"Don’t tell them that," Sera said, rolling her eyes as Luci made quick work of the piece of jerky before looking back at the Depot clerk with a puppy dog face.

"Oh, I intend to," Mae replied, sliding the candles into the basket she was getting for Sera. "Someone needs to keep them humble."

Sera allowed herself a small smile, faint but real.

She liked Mae’s ease—the way she filled silence without forcing it, the way she seemed entirely unbothered by the world’s broken edges.

When Mae moved again, the light from the doorway caught her gloves and the frame above them, turning both to quick, gold flashes.

"You said went north," Sera repeated. "To Country N. What’s there that would take her away from here?"

Mae shrugged, still cheerful. "Depends who you ask. Some say nothing. Some say everything worth finding." She glanced sideways. "You’re going north too, aren’t you?"

Sera shook her head. "We’re going south, hopefully we’ll get to Region L before too long."

Mr. Talley snorted quietly. Mae didn’t even look at him. "Don’t listen to him," she said to Sera. "He’s been here too long to remember what hope sounds like."

"Hope’s an expensive word," Sera said.

Mae laughed softly. "So are manners, and yet here we are keeping both."

The clerk began wrapping their goods in paper and string. "You’ll need to be quick," he said without looking up. "Sheriff doesn’t like outsiders lingering."

Mae’s tone stayed bright. "They’re already leaving. We’re just civilized enough to make sure to kick them out with full bellies."

He nodded once and tied the last parcel.

Sera watched him move — unhurried, exact — and wondered if the town had always been like this. Frozen in its own comfort. Everyone moving on the same clock that never ticked forward.

Mae picked up two parcels and passed one to her. "You ever get tired of stillness?"

Sera adjusted the weight. "I’ve had worse company."

Mae smiled, something proud flickering there. "Good answer."

As they turned for the door, Mae’s parasol knocked softly against the wood floor. The bell above the frame chimed again, sharp and perfect.

Sera glanced up one last time at the portrait. "She looks nothing like a queen."

Mae looked, too, then tilted her head. "Oh, she did. Once."

Sera gave her a sidelong look. "You knew her?"

Mae smiled faintly, almost to herself. "Everyone here did. Or we like to think so. It makes waiting easier."

Sera didn’t press. The portrait was just paint, and the world was full of ghosts people refused to stop feeding. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They stepped out into the sun.

The light hit hard and flat, erasing shade.

Beside the building, the truck waited by the pump that looked completely out of place with all the horses around it, the men finishing up.

Lachlan waved lazily, Alexei leaned against the cab, Zubair double-checked the gauge like the world depended on precision.

Mae adjusted her grip on the parcels. "You came down through the south road, you’ll want to head north to get back south," she said, nodding toward the tree line that started where the buildings ended. "You really can’t miss it. It’s the only road here. Just think about where you want to go, and I’m sure you’ll find your way."

Sera followed her gaze. The horizon shimmered under the heat, a pale blur between dust and sky. "You sound like you’ve done this before."

Mae’s laugh came light. "Leaving? Can’t say that I have ever done that."

"You don’t want to ever leave? See the world around us. See something new, something different?"

Mae gave that same small, knowing shrug. "Some of us want to," she said softly. "But finding your way out is a lot easier than finding your way back. Most don’t accomplish it in their lifetimes."

They crossed the boardwalk together, Luci weaving between them, his fur catching the sun like quicksilver.

Behind them, the Depot door swung shut and the bell gave one final chime.

Lachlan straightened when they reached the truck. "That was fast."

Mae lifted her parcel. "Efficiency is an art."

Zubair opened the back hatch. "You sure you have what you need?"

"Everything we could take without stealing," the woman winked at him. "And even then, I don’t think Mr. Talley would complain all that much. He’d just grumble about having to restock everything first."

Mae handed him the bag with a bright smile that made it impossible to tell whether she was joking. "Be sure to tell your Sheriff we were model citizens."

"If you were, then you would never leave," replied Mae as she shook her head.

Alexei opened the back door so that Sera could easily get in and took all the packages from both her and Mae.

One by one, the rest jumped into the truck, and Zubair started the engine. "It’s not jet fuel, but it will do."

Alexei snorted at the attempt at humor, and Elias simply unfolded his map and spread it out on the dashboard in front of him.

Mae waved as they started to roll forward. "Safe travels, love. Don’t let the road decide for you."

Sera leaned an elbow against the open window. "Does it ever?"

Mae smiled, bright as the unchanging sun. "Oh, always. Most people are just too dumb and blind to ever see it. Remember to think about where you want to go, and the road will always take you there."

The truck eased away, its tires crunching over the dry earth.

The main street of Perdition shrank behind them, and for just a moment, Sera felt a streak of pain running through her chest. "I might actually miss that place," she murmured softly, rubbing the spot right over her heart. "I like their sense of style."

"We can come back whenever you want," assured Zubair, his voice firm. Nodding her head, Sera looked back over her shoulder.

Mae stood where they’d left her, her parasol tilted against the light, and her expression unreadable from the distance.

The town around her remained still, suspended in that same fixed hour, as if nothing that mattered had ever really moved at all.