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"I'll make sure they check there first next time," he said, and though his voice was steady, I could see the toll this took on him—having to walk away when people needed help.

More desperate faces were turning toward us now, drawn by the hope of aid. Aether's hand found my lower back, urging me forward. “Walk faster,” he spoke in a low tone, pushing me forward into the crowd.

I hissed and smacked him away. “I told you not to touch me.”

His hands flexed at his side before pushing them into his pockets.

“By all means, capture the attention of every beggar on the street. There’s no shortage of them, as you can see.” His tone was cruel, but I quickened my pace.

I felt desperate to turn back to the woman, but knew I would be of no help. I had nothing to offer.

“You don’t have healers?” I asked aloud, the feeling of uselessness making me feel restless.

“They’re called medics. But their tethers are weakened. It can take weeks for them to harness enough essence to be of help. Hence, the limited visits to the city.” Vexa sounded exhausted.

I never could have imagined what a realm without essence would look like. It was so heavily relied upon in Sídhe but was so inherent it was barely given a second thought. Like breathing air for most. The loss of a focus would be a tragedy for many. It didn’t compare to the loss of essence in the landscape. One could live without power, but not without food and water.

I couldn’t help but compare it to Luminaria. The overwhelming abundance of plants and life. The community gardens lush with food for all—glittering canals brimming with fish. I tried and failed to recall the last time I’d seen someone with an illness.

As a Riftborne, life had never been easy, but it was certainly never like this.

“We get shipments of grain from the South but they’re mostly rationed—and starting to come less and less as the land loses its nutrients. This part of the country is still livable but the Eastern side is a wasteland now,” Vexa explained.

“We had a huge influx of people when Vardruun fell,” Aether’s tone was low, carrying an edge I knew was directed at me. “We lack the resources to house them all.”

“I don’t understand. When did all of this happen?” I asked, feeling a sense of desperation. I didn’t try to hide the crack in my voice.

Vexa shot her eyes to Aether before responding.

“We don’t know exactly when it began, but the Eastern border started drying up nearly a decade ago.”

A decade?

“The effects weren’t immediately noticeable. Especially the further you get from the rip.”

We walked for a long while in silence. Bodies started to dwindle as we neared the end of the street and turned a corner. A small building with little foot traffic came into view.

“Should we stop in?” Vexa eyed Aether. “I’m sure they're inside practicing. You know how much they’d want to see you.”

Aether simply nodded, shrugging casually.

“Don’t let him fool you, Fia. He might be a complete drag when it comes to social interactions, but children really bring it out of him,” Vexa teased, nudging his shoulder.

“And Vexa is a drag for all, including children, I’m afraid.”

He cut his eyes at her, the hint of a grin playing at his lips as Vexa snorted. Then he stepped past me and continued through the open door. He must have known I wouldn’t run off because he was no longer worried about guarding me from behind. I guess the city itself was its own deterrent.

“Who will be here?” I asked Vexa, matching her pace to follow her around the curved entrance that opened into a circular arena once inside.

“Just Carden, Lael, and Uma. Lael is finally old enough to enter the Strykka. Those three are inseparable. Carden and Uma will be training right alongside him until they can enter themselves.”

Another word I didn’t know. I bit back my annoyance at the lack of clarification.

Vexa must have noticed but she didn’t bother to explain.

The three mentioned were in the center of the arena. It looked like two of them were about to begin a sparring match before they noticed Aether’s approach.

“No way!” A boy looking no older than thirteen ran towards him. The other boy, sixteen at most, looked just as excited at Aether’s arrival but seemed to be playing it cool.