“These fragments of the greater whole of Riiva are scattered amongst the galaxy’s many worlds as shards of something resembling light.”

—The History of Lancers, by Scholar Suprema Ignaeus Voltwith

 

The trip to Ildegor after dinner was short, just over an hour’s walk. Despite there being nothing to worry about—rule number one about Demelia was that nothing exciting happened, including piracy, banditry, and general thieving—her mother insisted she bring Kitali along for protection. Zaina wasn’t sure what good the spoiled-rotten limphor would be in a fight, but she always enjoyed a walk with her little friend.

Zaina ducked through the dirt alleyways and side streets, cutting through the town circle where Beni Gardol, the Strato of Ildegor, was giving a speech. His wife stood to his right, cradling their infant daughter to her chest. The Town Deputy and Beni’s best friend, “Two-dye Tohm”—so named for the two tones of his colored hair—was on his left, nodding along with every word in the speech.

Beni was middle-aged with short, unruly brown hair and pale skin. There was vigor about him; he still moved like a younger man. His arms spread out as he sought volunteers for some new initiative or another. Zaina rolled her eyes and strolled by.

After stopping by Old Man Gorda’s shop and picking up the tiller, Zaina took a back alley to a tall stone building outside of the town circle. It had two levels of roofing, the lower of which was accessible by ladder. Leaving the tiller below, Zaina hoisted Kitali onto her shoulders and made the climb.

This was Zaina’s favorite spot; she knew every nook and cranny of this building’s exterior. There were metal grooves in the tower leading to the second layer of roofing, which was the only flat rooftop in all of Ildegor. She took a deep breath as she reached out for a good hold and ascended little by little. Kitali knew well enough to be still as they climbed.

Once she was atop the building, Zaina sat down with Kitali beside her. They stared out over the northern valley plains, stretching to Mount Dialemor in the distance. The sun was setting over Ildegor, and one of the world’s moons was already pulling into view. A deep, relaxed sigh passed over Zaina’s lower lip as she took it all in.

The dying sunlight painted the sky a bright crimson with streaks of purple at the edges. Those colors transposed onto the verdant valley of sunset-tinted grass. This was her home at its most beautiful.

A massive, metal orb surged upward from the other side of Mount Dialemor—a ship leaving Ryrda’s spaceport, no doubt. It streaked away, exiting the atmosphere in seconds, leaving a tower of smoke and exhaust. Zaina shook her head and chuckled. Why would anyone ever get into a metal contraption and go out into space?

A familiar voice called from below. “Hey, Zaina!”

She peeked over the edge. Beni Gardol was below with a wry grin plastered on his face.

“Uh, hey there, Mister Gardol,” Zaina said.

“So tell me,” Beni said, “you didn’t take Kitali up there with you this time, did you?”

Zaina shook her head. Kitali loosed a yelp, and Zaina glared at her companion. The limphor had a penchant for yapping at the worst moment.

Beni sighed. “Be careful, all right? I don’t want either of you getting hurt. And be glad Orna took Eniri home early. She’d have a fit if she saw anyone up there.”

“I will. Thanks, Mister Gardol.”

“You can call me Beni, you know. You’re not a kid anymore.”

Zaina smiled, not sure what to say.

Beni waved and said, “Well, give your father and mother my greetings when you see them. And give Deril and Elanta some high-fives from me. How’s Dessa, by the way?”

“She’s good,” Zaina replied. “Cries a lot, mostly.”

“Oh, she’ll outgrow it. Maybe. Eniri doesn’t cry much, which I’m told is strange. Maybe she just loves her parents that much!”

“R—right,” Zaina said, nodding her agreement.

Beni chuckled. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back to the nest. Have a good night now.”

“Thanks, Mister—Beni,” Zaina said.

“Oh, and next time I find you up there, I’ll call in a buzzard from Ryrda to get you down. It’ll be super embarrassing.”

Zaina rolled her eyes as Beni walked away. She returned to the view. There were only a few minutes left of sunset.

She glanced west toward the forest, and the gleam of light caught her eye again—her head jerked toward it, and there it was—a bright-but-distant glow emanating from the forest’s depths.

Probably nothing to get excited about. Rule one of Demelia.

Unsure of what it was, she turned back and continued enjoying the sunset.

As her gaze drifted across the swirling pastel shades of light accompanying the sun’s descent, Zaina was beset by something she couldn’t explain. Whispers—thousands of them—rushed around in her mind, and she didn’t know what they were, except they weren’t hers. There were too many voices to make out what any were saying.

Zaina clutched at her head, barely taking notice of Kitali’s whimpers. Suddenly clarity returned, and a hole opened in the atmosphere above Mount Dialemor.

After blinking a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, Zaina jumped to her feet. In the sky, at the center of three long creases, was a rip in—everything. Space itself tore at the edges around the nexus, letting shadowy, ethereal mist seep through the portal.

Dread pooled in Zaina’s heart. Horrified, she stared in shock as something—formless, contorting, and blacker than shadow—emerged from the opening. It looked like a meteor, but that was impossible—meteors didn’t change direction or pulse like a beating heart.

Demelia’s meager planetary defense systems roared to life. Ear-splitting cracks erupted from the distant mountainside, and lights flashed as massive battery guns fired off hypervelocity warheads. The black stone slithered and twitched, constantly jerking as its speed increased. Demelia’s warheads detonated, painting the sky with red, orange, and yellow blossoms. Not a single hit. Zaina stared in horror as the writhing meteor impacted between Ildegor and Mount Dialemor.

Everything froze—the stone struck, rocking the ground as if splitting the world apart. Kitali whimpered and pawed at Zaina’s leg. A curtain of black dust blasted toward her. She grabbed the limphor and flattened against the floor, shielding Kitali with her body and herself with her cloak.

The rush of dark wind engulfed her—distant, echoing screams emanated from its depths. Zaina squeezed her eyes closed and recoiled in fear while clutching Kitali’s fur, desperately hoping that if she made herself smaller or unable to hear that the voices would pass over.

The wave was gone as quickly as it came.

Upon peeking out, Zaina breathed a sigh of relief—the stone building they were on was still standing. The wooden structures nearby had been flattened. Kitali was whining and pawing at Zaina’s chest.

She swiveled about, trying to make sense of the situation. Colossal plumes of black smoke towered into the skies from the direction of impact. More darkness was spreading over the northern plains, nearing the edge of Ildegor. It didn’t move like any smoke she’d ever seen, and voices echoed from within its depths.

Not good, Zaina thought. She hoisted Kitali onto her back—thankfully, the limphor didn’t protest—and made the climb back down. It was slow going only by feel, but there was no other choice. Dark fog had spread over Ildegor, settling into every crevice. After a few minutes, Zaina’s arms and calves were burning from the climb’s strain, but she’d made it to the bottom.

Mom—Dad—

Zaina fixed her breathing mask to her face, then wrestled Kitali’s on. She crouched as a guard ran by, birifle slung on his back, escorting two children toward Ildegor’s town circle.

She had to focus—her first priority was making sure her family was safe. With Kitali by her side, Zaina ran toward the Quin homestead. As she passed through the obscured streets, a shadowy figure emerged from the haze. She froze as it closed in, but relief flooded her chest as she recognized the man’s eyes through his mask. It was Beni.

“Zaina!” he said. “There you are! Oh, thank Byzon! Are you all right?”

“I’m—I’m okay. What’s going on? Do you know?”

Beni shook his head. “No. After what happened, I remembered you were on the roof. You need to get to Central Hall. It’s ventilated”—a violent cough erupted from him—“and we’ll be safe there.”

Zaina took a step back. “B—but, my family! I have to make sure they’re all right, I—”

Beni raised his hands and said, “Two-dye Tohm is on his way to the outskirts to pick everyone up. They’ll get here before you can make it out there. You’re better off waiting here with us.”

She dropped her gaze to her feet. Zaina clenched her fists, and it took every ounce of self-control she had to fight the urge to turn and run straight back to the farm. She turned her head to the side and said, “What’s going to happen next?”

Sadness flickered in Beni’s eyes. “Next,” he said in a soft voice, “the planet’s going to be evacuated. Immediately. Buzzards are coming from Ryrda now.”

Ice-cold dread drenched Zaina’s system. “No—no, that can’t be right. The whole planet—why?”

Beni coughed and gestured toward the sky. “I got a signal from the Signatory Observation Council right before that wave hit. They’re saying the planet’s going to be uninhabitable by week’s end, if not sooner. They didn’t exactly forward me all the details—only orders. Come on—we need to get to Central Hall before the evac dropships arrive. Whatever the hell’s causing this isn’t going to stop.”

Zaina’s thoughts streamed by in an incoherent jumble. She was dimly aware of Beni grabbing her wrist and pulling her back into the haze toward the heart of Ildegor. All the chaos and masked faces drifted by in a blur. Ildegor’s town guards, moving to and fro, ushered residents into the Central Hall; officers stationed by the door handed out breathing masks to every civilian who needed one. People screamed as they hurried to shelter.

Ildegor was in ruins. Wooden buildings were reduced to piles of rubble and splintered planks, while several stone houses had chunks missing. Flowerbeds lining the town circle were now withered and dead. Zaina was unable to pull her eyes away—Beni yanked on her arm.

Shudders ran up her shoulders and neck. What the hell did all of this?

When they arrived at Central Hall, Beni turned to Zaina and said, his voice laced with concern, “You can stay out here until your family arrives. If there’s any sign of trouble, go inside and wait with everyone else. All right? Promise me you will.”

Zaina nodded, then scurried over to stand by the door of the massive stone building, a gray monolith amid the haze. Caught up in panic and disbelief, Zaina’s eyes fell to the ground. Demelia was going to be uninhabitable. Her home, once a welcoming, lovely place, would be rendered something else. What if she couldn’t come back?

A parade of lights in the distant sky pierced the gloom. Starships were streaming out of Ryrda en masse. Ships void-skipped in-atmosphere, cracking the sky with thunderous pops before disappearing in brilliant flashes of white light.

Her shoulders fell as her mind returned to her father’s words from earlier. A sharp sigh huffed through her nose.

Looks like I’m going to see the galaxy, Dad. Her gaze drifted toward the shadow-filled sky.

All it took was the end of the world.