by RS McCoy
“Where are we?” Blossom whispered. Even that little sound echoed off the walls.
Eton regained his clinical tone. “Each branch has a symbolic structure. In the capital, it’s the Syndicate Building. In Pyrona—”
“The Pyro Building,” she answered. How could she forget it? For the rest of her life, it would be etched into her memory, burned into the deep places no one else could see.
“And in Aerona, we have this, the Aero Tower. The tallest building in the realm. It’s rather impressive, don’t you think?” When the corridor revealed a long windowed wall, Eton allowed her to stop. He stood at her side and gazed out over the land. The tower stretched so high over the alder trees, they looked like dark specks in the snow-filled expanse.
Again, Blossom was struck with the urge to flee. Only this piece of glass and the metal bracelet kept her trapped here. Without them, the world was open air and space and freedom.
Her heart sank again as the word echoed in her ears. Never.
“Remember. Show her you’re on her side, and you’ll get what you want,” Eton said as he continued to face the glass, his voice so soft Blossom struggled to hear him.
Then, without another word, they resumed down the corridor and arrived at a pair of wide double doors, both shimmering white and blue, as if made of ice.
Eton placed his hand on a device on the wall and let it be scanned. After a brief pause and a beep, the double doors gave way to a massive crystalline space. The alabaster floors gleamed. Windows wrapped around three sides, broken only by a series of decorative marble pillars, each depicting an aerial scene of eagles or gulls or hawks.
Standing at the window was Jurra Mercer, husband to now-Syndicate Audra Mercer. He was a lithe man with platinum-blond hair and face full of piercings. Jurra turned and grinned when he saw her enter. “My love, looks who’s come,” he said to his wife seated at the oversized desk.
At his words, Audra Mercer looked up from her work. “My dear Ms. Frane!” She gushed as she sailed forward with arms wide. Blossom could do little more than blink as the new Aero Syndicate squeezed her in a loving embrace. “What a pleasure to see you again,” she purred.
Unlike the rest of their branch, with their light skin and eyes, Audra Mercer stood out, much like Blossom. Only her snow owl totem tattoo marked her as Aero. She had dark brown hair, cascading down one side of her head; the other was shaved clean. Her blood-red lips curled into a luscious smile as she eyed Blossom’s Pyro outfit from top to bottom.
Nasty retorts were the first to find Blossom’s tongue, but she pushed them back just in time. Show her you’re on her side, and you’ll get what you want.
Instead of being curt, she tried to emulate Eton’s tone. “Thank you, and congratulations on your appointment as Syndicate. I can think of no one more deserving.” The words tasted worse than Norsa’s dreadful tea. But to get back to Kaide, she would endure this and much more.
“How sweet you are, dear.” The Syndicate left a hand on Blossom’s shoulder long enough to offer her a friendly squeeze. “Eton’s told me how you wanted to see me, but I’m afraid I’ve just been so busy with this new position. Moving my office. Planning the official ceremony. Jurra’s already sick of my tiresome schedule. It’s all so tedious. Can you forgive me?” Her warm smile was effortless.
Blossom smiled, matching the Syndicate’s ease. “Of course, I completely understand.” Her eyes darted to Eton, uncertain if she should press on. When he nodded, she continued, “I just wanted to ask what it is I’m supposed to do here.”
“What do you mean? You’re not happy here?” Audra’s brow furrowed with dire concern.
“No, I’m happy here. Of course, it’s wonderful here.” Blossom could almost hear Eton roll his eyes. “I just thought, maybe I could do something more useful. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
When Audra’s frown melted into a stunning smile, Blossom knew she had won. “I would love that. Really, I would. Which reminds me—we haven’t even had a moment for you to accept your position. Could you go ahead and sign the official form? You could be so much help to me that way.” The Syndicate floated to her desk and returned with a small device and metal pen.
On the screen, there was only a line awaiting Blossom’s signature. She looked to Eton, but he offered no supportive nod. His mouth was pinched, a tell-tale sign of his anger, though at what she could only guess.
But Blossom didn’t care what he thought she’d done wrong. She signed her name on the line and handed the pen back.
Syndicate Mercer snatched the device and grinned. “There. That’s better, isn’t it? I’m afraid since you’re a transfer, you’ll have to remain under Eton’s advisement until you you’re approved for full duty. Still, you’re one of us now. At the Appointment Ceremony, you’ll be introduced as my newest Vice Syndicate.” She made it sound like the title was anything Blossom cared about.
“Thank you, Syndicate. Does that mean you’ll give me something to do?” The sooner she was in the good graces of the Syndicate, the sooner she could reach out to Kaide and explain.
“Of course, dear! I’ll send over some files for you.” Then to Eton, she added, “You’re her advisor now. Get her set up with a panel.”
Blossom choked back a gleeful squeal. A panel? Just for her? She knew Kaide’s transmission code, that he carried his panel with him always. It would be easy to contact him, to hear his voice again.
“Yes, Syndicate Mercer.” Eton’s reply was so quick and monotone, Blossom knew he’d said it a hundred times over.
With that, Eton approached Blossom and escorted her to the door with one hand around her upper arm. The Syndicate returned to the humungous desk and the large screen that faced her.
But there was one more thing Blossom had to ask.
She wriggled from Eton’s grip and managed to hold up her bound wrist as she said, “Syndicate Mercer, is there any way—”
The Aero Syndicate didn’t even look up. In a tone as cold as ice, she said, “It’s for your own good.”
Transformation
RAENE SAT on the front steps of Kaide’s manor and sobbed into her arms like a child. She wasn’t much of a crier, but today, the tears came easily.
Behind her, Olin shifted uncomfortably, trying to sort out what to do with her.
But he already knew what he had to do. He had to take her to the Alderwood and leave her there, never to return. She’d been cast off like a criminal. Like a piece of garbage.
Kaide could have chosen from a number of suitable offers. He could have traded her to a dozen Pyro clans—the Lagradas with their cheetah son and fine parties, the Ignalas with their connections. She’d even take Corson Porsten.
But Kaide chose a Terra clan on the far side of the realm. It wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t an oversight. He wanted her out of his life. He was angry with her. He was punishing her.
The sun had already begun to set by the time the last person arrived. Raene looked up at Norsa through her water-logged eyes. She knew her cheeks were puffed and red, and that the sheen of sweat made her hair stick to her brow, but she didn’t care about any of that. Not anymore.
After today, she would never see Norsa again.
It was too unfair. Whatever it was Raene had said to make Blossom leave had been unintentional. When she brought her future sister to the market that day, Raene answered all her questions openly and honestly, as Kaide had asked. She’d never done anything else. She’d been a good niece, helping him when he needed it and stepping back when he didn’t. She’d entertained all his important guests and kept from asking questions when he didn’t want her to be involved. She attended countless courses on dance or dining or conversation to make herself into the best possible bride.
Raene had done nothing to deserve such exile. It was all a horrible mistake.
Norsa crouched down and pulled Raene against her chest as she had hundreds of times in their years together. The comforting motion only served to renew Raene’s cries.
“Come now, hush up, child.” Norsa’s low voice was as soft as velvet. Her hands stroked through Raene’s mess of hair.
“I didn’t mean to make her leave,” Raene squeaked.
“I know, child. The Mother knows I know it. One’s got nothing to do with the other. You’ll be married, that’s all. This is the way for all young women. And fine ones such as yourself will be the first to find their place. That’s the way of it. Always has been.”
“No, it’s not. He’s exiling me, but I didn’t do anything!” She knew she was being petulant, but she didn’t care. Raene had little more than anger and grief inside her.
Norsa pulled away, leveling her gaze with Raene’s as she did. “You listen here, my Rain Drop. That uncle of yours is many things. Twisted and cruel and darker than any of us want to think, but I know for a fact that he’s not capable of what you’re thinking. He couldn’t do it, not even now.” Norsa’s thumb skated across Raene’s cheek and intercepted a falling tear. “So you quit your crying, get your bag, and go and do as he says. And you just know—” Norsa’s voice caught in her throat. “You know that we’ll miss you—”
A fresh wave of sobs racked Raene’s chest to see Norsa so upset she could hardly speak. She threw her arms around the woman’s shoulders and accepted one last lingering embrace. Then, with more strength than she knew she possessed, Raene let go.
She pushed to standing and wiped at her face, determined not to look such a mess in their last moments together. With one last sorrowful glance at Norsa, Raene said her last goodbyes and started down the driveway with Olin, her bag on his shoulder. A transport already waited at the end, ready to take her away.
“Love you!” Norsa shouted across the drive.
Raene turned and smiled, but she couldn’t quite manage a sound. Her voice was just as broken as the rest of her.
The world felt heavier now, and a part of her knew it would never really be the same.
It was then she noticed the man in the second-floor window. He stood tall with his shoulders back and arms clasped behind him. Dark hair haloed his face so she could see him clearly even with the greenery reflected in the glass.
And despite how angry she was, despite the sadness and grief she felt, Raene hated that this was the last time she would see Kaide. Only three years older than her, he wasn’t the typical uncle. He cared for her like only a brother could when they were children, and even after, he’d always been protective over her. She’d been closer to him than anyone.
So ignoring everything else, she reached up a hand and waved goodbye to him. It wasn’t much, a sad twist of the wrist, but when he waved back, she smiled, and her heart hurt a little less. That was enough to get her the rest of the way to the transport.
After that, it was too late to turn back.
Raene clutched the document in her hand and waited for Olin to maneuver the metal transport from the ground. A low cloth seat wrapped around the rectangular space, and the walls were all clear glass. She could see everything.
Kaide’s manor fell away as they rose into the sky. The transparent cylinder had been a second home to her—where she’d spent her nights and evenings as a child, when her grandparents were at parties and her father was too drunk to care for her.
At the memory, Raene remembered her father.
“Olin?” Raene called out, surprised her voice was as clear as it was.
“Rain Drop?” he answered from the nav station.
“Can you check in on my father when you get back? I told him I’d be gone a couple days, but he doesn’t know—”
“Of course. Do you want to stop and see him before we leave?”
“No. Take me to the portals.” Her father had been sober a few hours ago. He was likely drunk on his couch by now, wasting away the night as he always did. She didn’t want to remember him that way. Her father wasn’t a great man, or even a good one, but she wanted her last vision of him to be the sober version, not the drunk one.
And despite Kaide’s treatment of her over the last week, she wouldn’t go against his wishes. Somehow, against her best efforts, Raene had made Blossom leave. If satisfying this marriage arrangement compensated for that mistake, in even the smallest way, she would do it. A thousand times over, she would do it for him.
Olin didn’t press her, and she was glad for that. She didn’t know how much fight she had left in her today. So, she gazed out over the towering volcanoes and their spires of steam and ash that punctured the sky. Sprawled between them, the low stone buildings that made up Pyrona. Lit streets curved between them like veins.
The last glimpse of her home.
Raene threaded her fingers into her hair, and by the time the transport landed at the steps of the Pyro Building, a neat braid fell across her shoulders. She pressed her cool hands to her face in a last, desperate attempt to limit the mess she’d made of herself.
Suddenly, she remembered why she wasn’t a fan of crying. Raene wasn’t one of those pretty girls prone to a delicate tear. When she cried, it was in earnest, and it ruined her face for the whole rest of the day. Not exactly compatible with her desire to always look presentable.
Olin opened the transport door, and she was struck with a wave of hot city air. It smelled of exhaust from the transport, but beneath that, the savory aroma of blood drying on the streets. Pyrona was home to no small amount of violence, but she’d never known anything else.
After her transformation, she would be one of them—a predator, a violent animal. Only she wouldn’t be here in the haven of Pyros. Kaide had denied her the only place her kind could live.
What would become of her then?
Raene climbed the onyx steps, lost in thought. Olin trailed behind her, and before they were halfway across the lobby, he presented her with a copper coin, her passage across the realm.
“Thank you,” she said as she accepted the coin. She’d forgotten all about the toll. Then, she realized Kaide must have given Olin the coin before telling Raene of the marriage arrangement. Olin had known she was leaving before she had.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She made no attempt to hide the wound he’d inflicted.
“You know why, it’s not my place.”
“You could have warned me.”
“He would have killed me.” Olin didn’t carry any trace of doubt. Whatever Kaide had done in her absence, it had scared even Olin into silence.
While Raene understood his need for self-preservation, it did little to lessen her anger. She marched toward the portal wing and selected a door. Somewhere deeper in the building, Olin would use the service portal—the one reserved for anyone of lower status who had clearance for portal use.
But not Raene. As Kaide’s niece, she had access to the fastest method of transport across the realm, but this would be the last time. After her transformation, she was promised to someone else. It would be her new husband who decided her fate—her station, her position, everything.
Alone in the narrow portal room, Raene inserted the coin in the wall slot and heard the brief clinking of metal before it started. Like she was in an elevator rising up, her eyes detected no movement, but her body knew. It felt her spinning, careening through space, until she landed once more. There was nothing to indicate she’d arrived except the sudden stillness in her ears.
Raene opened the door and returned to the lobby. Where before, the Pyro lobby had been all onyx floors, low-burning braziers, and Pyro attendants in scarlet tops, now the room stood transformed.
The lobby of the Syndicate Building was stark white and gleamed with the reflected city beyond the glass doors. The attendants were all Aero, their crisp, white suits and artistically-shaved heads. Each of them wore metal punched in their ears or lips or brows.
It was exactly the same yet entirely different.
In the brief moment Raene spent taking in her new surroundings, Olin found her again. “They’ll have temporary quarters for you. All upcoming trans—”
“I know.” Everyone knew
the realm offered safe housing for anyone undergoing transformation within three days. It was an accommodation for the poor who couldn’t precisely plan their travel. Raene had never thought to have need, but now that she was no longer in the care of her uncle, she had no other choice. It was yet one more injustice inflicted upon her—he could have easily sent her to transformation tomorrow and saved her this humiliation.
Raene walked to the row of attendants at their high-tech displays. While Pyros exhibited dark hair and skin, Aeros were notorious for their fair skin and creepy eyes. Raene could hardly stand to look at the young woman at the console, the one with the bat totem tattoo.
“Welcome to the Syndicate Building. How can I help you?” The woman’s smile was warm and welcoming, a stark contrast to her severe look.
Raene swallowed and said, “I’m Raene Randal. I’m here for transformation tomorrow.”
“A pleasure to have you with us. Will you be seeking quarters in preparation for your interview?”
Raene nodded, refusing to let this woman make her feel ashamed. She fingered the ends of her braid as the woman made several quick motions on her screen.
Then, the attendant placed another copper coin on the countertop, this one smaller than the last. “You’ll be on the ninth floor. Room 984. Once you’re off the elevator, take a left. You’ll see it.”
Raene collected the coin and headed for the elevator, pretending she didn’t notice Olin shadowing her. He followed her all the way to her room, not a word passing between them.
Only when she put the coin in the slot did he say, “I’ll keep watch from here.” With the weight of a hundred years, he leaned his back against the wall and slid to the floor.
Raene’s anger sizzled when she saw him sitting there, his head hanging low. “You don’t need to watch me. I’m no one anymore.”
“You’re someone to me. I should have told you what he was up to.” Olin pressed his head against the wall like it was the only thing holding him up. “Besides, I only have a few days left with you.”