Kiki kicked out as someone grabbed her foot.

"Yaieeee!"

"Get off me!"

"Kiki!"

"Get off!"

Pit grabbed hold of Kiki's wrist and pulled her back towards the gates of the Children's House. "How many more times, Kiki?"

Kiki remained tight-lipped.

"You can't go on like this. You know you're forbidden from leaving the house after dark."

Kiki refused to respond and looked away, scowling.

Pit continued. "And the fruit in the orchard does not belong to you."

Here Kiki replied. "It belongs just as much to me as it does to everyone else there!"

"And it belongs just as much to everyone else as it does to you. This is the third time this week you've sneaked out at night to steal fruit. Yes, steal, Kiki."

"You — you just be quiet!"

"She can't be one of us."

"No one here has hair that colour."

"Give her room, will you!"

"Best be careful – she might be a spy."

"She's an angel: she can't be a spy. And I said to give her room!"

Kiki struggled to consciousness. Whose voices were these? She lifted her head and looked up, her vision blurry, at the purple-haired youth who'd just spoken.

"Are you Pit?"

The young man looked at her, his face an expression of concern.

"My name is Jayce. And yours?"

"Where's Pit? I have to find Pit."

"She's an assassin," someone piped up from the back of the small crowd who'd gathered around this mysterious newcomer. "I told you we should have taken her weapons."

Kiki heaved herself up onto all fours. Her whole body ached and her wings felt heavy. It had taken 8 nights of flying, plus various encounters with the deadly denizens of the sky, to arrive here and she was worn out. Was this even the right place?

"I'm sick of this, Father. Can't we do something else?"

"On you feet, Kiki, come on."

Kiki let out a growl of irritation as she heaved herself up. "I'm not even better from the last time," she complained, clutching her arm. "One of these days you'll kill me with your training — and then I can think of some people what will be sorry for some things!"

Callimachus sighed. "If you'd only hit the stone as I told you, you wouldn't have got hurt."

"And don't bury me somewhere manky," Kiki continued. "I want somewhere with flowers, somewhere nice."

"Sure." Callimachus picked up another pebble. "Hold your dagger properly, come on, don't slouch. Now for the last time, Kiki, please hit the blessed stone! Ready?"

She nodded.

Callimachus threw the pebble.

Kiki side-stepped.

"I'm going inside."

I am very lucky, thought Callimachus as he watched Asteria at her spinning wheel. I have a beautiful wife, a whole island to myself and a flock of sheep that keeps growing and growing. I have everything I need, and no troubles at all.

Except maybe for Asteria's fiery temper. Sometimes it took only the smallest thing to rile her — but that was a small price to pay for her companionship.

He'd heard in Skyworld that happiness was often hard to find for Overworlders, but he knew, and they were wrong. I am very happy, he thought. Very happy.

Asteria gave Callimachus's foot a playful kick. "I wish you wouldn't stare at me so," she muttered. "It's hard to concentrate when you do that."

Callimachus laughed. "I can't help it. I've never seen anyone spin moonlight into thread. It's amazing, how do you do it?"

"I've already told you — it's pointless trying to explain it to you, because you can never understand."

"Okay."

Asteria sighed. That was the only thing that annoyed her about Callimachus. He conceded to whatever she said so easily, there was never any opportunity to bicker. She'd confronted him about this once before.

"You never disagree with me," she had complained.

I always dream myself to somewhere else each night / I dream in colour, cos I live in black and white / I know I dream much more than other people do / But I can't see / How anything can be / Better than a dream...
~ Mike Batt, Better than a Dream

Despite life being good, Callimachus always found something to dream about.

Aside from the squabble between Palutena and Medusa, things had been quiet in Angel Land lately. Callimachus was off-duty a fair bit these days, which gave him more time to spend at his woodwork. Right now he was carving toys for the younger angels at the Children's House, which always earned him some brownie points with Palutena. It was nice that Angel Land was at peace. But one needed some adventure.

Of course, there was always Pit.

Ever since their Commander had gone missing, the Icarus Army had been running around like headless chickens. Charis, while a good second-in-command, had shown herself totally inept as commander and strategist. Already she'd sent out some of the centurions on a find-and-rescue mission and none of them had returned.

Callimachus's dreams these days usually revolved around his searching out Pit and rescuing him single-handedly.

But until he got permission from Charis, it looked like he was stuck here whittling. He sighed and began to pack up his tools. The sooner they got their commander back, the better.

"Huh?" He started, straining his ears, as he heard the faint call of "To arms! To arms!"

He pushed open the window and saw Jayce flying past at high speed. He was shocked by the look of terror on the messenger's face. "Jayce, what's happening?"

"The Sky Palace is under attack!" his friend gasped, without stopping. "We need all troops there now!" His voice faded away as he flew off, calling "Skyworld, to arms!"