Chapter 5

After grabbing more coffee-she really loved this stuff-and a breakfast burrito from the Diner John’s stand near her shop, Mori clocked into work.

She tried all the way down to the city to convince Ula she didn’t need to create her some kind of suit to keep her from gleaning psychic thoughts of others, but Ula wouldn’t have it.

Ula’s eyes glowed with excitement over the idea.

While Morrigan doubted anything would work, she appreciated Ula’s enthusiasm. She didn’t have the heart to tell her friend that the gift would soon fade. She hoped it might be completely gone by the time she left The Colony.

Part of her had been surprised that any of the gift remained with her even now. Krevik couldn’t take away her visions, but their strength would fade, since Novian magic amplified it. Eventually she would be no different than a human.

Hopefully that came sooner rather than later.

Mori put her coffee on the back table near the door to the break room and glanced at the list of jobs that needed to be done for this shift.

She sighed. It was a longer list than usual.

Off to work she went.

Her boss, a Novian named Forrester, must have heard her come in. He practically bounced over to her, and she could feel the energy radiating off him. He was far more excited than usual this morning.

She did not know him well enough yet to be certain if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Mori took a step away—distance was her best defense against accidental gleaning, regardless of Ula’s plans.

“What is going on, Forrester?” she asked, as she noticed that she was the only one in the shop so far. While the automatic machines hummed away, the rest of the day crew hadn’t stumbled in just yet.

He grinned, his pointy teeth glimmering. He’d never been anything but kind to her—to all the employees—yet those sparkling teeth of his still intimidated her. From yet another Novian world, he didn’t fly, but was a shifter, and could change his appearance into a four-legged animal at will. His people were known to be horridly violent and savage, but Forrester had never been anything but kind to her, or anyone else that worked in The Tailoring Shop.

Human or Novian.

Still, she certainly wouldn’t want to see him upset.

“I just got a call from the head of Transdot!”

Her eyes widened. “Why?” Had maintenance seen her room? Had they turned her in for having a weapon? Her hand darted to her hair, where the sticks resided, bundling it up.

She could get exiled for having contraband, and she’d be back to where she was before she applied.

Broke.

Homeless.

Begging in the streets.

She couldn’t go back to that...

Almost immediately, her mind slid into a mode it had not touched in what seemed an eternity.

Battle mode.

In her mind’s eye, she immediately saw The Colony—its layout, how the buildings worked together, entrances and exits, movements of the Transdot. The mathematical equations of outcomes of possible escape patterns flashed in her thoughts, as though her body no longer existed, and she was on a different plane—

“We’ve gotten the contract to take care of Transdot’s uniforms!” Forrester’s exuberant voice jarred Mori out of the mental plane.

She stopped and blinked, the distorted view of The Colony fading away behind her eyes. “Pardon?”

Forrester was dancing around the shop.

“Weren’t you listening?” he asked. “We have a contract with Transdot to help keep the uniforms pristine and repaired!”

A wash of relief ran over her.

They weren’t coming for her.

Yet as the sensation faded, a slight disappointment washed over her. She hadn’t accessed that aspect of her powers since, well, before .

She hadn’t thought she could still do that. Part of a Novian’s power was to watch and help control wars and battles.

Conductors of the fights.

Know the outcomes before they happened, to know which warriors to take and which would live to fight another day.

A tiny spark lit and warmed in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, some of her powers were coming back.

“Morrigan!” Forrester jarred her from her thoughts. “Say something!”

She blinked, staring at her boss, and focused on the moment. Her boss’s exuberance started to infect her.

Mori grinned. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations!”

He nodded. “We’re thrilled,” he said, referring to his partner Cole, who handled the night shift there at The Tailoring Shop. They both owned the business together, one running the day and the other running the night. It was one of the few Company businesses on the edge of the housing areas, allowing it to stay open overnight and work.

The door to the shop opened, and in came a coworker, distracting Forrester. Mori darted to the back so she could eat her food, puzzling over the powers that had presented themselves just now.

While she ate, she wondered what this meant for her future. If she was regaining her powers, would she be able to return home?

Return to Nova?

She could only hope.