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April 15th, 1850
It was a beautiful spring day, one of the last cool ones before the summer heat set in. Phaedra should have been admiring the orange roses, cultivated by Temple as a symbol of hope. Instead, her thoughts were elsewhere. The voice that had led her to Sanctuary had fallen silent, and nothing she could do had brought it back. It left her restless and unsatisfied, like she had been cut adrift from the single thing that had guided to where she needed to be. It seemed that, at thirty-three, she would have accomplished more with her life. Sure, she was well known and well loved, but that was because of her sister. Not that she minded. It was just strange how the voice that guided her had fallen silent. It left her feeling unsatisfied, that she had gone so off track that the quiet whisper must have abandoned her.
She was walking down the hall when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw an acolyte running up to her.
“Miss Phaedra!” he said, coming to a stop before her. “You got a summons to the Council Room.”
“Did they say why?” she asked, noting his drawn features and pale complexion.
“They said Aurelius is on the way.”
Shit. “What does he want?”
White showed all around his eyes as he stammered for a few moments. “He wants you and Demeter.”
Phaedra’s jaw dropped as she stared at the acolyte. “The Council Room you said?”
“I’m here to take you—” he said as Phaedra brushed past him, breaking out into a jog.
Phaedra all but ran down the hall, nearly bowling over a few people in her hurry to get there. She wasn’t supposed to be summoned with Demeter for Aurelius to do with as he wished. Phaedra shuddered as she thought of his legions of undead; from rotting corpses to vampires to the people he’d killed and resurrected to act as his lieutenants and generals, he had an army of horrors at his beck and call. No one knew where he came from or what he was doing, just that entire countries had fallen to his rule, and most of the citizens killed or enslaved for his own desires. Sanctuary City, the seat of Temple, prided itself on protecting its people, and was one of the last holdouts against him. He hadn’t dared breach the walls of this Temple, but it looked like that safety was gone.
Phaedra saw the Council Room door ahead and broke into a sprint, the acolyte behind her trying to keep up. She reached the door and flung it open, eyes darting around the room. She first saw Demeter, her long blond hair falling behind her in a waterfall of soft, loose curls. Her blue eyes, set in a face much fairer than Phaedra’s own tanned skin, looked at Phaedra and smiled, putting Phaedra at ease.
“Please don’t run around and go charging into places. You could hurt someone,” Abraham scolded her. The War Councilman frowned, his dark graying hair falling into his eyes as he returned his focus to the maps in front of them.
“It’s a reason to hurry,” Phaedra said, taking her place at Demeter’s right-hand side. “What’s the plan?”
Abraham sighed. “They asked for you two, and we aren’t in a position to say no,” he said, glowering at the table in front of him. It was strewn with various maps, detailing the ins and outs of the Temple, the city itself, and the underground passages meant to move people away as fast as possible. It was a strategy adopted quickly when Aurelius came into power and was one of the few effective ways to ensure the safety of the people.
“Why?” Phaedra asked.
“We have no idea.” Abraham scrubbed his face with his hands. “But we can’t say no.”
“We should get Demeter out,” Phaedra said. “I can go by myself. I can say she died. Or is missing. Or. . . something.”
“If we don’t send Demeter and you, he will raze the city and this Temple and everything in it. At least if we send both of you, we can buy time.”
“Then how do we get out?” Phaedra demanded, clenching her jaw.
“That’s where we’re stuck,” Orso said, coming through the door at the back of the room. His light brown hair, streaked with gray, matched the robes he wore. His expression, however, was serious. “But I have a few ideas.”
Phaedra sighed. “Then let’s hear them, Old Man. It’s my life on the line.” Phaedra glanced at Demeter. “And Demeter’s.”
Orso cleared his throat. “Aurelius knows about the prophecy machine. He heard it predicted Demeter would bring him down.”
Silence, thick and choking, filled the room. “How?” Phaedra asked when words returned to her.
Orso scratched at his graying beard. “I don’t know how. But with this recent turn of events, we have to get the machine out. And in order to do that, we have to send you and Demeter out as requested.”
Phaedra grumbled. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. When is he getting here?”
A man Phaedra didn’t recognize cleared his throat. “Reports just came in. His flying fortress is about a couple of hours away.”
Demeter exhaled sharply. “I don’t know how we’re going to pull this off.”
Phaedra ground her teeth, but didn’t address the palpable worry. “What are we doing?”
Abraham shuffled the maps around. “We’re using the underground tunnels to get away. However, having the prophecy machine revealed has thrown into question whether they’re safe.” Silence again, that no one wanted to break. “We have some airships docked now and more on the way; we’ll get as many people on those as we can.”
Phaedra grumbled. “Aurelius will just shoot them down. His ’ships have always outclassed ours.”
Abraham made a face. “Maybe once upon a time, but we’ve been working on that. The technology is new, but we might have figured out a way to outrun him. If you want an explanation. . .” Abraham offered.
Phaedra shook her head. “No. I’m no engineer; we don’t have the time.”
Abraham nodded. “We’re loading up the prophecy machine on one of them, as well as however many other people we can fit. The ones volunteering to defend Temple and Sanctuary City will evacuate by tunnel when things go south.”
Phaedra’s heart hammered painfully as the knowledge that the city, and this branch of Temple, would fall. There was no way around it, and everyone knew it. “Where do we rendezvous?” Phaedra asked, trying to ignore her sweaty palms.
“Harbor City.”
Phaedra was confused. “I thought they didn’t let refugees in.”
“They don’t, just like we usually don’t. They’re our sister city, so we’ve both been trying to make sure there is room for people both here and there, just in case.”
Phaedra didn’t know what to say. It was all so much.
“We know it’s a lot to ask,” Orso said gently. “We wouldn’t ask if we had any other choice.”
Phaedra steeled herself. “It’s why you took a chance on us,” she said.
“I figured you’d say that,” Orso said. “Try to buy as much time as possible. We’ll do our best to get you out.” Orso glanced at Demeter, a strange look crossing his face. “Be careful, both of you.” Clearing his throat, Orso scratched his beard again. “I have to go for now. Abraham knows enough that he can take over.”
“I think that’s about it, actually.” Abraham looked down at the things on the table and shook his head. “You all know what to do.” Everyone headed off in their own directions. Phaedra looked around for her sister and saw her disappearing with one of the High Council, a stout man with steel gray hair that she was always with. She stepped in Demeter’s direction when a hand grasped her arm. She turned to see Eldren standing there. The elf was dressed as he normally was, in a red button-down shirt and black pants and vest, and Phaedra’s chest ached as she thought about never seeing him again.
“We need to get ready.”
Phaedra glanced over her shoulder. “We do.”
Eldren shook her arm. “No funny business. Come on.”
Phaedra slipped out of his grasp. “Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll meet up with you?”
He made an exasperated sound. “We don’t have time for whatever it is you’re planning on doing.”
“I know. Can’t be helped. I’ll meet you at the gates outside.”
Eldren set his jaw in stubborn lines, though he deflated after a few moments. “Be careful Phae.”
“I will.” She patted his hand before turning to walk away. “Eldren?” She said, turning back to face him.
“Yeah?”
Her throat tightened. “Whatever happens, I’ll find you again. I promise.”
