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A monstrous brown spider ran through a field of golden crops, crushing the plant stalks beneath its feet. Elrith was sitting on top of its head with his eyes closed, focusing on controlling the earthen construct’s movements. Behind him, Cleo, Raea, Sally, and Palan were playing a game of cards using a deck that Cleo stole from a soldier once upon a time. Raea had taught them how to play a game that consisted of emptying one’s hand of cards first. She also seemed to be the only one enjoying the game. During the first round, when Palan had stolen Raea’s victory, she destroyed two of the spider’s legs out of anger. The rest of the group quickly agreed to never let her lose again. Thankfully, Palan didn’t take any pride in winning or losing a card game.
“I win again,” Raea said as she placed down a pair of cards. The rest of the players let out half-hearted cheers while Sally dropped her cards for the seventh time, cursing herself for lacking fingers.
“Whew,” Cleo said as she swept up the cards. “You must be tired of winning, right? We can play something else. Like eye-spy.” The group had been traveling through the third sector for several days, using Elrith as a form of convenient transportation. Along the way, Cleo had been storing anything and everything they came across. Her space had expanded when she shed and obtained her new scales. “I spy something—“
“Corn,” Sally said.
Cleo furrowed her brow. “How’d you know?” she asked. “Do cowards get mindreading powers?”
“I wish,” Sally said as she fluffed her feathers after stretching out her wings. Like Cleo, her feathers also developed a blue hue. “That’s the only thing you can see around here. Lots and lots of corn.” She sighed and lay on her back. She turned her head to the side to look at Palan who began meditating when Cleo swept up the cards. “Harbinger, harbinger, harbinger,” she began to sing. “Doesn’t lack feathers but does lack fur. Will grant us freedom—that’s for sure.” Sally yawned and covered her mouth with her wing.
“You keep calling me that,” Raea said as her body glowed blue. Wisps of light could be seen flowing from her body to Palan’s. “What exactly is the harbinger?”
“The harbinger is our savior,” Sally said as she sat up. A group of lizardmen slaves scattered as the earthen spider plowed through them. “The harbinger will free the harpies from the underground caverns.”
“But I think you have the wrong person,” Raea said as she yawned and curled up into a ball, resting her head on Palan’s thigh. Her wings flapped a few times before settling down in a comfortable position.
“Maybe,” Sally said and shrugged. “But you already saved me from…”—she glanced at Danger Noodle—“a dark cave. Who’s to say you won’t save the other harpies? I thought the harbinger was Madison at first.” Sally stiffened as she covered her mouth with her wings. A wave of heat washed over her as she dove behind Cleo.
“Taboo word,” Cleo whispered and shook her head. Elrith commanded the spider to run faster as a few crops caught fire.
“Don’t you dare compare me to that monster,” Raea said as she clenched her hand shut, leaving four gashes in the spider’s body. Silence fell over the top of the spider as it continued to skitter through the farms. The second sun began to set, causing the spider to slow to a halt. It crumbled into a mound of dirt as Elrith stood up and wiped the sweat off of his brow.
“Why can you still use the powers of diligence after deserting the army?” Palan asked as his meditation was interrupted. Raea stood up and dusted herself off while Cleo pulled the corner of a tent out of her space.
“I’m diligently protecting my little sister,” Elrith said as he took the tent from Cleo. “Isn’t that enough?” Palan grunted in reply while Elrith began propping the tent up.
Sally pouted as she pointed off into the distance. “There’s a house over there,” she said. “Why don’t we occupy it for the night?”
“I’m a deserter,” Elrith said, “not a bandit.” The tent took shape, and Cleo began creating a fire, using the nearby crops as kindling. Soon, the group had a roaring bonfire going with a metal pot placed inside of it. Chunks of meat darkened as they sat in the boiling water.
“What kind of meat is that?” Elrith asked. “I haven’t been able to figure it out.”
Raea made a face. “I think it’s better that you don’t know,” she said. She had a separate plate of cooked corn resting on her lap.
“It’s mystery meat!” Cleo said and licked her lips. “Is it good?” She stared at Elrith with wide eyes.
“It’s not bad,” Elrith said and nodded. Raea shook her head and munched on her corn as Cleo ladled out the stew to everyone else.
“Raea,” Elrith said as he received a bowl.
“Hmm?”
“Shouldn’t you dissolve your contract with Palan?” Elrith asked. Raea furrowed her brow and stopped eating. “Don’t get me wrong. You can still help him find his sister. But, you know, the unwritten rule? Archangels shouldn’t make contracts with demons to prevent the creation of archdemons.”
“And what’s going to happen if I break that rule?” Raea asked and snorted. “Will people fear me? I was already attacked by a sweet old lady because my eyes were different.” She leaned back and looked up at the fading red light caused by the sun set. “I’m already too far gone, aren’t I?”
“That’s not true,” Elrith said and shook his head. “There’s still a chance for you to redeem yourself. There’s always a chance. We can ask people how to turn you back. Hailing Academy is famed for its constant breakthroughs. They’ll be able to solve your problem.”
Raea was silent as she watched the sky darken. “Can they?” she asked. She closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. Her voice lowered. “I don’t know if I want to turn back to how I was.”
“Huh?” Elrith asked. “What do you mean?”
Raea exhaled. “If I was like this earlier, Sely wouldn’t have died,” she said and opened her eyes. She sat up and picked up an ear of corn. “I’m strong now.” Flames danced over the kernels of corn, browning them before flickering out of existence. “This strength gives me confidence. I don’t want to turn back into that scared little girl I always was. For the first time in my life, I feel like I can make my own choices.” She stood up and walked over to Palan, who was meditating, before stuffing the cooked corn into his mouth. She sat next to him and wrapped his tail around her body, plopping her head on top of Danger Noodle’s.
“I don’t think Mom and Dad would be very happy about that,” Elrith said and frowned. He brought the bowl of stew to his mouth and sipped up a chunk of meat.
“You and I both know they already gave up on me when I poisoned you,” Raea said. “If it weren’t for Sely yelling at them, I probably wouldn’t even be alive right now.”
Elrith fell silent as he ate his stew. When he was finished, he said, “You’ve changed, Raea.”
“Changed for the better,” Raea said and nodded. “I tried to be what they wanted me to be—I really did. I hated disappointing them. I did my best to make them happy, but what happened in the end? When I couldn’t do it anymore, they threw me away. I always wondered why I wasn’t as capable as the rest of you. I was always compared to you, to Sely, to Nina.” She sighed. “I could never lead an army like you. I will never be as smart as Sely. Nina will always be better at playing instruments than I will ever be no matter how hard I practice. I can’t compare to Nate’s financial prowess, and Sam always knows when and what to say. And Ariel … no matter what I did for the community, I was always in her shadow. I was always in all of your shadows.”
Elrith didn’t say a word. Raea smiled at him. “But now I’m not,” she said. “And I don’t want to turn back. It’s an amazing feeling to be free.” She glanced at Sally who nodded.
“It is, isn’t it?” Sally said, completely ignoring the metal collar on her neck.
Thanks for the chapter.