Sam

I followed Jon's trail all night. He blazed an easy one to follow and the little gray mare I'd appropriated from Tepet Iwazo's stables proved to be a good mover. I was somewhat surprised that Nellens Satoshi and the rest of Lookshy's Municipal Security gave up the chase as soon as they did, but I suspected that they were only doubling back to the city to assemble an official Wyld Hunt.

That was something I didn't care to be caught in the middle of. I'd done some time in the Imperial Army myself, masquerading as a private in Mnemon Rai Jin's Ravenous Winds and discovered that soldiering was not something I liked. Some Resplendent Destinies were easier to wear than others, and I personally found it much easier to pretend to be naïve kid than career army. Of course, I could try to insinuate myself into a legion as a new recruit again... but new recruits were seldom party to important information and if Oversight expected me to look after Jon, the last thing I needed to do was get the both of us mixed up with the Realm.

It was just before dawn when I found Ronin. The big, flat-faced white stallion was standing like a guard dog in front of the entrance to a shallow cave and I was willing to bet anything that his master was somewhere inside. I dismounted and very slowly approached the horse. He nipped at me twice before I caught him dead in the eye and reminded him that he didn't want to give me any grief.

Once Ronin determined that I was a friend and not a threat, he decided that the mare I'd brought with me was far more interesting than I was. I slipped inside the cave.

Jon was lying on his back about ten feet from the cave's entrance and he looked like he'd been keelhauled through The Demon Sea. After he'd Exalted in the center of Lookshy, I wasn't surprised to see that he'd been shot more than once. The arrow wounds in his right leg and shoulder were both relatively minor and though he was bruised all over, he didn't seem to have any broken ribs. Still, I knew better than to let down my guard.

There was no way he could have simply fallen where he lay. More importantly, someone with considerable skill had already patched the poor sod up.

I wasn't alone.

I flattened myself against the nearest wall and waited. Footsteps approached and I glanced over my shoulder, debating whether or not I should be going for a weapon. After about three minutes, a woman who looked like a Realm sophisticate dressed in a purple and black kimono made an appearance. At first, I almost bought the whole "merciful bodhisattva" persona that she was attempting to convey... but then I realized that what I was actually looking at was no kindly spirit... and no pretty little rich girl either.

Underneath the faint, fuzzy glimmer of a well-built Resplendent Destiny and a few pounds of makeup was a face I knew very well.

Jon's mysterious benefactor was a Sidereal, a Chosen of Endings known and feared throughout Yu-Shan as Vivian "The Ravisher". Physically speaking, she was absolutely stunning... and as deadly as her nickname suggested.

Viv and I had dated for awhile and things hadn't exactly ended well between us. I wasn't in any particular hurry to rekindle the old flame, as it had gotten me burned more than once... but it was nice to know that I wasn't up against some crazy old Lunar or a God with an ax to grind.

The best thing about dealing with anyone working for the Bureau of Destiny is that they can usually be counted on to do their jobs and let you do yours. I decided that my best option was to surrender and explain what I was up to before Vivian got nervous and hurled a dozen daggers in my general direction.

"Viv?" I called out. She froze like a startled predator and searched the cave with one hand on her first blade. "It's me, Sam! I'm here on orders!" I added.

I stepped out of my hiding place.

"Sam?" Vivian gave me one of her particularly charming smiles, usually reserved for the sorts of people she intends to disembowel. "What brings you here?" She asked, as if she couldn't guess.

"Orders." I replied. "I'm supposed to follow the Solar." I pointed at Jon.

"So am I." She informed me. She didn't say where she was planning on leading him, but I knew who Viv usually worked for, so it wasn't too difficult for me to guess.

"And you're going to hand him off to the Cult of the Illuminated? Seriously? After everything this poor sod's already been through?" I raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Oh, don't give me that look, Sam!" Vivian snapped. "It's what's best!"

"For who?" I demanded. "Y'know, most Solars are pretty good at finding their own trouble to get into!" I reminded her. "The Cult's full of lunatics, Viv! Half of what they say is completely fabricated and the rest is awfully iffy."

"You're exaggerating. They're no worse than the Immaculate Order." She replied, though she probably guessed from my reaction that she wasn't helping her own case by bringing up the Bronze Faction's favorite brainwashing institution.

I rolled my eyes.

"So where were you planning on 'following' him?" Vivian put her hands on her hips.

"Wherever he wants to go." I replied, saying nothing.

"Are you trying to get turned into Starmetal?" She hissed, clocking me on the side of the head.

"What?" I protested, playing innocent. Of course, Vivian already knew what I'd been planning. She could read me as well as I could read her. It was a large part of the reason we'd called it quits.

"Nexus is dangerous!" She reprimanded me, as if that was something I didn't know.

"I was assigned to two of those Solars." I reminded her. "Two years tailing Faeslayer, six months watching Perfect!"

"And if Nara-O and half the Division of Secrets wasn't in Fakheru's frying pan right now, you would be up for Audit!" She reminded me.

I didn't respond. Viv clearly knew she'd won. To be fair, my orders from Oversight hadn't actually specified how long I had to follow Jon or where he was supposed to be headed... so I didn't have much of a leg to stand on. I still disliked the idea of turning him over to The Cult of the Illuminated, but their nearest stronghold was days away and there wasn't much either Vivian or I could do before Jon had recovered enough to ride.

"Jon should be out for at least eight more hours." Viv informed me. "I've used some of my better Charms on him and he'll be healed by then. We might as well catch a few hours sleep while we have the opportunity. I'll set my watch to wake us both before dawn. Then we can decided on our story and our Resplendent Destinies." She finished.

Though I still didn't like that she was winning, Vivian did have a good point. Since no one in Creation actually knows that Sidereals exist, it's usually handy to have a few different disguises prepared. I had three that I could use myself.

Of course, I was willing to bet that whichever guise Vivian donned would be something fabulous and sensual that would allow her to seduce Jon. It seemed natural to counter her attempts to manipulate him by painting myself as the honest, happy. "buddy" he could count on, who could remind him that women were never to be trusted, particularly when they happened to be drop-dead gorgeous. To that end, I was counting on using a Destiny I'd built under The Gull which had served me well in the past.

"I'll check on the horses." I offered, not trying to sound like I didn't trust Viv, which I didn't. Vivian gave me an odd sort of noncommittal response and I went outside, pacing and watching the stars until I was fairly sure she was asleep.

Then I got to work and started putting together prayers that I might need. I watched Vivian out of the corner of my eye. As she'd promised, there didn't seem to be any change in Jon's status. It was almost dawn when I felt myself beginning to nod off. As prepared as I could be, I decided to close my eyes for a little while and then let Vivian wake me right before she woke Jon so she'd think she had the upper hand.

Of course, when I did wake up... both Jon and Vivian were gone. And so was my horse.

I decided to do the smartest thing I could under the circumstances. I donned my Resplendent Destiny under The Gull and put together a materials requisition form for my own mare to be sent from Yu-Shan. Aside from saving me the trouble that more thieving was bound to cause, Crow was far too smart to let anyone steal her.

Not even an hour after I'd finished in the necessary paperwork, I received a surprisingly succinct and cooperative response from Oversight.

Horse waiting .4 miles north of current location.

It seemed awfully easy, but Oversight's instructions, no matter how absurd they sounded, were never wise to ignore. I started walking right away and reached the very edge of a tiny bordermarsh, a small one that seemed concentrated around an odd-looking upside-down tree.

I saw no sign of my mare, which was troubling since Crow is a bold-looking black and white creature and almost as big as Jon's Ronin. There was something in the air that caused me to wrinkle my nose and I hoped that I wasn't about to find something really foul on the edges of the bordermarsh, like a partially eaten, fae-ravished corpse. It smelled like sulfur and despite the fact that I was approaching someplace that looked Wyld-touched, my first thought was demons.

I wasn't proven wrong. About four steps into the bordermarsh I almost tripped over a dead man. He had an arm that looked like a lobster claw, some sort of belt made from ugly twisted chunks of orichalcum and soulsteel and the most unfortunate face I'd ever laid eyes on. A tiny golden pendant made in the shape of Liger, The Green Sun of Malfeas confirmed my suspicions.

Not a whole lot of people are really familiar with Infernals, not even in the Division of Secrets. I'd never actually run into one myself before, and was a bit thankful that my first encounter was with a dead demonic Exalt rather than a living one.

I rolled the Infernal over, searched him for anything I could put into my pockets and was considering burning his corpse at the point when I heard what I thought was a horse approaching.

The animal was roan-colored and decked out in red leather and brass which also bore the insignia of Liger, the Green Sun. It evaluated me warily and made a sound like a dying cat. I noticed that it had an awful lot of teeth for a horse, and that its hooves seemed to be made of metal.

I realized belatedly that my new orders had nothing whatsoever to do with the requisition I'd so diligently composed and sent. The worst part was, I'd been looking forward to being reunited with my own trustworthy mount and instead I was left staring into the soulless eyes of some kind of murderous Malfean beast that probably wore a four-legged form solely so it could hunt down and eat the unsuspecting.

"You've gotta be kidding." I groaned.

The demon horse waited, watching me. "I should get paid better for this!" I informed the Heavens.

Of course, there was no response.

Tetsuo

Anastacia came by The An-Tang Princess obnoxiously early in the morning when most of Harlotry was still fast asleep. I wasn't waiting for her there myself, of course, but I'd paid a local boy to keep an eye on her and inform me of when she arrived and how long she waited.

I'd also arranged to have a letter delivered to her home around mid-afternoon, after she returned from her little excursion into the city's underbelly. It stated simply that I was attending an afternoon lecture at The University given by one Professor Valen Riverborn, expert on all things First Age, and that she could meet me there after she took a bath.

I told Anastacia nothing of the astrologer persona I'd quickly cobbled together. If she came stomping after me as I expected she would, I wanted her to witness all of the scholars of the University attempting to impress the brilliant "Master Pherisu, Chief Lecturer, Department of Astrology" from the distant – and in fact, nonexistent University of Chio. Anastacia clearly needed to be reminded that I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself before she'd stop regarding me as a silly "boy" who needed her patronage. Pulling the wool over a whole pack of academics would help to restore the great Dorobo's slightly smudged reputation.

I arrived at the University around eleven in the morning and presented the proper letters of introduction which I'd gracefully forged as I enjoyed my breakfast. When the too-fresh ink on my papers attracted the scrutiny of one of the working students of the Astrology Department, I launched into a frantic recitation of confusing jargon and demanded to see someone important.

The poor boy immediately called for the Head of Astrology, who greeted me like an old friend and ushered me into her office. Before she had the opportunity to ask me any awkward questions, I placed two star charts in front of her that I'd copied entirely from memory. If I doubted the accuracy of my own work, Professor Elen did not.

"The Mask has moved?" She whispered fearfully, obviously understanding what that could mean.

"And continues to do so." I informed her. "The Dean of my University wants this information kept secret, but he underestimates how important it could be. I've risked much to bring you this information and I trust that you can keep it in confidence."

She immediately invited me to be her personal guest for as long as I remained in Nexus.

I gladly accepted a tour of the University and pretended to be very interested in the facilities. In truth, I was looking for the suspicious Chosen of Serenity that I'd tussled with the previous day... but either he didn't make an appearance or he did so under a false face.

Sidereals are exceptionally good at manufacturing such disguises, and it's generally safe to assume that if they know someone is looking for them, they'll simply go about their business as 'someone else'. I paid very little attention to what my suspects looked like physically and instead considered the charts they were examining or the books they were reading.

Even still, I got the distinct impression that my quarry had done the smart thing and took off before I could unmask him. As I listened to Professor Elen talking about one of her better students, the mousy, disorganized little man that I'd seen on my first excursion to the University library came into the room.

He was Professor Valen Riverborn, and if anyone wanted to hear his lecture on legendary swords, it would begin in thirty minutes.

As he brushed past me, presumably to go prepare... I caught hold of his peculiar secret once again.

He knew.

He knew something at any rate, but I still couldn't ascertain what.

I convinced Professor Elen that I was very interested in hearing Professor Riverborn's lecture and she immediately offered to accompany me. She then went on at length about what a brilliant scholar he was in a tone that somewhat suggested that she actually thought he was a hack – or a writer of fiction.

Several times during Professor Riverborn's lecture, I caught her yawning or otherwise looking disinterested. Apparently, Professor Elen had very little appreciation for the finer points of metallurgy or ancient smelting techniques. After an hour, she excused herself when one of her students appeared hovering like a specter in the doorway and I had no doubt that she would be racing back to her office so that she could pore over her own charts and confirm the validity of the shocking secret I'd handed her.

But that didn't matter to me. I didn't even particularly care if Anastacia arrived just in time to see Professor Elen unmask me for a fraud. I was absolutely enthralled.

Prone to leaping from one tangent to the next, Professor Riverborn had answered a simple question from a student about a famous Southern smith who always worked blindfolded... and then got carried away on something he called The Heaven Sent Sword.

There was a common Eastern folk song by the same name about a boy given a sword from Heaven. As the bards told the tale, "Young Munno" killed a demon, which shattered the blade he had been given, and ultimately retired into obscurity.

According to Professor Riverborn, however, Munno's slaying of the demon Iyutha was not the story's end. In fact, it was only after the Heaven-Sent Sword was shattered that things began to get very interesting. Apparently, despite the fact that he'd received The Heaven-Sent Sword from a mysterious man who might well have been a God in disguise, Munno had not desired to pick up any of the pieces of his blade when it shattered. He'd left them on the battlefield and departed, never to be seen by anyone credible again.

Seven shards of the Heaven-Sent Sword were collected by onlookers and they spread throughout Creation with Munno's legend. They were passed from hand to hand as mere curiosities with no real value whatsoever. Then, a mere five years past, astrologers had begun observing peculiar changes in the constellation of The Sword which had lead them to believe that Heaven wanted Munno's blade reforged. Eight months ago, word had come from An-Tang of Iyutha's return. There was a demon on the loose with no readily identifiable master. Creation was clearly in peril and the shards of Munno's blade were all unaccounted for.

The Sword still behaved erratically, spinning like a compass as if it could not decide where the danger it sensed was coming from. And now, as I'd already witnessed myself, The Mask was also moving.

I smiled slighty, thinking how frustrated Professor Elen would be when she discovered that she'd left the lecture only minutes before a piece of the troubling puzzle I'd lain on her desk had been revealed. The kind of secret that could cause a simple sword, even a demon-slaying one, to shift Fate itself sent my mind whirling. I had to find it!

Professor Riverborn glanced at the clock and clapped his hands together. "Well, I suppose that's time!" He announced. "Any questions?"

I had more than a few, but I wasn't going to ask them until I could get Professor Riverborn alone. Of course, that was when Anastacia drifted into the lecture hall looking extremely annoyed.

I'd almost forgotten about her. Almost.

I stood up and cleared my throat so that Professor Riverborn would notice me. Professor Elen had already introduced the two of us, which was exactly what I'd hoped she would do.

"Ah! Scholars, permit me to introduce Master Pherisu, Chief Lecturer of Astrology from the University of... Chio, was it?" Professor Riverborn paused. "I wasn't aware that Chio had a University."

"It's very small and not quite as respectable as this august institution." I told him. "In fact, I'm the only Lecturer in my Department. I also teach History. And I sometimes oversee the library too."

That remark drew laughter from a few of the older Professors sitting in the front row.

"Bah, you're still very young, Master Pherisu! You'll get there in time!" One of them advised me, turning around. "We astrologers are always under-appreciated, at least until we turn out to be right!"

"I suppose that's true." I replied, not missing a beat.

Anastacia stared at me with an expression that was two parts alarm and one part amusement. Very subtly, I adjusted the sleeves of my shirt to show her that I was wearing both of my cufflinks.

"So, you have a question?" Professor Riverborn reminded me.

"You mentioned that The Sword continues to move erratically, challenging astrologers to read its meaning. But what of the other constellations? Specifically, those constellations that the stars of The Sword are also part of. Such as The Mask?"

A nondescript young student in the front row nearly lost his seat and excused himself suddenly. He was too far away for me to draw a secret from him, but I suspected that he was probably a Sidereal. Two Professors immediately followed him, and then another student jumped up and left.

More Sidereals? What were they up to?

"You are very sharp, Master Pherisu." A voice laughed.

A murmur of surprise raced through the audience.

I didn't realize who had spoken until I turned around. A man was sitting on the balcony above my head. When he stood, I wondered how I'd missed him before. He was one of the four Solars I'd seen sharing breakfast at The Divine Peach. The others called him "Veritas" and when I'd first caught sight of him, I might have confused him with any other bookish savant in Creation.

But not then.

The Solar was still dressed in all white, but he'd traded his monk-like attire for a spectacular flowing robe with brilliant blue and gold accents, a pair of intricately crafted artifact gloves, and a cloak which made him look like the old "Emissary" of Nexus. But as he lowered his hood and revealed the hearthstone circlet that he wore... I felt my heart actually skip a beat.

The circlet bore the unmistakable symbol of the Twilight Caste and was set with a polished black stone. Though he wore it like a common piece of jewelry, I realized that it was a fragment of the prison which had formerly held The Weeping Maiden, the same Primordial that had been released over Nexus. Of course I knew that The Emissary's fellow Solars had taken control of his city and were administering it openly... but somehow I hadn't prepared myself for exactly what that meant.

Fifteen hundred years ago, the Solars had ruled a civilization which rivaled Heaven itself in sophistication and power. They'd been hunted for more than a century since they'd begun reincarnating, but now, for the very first time... they were back in control. And as I knew well from my childhood history lessons, they'd been called Lawgivers for a reason.

All of the students and every University professor stared in awe at the Solar. In fairness, there wasn't any other way to look at him. The man was spectacularly terrifying.

"Goodness! I... I wasn't expecting you, Lord Veritas." Professor Riverborn bowed very low.

"Sun-in-Glory! Val, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?" The Solar scolded him. "And I may be very busy, but I can always find the time to take advantage our fine University. This place is the gem of Nexus and more people ought to support it." Then he turned back to me.

"So what do you know of The Mask?" He pressed.

"Nothing at all." I admitted.

"Well, either you're a worthless astrologer or that's a lie." He remarked. "You don't think that the movement of The Mask signifies conspiracy?" He demanded.

I didn't want to answer him, but I felt compelled. I avoided his gaze as he casually floated down from his private booth and landed with no more sound than a cat directly in front of me. I'd resisted Charms like the one that he was using on me before, but I couldn't have fought off that Solar if I'd had a sword in my hand. When his eyes met my own, I felt unbearably tiny and insignificant.

"The Mask has moved!" I blurted out. "It's moved twice in the last three weeks and it's still moving even now. Two stars have gone out. And... well, if it's pattern as I've observed continues, there's a fair chance that it will completely destroy itself. The whole constellation will become part of The Sword."

"That could mean war. Revolution." The old astrology professor who'd encouraged me before seemed disturbed to hear what I had learned. "But on such a scale? It would have to be the Realm itself in danger!"

Anastacia seemed lost in thought, and I wondered for a moment just how much she'd already known. Who was she really?

The Solar said nothing, or at least nothing that most of the room heard. But he was still standing very close to me, so I caught the word "Sidereals".

That surprised me. Generally speaking, most people in Creation, Exalts included, don't know that Sidereals exist. But then again, there wasn't much in Heaven or Creation which was beyond the formidable intellect of a Twilight Caste Solar. Given enough time, it was safe to assume that Veritas could literally learn anything he put his mind to.

Professor Riverborn cleared his throat. "I think we've touched upon a subject deserving of its own debate. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon, when we've all had some time to think it over?"

Most of the Professors seemed to approve of his suggestion. At very least, they were quick to gather their belongings and leave, furtively glancing at Veritas, who stood with his arms crossed behind me, a very grave expression on his face.

"I'll be going." I excused myself as Professor Riverborn fairly drug Anastacia out the door.

Veritas clapped his hand down on my shoulder. His grip was like iron and I grimaced as he turned me around to face him. "Now I'm only going to warn you once! I dislike secrets, astrologer!" He informed me. "Particularly ones with potentially devastating consequences!"

"I'm just theorizing!" I lied. "I don't actually have any evidence of anything!"

"This conversation is becoming tiresome." He warned me.

"Well, I can't tell you what I don't know!" I protested.

"But you will tell me what you do know." The Solar ordered. I grimaced and struggled but it was no use. If the Chosen of Serenity I'd snuck up on before had outclassed me physically, when it came to sheer willpower, Veritas could have thrown him around like a rag doll. My gut told me not to face him, but I still turned how he wanted me to and looked right in his eyes. They burned with the light of the sun.

I found myself compelled to tell Veritas everything I knew, including how I'd already tussled with one Sidereal. I told him about the Audit in Heaven and the business of the Celo Viatori butfortunately managed to avoid mentioning my father's name or the fact that I was Dorobo. Nevertheless, I still felt horribly abused when Twilight Caste finally let me go.

I decided that I liked the second Solar I'd ever met marginally less than I liked the first. Maybe I wouldn't need stitches, but my reservoir of dirty little secrets which was usually bubbling over had been emptied and scoured completely clean.

And yet... I had to appreciate his skill. It would be necessary for me to stay on my toes if I intended to draw any secrets out of him. An old adage came to mind, and I smiled slightly despite myself.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

It seemed particularly appropriate in reference to Solars. I decided to keep it in mind and wait for the opportunity to throw it out as a nice little barbed taunt.

Composing myself as well as I could, I went out the same doors Professor Riverborn had escorted Anastacia through. She was waiting for me on a bench near the door and apparently guessed from the expression on my face that whatever had just happened to me was something I did not want to talk about.

At first, I thought she intended to flounce away and leave me standing in the hall alone, but then she looped her arm in mine. "Shall we go for dinner?" She suggested.

"How much do you know about astrology?" I asked her.

"Nothing." She lied, slipping around behind me. I swore I felt a knife brush my back.

I caught Anastacia's wrist and threw her up against the wall, maybe a little more forcefully than I should have.

"Damnit, we have a business arrangement! Why do you insist upon tormenting me?" I demanded.

"Shut up, Dorobo!" She retorted. "You wouldn't have it any other way!"

"You think I like working for someone I don't trust? You think I want to wait for you to deliver when I know damn well that you might be planning to throw me to a God who's already sworn to kill me?" I protested. "This is a matter of necessity! You need me to get Ereshkigal! But I have other contacts, Gods even! I could use any of them to get into Yu-Shan!" I reminded her. That wasn't exactly true, of course, but it was true enough. Though the Audit had scared a lot of my usual cronies straight, if I could get my hands on some quintessence, I could still play a few of them.

"But is that what you really want?" Anastacia teased. "To quit when you're starting to get ahead?"

I tried to ignore her mischievous grin as she held up my cufflink. I'd only just reclaimed it from her and she'd already taken it again! "This business of yours with Ereshkigal is probably going to get us both killed!"

"Not a chance." She smirked. "If I was just looking for a sacrifice, I would have told you a story to peak your interest and we'd already be on our way to Sijan. I have resources, Dorobo... resources that you lack. And you have skills that I need. If I didn't challenge you, I'd have no way of knowing if you were going to be a waste or an investment."

"I'm my own master, woman!" I warned her. "Not your plaything!"

Anastacia wrinkled her nose with distaste and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Well, I won't pretend not to be disappointed!" She informed me. "With the way you tore my corset last night, I was rather hoping I could convince you to do away with the rest of my clothes."

"So we've reached that part of the game, have we?" I smiled slightly.

"You think this is a game?" Anastacia wondered.

"Everything is a game. And it's always the same game. It's about what you know and what you don't." I replied.

"So what do you know?" She asked.

"I know that you're trying to control me." I replied.

"And what don't you know?" She pressed.

"I don't know if I want to make you stop." I admitted.

Anastacia gave me another infuriating look and in response I did exactly what she must have known I would.

I kissed her.

Her lips tasted like celestial wine, and her eyes spoke of all of the secrets she was still keeping from me. Anastacia was obviously pleased that I'd taken the initiative physically and deposited my cufflink in the palm of my right hand, a clear gesture of surrender.

"Ahem?" Professor Riverborn cleared his throat and I realized belatedly that the two of us were blocking the door to his office.

I tried not to react badly as I suddenly gleaned a new secret from Anastacia, one that made me feel a little dizzy with its magnitude. If she was not an astrologer herself, she had a very good one in her employ.

She'd already known about The Mask.