Cosimia knew Mother would most definitely not approve of this outing. Ever since she had became Huntress, her days had been filled with meetings, hearings, and training. She loved the authority it gave her but Cosimia also wished she could go back to being a regular 10th year- she could blend into the crowd and get away with everything. But now she was chained to her responsibilities.

"Huntress." The guards bowed low and Cosimia nodded at them absently. The Minerva Elite didn't actually need any guards, but it made some of the younger members feel safer by having them here. The gray fog streamed through the honeycomb glass, painting the floor in geometric shapes. It was another gray day, like all others.

"Will you need to be escorted to wherever you're going?" Cosimia leveled the small guard with a cool look and he shrank back. Cosimia turned abruptly on her heel and continued walking briskly down the serene hallway. The tower was quiet in the early morning but Cosimia had found that's when she loved it the most. Normally there would be people buzzing around, in the tower and below in the city alike. The quiet was refreshing and Cosimia had made it almost a habit to sneak out in the waking dawn and the sleeping dusk.

She had never been to the dungeon before, mostly under the influence of her mother. Unsavory creatures not worth wasting time on, Mother would always say. But sparks of excitement mixed in with the anxiousness as Cosimia lightly shut the iron door behind her. The dungeon was the parallel opposite of the tower. It was dank with a wet humidness that made her cringe. Every movement echoed down the seemingly endless stairs. Creeping ivy lay shriveled against the moldy rock, looking like veins on the crumbling rock. It looked like the prison hadn't been remodeled since the Minerva Tower was built. It was a sober contrast to the normal clean, blank halls of the tower. Cosimia gripped the wrought iron handrails as her specially crafted boots slid on the slick stairs. Her boots had been made for combat, not for all-terrain movement.

Rats and spiders skittered across the floor, and Cosimia felt her skin crawl every time a rat screeched through the corridor. After what felt like hours she reached the bottom of the stairs. The main level chamber reeked of feces and rot. Cosimia held her breath but the smell only increased as she went deeper. Most of the cells were empty but she vaguely remembered Mother mentioning that the old scholar was going to be kept in cell 9. As she neared his cell, Cosimia could hear his crazed mutterings louder and louder. Standing in front of the cell, she hesitated. Was it really smart to indulge the poor man in her ideas? Sure, she ached to know more about the Unbalance considering the library had been of no use to her, but what if it were all a ploy?

"Young Huntress, come forward." The man cackled with a raspy voice and Cosimia took a tentative step forward. She kept her distance and peered into the cell, shrouded in darkness. But in the emptiness behind the bars, Cosimia could see the wolfish green-yellow eyes of the man.

"I am in need of your service, Manai." Cosimia held her head up and forced her voice to sound sharp and strong.

"Oh really? May I inquire about it?" He laughed delightedly.

Cosimia ignored him. "I need to know more about the Unbalance." The crazed laughter ceased and flooded the chamber with silence.

"What do you want to know, Huntress?" Manai's voice was clearer with a hint of satisfaction. She pursed her lips before continuing.

"I want to know about what has happened during the Unbalance in previous accounts, and if you know, what will happen once the Unbalance arrives." Cosimia released the breath she didn't realize she was holding in. Manai was silent as he considered her question. Cosimia hoped that the guards hadn't tipped her mother off about her location because she didn't have a valid excuse for why she was done here. Well, if it came to that, she would make one up as she went up the stairs. Cosimia took another small step forward, only to have her boot heel squelch in some kind of liquid. Scowling in disgust, she stepped back.

"I knew you would come, Huntress. The Unbalance has always brought ominous tidings, as far as I can remember. I have dedicated my life to studying it. I have some scrolls back in my home about the Unbal-"

"I don't care about your scrolls. What you know should suffice. If you don't have what I need, I'll leave." Cosimia reported briskly.

"Yes, yes, there I go off, rambling again!" He chuckled, the sound dying down once he saw Cosimia's icy glare. "Back to it. In one event, missiles were sent to destroy Lovi, so they could harness that powerful gases inside that could cause mass harm. In another time, many species left one of the planets to make their home on another one. The diseases they brought with them proceeded to wipe out the entire population of the living on that planet." With each sentence, Cosimia felt a chill crash over her, in tumultuous waves. If the Unbalance really did cause all that, Saturnus needed to plan for whatever might happen. But that was going to be difficult considering that the whole of the Minerva Elite, especially her mother, were incredibly skeptical of the Unbalance.

"When the Unbalance is upon us, every invisible gate that protects each of the planets will fall, for 14 hours. Anything could happen. Once the gates come back up, the planet will be in protection once more." Cosimia studied the man, absorbing all the information. Because of the new technology Terra had constructed, getting to each planet was possible within 30 minutes. In 14 hours, so many things could occur. Things that might cause the end of Zorias. Fear welled up in Cosimia but she pushed it down. She was Huntress Nedias of the Minerva Elite and she would protect Saturnus, just like she vowed to.

"I thank you for your information, Manai. I am in your debt." She gave him a firm nod. "When you need a favor requiring me, call."

With that, she swept out of the room.

"Where have you been?" Geneva's sharp voice filled Cosimia's spacious personal loft as she walked in brusquely. Cosimia fought back a retort and closed the book she had been reading. From her quickness, Geneva eyed the text suspiciously.

"All this for a Huntress? You're not the queen." Geneva scoffed. Cosimia had been given private quarters upon inheriting her new title, along with the rest of her team. Since Cosimia was their captain, they had earned celebrity status as the most talented patrol team. Freda especially had been milking the rewards of Cosimia's trials.

"Jealous?"

"No. It's so lonely here. I wouldn't live here even if Mother forced me."

"Sure you wouldn't." Cosimia said with a sigh. She wanted to get back to her book but Geneva's intrusion permitted her from doing so. She did admit; her rooms were extremely comfortable. Tapestries of muted colors hung from the high, glass ceiling, the dim light shining on the enormous bed that could fit her whole patrol. Fluffy rugs covered the cold tile in layers. But mostly Cosimia enjoyed her sitting area. Books were strewn recklessly about the couches and chaises. She had gotten quite used to the stateroom.

"Mother wants you." Geneva bit out, picking up a hardcover text. She studied it in confusion and sent Cosimia a look.

"What's this?"

"I'm studying the layout of Saturnus. As Huntress, isn't it appropriate for me to know my planet inside and out?" Cosimia arched her brow, exuding a calm, confident person on the outside while inside she was practically shaking with fear. Her sister would do anything, absolutely anything, to denote Cosimia. Cosimia still couldn't believe how deep Geneva's hatred ran.

Geneva stared at her icily for an eternal moment before tossing it on the cushion and turning to the door.

"Don't be late." With that, the door thudded behind her. Cosimia wilted and stood up reluctantly. She loved the attention Mother had been giving her as of late. It made her feel... special. She knew her position automatically made her special but this feeling was like no other. Cosimia tightened the iron buttons on her tailored uniform and tightened her updo.

Walking through the corridor to Mother's office, Cosimia thought about what Manai had told her. It didn't make her feel good that she was the only person that actually considered the Unbalance a threat. When she brought it up with Airlia, her friend giggled, patted her arm, and said: "Maybe you need to sleep more instead of reading." Then the rest of the squad laughed as Freda recounted Cosimia's frequent trips to the library. 

Cosimia wrung her fingers in front of her, biting her lip nervously. She desperately hoped those guards hadn't leaked where Cosimia was going to her mother. Sure, she had an excuse, but the Commandant had an uncanny ability to lure the truth out of anyone with a look. Including her children.

She gripped the cold handle of the door and yanked it open, surprised to find Dominica there as well. She exhaled quietly. If Dominica was here then whatever Mother wanted to talk about wouldn't be about the dungeon trip. Mother was staring out fiercely at Zorias, her amber yellow eyes lit with passion.

"I assume that both of you haven't been on a ring scouting before." Dominica looked at me briefly before replying.

"No, Commandant." Clasping her hands behind her back, Mother turned to us.

"Well, today you get your first chance." An excited heat spread through me, like a scorching forest fire.

"Huntress, soon ring scouting will be your responsibility so I have decided to let the both of you have a practice round today. Afterwards, the responsibility is on you and your patrol's shoulders." Mother lifted her chin and Cosimia responded in part.

"When do we start?"

"Now." Mother turned away from them once more, silently dismissing both of them from her office. Dominica and Cosimia padded out quietly and after the doors closed Cosimia finally let the large smile stretch itself on her face.

"I've wanted to do a ring scouting," Cosimia said dreamily, sounding like an obsessed schoolgirl.

Dominica barked out a laugh. "That's because you've always been absorbed in your books about Saturnus."

"I need to. I'm the Huntress, aren't I? It's my responsibility."

"I'm not accusing you of anything. Just curious." Dominica fingered the hilt of her sword as the two of them continued to the garage. Cosimia remembered seeing the ring pods take off in the sky during lessons, imagining she was on one of them. Now she finally could. Also, she could get the opportunity to observe the rings for any weaknesses. If the Unbalance really was going to happen, Saturnus was going to need allies. Each of the planets were more solitary, relying on others for absolute necessities. Now, Cosimia had to convince other planets that if the Unbalance occurs, violence would get them nowhere.

"Saturnus to Cosimia. Cosimia, do you read?" Dominica nudged her shoulder lightly, shaking Cosimia out of her daze.

"Let's go." Cosimia said tightly, leaving no room to discuss. Dominica silently followed behind, getting into a ring pod. Pressing the accelerator, Cosimia shot forward much faster than she expected. As her pod zoomed through the exit tunnel and over the city of Zorias, she forced herself to take a deep breath and focus. She had gotten a lesson on piloting a ring pod; she just had to remember it. Pressing buttons and pulling levers, Cosimia somehow managed to break through the atmosphere and catapult into the spinning rings. Breathless with exhilaration, Cosimia laughed at a shaken Dominica.

"Were you not listening to the lesson?" Cosimia said, still giggling. Dominica, glad to see Cosimia's smile, smiled shakily back.

"I did. I didn't think it would be so fast." She gasped, her words trailing as she gazed at the large, jagged pieces of ice and rock floating peacefully over the pod. The pod was engineered to repel the ice and rocks so they wouldn't be hit. It was beautiful, so much better close up. Against the stars that freckled the cosmos, the ice looked like a star close up. Cosimia wanted to reach her hands up and touch it, let her fingers run over the rough surface. Dominica still gaped at the rings, but Cosimia felt like crying. This, this was what she had wanted. To see the rings, to see its splendor up close. And sitting here, in the serene sky, she never wanted to leave.