Cassie awoke with a gasp. She rolled over and reached for Chris. He was no longer beside her.

On her hands and knees, she began the frantic search for him, finding his pack first. Scrambling for his box of matches, she lit a nearby lantern.

Chris was curled up on the cold stone a few long strides away from where he was supposed to be sleeping . . . on the blankets, beside her. He was trembling all over and did not stir when she placed a hand on his shoulder. Even through his shirt, she could feel the heat. Touching the skin of his neck, she confirmed what she already knew and feared. He had a fever—a high one. 

When she rubbed his cheek, his eyes finally fluttered open. A shaky hand reached for her face. "I must be dying because I think I see an angel."

His voice was so dreamy and distant, she couldn't tell if he was joking or just delirious.

"Oh, Chris," she cried out as she covered his hand with hers. 

But she couldn't linger there. She helped him back onto the blankets—upper body first, lower body last—and covered him with an extra. Then she rubbed the hair off his fevered forehead. "I'll be back shortly."

"If I die. . ." his voice cracked.

"You will not die!" she scolded. "Because I'm not going to let you," she finished in a whisper.

He closed his eyes and nodded. Within moments, he was breathing in shallow breaths and seemed asleep again.

Cassie slipped out of Chris's shirt, wishing she didn't have to. She found comfort in his scent—clean and earthy, but with a hint of something exotic—but it was overly large. Its unconventional style would also attract too much attention, especially on her.

She wrapped her curves in spare rags and dressed in the extra clothes Angelica had set out for them. The skirt and blouse were also a bit billowy, but they would have to do for now.

From Chris's pack, she collected the modest amount of money he had, and pocketed a few matches and a throwing knife.

By the time she came to the tunnel that led to Angelica's house, Carina was sitting up, rubbing some life into her eyes. 

"Cassiopeia, where are you going?"

"Chris has a fever," she replied as softly as she could. "He needs a doctor."

"You can't go out there alone. You have one of the most recognizable faces in all of Pyxis!"

"He needs medicine we don't have. He could die without it!"

Cassie was losing patience and time. If she couldn't convince Carina to let her go alone, she was even more unlikely to sway the others. "I need to go for another reason as well. My uncle is the doctor I intend to find. I must warn him. He's in as much danger as we are."

Cassie recalled her uncle's letter from the day prior. He joined a clinic on Middletown Boulevard. And she carelessly tossed it to her bed. It could still be there out in the open. Andromeda might already have it in her possession!

Carina rose from her blanket. She picked up a bandage from the rag-pile and tied it around Cassie's eyes. "You're blind and I'll be your guide," she explained. "I'll go with you."

"Your sister would never give you permission or forgive me if. . ."

"If Chris dies, what will happen to the rest of us? We can't hide in this cave forever or fend for ourselves in the forest. And Vela won't know until we're gone."

Carina scribbled down a note for her sister. After slipping it below her pillow, they entered Angelica's house and left through the kitchen.

As Carina guided Cassie north and closer to the heart of danger, the air grew warmer, the smoke, noxious. It was heavy on their hearts and minds as well, pierced with the sounds of pain and suffering. At the screech and hiss of a nearby Fire Breather, Cassie didn't need her eyes to perceive that the second day of Andromeda's restoration was just as foul as the first one.

At some point, they had to cross The Mainway and head northwest.

"Do I smell fire?" Cassie whispered.

"Yes," Carina replied with a hiccup of sadness. "Aurora Borealis is indeed . . . gone."

Cassie lifted her blindfold. She predicted the demise of the inn and tavern, but seeing the crumbling brick shell, experiencing the scent of its destruction was truly heartbreaking. "I'm sorry, Carina."

"We'll start again, somewhere else," Carina said. "It has been so long since I've left Pyxis, I'm not sure I remember sunshine or fresh air. Just imagine how restorative they'll be."

That optimism, unfortunately, wasn't long lasting. One misstep, one wrong turn, one unfortunate confrontation with a beast or enemy, and it was all over. They wouldn't get the second chance they hoped for, the one that depended on Chris's recovery.   

With Cassie's elbow clutched in a firm and anxious grip, Carina took one tentative step onto The Mainway. But she immediately ducked back into the lane and pressed Cassie against the hot brick of the building. 

It was more than just a sound. Cassie could feel the vibration of a Fire Breather approaching. Its march was steady, and then its halt, abrupt.

The beast took a rattling whiff of its surroundings. Did it catch their scent?

It took another giant step. Its head appeared, facing forward. With just a turn to its left. . .

Cassie closed her eyes. You will not look. You will not see. Your business is elsewhere. . . .

Whatever the reason, the Fire Breather suddenly shrieked and flapped into the air. It crashed into the burnt remains of the inn.

While it was flinging bricks and scorching objects already charred beyond recognition, Carina used the moment to tug Cassie onto The Mainway. They crossed to the perpendicular alley on the other side and kept running.

When Cassie couldn't maintain the pace anymore, she stopped for a breath, removing her blindfold.

At a glance, the Southwest Quadrant was no safe place to be either. It never had been. But different enemies, smarter enemies, were now in view. Andromeda's Crown Champions and Gray Coats were raiding homes. About a quarter of the city was an inferno because of them. Few locals, if any, were in plain sight.

They knew better.

"I don't know if we can do this," Carina whispered.

"I'll go alone if I must!"

"No, I'm ready. That was just a momentary lapse of courage."

"All right. Why don't we head further west? Try our luck elsewhere."

There were few other northward passages to consider before they hit the West River. And each one had a military presence. 

At one of their last chances to turn, Cassie's head swiveled toward the sound of rebellion, not more than a building or two away, and the subsequent brutality it incurred.

Carina whisked Cassie away before she could lift her blindfold. Perhaps it was for the best. Hope was already in limited supply.

Carina's splash was the first indication they had reached the water. Cassie stumbled to a stop just before her feet went in. In only a step or two, they'd be in rushing water well overhead. 

Cassie removed her blindfold, leaving it dangling around her neck.

The city lights had almost abandoned them. And they couldn't risk a match amidst such darkness.

"There's a raft over there." Cassie could just barely make out its faint outline.

Cassie guided Carina by the hand, and they crouched to examine it. The raft's planks were about a body length long and not nearly as wide, and the bindings were loose and rotting.

Carina came across the splintered oar beside it. "This is perfect. What good fortune!"

Cassie stared down the length of the river. She knew from experience that the water was cold enough to paralyze the limbs of even the most avid swimmer.

And a swimmer, she was not. "I don't think this is our best option."

"Why? It flows in the direction we need to go."

"Yes, but it forks near midtown. And where the more treacherous half goes. . ."

Carina handed her the oar. "We'll navigate away from that pass."

"I can't. . ." Cassie handed the oar back to Carina and shook her head.

"I can't swim either, but I'm not worried."

"If you fall in, you have wings! What do I have if I fall in?"

"You have me."

Her resolve was admirable and so was her loyalty. Cassie shivered in the breeze that came off the white-capped currents and that was that. The decision was made. She helped Carina lift the raft and bring it to the water.

While the raft was still partially resting on the stone bank, the two fem-fairies kneeled upon it and maneuvered themselves to be as close together and as balanced as possible. When they were situated to the best of their abilities, Carina pushed into the river with the oar.

Cassie pinched her eyes shut as the river took immediate control. She didn't want to know what was ahead. But she couldn't tune out her internal "sight." That, on top of every turn, bump, and splash and having to wonder if each one would spell disaster . . . it had to be worse than what her eyes would reveal.

While Carina managed to keep the raft facing forward with the oar, Cassie was trying to subdue the panic attack. Once the raft began to spin. . . 

It forced her eyes to open. A streak of outside daylight came through a cavern crack overhead. Just beyond, she detected one of her deepest, darkest fears. "Carina! The fork!"

The raft crashed into the boulder that divided the river. Bracing herself for the cold plummet to the depths of a cold dark hell, Cassie experienced a flash of Chris's perfect smile and a glimpse of their dream wedding in paradise. Then, time took a jump forward. Their little fairy children were frolicking in a meadow without a care. . . .

There was a harsh tug beneath Cassie's arms. The numbing cold water was only waist high.

Carina wings flexed with an audible strain, their buzz excruciatingly high pitched. The two of them lifted. But then their legs plunged back into the water again.

Carina's wings were now wet. They were making her flight pattern erratic. They lifted and then dropped, lower and lower. When she could lift them no more, their feet splashed into the water, although this time, they settled on the slippery stone beneath.

Three steps later, Cassie threw her arms around her out-of-breath companion and sat Carina down on the riverbank. "Thanks to you, we may have the opportunity to become as close as we once were. I regret that over the years I've lost sight of who my real friends are."

At Carina's smile, warm enough to take the chill away, Cassie reapplied her blindfold. They linked arms and moved on.

The bourgeois streets of midtown were almost too quiet, practically untouched by Andromeda's return. This was good news for their mission. They would most likely make it to their destination. It was bad news for the South End—the focus of her inquisition. The army would close in on their hiding spot very soon. . . .

"This is it," Carina said. "Number six, is that right?"

"Yes." Cassie pulled off her blindfold once more. A staircase led up to a black door, stylish in design but thick and foreboding as well. It had no sign to guide them to a clinic or a "Doctor Labelle," not even above the golden mail slot.

While Cassie was questioning her memory—something she didn't have to do very often—Carina used the knocker on the door.

It opened to a sliver. "Can I help you?"

"We're here to see Dr. Labelle," Carina murmured in a voice too sweet to deny . . . in theory. "May we come in?"

"Dr. Labelle is not accepting new patients at this time unless there is an emergency."

The fairy-male scanned them from top to bottom with one exposed eye. "Good day." He proceeded to shut the door. 

Before it slammed, Cassie slipped between the door and the frame and got crushed there for a moment. Any harder and she would be the emergency. "Please, I am family. There is a matter of life or death and I come with a warning. One that concerns us all." She squirmed into the building and pulled Carina in beside her. "We will not take no for an answer."

The winged fairy's mouth remained downturned as he led Cassie and Carina up a polished wooden staircase, quaint with antiquity. The stairs continued upward for at least another flight or two, but they turned onto the second-floor terrace.

Cassie and Carina followed their reluctant guide down the hall. He knocked on the first door to the right.

A pleasant "come in" graced their ears. At that, Cassie gave the fairy-male who almost squished her a merciless glare. If she had had wings and finer clothing, he would not have been so rude. She was unforgiving, and she had to admit, this wasn't a quality that would make a Labelle proud. She could, however, credit them with her self-control. The knife remained in her pocket and her lips were sealed.  

With the doorknob at his less than graceful fingertips, he opened the door for them, but did not follow them inside. Still, she had a feeling he wouldn't wander very far.

At the site of Cassie, Leo rose from his chair and bowed his head with reverence that no longer applied. She stepped into the room and lifted her chin in attempt to appear worthy of it anyway.

His head slowly lifted, shock now in his eyes. He was looking back at her as if she had risen from the dead. 

She, in the meantime, felt like the exact opposite of a miracle. She became a child about to crumble in front of the closest thing she had to a father. 

Cassie forced words into her mouth before she was ready. "We . . . you need to leave Pyxis immediately. And the letter. I don't know . . . I can't be sure. . ."

Her uncle walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Now, take a deep breath, and when you're ready, you can start again."

She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to absorb the quiet, calm, and good sense he likely had at all times.

Cassie glanced at Carina, who had just shut the door. She captured Carina's encouraging nod and then was ready to begin again. "I apologize." She took another deep breath. "My dear uncle, the letter you sent me yesterday is not in a secure location." 

He nodded once. "I am well aware of the danger Andromeda's return poses. I will be relocating to my partner's private residence as soon as possible. I will hide there until my wife is well enough to travel. I hope you didn't risk your life to come here on my account."

"There is another reason we're here. We're in need of medical assistance."

"Is it Joseph or Scott? Did they manage. . . ?"

He hadn't heard the news, one way or another. The Pyxis Freedom Press wasn't likely able to spread news like wildfire if they themselves were consumed by it. And it was highly unlikely anything had yet risen to take its place. There would be a profound hush amid the chaos and confusion for at least a day or two more, much longer than Cassie and her companions intended to stay. 

"I honestly don't know what became of them. Christopher is my greatest concern right now." 

"Ah!" His eyes brightened. "The MacRae brother you took a fatal hit for, and yet you survived."

"Yes, and this time he is the reason I'm standing here relatively unscathed. I patched up his sword wound as best I could with the supplies I had. But it's festering already. He has a high fever. Without medicine, I don't know if. . ."

She was too choked up to continue.

"I'm guessing your lifelong happiness is contingent upon his survival?"

Cassie nodded. Carina took her by the hand and squeezed it. Perhaps they could hold on to hope a little longer.

"And who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

Cassie wiped her tears away. "I knew you would understand."

Leo fluttered over to his medicine cabinet. Into his black medical case, he added bandages, surgical implements, bottles of pills, and vials of liquid. "It sounds like you've already saved his life. I'll merely be adding the finishing touches." When he returned to her side, he placed his hand on her back and led the way. "Let us be off then!"

"You're coming with us? I thought. . ."

"Yes, indeed. Who else would administer the sleeping elixir and the unicorn-hair stitches?"

Cassie and Carina exchanged glances on the stairs. "Unicorn hair?" Cassie asked.

"I'm assuming Christopher MacRae is a Modifier like his brother and father? You wouldn't want his current stitches to tear if he changes form. His body wouldn't consider regular thread to be 'internal.' Unicorn hair, however, will size-shift with him."

Cassie's hands shot to the sides of her forehead. "That's a vital element I overlooked."

"You have enough on your mind," Leo assured her. "That's just one detail among many."

In the main foyer, Leo approached the window with care, revealing no more of himself than necessary. At his nod, Cassie and Carina joined him by the door.

"I'm glad you brought a flying companion," Leo whispered, smiling at Carina, as they stepped outside. "And your name, my dear?"

"Carina," she said, bowing her head, always courteous to her elders and anyone she deemed respectable.

"Ah. Lovely. Miss Carina, the keel of Heavenly Waters," he said, squeezing in a quick astronomy lesson. "The most efficient way to travel is with obscuring dust, one of your father's inventions. . ." he said to Cassie. Leo took a handful of gray sand from the sack he provided. Carina and Cassie split what remained and handed the empty sack back to him. "This seems the perfect occasion to use the last of it." He pointed into the black abyss overhead. "And flight, of course!"

There would likely be a Crown Champion presence up there as well—there were many oddly sized and shaped fairy dwellings tucked into the rock crevices—but those areas were reserved for flying fairies and they tended to be in the queen's better graces. 

Leo looked to Carina and she linked arms with Cassie. Leo did the same on Cassie's other side. And on the count of three, they released a cloud of gray dust and launched into invisible flight. In times like these, it was the only "safe" way to travel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️