Wilderness stretched before Pan. It alternated between mountains and forest and fields. Pan walked the forests. She wove around the mountains, sticking to their valleys. She avoided the fields. Even from up high, Aria would see her aura trail, so Pan portaled across fields, taking them in one long leap.

She reached the edge of a meadow and shielded her eyes. A new forest waited on the other side. Pan raised her hand to draw her way across. Then, she froze.

In the middle of the field, sat a box. Its parachute ruffled in the wind. A message had been printed across the box, but Pan couldn’t read it from so far away.

Pan sighed. She’d take the bait, or at least, she’d inspect it. She drew a small portal to a place just before the box. The portal popped into being. Pan peered through the hole and read: For Pan, From Aria.

Pan smiled. How cartoonish. What would Pan find inside? How many of these little traps had they set?

Pan searched the sky. She spotted their ship. Far off, it moved slow, presumably checking on another of their traps.

Pan could get the box. She could reach inside the hole and pull it through, but she wouldn’t. She wanted it, but if she moved or opened the case, they would know her location.

“Ah,” Pan said. “I know just what to do.”

She pushed the portal forward, until box and portal touched. Now, she could see inside. She saw a trigger mechanism, undisturbed. It clung to the box’s lid and appeared to hold some kind of tranquilizer.

“Oh, they’re serious,” Pan said.

Beneath the trigger, she found food, clothes, some paper, and a com. Pan snatched the paper, expecting it to be blank, an offering for her to draw on. It was silly, but she missed the activity. Instead, she found a messy, almost unreadable letter from Aria and another from Sotir. She also found a deal, likely devised by that Ambassador, Gavain.

Pan looked first at the deal. She skimmed the official words. Stun cuffs at the Arcane Containment Facility. Evaluation to be performed by some male arcanes Pan didn’t know. Chara to be caretaker and warden. Visitation allowed for Aria and Sotir.

“No, no,” Pan said to herself. “This is prison Ambassador Gavain, but then, it’s the best you can offer. No hard feelings. I just don’t want it.” Pan tossed the paper back through the portal.

She read Aria’s letter next. Aria had struggled to pen it. The lines looked uneven, and a few words overlapped. Aria probably squinted through her own aura to see the letters she wrote, not to mention any auras that might be attached to the page. Pan appreciated Aria’s effort. Pan took equal care to decipher it.

She read: Dear Pan, I know you don’t want to return. I’ve written so many of these, and they’re all a little different. I can’t even remember now what I wanted to say. Don’t throw your life away over something Brynn did, and don’t assume that I’ll change my mind about you. You are my very best friend. I know you’re not like Brynn, and I know you’ll never be anything like those other reapers. If you come back, we can find a way.

Pan frowned and shook her head. From her bag, she pulled a pencil. She flipped Aria’s paper over and wrote: You are my very best friend too. I want you to go on without me and live your life. I promise you that I’ll never be like Brynn or the other reapers. I’ll be better, but I will be a reaper.

Pan placed the paper back in the box. Then, she unfolded Sotir’s. It was simple: If you return, I’ll marry you.

“What?” Pan’s cheeks burned.

Didn’t he know how manipulative she’d been? She stuffed Sotir’s paper in her bag, then realized what she’d just done. She made to retrieve the paper but decided to leave it in its new found home. She’d keep it as proof.

With shaking hands, Pan reached into the box and pulled the clothes and food free. She was about to change into the new clothes when she realized they might have trackers. For that matter, the food may have a tracker. Pan put it all back. She only kept Sotir’s proposal.

With a sigh, Pan let the portal drop. She focused on the forest’s edge, wary of the approaching ship. Then, she drew her way across the field and kept going.

I wonder how Brynn is faring.

           

Aria leaned her head out the window. A strong breeze whipped her curls. She watched the land below, trying to glimpse Pan’s aura. So far, she saw only the white, non-sentient haze of nature.

In the background, Aria could just hear Sotir argue with officials. She pulled her head inside, brushed her hair out of her face, and listened.

Sotir said, “The more experienced trackers should focus on Brynn. We don’t need their help to find Pan.”

Chara’s voice came over the ship’s com. “It’s true that we’re having trouble with Brynn, but we need to find them both.”

“I understand, but give us a little more time. Pan can’t go anywhere. She doesn’t understand space travel or how to pilot a ship. She’s trapped on Scaldigir, and she’s staying away from settlements. She’s not a danger.”

“But Brynn is, and Brynn is looking for Pan,” Chara said.

Sotir’s aura remained calm. “I know that.”

“Brynn doesn’t need to go grave robbing. She has all the powers she wants. She’s moving north. She’s headed for Pan. If you don’t find Pan, Brynn will, and I think you’ll find the result devastating.”

Sotir’s aura flushed pink and grey. “Give us a little more time. Brynn is still so far from where we know Pan has to be. Soon, Pan will get close enough for me to read her. I’ll anticipate where she’s headed, and we’ll meet her there.”

Chara sighed. “Sotir. I will give you one more week. That’s it. Then, I’m sending others.” The communication blinked off.

Aria waited a beat. “How are we going to find her? She hasn’t taken the bait, and she’s doing a good job hiding from me. Are you getting any information at all?”

“A little. I’m actually…” Sotir grew quiet.

Alban entered the room. “Got the answer you wanted?”

Sotir nodded.

“Where to?” Alban crossed his arms and waited. He showed only his base colors: blue and red.

Sotir glanced at Aria. His base colors were nowhere to be seen. For the time being, Sotir showed strong emotion. Shades of orange and lavender dominated his aura. He worried, and he was up to something.

Sotir turned to Alban. “Is it possible for us to land? I can’t pinpoint Pan from this high up. From the ground, I could determine direction and narrow the search area.”

“We can do that.” Alban left the room.

Aria stepped away from the window and approached Sotir. She drew breath.

Sotir shook his head.

Gavain entered the room. “Pan opened one of our boxes.”

Aria’s aura swelled. Her blue base had been tinted by a pale, yellow hope. “Which one? Did she get the tranquilizer? Where did she go after she opened it?”

Gavain shook his head and held up a hand. “It’s not how you think. She opened the box – without opening it.”

“She drew a portal,” Sotir said.

Gavain nodded. “We have no idea when she found the box. She didn’t receive tranquilizer or tracker. She might be miles away by now. Our traps are a bit outmatched.” Gavain fiddled with a paper. Then, he offered it to Aria. “She left this for you.”

Aria took it. Red anger and blue resignation covered the words. “I can’t read it.” She handed the paper back.

Gavain read: “You are my very best friend too. I want you to go on without me and live your life. I promise you that I’ll never be like Brynn or the other reapers. I’ll be better, but I will be a reaper.”

“She’s lost her mind.” Aria crossed her arms and turned away.

“Confidence wavering?” Alban’s voice called from the doorway.

Aria glanced back. She saw a huge gun in Alban’s hand. “What is that?”

Alban smiled a little. His aura swirled with cold blue. “Just get eyes on her. It’s something to end this.”

“And what would that be?” Gavain asked.

Alban admired the gun. “It’s an experimental weapon, filled with a power suppressant. It’ll stop a reaper’s powers – all of them. She’ll be easy to catch then. Without her powers, she’s a young, somewhat frail artist.”

Aria’s mouth dropped open. “Is that safe to give to Pan? I’ve never heard of it.”

“I did say experimental.” Alban beckoned. “Come to the cockpit. We’re about to land.” He turned and left the small room again.

Sotir followed. Yellow wariness and orange worry obscured his features. Aria could see tendrils of red reach from her own aura. She stormed after Alban.

Inside the cockpit, Aria pushed past Sotir and stood at Casimir’s side.

Casimir looked up from the controls. “Something wrong, Aria?”

Aria pointed at Alban and his intimidating gun. “What is this suppressant that he wants to shoot Pan with?”

Casimir halted their landing. He swiveled his seat and faced the others. “What are you talking about? It’s tranquilizer.”

“In fact, it is not.” Alban smiled. “It’s power suppressant. It’s in late experimental stages. I think now would be a good time to test it.”

“Suppressant?” Casimir’s aura trickled with red. “Doesn’t it cause nerve damage? To use it on someone so young…”

Alban’s aura swirled red and blue. “This girl is a reaper. If she doesn’t want to face the consequences, she shouldn’t act like a criminal.”

Casimir snorted. “Yeah, she’s a reaper, but she’s pretty young, inexperienced, and scared. I’m not normally a fan of shock cuffs, but they work pretty well on arcanes. It’ll be better than your version.”

“If we see her, and she doesn’t cooperate, I’m going to use this gun. I have full authorization to do so from the arcanes and Scaldigir alike,” Alban said.

For a few moments, the room fell silent. Aria studied the auras, just to know who was on her side. She counted Casimir, Gavain, and Sotir. She just had Alban to worry about.

In a calm voice, Casimir said, “Just give us a chance to bring her in without permanently damaging her person. The young woman is not a criminal. Not yet.”

Alban said nothing.

Aria hoped they could rescue Pan. She just needed a couple hours alone to talk Pan out of it.