Letting go of Kelda, I step in front of Dani. It’s so disorienting to look into her eyes, to feel that thread that tugs me toward Orion tug me toward Dani, too. My feelings for her and about her have swung so wildly back and forth over the last several days, but she’s still here, when she doesn’t have to be. And that earns her the one true thing I can admit right now:
“I could use your help. Looking out for everyone.”
Her scowl softens a little, and she pokes me hard in the chest. “Fine. But you owe me infinite favors after this. There will never be an end to what you owe me.”
I turn back to Orion, who has his face buried in his hands, like he’s trying to hide from what comes next. “What do you think, O?”
He lets out a sigh so heavy he’s in danger of blowing a wall down. “Atlas is going to hate this.”
Atlas stares at us, his hands pressed flat against the tabletop. “You’re going to do what now?”
I stand just inside the kitchen, my rucksack already secured across my back, my arm around Kelda’s shoulders. Dani leans against the doorjamb on my left. Liren sits on one side of Atlas. On the other side, Orion has items from his thievery kit scattered all over the table and is sorting through them, muttering under his breath as he decides what to take and what to leave.
“We’re going to find the Gate of Heaven.”
Liren studies me, mild surprise written across their face. “Easier said than done considering we’re not even sure it exists. The Heraldic Ministry could be lying about that entirely. They’ve certainly done it before.”
I stare back at them with a set jaw. “It does. I know it does. The Archangels take the saints somewhere, and I can find it.”
“And then what?” Liren asks.
Then… I’m not sure. I don’t even know what to expect at the Gate if we can get there. But I don’t want to admit that out loud, so I just say, “We’re still working out the details to that part.”
Atlas stands abruptly, looking angry enough to flip the whole table over. He levels a heated glare right at me. “This is ridiculous. You just lost Halle. You’regrieving. You can’t make that go away by getting everyone else killed with some stupid, half-assed plan!”
Prickles of outrage rise all along my spine. “It’s better than running around Trinity, waiting for angels to catch up. It’s not like they’re just going to stop coming after me.”
“Sure, of course, it’ll be much better to save them some time and effort and show up on their doorstep instead.” He rounds on Orion, pointing a finger at his brother’s chest. “And you. You’reeven worse. Following clues in some ridiculous box that could be a fake for all you know.”
Orion flicks a hand over at the soft, fluffy form of Ember, curled up and snoring in Kelda’s arms. “You want to explain what that is? Because I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.” He snatches another piece of equipment and aggressively shoves it into his rucksack. “I’m going, Atlas. You and I both know that something is not right here, and it’s getting worse. The heat, the storms, and now those weird flares of light… If there’s even a chance I can get some answers, then I have to at least try.”
Liren sits very still, watching Dani, who stares right back at them. It’s like a competition of the unbothered. “And you?” they ask. “What about you?”
“You know me,” Dani says with a poison-sweet smile. “I’m just such a team player.”
Atlas sinks slowly back into his seat, shaking his head. He looks over at Orion, and the brothers have an entire silent conversation, just in the way that their eyes meet and the minute changes in their expressions.
Finally, Atlas rubs at his eyes wearily. He’s looking at me when he asks, “How would you even know where to go?”
I shift a little on my feet. It still feels strange to talk about this out loud after so long holding it close and secret. “The song the prophets are always humming? I hear it, too. I’ve heard it all my life. It’s a saint thing, I guess, and it…pullsat me. If we follow that pull, we’ll find the Gate. I think.”
Liren leans forward, propping their elbows up on the table. “Which direction is it pulling you toward?”
“So far? North and east.”
Liren nods, but their eyes go over to Atlas, waiting, because everyone here seems to know that his final word will hold the most weight. Atlas is quiet, still frowning deeply, and I know where his head is at because it’s the same place mine would be. His brother has already risked so much—as the Skywayman, as my friend. He’s so worried right now that he’ll lose someone else he loves that his bones ache.
Atlas drags his gaze up to mine, and I can see the weight he carries inside it. When Orion and I were little, he was always there, even if he wasn’t physically with us. He was a protective shadow cast over us, a safety net, especially after their father was taken away. Once you become that shadow, you never stop being it. Not even when the people you watch over are all grown-up. Not even when they’re gone and there’s no hope of them coming back.
Atlas sighs. “You’ll need to take the carriage.”
I honestly am more shocked than if he just admitted they had a luxury homestead in storage. Naphtha-powered carriages were developed years and years ago, but they were rare. Mostly because they’d never quite caught on, so only a finite number were made. Skyliners were never interested in them because they preferred their airships and homesteads, and most everyone down on the ground couldn’t afford them. Either because the initial cost was too high or because they couldn’t afford enough naphtha to power one.
“You two have a carriage?” I ask. “Since when?”
“My parents have the carriage, actually,” Liren says. “Found one put out for scrap and fixed it up. That’s one of the reasonswhy we thought it’d be good to come to Concord. It would give us another option for getting out of town fast.”
“It’d definitely be faster than the mounts.” Orion fidgets with his pile of items and devices, thinking.
