Day 1
Astonishment caught in his throat, he looked up from the note at Oblivi. "I think I just got my first mission."
Before she could say a word, A grin ran across his face just as he ran past Oblivi. He started digging around for supplies, jumping off the walls.
Oblivi watched him, baffled. "Why are you so happy about this?"
"Because this means we can get favor," Nova said, not even looking back.
"Favor?"
"Uhh, favor," he mocked.
She stared at him for a moment longer. Then, with a small shrug, she started gathering supplies of her own.
Nova stopped. "What are you doing?"
"Getting ready."
"Well, stop. You're not coming." He took the bag out of her hands. "I'll do this one by myself."
Oblivi's jaw dropped. "Then what in the gods' name will I do?"
Nova jerked his thumb toward the archives. "You have to keep an eye on those two."
He didn't wait for her to argue. He headed straight for the kitchen and filled the pack with his favorite foods, which were mostly dry cereal. Once it was packed, he made his way to the Equipment area and loaded the rest of the bag with tools, the same way he'd watched Chloe do it. Last, he grabbed a map and tucked it into his cloak.
By the time he was finished, the bag was heavy enough to make his shoulders ache. He set it down by the foyer so he wouldn't forget it in the morning.
Then he went to bed. Ecstatic for tomorrow's journey.
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Day 2
The next morning, Nova slung the heavy bag over his shoulders and made his way out of the bunker to the Wall.
He stepped up to the window in the mural tower and tapped the bell. A moment later, a familiar face appeared just above the counter line.
Mimi looked him up and down. "Where you going?"
"A mission out west."
"Card."
Nova pulled the card from his wallet, nearly falling over under the weight of his pack.
She took it, disappeared into the back office, and returned a few minutes later. She slid the card back across the sill along with his papers, and then the gate opened.
Nova stepped through and left Grymsnow behind.
On the other side of the Wall, the city simply ended. The cobblestone roads turned to dirt, and the stone buildings gave way to open land. Nova unfolded his map, found the road heading west, and started walking.
He walked all morning and afternoon. Every so often, he stopped to check the map, drink from his flask, or rub his aching shoulders, then pushed on. By the time the sun began to sink, Grymsnow was nowhere in sight.
When it grew too dark to see the road, he found a patch of grass just off the path, unrolled his bedroll, and lay down.
Above him, the sky was clear, aside from the belt of sky islands drifting across it, their edges catching the last of the moonlight. Nova folded his arms behind his head.
I wonder what it's like up there.
He fell asleep still looking.
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Day 3
Nova was halfway through his morning walk when he heard it: shouting, an elephant wailing, the unmistakable sound of a struggle.
He broke into a run.
Around the bend, a carriage sat stopped in the road. A woman and a girl were inside, while the driver and a man Nova assumed was the husband stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the door. Three road men surrounded them.
The driver noticed Nova. One of the road men followed his gaze, spotted Nova as well, and pointed. "TJ! Huts!"
The other two broke away from the carriage and approached swiftly but cautiously.
Nova scooped up a handful of rocks and hurled them, but TJ swung his baseball bat almost inhumanly fast and sent every one of them flying straight back. Nova threw up his arm to block. The pellets cut through his sleeve and into his skin.
Immediately after the counter, Huts shouted, "Accelerate!"
The apple-sized orb at his side shot forward in a blur. Nova threw himself sideways, and it slammed into the tree behind him.
"Return!"
The orb ripped itself free and zipped back to Huts, leaving a massive crater in the bark.
Nova glanced at the man still at the carriage. He hadn't even engaged. Instead, he ignored the fight and pointed at a pouch in his hand. What's up with him?
Nova didn't have the luxury of getting distracted, so he chose to watch the orb instead. Huts launched it again, and again, and again. Nova was getting tired of tumbling.
If he keeps this up, I'll be red mist on a tree.
In the split second between throws, Nova saw it: an opening, an interval, a chance. When Huts launched again, Nova twisted slightly to the side, making sure it hit the tree.
"Re—" Huts began.
Before the second syllable could come out, Nova twisted again and grasped the orb with both hands.
"-turn!" Huts yelled. The orb didn't budge.
Nova grinned sinisterly, pointing the weapon toward the two. "Launch."
With a slight rattle, it shot out of his hands, heading straight for Huts's chest. The stress of his predicament made Huts drop on the spot, foaming at the mouth.
Even though Huts had passed out, TJ planted his feet and cracked the orb with a perfect swing. He shielded his eyes from the sun, squinting for the speck of the orb. When he remembered the fight, he looked back down to see Nova already running.
Nova slid between TJ's legs, shouting, "Return!" then grabbed TJ by the ankles. "Stop."
The orb hung frozen just above TJ's head.
"Drop the bat. Now," Nova said.
"Or what?"
"Or I let the orb slowly descend into your skull as you go brain-dead from the trauma."
TJ looked up at it, weighing his choices, then dropped the bat. "You win."
Nova took the bat, then released TJ's legs. "To me."
The orb returned to his hands as he made his way to the carriage. The leader had seen enough. He leaped into the air, then jumped again off nothing, angling himself until he was practically flying away.
"Catch him!" the father yelled. "He has our heirloom jewels!"
And there it is. Nova handed off the weapons to the father and the driver, then jumped, then jumped again.
The leader was already a ways off. Nova was barely matching his pace, slowly catching up as they crossed the treetops and roads. Only two minutes of constant jumping had almost exhausted them both to the point of falling. The leader slowed, hopping in small increments, and Nova did the same.
What's his game?
"I got a question for you," the leader called. "You my long-lost brother or something?"
Nova hovered midair, just like him. "It's mimicry, you wiseass."
"I'd rather be that than look like an ass," the leader smirked. "How about you mimic some fashion sense?"
Nova was stunned, almost falling out of the sky. I don't have time for this. He jumped back level with the leader.
"At least I'm employed, instead of robbing people's family jewels."
The leader snickered. "Family jewels."
Nova rubbed his temples, then tried to grab the man out of the sky, but he was too slow, and the chase began again. Nova glanced below and noticed they had been going in a big circle around the carriage.
"Wanna tell me why you're circling the carriage?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"'Cause I'm not against having casualties."
"What do you mean?"
Nova flipped upside down and dove straight toward an unsuspecting TJ.
"NO!" The leader changed course, gaining speed by skipping downward to intercept Nova. The struggle sent them both falling, so Nova reoriented himself on top of the leader and jumped off him. The leader tumbled out of the sky, crashed through branches, and landed hard, but alive.
"Damn it all," he wheezed.
Nova landed beside him, breathing slightly heavily, and held out a hand. "Give it."
The man dug behind him and lifted the pouch to Nova.
Nova snatched it. "I've got some questions for you. One, why are you doing this? Two, where'd you get the weapons? And three, what's your name?"
"My name is Gerson. Me and my brothers got our weapons from some gang called the Steadfast Crew, or something dumb like that. We only brought the weapons because some lady said if we could gather up 5,000 nitche, she'd show us the way to get rich."
Nova laughed a little, then a bit harder, then broke into a full-on horselaugh. Gerson grinned nervously.
"That's a good answer." Nova flicked one small stone into the man's hand. "Get your guys and head east until you find Grymsnow. These people already have enough money in their pockets to not worry about one gem being stolen."
Gerson limped back the way he had come.
When Nova returned the pouch, the father's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you. Truly. What is your name, kind sir?"
"It's Nova, sir."
"How fortuitous that you stumbled upon our path! Might you be heading somewhere in particular? Allow me to offer you a noble escort."
Why is he talking like this? "Atomomigimata."
"Then ride with us! We have business there as well."
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Day 4
The carriage rolled along the road from dawn until dusk.
Nova sat across from the mother and daughter, his bag tucked between his feet. The father sat beside him.
For most of the morning, the father couldn't stop thanking him. He thanked Nova for the jewels. He thanked him for his wife's and daughter's safety. He thanked him for the driver, who only grunted from the bench up front.
Nova nodded along, trying his best to look humble, though on the inside he was beaming from the attention.
By the afternoon, the cuts on his arm had started to sting. He dug through his pack, pulled out his supplies, and began cleaning the wounds.
The father watched him work, then cleared his throat. "Young man, I don't know how I could ever repay you," he said. "So I'd like to offer you my daughter's hand in marriage, Heather."
Nova nearly dropped the bandage.
Across from him, Heather scowled. She glared at her father, then at Nova. "Father, no!"
Nova laughed, winding the bandage around his arm. "With all due respect, sir, you can't rush these things," he said. "We're still young."
"A sensible answer," the father said, patting him on the back. "The offer stands."
"It does not!" the daughter snapped.
Her mother laughed out loud. Up front, the driver scoffed.
I think someone might be a little jealous.
Nova tied off the bandage and leaned back against the seat, still grinning. The wheels creaked beneath them, the road stretched on, and for the first time since leaving Grymsnow, he didn't have to walk.
He was asleep within minutes.
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