The Assumption (The Hypothesis of Giants Series, Book One)

Chapter 16: The Aftermath

Aurora listened as Babs's voice filled the night air with song, an Irish tune that caused even the crickets to pause as she sang her song in honor of those perished by the hands of the Common Good. Soft and melodic, her soprano voice lifted high, with the wind carrying it to Aurora's ears, and she felt her body caught up in the trance leading her toward the circle where everyone sang in harmony with her. She sat down in the outskirts of the circle listening as Babs sang her solo, her voice choking up as she got to the part of the song:

I pray I'll see your face again

Though I may not know quite when,

I pray you'll know my love is true

May the road I take now lead to you.

So let us sing in harmony this day

Despite our eyes, yours brown mine gray,

The sun is one that shines above

One heaven, one hell; one life, one love.

Fawn stood up and gave Babs a hug as the circle continued to hum in harmony with the song.

Otus was sitting in the corner, two children sitting on his lap unaware of the turmoil and the grief being experienced by the adults in that circle. They instead played on Otus's knees, chasing each other and smiling warm-hearted smiles. Aurora watched them and thought how precious they were and how she longed to be a child once more. She had crossed the divide, and there was no way to turn back.

She turned to Otus and said, "We need to leave at the Sacred Hour."

He looked at her and carefully picked up the children, placing them back into the arms of their parents. He followed her to the shadows saying, "We don't even know where the professor is. Connecting the dots did not create a map."

Aurora held out the yellowed document and handed it to him. "It is a map. A map leading us straight into the heart of Orion. If we follow the coordinates, I believe they will lead us to him."

He stared at the stars up above in the shape of the mythical hunter Orion and said slowly, "Is Boreas able to do the journey?"

"He has to be. If the Common Good army figures out that we have headed in this direction, then we need to be ahead of them. We need to get to the professor before they do."

Aurora heard laughter escalating from the circle, and there was Boreas with Babs tucked under

his arm. He was reciting a story to Mrs. Xiomy and the doctor, who were listening to his amusing tale. Otus caught Aurora's glare and went over and scooped up Boreas before he had a chance to interject.

"Otus, you can't just do that," he scolded, fumbling in his fist. Otus laughed, watching him struggle and then put him down on a high tree branch so that he had to listen and not get distracted.

"Since you are hanging in there, Aurora says we need to leave tonight."

"During the Sacred Hour," she added, crisscrossing her arms over her chest.

He hung onto the tree branch, trying not to look down at the ground thirty feet below him.

"You know, I am capable of listening on the ground."

"Not when you have a beautiful woman taking up your attention." Otus laughed, poking him in the chest and nearly knocking him off the tree branch.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Boreas said, winking at Otus.

Aurora stood there tapping her foot against the ground and wished they could just leave Boreas hanging on that tree branch forever. How did she get stuck on this mission with him of all people? She coughed so that the boys came back down to earth and repeated, "So the Sacred Hour? I am not waiting for you to agree. There's no other way because Otus can't go leaping through the countryside in daylight. I think he is bound to be noticed."