The sky. I blinked, certain I was imagining it. But it was still there even as my vision blurred to black.

Beyond the clouds, larger than the sun, a huge, bright moon burned overhead.

Part II

Chapter 16

I came awake slowly, engulfed in a fog of strange sounds. An electronic blipping in my ear. My breath, echoing strangely and artificially. Passing voices, snatches of conversation. And, above it all, an excruciating headache.

“How is she?” said a distant, familiar voice. Ceilos.

“Kyrin Nadin will be fine,” a woman’s voice replied. “Her exposure was very limited. The Enforcers say she lost consciousness just as they arrived, and they began applying oxygen immediately. Her companion, on the other hand…” It was silent for a moment, then she went on, briskly, “He is proving a bit more difficult to resuscitate, but based on initial System scans, he does not appear to have suffered any brain damage.”

My mind strained, trying to discern what it was she was talking about. What companion? I lost consciousness? I tried to draw in a deep breath and sit up, but it felt like I couldn’t get enough air, no matter what I did. After a moment of confusion, I finally realized that there was a tube over my nose and mouth, regulating my breathing.

“Have you been able to identify him?” Ceilos asked.

“No, kyrios. We are still running tests, though. Do you have any idea what Kyrin Nadin was doing with him, outside the dome?”

Reality crashed back in on me, and my eyes flew open in a panic. I immediately regretted it. The ceiling spun above my head, accompanied by an intense wave of nausea. I squeezed my eyes shut again and groaned.

“Nadin?” There was the sound of movement, and then I felt Ceilos’ warm fingers wrap around mine. More slowly this time, I opened my eyes. My vision swam, but after a moment, it cleared. Ceilos grinned reassuringly. “How are you feeling?”

“I can’t breathe. Can someone take this tube off my face?”

The woman—a medic, I realized, and this must be the hospital level—stepped forward. “Kyrin, you’ve suffered low oxygen levels. The inhalator is designed to help you regain optimal air intake.”

“How am I supposed to ‘regain optimal air intake’ when I can’t even draw a breath?” I snapped. The electronic blipping accelerated slightly, and Ceilos squeezed my fingers. Right. Temper. “Anger is your poison,” Gitrin had said. Thinking of Gitrin was enough to make me angry all over again, so I closed my eyes, and the beeps slowed back to their previous pace.

“Since Kyrin Nadin has regained consciousness and is speaking,” Ceilos said in a more diplomatic tone, “it seems to me that she no longer requires the assistance of the inhalator. If you wouldn’t mind?”