"Have you consulted specialists? Someone with advanced healing abilities?"
"Everyone we could afford. No one's seen anything like it." I kicked at a loose stone in our path. "The best theory anyone had was exposure to void energy, but that doesn't make sense. My mother never traveled through the Gallery."
Vic was quiet for several steps, his eyes distant with thought. I recognized that expression—the same look he got when examining a complex injury or studying the codex. His mind was turning over possibilities, examining angles, filing away information.
"What about your father? Did he ever bring home materials from his work? Anything unusual?"
"Just anchor crystals. But our homeiswork. We live in our shop." I shrugged. "Believe me, we've been over this a thousand times. There's no explanation that makes sense."
"Hmm." The sound was noncommittal, but I could practically see the wheels turning behind his eyes. His fingers tapped against his leg, a rhythm that likely matched his thoughts.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" I asked, unable to keep the small smile from my face.
He looked surprised, then sheepish, adjusting his eyeglasses. "That obvious?"
"You have a particular expression when something catches your interest. Like a hound that's caught a scent."
"I like puzzles," he admitted. "And medical mysteries are the most interesting kind. The human body is such a complex system. When something goes wrong, there's always a reason, even if it's not immediately apparent."
We turned onto the street leading to the docks, The Night-Piercer's masts visible in the distance. "You think you can solve what a dozen healers couldn't?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But I'd like to try, if you'll let me. I've seen conditions in different realms that might provide insight. And the crew has contacts across the Gallery—healers with specialized knowledge."
Hope flickered in my chest. It was a dangerous feeling. I'd learned long ago not to hope too much when it came to my mother's illness. It only made the disappointment heavier when new treatments failed.
"I can't pay you," I said. "Not after the lawyer and the medicine."
"I'm not asking for payment. I'm offering as a friend. As someone who cares about the crew. About you."
I swallowed hard. "Then yes. I'd appreciate your help."
We reached the ship and paused at the gangplank. Vic's expression had shifted from thoughtful to determined. "I'll need to examine her. And fluid samples, if possible. The more information I have, the better chance I have of understanding what we're dealing with."
"I'll take you to see her tomorrow," I promised. "But don't tell her you're trying to cure her. She's had her hopes raised and dashed too many times already."
"Understood." He hesitated. "And Juno? Whatever you decide, about staying with the crew or returning to your old life, I hope you know we all care about you. You've become part of our family."
Family. Is that what the crew had become to me? People I could trust, people who would stand beside me no matter what?
"Thank you," I managed, fighting to keep those damn tears at bay.
That night,I dreamed of islands floating in a purple sky, and a new realm taking shape beneath my hands. In the dream, my mother breathed easily, my father crafted beautiful things from crystal, and Cypher stood beside me, the crown on his head catching the light of a sun that had never existed before.
When I woke, the dream lingered, its possibility hovering just beyond my reach.
The meeting with Gideon had gone too smoothly. That thought kept nagging at me as I prepared to take Vic to see my mother the next morning. Gideon wasn't the type to simply accept what he was given without verification. He would have people examining the codex already, trying to understand its secrets.
How long before he realized it wouldn't work for him? How long before his suspicion turned to anger?
I pushed those concerns aside as Vic, Jask, Kora and I made our way through the Hollow Market district toward my family's shop. The streets were busy with morning trade,merchants calling out their wares as we navigated the crowded thoroughfare.
"Your mother doesn't know we're coming?" Jask asked, his eyes scanning the crowd with habitual wariness, noting where every single Assembly guard patrolled.
"I sent a courier last night," I replied. "But I didn't mention Vic's interest in her condition. Just that I was bringing friends."
When we arrived at the shop, the closed sign was still hanging in the window, but the door was unlocked. I led them inside, the familiar scent of metal and polish wrapping around me like a hug from my father.
"Mom?" I called out.
