The church was quiet. Usually church’s were quiet, but not this one. The Bell Church was usually busy, with many members chatting away as they cleaned or prayed in this large church with its large bell up top. Right now though the only sounds were from Plumb’s soft breathing and the sizzling of tiny little flames being put out one by one.

  They had lit a bunch of small candles along the main altar. I could smell, and see the remnants, of burnt paper around the candles lain on metal plates. Either they had been burning prayers, wishes, or something like it. I didn’t pry, nor want to; as I watched Plumb put another candle’s flame out with her fingers.

  “I have been told, by Brandy, that the woman I had banished is claiming herself to be your wife,” Plumb said.

  “It’s not a claim. She is.”

  The old woman did well. She didn’t flinch or pause for even a moment as she reached over to put out another candle’s flame. As if she hadn’t heard me at all.

  “How strange. You taking a wife… I’d never thought it possible,” Plumb said, still sounding as if she was talking about the weather. Weather that had gotten nasty. A small storm was here; though it was raining heavily there was no wind. So maybe not a storm and just a simple downpour. It was the time for such rains, and soon those rains would turn into snow and sleet.

  “How do you think I feel?” I said.

  She lifted her head, and I noticed the smirk on her face even from this angle. She put out one more candle and then turned to look at me.

  Grandmother Plumb was old. Maybe not the oldest in the Society but she wasn’t far off from it. Unlike many others though, like Randle, she looked genuinely looked her age. There were a few like Mordo that looked old too, but there weren’t many who suffered the ailments and maladies that accompanied such age and wear. I used to think she’d perish and die in her sleep decades ago, when she started to rapidly age, but she still clung to life. It was almost annoying.

  “Should I apologize?” Plumb asked gently.

  “For banishing her? Or for doing so without hearing the whole story?” I asked.

  Plumb smiled at me. “For doing it without your permission.”

  Hmph. “You know my rules. As elder of this place, and representative of the Church of Songs here… you have the right to dictate such things. Now if you had harmed her while doing so, without justification, I’d have likely said something but the only thing you had hurt was her heart,” I said.

  “Some would say such injuries are more dire than wounds of the flesh,” she said.

  “Renn would too, likely. But luckily for you she’s also the type to forgive and understand. She wasn’t happy with it, but she knows and comprehends the how and why. Her family had been cruel. Diabolical, even. Like many of our predator-like ancestors of the past. So she understands where your anger and fear come from, and respects it,” I said. She and I had talked about it in depth during our journey south.

  “Still… I feel like I should apologize to her all the same. I’m to head to Lumen soon, maybe she and I could talk when I do,” Plumb said.

  My eyes narrowed, and I wondered if she didn’t know of Renn’s quasi-banishment from Lumen. “I’m sure she’d be very inclined to do so. If even just to hear your story… and in truth I’d like to hear it too,” I said.

  “Then we shall speak of it then. No point wasting words now,” she said as she turned to put out the last few candles.

  I glared at the old woman. Great. Now if I asked about what had happened she’d just brush me off. I hated these old crows perched on the trees of faith. They were insufferable.

  “Can we waste words on Fly?” I asked instead. Since I knew better than to get too upset over not being able to ask what I really wanted to.

  I did want to question her. About many things. I really did. Not just her past with Renn’s family either. There was the stuff concerning Celine’s daughter, and the plots surrounding Lumen were rather concerning. I had hundreds of questions concerning them. But I knew better than to ask a single one.

  Even if I was willing to break my own rules to demand the truth, or make threats, there was another underlying issue.

  Plumb was old. Too old. Her mind had started to fail her, and I had noticed that fact decades ago. Who knows how bad it was now.

  With her memory, and possible sanity, in question… there was a very good chance that Plumb honestly didn’t know anything. Not because she had forgotten the details, or something like it, but instead because no one would have trusted her with the information in the first place. The Chronicler, Brandy, Light… they all used her and trusted her, but would not reveal their plans and schemes to her out of necessity. They couldn’t trust her to keep it secret, thanks to her failing memory.

  So there was no point in truly interrogating her, or trying to wring the information out of her.

  Plus… even if she did reveal that she knew all about Light and the schemes of the church… did it matter?

  It wasn’t like I was going to do anything about it, after all. Not yet anyway.

  Plumb let out a tiny sigh. “The young bird. Yes. A sad failure on our part,” she said.

  Oh…? “How so?”

  “We could not convert her. Which would be fine, if not for the fact she has begun to sow seeds of aggression amongst our flock,” Plumb said.

  “Even if she planted those seeds, it was your people who watered them. Fly is a child. A victim of trauma and abuse. Even if she acted out, you should not have judged her so fiercely for doing so,” I said.

  Plumb nodded as she put out the very last candle. It fizzled loudly, as if it had scorched some of her skin on her fingertips in the process. A half moment later I smelled the burnt flesh, informing me she had indeed burnt herself. She didn’t show any sign of even feeling it though as she turned back around to me and nodded.

  “You’re correct, Vim. You are. I have tried to warn my children. As have others. But the youngest amongst us, like all children, are rowdy and susceptible to opposing opinions and rivalries. The young bird in fact, I don’t believe at least, has intentionally harmed or outright argued with anyone. But she does defend her beliefs and those she deems friends, one of which is your wife, with a fierceness not known amongst my people. Not anymore. And the rest of my young flock, regrettably, are too hardheaded to realize their actions and words are only making it worse,” Plumb said.

  I calmed a little as I realized she did in fact know that Fly was not at fault. That it was true Fly was the victim here, even if she possibly acted rashly on occasions when getting in fights or becoming violent.

  “Are you sure there can’t be a discourse? Or that time won’t heal and numb such differences and problems?” I asked her.

  Plumb shook her head. “I fear not. Recently a few of the older members have begun to make small little comments and remarks, parroting the words of the younger generations beneath them. I fear Fly’s lack of willing to convert has made many give their grievances and petty differences greater voices. Many of the older members have tried to proselytize her, seeing it as if their duty. Even though I’ve told them such a thing is wrong, and that doing so would only further distance her from us,” Plumb said.

  Hm. So the old bag wasn’t lost just yet. Interesting.

  I nodded slowly, glad to hear it. “And your warnings are not effective?” I asked.

  “They are to a point Vim. I give warnings, make comments, and have even punished a few… but such deeds only quiet the rabble for a short time. A moon or two at best.”

  I sighed. “Which means the only way to really stop it would be to inflict a harsher punishment. Which would only result in deeper division, and resentment amongst the community,” I said, understanding.

  She nodded. “Yes. Thus my request for her transfer to another location. Perhaps one with a more… understanding community,” she said.

  Right. It wasn’t so much the fact these people were religious, it was the fact they didn’t mesh well with predators. Or with those familiar with violence. It wasn’t just a matter of faith, it was a matter of perspectives and beliefs. Thus their issue with Renn, and Fly’s friendship with her.

  It wasn’t Renn’s faith they had a problem with. It was her relation to her family. A family that had once long ago supposedly harmed Plumb. Renn was being ostracized for being related to someone who was violent and deemed unsuitable to life and the Society, and Fly took offense to that and as such they extended that same discomfort and disdain to her as well.

  Then that was only amplified by Fly’s likely stubbornness.

  Fly, although weaker, was not like them. Thanks to her life, growing up in those sewers surrounded by those cannibals and abusers, simply had a different outlook of life. Plus with those here speaking ill of Renn, even if indirectly… well…

  “You spoke with her. About this,” I stated.

  She nodded. “Yes. In depth. She spent a whole week with me. We spoke of possibilities. Of methods. We even spoke together with a few of those involved, such as Cynthia or Limb. Even Wool, the one she had come here with. It was after not just I, but she too, realized it was futile that I sent the letter to the Chronicler,” Plumb explained.

  So Fly had indeed known of the letter, and its meaning. That made her earlier pendulum of emotions more understandable. She had been expecting me, and my purpose of showing up.

  “And Wool?” I asked. She was a new member too.

  “She has not only accepted our faith, she has made herself right at home. She is of no concern. Or well, the only concern about her is she has become a glutton. I believe a lack of steady and good food most of her life has made her so. We can break it, and even if we don’t it is of no concern. Of all the sins it is a lesser one,” Plumb said with a smirk.

  Hmph.

  Although she seemed to recognize that Fly wasn’t entirely at fault, she still obviously deemed Fly a lost cause. A failure, even.

  It made me upset, but I kept my thoughts to myself as I nodded. “Then I shall take her and leave. I have other duties I must hurry to attend, so is there anything else I need to handle or deal with? If not I’ll just take Fly and leave today,” I said. I was not in the mood to stick around here any longer while I was so disgusted by Plumb and her people.

  Sometimes I wished I could get banished from these places too.

  “Hm… Let me ask the parish before you leave. Would you mind staying another night at least?” Plumb asked without much urgency. She either hadn’t noticed my annoyance, or didn’t care to. Likely both at once.

  I nodded. “All right,” I said. I could at least give them that. It was my job to always ask our members if they needed anything when I visited them, and it wasn’t like Renn and her quest was that dire just yet. Especially once Renn got to Lilly.

  If anything Renn staying under Lilly’s watchful eyes, resting on her branches beneath her wings, was very calming and relieving. I genuinely didn’t feel too worried for her at all at the moment, nothing like I had while searching for the Bison family or while taking Cat to Telmik.

  I’ll need to make sure Lilly knows how much I trusted her. I sometimes forgot to tell people when I did, being not one to share such personal things. But it was the truth. That little owl had long ago earned my trust and loyalty, and I had long since vowed to side with her even if… or when, the whole Society turned against her.

  Which was why it was so surprising that Randle thought the same way. Especially since I had long since thought he had been amongst those who had turned against her.

  “While you’re checking the area, would you also consider how much materials we would need for a fence?” Plumb then asked.

  I frowned at her. “For the whole village?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I and others plan to head to Lumen soon, and we’ve considered making one for some time now. We don’t need walls, or gates, but just a proper fence,” Plumb said.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  A fence. Not walls or gates. So it wasn’t so much for security, but sense of mind maybe? Maybe they planned to allow some of their farm animals to graze openly, what with fewer members to tend to them.

  “Sure… I’ll take a look. Though I’ll not be heading to Lumen after here, I just passed through it,” I said. I had stopped at Lumen on the way here, but had only been there long enough to make sure all was well. A few hours, not even a whole day.

  “That’s fine. I’ll not be heading to Lumen until next year, as far as I’m aware,” she said. “I bet Brandy will visit again before then anyway.”

  I nodded and realized she was now done talking about Fly. Just like how she had put aside our conversation of Renn, she was mentally distanced from Fly now.

  She wasn’t even going to ask where I would be taking Fly, would she?

  “Then I’ll do that now. Please ask around for any requests while I do, if there are none I’ll be leaving in the morning with Fly,” I said as I stepped away. I was growing upset with her, so I needed to end this conversation before I allowed my personal feelings to become vocal or noticeable.

  “I’ll do so, thank you Vim,” Plumb said as I left the church.

  Stepping out into the rain, I sighed as I closed the door behind me.

  I allowed the rain to cool me off a moment before stepping away from the church. I had no real destination in mind, since I was going to just walk around the village for a bit, so I simply followed the path for now.

  Really. I got it. I did. Fly was to leave. Maybe not banished, as Renn was, but the result was the same. Fly would likely never return here, and those here would just as likely never see her again. So Plumb’s lack of caring, or concern, for the girl was understandable but… well…

  What was the point of their faith if they were going to be so callus? The entire point of the Church of Songs, the main tenants and morals instilled within its teachings, were the ideas of helping the downtrodden. It was why their sisterhood was so large and powerful, in today’s era women were the most pitiable. The ones most likely to suffer from either abuse or torment. Yet here was another instance of someone of that clergy, a high-ranking member in fact, failing to uphold even those basic tenants.

  I’d blame her age and non-human side if not for the fact that I distinctly remembered her being different long ago. Plus it wasn’t just her… many people in the Society, even those not a part of the Church of Songs or religious, had begun to harden their hearts. People were becoming less open to outsiders, and not as charitable or understanding.

  So strange. In the beginning, when I had first joined, half of my tasks I’d been set upon by Celine and others were to weed out such people. To either separate such members, the ones capable and incapable of such kindness from each other. On more than a few occasions I had even been sent to outright destroy those who had not conformed to the Societies rules and morals.

  I almost felt as if many of the members who had been perfect representatives of the Societies, of Celine’s, morals and ethics were now becoming more like those we had not allowed in.

  I had always complained about those too nice for their own good. Like the event in Lumen that had recently transpired. Brom’s death, in my perspective, was a result of the rules I was beholden to. I should have outright destroyed those monsters, and the people who had fed them, from the moment they had shown themselves. But that went against not just Lumen’s rules and votes, but Celine’s. My contract was very clear. I was to always try to solve issues without violence, until it was the only option.

  Yet now that some members were becoming colder of heart, and more like how I believed they should be, I was growing upset with them. I should be happy that those like Plumb had finally grown calluses. Instead I found myself upset and disappointed.

  Was it because I myself had grown softer, or because the reasons they had all been using lately for their lack of mercy? Such as their accusations against Renn, or the lack of understanding with Fly?

  “They’re cruel to the wrong people, for the wrong reasons,” I whispered as I understood my current discomfort.

  Yes. That was it. That was it completely.

  The Society mostly hated Lilly because of what she had tried to do. How she had tried to amass an army and wage war. They blamed her for risking the Society, and the kingdoms we had once ruled. To a point they had been correct in their accusations and hate. Although Lilly had tried her hardest, and had sometimes even been perfectly just in her actions, the end result was she and the others had gotten many members killed. Several of the kingdoms and wars during that time had been lost because of Lilly and her people’s actions. So the Societies hate was, in a way, justified.

  Same with Landi and those like her. She too had faults. She had genuinely broken up families, by sleeping with married men and such. Let alone the fights she had gotten into out of simple excitement and joy.

  Yet I did not feel Renn’s actions were as justifiable as those. Even if I stopped looking at it from the perspective of one in love, it wasn’t like anything Renn had done so far had been intentionally cruel or even resulted in terrible disasters. Brom’s death had even been an accident. One of those rocks could have landed upon him no matter where he had been standing in Lumen at that time.

  And Fly’s issues? Even if she was vocal about her beliefs and even been in a few scuffles, for them to just basically banish her over them…

  I sighed again as I rounded a small patch of blue flowers. As I did I noticed one of the robed sisters in the distance. She carried a large umbrella and looked to be walking towards me, although slowly.

  I didn’t outright recognize the woman, but I also didn’t really try to do so either. I was more concerned with trying to bottle up my thoughts and emotions.

  I should be used to this. I’ve had to escort hundreds, if not thousands, of people to and from locations over the years for similar reasons. This shouldn’t be bothering me as much as it did.

  But I knew the true reason as to why.

  Plumb had said it herself.

  A part of Fly’s anger, and her acting out, had been the comments she had overheard, or said to her face, concerning Renn.

  My own discomfort came from the fact that I knew Renn would feel miserable when she learned the truth. She would blame herself for Fly’s predicament, whether right or wrong.

  “Vim! I heard you were here!” the sister drew close enough to speak over the rain, which grew a little louder thanks to her umbrella. It was made out of some kind of tanned leather, so the raindrops made noisy sounds as they landed and bounced off it.

  Yet even though she spoke gently, I still was able to recognize who she was thanks to her voice.

  “Prasta,” I greeted the lizard gently, and noted the grin on her face as she lifted the umbrella a little as to look me in the eyes.

  “How’ve you been Vim?” she asked happily.

  “Well, all things considered.”

  “You look soaked! Want to share the umbrella?” she asked and offered, lifting it a tad as to offer it to me.

  “Thank you but no. I need to leave shortly so I want to check the village first before I do, and by the looks of it the rain shall not cease anytime soon,” I said without looking up at the sky.

  Prasta nodded knowingly, but still went ahead and stepped closer. Half a moment later, a little awkwardly, Prasta and I were standing side-by-side as she held the umbrella up enough to cover me too.

  Yes. She, like her husband and daughter, was a very kind and gentle soul. At least to those she deemed worthy of such kindness.

  She had once handed out such piety and mercy to everyone, regardless of whom or what they were. That ended the day her son had killed her husband.

  “How have you been Prasta? Any new equations?” I asked as I returned to walking. Prasta followed me, staying next to me even though she had just come from this direction. I made sure to walk slowly, for her.

  She giggled and nodded. “A few! I planned to send you a letter soon. Look forward to them! I think I figured out how to calculate why a curvy brick wall uses less bricks than a straight one!” she told me happily.

  I smiled at her. “This about the fence?” I asked. They wanted a brick one?

  “It is! They were all arguing about what type, or how thick or wood or brick. They complained about how many bricks it would take, so I spent the last few weeks contemplating it. A curvy wall would use less bricks, and maybe even be more sturdy! No one believes me though,” Prasta said with a sigh.

  “It’s true. Straight brick walls need to be thicker, either with larger bricks or multiple ones. They’ll fall over and break otherwise,” I said. Basically they needed more material, even if it looked like the winding and bending walls used more.

  Prasta paused a moment, and turned to glare at me. “Don’t say that! Jeez Vim you should know better!” she shouted at me.

  Oh. Right. Yes. “Sorry. But I didn’t say how much more efficient, or what type of curve to use,” I said quickly.

  Prasta immediately calmed down and frowned at me. “True… you didn’t. Hm… I suppose I did already prove it was true, so I can’t yell at you for just confirming that point, at least,” Prasta begrudgingly admitted.

  Smiling at her I nodded. “Right?”

  She reached up to scratch her cheek, her scales making sounds as she scratched at them. She didn’t do such a thing because they itched or hurt, but out of habit. She did it when in thought. “I wonder just how few bricks you could lower it to. I bet if you made tiny designs in the wall, leaving holes on purpose, you could get to a point you’re using the least amount of bricks possible,” Prasta said.

  “Bricks or material? One is not like the other,” I asked.

  Prasta nodded. “Right. One could even make hallow bricks too, I suppose. But then what’s the point? Maybe I should calculate the perfect brick wall, the least material used with the greatest efficiency,” she said.

  Feel free to do so.

  She nodded as if I had spoken aloud, and I knew she would in fact figure it out. Even if it took her years.

  We walked in silence for a moment as she pondered her new mind numbing distraction, and I thought about her daughter. Prasta at the Crypt. They had named their children after themselves. Yangli. Prasta. It had been a tradition of their people, to always carry on their names. It made it annoying back in the day, back when several generations had still existed together. Now though it was just them. Two Prastas. A mother and daughter.

  Two family members who never talked anymore.

  “Your daughter is doing well, by the way,” I said gently.

  Prasta paused for a tiny little moment, and then nodded. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said, and sounded genuine to do so.

  I felt a little awkward, since it seemed Prasta didn’t mind at all. She had indeed been glad to hear her daughter still lived, and was fine. Yet she had no desire to know more. No desire to know what she was doing, or where she was.

  It made me feel bad, since I felt responsible for their families decline.

  I had killed Yangli. Both of them. Though one was out of mercy, I still felt worse about the father’s death than I did the son’s.

  “Other than the equations, do you have any other requests for me Prasta? Before I leave?” I asked, deciding to let it be. It wasn’t the first time I had felt bad about this, and wouldn’t be the last. And just like all the other times, I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

  “Hm…? No. I don’t think so. You’re here to pick up Fly right?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “That’s good, Vim. The poor girl doesn’t belong here. She’s not a predator, but she mingles with them. Her staying here would just bring heartache,” Prasta said calmly, as if we were still speaking of the equations of bricks and walls.

  “So I’ve been told,” I said gently.

  She nodded and sighed. “That other girl, Wool, is fine too although an air-headed glutton. I swear if it a person isn’t one thing they’re another. Why can’t they all just be normal? I wish people were like equations,” Prasta said.

  I smiled at her. “Yet many equations are different parts of a whole,” I countered her.

  Prasta tilted her head as she pondered my statement, and then sighed at me. “You’re right. I hate that. Dumb.”

  Yes. I was, sometimes.

  “Have you talked with Fly?” I asked, since she had brought her up.

  “A few times. I avoid those with violent tendencies Vim, you know that,” she said.

  “Fly’s not a predator,” I said.

  “No, but she’s not one to hesitate to hurt another either. She gave Cynthia a black eye not too long ago,” Prasta said, and said it in such a way that told me that alone was enough for her to never want to associate with Fly. Ever.

  “So I’ve heard,” I said softly as we neared the end of this footpath. It branched from here, with one of them leading to the edge of the village. The one I planned on going down shortly.

  Prasta sighed again as she paused with me at the end of the path. “Oh well. I’ll leave you be then,” Prasta said as she extended her hand to me, the one with the umbrella in it.

  “Keep it. I’m already soaked Prasta,” I said to the woman who was kind to some, and heartless to others.

  “Hm… Oh! I heard of the vote by the way. Who’s behind that Vim? The Chronicler?” Prasta then asked.

  “I’m not sure. I’m trying to stay out of it,” I said.

  She smiled at me in a familiar way. I recognized the smile from the long past. She had smiled at me in a similar fashion after I had told her what I’d done to her son. “You are gentle like that. I sometimes wonder why you put up with us. For your information I think most here will vote in your favor, Vim. Too many of us have been saved by you to think you’re at fault or failing us. It makes me wonder of the intelligence of whoever is planning this strange scheme. They have to be someone new, else they’d know better. Is your wife doing it? I hear she doesn’t agree with many of our rules,” Prasta said.

  I shifted a tad, enough to make my left shoulder leave the safety of the umbrella and get hit by the rain. “Renn…? No. She may have at one time voted in their favor, against me, but would have only done so to keep me to herself. Today though she is simply disturbed by it. Are people saying she’s the cause?” I asked.

  “No. I just couldn’t imagine anyone else being bold enough to try and vote against you. Oh well. Either way it’ll be fine, I’m sure. After all even if they remove you as protector it isn’t like you’ll be banished from the Society. You’ll still be around to protect us, all the same,” she said with a nod.

  I nodded back slowly, and wondered how many were like her. Or at least shared her same thoughts on the matter. Probably more than I wanted to admit.

  They were surprised by the vote… but not sickened by it. They saw it as the possible scheme that it was, yet seemed to have no desire to stop it or call it out openly.

  “Oh well. See you later Vim, safe travels,” Prasta said as she turned.

  “Farewell Prasta,” I said gently as she stepped away.

  I quickly returned to being drenched by the heavy rain, and felt a little warmer all of a sudden. Although the rain was cold.

  Watching the lizard walk away, I tried to compartmentalize my thoughts again.

  I hated some. Felt pity for others. Blamed myself for many, yet felt helpless and hopeless for the rest.

  And right now I had no one to talk to about it all. Renn wasn’t here with me. I couldn’t vent to her.

  Which was a funny complaint since I rarely talked to her about such things anyway, at least willingly.

  I’ll need to be careful next time I see her. While we had been at Telmik, although I had indulged in her presence I had made sure to distract myself enough to not get too deep into certain conversations. On purpose. Not just because we had been at the Cathedral either.

  If I wasn’t careful next time I spent time with Renn, truly alone, I might just open up completely to her. Although she’d definitely love it, and I’d be okay with it to a point… I really couldn’t afford to do it. Not yet anyway.

  “Fence. Of stone,” I mumbled as I stepped down a different path than Prasta had just taken. To round the village, both checking on it and to try to guesstimate how many bricks and mortar we’d need to encircle it fully.

  A good distraction. For now.

  For now.

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