Only remnants of the initial euphoria left, his priestly garments itched and he was wrestling with the temptation to feast upon the shining yellow delight nestled in his pocket.

  His dagger of phoenixash was well-hidden beneath the priestly brown flowing robes. The city was a dangerous pce at night. And his employer, Jayson Janus had no doubt, was more dangerous still.

  During this te hour, not much was roaming through the red night. A drunkard here or there, a rat now and then.

  After he had skillfully left the temple at night—a collection of tall marble columns painted blood-red and located in the northwestern part of the city—he moved through a rge circur clearing that was the Lartia Pza.

  Jayson walked with a confident stride, slowly through a myriad of streets, past theatres, public baths, temples, and grand estates. And thrown in between them all, he passed the many saddleries, bakeries, and shops closed at this old age of night. The tympanums of most temples he passed next to had statues whose usually bright, gleaming colors of red, yellow, green, and blue were now all cast by the red light of Sol.

  He was careful not to wake the two sleeping beggars opposite a nearby vil. Like most living in the dotting settlements or tiny vilges in the Valley—to the north and south of Lodestar—they wore grey, roughly spun wool. A ragged hole or two on each of their lead-grey cloaks served as the only adornment on these two poor forgotten souls.

  A priest from the temple of Theia walking at this hour was a little unusual but not unheard of. And since most of the clergy wore brown garments Jayson could always state he is of the temple of Acrona visiting some dying old man.

  Jayson looked upward and into the distance and toward the annoying mosses: rock behemoths that made the city stretch wide and clumsily, especially northwest to southeast, making walking a thing almost undesirable.

  Mosses often had their ft tops gzed with many glowing dots of crystal light. And bursting outward were those limbs long and thin: sky-bridges spread far above Jayson, their light of Cobalts and Crimsons cutting across the night sky.

  Some main roads—covered in long shadows cast by these ugly hills of rock blocking the red light of Sol—had poles with small, glowing Cobalts or Ambers gracing their tops. Just beneath them were spikes designed to prevent theft. Obviously, to Jayson, this was no obstacle at all, and on more than a few occasions during his trek, he stopped to gaze at them.

  He looked up at one such light pole. It was moments such as these that made his grip on the hidden treasure in his pocket tighten almost to the point of drawing blood. He exhaled and after releasing his grip Jayson stared at the shadowy etches. He continued striding upon his dark road until the red orb in the sky became visible again.

  Each night the color of dried blood descended all over the ft white and grey roofs of Lodestar. Most households pced a pnk, curtains, or closed their shutters. Covering many windows across the city, reed screens blocked the eternal red light as well. This served him nicely. The crimson dot had undone the night by half, with only the furthest outskirts of Lodestar almost completely in the Void—together with most of the Valley.

  Even combined, all the light of crystals in the city would still pale to the glory of Sol. On occasion, he could see the red orb flicker: one or several Winged crossing in front, flying somewhat low.

  Hundreds of Winged were circling Sol at night. At the moment, walking through the city's ground level, Jayson could not see them, but he knew they were there.

  Jayson favored the winged crystalborn the most and was often disgusted at how they were used as but a mere utility. Wings are not for moving in circles but for the faraway horizon, Jayson thought. He often thought how all these magnificent beasts should leave this ugly canyon and traverse Alldora, flying far away on her merciless winds.

  Years back, his brother had borrowed him beautiful-looking books to read. Some spoke of long-dead empires and huge caravans of mighty beasts hauling goods across unimaginable distances. Earning some hex while seeing the world. Was such a beautiful thing ever true? Jayson pondered, marching on.

  Even years after his brother's disappearance, the not knowing still irked the priest greatly.

  In his heart, Jayson knew.

  His brother was gone.

  Set in the narrow alleyways between simple houses of brick and stone, the stench of the public trines was almost overpowering. Only after some time did it become less noticeable.

  Politicians, poets, and merchants often sang their contrived praises about the beauty of Lodestar. Jayson saw none. He saw fake smiles and the hypocrisy of man. At least the trines didn't hide their vile stench. Empty at this time of night.

  He entered one cubicle and quietly removed a stone pte.

  Surprisingly the sewers somehow smelled a little less vile than the world just above. Finally, he could bring out his yellow joy from the pocket. The light of the small yellow crystal was bright here.

  Not too fast, he ran the underground maze toward his meeting point, all the while holding the Amber in front. Simple hexagonal shapes were etched across the tunnel ceilings. The formed ttice continued, stretching endlessly. He could feel the heavy triquetra chain of pure iron bouncing against his chest, hidden underneath his priestly robes.

  Jayson was a little early and he waited impatiently. It was not long until, out of pure darkness, a heavily hooded figure emerged. Its coalescence made no sound at all.

  Her skin was covered and her face hidden. A bck mask across the lower half. Cloak and strips of linen everywhere. Expensive-looking leather gloves covered her hands.

  The cloaked form was that of a woman of unremarkable height, about six and a half feet. Yet Jayson's instincts screamed at him to run, to not go near her. There was no scent to her. Even down here, his partly-heightened senses should be able to distinguish it. And there was something else. The way she moved. Predatorial, calcuted, and elegant.

  ''Greetings, sweetie,'' the figure giggled bizarrely, almost in a child-like manner.

  Jayson nodded once. ''Well met.''

  She outstretched her arm, giving him what he knew was a hefty sack filled with hex and small crystals. ''My boss is a very rich man. He will make you rich as well. Short tongue and loyalty will always be rewarded.'' Her voice was pleasing to the ear, seductive even.

  He nodded, taking the bounty. When he did so, for the briefest of moments his eyes saw a fsh of dark-purple skin at the wrist.

  A skin condition? Jayson thought.

  He proceeded to give report. Unremarkable things. Rumors on the street, his perceived mood of the popuce toward the Senate, and the Academy intelligence. She was particurly interested to hear about the recent Harvesting tragedy and how many Breakers perished.

  The fact that she had paid him fully before he gave the report did not escape Jayson's notice.

  He was wider and taller than her yet he felt but a big bug about to be struck and devoured by a slender praying mantis. Is she like me? Or maybe she's not alone. No, she is alone. She must be like me.

  She was young, he was sure, but her cadence spoke of a well-read individual and there was more. A childishness, pyfulness to her voice that Jayson found deeply unsettling. An image came to his mind, an image of a child deciding whether or not to stomp on hundreds of ants.

  Her intonation was strange—she tried to hide it and did it well—something Jayson never heard before, even from those living in hamlets, to the south and north of Lodestar.

  ''Good work, my sweetie,'' she giggled dulcetly. ''I hope we will meet again. Until next time.'' She waved at Jayson.

  He nodded subtly.

  Immediately after his employer had left, Jayson exhaled long, sat down, opened the bag, and grabbed a few shiny delights. A beautiful Viridian, Cobalt, and even a few small Lics, all stared back at him.

  Their light flickered and waned in his big palm and then they cracked, slowly turning to shiny dust.

  Jayson felt a massive boulder fall from his entire body.

  He was vigor.

  The travel back to the temple will be swift now. He saved a few crystals for ter use. His garments had several hidden pockets.

  He no longer needed the light of the Amber he had brought with him so he absorbed its light into him as well, soon cpping his hands off of any remnant shiny dust.

  Jayson pulled out a small blue crystal, the light weak, weaker than a glowing candle. And yet more than enough for his enhanced eyes whose gaze now fell along the dark path back.

  As he ran faster than the fastest of horses he felt an enormous kinship with the Winged. This is how they must've felt when spearing through space.

  This is freedom.