A Scale of Sapphire

Matt

With one final check of our radios, we set off on the final leg of our journey. We couldn’t start broadcasting just yet, not until Cyrus was about to incriminate himself, but we needed to be sure we could start the broadcast discreetly when the time came. Everything had to be perfect.

It felt strange to be back, to retrace our steps through winding paths that used to feel so comfortable and familiar, knowing that we returned as traitors. As we crested a tall hill, our target finally came into view. Sunrise had grown since we’d left, and the massive, spiked wooden wall was now surrounded by chain link fencing, and sandwiched between both fence and wall were a series of tents and ramshackle huts built with whatever scraps the people of Sunrise could scavenge.

Meanwhile, Cyrus’ own displays of wealth and power had only grown more ostentatious. The entrance to his lair was no longer hidden, not even remotely. A new structure built of solid stone stood in the village square, an angel with the appearance of a burning wheel suspended above its entrance like a second sun. I have to say, of all the angels in Cyrus’ employ, the wheel who’d been relegated to decoration duty probably had it the worst.

As the two of us broke the tree line, we were met almost immediately by yet another angel, one with broad wings and too many faces. It leveled its sword at us, the massive golden blade almost a perfect mirror of the one Cass had.

“Halt.” It spoke in monotone, its voice quiet and calm. “You approach Sunrise, bastion and home of holy humanity. What brings you to this place?”

“Um…” This wasn’t what I’d expected at all. I figured the place would’ve grown, sure, but to this degree? And why wouldn’t an angel recognize us? We’d lived here for months! Thankfully, Chelsea, as always, was much better at thinking on the fly.

“Buddy, are you new?”

“I-”

“We’re hunters. Chelsea and Matt? You’ve heard our names at least, right? We’re back from our scouting mission, and we need to report, like, yesterday. Aoife’s been gathering monsters. Odds are she’ll attack within the next few weeks.”

“You are…” It cocked its head to the side, examining us closely with each of its faces and many eyes. “I need to verify. Do not move.”

The jaws of its leftmost mouth flew open as it released a high pitched, keening wail. Within moments, a flaming tear appeared in the air beside it, from which emerged a tangled mass of wheels and eyes, the very same angel that sent us to kill the goblins in the first place. The two quickly traded words in their language of trills and whistles before turning to regard us once again.

“You have been gone for quite some time.” The wheeley one said. “Many questioned whether you would ever return. Make your way to the village square. Lord Cyrus will address you both there.”

Evelyn

With the powers of rat magic on my side, you’d think sneaking in would be easy. You’d be wrong. It’s not like that magic makes you invisible, it just makes people kind of… gloss over you. If you very obviously don’t belong, you’re going to be noticed. In the woods, that wasn’t much of an issue. All I had to do was stay quiet, stay low, and stick close to the trees, but now, watching Matt and Chelsea be led towards the outer fence, I ran into some issues.

A large swath of the forest surrounding Sunrise had been cleared, and that meant I’d be walking completely in the open. The odds of me remaining undetected would be slim at best. Even still, I had to do something. I’d promised those two that I wouldn’t lose sight of them. There’s no way I’d break that promise so easily.

Snapping branches and boisterous voices heralded the opportunity I needed. A group of hunters, six of them, all armed to the teeth, were on their way home. This would either be a great idea, or I’d be dead very very quickly. Before I could second guess myself, I darted towards them, throwing up my hood and integrating myself into their ranks before they finished crossing the tree line.

“Look, I’m just saying it was kind of cute!” The person to my left said, a playful tone in their voice. “I mean, I get that it tried to bite Danny, but c’mon! It was a frog the size of a poodle! Who wouldn’t try to pet it?!?”

“Well adjusted, rational people who know a monster when they see one.” The person behind me, presumably Danny given the bite marks, reached over to smack them on the arm.

Whoever Danny was, they’d reached around me without even a moment’s thought, so it looked like this was working. I pulled my hood down tighter as we passed into the clearing, shielding myself against the stinging bite of the sun. It was a clear day, and it seemed to shine brighter here. I wasn’t a fan.

I kept my head down, and continued to keep silent as the group bantered their way to the city. They’d killed the frog, apparently. It was a monster, after all, and these guys were in deep. As the tent city grew closer, it quickly became apparent just how deeply Cyrus’ manipulation truly ran. Dozens of people living in squalid conditions stared longingly at the lair’s entrance, peeking over the top of the wooden wall, whispering prayers to their savior, the sun.

It was one of Cyrus’ favorite recruitment strategies, according to the teens. He’d save your life, rescue you from some terrible threat, and when you tried to thank him for it, he’d take that gratitude and amplify it. He’d turn a favor into a blood debt and fix that awe and admiration permanently in your mind. Even I could feel it. I felt grateful and relieved, thankful for all that I’d been given. It’s just, in my case, with nothing to be thankful to the golden prick for, all that adulation fed itself into my trust of Cass. She’d been the one to save me, after all.

I could see Matt and Chelsea grow tense as that presence settled on them once again, now finally cognizant of its existence. I could only hope that their feelings had been directed as positively as mine had as we finally, fully stepped into Sunrise.