News from Balboa proclaims the Edge-Long Dione killed her sister-foe Estrella. When one part of a dyad submits to death, their rival dies with them. Yet Dione still lives. How is this possible?
’Edge-long winning and sticking around? There was exactly one thing keeping them in check, and now even that isn’t reliable.'
'A lesson I learned the first time I lost my fingernails: killing something isn’t the same thing as defeating it. Or maybe it’s the other way round. Did Estrella die, or was she defeated?'
'Oh, she died all right, but she is surely not defeated. I think Dione will be drawn back into the fight soon enough, but until then she will need an outlet for her violent urges. I could use some help on a job.‘
Tte. Anatolio decided to take advantage of Dione’s temporary break from hostilities to recruit her help.
’Good people, Dione and Estrella. Well, not good as in ‘good’ but good as in ‘talented.”
'The War grows wider, the world grows more dangerous. Edge-long running around untethered doesn’t help.'
'There was an old mechanism of strife, before the Corrivality. I once found a tablet in Tadmir that suggested it took seven to Ascend, or it took one alone… The old order may be finding its way back, this time through Nowhere.‘
Emilia theorized at the return of an old structure of the Corrivality, returning from Nowhere.
'Why was Dione victorious? And why was she then able to persist beyond her victory? I must know, for the future of civilization.'
'It is evident… the struggles that have gone on for so long are finally finding their resolution. At last there will be clear winners, and the weak will be losers. This is excellent news.‘
Giddy at the thought that centuries-long struggles might be ceasing, Dr. Haig intended to recruit Dione for ‘her side.‘
’It is the nature of the world to change. Yet I had always thought the mechanisms of the Corrivality particularly resistant to alteration.'
'These permutations of the universe move through us all, like ripples on a pond. My leader always counseled us to avoid the Edge-long, but she is now gone and I find myself drawn to this question.'
'This change did not come from within Dione, but within Estrella. She sought something, or something found her, and in so doing the balance of their struggle was tipped. When things go amok, I am keen to participate. Perhaps Dione would appreciate hearing my advice on navigating this change.‘
Jesus concluded it was Estrella, not Dione, who upset the balance, and went to offer emotional counsel to Dione.
’There are subtle and seductive powers at work here. How enticing.'
'I can think of a few unearthly delights that might make a disruption like this.'
'This reminds me of an exchange I had over tea with an aunt of mine… ‘You can’t keep Nowhere out any more than you can keep Somewhere in.’ Estrella’s been seduced by Nowhere, and now has someone more important in her life than Dione. Perhaps Dione would appreciate a new object of aggression as well.‘
Prof. Yuan thought Nowhere must have been what enticed Estrella away from Dione.
’Dione is the colder of the two, and I like her less. If it’s true the nature of the Corrivality is changing, I don’t know if it will be good for our cause.'
'We teach that every battle hinges on the beating of a moth’s wings. What turned the tide here for Dione?'
'Estrella went down, I see. The Dead have begun to take their place in the world, so I’d imagine we’ll see many more coming back from the same direction. A lot of our comrades have gone that direction. I better go see if they’re still with us when they come back up.‘
Subcomandante Zuazo discovered the dead, including his former comrades, were not continuing to stay out of the fights that finished them off.
’I am glad to hear of Dione’s position. She is above and about; Nowhere has no hold on her yet.'
'The Horned Axe rewards those who strive against Nowhere, but the other Hours of the Chancel are weak allies. It is the Velvet and the Sun-in-Rags who can occasionally be called upon, but they are timid friends at times.‘
'To stand alone is to understand the old nature of Edge: the struggle against all that is without: the storm on the horizon, the thicket of jungle, the beast in the shadows. There was once a way for the solitary warrior, but no longer.‘
’Nowhere disrupts, you understand. Disrupts entirely.'
'The Colonel stands over his museum and feels very proud of himself. But even he can’t stop the changes Nowhere is bringing to all of us. We must alll adapt to survive; even the Edge-Long.‘
The cat scratches deep gouges into the carpet as I tell her of Dione’s separation from Estrella.
Her miniature talons leave etchings in the carpet. I am reminded that no wolf hunts alone for long. Soon enough, they find a pack or they find themself lost in the wood.