Soal, after his thought-provoking and ultimately pointless trip to meet Moth, the all-knowing Ambassador, was suddenly and shockingly given "time off" to visit his family by Hemingway, definitely aware that something was going on back at home, who remained in the final days of December in 2100 with Irene to give aid to the Henderians.
This was clearly something that would be of great significance to Soal, and Alice, Isabel, Milton, Heather, and... Theodore and his two daughters, as well. He had not seen them since the wedding day when Hemingway unceremoniously dragged Soal away with a mechanical white rabbit only visible to him. Since then, the marriage had probably concluded, and a depressed Alice and Theodore with their existing children had returned to Alice's residence. He could only hope that he would pop out during the wedding, as he watched himself depart, just as last time had occurred.
However, that was not to be. He was thrown from the increasingly violent Riverift into an empty house, filled with shadows clinging to the walls. He was lying on his own bed, but it felt dustier than usual -- an unnatural sensation. Although his armor and defensive gear remained with Hemingway and the other half of the Master Bringer, it seemed as if he needed it. How long had it been?
The others in the house were present after all, as Soal's bedroom door burst open just after the Riverift shut. "Soal! You're okay!" Alice's breathing was heavy, and Theodore's facial expression was worried, at best. The twin sisters' (Ashley and Addison's) faces were stone-cold, and Isabel was nowhere to be seen. "We thought you had been..."
"How long has it been?" Soal got to his feet and swallowed deeply. "Since I... disappeared...? And where's Isabel?"
"We got home from the wedding less than an hour ago!" Alice was frantic. "How long have you been hiding here? We're still searching for Isabel. She vanished soon after you did! Have you seen her...?"
"No," Soal, heartbeat unsteady, was well aware of Alice's long-term concentration issues. "But... I do have a theory. Just give me a few minutes."
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The Sketch Rift: The Eternal Crusade
Fantasi{Book Two in the Sketch Rift Trilogy} Samuel Lawrence, or Soal, is revolted by the mere premise of returning to the bleak metropolis of Hendera. But these hopes are laid to rest when sentinels of the enigmatic Charles Hemingway draw his reentr...
