Over the following weeks, the routine stayed the same.
Nephis’s group hunted and handed out food to the abandoned residents.
During his time there, he didn’t run into Nephis again, mostly because he avoided her before anything else, which wasn’t hard considering how busy she kept herself.
Nor did he avoid her because he didn’t want to see her.
I helped her before she was famous.
That was an investment in the future; besides being a capable detective, I’m an entrepreneur.
He surveyed the state of things.
The doubts of those living outside the castle began to fade, and Changing Star’s prestige soared.
Fear of the ruler, Gunlaug, still lingered, but they felt safe and part of a cause under Nephis’s command.
“It’s moving.”
He walked through the outer settlement, poking his nose in wherever he could.
If anyone asked him what he was doing, he’d answer that he was in the middle of an urgent errand and turn right around.
If anyone asked if he was new, he’d answer without hesitation that he was, and that he’d already been assigned a job he was happy to keep at.
If anyone asked him anything else, it could come from three different reasons: either because they thought he was a spy, because the spy thought he could easily pry out information, or — the least common — because they genuinely approached him in a friendly way.
Either way, not many suspected him.
Whenever he approached the outer settlement, he’d stay for an hour or two before retreating back to the castle.
It was quite suspicious, but no one paid particular attention to Aisling.
It was thanks to a scorn not worth reminding Aisling about.
Aisling had also taken a certain liking to one person in particular: Sunny.
Whether out of distrust or curiosity, a slippery shadow kept an eye on him every now and then.
What did I do to deserve this treatment?
That Sunny is a gloomy kid with nothing better to do than be paranoid…
though he’s not wrong.
Aisling had to act as though he didn’t notice the shadow’s presence and keep to his routine as best he could.
At the same time, he couldn’t give away anything related to the Spectre or how he connected to the castle in particular.
If Sunny recognized him as the Spectre, he’d definitely stop watching him out of pure self-preservation; and if he knew the exact truth of what Aisling did in the castle, he’d have no reason to keep watching him.
What was Aisling’s real goal in reasoning out two reasons Sunny might stop bothering him, and yet still clinging to wanting him to keep watching closely?
Drama!
Mystery!
If Aisling let him find out that easily, it would be handing him the win.
He couldn’t let him find out!
So Aisling acted suspicious on purpose.
He showed just enough skill to keep anyone on edge, without exposing himself too much.
Being suspicious enough, but keeping it at a level where only a shadow might suspect him, while at the same time not coming across as a threat serious enough to deal with.
And Sunny wouldn’t suspect a thing either, thanks to his own distrustful way of thinking!
Unfortunately, Sunny didn’t have much time for him.
Sometimes he went out with the hunting party, and other times Aisling had no idea what he was doing, unable to go looking for him to ask because he simply couldn’t find him.
It was a shame, all the more so because Sunny gave off a certain familiarity.
In the past, before being affected by the Nightmare Spell, Aisling had dealt with this type of kid who believes the world is against them.
Come closer, Sunny, I had you pegged the moment I recognized that distrustful outskirts attitude, and your paranoia just amuses me.
Don’t leave me!
Aisling might have been overreacting, and he wasn’t going to deny it.
Considered an expert at being a rat, he understood outskirts rats better than anyone.
He recognized that there were different types of people who tended to develop when born into such poor conditions.
There were cases like Sunny’s, those who shielded themselves behind distrust, and Aisling’s case, those who broke from the conventional system by creating their own logic.
With no one actively bothering him, he was about to head off when someone intercepted him.
“Fool Boy, what a surprise to run into you.”
A mocking voice made him shudder, coming from the skilled huntress and member of the hunting party, Athenea — or Effie, as she was usually called.
The nickname “Fool Boy” had come from a single occasion, years earlier, when he used to frequent the gambling den.
Effie had said it once, by chance, and never let it go. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Effie, I heard you just got back from another hunt.
And here I was thinking you’d grow too big and die because you couldn’t fit through the door from all that eating.”
“You keep saying things like that with that face…
do you want to die?”
Aisling took a small step back.
He turned toward Nephis’s outer settlement, finding a large number of people who never stopped moving and working.
All of them young outsiders looking to be included, which made the group grow exponentially in a short time by offering the benefits that came with living under Gunlaug’s yoke.
Same as Gunlaug…
with exceptions, of course.
He tucked that thought away for later, noticing how Effie seemed more excited than in their previous encounters.
“You look really lively.
Is that Changing Star so much fun?
I saw she showed you a head to get you to accept.”
Effie shook her head, amused.
“It was priceless, seeing her holding a head with that expression of hers.
I thought she was a princess who’d end up caving to any monster, but look what she’s built!”
Aisling glimpsed something beyond it all, murmuring to himself:
“At this rate, she’ll build her own army.”
Effie didn’t deny his words; she understood what he meant.
Giving him a slap on the back, she smiled mockingly.
“You should join up; you’d definitely fit right into that crazy group they’ve got.”
Aisling let out a slow snort, almost bashful.
“No thanks; my abilities are limited, and I don’t want to take orders from anyone…”
At that moment his gaze caught a familiar face in the crowd.
“I’d love to keep talking, but something’s come up; see you soon, Effie.”
He slipped away before he lost sight of the person.
I’m a spy, and I know how it’s done — you, on the other hand…
better off living humbly.
The person he’d found was Harper, the receptionist, and knowing how the man usually acted, he found it hard to believe he’d come of his own free will.
“Receptionist, tired of your job yet?”
Harper tensed up at the sound of Aisling’s voice, pulling a sour face while his back was turned.
He tried to ignore him, but Aisling cut him off.
“Oh…
it’s you, sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
Harper made an effort to smile and not look so put out.
“Relax, that’s normal with this crowd.
I’ll ask again — tired of your job yet?”
“That…
Yes, sure, it was hard and all that…
you know, castle stuff.”
Aisling wanted to slap the idiot in front of him for ruining the bit; the man simply didn’t have what it took to keep it going.
I know you don’t like me, but work on your acting.
Harper didn’t keep talking, and Aisling didn’t either.
He let the silence settle awkwardly between them while he watched Harper with a smile, as if waiting expectantly for him to continue speaking or take some action, well aware the man was too much of a coward to do either.
Harper couldn’t stand the silence, until he spotted Sunny and felt it was the perfect chance to escape that madman and head back to the castle.
“Sorry, I already have plans with someone!”
What a cheap excuse — who says I can’t use it too?
“What a coincidence, I had plans too; let me tag along.”
Son of a bitch, get away from me!
Even so, Harper couldn’t turn him down.
The two of them approached the stone platform where Sunny stood gazing out at the outer settlement and the castle.
Harper spoke:
“Sunless!
Uh…
can we talk?”
But Sunny’s state wasn’t the usual one; even Harper noticed it, taking a small step back.
Aisling could no longer back off without looking guilty, so he stepped forward as well, following Harper.
In the gloom, Sunny took a few seconds to answer.
“Yes.
We can talk.”
* * *
Sunny wasn’t having his best day.
After that day’s hunt, something in him had opened his eyes to the truth.
He’d always believed Cassie’s vision was about some different time, a distant past, but that wasn’t it; it was a very near future.
The girl with the bronze spear was Effie, and the lone star above the Bright Castle, bringing fire and rivers of blood with her, was Nephis.
Changing Star.
Sunny had been afraid of what Gunlaug might do to Nephis because of her power; he hadn’t realized something so obvious — a corpse in golden armor seated on the throne.
He’d always known Nephis was guided by some mysterious, overwhelming goal.
He didn’t know what it was, but it certainly wasn’t here, in the Forgotten Shore.
And to fulfill it, he remembered the words she’d said to him on their very first day: “We’ll find a way back.
Whatever it takes, we’ll do it.”
That meant everything built up to that day, and whatever would be built in the future, was what would go into shaping their fates.
Sunny was truly terrified.
“Sunless?”
Sunny snapped out of it; he’d forgotten he was talking to Harper.
He tried to stay rational, though with this discovery it was too hard; he felt more unsteady than usual.
“Sorry.
Uh…
I’m a little out of sorts after today’s hunt.
Did you want to talk?”
Reassured, Harper smiled again.
“You see, I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me and for everyone in the settlement.
When I left the castle, I brought along something very special.
I thought I’d share it with you!”
Sunny frowned.
“A special item?”
Harper nodded eagerly, then stopped dead.
Sunny didn’t need to pay much attention to know why.
“A special item?
How exciting, let’s not waste any time.”
Aisling slung his arm around Harper’s neck and smiled at him as if they’d been lifelong friends.
From the look on Harper’s face, Sunny knew that wasn’t true, but since the bastard was a spy and he didn’t like him one bit, he let it slide.
As for Aisling, he didn’t know what to make of him.
He’d watched him a couple of times out of simple curiosity.
Then he watched him because he was far too suspicious; when he talked to others, he carried himself in an exemplary way, and yet his actions said the exact opposite.
Sunny smiled.
“Sure.
Let’s not waste any time.”