“I’ve decided what I’m gonna do… finally,” I grinned.
My gaze shifted to Bitsy. “I’ve got the craziest idea! You ready?"
She nodded with a knowing smile, so I hit everyone with my newest brainstorm.
"We start publishing Discordant now, as a web serial, slowly. Drip by drip until Ryst Nova’s birthday, 2860. That’ll grow interest in Sibsil Creed on Earth. It’s relatable and funny, so it seems harmless at first. By the time it turns sinister, Bitsy will be ready to publish the Known Cosmos books. I know that it’s out of order, and weird—“
Bitsy cut me off, shaking her head and placing a steadying hand on my arm. “That’s exactly what we need right now, Sam. You’re thinking like a dreamer—like someone whose imagination can’t be ignored.”
She glanced at Pitch. “And from what we’ve seen, that’s what changes the world.”
“Then let’s dream bigger,” I went on, bolstered by her confidence.
“I’ll write the sequel to Discordant, and it won’t be a satire or sensationalist comedy making light of terrible truths. It will be my story, exactly as I’ve lived it. It’s called Time Sleuths, and you already know the plot since you lived it with me. I may not be able to prove what happened to the Resistor or if my parents were murdered, but I can raise the questions.”
“Loudly.” I searched all of their faces and saw resolve among them.
“I need to make a few edits to Discordant, because I don’t want to hide behind Ayela Scarsdale’s name anymore. I want to write Samantha Mooneyhan’s story. Mine,” I said, looking to Nanna.
Cora squeezed my hand, and I went on, feeling her support in every fiber of my being.
“I’ve faced difficult truths in this chamber, and I’m ready to tell the Known Cosmos all about it. It’s perfect, Bitsy. Your great-grandpas wrote these Known Cosmos books and created a publishing house for them on Earth, right? They wanted people to read them in English and get curious about what happened to the Shurwinn who left Earth centuries ago. They created a mystery.”
Everyone around me nodded because we’d lived the mystery together, hadn’t we?
“And what did all of us do? We followed their breadcrumbs through time, came here to the Ayela Arcana Sanctuary, and put the pieces together! We’ve done exactly what Peydran and Ren hoped would happen."
HC butt in, “It’s perfect, Sam. Once people have read Discordant, they’ll be hungry for the rest of the story. You know what makes it even better? The public will be writing the story with us!"
I nodded enthusiastically, “That’s it, HC! You see it, don’t you? It’s the myriads of people in the 9 Galaxies wanting change that will make it happen! The whole populace is the story!”
I giggled a little, high on the idea of shaking the foundations of our world with books.
“But I can’t make this decision in a vacuum. This isn’t just my story, it’s ours, and that affects you all. This book sends ripples across the Known Cosmos, so I won’t do it alone,” I finished, knowing they each had to make the decision themselves.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
HC chimed in again, “About that. I’ve got an idea. What do you think of putting Harley and Muriel’s shorts in your books? Want ‘Murder Pizza’ to join in the chaos? I’m already a main character in Discordant. I even wrote the epilogue, so why not add a little point-of-view from HC here and there? That’ll get my fans interested in your story too. A little crossover between our books?”
My jaw dropped, “You’d do that, HC?”
“Well, Samantha,” he rolled his eyes. “You can change my name and pretend you were on Discord with some made-up author, or we can tell the story as it really happened. I, for one, think the truth is the most important part of what’s in this building."
Paddy nodded, “That’s the heart of what we’ve done here as Time Sleuths: we’ve pieced together history and realized there’s a lot going on in the shadows. And we’re not the only ones who’re asking questions, Sam. The next step is to do it in the light of day, not skulking behind secret doors."
Cora piped up, picking up a book from the cushion. “Remember what Sibsil said in the opening of Book 1:"
While scholars debate if these events are fact or fantasy, we say: “Let the readers decide for themselves!”
"We’re not telling anyone what to do about it. We’re just telling our story. Let the chips fall where they may."
I looked around the room, taking in the nodding heads of my friends, and realized each and every one of them was already on board with telling the truth exactly as it happened.
And they had reasons of their own for doing so, didn’t they? I wasn’t just dragging them in the wake of my personal drama. Their own stories led them to the Sanctuary too.
Bitsy spoke up, “Sibsil Creed has been a pseudonym of my family for generations, but on January 13, 2860, everything changes. In a way, my da began it when he told HC his real name two decades ago. Then I told you who I am, Sam, so my family isn't hiding anymore. The countdown has already begun. So if you’re on board, it's full steam ahead.”
Rhoda clapped, and Nanna and Cora hugged me. At once, they all said some variation of, “Let’s do this! It’s finally happening! Yippieee!”
Bitsy reigned everyone in. “I like your timeline, Sam. You start working on Time Sleuths, weaving the storylines together, and let’s get Discordant published on stream. In the meantime, you have another decision to make. Do you want to do all of that here, on Shurwinn?”
I shook my head, smiled at Cora and HC, then shifted my gaze to Rhoda.
“Cora, HC, Rhoda, I’m one of the Talented, and I think it’s time I made my way to Five Spheres and joined their ranks. How about you?” I grinned.
“Woooo hoooo!” Rhoda cheered, jumping up and down. “Filly will love it! Other Talented kids like him? He’ll have the time of his life!”
HC beamed, “As a fellow Talented, Sam, I couldn’t agree more! We’ve already been talking to the family about it, and Paddy’s brother really wants to go to the planet of the special. He’s a little different himself, so we’re all on board.”
Paddy hugged HC and kissed his cheek. I looked at Nanna. She nodded once, and that was all that needed to be said.
“Then, my Talented partners in crime, we’re done here, right?” Cora asked, looking passed ready to leave the one-room Sanctuary behind.
Yeah, I had to agree, a week cooped up in that room was pretty batty.
“Are we taking commercial starliners to Five Spheres?” Paddy asked Bitsy.
Bitsy shook her head, “I have a starliner, and so does Pitch,” she answered. “So, decide how you want to divide up, but please know that you haven’t finished reading all there is. Unfortunately, Book 7 of the Known Cosmos series has only one copy, so it’s up to Pitch to tell you about that.”
Interesting. So far, Pitch hadn’t said a word, so how exactly was he going to tell us about Book 7?
Pitch pulled an ivory book out of his satchel and handed it to me. It resembled the other volumes, but had gold lettering on the cover that said Unknown Cosmos.
I flipped open the cover, but there was no title page or date inside. Instead, what I found was a journal.
“You’re handwriting it?” I asked in surprise.
Pitch simply smiled softly at me, took the book, and replaced it in his satchel. Then he headed towards the arched doorway, casting a backward glance at me with two raised eyebrows.
I looked at my friends, then at the room around us, filled with affection. Walking to my favorite marble relief of Ryst and Nayth, I let my fingers trace the moonflowers in farewell.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For all that you were. For all that you are. And for all that you're helping me become.”
Leaving a tiny sliver of my heart in the Ayela Arcana Sanctuary, I followed Pitch without looking back.
THE END OF BOOK 6.
The story continues in Known Cosmos #7: Unknown Cosmos.