Octavia paced the length of the antechamber while the medics put the finishing touches on the makeshift infirmary. At their last check in, Beatrix said the villagers were trickling into the atrium, Sicero was informing Levi of their plans and Quintus was teaching the medics how to check for blight exposure.

Meanwhile, thoughts of all the ways this could go wrong plagued her mind, buzzing like a swarm of locusts. Her biggest worry was the backlash from the villagers. If two hundred years in a scourged world had taught her anything, it was that people were hard pressed to leave behind their homes. or perhaps she'd became jaded to the idea of a home since her family had kicked her out the moment they learned she was a necromancer.

Since then, a real home with a real family became a foreign concept to her. That, coupled with years of wandering made her realize how fickle material possessions were. Clinging to such things resulted in disappointment more often than not in this ravaged world.

"We're all done," Annabelle announced, clapping her hands together, her pigtails bouncing. "Is there anything else we should go over?"

Quintus shook his head. "I believe you all. You should join the Councilors in the atrium."

She skipped out with the rest of the medic team in tow. As the door swung a boot slipped between the jam to stop it from closing.

Claud stuck his head in. "Do you have a minute?"

"Quite a few." Octavia stopped her pacing and sat in a couch, but couldn't stop her foot from tapping. It would be a while before Sicero and Beatrix delivered the news to the townsfolk.

He nodded and stepped inside, a stained leather case tucked under his arm. "I need your help." He laid the little box on the table as though it were a porcelain egg.

"Get in line," Quintus said, reclining in an armchair.

Octavia shook her head at him. "What is it Claud?"

"I'm trying to find a necromancer. I don't have a name or a face. Just a box full of letters and these." Claud popped the case's latch. Nestled inside its velvet interior were two gold boxes, one with a key sticking out its side. "They're music boxes."

Octavia leaned over to get a closer look. "May I?" At his nod, she picked up the smaller box and twisted the key. Its soft clicks filled the room, and when the key reached its limits, the top popped open and a familiar tune played. "This is the stargazer's requiem."

Quintus sat up. "All right. You have my attention. What is this necromancer to you?"

"She's my mother. She had to flee the place where we lived after she was caught. I was only an infant at the time. She left me on the doorstep of an old couple's house in the next town over, with a note, a pouch of coin, and that music box.

Octavia took in Claud's words, each hitting her like a punch to the gut. Hi s story wasn't new to her, but she'd never get used to hearing it. Countless necromancers were forced to abandon their children or put them up for adoption to keep them safe. Another disgusting side effect of society's prejudice and indifference.

She bit her lip. Who wrote the stargazer's requiem? Many names flashed across her mind, but none matched up to the song filling the room.

"My mother would send letters every season," Claud continued. "She never disclosed her identity or location, and always wrote about sin and symphony, but I wouldn't come to know what that meant until much later on in life. She sent me this music box for my twelfth birthday, but it doesn't have a key." He picked up the second box, cradling it in his hands like a small, fragile animal. "Then one year, the letters stopped. Months passed, seasons passed with no word. When I turned sixteen, I left home to search for her."

"And how did the Priesthood factor into all of this?" Quintus asked.

"I didn't resolve to join the Priesthood until after I learned my mother is a necromancer. It made travel easier, and the Divine City keeps track of known necromancers."

Octavia traced a finger along the side of the box, admiring the tiny flowers and leaves engraved in its surface. "And you've been searching for her all this time? Have you found any clues that could lead to her whereabouts? Anything at all?"

Claud shook his head. "I crossed paths with a few other necromancers, but they weren't able to help me."

"That's not surprising," Quintus said. "We necromancers aren't a tight-knit group."

Octavia turned the music box over in her hands. In a corner was a tiny crescent moon accented with a star. "Can I see the other one?"

"What are you looking for?" Claud asked, as they exchanged boxes.

"Necromancers, especially those who work at and for the archives have a signature." The smaller one had small silhouettes of a child in different poses instead of flowers, and the same crescent moon and star sat in a corner on the top.

"Quintus, do you know who uses a crescent moon and star?"

He shrugged. "I haven't been to the archives in twenty years. I don't know who's there, who isn't, who passed through or anything."

Octavia sighed. She hadn't visited in a while either. After over two hundred years of existence, time seemed to flash by. Years slipped through her fingers like sand as she watched the struggle between humanity and the netherborne grow more and more dire.

"These archives, are they a gathering place for necromancers?" Claud asked. "Where can I find them?"

"I cannot disclose that information," Quintus said.

"Octavia—"

She shook her head and set the music box back in the case. "I'm sorry, but I don't make the rules, and you're a priest, Claud."

"Not for long. I plan to tender my resignation." He clasped his hands together, eyes wide with desperation. "I swear to you, I won't tell a soul."

"You can swear to the moon and back, doesn't make a difference." Quintus shrugged a shoulder. "Contact me when you're not a Priest, and perhaps I'll consider it. I'm almost always in Avaly these days."

Claud swore. "I suppose that's as good of a deal as I'm going to get, hm?"

"Don't mind Quintus. He's just in a bad mood right now. He'll be more than happy to help." She looked towards the person in question, but the roof had his full attention. "But if you want, I can take a look at the letters your mother sent and see if she left any other hidden messages."

"All right. Thank you, Octavia." He nodded to Quintus. "And you too. I should get out there in case they need crowd control." He bundled up his box and headed out.

Octavia put her back to the door, wanting no part in what went on in the atrium. Beatrix and Sicero could handle it. Her role involved overseeing the checks and Quintus' involved making sure no one could eavesdrop. They would find the anchor. Or nothing.

Again.

The latter thought sent and quiver through her gut. Quintus had volunteered to take care of interrogations if need be. He had no qualms with making anyone squirm or cry until they offered their darkest secrets.

But Octavia lacked the gumption for that line of work. This plan was her last resort, but regardless of whether it failed, they would have the anchor by the end of the day. Of that, she was sure.

After minutes more of pacing and reciting poetry in her head, the head medic returned with half of her team in tow. "We have our first patients," she said.

Octavia pursed her lips when Diann walked in with her daughter. They locked gazes, and while Diann's face remained stony, a small quirk of her lips belied her ire.

Not eaten by a netherborne like Octavia had hoped, took note that Diann didn't wear the red coat of the Council.

Kensi looked up at her mother, then at Octavia. "H-hi, Miss Octavia."

Diann laid a firm hand on the girl's shoulder, steering her towards the medics. "What are they doing here? I was told this was a medical check."

"It is," the head medic answered with a smile bright enough rival the sun. "But we also need to make sure we're not bringing any netherborne behind us when we leave. You can either cooperate or stay here with the scourge. Your choice, my friend."

Quintus snort-laughed and pat Octavia on the shoulder as he walked by. "Good luck." He disappeared behind the curtain partitioning the far corner of the room.

"All right, little ones first," the head medic said, clapping her hands together.

Kensi hopped up on the table and the medic checked her hair ears and eyes, with the quick efficiency that could only come from years of strict training.

Octavia felt Diann's eyes burning into her skull and she stood over the medics shoulder and looked for signs of blight exposure. She gritted her teeth and endured while the medic checked Kensi's hands and feet. The sooner this got done, the sooner they'd be out of each other's presence.

"It looks like you're good." Annabelle looked to Octavia for confirmation and she nodded.

As Diann swapped places with Kensi, Octavia took a step back and watched from a distance with hands tucked behind her back. She took comfort in knowing Diann held no power here—forced to comply with everyone's ideals because she was so vastly outnumbered. Oh, how that must sting.

Diann didn't take her eyes off Octavia, even after the medic cleared her and she walked from the room hand-in-hand with her daughter. Her vendetta meant little to Octavia. There were better things to waste her energy on than another ignorant human too obstinate to see sense.

"Send in the next group!" the medic called. The door swung open and in walked Councilman Levi, with Lyra and Arietta close behind, followed by Eli and Pauletta.

"Miss Octavia!" Arietta squealed.

Octavia knelt so she was eye-level with the child and gave her a hug. "Hello Arietta. Good to see you."

"Mister Sicero said we're leaving the village for a little while. Are you coming too?"

She shook her head. "I have to stay with the Priests to make sure the netherborne don't destroy everything. But don't worry, I'll be here when you all come back."

The medic tapped on Octavia's shoulder. "We mustn't dally. Many patients to see." She ushered Lyra and Arietta to the table.

"I thought this was a routine medical check. Why is she here?" Eli asked, pointing to Octavia.

Levi gave a noncommittal shrug. "To ensure we're not bringing anything malicious with us to Avaly."

"We already know Arietta is ill. We'll be more than happy to ride on a separate boat."

"This about more than sickness. Have a seat, please." Octavia turned to the table where the medics were checking the girls. Her focus was on Arietta, since the blight had no lasting effect on necromancers. The girl swung her legs while the medic checked her head and orifices.

"Hm." the head medic hummed. She brushed Arietta's hair aside, reveal and an angry, red splotch near the child's collar. "What's this." She poked it and something moved below the surface of the contusion.

"May I?" Octavia asked, and the medic stepped aside. She ran a thumb over one spot and veins peeped through. Not the veins of flesh, but the veins of a leaf. Her heart froze over in her chest, the icy numbness spreading through her chest and out to her limbs. She rubbed the spot again to ensure she hadn't imagined it, and the leaf peeped through again, its edges jagged and stem floppy.

"Octavia." Annabelle poked her in the shoulder, and she realized she'd been standing there, still as calm water for far too long. She was about to call for Quintus, but spotted him peering over the curtain when she looked up. Their gazes locked for the barest second.

"Oh, sorry, I zoned out. Let's check her hands and feet." More red splotches marred the backs of Arietta's hands. And when she removed the child's boots, she found angry red lines on the bottom of her right foot. A symbol, the very one she'd seen outside the barrier all those nights ago. She swallowed hard as her stomach turned over. Dear gods, please let this be a nightmare.

She dropped Arietta's foot and gave a smile she hoped was convincing. "I think we're done here. Arietta, would like to go play with Lyra in the other room while we check your parents? Kensi is in there with her mother already."

The little girl nodded and put her layers of clothing back on with help from the medic. Octavia watched her back as she skipped from the room with Lyra, staring at the door as it swung shut. The chill in her body faded away, and a burning rage took its place, heating her blood to a simmer.

"What is it?" Levi asked, looking back and forth between Octavia and the medics.

Quintus came around the curtain. "Do you want to be the bearer of bad news? Or should I?"

Octavia clenched her fists as her anger boiled over, and her vision flashed in and out of green hues. "What. Did. You. Do?" When no answer came she cast her gaze over Eli and curled her toes to stop herself from flying across the room and throttling him.

He sat hunched over with his head in his hands and fingers curled into his wheaten hair. His wife sat beside him with her hands clenched in her lap and lips pressed together, avoiding the eyes of everyone in the room.

"I asked you a question!" Vibrations of her power echoed through her voice.

Quintus seized her by the arm. "Octavia. Easy. Let's not do anything we'll regret."

She hissed in a breath through gritted teeth and wrenched her arm away, threading her fingers in her hair. "Get Beatrix and Sicero in here now." She lowered herself into a chair and rubbed her face with trembling hands.

Annabelle nodded and ran from the room.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation, somewhere private?" Levi asked, looking around as though he expected an eavesdropper to burst through the wall.

Quintus shook his head. "Not to worry. I have it covered."

The room stayed quiet, until Sicero and Beatrix returned with the head medic.

Octavia hugged herself, her nails digging into her sweater. "It's Arrietta."

Beatrix's lips parted and her hand flew to her throat. "She was exposed to the blight?"

She shook her head. "She has the blight. Arietta is the anchor. She's the reason the netherborne keep breaching the barrier." The words left a bitter taste in the back of her throat and soured her stomach.

The Chief Councilor sat in the nearest chair and clasped her hands in front of her face before resting her forehead on them.

"But how can that be?" Sicero asked. "I thought we were looking for a nightwalker."

Octavia scowled. "I'm sure her parents will be more than happy to explain."

Eli flinched as all eyes turned to him and kept his gaze downcast as he spoke. "It was over a year ago. Arietta was dying, and the medics had long told me there was nothing they could do for her. We were preparing for the worst. Then late one afternoon, while I was shoveling snow behind the shop, the forest beckoned to me. So I..."

His voice cracked and he took a breath before clearing his throat. "So I ventured out beyond the barrier, and there, I found the netherborne. They told me they'd been watching, listening. That they could give me what I wanted in exchange for helping them get into the barrier. So, I offered them Arietta."

"How could you do this?" Sicero yelled, curling his hands into fists. "You put the entire village in danger. People have died damn it! I've lost Priests, children have lost their families. How could you be so selfish?"

Eli squared his shoulders, undeterred by the High Priest's scolding. "You all would have done the same for those you care about." He linked hands with his wife. "Pauletta is unable to have any more children. Arietta is all we have. She's all we'll ever have."

Quintus tutted. "What did I say? Selfish and driven by emotion."

"Is that possible?" Octavia asked. "To use a person as an anchor."

He shrugged. "The use of anchors isn't something that's been heavily studied. Of the few accounts recorded in the archives, over half of them explain the use of nightwalkers, while the others don't go into specifics, only stating that the netherborne were colluding with necromancers. Which would give them access to nightwalkers."

"Perhaps it is possible to use a human, but not ideal. Humans can expire easily from illness or injury, whereas only a necromancer or priest could get rid of a nightwalker."

"Plausible. But there's really no point in speculating. We found the anchor. We can rid the island of the scourge. Good work, team."

The room fell silent and gazes roamed over the walls and floors, no one wanting to ask the question on everyone's mind.

Beatrix got to her feet and pace the floor, worrying the edge of her eye patch. "What does this mean? What's our next step?"

"We have to kill her," Quintus said, as though it was obvious.

"Please, you can't." Eli clasped his hands in front of him like a street beggar, his eyes welling over with tears. "She's my little girl." He looked to Octavia. "You care about her, don't you? You're just going to stand idly by while she's put down like an animal?"

Levi shook his head. "I'm not agreeing with Eli, but we can't do that. What will we tell the children? Tallis and Lyra will be devastated, and they've endured enough already."

"Arietta is dying." Octavia rose from her seat, crossed to a window, and pressed her forehead against the glass, hoping the shock would wake her from this nightmare. "The blight infecting her is slow moving, prolonging her life but not saving it. When it reaches her bones, she'll be in constant pain and when it reaches her heart, she'll die."

The Councilman swore. "Couldn't you cure her of the blight?"

Octavia shrugged, her eyes tracking the path of a lazy snowflake as it drifted from the sky. "I can. But she'll still be a danger to everyone, and she will still be sick. That's not something I can reverse."

"Beatrix," Eli grabbed the head councilor's arm, eyes wide and face paler than the flurries falling outside. "Please, you can't let them do this. There has to be another way."

"There isn't. You sealed the child's fate the moment you conspired with the netherborne." Quintus turned to the medics. "Do you have anything that can make her death as quick and painless as possible?"

Annabelle put a finger to her chin and stared up at the roof. "I think so." Her tilted to one side. "Ah yes! We do have an elixir that slows the heart to a stop in large doses. Considering Arietta's size and weight it should be possible without exhausting our supply. We can head back to the Cathedral now and prepare."

Octavia shook her head. "She should have one more day to be with her family and friends." She looked at Eli and his wife and leashed the anger rearing its ugly head again. "You had better make it the best day of her life."