Her heart was burning; with anger, with longing, with sorrow, with betrayal. Rejected, severed, discarded. She never wanted to leave home. What she wanted never mattered. Silhouettes were lined up in front of her. Her siblings, 6 of them. Her parents standing tall in front of them. White glowing eyes, sad, defeated. Behind them uncounted silhouettes, vague and blurred. Eyes of black, angry and hateful.

"You have taken too much."

"You have been sheltered too long."

"We do not need you."

"We do not want you."

"Go. Go far, far away."

"There is no place for you here."

"For none of you."

By her sides stood two more figures, taller, wider, stronger, braver, better. She was in their shadow, small, blue, shiny. Little Sapphire. Glass Gem, Fake Gem, pretender to her name. The other little figures, standing in the adults' shadow, evil eyes. Cackling laughter. Dirt Gem was going to die.

"She won't last a week."

"I think she will be a beggar. She makes a good beggar, so sad."

"Look, it's a working girl, in a few days."

"Hey Broke Gem, remember to ask for rags first, it will only be a few copper!"

Then, in a flash, her world changed. Buildings everywhere, tall, imposing. So many people, everything moving so fast. So much noise. When she looked left there was no one there. She looked right, no on there.

Fear, apprehension. Like a toddler, she stepped forward. The world flashed, she was knocked for a loop, the world spinning, loud shouting, signs, people. All flashing by in a blur. She was shoved again and again. Thrown to the dirt, pushed around.

"Do you want a candy?"

"Pies are only 3 copper."

"5 copper a night, cheapest around."

"You shouldn't be out this late, don't you want a dagger?"

Faster and faster, the world spun. She grew dizzy then fell to her knees. The world darkened to pitch black, the tiniest speck of light on the ground in front of her. Nothing but a few copper. She felt her heart drop, her stomach churn. She had nothing, she was alone. Everyone was laughing or cussing. It was all she could hear, she crumpled. Into a ball, around her pittance. All she had, all she was, a few copper and a fake gem in the gutter.

Then light, golden light. The sky was bright, above her two glowing silhouettes, white faces, blue eyes. And a golden gift, a delicious smell, food, and kindness. Friendship, family, home away from home.

Then a package in her hands. The silhouettes pointed. Into the maze, into the buildings, the frightening city where she did not belong. Nowhere she belonged.

"You want food? You gotta work."

"It's a good job, just do it."

"Get on with it, I can't help you."

"Be brave, okay. It will all be fine."

"Work hard, maybe we can get a place to sleep today."

With fear she stepped forward. Then ran, then jumped. She shot between the buildings, winds roaring as she flew, a blur of doors, people, houses, buildings, alleys. Packages, letters. Poor souls, rich souls, kind souls, cruel souls. So many people, strangers all.

Such a big world, opening slowly, a massive city, seen from above. Streets bright with light, paths from here to there, all over the place. So much there, so little hers, nothing was hers, not even theirs. Above her the bright white silhouettes arguing back and forth

"We cannot afford that."

"I know I know, but we need a place to live."

"And we need to make more.

"My hands are blistered."

"We work all day every day, what more can we do?"

The world moved on, the figures grew darker. Arguments, shouting, hunger. Icy darts fell from above. The rain, the cold. Winter was coming for them. Nothing was theirs, not even dinner. The arguing continued, grew louder… louder. In the background, as Sapphire kept delivering packages. Faster, smarter, more. She was a huntress. Buildings, trees, what does it matter? If she only worked harder. In her hands, a silver. She held it up to the arguing figures.

"I made a little extra. Will it help?"

"Yes, Sapphire, everything helps."

The work continued, grueling, back breaking. The figures beside her, once tall and proud, slumped and sagged. She was so very tired, she couldn't go that fast. No one could. She was cold, she was hungry. The icy spears peppered her form as she shrunk down. She couldn't do it. She was too weak, too frail, too young.

"I haul crates all day, I can't keep doing this."

"My hands are blistered and burnt, the pain never stops."

"If we don't figure something out we will freeze to death."

"We will figure something out."

"Will they even burn us if we don't?"

"Not fat enough to bother with."

The days trudged on, getting colder and colder. So tired, so sore. Darkness descending again. She couldn't help them, she couldn't do her part. Then, a golden light in the dark. She stopped, looking up at the big wall. A poster. A prize. A hope! Voices echoed in her head.

"You were always Sapphire. First to the lake! Fly ahead, see what's up there."

The world wobbled and the figures stood above her again, holding out their hands.

"What did you make?"

She looked down at her hand, she had a silver and some copper… She reached out her hand and handed over her silver.

"I am sorry, I will try harder next week."

"It is okay Sapphire, it is more than I made."

The figures took it unknowing. She bought more food, she rested, and she flew. Every day. She made less and less money. She practiced. Every day. She watched her siblings grow darker, desperate, thin, gaunt.

"For me, for them. Take the chance. With everything you have." A voice echoed, and her world shook, her voice, her future, their fate. "Take the chance, there is always a chance."

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Sapphire shouted out as she shot up in bed. Looking around there was nothing there but the same boring old bedroom.

"Huh?" came the confused grunt from beside her followed by a long drawn out yawn. "What's going on?"

"I uhm… Nothing. I think it was just nothing… Go back to sleep."

"Hmmm?" Maiko turned to look at her, the sleep never having left his eyes.

"Just an uhm… vision of the old days you know. Nothing special."

"What, did the pipes sing a song from back in the city?" The guardsman sighed audibly, laying back down again and pulling the covers up nearly over his head. "I remember some 'Musicians' who sounded just like them."

Sapphire shook her head bemusedly. She knew full well what he meant. She had never considered that waterpipes might be loud, but somehow Tom had in fact managed it. It had also failed to truly warm up the keep, or even their rooms. Still it was well worth it for a warm night's sleep. She could feel it coming up through the mattress, and she soon joined Maiko trying to trap the precious heat in with their blankets.

She could not go back to sleep though. She lay there wide awake. Perhaps it was the heat, but she couldn't remember reliving a memory like that before. So long and drawn out. It felt more like… like a lesson, or a vision. But she knew everything she saw had happened. Was it a lesson for the future? Or just a memory of where she had come from? Was there even a difference?

'I will talk to Apuma in the morning… And what does it mean, take the chance? We're taking every chance we can right now…'

With a sigh she lay back down still staring at the ceiling, and she could almost see the stadium before her. Grand and packed to the rafters with spectators. All cheering her name.

Of course back when she had gone to her first tryouts it wasn't the big central stadium, it was a grassy field with some rings on sticks and a bit of scaffolding. But she had done well. Well enough to qualify for some of the lesser races. It was a happy memory. If a grueling one.

'No one called me Glass Gem after that now did they? I even won some proper ones.' She looked to her left, at the armor stand in the corner. The necklace she had won was hanging atop the breastplate. 'Just you watch me. I'll do even better out of this chance.'

_________________________________________________________________________________

Tom stood outside an unassuming oaken door, one of many lining the hallways of the keep. What troubled him was what lay beyond. Paulin's little personal space. The same room which was sometimes given over to travelers like Vulzan and the like, of course Joelina had been given it back when she first visited and Paulin had swiftly commandeered it after her superior's departure.

'She probably just took it to study or copy. Though statics sure is a strange place to start,' Tom thought to himself as he raised his hand to knock.

"Come in." It came from inside before he even touched the door. "You have been standing there for a while, I assume you have something to discuss, Tom."

"I uhm… yeah." Tom just opened the door, being greeted with quite the messy office.

The bed was clear, but everything else was covered in boxes, books, a few lamps, and documents. It was clear to see where many of the copies from the caverns below had ended up. At least the ones Tom didn't have any use for at the moment. There were actually two books he recognized as being his, so that was both a little annoying and promising. He had certainly not given her permission to take any of his books or materials.

Paulin herself sat behind a small desk she had moved out into the middle of the room so it could face the door. A chair was placed opposite her for him to sit in presumably.

"So then. Speak," she ordered, folding her hands together and waiting, clearly having stopped whatever it was she was working on.

"Right uhm. Have you seen my book on Statics? We've looked everywhere, and I can't find it for the life of me. It's gonna be kinda important for the blueprints for the factory. Rather a lot of the big machines we need to start working on… well small machines make medium ones, then we make big on-"

"I understand the concept, yes. And you say that somehow a book of yours has vanished?"

"Well I'm sure you already know," Tom replied, to which she nodded her affirmation. "It's blue and lime green. Mostly blue, dark blue I think. We've been looking for days."

"Hmmm." Paulin made a point of pondering the question, like she was attempting to remember. "No I do not believe so."

"Riiiight, you couldn't take a look around? You have quite a lot of stuff in here, including-" Tom cleared his throat gesturing towards some of the quite clearly human books.

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"Ahr yes, you were not using those. I will be sure to return them before Sapphire is asked to take them up."

The false friendliness in her voice was quite unsettling, almost like she was attempting to deceive him and doing a poor job of it. Tom suspected it had more to do with Joelina's orders to keep her friendly with the keep dwellers.

"And you know where everything in this room is of course?"

"I am an archivist, it is my trade. I take it you doubt me?"

"A little yeah," Tom admitted, looking to what could best be described as a pile of half-unrolled scrolls. "Third one from the left at the bottom."

"That is a bunch of unsatisfactory work. It is not subject to further record keeping, not until it is amended."

"Right… Anywho just keep an eye out for it. Without it your factory is in trouble." Tom of course didn't need to actually say that he had contingencies, but still he would be quite miffed to lose such a useful book, even if it tended to induce suicidal tendencies.

"I shall make sure to keep an eye and ear out for it," she replied with a nod, taking a slightly more serious tone. That part Tom did believe. Paulin would never do anything to possibly endanger the project, that much she had proven. She would happily sacrifice the lot of them to reach the goal. Expect Tom, possibly, but that was only for the sake of future plans.

"Yeah… eh, who knows maybe it's in a box somewhere, we do have a lot of shit around the place."

"Knoweldge Tom, we have a lot of knowledge. Have you considered if anyone could perhaps have taken it?"

"I mean people take things all the time, but they tend to ask first."

"Taken without permission, Tom," Paulin replied with a slight twitch in her eye.

"I mean other than Saph, who can read it? I could see Linkosta or you wanting to use it for a bit. But stealing? That doesn't make much sense to me, you would get it if you just asked." He did attempt to be a little snide, perhaps he could even get her to ask in the future, it would at least let him know what she was most interested in at the moment.

"I see, well I suppose it must be lost then, if you can think of no one else with a desire for such a rare, esoteric… collectible… object." She spoke slowly and deliberately, like she believed he was stupid.

'Ahr much more familiar, almost refreshing to have her back,' Tom grumbled to himself. It wasn't his fault they couldn't find the damn book.

"What?" Tom asked as dumbly as possible. It made Paulin twitch like he had just dragged his fingernails on a chalkboard, which was quite amusing.

"You cannot think of anyone, either within this keep or who has perhaps recently been here who would have taken such a book? Hmmmmm?"

It was quite clear he was getting to her, the smiling facade falling away. If she didn't know then he didn't actually have anything else to ask about, so he might as well joke around a bit.

"Uuuuh… Well Tink for sure, but again, why steal it? Besides it would take like five minutes before he was asking questions about what he thinks it's about… actually maybe he did that for the shaped charge… Wait no, silly me that would be dynamics instead… Oh but he might not know that."

Tom made a point of looking thoughtful at the end, rubbing his beard and looking down at the floor.

"RIGHT! I will just ask you." She stood up at her desk, clearly not able to take it anymore. "Who visited the keep while we slept? Who were they and why do you not wish for me or anyone else to know their names? I know it was a white dragon and a young person, possibly a woman. I WANT, names."

"So you can put it on your magic paper to send back to Joelina, yeah?" Tom questioned, unbothered by her outburst. He had very much caused that at the end of the day, not her fault.

"Precisely. I want to know who had several days or maybe even weeks of time to learn of what goes on here. This is of critical importance, Tom."

"Oh, they were just traveling traders. I told 'em if they stayed quiet they could come back with more stuff. We're gonna need a lot of stuff."

Paulin narrowed her eyes at him, leaning in over the table a little further. "A traveling trader with but one rider? Their names?"

"Oh you know how it is with names and I. Accent is terrible, uhm."

"Their names, Tom. For all we know you have been cavorting with known traitors, not traders."

"Oh uhm… I think it was Jule and uhm. Naden? Something like that."

"Jule? How would you spell that?" she questioned, looking down to her notebooks and flipping to a fresh page.

" J, U-"

"In draconic, Tom."

"Oh right. I have no idea."

"Oh for the love of the gods," she let out, sitting back down, head in hands. "Could you just sound it out please?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

"So… What do you think it means?" Sapphire questioned the old lorekeeper.

She had only just finished reciting as much of her vision as she could remember to him. It was clear enough that most of it had simply been memories of her past, but she couldn't ever think of a time it had presented itself like that before. So she had seen fit to seek out the lorekeeper for his interpretation.

"It is hard to say. There was mostly hardship. And there was little of the happy times in your life, yes?" the old man answered. He seemed deep in thought, resting in his comfy armchair.

"They were the worst years I ever had."

"Which may bode of similar challenges in your future, hard times ahead. And it never revealed the happy times. Perseverance may be uncertain." He sounded deathly serious.

Sapphire turned to look at the old man. It didn't make sense to her. Things were supposed to be amazing. They were on the verge of making more money than they could ever have imagined. They were sewing silken uniforms for the lights' sake. And here he was talking about a time of her life when she truly considered if working on her back might have been worth it, though had it come to that she may just have tried to enjoy the long way down as best she could instead.

"You can't be serious, with everything that's happened, is going to happen. We are going to live as nobles, every one of us."

"The life of a noble is not free of hardships, Sapphire…"

She just grunted a touch. "Depends upon the noble." She had certainly met plenty who could hardly clean themselves, let alone be useful if it came to it. Not that such descriptions extended to the Bizmati family of course.

"Perhaps that is true. Was there perhaps something you were not shown? Many times that may be just as important."

"I… hmm… I suppose I didn't see anything about me trying to join the guard. That was a little weird. No rejection, no sneaking in to watch, or getting caught… I wonder what that might be about."

"Hmmm. Yes, that is surprising, considering the path you have chosen lately." She gave the old man a curious look, she could guess well enough who he might be referring to. "I am sure he is very nice, he certainly seems like a nice young man. But in a sense one may even claim we all have joined the guard. Or at least the cause."

"Not to mention the inquisition."

"Indeed. I do wonder if perhaps they are to play a lesser story in your future… or perhaps they simply did not matter for the message you were destined to receive."

"If you ask me that means we can do just fine without them. Gods, it would be nice if that is true."

"Yes, perhaps that is it," the old man conceded, though Sapphire could feel how little he wished to discuss it. "Was there anything else perchance then? The closing words? Perhaps they carried greater import," Apuma offered with a kind smile, though Sapphire saw through him well enough. At best he was trying to console her with a half-truth.

"Take the chance, take the chance with all that you have… But we already are? Doesn't seem like something you might get a vision for, does it?"

"Not ordinarily no, I grant you that. Perhaps you must take a chance in your near future that is most important indeed."

"Like what?" Sapphire asked with a sigh. She knew it was a rather pointless question. But it was so rare to get a vision like this, if it even was one. And she felt like she was wasting it on nothing here.

"I don't know," Apuma replied, a touch defensively. "Perhaps it is not for us to know yet. It was hardly shown to you."

"But you don't think it's just.. you know... Taking the chance on Tom? That was quite the gamble."

"It does seem quite strange doesn't it? And Tom may have been a gamble yes, but it was hardly your gamble to make. Even if it was to an extent gambling with your fate. Still it seems unlikely to have a vision about him now. It is much too late."

"Yeah… But I could work harder. Back then I wasn't… I wasn't pulling my weight, not at the end."

"But it was not the end, was it? And if I recall correctly you did not forget your siblings during your time as the Silver Streak," Apuma said with a chuckle. Sapphire hadn't exactly been open about her life back then outside of the success she had enjoyed, but it was hard to keep everything secret for decades. She had certainly made sure that Viper and Haiko weren't going to starve while she had any say in it.

It wasn't like she had ever been rich, but prize money paid quite a lot better than being a messenger.

"So…?" she questioned, catching herself reminiscing about those wild times. Her brief flash of fame and glory.

"I cannot say. Perhaps the study of the books is your chance. And it is okay if you neglect your duties as huntress in their favor. Perhaps the chance is yet to come. But speaking as Nunuk's secon- uhm… husband for a moment." The old man glanced side to side for a moment as if he was worried they were being overheard. "It may be quite the literal chance, and it may be a very brief opportunity to… take the shot as it were. If you catch my meaning. Hold your edge, should it be needed. Like a good dagger in a purse, forgotten for many years, but sharp when called upon."

Sapphire looked at him with a strange expression for a moment before nodding slowly. It was certainly the first time the old man had compared her to a noble woman's defence against sticky fingers or brash bachelors. "I will keep an arrow nocked."

"Very good, I am sure of all the things we can spare, root gathering may well be one of them. Perhaps Deriva can be of assistance."

"For some rations and a bit of gold, I'm quite sure they would be. Pho certainly won't be much good"

"No, so I have heard… perhaps she can be put to some other task in the times to come. She is fearless, that may be most useful."

"No, she is foolhardy, but I suppose there is little difference sometimes." Sapphire tried not to stare at the old man, but it was difficult indeed. He never took such matters lightly, never the first to spring to violence, even in defence.

"Apuma… what's coming?"

"We don't know," he replied reluctantly. "But it may be something. Quite uhm… unwelcome on our island."

She narrowed her eyes at him, which certainly unnerved the old man. "What kind of something?"

"How could we possibly know that, Sapphire? The king himself has no idea. But we all know things are happening. Not all of them under our control… See to your studies and your bow. I don't know what we will need more."

"Right… a warrior scribe… Shouldn't be too much of an ask." She made sure to sound a little extra sarcastic to ensure the old man understood her view of the situation.

He nodded apologetically. "I know Sapphire. If it helps, this old husk has to try and keep up with the fires of youth in some of the most dangerous magics known while teaching our young the way of numbers and runes. We all carry our burdens these days."

Sapphire's expression softened a touch. It was true of course, they were all working for two or even three at the keep. Yet it didn't feel like enough.

"I will try my best."

"I know you will. Just remember, look for the chance, wherever it may lie."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Now Edita, I need you to calm down for a moment."

"No no no no. An original, lost. In my workshop! This cannot be!"

The situation was futile. It had gotten so bad that Tom had to admit that informing the artificer the book was officially lost had perhaps not been an overly wise decision. Informing her that he didn't think he actually had a backup of the exact book, just something similar, had been downright stupid.

It had sent the poor woman into a panic that could only be described as the culmination of severe autism mixed with decades of ruthless indoctrination. And Tom, being a fellow engineer, hadn't the slightest clue what to do about something like that.

She didn't know what to even do with herself either, simply running around the smithy aimlessly, hands clasping the side of her face, breathing rapidly like a small child who just smashed grandmother's qing vase and dad was already coming down the stairs.

"It- it... We can lie, can't we? That it was someone else? Do we know who did it? Oh not that- no. no nononono no it doesn't work it was ours, our shop has lost it. Oh good heavens, why are we working with originals and not copies?!"

"Caaaaalm, caaaaalm. It is just a bit of paper," Tom tried again, like he was talking to a wild animal. It had no effect. "Things like that happen, we will be fine."

"Do you think we just like… let her get it out or something?" Junior questioned, watching worriedly. "She's gonna get tired at some point."

"Perhaps if we were to take another book and write the name on the cover, all would be well again," Tink offered, unconcernedly, getting a judging look from his son for the trouble.

"Tink… even if we were to do that, you don't say you are going to do that, now do you." Tom sighed, shaking his head. "You got the subterfuge skills of a dodo."

"Oh she hasn't heard a thing, I can assure you. Completely lost in thought," the inventor dismissed. "Watch. Edita, I was supposed to tell you. The inquisitor is here to see you!"

Tom winced as Edita froze and stared at the inventor. Any logical thought long since departed, and after a moment she simply screamed, which sure wiped the smirk of Tink's face. But that was the only upside.

"He is joking, he's joking!" Tom tried, stepping forward, arms raised calmingly. "It is still frozen outside, no one is coming for weeks at the very least. I'm sure of it."

It calmed her just enough to get her back down to just hyperventilating as Junior started shooing his father from the smithy. The inventor only halfheartedly protested, evidently not quite sure what was happening.

"I could have sworn, she hardly seems. Oh would you stop with the shooing, I can-."

"OUT!" Junior ordered, pushing his father along towards the door, and the old man relented, ears drooping.

Edita was left seemingly at a loss, breath still rapid, eyes darting around the room. Junior might have been the most peopley person in there right now. Ideally Tom needed someone more skilled to handle this. Like Esmeralda, or even Sapphire.

'No no, don't just pass the shit along. Uhm… she's just an engineer. Remember the old days, uni wasn't far off indoctrination. It's sorta the same… probably.'

"Uhm… have you considered alcohol?"

Edita didn't so much calm down as she just focused on him, expression one of complete non-understanding.

"Drinking to uhm… forget," Tom carried on with a smile. "It can also be quite effective at numbing the nerves."

"But I… I did drink. Like you said."

"Yes yes I know, that was training. This is the reason why we drink," Tom half-lied. He had certainly never gotten drunk over a textbook before, but there were always other lowpoints along the way. "Do you know who doesn't make mistakes?"

"Good engineers," Edita replied on the verge of tears. Like her life and dreams were slipping through her fingers.

"Bad engineers… oh and management. Accountants only make mistakes if you bribe them, otherwise it was part of the process. But no. Bad engineers make no mistakes."

"That doesn't make any sense at all," Edita whimpered, Tom stepping closer and laying a hand on her back.

"Yeeees it does. Because they aren't actually doing anything. That's how you avoid mistakes. Now. I don't even think we made this mistake, it's just lost somewhere. Or uhm… yeah no, lost. I'm sure. Like Skitters, maybe he ate it. Who knows?"

"But… I don't get it."

"See, this is why we drink. Just because it's true doesn't mean we understand. Like some fancy equation. Just input the magic numbers, shake and tadaaa. The bridge won't fall down… just don't tell the people on the bridge. Okay?"

"I… I won't… who?"

"That's the spirit. Now, how about we go and get a drink. Then maybe if you want, we can… I don't know, find the closest thing we have on the computers then go ask Paulin if she wants to help make a new one-"

"Yes sir! Of course!" she shouted in reply and wrested herself free.

Tom didn't even have the sense to stop her, having thought he was actually doing kinda well with calming her back down. Then as quickly as her small-ish frame could manage she was out the door and he could hear her thundering down the hallway.

'What in the…' Tom thought to himself as he stared at the now open door, gears slowly turning "Oh shit!"

He'd just sent a person having what might best be described as a mental health episode over a book to the archivist who needed to read up on how people worked, so she could understand why threats had a negative reaction…

'Oh for the love of!' "Wait up! Edita for christ- uhm. Tula's sake! Get back here!"

He did his best to try and keep up, hurrying out the door.

"What the devil? Oh hello Tom!" Tink burst out, standing up against the wall alongside Junior, both looking a touch confused as Tom made his way past. "Is she fixed?"

"No Tink, noooo," Tom answered with a wince as he made his way down the corridor to the stairs. "That's not how you- Never fucking mind."

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