Page 32

"How do you feel?" he asks.

"Like I've been stuck in a washing machine on max spin cycle."

"Not a good thing, I take it?"

"Not unless you like being tenderized. But it's nothing new for me. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long ass time." I stand and stretch my stiff muscles. "You look like shit, too."

"It takes a great deal to recover phoenix energy," he says with a tired smile. "Come on. We have work to do."

I leave the tent, and we walk through the camp together. Almost immediately, a group of curious children follows behind us like a parade of ants. Airos pauses dramatically, and with a flourish of his hand, he conjures a waterfall of green sparks that bounce across the sand around their feet like hopping crickets. The kidsrun around in circles, stomping at the sparks, shrieking and laughing.

"You like kids?" I ask.

"Of course. Do people in your world not like children?"

"Some don't. I guess what I meant was, do you want kids? In my world, some people don't."

"The gay clan? The men who cannot bear children?" he asks.

The question catches me so off guard I almost choke on my own breath. "What? No. It's a simple question, Airos. I've never wanted kids. I was one hundred percent sure I'd never have them." Then I quickly add, "Because I'd be a shit dad. And the world doesn't need any more shit dads. But I guess it doesn't matter what I think; this is happening whether I want it or not."

Airos is silent with thought. The kids trailing behind and waiting for him to do something else begin to lose interest and flit away.

"If you're destined to have a child, then you will. Desire is independent from fate. If the Gods deem it my destiny, then I'll have to accept it, regardless of what I want."

"Kinda sounds like you don't want kids," I observe.

"It's a dark world, Jackson, especially for our kind. None should have to suffer the way we do." Then he grins at me. "It's a challenge enough to keep you alive."

"Glad I could make your life difficult," I say.

The daylight has brought a different atmosphere to the encampment, and I now can clearly see the predicament these people are in. My army training has sharpened my eyes to certain signs of trouble, to spot the differences between normal poverty and a crisis point. I get the sense that these people, normally nomadic and on the move, have stayed in this location for much longer than it can sustain them. I notice how the water is being distributed—carefully measured rations poured into smaller vessels rather than freely shared. One omega is washing a child's face with just droplets from his fingertips rather than a cloth. And at the edge of the camp are several unmistakable grave mounds.

I suddenly feel even shittier about last night. They shouldn't have sacrificed so much of their resources just for us. Just because they believe we're somehow going to save them.

Airos seems to read my thoughts. "Our coming brought these people hope. To not partake in what they offered would've spoiled that morale, and been taken as a bad omen."

"Yeah, but Jesus, they even feed the gryphs better than they do themselves. These people aren’t just stuck here, they’re dying here. See those?" I gesture subtly toward the edge of camp. “Those graves are fresh, but the mounds are small. They’reconserving energy by not digging deep. And see how they’re placed? In a line rather than the usual circular pattern I noticed at other sites we passed. They’re expecting more."

"Yes... I surveyed the camp this morning and tried to gather more information about what we're up against."

"And?"

"These Shimat sound like they may be a type of elemental, specifically a water elemental. I've encountered variants of them before. Wind elementals are common in the skies north of Athenos. They're capricious and fickle creatures, and that's on a good day. If the Shimat have been soured by Umbrios, then it's no wonder they're wreaking havoc. And if we're to find them, we need a shaman. Apparently, they're the only ones who the Shimat will interact with.

"Wait, you think what's happening here is related to our business?"

"Yes," he says.

"That's a pretty huge coincidence."

"Umbrios and Aethereos are the lords of light and dark, of death and rebirth. Their cycle exerts influence over every part of this realm. When Lord Aethereos was exiled to your world centuries ago, the balance shifted towards the rebirth of his twin."

"So you're telling me that every bad thing happening in Circeana is because of Umbrios?"

"No, not everything. But as Umbrios gains more power, the world grows darker as a natural response to his presence. Ancient and forgotten monsters creep out from where they've long been dormant. There will always be dark and light, but the scales can be dramatically offset. And because Lord Aethereos was overcome in your world?—"

"Things are gonna get even more fucked," I finish. "Awesome. So how does Umbrios get reborn?"