The War of Elevens| Book 1 of the Space Thief Chronicles

Chapter 33| Keep Marching

It was time. It was time. 

Lilly had been dreading this the moment she'd gotten out of the hospital. The Bloom Officials, Stem Sankta, and the Board Members were all waiting for her in a private bank office from across the street, and Lilly was less than happy to have her fate decided so soon after the war of elevens. She wanted to distance herself from it all: the monsters, the explosive butterflies, the scar running from her shoulder to her wrist from a lightning bolt, the excruciating pain, the feeling of her wrists tied to the arms of a chair with vines...all of it. 

Two weeks ago, she'd awoken in a hospital bed in northern Bria Hungary. The doctor told her she had a concussion and burns up and her right arm from Storm's lightning strike. 

Elliott Way blew up, Storm was gone, and the beasts were destroyed by screaming stars. Everyone left alive in Elliott Way was taken to Teskanash Regional Hospital; in groups, they got discharged to several inns throughout Faevil.

Despite the world just coming off the edge of destruction, Faevil was as bright and bustling as ever. As Mathilde de la Farazzanna led Lilly to the bank across the street from her in, people were out getting Faevil ready for Relij Fest: a festival held by Shifters and Fae all over the world to celebrate the Great King. Shifters worshipped and believed different things about the Great King, according to the country. Shezekians believed in Lesser and Greater Gods that communicated to the Great King on everyone's behalf. Anna Maens believed everything in nature had a spirit given by the Great King, so Anna Maens worshipped nature. Bria Hungrians sacrificed their best cows, goats, and birds every week and held a beloved sacred scroll in the nation's capitol building just south of Elliott Way detailing stories of young men and women who won grandiose victories in wars because of the Great King. The Lightning Islands did not believe in a Great King, but rather worshiped hundreds of gods that represented arts, sports, nature, harvest, bodies, spirits, and minds. Balalaika was a hodgepodge of all variations of worship. The Relij Fest was a way for everyone to come together to worship in their own way, practice their own forms of worship, and celebrate the Great King or their gods in a unified front. 

There was a definite color scheme: Women wore gold, men wore blue. Both colors were neutral in every religion. Garlands of glittering gold-and-blue lanterns were strung up from shop to shop, at least five different bakers on the street Lilly and Mathilde walked were squeezing golden cream into pale blue puff-pastries and dusting loaves of honey-bread with blue dust. At least three human-sized fairies touched Lilly on the wrist and told her they knew a goblin who could give her a face-lift before the party tonight. 

"Have you talked to your friends about what happened?" Mathilde asked when they reached the double glass doors of the bank, which were bordered with a fresh coat of dark blue paint. 

"No." Max had tried to bring it up with her once. She'd shot him down. After that, none of the others opened their mouths about the war of elevens. Lilly thought her desperation to avoid anything having to do with the war of elevens had to do with her need for distance over the whole thing. 

"Maybe you should. It may give you closure." 

"I can't." She didn't want to talk about what had happened between she and Storm, she didn't want to talk about where Max got all the welts and bruises on his face from even though she already knew, she didn't want to know what Kaitlynn, Zander, and Wyx had endured to seal the magical dimension. Everywhere she went, people talked about it. She didn't want it to be a topic between her friends. 

The whole thing still frightened her. 

Mathilde waved to a long-eared noseless bank clerk once they were inside before leading Lilly to a granite stairwell. Everything in this bank looked like Care Bears had painted it: pastel blues and pinks and greens glossed the high walls and ribbed ceilings, and dark thin yellow and red lines veined complicated designs through the walls, the counters, the vaults, the tables, and the floors. They started up a flight of steps, and Mathilde said, "Maybe your friends will get closure by talking about it."