I ran through the night. The night was only a pale imitation of its true darkness. The magical operation of my riding goggles provided a false image which showed the positions of the ground and any obstacles, without true illumination. My running was even less real. I shuffled along, sometimes dragging my feet, always tempted to stop. Stopping was out of the question, as much as I wanted it. If I stopped to rest, I fear I might never resume the painful process.
BEEP
To pass this awful time, I drew on one of my favourite activities: making lists. Lists allowed me to remember, consider, compare and order everything. Anything which could be expressed as a thought could be added to a list. I did not have access to pen and paper while hobbling onward to Timothy's home, but my memory was quite serviceable. Despite the waves of discomfort crashing back and forth between my bruises — I needed to visit the ocean someday and see how waves actually worked — this was not as difficult as the afternoon I met Skids. I was not under the same pressure to concentrate, because distracting myself was the goal, not a precondition for completing an important task. It was strange to consider that I was under less stress with a pack of demons about to be unleashed on the city around me, but there was no denying that life was strange.
BEEP
The first list I made as I moved inwards from the edge of the city was a list of things I wanted to do once all this was over. It was rather fanciful to imagine that any of this might end well, but I decided not to let that stop me. I decided to add anything I thought of to the list, and the very first item was clothes. I definitely wanted to choose and obtain some clothing that I really liked, and that fit me comfortably. Anything to increase my comfort would have a high priority, I decided.
BEEP
Along similar lines, I could really use a good, filling meal. And I did not want to rely on the generosity of others, which meant I would need to find a job. I did not expect to be welcome back among the Pure, and roaming the wilds was no way to get a decent feed, so that meant finding a job with the mages. My lack of magical knowledge and ability meant I was unlikely to qualify for more than the most basic of drone jobs, but I had to start somewhere. Though I did not really know how employment worked for mages. Perhaps all the different mage roles had low level positions that even an outsider could fill.
BEEP
I worried what impact having only one eye would have on my employment prospects. Which mage jobs required depth perception and being able to see what's on one's right side without turning one's head? I had no idea, so learning about mage jobs was something for the list, above actually obtaining a job. I also had to learn about how their financial system worked. I had not failed to notice that Skids had talked a lot about 'favours' and not so much about money. Dro had brought copper coins on this mission, but I did not know whether that was a special thing for trying to trade with the Pure, or normal for mages. I had to remember not to assume that anything worked the way I had been taught to expect.
BEEP
Examining my assumptions was a task worthy of its own list. But one list at a time was enough, as I also had to put some brainpower into staying on my feet and continuing in what I hoped was the right direction. I expected that if I kept stumbling along the street parallel to the underground rails, I would reach the station. From there, I should be able to follow the same route to 'Douglas Cuts' as last time, provided I did not miss my turn.
BEEP
Reflecting on my list, I decided that I had been far too practical. It was time for less worry and more whimsy. What did I really want to do, ignoring the obstacles?
BEEP
I wanted to see more of the world. I wanted to understand the world better. I wanted to really know how magic worked, and what it actually was. I wanted to know why the Great Maker had forbidden its use. I wanted to understand who the Great Maker was and what his plan for us — for me — was. I wanted to find out where Skids was from and who dro really was.
BEEP
I really wanted to stop hurting. And to see with both eyes. I wanted to look into a mirror and feel good about myself.
BEEP
I wanted my family back.
BEEP
I wanted my father to be pleased at how much I had learned, and at how much I had tried to help people.
BEEP
I wanted my mother to show me how to be a mother and a homemaker by actively being one herself, rather than telling me, Chastity, and Chalice how to look after her home and children.
BEEP
Now she only had Chastity, and Chynella to a lesser degree. She might need to bring in outside help.
BEEP
I wanted to tell Chalice how sorry I was that I could not save her.
BEEP
I wanted my mother to tell me stories about her life, and her mother.
BEEP
I wanted to tell my story to children of my own.
BEEP
Children. Could that happen if I was permanently exiled from the Pure? I remembered Skids telling me that mage children were grown in pods. Pod babies, grown in some magical machine. Babies with no specific parents or family, raised by carers. Could I have children of my own in such a society? It did not seem to work that way, and birthing children was at best highly distasteful to mage society, if it was allowed at all or even possible. And who could I wed?
BEEP
I felt my engagement ring under my glove.
BEEP
If Deepbloom was erased, perhaps Timothy and I would flee together. Was that what I wanted?
BEEP
He seemed nice, and Father had chosen him. Did that matter any more?
BEEP
There it was: the station, looming in the darkness and visible in the false light. The top level held facilities for making bookings, managing baggage and mail, checking timetables, and other activities not involving actual trains. The actual platforms were underneath.
BEEP
I shook myself out of my architectural musings and crossed the street. Just a few more minutes and I would be there. And after that I would probably have to walk somewhere else, but that did not bear thinking about now. Perhaps it was time for a second list to distract me. Mysteries to solve. I had encountered quite a lot of mysteries, but I did not realise truly how many there were.
BEEP
There was the mystery of where Skids was from, the mystery of magic itself, the mystery of the Great Maker, the mystery surrounding the relic and Sente, the mystery of my medical condition and what my 'scan results' might show, the current mystery of why the demons were acting as they were, and the old mystery surrounding Cleric Quire. I definitely remembered that he had let me off for significant infractions, multiple times. And there was the cleric here in Deepbloom, who had been suspiciously lax in letting Skids and I out of the very same station I was now walking away from. That had been... odd. Perhaps even mysterious.
BEEP
Was there anything else? I searched my memories for anything else that had confused me or left me wondering. There had to be something... Oh, Cards' dying words. Something about cleanup, a job, and 'overs'-something. And on top of that was Cards' cards. That was not so much a mystery as something I was curious about. But since Cards had touched the cards before sa's death, perhaps there was some connection.
BEEP
I hoped that was all. With the way my life was going, I would have plenty more mysteries by the time I solved any of those. If I did live long enough to solve any of them. But I did not want to leave them unsolved, so that was an improvement.
BEEP
Despite my will to live, I still had some concern about my legal status. I did not need to make a list of all the laws I had broken. I had been maintaining that list for years. It hardly seemed possible to not keep updating, refreshing and reciting that list. I glanced at my left arm. The tally marks I had placed there were just barely visible through the magical goggles. Continuing to wear and use the googles was storing up more infractions, like a dark rock soaking up sunlight. Or perhaps I was like a steam boiler. Part of me was long past caring, because magic was too useful to cast aside. But a deeper part of me was terrified that once my transgressions reached a critical level, some aspect of my life would explode.
BEEP
Would I become some monstrous thing like in whispered tales of horror? Would I be myself, but unflinchingly evil? Would I simply drop dead? Would the Great Maker's messengers swoop down on dazzling wings and snuff out my existence? Or would I someday find that life no longer felt right, and know that I had crossed a line and all that was in store for me was misery?
BEEP
The worst part of this was I did not know which part of myself I could trust. Was I trying to escape from a cage or leap off a cliff? Or had I already leaped off the cliff when I jumped onto the train? Where had the voice reminding me it was wrong been in that moment?
BEEP
That was another mystery.
BEEP
But for now, the only mystery I could address was why Timothy Douglas was not in his home. And why Lu Shenks was.
"Shenks? What in the Great Maker's bronze gears are you doing here?" I demanded of the young man who had answered the door to my intended husband's home.
"Miss Wilison? How did you find us?"
"Us? Is Sente here too?"
BEEP
"Yes, Mister Douglas allowed us to wait here while he's gone. He's one—" BEEP "—Sente's contacts in the city. He's a butcher, and the traders often have meat—" BEEP "—trade."
"Oh." That made sense. "You know my intended husband is a butcher in Deep—" BEEP "Deepbloom..."
"Huh? Oh!"
"So you're telling m—" BEEP "—me that you and Sente told Timothy about the demon situation and never m—" BEEP "—never mentioned my name?"
"It never came up."
"I..." BEEP Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to relax and think. BEEP My mind caught up with what I had heard. "While he's gone? Please t—" BEEP "—tell me he's gone to warn people or to help move supplies."
BEEP
"He's gone to the north turntable. He took knives. A lot of knives."
Oh no. No. I couldn't bear to lose both Timothy and Skids to the demons. They were some of the few people I knew I could rely on for help right now.
Perhaps running directly into danger right behind them was not the smartest course of action, but... if both of them were going to be in the middle of the action, then I had to be there too. Otherwise I might be left waiting and hoping for days before their grisly fate was confirmed. And to be perfectly honest, some part of me had known I would inevitably follow Skids when dro left with Carlos. Diegan, rather.
"Are you... alright?" I heard Shenks ask, as if from a great distance.
I snapped out of my thoughts, finding myself still standing in the dark doorway. The wind whipped through my robes, causing me to shiver a little due to the sweat from my atrocious attempt at running. "Yes, but I need to go. I can't let them fight alone."
BEEP
"Alone? What difference will you being there make?"
I shrugged. The motion hurt. "It will make a d—" BEEP "—difference to me." And it might make a difference to the two of them. Hopefully a good one.
An older voice called to me down the stairs. "Before you leave, Charity Wilison, I—" BEEP "—a gift for you."
I peered up the stairway and saw Sente's rugged, weathered boots drop into view. He decended rather rapidly, making me fear for his safety, but he proved himself to be quite agile. I imagined he would have no trouble controlling a spinnerbike, with a little practice. Incidentally, learning to control a spinnerbike was not on my list of things I wanted to do. I was quite content to not be the person responsible for my safety at high speeds.
Sente extended a hand to me, reminding me of where I was. "Oh! Thank—" BEEP "—you." I reached out to take the gift, and almost dropped it when I saw what it was. "The relic? I... I don't understand."
"Your—" BEEP "—Maker has a special bounty on such items, no?"
"No. I mean, yes. You're just giving th—" BEEP "—this to me?"
"I am. It is now yours—" BEEP "—do with as you see fit. I know what this means to you."
I could trade a relic for amnesty. I could BEEP go home. "This... This is amazing. Thank you! But what about the m—" BEEP "—the music? The history?" I remembered the traders gathering around, and how excited they were to see the relic that was now in my hands. "Surely you—" BEEP "—want them to learn the songs and the stories exactly as they were, rath—" BEEP "—rather than relying on memories passed down through the generations."
"Hmm. Your thoughtful—" BEEP "—is admirable, Charity Wilison. Do not worry about my people. The—" BEEP "—ongs and stories as they have learned them from their forebears—" BEEP "—a part of their history. The original facts and recordings may be more 'correct', but—" BEEP "—are the history of a different people who are long dead. What we remember is adequate, and th—" BEEP "—xact truth is no longer of significant value. What would we do with recipes that can onl—" BEEP "—be cooked with ingredients and utensils that are far out of our reach?"
"Oh." The metaphor of recipes, ingredients and utensils applied to far more than cooking. BEEP "But perhaps, given time, we could still learn a lot from the data contained here," I said, turning the relic over in my hand to examine its construction.
BEEP
"Yes, the world might be a very different place if all relics were not quickly turned over in return for irresistible favours—" BEEP "—the 'Great Maker'," Sente said rather pointedly. "I leave the decision in your hands. And those of your f—" BEEP "—Skids, who seems to have some surprising skills."
Did Sente know that Skids had done something to duplicate the information in the relic?
BEEP
"Perhaps my people will hear the old songs again," Sente said with a blatantly knowing smile.
BEEP
"Er, maybe. I... I should run now. The demons must be almost here. And thank you. Thank you so mu—" BEEP "—much for this!"
Sente leaned over, squeezed a protrusion on the side of the relic, and slowly swiped a finger in a pattern across a grid of circles, which had appeared on the top of the device. BEEP "Remember that pattern. It is required to be able to operate the relic."
BEEP
I traced the pattern in the air, to be sure I had it committed to memory. "Got it."
BEEP
After poking the relic a few times, Sente stepped back, revealing the familiar map populated with a rash of angry red dots. "You—" BEEP "—correct about the demons being close, though I am sure you will reach your friends before anyone is harmed."
BEEP
Was it correct to call my intended a friend? I quickly decided that was a question for another time. "Thank you. For ev—" BEEP "—rything."
"No need to thank me. Just be sure not to l—" BEEP "—or damage the relic."
"I will take the utmost care," I said, searching for a suitable pocket in my borrowed robe. Finding one, I slipped it inside and began to turn away from the door.
BEEP
"Oh, and take this for the journey," Sente added, reaching into his own robes. He revealed a small leather bottle, which I accepted.
BEEP
The bottle was very warm, almost hot. "What's this?"
BEEP
Sente made a long sigh of reminiscence. "The food of the gods."
BEEP
"The whats?"
"Never mind. It is mere—" BEEP "—heated milk, with added flavour. I hope you like it, as it doesn't grow ar—" BEEP "—here. Now, you had best be getting along."
BEEP
"I really should. And again, you have my thanks." I stowed the bottle, turned my back on Sente as if he had not presented me with a new mysterious detail that I wanted to question him about, and began slouching northward.
BEEP
"Maker bless!" Shenks called out to me. I mirrored his words back to him, hoping they still meant something.
BEEP
The cloudless night sky and my knowledge of the paths of the stars helped me ensure that I was heading in roughly the right direction. I consulted the relic a couple of times to check my progress and figure out which side streets I needed to take. From my reading of the progress of the dots, I was being rapidly outpaced by the demons. Doubting that I would arrive first, I uncorked the leather bottle and took a swig of Sente's drink.
BEEP
Whatever the concoction was made of, I decided I liked it. The flavour was a combination of sweet and bitter, as well as... earthy? I hadn't tasted anything like it, so it was not easy to describe or compare it to something familiar. The drink was warm and comforting, and I might have run a little faster after that. It could have been the drink, the increasing urgency, or my imagination.
BEEP
The storefronts and workshops had given way to the compact housing of labourers, and as I struggled further north these were replaced by fields and gardens. There were more fields beyond the border of the safe building zone, but the lack of permanent fencing made those far less reliable. My view was less obstructed, but though the goggles let me see in the dark, they were not binoculars. Actually, what I really needed was a telescope. I had neither, so I could not yet see individual people at the turntable. I could see the sheds surrounding the turntable, and something sitting in the middle of it. The weapon, I presumed.
BEEP BEEP
The weapon should have been an indistinct dark mass at this distance, but part of it glowed softly with an inner light. Actually, that made sense. It was a demon-slaying weapon, so it must use light. That was only logical.
BEEP BEEP
I finished the warm drink, made certain the relic was secure in its pocket, and put all my energy and concentration into moving as fast as possible towards the glow.
BEEP BEEP
As I drew closer I began to hear the sound. At first I thought it was a train. Then I thought it might be a river, or people running. But none of those sounded right. It was more like a lot of children running. Or animals.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
I could now see the people standing around and on the weapon. They all had their backs to me. All were looking at the source of the sound. At the demons.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
The sound wasn't moving towards us. It was moving past us.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
The demons were going around Deepbloom.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I pressed on, heedless of any physical limitations.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
A couple of the other watchers heard my approach and turned around.
"Who is that?" a man called.
"Halt!" ordered another.
... No beeps? Weren't there supposed be be more beeps? I felt a pang at the loss.
More people turned. "Charity!" That was Skids.
Relief.
I stopped, and sat suddenly in an untidy heap. "Hey," I said, using as little air as possible.
"The demons aren't coming here!" Skids said, sounding excited and relieved. "Why are you here?"
"Er..." My words failed me. How much should I explain? "Sen... teh," I pronounced between gulps of air.
"Were you looking for me?" asked another voice. Timothy.
If he didn't mind bringing it up in front of people who either were clerics or reported to them — I lacked the energy to check which — then I didn't mind confirming it. "Yeah. Glad you... are safe."
"I appreciate the gesture, but you should not have taken the risk of coming here," Timothy said.
I tried to shrug, but my shoulders didn't want to move. Instead I changed the subject. "Did we scare them off? Or were they never... coming to Deepbloom?"
"The first one ran right by us without missing a step," a voice called from the other side of the weapon. Diegan.
"I didn't see any change in direction on the scryer either," Skids added.
I thought back to what I'd seen on the relic. It seemed to concur with what Diegan and Skids had said. I chose not to mention having the relic on my person and instead tried to consider the implications. "If they were never headed for Deepbloom, then where?"
"If they keep on like this, they will reach Exaltation," Diegan called.
Exaltation. The city with the highest ownership of crossbows than any other, and skill to match. "They are more likely to keep going past Exaltation," I said. "If someone is controlling the demons with a purpose, they might want to hit the city that is at its weakest. The city that has suffered two disasters this week." As I said the words, they rang true to me. That was not good. "They are sending the demons to Forrester's Crossing."