With the majority of the trip to the theatre behind us, we stayed the night at the Widow’s Peak, and that was the first time since Strauss summoned a tornado inside that I’d entered the building through the front door. My heart dropped into my knees when Marta greeted us instead of V—V would have loved having us all together. But on that note, as painful as it still was, I was happy to be there with all my mates for a change.
Because the villagers who’d stayed behind after the fire were living at the inn, only the smallest room was available for the lot of us, and though it was a fairly large room, it was still fourteen people crammed inside. At one point, Rhian asked why we wouldn’t just go to Alexander’s, but the subjects from Verena had chosen to settle there for now, so Alexander blamed the renovations and was the one to sell everyone on the Peak.
Now, here are a few of the fun things Rhian forgot to mention—again:
A Night at the Peak With the Crew
Entry Log #1
Even with our heightened vision, it was dark enough in the room that everyone in it was defined by the shapes of their bodies and the sounds of their voices.
“We could put you all to sleep,” Markus suggested.
“How dreary,” Sebastian remarked. “We aren’t meant to sleep during a slumber party.”
“If that’s true, then it ceases being a slumber party,” Strauss replied, “and it becomes simply a party.”
Entry Log #2
“Is everyone still awake?” Adeline asked.
There was a group chant of yesses.
“Aye,” I said.
“Well, I know you are because—”
She didn’t finish the thought because the thought would have exposed the fact I’d been secretly rubbing her bum. Other than from our fellow co-conspirators, we were still keeping our budding romance from the rest of the crew. Why, you might ask? Well, because Adeline was the author of her own life, and if the lass wanted to experience the excitement of a clandestine love affair, who was I to deny her the thrill?
“Aye, we’re all still bloody awake,” Rhian interrupted.
“Well, I wasn’t,” Rhydian said, sounding grumpy as ever.
But I knew better because I knew my sister, and I knew Strauss, and I knew Zacharias—all people who didn’t think they deserved joy.
“Are you sure none of you want help?” Markus asked.
“Let’s just find a way to make the best of this,” Michael suggested. “It isn’t like we have any other choice. The horses need rest.”
“We could play a game,” Riz suggested.
And my sister threw a pillow at him.
Entry Log #3
Almost everyone had fallen asleep, except for Sebastian and Alexander who carried on a quiet conversation in their corner. Good, because I knew my fellow co-conspirators would have my back. I tiptoed toward the door, opened it quietly, and turned down the hall where the restroom awaited. I stepped inside, and then I waited.
Two, two and a half, three minutes.
Adeline rushed through the door.
We only kissed for a while because we were taking it slow.
I returned to the room first.
Entry Log #4
“Reckon it’s time to leave yet?” Bells asked.
“What time is it?” Maryse asked.
“Two minutes and thirty seven seconds past eight in the morning,” Adeline answered.
I couldn’t kiss her, so I stared at the wall.
“Good enough, then,” Rhydian decided.
We all climbed to our feet, and then—
Riiiiiiiiiip.
“Fuck,” Rhian Rhianed.
“Was that your dress, love?” Evelyn asked.
“Aye,” Rhian answered. “I thought it could use a hole in the arse.”
Everybody laughed. Well, everybody except for Riz, Strauss, and Adeline who all agreed the hole was a nice touch.
“Could someone please give me some light?” Evelyn asked. “I have a small sewing kit.”
Sebastian snapped his fingers, lighting the sconces around the room, and while the rest of us got ready to head down for breakfast, Evelyn mended my sister’s dress.
Anyhow, nobody slept well, and in the morning, we all had breakfast together downstairs. After being so eager to get out of the wagons, everyone was looking forward to getting back in the wagons so we could sleep. That’s why the rest of the trip to the theatre actually was uneventful. We’d all given up rotating by then, and everyone who wanted to sleep, slept. In our wagon, Strauss’s motion sickness was doing a number, so Markus knocked him out.
We arrived at the theatre just after nine thirty in the evening.
Not only had Everleigh managed to clean the interior, but since I’d last seen the theatre, the exterior had been decorated with tall candelabras and a long, green carpet leading straight to the door, matching all the lads’ ties and all the lasses’ dresses.
And speaking of the clothes, how about we take a short break for…
An Interview With Everleigh Gloom
“Thank you for joining us again, Everleigh.”
“…”
“I’ll get straight to the point: the people may be wondering, how did you know how many suits and dresses to have, as well as everybody’s essential measurements?”
“I asked around.”
“I think the people might find that answer a little vague. What do you think, Everleigh?”
Everleigh Gloom sighs deeply.
“I know Sebastian’s measurements by heart, and I eyeballed the rest of you.”
“That’s it, you eyeballed us?”
“And I took a few measurements while you were sleeping.”
“It all makes sense now.”
“I guess.”
“What about Markus, Maryse, Bells, and Riz?”
“Andrei wouldn’t stop talking about his friends from the lair, so I knew I’d probably need something Strachan-sized, something Endican-sized, and something Celestian-sized. Then I had a few extras made in generic-person-size just in case.”
“That must have been a lot of work for Vivienne.”
“Aye.”
“How did she manage?”
“I paid her to manage.”
“I see. Well, I couldn’t help but notice that for all the foresight, you forgot to get us shoes.”
“I didn’t.”
“So why weren’t there shoes?”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“The cobbler in Jaska’s a jerk.”
“Thank you for your time, Everleigh.”
“Okay.”
Once we were inside the theatre, Sebastian led the crew through the atrium and two sets of double doors. Most folks were mightily impressed, either having never seen the theatre, or still coming to terms with the fact Sebastian Vonsinfonie was guiding them into the auditorium. The chairs we toted were laid out on the floor in front of the stage, and Everleigh had strung up black velvet curtains—like the ones in her office—on either side of it.
We all took our seats.
So, there’s no point rehashing. Rhian did a bang up job in The Second One, actually. You might remember it went a lot like: Everleigh Gloom came out on stage and played a song of victory, and the feeling of a thousand dreams fulfilled. She played a note, and lit a light, played a note, and lit a light, and then the Anima were there, and we were frozen, and then only the Anima were frozen. Then she played the Cursed Canticle, and all the Anima in the balconies burst into ash. Everleigh bowed and said, “You’re welcome.”
Now that we’ve established what you should already know, let’s focus on what you don’t know. In part because Strauss and Rhian didn’t bother writing about it, in part because they sat around playing boring old people instead of dancing with the rest of us, and in part because they spent the rest of their evening in the office.
So, again, here are a few of the highlights:
A Night on the Dance Floor With the Crew
Entry Log #1
Under the terms of our clandestine affair, Adeline and I agreed we could dance together as long as we made it look awkward, and that we eventually included others. So by that point in the evening, Sebastian was on stage with Everleigh’s violin, my sister, Strauss, and Alexander sat in the audience chairs, and everyone else was mingling in front of the stage.
Adeline, myself, Everleigh, and Riz joined up by the wall.
“Have you two been formally introduced?” Adeline asked.
“No,” Everleigh answered.
Riz smiled charmingly, extending his hand. “Matteus Rizik. Or Riz. Or Matt. Or, you know, anything else you come up with would be fine, too.”
Everleigh blinked up at him. “I like nicknames,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it daintily. “I’m Ever.”
Adeline and I resumed dancing awkwardly while the pair chatted.
“Just Ever?” Riz asked.
“Or Everleigh. Or Everleigh Gloom.”
Adeline and I shared a sip of Hocks, still dancing.
“Well, let me just say, you were amazing up there, Ever. I mean, you really were right in your element. I’m sorry about your friends, though.”
“I’m over it.”
Riz laughed.
Adeline and I tried not to.
“Yeah, I did something similar recently myself,” Riz confessed. “You know, destroyed a bunch of Anima and then got over it.”
Everleigh stared up at him. “Are you staying in Amalia.”
“Actually, I’ll be bringing Evelyn and Rhydian back to Stracha after this.”
“Can I come.”
With the match officially lit, Adeline and I shuffled our way back into the crowd, dancing victoriously, but still awkwardly.
Entry Log #2
I was four shots of Hocks in—still nowhere near the point where I’d be at risk of taking off my clothes—when I came up behind my sister and Strauss, draping my arms across each of their shoulders.
“Are you having fun?” I asked.
“Aye, mate,” Rhian answered. “It’s been all right.”
Strauss nodded. “It sounds as though everyone’s having a nice time, although I’m still wrapping my head around being serenaded by Sebastian Vonsinfonie.”
“Don’t suppose you’ll dance with us?”
“Nope,” Rhian said. “But we’re rooting for you out there.”
I kissed my sister on the back of the head. “Love you, Rhi-rhi.”
“Love you, too, Gus.”
I kissed Strauss on the back of the head. “Love you, Strauss.”
“…Love you, too, Finlay.”
Entry Log #3
We were a couple hours into the party, and I'd joined up with Michael who’d been hanging out by the stage. Most of the crew were still dancing full force: Rhydian with Evelyn, Bells with Markus, and Everleigh with Riz. I’d caught her smiling twice so far.
“How’s it going, mate? Having fun?”
“This has all been really something,” Michael answered.
I nodded. “Aye, tell me about it. You and Maryse hitting it off?”
“She’s cute,” Michael admitted. “But a little…”
“Uptight?”
“Yeah, she was good for a few dances, though.”
“Lucky for you, I happen to know the perfect lass. I reckon you’ll love her.”
Michael nodded, at first looking grateful until he hesitated. “Is this something we did?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, did you used to set me up with women a lot?”
Right—still no memory of the majority of his life. “Oh, uh—aye, we hooked each other up all the time. We had a system.”
“Which one of us is winning?”
“Winning by who’s completed the most hookups, or who’s had the most hookups?”
Michael knocked back a sip from the bottle of spirits he was holding. “Had.”
“Well,” I paused, “do you want your number? Though I might be off by one or two.”
Michael chewed his lip while he considered. Finally, he nodded. But just as I was giving him his answer, Sebastian played a particularly loud and long-lasting note.
“What?” Michael said.
I crooked my hand, and he leaned in so I could whisper the number directly in his ear.
“No kidding,” he answered as if amazed with himself. “What about you?”
I whispered my answer in his ear.
And Michael no longer looked amazed with himself.
Entry Log #4
By now, Strauss and my sister had been gone for over half an hour, and judging by the look on their faces before they left, I reckoned I knew exactly what they’d gone to do. Meanwhile, Everleigh was back on stage with Sebastian, beginning their next song playing the violin with a fast, almost frantic urgency. After a minute, Sebastian stepped forward.
“Friends,” he said.
The firelight flickered, and the audience turned to face the stage.
“Co-conspirators,” Sebastian added when he had all of our attention.
Adeline and I shared an amused snicker before sharing another sip of Hocks.
“Co-stars of my favourite miracle,” Sebastian continued. “Watch closely.”
While Everleigh still played the violin, the majority of the audience looked to the ceiling. I felt a knock at the door—you know, the brain door—and judging by the astonished look on several people’s faces, mates, I was missing out on something by not answering.
I dropped my defenses and looked up with everybody else.
The ceiling wasn’t a ceiling anymore, it was a midnight blue sky full of stars, and we weren’t all standing in a theatre anymore, we were in an open field.
“What am I missing?” Adeline asked.
“He’s painted the sky full of stars and made it look like we’re outside.”
“Ugh—sometimes I hate being immune to telepathy. It’s a shame Enforcer Rhian isn’t here to see it, though.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I’m gonna go find her.”
“Well, do be careful, Agent Finlay. You wouldn’t want a repeat of the costume chest debacle.”
“No, Addie, I really wouldn’t.”
With Addie’s advice fresh in my mind, I made my way through the double doors, and tiptoed my way through the atrium, but I stopped when I heard something coming from the office. And no, it wasn’t Rhian and Strauss getting it on again.
Mates, this was so much better than that, but it was also so much worse. I tiptoed closer to the office, holding close to the wall.
“—celebration? Whyever for?” Zack asked.
“My birthday,” Strauss answered. “Belated.”
“The celebration has nothing to do with the sudden decimation of my children, and my children’s children? Your friends aren’t dancing on their ashes?”
I winced. Zack, Zack, Zack—didn’t we already have a talk about the children thing?
“Your children murdered two hundred people,” Strauss replied, referring to the fire in Oskari. “In one night.”
“They have been out of hand,” Zack admitted.
Aye, good for him.
“But that’s only because I haven’t been awake to guide them,” he continued.
Never mind. I shook my head and slumped down against the wall.
“It took Ivana three hundred years to put a pin in her murderous urges,” my sister said.
Hearing V’s name come up in that particular moral debate was like a punch in the gut.
My heart pounded against my chest.
“Mortals don’t have time to sit around and wait while their friends and family die so you can provide your fucked up children with therapy,” my sister concluded.
“Ivana Novak was your friend,” Zack reminded. “Would you have seen her destroyed, knowing that she would one day put a pin in her urges and assimilate?”
“The preferred answer is that she would never have been turned at all,” Strauss said. "Let die as we are meant to."
No, that wasn’t preferred—not to me. V was an incredible person who changed my life.
“Do you truly believe that?” Zack asked.
As much as I appreciated the ethical complexities of a chat with Zack, I didn’t reckon it was the best way to get to know people right out the gate. And if he was trying not to come across strange, he probably should have gone with, “How are you enjoying your evening so far?” But instead…
“If your beloved were suffering a fatal blood loss during childbirth. Faced with the critical choice: animate or let die. What do you choose, Andrei Strauss? Would you choose as Sebastian chose?”
I dropped my head into my hands.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Strauss said.
“How else shall I say it? Would you, Andrei Strauss, choose as my brother chose when he reanimated my wife?”
“Why would Sebastian turn Avis Adler?” Strauss asked.
“Well, why don’t we ask Sebastian now?”
“How about let’s not,” my sister said.
“What if I told you that I agree the Trio must be stopped?”
Rhian snorted. “What, so they’re all right to slay? Which one is it, mate?”
“I didn’t say they must be destroyed,” Zack corrected gently. “I said they must be stopped.”
“Do you know how to stop them?” Strauss asked.
“Not exactly,” Zack confessed. “But come with me,” he said. “I’ve been dying all over again to show you both something.”
“Where?” Strauss asked.
“To the place I call home.”
Not a minute after Rhian and Strauss agreed to go with him in exchange for him answering all their questions, I heard a heavy body hit the floor. The second one didn’t make quite as much noise, like it was caught and laid down deliberately.
I picked myself up and wandered over to the office.
Now hovering over my sister and Strauss, who both appeared to be fast asleep, Zacharias turned and looked in my direction.
I waved, and he started crying.