Vaelor
The sun is low by the time we’re almost finished.
The shield nodes are glowing faintly along the Hollow’s edge.
Not bright. Just enough that you can see them if you’re looking.
Kree’s voice carries from somewhere down the line, explaining something to Rane about resonance frequencies.
Declan’s adjusting spacing on the eastern perimeter.
Brent looks thrilled every time one of the devices activates.
The town feels different. Protected in a new way.
People are on their porches watching. A few came out to help earlier. Darcy brought water around midday. Mara checked on us twice. The whole Hollow has been moving today, doing something productive for the first time since Nova was taken.
This is the first day that’s felt useful.
Liam is working on the final placement near the northern tree line. I head over to help. He doesn’t look up when I approach, just gestures at the device on the ground.
“Hold that steady.”
I do.
We work in silence for a few minutes. Comfortable. He adjusts the calibration. I keep it level. Easy rhythm.
“Your town’s good,” Liam says eventually.
“It is.”
“Minerva built something real here.”
I glance at him. “She’s my grandmother.”
His hands stop. Just for a second. Then he looks at me directly.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you know about the archives.”
I nod. “I grew up in them. Memory House. My family’s been keeping the records for generations.”
Something shifts in Liam’s expression. Like a renewed focus.
“Do you know what we traded?” he asks. “What the bargain was?”
I shake my head. “Minerva didn’t say.”
“The prophecy.” He goes back to adjusting the device but his voice stays level. Deliberate. “Some of our legends speak of one. But no such prophecy exists in Clockwork records. Your grandmother has it. That’s what we’re here for. The defenses in exchange for access.”
I go still.
“What prophecy?”
Liam doesn’t answer right away. He finishes the calibration. Stands. Looks at me like he’s deciding whether to say the next part.
“I think it’s about us,” he says finally. “I think we’re supposed to find someone. Or rather, we’re supposed to find the one the prophecy is about.”
My chest tightens.
“A woman?”
Liam can’t hold back a small smile. “Of course. Wouldn’t be fun any other way.”
I nod. “We already found ours.”
“Oh yeah?” The smile stays. “Well where is she? Why didn’t we meet her?”
“She’s gone.”
The smile drops. “What do you mean gone?”
“She was taken. Three days ago. By the Nightmare Order.”
He goes completely still.
“Your government? You can’t just let her go.”
“We know. We found our first lead this morning.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because we promised we’d help. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re helping. So as soon as we’re done tonight, we’re moving on it.”
“What did you find?”
“A card. With a number. It was in her jacket.”
Liam nods once. Doesn’t push for more. Just looks at me with the same steady focus he’s had since he walked off that ship this morning.
“If you need anything, if you need help from us, we’re here.”
I meet his eyes. “Thank you.”
He picks up the next device. Hands it to me.
“Let’s finish this.”
I nod, a little relieved though I’m not sure why.
We keep working as the sun drops lower. The nodes glow brighter as the light fades. Kree’s still talking somewhere down the line. Declan’s off triple-checking the eastern edge. Rane’s asking questions. Locke’s been gone for hours but nobody’s said anything about it.
The perimeter is almost done.
And when it is, we move.