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Robin was in the garden, playing with the Charmony Dove. It hopped in the grass, while she sang to it. Its wings flapped, though of course that did nothing.
"Sunday!" She looked up at him, scooping the dove up into her lap. The dove cheeped.
Sunday crouched down beside Robin. "I thought Lady Cash told you to rest your voice. You'll be performing to the visitors from the Alfafa Family later today."
She turned pleading eyes to him. "You won't tell, will you? I thought our dove might like it if I sing….
Sunday sighed. "Of course, I won't tell, but you should take care of your voice. This will be your biggest stage yet."
His sister smiled in relief. She patted the dove on the head. "Our bird has been so sad and lonely recently… I was hoping that singing to it would help it. If it were out with the other doves, I'm sure it would learn to sing from them."
As part of his studies, Sunday had read about biology. He knew that birds didn't sing for joy or art, unlike his kind-hearted sister; they sang because it was part of the striving of their nature, to attract mates, to defend territory, or to compete. To romanticize such behavior was to participate in nothing but a sweet dream. She looked so hopeful that he didn't want to correct her, though.
He held out a hand to the bird, and the dove rubbed its head against his palm. It trusted and knew both of them so well, regarding them as its protectors. Sometimes it sang, but it didn't sound like one of the wild doves; it had fallen from its nest too young to learn its family's song. Sunday thought that was a pity, because the dove would always sing alone, its songs incomprehensible to the others of its species. Robin thought it was wonderful that it could sing at all.
He looked at Robin and asked her the question that had been on his mind for days.
"Robin, do you still think about becoming an idol off-world?"
He knew that she still listened to the idols of the galaxies, for all that her teachers disdained their music. Their music did not celebrate the harmony of the universe or praise the Great One, but rather was dedicated to pleasing the masses for the sake of profit. Robin, however, had told Sunday secretly that she admired how the idols dedicated themselves to support their fantasies, and just because their music was commercial didn't mean that it had to lack heart.
Robin had turned to regard the bird, one hand placed on the grass, but now she looked at him, startled. She'd been so busy recently, singing to the members of The Family, singing to the congregation. Her gift, after all, was so rare and incomparable, because when she sang she brought forth the emanation of Harmony, so that all of The Family could bear witness to it and feel the pulsing of Harmony within themselves. Her song honored Xipe, as well as the Oak Family.
But that was not the dream she had confided to him, when he had made her first stage.
"It's not that I'm not happy here," she said slowly, hesitantly. "And I'm very grateful that the family head supports my music, but…"
With a presentiment of dread, Sunday watched her pet the bird.
"There's so much more out there, in the universe." Her voice took on strength as she spoke, as if she was gaining courage. It couldn't have been easy for her, to speak something that could come across as a criticism of the Oak Family.
"I want to hear the voices of the people out there, and to see if they will hear mine, too…"
Sunday understood. His sister had her own clear, bright dream. And one of his dreams had always been to see hers come true.
Sunday found their benefactor in his office. Gopher Wood smiled up at him with the face of one of the new members of the Oak Family, a red-haired Halovian boy a little younger than Sunday. The Dreammaster often preferred younger bodies. With Gopher Wood inside of him, the boy, who had been stumbling and nervous when Sunday had first met him, took on an air of wisdom and sat in the head's chair with confident surety. His clothes were less wrinkled, too, than when Sunday had seen him last.
Gopher Wood looked at Sunday. "Sunday," he said with a welcoming smile. "Is there something on your mind?"
"The IPC's yearly idol audition is coming soon," Sunday said.
Gopher Wood chuckled. "You surprise me, Sunday. I didn't know you took an interest in such things." Above, feathers rustled: the ravens, no doubt looking down at Sunday from their perches, their eyes bright and their beaks curved.
"I don't," Sunday said, with perfect poise. "But Robin has always wanted to sing on a larger stage."
Gopher Wood's expression turned serious. "And you would like my permission for your sister to participate?"
Sunday said, "It would be a good opportunity for the Family. Isn't it our duty to share the message of the Harmony? I'm sure that when people hear my younger sister sing, they'll be swayed by the message of the Great One."
The words slipped out, polished and smooth. He had practiced the justifications in front of the mirror. Before he had come, he had made sure that there wasn't a wrinkle in his suit; now he arranged his face so that his expression showed the right amount of respect for Gopher Wood and conviction in his own beliefs. It was important that he was taken seriously, that Gopher Wood realized that his words weren't a child's whim. But as Gopher Wood scrutinized him, it was hard not to be nervous.
Gopher Wood sighed. "I understand that you want to support your sister," he said. "But the world outside Penacony is harsh and cruel, and the IPC has always been corrupt. It would be best for Robin to remain on Penacony, especially since she is so precious to the Great One. Besides, there are also very few who make it through the auditions—I do not wish for you to be disappointed."
Sunday had braced himself for objections. He hesitated for only a moment before he replied, "Neither of us will be disappointed, and Robin can handle the world outside."
"That is easy to say, Sunday, but you cannot be so sure."
"You praised Robin so much to the Alfafa family head, recently. Were your words lies, sir?"
Gopher Wood's gaze sharpened. "Of course, I spoke truthfully."
"Then you must see that there is nothing to worry about."
Sunday forced himself to remember not to flutter his wings, a nervous, childish habit that he should have been rid of by now. Robin was depending on him. And there was a certain thrill to this too, because the Dreammaster was at last taking him seriously.
Gopher Wood sighed, benevolence returning to his boyish face. "Forgive an old man his worries, Sunday. I only want to make sure the two of you aren't hurt."
"Robin will still be a member of the Oak Family, and she will still spread the message of the Harmony," Sunday said calmly, even as his heart beat nervously. He was not supposed to defy the head of the Oak Family like this. "And I will still be here. I'll work hard to fulfill your plan."
"Do you think that's all I care about, when it comes to you two?" Gopher Wood asked. "My plans?"
Sunday forced himself to remain bold. He could not back down now, when he was so close to his goal. "Why else did you take us in?"
When the Oak Family had taken him and Robin away, it had seemed like a miracle: the head of the Oak Family turning his gaze on them, rescuing them from their war-ravaged town to a place of peace and safety. But they had been chosen, not just by the head of the Oak Family but by the Path itself, and if they did not fulfill their responsibilities, there had always been the chance that they could lose this gilded home. In The Family, all had to work for the greater good.
"You were generous to all of those who needed a home, welcoming them into The Family," Sunday said. "But Robin and I were the only ones you personally took in. I will fully cooperate with you, Mr. Wood, but if you make my sister unhappy, I won't."
"There is no need for threats, Sunday, between members of The Family," Gopher Wood chided, and Sunday couldn't help but flinch at the admonition.
Still, Gopher Wood smiled. It was not a kind smile or a gentle one, one of the many smiles he'd lavished upon Robin and Sunday in the years they'd lived in the estate. It was a smile Sunday had never seen before, cold and assessing. It was not, Sunday thought, the kind of smile one gave to a child.
"You are very perceptive, Sunday," Gopher Wood said. "There is indeed something that The Family needs from you. Though of course, if I am to let your sister go, it must be kept a secret between the two of us."
Gopher Wood moved with an efficiency that Sunday could only admire. The family head did not, however, permit Robin to join the IPC's competition. Instead, he reached out to his contacts in The Family, and an offer came for Robin from one of the idol companies that The Family had a stake in. There was still an audition, but of course it would only be a cursory thing.
Robin still fretted over her audition video, though. His sister had always been careful and relentless in the pursuit of her craft, and now Sunday saw her work even harder.
"I'm not sure if this song is a good idea anymore," she said. "Should I just give up and do a cover?"
"I thought you wanted to write a new song for this."
"I do." She sighed at him, her wings brushing back in irritation. "But I'm not sure what I'm writing ks any good."
"It will be," Sunday said. "Your music is always beautiful and when they hear the truth of your emotions, they'll surely be moved."
"Do you think so?" She looked so hopeful.
He nodded. After all, it had always been true for him.
As she went back to writing, he went back to his book. For all his own denials, he couldn't stop thinking about the worries Gopher Wood had brought up. It would be fine, he told himself. The Oak Family still had a stake in the idol company that had made her the offer. Even if the company's managers were off-worlders, they were still all members of The Family, bound in faith to the Great One. She would be all right, even without him by her side.
If only he didn't feel so uneasy.
By spring, the letter of acceptance arrived for Robin, as had surely been inevitable. She kept it close in her room, a soft smile on her face, whenever she looked at it, and despite his persistent unease, Sunday thought he'd made the right decision.
"Do you really want to pack this book too?" he asked, lifting a slender, maroon book. "You shouldn't bring too much with you, and you haven't read it in a long time."
"That just means I have to reread it. Besides, we used to read it together." She smiled. "It'll remind me of you, brother."
He couldn't help but smile, a little embarrassed by her regard. "Of course," he said, packing the book carefully into her luggage.
"What do you think it'll be like?" she asked him. "The training, being off-world…"
He couldn't really imagine it himself, but he tried his best to answer her question. "I've heard that you'll be training with others, and that the training site is in a space station. I suppose that means you won't see the sky much…"
She smiled at him, her face aglow. "But that means I'll be surrounded by stars and people from all across the cosmos… I'm so excited!"
Sunday couldn't really see the appeal, but he smiled, picking up another book.
He wished he'd been able to spend more time with her, in the recent weeks. Gopher Wood had found him new tutors for an in-depth study of the principles and history of Harmony; he was learning how to conduct the rituals of the Oak Family and taking on more of the management of the Dreamscape. Gopher Wood had invited him to the meetings of the elders, and it was now understood that he would become the successor of the Oak Family.
When they finished packing the suitcase, Robin gazed at him. "Brother, will you be all right after I leave?"
Sunday had wondered about himself. "Of course," he said gently. He stroked her hair land said, "You don't have to worry about me."
She looked at him for a long moment, biting her lip slightly. "Still…you'll be on your own."
Sunday shook his head. "The rest of the Oak Family will be with me. I'll also write to you, and you'll have breaks when you can come to visit." He smiled at her. "Your aspirations will take you beyond the stars, but mine are here."
She looked at him for a long time. "No matter how far I am," she said at last. "I'll always be thinking of you. And I'll send the songs I write to you! I want you to be the first person to hear them…"
"That's enough for me." Impulsively, he pulled her into a hug. She folded herself into his chest, her arms around him, pulling him tight, the tip of his wing folded against her cheek. He patted her on the head, the way he'd used to when they were children, when they'd first come to the Oak estate and the big house had frightened them. Penacony and The Family had seemed like a dream then; neither of them had been used to a world without the whistle of sirens and the sound of bombs, and the people in the Oak Estate had never known anything else. They had been the only real thing to each other. They were still the only real thing to each other now, and when he held her, he felt at peace.
"You should come visit me too," she said.
"When I have the time to," he promised, though he wasn't sure how he would. "We will still be together, even when we're far apart. You'll achieve your dream out among the stars, singing and bringing the message of the Great One all across the cosmos. I know you will. And I'll stay here, working in Penacony for the Oak Family. Together, we'll make our old wish come true."
On the last day they spent together, Robin came to find him with a request. "I want to free our Charmony Dove," she said. "It deserves a chance to be free."
Sunday thought of the predators in the garden, the harsh winters, and the other dangerous conditions that the dove would face. Surely it was better for the bird to stay in the cage. But he could not deny his sister when she looked at him so hopefully, especially not when she was leaving, so he nodded.
"Goodbye, little dove," she said when they unlatched the cage in the garden. The dove sat beside her, rubbing against her. He thought it looked confused.
"Come on now, try flying. You want to go out into the sky, don't you?"
The bird flapped its wings at that, an awkward, clumsy gesture. It didn't seem to know how.
"It won't be able to fly. We should put it back inside the cage," Sunday said, reaching for the bird, but Robin stopped him.
"No, brother. Give it a chance. It deserves a chance to try."
They stayed with it for a while longer, watching it try to fly, until at last Robin had to leave.
Three days after Robin left for the stars, the Charmony Dove finally figured out how to use its wings. Sunday was watching it from the window, making sure that it was safe, and he saw it lift up into the air. For a moment, he thought of his sister, thought of her dream fulfilled—but then the bird crashed down.
"It won't survive," the family doctor said, when he brought in the bird. "The shock of the fall is too much for its body."
The bird cried out, frantic with pain.
"I'll take care of it," Sunday said quietly.
"But there's nothing you can do."
"I'll take care of it. It's my responsibility."
This time the doctor understood what he meant, and besides, he was the presumed heir of the Oak Family by now. The doctor nodded.
Sunday took the bird outside with him, cradling it in his palms. He closed his eyes, saying a prayer to the Great One, who brought peace and consolation to all that strode the Path of Harmony. Then he resonated with the dove and sent it to a painless sleep. It was his responsibility—he was the one who had let it out of the cage, when it could not even fly.
He buried it in the garden where he and Robin had found it, all those years ago. In the trees, the ravens watched him, silent and knowing.
Out in space, his sister was flying. Sunday sat at his desk, composing his first letter. He asked if she was well.