But Lindon focused on this group of possibilities, the one that felt closest to him and Yerin in the present. These were the branches of their current course.
Lindon pulled the Void Icon around them, and they were hidden. With greater effort, he felt he could learn to remove them…but this was all his concentration and willpower could handle at the moment.
He released himself out of the state to find Yerin sitting on air next to him and wiping his forehead off with a cloth.
“You were dripping all over your shiny new labyrinth,” Yerin said with an easy smile. She tossed the cloth aside, and Lindon noticed she must have cut it off a set of robes.
“Gratitude. It should be harder to find us now. So where would you like to go?”
“Oh, I’m picking first? Cheers and celebration for me. And hey, I was wondering: what if we both picked the same one?”
[There’s more potential possibilities for the Monarchs to keep track of if your choices can overlap,] Dross said. [Also, I’ll win a bet with Lindon.]
“Oh, that takes some spine. You bet against Dross?”
“He didn’t model it out.”
[As far as he knows.] Dross manifested and gave one long blink. [I’m…that was a wink, just now. I was winking at you.]
Yerin told Lindon where they were going, and Lindon connected to the labyrinth. The exits blurred, and Lindon tensed.
The hourglass had been turned.
Northstrider’s oracle codex alerted him to a possibility, and he sank his awareness into it. Several possibilities had just vanished from Fate.
Lindon was on the attack.
There was always a chance of this, but the reality angered Northstrider. Lindon had an endless treasure chest in the form of Dross, but that wasn’t enough for him. He had to steal from his betters.
He had become skilled with the Void Icon, though, Northstrider had to admit. It was impossible to see where Lindon was heading, only that he had decided to steal from them somehow.
The oracle codex immediately compiled what they knew about the labyrinth’s range, Yerin’s Moonlight Bridge, and how far Lindon could likely bring a small group with his spatial transport abilities.
There were only a few such targets under Northstrider’s control, which was one advantage of not holding his own broad territory. He sent messages to the facilities in question.
Not to heighten security, because that was a losing proposition. Northstrider’s highest-value projects were either in his own personal void space or already guarded by people who could hold their own against Lindon long enough for Northstrider to show up in person. He couldn’t spare the manpower for lower-priority targets.
He told the facilities to call for help.
The sooner he could track Lindon’s movements, the easier it would be to spot a pattern. When amateurs worked with Fate, they felt invincible. They didn’t realize they could still be cornered, trapped, or lured into an ambush. The more information Northstrider had, the closer his victory.
The oracle codex queried him: should it contact the other Monarchs?
No. They would have seen the same thing he had, the same cluster of possibilities that had been shrouded by the Void Icon. Any other information was his.
If he gave too much to his rivals, he stood to lose more than he gained.
Lindon and Yerin emerged from the labyrinth into a jungle that buzzed with vibrant aura. A storm of green fire licked a grove of trees in the distance, but the affected trees didn’t burn. They grew brighter and larger by the second.
A leathery flying lizard dipped down from the clouds to screech at Lindon and Yerin, and its wingspan cast a shadow over the entire jungle. What looked like a small town was strapped to its back.
“Good choice,” Lindon said.
“Gratitude,” Yerin said pointedly. “See? I’m learning my Sacred Valley manners.”
[It’s that teeny little building on the tail,] Dross said.
Both Lindon and Yerin vanished, Yerin in a flash of light and Lindon in a rush of black fire.
They reappeared on top of a stone building on the giant lizard’s tail, and the lizard immediately began lashing the tail in an attempt to shake them off. They bound themselves to its skin with force aura, so it was a futile endeavor, but it was still annoying.
Yerin stomped on the tail. “Put an end to that right now.” Blood aura rippled throughout its body, and the flying lizard shuddered. It made a sound like a mewling kitten, then it flew straight.
[One of Northstrider’s facilities,] Dross reported. [Not his best one, obviously. Here’s where his team studies Remnants with unusual authority.]