Beneath the Sunless Sky

Chapter Forty-Six

—Khae Falairas—

It was almost finished. Just a few more tweaks, and their device would be ready to test for the very first time. Lifting her drink to her lips, Rhaena glanced over at her husband who was speaking to a diplomat across the room but watching her as he did so, fondness in his smile. It was the night of the Exarch's Ball, and though she hadn't wanted to go originally—she would much rather attend to the device she and her husband were building—she was happy for the momentary reprieve. It had been too long since she had relaxed. She and Naril had only been married a few months. They hadn't even had a proper honeymoon because of her research.

Rhaena blushed when her husband excused himself from his conversation and made his way to her side, kissing her firmly despite how many people were gathered in the room.

"I'm so proud of you, Rhaena," he said, gently, running the back of his hand down her cheek. "This is going to work. You're going to be the first person in history to finally bridge the gap between life and death. You're going to make contact with the dead, and we can finally know what fate awaits us in the Void."

"Yes, but that's just so incredibly dull, don't you think?" a voice interrupted them. "So, you can summon the dead and talk to them, but if they weren't interesting when they were alive what makes you think they'll be so when they're dead?"

Naril straightened, a deep frown on his face, but Rhaena paid him no mind. The man who had just joined them by the balcony was a face she had never expected to see in person.

"Not to mention," the newcomer continued. "People are notoriously stupid. Who's to say you don't summon one of those nitwits with a single digit IQ? And then you're left with a glorious experiment with subpar results. Nothing worse than that."

"Thank you for the unnecessary and frankly pointless council, Mister...?" Naril raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Doctor," Rhaena shook her head, stepping in front of her husband to extend her hand to the other man. "Doctor Oswin Weston, the very same who built the Morne AI and the Dreadnaught Fire-Class Warships that helped us conquer Ellorn and Kostok. It's an honor to meet you."

Oswin smiled easily. "Coming from the woman who helped to stop the last five Awakenings, I'd consider that a rather astounding compliment."

His eyes seemed to sparkle as his gaze drifted over her. Rhaena had certainly heard plenty of stories about Doctor Oswin Weston. He was a figure larger than life, a hero and inventor of such renown that everywhere he went he was met with applause and devotion. Rhaena would have been lying if she said she had never once fantasized about crossing his path and becoming a number in his string of conquests.

But then, Oswin was clapping his hands together and brushing past her onto the balcony where they could speak alone. "Let's get straight to the point, yeah? I'm an incredibly important man who doesn't have a second to waste on inferior minds. Hence, I decided my next vision, my next masterpiece, could only be accomplished with the most talented mind in all of Velara. Who came to mind? None other than you, Rhaena Ilireth. Daughter of an esteemed general, who has made a name for herself all on her own. Genius level IQ. Single-handedly stopped the last five Awakenings, and now you endeavor to speak to the dead. You certainly don't think small. In short, I admire you. I want you as my partner."

"For what exactly?"

"For the impossible. You've already done that. You push past the boundaries of what others tell you can be done every day. Speak to the dead? I know you can accomplish this challenge, but I'd ask you to take it a step further. Don't just reach for the dead for them to tell you about the Void. Reach for the Void itself. Think of it: the final frontier, a place of infinite mystery, just waiting to be explored. Together, we can walk a world the priests say is only for the dead, and the philosophers say is only a figment of our imagination. And, within that Void, the only mystery worth solving: is the Broken Song a song of creation from our goddess, or is it the song of her death?"