CHAPTER 26: THE SINGING WORMS
Slowly, features imagined only in myth began to emerge, and new species were born, corrupting or consuming those that remained.
Bridget ignored the burning in her legs as she hurried up the stairs towards the Western Rooftop Gardens, following the instructions that Doctor Nguyen had given them the day before. Give the secretary in the lobby this pass, climb these stairs, and wait at the top. Briddy found the rest of her classmates milling around on the rooftop in front of the large glass structure that covered most of its area. Thousands of dinner plate-sized pieces of glass were set into it, the seams filled with a dull grey metal. Inside their frosted panes, the silhouettes of branches stretched up, reaching towards the high roof in shadowed fingers.
Making her way towards Gail’s sculpted shoulders – generously outlined by the curved hem of her high-necked, sleeveless top– Briddy tried to squint through the translucent glass. Was there something moving in there? The branches seemed to be swaying, shadowy leaves bouncing as though rustled by a gentle wing.
“-y, trouble.” She brought her attention back to Gail in time to catch the end of her words.
“Hi.” Briddy smiled. “Glad I got here before Nguyen.”
“You missed little. This rooftop’s like the one we have Botanica on. Wonder why whatever’s in there isn’t stored in the basement with the rest of the creatures, though.” Gail folded her arms behind her head, glancing over towards the stairs. Studying the generous curve of her friend's muscles, Bridget ended the examination abruptly after the fluttering sensation of how they felt wrapped around her brushed against memory. No distractions.
“Good evening, class.” Doctor Nguyen swept in from the staircase, a draped dress of deep purple edged in gold training behind her. She gestured towards the glass structure behind them. “Shall we?”
Trailing the plum-covered back of their teacher, the greencoats followed the statuesque woman into a large, open area within, thick with the smell of earth and rot. As a dank, warm blast of air hit Briddy’s face, she took in the enormous trees that commanded the center of the room.
Impressive to behold not for their height, but rather for the length of their branches, stretching out from a short, stalky trunk, each twig thick with lush foliage. Shining softly within the nestled hollows of the leaves were large, gold berries, each about the size of Briddy’s thumbnail. Eye-catching as the trees were, it was not just the breadth of their branches that held attention. Lengthy, shimmering strands ran from branch to branch, milky-pale even under the harsh scrutiny of the evening sun. Sinuously, they twisted through the trees from top to bottom, and before Bridget could trace them to a source, Gail went rigid beside her.
“Just above where the trunk splits.” Gail hissed when Briddy glanced up at her in concern. “Look.”
Following the daggers shot by her friend’s narrowed eyes, Bridget looked to the space where bark diverged to coat emerging branches, and a writhing, plated mass squirmed, only slightly smaller than an anvil. Dull, milky plates coated it from one end to the other, devoid of features save for a pair of small, bulbous eyes, empty as the void save for a ring of yellow.
Bridget felt a trickle of familiar energy from where her arm brushed Gail’s and looked down to see sliding green plates climbing their way up her fists. Frowning, she looked over to see one of the floppy, chitinous creatures slowly crawling its way down the dirt floor that consumed most of the glass structure, except for the walkways. Which, Bridget immediately realized, did not have any bars.
Vex…
She barely had to expend any effort these days to get through the wall. Vex’s golden mist trickled into her hand the second she called to it. Other relics shimmered in around her, Warrin’s twin knives jumping to his hands from nowhere as others began to whisper incantations.
“None,” Doctor Nguyen boomed. “of that.”
The greencoats stopped their attack in its tracks, gazing up at the mild-mannered woman who didn’t even raise her voice when Warrin or Asher antagonized her into yet another lecture. “Humworms.” Their imposing teacher said. “Are largely docile. We keep them up here because their food source requires natural sunlight, and because they can be mollified by one simple act.” Holding up a finger, she slowly turned her sharp gaze away from the class, and towards the inching creature. Rather than words, the next sound that escaped her throat was music, lifting high and then dropping low in a smooth slide.
Taking a breath, she repeated the small song, and the Humworm stopped, rearing up halfway so that its body resembled a stubby ‘S’, the head rising and falling with the notes of the ditty. Slowly, but with consistent acceleration, its plates began to vibrate, rippling up and down the monstrosity’s body in a wave. They let out a small, fuzzy tone, rising and falling in perfect mimicry of Doctor Nguyen’s song.
Turning back towards the trees, the creature began inching its way back, plates still shifting from top to bottom as it moved, repeating the melody over and over again. By the time it reached the trunk, its buzzing tones were joined by multiple others, which in turn rippled across the lush, reaching branches in a chorus of music.
“Now then.” Doctor Nguyen clicked her fingers, murmuring something as a thin spout of flame sprouted from the tips of her fingers. “Come closer class, yes?” She reached up her hand as the students shuffled closer, reaching her long arm up towards the gossamer threads woven through the branches above. As soon as the licking tongues of fire got within mere inches of the strands, they jumped out of the way, peeling backwards in a small bundle that gathered further down the branch. “Does this look familiar to anyone?”
The group before her stayed quiet, and Bridget inclined her head. It did ring a bell somewhere deep in her mind, along with the memory of swaying planks, Nolan’s smirk, and a very distressed tailor…
Her hand shot up into the air.
“Miss Vasily?”
“Are those the material our Shrouds are made out of?”
Doctor Nguyen beamed at her, gracefully nodding her head. “Very good. Although Humworms, like any creature in Rank D, are dangerous, they are able to be utilized to make a very special variety of silk, which the Palanquin produces, and utilizes for its profit.” Gesturing around to the branch-covered walkway, she ordered them to wander about, taking notes about the feeding cycle of the creatures, observe a demonstration of how the silk was made, and of course; “Feel free to sing to them. Sound not only pacifies, but incites a greater appetite in Humworms, so having your voices lifted in song is good for everyone.”
The class broke off into groups of varying sizes as friends sought out friends, or those preferring solitude split away to take notes on the singing worms.
“Wonder what they do when there’s not a class in here,” Gail muttered, staring distastefully at a low branch in front of them. Plopped atop the dark, pointed leaves, a Humworm buzzed and contentedly munched on the softly glowing golden berries. Strands wound out from the end that didn’t hold a round, pointedly toothed mouth, springing out and settling in draping decadence across its leafy surroundings.
Briddy wrote this down in her notes, looking up to see Gail suspiciously jabbing her pen at the creature. “Don’t poke them.” She said, leaning forward to swat Gail’s pen away with hers. She caught a glimpse of Gail’s paper, completely blank of even a title. “Why aren’t you doing the exercise?”
Gail shrugged. “Figured I’d copy your notes after.”
“And what,” Briddy said, looking up at her. “Is going to happen if I’m not in your class in the future?”
“I’ll crash and burn.”
“How are you ladies doing on this fine day?” Warrin cut in as he walked up to them, shadowed by Asher’s grin.
“What do you two want?” Briddy replied, with joking exasperation.
“We were just talking about how they probably bring bards in to keep these things happy and happened to overhear Gail,” Asher replied, receiving a wordless grunt from the tall girl.
“Oh, about what they do when the students aren’t in here?” Bridget said.
“No, about the notes.” Warrin grinned.
Letting out a noise of disgust, Briddy failed to hide her smile as she shook her head. “You three will be the death of me.”
“And you’ll be the death of our grades if you don’t share.” Warrin held up his hands, looking up through long lashes in mock sincerity. When Bridget didn’t budge, he smacked out a hand behind him at Asher. “Seduce her or something. Use your wiles.”
Looking over at his friend with clear amusement, Asher met Briddy’s eyes and waggled his eyebrows.
“Nope. That’s enough.” Gail cut, shoving him to the side. “I have first call on the notes, and you two can suffer.”
“You can borrow them after she’s done.” Bridget translated, trying to hide her smile. It was nice to feel wanted.
“You’re a lifesaver.” Warrin gleamed before turning back to the branch in front of them. The Humworm had gone silent and was looking up at them with wide, dark eyes. Quickly he struck into a few bars of ‘Particularly Potent Potion’ and the creature resumed its snack, happily buzzing them back. “Not the worst one she’s put on us.” He remarked.
“Better than the Carrion Serpent,” Gail muttered.
“Better than the Goo-Eyed Frogs,” Bridget said.
“Better than the Goo-Eyed Frogs.” The rest of their group agreed.
Asher tilted his head, looking down at the thick, milky mass on the branch. “You know, at this angle, it reminds me of a partially cooked onion.”
Following his gaze, Briddy couldn’t bring herself to fully disagree. The thick rings, the dull grey-white of its color, if partially cooked onions had teeth and spewed magical silk, then this was a dead ringer.
“You know what they say about onions.” Warrin began, mischief already coating his words.
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Asher looked up, catching his friend’s tone. Blue eyes dancing, he added. “Them’s good eating.”
As if summoned out of nowhere, Professor Nguyen bore down on the pair in a sweeping arc of gold-edged cloth. “Mister Miltark, need I explain to you once again-” She launched into one of her calm lectures on respecting monstrosities while Warrin and Asher did their best to look contrite, an effect somewhat ruined by their matching rascal’s grins.
They seem to enjoy the attention. Vex whispered, Without care for its effects.
Not sure I understand them there. Briddy responded. Better to not cause problems.
Bridget and Gail left them to their fate, slowly meandering their way around the walkway and towards the flat dirt floor on the opposite side of the translucent structure from where they had entered. Bubbling and spitting happily, three enormous copper cauldrons sat over a trio of separate, roaring fires devoid of fuel or ashes.
“Make sure you don’t touch these, now.” A round-shouldered assistant clad in a black apron said, waving the greencoats back from a pile of what looked like large, oblong clouds. With an efficiency that could only come from years of practice, she smoothly scooped two off the top of the pile, one in each glove-covered hand. Striding over to the cauldrons, she turned to face the class. “These are Humworm cocoons, which they weave around themselves to try and transform into Lullaflies.”
“Wait, so they’re still in there?” Someone asked.
“That they are, though once they reach this stage, they’re mostly unaware of their surroundings, safe and sound in their little nests of protective silk.” Without further ado, the stocky assistant turned and plunged both of the fluffy piles into the bubbling cauldron behind her.
Bridget sucked in her breath, watching as the cocoons bobbed in the boiling water, quickly joined by more and more of their brethren as black-aproned workers threw them into their watery doom.
“Once the silk has been boiled, we unwind the cocoons, and then rewind them into thread, which is sold and processed into fabric that repels dirt, fire, and plenty of other harm, making it an ideal choice for the uniforms you wear today.”
Bridget noted all of this down, her mind still spinning from the demonstration even as the assistants began to repeat it once again. Strolling away, she paused near a couple of students, singing and cooing to a nearby branch.
“Well, that was…” Gail caught up to her, looking back over her shoulder at the cauldrons.
“Horrible?” Briddy caught the look on Gail’s face. “I know, I know you hate them, but being boiled alive is a horrific fate.” She glanced down at the swaying, meadow-green and white fabric of her uniform.
“Certainly gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘Shroud’,” Gail said, fingering the semi-sheer fabric that hung off Briddy’s shoulders.
Doctor Nguyen began calling them over, and Briddy scribbled a last few things at the bottom of her notes while they walked towards the rest of the class. Better to get too many details and edit down to the better ones later than risk missing something that might be useful.
Their dignified teacher dismissed them with no homework, but a reminder to complete their notes in a way that suggested there might be a surprise quiz in their future. Bridget waved goodbye to Gail as they split apart, Gail had Mystic Comprehension whilst Briddy got the pleasure of going to a completely different rooftop for Practical Botanica.
Crossing the wide, mosaic-covered courtyard between the two buildings, Bridget breathed in the misted air that surrounded the small fountain sitting at the center of the tiled pattern, the blue iris to a gigantic eye. Her mind still on Humworms and buzzing tones, it took her a moment to realize the music she was hearing was not just in her mind, but floating through the baking air of the courtyard.
Just beside the mundane door to the Practical Botanica building was a cluster of greencoats, occasionally dotted through with Shrouds of yellow and red like wildflowers in a meadow. In their center, a young man with familiar golden curls sat, a deep, rich bass wielding the notes of a song like a healer wielded a scalpel.
And we’ll go down, (where)
To the end of days
Down, (why)
So that all may fade.
Raging against a dying sun
Blaming all, except for one
So we go down, (down)
To the end of days
And we weep (cry)
For we chose our own way.
Briefly punctuating his tones was another voice, emanating from a young woman shrouded in cerulean, her smoky affectations sliding across the melody. As they drew the song to a close in one long, harrowingly drawn-out note, the crowd around them burst into applause, prompting a quick round of bows. Briddy walked over as the group began to disperse, peeling off towards respective classes. Watching an upperclassman in a red uniform, Bridget fought the urge to follow them and turned to the two singers.
“That was beautiful.” She said earnestly.
The girl turned her shaggily shorn head towards Bridget, giving her a grin. “Glad you liked it.” She said, in a voice that sounded eerily familiar. Examining her face, the pieces fell into place like a glass doorknob into a slot. “You were one of our greeters, right?”
“Bin duty.” The upperclassmen grimaced sarcastically. “Else.” She indicated herself. “And this-”
“We’ve met,” Kurtis said shortly, looking at Bridget with pale, cold blue eyes.
Briddy hovered nervously, feeling immediately uncomfortable with his countenance. “Well, I just wanted to say how-”
“Don’t.” Niles’ friend spoke with such venom that a few nearby stragglers paused, glancing over in surprise. “Don’t waste your breath.”
“I-”
“Well I’m just going to go.” Else drew out the word as she ducked around Kurtis and grabbed her bag, holding the vowel even as she walked off.
“I’m sorry? I didn’t mean t-” Bridget began.
“Don’t even try it. I know how you really treat people.” He walked over, grabbing the strap of his book satchel. “How you talk to Niles. Even before he told me about you, I could tell that you were disingenuous.”
A floodgate opened in Bridget’s chest, emotion washing through her, knocking the air from her chest and pushing her to just leave. She should just go before it drowned her and-
Hold your ground, Bridget. Vex’s voice soothed some of the torrents, yanking her head above water and returning breath to her once more.
“How? We’ve only spoken about two times.” Briddy raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve seen you cause issues for him in your Cell because of your jealousy.”
“That is not-”
“And in Maneuvers, you’ve actively sabotaged him, I mean just look at the log exercise…” Kurtis launched into a description of her supposed ‘tactics’. Crossing her arms, Bridget waited for him to finish, trying to ignore the bystanders surreptitiously listening and the increasing lack of time she had to get to class.
“-and then make yourself look like the victim.”
Bridget inhaled quickly and then let the air go. His tirade wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Ruba’s after a few too many gins, and she had endured years of those. “That’s not what happened.” She said simply.
“I’m not falling for your act, Vasily.”
He thinks that he knows you. Vex murmured. Or at least, the you that he is determined to know.
Bridget rolled her shoulders, releasing her arms to grip the shoulder strap of her bag. “There’s no act Kurtis. It sounded like you needed to get that off your chest though, so I’m glad we had this talk.” With that, she gave him a half-smile, turned on her heel, and marched off towards the Botanica building, biting her tongue against the bitter venom of anger that shot up her throat.
“Running away when confronted makes you look even worse.” He called after her, before presumably saying to the nearby stragglers. “Imagine associating with someone who won’t even discuss their wrongdoings with you.”
Keep walking. Vex urged
I. Am. She bit out.
Whatever the bystander’s reply, Bridget suddenly heard the blonde boy loudly say “I know, and she walked up to me!”
She spun around, grey eyes flashing as she looked Kurtis straight in the face. Nails digging into her skin, she gave him a long, hard look, which he returned.
He is not dissimilar from that Alchemist who chases you. Charismatic, but unlike the other, he does not care to use it past the merest surface of momentary desire. A pond’s shallows to the ocean. Vex said within her.
I could punch his charisma in the face. She replied savagely.
You’ve been spending too much time with that Brawler.
She would agree with me.
Does that make it right, then? The relic mused.
Bridget let out a long hard breath, raising her chin without breaking eye contact with Niles’ friend. “The song really was beautiful.” She said, quirking an eyebrow at his scowl before walking in the doorway and up the stairs.
Anger still simmered at the core of her very being, its temperature rising with each step that she took. Niles had poisoned the well before she could even reach it.
It’s not uncommon to lay burdens on others. Vex said simply.
Pausing in her tracks, Bridget’s hands tightened around the strap of her bag.
Not. Helping. She growled.
You need to hear it all the same. Does he not begrudge you the very same thing?
Bridget began trudging up the stairs once more, eyes fixed on each passing step. I suppose. She unwillingly admitted. I’m still mad though.
There is reason to be angered.
Bridget stopped again. You were just on his side.
It was an observation. Not bias, the same as this: The Singer is rash and shallow. He made up his mind based on another’s opinion.
Beginning to climb once again, Bridget pondered the relic’s words.
I think that’s the worst part. She finally said, exiting into a bright burst of sunlight.
He displays weakness of character. Vex replied. Do you truly seek the friendship of such a man?
Bridget tried to put the golden sword out of her mind as she ducked into the oval greenhouse and waved hello to Tuck, who was already seated on one of the long benches. Against her will, its last words crept into her thoughts as the lesson began, and this time she couldn’t help but agree.