Only Rick and Julia remained in the room with everyone else gone. Rick paused for a moment, unsure of what to say, weighing his options.

“I want you to have this,” he said handing out a small piece of paper no larger than a sticky-note.

“What is it?” Julia said inspecting it. Her gaze was drawn to the scribbled lines on one side.

“I call it the Word-Transmission Scroll. It’s a bit mouthy, but it is what it is. It is basically text messaging,” Rick said, explaining to her how it worked.

Julia’s ears picked up with fascination. She was no stranger to runes but using it to recreate something close to technology was new. 

Holding the talisman in her hand delicately she asked, “Why are you giving it to me?” 

“Well, we are business partners now, and I need to make sure my investments are not being wasted,” he replied with a wide grin.

“Okay, I will give it to Hannigan then. You can-”

“I need some help, Julia,” Rick said cutting her off, his smile disappeared. He tried to start on a friendly note, but evidently, it was not going to cut it. “I need someone I can trust for this.”

“Wow! And you think I am that person?” she snickered. Her eyes shifted as she calculated her options, “tell me what it is first. If it is reasonable, I’ll see what I can do.”

“First of all. You have to make sure no one from your camp lets it out that you know me. That you know a Rick Hanique,” he started without bickering anymore. “I-I don’t have a good reputation there. It will get you into trouble you don’t want. No matter what, you have to convince the others about it.”

“What do you mean?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

“Trust me, please. Forget trust, I can’t give you an explanation, but you will figure it out soon enough once you reach the city anyway,” he said. It was a problem he had to deal with but did not want to get into a day-long discussion with Hannigan about. 

“But what did you do?” she repeated, but a second later backed down, “Never mind, I will tell the others. What else?”

‘Okay one down’ Rick thought.

“You remember the Golem-Controlling Artifacts? The ones Hannigan and the rest needed for using the golems?” he asked reminding her. “I want you to help me sell them to someone at the Devotee’s headquarters- at the Bank. You have to give them to a man called Azer there. Tell him you work for me. Me that is not Rick, Kir”

Kir was the alternate identity he had created to get Dale out of the Bank and to sell the Hydrophant golem to Azer and Eira. He still got quite a few messages regularly from Azer asking for more golems at least once a week. But with everything else on his plate, he had not sold another one since then.

“Of course, of course,” Julia guffawed in sarcasm, “So you want me to go to the Bank- and give your artifacts to a Devotee? Do you think I am crazy? They will kill me if they know I have something so valuable. I am not doing it.”

“Don’t worry about that. I have worked with his before and we will get paid for it,” he explained. Julia looked a little taken aback by Rick’s claim but didn’t say anything. “Oh ya, I might need you to deliver some golems as well. Of course, if you need to restock you will have to come out of the place, because… you know I am not very welcomed out there. We can set up a meet-up location with the Word-scroll.”

“Fine, but what’s in it for me?” she agreed rather quickly.

“Of course. How about a ten per cent cut? I don’t want the Cilliacs anyway. With my half of the amount, I want you to buy all the beast cores you can find, along with anything else of interest you can find, especially things related to runes. Can you do it?” Rick asked.

“Fine,” Julia shrugged. “What are you actually fishing for? Just get to the point.”

“What? No that was it,” Rick said, having been caught red-handed looked down at the floor. 

“Fine then. I accept the deal,” she said unsure of what Rick’s plans were. But this was a good deal for her and there was no need for her to reject. She stood up to leave.

“You know James was my best friend. I couldn’t do it to him,” he finally said looking into her hazel-brown eyes, finishing the sentence in a rush, afraid he would swallow them otherwise.

“Don’t you dare,” she said with a snarl. “Then what was I to you? I loved him! You didn’t need to do that! You choose!”

“What else was I supposed to? You were-”

“Don’t you dare try pin this on me,” she replied storming out of the room. With one last piercing stare, she said, “Enough! I said I will do what you asked for. Continue talking about it and we are done. Find another lackey to do your job.”

She stormed away leaving Rick alone to brood.

‘Aaah!’ he cursed aloud and flung his arm, leaving a dent in the wall. He was regretting having said broaching into the old wound at all.

 

-----------------

With his discussion with Julia done there was only one thing left for him to do. 

He walked towards the entrance of the camp and found Mathew and his gang sitting around laughing. One of them nudged Mathew just as Rick came over

“Hey, Rick. What’s up? You need anything?” Mathew said straightening up.

“No... I will be back later tonight, okay?” he said walking past the group.

“Wait,” Mathew called out quickly, his chair falling over as he stood up. “Where are you off to? You want me to come along?”

“No, I will be fine. It’s nothing too important,” Rick waved back, trying his best not lash out.

“I- I can-” Mathew stuttered trying to come up with the right words.

“Don’t worry I will be back. If you insist, sure come along. But I am going to the Celestial City. You got the entrance fee?” Rick summoned Holmes with a smirk. He already knew the answer and didn’t wait.

Jumping onto the golem’s back he instructed the dog to head for the centre of the City, towards the Library.

The solitary throughout the journey was more important to him that going. He could have just given them one of the cards and left. But he needed the time alone to readjust the priorities he had before him.

‘I will die if I can’t summon the Kings. Get a grip on yourself you sapping idiot,’ Rick chastised himself.

Welcome to Celestial City, the sign read. The previous directions blackened out, just as Hannigan had described. Rick looked around looking around slowly.

“Celestial City, really?” Rick muttered under his breath. He had diapparated Holmes a few blocks away to avoid any untoward looks he might receive and instead to walk the rest of the way. He soon realized his good fortune as he got closer.

Walking past a building, he could suddenly see the Library and the Celestial City. With all the buildings nearby razed to the ground, it was visible from more than five kilometres away! 

As he walked closer, his surprise only increased. 

There was not a single person he had come across on his way over, but now there were almost a thousand of them outside the gates. 

‘How did they do this?’ Rick thought as he looked around looked surprised.

The place had really changed a lot since the last time. While the only barriers before were two cars parked parallelly on the road. Although still a patchwork, he knew that it would not be long before it was completed. Workers carrying bricks and stones were hard at work to finish the seven feet high stone and brick wall.

He could only find one logical answer ‘This has to be magic!”

Walking up, he took his spot at the end of the line where dozen-odd other stood as well, waiting to enter the City. There were two guards on either side of the large steel door looming behind, fully geared with their weapons on easy display.

Sword holstered on left, a shield with a trident resting against the wall along with riot police gear, the guards did serve their purpose.

“First time here?” the lady standing before him asked.

“Huh?” Rick took a second to register before answering, “Yeah, sort of.”

“Visits before the Beginning doesn’t count,” she replied. Her hair tied in a tight knot and blades on both sides of her pocket, it was enough to ward off unwanted attention. With a tank-top and khaki, she gave a stern vibe, completely different from her voice.

“What Beginning?” Rick asked.

“You know… the dark sky. The voice from above. After which all this nightmare began,” she replied, “We have to call it something. I think the Beginning sounds pretty dope.”

“Aah, I was calling it the Heaven’s Dictate all this while,” Rick voiced with an embarrassed chuckle.

His reply had the expected response of a chuckle.

“And you actually said it out loud! Wi… Without even any prompting?” she voiced between laughs.

“Hey! It’s not that bad, people I know say that too?”

“There are others that call it that?” she laughed harder this time around. After a few moments, she calmed down and said, “I am Jairy. Yes, I know, it sounds like Dairy. It is what it is. Listen, it’s my turn. If you need food, clothes, any of that mundane stuff, come to my shop. It’s the old Cloomingbales shop, I will give you a discount.”

“Sure,” he replied, “I am Kir. Nice to meet you.”

Rick had waited around a little distance away as Jairy walked up to the desk.

“Next,” the soldier in charge called. Walking closer he saw the buffed man sitting on a wooden table with a thin notebook before him. It was his turn and Rick quickly walked up. A moment later, the soldier looked up and said in an annoyed gruff, “What happened? What’s your name?”

“Oh, sorry, it’s Kir” Rick replied. He had put on the golem mask right after leaving the Harow camp.

“That’s ten copper. Pay and leave,” the guard said without looking up. “Next.”

“I-I-” Rick stuttered, making the irritated soldier look up again. Pulling out a gold Cilliac he said, “Do you have change?”