The sentinels had found me again. The giants in the half-light were watching. Always watching, waiting for me to do wrong.

  I tried to focus, blinking away the black spots that danced before me.

  The shadows shifted. No, they couldn’t be sentinels, I had escaped them...

  Cold metal lay in my palm. A weapon?

  No. A kettle.

  I stared at it, my vision clearing. It was an important kettle, but why?

  , my settling mind offered.

  My legs weren't mine anymore. Someone had replaced my muscles with wet clay, my bones with lead pipes. Each step sent tremors up my weak spine. I was too heavy.

  I staggered forward, desperate to escape the sentinel’s gaze, but I swayed and banged into one of them, my shoulder hitting it hard. I flinched, but the sentinel remained still, indifferent to my transgression.

  Strange. Why so merciful today?

  I kept moving, driven by confusion and lingering fear, heading for a distant pool of light, dragging each step from deep inside until I finally stumbled into the brightness, sending the kettle crashing into another sentinel.

  There was a loud, hollow, echoey clang.

  The sound brought me back to my senses and I touched the thing I had hit. It was a storage unit, not a sentinel. I shook my head. My mind was still emerging from stasis, confusing shadows with threats.

  Laughter rippled from a bright space up ahead. I squinted and saw four figures sitting cross-legged on the floor, sorting through colourful packets.

  "Careful there, Sixflame" called the oldest. "Unless you want to bring a whole storage cabinet down."

  Sixflame. That was me, but who was she?

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  "Land legs still developing?" asked another with a friendly smile. "It’ll take a while for you to adjust. This is your first time, isn’t it?"

  She was Sister…Sister Something.

  "My apologies, Sister," I said, trying to hold the kettle less awkwardly. "I'm looking for water. For Starcarver's tea."

  They exchanged glances. The youngest asked, “Do you think he’s always this nervous? He can barely stand.”

  I swallowed. "Where is Starcarver?"

  "Vanguard Starcarver has gone to settle matters with the Hub Administrator," said the first Sister. "Sister Pathsong? Why don’t you give him a hand."

  Sister Pathsong rose to her feet. “Come on, it’s not far. Can you manage to the other side of the hangar?”

  "Yes. Thank you." I bowed to her, which was a stupid thing to do because it brought a dizzying rush of blood to my head that almost sent me toppling.

  Sister Pathsong led me through narrow corridors formed by towering cargo containers, which now looked nothing like sentinels.

  "How are you feeling after the journey?" she asked.

  "Fine," I lied. “It feels good to be moving.”

  She smiled. "There's no shame in discomfort. After twenty-eight months in deep stasis with caloric infusion, anyone would be struggling. It's quite a shock to the body."

  We stopped before a recessed alcove with a water dispensing system. "Here we are. Put your kettle under the spout."

  I positioned the kettle and watched as clear water streamed into it.

  "Tell me," Pathsong said, "what’s your experience as a Torcher? Where was your First Passage?"

  "Um." The weight of the kettle strained my wrists. "I come from Enclave II."

  She frowned. "I’ve not heard of it. Does it have a Torcher tradition?"

  "It’s an...afterthought colony.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know what this is.”

  “A resource extraction colony that was abandoned when profits dropped.” I tried to smile. “The company’s evacuation vessels only took those named in the original contracts. Children were classed as unclaimed assets and left to inherit the abandoned workings.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” said Pathsong. Then she frowned and shook her head. "But unfortunately, if you haven't learned your birth world through First Passage, then you are not a Torcher. You need to return to Enclave II."

  The kettle was nearly full. I had to adjust my grip. "Vanguard Starcarver said it would be all right," I muttered.

  "I am sure this is just a misunderstanding. We will have a word with him." Her expression softened slightly. “It’s not your fault. Not everyone should be a Torcher. We can find you work here in the Hub instead. I’ve heard they’re in desperate need of strong hands. A simple but honest life." She smiled brightly.

  I was saved from having to answer by the water, which had reached the kettle's brim. The flow ceased automatically and I lifted the kettle with both hands. Pathsong patted my shoulder.

  "You’ll be careful with that, won’t you? It's heavier than it looks."

  "Yes. Thank you, Sister."

  Pathsong disappeared into the labyrinth, leaving me alone with a kettle and lingering stasis sickness. I hurried back for my Vanguard, who had rescued me from Enclave II and promised new worlds, would soon be wanting his tea.