Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
SACHA
“Truth delayed is not truth denied. Some revelations ripen in their season.”
Writings of the Veinblood Masters
My eyes open, sleep disturbed by Ellie stirring beside me. Another night where I’ve slept without interruption, without my senses on guard for disturbances and intrusions. I’m not sure it’s something I will ever grow used to.
I don’t want to become used to it.
I need to get back to Meridian before Sereven’s forces overtake Stonehaven.
Ellie moves again, and I allow myself a moment to appreciate her presence before thoughts of what today’s duties will be intrude. The warmth of her skin against mine, the scent of her hair, the way her body curves close into the space beside me.
When I turn my head, her eyes are open, staring up at the ceiling. I recognize the expression on her face. It’s the same look I’ve seen a thousand times before on young fighters’ faces before a battle, when the mind runs through countless scenarios while the body remains still.
“You’re awake early.”
“I couldn’t sleep anymore. My mind won’t be quiet.” She rolls toward me, her leg sliding against mine, and the contact sends warmth through me that has nothing to do with the heat trapped beneath the sheets. “I keep thinking about what we might find out today … or not.”
Her voice carries more than anxiety over finding a long-lost bracelet. She’s preparing to return to a place that shaped her childhood, to confront memories she’s spent years avoiding.
“Whatever we discover, we’ll adapt to it.” I try to reassure her without giving false promises. A lesson learned through years of leading people into uncertain situations, where hope must be tempered with realistic expectations.
She nods, but I can feel the tension in her body where it’s pressed against mine. Her hand reaches out to touch the dark shadow of my raven familiar where it’s settled against my ribs.
“Does that move around? I swear it was on your shoulder yesterday.”
“It does. Have you not noticed your mist stalker on your body?”
“What?” Her lips part, and she lifts the sheet to peer down her body.
Rising, I tumble her onto her back and drag the covers away. “Right here.” Leaning over her, I press my lips to the image of her familiar on her hip. Her entire body shivers.
“What was that?”
“Do you remember when you touched my raven in Stonehaven?”
“How could I forget?”
My tongue traces the outline of the beast, making her shudder again. “Our connection was initially formed through my familiar, and solidified with yours after River Crossing when it joined with you. I believe it is our familiars that hold that connection which drew me to you when we arrived here.”
“So, when I touch the raven …”
“I get the same sensation, yes.”
“But you’re not reacting.”
My lips curve up. “I’ve had many years of practice controlling external reactions to things.”
“I think that’s a very unfair advantage.”
I laugh softly against her skin, then kiss my way up to her lips. “Perhaps later, you can find ways to test my resolve.”
Her fingers spear through my hair, and for a short time there are no more words between us. Only touch and sensation.
Her voice is steadier when she next speaks. “We should get ready.”
She insists on coffee before anything else, followed by a shower which takes longer than she anticipated since I insist on joining her.
But eventually, we are dressed and ready to leave.
She picks up a small bag from where it hangs beside the door, and checks its contents, with quick, jerky movements that hint toward her nerves. And then it’s time to leave.
The streets are busier today, and I keep pace with Ellie, while I watch the people around us as they navigate along the paths without stopping or acknowledging each other.
“Does nobody talk?”
“Not really. Unless you know them, or it’s unavoidable.”
“And everyone lives in communal buildings?”
“No, not everyone. There are smaller towns, and rural areas. But lots of people prefer cities. She glances around. “More opportunities for work, education, entertainment.”
“And defense?”
“Defense?”
“Concentrated populations. Centralized resources. Easy targets during warfare.”
She blinks at me. “I guess … we don’t really think about it that way. Most people assume they’re safe.”
An interesting perspective. In Meridian, safety is never assumed, it’s earned through preparation.
She leads me to a large building with strange glass doors.
“This is the train station.”
The first thing that hits me is the scale.
The space is at least six times larger than Stonehaven's main hall, and filled with more people than I’ve ever seen outside of a battlefield.
Their voices merge together, creating a wall of sound that makes my jaw clench.
A voice booms from overhead, so loud it makes my ears ring.
It carries over the crowd, distorted in a way that makes it impossible to figure out where it’s coming from.
Then another sound reaches me. Metal screeching against metal somewhere in the distance.
It immediately sets my teeth on edge. My heart rate accelerates, and my muscles tense for combat.
Every instinct screams that this environment is wrong.
There is too much noise masking potential threats, and too many people whose intentions I can’t predict.
My shadows respond to the perceived danger before I can stop them.
They surge beneath my skin, racing through my veins.
They claw at my insides, demanding release, trying to shield me from the chaos.
My fingers curl into fists inside the pockets of my jacket as I battle to stop them from breaking free.
I force my breathing to slow, pulling them back with an effort I haven’t had to use since childhood.
It leaves me dizzy and disoriented. They resist every command, fighting against decades of training.
Cold fire spreads from my core outward, every nerve ending alive with their rebellion.
Sweat breaks out on my forehead, despite the chill racing through my body.
Over it all, one thought is clear. I cannot lose control. Not in this place.
“Sacha?” Ellie’s voice cuts through my battle. She’s stopped walking, and is studying my face.
“I’m fine.” The words are clipped.
“You don’t look fine.” Her hand comes up to curve over my jaw. “Your eyes have turned black.”
I hadn’t realized. Maintaining composure under stress should be second nature to me. Here, surrounded by unknown sights and sounds, my control feels paper-thin.
“This place … It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. When I first arrived in your world, everything was overwhelming for me, too, but in a different way. The silence, the emptiness. It was terrifying after growing up with constant noise.”
Her words help. She adapted to Meridian’s environment. I can adapt to this one.
I close my eyes, and focus on my breathing. The shadows eventually settle, although they remain prepared, and I can still feel agitation from the raven moving around my body. Once I’m certain I have it under control, I open my eyes again.
“Ready?” Her palm doesn’t leave my face.
I nod, unwilling to speak. I don’t like how close to losing control I came. I don’t like how this place makes me feel.
I don’t like feeling weak.
“Those are the trains.” She points toward one of the metal contraptions that dwarf any transport I’ve ever seen. “They’re loud when they move, but they’re safe. Everything here is designed to handle thousands of people moving through every day.”
I study the metal beasts. People board and exit through multiple openings along their sides. No horses, no visible means of movement, yet they clearly transport large numbers easily.
“How do they move?”
“Electricity. Like the lights in the apartment, and the television, but much more powerful.” She pauses. “It’s … controlled lightning, in a way.”
Controlled lightning. The concept is both fascinating and unsettling.
“We have to purchase tickets to be able to use it, so we need to go over here first.”
I wait while she interacts with an odd device, which does nothing that I can see, and then she returns to where I’m standing.
“All done. Everything is tracked electronically. Where you go, when you go, how you pay for it. The government, companies … they all have records of your movements.”
“Does this tracking serve safety purposes or control?” In Meridian, the Authority controls through fear and force. Here, it seems to be exercised through information.
“Both, depending on who you talk to. Officials say it’s for security, preventing crime, and managing resources effectively. Critics say it’s about power, suppressing dissent, and controlling behavior through surveillance.”
“And what do you think?”
“I think there’s truth to both perspectives.”
Further conversation is delayed when the train arrives, and we board.
Ellie picks a seat near a window, and I take the one beside her.
The need to be able to see all around me wars with the reality that escape would be impossible if something went wrong.
We’re trapped in a metal box, depending on systems I don’t understand, and traveling at speeds that would make jumping off fatal.
“What do you think?” Ellie’s voice snaps me out of the spiral I can’t seem to stop myself from falling into.
“Fast, but vulnerable. Everyone is trapped. Should something go wrong, it could be disastrous.”
She blinks. “I … never thought of it that way.”
I doubt the people around us have either. Some stare at those small glowing devices that Ellie called phones. Others sit quietly, lost in their own thoughts. A few engage in quiet conversations, but most seem to exist in individual bubbles of privacy, even when sitting so close to another person.