It turned out the sky wasn't all blue. At least in some part of the port city of Kimrel. There was a thicket of black smoke that hovered permanently above an area to the north. Lots of chimneys over there. 

Salah racked his brain for some way to get to Valdrell which he'd come to realize was just Valdova. They changed the name. A century was enough for that. What else has changed? He mused to himself. 

Along his musings on how to travel, he had stumbled upon smuggling, country crossing and stealing ideas. Smuggling sounded more sane to him. But how? 

There had to be a transport service in the city where he could hide in a cart or somehow get on that metal carriage. Salah had thought of going back to Grace but discarded the idea after recalling more recent events. I still need my head to be on my shoulders. 

He made a turn on the streets and sunlight stabbed the corner of his eye. Hand raised over his eye, he noticed the sun was well past its peak. Salah quickened his steps, sunset was closing on him like some predator in the safari. I'm not spending another night outside like some bloody drunk! 

Salah set his sights upon a huge sign. 'Train Station'. He peered forward and saw people boarding the metal carriage. A group of men stacked sacks into it at the far end.

A clergyman yelled, "bound for Valdrell and Roysdale. Thirty minutes." 

Leaning against a pillar in the station, Salah observed for any possible smuggling opportunities when an itching feeling caused him to look over his shoulder to see a man wearing a suspicious looking black outfit, standing to his far right, obviously—at least to Salah— trying to be inconspicuous. He had something in his hands. 

Their eyes met and for a second there his eyes narrowed in recognition, which Salah felt was impossible, as anyone who knew him should be either dead or a Sinister. This strange fellow was not a Sinister. Salah could tell, his halo was low like normal men's. 

He tore his eyes away, changing his lounging position on the wall and peeked a glimpse of the fellow just to see him carefully folding away what he held. A paper? Or a drawing of me?! What are the odds? 

Salah made his decision to board that carriage. Normally, he wouldn't shy away from a fight but he was in a world with no allies and other things were far more pressing. Perhaps he should apprehend the man. Find out what he knew. 

His legs already carried him towards the carriage. It had so many wheels. He must have been staring because a man yelled at him. 

"Quit yar ogling boy! Those sacks won't load themselves." He frowned at the sackbellied frog of a man yelling words and spittles on his face. He wore an outfit just like his with a dirty round hat. 

"Don't glare farm boy," the frog warned, "or I'll get someone else." Oh! He must have thought I work for him. The dirt on my clothing probably helped. 

Salah feigned innocence and ducked towards the sacks other men were loading towards the train. Even as he carried the sacks, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of employer doesn't know his employees. Probably a drunk one. Which was just as well. This drunk fool won't notice me hiding in his goods. 

The loading ended and homeboy was exasperated to find out he was the only one winded, despite not starting from the beginning. 

Virtue, who works their employees like beasts of burden? He complained bitterly in his head. This can't be legal.

As his breath came in huffs, frog boss croaked for them to get in the train to Salah's amusement until he saw the cramped space they were to share. All ten of them. Frog boss didn't get in with them. Must have saved a nice spot for himself. 

Salah raked his knees under his chin, doing his best to get comfortable in the uncomfortable space. His eyes flickered outside to see strange fellow getting into the train. He finally heard the name from one of the loaders. 

They discussed among themselves and laughed, oblivious to his and theirs discomfort or they were just used to it. 

"New boy," one called to him, "where you from?" 

The loader who asked had tree trunks for arms and more hair on his lips than head. 

"I— I am… ah. I'm from um…" he stuttered, trying to recall any of the backwaters he knew back in his days. 

"This ones challenged. Twisted tongue," another loader with red hair and copper skin said and the rest shook their in understanding. 

I'm not impaired, you fools. I'm lost! He thought but said nothing. No use arguing. He might as well just listened to their gists and hopefully, might learn something new and helpful. 

****************

Tellese and Hope climbed down the train. She quickly dragged Hope by the wrist to the closest exit. 

"I know you said you know where you're going but is there a reason for the haste?" 

Yes! Imram and friends.

Hope shook her head and let herself be pulled along. 

When they got far enough from the train station. Tellese braced herself for Hope's trail of questions. 

They came. "So where do we go from here?" 

Hmm… just one? 

She gave her sister a rueful smile. "You're telling me this place doesn't look familiar to you?" 

Hope's eyebrows cocked in confusion, eyes taking in the surroundings. The busy streets and organized row of buildings with hawkers and sellers yelling their wares. Some a storey higher than the other."It's supposed to?" 

"Much might have changed but this area feels… familiar. The road to where we last left the mansion should be two more turns from that corner." She pointed ahead at a wide cobbled street. 

Hope nodded slowly and curtsied, "After you, milady." Tellese rolled her eyes and went down the sidewalks. 

The moment they made the last turn, Tellese could see it just ahead. The fifth building in a row of mansions just like it, in a serene street far more beautiful than the ones she had passed getting there.

Home. Beautiful, bold and majestic under the sunlight.  She heard a gasp beside her. "You were right after all." Hope smiled. This time, it was Tellese's turn to be dragged by the wrist. Hope ran and giggled like an eight year old with her first doll —holding Tellese's wrist the entire time. Tellese supposed she was the doll. 

They came to a jolting stop and Tellese immediately saw why. Armed stone faced men in neat uniforms stood outside the gates. Through the rail-fence, Tellese could make out the courtyard. That was new.

Hope resisted her tug to get into an alley before the mansion's end. "Hope…" 

She obliged and joined her in the shade. "Silly me," Tellese began, "we really didn't think the house would be waiting for us after a century?" 

Hope blinked before answering truthfully. "Actually, I did. I mean its ours. We have a claim to it." 

Tellese rubbed her temples. "Yes we do but that was a hundred years ago according to you. Who's going to believe us anyway? Who's still alive to corroborate our story?" 

They stood in silence for a while. "We're taking it back. It's ours, Tel. Ours." There was this cold resolve in her voice. It was familiar and Tellese had missed it. 

She found herself smiling. "Of course we are. I just need time to think." 

Tellese had just began to brainstorm when Hope tapped her shoulders abruptly and pointed. "Who's that?" 

They found me? No, it can't be. 

But when she squinted at the distant figure on the other side of the mansion. He did not look like Imram. And he was well out of her range for mind-surfing. 

"Doesn't he look familiar?" Hope asked, staring intently at the fellow. He was working on something with his hands. 

Virtue, I hope not.

"He does?" 

Hope gave her a sly smile and crossed the cobbled street, marching towards the fellow. "Hope wait!" The words came out in a fierce whisper, almost a hiss. Oh, that girl needs sense at times. 

She crossed after her sister, who didn't turn back to see her, like she knew Tellese would follow. 

They got closer to the fellow and he began to look familiar. He noticed them and paused in what he was doing. 

"Ah…" Hope sighed, "I knew it was you." Balat?

"Hope? Tel?" He barked a laugh and pulled both of them into his warm embrace. Hope's laugh was giddy, so was hers. 

"It's so good to see you both, " Balat said breathlessly, he shoved whatever he had in his hands into his pockets. "Here, this way," he took them deep into the alley. 

Hope clung to him grinning. He grinned back. She shook her head in amusement. These two fight like cats owned by a starved depressed witch, yet here they are.

"How did you two get here? Where have you been?" Balat asked quite impatiently. 

"Well, I've been awake for two days, this should be my third day," Tellese said, "what about you?" 

Balat scratched his hair. That used to be well combed. "Hmm… I've been up for over a week now. It—" 

"A week?!" Tel and Hope exclaimed in unison. 

Balat gave them a skeptical eyebrow. "Yes," he looked behind them and continued, "word is people have been popping up for the past six months." 

She and Hope shared a look. "These people are Sinisters," she dry washed her palms. 

Balat nodded. "And not just us. Even the sentient walls and sapient creatures have all awakened. There was a report two days ago about a man strung up on a stake with his eyes and ears missing. Does that ring a bell?" 

"Eyeless Bob. I thought he was dead?" 

"Apparently he's not and not just him. Game hunts gone wrong. A woman and her family were slaughtered in their backyard. Coppers claiming to have faced men who could bend metal and spit fire." 

All that was a lot to take in. "Coppers?" 

Balat shrugged. "They are just local military with a fancy name and fancy weapons too. Got my hands on some." His eyes flickered to the mansion across the street. "I come here everyday. To look at it like some stranger, hoping and waiting. Maybe part of me knew I would find you here. I thought of sneaking in by myself you know but Joeden talked me out of it." 

"Who's Joeden?" Hope asked. 

Balat smiled. "We should leave here. I'll introduce you. Besides it's getting dark and I'm guessing you don't have a place to stay." 

"I thought that was obvious," Tellese replied dryly, "and I think I've just got an idea."

----------Fun Fact----------

Virtue and Vanity have months named after them. The first and the last month, respectively in the Etherni Calendar.
There are ten months in the modern Etherni Calendar .