecessor signed that bill. It’s one of the laws that keeps them from completely ruling Aurra.”

  “You guys positive?”

  “Yes, Garder,” Jeryn assured him. “But just to keep things safe, how about one of us checks on Rivia’s office first?”

  “Guess I’ll do it,” he said.

  “No. Me,” Verim argued. “I can properly defend myself, you know.”

  “Got a clear memory of the office? You weren’t there for long.”

  “Yes, yes. Just fine. I’ll go there and come right back.”

  “Very well,” Jeryn agreed and removed the demirriage scroll. “You should know how to use it by now.”

  He sprawled it out, and the scroll absorbed the light outside to form its transport. Verim leapt in, and within seconds, disappeared.

  “That guy is still a little weird to me…” Garder mumbled.

  “He makes for an excellent tracker,” Shin replied. “He senses any danger quickly, as well. You’re lucky to have him with us.”

  “But did he really grow up in a jungle once?”

  “He was a British explorer’s son in an earlier lifetime. Ended up alone in Africa, and was raised by natives. Never shook off the personality.”

  “He seems nice, really” Lechi added. “I guess most animalects are. I think your life changes when you can listen to what animals have to say.”

  The carriage reappeared, and Verim poked out to report, “All clear. Lots of Guardsmen surrounding the actual building, but I don’t think there are any inside.”

  “Shin, do you know where the entrance to the complex is located?” Jeryn questioned.

  “If they haven’t moved it recently, yes. It’s a service tunnel, though—almost like a duct. And it’s pretty long. You probably won’t like it.”

  “That doesn’t matter. Whatever gets us there.”

  “Then let’s get a move on. And Lechi, make sure Tanesh stays quiet. We really don’t want to get caught sneaking into a prison.”

  “That’s no problem,” she assured. “Maybe he can even help us.”

  They took a moment to prepare, and then returned to Rivia’s empty office. His two dogs were gone—likely with Linsky somewhere else. The caretaker was under Rivia’s orders to help the group, but it’d be better off to avoid him completely for the time being.

  Shin scouted ahead, leading the group through empty and busy halls alike. There seemed to be quite a commotion about the Guard’s occupation in the City. People were scared and without answers. It was a well-known fact that going against the powers that be earned a transfer to Z—possibly for more than one lifetime. But the group couldn’t worry about that now. It was always an accepted risk while serving in Aurra that one might act in a way that would impact them the next time they were judged in Hold.

  “This way.” Shin led on in the grand foyer, taking advantage of its current lull. “Behind the stairs here.”

  Hidden behind the staircase was a small metal door covered in an alchemagi seal. Shin took out her sword, thrust it cleanly through the door, and pried it open without hesitation.

  Beyond was a small service elevator that could just barely hold the group of seven. They took it down to the only available floor, far below the ground, where a sturdy stone slab acting as a security gate rested.

  “Just a moment.” Shin stepped up to the door and pressed her hand against certain spots of the engraved patterns. “In case you haven’t figured it out, I have access to some secure areas of the City. Our kingdom relies on such access for assignments.”

  “What’s the place behind this door like?” Simon wondered.

  “Fairly big and deep. We don’t know how many others like it are out there, like I said before. It seems to be run by the Administration.”

  “If that’s true, then this is a dangerous place,” Jeryn said. “The Administration is something even Milla would know nothing about. They have more power than the Guard.”

  “What is the Administration?” Simon asked.

  “They control everything in Aurra that can be controlled—except people. That’s the Guard’s job. Power, transfers, maybe even Hold in some way we couldn’t begin to understand. They operate entirely underground and in complete secrecy. If people from the Administration are reborn into upper Aurra like the rest of us, they’ve done a good job of keeping quiet.”

  Shin opened the door, which slid sideways with a grind. Beyond was a cave, built into like a mineshaft with ladders, beams, and metal grating. The lights on the sides were dimly lit, leaving it in almost total darkness.

  “We have to go down there?” Garder sighed.

  “That’s right.”

  “Hm… I just realized something. I always wondered if the haze would exist in an underground Aurrian cave.”

  “If it’s under solid rock, the haze can be kept out. Haven’t you heard of W? Not a great place to live, but it’s the only Aurrian City built below the surface. Doesn’t even have a central sun. Anyway, everyone stay close. This won’t be a short journey—but we shouldn’t have to make a return trip.”

  They proceeded cautiously through the twisting catacombs. The branching tunnels would turn around on themselves often, while at other times give way to long, narrow downward stretches. All was silent with the exception of dripping, echoing water and the footsteps of the group.

  “We should be out of N’s sun’s reach by now,” Shin said after nearly a half hour of traversing. “It feels strange down here, doesn’t it?”

  “Doesn’t feel like we’re on Aurra anymore,” Milla replied.

  “Tanesh hears something…” Lechi informed the others. “Distant ‘metal things’… is what he hears.”

  “We’re getting close, then. Keep going—just a bit further.”

  The sounds of a heavy subterranean industry grew louder the deeper they went. When they finally reached the end of the service passage, they were greeted with an imposing sight deep under City N.

  A vertical tunnel of unknown length dwelled before them. The lights of a thousand windows covered the sides, disappearing into the darkness above and below. Hundreds of metal bridges in varying sizes connected the sides to one another, while individual towers, lit with dull blues, arose from the larger overpasses. The deep sound of machinery echoed throughout.

  “What… What is this place?” Garder whispered.

  “An Administration center,” Shin replied simply.

  “It’s huge,” Milla said. “How are we supposed to find the prison?”

  “Look for signs? We’ll figure it out. Come on—this way.”

  Several ladders down, they reached a bridge. The area seemed mostly empty, though a few Administration personnel were on the skyways above and below. They wore black and white uniforms and had no expressions.

  “Attention, attention…” echoed a dull voice. “System nitrogen levels miscount on sub-level four… All lightning staff, please report…”

  “So, where are we, exactly?” Garder asked Shin once more.

  “I already told you that I don’t really know. It’s the underground of Aurra, the people in control. Your guess about this place is as good as any.”

  “Ventilation intake error in sector seventeen… Repair immediately. Restore power to City G’s western district in the process…”

  “They have power plants down here,” Milla noted. “Likely more utilities, as well. I wonder how deep this tunnel goes.”

  “It just fades into blackness,” Verim replied.

  An unearthly roar howled out from down below. The bridge began to tremble on a tempo, as if something big were making its way upward.

  “What is that?”

  “Hide…” Shin said calmly. “I don’t know—just hide.”

  Garder spotted a small, darkened relay tower in the center of the bridge. They hurried over to it and hugged against the wall on the opposite side of where the trembling was the most intense. Garder and Shin peeked over just in time to see a massive, armored gray creature scaling the sides.

  The beast had five legs, one acting as a tail, and a small head attached to a long, flexible neck. Its feet were able to cling to the sides without damaging any of the structure, and the Administration staff above paid it little notice when it passed by them.

  “What the… hell was that?” Garder whispered.

  “I… I have no idea. I’ve never seen such a thing.”

  “It’s not from Earth, whatever it is,” Verim said from the other side of the tower. “It seemed like it was patrolling, didn’t it?”

  “Garder, it had the same skin as the demon,” Lechi added as the group came together again. “I think I might’ve seen gills, too.”

  “A bioweapon?” Jeryn guessed. “But how… how was it made? Why is it here? Do you think the demon…”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “We’re not going to find out any answers right now,” Shin urged the group. “Let’s find the prison and get out of here.”

  “There’s no other place in Aurra that looks like this. It’s like out of a science fiction movie,” Garder replied.

  “We’re all seeing everything down here for the first time.”

  “Even if we did find the right place, we still have to find Temki,” Milla said. “What we need is access to records. And as for the level itself… I think it’s doubtful that prisoners go through here. The prison is probably in a different place, cut off from all this.”

  “Come here,” Verim called from across the bridge. “I think I’ve found something.”

  They went over and looked down. Below, splitting through the tunnel, was a rail system bringing in metal caskets of some sort at a constant rate. Almost completely concealed by the darkness, the casket-carrying trains only occupied a small part of the tunnel, going from one end and through the wall just a few dozen yards away.

  “Caskets…” Milla explained. “Covered in alchemagi seals. They’re used to transport prisoners, have to be.”

  “Think these catacombs connect all the way to Z?” Garder wondered. “There could be miles and miles of tunnels down here.”

  “Perhaps,” Shin replied. “But Rivia said this boy Temki was being held here. There must be a prison in the complex we’re in. Following those caskets might be our best bet for finding the place.”

  “What? Down there? It’s a big drop,” Simon fretted.

  “Don’t worry. It’s not a problem,” Jeryn assured him and took out a handful of seeds. “I have enough metal here to work with, too. These will be good gliders.”

  “G-gliders?”

  Jeryn summoned his plant and iron powers. The seeds turned into large leaves—seven in all, and the bits of guardrail taken from the bridge reformed into sturdy steel harnesses. He strapped himself in first.

  “We’re actually supposed to glide down there?”

  “Because of the suppression devices, as long as we know we can make it in the first place, our bodies will do most of the work without our trying. And if anything goes wrong, most of us have enough experience in air manipulation to get us back on track.”

  “B-but you’re talking about landing on beams about a foot wide.”

  “You’ll be surprised how your mind works, Simon,” Garder said. “Trust us—just do what we do.”

  Simon watched as everyone strapped into their gliders and began flinging themselves off of the bridge, one at a time. Lechi kept Tanesh clung to her back with a sturdy vine, and had no problem getting down to the beam herself. The gliders practically controlled on their own, it seemed. Every minor adjustment felt like it was made automatically.

  “Just keep your eyes open so your mind knows what to do,” Garder reiterated before jumping himself. “It will keep you alive as much as it can. That’s what the suppression devices do. So just trust it.”

  Simon looked down. It only took a minute for Garder to reach the destination, landing on the beam with perfect accuracy. Like the others, he tossed the glider away into the darkness below. They walked across and into the tunnels ahead without even having to balance themselves. They were leaving him behind—but that was how sure they were that he’d make it.

  He gulped before leaping, and struggled to keep his eyes open. But once he saw that his index finger had extended by itself and the right words to control air currents came back to his mind, he relaxed. Just as Garder had said—his mind found the proper way to act and did it for him. As insane and impossible as the stunt seemed, it became natural on Aurra.

  He landed on the beam and tossed the glider away. Below him, the concealed caskets moved on their tracks, which bent around to reenter the massive complex beyond the walls.

  Simon followed, and quickly reunited with his group. They had gotten off at an empty platform that appeared to be unused, the lit sign hanging above reading, “Prison Level B3”. The caskets all continued past the platform after Simon jumped off the rail.

  “See? Told you—nothing to it. You just have to have the right supplies,” Garder welcomed him.

  “Containers were empty,” Verim reported. “Didn’t smell anyone…”

  “Odd that this place seems so devoid of staff,” Jeryn noted. “I kind of expected to see a lot more people around.”

  “Anyway, we found the prison without much difficulty,” Shin said.

  “Should we just wander around trying to find Temki?” Milla thought aloud. “I don’t see any place to access records here.”

  “He’s a paradigm, Milla. He’s probably being kept here secretly. So, what we should do is find the most secure level and start from there.”

  “We should be defensive from here on out,” Jeryn said. “Shin, you lead and I’ll cover the rear. Simon, blind anyone who comes after us. That doesn’t cause any real harm, so you shouldn’t have a problem doing it.”

  “Okay,” he said and readjusted his glasses. “I’ll be ready.”

  “Careful,” Shin warned. “We’re deep in dangerous territory now.”

  After using a lightning spell to energize her blade with electricity, she breathed in, and then cut across the station’s metal door with a thundering crack. The attack was so fast and precise that the door was in two pieces on the ground a second later. But the entry also likely triggered a silent alarm.

  “Now, we hurry.”

  Shin guided the group ahead and through the cold, rusted metal corridors. At first, there were only empty, old cells. But as they went deeper inside, the environment began to shift into more furnished settings. Like the Cities themselves, the prison seemed to have ranked cells for their inmates. But it’d be impossible to see the kind of people that were locked up; there had yet to be any. The entire compound seemed nearly vacant.

  Passing several intersections, they made a sudden stop at a large, white door labeled with bold, black, promising lettering: “This Block Reserved for Extraordinary Inmates”.

  “Would Temki be extraordinary, you think?” Shin commented. “Hold on a moment. I don’t think they were expecting anyone to get all the way down here at all, hence the lax security. But be ready to attack, Verim.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Shin performed the same lightning-edged sword strike as earlier, easily slicing through the door to create an entrance. Verim dove in immediately and slid down a metal staircase. There were four guards positioned inside—to some surprise.

  He landed in between the four of them, raised his arms, and shot out vines from the wooden bracelets around his wrists. The vines slammed them against the walls, ensnaring them and knocking three of them out.

  “Sorry about that,” Verim said and cut the vines off from his arms. “But we’re looking for someone.”

  “You’re the ones they warned us about…” the remaining guard moaned in pain. “How did you even get in here?”

  He was utterly passive, devoid of any emotion other than slight intrigue at the moment. Was everyone down here like him?

  “We’re a bit special, you could say,” Shin replied coolly as the rest of the group traversed down the stairs and into the small security room.

  “How is it that you can hurt us?”

  “Verim here has the ability to do such a thing. I’m sure he kept you conscious for a reason, too.”

  “We’re looking for someone,” Verim explained. “A young boy. And I’m guessing the four of you stand around all day guarding him? Sounds boring. But shame on you for locking up children, Mr. Guard.”

  “You have… no idea what kind of trouble you’re getting into…”

  Verim grabbed onto the loose end of the vine keeping the guard pinned against the wall. He tightened its grasp enough to break the spear that he was still holding, and he groaned in pain once more.

  “Please,” Lechi said politely. “We don’t want to hurt you. We just need this boy. To save people. We’re trying to do a good thing…”

  “You’re all going to Z for this,” the guard’s cold voice seemingly crept into their ears. “All of you. Forgiveness will never come. You’re not defying the Guard—you’re defying the very core of the circle. Do you even have any idea where you are? What we’re capable of down here? You pitiful top-dwellers… Na?ve upstarts… Ugh!”

  Verim grew angry and impatient as he tightened the grip of the plant further. “Just tell us where he is. This doesn’t concern you. Forget your worthless loyalties for a moment and be concerned about your own life.”

  He didn’t say anything. Verim sighed and made a gesture that he was about to apply more pressure. Finally, the guard spoke meekly.

  “He’s in the next room… You just have to type the access code…”

  “Which is?”

  “There will be retribution as you cannot conceive for this… We are not as forgiving as the Guard… You fools…”

  “That’s all well and good,” Shin growled. “But you won’t live to see us ‘punished’ if you don’t help. Shut up and give us the code.”

  “It’s… it’s ‘22535642.’ Type it into the panel there. Do what you will… Do you honestly think you’ll be able to leave this place? No one’s ever broken out of here.”

  “Go to sleep now,” Verim said and touched the vine again.

  The end of the vine shot out a cloud of spores that knocked the guard out almost immediately. Shin had already typed in the pass code into the alchemagi seal-covered door panel, opening it.

  “Should’ve been harder than this,” Garder murmured as they passed through. “But, I guess I’m glad it wasn’t.”

  The room behind the door held four small cells in a nearly blinding brightness. The roof and floor were covered with white lights, eliminating any shadows. Each cell was covered in a thick cage of vertical bars, all drenched in a large slathering of alchemagi sealant. Shin checked each cell quickly, stopping at the last one with a smile.

  “He’s in here,” she said. “Sleeping, it looks like.”

  The group merged together in the tight corridor to see the child they were supposed to be rescuing. The boy’s home was small, but he had a comfortable bed and a decorated bookshelf. They seemed to be taking good care of him, despite the fact that he was still trapped in a hidden prison complex about a mile below ground.

  “Temki?” Milla called to him from outside the cell.

  He stirred right away, his eyes fluttering a few times before he sat up in his bed. He took a moment to look at the group, and then uncovered the small wooden staff he had concealed under the covers.

  Temki was a small, weak child on first glance. He was covered in several layers of heavy robes and still had on his fur boots. Two scarves almost completely covered his neck. Only his hands and his tired face were uncovered. His nearly golden hair was flat and tidy, the curious eyes under his bangs just a bit larger than average.

  “Who are you?” he asked weakly.

  “We’re with Rivia. We came to get you out.”

  “Oh… that old fool…”

  “O-old fool?” Garder growled a bit.

  “You bunch shouldn’t have come here…” he said in a pensive tone. “It’s suicide to even step into an administrative complex.”

  “Well, we’re here now, and we need you to help us.”

  “Why are you dressed so warmly?” Shin wondered.

  “Oh… I’m sensitive to cold. I’m always cold. I don’t know why.”

  “And how long have you been here?”

  “Since I was very little. Before my memories started… working.”

  “Here? In this cell?” Lechi continued sadly.

  “One of several. This is where they keep me now. But they give me books to read. And this staff… they say I have to keep it by my side, or my powers will go out of control.”

  “How old are you?” Milla asked.

  “Eight, I think. I don’t remember much about my home. The Guard took me away long ago. I don’t know where my parents are.”

  “Wait—you don’t remember your home?” Garder grumbled. “Look, pretty much the entire reason we came all this way was so that you could pilot us to City I.”

  “Pilot?”

  “Temki, we have something called a demirriage,” Jeryn explained.

  “Oh…” he said before Jeryn could finish. “I know what those are. I’ve read all about them. But I didn’t think they were still around. It’s true that I don’t have many clear memories of my home… But the mountain, I remember very well.”

  “Mount Ultimaeus?” Milla replied.

  “Yes…”

  “The tallest mountain in Aurra,” she explained to Simon. “It’s about a mile taller than Everest. And it isn’t surrounded by a large range, either; it just starts from rolling hills and goes straight up.”

  “You remember the mountain?” Garder recalled some knowledge. “Ah, that’s just a few miles out of I. So that’ll do.”

  “You don’t want to go to I during the winter…” Temki said. “The wind is so strong, it blows the haze enough to make it seem like it’s not even there. I remember that. But it is still there… and it doesn’t look like any of you have sunlamps… You’ll melt. Or, you know…”

  “I’m from Earth,” Simon explained. “My body seems to act like a sun would.”

  “Yeah, we’re covered on that front,” Garder added. “We just need you to bring us out there. We have to get to City I. It’s important.”

  “No… I don’t think so…”

  “N-no?”

  “I don’t want to leave. Even if this cell had no bars, I would not leave. This is my only home. I’m scared of the big world…”

  “You’re a first lifer, aren’t you?” Milla said kindly.

  “Yes… And I died young on Earth. I really am just a child. I don’t know that much, and I’m frightened of nearly everything… I’m sorry, but I want to stay here.”

  “You poor thing. But Temki, we can protect you. I know how you feel, but we can be like a family to you.”

  Garder scowled, “Do we have to?”

  “Garder…” Milla sighed. “Put yourself in his position. He’s scared and confused. He’s never lived a full life. He probably hasn’t received a proper Aurrian education. He likely doesn’t even know why he’s here, and now we’re asking so much of him.”

  “Hey,” Verim spoke in a brotherly manner. “You don’t really want to stay here. There’s a whole world out there for you to explore. Wouldn’t you like to go on a bit of an adventure? At least back to your home again?”

  “We really don’t have a choice, and neither do you,” Garder said, trying not to sound peeved. “I really don’t want to force you out of there.”

  “Fine. Do whatever you want with me,” he said with a sniffle.

  “Geez, what a wimp,” Garder whispered to Milla’s mind.

  She returned the comment with a scowl.

  “Just a moment, Temki,” Shin said.

  She took out five small bombs from her side pack and fit them in snugly around the cell’s locks to blow them off.

  “Hide under your bed for me, okay?”

  He nodded, and then slid under his small, wooden bed frame. The rest of the group took a step back as Shin raised an index finger and sparked each bomb, causing them to detonate with loud pops. The gate to the cell swung open, and an emergency siren filled the air.

  “Warning. Forced cell door opening detected in… Sector B3. All personnel, cover sector and all means of escape immediately.”

  “Great, now the whole Administration is after us,” Garder groaned.

  “We can’t use the demirriage here, there’s not enough room,” Jeryn noticed. “We’ll have to go back into that operations center.”

  “Temki? We have to move now. Okay, sweetie?” Milla asked of him compassionately.

  The child didn’t move from under his bed. He trembled all over in fright from the sudden blaring alarm system.

  “Are you kidding me?” Garder snapped.

  “Quit being so unpleasant—really, I mean it,” Milla said angrily. “Like you’ve never been scared, Garder.”

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Grab him and let’s get out of here.”

  Milla reached into the cell, but didn’t have to reach for Temki—as soon as he noticed her, he went into her arms like she was his mother.

  They rushed back into the previous room, where Verim’s vines still held the guards firm against the walls. Jeryn took out his scroll and had opened it on the ground before coming to a full stop. The combined brightness from the lights of the two rooms was just enough to power it. Tanesh barking wildly, the group squeezed inside.

  “Now, Temki—see that pedestal right there?”

  He shook his head in response.

  “It’s hard to find, I know, but it is there. Just press the top and focus your thoughts on the bottom of that mountain you remember.”

  “Hurry!” Garder shouted, noticing that the two main hallways were filling with oncoming guards.

  Jeryn raised three fingers and formed a plasma barrier around the carriage. The guards quickly began to counter it with ice and water. More and more arrived from both directions, and Jeryn was having a tough time maintaining the protective field.

  “They’ll break through any second,” he explained. “Temki, hurry—bring us to your home. Don’t be scared.”

  Temki nodded, straightened himself, and closed his eyes. He thought for a few moments before hitting the pedestal with an open palm.

  The carriage dissipated into the air just as the guards broke through the plasma field and launched attacks against the nearly defenseless group.

  Biting cold air surrounded everyone just moments later. The change in temperature was so drastic that the group spent a few seconds just recovering from shock. But they had to escape from the carriage right away, or it would dissolve, taking it with them.

  Outside, the sun was setting, and night was quickly approaching. The tallest mountain in Aurra was just over a few smaller hills to the west. And down across a domed valley of frozen trees were the lights of the tiny City I. Simon’s protective field was working as it should—though it was much smaller now as the cold penetrated every bit of his psyche.

  “Wow, it worked…” Temki said. “I didn’t think it would…”

  “T-T-Temki… c-could you… I heard y-you can synthesize… S-so make us… s-some winter clothing… we d-didn’t bring any,” Garder demanded as he shivered in the blinding wind.

  “Winter clothing?”

  “P-please,” Shin added. “W-we’ll f-f-freeze if you don’t…”

  “Oh. I guess you’re right. Just a moment.”

  Temki closed his eyes and raised his staff. He concentrated as hard as he could, and thick clothing began to materialize around the group similar to how it would in Hold. The articles of outerwear were essentially each an exact duplicate of what everyone already had on—just thicker and heavier.

  After warming up a little, everyone raised their hoods and scarves to cover most of their faces. City I seemed close enough, but in the blinding and freezing wind of Aurra’s far north, the journey was already proving treacherous. With the remaining light quickly fading, they’d have to walk the entire way. Temki was the only one who was used to the frigid lands, and he had seemingly gone from a scared child to the leader of the group.

  “I’m starting to remember now…” he said. “But we better hurry before night falls. I don’t think we’ll make it if that happens. Come on—let’s go, then. By the way, I can alter your thought patterns to make you feel warmer, if you’d like…”

  “N-no thanks,” Garder replied, still quite chilled from the weather. “Leave my b-brain alone, please…”

  “Well, okay, if you say so.”

  Lechi heard a whimper and looked down to see Tanesh, already covered in snow. She picked him up and brushed him off.

  “I’m really tempted to try and heat up the air around us…” Jeryn said. “But I’ve never been able to do such a subtle temperature rise without burning something to a crisp.”

  “Then don’t,” Garder replied. “Forget trying to stay warm here. It’s impossible. Let’s just put all our effort into keeping our legs moving.”

  They set off down the valley. None of them could stop thinking about the bizarre places they had been to across the journey thus far. But now, they were probably ready for anything. Returning to the more familiar surroundings of an Aurrian City for some time would be like a breath of relief, no matter what condition it may be in.

  The difficult part would be in convincing its people to leave.