As twilight fell at the end of another long day at the Cursed End, Goliath walked to the administrative building with Mirabelle on his shoulders. He was half listening, as Mirabelle prattled on about the lights in the sky. Alan had identified one likely location and a possible access point for the original town’s subterranean storage, and he found himself mission planning for the next day. Mirabelle did seem a bit worried about the lights, for some reason. Maybe she was seeing the sun’s last rays as it sank and she didn’t like the coming dark. Then she switched topics, calling, ‘Hello wind,’ and waved her hands in the breeze blowing around them.

  Helloooo, the wind whispered back. Goliath stiffened and immediately looked for traps. He didn’t spot any, but he knew it was only a matter of time. A wind spirit could only withstand so much temptation. Mirabelle laughed, playing her fingers through the breeze that danced around them. From the other direction the two automatons came rolling by, spears in hand. Guard duty, he supposed. It looked like Tia had fixed the bent wheel on the one automaton. Two low-rank automatons weren’t much, but he was sure Samuel, Michael, and Fred, who had volunteered to take turns keeping watch tonight, would be grateful. He made a note to work out a formal guard rotation tomorrow too.

  ‘Look, pretty star,’ Mirabelle said, pointing at the darkening sky. It was Alanna’s crown jewel. That star was always the first to become visible and the last to disappear at night. He could already see the faint outline of the rest of Alanna’s crown.

  His room inside the dilapidated admin building was cosy and warm, after being outside in the last of the winter’s chill. From now on the weather would change quickly as it became warmer and plants kept sprouting their new foliage. Planting season was coming and he wondered how Isaac and Ana were doing with the smallholding quest.

  Mirabelle gasped and ran to the window, using the chair to climb onto the table. ‘Look lights!’ Goliath walked over and peered out the window but still didn’t see anything. ‘Mommy and daddy with the lights? she asked.

  ‘I don’t know, little one. I’m sorry.’ It was sad. He wished he had a better answer for her, but he knew only what Tia did, which was nothing.

  ‘Mommy and daddy with the lights,’ she nodded firmly. ‘They go to work.’ Then she turned back to stare at the sky again with her big black eyes, her silky black hair sliding across her back. Ana must’ve combed and smoothed it out when she bathed her earlier that evening. She doesn’t look much like me, does she, Goliath thought, running his fingers through his own hair. It used to be a rich shade of dark brown, but was salted with grey these days. Where did you come from? Her looks reminded him of the Naloonan islanders he had seen in the capital city’s port on his unit’s travels.

  None of the settlers had questioned him about Mirabelle yet. He figured when they did, he’d tell them that she was an orphan he found abandoned and decided to adopt. It was close enough to the truth to believably explain their relationship and the rest they didn’t need to know.

  ‘Golith go away with lights?’ Mirabelle’s tone had become solemn, and she looked at him worriedly. What is it about the lights that bothers her so? Then he remembered what Mayor Marbles had said about the eldritch lights and people appearing and disappearing.

  ‘I don’t know, little one. Are the lights here? Do you see them?’

  ‘Not here, there,’ she said, pointing into the distance to the side of the town. Goliath studied where she was pointing to but still couldn’t see anything.

  ‘Are they close or far?’

  ‘They far.’

  All right, far is better than close. But he was also worried now. Wolves were one thing, but they couldn’t have monsters appearing in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping. It might be good to alert Tia, so she could also watch for it.

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  ‘Tia?’ he said causing her to materialise in a sprinkle of light.

  ‘Yes Goliath and Mirabelle?’

  ‘Mirabelle says she is seeing some lights, but I don’t.’

  ‘’S there,’ Mirabelle added, pointing for Tia as well. Tia walked over and observed. Then her gaze became unfocused for a moment, before refocusing.

  ‘She is observing the residual effect lights after their peak on the last day of winter. I’m surprised she can see them. She must have an affinity. We should get her a magic teacher.’

  ‘Maybe let’s wait on that until she gets a little older.’ He had seen wizards in the war, and had no intention of inviting one to their town. ‘Meanwhile, do you know what those lights are?’

  Tia flickered before answering. ‘I think I do, but that information is part of the memories I don’t have access to. I don’t know if that portion of me was destroyed, or if it is in the part of my matrix currently under repair.’

  ‘Is it dangerous to us?’

  ‘No. At least not right now. I think.’

  Her answer sounded blasé, causing Goliath to consider her words more carefully. He then rephrased the question, ‘Is it a danger to Mirabelle?’

  Tia flickered again. ‘Maybe, but not at this point of the cycle.’

  ‘When could it be dangerous?’

  ‘At the height of the cycle, on the last day of winter. But that has passed.’

  ‘Lights don’t take Mirabelle again?’

  ‘No, my Founder. The lights won’t retake you.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said, dropping her shoulders.

  Goliath was still uneasy, but at least it sounded like the danger wasn’t immediate. He’d have to discuss it with the settlers – another point on his rapidly expanding agenda for tomorrow.

  <>

  The room the system had granted him for slaying the wolves was great, but it did lack a place for Mirabelle to sleep, so Goliath lifted her off the table and tucked her into the bed under the soft pink covers. He would sleep on his bedroll until she got her own bed.

  ‘Golith’s pretty bed.’ Tonight Mirabelle was sucking her thumb. He hadn’t noticed her doing it before, but it had been a pretty long day for a three-year-old. Although he was sure Ana must’ve let her nap at some point. He would have to check on that tomorrow.

  ‘Yes, it is a pretty bed that you and Tia made for me.’

  ‘Yes, we made for Golith,’ she echoed with a satisfied smile. ‘Story, please.’

  ‘You want me to tell you a story?’

  Another nod. Goliath thought back, trying to remember what stories his grandmother used to tell to him. He never knew his mother, since she had died shortly after giving birth to him. Looking out the window at the stars, a familiar constellation caught his eye.

  *

  * *

  *

  * * * * *

  ‘All right, do you know the story of Alanna the Pathfinder?’

  Mirabelle shook her head.

  ‘So, if you look out the window, do you see that one very bright star over there?’ Goliath said, kneeling beside the bed and pointing to the star so she could follow the line of sight from his arm.

  ‘Yes,’ she replied.

  ‘And now, if you look below it,’ he said lowering his arm. Do you see the other three stars, making it look like a diamond?

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And if you look beneath those stars, do you see the line of stars running under the diamond?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, that’s Alanna’s Crown. Alanna was an ordinary person, just like us. She lived in a village on the far side of the kingdom where she was the daughter of a silk salesman. She had a talent for always knowing where to go, which was good because they travelled a lot to sell silk in faraway places. And no matter how far they travelled, Alanna could always find the way, no matter where they wanted to go. Do you want to know the best thing that she did?’

  Mirabelle looked at him with sleepy eyes and whispered, ‘Es.’

  ‘She walked into a maze to find a missing prince. No one else could keep direction well enough to rescue him, but she found him, and they got married after she brought him home to the castle. They lived for many years, and when it was time for her to leave this life, she threw her crown up into the heavens so no-one would ever be lost again. See that brightest star at the very top?’

  But Mirabelle had fallen asleep. Goliath smiled and stroked her hair, before unrolling his bedroll and bedding onto the floor. He too would sleep well tonight.

  No-one else noticed the faint eldritch lights playing in the landscape throughout the night. At one point there was a flash in the forest, and a small creature appeared.

  In the main administration room Tia frowned. She thought she felt something important but she didn’t know what. Reaching out, she checked on her founder, who was still safely asleep. So that was all right then. There was no need to worry.

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