Chapter 16 Kiari

The red-brick library stood tall and square. Two areas were illuminated, one from a small window frame in the top right of the library and the main floor where the chandelier swung. The dome roof was pale gold, reminiscent of an old birdcage, an obsidian spire pierced the sky atop the dome.

Walking inside the archway door, greeted by the sounds of riffling paper from cronies fastidiously scouring book pages. Maple leaves etched on the white pillars, they walked past to grab their next book.

"Where's Kiari?" Marlin asked a short hunchbacked man in a grey boiler suit.

"The boss is either in her room or in the offices," the man speculated.

Kurt-Adam sank down into the comfiest chair he could find and instantly passed out; a string of drool hung from his open mouth.

"Gracious almighty," Marlin rolled his eyes, then went up the stairs.

Kiari had several books lying open on a desk in front of him. Marlin stood in the doorway, observing him. Kiari seemed to be able to read all the pages simultaneously, as every so often, he would flip the pages of every book in front of him concurrently. He eventually looked up at Marlin, his tired eyes taking a moment to focus on him.

He was tall and thin, with long lanky arms; pale with short black messy hair. Dark sleepless circles around his grass-green eyes. He wore an oversized black down coat covering most of his legs and slick black jeans.

"Yes?"

"We combed through the main house and found nothing; we were going to bring the elder's daughter to you, but we were interrupted by some kids. Kurt-Adam was forced to drop her."

A twinge of annoyance flashed across Kiari's face, "He was beaten by kids?" He had a slow and methodical way of speaking, measuring every word.

"That's what he relayed to me, sir. He grabbed the girl and ran off, then came back without her. I'll pry details from that idiot once he's sobered up."

"If he remembers," Kiari sighed and turned off the desk lamp; the darkness accentuated the dark circles under his eyes. "You're telling me that you found nothing?"

"Not nothing. We know for certain that the angel's ring is here in Cassius. That it's not just some fable."

A relieved smile crossed his face, "Alright, finally some good news. But we can't relax yet," he guided Marlin out of the office and continued, "By the way…." He glanced down from the second-floor railing, noting Kurt-Adam, who was still passed out. "If you see alcohol, hide it from him." He turned and walked up to the third floor.

"Over here!" Ivy said as she sprinted back toward the house, the unconscious girl, Cahya, on her back.

They broke through the tree line and saw the backside of the home. Its back wall almost completely disintegrated from a single kick; the only thing left that proved the wall even existed were some wooden splinters in the grass.

Ivy jumped into the house; Colson was right behind her. When Zoe saw them, she rushed over.

"I thought you guys were gonna die!" she cried. She held her arms out to Ivy but quickly dropped them by her side.

"Tch, almost," Colson grumbled.

Ivy laughed, setting down Cahya on the ground, "That guy was tough! I want to see how strong he is when he's not all weird and wobbly."

"You mean drunk?"

"Mhm!" Ivy nodded.

Colson scowled at her, "what is wrong with y-"

"You kids should leave here...now," a voice said. The man Zoe had taken care of got up from across the room and walked over to the girl. "It's far too dangerous here."

"Who are you?" Ivy asked, a curious look on her face.

"Jashin. Now leave. You're just gonna get in the way and get hurt."

"We can't just leave, right guys?" She asked, looking at Colson and Zoe.

"Ivy...our job was to come here and see what's wrong and come back. We've done our job."

"But-"

"She's right," Colson interjected, "Do you really think we're gonna do anything here?"

"Come on, guys! Zoe, think about it! Imagine how many times you guys'll rank up from this. We find them, beat them up, get really tough from it, save the farm, and win!"

Jashin shook his head and picked up Cahya, placing her comfortably on a sofa.

Colson rolled his eyes, "Ivy, I don't think you understand the situation here."

"So we just give up?"

"Ivy!" Zoe said, "Stop, we aren't giving up. We've done our job. There is nothing to give up on. We have completed our task here; we just need to go back now. We've no obligation nor the skills necessary to be any help here at all."

"Think about it, if we defeat these guys without needing help, that'll look really good for us, right?"

"I mean...yea...but-"

"'Zactly!" Ivy interrupted. She paused, clicking her tongue in thought.

"I guess we could see if people need help around here…" Zoe mused.

Colson groaned, "Ugh, don't encourage her!"

"Well, I'm staying, so you can do whatever," Ivy said and walked over to Jashin.

"We should probably help them...If they're so scared that they can't even leave their houses, it wouldn't be right to just leave." Zoe shuffled across the room and stood next to Ivy. Zoe relayed to Ivy the events of what happened when they were gone.

While they were talking, Cahya slowly stirred back to consciousness. She sat forward, rubbing the side of her head. "What in the world?" She said, looking around. Her eyes widened when she saw the house and the three mysterious kids standing with weapons. She tried to get to her feet, but the whole planet seemed to spin around her as soon as she moved, and she had to sit back down.

"Hold on," Jashin said, "It's okay."

"What just happened? I was just standing near the door, then the next second…" she hesitated, her face scrunched, trying to remember…something, or anything at all. "I don't know," she said quietly. She looked back up at the three, "Who are they?" she asked accusingly.

Colson smirked, "Oh, don't worry. We're the good guys." Cahya couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"I'm not sure what happened either," Jashin said, "I heard a sound, and I walked in this room, and something moved…and now… Yeah. I guess those guys caught us both off-guard."

"When we showed up, they got scared and ran away."

Cahya looked him up and down, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Am I wrong?" Colson looked to Zoe and Ivy for confirmation.

"One was drunk," Ivy offered.

"Thank you, Ivy. Drunk and scared."

Cahya squinted at him, "But they're still here, though? Right?"

"I'm not sure. The blonde just kinda left, and we chased the one that had you…."

"Had me? Like…I was kidnapped?"

"Yup." Colson proceeded to explain everything. 'And just my luck,' he thought. 'I'm on the side with the most agro girl I've ever met and a girl who's the least confrontational person in the world.'

A few hours later, in the basement of one of the houses, a large group of villagers huddled close, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"Those kids that arrived, I think they're from Crater!" One said.

"I saw them; they couldn't even beat the big guy. They did well, but I don't think the guy was even trying."

"Guys! Shut up! One person talks at a time!" A man said, standing up straight. "They took the cell towers down, so we can't call. Is it confirmed that there are Crater colonists here?" He was tall, tan, and muscular with broad shoulders, a wide nose and a five o'clock shadow. His name was Verne.

"Yea, Jashin told me that," another man said. "They only kids, though. They must be real strong for them to send them!"

"Alright, but I'm not putting the wellbeing of our village in their hands. I think I'm not the only one with that sentiment." He scanned the crowd, noticing many of them nodding in agreement. "We need to fight back somehow. I have a few ideas."

"Fight back?" A voice from the crowd asked. "That guy's face was completely blown off!" He thought back to a few days prior. The body was unrecognizable. Stripped naked. His face was totally decimated.

"Alright, an idea: We get a path to the aviary and send a message to them. We tell them that the situation here has degraded, and we need backup. A lot more than some kids."

Murmuring in the crowd echoed agreement.

"Birdmail? That's genius!" a woman cheered, who was quickly hushed by those near her. "Oop!" She squealed, quickly covering her mouth with her hands.

They wrote down a message on a slip of paper and gave it to Verne, who recruited a strong-looking man in the crowd to be his backup, telling him, "If something happens to me, make sure this letter gets out."

They crept up the basement stairs and out the back door. The layout of each house was different than most towns and cities, as there were no backyards, and they scattered lots of trees and plants between each home.

They slinked between houses and trees, stopping and holding their breath whenever someone walked by.

Verne elbowed the man with him and pointed forward, "We need to take those two out," he whispered. The man nodded and took a pocket knife from his overalls. "No. We don't need to do that! Only if we have to," He said.

"So, what're we gonna do?"

Verne pondered for a moment, looking at the two young-looking men; one wore basketball shorts and a t-shirt, while the other wore a red hoodie and sweatpants. They were having a casual conversation, leaning against the side of the aviary.

"Psst," the man said, walking up behind Verne, "Do ya think they'd think twice if we just walked up and acted like we belonged? I mean, there's probably enough of them roaming around; I doubt all of them know each other by face."

"Right now, we look like some stereotypical farmers. I don't see any weapons on them, but I doubt they're walking around empty-handed. If we go to them, we'll probably die. Even if we changed clothes, it's a pretty big gamble to just assume they won't think twice about us."

The man cursed, "yea. You're right. Alright, you gotta plan?"

"Yes, I've thought of something," Verne said, absently looking up towards the sky. "Such a bright bluebird day, don't you think?"

"Uhh," he looked up, then back down towards Verne, "What are you on?"

"The sun is right in their eyes. We can rush them, knock them out, and get inside. If we are quiet on the approach, we can catch them off guard."

"That's your plan?" an incredulous look on his face.

"I picked you for a reason. You're fast and strong. Those look like some scrawny little teenagers. We won't need a convoluted twelve-step plan for this."

"I'm trustin' you on this one. Whenever you're ready," the man said, getting in position.

Verne waited a moment, looking up and down the cobblestone pathway, listening for anyone. "Now!"

They exploded from the tree line, barreling across the road, and before the two guys could react, Verne and his friend slammed into them.

Verne bashed his shoulder into the one wearing basketball shorts, sending him flying. He crumpled to the floor, trying to catch his breath. Verne sent a quick jab to his head. Instantly unconscious.

He looked over; the man in the red hoodie was slumped against the side of the aviary, eyes closed.

"Let's drag them to the bushes around back," Verne commanded.

They walked inside; the birds squawking and fluttering in their cages when they saw the two. Walking through the rows of birds, studying each one. Verne took the slip of paper from his pocket and reached through the cage, fastening it around the bird's leg. It was called a Peregrine Falcon, the fastest bird on the planet, with recorded speeds of 241 miles per hour.

Verne unlocked the cage, balancing the falcon on his arm and walking towards the front door of the cluttered room. It fluttered its wings and squawked, its intelligent gold eyes staring at him.

"Go! Crater!" Verne said, walking out the front door and tossing it into the air. With a single flap of its wings, it launched itself high into the air. Verne watched the speck circle around the village and fly northwest towards Crater.

The falcon dipped below the cloud layer and slowly descended, flapping its wings aggressively to speed up, reaching its maximum speed. Something bright gleamed out of the corner of its eye for a split second before the falcon plummeted down to the earth. The black eagle screeched as it followed its prey to the ground, making sure it was dead. Finding the falcon lying on the ground, the eagle poked at it with its beak before soaring back towards Cassius.

Geier sat atop the highest tree branch of the tallest tree in the village. It was like an orange shelter to him, the leaves a red-yellow from the seasonal change. Next to him was another bird, a Yellowbelly Eagle. He reached out his hand, using his long and pointed nails, he itched the bird's back. He wore a thin camo hoodie—a falconry vambrace attached over his arm—and camo cargo shorts. His typically messy blonde hair was tinted green with dye.

Geier stuck his arm out; the black eagle swooped down and landed on it, its claws sticking into his pale skin. "You got him, Richard?" The bird stared back at him expectantly, walking up his arm and onto his shoulder, "Alright, good job." He said, sticking his hand into his trench coat pocket and holding a dead mouse by the tail. "Here you go, buddy," He tossed it towards Richard, the black eagle, who snapped it out of the air.