Octavia tipped her face up the sun and sighed as its warmth seeped into her face. Her eyes fluttered shut, and the darkness behind her lids masked all her troubles. The netherborne, the daywalkers faded into the distance. Everything. Just indulge in a simple pleasure.

"Damn daywalkers," Quintus scoffed.

And just like that, the illusion of bliss shattered, its broken pieces fading to the edges of her consciousness. Cruel reality came rushing back as she cracked her eyes. The Cathedral's fire pit sat cold and dead beside her, much like the rest of the village. A daywalker floated amongst the stand of frozen trees flanking the building. It trailed its hands along the bark, wandering in circles and figure-eights.

Quintus had removed the top of his case and laid it on the table. A single wine glass filled halfway with water stood next to it.

"I have to applaud you, Octavia. I would have moved on from this village in a heartbeat." Quintus wet his finger and ran it around the rim of the glass. An unmistakable hum of power vibrated behind the tune, and the daywalker jumped before flitting away and disappearing behind the Cathedral.

Octavia toyed with the edge of her flute case, tracing her fingers over tiny bird embossed in one corner. The only bird she'd ever see in this place. "These people need help, Quintus."

He scoffed again, his brows angled and jaw set. "Octavia, these people hate us. For two hours on my carriage ride here there was some idiot prattling on about how necromancers are the worst thing to ever happen to humanity. And how they couldn't wait for us to be eliminated along with the netherborne. I'm baffled as to how you can be okay with this."

"Just because I tolerate it, doesn't mean I'm okay with it Quintus. You think it makes me squeal with delight to hear people calling me a monster?"

After a beat of silence, Quintus gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry. I just hate that this mess is being pinned on you."

"Can you blame them?" she asked, a humourless smile crossing her lips. "They saw a black-winged creature flying over them as netherborne tore apart their world. Wouldn't you make the same assumption?"

"No. They've been blinded by their ignorance." He ran his finger over the rim of the glass again, the pure sound resonating around them.

Octavia frowned at him. She was used to Quintus having reservations about her decisions, but this time he seemed particularly irate. "Where is all of this coming from?"

"We worry about you, Octavia. Me, Celesta, Jaredeth. We worry about what's going to happen to you once these humans find out who you truly are. How long do you think you can keep up this farce? What would stop them from marching you into the Divine City and throwing you at the feet of the Prefects?"

She shrugged. Stuffy, pious men, in stuffy, pious clothes were the least of her worries. Her focus was on ridding the world of the netherborne, and if the Divine City got in her way, then she would topple it. 

Her old mentor would often accuse her of being too myopic. Not thinking about the consequences of her actions, being too grounded in the here and now. The old woman annoyed Octavia—even posthumously—because her words rang through Octavia head at the most inconvenient times.

"I just need your help, please," Octavia said.

"You always have it." Quintus planted an elbow on the table and rests his chin in his hand, the other lazily toying with the wineglass. "Tell me everything."

"My songs didn't work. The first night I was here, I played for six hours straight. And the next day, the netherborne and the daywalkers were back. I went exploring and found this." She pulled a sheet of paper from her jacket pocket and handed it to Quintus. A replica of the symbol she'd found, drawn in black ink.

He swore under his breath. "This is an anchor. The netherborne use these to find their way back into our world after being sent to the nether."

"So, it's like another gateway?" If there was another gate that meant twice as much trouble and twice as much work.

"No. The  netherborne wouldn't be able to create another one of those without the help of necromancers. It's more like a beacon that guides them back here. Seeing this explains a lot, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"Theoretically, the netherborne aren't supposed to be able to get past the barrier surrounding this village, no matter how much they bash at it. And not only that, the anchor needs to be attached to something within the barrier—a nightwalker."

Octavia rubbed her temples. "And just how would they have been able to get a rotting corpse past the barrier in order to anchor it here in the first place? And nightwalkers spread blight. I haven't seen a single blighted person in this village."

Quintus shrugged. "I'm just theorizing. I don't know exactly how the barrier works, but I'm speaking on the assumption that it's supposed to keep out soulless creatures."

She stifled the groan bubbling up her throat. Nightwalkers, anchors, barriers. Never had she dealt with a situation so complex. "If there's a nightwalker here, I should be able to play the requisite song to get rid of it. Then I'll be able to get rid of the scourge and the daywalkers, correct?"

"Incorrect." He ran his finger over the glass again. "We should be able to sense it, yet I don't. Then again, I could be wrong. Celesta is a lot better at figuring these things out than I am. But I can tell you this, the netherborne wouldn't be able to plant an anchor I this village without someone here knowing."

Octavia drummed her hands on her flute case, her mind racing with implications and possibilities. "Why would someone want to jeopardize the safety of everyone?"

"People are selfish and driven by emotion. So it's probably someone who is selfish and driven by emotion."

"It's possible they have it hidden somewhere my music can't reach it. So I suppose my best bet would be to focus on finding the person who allowed the nightwalker in, and not the nightwalker itself." She thought of everyone she'd met so far—the Councilors, the children, their parents. No one jumped out at her. No one seemed the least bit suspicious.

Their conversation lulled into a companionable silence that was soon broken by the rhythmic clopping of horse hooves. A carriage came up the incline, bearing the same lily crest as the one she'd ridden in on her first day in Hedalda. It rolled to a stop on the cathedral's front yard and out jumped the High Priest, who waved the carriage off.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said as he approached their table.

"No, not at all." Quintus smiled, a devious glint in his eyes. "Please, join us."

Sicero sat in the vacant space next to Octavia. "I just wanted to thank you both for what you did for the children. I've never seen them happier."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all," Octavia said. "They deserve it." Hopefully she could get him to go away before Quintus decided to do something that would put them in jeopardy. His history with the priesthood and the Divine City was legendary amongst necromancers, and not for amicable reasons.

"So you're the High Priest." Quintus extended a hand. "Quintus. I'm a friend and colleague of Octavia. She requested that I bring books for the children, and I was pleasantly surprised them. Such bright, eager learners. Nothing at all like the hellions in Avaly."

"Well, I think a lot of it has to do with Octavia's teaching. She's only been here a week, and the children have taken quite a shine to her already." He gave Octavia a smile, his eyes capturing the sunshine and beaming it onto her face.

She lamented the warmth creeping into her cheeks. He was a priest for sin's sake.

"Ah, well she has a knack for leaving places better than she met them. Isn't that right, Octavia?" Quintus laced his fingers in front of his face and raised an eyebrow.

Octavia gave him a tight smile, but in the back of her mind she was screaming at him to stop. "I think you're giving me a little more credit than I deserve."

"Ever the modest soul you are." He gave her a grin that made her want to knock all his teeth loose before turning to Sicero. "So, High Priest, what does it take to protect villages of this size."

"We have a barrier. It's not perfect, but it keeps the netherborne out most of the time."

"Is it like the barrier in the Divine City? Prefect Marius told me it keeps out soulless beings."

Octavia clenched her jaw, so she wouldn't interrupt him.

"Well, yes. That's how it's supposed to work but... I believe the netherborne we're dealing with here are different from others. More intelligent." Sicero frowned, face growing quizzical. "You met Marius?"

"Indeed. I lived in the Divine City for two years before moving to Avaly to work for King Jaredeth. I've seen all manner of netherborne myself. A bit scary for a man of my sensibilities."

The High Priest nodded his agreement. "I have hope that the priesthood will make significant strides towards destroying the scourge. And once that's done, we'll deal with the necromancers."

Octavia shrunk into her coat and scarf. The Priests go after the necromancers? If the necromancy archives got wind of potential conflict, chaos would rain from the skies. The scourge would look like a day at the beach in comparison. "That sounds dangerous."

"I know, but it's the only way we can ensure that history doesn't repeat itself. Necromancers showed us they have no respect for human life when they released this scourge upon us. And since they don't respect human life, they don't deserve to share this world with us."

Quintus gave a grin that would look friendly to anyone else, but she could see the underlying gleam of malice in his expression. "I agree. They're monsters, just like the netherborne. They deserve to suffer for what they did. You have our support. Right Octavia?" He cut his gaze to her, the barest glint of anger swimming in the depths of his eyes.

"Sure." She hoped the High Priest thought nothing of the hoarseness behind her voice. "I wish you the best of luck Sicero."

"Thank you, Miss Octavia." He smiled at her. "I should head in now. Quintus, it was a pleasure." He rose and strode towards the Cathedral.

Quintus smiled after him, and the further Sicero walked away, the more that smile became sinister and twisted. It curled at the edges, warping his face into a caricature. "You hear that Octavia? They're going to deal with us." 

Slowly, deliberately, he dipped his fingers in the water. When he ran his hand over the wine glass' rim, the sound started off soft, but Octavia felt a spark of power behind it. The gentle tune swelled, becoming louder and louder. The sound filled her head, and the waves of necromancy behind it made the table shake.

She placed a hand on her flute case to, stop it from dancing away. "We're not going to war with the Priests."

He stopped, and the sound and its vibrating power disappeared like a flame blown out. "You're right. We're not. But they're surely going to war with us as soon as the netherborne are dealt with."

"That is correct." She pressed her lips together, already knowing and accepting that this was an argument she wouldn't win.

Quintus picked up his wineglass, twisting the stem between his thumb and forefinger. "Which is what you're trying to do, is it not?"

"Indeed."

"Which means you will ultimately be the catalyst the sparks the war, Octavia." He took a sip of water and exhaled.

"I know." Octavia couldn't dispute that point, but she needed to focus on the here and now. There would be ample time to bicker with the Divine City once humanity was safe. "So, I find the anchor, get rid of it and taking out the netherborne shouldn't be a problem?"

"Correct. Remember, no one is above suspicion. Not even our friends." He flicked his head towards the Cathedral.

Octavia gave a nod. Perhaps the best course of action would be to make friends with everyone in the village. She'd already met most of the people by virtue of teaching their kids. She'd figure it out. She had to, or everything she stood for, everything she wanted and needed to accomplish wouldn't amount to a hill of beans.

"I believe Celesta would've been of better use to you. She knows more about how the netherborne operate than the rest of us." Quintus turned his gaze towards the town. "She asked for you in her last letter."

"How is she?" Octavia hadn't seen Celesta for almost twenty years. They were thicker than thieves when they worked at the archives. And both she and Quintus had been there that night when everything went wrong. She missed her friend, but took comfort in knowing there would be time to talk and laugh again once their goal was achieved.

Octavia and Celesta were working in tandem to eradicate the scourge. While she was going from village to town to city, eradicating small pockets of netherborne, Celesta was looking for ways to get rid of them all in one fell swoop.

"She's in the east regions now, but said she'd be heading back to the archives soon." He tossed the water from his glass and laid it in the case. "It's getting late though. I should head back to the docks."

Octavia and Quintus left the Cathedral grounds, walking to the bridge, where they would part ways. The sun was setting, bits of its yellow-orange light seeping through the clouds, and a biting chill settled in the air. The grey clouds she'd seen earlier had rolled their way closer to the island.

"I wish I could stay," Quintus said as they stopped at the foot of the bridge. "But there's work to do elsewhere. If you need me again, just send a song on the wind." He pulled her into a hug. "Take care of yourself, Octavia."

She returned his hug. "Thank you, Quintus. Have a safe trip and give Jaredeth my love."

Quintus held her at arm's length and grinned. "Oh, I'll give him more than that." He leapt back as she swatted at him. "Sorry, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Good luck." His case rattled as he adjusted it on his shoulder, and he headed over the bridge.

Octavia shook her head and started down the road to home.

"Octavia."

She turned back to see Quintus standing at the bridge's peak. When he spoke, his words were soft, but she heard them loud and clear. "Promise me, if things go awry here, you'll sprout those black wings and fly as fast and far as you can."

Octavia nodded. "I promise."