//------------------------------//
// Chapter 24 - Sheerwater 
// Story: The Dusk Guard Saga: Beyond the Borderlands 
// by Viking ZX 
//------------------------------//


Sheerwater, Griffon Empire Capital City


“So,” Blade asked, sitting down on the plush seat across from Alchemy. “I take it when you passed through the Griffon Empire on your last trip, you never visited the capital, huh?” She grinned as the orange earth pony glanced back at her before turning his eyes forward once more.

“No,” he said, squinting through the heavy glass at the distant desert. “I never did. When I traveled to the Plainslands, we went directly there by ship. And on the way back, well …” He shrugged, his eyes still staring straight ahead, fixed on oncoming tracks that had sliced a line across the scrub brush. “We stuck pretty close to the coast until they could get me passage back to Equestria.”

Blade nodded as her own eyes drifted to the side, away from the oncoming tracks and towards the vibrant, wide open desert on either side of the train. It looked flat, though she knew that was just an illusion based on their speed. The ground was hard and dry, ridged, with stone outcroppings and plenty of little slot canyons to hide in. Here and there a butte towered over the landscape like an ancient sentinel, the dull, tanned orange of the stone standing in silent contrast to the vivid blue sky.

They were still a few miles away from the outskirts of Sheerwater, so most of the terrain was only sparsely occupied. But even then, there were clear signs of occupation if one knew where to look. Her eyes drifted towards one of the distant buttes, a towering, staggeringly tall monolith whose shadow had to stretch for at least a quarter mile. There was a haze about its base, a cloud of dust that seemed to hang in the air around where the shadow was currently situated.

Livestock, she thought as she watched the dust cloud shift. She lifted her eyes upward, working her gaze along the face of the butte, picking out the telltale signs of residence. A depression here, a railed platform there. She had no doubt that if she were to spread her wings and fly over the butte, she’d find that the entire top half had been hollowed out, maybe turned into a gigantic reservoir for the few times it did rain. The rest of the time, its owners would be pumping water from one of the three rivers that fed into Sheerwater Lake.

“Hey,” Alchemy said, apparently catching sight of her gaze. “What are you looking at?”

“A settlement,” Blade said, and the earth pony’s eyes widened. “A ranch, from the look of it.”

“Wow!” Alchemy said, rearing up and putting his hooves up against the glass. “They all live in that rock tower?”

“It’s called a butte,” she said. “But yeah. Remember how the Pinnacle was hollowed out?” She gestured toward the distant rock. “Same principle. Griffons like to live high up, where we can fly easily and get a good view of our surroundings.”

There was a soft thump from the back of the car, and Blade turned to see Frost stepping through the rear stairwell. The mare gave her a nod, and she returned it.

“Why not just build cloud structures, like the pegasi?” Alchemy asked, his eyes still fixed on the distant butte.

I guess it is new, she thought as she eyed his interest. All the cities we’ve passed so far have been more standard places—laid out like a more typical village but on a mountainside or a hill. It hadn’t escaped her noticed that several of the stops they’d made had only happened after a long climb, but maybe it had escaped Alchemy’s.

“We’re not quite as good at weather-working as the pegasi are,” she said, shrugging as Frost took a seat nearby. She glanced at the mare, and when she didn’t say anything, continued.

“Basically,” she said. “We can work weather and make cloud structures, but we aren’t as good at it. We do have cloud cities, but they’re usually smaller and simpler as a result. Plus, most of us don’t want to be too far away from our food supply.

“It seems like a desert isn’t exactly the best place for that,” Frost said, pointing one hoof at the surrounding countryside. Her pale-white mane was slightly damp, and it didn’t escape Blade’s notice that there was a faint, purple shimmer around the unicorn’s horn. Having grown up on the Ocean, the heat of the desert, even inside the water-cooled luxury carriage they’d been granted, was more than enough to wear the mare out.

“You’d be surprised,” Blade said, tilting her head back towards the distant butte. “A lot of things can live off of the scrub brush here if they need to. Most of the livestock just eats that. And since we can manipulate the weather if we need to, getting it to rain is usually a matter of just teaming up with a few nearby work groups and heading to wherever the clouds congregate.” She leaned back in her seat as the butte slowly swept off into the distance behind them. They were making good time. “Plus, the rivers do a lot for Sheerwater. You ever had freshwater shrimp? Or prawns?” Both ponies shook their heads.

“Well then,” she said as the door to the rear stairs slid open again with a soft thump. “You’re in for a surprise. Tasty little suckers.”

‘What are?”

“Freshwater shrimp,” she said, glancing back at Hain. The older griffon’s eyes widened, a distant look coming over his face. “Frost and Al here have never had them.”

“Forget these two,” Hain said, taking a seat on the opposite side of the car. “I haven’t had any in about twenty-some odd years.”

“Sounds like we know what our contact needs to pick up as soon as we get to Sheerwater,” Blade said. “I could go for some myself.” She could feel her mouth watering at the thought of digging into a pile of freshwater prawns.

“We have an immortal to find,” Frost said, her voice cool. The memory of digging into a bowl of fresh shrimp evaporated.

“I know,” Blade said, slightly annoyed at the interruption. “What we’re doing right now, though? This is called relaxing. You should try it sometime.”

Frost scowled and turned back to look out the glass. Alchemy shot Blade a dirty look, and she shrugged.

Maybe I could have been a bit nicer, she thought as she turned her attention back towards the desert. But seriously, does she not think I’m not thinking about what to do about Anubis already?

“Anyway,” she said, pulling the group’s attention back. “Sheerwater has plenty of food. Even crop-based stuff, thanks to the three rivers.”

“How’s that work anyway?” Alchemy asked. Blade looked at Hain.

The older griffon shrugged. “Pretty simple. Three rivers, all of them meeting at Sheerwater. That’s plenty of water for irrigating all the cropland north of the city.”

“I haven’t seen any of it,” Alchemy said.

“It’s all down in the canyon,” Blade said, leaning back in her seat.

“Canyon?”

She and Hain glanced at one another. “How much do you know about Sheerwater?” Hain asked as the car began to tilt forward, the train going into a gradual descent. Blade glanced up ahead, through the thick, forward windows of the observation deck. The custom luxury car they’d been given wasn’t quite as nice as the private car her last employers had made use of, but at the same time it was still pretty nice. Also, it wasn’t quite so full of guilt.

“Just that it’s the capital of the Griffon Empire,” Alchemy said. “And it’s called the city of spires.”

“Do you know why?” Hain asked. Alchemy shook his head.

“You’ve got this,” Blade said as Hain glanced in her direction. Better to let him take it, since knowing a bit about the city would be good for Frost. Ahead of them, she could see the landscape rising slightly as they approached a long, flat-topped mesa. There was a black spot ahead of them. A tunnel.

“Fine,” Hain said, turning back towards Alchemy. “Sheerwater is called the city of spires because, well … Tartarus, how to describe it? Have you ever seen a canyon?”

“Yes,” Alchemy said.

“Right. How large of one?” The sky overhead vanished as the train swept into the tunnel, the faint chuff of the engine echoing around them as they passed into the cool underground.

“There were some near where I grew up,” Alchemy said. “Pretty large.”

“Were any of them large enough that they had standing pillars of stone in them?” Hain asked. “Where the river had switched direction and started going a new direction after some time?”

“Well, yes.” It was hard to see Alchemy’s face in the dimness of the tunnel, but Blade could imagine the look of curiosity on his muzzle well enough.

“How large?”

There was a shuffling sound as Alchemy shrugged. “Maybe forty, fifty feet across?”

“All right,” Hain said. “Now, imagine what would happen if you had a spot where three rivers met and—someone probably knows how long ago but I sure don’t—spread out in a delta around a butte that was already there. You’d get a really, really wide canyon after a while, right?”

“Okay.”

“One with a lot of spires of rock, most of them originally islands in their own right, but now towers as the river dug itself lower.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Frost said, her horn growing a little brighter and casting a purple light over everything.

“Well, that’s fine,” Hain said. “In a minute, you’re going to. Once we get past the mesa, you’ll be able to see it all—the canyon, the city itself … everything.” There was a wistful tone to his voice.

“Why not just go over the mesa?” Frost asked. “Or around it? Then we could see it already.”

“The mesa is soft rock,” Hain said. “You might not be able to feel it, but we’re getting lower, too. It was easier to tunnel through it and build a bridge at the end than create a giant switchback.”

Blade blinked. “That’s why? I’d never thought about it.”

“It’s also a defensive consideration,” Hain said. “In the event of invasion by rail, the bridge can be collapsed, along with both ends of the tunnel, trapping and then sealing an entire train's worth of forces.”

“Oh,” Blade said, feeling an urge to shift her wings. Trapped under tons of rock … it didn’t seem like a very good way to go. “Let’s hope no one knows we’re coming, then.” She peered ahead, her eyes picking out a distant bright patch that was growing closer and closer. “And for those of you who’ve never seen it, I think we’re about to get our first view of the city of Sheerwater itself.”

Up ahead the bright, white glow resolved itself into a tunnel entrance. A moment later the train burst free of the earth and into the sunlight, Blade blinking as her eyes adjusted the the sudden glare. Then, from around her, she heard the gasps. She smiled, her own eyes still adjusting, and then she too took her first look in years at the Griffon Empire capital.

The city was spread out before them as the train continued onward across a bridge of heavy wooden trestles. It was easy to see what had made both Alchemy and Frost gasp. What had once been ancient pillars of rock, hundreds of feet high and dozens if not hundreds of feet across, filled the canyon in front of them. Bands of colored stone, some alternating, some vibrant, and some the same dusty red as the rest of the desert, made up each tower, each one distinct from its fellows. Smaller spires of rock poked their way between the behemoths, some of them offshoots from a time when the roaring force of the three rivers had worn away the softer stone, others simply long, thin needles stretching up from the canyon floor far below.

Blade craned her head down, getting a view of the canyon bottom. From where they were she couldn’t see the conflux where the three rivers converged, but she could see the wide, rushing, deep depths of their combined might where they divided the city of Sheerwater from land. The three rivers really became two, though none considered them that. In school some had tried to argue that Sheerwater canyon was actually two canyons with an island-like city in the middle, but the idea had never really caught on. What mattered was that the river split around the city before joining with Sheerwater lake on the southern end, which then faded into a more sedate river that traveled all the way to the ocean.

It was the perfect place for a griffon population. Plenty of water, plenty of food, and most importantly, plenty of tall places in which an eyrie could be established.

And we did, Blade thought as she caught sight of Alchemy’s slack jaw. We most definitely did. Each one of the mighty stone pillars had been shaped, carved by over two thousand years of occupation. Walkways and highways had been carved into the stone, or built in place using wooden trusses, sometimes along the outside of each of the pillars, and other times stretching between them much like their own railway did, supported by stone pillars and heavy wooden bridges.

Pennants and clan sigils flew from the tops of various pillars, and large, damp-looking pipes snaked their way across the surface of the city, ferrying water from the three rivers to wherever it was needed. Even the bases of each of the stone monoliths had been colonized: Blade could see hundreds of stone and wood structures that had been built up in the shadows of the towering stone, along with wide, winding pathways that twisted back and forth as they made their way down the side of the old gravel slopes.

As they drew closer, their train moving out over the river on one of several bridges that were in view, details began to resolve themselves. Elevator platforms that moved up and down the sides of each of the stone eyries. Hundreds of windows and openings into the interiors of the stone pillars themselves. And everywhere—climbing up and down the various levels of each of the pillars, flying through the sky, moving across the river on large barges, or even just lying on the side of a stone walkway, talons hanging over the edge—were griffons.

“Incredible,” Frost said, her eyes wide. “There’s so many …”

Right, she’s probably not seen an actual city before, Blade thought. She moved forward, pointing towards a single, massive stone butte that was higher than anything in the city. Pennants and flags flew from its carved buttresses and towers. “You see that?” she asked. “That’s pretty much the core of the city. The Imperial Spire. Taller and more heavily defended than anything here. That’s where the king and the ruling clan live.”

“Right,” Alchemy said as they finished moving across the river, their train quickly approaching one of the stone pillars and then sliding alongside it as its track wound along the side. The earth pony seemed to be looking in dozens of directions at once, his head snapping around much quicker than it should have been able to. ‘Are those elevators? Is the city just on the pillars?”

“Yes, those are elevators, and no,” Blade said. “The ground below us is basically like a series of shelves from when the three rivers shifted course … kind of like a bunch of oddly shaped tables stacked on one another. So the closer you get to the center, the higher the ground actually is.”

“Oh,” Alchemy said as the train track split off from the side of the butte, blazing a straight path through the air and then into another tunnel that took them through the center of a spire. “A lot of exercise, huh?”

“Not if you have wings,” Hain said, his voice quiet. If she hadn’t known better, she almost would have suspected him of being choked up.

“What about water?” Frost asked. She almost looked panicked, her eyes sweeping back and forth almost as quickly as Alchemy’s head as she took in the sights all around them.

“Piping and hydro power,” Blade said. “The east side of the river moves at a very high speed, and we’ve made extensive use of it.”

“What about the wind power?” Alchemy asked, pointing to several vertical windmills visible on the tops of some of the pillars. “I presume that’s what those are?”

“Power source,” Blade said. “Magilights. Pumping. Air pressure. Whatever the individual towers need them to be.” She pointed at one of the stone towers, her claw picking out the elevators rising and falling along its side. “For example, some places use it for the cargo elevators. Other places, like the shipyard, find it easier to use air pressure for some equipment since the river is some distance away. Others don’t want to deal with additional water piping.” She shrugged. “It’s an old city, and it has had a lot of owners.”

“They’re wearing clothes,” Frost said, her voice quiet but clearly surprised. “Clothes. In this heat!”

“It actually helps,” Alchemy said, shifting his attention to the open-air market that Frost was looking at, watching as it swept by. “Although I don’t know if I’d call some of that clothes,” he said. “It’s just a scarf.”

“It’s still cloth,” Frost said. “It keeps you warm!”

“And cool,” Alchemy said. “Like shade from the sun. You should see the Plainslands. They have a lot of cloth everywhere. Keeps the sun off of you.”

“It’s crazy,” Frost said as they swept through the city. Her horn began to glow a little brighter, and Blade smiled as she felt a chill move through the compartment. Apparently the idea that you could use cloth to stay cool was a completely foreign concept to the mare.

“It works,” Alchemy said as a faint squeal echoed through the car, the train jerking slightly beneath them as it began to slow. Up ahead there was a sharp rise in the ground, the raised track they were riding on finding itself level with the ground as they moved to a higher level of the city.

“Ridiculous,” Frost said.

“I swear,” Alchemy said, raising his hoof. “I even used to own a bunch of formal robes. From when I was in the Plainslands.”

The train continued to slow as Frost and Alchemy began debating back and forth over the value of wearing clothes in a hot climate, and Blade just shook her head as she watched the scenery slide by. It might work, she thought as the city outside the train began to shift, becoming more and more industrial as they moved nearer to their destination. But I think I’ll stick with just my fur, feathers, and maybe some armor.

Armor. There was something she probably needed to get more of. Especially considering who they were tracking down.

I might be able to afford some, she thought as the train’s brakes squealed again. After all, we’ve got a bit of cash with us now. One more thing to think about. She added the armor to her mental list and then looked out the window again.

I wonder if he’s here yet? she asked as she stared out at the sun-baked city. Somehow the knowledge that Anubis might have already arrived, that he might have already begun worming his way into the heart of her homeland, somehow it made the city seem less grand. More threatening.

What does he want here, anyway? More followers? A takeover? That last one would prove almost impossible, but it was an option that she and Hain had discussed over the last few days. To spread terror?

There just wasn’t any solid answer to pin down yet. She glared at a distant airship dock as it slid by. There’s what, six or seven public docks around the city? At least another dozen or so private … And he could have landed at any of them.

She shook her head as the train jerked again, a long, metallic squeal echoing down the length of the tracks. We’re flying in a fog. We need information. All we have right now is a few sure facts and a bunch of theories.

The train was barely moving at a crawl now, her thoughts picking up speed in what felt like a twisted parody. The ancient griffon writing … Did an ancient clan help him? Trap him? Is he here for revenge? To find old followers? Are there any followers? Death cults hadn’t been something she’d ever noticed in the history books as a fledgling, but then she’d confined herself to her interests and her schooling.

Ugh … She dropped her head at her mental groan, squeezing her eyes shut. We need information. Textbooks, history books, myth, legend … Anything!

She shook her head again and then looked out the window, letting her tail lash out her irritation behind her. I should have asked Rys to get us a couple of history books on the immortals, she thought as the train began sliding into a massive rail yard. Several rail workers flew past, their eyes on the train. Probably counting the lumber load that was strung out behind them. At the rate we were giving him for our ship, he probably would have “borrowed” the entire eyrie library if we’d thought to ask.

“Bored?” Hain asked, and she looked up to see him glancing at her.

“No,” she said, shaking her head again and then rising from her seat. “I just got thinking about where we go from here.”

Hain nodded and turned back towards the window. “I’ve been thinking about it myself.”

“Any ideas?” Blade asked. Both Frost and Alchemy, she noticed, had turned away from their examination of the lumber yard and were paying attention to their conversation.

“Lay low, gather information,” Hain said with a shrug. “There’s not much else we can do. We don’t even know if Anubis has arrived in Sheerwater yet, if he will, or what his plans are if he does arrive.”

“I don’t like the idea of trying to chase him down once more,” Frost said, her voice cutting into the conversation.

“Neither do I,” Blade said with a sigh. It was a point Frost had raised several times over the last few days. “But look at it this way: If he doesn’t arrive but the Superiority does, then we’ve got a whole airship full of cultists we can go take care of without having to worry about their new boss and his fear powers. And if the airship doesn’t show up, a few words with the local military wing will put a bulletin out on the Superiority, and they’ll find him for us.”

“Speaking of Anubis’s powers,” Hain said, looking towards Alchemy. “How’s progress on the potion going?”

“Slow,” Alchemy said, frowning. “It’s not anything I’ve ever tried to do before.” The earth pony had put the supply of ethereal crystal they’d gotten from Rys to use almost immediately, brewing up several additional batches of his own potion stash as well as a few basics … but also working on something new.

“It’s not just trying to deaden the emotions,” Alchemy said, shaking his head. “I thought of that, and there are potions for it, but all Anubis would have to do is simply overwhelm the user with more and more protracted fear. Besides, potions don’t remove the subconscious, automatic effects, like the adrenaline and the muscles locking. Even if a conscious will can overcome it, deadening the conscious reaction just isn’t enough.”

“So what are we looking at than?” Blade asked.

Alchemy offered a small shrug. “At the moment? I’m trying to figure out if there’s another way to negate the effects of his ‘Fear Field,’ for lack of a better word. I might be onto something with a polar opposite, but …” He shook his head. “There’s a major drawback, though. To all of it.”

“Which is?” Frost asked.

“It’s … all theoretical,” Alchemy said. “I can come up with a number of potions that should help, but we won’t actually know for certain until we test them.”

Blade nodded. “Which means using them when we face Anubis.”

“Yeah,” Alchemy said. “Unfortunately, that’s the best I can do. I don’t have any way of replicating the particular spell he used—”

“What if I tried?” Frost asked.

“It wouldn’t work,” Alchemy said. “The energy distribution could be completely different or even a different type altogether. The only way to counter that would be to try and counter just the emotion of fear itself, but that’s not feasible either.”

“Why not?”

“It’s …” He shook his head. “Understanding the actual explanation would take at least an hour, plus an advanced understanding of potions, magical resonance, personal magic fields, and the science behind the workings of the specific spell itself.”

“Ah,” Frost said, looking slightly disappointed. “I understand, then.”

“Trust me, I appreciate the offer,” Alchemy said, shaking his head. “But at this point I just need time and ideas.” He took a quick look around them, his eyes fixing on the still moving lumber yard. “Why haven’t we stopped yet?”

“There’s a mile or so of wood behind us,” Frost said. “It’s a lot of weight, and it needs to be unloaded.”

“Right,” Alchemy said with a shake of his head. “I’m just kind of eager to get off the train and see everything.”

“Well, don’t get too eager,” Blade said. “We’re supposed to wait here until our contact arrives. That could be a while.” She turned and headed back toward the rear stairs. Might as well prep something to eat while we wait, she thought as she slid the door open.

“What about plans?” Frost asked.

“Frost,” she said, turning and looking back at the mare. “We’ve gone over it and over it for three days. At this point, if any of us think of anything new, than we can bring it up with everyone else. But until then, I’m going to get lunch and wait for our contact to arrive.”

Her answer seemed to satisfy the mare, or at least, she hoped it did. We’ve been talking about this for days, she thought as she moved down to the first level of their car and over to the small kitchen. But at this point, we’re just running around flapping our wings like kits pretending to fly. We need solid info.

She felt the train come to a final stop as she scarfed down one of the sandwiches from the fridge. Hopefully it meant that their contact would arrive soon, though she knew she couldn’t count on that fact. In all likelihood Rys’s contact would be someone working the rail system, and they would need to get the message first before they could come and get them.

If they decide to go through with it at all, she thought, though she dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it had come. You’re just irritable, she thought as she unwrapped the second sandwich, the scent of thick, juicy chicken making her salivate. Rys wouldn’t have a contact down here he wouldn’t trust with a simple job. Besides, if we were strung out, we could always find a hotel room somewhere. Sixty-five hundred reeds was a pretty nice sum. Enough to last them a good while, provided all they needed to do was lay low.

Unfortunately, if we tangle with Anubis or the city guard, laying low in a hotel room won’t be as possible. We’d have to—

She shoved the thought away and took another bite of her sandwich. Stop thinking about it. You can’t do anything about it, so why bother wasting time on it? Come on, Blade. Walk before you run, run before you fly.

She finished the rest of the sandwich in silence, watching through one of the tinted lower windows as the lumber yard went to the work of unloading the train. It was a fairly standard process—a worker would roll up with a heavy duty, extra-long carriage, and the lumber-yard workers would go to work unloading each flatbed, uncovering the recently-cut boards and moving them over to the carriage one by one. As soon as the carriage was loaded, it was off, pulled away to another part of the yard while a new carriage was brought into place.

Pretty much the reverse of home, Blade thought as she watched the various sapients work. It was mostly griffons, but she could see the occasional pony, minotaur, and even zebra appearing from time to time as part of the carriage crews. Except there we just loaded the trains. She’d never been big on the numbers, but she knew that the Talmoss Eyrie was responsible for a large portion of the Empire’s lumber. And, with the care they were taking, would be for centuries to come.

Centuries, she thought as she watched the workers start on another one of the flatbeds, rolling the carriage back so they could pass the thick boards over. Anubis was locked away for centuries. At least sixteen-hundred years. So why Sheerwater?

She shook her head again, chasing away the circling thoughts. She could worry about it later. When they had a little bit more to go on. Right now, just think about what you’re going to do.

A history book, she decided, balling up her leftover sandwich wrapping. I’m definitely going to get a history book.

Or at least a chunk of wood. She needed something to whittle.


*        *        *


It was dark when their contact finally arrived. Blade’s head snapped up as the faint knock echoed through the car, and she glanced over to where Hain was sitting with his eyes shut. Or had been. His eyes were open now, alert and searching.

Blade spoke first. “It could be our contact,” she said, rising from her seat, where she’d been idly trying not to put any more claw marks into the bit of scrap wood she’d nabbed from the lumberyard during a brief excursion. It already bore a strong resemblance to one of the many clan pennants flying around the city, and as much as her claws itched to she’d been trying to resist simply trying to make something else out of it for the sake of boredom.

“It also might not be,” Hain answered, lifting himself from his seat and spreading his wings as he looked at the front entrance. The knock came again, this time a little louder.

Only one way to find out, Blade thought, passing Hain as she moved over to the door and pulled it open. “Yes?”

A brown pegasus pony was standing there, a lantern in one hoof, his eyes widening in surprise as he tilted his head back and looked her in the face. He looked nervous, like he wasn’t entirely positive he knew what he was doing.

“I’m ... “ His voice died out, and he let out a small cough. “I was told to meet someone here?” He had a low voice, but it was almost nasally, like he’d contracted a small cold. “Four someones, actually?”

“Rys?”

He nodded, his expression brightening a little. “Yes!”

“Come in,” she said, jerking her head toward the inside. The pony gave a soft gulp, his ears flattening along the back of his head, but he stepped inside anyway. She glanced at his cutie mark as he passed. It was a pair of what looked like ledgers, sitting closed atop one another.

“Are you new to this?” Blade asked as she shut the door. “Or is this just an act?”

“Well,” the pony said, clearing his throat once more and turning his head towards both her and Hain as if he was afraid to take his eyes off either of them. Which, she decided, he probably was. “I work for Rys, if that’s what you’re talking about.”

“But you’re new to under-the-treeline orders,” Blade said, her heart sinking slightly. If Rys’s safe room involves putting us up in one of his accountant’s own houses—

“No, no, no,” the pegasus said, shaking his head. “You mean his ‘claws-on’ shipments? I deal with a dozen of those every month. But usually, the special shipments are in boxes. Four griffons, on the other claw …”

“Two,” Blade said, noting his use of griffon colloquialism. Someone’s spent some time over here. “The other two members of our party are ponies like yourself. Earth and unicorn.”

“Oh,” the pegasus said, his eyes widening a little, though Blade wasn’t quite so certain it was real surprise anymore. Maybe mock, designed to make her think she was in charge and could feel at ease. “My information didn’t say anything at all like that.”

“Does it matter?” Hain asked, his feathered brow shifting.

“I suppose not,” the pegasus said. “I just assumed—well, it doesn’t matter. Are you ready to depart?”

“One minute,” Blade said. “It’ll take us a little while to get ready. We weren’t sure when you were going to be showing up.”

“That’s understandable,” came his reply. “I apologize for the wait. We weren’t exactly prepared for our instructions, and we needed to shift some things around.”

“So there’s a safe house ready?”

He nodded. “Yes, although I find myself hoping that our definitions of ‘safe house’ are similar enough that you won’t end up being disappointed.” He gave his wings a little flap for emphasis. “I’m not exactly familiar with your business but …”

“How much did Rys tell you?” Blade asked.

“Very little,” the pegasus replied, his voice flat. “And I would prefer we keep it that way, to be honest.” He took a quick glance around at the rest of the car. “This whole thing is well outside my expertise.”

There was a shuffling sound from the stairs and Alchemy poked his head down, a grin growing across his face as he saw the pegasus. “I did hear someone,” he said, stepping the rest of the way down the stairs and extending his hoof. “You must be our local contact, Mister …”

“Books,” the pegasus replied, taking Alchemy’s hoof and shaking it. “Just Books, if you please. I’d rather not give away much more than that if it can be helped.”

“Understood,” Alchemy said, dropping his hoof. “I can see that. Brown’s not your natural color, is it.”

Books recoiled, his eyes widening. “How did you—”

“I’m an alchemist, and your mane is too shiny. Plus the feather dye isn’t the best job,” Alchemy said. “Also, you just admitted it.”

‘Relax,” Blade said as Books began to hyperventilate. She took a step forward. “We’re not a group you need to worry about. You know, unless you try and stab us in the back.” She paused as the pegasus’s breaths began to slow. “You really are new to this aren’t you?”

“No,” Books wheezed. “I’ve been doing this job for years. Dealing with sapients is new.” He took a long, steadying breath. “Boxes have a tendency to not talk back. Or move.”

“Then you need to get out more,” Blade said, ignoring the odd looks Alchemy and Hain gave her at her response. “Anyway, I’m Blade, and these are two of the members of my team.” They’d already decided that unless their contact showed any sign of knowing their actual names, it was best to leave them unmentioned. Especially in Hain’s case.

“Charmed,” Books said, his voice regaining its almost nasal quality. He didn’t say anything about the lack of names. If anything, he almost looked relieved that the subject hadn’t come up. “So, uh …” He glanced around at the three of them. “Are you ready to go?”

Blade glanced at Alchemy, and the earth pony gave her a slight shake of his head. “Not yet,” she said. “It’ll take us a moment to get ready. We’ve got a bit of gear.”

“Ah,” Books said, blinking. “is it much? I’m afraid we didn’t bring a very large wagon.”

“Wagon?”

“Well, yes,” Books said. “That’s how we typically move goods. We have a wagon. Filled with a few empty crates that we padded.”

“So we’ll be moving blind.”

“I …” Books shook his head. “I don’t know what else you would expect? This isn’t my line of business. I move boxes of goods. Or look up information. I don’t help people sneak off of a train.”

“It’s …” Blade shook her head. “It’s fine. We’ll make it work.” She gave Alchemy a quick toss of her head, and he nodded, turning and moving back up the stairs. “We’ll ride in the crates until we’re clear of the lumber yard and you can take us to your safe house. Is it easy to come and go from?”

“Yes,” Books said, looking more sure of himself. “I made sure of that. It was specified.”

“Good,” Blade said, nodding. “What about procurement? Can you get us weapons?” Books’ face blanked. “Information?”

He nodded. “The last one, probably. If you want, you know, food and stuff I can get that. Or books. But weapons?”

“Then we can get them,” Blade said, shaking her head. “I know a few shops around here that do good business.”

“Ah …” Books glanced around the car. “So … can we leave soon? I don’t mean to hurry, but …”

“No,” Blade said, shaking her head as Hain stood and moved towards the back of the car, heading for where they’d stashed their bags. “Like I said, give us a minute, and we’ll be all ready to go.”

And then, she thought. We can get this whole thing underway.


*        *        *


The ride to the safe house was bumpy and, she admitted, more cramped than she’d hoped. The crates that Books had provided had indeed been large enough for an adult griffon to fit in if they weren’t too worried about space, but since she was just a tad larger than the average griffon …

Note to self, she thought as the wagon rolled over another bump. If you ever get a favor from Rys again, make sure you’re a bit more specific in your own messages. Her head bounced against the roof of the crate, and she bit back a curse as the wood rattled. Or have him get more competent employees to handle things.

At least they were on their way to their safe house at last, with their gear safely stowed inside a fifth crate that Books had brought just for the occasion. He thought that far ahead, she thought as the wagon came to a slow stop. The light that was seeping in through the gaps in the rough wooden crate shifted as someone moved past, and she fought the urge to get ready for a fight.

Relax, she told herself. Books is on your side. Unless he’s not, in which case, whose side would he be on? He doesn’t know who Hain is—couldn’t know, unless he’s seen some records that he shouldn’t have or Rys knew more than he let on. But—

The light shifted again, and she relaxed a little as the wagon resumed moving. There was a rattle, a faint bounce that didn’t quite feel like a normal dip in the roads, and then the wagon came to a stop again. There was a long, low, rolling rumble, and then a hoof rapped on the side of the wagon.

“We’re here,” Books said, his whisper echoing loudly across whatever space they’d found themselves in. “You guys can come out.”

“Finally,” Blade said, reaching up and pushing the crate lid aside. It slid away, letting out a loud bang as it hit the wagon floor. She took a quick look around as her eyes adjusted. They were in a small warehouse, their wagon parked alongside two others. Beside her another crate opened up, Hain sticking his head out and stretching his wings.

“This it?” she asked, scanning the warehouse.

“No,” Books said, shaking his head as she brought her gaze back around to on him. The rest of the warehouse was empty. “The safe house is about a half-mile that way.”

“Why’d we stop here?” Blade asked, spreading her wings and leaping free of the crate. After a few days confined to a train car, it felt good to stretch her wings once more, even if it was in a small space.

“Because I didn’t see any point in hauling you all the way to the safe house and then bringing the wagon back,” Books said. “Especially since the four of you put together aren’t exactly light, the safe house is a level up from here, and a wagon full of goods would look out of place in that neighborhood at this time of night.”

Blade thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Fair point,” she said, settling near the end of the wagon, where Frost had opened the last crate and taken it upon herself to distribute their bags. Blade reached out and snagged hers, slinging them over her back in one smooth motion. “Lead on.”

Books led them out of the warehouse, pausing only to shut the lights off and make sure that the warehouse door was locked before moving off down the street. The rest of the team followed, all of them, Blade noticed, looking in every direction like a pack of awe-struck tourists. Particularly Frost, who seemed completely stunned by the city around them.

I guess when the biggest city you’ve ever seen has a population of maybe five or six thousand, a city of over half a million is bound to get your attention, Blade thought as she followed the group down the street. Even she had to admit that for an industrial sector there was a lot of activity considering how late it was—griffons were still flying through the sky, and the place was hardly quiet—but it definitely was going to be a lot more active when daylight came.

We might have to have her sit outside for a while, as much as I’d rather not do that, Blade thought as they moved away from the industrial area and into the shadow of one of the pillars. Or at least near a window. Get it out of her system. We need her mind on the mission.

Then again ... she thought as she looked closer. There was a slightly sharp edge to Frost’s gaze, as if the dangerous, deadly mare that Blade knew was lurking just under the surface. Maybe she’ll be just fine.

But it wouldn’t hurt to let the mare see a bit of the city. Especially if they could do it without being seen. Also, we need freshwater prawns.

They turned onto a side street, moving closer towards the base of the nearest pillar. It was quieter than the pillars nearby, with less light. Underfoot, the stone became smoother, more well worn. The homes grew a little nicer looking, standing taller, with more intricate designs to their construction. Everything felt newer, more recent.

“So,” Books said as they turned onto an even smaller street. Blade glanced at him, but the pegasus had the sense to keep his voice low. “We’re almost there, but before I bid you guys goodnight, what do you need that I can get for you? I’ll have it here first thing in the morning, if I can.” He stopped outside a small but well-built two-story stone home, its windows dark.

“We need a few things,” Blade said, looking up at the house. “Is this it?” she asked.

“Yep,” Books said. “Let me show you around.” He trotted up the short walkway to the front door and procured a key from somewhere among his wing feathers. There was a heavy click as the door unlocked, far heavier a sound than she would have expected.

More weight behind that door than it looks like it has, Blade thought as she watched Books shoulder it open. After spending so much time around doors that slid from one side to the other, it almost seemed odd to see a door that opened like … well, a door. Books waved them inside, his wingtip brushing a switch on the wall as did. The light flickered on.

“Okay,” Blade said, nodding as she stepped inside and took a quick look at the front room. “Not bad.”

“I thought so,” Books said as the rest of the group filed in. There was a slight touch of pride to his voice. “I’ll admit, when I was told to build another safe house about a year ago, I was reading a lot of adventure novels, so I went a little overboard with what basically amounts to a storage shed, but …”

“No,” Hain said, nodding in agreement as he pushed the door shut. “I like it. Utilitarian, but with purpose.”

At some point, the home had been intended for the typical griffon family. The interior was wide and open, with a high ceiling that opened up to a second story which looked to just be rooms. Wide, open doorways connected the main rooms to one another, and there was a decent spread of furniture. A stone staircase near the entrance marked the path upwards for those who lacked wings.

Except that things were off. The walls were mostly clear, bereft of any clan or family heirlooms. Instead one wall was dominated by a massive chalkboard, the kind that could have been found in any classroom. The wide, open doorways had each been fitted with a heavy stone door, complete with a deadbolt lock, and though all of them were open, Blade could see that care had been taken with the furniture so that each of the doors could swing closed without hitting anything. The rugs underfoot were tightly woven, and seemed to be weighted along the edges so that they wouldn’t kick up easily. Even the open space above them had been utilized: a large cargo net had been stretched across a decent portion of it, opening it up for usage as a storage area.

“Wow,” Blade said. “You weren’t kidding.” Even the furniture was purposeful—she could see from the way that much of it was sitting that it was designed to either fold up or serve as additional storage space. “Is there a secret entrance?”

“Two, actually,” Books said. “One leads to the alley on the side of the house. The other down into a chunk of the sewer system that we walled off and rerouted. It’ll take you to the next neighborhood over.”

“Okay,” she said, sitting back on her haunched. “I’m impressed. That’s pretty spy novel. Ever use it?”

“Actually yes,” Books said, though he looked embarrassed. “But mostly to store boxes. You’ll be the first ones to actually use it.”

“Amenities?” Hain asked, walking across the front room and into what looked like a kitchen.

“It’s all there. Fridge is stocked. Water is running,” Books said. Then he let out a long yawn. “Anyway, there are rooms and cots for everyone, and some of the furniture can fold out into a nice bench. I need to get some sleep, so, before I go …” He turned towards Blade. “What do you need?”

“At the moment,” Blade said, feeling a faint yawn building in the back of her own throat. “Just information. Local papers—”

“I can get those.”

“Some history books on the the immortals. Detailed stuff.”

Books looked puzzled, but he nodded. “Okay.”

“And we need to know whether or not an airship has arrived here in Sheerwater at all in the last few weeks, or if it hasn’t, we need to know the moment it comes in. The Superiority. Don’t ask around about it—at least not with anyone you don’t trust. If it’s docked somewhere, don’t go check it out. Or get too close. Just let us know where.”

“All right.” The last bit of instructions had him looking a little worried, but she pressed on.

“Also, a map of the city.”

“Anything else?”

She thought for a moment. “Keep your eyes on the currents. If something unusual is going on, let us know about it?”

“How unusual? You mean like the king’s daughter sneaking out or—?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Like … oh, someone going missing who shouldn’t be. Something that shakes up the underside of the city. That gets everyone wondering. Make sense?”

“Yeah,” Books said. “I think so.” He had a slightly alarmed look on his face. “Should I be worried about all this?”

“Not if it’s going to get in the way of being you,” Blade said, placing a pair of talons on his back and guiding him towards the door. “If all goes well, you won’t have to deal with us after a day or two, and it’ll be like we were never here.”

“And if things don’t go well?” Hain asked as soon as she’d shut the door behind the slightly panicked-looking pegasus.

“Then we get to find out how well our new aide does when he’s thrown into a real-life adventure novel, don’t we?” Blade said, finally taking the moment to let her yawn out. “Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to pick a bench or a nest or whatever and call it a night.”

Hain nodded. “I know the feeling. Waiting around all day makes you tired.”

“Well then,” Blade said, eyeing the upper rooms and wondering if any of them had been furnished with a more traditional griffon bed. “In that case, let’s get some sleep.”

“After all, we’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”



Count of Laws Broken: 4
Total Laws Broken: 90
Damage Value (In Bits): 0
Total Damage Value (In Bits): 390,941