They arrived at Spire Lyn at night, and Kiera stepped into an alien world. The bowl-shaped city at the apex was in fact a huge library. Cool ethersteel bookshelves filled almost the entire volume of the city, up the walls in tiers, and across the center upon arched bridges. Dozens of thralls roamed the bloated stacks, ferrying tomes from the reading desks to their proper places. While all the spires in the north were composed of black stone veined with glowing ethersteel, by contrast Spire Lyn was a marbled blend of two different types of stone, one bone-white, the other dark red, somewhere between blood and rust.


    Fiona had business in the city, so it was a group of unknown oculomancers who escorted Kiera and Claire to their respective suites. The private quarters were cut into the stone itself, imperfect, and illuminated by soft white-gold lanterns. The plumbing was perfectly functional, though one wall of the shower was in fact a thick window, a fact which made Kiera uncomfortable as she took a shower. Indeed, the entire southern wall of the suite was the same thick glass, and during the day it must act like a greenhouse, because just below the glass there was a long shelf filled with vibrant ferns. Her bed sat in the middle of a maze of cuts in the floor, filled with glowing teal water and strange fishes, shielded by yet more glass. The far wall, marbled red and white, was wet and slick with flowing water.


    The gentle sound of the trickling water helped Kiera relax. The room was warm and filled with soft light, and Fiona''s copy of The Binding of Ashe sat upon the nightstand. Kiera plopped down in the bed, opened the book, and began reading.


    Chapter 1: Verse 1: In ancient times, men bartered with coins of silver. But for the ancient kings, there remained a lingering temptation. In times of trouble, the purity of the silver became diminished. Verse 2: It was during the reign of Veronika II that the first system of paper currency was introduced. Banks stored huge quantities of pure silver, while men bartered with paper notes allowing claim to that silver. Verse 3: By the reign of Veronika IV the value of the paper notes had been diminished such that an entire house filled with notes was insufficient to buy a loaf of bread.


    Kiera had felt somewhat unclean when she thought about reading the religious text of a different religion. However, so far nothing in the text indicated that it was related to religion. It seemed to be a story about economics, the type of thing even Fredrick Mason might find uninteresting.


    Chapter 2: Verse 1: It was during this time that the ancient philosophers developed the theory that currency could be tied to the Elementals. While the value of coins and paper could be arbitrary, the gifts of the Elementals had immediate and real value. Verse 2: They devised a system where Elemental bonds could be temporarily passed between men. They invented a currency such that the value of the currency was pegged to the duration of a lease whereby the bond is temporarily held. Verse 3: Truth is the domain of the Queen of Light, and so Her daughters were employed as a means of guaranteeing the terms of the lease. Verse 4: However, forgiveness is also the domain of the Queen of Light, and Her daughters were equally likely to forgive a debt than to enforce the rules of the rich.


    Chapter 3: Verse 1: The resulting economic crisis nearly led to the collapse of the Veronika dynasty. Verse 2: Veronika VIII called upon the greatest philosophers in the world to devise a solution to the problem. Verse 3: It was the High Mage of House Rosalia that suggested that the Queen of Light might be corrupted, so that she lost the power of forgiveness. Verse 4: The monks of the Twin Fates Monastery were the first to suggest a concrete strategy. They had the most experience manipulating fate through their bonds with the two specific Elementals, Titania the Luck Elemental, and Erika the Curse Elemental. By cleverly indoctrinating their students, they were able to pass the bonds under special circumstances for a variety of desirable effects. Verse 5: Their strategy depended upon a deep understanding of the Five Goddesses who conspired to create the universe.


    Chapter 4: Verse 1: The first goddess to join was called the Goddess of Chaos, and she bisected herself into the divine powers of Water and Fire.


    Suddenly Kiera heard a knock at her door. Dazed, she stumbled through the dim suite to answer. She found two oculomancers outside, and between them stood Claire Aden, rubbing her eyes and crying.


    "I''m sorry to bother you, Mender Kiera," one of the oculomancers said. "There is something wrong with Claire. She asked to speak with you."


    "No worries," Kiera said. "I will take care of her. Claire, please come inside."


    After the oculomancers had left and the door was sealed, Claire began crying even harder.


    "I can''t do it," she sobbed. "I''m so scared. I want to go home!"


    "I understand," Kiera said warmly. "Come with me, you can share my bed."


    "I want my big sister!" Claire insisted. "It''s your fault she left us."


    "You''re right. I''m sorry. Don''t you remember coming to Cloudsea to live in my father''s castle? We were like sisters then."


    Claire nodded. "It was cold!"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Well, it may not be as good as your home, but this spire is nice and warm. I will be your big sister tonight, so be brave. I promise you will feel better in the morning."


    Kiera could not speak for Claire, but she certainly felt better in the morning. The light of dawn filtered in through the huge windows, filling the space with a golden glow and casting fern-shaped shadows on the far wall. She was careful to rise without disturbing Claire, who slept on the far side of the bed, muttering to herself in her dreams. Silently, she scooped up The Binding of Ashe and went into the kitchen to start making coffee.


    Verse 2: The second goddess to join was called the Goddess of Foundations, and she bisected herself into the divine powers of Stone and Wind. Verse 3: The third goddess to join was called the Goddess of Connections, and she bisected herself into the divine powers of Metal and Lightning. Verse 4: These three goddesses used their divine powers to create the land and the sea and the sky. Verse 5: The fourth goddess, who was called the Goddess of Laws, saw potential in the new world. Verse 6: She bisected herself into the divine powers of Life and Heaven, thus bringing order to the chaotic universe. Verse 7: For a time, the living creatures had intelligence but no free will. Verse 8: The fifth goddess, who was called the Goddess of Freedom, bisected herself into the divine powers of Light and Dark.


    Chapter 5: Verse 1: Each half of the divine power is protected by an Elemental Queen, and each Elemental Queen has a sister-self. Verse 2: Each Elemental Queen draws upon only one half of the divine power. Verse 3: The two Elemental Queens are opposite in every way, reflecting the opposing nature of the underlying divine power. Verse 4: Eternal vengeance lies within the domain of the dark half of the divine power of the Goddess of Freedom, in opposition to forgiveness. Verse 5: The monks knew that if they wanted to erase the Light''s power to forgive, then they would need the Light Elementals to draw upon the dark half of the divine power, such that the concepts of forgiveness and eternal vengeance would both be obliterated. Verse 6: Thus they conspired to trick the Queen of Light into drawing up on a power which was not hers. However, the dark power was well-protected by the Queen of Darkness, who was known to the monks by her ancient name, Ashe. Verse 7: This was the beginning of the conspiracy to bind Ashe in an eternal prison.


    The door to the suite opened and Fiona marched through, clad in her black witch''s uniform. "The oculomancers told me you were awake," she said.


    "Claire is still asleep," Kiera whispered.


    "Wake up kid!" Fiona yelled. "Pour me a cup please. I see you are reading that book I gave you."


    "It''s interesting," Kiera said. She slid a cup of coffee to Fiona, and then took a sip herself. It was subtle and fruity, like berries mixed with chocolate. "We can''t get coffee like this in Cloudsea."


    "Small batch, greenhouse-grown. There is a roaster here in the spire. It is reserved for high-ranking witches like us. How far did you get?"


    "I just finished chapter five," Kiera said.


    Claire Aden moped into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "This place doesn''t look so bad in the daylight," she observed. "Sorry about last night Kiera. Thanks for letting me stay here."


    "Anytime. Do you need to shower?"


    "Yes, but I don''t have my costume."


    "I''ll go get your clothes," Fiona said. "Kiera, skip ahead to chapter eighty-one. Let me know what you think when I get back."


    Chapter 81: Verse 1: They entered into the domain of the Queen of Heaven, and the Lady Ghost looked upon the eighth of ten skies. Verse 2: The sky was dark indigo, filled with stars, illuminated by unseen suns. In every direction, the sky was filled with Little Planets, each connected to the next by conduits of air. Verse 3: It was these conduits which allowed the Lady Ghost to fly between the Little Planets, and thus she set out in search of her enemies. Verse 4: She summoned the Guardians of Heaven, living constellations as tall as mountains, to aid her in her quest.


    "So did you read it?" Fiona asked when she returned. She vanished into the bedroom with Claire''s witch hat and clothes.


    "It is very strange," Kiera called out. "The Little Planets remind me of our own world. They are ''each connected to the next by conduits of air.''"


    "That''s exactly right," Fiona said. She sat down in the kitchen again and took a sip of her coffee. "That is where we are right now. Somewhere in the Elemental Plane of Heaven, isolated from the rest of the Little Planets. Nobody seems to remember exactly why we came here, but Reyndell told me that the first settlers were trying to escape the Purple Dragons."


    "And now we cannot leave."


    "And now we cannot leave," Fiona agreed. "But here is the strange thing. The purple whelps, those witches you met up at the top of Spire Erika, they all seem to agree that this is the best possible outcome. None of them would dare leave this world even if they could."


    "Why would anyone want to stay in prison?" Kiera asked.


    "The alternative is worse," Fiona said. "The Purple Dragons were so bad that those whelps would rather spend all eternity imprisoned here."


    "I can''t imagine."


    "So why is little Claire here?"


    "She was homesick."


    "I see," Fiona said distantly. "She is only thirteen years old, and as a Heritor she has been coddled her whole life. I can''t hold it against her. As far as I know, she doesn''t have any friends her age."


    "I suspect Edwin is deliberately trying to isolate her," Kiera said.


    "I should just kill him," Fiona said. "Put Lucia on the Hanging Throne and be done with it."


    They would call you kinslayer, Kiera thought. She said, "I don''t understand why Claire even returned to White Chasm."


    "Homesick," Fiona guessed. "The oculomancers can protect her at home, but she is not old enough, she does not have the ego to stand up to her brother. She does not understand that she is a Heritor, and that supersedes any petty title that Edwin has given himself."


    "So why don''t we teach her?"


    "Because, my apprentice, questions are more important than answers."


    "What is that supposed to mean?"


    "It means, Kiera, that there are questions you are not asking. You don''t yet know the limits of your knowledge, the direction in which your mind needs to quest."


    "So how do I find the right question?" Kiera asked.


    "I am sending Claire Aden to the University of White Chasm," Fiona said.


    Kiera gasped. "That place is for commoners!"


    "We will devise a pretext," Fiona insisted. "You will enroll at the same time and you will be her personal mentor. Also, there is one more thing."


    "What''s that?"


    "When you arrive," Fiona said, "I want you to join the Aviation Club."