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Saturn spun on somewhere in the heavens and Camlann hung around on Earth, waiting for the power to visit to come trembling into his hands. He went like clockwork, every two weeks, whenever he thought he could make the trip. Soon, he'd go more often. Soon. He just needed to access the same power as Babylon, the one that let him take two trips a week to his Wonder--who on Earth could reach that much power? It seemed unimaginable. It'd be so easy to explore every inch of his birthright that way. The kingdom would be all his own...

He sighed and adjusted his seat on the bench. It wasn't all that comfortable, honestly, but he'd been hearing interesting rumors about people who took up residence on benches, about things they heard and things they did. Camlann wanted to see if the rumors were true--did park benches attract trouble?

An aura was coming his way. So at least that part of the rumor was true.

"Evening," said Camlann, ablating the good modifier. It was an evening. It was even an okay evening. Still, he wouldn't be getting on the train for any further evenings like this unless something changed.

A critical look at his new companion yielded interesting information. First, this was a knight of Camlann's own Order--the inclade's inclade, he supposed he'd call it--though of a lower rank. Second, his hair was ridiculously long even when braided, which meant that the boy in question probably spent a fortune on shampoo and had a lot of trouble wearing hats. Third, breeches. Not like Camlann could judge, with his incredibly lame waistcoat and all. At least his duster looked cool. "You are a Page of Saturn," he said. "My name is Camlann. Have your travels been safe?"

Technically, he supposed his name wasn't really Camlann. That was a titular name, or maybe the word was titular nomenclature, or--anyway, it was a title more than it was an identifier of any particular knight, and he was overthinking this by a factor of something ridiculous, no doubt. "For a certain quality of Camlann, I am Camlann," he edited.

Camlann nodded. "It is something." He shifted aside on the bench to make room for Ploutonion, with a foot of space to spare. An invitation to sit, but not necessarily to sit close. "I've been there. Many times." As often as he could go, he went, wandering the passageways of the ancient barracks, banging his hands on the doors that wouldn't open for him. They needed blood. He'd have blood--he gave the page a sharp look--but not this boy's. Megiddo deserved to die. He'd have her blood first.

He shrugged. "It is a seashore dolmen," he said. "A grave. I know nothing about King Arthur or battles or Mordred. My name was Melany, and I killed for the nobility of Saturn." He lifted his eyebrows. "Have you seen your Wonder yet, Ploutonion page? Seeing your homeland is always beneficial, I think. The place where your heart comes from."

Camlann nodded. "You should visit it often," he said. "No Wonder will unveil its every secret to someone who only visits it rarely. You must build a relationship with it." Which sounded very much like something Babylon would say. Camlann was getting sentimental in his old age. (Ha. He was 24.) He leaned forward on his elbows.

"I did not have the opportunity to learn my Wonder as a Page," he said. "It was taken from me. You should treasure this time."

"You know our enemy? The Negaverse," he said. "I was one of them once. You lose all of the magic when they take you, and what they give you is... not enough."

He wanted to shrug. He tried to shrug. But it was too serious a topic. "There are worse fates than corruption, Ploutonion Page. But they are not many, and I would choose all of them before I let anyone take what is mine from me again."

The shrug came easily, then. It was good to brush off his own fears. "My recommendation, as you are so new, is to find a friend to patrol with," he said. "There are many options. Have you created your signet ring upgrade, yet?"

Camlann shook his head. "Not darker." To say it was simply darkness that defined them oversimplified the issue, he thought. There was plenty of darkness in Order. He was proof of that himself. "They have no standards," he said. "No ideals. They brainwash their recruits to make them toe the party line."

The scowl on his face was not insignificant. "They are inclade. For that, I will avenge their unjustified deaths, as is my duty. I consider it only a stopgap until I can avenge their stolen lives."

He sighed. "Use your ring to call others. Simply say their name into the ring, and it will activate. If you are ever in trouble, Babylon Knight is a good one to call." With a nod, Camlann leaned back on the bench, crossing one leg over the other. "I understand it is an innovation on the half of one of our brothers. Such progress is heartening, is it not?"

With a shrug, Camlann rose. "We shall see," he said. "There are other knights who have advanced the ancient magic. You should speak to them. I am only stumbling onto the path, myself."

But it was late now. The sounds of traffic from downtown had faded and ceased. "If you have no questions, my brother will be waiting for me at home," he said.

As the conversation dwindled and the two Saturn Knights, their history shared and their common goal discussed, parted ways there came a twinkling sound in each direction they walked. It could have been a lone wind chime, or cans tumbling down a path but it was too perfect a melody to be considered random. This was something calling to them. And if they were to just stop and look, even for a second, there were mysterious to find.




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