1.

Wobbling from the heat, Jason shields his eyes from the sun, trying to scan the sand for the telltale signs of hover-jets approaching from the west. Their cargo is more precious than any trade convoy’s, and they are due any moment. Not long ago, such an event would have been unthinkable. He had stood atop the wall, just like this, as a child, and looked out to the wild and its invisible inhabitants, not with anticipation, but with scorn and fear. Jason looks at the timepiece on his wrist; it is almost a year to the day since he won the Bassanium and changed the city forever.

A gentle northerly breeze disturbs the desert sand and offers welcome relief. Jason is wearing his official black uniform; nothing else would have been suitable for an occasion of this importance, but he is hot and agitated. He wills them to arrive on time, to not have any delays or, God forbid, encounters. He shudders to think of the beasts that patrol beyond the horizon, but the sheer size of the convoy would protect them—or so he assures himself, repeatedly.

It is not the cost of this expedition that worries him either; he could pay for the convoy’s overtime and hardly notice the dent in his bank balance. The Bassanium prize money had made him a wealthy man, not yet as rich as his father, but certainly wealthy enough to finance the transport and accommodation of his guests. No, he wants them to arrive on time for her.

Jason smiles to the wind. Benedetta had adapted to city life with characteristic ease, but he’d woken a few times in the middle of the night to see her watching a distant point on the ceiling. She’d only shrugged and kissed him when he’d asked what was wrong, but sometimes the way she tutted at bike traffic and rolled her eyes at the obscenely gigantic, hovering billboards made him wonder if she missed home. Not that she’d ever admit it, of course. Still, she was going to be thrilled to see three-quarters of Oak Village arriving in her adopted city this afternoon—of this, Jason is certain. And he couldn’t wait to be reunited with his old friends and saviours either.

What a wedding it will be.

Not only does it promise to be the most illustrious city celebration in over three generations, but the event has political resonance—this isn’t lost on Jason, even as his excitement begins to mount as the big day nears. On the whole, Empyreans had got used to the sight and idea of Benedetta. Only yesterday, she had come home delighted from a trip downtown because everyone who’d spotted her had saluted.