Edxine had made preparations for the terminal Xanarona was to visit and the Empress-designate had spent her waking hours readying herself. She had on the crown of her head the slab that denoted her office and threw on a capelet over shoulders. The travel basket meant to take her to the terminal was still being put together. And Edxine was waiting at the reception for her, a host of servants behind him.

  “Empress-designate.” He bowed subtly as she arrived. “My reserves are here to escort you. The terminal is not too far from here.”

  “What am I to expect?” Xanarona asked bluntly.

  “Perhaps, the Guardian of the terminal will show you around. Some people may give you trinkets but most will take your presence as an inspection. By now, they are already expecting you.”

  “I see. If I have the time, I would pay a visit to more than one terminal,” she said. “Has Dorren told you about the situation with Wilcoxx?”

  “She has. I was planning on discussing it with you upon your return.”

  “There is nothing to discuss Edxine.”

  “I understand.”

  The travel basket that Xanarona had arrived in was over three times larger than the rest. She got into a smaller one with Hedwig, Nara and two Pilots while the other reserves followed in another one. The basket took to the skies, and Xanarona saw not too far away the very first terminal they were to visit. The ride was short as expected and most of the baskets on the summit of the terminal were packed to one side. There were four men and a woman waiting there for them.

  The man standing in the middle came over to her and greeted, “Brightdawn, my dam.” He placed a thick pale arm on his chest and bowed deeply.

  “I am Rasby. Guardian over this terminal. These ones behind me are Engineers of Thyrv.” He signalled for them to approach and they each greeted Xanarona with a name and a bow.

  “We are glad to have you here in our terminal,” Rasby smiled. “If you don't mind following me, dam, I'll show you around.”

  “Edxine's reserves will do well to wait here. If I need any of you, I will call for you,” Xanarona announced. Nara and Hedwig and the other Engineers followed her in. Rasby was wont to smile the entirety of the way.

  “Dam, I will show you our Headquarters first. We manage everything concerning the terminal from here,” Rasby said as they entered the place. It was neat, not too filled but appeared busy enough. Two people were inputting logs and when they stood to greet her, she said, “Don't stop your work on my account. Keep on.” She saw the shadows of others in another room through a glass and did not permit Rasby to disturb them. Good, hard work was sacred to Xanarona. Idleness could never be afforded.

  They went down to the bibliotheca, food engineering, recess and storage. Not many were out. Rasby had said that most were in the living area so as not to disturb her visit.

  “It shouldn't be so. If I happen to come here again, everyone should be about their dawn as if I were not around.”

  “I understand, dam.”

  She had not much else to say. The terminal was up to standard thanks to Edxine. “Take me to the living area.”

  Rasby continued on past a lobby and into the living area. There was a common room where both delegates and reserves were cluttered and as the Empress-designate walked amongst them they bowed and whispered greetings. Some sent their children to hand her canisters filled with iron dust or little architectural models which Nara collected in a basin.

  “Edxine does an enviable job in this region,” she noted.

  “Sire Edxine is kind to us, dam,” Rasby declared. “Should I get you something to eat?”

  Xanarona thought for a second. “It would be a good gesture to receive food from your folk. I will not eat now however. You may pack some food and hand it to Nara.”

  Rasby and the other Engineers left to get something ready for her. She spied Barristen at a corner and he bobbed his head ever so mildly in greeting. She merely batted an eyelash in his direction and continued looking around the place. “Where is the cell?” She asked no one in particular. “I want to see the cell. Nara, find someone who would show me the cell.”

  Nara handed the basin filled with trinkets to Hedwig and went towards the exit the Engineers had taken. Hedwig received more gifts from people as they waited for Nara.

  “Dam.” Someone called Xanarona from behind. Xanarona recognized her as one of the Engineers that had been escorting her. “Show me the cell where you pile your prisoners.”

  “Follow me, dam,” the woman said, meekly.

  They proceeded down a flight of switchback stairs and eventually halted at a landing.

  “Are there prisoners in there?” Xanarona asked.

  The taciturn lady shook her head. “Excuse me while I get the keys.”

  “On your way,” Xanarona granted.

  With that, she vamoosed from before them. There was a blurred glass window revealing the outside. Xanarona drew closer to it and peered out. She could see the Cylinder House from where she was. There was a slight movement at the bottom of the house; some of its walls were swaying left and right to let travel baskets in and out. It was what she had felt that time in her room.

  Perhaps, it was the slip of an eye but there was a glint of an object on top of the landing bay protruding out of the House. A grieving darkness suddenly rose up from a nearby abyss but never fully formed. Xanarona stepped back in late realization. She had neither the time to duck nor swerve. The first harpoon shattered the glass, buried its hook into her stomach and pinned her to the aluminum wall behind. It had missed her heart, but she was not entirely relieved. Hedwig had fallen to the ground in the commotion, the basin and trinkets with her. She scrambled to reach the Empress-designate but Xanarona warned, “Stay away, Hedwig.”

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  Xanarona stretched an arm out to shield her heart. The second harpoon came boring in. It dug into her palm and plastered it over her chest with a stump. Her now-bleeding palm had deflected the harpoon an inch or two away from her heart. She fought to unhook herself from the wall and when she couldn't, she walked her body out of the harpoon still stuck to the wall. A third attack came but Xanarona was well away now. The harpoon clanged against metal.

  Hedwig rushed to her side but Xanarona brushed her aside, saying, “Don't panic, Hedwig, I will heal.” Hedwig removed her shawl and tied her injured arm. Xanarona did not lie. Her body was mending itself. The area surrounding the wound became holographic in form. There were small cubes of light spreading over the surface of the wound, clotting the blood and creating new skin. The same happened to the wound in her stomach. Hedwig was breathing heavily and checking the dam for any other injuriess. Xanarona weakly untied the shawl Hedwig had placed around her left palm. Hedwig’s eyes lit up when she saw it fully healed.

  “We must return. There was a black mass rising from an abyss. It never formed though. Cibil is the only President in that House. There was a fight.” Xanarona got on her feet. She heard a series of boots marching down the steps to meet them.

  Hedwig was still not herself. Xanarona grabbed her by the shoulders and instructed, “Clean your eyes, Hedwig. The Engineers are coming. You must pretend like nothing happened. If they ask how the glass broke or how those spears got on the wall, say nothing and just keep up with me. You hear? You mustn't tell them that I was injured.”

  Hedwig wore a brave face, bit the inside of her lip and nodded.

  “Let's go.”

  Nara was the first to meet them halfway up the steps. “What happened? We heard noise coming from here.”

  “Keep quiet, Nara. We are leaving.”

  Rasby and the others looked around in confusion. Many were out now whispering and wondering what had happened. But Xanarona said nothing. She used her capelet to cover the place where the harpoon had torn her cloth. They went up to their basket where Edxine's reserves were waiting.

  “We are leaving! Now!” Nara said.

  Rasby hopped in from behind them. “Please Empress. What happened? Tell us. We brought you the food you asked us to. At least take it.”

  She ignored all and sundry and did not think much of the incident till they landed above House Loran. Some were waiting to attend her but she paid them no mind. She was going straight to Edxine's.

  “We heard there might have been an attempt on your life.” A huge man blocked her path. “I am Sire Edxine's personal Pilgrim, and he asked me to inspect you whenever you returned. So if you don't mind, dam?” He spoke softly and had sort of a smile on his countenance.

  “I do mind,” Xana snapped.

  “It will only be a quick scan, Empress-designate. But if you insist…” He stepped aside.

  She eyed him once more. “I have changed my mind,” she said.

  “Then allow me to show you to Med,” the Pilgrim said.

  She removed the thin slab of metal which was askew on her head and handed it to Nara. “Drop this in my chambers. I want only Hedwig with me.”

  The large man took them to a lift, turned the gears and proceeded to join them. He was dressed in white much like the workers in her Steelhouse.

  “What is your name?”

  “Instan, dam.”

  “Were you trained in Thyrv?”

  “I am everything I am thanks to Sire Edxine.”

  “Tell me about the attack.”

  “A reserve was found lying unconscious around the reception and an alarm was raised. Incidentally, travel baskets were also being let out, so it was a bit chaotic.”

  “Not incidentally. It was perfectly timed.”

  “We know for sure it was more than one attacker. But beyond that we are not certain. Whether the assailants came from the reception at the top or from the opening in the—”

  “What do you think?”

  “Most likely there were only two of them. They might have someone on the inside but that is for Sire Edxine to expose. I think they came from the reception, waited for the cylinders to come open so that they could attack you. They escaped with a basket. One of them was a Pilot, and the one who shot you, a Panner.”

  The lift stopped and they proceeded out into Med Sys. Xanarona sat on a stool as Instan ministered to her.

  “Your hand, dam.” He took her right palm and projected her organs in the air. He was good, very good. Xanarona would know as there was once a time it was her life's work to examine bodies, living and dead alike.

  He tossed around black muscle fibres and zoomed in around her abdomen and spine. “It's a miracle you were not hit. Those assailants were rather skilled.”

  “How are Edxine and Cibil? Edbeth and the child?”

  “Dam Edbeth is fine, so is her son. Sire Cibil tried to help but got hit. He is alright though. Sire Edxine came at the end when they had gone too far. I have checked all of them. They are alright.”

  “Where are they?”

  “Last I saw, Sire Edxine entered his son's room. I don't think he is too glad.”

  “Thank you, Instan.”

  He bowed and undid the projections.

  Xanarona marched to Cibil’s room. She wanted to knock but hesitated when she heard a raised voice. Not an angry one but the direct, lecturing tone of a father to his son.

  “You have become sloppy. Very sloppy. It wasn't your fault that you were hit, yes, but that woman would have killed you if Instan were not there. You wore no armor, you called for no assistance. You rushed in alone. There’s nothing to prove, to me at least, and your sister would be so distraught if you died. I don't know what you are going through, but get yourself back up. You are not a shabby President.” Edxine came out from the room to find Xanarona waiting. “I see you are alright,” he said.

  “I am.”

  “I have already enacted an investigation. We'll scrub this place of any traitors.”

  “As you have noted Edxine, I am alright. There is no need to devote resources to this, at least not at this time. For now, issue the Surrender to Arms. Bring House Wilcoxx to heel.”

  “Dorren has shown me the discrepancies. The Empress may not uphold the reason for engagement. She may say it is too light.”

  “Issue it anyway. I have foreshortened my stay here. I will be leaving tomorrow and will convince my mother myself.”

  “I am sorry for what happened here, Empress-designate. Truly sorry.”

  “Don't be too hard on Cibil. I said words I shouldn't have.” Xanarona found herself apologising for the other dawn. The feeling was strange. This wasn't her. She thought her eyes would cloud with the Prophet's black and her granddaughter would take over but it wasn't that; she still had control.

  “Are you okay, Empress-designate?” Edxine asked. She had been staring mindlessly at Cibil’s door.

  “Cibil needs a firmer hand,” she amended her latter statement. “He’s earned my reprimand.” She uttered loudly so Cibil would hear.