“Aha, s-so that’s where I’ve s-seen that lady,” Alan chuckled. “Now it makes s-sense! You’re the Guide whose oddball started remembering everyt-thing?”
Libby felt uneasy at his words. Her cheeks betrayed her, turning a deep crimson.
“There’s a possibility,” she muttered.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Kiraz said, and even Alan opened his mouth in shock, sticking out his long tongue. “The Community cannot guarantee a hundred percent result. There are always unforeseen circumstances. Ultimately, our job is to solve problems as they arise.”
He looked at his charge, and Libby thought she saw him clench his teeth.
Maybe Lombasks aren’t as impenetrable as she thought.
“Well, it was nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll see each other again,” the Guide nodded kindly.
“That would be nice, Elizabeth,” Alan waved, once again propping his feet up on the table.
“The probability is extremely low,” Kiraz stated.
Libby took one last look at his perfect, textured face and made her way back to Constantin, swaying her hips. All she could do was hope that Lombask would appreciate her sensual, bare-footed walk.
Sophia lay on the bed, listening to the silence around her. Ever since she was assigned to Constantin, her thoughts had become her only companions in the dark. Ephors had no need for sleep or food to sustain themselves; human vices did not affect them. But she enjoyed simulating an ordinary human life, adjusting her daily routine to the schedule of mortals. There was a special atmosphere in this, even if everything seemed like a monochrome harmony of the mundane.
A mundanity in which guides added colorful hues, filling people’s lives with diverse meaning. But the Ephors saw this as a waste of energy.
“Although Libby seems to have gone overboard with the colors,” Sophia thought.
Through the partially open window, the distant rustle of passing dogs and the faint whisper of branches from the shrubs growing beneath it could be heard.
The Ephor's room had turned into an archive. Glancing around, Sophia realized how many attempts had been made to find the right thread, how much material had been studied.
Gracefully tiptoeing, like a cat, over the neat rows of documents with notes and action plans spread out on the floor, she stepped onto the balcony. Lighting another cigarette, she gazed into the emptiness of the street. Sophia didn’t know what she expected to see. The dim streetlamp attracted moths and gnats, and she watched them as if entranced. Their countless attempts to approach the heated light amused the Ephor. The moths, unable to realize the futility of their efforts, could not stop.
“Just like people,” an indifferent thought flashed through her mind.
In the distance, the roar of an engine could be heard; night races were starting on the highway. Every night, they took to the empty road to test themselves and their iron companions. Sometimes it ended tragically, with the news filled with depressing headlines, but the girl understood that it was nothing more than another task completed for the guide, and a new level of development for the soul.
Sophia recalled the meeting on the embankment. While gathering information about Constantin at the clinic, she had studied his visitors. She learned that Max was one of Van's few regular guests.
This plump jester, along with his guide Kanis, served as a kind of support for his friend. To some extent, he acted as an anchor for Constantin's unstable balance of memories. That was why she had discreetly asked Kanis to direct her charge toward a friendly gathering. Constantin and his friends were supposed to meet there, so Sophia had chosen a nearby bench in advance, ensuring Constantin would notice her in time. The Ephor needed to remind him of her presence and get a look at Libby. Only by observing her could Sophia gauge the true state of her charge.
