The Downside existed at the very edges of the world, where the vast geography of the mainland simply stopped, plunging down the crumbling cliff faces into a sea of impenetrable clouds and mist. On the rare clear day the terrain of the Downside could be seen down below, so impossibly far away that the land appeared little more than splotches of color on an enormous canvas. Air currents funneled down the cliff walls and had, more than once, snatched some unfortunate sightseer who had gotten just a bit too close to the edge. It made getting to the Downside easy.

Once, the Empire had simply thrown their victims off the side to get rid of them, whether as punishment for crimes or as sacrifice to whatever gods they sought to please. Of course, the Commonwealth took a different approach. Exile was much more humane, they'd decided. What good was a punishment if the recipient wasn't alive to learn from it? So they used the river instead, the very river in which Soliam Murr himself had been cast to the Downside. Those convicted (whether they were truly guilty or not) were bound to rafts and set adrift in the currents, floating helpless until the river took them under the earth. They'd thrash and struggle as little by little the breath escaped their lungs. Just as it would seem that death had finally come to claim them they'd wake, gasping and shaking on the shores of the Drowned Sea. Not all survived the journey.

When discussing possibilities for a viable escape route from the Downside, the former Nightwings spoke only once of the river before falling into an uneasy silence, eyes clouded with vivid memories.

In the end they came to a simple solution. The Reader wrote out a letter detailing the plan, addressed it to one Volfred Sandalwood, and gave it to a messenger imp. The next several days were a mad dash in a hastily acquired wagon (that everyone agreed was nowhere near as comfortable at the Blackwagon) trying to keep up with the creature as it tirelessly strove to perform its duty. They'd almost lost sight of it several times, and only through Rukey's sharp nose and Jodariel's tracking skills did they manage to keep up with it.

Now they were here, standing before the mouth of a cave hidden deep in the northern mountains listening to the flapping of the imps wings as it vanished into the darkness.

"Well," Rukey said into the stunned silence. "This is… something alright."

The cave for impressive. It had to have been centuries old with how wide the opening was and the stalactites that dripped low from the ceiling like the fangs of some enormous beast. So little light reached it here in the deep crevices of the valley that the interior gave way to an inky blackness after only a few feet.

"This is it," Hedwyn breathed, studying intently the contours of the cave mouth. "We've found what may be the only path to and from the Downside."

"Considering where we are I'm not surprised that no one else has found this place," Jodi commented. "Hmph, not as though anyone would have come looking before now."

"We walk where even the Scribes have not," Shae whispered reverently, coming up beside the Reader and clutching her arm. "Oh, Miss Reader, isn't it beautiful!"

'Beautiful' was not the word the Reader would use to describe it. The cave seemed uninviting at least, not to mention dark and damp and echoing with strange sounds. But still…

"If this is the answer to our problems, Shae, than its the most beautiful place in the world," she replied, drawing the girl close.

"'If' being the keyword here," Jodi said. "We won't know until our little imp friend returns."

"Then maybe we should camp here?" Hedwyn suggested. "It's getting late as it is, and there's a chance we might get a reply come tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rukey said as he stretched from his neck to the tip of his tail. "Ugh, I feel like my paws are gonna fall off."

"What do you say, Reader?" Hedwyn asked, though it was really just a formality. The sun had long since dipped behind the mountains, leaving the valley in the deep shade and shivering chill of early night.

"I don't see why not," she replied. "Besides, its been a while since we've all slept under the stars. What do you think, Dearest?" She looked to Jodi to see a small smile tugging at the Demon woman's lips.

"I think I should gather some firewood," she replied, turning to trudge off into the nearby glade. "Keep an eye out for Howlers while I'm gone."

"Be careful!" the Reader called after her. "Come on Shae, help me unpack some things. Are you alright with cooking tonight Hedwyn?"

"Absolutely!" he replied, already going through their bag of provisions an picking out a selection of vegetables. "I haven't had time to cook properly in ages!"

They fell easily into the routine, and soon after Jodi returned with a heap of firewood they had Hedwyn's cooking pot brought to a simmer that filled the small clearing with mouth watering smells. The time they spent gathered around the fire as they laughed and gorged themselves on Hedwyn's stew was a familiar comfort. Remembering the Downside was painful, but moments like these had always been kept close to the Reader's heart.

Rukey passed out not long after the last of the food had been polished off, sprawled out on his back while his feet twitched in time with his dreams. Jodi tended the fire while Shae and the Reader carried the empty dishes to a nearby stream to wash them out.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" Shae asked to fill the silence. "Everyone else. Everyone we left behind?"

"I'm sure we will," the Reader told her. "Maybe not soon, but one way or another, we'll see them again."

Shae hummed softly, expression solemn. "I miss Ti'zo," she said. "He was such fun to play and catch fish with. We were such wonderful friends." She looked at the Reader with large amber eyes. "Do you think he misses me too?"

"Oh, my dear," The Reader smiled, tucking a stray curl back into place. "I know he does. Life must be so much darker without you in it. We'll bring him back, don't you worry."

Shae's smile was like a flash of sunlight and it filled the Reader's heart fit to overflowing. That smile, at least, was worth the risk.

Jodi was waiting for them when they returned. "There you two are," she said in a half whisper. Behind her, Hedwyn had already tucked himself into his bedroll and was softly snoring. "I figured I would take first watch, since those two are already down for the count. You should both get to bed."

"In a moment," the Reader replied, ushering Shae into her own blankets with a kiss on the forehead before settling down next to Jodi. Her arm wound around the Reader's waist, pulling her close to her side. The Reader relaxed against the warmth of Jodi's body and together they watch the flames, much as they had before.

"Sol for your thoughts, Dearest?" the Reader asked after a moment.

Jodi started and gave an amused huff. "Felt that, did you?"

"Not really. It's just that your nose scrunches up like that when you're thinking." The Reader raised a bandaged finger and tapped her on the nose as though to demonstrate. Jodi chuckled and caught hold of the hand attached to it, giving it a gentle squeeze while her expression turned thoughtful.

"I still have my doubts about this whole escapade," she admitted. "The chances of this working are slim, and even then I'm being generous. But," she paused, eyes bright with possibility. "The thought that perhaps it will work keeps tugging on my mind. What this would mean for the Union, perhaps even the whole world… I have to admit that it's an attractive thought…"

"I know what you mean," the Reader told her. "Especially now when we're so close. Look." She pointed up at the patch of star spangled sky above, and specifically at a point of light hovering just on the fringes in the southeast. Though its glow had lost much of its brilliance it was recognizable all the same. "That's Triesta's star. The Nest must not be too far from here."

"You can still read the stars?"

"A bit. They're not a bright as they once were, but I don't think I could forget those patterns if I tried." The Reader's eyes narrowed as she continued to stargaze. "Why did it happen? Why did the stars fade and the Rites end? The question plagues me still, even after all this time."

"I don't believe the answer is one that we'll ever know," Jodi replied. "Maybe the Scribes, wherever they are, deemed that it was time to put a stop to it. Or It might have simply been the natural end of things. Either way, its over now, and all we can do is keep moving forward."

The Reader smiled and snuggled closer to Jodi's side. "Of course, you're right as usual Dearest. Still, you know me. I can't help but be a bit curious."

"Ah, that brilliant mind of yours will be the death of me one day, Dear One," Jodi chuckled, lifting a hand to thumb lightly at the Reader's chin. "But I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Flatterer," the Reader whispered, stretching up to give Jodi a kiss. "Keep complimenting me like that and I might just have to repay you."

"Perhaps not here in the wilderness with the children nearby," Jodi answered, smirking around the kisses. "But I'll hold you to it for when we get home."

"Deal." With a final kiss the Reader rose from her seat and circled around the fire to where her bedroll was rolled out beside the peacefully sleeping Shae. "Goodnight, Dearest Jodi," she called softly.

"Goodnight, my Dear Reader." Jodi replied. The Reader settled into her blankets with a smile on her face, a warmth in her heart, and a hope that things were beginning to fall into place.

Alright seriously, what the hell is the Downside? Like, is it an actual physical place, or is it an ethereal purgatory? Is it both? Is it neither? We just don't freaking know. Obviously people in the Commonwealth know that it actually exists and use it for a specific purpose, though perhaps without really knowing what it takes to get there. Hmmmmm...
I'm personally leaning towards a little bit of both, mostly since I want to go and rescue everyone I left behind, and it being an actual real place makes conceptualizing that a little easier. Whether its one or the other, it'd be a real challenge trying to go back to a place that's supposed to be inescapable. I suppose we'll just have to see...