The Drowned Gods, #2
Stranger Skies
by Pascale Lacelle
Contents
Chapter 19: Emory
Overview
Emory, Romie, and Aspen travel off the spiral ley toward its central door, crossing a blighted forest that feels predatory. Romie challenges Emory’s unexplained survival from Collapse, straining trust. That night, Aspen grieves Bryony, and Emory confronts her own guilt, tentatively rebuilding empathy within the group ahead of the door.
Summary
By midday, Aspen leads Emory and Romie into the woods using her mother’s ley map, skirting the spiral ley to reach its center-door while avoiding possession like Bryony’s. Mrs. Amberyl stays behind with Bryony, warning Aspen against sacrificing too much, reinforcing the door’s cost.
The forest proves diseased: rot, carrion, and a sense of being watched amplify their unease. They camp with difficulty, the fire barely taking in the decay. Romie, wary after witnessing Emory’s silver-vein surge, confronts Emory about not Collapsing. Emory theorizes the ley buffered her and admits post-ley episodes of hearing and seeing “ghosts.”
Romie doubts Emory’s control, citing Emory’s pained reactions to magic and fearing a Collapse like her father’s. Emory, stung yet cautious, refuses to test magic so near the ley. Romie, unconvinced, withdraws to sleep, leaving a widening rift as they near the door.
Before dawn, Emory wakes to Aspen quietly crying over Bryony, blaming herself for failing to protect her sister. Emory responds with her own burden of guilt from losses in her world, concluding that self-forgiveness is necessary where control was absent. Aspen murmurs that she doesn’t blame Emory, offering a small restoration of trust.
By morning’s edge, the group’s path remains the same, but their dynamics have shifted: suspicion lingers between Romie and Emory, while Aspen and Emory share a tentative, empathetic bond as they continue toward the spiral door and its demanded sacrifice.
Who Appears
- EmoryNarrator; leads trek off the spiral ley, defends her near-Collapse, admits hearing ghosts, and offers Aspen solace.
- RomieChallenges Emory’s unexplained survival and control, recalling her father’s Collapse; tension strains their friendship.
- Aspen AmberylGuides with her mother’s ley map; grieves Bryony and accepts Emory’s empathy; warned about sacrifice.
- Mrs. AmberylRemains with comatose Bryony; cautions Aspen not to sacrifice too much and confirms the door’s location.
- Bryony AmberylComatose after possession; her plight fuels Aspen’s grief and the urgency of reaching the spiral door.