After a while, I got bored. We were still half an hour away from our planned meeting with Medina, and I had too much time to spend by myself. I’d noticed this anxiety set in earlier in the game, when we’d first come to Cerix. There was so much happening that I hadn’t had time to pay attention to what my own psyche was telling me. Now that I could hear all the thoughts zooming through my head, I only wanted to be back with the crew, listening to others instead of my internal agitation.

A knock on the door startled and delighted me at the same time. This Hermessi debacle had certainly taken its toll on me, and the worst part was the image of my father, out cold in his crystal casing, back home. I needed to keep my mind busy with something else, and this unexpected visitor—whoever it may have been—would do the trick.

To my surprise, Eira stood before me when I opened the door.

“You okay?” I asked.

She shook her head and walked past me, right into my room. For a moment, I felt naked and vulnerable in her presence. It likely had something to do with this morning and my realization that I was, in fact, developing feelings for her. I’d yet to address that with myself… part of the reason why I didn’t want to be alone. Because then I’d have to properly process this.

“I’m worried about Trap,” she said. “This isn’t right.”

My concerns regarding my affection for her flew out the window. She was too agitated about Trap Mellon, and I needed to support her as best as I could, without jeopardizing the mission in any way. I understood her angst, but I couldn’t let anything get between us and Eirexis—as awful as it sounded.

“I understand. We can look into it later. We could even ask the emperor,” I replied.

“Listen, Trap would rather die than join a cult. Any cult. I’ve known him my whole life. His only objective is to protect Cerix from internal and external threats,” she snapped. “He would never, ever join the Hermessi’s death cult, I swear to you. I will go to my grave standing by these words.”

“Let’s just make sure you don’t go to any grave prematurely,” I said quickly. “But I get your concern, I really do. I just don’t know what action we can take. Medina seemed pretty—”

“Screw Medina,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. “I’m telling you, he wouldn’t. He was like a father to me. He taught me everything I know. Dammit, my whole worldview was shaped by his words and actions… It’s just not possible. Maybe someone’s framing him. I just…”

I put my hands on her shoulders, hoping I’d manage to take some of the edge off. She seemed to relax slightly under my grip, giving me a pained look.

“I trust you on this,” I said. “I do. Our only problem is that we wouldn’t even know where to start investigating this. Most importantly, we have Eirexis to find.”

She sighed. “I know. But I can’t leave Trap on his own. Whoever did this to him, they wanted him out of the way, and they succeeded.”

“Maybe we can convince Medina that—”

“She won’t listen,” Eira shot back, shaking her head. “She’s made up her mind already. You heard her. And believe me, she never knew Trap like I do. No, we need to handle this differently.”

This was a side of her I hadn’t seen often, but enjoyed, nonetheless. The soldier in her had come back to life, as fierce and as relentless as ever. Her whole demeanor had changed the moment she’d set foot on Cerix again. Her posture was straight and stiff, her chin high and her lips drawn firmly into a thin line. She’d been fitted with a GASP uniform, customized to her height and size, but she still retained the military allure. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, I realized, in awe of the strength that came off her in pulsating waves.

“What do you suggest?” I asked.

She looked at me, the blue in her eyes almost glowing with determination. “We speak to Emperor Tulla, directly, before or after dinner. Or during. I don’t care. But we address this with him.”

“Won’t Medina be offended?”

“Do I look like I care?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I have to say, I am thankful to have you as a friend. If you’ll fight for me half as hard as you’re fighting for Trap, I know I won’t ever be lost for long.”

She blushed, lowering her gaze. The sight made my heart swell and throb inside my chest, and I needed several deep breaths to regain my focus.

“I just know he wouldn’t do this,” she murmured.

“And, like I said, you have my full support and trust on this,” I replied firmly. “We’ll talk to Emperor Tulla, then. We’ll piss Medina off, if needed.”

She gave me a worried look. “I don’t want to get in the way of finding Eirexis.”

“You won’t. We’ll figure something out, Eira. We’re a team, remember?” I said, smiling. “Besides, the others didn’t like this idea of Trap going cult-crazy, either. I’m sure they’ll be on board with this.”

“I… Thank you…”

“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s see what the emperor can tell us first. Worst-case scenario, I’ll have to zap around and sneak into Trap’s place tonight or whenever I get the chance. We’ll get to the bottom of this, and it won’t sidetrack us from our core mission,” I replied.

There were things I saw differently about Eira, now. It definitely had something to do with her being back on Cerix, I thought. She was back in her element. It had brought out a side of her I hadn’t seen since our encounter with Death, and it thrilled me. It interested me, making me want to reach out and peel away these layers of hers until I got to the core of who she truly was.

“What do you think about Medina, now that you’ve seen her again?” I asked.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know. I won’t question her loyalty to the empire, obviously. She’s solid. But she might be misguided, where Trap is concerned. Seriously, I think someone framed him. Maybe the cult did it, knowing he was an ally.”

“The emperor is an ally, too,” I replied.

“Yeah, but he’s not as accessible, if you think about it. Especially after what happened here,” Eira said. “I think Medina doesn’t have all the information, and, given the heap of trouble we’re dealing with, she doesn’t want to worry about Trap, too.”

“That’s kind of reasonable.”

“Yeah, but where does it leave Trap?” Eira replied, her shoulders dropping.

Once more, I found myself in awe of her. What a devoted friend she could be. So just and trusting, so kind and eager to help out. I worried about her more than she, herself, worried about Trap. I feared her presence here might do her harm, that it would put Acquis at risk, too—though I didn’t know what he’d been up to lately. I dared not think too far where he was concerned, given that he and Inalia were stuck with the brutally loyal Leb and Sebbi. Cerix was in turmoil beneath its pretty surface.

And Eira was indirectly tied to it all. I wanted to help her with Trap, but I feared we might come across the cult at the most inopportune of moments. We had to tread carefully in this world, because we were one step closer to foiling Brendel’s plan for the ritual. There would be casualties, soon enough, and I dreaded the thought of Eira being counted among them.

However, I couldn’t ignore her plea or ardent need to help her friend. She needed me, and I needed her. We’d have to figure something out to get what we wanted out of this place, without jeopardizing the key mission. To me, that was quite the challenge, but it was worth it.

You don’t abandon your friends. Not when they might need you the most.

“We’ve handled worse, haven’t we?” I asked rhetorically.

A smile tugged at her lips. “And we survived, too.”

“Right? Think we won’t survive this?”

She thought about it for a moment and looked at me in a way that made my throat close up. I’d never seen such intensity in her eyes before. “With you by my side, there’s nothing I won’t survive,” she said, her voice breaking.

Her words had a paralyzing impact on me, and she didn’t even know it. Instinctively, I reached out and pulled her into my arms. I held her close, my chin resting on the top of her head, as she gradually relaxed in my embrace. It felt so good to have her heart within inches of mine, thudding nervously between layers of fabric, skin, flesh, and bone… It was as if our souls resonated when in close proximity with each other, like hidden musical notes that chimed softly whenever we touched.

I understood then that Eira was a bigger part of my life than I’d initially thought. And it wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Riza

Medina welcomed us into the meeting hall with an organized pile of Cerixian maps on the main table. Water pitchers, light snacks, and blood vials had been set up on a side table, courtesy of the emperor. The room itself was beautiful, with ornate wall panels and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves loaded with leather-bound books and journals. Plenty of chairs and sofas had been arranged by the window, to get the most out of the natural light while reading, and light fixtures offered artificial lighting after sunset.

“Thank you for the refreshments,” Taeral said to Medina, who offered a curt bow in return.

“It’s the least we could do for our guests,” she replied, and unraveled a large map on the empty half of the main table. “This is the most recent and most accurate map of Cerix, complete with monuments and protected ancient sites.”