Moving forward

You wake the next morning, with Ferra lying beside you. It’s always a comfort to have her by your side, and today is no different. You climb out of bed, still feeling numb from the events of yesterday. After cleaning yourself up, you get dressed and join the girls for breakfast.

Breakfast is quiet, as you expected. No one seems to want to talk much. You wonder if this is what it was like when you were captured, although the feeling of helplessness is the worst part right now. You try to think of something to say, but the worries are too fresh. Finally, it’s Cassie who breaks the quiet, pushing her plate away with a sigh.

“This sucks.”

You nod. “It does. And I don’t know what to do.”

Nadia shakes her head, pushing some fruit around on her plate with her fork. “The problem is that there’s nothing we can do, master. There’s no immediate problem to throw ourselves into. Nothing to distract us.”

Sarah sighs. “We won. But in winning, they managed to send us into despair. So it’s almost like we lost.”

You nod. “It is. But we didn’t. We won. And Alex wouldn’t want us to brood. In fact, she would hate that.”

Melora looks at you. “That’s true. But it’s not like we can party right now. It wouldn’t feel right.”

Kaeli speaks up. “I may not know everyone very well yet, but…it seems like a distraction is exactly what we need. Nothing crazy, just some routine. Something to keep our minds occupied.”

Ferra nods. “We have tasks we could do. Training, that sort of thing. We have a city under our control now.”

You nod. “If nothing else, we should get the word out, and send word back to Victor about this. And start planning our next step.”

Kaeli speaks again. “I would like to propose pushing towards the capital.”

You blink in surprise. “So soon?”

She nods. “The city is going to be in turmoil. The longer we give Niran, the stronger he gets.”

In a quieter voice, she adds more. “And if we could cure Victoria…”

You look around the table. “What do the rest of you think?”

Cassie nods. “I think it’s a good idea! Another rescue, and it solves a lot of problems!”

Sarah shakes her head. “Even if we left today, it’s a long trip. And we would want to bring more than just us, right?”

Ferra cocks her head. “I think Samus would transport us if we asked.”

You nod. “Probably. But Sarah is right, we can’t risk going in a small group. He’d be more ready this time.”

Nadia leans forward. “What else could we do? Surely there’s an objective closer to us that could be a stepping stone.”

Melora speaks up. “I think we should solidify our control here, we wouldn’t want a resurgence of resistance. And I’d like to see what Victor says, as well.”

You think for a moment. “That’s a good idea too. We don’t have much of an army at the moment, but Niran doesn’t seem to think too highly of martial forces. If we can overcome his magical advantage, we might not need many troops.”

The others nod in agreement. Everyone Kaeli seems to agree, though you can see she’s worried about the capital. You’re about to say more when Lilith stirs in your mind.

Something’s happening. I feel…odd. What’s going on?

Just then, there’s a rumbling, strong enough to rattle the silverware on the table. You stand up, startled. Melora clutches her head, groaning.

“The…what…flame and shadow, light and dark, heat and cold…”

She looks at you, a glow coming from her eyes as she speaks. “The fire dims, only to spark anew. Flame begets shadow, shadows hide the light. The light dawns on a new flame. The cycle is complete.”

With a gasp, Melora falls back in her chair, the glow fading. You stare at her a moment, until her words sink in. Then you rush from the room, knowing this could only mean one thing. The rumbling comes again, stronger, rattling windows now, as you burst out of the guest quarters.