Climbing out of the tunnel behind Fox, Oskar followed the nimble Kobold as she followed a slow rise a quarter turn around the mesa before taking a steep switchback that made Oskar wonder how Erik had managed it.

  // Well, if he’s got any strength at all from the Wayspring water and the battles we’ve been through, he could probably do a pull up at his current weight, one arm or not. //

  Yeah. Maybe one day he’ll tell us. Or talk for any other reason than making me laugh at inappropriate times.

  // He’ll come around. Or not. I’m just a PUB. Speaking of that, want me to query his PUB for information? //

  Oskar considered the offer, but not seriously. He shook his head in answer as he looked out in the darkness for the light Fox mentioned.

  Probably best if we don’t try that method without absolutely needing to do so. I still think his PUB doesn’t like me, and so Erik would know we were trying to go over his head. More importantly, it feels wrong.

  // His PUB, in fact, does not like you very much. Although I think it’s more out of habit and boredom than actual hate at this point. //

  That does not make me feel better.

  Grunting, Oskar took the last few steps to the flat stone on top of the mesa and stayed low as he made his way over to Erik at the northern edge. Sure enough, there was light in the distance, flickering in the pitch black. It was not quite a beacon, but anything looking in that direction was bound to see it instantly.

  It was difficult to tell at this distance, but it seemed the lantern was similar in size and design to the ones Vulk used back when Oskar first arrived on this world, and the memory of that time poked at him. Mostly the regret that, of the three Crocs that had held Oskar and the Kobolds in a trap of Gambit loops forcing them to hunt for water and food- Valla had been the one to escape.

  And we’ve paid for it ever since. She’ll get hers, though.

  This time, the hate he felt for her didn’t sneak up on him. If he was honest with himself, and he usually tried to be, there was some fear. They still weren’t sure what she was capable of, but they knew that morality or the lives of her followers were of no consequence to her.

  Maybe my hate for her did sneak up on me. Here I am thinking of her instead of trying to figure out what we’re looking at and what to do about it.

  Reluctantly, Oskar called forth his True Resonance as Touwon made his way topside with a yawn. Watching carefully, Oskar was relieved to see the light was just a lantern and not magical at all. He saw nothing else out of the ordinary but had to stop himself from getting distracted looking for the satellite again. There was more to that, he just didn’t know yet what to do about it.

  “No magic, it’s just fire. Can you guess who or what might be goofy enough to use a lantern in an area like this?”

  Fox was quiet for a short time but eventually shrugged.

  “I can only think it to be Croco. They say it helps them see in the dark, and maybe that is true, but I honestly suspect they fear the night.”

  Erik raised an eyebrow at that, but Fox clearly meant it as a serious statement.

  They really do have poor eyesight, other than for movement.

  // Yeah, but the whole scared of the dark thing is funnier. //

  Oskar watched the flickering light in the distance and tried to gauge the distance.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  // We don’t really have a good reference point, but if I had to throw out a general estimate, I’d say several miles. //

  Turning to Fox, Oskar said, “Well, we’re obviously not going to check it out tonight, so the best we can do is keep an eye on it.”

  Nodding, Fox said, “Truth. We might as well stick to the same schedule, then.”

  Behind them, Touwon turned and walked across the rock to go back to sleep, and Oskar planned to follow as soon as he checked on Erik. His brother gave him a thumbs up and then turned back to dangling his feet off the side of the rock, wrapped tight against the wind in his light robe. The scene was a somber one for Oskar, but he gave his brother an unseen return thumbs up and walked off after Touwon.

  He looks like he did when I first saw him at Gramm’s. Dangling his feet off the rock and giving the sky his best thousand-yard stare.

  // His thousand-yard stare is even better than his poker face. Really world class. //

  Unfortunately, Erik earned that stare the hard way.

  Climbing down, Oskar awkwardly crouch-walked all the way through the tunnel to peek out the opposite opening and see if he could get eyes on the lantern. Outside, there was a tall, sharp ridged dune blocking any further view. Oskar instead watched the sand break from the thin edge at the top and cascade down the steep dune in slowly widening sections.

  Summoning Talau, he could watch the patterns breaking down before it happened. The knowledge ruined the fun of watching, so after a moment, he let go of the magic and watched the breaks happen without it. The Magic Below faded, but magic of the moment didn't return in its absence.

  The thought didn’t depress him, but it was always a worry that one day even this fantastic world might lose its wonder.

  // There are always new wonders, Oskar. You just might have to go a little farther or look a little deeper to find them. //

  Thanks, PUBs. You’re right, of course.

  Mollified, he turned and walked back to his hole in the tunnel, sat down, and decided against re-cleaning the liner. It had only been twenty minutes or so, after all.

  Leg off, foot propped up on the unmoving Pangolor, he eventually fell asleep again and dreamed simple dreams without the weight of meaning behind them.

  ***

  Hours later, Fox nudged Oskar gently. Her walking into the tunnel hadn’t woken him, but he’d been in a much deeper sleep this time. Nonsensical memories of his dreams flitted through his thoughts and faded, as if fighting their way to the front of his consciousness had taken all the power they had left. He yawned, tightened his Goggles, and set to putting his leg back on.

  Penny was making her way down to the sand to hunt for some delicious bugs, so Oskar made his way through the tunnel after letting Fox pass him. Grunting a thanks, the Kobold stretched and plopped down right in Oskar’s spot. Sara came from somewhere down the tunnel, shaking her head in irritation at the wind blowing her whiskers, to cuddle with Fox for the final few hours before sunsrise.

  Tucking his scarf into his shirt, Oskar stepped out of the tunnel and made the easy climb to the top in the darkness. The green tinted Sora in the sky had spread out, covering more space, but wasn’t quite as vibrant as it had been the night before.

  Touwon turned his head and gave Oskar a smile, which distracted him from thoughts of wanting to leap into the sky. Oskar smiled back and said, “Good morning,” but Touwon’s rare smile triggered an odd memory of his dad.

  Exploring woods and mountains with Erik, complete with cold running rivers and sticky sap covered hands, had been the majority of his favorite childhood memories. Now, as it became clear this world had so much more to offer than just sand dunes, Oskar’s desire to explore was almost overwhelming.

  Unfortunately, as a kid, he realized he’d been born a few hundred years too late to be a true explorer, and that hadn’t been a happy childhood memory at all. It was, however, one of the few times their dad had seemed to really understand what Oskar was going through, though. He’d tucked Oskar in that night and told him that maybe one day he could go exploring anyway.

  “I think wanting to explore is a noble thing. Surely the old explorers haven’t found everything,” he’d said, giving Oskar a rare smile before shutting the bedroom door behind him.

  A few seconds later, Erik had whispered from his own bed, “I got a rare bird over here to show you.”

  What a jerk.

  Oskar grinned at the memory, looking out at the dark sky and sitting in the warm, steady wind and good company.

  Dad was right, though. They missed a few things. A whole world, in fact.

  He looked down from the open sky, ignoring its call to consider the lantern.

  We’ve got a mystery ahead of us, Oskar thought, looking out at the light still flickering in the distance. Not to mention the Gambit I got after looking at the blue sun with my True Resonance.

  // Don’t forget the one behind you. Bluebottle seems pretty cool for a man o’ war, which is not the same as a jellyfish, in case you were wondering. //

  I wasn’t, and I’m a hundred percent sure you brought that up so you could correct me.

  // I don’t know, that seems kind of pedantic. Doesn’t really seem like something I would do. //