Aurora, the city of nightmares... Taking in the sight below, it seemed an apt title.

Kalin came forward to stand beside me. "The Crawler did this," she explained, waving a hand over the empty buildings. "It appeared five years ago, bringing darkness and death."

If Walter and I hadn't been able to defend ourselves against the creature, I could only imagine how well unarmed townspeople had fared.

Kalin led us down the candlelit stairway as she continued. "The few of us who still live have known nothing but fear since. We never know when it will come. And we cannot hope to defeat the creature and its spawn without an army." She paused mid-step and turned to face me. Her expression was grim. "Even with someone like you by our side."

I think she expected me to argue with that assessment. Instead, I simply nodded in agreement. My experience with the Crawler had been humbling, to say the least.

Considering me, her eyes narrowed briefly before she turned back to the stairs. She didn't speak again until we'd reached the bottom.

"Ben Finn speaks most highly of you, but you are not the first savior to come here."

She began to say something else, but shook her head and stuck the end of her staff into the sand decisively. "Please, walk our streets. See for yourself, and then we may talk more."

I looked expectantly at Ben.

"Go ahead. I've seen enough already." He shivered in the warm afternoon air. "I think I'll go check up on Walter." He turned back toward the temple and started taking stairs two at a time. His quick retreat made me apprehensive.

Nodding a temporary goodbye to Kalin, I whistled for Dog and we began our exploration of the city. He barked excitedly and charged down the hill. I sighed and hobbled after him.

Running was actually exactly what I needed. I had no idea how long I'd been in recovery at the temple, but if the condition of my quadriceps was any indicator, it had been a while. By the time we reached the first row of abandoned homes, they'd loosened up tremendously. It felt good to be outside again.

Almost tripping over a dead body half buried in the sand brought an abrupt end to that.

I picked my path far more carefully afterward. Unperturbed, Dog led me from building to building, whining and scratching at anything out of the ordinary. Several villagers had left heartbreaking notes behind as testament to what had happened. I began to cringe every time Dog barked.

Scanning the dark windows above for any sign of life, I almost didn't see the man kneeling beneath a small shrine in an alcove beside one of the doorways. He stood and turned to face me when he heard our approach.

"You are the one who survived the desert night." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes," I agreed.

"We have not had much fortune with outsiders, but as you can see, fortune deserted us long ago." He gazed disinterestedly at me with eyes heavily shadowed by lack of sleep. "You have come to a cursed land."

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Everybody else seems to be hiding." At least I hoped they were hiding. The alternative wasn't something I wanted to think about very much.

He turned back toward the shrine and used a burning candle to relight one that had gone out. "I am honoring the dead. My wife and my child. And I stand here because I do not fear joining them."

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. Nothing I said would make his loss any less devastating. I realized I'd inadvertently intruded on a very personal moment.

"You may read their memorials if you wish. There are many elsewhere. On statues, doorways... Wherever a memory will allow itself to live on." The set of his shoulders told me I'd been dismissed.

I left the poor man to mourn his family in peace.

The sound of my steps crunching in the sand made the silence afterward feel more oppressive. Even Dog seemed subdued. It was time to return to Kalin.

Not surprisingly, she was still waiting where we'd left her. "Now maybe you know some of what we have suffered. But as I said before, you are not the first outsider to come here."

After all I'd witnessed, I was surprised to find myself actively curious. "Who was the other?"

"His name was Logan. The King of Albion."

I think my heart stopped beating for a second. Logan? But how could that–

"Seems your big brother has been keeping secrets." Coming down the stairs, Ben had overheard the exchange. "He used to go on expeditions all the time, remember? Until about four years ago..." His voice trailed off, his expression thoughtful.

True, Logan had used to travel often. As a little girl, I'd been unbearably jealous. Even with a full retinue of guards, I'd rarely been allowed as far as Bowerstone Market, yet he'd always had the freedom to go where and when he pleased. Shortly after Logan inherited the crown, he became a recluse in comparison. I'd always just assumed he was overwhelmed by administrative duties. Maybe there was more to it than that...

Kalin gave me a moment to absorb the news before continuing. "He, too, faced the Crawler. He saw all his soldiers killed by the darkness and nearly died himself. But he survived thanks to our care."

I felt the blood drain from my face. How could I have not known something that terrible had happened to him? We'd once been close despite our age difference. When he returned from that trip, I'd probably been distracted by some random bit of self-centered, teenaged drama. It hit me like a battering ram in the stomach. Would Albion have fared better if I'd been the tiniest bit more perceptive back then?

Kalin was waiting for me to compose myself. "He left with a promise. That he would return with an army and save us from the Crawler. We never saw him again."

Before I could say a word in my family's defense, she held up one hand. I bit my tongue.

"King Logan did not cause this, but ... he did nothing to stop it."

It was true. He had done nothing for them. In fact, he had gone so far as to break an oath. Any argument I could have made died on my lips unspoken. I felt a hot flush spread across my cheeks.

She stepped closer and looked up at me, boldly meeting my eyes directly. "Now I ask that you do what he would not.

"Ben Finn has told us of your quest. Of your revolution. There are not many warriors left among us, but we have ships and we are willing to fight beside you. Not because your brother wronged us. Nor because we thirst for revenge, but because we want protection. We require aid if we are to survive. That is the promise you must make.

"Help us to rebuild Aurora and allow it to become a true part of your kingdom. Not a colony, not a thing to be used, but a place with a voice in your court." She extended one hand.

It was up to me now. I would do what my brother could not.

I met her grip firmly, without hesitation. "I promise."

Kalin grinned fiercely.

"Then let us go to war."