Whether it was just my instincts kicking in or not, it didn’t really matter. There was something about Agapos that just didn’t feel right. Maybe the suspicious looks that the townspeople threw at us were to blame. Maybe they could tell we weren’t from around here, despite the gray cloaks that covered us from head to toe. Given the dropping temperatures, we were, in fact, blending in quite well.

Eva, Varga, and I had the masks and goggles on, too, as daylight was still making it difficult for us to move otherwise. But we kept to the back of our group as we moved through town. This place was home to maybe five or six hundred people, from what I could tell and from what Varga’s True Sight had already assessed.

It also reeked of danger. It could just be paranoia, but the concerned expressions of Raphael, Taeral, Herakles, Riza, and even Inalia and Eira said otherwise.

“What’s up?” I asked them.

“I don’t know. Just a bad vibe,” Raphael replied.

“Ah, so I’m not the only one feeling this.”

“Oh, no. We’re all with you, sister,” Eva said.

Taeral stopped as we reached the corner of an open-air town square. “Right. Now, how do we approach people about the Brothers of the Shadow? Use Eva’s tactic and name them as instrumental to getting fire back?”

“We could,” Raphael said. “But then the Brothers themselves might catch wind of us using this excuse and skip town, since they obviously know they have nothing to do with Cerixian fire.”

A crackle made us turn our heads toward one of the square’s pillars. Brass elements resembling speakerphones were mounted on the top, as well as on the three other pillars marking the square corners. The crackle was briefly followed by an electric-sounding hiss. It was loud and stringent enough to get everyone’s attention.

“My dearest Cerixians,” a male voice burst through the speakerphone. I recognized it almost instantly.

“Uh-oh, time for the big announcement,” I muttered.

“My dearest Cerixians, please pay attention,” the emperor said through what had to be the Emergency Sound System he’d mentioned earlier. “This is an important message from your emperor and your government.”

“Brace yourselves,” Raphael whispered, then took my hand and pulled a couple of yards farther from the town square—enough to still give us a good view, but without putting us in the middle of a potential stampede. The rest of our crew followed. “This might get ugly.”

Not that I could blame the Cerixians. They were in for what was basically the end of their world. They had every reason to panic and thrash and go crazy, if that’s what they felt like. I could only imagine the dread that was about to engulf them, like ice fire.

“There has been a development,” the emperor continued, “of a most disconcerting nature. Our planet is facing a crisis like nothing before, but I need you all to listen and stay calm. We are working on resolving the issue as fast as we can.”

I could already see the color leaving the faces of the few dozen Cerixians who were already in the town square. The same applied to those who joined in as the emperor spoke, pouring in from side alleys and nearby streets.

“Our Fire Hermessi has perished. You will have noticed, by now, that you can no longer light a fire. Unfortunately, our artificial lighting and heating systems are failing, as well, because they, too, were dependent on fire to function at full capacity,” Emperor Tulla said. “Without its inner fire, Cerix cannot sustain the sun’s heat, and therefore, the temperatures have begun to drop.”

Gasps and murmurs erupted from the growing crowd. Concern gnawed at my stomach, forcing me to squeeze Raphael’s hand tighter. He gave me a sideways glance—the kind that understood my turmoil but also tried to reassure me that everything would be okay. It dawned on me that he, too, was worried, but, given his valiant and persistent nature, he didn’t want to show it. He responded to my squeeze with a firm grip, enough to send tiny electrical pulses through my arm. The feel of his skin on mine made me buzz.

“Please, do not despair,” Emperor Tulla added. “We are working on a solution to fix this problem. I only ask that you give us a day to propose a resolution. We may have more than one option at this point in time, and we would like to explore all avenues before we make a decision. Rest assured, the empire will not fail you or leave you to die. In the meantime, however, you are strongly advised to stock up on blankets, covers and furs.”

The crowd grew restless. There was talk of migrating south, where the temperatures would surely be higher, at least until the government fixed this problem. Others started crying, terrified by the knowledge that the Fire Hermessi had been destroyed. From whichever angle I analyzed this town square, it didn’t look good. Anger simmered through, rising to a level that would make it dangerous to be around these people.

The emperor, however, tried to get ahead of this. “I have instructed all merchants and tradesmen to offer their woolen and fur goods for free. The government will compensate them for their generosity, as soon as the issue is resolved. Please, be at peace and do not fall prey to panic. We are still a nation of law and order. Any form of violence, rioting, or brutality will not be tolerated. As the temperatures continue to drop, you may feel anxious and even more worried. Do not let it get to you. We are the Cerixian Empire. And we will live through this, like we did many other challenges before. May the sun and stars forever shine upon you.”

That was a regular well-wish among the Cerixians. May the sun and stars forever shine upon you. It was more relevant now than ever, but it didn’t do much to warm the frazzled townspeople of Agapos. I didn’t even want to know what the other parts of the Samotarcis Domain looked like, right about now. Not to mention the rest of the empire. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.

The coming night was going to be extremely cold. The one after it could very well be deadly. That realization was on everyone’s faces, as they glanced at one another and found themselves sharing the same gut-wrenching emotions.

“At least he did a decent job of sugar-coating it,” Raphael said. He’d yet to let go of my hand. I didn’t mind it one bit.

“This state of emergency might help us mingle through the crowds better,” Taeral mused. “People will be too worried about the lack of fire to focus on our questions about the Brothers of the Shadow. That’s how I’m seeing it, at least.”

“You might be on to something,” Eira replied, looking around as she did a quick crowd check. It had to be part of her Armed Forces training—scanning expressions and body language, assessing the level of danger and hostility. “They’re all scared. Some of them are angry, sure, but the majority are just terrified. Mellow, even. I think their mindsets might make it easier to ask about the Brothers.”

“Do not listen to that heathen!” a Cerixian man shouted from the middle of the crowd.

“What the…” My voice trailed off as I watched him climb up on the fountain at the center of the town square. “Oh dear.”

He wore a black silk hood and a white porcelain mask. A Hermessi cult member. “The emperor is lying to you! And you’re all eating it up!” he added, his voice loud and downright repugnant. My spare hand was already gripping my sword.

“Son of a… Gah, they’re still skulking around, I see!” Herakles grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the cultist. The worst part was that he wasn’t alone. There were six more black hoods standing next to the fountain. I couldn’t see their faces because of those masks, but I could almost feel their glares burning through me. Had they seen us already?

“We need to neutralize them,” Taeral said, then moved to get closer. Varga was quick to hold him back.

“Don’t,” he replied. “That’s exactly what they want.”

“What do you mean?” Taeral asked Varga.

“They do have a solution to bring the fire back!” the cultist growled. “They don’t want to use it because it would kill one Cerixian! Think about it! Your empire is willing to let you all freeze to death while they try to rescue one of their own elite!”

“Elite? Seriously?” Inalia croaked. “I’m renting a tiny bedroom!”

“Taeral, the cultists have their eyes on us,” Varga said. “I can see them beneath the masks. They’re watching us, while the yapper riles up the crowd. They’re looking to start something.”

“Hah, I knew it!” I said.

Just then, the worst happened. The “yapper,” as Varga mercilessly described him, pointed an angry finger at us. “Inalia Myron, of the Foreign Outreach Department, is the daughter of the now-defunct Fire Hermessi. She can take his place. Her sacrifice will bring fire back! But the emperor and the government are trying to pull the wool over your eyes!”

“Oh, crap,” I heard Inalia say, her voice barely audible.

“Inalia Myron’s sacrifice will save us all, and nothing else,” the cultist added. “There is no other solution! There is no alternative way to bring fire back! Only a Hermessi child can do it!”

“Oh, no, no, no…” Inalia murmured, instinctively moving back. We were right there with her, gradually stepping farther back from the town square, as some of the Cerixians followed the yapper’s index finger and found us at the edge.

“And she’s here!” the cultist continued. “She’s here! We must take her in, so she can take her rightful place and save us all!”

Before I could even blink, the entire town square was watching us. More than one hundred Cerixians who had just been told that their only way to survive the incoming frost and save their planet was to sacrifice Inalia.

My blood ran colder than usual, well below the current dropping temperature, even, as I understood exactly how crazy and how vicious things were about to get for us. The Hermessi weren’t done messing with us. Not by a long shot.