Chapters
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Theo couldn’t have said how long she held there, sobbing into the shoulder of a stranger. Whatever shame she might’ve had had been left behind on the ice, along with so much else. But eventually there were no more tears left, no more sobs in her lungs. She pulled away, sat up, wiped her face. “I’m sorry… I’m not like this normally, I promise. This is…”The stallion and the girl were both watching her, much more sympathetic than frustrated or annoyed. “You’re one of them,” the stallion…-
163.3 K •
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The house at the top of the hill seemed more encouraging the closer Theo came to it. It wasn’t just that it was built in a more familiar manner, with fired bricks instead of the packed snow blocks that the locals seemed to use. But there was smoke rising from several chimneys of different heights, and a huge slowly turning wheel on the outside. It was hard to say what it actually did, at least until Theo saw where it ended.There was a tiny outbuilding beside the house. He could see a huge stone wheel…
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163.3 K •
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When Theo had first arrived at Barrow, he’d stepped out of a truck into the village and seen several dogs just lounging out in the snow. He hadn’t understood then how they could be so comfortable in temperatures that drained the life out of every inch of his exposed skin, temperatures that would give his ears frostbite in under an hour.But now that all his clothing had been torn or been rendered near-useless and he had no choice, he was discovering exactly how useful a fur coat could be. The village…
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163.3 K •
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Theo woke up, and immediately wished he hadn’t. He could feel the chill all around him, an inviting numbness that was only inches away. All he had to do was lower his head, close his eyes, and he’d never wake up again.You’re a temperature casualty, his brain thought. You’re freezing to death. If you don’t get moving, you’re dead.Theo wasn’t ready to give up yet. With incredible effort, he finally got his eyes open, breaking through a layer of melted snow as he did so.He was on his side in a…
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163.3 K •
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Five weeks, two days, nine hours until summer crew get here. So went the mantra in Theo’s head, one he had repeated so many times it was probably burned there.If summer crew was here, you wouldn’t be able to do this. As usual, he ignored that thought, then thumbed the exterior door activation.“Hey, Theo,” the voice came over the radio, barking into his earpiece and echoing in the little red plastic airlock a second later. “Computer says you just put through a departure request. You’re going…
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163.3 K •
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The WorldHer journey wasn’t over yet. Jackie did not return to the engine room, and the corpse of the second part of her that had given itself for her mission to continue. Maybe they were dreams, and she wouldn’t stay dead for long. But if she broke up into smaller parts and drifted in the Dreamlands, Jackie would probably not discover anyway. She had information—what she was looking for could be found on the island in the center of the world. She’d come this far—she was going to sail the rest of…-
21.3 K •
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JudgementJackie kept her eyes forward and her head down as they approached the cave mouth. She didn’t need fancy sensors or magic to tell that there was heat coming from inside—there were flames burning somewhere, and not far away.“I know I’ve said this before and you didn’t listen to me…” Sarah began, stretching out one clear wing and blocking the way into the cave. “But I’ve got a bad feeling about this place. Last time I didn’t like somewhere, we gave up our mascot. Who do we give up…
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21.3 K •
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The SunThe longhouse didn’t look like a longhouse on the inside. A younger Jackie—so long ago that she could barely even remember being that person—would’ve loved it.The entire structure was bright pink and lace, with artificial elegance dripping from every corner. There was no sign of the salvaged look of the village outside—it was the Lolita’s wet dream.Except that ponies all around her weren’t dressed the part. There were dozens of posing dummies around the edge of the room, each one…
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21.3 K •
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The MoonSo far as transitions went, at least they hadn’t fallen to their deaths or been beaten to a bloody pulp this time. Jackie felt a little pain in her eyes adjusting to the light, but not for long. It was only the moon, and the cold evening air was refreshing against her coat. She shook once, soaking it in and letting herself breathe.She could hear the sound of numberless changelings in a swarm chittering and calling to one another, then a crack as the portal behind them sealed closed. Then it was…
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21.3 K •
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The StarIf this had been a physical place, it was possible that the transition to below-ground would’ve killed her. All that wood and glass and debris tumbling down would certainly not have held their shape, and would’ve served only like the stones in a rock-polisher, but with their bodies.But though the others didn’t believe her, Jackie was convinced she was dreaming… or at least that she was in the Dreamlands. Dreaming was impossible for someone with no more physical body.Jackie didn’t get…
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