When Hedwyn reunited with Jodariel in the Downside, he found her much changed by the trials of her exile, and set out to restore her good spirits before it was too late.

In which Mae is Mae, and Mae loves her family very very much. (A handful of moments between the Stowaway and the Nightwings, not necessarily in chronological order.)

The Rites have, perhaps, turned the world into a cruel and at times inhospitable place. The thing, considers the Reader, that makes it all bearable is the love that moves in sync with the cadence of forgiveness, sings in tune with the melody of liberation, and dances in rhythm with the music of companionship. A love that moves the Stars and the soul both...

He can't stand him and yet that hasn't stopped those late-night meetings. Pre-canon Brighton/Manley

The thought of rescue is too tantalizing for the Nightwings to ignore. Though the Downside remains a dark and painful memory they set out to seek a path that even the Scribes failed to find; a way to set free their friends from exile.

The wagon stops one night. A different tale unfolds under the flickering green glow. - Art by lowmidnight on tumblr

The Rites are done and they can finally do more than sing beside one another. Post-canon Tariq/Celeste

It's too much to ask for a night of peace and quiet before a Rite with the Chastity and Brighton is fed up with a certain sap's taunts. Pre-canon, pre-relationship Brighton/Manley

The numbers of the Nightwings grow small, as do the number of Rites remaining. To lift spirits, they exchange stories and the Reader shares a special one the night before a liberation Rite: the story of how the sun and the moon fell in love. (Mid-canon, heavily implied Tariq/Celeste)

Strange things can be heard among rumors in the Downside - the strangest are the ones that are true.

Not all the stars have faded from the skies, for now that the Rites are done, they can finally go home, wherever that may be. Post-canon Tariq/Celeste

The fall of the Commonwealth was just the beginning of a long set of problems. The liberated Nightwings are banded together to try and build something better, but the thought of those they left in the Downside always lingers. Crossposted from AO3

There are few things that can unsettle Jodariel, and the Reader is determined to help her get through it. Crossposted from AO3

The stars are fading fast, the Rites happening sooner and sooner, and it was only a matter of time before it took its toll on the Nightwings' Reader. Crossposted from AO3

With another Liberation Rite completed and Rukey delivered in glory to the Commonwealth, The Reader worries that Jodariel feels along without her two closest companions. Crossposted from AO3

The reader escapes the downside with his party of friends but all isn't done yet. The revolution is going poorly and things aren't all good as the reader returns to the surface. Characters saved: Jodi, Hedwyn, Pamitha, Shae, and Rukey.

Music, often, is a universal sort of message.