LIGHTNOVELONLINE Issue 69: To Protect and Serve
Issue 14: To Protect and Serve
I can feel it out there. My body. As with the small padding of footsteps, my mind healed within this artifact. Within Pandora’s box, everything becomes clearer with time. White is close. Her melody was muted by new fears.—Matarn
I can see now why my father waited. My reactions at A51 had to be genuine. My frustrations with my govt had to be plain. This rot sinks deep. Father believes most of the Houses have been tapdancing to Unity’s plan since the start. Knowingly or otherwise. It's not as apparent in other Universes. The United Earth Front directed my father to the patterns. They were the ones who discovered the hidden threads within the Throne. It can go any way at the moment. I pray my daughter and son will bring the light roaring to our Homeworld.—J’ino Ayeer, Private Journals.
The Golden Redeemers. We will no longer keep any secrets from each other. That is how Unity hides. Making those who would normally love one another: Paralyzed with doubt. I apologized to Arthur for my reckless actions with the Dragon. I would not hold back any longer. I would train with my brother. For only he could block the full physical might of my blows. So I could learn to use my powers offensively. With no fear. Only knowing what I could do to protect people.—Sleeping In Starlight, a memoir of the 22nd century.
Project Freefall
The Weave of Sol (Dyson Sphere)
February 8th, 2104
Anna glared at the door. Her desire for a hot shower forefront in her mind.
“I said, I'll call the FBI to ransack this place. I am an American citizen. You have no right to keep me here!”
From the other side of the observation barrier, US President Fredrick Marshall tipped his coffee cup to the officer manning the station, “If she only knew.” They picked up some magical scans of the Asteroid. The one that Project Osiris kept tabs on. They had decided to call it the Boneyard. Due to the unfortunate results within. Hilary Brookes was no longer human. They didn’t want to pierce that nut just yet. They only knew that she was making herself at home. Ever so often the magical wards would send back impressions. Whatever Hilary was doing inside resulted in more entities being birthed.
They got most of these impressions via the Weave. It too was being cautious. With Eliza freeing it from its chains, it tipped the scales in their favor. But she wasn’t ready to bear the full mantle of the White Defender. So they pretended still. Good old Earth, just testing the waters of the Cosmic. The Intez within him grinned, <
The Englishman drawled, “Want to make a bet?”
Marshall replied, “Why not?”
The Wielder of Excalibur put his cards down, “I bet someone will slap Anna. My money is on Mary.”
Marshall replied, “I’d say Lorain would.”
They shook on it.
J’ino added another option, “My daughter will tell her the truth.”
Deep down, she wouldn’t want anyone to slap Anna but if she was being brutally honest: A very real part of her would be quite amused by it. If only for a moment.
The President’s demeanor changed. A hard glint in his eyes, “That would not surprise me. I’ll have your husband draft the initial clearances. This should be quite the learning curve.”
Arthur interjected, “Here’s a crazy notion, why not throw her onto the Jupiter’s crew? I’ve only been with them for a short bit but they have good instincts.” His Intez was delighted. <
Marshall passed some orders to Arthur’s HUD. King Elias had the same idea. He was officially a member of the Royal Marines now. On detachment to the Yanks. How did that one line go? To the stars, we go. Forever wandering. No that wasn’t it. His head jerked up as Thomas Murphy entered. The soldier rubbed his face.
“Hilary is still a massive threat to Anna. How would we go about it?”
The president waved to the observation screens.
“We will let her choose. It’s only right. But if she does decide to leave everything and return to Earth merely as Anna the American, I’d want to put some Light Shaman protection on her. Even Dr. Zanzibar himself.”
*****
Cdre. Herbert-Lanis waved us over. Beyond that door was one Anna Preston-McQuire. Weave Speaker and our biggest ally for getting more impressions from the Weave. Mary’s heartbeat was steady but the expression on her face was wooden. Lorain saluted. Her mother returning the gesture. I pressed my palms against the door frame. Half-formed words bubbled from the surface.
Poppi.
Sharp footfalls rounded the corner. There was my sister.
Sam let out a peal of laughter and ran straight to me. I couldn’t open my arms fast enough. I said, “Who’s Poppi to your mom anyway?” Sam stared up at me, “That’s my great grandfather. He was taken during the Accord Wars. Experimented on. Made it back home to the US.” She walked over to the door. Not seeing the words but opening the observation nodes to have a clear look at her mother for a moment.
“He was the only one my mother opened up to.” She whirled, hands on her hips, “Sure you don’t have some of Jennifer’s….I mean J’ino’s mental powers?” I glanced at the door frame once more. Nothing remained.
“Nope, I think I get flashes from the Weave but unlike Jacob or your Mom, it's fleeting.”
White spoke audibly, “I am the reason she gets insights.” Sam touched the silky white material. The golden inlay shifting as words shifted and changed. It was Weave inscriptions. Then Scholar, Typherian, Litari…she reflected the Language of every Sapient race.
White curled around Sam’s wrist, “We have to convince your mother but you have to lead the charge.”
Sam glanced back. Worried.
“Just how much danger is she in?”
White replied, “Much. If Hilary finds her. She will twist your mother into a corrupted Weave Speaker. Birthing children that will destroy the Weave and its servants at any cost.”
“Tell her the truth then. All of it Sam.”
Lorain muttered, “Fuel to her fire.”
My sister’s eyes widened. “In what way? If I open with that she’ll accuse you of being a shill. No, we have to start with Poppi. Dad must have married for a reason in the beginning.”
I brought up his Profile. John Marcus Preston. The experiments had crippled him. He had aged at a normal rate because of it. Prolong never took to him. There were some police files as well. They believed he had been murdered. But never found the killer. Demi powers were involved. Anna had only been 10.
I read further.
My stomach twisted.
He had saved her. I showed this to Samantha and Jacob he walked over as well.
My brother’s eyes widened.
“She never mentioned this.”
Sam bit her lip, her hands reaching for mine.
“I didn’t know Poppi died that way. Murder?” There was horror in her voice.
I had a hunch that Poppi would be the key to everything.
I replied, “I think something in the service of Unity did it. We have to get her to open up. Start off slow. Work towards Poppi. I'll come in later.”
*****
Within the Observation Dome, everyone was deathly silent.
Arthur only muttered, “Jesus. I withdraw my bet.” J’ino and Thomas held their breath as Samantha entered the room. Murphy didn’t even realize he spoke out loud, “Is that why she hates Eliza? My father? Does it remind her of…”
*****
Anna’s expression cooled as Samantha sat across from her. Putting a fresh pot of coffee on the table. Her daughter asked, “The usual?” The former Holo Host took a cup. The copious amounts of sugar within the otherwise dark coffee was a comfort. She saw her daughter put some sort of recording device on the table. Samantha said, “Activate Archival Recording. All said here will be secured for future reference if needed. Legion of Tomorrow Authorization Alpha 22 niner.”
Anna nearly choked on her coffee. “You're that high up within the food chain? Without any demi ability?” Samantha nodded.
“I don’t have a demi ability as you know it. I inherited a bit of your Weave ability instead. Jacob can understand Weave Script though.”
Anna crossed her legs. Using the mug to gather her thoughts.
Taking a few more sips before asking, “So why am I not free to go? Did those Typherians put you up to it? Or their head shill, Star?”
Samantha replied, “No. You had the right of it about Area 51 though. It was a front. TO hide OUR power levels. The Typherian Govt is compromised. Their king asked us for help.”
Anna’s face filled with delight, “I was right. They are all….”
Samantha slapped the table with her palm. “Mother!”
The older woman stilled. The fire sparking within Samantha shocking her into compliance. Sam continued, “We had to rescue you. I put extra Legion insurance on you. Every year.”
******
A ghostly figure phased through the doorway. I was using my powers to keep track of the conversation. The face cleared. It was great-grandpa Preston. His face was youthful. He shook my hand. It sent a tremor through my palm. His green eyes were paler than Lorain’s. With a mop of blond hair on his head. His 3 piece suit archaic. It was grey with a white shirt and black pants.
When she can finally hear, tell her it wasn’t her fault. I wasn’t strong with the Weave but she was. I used to make her drinks that would shield her from the worst of her clairvoyance. I was able to redirect the monsters but they still exist.
“Do you remember their names?”
His eyes rolled back into his head, “Golden Scales upon a Bloody Throne. The Brother no Longer!”
His voice continued. I strained to hear the rest.
Serving Thoth. Who is mastered by Pandora. Set lies at the heart. I will help you. Please help my granddaughter. I know she is prickly but we will need her. There is a glimmer resting within.
His other hand was on White. He wanted me to hear this properly.
I fed this information to Sam. She was scribbling demands on a piece of paper.
Slowly coaxing Anna to the main point.
Mom appeared next to me. An opening materialized. Showing others surrounded a conference table. I spotted dad before it closed up. She was shivering so I took off my flight jacket. She rested her head on my shoulder as I placed it snugly.
>>I asked my father, how he could keep things from me, so I pose that question to you. How can you still trust me after all this?<<
Mom wouldn’t meet my gaze. Her guilt stabbing at my heart.
>>Ma, correct me if I am wrong, didn’t we already have this conversation?<<
Tears hit my shirt.
The triplet’s heartbeats were loud in my ears.
>>I trust you because you want to protect people. From the looks of it, we need to keep this place secret a while longer. Besides a whole lot of souls need freeing from Unity.<<
Her reply was muddled, >>…but all of it…<<
Her mind voice cut off. I realized this was her hidden sorrow. Having to do things in a very similar fashion to her father. Not giving people all the pieces. All so I could land the final blow on Unity. What would come after terrified her. It scared me too. Not knowing what was over that final hill. Would it hurt I wondered? Mom caught the direction of my thoughts.
Her fear realized. Her voice clogged with tears, “If we need Anna, do everything you can to get her to open up.” I replied, “All of it then? Me as the Banner? The White?” She nodded. Her face buried in my jacket. White wrapped itself around mom.
“I will find a way. Even if it kills me. We put everyone in this situation. I should be the one asking forgiveness.”
*****
Samantha rested a hand on top of her mother’s.
“Mom, we have to talk about Poppi. What happened that day?”
Anna frowned, “He had a heart attack.”
Her mind flashed to that face. The Snake Woman. It's cruel laughter.
Samantha snorted harshly, “No. The Murder.”
Anna shuddered. White shields popping into place as Poppi chanted. An amulet and cross clutched in his fingers. Blood pouring from his nose. He shouted at them, “You shall not enter this holy place.” He had been a pastor later in life. Determined to heal communities affected after the Accord War. Many had lost family. Even with the added might of Demis. These were different. These were demons. Not demis. Anna knew the power was taxing. The snake woman hissed, “Little priest. We know what hides here. We can smell it!”
Sam waved.
Anna stared out into the distance.
Memory thick with pain and sorrow.
*****
I entered the room with Mary and Lorain. They stood off to the side while I sat next to Samantha. “Hello, Anna. Can you hear me?” The air around her was crackling with energy. I could see Poppi standing behind her. He nodded to me, holding out a hand.
I stood. My feet moving before I even thought about it.
The hand remained. Open and waiting. I grabbed it.
Seeing the memory from Poppi’s point of view.
*****
Medusa circled. While her brother, who I knew as Snake Charmer hit the shielding with his blade. He remained quiet while his sister mocked Poppi. “Why do you protect such an ungrateful God, the Weave is nothing!”
Poppi shouted, “Assist us, O Lord our God; and defend us evermore by the might of Thy Holy Cross, in whose honor Thou makest us to rejoice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
The serpent shrieked as a holy flame burst forth.
Scouring the area around her but not damaging the building or the innocent.
Poppi’s faith was strong. Stronger than everything else in this room.
He would protect his Anna. For she could hear the Word properly.
The path would be filled with sorrow but on the other side: Salvation for all.
The various experiments of the Accord War damaged his body but not his soul or mind. He gathered the energies into the cross. Using the amulet to summon Sister Edith. To carry his Anna to safety. They must not realize she was the source of the Weave within this church. The cross warmed to the touch but did not burn him. Snake Charmer howled, diving away from the priest as the light cascaded across his skin. Leaving 3rd-degree burns. Medusa screamed, “Brother!”
The corrupted energy of the Unity, along with stolen Markav tech broke through Poppi’s barrier. He had to divert power to mask the nun’s escape. His granddaughter would live. White light filled his vision as a scimitar pierced his chest. Golden tendrils cocooned his soul.
Stay close to your granddaughter. She will need you.
A white rope encircled his chest. Tethering him to Anna. The Words of the Weave echoing an endless refrain: Bound by Blood and the Heart’s Sorrow. To be reborn within a World without the Taint of Unity.
*****
A hand struck me. Waking me instantly. Anna’s eyes were narrowed to slits. “What is that doing here?!”
Poppi crossed his arms. His expression was sad.
I apologize for her behavior. I didn’t raise her to be that way.
Samantha stifled a gasp. Her tone appalled. “Great Grandpa doesn’t approve, Mom.” Anna looked about the room. I just waited.
She smirked, “Still no fight in you? COWARD!”
*****
Arthur winced. Adding more money to Murphy’s Jar. “Knowing how Eliza can pack a punch, I am amazed she can hold her anger back.”
The president replied, “She has to.”
Thomas nodded. His wife asked him, >>Is everyone done with bets?<<
Her emotions were a potent mix.
General Murphy accessed his HUD. Dexter was beside him within a heartbeat.
Marshall glanced at him, “Only one other being can withstand a punch from her.”
Arthur turned back to see Lorain moving in. Mary stopped her by stepping into her path.
*****
I removed my jacket. My ball cap. Then floated before Anna. At least 1 foot off the ground. Letting my eyes change to that Markav cover. The blood drained from her face.
“You.” Anna’s eyes were cold. Hostile.
That one word held bottomless loathing.
Because I reminded her of something she wished she could forget.
I nodded, “Me. So let's cut to the heart of the matter. Why do you hate me?”
Anna lunged. Her arm wrapped around my neck while the other beat on my chest.
“No one is that perfect! NO ONE!”
Her self loathing intensified. Bringing tears to my eyes.
She blamed herself for his death. Not seeing the sacrifice for what it was: Love.
“No one is that calm!” She kneed me in the gut. I didn’t resist. I leaned into the blow so she wouldn’t hurt herself. Physically at least. She smacked me again. “Why those false tears!?!”
“They are not mine.”, I replied.
She didn’t want to hear that. Poppi’s dismay flowed from me. Hitting her between the eyes. She looked about blindly. Finally sensing his presence. Her voice was muted. Child-like earnestness. “Poppi?” She kicked me again. This time aiming for my shin. I dodged easily. Another voice interrupted. Sounding for all the world: Irish.
“Christ. What a cunt I am in this universe.”
A man with a United Earth Front uniform leaned against the opposite wall. Same hair and eyes as Anna. With a beard and mustache combo that wasn’t as popular here. Mutton chops of all things. He whistled, “I've got a nice rack though. Fancy that!”
He made a polite bow in my direction, “Pleased to meet you White Defender, First of Her Name, High Protector of the Terran-Typherian Union. And that’s all the spoilers you shall receive from me.”
*****
Gulliver quacked a happy greeting. “I brought backup. I figured the tender loving care of her mirror would be able to help.”
He was just a simple bird.
His eyes twinkled merrily as Jennifer Murphy stood behind him, “I’m just here to keep my Weave Speaker safe. Well, one of 6 that I watch over. My daughter is another. A rather Oddessen kind of gal.” She winked at J’ino. Saluting her mirror with a hand over her heart. He smiled. “So you throw lighting and have the gift of speed?”
J’ino kept repeating the words in her mind.
Having Thomas greet the newcomers. Terran-Typherian Union. A High Protector? They had titles but that of Marshall. Not Protector. She didn’t notice Gulliver watching her. The Royal Ummatosh Bird preened.
Today was going to be wild in more ways than one.
Part Two: The Weave’s Song
A wave of dizziness overcame me. The Ur-Stone chanting things behind my eyes.
We hide. What shall you rule?
My whole body was on fire.
///Cypher of Ur integrated with Host Body.///
The Irish Anna man exclaimed, “Well the Throne Master is peering through. The Weave does work its wonders.”
My voice was the same but the words weren’t mine. Not yet. I blacked out.
No, another voice reached out for me. Two orange eyes sparkling in the distance.
*****
Everyone in the Observation Dome stared with wonder. Even President Marshall was transfixed.
“Well, I’ll be.” Arthur reached out. Noting a familiar beat. A soul was reborn.
Thomas glanced over his daughter with a critical eye. Noting that the uniform was a hybrid of Terran and Typherian. Unlike their time within the Mosaic from the museum, he could see each emblem in great detail. He would memorize every line. When he tried to record anything the feed spazzed out. Fading as if the servers couldn’t handle the overload.
The only ones not reacting were Gulliver and the UEF visitors.
Thomas turned to Isis, she murmured within his ear, “That’s one suspicion confirmed.”
Gulliver waddled up to them, “Oh. Just you wait my dear. It gets more wild from here. Trust me.” He quacked excitedly. Phasing through the Dome to greet his leader properly.
Gulliver cheered, “Very nice to see you again. Trouble and I have kept the vigil. All is on course as it should be.”
J’ino didn’t hesitate. She sprinted back to the room. Her eyes focused on the empty sleeve where her daughter’s left arm should be. That aspect gave her more hope than anything else in this universe or the next.
Eliza knew what she would ask, “No mother. I cannot give you much more hint about the future than the Weave allows. “ J’ino reached out. Gripping the empty black sleeve. The cuffs marked with what she assumed were symbols for High Protector. Eliza directed her attention to Anna. “Andrew will not have time to be gentle. At the heart of you is a sorrow so great it would consume all those around you. Starting with your children.”
Anna replied, fires within sparking, “Oh? Like a speech from the future Banner will solve anything. Or losing a limb? Was it worth it? Was it pleasant? Death is supposed to be a door right? How come you come back but not my Poppi?!”
She knocked Andrew out of the way and stabbed this interloper of righteousness in the chest with her index finger. “WHY DO YOU GET TO LIVE WHILE MY POPPI DIES!”
Andrew interjected with, “You sully his sacrifice. I nearly made the same mistake. But unlike you, I didn’t keep Jennifer away from her children.” Anna gripped Eliza’s tunic. Twisting it roughly through her fingers. “What's all this crap? Do you become the leader of everyone? Like a good little hero?!”
Gulliver fanned out his wings, “Ask yourself that Ms. Anna. What has Eliza sacrificed? Look at her. Not with your eyes but with the Weave’s.” Andrew reached out. Resting his palm on the High Protector’s chest. The heartbeat underneath remained steady. He used his other hand on Anna. Resting it over her eyes. She screamed.
Her voice that of a 10 year old girl.
Asking a nun to stop. The pleading making it worse.
Thomas finally realized there was something under Anna’s caustic exterior.
Eliza’s grey eyes were framed with the black of Typha. She brought them all with Andrew and Anna. To the hidden parts of the Weave. So they would all understand the depths of Anna’s sorrow. This was why the Ur-Stone and the Weave brought her to this moment. Anna had to understand. They all must realize the truth. She had greater mastery over her empathetic abilities. There would be no filters here. No lies for Anna to fall back on. For anyone really.
Her current self would travel the lines of the Weave. Meeting with the Howling.
Alongside a very befuddled Mighty Mallet.
Another vital step.
J’ino asked. Eliza provided an answer.
>>Yes. There is a price for my resurrection. But if we don’t convince Anna here and now, this thread of Weave and Possibility will fade. It can move throughout time. Seeing many avenues but cannot fully compel us. We must lay the foundation for all who come after.<<
Gulliver sat next to Eliza. Content to be within her presence again. The way he had always known her from the start. Since his birth. Through all his training. All for this moment. Their minds raced outwards. White threads keeping them safe through the memories.
Anna shouted at the sister. “STOP! Monsters are hurting my poppi!” The nun was chanting. Those dark shapes dancing at the edge of Anna’s vision. Ghastly things. She had lived with them her whole life. Her first memory of her father teaching her a warding symbol. Saying it was magic that would protect her. Her father had been away so often that Poppi would step in. Always saying, “He is doing God’s work. You will see my dear one. Little songbird.”
She loved to sing. Christmas had been her favorite. All the caroling. The nun’s flesh peeled back. Black Pitiless eyes stared outward. Body reforming into a grey mass of limbs and legs. The black shapes reached out. Whispering warnings.
Use your cross on her. We will help!
Anna thrust the metal to the nun’s flesh. It released the girl’s hand. Lips pulled back in a snarl. “You are mine little girl. Flesh for the Brood.” The shadows gathered. Pulling Anna to one of the side passages.
Run!
That was Poppi. His voice reaching across time and space.
Was she dreaming?
She caught the heavy musk of his aftershave. She found the door. The one leading to the basement. Her hands running across the wall. Near the globe. One of the stones sank deeper. Revealing a passage that went under the church. Ghostly hands pushed her inside. The darkness was absolute as the wall shut behind her.
*****
J’ino eyed the Void Walker with an unease bordering on terror. She knew that freak. Had seen it within her nightmares. That was the thing that had attempted to steal Eliza away after her birth. She knew because that burn mark was quite stark against its skin. Everything slowed.
Anna, the child, had just passed through the hidden passage. While her adult self ran to the corner. Hands passing through the wall. Eliza moved to the center of the room. Examining the various paintings. This place was steeped in magic and the Weave. Her voice was quiet yet held a note of command her current self didn’t possess.
“Anna. This is a memory. See with more than just your eyes.” Andrew nodded, running his hands over the items about the room. “This grandfather of hers was powerful in a different way from most Light Shamans. He could channel the Weave into objects! Based on my reading here it was into holy emblems. Such as crosses.”
Anna brought her hands to her face. “Wicked cruel hybrid abomination!”
J’ino stepped protectively in front of her daughter. “You have no right to judge. Not with the price that was paid to bring her into this world.”
Anna snapped, “Oh what? Was the golden child broken?!”
J’ino stepped forward. Anger poured off her in waves.
*****
I rested my right hand on my mother’s shoulder, “No Anna. I came out barely breathing. They had to put me on 4 different medical life support devices. One to keep my heart going. One to breathe for me. Another hooked to my brain. The final one was White herself. Anchoring my soul to the physical world while my brother was ripped from me. To be cocooned within the Weave.”
White added, “No. You were dead upon delivery. What Di’axi had to do was necessary.
Andrew winced. “May the Lord have Mercy. That we didn’t know. We only had enough time to warn your father that the “Nurse” was coming.” He hauled Anna to her feet. Forcing her hands to touch the door.
He sneered, knowing that would piss his mirror off. “Let’s play a game, deary. What’s behind the door?!”
I pulled the memories in closer. Putting an emotional barrier up around Anna. So the horror wouldn’t overwhelm her. I wanted to give her every advantage to hear the Weave.
She beat upon the door. “He knew he would die.”
Poppi’s image passed through Anna. Pointing at the hidden tunnel.
I mimicked the same hand motions. It swung inward.
Anna dug her heels in.
I recited a line from another story, “I wear the chain I forged in life.”
Anna’s eyes darted to the bookshelf.
“I made it link by link and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?”
Mom understood. My chains were forged with love. Despite how I came into the world.
Anna bit her lip. Her expression churlish, “I have no chains. I am no Marley.”
She sat in her grandfather’s chair. Running her hands across the papers. The wood.
Andrew took off his cover. It was a burgundy color. “I apologize for the walking set of Ovaries over there. This might take longer than I want to admit. Luckily the Weave is infinite across time.”
*****
Mighty Mallet had just finished preparing his bacon and scrambled eggs when the world around him shifted. Taking on a dreamscape feeling. At least he still had his pan. The Howling padded up next to him while purple birds shaped like penguins flew overhead. The massive black-furred head loomed over him, “We must greet the Star! She will need to learn. So will you!” He waved the Werewolf forward. Using his spatula to move the eggs into an omelet of sorts. What enemy here would fear his frying pan?
He offered some to Howling. Which he took gratefully. “Good payment!”
*****
A peaceful valley spread about before me. I could see through myself to the ground beyond. Nearly translucent but aware. Dexter’s mind reached for mine, >>I promise, I'll fill you in. One-armed future Eliza 2.0 is disturbing Anna in ways I didn’t think possible.<<
Considering I had a certain kind of four-footed creature in front of me, >>Am I in the running for Tyr Impersonator extraordinaire?<<
Dexter’s reply sobered me, >>Just let me fill you in before you talk to mom.<<
>>Understood.<<
A gigantic black wolf danced around me. His orange eyes warming. “Yes! Glad to meet you! Come! The Weave wishes to talk.” Mallet was there as well. Frying pan in hand. He said, “Last time we had to destroy some Living Stone. Glad that’s all cleared up.” He raised his pan to the sky, “HELLO?!”
His voice echoed throughout the valley. A wave of multi-hued birds, deer, and other things I had no words for flowed past. Bright marks littered the ground. I walked. Enchanted by the vibrations. Mallet followed. His eyes darting to Howling. “So why am I here? To learn what?” The wolf shifted and I grinned, “Who’s a good boy? You are!” The Howling jumped into my arms. Just like Auggie would.
Mallet looked to the sky, “Wonder what having 5 moons means.”
Moons? I looked about and stopped. In the heavens above, each star had an Ouroboros.
Earth’s shined at the heart of everything. It was the beacon that would light the way.