War. Someone somewhere once said war was better at determining who was left rather than who was right, and to Riven, it seemed Father had no one left but the three Essentiers standing in front of him. The Invigilator’s office lacked its usual bluster and buzz, turning it muted as a tomb. Riven had been obligated to place his steps with more care than usual, also taking heed not to make any other unnecessary sound. What if it really was a tomb? He had no intentions of disturbing any restless spirits buried under the building’s foundations.

Though truth be told, the only true restless being here was Father. Riven, Viriya, and Rose found the office door ajar. Father was pacing within, long strides taking him from the far wall to the front of his desk and back again. The painting of their family glared down collectively as though disappointed that the Invigilator was no longer a statue. No longer allowing them to focus their baleful gazes.

“You’re finally here,” Father said, finally pausing in the middle of the room.

“We apologize for the delay,” Rose said.

“I don’t,” Riven clarified helpfully.

They all glared at him, but no one responded. Damn, maybe the situation was serious.

Father restarted his pacing, the volume of his words veering from high to low as he went far and came close and went far again, over and over as though he was a wound-up doll and the key in his back was permanently stuck. Infinite uneasiness. “Well, we don’t have much time to waste on pleasantries. Rose, bring me the casket from the desk.”

Rose obeyed, taking the wooden casket—cedar, if Riven knew anything about wood—and brought it to Father. He paused his pacing again, though his legs were trying to dance off on their own. Riven couldn’t help staring. He’d seen Father flustered and fidgety once or twice, but even that had been controlled, little mannerisms like fingers tapping on the desk too much escaping his carefully-controlled façade of calm. Subtle signs.

He’d never seen anything like this full-blown panic mode that had conquered him. Scions, this business with Orbray had to be far worse than Riven had initially thought.

Father opened the little casket. “Riven, Rose, Viriya. Approach.”

Riven frowned, but closed the gap between him and Father as Viriya led the way. They halted a few paces from him, and Father beckoned Viriya forward.

“I realize this deserves more pomp and ceremony, and that there is no one here to appreciate this achievement, but I don’t want to keep you waiting.” Father brought out a little badge. A little golden pin in the shape of five-pointed star. “Come and take your just reward, Viriya Rorink, Secondmarked Essentier of Providence Demesne.”

Viriya had gone incredibly still. Her eyes were fixed on the golden pin, mouth parted just a little. Riven nudged her with his elbow. She blinked, coming out of whatever ridiculous stupor had inflicted itself on her, and then went closer to Father. She took the golden badge, replacing the silver one from her left sleeve and pinning the new one there halfway between her shoulder and her elbow.

It gleamed in the light. Viriya, Secondmarked. Riven smiled, bringing his hands up to applaud her achievement. There might not be anyone else here, but there was still Riven and damn it, he’d make up for everyone else’s absence. His claps grew louder, and he ignored the sting of his palms.

A second later, Rose joined in from the side. Father followed after setting the casket down.

All the while, Viriya was staring at the ground, clearly struggling to keep up that inflectionless mask of hers. Maybe Riven should clap on her head instead of his hands. He’d hit two birds with one stone—relieve the string on his palms and knock her ridiculous attempts of keeping a hold on her dumb mask.

“Thank you,” Viriya whispered.

“Don’t thank me,” Father said. Riven had to glance at him. There was an unusual amount of warmth there. Father really did care. Unbelievable. Who was this man? “You deserve it. You have done much, and succeeded in every endeavour you’ve undertaken. Your record is peerless, and your prowess with your Essence is a thing of envy for Essentiers everywhere. I am fortunate, and impossibly proud, that you are working alongside me on our collective goals.”

“I’ve only done what was expected of me.”

“Keep doing so. One day, maybe one day soon perhaps, Rose will have to start fearing you’ll take away her title.” Father held his smile at Viriya for a few seconds longer before turning to Riven. “Riven, my son. Approach, please.”

All of a sudden, Riven’s legs felt weak. Really? Now of all times? Gritting his teeth, he forced one foot in front of the other and pulled and pushed himself closer to father.

“Don’t frown, my son,” Father said. “I’m not trying to punish you or argue with you. Today is a day of celebrating our successes. And planning for the future of course, but that can wait for now.”

Riven did his best to smile. Damn legs. Now Father thought he was dreading the whole affair, which he was in a sense, but his legs refusing to function was somewhat of an overkill. When Riven paused about as far as Viriya had, Father brought out another badge. A silver one, its four points gleaming like they were each a star of their own.

“I give this to you, Thirdmarked Riven Senolan Morell,” Father said, “in recognition of your outstanding progress in such a short time. You’ve faced more hardship and trails than any Essentier has ever had to in such a short tenure, and you have succeeded in them all, coming out alive and relatively unscathed from them all. A true survivor. As your father, my pride is endless. As your employer, my satisfaction is infinite. Take this, meagre reward that it is, for all that you have done for me and for Providence Demesne.”

Damn it, his trembling was spreading from his legs to the rest of his body. His Scions-forsaken hands were vibrating in place like tuning forks, but he manged to grasp the badge without dropping it.

“Here, let me,” Rose offered when his hands shook too much to replace the bronze pin already there. Scions, he was such a mess. She took away the old badge and pinned the new one in its place. “There. Bright, shiny, and new.”

Riven smiled at her gratefully. Then he turned to Father. “Thank you. I—this wasn’t what I was expecting when I came in here.”

Father nodded. He knew full well what impression that all this gave off, of course he did. He was too self-conscious not to. “I know. There may not be another time for this afterwards, so I intended to get it out of the way.”

Riven had a hard time meeting Father’s eyes. That amber was dangerous, and he couldn’t tell if it really was pride glowing in there or something else. Too frightening, enticing him to come closer and become trapped for an entire eternity. He tried to smile, tried to express his gratitude and his own pride at the accomplishment, but there was something off about it all, so he culled it. All Riven did was nod.

Scions, he was turning into Viriya.

“What are we doing after this, Father?” Rose asked, taking the casket with the two older pins in it and putting it away. “I don’t like what I’ve been hearing.”

“What have you been hearing?”

“War. Little warnings about this war of yours are popping up everywhere, and I’m guessing you let it out. Why?”

Father started pacing again. He left them to walk to the far wall, pausing there to look back at them all. “It’s time we started the operation. We need to strike before we are struck. I’ll assume Rose has told you what’s going on so all I have for you are orders. Each of you three are to head to a Demesnes and find the Invigilator in charge there, and then deliver the message I have prepared. Once done, they will give you further instructions on how to proceed next.”

“Hold on,” Riven said. “What is this operation? I know we’re moving against Orbray, but what exactly are we doing?”

He bit back from asking why, from pointing out that this had a great chance of backfiring and dooming them all. They were going up against the High Invigilator for the Scions’ sakes.

“You don’t need to know the whole thing, Riven.” Father’s face was hard to decipher in this distance, but maybe that was what he’d been aiming for. That geniality, that surprising warmth was now gone, as though it had only ever been there to lure in Riven and distract him enough just so he would be more amenable and compliant. So he’d go along with this madness. “It’s imperative that the core of our movement be impossible for the enemy to find out, and thus, all you have is piecemeal parts. Do your duty, finish your assignments, and I promise things will be made clear eventually.”

“That’s the thing though, isn’t it. Do my duty. Can’t you do your duty to me and let me know what’d going on? Doesn’t Mother counsel trust and faith all the time? Where is that faith in me, Father?”

“This is for your own safety. Believe me, if you are captured and they get even an inkling that you know the whole truth, they will not be merciful in their attempts to get it out of you.”

Riven’s heart quivered for a moment, the beats losing their rhythm. Torture. Father was insinuating Orbray would give in to torture just to get what he wanted. “Wouldn’t they automatically assume I know it?”

“There’s an Essentier who deals with truths and lies,” Rose said. “If Orbray has him in his service, then she can tell if you’re worth his time or not.”

Riven stared at her. What sort of Essence even allowed for something like that? He had better not be worth Orbray’s time, if he was captured. No, he had better not be captured in the first place. That was the ultimate moral of this little story.

“Where are we headed, sir?” Viriya asked.

“You’re going to Rennervation Demesne, Rose to Exalted, and Riven to Ambrosial. I need you all to get to the Invigilator no later than tomorrow afternoon. Earlier is better, if possible. Don’t worry, they’ve been warned to expect an important communication from me, so reaching them shouldn’t be impossible.”

“Can I go to Rennervation instead?” Riven asked. He glanced at Viriya, smiling a little in apology. He needed this. He needed to free Glaven. “I think I have some unfinished business there that I can take care of alongside my assignment.”

“Your tasks are insignificant,” Father replied. He’d turned his back on them, looking out his window as though the scenery outside was more pleasing to the eye. “I need you all to focus on this assignment and nothing else. Our very lives might depend on its success.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, Father, but my life doesn’t completely revolve around what you want. I have things I need to deal with, and you can deal with that or be on your way.”

Father turned to him. Riven had been right. All those good feelings from when he was being awarded to Thirdmarked had evaporated to nothingness, leaving the room’s air stale and slightly chilly. The badge

But Viriya spoke first, cutting off Father before things devolved to something worse. “I can exchange, sir, if that was all right. I don’t think I agree with the climate in Rennervation anyway.”

Riven would have smiled at Viriya again if he wasn’t so busy staring at his Father’s stupid face. The Scions had better bless her soon. She was too good for this world.

Father’s lips twitched but he nodded. “Fine. Riven will head to Rennervation Demesne and Viriya can take Ambrosial. Some words of caution—avoid other Essentiers as much as you can, trust as few people as possible until you’ve met the Invigilator, leave nothing to chance. If there’s even an inkling of something going wrong, you can expect it to go wrong. This includes some of the Invigilators alerting Orbray that they might be receiving a message from me.”

Riven swallowed. This was getting more and more complicated with every moment. And he had to worry about getting Glaven out of here too. There was so much going on. Scions, why couldn’t Nivi be here with her little desk and chair, giving him a place to anchor himself and reach out to whatever he could handle, leaving the rest for later?

“Father,” Rose said, the urgency inflicting her voice almost making her words slur together. “The rumours don’t stop there. Did Orbray really lie?”

Riven looked at his sister sharply, and Viriya did the same. Lie? She hadn’t mentioned anything about the High Invigilator lying to anyone earlier.

Father faced them again, the light outside now bright enough to turn his figure into a silhouette. “There is a certain belief that Orbray is the main force behind this joint operation against the Deathless. This war at Severance Frontier. Truth is, this was Knightforger’s call. He has decreed that all Deathless need to be expunged, and that he himself will lead the charge in a war that will drive them off Severance Frontier permanently, also allowing the Arnish to send their delegation to take part in this Deathless Incursion, as they call it. Orbray is just a leech. In the Demesnes, he’s making it sound like the whole idea was his, taking all the credit and using it to propel his agenda.”

“And what agenda is that?” Riven asked.

“The consolidation of his power. Well, that, and his rise to the next level.” There was a little pause where Father let Riven’s head run wild with possibilities. Damn him, he was just building up the suspense. “He wants to become Knightforger.”

“Is it true, though?” Rose asked.

“Does it matter?” was all Father offered as rebuttal.

Riven almost laughed. It didn’t sound like the truth at all, but faith, right? He had to trust.

Rose’s lips tightened to a line for a moment. “So you want to expose this fraud. Have Knightforger find out about it all, but for that, you need the backing of other Invigilators. You don’t even need a majority, in truth, If Knightforger gets even a few more voices that say you’re right, job’s done. Orbray will be ousted. You’ll be put there in his place. The next High Invigilator.” She shook her head just so, the stray tips of her dark hair swinging from side to side. “The truth doesn’t come into play here, not really. It’s all just hanging on what Knightforger believes.”

Father nodded. “A very succinct summary. This is why timing is crucial. We need to meet up with Knightforger before Orbray does.”

“Wait, wait.” Riven raised his hands. “You just told us the main plan, yet you can’t reveal our exact orders? Isn’t that a little… incongruous?”

“Orbray already suspects the gist of what we’ve done. It’s the specific orders and tasks that in my message that he has no idea about, because no one knows about those.”

“The rumours,” Rose reminded. “Orbray posted his own Essentier here, remember? They’ll have heard it and reported it by now. Which was another thing you did intentionally, right Father.”

Father nodded again. “We need to keep them distracted. Me and several of my Essentiers are meeting later to discuss our potential meeting with Knightforger, but that will be a bluff. The real task, the true chance of all this succeeding, lies in your hands.”

More questions bubbled on Riven’s tongue, but he held them back. That was a deluge of information he needed to process, a storm of feelings about all that he hadn’t even begun to identify, not least of all was his incredulity at the fact that this whole thing might be a lie.

Father’s lie.

“What about Glaven?” Riven asked.

Father had frozen. “What about him?”

“Don’t pretend. I know what’s going on. You bartered one useless son for a handful of Essentiers who could actually do something to assist you.” Riven gripped the Thirdmarked badge on his shoulder, the pin cold in his grip. His hands shook as he resisted the urge to rip it off and throw it at Father’s feet. “I thought I could be wrong. I thought there was more to you than I’d first thought, that you actually had heart somewhere in there, but looks like I was sorely mistaken. We’re just tools to you, aren’t we?”

“Riven!” Rose scolded. “Now isn’t the time—”

Riven rounded on her, his breaths gusting out like heated bellows. “Don’t start Rose. You’re just as guilty. You learned this was happening, and you said nothing? What, do you think that selling our own brother to Orbray is perfectly fine? You’re all—I can’t even.”

With a deep breath, he looked away. Scions, who in the world was in the company of? These people were supposed to be his family? Ridiculous. He had to fill out the legal paperwork where he could cut all ties with them as soon as he could. Unbelievable.

“You’re doing it again Riven,” Rose said. “You’re judging from your narrow view, making the worst assumptions and acting on them with no further thought. You don’t know the whole story here.”

“And why is that I don’t know? Why hasn’t anyone bothered to tell me what in the Chasm this story is supposed to be?”

“Glaven will be all right,” Father said. Their eyes met, gold to gold, and Riven found nothing he could take from it. Hard glass that had obscured everything within. “That is all.”

Riven was about to protest again, but Rose gripped his wrist. The room was a little chilly, but her hands were too cold even for that. She was glaring at him, the warning written all over her face so loud and blatant, she didn’t bother saying anything. Riven sighed, then slowly nodded at her.

Fine, he’d stuff it. If only because he was going to take care of Glaven anyway.

“Glaven’s replacement is already here,” Father said. “A man named Pendle, one of the more powerful Essentiers Orbray has. Best be wary.”

Rose nodded, and Riven pulled his wrist from her grasp. It made sense. Orbray had sent in his Essentier replacement for Glaven, and so Father had chosen to start those rumours, which this Pendle would surely report back to Orbray  This meant the High Invigilator would take countermeasures, falling right for Father’s trap. He’d be wide open for Father’s strike. Scions, what a crazy game of cat-and-mouse they were playing.

“Any further questions, or is everything clear?” Father asked.

“All clear, sir,” Viriya said when neither Riven nor Rose said anything.

“Then this meeting is adjourned. May the Scions watch over your journeys. I will be waiting to hear word from you all.”

#

Riven sat down at his desk, and for a moment, simply revelled in the sensation of sitting in his own chair, in front of his own desk, in his own home. The pen was ready in his hand, the paper laid flat and awaiting his letters.

He began writing.

When was the last time he’d sent a letter back to Mother? Some time before the Scion incident, probably. Quite a while ago. He shouldn’t have been ignoring his response to Mother but in his defence, he had been quite busy. What with the destruction of Rattles—yes, he certainly needed the reminder and the way his heart clenched at the thought of Bartle and Darley—the appearance of the Cataclysm and the Scion, then the whole saga with Arrilme and Franry, no one could blame him for giving his correspondence some time to breathe.

He busied himself with it now, though, making it as comprehensive yet concise that he could. His old writing teacher, who had always been obsessed with the questionably-termed art of brevity, would have been proud. Riven fit in all of the pertinent details that wouldn’t cause her to worry too much.

A part of him wanted to add a small postscript asking what exactly her correspondence with Rose consisted of, but he didn’t want to explain he’d been snooping. No, he trusted rose.

Riven paused his writing to consider how he’d phrase the current events. His sister had left for her assignment earlier in the day, taking the first train to Exalted Demesne that was available after their meeting with Father. Viriya had left soon after. Their goodbyes had been terse and short, filled with the unuttered promise of coming back to see each other again soon enough.

Rose had given him a brief embrace before departing. “Take it easy, little brother,” she had said, counselled, warned. “Follow your heart, but remember, sometimes you need to let others follow their heart too, and you need to believe in that. Much the same I believed in you with our last little adventure.”

Her meaning was clear enough. Riven hadn’t asked for anything too egregious when he’d pleaded with Rose to see his side of things with Arrilme and Franry, yet she called it a show of faith. He sighed. There was a point there, at least. Maybe he did need to trust in them more, and not jump to the worst conclusions when he wasn’t answered.

With Viriya, it had been shorter. She had left about an hour after Rose had, relenting to give Riven the briefest bump on his shoulder with her fist, before boarding her train, any words unnecessary between them.

He wouldn’t have to worry. Not about those two. Well, shouldn’t have to. The Scions would preserve them, no doubt.

No, Riven had to worry more about himself after all. He left out the part that he was breaking Glaven out of his predicament from his letter to Mother.

All done, he placed the letter in an envelope, marked down the address of the hospital where Mother resided, and found his eyes settling on the Sept crystal on his bed. A piece of a Scion. Could it really be a part of the very Scion he’d seen in the sky, tearing apart the blue dome over the world to reveal the cosmos lying beyond?

Riven got up and stretched. He could worry about it all tomorrow. Glaven, his impending task, all of it could wait. But even as he changed his clothes and got ready for bed, one thought kept coming back like waves at a seashore. Could he find a cure for Mother before things evolved into utter chaos?