“I mean, I haven’t been able for more than two weeks now,” Sally rephrased. “I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again. Or fully tire again. Or die again.”

  But the reply didn’t change. “I know,” Lucy said.

  “Oh,” Sally said dumbly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Lucy shrugged. “You weren’t ready to tell, so why am I to demand answers?”

  Sally had no response for that. “Well… you can go back to sleep, then. I’ll keep watch.”

  But Lucy didn’t leave, instead opting to take a seat beside her. “I think I’ll stay,” Lucy said. “Besides, it’s become routine by now. I doubt I’ll be able to get back to sleep anyhow,” Lucy said, her tired voice contradicting her words.

  But Sally liked to company, so she wouldn’t procim. And so, they sat together in silence, until dawn broke once more.

  24. The Final Steps – September 4, Year 216

  On their way to Ancora, they skipped past Greenwatch. It would’ve added another day to the journey, and for what purpose? Greenwatch itself was a small city, a bit smaller than Lovesse and unlike Lovesse, Greenwatch had no function as a resupply point or a hub for traders to pass through. It cked any caravan grounds, had no rge market catering to outsiders and cked the services Lovesse provided to its visitors.

  Any caravan that did pass by Greenwatch did just that: pass by. Their aim was to get to The Bite, the rge Anteeri city less than ten miles south and west at in the back of the ‘throat’ of the alligator-shaped Lake Prior. Greenwatch was little more than a somewhat overgrown outpost, a fortress with a small town attached to cater to its garrison. The Bite was in complete control of it, was the one that build it, manned its defenses and paid for its expenses. South and east of the bite was another simir settlement, Redwatch, that fulfilled that same exact purpose: an early warning system for whatever trouble may come.

  They were built because The Bite was located on the western tip of Lake Prior, meaning that every so often, things would wander from the Red Wastes and make their way around the ke, either purposefully or by accident. In that way, The Bite was simir to Cardinar, in that they were both the ‘frontier cities’ of the Anteeri. But because of their respective locations, rather than building up an outsized military force, The Bite simply made other, smaller cities to act as a buffer between it and the threats of the Circuits. Funnily enough, this made The Bite the only city that controlled other cities, no matter how small or how dependent these settlements actually were. An empire in miniature.

  None if which mattered for now, since they’d passed by Greenwatch days ago and had no desire to visit The Bite. Instead, they left the Green and went straight into the Red Circuit for one st time.

  Their journey was, once more, a mostly quiet one, albeit not without its moments of excitement. These past days, they’d had three different encounters, each of which needed to be handled appropriately.

  The first one was a flock of shykes. The winged, overgrown crow-like demons had circled high above, and it’d seemed as if they were doing so to attack them. It had made the afternoon a tense one, but just when Sally was sure they were about to be attacked, they flew off. Sally was thankful they did, but she still didn’t know exactly what it was that had made them leave. Had they been eyeing another target all along? Was there carrion stuck frozen on the Red Circuit road somewhere nearby that made for an easier snack than live targets? Or had the sand-covered canopy made of Lucy’s tent hidden them from view?

  Either way, they’d been lucky. Shykes could perform lethal divebombs at such speeds it was hard to react to even if you did see it coming beforehand, though if they missed somehow, they were usually easily pickings. But, as always, it was better to avoid such things.

  The second encounter could barely be called an encounter at all. Whilst walking, they spotted a pair of sheepstealers diving in and out of the ke, presumably to catch the fish that lived in them. For a brief moment Sally had made them stop, fearing they’d encountered shykes again, but once she saw what they really were was prepared to move on; while harmless most of the time, sheepstealers did attack people, albeit very rarely.

  Lucy, on the other hand, wanted to watch them for a while, arguing that they had no need to hurry and could enjoy the sight for a bit longer. Most of the journey y behind them, after all, and these would be the st days spending their practically all their time together. Sally had, of course, indulged her friend’s request, and they’d even moved a bit closer to the ke to watch the white-feathered bird-couple hunt and interact with each other.

  The third time had likewise not led to a disaster, but was no less tense than with the shykes. They were walking – as one would on this stretch of the road – on the side of Lake Prior, with the Red Circuit road acting as a barrier between them and the mountains a small ways away to the north. That was the reason the stretch of road that contained the Anteer cities were considered the safest of all: Lake Prior as a barrier to Red Wastes, and the Red Circuit road as a barrier to the mountains further north. This also meant that things that could fly – like the shykes – were the main threats on this part of the road.

  But those barriers aren’t full proof; nothing is in the Grand Circuit. Things could walk around the ke, and for all its magical properties, both animals and demons could still walk over the Red Circuit road.

  Thus, it came as only a mild surprise that, one day, they found a wyller waiting for them on their side of the road. The red-colored, cougar-like animal had thankfully been just as startled to see them, and after a couple of its wailing hisses, false-starts of a pounce and the occasional angry stomp aimed at them, they managed to carefully circle around and move past the agitated beast. Once they were far enough away from it, the wyller ran down the way Sally and Lucy had come from at bzing speeds.

  But aside from those excitements, their pace had been slow, deliberately so. The road to Ancora was about sixty miles from Lake Solemn, but they were now on their sixth full day of travel and had yet to arrive. The journey wasn’t particurly harsh, and while the whole thing at Lake Solemn was tiring, it was more a mental burden than a physical one, and even then, it wasn’t one that ‘kept her up at night’, pun intended.

  No, there was simply no sense of urgency, no need to hurry towards their destination. The worst of the dangers were past them, their goals had been accomplished, all the necessary – and unnecessary – people had been met and talked to, and all the revetions they’d ever need had been had.

  Now, all that remained was to make pns and specute on what the future held in store for them.

  X

  This was to be their final night spent together on their journey around the Circuits. They could already see Ancora from here, its lights visible just a few miles away from where they made camp. They could’ve pushed through easily enough to rest safely within its walls if they so desired, but they had unanimously, though without a word spoken, decided to make camp and spend their final night outside, on the coast of Lake Prior.

  It was, of course, Sally’s turn to keep watch – as it had been all night, every night since Lake Solemn – but Lucy remained awake, seated beside them in the sent as a te-night snack boiled within the pot. It wasn’t anything special – just leftovers of salty meats, vegetables and tack put together with water and set to boil – but neither of them cared. Sally felt it was made more an excuse for them to talk, rather than any real desire to eat.

  They stared in silence at the boiling pot, unsure of how to begin. Until, eventually, Lucy took the first step.

  “Soooo,” Lucy said, prolonging the ‘o’.

  “So?” Sally replied.

  “What’re your pns after all of, well, this?” Lucy asked, gesturing vaguely at their surroundings.

  Sally thought for a moment, recalling the mental lists of things to do she’d made before, and added stuff to during, the journey they took together.

  “I suppose the first thing I need to do is make a delivery. I did promise to, after all.” Sally replied, though it was more of a stall than a real answer. Not much of a future pn, making one delivery in one city.

  “A delivery?” Lucy asked, surprised.

  Hadn’t I told her about it? Sally thought. “Yeah, from when we were at Southwall, you know, from when I bought your hat? I told you about that, right?” Apparently, she hadn’t, considering the uncomprehending look Lucy gave her. “Oh. Well, the woman I purchased it from – Ange, I think? – well, I didn’t have enough money to purchase the hat, but then she gave me a discount if I promised to deliver something to her old apprentice in Ancora – a box and a letter,” She expined, before frowning. “I really didn’t tell you?” Could’ve sworn I had.

  Lucy shook her head. “No, not that I recall. Was the hat that expensive, then?” Lucy pulled off the hat to look at it, examining it with clear curiosity. “It’s well made, but we still have a lot leftover funds from the Praesidium. How much did it cost without the discount?”

  Sally could see where this was going. “Oh, I didn’t use any of your money. Bought it with what I got from Ain and other personal funds,” she said.

  Lucy looked at her, then at the hat before, again, turning to her, blinking in surprise. “You used your own money?”

  Sally looked back in surprise at Lucy, before ughing. “Yeah, course I did. Would’ve been odd to purchase a gift for you with your own money, wouldn’t it?”

  “Huh?” Lucy replied, oddly stunned. Then, she put the hat back on her head, smiling brightly at Sally. “Well, thanks again, then. You could’ve just used the Praesidium money though, but I appreciate the thought.”

  Sally gave a shrug in response. “Didn’t feel right,” she said.

  “But anyway, after that, what then? One delivery doth not a future make,” Lucy said jokingly.

  “Well, finishing this contract and getting paid, of course,” Sally replied. “I’ll get the other half of the payment, along with the letter of recommendation Ain promised.”

  Sally looked at Lucy and saw her friend nod in response. Didn’t forget to tell her that part, at least. “And after that, well, take up my new career as runner, I suppose. Hell, with my blessings, could probably reach the top with ease!” Sally half-joked.

  Lucy smiled at that. “Well, that you would,” Lucy said, but it sounded perfunctory. It was clear her friend was dissatisfied with her, admittedly bare-boned, pns.

  “Come on, just say it,” Sally said with mild exasperation. It wasn’t like Lucy to hold back.

  “Say what?” Lucy replied.

  “Whatever it is you wanted to say.” Seeing Lucy hesitate still, she continued. “C’mon, we’re friends. I can take it.”

  “Fine, it’s just…” Her friend trailed off, hesitating. “We went through this whole thing, and you’ve got all these blessings and connections going on and, what?” Lucy asked, irritation clear. “Your dream is to become the best runner?” She said, doing her best to hide her sneer.

  “Well, what am I supposed to do? I don’t know where to begin, where to go, don’t know much about anything,” Sally replied to the accusation, frustration leaking through. “Besides, if it is ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ or whatever, I’m sure it’ll rear its ugly head sooner or ter, no matter what I do.”

  “I suppose. It’s just…” Lucy trailed off, clearly not knowing how to put it tactfully. Disappointing, Sally filled in the bnks. But what can I do about it? Nothing, was the answer. Wasn’t like I asked for any of it.

  They remained silent for a long moment, both letting themselves cool off.

  This time, Sally was the one that broke the silence. “How about you?” She asked. “What’re your pns after all this?”

  “Well, you know most of it already. Take the Seventh Sip, get anointed as one of the Most High of the Praesidium, and take things from there,” Lucy said, giving a shrug.

  Sally let out a snort. “And you say my pns are bad,” Sally said teasingly.

  Lucy stuck her tongue out at the remark. “It’s not like you don’t already know! You were there with the ambassador, you’ve heard plenty of my compints. Getting the Praesidium to care less about itself and more about the faith is as good a goal as can be!” She said, feigning indignation. “Besides, it all depends on what I get from the Seventh Sip. More magic? More visions? More knowledge? A ready-made path forwards or ‘just a skill’?” She said, putting air-quotes around the st part. Generally, outside of a particurly unimportant vision of the past, skills were considered the least of the ke’s blessings, especially when gifted from Sips beyond the first. “Either way, it’ll be what guides me towards the future, whatever it might lead.”

  Sally hummed in response. “What’s so special about the Seventh anyhow? Aside from you getting climbing the ranks.”

  “It’s not just a climb in the ranks, it’s the climb, the final one, the summit,” Lucy replied. “The title of ‘Most High’ isn’t just an empty moniker, it’s literal: aside from the Prophet’s Ten Drinks, no-one has been able take more than Seven Sips of Lake Prior’s water, and those that tried have died. Always.”

  “Why seven, though?” Sally asked. “Seems a bit arbitrary, doesn’t it?”

  But Lucy waved her off. “Is it that random? Seven is a holy number. The seven days of the week, the seven stages of human life, the seven states of water; the number seven comes up loads of times.”

  Sally thought about it for a moment. She supposed human life could be divided in seven parts, if you squint, and the days were self-evident. Besides, the number seven did have this odd appeal to it. Much like the number three, really.

  But… “Seven states of water?” Sally asked. Only know the three.

  “Solid, liquid and gas,” Lucy expined, counting on her fingers for show. Those Sally was familiar with. “Flowing, still and falling,” Lucy continued, and those Sally could agree with, in principle at least. “And of course, holy.” Lucy smiled when she said the st one.

  Seems arbitrary, Sally thought, though of course didn’t say. This was clearly Dekantist stuff, and she had no desire to upset Lucy. Not too much, at least.

  Still. “What about poison?” Sally couldn’t help but ask. If holy counted as a ‘state of water’, then the unholy should too, right? “That seems like a different state.”

  But Lucy shook her head in denial. “Water by itself can’t be poison, it can only be poisoned, which means the poison comes from something else. Holy, on the other hand, is intrinsic to water, a quality all water can possess, even if it doesn’t show it.”

  “I thought it was the Ante that blessed the water,” Sally asked. “Wouldn’t that mean its holiness is caused by something outside of it?”

  Lucy smiled, ever-eager to debate. “True, the Prophet did bless the water, but water is the only thing that can confer blessings to another without direct contact between the blesser and the blessed. Things can be blessed with divine properties – like a weapon, or a staff, a person or even a machine – but only water can transfer or give a blessing without a blesser. Even the Evergraced saw that Truth. They use water for their blessings all the time, and they have no connection to the Prophet at all.”

  Sally wasn’t sure if she believed it, but knew she was out of her wheelhouse here.

  Lucy saw her doubt, and continued. “If you want more proof, just look at what happened to you: you were reborn in the water and when you get wounded, it’s your blood reconstitutes your body piece by piece. Your muscles don’t tire, nor does your mind- your brain. But your soul, your psyche, your inner being? Those do get tired, don’t they? Now, guess which of these require blood to function.”

  She followed the pilgrim’s logic and found that she couldn’t object. “So, it’s my blood that’s blessed,” Sally murmured, more to herself than anyone in particur.

  Clearly, Lucy had heard her. “I believe so. Otherwise, your whole being would’ve been blessed instead of all your, you know, bloody parts,” Lucy decred.

  Strangely, that made Sally feel a little better. If it was not her soul, her being that was blessed, but just her blood and through it, her body… Well, what that meant, she didn’t know, but it meant something.

  “Huh,” Sally replied. “Good to know. I think.”

  It was silent again, the important questions over and done with.

  Seeing as it had been boiling for some time now, Lucy moved to dle the broth into bowls for both of them, and they began eating it. Neither of them talked much, enjoying the silence and the view out on Lake Prior. Soon, they both finished eating and as the night stretched on, Sally saw Lucy slowly become more and more tired. No doubt she would soon go to bed and rest.

  But not yet, apparently. “You remember, back when we first met? What we talked about?” Lucy asked, a hesitance in her voice

  Sally looked questioningly at Lucy, but gave an answer. “Yes, you asked what I saw in the ke, right?” She replied, remembering. A city in ke’s bck depth. Lustrous, if not for the rust. Breathless, if not for its death, the poem came back to the forefront of her thoughts, unasked for and unwelcome. She did her best not to cringe at the memory; it had been the first time she’d said the words out loud, never having felt the need or desire to share them with her mentor. “What about it?”

  “No, not that,” Lucy replied. “I meant the other thing, whether you wanted to take the First Sip?”

  Sally did remember that, if only vaguely, and gave a nod in response. “Yes, I remember. Why?”

  “Well, you refused to back then, so I was wondering…” Again, Lucy hesitated. “Do you still not want to?” The pilgrim finished. It was clear her friend felt uncomfortable, almost vulnerable when asking that question, though Sally couldn’t figure out why that was.

  Sally thought about it for a moment. She’d always felt some temptation to do it – to take the First, at least, if not necessarily more than that – but a combination of Niall’s refusal to allow her, the ck of opportunity, and her own stubbornness about its connection to the Dekantists and their religion had stopped her from ever going through with it.

  “Now?” Sally asked, surprised. It seemed a bit sudden, a bit… informal, almost improper to do it here in what’s basically the middle of nowhere.

  Thankfully, Lucy shook her head. “No, at Ancora. Tomorrow night at its earliest, after I’ve taken the Seventh and become anointed. Only if you want to, of course!” The pilgrim added the st part hastily.

  Sally thought it over again, but found that any objection she’d had before had become void. She had the time, the opportunity, no-one was preventing her and her feelings about Dekantism in general had, on the whole, become more positive.

  “Yeah, sure,” Sally shrugged, not quite knowing how to reply to the offer. It seemed like something Dekantists would kill for, to have someone so high-up to guide them through their First. The people at Lovesse certainly seemed to think so. “Seems… fun, I suppose?”

  Fortunately, Lucy’s bright smile and shining eyes said more than enough for both of them.