Chapter 5: Island of the MissingDuring the end of days, when the waters ran dry and the only clouds on the horizon were thick and choking, the Wise Queen gathered her people under the shelter of the Great Tree. There they remained, hands joined, encircling the broad trunk and looking ever skyward. And until the end, singing songs of hope to the young queens aloft, high above the gathering storm.
—Selected passages from The Book of the Origin by Bella Aurelius Nobilis, Modern Language Translation
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“Lina, you’ve got to get up. We have to go.”
Lina opened her eyes just a crack, and as a shadow in the center of the stabbing sunlight assaulting her, Lina saw the worried face of her mentor.
“Just a little longer. I can still get to school on time. Promise.” Lina closed her eyes.
“Li
