By the time I'm done explaining the whole story, dinner is served.
As Zip and Penny process everything in silence, Umbra returns to the lounge seat in the library next to the giant fireplace, holding a tray of the usual exquisite and luxurious food we always eat, but in much larger volume. Once she sets it out on the nearby table that Penny's borrowed books are stacked upon, she passes out two smaller trays to Zip and Penny before rejoining me on the lounge chair. She wasn't gone long but I'm happy she's back, and I make sure she fastens my leash right away.
Then I slip into her lap to be fed. "I missed you, Umbsy."
"Ahh… How deeply I yearned for you whilst we were apart, my little rose. Every second that ticked by was pure and abject agony."
"Mmm. I love when you talk to me like that…"
"Such elegant and serene beauty as yours dem–"
"So are you two dating?" Zip cuts her off, mouth full of bloody steak. While I was talking, she migrated over to an Umbra-sized armchair so she could spread out wider. "You seem like you're dating. Is it official?"
I don't dare to answer that question.
Because I don't know what we are.
"Something like it." Umbra curls my white hair through her fingers. "But what we have runs deeper than simply dating. We're mates. Lovers. Partners. In compassion and affection. In cause and cooperation. We fight together. We rest together. We eat, sleep, and dine together. Rarely are we ever apart. Crimson is mine. And I am hers. We are romantic, affectionate, passionate, harmonious, and united. In that sense… I suppose one might indeed describe us as dating. But I prefer to think of it as being together. In more ways than just one."
Oh. Oh my… I'm… I'm caught by a pleasant surprise.
I wasn't aware that she's mine! I didn't know that!
I love it. I love it. I love her. Yes. Yes. We're together.
I wasn't expecting her to be so forward about it.
It feels good, being claimed. She isn't ashamed of me.
Umbra truly does adore me.
She kisses my flushed cheek, then licks it. "Did you finish telling them your story, little one? Hm? If so, we should discuss next steps."
The question slips out. "You're mine, Umbsy?"
"Mmhmhm. Yes." She smiles and kisses me. "I have been since the beginning. I thought you knew that. You're with me constantly. Where would I have the time to see anyone else without you noticing?"
I'm so fucking happy I could die right here and now.
"One thing before we corkscrew," Zip declares in a suddenly harsh tone. "Miss Umbra. That woman right there is my closest friend. If you know the first thing about her, then you know she's a sad little bleeding heart. I love her to death. And I look out for her. Always. So treat her right."
"Of course." Umbra feeds me some seared flank. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything less. My Crimsy deserves the world. And the Heavens. She is safe with me. I hope that you're able to trust me with that much."
"Jury's still out. But obviously she's happy with you. That's good enough for me right now." Zip tosses a chunk of her steak in the air and catches it with her teeth. "Let's dive. I don't know if you know this, but I was up there with Crim while she was digging into The Luminous. Peps too. So I was already sort of primed for this conversation. A few things. The fact Crim is vouching for you… That goes a long way. This whole thing about the Wretched being mindless puppets? Drakeshit, clearly. As for all the things they say about you up there, it makes sense why they'd twist the truth to make you look so fucking horrible and to make her look fucking perfect. I'm thinking more critically about all these distortions to history, but it's a serious fucking corkscrew. I need more evidence of that."
"There are hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence right here," Penny murmurs over the edge of her book. "So many of these directly contradict what's written in their later editions and what we've been told is the truth. I could go into detail but you wouldn't listen. My point is that yes, the Church's scriptures and the events of history have been tampered with. Not in terms of an isolated incident here and there. It is across the board. They are absolutely lying to us all."
"Shit, drac. Another corkscrew…"
Umbra giggles and feeds me more bloody meat. "I knew stealing from the Archives would pay off."
I roll my eyes. That solves it. Of course she stole them.
Zip scowls into space, claws clicking. After a short while, she lets out a sigh. "Shit. This is real. And these pages you want distributed… Where's the finish line, Miss Umbra? Where does it end?"
"When Aurora falls," Umbra answers in her cold whisper. "When the Primarchs are slain or converted. When the Church is erased. When the Heavens collapse. This is it. The final stretch. Their reckoning will come. Very soon."
"Sure, but then what? What happens after?"
"Nothing. We return to the Hells or live freely on Avi."
"What? Wait. That doesn't make sense. You're…" Zip trails off, scowl deepening and her dinner forgotten. "The Church combats your rampant cruelty. Without it… If your might is left uncontested, if the Church can no longer oppose you, and if the draconids of the Heavens lose their cohesion, then you're going to use the Overgrowth to destroy Avi. Right?"
"How endearing," Umbra grins. "I could destroy Avi right this instant without lifting a claw. If I felt like doing so. And what purpose would that serve? Mortalkind has done me no harm. From this point forward, they shall no longer suffer my violence."
"Huh? But–But why? Because I'm calling you out on it?"
"Because there is no longer any reason to. My only three reasons for killing them previously were to get Aurora's attention and force her to retaliate, to capture and convert her most troubled draconids, and to kill her most loyal draconids. For thousands of years, that is precisely what I've done. At last, my preparations are nearly complete. They have progressed to the point at which killing mortals en masse is no longer necessary. Does that answer your question?"
"Uh. Kind of?"
"It does," Penny states, turning a page.
"But still! I don't understand. Why would–You're just going to leave them alone? What? Hit a lick on the Goddess, break the Church, and then… That's it?"
"That's it. My vengeance will be done with. And so I will go onward with my life, with this little wyvern beside me. At last, we'll be able to feel the sun on our wings. Without being eradicated by the tyrant in the clouds…"
"Wait, wait, wait. How does that work? The Goddess is the source of the Solaris's illumination. If she's dead, the sun will no longer shine on Avi. Or anywhere else, for that matter. All the stars in the night will flicker out, and everything will freeze over and go still."
"The Solaris is self sustaining. Its impossibly fierce fires are the source of its illumination. Aurora does nothing but hide within it. The sun and the stars will continue to burn without her."
"So there's…" Zip trails off, utterly vexed. "She doesn't… Wait, where's the calamity to this? What's the hitch? Because it sounds like everything will be fine after you fly along and murder the Goddess."
"Better than fine." She feeds me a small chunk of tender rib meat. "The draconids will be freed from her tyranny, control, and subjugation. The mortals will be freed from being stuck in the middle of this divine war, and I will no longer be harming them, so there will be no need for any draconids to answer any summons. Therefore, no need for the Church or its protections. My domain here in the Hells will finally know peace and light, I'll be able to devote my attention towards improving this place for its inhabitants, and my Crimsy and I will live together in happiness and bliss. There is no hitch. Only benefits."
"That can't be true. Can it? Something has to break, right Peps?"
Penny lifts her head and gazes up at the arched ceiling for approximately thirty seconds. "The changes will be drastic and many lives will be lost in the process, but ultimately this will save more lives in the long run. Far more. Magnitudes more. Assuming it lasts. I'm convinced. I'll switch sides. So long as I can live here."
"Clew up, Peps!" Zip blurts out. "That's it? Just like that? You're on board?"
She turns the page. "Yes."
"Why?"
"The evidence. The truth. Everything Miss Umbra just said. Besides, I was never happy in the Heavens, and I have no one to go back to. My family doesn't want me. You two are my only friends. My coworkers don't like me and think I'm annoying. The library I loved is apparently stocked with nothing but propagandized forgeries. My skyland doesn't have anything on it besides a little cottage that's mostly empty. The Solaris is too bright and it hurts my eyes. The laws up there are illogical and selectively enforced. The power structure has always been twisted, unfair, and exploitative–I know that much personally. And I believe that Miss Umbra is telling the truth. Both about history and her plans for the future. Ideologically, my beliefs align much more with what she's saying than with Church doctrine. Also, I want to read every book on these shelves. As soon as possible. You couldn't drag me out of here if you tried. I'm staying." She peeks over the edge of the book she's been reading. "So long as it's okay… I'll just… need a few things. I'll stay out of the way, promise. You'll hardly notice I'm here. Please, Miss Umbra?"
"Absolutely," Umbra purrs, nudging my chin with a finger. Yes, my playmate is now a resident. I'm very excited. Pouring wine down my throat, Umbra adds, "I'll see to it that you have everything you require. We'll have a cottage built, right here in my library. Just for you. Welcome to my household, Penelope."
"Thank you…" She hides behind the book.
Penny is staying. Penny is staying! My Penny!
She's here! And she's staying here! With us!
I turn to Zip with a big smile. "What about y–"
"Clew up, drac. You need me up there. So…" Drawing in a deep breath, Zip exhales with her head low and her eyes closed. "If you and Peps are in… It's just… This is sure to get bloody. What about everyone else up there? Are they dead too?"
"No," I answer her this time. "They will be given plenty of opportunities to surrender. Not as prisoners or captives, but as people stepping aside who will remain unharmed. This isn't about taking anyone's liberty away. This is about taking everyone's liberty back from Aurora."
Umbra hisses, "Those who insist upon fighting in her defense will be slaughtered like swine. We will break through them. They alone would stand in our way. Thus, they alone will die. Any others will be disarmed, removed, and temporarily imprisoned until Aurora is dead. Purely as a precaution against feints and sabotages. My Crimson speaks true. We are not stealing anyone's freedom. We are delivering freedom to all."
"Whether they like it or not," I tack on with a snicker.
Zip leans forward over her lap, pointing a claw at us. "Miss Umbra. Do you mean that? Is that really how you're doing this?"
"Yes. That is truly how this war will be won."
"Then I'm in. I'll head back up right away and get my people ready for this delivery of yours. Just have your people give me a time and a place to pick them up. The truth will rain over the Heavens."
My heart is moved. I couldn't be happier.
Umbra chuckles softly. "Then we have an accord."
"We do." Zip hops off the chair and hugs Penny, then comes over and hugs me. "I've got you, speedster. I'll be around, I think. Try not to miss me too much. Wings up?"
"Wings up." We clap ours together and I laugh. "I knew you were the right person to ask. Oh, and she said you'll be paid for this. Generously."
"Oh, wings, drac. Some coinage would bend a lot of ears with our crew. Should I start spreading the message to them, you think?"
I defer to Umbra, who hums in thought. "Vaguely. The history they know is a lie. Leave it at that, for now. Too much too quickly will snap."
"Slipstream. Alright, girls, I'm on the fly. We'll get it done."
"Thank you, Zip. Really. Thank you."
"Aw, you know I love you." She hugs me again and then starts jogging away. "Let's get this sexy ass rebellion started! Whooo! Deuces!"
Once she flies away, Umbra hums again. "How strange. I find her irritating, yet endearing. I'm quite fond of that Zip. Crimsy, do you suppose we've made the right choice? Will she get it done?"
"We have, Umbsy. Zip always gets it done."
I smile to myself, swishing my tail. I feel good.
My best friend Zip is on my side.
And my fluffy friend Penny too.
Now I just need to get Hilde.