Trust was earned, never bestowed; it was a saying of Dix’s Mother - gone, now, for nearly half his life. She usually said it when he tried to get back into her good graces following a punishment for having lied to her. It had been the honest truth, he realized, but try telling that to a pre-teen. Even the unconditional love of a mother wouldn’t allow for stupidity in the face of blatant disobedience. Still, as a child, no matter how many times he’d heard it, he hadn’t ever really taken it to heart. Now, however, it had finally become a motto the truth of which become apparent on the days following his joining of Captain Caul’s crew.

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     With some hesitation, she gestured for the others to come forward. Dix, not wanting to show any fear or trepidation, straightened his shoulders and walked forward, ahead of the rest. With a reassuring glance from Captain Caul, he walked through the spiraling sky passage, soon followed by the others as they left the Daylands far behind and emerged into the secretive Raider’s home.