Free Nemecene: The Epoch of Redress by Kaz Lefave

moment, I questioned whether this man could be trusted. And how did he know where we were headed? From what I could tell, we had missed the main entrance of the campus and were held captive on a virulent course. But the air about him was crisp, and as we rounded the park and spotted the back entrance of the complex, the stranger uncovered a large box he had been sitting on, and bowed. It was Eli's chest, in perfect condition. We had intercepted the secret voyage of our precious cargo and concealed our passage in doing so as well. Our Gadlin accomplice has stayed true to the call, once again. Too bad he can't cook.
    The perimeter was well protected. A campus security escort promptly appeared as we landed the crate. A curt cordial exchange, and our ferryman drifted back into the shadows, avoiding a challenge from the approaching footsteps. While Eli presented her provisional registration, I leaned against a spiral lamppost and stared into the distance. The site is enormous, looking more like an actual island than a floating stage, for that is what it really is. The water's edge is nothing like the clear blue ocean so eloquently described in the stories you read us, stories where silky soft beaches beckoned the lonely traveler smoothly and safely into her warm salty vastness, which brimmed with life, creatures of all sizes and colors, sharing a perfect world in peace and serenity.
    I awoke from my dream with the whistling of stars and the voice of Eli anxiously calling me into the pathway running alongside an ivy covered wall. A storm was coming and we needed to hurry in case the frequency generator controlling the biowall started to drift. We raced to the back gate where the caretaker ushered us promptly into the building just as lights across the city started to flicker. Catching our breath, I was impressed at how easily Eli had dragged her baggage behind her on the cobbled surface. Not only tough in spirit, my temerarious twin. She threw me a snare. Did she hear that?
    Another protector checked Eli's permissions and directed us to the reflective shaft in the center of the tower, where a porter waited to shuttle us up the lift. He shook his head as he struggled with Eli's effects. "It's the shoes," I explained, rubbing my shin with my foot and suffering another one of those l ... ...ooks . Sorry for the scribble. Her fault. So...she's finished unpacking. "What? No shoes?" Ah, I was bracing for that slam. I lifted my pen just in time.
    Eli now seems ready for our adventure. But am I?

C hapter T hree

Nathruyu
    Day 25: Dawn
    E ager for rebirth in the golden source, her serene silhouette stands perfectly still against the evolving Eadonberg skyline. Shimmering ripples in the distance announce the sun's arrival, cleaving darkness from its path and eclipsing the dissolving stars. With her breath arrested and her gaze transfixed, Nathruyu remains statuesque as the rays assail the coastal lands, looming unprotected behind her, and trigger the onset of another potentially volatile cycle. The last three weeks had been pleasantly uneventful, allowing her to observe Elize adapting to new surroundings and affording her the luxury of introspection. Her recent homecoming has heightened their awareness, which she must ultimately turn to her favor, for tonight will challenge the soundness of her plan and expose previous sacrifices to harsh judgment from all who bear witness.
    As the pressure builds over the water, the mesmerizing sparkles dance eastward across the orchard and fill her lungs with the morning's first deep draw. The freshly ionized air reanimates her momentarily halted heart, gradually re-inviting her blood to the surface and feeding it, as it seeks the heat. As usual, her senses marvel at the exquisite artistry of Osler Hall, the medical lab and the pinnacle of Gadlin design, which dominates the campus oval and now lies in stark contrast to the morbid enterprises within.
    The contortion of shadows between the two outer towers,