Tales of the Gleamwind I

Fugitives were flooding our Shard, which meant that our floating little rock was the next in line for the voracious Frontier to consume. This was happening just as I was about to be anointed as the next Oracle. There is a saying on our Shard: ‘when it Rains and Thunders, even the Gleamwind will make its appearance.’ - Memoirs of an Oracle.

Sonora shuddered as she ran her eyes on the thin piece of parchment once again. All the thin, trembly line said was:

“For your information, Rosevy, Trieno sounded disappointed about you not jumping at the opportunity to seduce some glider woman and have a spy among the Guild. I do not know how much of that is true, but I felt like you needed to know to what extent you are being observed.”

Rinaer had the ability to write such an unnerving fact in the most polite way possible. Trieno was clearly talking about Tica, and with an undertone that made it clear that she knew the two of them had a private talk, and that Sonora had gone along with Tica’s refusal to meet in the future.

But how? Sonora had to stop halfway through the cold marble hallway, the piece of parchment rumpled in her hands. The Heads not only did already watch and evaluate her, but apparently managed to listen in her most private moments.

Sonora’s jaw clenched as she recalled how free and calm she had felt the night before on that roof. That sweet memory now tainted by the knowledge that Trieno, or one of her eyes-and-ears, had been close enough to listen in on them and report her every word.

With a quick glance around the hallway to make sure she was alone, Sonora walked to a brazier placed next to the foot of the next staircase. She watched the parchment burn, the flames flickering in her wide, dark eyes while she thought of the next thing to do. She was definitely not going to let Trieno or any of the Heads know about the fact that she knew. This could be used in her advantage to let the Oracles think what she needed them to think.

And what about Movra? Sure, the hawk-like man did send her away in a quite impolite way last night, but Sonora had hoped for a warning of some kind from him.

Sonora walked down the hallways, lost in her thoughts about Silver Night and how Movra had told her that nobody in their right mind would choose the Oracle of Magnet. An Oracle based on tales and legends of how people used to control Shards… This knowledge tingled Sonora’s mind, yet it could not be real, or Movra and all the other Oracles of Magnet would have done something about the Shards drifting into the Frontier.

Sonora shook her head and straightened herself. If there was something to be learned from Movra, she would get the information out of him herself. She was ready to start her first day under the watchful eyes of the Heads. This time, for real.

Right before she could reach the bottom of the stairs, something moved on her right. She glanced down the intersection of long, clean corridors to see Dayana exiting a side door and stopping only a few meters from her.

Sonora’s body stiffened. Her knuckles whitened and it was all she could do to not clutch her clean toga.

“Mom…?” Her own voice sounded distant, strange. “What…? Good morning.”

“Hello, Sonora.” Her mother did not share the statuesque jawline and rigorous face that both Rose and Sonora had. Dayana’s softer lines, together with those gentle blue eyes, always made Sonora happy only from seeing her.

They also reminded her of Tullip.

Now, the amount of heavy, dark circles under those blue eyes was frightening.

“I haven’t seen you yesterday at Silver Night. Were you still not feeling well?” Sonora wanted to step closer, maybe hug her mother.

Her body did not react.

“No, darling. Look at me; do you think this is what your father wants to show around to the nobles?” She did not wait for Sonora’s reply. “I am sorry.”

There is nothing you you should be sorry about. Was what Sonora wanted to say, but she found herself just standing there, looking at her mother and having the first real conversation with her in almost half a year.

“Sorry about what?” She whispered.

“That you had to lose your mother. I did not want to disappear like this. I know it must have been so hard for you these past few months; all this fuss around the arrival of the Oracles. I cannot even imagine all this weight being placed upon the tiny shoulders of my little Sonora. Oh, you’ve grown up so fast. I am sorry that I have not been there for you.” Dayana did not look away from her daughter.

And the floodgate that kept the words inside her opened.

“I… I’m sorry, too. I wanted to help, wanted to talk to you. Or just come to your room and be there for you, but… those few times when father did let me visit you I… froze.” A heavy knot formed in Sonora’s throat. “I lost count of the times I just stood there, right outside your rooms, unable to knock. Unable to make that one last step. I didn’t… I was afraid that if I visited you and saw that you were actually in a worse state than I thought I would not be able to keep it together.”

Sonora let out a sight that she had been holding for a year. A sigh that pressed on her lungs since the day Tullip went missing. Muscles trembled under Dayana’s eyes.

“I will not allow you to feel bad about yourself. You had to put your responsibilities before anything else, just like your father.”

“But I do not want to be like father!” Sonora’s eyes widened and she threw her head around to make sure the hallway was completely empty. Now, more than ever, she was glad that the body servants waiting just around the corner were heavily conditioned against gossiping. “He is an incredible Oracle, and I have learned so much from him, but the way he treated you on the day the Heads arrived was just unbearable to watch.”

“Oh, I barely remember that already. You should let it go, too.” Dayana’s weak smile did not reach her eyes. “You should get going. They are probably waiting for you. Go on.”

“When will we ever communicate like we used to?” Sonora mumbled half to herself. “Father is incapable of answering any question truthfully. If he even answers it at all.”

Dayana gave a mirthless chuckle. “Unless you request an official hearing, that is. I remember thinking that would be the only way to get an answer out of him sometimes. Now, hurry.”

And with that, Dayana ushered Sonora up the stairs with a hint of the old motherly stubbornness she once had. Sonora let herself be guided in silence, but when she turned around to look at her mother from halfway up the stairs, Dayana had disappeared out of sight.

Sonora released the tension in her white knuckles and toppled closer to one of the fireplaces along the stairwell.

“Why do we have so many braziers and it’s still this cold?” She grunted, looking at corner that led to her mother’s apartments.

She almost jumped when a body servant appeared seemingly out of nowhere and handed her a knitted scarf. Sonora composed herself, then quickly looped the fabric around her bare shoulders, pulled her braided black hair free with a twinkle of the golden rings in it and hurried up the wide stairs.

The five Heads were already waiting for her, lined up right next to the double archways that led outside to the bright green lawn. Rose and Rinaer had their heads together not far from the podium at the other end of the Audience Hall. Her father’s head instantly swung to Sonora to regard her with a deep scowl.

“I trust you have good reasons to be tardy.” His voice did not carry all the way to the Heads, yet Sonora could see their intrigued glances.

“I got held up by… clumsy body servants.”

Rose dismissed her answer with a quick gesture of his hand, then led the way outside.

“Be sure to mark them out for Rinaer when we get back.”

Sonora repressed a grimace. She did not want to blame innocent, hard working servants for something they had nothing to do with, but something told her Dayana was not supposed to be wandering around without supervision outside of her apartments. Not with the Oracles in the palace.

“Your first day of testing promises to be quite interesting, already.” Trieno told her as they joined them. “A new glider caravan of fugitives is on its way to the Shard as we speak. We are all very interested to see how you will handle this delicate diplomatic welcome.”

The tall woman’s cleavage was less deep than it ever was in the past days, her aura less brilliant. The yellow dress was still impeccably bright, but it was not as adherent as the one she wore on Silver Night.

Sonora obviously knew about the incoming caravan of fugitives, but she still managed to look surprised for the Oracles.

“Trieno told me you have been to the square last night, yet I failed to see you there.” Aspyo’s pretty face paired with a cold pair of calculating eyes was a stark contrast to Trieno. “I would have loved to talk with you, get to know you more. I was quite displeased with the way you treated your father, the Oracle, back in the Audience Hall the day of our arrival. I thought you would want to clarify what exactly happened there.”

Clearly, Aspyo was giving her another chance to please him.

“I understand that the Oracle of Lineage values family hierarchies more than anything else, and I admit I did step out of line that day. However, I think a husband, Oracle or not, should treat his wife as equal. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Rose and the Head of Lazio were talking a the front of their little group, unaware of the discussion Sonora was having with the other Heads. The morning sky greeted them with a cold, misty blue. The fluttering silvery particles of the Gleamwind faded in the distance, beyond the rocky horizon of the Shard. Gliders dotted the sky in sinuous circles like ashes rising from a fire.

“I am afraid I cannot agree with your stance on family hierarchies, but I hope you will be able to change my mind.” Aspyo said impassively. Despite his words, it was clear that this man’s mind could not be changed, not by her.

Sonora nodded gracefully and smiled, then slowed down slightly to let Kayfe and Movra catch up with her. The Oracle of Knowledge did not even look at her; with her head buried in a small, leather bound book she focused all her attention on not falling over the otherwise smooth palace yard. Movra, however, twisted his bald head to fix his eyes on Sonora. Cold, misty blue, just like the sky.

“Did you get to enjoy the rest of Silver Night?” Movra asked.

“Did you make some progress in convincing people that your Oracle is not just a legend?” Sonora countered, quietly.

Movra only scoffed, seemingly unaware of the disapproving glances he got from Aspyo and Trieno. He adjusted his black cloak as they all stopped before a row of gliders prepared for them. When Sonora realized she was not going to get an answer from the man, she shrugged and made her way next to her father.

When Rose was done talking to the Guild pilots sent to escort them he waited as the Heads climbed into the back of their respective gliders, then turned to face Sonora. A weak smile appeared on his face. A smile that planted a seed of uneasiness in Sonora, rather than reassure her.

“I will only greet the fugitive caravan. After that, you will be the one who has to do the talking. I supposed you prepared for the occasion with the books that you might have found in your room.”

After Silver Night, Sonora had returned to her room to find two thin extracts and reviews of diplomatic speeches made all across the Magnetoriat in the past two months. A little refresher of what terms were widely used, and which ones to avoid in times of a moving Frontier.

“You have prepared me well, father. Now all you can do is trust me with the tasks ahead.” She said.

It was meant as an answer to fill the awkward gap Rose’s smile had created, but something glimmered in her father’s eyes. Something that clenched Sonora’s guts. She bowed slightly and hurried to climb into the back of the next glider.

The straps were rough and cold to the touch from the foggy morning air. Sonora’s fingers trembled as she struggled to secure herself into the leather seat. The pilot, a middle-aged woman with short green hair and eyes of the same color looked at her with her head tilted. Sonora did her best to ignore her and finally managed to get herself secured into the glider.

They took off after a short sling down the palace yard. Cold wind clawed at Sonora’s soft cheeks until she raised the collar of her toga to protect herself and wrapped the shawl more tightly around her shoulders. Only the tallest rocks and outcroppings pierced through the blanket of fog that covered the majority of the Shard. It felt so surreal, to be floating on a creaking piece of man-made ingenuity above a sea of misty white.

The pilot changed the angle of the glider’s extended wings with a quick movement of her feet. A switch went off with a sharp clunk and more flaps opened above Sonora’s head. She just sat in silence, letting herself be absorbed in the moment.

She thought of Tica. That tiny, fiery woman was going to pilot one of these frightening skeletal beauties one day. Sonora ran her hands along the bronze handle of her seat. Cold seeped through her palm, together with the slight, but constant vibrations of the gusts of wind that carried the glider. It was almost like petting a trusted beast.

Soon enough, the town’s stone rooftops came into view after a short drop into the white blanket. A line of tall braziers told the pilots exactly where to aim their gliders to avoid the buildings around them.

The outer port of the town was as crowded as Sonora had never seen it before. She clutched the handles of her seat during the whole landing procedure, so sure that they were about to hit a civilian at any minute. They did not. With a confident smirk, the green-haired lady pushed the protective goggles to the top of her head and helped Sonora exit her ride.

The unmistakable low hum of halberds told her a group of controllers was not far, which helped her calm her nerves. Why was she even nervous in the first place? Sonora threw her hands in the inner pockets of her toga in order to heat them up a bit and stop them from shaking.

The Heads and Rose Sitak-Lazio spread out in a semi-circle behind Sonora and as most voices quieted down she realized what was unnerving her. Some people cheered for the appearance of their Oracle, the Heads and the Rosevy, but angry, frustrated voices were at least as loud. People demanding that the fugitives return to their own Shard. A Shard that was about to drift into an all-consuming void. Sonora glanced away from the chaotic mob with a frown on her face.

In front of her, a short, dark man with long black hair shifted his weight uneasily from one leg to another. A clear red band across his chest marked him as the diplomatic leader of the fugitive group. A group that consisted of shivering, scared men, women and children all gathered towards the edge of the port, where the blows of the distant Gleamwind were the strongest.

Behind them, the clear, open sky stretched in front of Sonora. She stopped in her tracks for a fraction of a second. The protective barriers were down. She could tell by the lack of small vibrations in the air that the thin electrically charged field used to protect the town from rogue fragments of the Gleamwind was deactivated. The fugitives only just arrived to the outer port, which meant that they had to have turned the barrier off for their arrival. But why hasn’t it been reactivated?

No matter. The chances of getting hit by a sharp fractal this far from the Gleamwind were close to none, and the Rosevy could not show nervousness.

Sonora took a deep breath and offered her now steady hands to the leader of the caravan. The port itself was a bronze construction that protruded beyond the edge of the Shard into the great sky. Many lacquered, clean runways were built for the Gliders to come and go from there with double rows of chords and straps to anchor down the machines.

“I welcome you with open arms on our Shard. May you find peace, shelter and warmth on our humble piece of land.” Sonora did her best to sound steady.

The short man took a tentative step towards her, bringing a sudden burst of unease onto Sonora. She shivered and withdrew her hands.

Before she realized what she had done, she saw anger and fear spread on all the faces of the fugitives like quick-acting disease.

“I was wondering where all this unwelcoming atmosphere was coming from…” The leader mumbled and frowned at her. “It’s hard to expect more from people led by someone like you.”

“No, this is all a misunderstanding. I did not mean to offend you.” Sonora said.

The feeling grew stronger. Something stung at her mind like hundreds of tiny needles flying at her from the direction of the Gleamwind. The man had taken a step back from her, spreading his arms in a protective way around the other fugitives. But Sonora knew what he should have been protecting them from was behind all of them, over the edge of the Shard.

“Something is wrong. Please, come closer to me. Come into the port.” Sonora gestured to the people crowded on the docks in the wind, but none of them moved. They waited for their leader to react.

“Maybe we should take this over from the Rosevy, she is clearly not ready to handle a situation like this. I do not understand how we ever thought that she might be ready. So young…” Aspyo’s clear, sweet voice reached her.

Sonora did not want to turn back, not when the prickling sensation of danger was growing stronger in front of them. Her hands trembled, outstretched towards the short man that did not want to collaborate.

“Sonora! What are you doing?” Rose Sitak-Lazio sounded as hard as ever.

Then, she saw it. The danger she sensed coming closer. Silvery darts speeding through the cold blue sky directly towards the Shard. A part of the Gleamwind had left its main body and was headed towards them without anyone noticing. Those tiny particles could tear up a human body in a matter of seconds without the appropriate protection. None of the fugitives was wearing glider armor, and neither was Sonora or any of the Heads.

And the shields were down.

“Move, now! This is an order!” Sonora dashed to grab the short man’s hand and pull him behind the metal gates of the port. She then turned around to look for the tips of the halberds. “Controllers! To the gates! Seal the protective layers and get everyone out of the here. Move!”

Some of the men in silvery armor moved around to follow her orders, but not all of them. The villagers were still crowded around the gates and talking as loud as ever, which prevented Sonora’s words to spread fast.

Luckily for her, Rose took a quick look at her face, then turned to the controllers himself and repeated the orders she had given. Immediately, the mass of people got pushed further back into the port, while Sonora shoved the leader in front of her as she moved. The short man mumbled some curses, but did not resist.

Shrieks rose from the outer lines of fugitives. The flying particles of condensed death were now visible to them as well.

“How did nobody see that earlier?” Sonora scoffed as she crouched down behind the protective barriers of the port.

“See what?” The short man asked next to her.

Sonora did not have the time to reply, because a blur of darkness swooped in front of her, picking her up and pulling her through the line of controllers. Sonora had to blink multiple times to realize it was Movra who had grabbed her and pulled her away from the barriers.

“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”

“Just shut your mouth and follow me.” Movra’s voice was not rude, just rough and straight to the point.

Sonora did not have the time to be offended by the Head’s answer. The crowd brushed against her, all too confused and flustered to realize the Rosevy had just dashed past them. The sky turned from a cold, clear blue to something even more crystalline and white. Sonora shuddered as she did not dare look back on the quickly approaching particles of Gleamwind, which she could feel were just beyond the protecting barriers, now.

She hoped with all her heart that the controllers managed to herd everyone behind the massive bronze barriers before disaster could hit the crowd. Movra, however, did not even slow down or consider to look back or to give an explanation to any of the people who recognized them rushing by. The bald man hurried away from the port and into the town, veering off the main battered dirt road at the first chance that he had.

Sonora’s slippered feet skidded on the half-frozen ground as Movra stopped a few feet into the alleyway and jerked his head around.

“This will do.” He mumbled, then pushed Sonora into a dark, small house that looked completely empty from the outside.

As Sonora found her footing in the dim room, Movra slammed the door shut behind them, but did not lock it. Instead, he closed his eyes and joined his palms before his chest, while straightening himself.

Sonora adjusted her winter toga with trembling hands, and gather all of her self control to not burst out with anger against the bald Oracle. What was he even thinking? He dragged the Rosevy away from the spotlight before she could explain her actions or make them right somehow. This man had ruined her chances of becoming an Oracle loved and accepted by the people and--

Then, she felt it. The resonance. It was similar to the one in the Core Chamber, yet not quite the same: it lacked depth and intensity but it was definitely the same kind.

Sonora took a few deep breaths and looked around. Her eyes widened when she could feel that the resonance in the room was coming from the bald man right in front of her. The air around Movra vibrated and thickened, just like Sonora had felt it around the Core.

“What are you doing?” Sonora asked.

“I did not believe you.” Movra rasped. “I did not want to. But you truly are something special, aren’t you?”