Rust - 2. Chapter 2: Dinner

Chapter 2: Dinner

 

Colin wandered about Alexi's pent house. It had been furnished with the most expensive things imagined. Tapestries of battles hung from the walls, but Colin could not understand where such battles would occur. Tall individuals riding winged lizards, a woman wielding a torrent of water from her fingers, a young man plunging a dagger into another young man as they embrace. Colin touched the tapestry that hung the length of the wall that led towards Alexi's room.

 

The door had been shut for some time; Alexi must have been sleeping before dinner. Colin watched the suns glimmer across the picture windows that encased the pent house, as slowly light faded away and night crept across the city. Lights exploded, giving the air a dirty glow. Rust was different at night.

 

Colin stood at the window watching the small lights move along the streets below, a circuit board of individuals that did not care about one another, only of themselves. Colin was custom to being alone, most Stewards were. Their masters would retire for the day; Colin stood watch, as was his duty. He had trained his mind not to wander; it was a blank slate, something Colin was grateful for.

 

He could hear the instructors now, while he was training to protect his Binding partner, "Your mind is your enemy. If you feel, you will not achieve victory! Sorcerers will use your mind against you...Richardson! Focus!" Colin could see the bare white room, on his knees, shirtless, sweating. A man in crimson stood over him, yelling as he pressed something to Colin's temple. Colin winced, forcing his screams down, "A filthy sorcerer can make you kill everything you know with a mere snap of his fingers! Protect your mind; control it and you shall defeat all in your path."

 

A door opened.

 

Colin turned, as Alexi wandered from his room dressed in loose evening gown. The Dredger scuttled out of a side room towards him.

 

 

"I must get dressed," the Third Son of Saron announced. The Dredger nodded, however Alexi held up his arm to bar her from his room. "No, not you. Clean the bathroom again. Your usefulness is waning, woman." She bowed and vanished once more. Colin wondered what she did when Alexi did not have use for her. "You." Colin was lost in his own thoughts as he looked to Alexi.

 

"Yes, Master?"

 

"Dress me."

 

"I beg your pardon?" Colin quickly added, "Master.."

 

"Dress me. Do you not understand what I am saying, Steward?" Alexi snapped.

 

"If I may speak freely," Colin did not wait for Alexi to approve, "I believe that is the job of your Dredger, is it not?"

 

"On a regular occasion, yes. However, I choose you." Alexi pointed towards his Steward.

 

"If you will it, then it is done, Master." Colin sighed.

 

"Good, come." Alexi turned, gliding back into his den. Colin followed, shuffling his boots across the marble.

 

Crossing the threshold, Colin stood in the room of his charge. It was vast. The bed was pushed against the far right wall. A large window gave an expensive view of Rust. Various items noted the amount of money, silk sheets drifted across the doorway onto a private balcony. Colin noticed a large painting of the High Father lifted high above an equally handsome fireplace. The furniture was only of the best material, Colin let his finger slowly trail across the wood dresser.

 

"Your Dredger does not clean here?" Colin asked, stepping over a chair hung with dress shirts.

 

"I did not ask for your critique of my chambers. Take this." Alexi stood on a portion of the floor that was not covered in clothing. He held out his arms, as if he was ready to jump from the building. Colin only wished.

 

Reluctantly, Colin found himself standing behind Alexi. He curled his fingers into the fabric of the robe Alexi wore, slowly stripping it from his Master. Colin gathered the robe and folded it neatly. Colin stared at the pale skin of Alexi. It appeared soft to the touch, although Colin did not venture to confirm this. The frame of Alexi showed the boy participated in some sort of athletics, Colin’s eyes strolled the contours.

 

"Is there something wrong?" Alexi asked. Not hearing a response, he continued, "My pants." Colin gulped; the room had become heavy, hot. Edging closer, Colin reached down, his thumbs curving under the elastic of the silken pants. Slowly, he pulled them down, as Alexi raised his legs accordingly. Colin forced his eyes to not look at the naked Son of Saron. Folding the pants, he set them near the robe.

 

Alexi turned, as Colin let out a small breath, his eyes locked with Alexi. He had not noticed the dirty smirk on his Master’s face. "The dresser, behind you." Colin eyes begged him to look elsewhere, but he fought whatever was pushing his mind in that direction. The Steward nodded, turning to the dresser.

 

"What do you wish to wear, Master?" Colin said, almost a whisper. "Nothing?" Colin whimpered.

 

"What?"

 

"What do you wish to wear?" He asked again. There was a moment of silence. It felt uneasy.

 

"There are pants there, black ones, get those." Colin nodded, finding the pants. Turning back to face his naked Master, Colin thrust them toward Alexi. The Saron boy laughed, "Put them on."

 

Colin flushed with annoyance. This was humiliating. "Children require aid to get dressed."

 

"Ah, yes you are correct, Steward," Alexi paused motioning for Colin to circle behind him, "But a child of royalty need not care what someone like you has to say." Colin focused on the pants; they felt expensive, the fabric did. Did Alexi feel expensive? The Steward found his eyes glancing, for a moment, just to see.

 

Colin, now behind Alexi, assisted the Son of Saron. Pulling the pants up, they meshed perfectly with his slender body. Colin's thumbs traveled around the pant line, towards Alexi front as the Steward made for the fly, attempting to button it for his Master. Almost too vigorously.

 

A hand slowly nudged Colin's away, "I shall do that." Colin stepped back, flushed. Alexi buttoned his pants, moving in a circle, "Perfect. Now, my shirt. There." He pointed to a closet that appeared to be a cave in itself. Colin ventured in.

 

The closet was lined with clothing and accessories, "Do you wear all of this?" Colin asked.

 

"At some point, yes," Alexi replied. Colin shifted through the clothing. It was too much.

 

"What do you wish to wear, Master?"

 

"You decide." Alexi answered. He sounded busy with something.

 

"My fashion sense is limited to my uniform, Master."

 

"Excuses are like Dredgers,” Alexi chuckled. ”Dirty and far too many in number," Colin scowled out the closet door. The Steward searched the clothing, finding a suitable dress shirt for his Master to wear.

 

Returning to the bedroom proper, Alexi was waiting in the same position. A gun was nestled in his pant strap. Alexi noticed Colin's eyes on the gun.

 

"You do not need to carry a weapon, Master." Colin said, as Alexi held out his arms. Colin began to mold the shirt to Alexi's upper torso.

 

"A precaution." The Son of Saron muttered.

 

"Do you fear an attack?" Colin asked, fastening the wrist cuffs. He slid around to the front of Alexi. The Steward focused on the buttons that lined Alexi's hairless chest. Colin's fingers would occasionally touch the incredibly soft skin, buttoning each button, slowly upward towards the neck.

 

"I do not know. One cannot be so sure in this City, don't you agree?" Alexi’s voice held uncertainty. Colin shrugged. "Find a tie." Alexi pointed to a drawer near the closet. Colin went and retrieved a purple tie. "Perfect." Returning to his Master, Colin prepared the tie. Leaning forward, closer to Alexi, he slowly put the tie around his Master’s head, bringing it down to the collar to finish.

 

"There." Colin slowly pressed the tie with his palm, his eyes finally meeting Alexi's for the first time in that long few minutes. His Master wandered into the bathroom, adjacent to the large room.

 

"Good." Alexi exited his room, Colin following. The Dredger was waiting outside, "Clean it." Alexi thrust his thumb over his shoulder, indicating his room. The woman nodded. She shot Colin a confused look, or was it anger? Did she think she had been replaced? "Come, little Steward." Alexi motioned for the elevator. "We are to dine with my family. It is not different to those you most likely dined with your previous charge, at whatever hovel of a home she lived."

 

"Do not speak of her like that." Colin said sharply.

 

"Well, my suggestion to you is that you speak less," Alexi clicked the elevator button, the tinkling bell signaled the doors to open, "In general." Colin said nothing. Both entering the elevator they soared down several floors.

 

They rode in silence, eventually arriving at an undisclosed floor, which had no number or rank. Another marble foyer greeted the two, several men in suits standing around idly. At the arrival of Alexi they stood straight, moving away from the two large doors that Alexi and Colin would soon go through.

 

"Has my mother arrived?" Alexi asked one of the men in suits.

 

"No, Master Alexi, she has not. Your brothers are within, however."

 

Alexi said nothing further, as the two large doors opened to reveal a gigantic dining room. It had the capacity to hold hundreds of people, shoulder to shoulder. The center of the dining hall was taken by a beautifully gilded table, fashioned with the finest cutlery, golden goblets and plates of the finest material. Colin noticed Dredgers placed strategically along the walls, each would probably serve a single Saron noble. Their dark faces held nothing but indifference.

 

"My dear brother, welcome." The source of the voice, Issac Saron, sat to the left side of the table. His Steward stood idly behind him, a lanky dark haired youth. Issac wore a suit of bright red. Alexi glanced to his brother, raising an eyebrow slightly.

 

"I was unsure if you were to be invited."

 

Issac laughed, elegantly pausing to sip a glass of wine before replying, "I was to think the same for you, the youngest. This dinner is to announce his successor, do you not know?"

 

Colin watched Alexi sit lavishly in one of the chairs, equally as gilded as the table. Colin positioned himself near his Master, Issac's Steward eyed Colin like a piece of meat.

 

"Father will not die, do not speak such things. If he knew you spoke of his end, he would have you hang by your testicles," Alexi chuckled, "If you had any."

 

"Must we resort to childishness, brother?" Issac stood, cradling the glass of wine with his palm as he sipped it, "To think, Rust with a new High Father." Alexi's brother left his chair to stare out the window over the city of Rust.

 

"You speak as if he is already dead, brother. Do not speak that so boldly, I implore," Alexi motioned for a Dredger to pour him a glass as well. His call was answered, filling one before Alexi, "Lest I kill you myself for speaking ill of Father?" Alexi raised the glass with a smirk before sipping it.

 

"Do not speak to Master Issac in such a way!" The voice rose from Issac's Steward.

 

"Issac, control your dog or I shall find a muzzle." Alexi drawled. Colin noticed Issac rest a hand upon his Stewards shoulder, whispering something.

 

The doors to the dining room opened. Fredrick Saron entered, his female Steward in tow. Fredrick opted to wear a suit of blue, as opposed to his younger brother, Issac.

 

"Are the children fighting once more?" Fredrick’s voice was as smooth as the wine the Sarons would drink that night.

 

"Alexi was merely mouthing off, brother. Nothing new." Issac had returned to his seat, where another glass of wine was being poured for him.

 

"Ah, such is the tale of youth in this realm. Tonight, brothers, we shall know who truly was adored by father," Colin noticed the vigor in Fredrick’s blue eyes. "Where is our sister? You," Fredrick pointed to a nearby Dredger, "Find Diana, at once." The dark faced servant nodded, shuffling off. Fredrick sat next to Issac, "Wine, now." A Dredger responded to the call. Both the Stewards of the eldest brothers began to talk quietly behind their Masters.

 

"Alexi, is this your new toy?" Issac asked, the glass he held motioned towards Colin.

 

"Toy?" Alexi sipped his wine, "Your vocabulary is astonishing, brother. This is my new Steward." Alexi sounded proud. Colin puffed his chest out slightly.

 

"They are not cars, little brother. You cannot change them out every so often. You know very well the magic rips at your soul at some point...so many Bindings can do that to one’s soul." Fredrick said. He sounded sincere, Colin knew otherwise.

 

"Dominick was hopeless," Alexi informed, "I needed something stable. He will do." The way they spoke made Colin hate them, all of them.

 

"I hope he will indeed..."do"..." Issac chortled, sipping his wine. Fredrick laughed in unison with his brother. The door of the dining hall made noise once more, several robed men entered. Their heads shaven, the flowing robes they wore bore the seal of the Saracellum, the Sorcerers council. Nikolai approached.

 

"Oh my, the 'other' brother arrives," Fredrick breathed into his glass, Issac echoed laughter.

 

Nikolai strode through the doors, his envoys lining up along the wall devoid of Dredger servants.

 

"Brothers!" Colin noticed Nikolai's pristine features, as if he never aged. The thick rimmed glasses gleaned off the light in the dining hall. Colin knew he was something different. Alexi sat up in his chair, Colin knew Alexi felt the same way. "I do apologize for my lateness.... oh, Mother has not arrived." The sorcerer glanced around. Colin noticed Nikolai wore intricate robes, the hems sewn with scintillating runes. Colin knew those, Nikolai was wearing robes associated with battle. But why?

 

"Yes, she is late. As usual." Issac sighed.

 

Nikolai moved toward Alexi, sitting next to his younger brother. Colin noticed the sorcerer glance up, beaming. Colin gave a small smile back. "Now now, Issac. She has her reasons, I am sure."

 

"She has been with Father for hours, never leaving his room. Do you know of his condition? Has he said anything?"

 

"Yes, I shall explain later when Mother arrives," Nikolai pointed to the robe envoys who had entered with him, "My apprentices shall explain further....oh, wine, please," Nikolai leaned around, smiling towards a Dredger who obliged. "Thank you, thank you," the sorcerer nodded, sipping at the wine. "Delectable, where is this from?" Nikolai examined the crimson liquid.

 

"A private store of Father’s,” Alexi said. “Several centuries old, I believe."

 

"Lovely." Nikolai drank further.

 

"What of the Saracellum, Nikolai? How fares...the magic?" Most knew that Issac opposed magic all together. His attempt to kill Nikolai years ago failed when the sorcerer killed the forty seven men Issac hired. Nikolai never held a grudge. After the attempt at his life, he took charge of the great tower in the east of Rust, the Saracellum where all Sorcerers dream of studying.

 

"It fares well, brother. We are reaching a monumental moment in our research." Nikolai raised his glass to the robed men who nodded in approval.

 

"What is that?" Fredrick asked.

 

"A way to curb the usage of magic into that of benevolence, rather than violence. To cure, perhaps to heal indefinitely. It has come at no better time, with Father recently becoming ill." Nikolai sounded confident, proud.

 

"I dare say you would use Father as an experiment, Nikolai." Fredrick said.

 

"You think I would do such a thing to Father?" Nikolai gasped, "Never, brother. I merely imply that if our studies quicken, perhaps the ailment Father has can be cured. Simple as that." Issac muttered something, Colin did not catch it.

 

"Where is Mother?" The room, dominated by males, save for Fredrick’s Steward, added a beautiful female who stood at the doors. Diana Saron, the first and only Daughter of Saron.

 

"Sister," the brothers said in unison, standing at her arrival.

 

"Sit, fools." The Saron heiress wore her hair with a crown of silver and a dress of bright yellow. Her hair reflected that of her mother’s beautiful white locks. The brothers sat. Diana's Steward followed silently, an older male with a gray beard and beady black eyes. "Where is Mother?"

 

"With Father, still." Alexi said. Diana found her place next to Issac.

 

"Pity, I am rather famished. Wine, please..." she called out. "Alexi, is that your new Steward?" Diana looked to Colin, a light smile upon her face.

 

"Yes, sister. New. Our brothers think I treat my Stewards as if they were cars." Alexi sipped at his wine, glaring over the rim at Issac and Fredrick.

 

"Hardly. Dominick was rather faulty. I would suspect his removal was sooner than later." Diana glanced at Issac, then to Fredrick, "I dare say Fredrick would get rid of his Steward so quickly," Fredrick fidgeted in his seat, the cheeks of his female Steward blushed intensely. Diana smiled to herself.

 

The sound of footsteps had all the children of Saron look towards the door. They each rose, slowly, some more reluctant than others. The High Mother of Saron entered; her flowing gown, bare feet, unmatched beauty. Her retainers flooded the room.

 

"Sit." She ordered her children. They did. A Dredger pulled the chair at the head of the table for the High Mother. She sat, her gown settling around her in dust silence. Her eyes traveled the table, searching her children.

 

"Nikolai." She chose a target.

 

"Yes, Mother?" Nikolai adjusted his glasses.

 

"What of the Father of Rust? What of my husband? Speak." Nikolai inclined his head and stood, he signaled for his apprentices. One by one they shuffled to him, exchanging papers from a small folder. Nikolai examined them a moment.

 

"He is stable," Nikolai glanced toward his mother for a reaction, he was only met with a cold stare, "I have surmised it a curse."

 

"A curse? On the family of Saron? How can this be?" She sat up in her throne.

 

"I do not know. I cannot access any memories from the walls of the Tower to indicate an intruder. All of the wards set by the House sorcerers were not broken, even the ones I have woven higher in the Tower near your own chambers, Mother."

 

The Mother of Rust fell into contemplation, "What more of your report?" She asked, her tone softer, calculating.

 

Colin had noticed the rest of the room had gone silent, even the bickering siblings.

 

"I believe it to be a curse of shadows and pestilence. I have spent many hours since he became ill, Mother, and I cannot find a way to break it," Nikolai returned the papers he barely even regarded to the nearest apprentice, "I have failed you." He bowed his head.

 

The High Mother sighed, "Don't be silly, my son. You are indeed the finest sorcerer in this City, in all of the realms that are beyond these realms..." Nikolai smiled lightly, inclining his head once more.

 

"I do have another bit of information crucial to our investigation," he paused, turning a moment to glance out the large windows surrounding the dining hall. The lights of the city glittered, the drone of the traffic below was only a murmur this high in the Saron Tower. "Odd... Now, I believe the curse originated outside the City. If you permit me, Mother, I will--"

 

Nikolai was unable to finish.

 

Glass rained about the dining hall, dark figures entered through the windows. Shouting was heard, an odd mist soon suffocated the room.

 

Colin was lost in the confusion. Alexi screamed something. Colin reached for Alexi, only to grasp air. Nikolai swooped past Colin in the dense mist, a font of light exiting his finger tips. The sorcerer’s target screamed, his eyes pouring blood. The combatants were soon engulfed by the swirling mist.

 

Colin felt the air tingle. Powerful magic was being cast, he caught a glimpse of the High Mother shouting an order. She clutched a pistol in her hand, aiming it into the mist.

 

Flames erupted from the walls, traveling up the fine wood paneling. The blaze desecrated the gilded columns, chandeliers. Colin through the choking smoke and mystical fog saw the burnt remains of the Dredgers. They wore no magical protection, forbidden to them. For a moment the smoke parted, Colin spotted Alexi. His heart beat faster than anything he had ever felt before.

 

A dark figure loomed over the Third Son, a dagger glinted in the firelight. Colin sprinted toward Alexi.

 

Colin lunged in the air, arms outstretched toward the shadowy assassin. Something met him half way, a swirling mass of darkness connected with his chest sending him in the opposite direction. The Steward slammed against the door to the dining hall. His head swam.

 

He coughed, the smoke was overwhelming. A blurry figure strolled through the swirling mist. Robe hems tickled Colin's nose, the Steward craned his neck.

 

"A new Steward?" The voice was cold. Was that a laugh? "What a pity." The hem of the dark robes moved away. Colin tried to move, but his body rejected the order, forcing pain down his spine. He sputtered.

 

"Alexi..." His throat scratched, his voice long lost to the choking smoke. Colin stuck his palm to the marble and pushed upward, pain arching through his back. Grinding his teeth through the pain, Colin stood. The robed figure gestured the dagger wielding assassin away.

 

"He is mine," the spectre hissed.

 

"No!" Colin roared charging, despite the pain, toward the cloaked magus, "He is mine!"

 

There was a scream, a flash of ametrine.

 

Colin felt breathing on his neck; soft, slow breaths. His body knelt before Alexi's, his right arm extended to the wall for support. The two were surrounded by beautiful scintillating lines of color.

 

The breathing of the Steward was labored. Alexi, in the small space they had behind the runic shield, stared at his protector. Outside the barrier, the magus roared in anger, as another blast of purple light collided with the shield. It had no effect. The assassin melted into the fiery smoke to join battle elsewhere.

 

Another explosion rocked the dining room.

 

"You saved me," Alexi breathed. He reached up, grabbing Colin's shoulder, pulling him closer.

 

"Don't...break my concentration...." Colin gasped, his eyes clamped shut.

 

The sounds outside the barrier resided. The rainbow geometry swirling around the two vanished, and Colin collapsed next to Alexi, sweat beading across his brow.

 

There was a swirl of air, as the smoke was forced out of the dining hall. The cold air of the night crept in. The dining room was exposed, a wretched battlefield.

 

The moonlight trickled through the window, illuminating some of the carnage. Colin saw Nikolai wave his hand through the air, several of the lights returned to life.

 

Bodies were impaled on the various chandeliers throughout the dining hall. Others were merely a pile of ash. Nikolai's apprentices were nowhere to be seen, probably dead.

 

The High Mother stood frustrated, her gown torn and spattered with blood. Issac stood near his Steward, a wicked-looking sword in his grip. Frederick was kneeling near his Steward in another corner.

 

"Orleons," Nikolai stated.

 

"How dare they!" The High Mother roared, her voice would travel across the City and all would know her fury, "Disrupt a dinner...before it even starts! How do you know it was they?"

 

"The sorcerer with them, Ordecka Orleons. The House sorcerer. He is... a rival."

 

"A rival? Dispose of him, Nikolai! LEVEL THEIR TOWER TO SMOLDERING RUIN!" She stormed from the room, devoid of her Dredger escort. They consisted of ash.

 

Nikolai waited till she exited, before he bustled toward Colin and his own brother.

 

"Colin! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" The sorcerer knelt near the Steward.

 

"No...no, I am fine. Sore..." Nikolai beamed, nodding.

 

"Fantastic, Alexi?" Nikolai looked to his brother.

 

"Yes, fine." A nod, he stood; Colin followed suit, wincing slightly at the pain in his chest.

 

"Very good, very good." Nikolai stood, tapping his chin. Colin searched the sorcerer’s face, he was thinking. The Steward could see the magnificent gears moving. "This is odd."

 

"What, brother?" Alexi asked very suddenly, almost frightened.

 

"The wards on this dining hall...they were taken down." Nikolai adjusted his glasses, a gloved hand snaked from deep within his cloak. The fingers played along the walls, his eyes closed a moment. "Yes, completely gone. Dispelled even."

 

"How?" Colin asked.

 

"Well, if one knows the fundamentals of a ward; as you should, Steward," Nikolai opened his eyes, shooting Colin a playful smile, "They can be easily taken down if you know their purpose and the focal point of the ward itself. Those who...share blood can easily re-write another spell...." Nikolai trailed off in thought, "Hmph, no matter. Go to your room, Alexi. Colin, attend to him. I am going to look into something." Nikolai turned, and in a graceful flick of his cloak he launched himself from the dining room and out of the shattered window.

 

Colin scrambled toward the window, leaning over. Alexi joined him. The cold air tickled their faces.

 

"I hope he is alright." Colin could not see any sign of the sorcerer.

 

"He is very powerful, you know." Alexi said, "I wish father would choose him as an heir. Something different would happen, something historic if they chose Nikolai."

 

Colin said nothing for a moment, the cool air was refreshing. "We should return to your room, Master."

 

"Yes, we should. Come." Colin followed Alexi. Dredgers soon entered the dining hall, their job to clean up the remains of the battle.

 

"You seem shaken, Master." Colin commented as they slowly made their way through the tower. Men in suits flooded the halls, bodyguards no doubt. Occasionally a robed sorcerer would glide past. Colin noticed some touching the walls, in the same way Nikolai had done.

 

"That was far too close to home, especially from Orleons," Alexi started, "We have never entered their Tower, ever. This was something different. That sorcerer... he wanted to kill me..."

 

"If I may, Master, I would suspect most Orleons wish to kill you."

 

"Valid point, as our families have quarreled for eons. But this was different. Something in his eyes, it was so..." he finally looked to Colin, the Steward saw concern once more in the Third Son of Saron, "Victorious."

 

"They only were met with defeat, Master. Long live Saron." Colin knew the fealty to the House was bound, regardless if he despised the ideals of Saron.

 

"Indeed." Alexi let silence intervene a moment, "Steward?"

 

"Yes, Master." Colin smiled, for whatever reason, Alexi noticed and stared a moment.

 

"I... nevermind. I do not wish to be disturbed tonight. Find use for yourself elsewhere."

 

"Of course." Colin nodded, his neck suddenly hurt. Wincing, he followed Alexi silently back to the upper levels of the Tower. The corridors were filled with traffic, uniformed protectors bustled about in a number that could give the House Saron a small army.

 

Settling back into the apartment, Alexi made for his bedroom; the sound of the shutting door signaling his departure.

 

Colin stood a moment, stretching. A pain arched across his back. Wincing to look, he had been wounded. The Dredger that frequented Alexi's personal apartment came from no where.

 

"Hello again." Colin feigned a smile. She nodded and gestured to the wound. "Yes, do you have anything to clean it with?" She motioned to follow, Colin did. In silence, the Dredger took off his dirty uniform and began to patch his few battle wounds. Nothing was said. Colin watched her hands, dexterous, as if she had done this before.

 

After she was done, she traded Colin's dirty uniform for a set of plain clothes. Colin took them with a smile. The night slowly crept over the city, further and further, darker across the Openness. The wasteland that expanded outside the walls, he could watch it all from the windows of Alexi's apartment. Soon his eyes felt heavy and he sank into the plush couches of the living room, sleep quickly overtaking him.