she whispered, grabbing Łedzidše’s hand and leaning close, “I promise I’ll never make you do anything you don’t wanna do. If you want to pretend like we never talked, I’ll do the same. But if you really do want some answers, then come here tomorrow.” She let go of his hand, leaving a small slip of paper, and then turned and walked away.

Łedzidše stuffed the slip of paper into his pocket without looking at it. All his instincts told him to destroy it and throw it in the recycling, but curiosity overrode those instincts. Throughout his life, he had trusted those instincts, and they had worked without fail. But those instincts operated on the assumption that the Architect was infallible and Garden was real.

Things were different now.

*     ...

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