“He asked me to look out for you,” Cole said. “When we talked in private.”
“Should I tell you?”
“You have to now. I’m too curious.”
“It’s not just gossip,” she warned. “These secrets matter. People have died because of them.”
Cole thought about that. His life was already nightmarishly hard. Did he really want more danger? Mira obviously needed him. How bad could it be? “Go ahead.”
She gave a nervous giggle. “I’ve never talked about this with anyone who didn’t already know most of the story. You’re so new here. I hardly know where to begin.”
“Just go for it.”
“Do you know about Junction? The High Shaper?”
“Is he like the High King?”
“Yes,” Mira said. “The High Shaper is the High King.”
“Then I know he took some of my friends as slaves,” Cole said bitterly.
“Really?” Mira asked.
“Remember? I came here because my friends were kidnapped.”
“Right. But how do you know they were going to the High King?”
“After I was captured, this woman examined me. She said I had no shaping potential. But some of the others—the ones with potential—were set aside for the High King. That included Dalton and Jenna, two of my best friends.”
“Hmmm,” Mira said. “He must need more slaves with shaping talent. That could be good and bad for your friends.”
“How come?”
“Slaves who can shape get the best treatment. And if they’re going to be slaves, the royal palace is more comfortable than most places they could be working. But the High King is a maniac. Anyone who works near him is in danger.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked.
“It ties directly into my secret. What do you know about how the five kingdoms are governed?”
“Nothing. I don’t even really know what they are.”
She nodded. “There are five major kingdoms in the Outskirts: Sambria, where we are now; Necronum; Elloweer; Zeropolis; and Creon. Junction lies more or less between the kingdoms. It’s the capital of the Outskirts. The five kingdoms used to be governed by five Grand Shapers. The High Shaper ranked above them all and lived in Junction City. Together they formed the Governing Council, and they ruled the Outskirts as a group. Except, around sixty years ago, the High Shaper decided he wanted all the power for himself. The Grand Shaper of Zeropolis became his puppet, and the other four went into hiding.”
“Is this the secret?”
“This is the background. You don’t know any of this, do you?”
“No. Who is the High Shaper now?”
“The same guy,” Mira said. “The more advanced shapers have ways to slow the aging process. They can live for hundreds of years.”
“The Grand Shapers are really powerful?”
“They’re usually the best of the best.”
“So what does this have to do with you?”
“I’m getting there. More than sixty years ago, the High Shaper lived with his wife and five daughters. The five girls all showed promise as shapers. Their father, not so much. Although he came from a long line of shapers, and married a woman who was a powerful shaper, he held his position more by pedigree and political games than by talent. Anyhow, one day, there was a terrible accident, and all his daughters died.”
“What happened?”
“Their carriage went off a bridge into a raging river. It was huge news throughout the Outskirts. All the kingdoms mourned. But I know some secrets about the accident. Secrets that involve the High Shaper. Things he would do anything to cover up.”
“Was he involved?”
Mira stared at Cole in silence. “We’re talking about the most powerful person in all of the Outskirts. And yes, he was behind the accident. He planned it.”
“His own daughters?” Cole asked.
“I don’t think he ever saw them as daughters,” Mira said. “Rivals would be more accurate.”
“The guy killed his own kids?” Cole exclaimed. “And he got away with it?”
“He still rules the Outskirts,” Mira said. “Almost nobody knows what really happened. The High King is ruthless and selfish. He destroyed his own family to get what he wanted. The more his power grows, the more people are seeing that side of him. And his power keeps growing every year. Every day.”
“My friends went to that guy?” Cole asked, feeling ill.
“Hopefully, they won’t work with him directly,” Mira said. “There’s more to the secret, but I shouldn’t share too much yet. The more you know, the more danger you’re in. The High Shaper has killed to keep these secrets and wouldn’t hesitate to kill again. But I wanted you to know enough to appreciate the seriousness of my situation.”
“How did you learn this stuff?” Cole asked.
“My mother is close to the High Shaper,” Mira said. “I used to live in his palace. She still does. If I say much more, I’ll end up telling you everything. My mother sent me away for my safety and then sent Durny to watch over me.”
“Were you and your mother slaves?”
“We weren’t slaves,” Mira said. “I got marked as part of my cover, to help me hide. But whatever the reasons behind my bondmark, having it makes me as much a slave as you or anyone.”
Cole rubbed the arm of the sofa. If Mira was willing to become a slave in order to hide, that alone proved her desperation. “Why tell me?”
After glancing at her door, Mira lowered her voice. “Because Durny and I were planning an escape.”
“From Skyport?”
She nodded.
“How come?”
“My mom uses a special signal to let me know when trouble is coming,” Mira said. “The signal can also guide messengers to me. But she only uses it for emergencies. The signal showed up recently, and Durny decided we needed to relocate.”
“What signal?” Cole asked. “What kind of danger is coming?”
Mira studied Cole. “You can’t leak a word of this. To anyone. Ever.”
“I promise,” Cole said.
“My mom is a shaper. She can put a special star in the sky, right above me. Not a bright one, but it has a distinct pinkish tint.”
“Wait,” Cole said. “She can make a star?”
“She doesn’t create an actual star. That wouldn’t even be useful since the sky changes so much. Think of it as the illusion of a star, high up so it blends with the night sky. The first and only time she did it, my star stayed right above me until Durny found me, then it went away.”
“Should I tell you?”
“You have to now. I’m too curious.”
“It’s not just gossip,” she warned. “These secrets matter. People have died because of them.”
Cole thought about that. His life was already nightmarishly hard. Did he really want more danger? Mira obviously needed him. How bad could it be? “Go ahead.”
She gave a nervous giggle. “I’ve never talked about this with anyone who didn’t already know most of the story. You’re so new here. I hardly know where to begin.”
“Just go for it.”
“Do you know about Junction? The High Shaper?”
“Is he like the High King?”
“Yes,” Mira said. “The High Shaper is the High King.”
“Then I know he took some of my friends as slaves,” Cole said bitterly.
“Really?” Mira asked.
“Remember? I came here because my friends were kidnapped.”
“Right. But how do you know they were going to the High King?”
“After I was captured, this woman examined me. She said I had no shaping potential. But some of the others—the ones with potential—were set aside for the High King. That included Dalton and Jenna, two of my best friends.”
“Hmmm,” Mira said. “He must need more slaves with shaping talent. That could be good and bad for your friends.”
“How come?”
“Slaves who can shape get the best treatment. And if they’re going to be slaves, the royal palace is more comfortable than most places they could be working. But the High King is a maniac. Anyone who works near him is in danger.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked.
“It ties directly into my secret. What do you know about how the five kingdoms are governed?”
“Nothing. I don’t even really know what they are.”
She nodded. “There are five major kingdoms in the Outskirts: Sambria, where we are now; Necronum; Elloweer; Zeropolis; and Creon. Junction lies more or less between the kingdoms. It’s the capital of the Outskirts. The five kingdoms used to be governed by five Grand Shapers. The High Shaper ranked above them all and lived in Junction City. Together they formed the Governing Council, and they ruled the Outskirts as a group. Except, around sixty years ago, the High Shaper decided he wanted all the power for himself. The Grand Shaper of Zeropolis became his puppet, and the other four went into hiding.”
“Is this the secret?”
“This is the background. You don’t know any of this, do you?”
“No. Who is the High Shaper now?”
“The same guy,” Mira said. “The more advanced shapers have ways to slow the aging process. They can live for hundreds of years.”
“The Grand Shapers are really powerful?”
“They’re usually the best of the best.”
“So what does this have to do with you?”
“I’m getting there. More than sixty years ago, the High Shaper lived with his wife and five daughters. The five girls all showed promise as shapers. Their father, not so much. Although he came from a long line of shapers, and married a woman who was a powerful shaper, he held his position more by pedigree and political games than by talent. Anyhow, one day, there was a terrible accident, and all his daughters died.”
“What happened?”
“Their carriage went off a bridge into a raging river. It was huge news throughout the Outskirts. All the kingdoms mourned. But I know some secrets about the accident. Secrets that involve the High Shaper. Things he would do anything to cover up.”
“Was he involved?”
Mira stared at Cole in silence. “We’re talking about the most powerful person in all of the Outskirts. And yes, he was behind the accident. He planned it.”
“His own daughters?” Cole asked.
“I don’t think he ever saw them as daughters,” Mira said. “Rivals would be more accurate.”
“The guy killed his own kids?” Cole exclaimed. “And he got away with it?”
“He still rules the Outskirts,” Mira said. “Almost nobody knows what really happened. The High King is ruthless and selfish. He destroyed his own family to get what he wanted. The more his power grows, the more people are seeing that side of him. And his power keeps growing every year. Every day.”
“My friends went to that guy?” Cole asked, feeling ill.
“Hopefully, they won’t work with him directly,” Mira said. “There’s more to the secret, but I shouldn’t share too much yet. The more you know, the more danger you’re in. The High Shaper has killed to keep these secrets and wouldn’t hesitate to kill again. But I wanted you to know enough to appreciate the seriousness of my situation.”
“How did you learn this stuff?” Cole asked.
“My mother is close to the High Shaper,” Mira said. “I used to live in his palace. She still does. If I say much more, I’ll end up telling you everything. My mother sent me away for my safety and then sent Durny to watch over me.”
“Were you and your mother slaves?”
“We weren’t slaves,” Mira said. “I got marked as part of my cover, to help me hide. But whatever the reasons behind my bondmark, having it makes me as much a slave as you or anyone.”
Cole rubbed the arm of the sofa. If Mira was willing to become a slave in order to hide, that alone proved her desperation. “Why tell me?”
After glancing at her door, Mira lowered her voice. “Because Durny and I were planning an escape.”
“From Skyport?”
She nodded.
“How come?”
“My mom uses a special signal to let me know when trouble is coming,” Mira said. “The signal can also guide messengers to me. But she only uses it for emergencies. The signal showed up recently, and Durny decided we needed to relocate.”
“What signal?” Cole asked. “What kind of danger is coming?”
Mira studied Cole. “You can’t leak a word of this. To anyone. Ever.”
“I promise,” Cole said.
“My mom is a shaper. She can put a special star in the sky, right above me. Not a bright one, but it has a distinct pinkish tint.”
“Wait,” Cole said. “She can make a star?”
“She doesn’t create an actual star. That wouldn’t even be useful since the sky changes so much. Think of it as the illusion of a star, high up so it blends with the night sky. The first and only time she did it, my star stayed right above me until Durny found me, then it went away.”
