A Scale of Sapphire

Ethan

“Cassssssssssss…”

She just kept walking.

“Casssssssandraaaaaaaaaaa…”

She didn’t even look at me…

“I’m tired… It’s all bright and sunny n’ stuff. Time for little vampires to go to sleeeeeeeeep…”

She sighed. That means she noticed me!

“Please… I’m sleepy…” She was still ignoring me anyway… Wriggling an arm free, I quickly booped her on the nose. “Miss Juice Box! I’m tired!”

She stopped, looking down as she held me in a loose princess carry. She looked grumpy. Oh no.

“Miss Juice Box? Really?”

I nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep! Cuz you’re so so tasty!”

“Well… thank you? I guess?”

She started walking again. Unacceptable. I wiggled ferociously in her arms, but her grip was too powerful.

“Nooooooooooooooo… I wanna sleep!”

“Fuck sake…” She muttered under her breath. “Then sleep, Ethan. Nobody’s stopping you.”

Blegh.

Still hate that name.

“I can’t sleep when you’re moving so much. I want a coffin or somethin…”

She rolled her eyes.

“You’re such a kid.”

“I think you like it.”

Didn’t seem like Cass was gonna stop walking anytime soon. Lame. At least we’d be meeting some cool horse people soon. Maybe they’d let me ride on their backs… RIght! I still had to decide how I was gonna introduce myself to them.

“So… Can I be Evelyn now?”

“As I understand it, sober you wanted to save this conversation for later.”

I giggled at her.

“Well high as fuck me wants to talk about it now.”

“Well sorry if I don’t particularly trust the judgment of high you.”

“Meanie…” 

She just kept going. Just kept walking forward. Didn’t she realize how important this was? If I waited till I was sober again, I’d just chicken out, or forget it happened, or bury things more. I wanted to be Evelyn now!

“Can’t you just call me Evelyn for a while? You can call me, like, Evie for short. It’ll be so good.”

I felt her arms tensing up around me. She was gonna crack. Like an egg. I still wondered what Willow had meant by that…

“I promise I’ll stop bugging you about the sleepy if you agree to call me Evie.”

She let out a long breath.

“Fine, Evelyn. You win. When you sober up again though, we’re gonna talk about this. Got it?”

“Yeah. That’s ok, I guess.” I hummed happily. “I’m just gonna be real happy right now though, cuz today I’m Evelyn, and I’m a lady, and I’m being carried through the woods by a strong and brave knight.”

She snorted. I got her. Heh.

“Sure, Evie. Sure.”

Matt

The people that Cyrus had willingly invited to his lair could be counted on one hand, but now we were among that number. As we approached the lair’s main entrance, the cherub tasked with guarding it stepped aside, his lion head yawning as he did so. With a moment’s hesitation, Chelsea stepped forward and opened the door. Echoing up from the long stairwell were the sounds of distant excavation as the lair continued its expansion.

“Walk straight and do not turn. Do not deviate from your path, do not wander. Reach the end of the corridor, knock, and enter.”

The cherub stood behind us now, waiting for us to continue, unnaturally calm and still.

“Uhh, thanks.” I smiled nervously, “Will do.”

He just stood there, silently, like a statue. I hate to say it, but angels are pretty creepy. That was the push I needed to scamper down the steps.

We did exactly as we were instructed, but while we were forbidden from wandering ourselves, my eyes wandered plenty. The whole place was eerily quiet, the only motion, the only signs of life being yet more angels performing their duties and the distant rumblings of stone. Through cracked doors I saw a chamber filled with gold and jewels, easily several whole store’s worth, I saw shelf after shelf of magical paraphernalia, and even some kind of barracks. Before long though, we reached the end, we knocked, and we entered.

Cyrus was seated behind a large oak desk, one covered by sparkling trinkets and important looking papers in equal measure. Inside this warmly lit, well furnished space, you could almost forget the world as we knew it had ended. He was reading something when we arrived, but he quickly looked up and smiled as we approached.

“Chelsea, Matthew, good to see you both.” He nodded to us both in turn. “There’s a lot we need to talk about, and not a lot of time to do it, so let’s cut to the chase. Chelsea, have you considered what I told you?”

“Yes sir.”

She still seemed nervous, like she was anticipating something that I couldn’t yet see. Whatever it was, he must have been serious.

“And..?”

She tensed up at that before taking a moment to gather herself. With a few deep breaths, she spoke again.

“With respect, sir. He’s ready. He’s ready, he’s driven, and I trust him. If we’re really doing this, then there’s no one else I’d want at my side.”

“Well alright then. Matthew,” He fixed his gaze on me once again, his golden eyes peering deep within me. “I have a job for you, for both of you, in fact. It’s one that only the two of you can achieve.”

The weight of Cyrus’ attention was nearly overwhelming, some force of personality that made me feel small, insignificant, and yet somehow vital. I was nodding before I knew it.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure we can handle it, sir.”

“Good, because I’ll be placing a lot of trust in you here.” He cleared his throat as he slid a paper in front of me. “I have it on good authority that some of the goblins escaped, and that they’re heading west. I need you two to follow them and tell me where they end up. That’s it. Plain and simple.”

“I’m sorry..?”

This didn’t make sense. They were monsters, so why were we just planning on stalking them? And why was this job so specifically for Chelsea and me?

“Allow me to elaborate.” He cleared his throat again, taking a quick drink of water this time. “When you attacked those goblins, you scared them, and when monsters get scared, they flee to the night’s embrace. They take shelter beneath the moon. It’s instinctive, impulsive, they don’t even realize they’re doing it. Follow the goblins till they reach the moon, then come back and report the location. It’s about time we take the fight to her.”

The moon.

Aoife.

She was a dragon like Cyrus, that much I knew, and, at least as far as I’ve been told, she betrayed him. She chose to protect monsters over people with little regard for the possibility that those monsters might hurt someone else. Cyrus always says it’s not her fault. That it’s in her nature. The moon is destined to champion the cause of monstrous supremacy just like its the destiny of monsters to hurt people, it’s in their nature. She had to be stopped. We had to stop her, or monsters like the one that killed my mom would be allowed to run rampant. 

But why us?

Chelsea echoed my thoughts aloud.

“Why choose us for this mission? Why not send in the more experienced hunters? I still don’t understand.”

“Because she will find you out, I guarantee it. She can sniff out humans just as well as me, and she’ll be certain to recognize my scent on you. It’d be the same for any other hunters I sent. They would be found, and they would be killed. You two might be different though…” He paused for a moment, breathing in deep. “You’re both young. Not kids, certainly, but still young. You’re by far the youngest hunters. As I’ve said many times, the moon suffers from a crippling sense of empathy. She pities the monstrous, and that blinds her to their faults. She would… hesitate to attack you both, at the very least. That means you actually have a chance of getting out of there alive. A slim one, but certainly far greater than anyone else would.”

“So we’re banking on our enemy’s pity? I don’t- will that even work?”

“Yes. Without question. It will give you a chance to talk, at the very least. The moon is not a monster. She is a fool who has the potential to cause great harm, but she is not a monster. She must be killed or otherwise brought to heel or there will be consequences for all of humanity that’s left.” He leaned forward, extending his hand toward me. “So! Assuming you’re both willing.“ We both nodded. “We’ll ready some supplies for you. You’ll be leaving tomorrow. Best of luck. Don’t let her trick you, and don’t die. Pull this off, and I’ll commit whatever resources I can towards finding your mother’s killer, as a kind of thanks.”

Well I guess that settled that. I grabbed his hand and we shook on it.

It was a deal.