“In the city,” Nathaniel continued, “we call this energy the Aether. We all know there’s a source of it here, in your home, and you might think it’s strong, but it’s nothing compared to the source that we had. When we lost it, we lost everything. There’s no way my people could live without it. They didn’t have to leave the city in war, but there was no doubt that they’d have to leave. They couldn’t stay there and survive.”

Nathaniel paused, waiting for T’shan to finish translating. When she had, he looked up at Ta’al, waiting for him to respond. Ta’al spoke slowly, and T’shan followed:

“The energy belongs to us. It is sacred. No one will take it from us.”

Nathaniel unshouldered his pack. It f...

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