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((Double Monday -- Page 1 of 2))
Toward the end of the first day of training, however, there had been another important interruption. He hadn’t recognized what it was, at first, as he’d nearly forgotten what this strange, pulsing sensation meant. As soon as he remembered that it was the Shard calling out to him, he scrambled to find it among his scant belongings.

He’d decided to stow it among the spare clothes that he was borrowing from Carver, since the climate-controlled environment of the dome was probably safer than carrying it around everywhere. On the one hand, he didn’t really think that the Undercrust’s heat would melt one of the Shards created by Rasalased, but on the other, he doubted the heat would be good for it, either. And he did recall Qorvass mentioning that there used to be a lot more Shards, suggesting that they were, in fact, not indestructible.

As soon as he had the Shard in hand again, he reached out with his mind. ‘Emiliana?’

‘...Yes, I am here.’

He had about a thousand questions for sure, but just hearing her response was a relief in itself. At least now he’d be able to tell Zeff something about how she was doing. Maybe that would be enough to make the man stop looking at him like he wanted to choke him.

‘Hector, before I say anything further... please, you mustn’t tell my father that I am contacting you.’

Well, shit.

‘It is not that I want him to worry. It is just that... I...’

Hector more or less got the picture. ‘You’re worried FOR him.’

‘Yes...’

He rubbed his forehead as he sat down on the edge of his bed. ‘Look, uh... I have to tell him that you’re okay, at least. Whatever else is going on with you right now, he deserves to know that much, doesn’t he?’

‘...He deserves much more than that. But he... well, you...’ She paused for a sigh. ‘You are still with him, are you not?’

‘Yeah.’

‘How is he?’

‘...Better than I would be, if I were in his shoes.’

‘...A non-answer.’

Hector took a curt breath. ‘He’s... persevering.’

‘So, then... you think that if you were to tell him that I do not wish him to know where I am, he would take that news well?’

Abso-fucking-lutely not. But from her tone, the question sounded rhetorical, so Hector decided not to answer it directly. Instead, he chose to take a different approach. ‘However he takes it, it’s not really your problem, is it?’

‘...Excuse me?’

‘I mean... even if he gets super pissed off, his reaction will be MY problem to deal with, not yours. Because he won’t know where to find you unless you tell us.’

There came a rather long pause. ‘I suppose you have a point. I had not thought of it that way.’

‘So you don’t mind if I tell him you’re okay?’

More silence.