A roar goes up from below. People wave small scarlet flags furiously, so that it looks like an undulating sea. On cue, engineers stationed along the main thoroughfare light the series of round sconces lining the street. Sparks come from each one. I step closer to the Premier as if the sconces are weapons, but Constantine’s voice comes almost immediately through our link.

Don’t worry, Talin. They’re fireworks.

Fireworks, like what I’d seen during our mission here all those months ago. I stay back and watch, awed, as lights shoot up in trails from the sconces and explode high in the sky, illuminating the evening and the crowds with a rainbow of colors. The sound of the bursts shakes the ground.

I look on in stunned silence at the scene. People down below dance in front of the palace while lines of soldiers watch. The Chief Architect glances at me again with a look that I cannot read. She must have all sorts of ideas about how to fine-tune my transformation. Then she’s facing front again, her hands folded primly before her.

The Premier holds his hands out wide to either side. As the crowd quiets for a moment, General Caitoman clears his throat and speaks, his voice ringing out loud and reverent as he acts as Constantine’s mouthpiece.

“Your Premier has returned to a new Karensa Federation, united from sea to sea!”

The crowd bursts into cheers again.

Constantine smiles slightly and bows his head to his people. I know Caitoman speaks for him because the Premier lacks the strength to shout to such a crowd, but to the audience, it must appear as if Constantine has full authority over his brother.

“With the annexation of Mara into our territory,” Caitoman continues, “this new regional state can at last help us build up our energy source into something that will power us into a new age. Your Premier looks forward to continuing his work on expanding and improving our nation.”

At the same time, I hear Constantine’s command through our link. Show them.

I expand my steel wings so that they stretch behind the Premier, our combined silhouette so wide that the massive shadow it casts nearly reaches from one end of the palace to the other. The people below gasp at the sight of me.

General Caitoman goes on, a confident smile on his face. I keep my wings expanded like the circus show I am. I let his words wash over me in a numb wave, more about the glory of their enormous nation and their plans for the future, their pride in their people, and their commitment to always, always, always improving themselves. How did I become indifferent to this talk?

It takes me a moment to realize what the crowd below is chanting.

“Skyhunter! Skyhunter! Skyhunter!”

They’re delighted by the sight of me. To my surprise, I feel a current of unease coming from Constantine through our link. I glance at him to see his slight frown down at the people and the furrow of his brows. It’s the expression he gets when he’s uncertain or concerned.