So, Northside is basically Mount Pleasant, and Southside is basically West Ashley. See, it's an analogy for my own hometown! Just had to get that out of my system, real quick.

We meet a lot of interesting and very shady characters in this chapter. You won't believe who some of them turn out to be. ;D

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Chapter 16: Habaharan

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Everything Thora had to say about Zamiel Garased was completely true. He was an ideal soldier in every way, except that he secretly used his talents against his masters. He was a brilliant strategist, and well known for crafting clever plans in great haste. And so when he had crafted this, his most clever and important of plans, he had taken every possible danger or error into account and, made another plan for each one. Zamiel had planned for anything that could possibly go wrong. He had planned for everything.

But there was no way he could have known that at dawn, a dark shape would plummet into the sea right outside of Habaharan port. There was no way he could have known that four young people from the far west would clamber ashore, while his own brother appeared alone on a stolen, untagged grach to cause an enormous scene on the docks.

Zamiel wasn't there to see Zan greeted with a hero's welcome, and begged by guards and fisher folk alike to tell of his incredible escape. And he certainly wasn't there when an unguarded wagon was taken by a pair of dark figures, or when two pale-faced young women climbed into it to hide themselves under its canvas cover. There was so much commotion, no one else noticed it, themselves. When a lantern and a pair of heavy leather jackets went similarly missing, no one noticed that, either.

But Zan had made plans of his own, and so he noticed it right away.

The excitement had passed, and Zan had insisted he be on his way to the city as soon as possible. Not at all by chance, he had crossed paths with a brother and sister—Brahna and Mahna, they had called themselves—who had also been on their way to the city. Begging his pardon, they had asked if they might walk with him.

Guards had laughed at the two for troubling the young man. Such a clever solider had better things to do with his time than escorting a fisherman and his sister to the city to sell their wares. But Zan had waved the guards away, saying that it was no trouble at all. He was going to the city anyway, and he was in an excellent mood after foiling his captors.

And so it was that Zan, Forley, and Star walked unhindered down the broad road that led to the towering city as the sun rose, with Alanis and Leah hidden among the barrels of fish in their stolen wagon. Far away, they could hear the famous bells of Habaharan tolling, rousing the city to life. They only passed a few other groups of people, marching toward the docks, who didn't spare them a second glance. With their woven garments hidden under fishermen's jackets, and stripes of lantern grease painted down their dark faces, Star and Forley couldn't have looked less as if they had come from the west. They looked little different from the Zebak fisher folk they had milled with on the docks.

Star was partly revolted by how easily she passed as one of her mother's people. However, a much larger part of her was thrilled. For all the simplicity of their plan, it was working to perfection. Much of it had been formed in the air, as they had yelled problems and solutions to each other over the rush of the wind. And yet it was all going so well, and they had fooled everyone they had met so far.

Not far on the horizon, the solid metal wall of the city was already shining in the light of the rising sun. Soon enough, she knew it would be flashing like a beacon, and impossible to look directly at. She had written of this place, as well as she had been able to; but, like the domain of the Keeper, her writing hadn't prepared her for the real sight. In spite of all that had happened and all that still lay ahead, Star was already rewriting passages in her mind.

"I had forgotten how long the walk is," Zan grumbled, rubbing his face tiredly. "Forgive me for that, I haven't made the march in a long time."

"An hour is quite a long time to spend walking to your work," Forley added, nodding to another group of fisher folk as they passed on the other side of the road. "It seems tedious to me."

"That's because it is," Zan agreed dryly. "Perhaps that's why Brahna and Mahna have abandoned the trade, and are leaving to find work in the city. Many of our fisher folk are doing the same, recently. Fishing hasn't been a good business anyway. Over-fishing, some are saying. There's talk of giving it up entirely for a few years, until the fish come back."

"That's not such a terrible thing," Star commented. "Most of our people have never seen or tasted fresh fish in their lives."

"Well, my people won't care for such a thing. Fish is not a luxury, but a staple; even the lowest of slaves is given fish to eat. Without it, our way of life will change a great deal."

Zan spoke gravely, more so than he normally did, for he had proven to be a very grave sort of person. Clearly he understood the issue much better than the rest of them, because it was bothering him to think about. Star shook her head, wondering at how something as simple and silly as fish could cause so much trouble in such a big place. On the other side of the wagon, though, Forley was considering the idea and slowly nodding his head in understanding. It must have been something to do with buying and selling, which she knew so little of, but which had been learning of since he was small.

Once they were alone on the broad road, Alanis stuck her head out from under the wagon's canvas tarp and sneezed loudly.

"This smell is driving me mad," she grumbled. "Zan, how much longer until we reach the city?"

"We will reach the gate in less than half an hour," he answered helpfully. "Unfortunately, you will have to sit still a while more. My house is on the other side of the city, in Southside."

Alanis gawked at him in disbelief. "Are you saying we have to walk through the whole city without being caught?"

Zan shrugged at her. "I knew I had forgotten something when I drew up my map before. I couldn't quite think of it at the time, and had feared it might come back to haunt us. Happily, the walk changes nothing; there are far worse things I could have forgotten."

"What could possibly be worse than this?" Alanis demanded.

"Calm yourself down, and try to look on the positive side," came Leah's voice. "At least we don't have to walk through the wastelands. Another hour or two in this wagon isn't really so bad, compared to that."

Unable to argue with such wisdom, Alanis scowled at the city and sank back into her hiding place. Zan tugged his wrinkled jacket more tightly around himself and rubbed his arm nervously.

"She doesn't like or trust me," he pointed out in a low voice. "I can't say that I blame her, but really. I'm doing the best I can, and she insisted on joining us."

"Never mind Alanis," Forley insisted. "Her bark is worse than her bite, and she doesn't mean anything by it. She just has a temper, that's all. Surely it's nothing you aren't used to."

Zan snorted. "It's a shame she has to stay hidden, then," he grumbled. "She'd get on well with nearly everyone. All the same, I'd prefer to be snapped at only by my betters—and I have a lot of betters. I don't need it from my so-called companions."

He was on edge again, and not entirely pleased to be back. He was returning to the family he loved, and had feared to never see again, and he was certainly glad of that. But he had confessed before their journey that his return to Habaharan was also his return to slavery, and work that he hated. Zan honestly wasn't sure if he was happy to be home or not.

Star had wondered about this before, unable to understand how someone could be so torn over whether it was good or not to be home. Of course coming home was a good thing. And then she had remembered how bitterly her own homecoming had turned out, and decided that she did understand, after all.

Zan also found himself cumbered by a company he hadn't expected, and mostly didn't trust yet. He trusted Star, who had freed him and shown herself to be a capable ally. But Forley had teased him almost constantly, Leah had been aloof and quiet so far, and Alanis had made it very plain that she didn't trust him, either. They had barged into his life and demanded that he take them along, but had made no real effort to know him, or even prove that he could count on them. Star trusted them absolutely, but the distance they kept from Zan bothered her. It seemed a poor way to begin their adventure together.

If we can't count on one another, many things will go wrong very quickly, she thought to herself. But if mum and papa could pull together in their most dire moments, surely we can do it, too. Perhaps their trust in me can unite them, if only for a short time.

That was a comforting idea. She looked over at Zan, striding straight and tall at the head of the wagon, staring down the city ahead of them. Unos, who had been hitched to the wagon, kept nudging Zan's shoulder, demanding attention; he was determinedly ignoring her, pushing her off whenever he lost patience.

"I'm looking forward to meeting your brothers, at last," she said with a smile. "If they are really like you've said, I'm sure we'll like them."

Zan glanced back at her, surprised by the pleasant change in topic, and nodded shortly. "I think they will like you, too. At least, I know Zamiel will; he likes nearly everyone. I can't say for sure about Zaneth, though. He's the shy type, and doesn't make friends easily. Maybe he will like your other cousin better. They can sulk in corners and be quiet together, perhaps."

In the wagon, Leah cleared her throat loudly in disagreement, but said nothing. Forley chuckled and shook his head.

"Do not underestimate my little sister," he cautioned. "People like Alanis and Star are easy to see coming; they are so loud, it's hard not to see them. The odd, quiet ones are always the ones you need to be most wary of."

"I'll remember that," Zan agreed slowly, batting Unos off his shoulder again. "And your needy friend here can bother our Dolosus, instead of me. It will be good to see him again, too. That grach has an attitude, but he must be wondering where I am. He's always liked me best."

"How could anyone like you best of anyone?" Alanis demanded from her hiding place.

Zan snorted and hunched his shoulders. "When you feed them all the best scraps under the table, it's easy enough. If only it was so easy to please my commanders, I'd want for nothing."

It was clear to Star that Alanis had hurt him with her words. It was a shame, after seeing him speaking so freely and happily about his family. He had been almost at ease for the first time, and now it was ruined. She would have liked to reach into the wagon and smack her cousin over the head for speaking so harshly.

Even though it was still early, the city's only entrance was already teaming with people. Larger wagons were being loaded and unloaded with goods, and vendors had set up stalls here and there to serve the merchants in the crowd. Guards in gray uniforms were everywhere, stalking suspiciously among the people, but largely unaware of any of them. Perhaps they were on the lookout for thieves, or simply easy prey to push around. But the crowd was already so large that three more people, another wagon, and another grach went unnoticed. Some paused to glance warily at Zan, and went right back to their own business. He must have seemed unimpressive, compared to the older, well-dressed guards around them.

Habaharan's gates were open wide for the day, and watched over by men in more elaborate uniforms. They, too, glanced at Zan, and at the people with him. Seeing nothing more than a pair of fisher folk and a battered wagon, in the company of one of their own, the guards simply nodded in vague approval. The companions walked right past them without even a word.

Just like that, Star found herself in the noisy, crowded streets of a sprawling city. Already, the streets were alive with activity. Shops were just opening everywhere she looked. Men and women with bags and baskets were making their ways to their work, or perhaps running morning errands. Children of all ages, wearing uniforms of their own, seemed to be walking together to their lessons. And of course, guards wandered carelessly up and down the streets. There were distinct sights, sounds, and smells all around her; and yet she couldn't pick a single one out from all the rest.

She knew she was supposed to appear like them, as if she had lived every day of her life in this city and was unmoved to see it as it always was. But the sight was so incredible, it was hard not to let her amazement show on her face. She looked over at Forley, who was equally amazed and doing just as poor a job of hiding it.

"I didn't think there could be so many people in the world," he commented quietly, awestruck. "How do you cram them all into one city?"

"I wouldn't say we are crammed into it," Zan answered, not allowing them to pause for long. "Habaharan is a large city with thousands of citizens. We live rather comfortably, even in Southside."

Star peered at him nervously. "What do you mean, even in Southside? Isn't that where you are leading us?"

He shrugged at her, lowering his voice before he answered. "We are in Northside, now. It is the nicer half of the city, I have to say. Everything closer to the coast usually is. Sadly, Southside is the tougher half. It has fallen into a sorry state of disrepair; it is not the part of the city that greets our few visitors, and it faces the wastelands, and so the Dragon Lords are mostly uninterested in keeping its appearances in order. Much of Southside has become the city's slums."

He looked over his shoulder at Star and Forley, and didn't seem surprised that they were suddenly nervous.

"It isn't a bad place, trust me," he insisted. "I've lived there my whole life, and I've turned out alright. Many people can say the same. It will be a good place to stay hidden, in any case."

Unwilling to let them argue with him, he took Unos by the harness that tied her to the wagon and pulled her forward. Glad to finally have his attention, she plodded sedately after him. Star and Forley had no choice but to follow him deeper into the city.

Looking around her, Star soon noticed that the city seemed to slope upward, as if it were built on a hill. And as the city rose, its buildings seemed finer and finer. At the very top, hard to see in the light of the sun, a vast structure of white stone and shining steel seemed to sit upon the city like a crown. A great spire rose from its center, silhouetted against the sun.

"That must be the palace," she commented, squinting to try and see it better.

"Indeed, it is," Zan agreed. "If it isn't half the size of your village, as I said, I'll eat my cap. The place is enormous, and like a terrible city of its own. I've been there only once, just a few days ago for that stupid mission, and have no desire to go back there. Bad things happen behind those walls, they say."

Star thought this over slowly, and a revelation came to her.

"You say that the slums are in Southside. That it faces the wastelands."

"That's because they are, and it does. Why?"

"I think I've written of it. If I'm right, my parents came into the city that way, and spent a short time sneaking around those very slums."

Forley looked very pleased with her thought, and grinned brightly. "That would explain a lot. Da always does complain, whenever the story is told, that the place smelled badly of garbage."

Zan looked at him in surprise. "Your father was there, too?"

Forley smugly stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's a long story."

Zan turned back to Star, pinning her with an astounded face of his own. "You've got to let me read that book of yours."

A hiss behind them made them all jump in surprise, and they turned around to see Leah peeking at them from under the tarp. Really, she was glaring at them.

"Are you really going to discuss this so loudly?" she whispered. "If you want us to be found out that quickly, keep it up! You're doing a fantastic job!"

Humbled by her words, the three of them ceased their conversation altogether. Leah was right, of course. They were in the middle of a city now, surrounded by common people and guards who could certainly hear them. How could they have suddenly become so careless?

No more mistakes, Star told herself, ashamed for even bringing the thing up before they were safe. By a miracle, we have made it here without being caught. Fate has been kind to us, so far. To tempt it again would be, well, beyond foolish. We only need to travel a little further like this. Then, we can have all our questions answered in peace.

As Zan led them deeper and deeper into the city, Star noticed that things had begun to change. The brick buildings around her began to seem a bit worn, and the people were less finely dressed. In fact, they were mostly wearing sturdy working clothes. There seemed to be fewer guards around, too. The children she saw weren't wearing uniforms here, but were dressed like their parents. Most seemed to be accompanying adults on their business, rather than wandering carelessly to lessons. More and more often, she noticed people with thick leather bracers fastened to their wrists, and wondered what it meant.

Those slightly worn buildings soon gave way to places that needed windowsills painted or fixed entirely, with screen doors that were torn and patched in places. The people here seemed about the same, except that they appeared more tired than before. Plainly, these people worked much harder to survive than those she had seen before. More of them were wearing those leather bracers, and it suddenly filled her with a sinking feeling. She had also noticed that there were nearly no guards at all here.

Star suspected that if they weren't already in Southside, they were about to be.

After remaining silent for a long time, Zan gasped in alarm and ducked his head.

"Come on, keep moving," he insisted quietly, trying to drag Unos a little faster. "Just don't look at anyone."

"Why?" Star whispered back. "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you later. Just move, for heaven's sake."

Star and Forley exchanged a worried glance, wondering what had startled their guide so badly. But they did as he told them and continued hurrying forward, doing their best not to look directly at anyone.

"Garased!"

The barking voice came out of nowhere, halting them at once. All the people around them were clearly frightened by it, looking for the one who had spoken so harshly. No one had to wonder for too long. An exceptionally tall guard was striding toward them through the crowd, and people were skittering out of his way. He looked as cruel and severe as a Central Control guard could look, even with a pair of spectacles on his sharp nose. He also looked positively baffled, and all his focus seemed to be locked on Zan.

The boy had stiffened and stood at attention at the sound of his name, out of what must have been instinct. As the guard approached him, he gulped hard and made an obvious effort to compose himself.

"Lord Azan," he greeted, trying to sound more confident than he was.

"What in blazes is all this?" the guard demanded. "You were reported missing in action and presumed dead. A bother, but not at all surprising. By what trickery have you returned?"

"It was no trick, really," Zan answered as mockingly as he could, and patted Unos on the shoulder. "Those western folk aren't the brightest, after all."

The guard looked Unos over in disbelief. "They can't possibly be, if you can outwit them. So, you stole back the beast they stole from us, did you?"

"Yes, sir, I did."

"And you really expect me to believe that? Why, that whole affair happened years ago! This can't possibly be the same beast."

"Well… It is the truth, sir," Zan insisted, his voice halting and hesitant.

The guard's eyes flicked between Zan and Unos, thinking it over, but his stormy face didn't soften. Finally, he snorted in distaste and tore his gaze from them. Instead, he was looking doubtfully at Star and Forley and their strong smelling wagon.

"What of these two?" he demanded. "By the smell of them, they should be at the docks."

"I met them there on my return," Zan answered right away, sounding uncaring. "They have recently left the fishing trade, and were thinking to find work here, in Southside. Since I happened to be going that way, and had a grach to pull their wagon, I saw no trouble in helping them."

The guard grimaced at this. "Mercy. Kindness. How very like you, Zan. Whenever did such things get a man anything?"

"They have offered me their whole last catch, as thanks for my assistance, and congratulations for my return."

The guard thought about this, and rolled his eyes. "Not a terrible bargain, I suppose. And your brothers will be pleased with the gift, I shouldn't wonder."

His gaze settled for a long moment on Star, and she heroically repressed a shudder. The way he was looking at her was horribly uncomfortable.

"If you were really clever, you would have demanded the girl, too," he commented with a cruel smirk. "She is probably worth more than the catch, the wagon, and the grach combined."

"Oh. I never thought of it," Zan mumbled back, looking a mix of ashamed and very awkward. Horrified, Star shrank back against the wagon, as far from the guard as she dared. Forley gasped in alarm, unable to do or say anything.

"Of course you didn't," the guard snapped, taking off his spectacles and brushing them on his sleeve. "You never have, never do, and most likely never will. Very well, then; have your own way, if you are such a hero. Get back to your moping brothers, and have a report filled out immediately. It will be refreshing to have two of my best men back on duty. And I suppose you do make C-57 whole, so I can't really be disappointed to have you back. I expect to see all three of you on the wall at sundown tomorrow, as always."

"Yes, lord Azan."

Satisfied, the guard stalked off past them and disappeared into the crowd. Star, Forley, and Zan all watched him as far as they could, hardly able to breathe until they could no longer see him.

"What a horrible person," Forley muttered as they began to move again. "Who was that?"

"General Zared Azan, one of the queen's favorite military leaders," Zan answered flatly. "The man has whole legions under his command, including my squadron."

"What right does he have to speak to you like that?"

"Every right. The man owns me, and my brothers. He is our master."

Star gaped at him, horrified yet again. "You can't be serious."

"I'm perfectly serious. I warned you people before we left that we are all slaves here. What could be more serious than that?"

They continued to walk for a while in another silence, all three of them shaken by their unpleasant meeting with the general. Of course Star hadn't thought that Zan was joking before; it made complete sense, even if it was terribly sad. She had never imagined that the reality was quite so awful, though.

Not quite realizing what she was doing, she reached up and touched the object hidden under her clothes for comfort. It was solid and cool against her skin; and in all the excitement of the previous afternoon and night, she had completely forgotten that it was there. She couldn't remember what it was now, or how it had gotten there. Puzzled, she tugged the cord over her head, and found a gold pendant in her hand.

Her eyes went wide, and she stumbled in shock. Forley and Zan looked back at her, wondering what had happened.

"What's wrong?" Forley asked, concerned by her face.

"It is the Earth sigil!" she whispered. "I had forgotten all about it!"

Her cousin was just as shocked as she was. "You brought it here of all places?" he demanded as quietly as he could.

"I didn't mean to," she answered sharply. "I just… Oh no, this is terrible! What am I going to do?"

Her mind was reeling. She cursed herself for not taking the thing off before she had left. It belonged with her father, in the hands of a Titan who could use it, who needed it. How could she have so foolishly forgotten that she was wearing it? And now she had brought it into the Zebak lands, the most dangerous place it could be taken. If it was discovered, who even knew what would be done with it?

Zan was staring at them in puzzlement. "What is the matter with the two of you? It is a pendant of gold—valuable, certainly, but no cause for a tantrum in the middle of the street."

Of course he didn't understand the sigil's real value; and there was no way to explain it where they were. Fighting back a wave of panic, Star resolved to explain it to him as soon as they had reached his home. Just as she was moving to hide the sigil under her dress again, she felt someone tugging at the sleeve of her jacket. Startled, she looked down to see a rather tall, raggedly dressed little girl staring up at her.

The girl smiled up at her impishly, rocking back and forth on her heels and looking admittedly very adorable. "Hi, there," she said brightly. "Could the pretty lady spare some change, or maybe some cake for a hungry little orphan like me?"

Star blinked at her in surprise. "I'm afraid not," she answered, feeling truly sorry that she couldn't help the hungry child.

The girl shrugged. "Oh well," she sighed, shifting her eyes around. "Then…. I guess I'll just take this!"

Like a lightning bolt, her small hand shot out and snatched the sigil right out of Star's unguarded grip. Then she darted away, cackling in triumph as she ducked and wove her way into the crowd.

Star's heart stopped dead, and time seemed to slow to a snail's pace. Before she could stop herself, she turned and sprinted after the child.

"Get back here with that!" she screamed. "Someone stop that thief!"

If she had been in Rin, everyone around her would have stopped what they were doing to help her catch the little girl. Even if she had gotten away, at least one witness would have known her name and face, and gladly supplied it. The child would have been found and punished right away, perhaps in short minutes. However, she was in Habaharan now, and the people around her seemed not to care. They yelled in surprise as the two girls forced their way past them, and some shouted at them to watch where they were going. But not one of them stopped to help.

Star chased the girl all the way down the street, until she found herself at a very busy intersection. The child had vanished, and the sigil was gone with her. She could no longer see Forley and Zan, either, and only now realized that she had no idea where she was. She was lost. The temptation to panic was overwhelming.

Except she suddenly felt a surge of raw, angry, familiar energy from somewhere very close by. Not questioning it, merely thankful that she now had a direction, she turned back the way she had come and followed the pulsing magic she felt stirring in the air. It led her into an alleyway she had run right past, where she met a sorry sight.

Behind a pile of crates, she discovered a pair of dirty children huddled in the shadows. One of them was the girl who had robbed her, crumpled and unconscious on the ground, with the sigil still clutched in her hand. The other was a much younger boy, sobbing in terror and shaking the girl in desperation.

"Vivi, get up," he was begging tearfully. "Please, get up! I'm scared! Vivi, please get up!"

Hearing footsteps behind him, the boy turned and looked up at Star, paralyzed with fear to have been found. And no wonder he was so afraid—he must have been six or seven years old, but his Zebak face was unmarked, and Star already knew well that such a thing was against the city's laws. His eyes were so dark with fear, it was hard to see what color they were.

Star stared back at the little boy, unable to be angry or even cross with him. He wasn't the one who had robbed her, after all. He was just a filthy, hungry child, who clearly had no home, and no parents. All he had was the girl he had called Vivi, perhaps the only friend he had in the world. It now seemed likely that the girl had stolen the sigil in the hopes of buying them food. It was the most humanity Star had seen in this place so far. Her heart was suddenly filled with pity.

Then the girl began to stir, and slowly wake. It appeared that the sigil had responded to her somehow, and hadn't liked to be stolen so easily. Perhaps it had wrenched a short, unexpected riddle or prophecy out of her, and knocked her out briefly, giving Star just enough time to find it again.

The pity she felt evaporated, and the anger she had felt before replaced it. As the girl opened her eyes, Star darted forward and snatched the sigil back.

"It serves you right, too," she snapped. "I hope you've learned a thing or two about taking things that don't belong to you."

The two children watched her warily, no doubt waiting for her to call for a guard to come and take them away. But Star hadn't even thought of doing this. Now that she had recovered the precious talisman of her people, the only thing on her mind was finding Zan and Forley again. Pulling the cord back over her head and stuffing the medallion under her clothes, she hurried back into the streets to look for them.

Zan is one of the only people around in a guard's uniform, she remembered. Gray. Look for someone wearing gray clothes. You'll find him right away.

And she did. She hadn't gone halfway up the street before she spotted him. Zan was by himself, scanning the crowd and looking remarkably concerned. She raised her arm and waived, and caught his sight at once. The concern on his face vanished, and instead he was aggravated, more like his normal self. He began pushing his way toward her, shaking his head.

"What was that all about?" he demanded, grabbing her arm and hauling her back the way he had come. "You know you wouldn't last ten minutes by yourself here. And I thought we had agreed to stay together. What in heaven and earth could be worth this much trouble?"

"More than you would imagine," she answered. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know what the sigil was; but his ignorance was starting to annoy her. Zan rolled his eyes.

"Your brother is up ahead, waiting with the wagon, hopefully not wandering off as easily as you do," he grumbled. "With luck, we won't be waylaid again. My home isn't far, now, only a few blocks away. We can be there in ten minutes, if you don't get distracted again."

Between crossing paths with his master and a crafty thief child, it was easy to see how Zan could be in a bad mood. And he was only ten minutes away from his house, and his brothers, and the grach he hadn't been able to hide his love for. The delays must have been driving him mad. All the same, Star didn't see why he had to take his frustration out on her. None of those delays had been her fault. At least, not directly.

Forley was, indeed, right where he had been left. He had pulled the wagon up alongside the road to wait for them, and had busied himself by tending to Unos. She was fidgeting, startled by two of her people running off without warning. He was stroking her nose and neck, whispering soothingly to her, trying to calm her; possibly, he was trying to calm himself, as well. Star had never seen such a look of worry on his face.

When he saw her returning with Zan, his face became greatly relieved. She had never seen him make that face, either. He started forward and gripped her shoulders, nearly pulling her into a hug, close enough to whisper in her ear.

"Did you get it back?"

"Yes, I have it."

They sighed together in relief, glad to have that problem behind them. Now that it was over, Star felt crushed with shame. She was the keeper of her people's source of magic now; and so far, she had kept it poorly. She had forgotten it and brought it with her, and that was bad enough. Before she had been in Habaharan for even a day, a child had stolen and skipped away with it. It had very nearly been lost forever, in her hands. She couldn't even imagine what her father would have done, if he had known what had just happened.

She firmly resolved to never take the Earth sigil off again, no matter the cost. She would wear it to sleep, to change clothes, and even to bathe. That was the only way she could truly keep it safe, as her father had for so long.

She would wear it always, and never let it out of her sight.

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Afterthoughts…

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Yes, an homage to Deltora Quest. Because why the hell not? After all, Lief and Jasmine are definitely doing king-and-queenly things somewhere just south of this city. 8D

A much shorter update this time. The little brother has proclaimed these 9k chapters to be exhausting, and I am inclined to agree. The last two… They just wouldn't stop… What can I say? Writing from Zeel's perspective is delightful. This one is just under 6K, though, which perhaps makes up for the heftiness of the last few.

Zared Azan is a butt, and a major minor character in books to come. He's like a shadow that just won't go away. Like Bree. I'd say like Neel, except Simon is the that guy. :P

Low and behold, I think there is only one more chapter left on this. Almost certainly it will be closer to 9K than 8, so. Yup. Family reunions!