Elsewhere

In those days, no-one really seemed to care about the fall, but Kik still liked to enjoy the show on his rare nights off. Just before sunset, he made a flask of hot, sweet sera juice, grabbed a pictographer and a warm cloak, and hiked up the hill overlooking the town. This was his place. He made his way slowly through the trees, brushing aside their dusty red leaves to venture deep into the undergrowth.

When he finally emerged, he was hit smack in the face by a breathtaking vista to which he never seemed to become accustomed. Not only could he see the sleepy little buildings of his friends and neighbours far below, but miles of countryside, stretching almost all the way to Era valley where the Council lived. The thought of his bosses momentarily impinged on Kik's sense of tranquillity, but a deep breath and a quick glimpse of the golden sky soon restored his serenity.

It was turning out to be a milder evening than expected, so he removed his cloak and lay it on the ground with a flourish before making himself comfortable and taking a deep swig from his flask. The clouds were getting fuller, pregnant with the glory that was soon to be unleashed. It wouldn't be long now.

Kik couldn't help but wish that he wasn't the only one who still enjoyed the spectacle of the whole thing. Even after all these years, there was something, well, magical about it all. He cringed at his own mind's choice of words; magical for the Council maybe, but not for everyday people. Sometimes he wondered why he worked for them, he really did. Of course, they certainly looked like the epitome of benevolence that he had assumed them to be when he joined – using their arcane knowledge to provide energy for the people instead of ruling them with an iron fist – but he couldn't shake the innate feeling that it couldn't be good for any one group to have so much power... He sighed. Here he was: night off, trying to escape and find some peace of mind, and what was he doing? Thinking about work. He-

Kik's musings were abruptly cut off by a tiny static crackle on his arm. He looked down in sudden surprise, then grinned and turned his eyes skywards. It was starting.

The fall was always a gradual affair to begin with, so Kik leaned back and allowed his gaze to wander slowly over the panorama. One by one, tiny flecks of gold were detaching themselves from the glowing clouds and drifting gently to the ground, where they sizzled, popped and vanished in tiny little flashes of electricity.

Over the village the gilded flecks of sky fell straight down, following twisted and languorous paths but ultimately remaining true in their course to earth. Out by the horizon, however, there was a definite... tendency in their movement. A gentle drifting which few of the folks in the village below even knew about, but which Kik had seen many times in his eighteen years. They were heading for Era valley.