Andrei

Shortly after Sebastian left to find Jakob, Adeline and I took a tour of the underground estate on our own. This time, I asked her to only loosely describe our environment as we traveled from room to room. While the telepathy had been nice, and it had been helpful, I was hesitant to become reliant upon it. Moreover, it wasn't Adeline's responsibility to see for me.

All in all, there were four bedrooms. Two were master suites and the third and fourth were common rooms, each with six double bunk beds. Unsurprisingly, there was a theatre room, though it was small with only three rows of chairs, a platform stage, and a cello in the corner. Across the hall from the theater, there was a kitchen, a washroom, and while non-functional at the time, according to Adeline, the bathtub and sink were purposed to allow running water.

"Everything is so decadent," she said. "The fabrics, the fixtures—everything must have cost a fortune. And some of these designs… well, they're like nothing I've ever seen before. The glass bulbs in the chandelier, and the—whatever this is."

We had just stepped into a new room. "What does it look like?"

"It's a large hunk of metal. Cylindrical, horizontal, and about the size of a whiskey barrel. There are gears, and coils, and—well, I just don't know. There are levers as well, but there appears to be some corrosion, and without understanding what they're for, it's best we proceed carefully. I shall examine this all more closely later. Whatever it is."

Tink, tink when Adeline tapped the contraption.

"And what else is in the room?"

"There's a metal door that has been bolted shut, otherwise it appears to be a workroom. There are old tools, copper wire, oiling cans, buckets. It's only a shame there isn't enough space for a bed, I'd be inclined to move in."

"No water?"

"Not that I can see."

"I feel water," I said. "For the plumbing, perhaps."

"How wonderful," Adeline mused. "You're feeling your elements now."

"Speaking of, I should try my hand at opening the hatch. If Sebastian doesn't return, well, I don't know about you, Adeline, but I don't have much food and water left and something tells me he hasn't had the opportunity to stock the larder."

When Adeline didn't protest, I felt for the nearest wall to regain my sense of direction before moving down the corridor. I counted my steps and turned, and once in the main room, I stopped when my boot nudged the edge of the stone staircase.

As I focused my energy toward the task at hand, I tuned into something else entirely—voices from above, only barely audible. I lifted my finger to my lips to signal Adeline, and turned my ear toward the ceiling. The resonance indicated deeper voices.

We remained still until a third voice joined. Higher-pitched, but level.

And then for a time, there was nothing. I motioned Adeline over.

"I don't hear anything," she said. She was standing beside me by then, but the voice came from within.

I shook my head and shrugged.

When the voices above ground resumed, there were two again, but this time both were in the higher register, and one was more animated than the other. Uncertain. The cadence, the rhythm—Sinclair? My heart began to race, but now was not the time. If I was going to make a pact with the earth, I had to be on its level. Grounded and firm in my resolve.

But for a moment, the ceiling rumbled.

I took a steadying breath in and out through my nose.

Briefly, yet again, the ceiling rumbled, but the airflow in the room remained the same.

One last time, but still no change.

Finally, the ground above us groaned. The bottles on the shelves behind the bar clinked together when the walls around us shook. A rush of air as the passage opened, and then a familiar, deadpan voice.

"Hey," it said. "I found your friends."

Two sets of footsteps hurried down the stairs and I took a cautious step back. But then, her arms around me—finally. She smelled of sweat, winter, and leather—but no cloves. I wondered if she'd run out of Hocks Spirits.

"I missed you so bloody much," she said.

I pulled her close and whispered her name, tracing her face. It was my favourite face, and a face I would never see again but in my memories. Her skin was cold, so I directed the heat from my body into my fingers.

Naturally, she asked about the blindfold. There was a pause while I considered the question. "You caught us in the middle of a game of hide and seek. Adeline didn't trust me not to peek."

"Fair play," Sinclair said, easily. "You're known to be a peeker."

So it was. All that to hear the smile in her tone, to bring us back to where we once were, to put her at ease before what I would say next.

"Lidia blinded me."

"Stracha's Steed…"

There was so much more to say, but she touched my face, and I kissed her forehead and invited her to join me elsewhere. I couldn't say for certain what Adeline and Everleigh Gloom were doing in the moment, and frankly, I didn't particularly care. Hand-in-hand, I brought Sinclair to the nearest room with privacy—one of the master suites I'd toured earlier.

I closed the door behind us.

We had much to discuss, but first…

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We cuddled beneath the covers in a musty makeshift fort, nestled in what felt like cotton-filled silk. We were both surprised the ancient bed held up through our activities, and the blanket, while functional, was stiff and irritating against our bare skin.

"You know, Strauss, now we both can't read," Sinclair said. "I should have shot the Crazy Bitch sooner."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I will teach you to read. And in reference to your timing, consider this: I once thought of destiny and agency as two separate and unrelated entities. On one hand, everything will be as it was meant to be, regardless of action. On the other, choice above all."

Pulling Sinclair closer, she rested her head on my chest.

"Now I realize the truth is more complicated than that," I continued. "Is it choice or inevitability that dictates timing? Was it choice or inevitability that brought me to the church that day? Both, perhaps. In any case, I'm fine. Better than fine."

A moment of silence and then, "Aye, you're fine as fuck."

Another short laugh before we resisted making love for a second time.

"I have to tell you something," she said.

My alarms were sufficiently raised. As we all know, Sinclair wasn't one to label her words with caution.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Remember that one time in Delphia? Not the first time, but the second time."

Why was she stalling? "Of course I remember."

"You knocked me up."

And there was the no-holds-barred. Her confession came as a surprise, and at the same time not. We risked it every time we were together.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Are you sure?"

"Lidia told me. Alexander confirmed it. Apparently Those Things can sense it. Also, I haven't been having a monthly."

Instinctively, I rested my hand against her abdomen.

"Lidia…? How long have you known?"

"Since we got back from Istok. At first I wasn't sure I believed her. We were in the middle of some mighty strange negotiating at the time. And I know I should have told you sooner, but I didn't want to believe it. And then I did want to believe it, and the fact I wanted it to be true scared me. What the hell are we gonna do?"

I wasn't upset with Sinclair for not telling me sooner. Whatever her reasons, they were her reasons, and they were valid on that alone. But what a thing to have shouldered in silence, and I while I wasn't upset she hadn't told me sooner, I wished she would have, if only so I could have been there for her.

"We will do whatever we must to keep ourselves safe, to keep him or her safe," I said. "We have options. Now more than ever."

"Is this one of them?" she asked, referring to the underground.

It was then I told her about Sebastian, who Vincent Delestade was to him, and what Sebastian had confessed with regards to his motives.

"He wants us to lead a resistance force against Palisade?"

"And what's stranger yet: I think I trust him."

Together, we emerged from the blanket fort.

"Reserving judgment for the minute," Sinclair replied. "But I'm leaning that way myself. When we found you lot missing from the cage, we considered the possibility Sebastian might have found you first. Everleigh said if that were the case, you'd be safe. Say what you will about the lass, but she doesn't throw horseshite around."

"And you trust this Everleigh Gloom?"

"Right, so I reckon she's had a rough go at life, and I reckon she's done whatever's necessary to survive here in Amalia. Not all of it pretty I'm guessing. But she could have easily killed you lot. And when I say easily, the lass is a walking, slow-talking weapon."

Sinclair then told me what happened above ground with the two Anima, which of course explained the other voices I'd heard.

"Air blades?"

"Air blades. And hear me out, but I think she just wants friends."

"Well, we haven't heard any shouting. Perhaps she and Adeline have made up."

"Do you reckon she can read Symphonic?" Sinclair asked.

"If she's Sebastian's charge, it stands to reason, but if she cannot, surely he can. Why?"

"I found a journal in Leberecht belonging to someone called Jakob."

"Adler?"

"Aye, how'd you know?"

It was then I shared the complete story of my time at the lair. About Jakob, and about his apparent significance to Sebastian. All in all, she was proud of the decision I'd made where the Anima were concerned. She was glad to hear that I'd reunited with Riz, and while she was upset about what happened to Lucas Bellamy back at Palisade, ultimately she was relieved he was safe. I told her about Maryse, about our awkward therapy sessions, about my training, Markus Lund, the truth about the war in Endica, and everything I'd learned about my parents.

She didn't ask about Rhydian, but she did ask about Zacharias.

He'd saved my life. He'd urged Sinclair toward the keyhole in the mountain, and had helped her find Jakob's journal. He'd, too, mended the rift between her and Oskari, however unethically he'd gone about it, and however tragically it had all ended. Yet, Sebastian named his brother his arch nemesis. How this would reconcile was a mystery to us yet.

With the full collaboration of our knowledge complete, we both knew we should get out of bed, socialize with Adeline and Everleigh, perhaps put together a meal from what we all independently carried in our bags. But I for one was exhausted of shoulds, and Sinclair was never one for them in the first place. So, for another hour—maybe two—we burrowed in our fort and slept.

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