The woods around the camp were full of fallen branches from where they had gathered firewood. I sat, watching them collect and chop more down at a distance. The smell of pine was stronger here, reminding me of home. I had grown up so close to the southern border, but I never knew about the wars that had been fought for the very resource that ruined my life.

Magestone. When ground up, the dust was extremely useful. It could power a train or be lit for days on end. It was also a highly addictive drug. When I found a dust grinder in Dad's pack, I had wished for the best, but ended with the worst.

I would never know how Dad died. His death set off a series of events that I wish I could have fixed. Knowing what I do now, I could have saved our family. I could have opened a Slate business and kept everyone safe.

Instead, everything fell apart. I suspected that Mom was addicted to dust, which would explain her episodes, but a part of me wondered if I would ever know. I walked around the camp every day, hoping to find Anthony to no success.

Four months later, so success. The battles had intensified and Ember confided in me that he feared we were headed to war. The plan to return home after a month was pushed back along with the wedding.

There were other camps, I knew. Maybe he was already released. Maybe he was working as a blacksmith. Or maybe he was dead.

"Enjoying the lumber?" Ember called. I turned to see him walking up, formal coat in his hand. The dark circles under his eyes had lifted a bit as he slept more the past few nights. I had managed to not fall asleep again, but my failure haunted me.

I nodded. "It smells nice," I admitted.

"Camp smells like sweaty men," he admitted. "Tree sap? Much better."

I nodded. "You had a bad nightmare last night," I noted.

"You did, too." I nodded. I slept in the afternoon and had a dream of finding Dad's dust grinder. I woke up in a frantic panic—a weepy mess. It was embarrassing.

"Do you ever fear that this is all a dream?"

I turned to Ember and examined him. His eyes were lost on the soldiers moving lumber. After a few seconds, his eyes met mine and he sat down next to me on a nearby tree stump. He gestured to the world around us. "This. Sometimes I'm afraid this is all a nightmare."

"Dream or nightmare?" I asked. "In this world, Romina is safe. Would that make it a good dream?"

"No," he said simply, losing himself staring off into the woods again. "The worst dreams are the ones where everyone is happy and present." He sighed and snatched a stick from off the ground, twisting it in his hands. In the distance, a smaller tree tumbled down, snapping weaker branches in the process. He snapped the twig in his hand. "They're the worst because when you wake up, you have to lose everyone all over again."

He turned to me, and I saw the weariness in his eyes, a weariness that had nothing to do with sleep.

"When will you tell Romina about the magestone?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "I don't know," he confessed. "I don't know how to even begin that conversation."

I nodded. Then, I noticed he was alone. "Where are Jack and Sam?" I asked.

"Lunch," he said.

"Oh, is it that time?" I asked, glancing up at the sun hidden above the canopy.

Ember nodded. "I came to get you. And...to tell you that Ukina's wedding is this weekend," he said.

"So soon?"

Ember nodded. "It has been planned for months, but I forgot to tell you about it."

I nodded. "Will you go?"

He smiled. "We will all be going. You won't have any Slate duties when you're back, so you can enjoy time with Romina and Amarilla." I nodded, unexpected tears prickling in my eyes. "You miss them?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I confessed.

"You could stay with them," he said. "You don't have to come back," he said.

"I do," I said quickly, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Let's go to lunch."