up with water, and I'd be fine. I passed out six hours in, and my father had to get an Avernus Traveler to fly me out."
"That sounds terrible," Donia said honestly. She had to keep him talking. The cold was starting to slice through even her, so she could only imagine how Nikolos must feel.
"It wasn't so bad," the boy said. "If I was a Helgard Traveler, then I could become Overlord after my father. Even if I Traveled a different Territory, at least I could do something worthwhile."
"It's not like Travelers are the only ones worth anything," Donia said. "Most people aren't Travelers, and they live perfectly productive lives."
"Yeah," Nikolos said, "let me just go and sell carpets for the rest of my life. That's just as good as calling fire from the sky."
He sighed. "Anyway," he went on, "what about you? Did your parents have you tested?" “Not exactly,” Donia responded. A real conversation, at last. Some part of her was convinced that, if they could just keep talking, everything would turn out all right.
“My mother works for the Seamstress Guild when she can, and my father serves in your household,” she said. “They couldn’t afford to give me a real test. And it would never have occurred to them anyway.”
“Hold on a moment,” Nikolos said. “Is Master Sarkis your father?”
Donia smiled, even though she knew no one could see her. The trust that Overlord Vasilios had for Donia’s father was one of the main reasons why she had been trusted with this mission in the first place. And the boy hadn’t even known who she really was.
“He is,” she said.
“Seven stones! I never knew.”
“Well, when I was twelve, your father sent a team of Helgard Travelers to our house, to live with my family while new quarters were constructed. This was a few years before you were born, by the way. One of the Travelers had an icefang with him, crawling along at his feet, and I decided to reach down and pet it.”
She could still see the creature: a clump of snow running along at its master’s heels like a dog, sparkling in the sunlight as if it were covered in diamonds. Something in her had to touch it, as though the icefang itself were calling to her.
“And you survived?” Nikolos sounded horrified.
“Instead of tearing my finger off, it hopped up on my shoulder and wouldn’t leave. Its Traveler couldn’t get it to come off all day.”
Nikolos stayed silent for a moment, then he burst out laughing. Out of instinct, she almost told him to be quiet, but what was the point? He couldn’t wake anything worse than what the Travelers outside were already calling up.
So she might as well keep talking.
“They took me to Helgard immediately for training, though I was still allowed to live with my parents. I spent most of the next fifteen years studying and learning. I wasn’t allowed full access to the Tower until a few years ago.”
In truth, most Helgard Travelers were never allowed to travel freely from floor to floor. They were restricted according to their ability, and most never progressed beyond a certain point.
“I wish I could be like you,” Nikolos said. "Even among Travelers, you stand out. You've got the talent. You've got the skill. I bet you could free yourself if I wasn't here, couldn't you?"
Maybe she could. It wasn't a sure thing, but if Nikolos hadn't been in danger, she would have rolled the dice already. As it was, she couldn't risk his life as easily as she could risk her own.
"It's not like that," Donia said.
"It's okay," Nikolos replied, and he sounded dreamy. Sleepy. "I've given up. You get out of here, you can do it. You'll be okay. My father needs you more...more than he needs..."
Nikolos' voice drifted off into indistinct murmurs.
"Nikolos?" Donia called. "Nikolos?"
No response.
She had to keep talking. Talking might keep him awake, might give him something to concentrate on. It might keep her awake, for that matter.
"It's not as easy as you think," she said. "They give me