“How is that possible?”
Now is not the time to appreciate the joke. “I asked you the same thing once.”
“Then she’s different too.” His eyes darken, sliding away from my face. “And she’s with them. I have to help her.”
He tries to scramble to his feet, but the shock has not worn off. I help him back down as gently as I can, letting him lean on me.
“They’ll kill her, Diana,” he whispers. His voice breaks my heart. “They could be doing it right now.”
“Somehow, I don’t think they will. They can’t. Not after everyone saw her, a Red girl surviving lightning.” They’ll need to explain first. Come up with a story. Just like the stories they used to cover us until we made sure they couldn’t anymore. “She planted a flag of her own today.”
Suddenly the alley feels too small. Shade levels a glare, one only a soldier could muster. “I won’t leave my sister there alone.”
“She won’t be. I will make sure of it.”
His eyes harden, mirroring the resolve I feel inside.
“So will I.”
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE HAS BEEN DECODED
CONFIDENTIAL, COMMAND CLEARANCE REQUIRED
Day 2 of Operation LIGHTNING.
Operative: Captain REDACTED.
Designation: LAMB.
Origin: Summerton, LL.
Destination: COMMAND at REDACTED.
-Op under way. MARE BARROW made contact with WHISTLE WILL and BONES in ALBANUS, oathed to SG. SHADOW leverage successful.
-Operative MAIDEN will act as her contact within HALL OF THE SUN.
-Operative STEWARD made contact regarding new asset for recruitment inside HALL OF THE SUN, will explore further.
RISE, RED AS THE DAWN.
* * *
From the ar chives at Delphie, a map of the continent before the Nortan Civil War.
—JJ
* * *
* * *
Using sources from Delphie, Horn Mountain, and my own collection, I’ve done what I can to reconstruct a map of the old world beneath our own. This is only a first attempt and more research must be done to accurately include borders and cities long since lost to us.
—JJ
* * *
* * *
CONTINENTAL GOVERNMENTS OVERVIEW
* * *
Compiled and assessed by JULIAN JACOS
NOTES:
* * *
Collection of the continental governments, sourced from both the Nortan historical archives in Delphie and the Republic’s vaults in Horn Mountain. Recent information on the governments of Ciron, parts of Prairie, and Tiraxes can only be verified to early 321 NE, before the Secession of the Rift. Therefore I have summarized this overview for all nations up to said year.—J. Jacos
* * *
THE KINGDOM OF NORTA is an absolute monarchy, wherein supreme authority is retained by a single ruler. The Silver burners of House Calore have controlled the crown for more than three hundred years. Theirs is the only dynasty to have ruled Norta since her formation as a modern state.
* * *
To put it lightly.
* * *
At present, KING MAVEN CALORE is the eighteen-year-old ruler of Norta, having inherited his throne when his father, KING TIBERIAS VI, was murdered. His older brother, TIBERIAS VII, was framed for the killing and fled Norta after escaping execution. In some circles of Norta, Tiberias VII is seen as the legitimate king, adding to the instability of King Maven’s young reign.
King Maven signed a peace treaty with the Lakelands, ending the decades-long war that raged between the neighbor countries. He will marry Princess Iris Cygnet, the second daughter of Queen Cenra and King Orrec of the Lakelands.
Participation in national government is restricted to members of the High Houses, the nobility of Norta. Regional governances are inherited within families, and it is very rare for a region to change hands from one house to another. Governors from the eight regions of the kingdom regularly convene with the monarch, and are given great control over their territories. However, greater command is given to the superior Lords and Ladies of each High House, currently numbering twenty-three individuals. All advise the king in council, with certain houses holding greater sway dependent on the strength of their families, territories, and resources.
* * *
Only House Jacos has accomplished such a magnificent feat in the last fifty years.
* * *
Society is structured and subsequently organized along the blood divide, separating Silvers from Reds. Silvers are further separated into the nobility and common class, though this stratification can become blurred, as intermarriage between noble and common Silvers is not outlawed. Upward mobility is possible for common Silvers, either through skill, accrual of wealth, or marriage.
* * *
Possible but not advised.
* * *
Red society is entirely restricted, with no representation in government. Red citizens of Norta are subject to conscription laws that require all Reds over the age of eighteen to be employed or drafted into the Nortan military. Job scarcity is an issue in most Red communities outside tech towns, where techie Reds are forbidden to be conscripted, leave their city of birth, or change their profession. Conscription lasts several decades, with intervals of leave before discharge, or until a Red is no longer physically able to serve due to injury.
Education is usually poor among Reds, who tend to focus on their professions or on preparing for conscription. Red travel in Norta is outwardly restricted, but impossible to fully enforce. It is not unheard of for Reds along the southern border to make their way into the Disputed Lands, the only bordering country without a Silver-dominated government.
* * *
Or any government at all.
* * *
Black markets, crime syndicates, and underground trade thrive in Red-majority communities. In cities such as Harbor Bay, Red communities organize themselves, maintaining their own laws and enforcement where Silvers will not.
Blood intermarriages are outlawed, and intermingling is frowned upon on both sides of the blood divide. Upon birth, Reds are subject to blood registration. Their blood samples are given to the Nortan government for the stated purpose of tracking and control. However, it has been suggested that the blood registration began several decades ago when it became clear to Nortan officials that a shift had begun in the Red population, giving rise to the newblood phenomenon.
* * *
THE KINGDOM OF THE LAKELANDS is an absolute monarchy, wherein supreme authority is retained by a single ruler. The Silver nymphs of House Cygnet currently hold the throne of the Lakelands. The dynasty is quite large, with both QUEEN CENRA and KING ORREC hailing from different branches of the Cygnet tree. Queen Cenra is the ruling monarch, and, as is custom in the Lakelands, her heir, PRINCESS TIORA, is not permitted to leave the borders of the Lakelands, to ensure the survival of the bloodline. Queen Cenra herself is also confined within her country except in times of great need.