In her senior year of high school, Natalie Hope reunites with her friends, Adam and Barbara, at the funeral of the fourth member of their once-close gang, Jake. They remember the made-up superhero game they played as kids called "the Astronites," wh...
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Aleph's night in Oldear's library drained him of all of his mental energy. His task was simple — find everything he could about the Law of Information and whether the Principles could be used to destroy memories. Thanks to several cups of cosmocoffee, kindly provided to him by Madam Giveret, the librarian, Aleph compiled ten stacks of books, each five feet tall, and tackled the daunting research. He copied quotes, jotted questions, and marked important paragraphs for closer inspection. Aleph's writing frenzy resulted in a cluttered mess on his table. He started losing pages and books he had set aside for future use. At one point, he misplaced his pen in his beard and couldn't find it for thirty minutes.
When Elem's newborn rays of sunlight began trickling through the library's stained-glass windows, Aleph packed his belongings into his attaché case and groggily returned to his cardinal tower. The instant he stepped foot into his messy office, he slumped into his leather recliner, and promptly fell into a pleasant slumber. Hours later, he was woken up by a knock on his door.
"Who is it?" he dazedly inquired.
"Archibald."
Aleph blinked his eyes and quickly got to his feet. He made his desk presentable and wiped ancient book dust from his navy robe. "Come in!"
High Auctor Archibald Culpatian entered. "Am I disturbing you, Aleph?"
Aleph shook his head. "Not at all." He checked his pocket watch. He had slept straight through the afternoon and into the evening. The setting sun cast magnificent shades of orange and yellow across Eln's bleak landscape.
"How was your night in the library? Did you make any progress?" Culpatian asked.
Aleph retrieved his softstone, the one thing that could wake him up, and sniffed it. "I think I did," he answered, "but I can't say for sure. I've darn near wrung out my brain."
Culpatian leaned on Aleph's desk. "I look forward to reviewing your work," he said. "I hear they're serving the first course of dinner in the dining hall — planetary pasta with Gamistarian garlic bread. Care to join me?"
Aleph sniffed the softstone and inspected his pocket watch again. "I really should be returning to Command Castle now," he replied. "I spoke with the Astronites last night, and from what they've told me, time is of the essence."
Culpatian nodded. "Then allow me to escort you to the World Trotter."
Aleph pocketed his softstone, picked up his attaché case of research, and left the cardinal tower with Culpatian. They descended his spiral staircase and embarked on the long walk back to the parking fields. Oldear's majestic corridors were clear of students, who were all gathered in the dining hall for their long-awaited dinner.
"How are the Astronites?" the High Auctor asked.
"They were a bit shy when they returned, but now that they've accustomed themselves to our universe, I think they're getting along just fine."
