A carriage bustled along a road, heading towards the red wall in the distance. On either side of the path, trenches and watchtowers were being dug and constructed by halflings with metal collars wrapped around their necks. The sounds of grunting and clanging echoed through the air. Cleo sat upright from her previous upside-down position and glanced around. “Woah,” she said as she stared at a ballistae being installed on the side of a tower. “What’s going on here?”
Linda stuck her head out from the carriage window. “Odd. I have no clue. What exactly is all this?” she asked. A few angels were aiding in the construction by manipulating the earth. Her brow furrowed as she sniffed the air. “Do you smell barbeque?”
“Barbeque?” Cleo asked and sniffed. Her nose wrinkled. “It smells like burning hair and burning meat and burning everything.” She gagged and pinched her nose. Above the red wall, gray smoke hung in the air, blanketing the checkpoint.
“Perhaps,” Carmella said as she stepped from the back of the carriage to the driver’s seat, “the rebel army attacked the first sector?” Her eyes narrowed at the soldiers pacing along the wall. Something serious must’ve happened. The angels never felt the need to reinforce a checkpoint wall before.
“How would they get past the wall?” Gerome asked as he appeared beside Carmella.
“The same way they got into the second sector,” Cleo said and rolled her eyes. “C’mon, boy toy. Use your head sometimes.”
“Please stop calling me that,” Gerome said and sighed while hanging his head.
Carmella pat his back and said, “She says it how it is.”
Gerome groaned. “Not you too.”
Footsteps resounded through the carriage as Owen lumbered to the front. His cheeks were gaunt, and his eyes were sunken in. Hair stuck out in all directions from his head, and stubble grew from his chin and jaw. His brow scrunched up as sunlight assaulted his eyes, and he raised a hand to shield himself from the rays. It seemed like he hadn’t seen sunlight in ages. He asked in a raspy voice, “Where are we?”
“Didn’t you go to sleep to feel better?” Cleo asked as she stared at the haggard angel. “Why do you look even worse than before?”
Owen shook his head. “Where are we?” he asked again.
Cleo furrowed her brow. “We’re almost at the checkpoint,” she said.
“To the first sector?” Owen asked and lowered his head. He muttered, “Good. Good.”
Cleo watched his back as the angel stumbled back into the carriage. She exchanged a glance with Linda, Carmella, and Gerome. “Okay,” Cleo said and puffed her chest out, “I may be the most mature one here, but I’ve only been alive for ten harvests. That means there are some things I’ve never experienced before. Do angels go crazy like that often?”
“I’ve never seen anyone like him,” Linda said and shook her head. “He’s stopped eating. He spends all day sleeping. It’s impossible to get him to wash his face, much less shower. And you know I got a few kindness angels to heal him. If he’s sick, it’s not a physical ailment.”
“Right,” Gerome said. “Maybe he’s heartbroken?” The three females stared at him and dismissed the thought without discussion. Cleo glanced at Carmella.
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“I’ve seen something like this before,” the angel said. “When I used to be an apprentice, occasionally people would bring in patients like this, hoping for a cure. I think my teacher called it melancholia.”
Linda’s brow furrowed. “Is it contagious?” she asked and glanced at the insides of her carriage. She hadn’t expected him to actually be ill.
“Not as far as I know,” Carmella said. “The most common prescription my teacher gave out was hallucinogens. I’m sure we can obtain some in the first sector. They’re extremely easy to locate as well. If you hear a screaming plant with legs, then you found one.”
“Screaming plant with legs,” Cleo said and nodded. Her hands dipped into her belt, her skin vanishing up to her wrists. “I don’t think I have any. Are they counted as alive?”
Carmella shrugged. The carriage jerked to a halt, causing the three angels to stumble. Cleo always sat with her tail wrapped around the seat after a certain incident, so she was unaffected. “Hah?” Cleo asked as she stood up and stared at the dashboard. The orb was no longer glowing.
“Halt. All vehicles must be inspected before approaching the checkpoint,” a voice said from above. Linda peered out of the carriage, and her face paled at a golden-robed angel descending from a watchtower. Three ballistae were pointed at their carriage.
“What’s going on?” Linda asked as her brow furrowed. “I’ve never been stopped from entering the first sector. Don’t you recognize the emblem on my carriage?”
The golden-robed angel glanced at the emblem branded onto the side. His head lowered as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Lady Bael, but due to certain events, we’re under orders to inspect everyone seeking entry into the first sector.”
“What are you looking for?” Linda asked. “I can guarantee you all my goods and money are clean.”
The guardian shook his head. “We are looking for any items that may cause chaos, weapons included, and suspicious individuals,” he said. His gaze roamed over Carmella and Gerome. “For example, deserters of the army.” He made eye contact with Linda again. “If on the off chance you happen to be sheltering deserters, you’ll receive a heavy fine and prison time regardless of whether you knew or not. But on the flipside, if you turn in deserters, you will be generously rewarded.”
Linda pursed her lips.
The guardian raised an eyebrow. “Also, deserters won’t be executed,” he said. “They will be sent back to the frontlines to engage in battle against the rebel army, doing the duty they were originally supposed to do. Times are tough, we can’t afford to lose soldiers.”
“That reward…,” Linda said and drummed her fingers along her thighs. “How much is it?”
Gerome and Carmella paled.
“Not much,” the guardian said and shrugged. “Just the equivalent of one month’s wage as a guardian … per person.”
“These two are deserters,” Linda said and pointed at Gerome and Carmella without hesitation. “There’s a third one inside. I was threatened to escort them, please believe me.”
“We appreciate the compliance, Lady Bael,” the guardian said as white chains flew out of his back, ensnaring the couple who tried to flee. Their mouths opened, but their shouts were cut off by a chain. A second golden-robed angel appeared and entered the carriage. A few seconds and a thud later, the guardian came out with an unconscious Owen on his back. Three sacks landed by Linda’s feet, but they were quickly snatched by Cleo. “Your payment as promised,” the first guardian said. He glanced at his partner. “Any contraband items inside?”
The guardian holding Owen shook his head. Cleo blinked a few times and waved at Gerome and Carmella as they were dragged away. The carriage resumed its progress without Cleo or Linda commanding it to move. Once they were out of earshot, Cleo glared at Linda. “What was that!?”
Linda stroked her chin. “Do you know what the wage of a guardian is?” she asked.
“That doesn’t matter!” Cleo said. Linda bent down and whispered something into the lizardman’s ears. Cleo blinked and stared at the three bags in her hands. Her gaze shifted back onto Linda. “Really?”
Linda nodded. Cleo stored a bag inside of her space. “I’m an upright person,” she said as another bag disappeared. “I can’t believe you’d do something like that.” The third bag disappeared. “They were good friends.”
“Were they really?” Linda asked as she sat next to Cleo. At last, the expenses of feeding and taking care of three freeloaders had been accounted for.
Cleo pouted. “No. Only Palan and Raea don’t treat me as a nuisance. I didn’t like those three very much,” she said and shrugged. “And it’s not like they’re going to die. And there was nothing I could’ve done to save them. If anything, I would’ve been punished as well. Right, I’m just a small, cute lizardman, what could I have done?”
“Exactly,” Linda said and nodded.