The Moon's Fangs | 1

Amelia

After spending entirely too long in bed, we get cleaned up and get ready to take to the streets of Asylum.

We’re both dressed in discreet street clothes, hoods over our heads. A style I did not particularly enjoy but would tolerate for a while longer.

The hood kept me warm as we made our way through the multiple district layers. We stayed quiet through the lowest ones, taking in the drastic contrast in the types of people who occupied them and their quality of life.

It wasn’t until we reached the fourth level that people didn’t appear sickly, poverty-stricken, or have criminal records within their identity cards.

It was a stark difference, going from the bad side of town to a bustling one.

The fourth and third districts were crowded, so much so, it was borderline uncomfortable. Their homes weren’t more than apartment-styled spaces, stacked one on top of the other until there wasn’t enough space to build higher or closer together. If they built any more, it would impede on the already too-narrow walkways and plazas.

They’d rather live squished instead of in the lower, colder districts underneath them, where the darkness is thicker.

Shadows cast ominously across Reks’ features. The sight of how his people lived fed the demon under his skin, the one he kept at bay. I wondered which he hated more; the fact the citizens were made to live like this, or how they merely accepted it.

When we reached the second, I tugged my hood to better mask my face. This was the most open district out of them all, mostly consisting of higher-end homes and boutiques spread out around an open plaza, where a statue of a woman powerfully stood at its center.

Before reaching the centermost part of this vicinity, Reks turned in front of me. He reached out and adjusted the hood around my face, focused on how the shadows hid my features. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with splitting up?”

I sent him a wry smile. “Afraid I’ll run and hide from you?”

“Oh, I dare you to try.” he snaked a hand in my hood to grasp my chin. “But know if you try such a thing, I won’t be as nice to you as I was last night... or this morning.”

Heat scorched through me. The image of him scouring the districts until finally finding me imprinted dirty scenarios in my mind. Maybe I’d rise to his challenge, if the opportunity feels right.

But then again, he was in charge of bringing back food, and I was starved.

Then the wicked dare in his eyes hardens into something like concern. He glances over at the bridge connecting the two districts, gauging the distance.

“Hey, I’ll be fine,” I said, touching his wrist. “All I’m going to do is shop a little while you’re off getting groceries and stuff in District One. I promise I’m going to have way more fun than you. You’re going to be stuck avoiding the authorities and finding us food while I get to browse clothes.” I laughed, pushing his arm playfully as he dropped his hand from my chin.

Looking around here, I couldn’t spot any guards on duty on this level. It was mostly families walking around, talking to neighbors, and casually moving in and out of their local shops and homes. There looked to be a gathering at one of the houses a few doors down, where laughter echoed and people shared upbeat banter amongst each other while hanging out just outside of the bustling front door.

He stopped messing with my hood, then rested his hands on my shoulders. “Nox is connected to my personal accounts, so buy whatever you want. If you run into any problems, our Guides are already connected for communication. If anyone so much as looks are you strangely, you tell me.”

I understood why he worried, and I also understood why he preferred leaving me to shop here in District Two while he faced One solo. It would be easier for Reks to sneak around and get what we needed without being noticed. Plus we needed to keep a low profile leading up to the gala event we were supposed to attend tomorrow evening.

I set one of my hands on top of his and squeezed. “If you happen to be near Altered, grab us something fun to drink.”

“Something fun, huh?” his brows rose, amused by my request. “Do you have any limitations?”

“As long as it’s not altered-sincerity and it won’t make me fall asleep, it can be anything.” I supplied with a wink, which turned my own cheeks pink.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He bit at the side of his bottom lip as a wolfish smirk made a slow appearance. “Plan to meet at the foot of the bridge unless said otherwise.” he tapped at the small dip behind his earlobe; a small reminder of the comm Nox implanted there.

“Deal.” I agreed, taking a couple steps back, towards the shop that first caught my eye.

“No sleeping while I’m away.”

“Not without you.”

“Never without you, my pretty flame.” He shot me a shadow-cast smirk over his shoulder before leaving, heading towards District One.

Had he meant for that to sound so... long-lasting? It made my heart soar at the prospect.

I stared after him for a couple seconds before shaking off the longing to run after him just to plant a kiss on him, like something Blaire would have strongly encouraged, then made my way into a cute little clothing boutique.

It was busy inside, and I could instantly tell the owner put a lot of effort into choosing bright, welcoming colors, giving off the illusion of a sunrise between the sister mountains of the oasis across the walls. I felt the owner’s dream of wanting to bring a piece of the outside to the underground citizens.

~The hood will likely bring more attention when worn inside rather than casually appearing as a regular shopper. I recommend taking the hood off before someone thinks you’re about to rob the place.~ Nox quietly suggested in the back of my mind.

I puckered my lips. Reks had put so much effort into fixing the material to hide my face. But the Guide had a good point, so I flipped the hood off and kept to myself while browsing.

I made note of every new shopper who walked in, making sure no one I knew would step in and instantly recognize me. However, that didn’t stop random strangers who I’ve never met from giving me double-takes, as if they thought they recognized me, but weren’t sure from where.

I swallowed down the aggravation.

Is Ellison Lucil still that well-known, even after all the passed time? I asked Nox whilst draping another clothing item over my arm, turning heavy from the number of items. I turned to wait in one of the shorter lines leading to check-out.

~You could compare it to a legend. Everyone knows about her and her family and how their deaths led to the Fall of the empire. However, there are multiple tellings of events from that day. No one knows for certain since that piece of history was mysteriously expunged from the people’s discerning eyes.~

So the stories told today are passed down from families who witnessed something or lived through it. I gathered. Which could make for a ton of retellings from all kinds of different perspectives.

~Precicely.~

Hm. Only the biggest voices would have the most sway, in that case. Those living on the surface, I imagined.

I gave my items to the clerk, who had me pay by placing my hand against the matt-black screen embedded into the countertop. I felt a slight tingle as the machine read my Guide and siphoned the price from Reks’ account. Afterwards, I tossed my new items into a crossbody bag I bought there as well and swung it in place on my way out.

It felt silly to go shopping for items I may not need for long, since this may all come to an end by tomorrow night. But I was tired of wearing Ellison’s clothes. When Reks looks at me, I don’t want anything extra reminding him of her.

If Blaire was here, she’d totally understand the dilemma. When I finally find her, I couldn’t wait to tell her everything. But mostly, I just couldn’t wait to see her again, to have her back and saved from her undeserving hell.

Blaire and I had been dragged into a fight that neither of us had anything to do with.

I pulled the hood back on as I walked towards the center of the plaza, where a statue of a woman was encompassed by a circular viewing bench. I moved to sit in front of it, but hesitated on my way down, not only because of its sheer magnificence but also because of recognition.

Frick. I couldn’t escape this woman.

She had to be carved from the purest form of opalite. She stood on the balls of her feet with featherlight grace. The beautiful attention to detail made me wonder if the artist had personally known her, or thought so highly of her to depict her as some kind of celestial moon goddess. The pure opalite shifted to iridescent pearls to accentuate her hair and eyes. The faintest hint of a smile touched her lips as one of her delicate palms extended away from her body as if commanding something to stop where they stood. It wasn’t a forceful gesture, but it radiated power nonetheless.

The artist had captured the gentle flow of wind in her pearly hair while bringing to life an imposing crown atop her head, made of sharp, obsidian shapes like four-pointed stars, except the one at the center resting against her forehead, which matched the same exact insignia Reks often wore on his chest: an upside-down crescent moon, similar to the shape of curved fangs.

It was stunning. But the other piece attached to the statue of Ellison Lucil turned it into something sinister; something born from a nightmare.

Like an extension of her spine, a snake curved up over her head where the head of a vicious cobra bared long, deadly fangs, hood fanned out wide and ready to strike. Its slitted red eyes stared beyond her palm toward an enemy of the past. Its body matched the pearlescent glow in Ellison’s eyes as if the two were one and the same, cut from the same cloth.

I suppressed a shiver, recalling the memory I’d seen of the empress in Reks’ head. The memory where she had somehow summoned draconic-like serpents from the depths of hell itself.

The statue wasn’t a living entity, but the artist made it feel real and wholly intimidating. Perhaps the reason why I was the only one sitting here to admire and cautiously observe it.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” a small kid, maybe ten years old at most, looked from me to the statue after shoving bouncing red curls away from her face.

I looked at her and blinked, wondering where she came from. How long had she been standing there next to me?

Since an identity card didn’t pop up when Nox scanned her, she was likely too young to have a Guide.

“I saw you from my front door over there.” She read the confusion written on my face and pointed at a windowless house with dual doors coming to a dull point at the center, a catching emerald green in color. Like the house, the little girl looked like she had come from a wealthy family. She wore a black, long-sleeved dress with a vibrant purple scarf bundled up around her neck, where tight curls bounced from the smallest movements. Her hair and scarf enhanced her pale green eyes. “No one ever comes to just look at her anymore. Only sometimes.” she offered a little shrug with her little shoulders.

“It’s the prettiest statue I’ve ever seen,” I said with a smile.

The little girl looked at me, staring like a kid would if they weren’t sure if they were supposed to know you or not. But it was there and gone in an instant as the little girl went on with what she wanted to say in the first place. “Did you know that my Grams was the one who carved her? My daddy said Grams was my age when she saw Empress Ellison save us from the monsters. Grams saw her just like that before the barrier went whoosh.” she pointed up at the statue, then widened her eyes as she made a big circle with her arms over her head, representing the astral barrier the best she could.

“Wow, that must have been something.” I widened my eyes to add emphasis to enjoying her story. “What was your Grams’ name?”

The little girl jumped up and down, curls bouncing like red springs. “Isolet Endellion! It’s my name too. I was named after my Grams because of how amazing she was. Did you know the whole entire planet was like one giant pretty forest before the Fall? My daddy even said that we used to be this huge empire and that everyone wanted to be friends with us.” her pale green eyes flickered over to the bridge leading to the first district, where she most likely thought of that guarded cave exit. A grumpy pout formed. “I wish they wouldn’t keep us stuffed in here. It’s like we’re bugs living under the same rock, hiding from the bigger, meaner ones that sting.”

I felt the pain behind her statement. And I wondered how many times she had been allowed to walk on the surface up until this point. I glanced around to see if anyone was nearby and whispered, “can I tell you a secret, Isolet?”

Isolet bobbed her head, mimicking me by checking around to see if anyone would overhear.

I smiled. “I heard someone really strong is here and plans to…” I peered around once again for emphasis, then whispered even quieter, “scare all the stinging monsters away.”

Isolet’s mouth formed an o-shape. “How far?”

“Super far. Do you know what will happen once all the monsters are gone?”

Isolet’s cheeks reddened with sudden excitement. Her hands soared up towards her mouth, not sure if she should say what she thought I was inferring. “I’ll… I’ll get to go outside?”

“Whenever you want.” I nodded, pressing a single finger to my lips to remind her it was a secret. “I bet you’ll live up there too.”

She pressed a finger to her mouth and eagerly nodded. “Does that mean you know who the strong hero is?”

I smiled, knowing full well Reks was the hero in this story. He would be the one to ignite hope in his people again and end their enemy’s tyranny. I didn’t know how he would do it, but nothing was impossible when it came to him. And I wanted to help him make it possible, wanted to bear witness to these people regaining the world taken from them so long ago. I wanted to help Reks get back something since so much was taken from him. And right now, this may be the only thing that could be salvaged.

“I do.” I whispered to Isolet. A sense of warmth spread across my chest, fully believing what I said. “You’ll have to be super patient, but I know we’ll be spending our days under that beautiful orleizen sky, and our necks will be sore from staring up at the billions of stars every night. You’ll see–”

A loud growl from my stomach interrupted me. I let out an awkward laugh.

Isolet giggled at the sound. Then her eyes blared and she snagged my hand in her tiny, cool hands. “Wait! Do you like searolls? I helped make them, so you can have some!”

“Oh, it’s okay. You don’t have–”

But before I could finish, Isolet’s curls were bouncing wildly behind her as she ran off to her house and disappeared somewhere inside.

Not a minute later, Isolet came trotting back and beamed a bright smile when giving me the searolls neatly tied in a pale cloth. “I put an extra roll in there for the hero prince. Will you give it to him and say it’s from me? I vow to keep the secret extra safe.”

“Of course,” I said, setting the neatly preserved rolls in my crossbody bag, then thanked the little girl.

Her eyes snagged for another moment on my face, trying one last time to mentally place my features and figure out how she recognized me, but she never had the chance to put it together before a man, likely her father, stepped out of the house and called out Isolet’s name.

A boy was in his arms, sharing the same flaming hair color as his older sister, but his curls were more like a tiny jungle, tangled this way and that.

Isolet turned to go back to her dad, “can I say bye first? Pretty please.”

He nodded. But at the same time, his son tugged at the collar of his shirt and pointed at me and his sister. “Daddy, look. It’s the statue girl!”

My blood froze.

I needed to remove myself from this situation before it could become something more. But Isolet was already staring back at me again, and I could see the puzzle pieces visibly clicking together in her eyes.

“It’s rude to point, son.” the father pulled the little boy’s pointed finger down to his side. But their father was looking at me now with a considering look.

The blood drained rapidly from my face. Isolet stood right in front of me, and she knew. She knew I looked like Ellison’s statue. But how was I supposed to explain to her that wasn’t me? How was I supposed to explain something that still didn’t make sense to me yet?

Isolet must have seen the desperation in my eyes, because what she did next took me off guard - something I wouldn’t expect a little girl her age to do. “That’s just silly, Titus! If she was the statue lady, I’d know.” she looked back at me with the biggest, brightest smile, then whispered, “come back and see me again. OK? I promise to give you more food when you come back.” Then she ran off to her family, waving at me the entire way back. She shooed them inside, looked at me one last time, then closed the door.

That was too close for comfort. I shouldn’t have sat here as long as I did. But Isolet, the sweet girl, saved the day. I’d have to thank her next time I ran into her.

I stood, looping my bag around my shoulder, and turned to find somewhere else to waste time. Maybe I should have spent a little more time shopping for clothes.

I braved one last glance at the spine-chilling beauty of the statue of Ellison Lucil, and the monstrous cobra extending over her head; the same cobra which wanted to be found by Reks and I. The closer we came to finding it, the more ominous it felt.

A strange sense of dread filled me, which only grew and festered the more time I spent thinking about it.

~That was quite a close call.~ Nox dispelled the increasing dread with a silvery sigh of relief. ~I do believe we made a new friend in Isolet Endellion.~

Yeah, I think so too. I smiled, searching for a good place to sit near the bridge connecting to District One to wait for Reks.

The family-friendly party happening nearby must have recently ended. A large crowd of people left the house and made their way either toward the shops to my left or District One. I tugged the hood farther over my face as the large group of strangers neared. The crowd enveloped me as something suddenly turned everything into mayhem.

The bridge, the ground, the buildings, the very walls of the underground city shook suddenly and violently. Different magnitudes of roars choked out the outbursts of screaming citizens in all directions.

People around me fell into each other, shoving and screaming.

"Amelia!" Reks roared through the comm link. I could hear him–hear the desperation in his voice–but I couldn’t see him.

Someone’s shoulder shoved into me, and I fell into the bridge’s railing. I tried to grab it for support, and it vibrated up my arms. I couldn’t see past the swarm of panic. My heart raced as my panic tried to rise with theirs.

~You must get off the bridge!~ Nox hissed. ~It is unstable!~

As a response, the bridge creaked and shuddered from the impact of District One and Two’s harsh uneven quaking.

"Amelia–where are you!” the sense of urgency rapt Reks’ voice. Though, I barely heard it over the chaos.

“The bridge!” I yelled back, over the cacophony of panicking citizens.

Chunks of the cave’s ceiling fell, smashing into random buildings, levels, or into the cold darkness of the far-reaching pit. Every time a boulder crashed, screams amplified. Another sharp quake under our feet sent a group of us to pitch forward. We fell on District One’s foundation seconds before a jagged amberite rock severed a third of its railings, jamming into the foundation so hard, it sent a long, gnarled fissure through it, all the way to the opposite end.

“I’m coming for you–hold on!"

My eyes shot up as the crowd thickened with panic and disarray. A lot of us were scanning the ceiling and losing our balance, terrified of where the next boulder would drop.

“I-I’m stuck on One now!” I tried to explain through sharp breaths. “There’s too many people–I’m getting pushed!”

A fast slew of curses fell from his side of the comm link.

I opened my mouth to try to explain where I was, the closest building, but never got the chance before the violent shaking came to a sharp, abrupt stop, like a car slamming the brakes on the highway. Someone fell into me hard enough to ram my shoulder into the side of a building.

I yelped from the impact, then crashed knees-first to the ground.