Chapter 12

It had been an unreasonably perfect evening. The smell of garlic and fish sauce lingered in the air and an empty bottle of Wallace's favourite plum wine sat on the table. Steven lounged on their over-large sofa, a documentary he'd recorded months ago about tectonic plates playing quietly on the tv, with Wallace's feet perched in his lap. His partner lay on his back, flicking lazily through a contest magazine he had shipped directly from Kalos. The whole room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight and Steven felt...content.

Then he woke up to a sharp jolt and just about caught himself from rolling off the vehicle seat.

For a moment he blinked out into the darkness. Aches and pains pulsed through his body as he leaned forwards.

Where was he again?

"Home sweet home," said Peck. He slammed the jeep door shut and Steven jumped.

Then it all came screaming back to him and he groaned.

"You all right there, granddad?" said Kelly. She unbuckled her seatbelt. "Looking a bit peaky."

"I'm fine, thank you," he replied. The disbelieving snort he heard in response seemed both unkind and unnecessary. He was doing his best.

With the complete absence of sunlight and Steven's unplanned nap, he no longer had any idea what time it might be. Surely it was past Kelly's bedtime? He breathed deeply and let himself out of the car, noting with relief that his feet didn't sink into the ground like they had when he'd been wandering alone in the jungle. Regardless, he still struggled to maintain his balance as his abused ankle took his weight. He gripped tightly at the cooled metal of the jeep door, the hard surface beneath his fingers comforting if nothing else. Then he slammed it shut and turned his attention to the building before him.

Back at the Welcome Centre then, he thought with grim relief. Then he felt guilty for feeling that way, knowing that his friends were still out there somewhere.

"Your uncle's inside," said Peck. He seemed to be waiting for Steven to speak before he led them into the building.

"Good," said Steven. A curious cocktail of emotion was starting to churn in his stomach. Anxiety, fear, anger. "I'd like a word with him."


"Oh my goodness. Are you okay?"

"Don't touch me, woman!" said the boy, he scrambled away from Diantha, holding out his hands to stop her from getting any closer. His face was covered in dirt with the telltale clean streaks of shed tears. "Stay away."

"We won't come any closer," said Diantha. She shot a glance back at Cynthia, who was watching the exchange with an impassive eye. "Will we?"

"No," Cynthia agreed, after a moment of hesitation. "Although I'd like an explanation, if you would."

The boy spat on the ground and his small, bedraggled body shook with righteous fury. "I don't owe you shit. You knocked me out of a tree!"

"You were following us," said Cynthia, looking down her nose at him. "I thought you were a Pokemon, looking for an opening to attack."

So obviously she'd thrown a rock at it with zero consideration for what she'd do if it did turn out to be an angry Pokemon, Diantha thought with a familiar prickle of irritation. Then her lip quirked upwards into a small smile. At least Cynthia was consistent.

"I wasn't following you," said the boy. "I was just going in the same direction you were."

He glared up at them, teeth bared, and Diantha's heart ached for him. He was absolutely drenched, and cheap blue hair dye had run down his face, neck and into his black tank top. It was hard to tell, but his eyes were rimmed with red and Diantha could make out the beginnings of thin red scratches up and down his arms. Acquired running through the jungle? Or maybe jumping between trees? Whoever he was and whatever reason he had for being here, he'd had just as bad a time on this island as she and Cynthia had. And at least they'd had each other.

"Okay," she said. "Let's all calm down."

The boy folded his arms and huffed. "I am calm!"

Cynthia opened her mouth to comment, but snapped it shut at the look Diantha shot her way.

"What's your name?" she asked.

The boy looked down at his feet, hands twitching at his sides. Diantha waited patiently, though already unease was beginning to settle in again. They needed to move soon; they were attracting too much attention here and if they had to run again she had no idea where they'd go this time.

"Todd," he said finally. "And I'm Team Skull so you know...you'd better watch yourselves."

"We'll be sure to do that," Diantha agreed.

She'd learned a little about Team Skull a year or so ago, when she'd visited the Alola region for a modelling job. The photographer had mostly laughed the group off, calling them a gang of young delinquents rebelling against their parents. Diantha was sure there was more to it than that, but she'd been assured that while the group could be something of a public nuisance, there was little to worry about unless she was planning to jump the bus to another part of the island. The photographer had laughed then, but Diantha had merely smiled politely, not understanding the joke at all.

"Well…" said Todd, wind taken out of his sails. "Good."

A hand fell on Diantha's shoulder then and she jumped.

"We need to keep moving," said Cynthia in a low voice. She was peering into the inky blackness of the jungle, lips pulled into a frown. "It's too quiet."

Diantha shivered and nodded her head. She hadn't noticed the sounds around them die down, but the silence was so loud she now wasn't sure how she'd missed it. "Yes. You're right." She looked back at Todd. "We may need a new plan."

Cynthia dropped her hand to her side and she nodded. "I was thinking the same thing," she said. She looked away from the jungle, towards the mountain peaks to their right. "Maybe we can find a cave to rest in."

"I don't exactly have fond memories of our last stay within the mountainside," said Diantha, though she could think of no better solution.

"Nor do I," said Cynthia, a wry grin crossing her face. "I'm beginning to think we're no safer out here though."

Her responding sigh seemed to pierce the night air and Diantha shook her head to dispel the growing disquiet she felt. "All right. Todd, would you like to come with us? There is safety in numbers."

Todd looked back into the jungle and his bottom lip seemed to tremble. Diantha couldn't place his age, but she'd be surprised if he'd even hit his teenage years yet. The thought filled her with heavy sadness. Why oh why was this child out here?

"I suppose you two need someone to keep an eye on you," he said.

"My hero," said Cynthia.


"I appreciate your agitation, my boy," said Richard Stone, "but I simply cannot permit you to go back out into the jungle tonight." With the hand that wasn't gripping his cane, he clutched at Steven's arm. Maybe to make sure Steven didn't leave, or perhaps sentiment drove him to maintain the contact between them after their initial hug in the cavernous Welcome Centre entrance. They'd since moved to a small conference room, with comfortingly closed in walls and not a rabid Pokemon in sight.

Fizzing anger muddled his thoughts as Steven attempted to take a step back. "Agitation?" he repeated. His breath was coming out in short, rapid bursts and he made an effort to slow it down. " Agitation? Uncle, two of my friends are trapped out there in your death trap of an island and as far as I know they have no way of knowing what might be coming for them! We need to do... something!"

His uncle's white hair stuck up at strange angles and his eyes looked glassy and bloodshot, brought on no doubt by stress and exhaustion, and it was almost enough to lessen Steven's ire. "I understand, Steven, but we're just in no fit state to retrieve them right now."

"They're defenseless! And..." He trailed off, not sure what he'd been about to say anymore.

"It's a large island," said Richard, shaking his head. Behind him Steven saw Peck roll his eyes. "The chances of Cynthia and Diantha running into Tyrantrum is infinitesimal. Provided they stay where they are they should stay safe. There's no need to panic."

"I want to believe you, Uncle," said Steven, "but we've been down this road before, haven't we?" He straightened his back, pain be damned. "Take me to my Pokemon. If you won't help me then I'll go after them myself."

His uncle and Peck exchanged a look then that Steven didn't like at all. For a moment neither man spoke, then Peck leaned forward in his chair.

"I'm afraid we've lost power to the vast majority of the island." He gestured to the only source of light in the room, a hurricane lamp in the middle of the table. It was a testament to Steven's declining mental state that he had failed to register how peculiar that was, or why the lack of power was significant. "Until we have everything up and running again you'll be unable to retrieve your Pokeballs from the lockers they were placed in earlier."

Steven's mouth dropped open and his heart sank to somewhere in his stomach, leaving an icy trail in its wake. "No…"

"I'm afraid so, lad," said Peck. It was little comfort that he seemed as perturbed by this turn of events as Steven himself felt. "It's a failsafe to stop Pokemon thieves. Our man still in the tech unit has some ideas, but we'll have to wait until first light to start putting them into action. If we go out there half cocked we'll only get ourselves killed."

"Like Martin," said Steven, closing his eyes and pressing a dirty hand to his face.

Nobody seemed to have a response to that. Steven pressed his palms into his eyes, which pricked with the beginnings of tears. Every time he thought things couldn't get any worse, this horror show raised the bar. Gods he wished Wallace was there, if only for the support.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Kelly, "but it's like...not just that Tyrantrum that's gone mad. You know that, right?"

Steven had completely forgotten that the girl was present, as she had blended into the shadows as soon as they'd entered the building. Intentionally, it seemed. He was beginning to suspect that Kelly wasn't quite telling him the whole truth about why she was on the island in the first place. Not that it mattered anymore.

"I don't know who you are, young lady, but-"

"Whatever," said Kelly. "Doesn't matter, does it? I'm just saying that I was attacked by some lunatic...what did you call it?" Steven briefly felt her eyes on him. "A Shieldon. A lunatic Shieldon like...threw itself at me way before this giant Tyrantrum went on the rampage. So your mates are in danger from more than just one Pokemon."

"And the situation just gets better and better, doesn't it," Peck remarked. "Though I would be hesitant to believe the word of a Team Skull stowaway."

Steven removed his hands from his face and ignored the white and black spots that appeared in front of his eyes from the pressure he'd put on them. He wished he was in any state of mind to ask what Team Skull was, but as it was he couldn't muster the energy. He felt like he was slowly deflating.

"Don't believe me then," said Kelly, with a shrug of bare shoulders. "Just don't say I didn't warn you when you go out there and get mobbed."


It wasn't easy to navigate the wet, narrow mountain paths in nothing but moonlight, and Diantha almost lost her footing more than once, sending little stones skittering down the steep decline, but it seemed to have been worth it as they approached what looked like a shallow cave dug into the rock. Diantha's feet were in tatters and she'd taken to bracing herself on the mountainside as they climbed. It had come in handy as Todd had alternated between trailing morosely behind them and then powering ahead, brushing past her rather aggressively during each change of mind. It was a wonder he hadn't slipped and plummeted to his death, but any attempt Diantha had made to steady him had been met with furious rebuke. I can do it myself.

She was desperate to ask him how he'd come to be on the island, but every time he spoke she was filled with an inescapable dread that something would hear them. They were completely defenseless, strolling up the completely uncovered ledges. It wouldn't be hard for something with wings to sweep them off their feet or pluck them from the path.

They reached the mouth of the cave and Cynthia stopped, currently upfront with Todd lingering behind them both.

When she spoke, her voice was hushed. "I think it's best if you wait out here for a minute while I check inside." She pulled her penlight from one of her pockets. It didn't have much battery left, but it would be enough for this.

"No," said Todd, and Diantha resisted the urge to shush him. "I don't trust you to look properly. I'll do it."

He made to push past Diantha, but Cynthia held up a hand and he came to an abrupt stop. "If there's an angry Pokemon in there, who do you want it to eat first: me or you?"

Todd stopped then. "You," he said begrudgingly.

"Thank you," said Cynthia.

"Maybe we should all-" said Diantha, but Cynthia shook her head.

"I'll be quick. Just check there's nothing in there. No point in us all being in danger, and we're more likely to wake something up as a trifecta." Diantha could read between those lines - she didn't trust Todd to be quiet, and evidence suggested she was right not to.

"Be careful," she replied, and received a brief smile in return.

Then Cynthia slipped into the cave and Diantha held her breath, subconsciously preparing for flight should they need to make a run for it. Todd seemed to have the same idea. He turned back the way they came, eyeing the slim pathways they'd taken up here.

As it turned out their mental preparations were unnecessary. Cynthia was back in less than a minute, a relieved slump to her shoulders. Some good luck at last, Diantha hoped.

"It doesn't go back very far and it's all clear. As long as we keep an eye out we should be safe to rest in here," she said.

Safe was a relative term, Diantha thought, but kept the musing to herself.

"Welcome to Chez Cavern," said Cynthia, as Diantha and Todd followed her into the small cave. Though not particularly wide, it went back about fifteen feet and rose over Cynthia's head by about a foot. Big enough for it not to feel claustrophobic with the three of them in there at least, which was about as much as Diantha could say for what she foresaw her comfort levels reaching. She was heartily sick of sitting on the hard ground.

Todd kicked a rock against the wall and Diantha flinched at the loud cracking noise it made, a reprimand on the tip of her tongue. If she thought it would have done anything more than incite him to make more noise, she'd like to think she wouldn't have held herself back.

"So what's your plan here?" he said. "Hide in a cave until you die?"

"I was thinking we leave in the morning, but this isn't an autocracy," said Cynthia. Todd glared up at her. Or at least it seemed like he did; it was incredibly dark now they were out of direct line of the moonlight.

"Whatever," he said. "The sooner I get off this shitty island the better."

"Which begs the question of why you're here in the first place," said Cynthia. It was something Diantha wanted the answer to as well, though she wished the question had been delivered in a less confrontational manner.

"None of your business," Todd snapped. "I go where I want. It's a free country."

"It's not," said Cynthia. "This is a private island."

Todd blinked. "Yeah...I knew that. What of it?"

This was getting them nowhere.

"All right," said Diantha. "Maybe we should all just take a few minutes to relax. We don't want to draw any unwanted attention."

She was too exhausted to feel even a flicker of pleasure over the way her two companions immediately obeyed and moved to separate sides of the enclosure to sit down. Cynthia positioned herself very close to the entrance; presumably to keep an eye out, which was something of a relief because Diantha didn't think she could come even close to mustering up enough energy to keep watch at that moment. Todd pressed himself as far away from them as he possibly could, knees drawn tightly to his chest and still glaring at them as though daring them to move any closer.

He needn't have worried. They had enough going on without poking the Ursaring.

With what felt like a tremendous amount of effort, she found herself the flattest spot of ground and sat herself down with an unladylike groan as her aching joints rearranged themselves in uncomfortable ways. She stretched out her legs and bit down on her lip to stop another sound from escaping as she pulled her soaking wet shoes off her clammy, chafing feet. Even in the dark she could see the angry red marks around her toes. She looked away, pretending not to have also seen the growing blisters there.

As much as she wanted to relax, her whole body felt stiff and tense, and now that adrenaline wasn't forcing her onwards anymore the base of her spine was starting to throb.

What she wouldn't give for a long soak in the bath right now.

Then her stomach growled and she felt her face redden. As if this evening couldn't get any worse. Cynthia turned to look at her and she forced herself not to fumble an apology. So she was hungry? It was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I wish I'd eaten more at lunch today," she said. It was supposed to sound glib, but instead just came out too defensive.

"I didn't even have lunch," Todd announced. "So what? Can't cope with a little hunger, princess?"

"Let's not resort to name calling," said Cynthia into Diantha's hurt silence. A hand had disappeared somewhere inside her coat and after a moment of shuffling around she procured two...round things. "Catch," she said.

Diantha failed to catch, and the apple (because she saw now that was what it was) rolled across the ground, but Todd caught the other without problem.

"What about you," said Diantha, not seeing her reach back inside her coat. Todd had already bitten into his.

Cynthia shrugged. "I ate more than you before. I'll be fine until tomorrow."

Guiltily, Diantha picked up the apple and held it between her fingers. She hesitated before saying, "Are you sure? We could-"

"I'm sure, Diantha," said Cynthia. She shot her a small smile. "I'm okay."

"Thank you."


Tubs of melting ice cream littered the table, metal casings shining dully in what little light three burning candles threw out into the room. Steven leaned back in his chair, heavy spoon dangling between his fingers, and stared at the wall. The one that didn't have a huge map of the island etched across it. Every so often his vision would blur until he blinked away the pooling wetness.

He should be resting, but how could he possibly sleep knowing his friends were still out there?

It hadn't been his choice to come here and it hadn't been his choice to invite Cynthia, Diantha and Martin here, yet he couldn't help but feel partially responsible for what had happened today. His family had created this mess. They hadn't created the island, of course, it had been here waiting for them. Waiting for some idiot who thought they could play at being a god without consequence.

Peck had warned them that there was something wrong with the Pokemon on this island, and Steven hadn't paid enough attention to him. He had been caught up in the wonder of it all. They all had. Especially his uncle, it seemed. This couldn't have been the first time things had gone wrong. It was probably why he and his father hadn't told Steven about it until now. It had absolutely nothing to do with his father not wanting to burden him with more duties; it was because his father hadn't wanted him to try and shut down their operation. He wanted to be angry at that, but all he felt was a growing empty void.

"You're dripping ice cream all over the table."

"Oh," said Steven half-heartedly. He brought it to his mouth, not even tasting the cool sweetness, and then rested the spoon back on top of the tubs.

Kelly eyed him for a moment and the light thrown over her face cast flicking, eerie shadows there. An overlarge metal canister of kasib berry flavoured ice cream was sat in front of her, barely touched.

They were the only two in the room now. His uncle and Peck had gone to...do something somewhere. He couldn't remember much past the point where he'd been told under no uncertain terms that he could not mount a rescue and that he would be kept apart from his Pokemon for at least the rest of the night. He suspected he'd been led to the nearest bathroom, because while he wasn't what one might call clean, he was no longer caked in smelly brown muck and he'd swapped out his clothes for Prehistoric Park safari gear. The only thing he had left of his original outfit was the only fossil to have survived his run through the jungle. It was one of the ones Cynthia had tossed to him.

His heart ached. He should be out there searching for his friends. Helping. Not sitting here snacking on expensive desserts.

"I have someone out there too."

Steven looked up, confused. "What?" he said.

Kelly folded her arms on the table and looked down. "I came here with someone."

"Not your dad then," said Steven. His mind felt heavy and slow.

"Obviously not," Kelly all but snarled. He flinched and she had the decency to look contrite. "Did you not hear that old guy? I'm Team Skull. I made that stuff about my dad up."

"I don't know what Team Skull is," said Steven. "I just thought your shirt was a...decorative choice." She rolled her eyes and pulled her arms closer towards her chest. He lacked the energy for much more than polite confusion, but was sure come the morning he'd feel very foolish for not having realised that the girl was lying to him. In retrospect there had been signs.

"We're a...gang, I guess," she said. "It's mostly kids who...failed the Island Challenge. Or kids who don't have homes that welcome them. Or families." She didn't specify which category she fell into.

Steven didn't know what the Island Challenge was, but he nodded anyway. It didn't seem to be the time to ask for details. "How did you get here?"

"Me and my friend snuck on a ship," she said. "He wanted to prove to Guzma that he was...I don't know...worth something I guess. Which was stupid because of course he's worth something. Sometimes people don't always see that though and-" Kelly stopped. "He's just a dumb kid and we got separated and now he's out there all alone and-"

She sniffled and dropped her head to the table with a thunk.

"We can't leave until we find him. He'll die without me."

He couldn't fix whatever was happening to the Pokemon on this island. He couldn't fix the damage the storm had done to whatever systems were put in place here to keep people safe. He couldn't fix a single one of the dreadful mistakes that had led to this disaster. What he could do was offer whatever small amount of comfort he could to this upset child. Steven sat up a straighter.

"What's your friend's name?" he asked.

"Todd," said Kelly, her voice muffled by the table. "He's little and he does really stupid things sometimes."

"I'll find Todd," he said.

"Promise," Kelly said, raising her head. Tears clung to her eyelashes and Steven found yet another thing for his heart to break over. "Promise me you'll look for him. Please."

"I swear to you, Kelly," he said. "Tomorrow, my Pokemon and I will scour that jungle for your friend and mine. We'll find them all."


Unable to get comfortable, Diantha switched positions again, rolling onto her side and pulling her knees up to her chest. Her skin scraped along the floor and she clenched her teeth. She needed to sleep so badly, even if it was only to escape the trauma of consciousness. Just a few minutes for her aching body and aching brain to relax.

A cool breeze played over her skin, leaving behind a trail of pimpled flesh.

"Diantha?"

"What?" she snapped, in an embarrassingly tearful voice. Then she felt a jolt of panic. She scrambled into a sitting position. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," said Cynthia. She was still sat by the entrance of their little cave, back straight and staring out into the night. A glowing sheen of moonlight lit up her profile and her hair shone grey. For a moment Diantha wondered if she'd ever considered shifting her career into acting; she struck quite the impressive figure out there as their lone sentinel.

Diantha sighed and brushed grit from her face. She doubted she herself was looking quite so poised at that moment.

"Come and sit with me for a few minutes?" said Cynthia.

Without replying, Diantha all but crawled across the few feet that separated them. When she got home she was booking a full body massage treatment in every single spa across Kalos. And she was going to drink that expensive bottle of wine she'd been saving for a special occasion the last eight years. She might even take the whole week off work to do it in.

Diantha made herself as comfortable as she could and then turned to her companion. She wasn't quite sure what to say, but thankfully Cynthia spoke first.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"I'm used to a softer bed," said Diantha. "With fewer rocks sticking into my back. And silk sheets..."

Cynthia let out a low chuckle. "My standards are a bit lower, but I've reached an age where I do prefer at the very least a heavily padded sleeping bag."

"And a pillow."

"And a pillow," Cynthia agreed. She glanced over at Todd, who had curled himself into the tightest of balls, back against the wall. "Oh to be young again."

"He doesn't seem very happy though, does he?" said Diantha.

Even in his sleep the boy made tiny, angry noises. Hands clenched into fists and shivering in the cooling air. Diantha frowned. Was that common for Alola? She'd been led to believe in an almost constant sweltering climate.

She almost jumped when Cynthia rose to her feet. In the quiet, she heard the woman's joints click ominously. Probably just as uncomfortable on the ground as Diantha was then, which was reassuring. She crossed the cave in fewer steps than Diantha would have, stripping off her long coat as she did so. Diantha raised an eyebrow as she bent down and draped it over the trembling child. Still sleeping, Todd reached towards it with a hand and pulled it up to his chin with a grunt. The garment swamped him, making him look smaller and younger. Diantha forced herself to look away.

When Cynthia returned to her spot beside her, Diantha cleared her throat.

"I thought you didn't like him?" she said, more to break the silence than any other reason.

"I don't...not like him," said Cynthia. They were both very careful to keep their voices low so as not to wake the boy in question. "We only met an hour ago; I don't know him."

"Hmm," said Diantha, sceptically.

"Don't you 'hmm' me," said Cynthia. She smiled, so Diantha knew she wasn't actually annoyed. "He just rubs me the wrong way. I don't know why."

"You did knock him out of a tree," said Diantha. "One could argue his anger is justified." Cynthia opened her mouth. "I know he was following us and you were just trying to keep us safe," she said, before Cynthia could speak. "I'm just saying…" She paused, not actually sure what she was saying. She glanced back at him and hesitated. "I'm just saying he's a child lost in the woods and the first adult he meets threw a rock at him."

She waited for the rebuke, but Cynthia just sat back and gazed out across the jungle. The lush green trees spread out below them looked a combination of greasy blacks and greys in the darkness, like something out of a tropical gothic horror (if such a thing existed). Diantha shivered again and spread her fingers across her thighs in a futile attempt at keeping in the warmth.

"You're right," said Cynthia, eventually. "I'll apologise to him in the morning."

"Oh," said Diantha. That's nice, she thought, but didn't say aloud. At the very least it would make their travels tomorrow more harmonious. She hoped. "Thank you." Years of classical training kept the surprise from her voice.

It was a relief to know that stubbornness wouldn't always win out over sense, though perhaps it wasn't fair to have assumed otherwise.

Somewhere in the distance sounded a loud thump and both women leapt to their feet. Diantha's heart was already racing. Gods not again. They poked their heads around the side of the cave, and after a moment Diantha let out a quiet huff of near-hysterical laughter.

"Oh, Cynthia. Look!"

Beneath a clear sky full of brilliant stars, three Aurorus padded their way along the curve of the treeline. Their huge feet sunk into wet mud with every step, yet they carried enough weight to shake the world beneath them.

"Wow," Cynthia breathed.

All three larger than Diantha's own beloved Aurorus, their long heads stretched towards the glittering sky. Pale yellow sails lead from the tops of their heads and down their necks, flashing and gleaming a kaleidoscope of colours into the dark night, and framed by the smallest of localised snow storms. Diantha brought a hand and pressed it to her chest at the sheer beauty of it all. One of the Pokemon lowered it's head, and for a moment she fancied she'd caught it's bright blue eyes. The Aurorus paid no attention to her though, and instead nudged it's head against -

"A baby!"

Cynthia made a small noise of wonderment. Between the trio was a tiny Amura. It lumbered between them, legs seemingly too long for it's body, with a goofy grin on it's face. It was still growing, Diantha realised, with a fond smile. As they drew closed, chattering roars floated through the air. Like they were talking to each other. Diantha felt her eyes start to water.

The softly falling snowflakes drew nearer, sparkling blue and silver, and Cynthia took her hand and pulled her further into the cave. She didn't protest, but she ached to move forward for a closer look. She wished she had her own Aurorus with her; he'd never met another of his own species before.

"We don't want them to see us," Cynthia whispered. Diantha nodded, and allowed herself to be drawn back down to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, eyes locked on the majestic little family and shaking from the cold they brought with them.

Then Cynthia wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened in surprise, and then after a split-second decision shuffled closer to the other woman, soaking in what heat she could and ignoring the faint smell of sweat and damp emanating, she suspected, from both of them. Cynthia rubbed a hand up and down her arm.

"Thank you," she said. She managed to drag her eyes away from the Aurorus for just long enough to see Cynthia smile at her. She smiled back and allowed herself to relax. It was certainly more comfortable than leaning against the wall.

"No problem," said Cynthia, averting her eyes. Had her cheeks grown a little pink or was Diantha imagining things? "Steven was right this morning; I've been on the verge of heat stroke all day. Take as much warmth from me as you want."

Diantha let out as loud a laugh as she dared, and for the first time that day her heart sped up for reasons other than fear. Oh dear.

Together they looked out across the island until morning.