Chapter 16

Wearing a faded yellow shirt and avocado green pants, Naomi waited for Cecília on one of the benches in the square in front of the Nest. She was still a bit in shock from the things she had seen on her way to the location.

The weight of her chainmail no longer bothered her, hidden beneath a thin black shirt, with the knife still securely fastened to her waist. The night had descended on the sky just a few hours ago, showing Naomi at least a peculiar side of the Pit, as she impatiently tapped one of her feet on the grass, waiting for the other to arrive.

The number of people in the square was much smaller than it had been the day she arrived in the city. The recent attack was probably to blame. She hadn't seen it and doubted she would be as shocked as Gabriel insisted; she had seen monstrous things in her life. She had also done them.

A short woman wearing a brown overcoat came toward her from one of the streets, a hood covering her hair, which Naomi suspected to be blonde. Cecília sat down next to her.

"Why are you wearing that?" Naomi asked, looking straight ahead.

"Unlike you, people know me. I need to keep a low profile." She adjusted a strand of blonde hair that escaped her hood. "Especially where we're going."

Naomi simply nodded, choosing not to point out that her companion was drawing more attention than a Crow dressed that way.

"Gabriel would love your outfit!"

"Why?"

"He has a strange fascination with overcoats."

"A man of good taste. I knew I'd like him."

"Speaking of which, where is Mateus?"

Cecília leaned back against the bench, and once again, the same strand of blonde hair escaped her hood, but this time she made no effort to hide it, while Naomi simply gazed at the incredibly starry night sky.

"He went ahead," she replied, still staring at the stars. "He wanted to find a way to get into the brothel. What's up?"

Without realizing it, Naomi was looking at the other woman with curiosity. Gathering courage, she asked:

"Is the story you told earlier true?"

"Which one?"

"That you worked the night before becoming a Crow."

"You're very direct," Cecília responded, but she wasn't upset, adjusting herself in her seat. "Yes, I was a prostitute."

"So that friend of yours…" Naomi understood.

"Yes, we worked together, but that life wasn't for me. I thought it was better to try being a Crow."

"But the minimum age to become a Crow is ten years old," Naomi said, realizing immediately that Cecília's life hadn't been easy, and only got worse.

"Yes, I was ten. Sarah…" Cecília stopped, realizing she had said her friend's name, biting her lip before continuing. "My friend tried to become a Crow too, but changed her mind just before we were about to be recruited."

"Why? There's no reason to be afraid of being a Crow. It's a hard life and often thankless, but there are worse things."

"She was afraid of becoming a murderer."

Naomi fell silent instantly. There was no arguing with that fact. She processed what the other woman had said, realizing that Cecília had wanted to become a Crow on her own, which was rare. In general, orphanages run by the Bunker provided the children who hadn't been adopted or had an aptitude for that path. There were also cases like Gabriel's, where the family sold one child out of the need to feed another.

"And you?" Cecília asked, pulling Naomi out of her own thoughts. "Did you become a Crow by choice, or was this messed-up life forced on you?"

"I wanted to," Naomi confessed. "I took revenge when I was a child and decided I needed to do more acts like that to try to improve our world."

"Has it improved?"

"No," Naomi said, letting out a tired sigh.

"Unfortunately, we're as stupid as the Ancients."

"To the point where we kill each other with nuclear bombs?"

"— Okay," replied Cecília with a smile as she stood up. "Not that stupid."

Following Cecília, Naomi began heading toward the target location. She liked the Corva, a little foul-mouthed, but easy to talk to. She reminded Naomi a lot of Gabriel. Naomi thought about asking if she was from the Circle of Infiltrators, but she abandoned the idea.

"People with a lot of money are assholes," Cecilia suddenly said. "They think they're better than everyone else, as if a pile of coins would make a difference."

"Where did that come from?"

"Andreir," she answered. "Honestly, I've wanted to tear his throat out for a while now. If the opportunity presents itself today, I won't let it pass."

"He's that complicated?"

"Not before, at least that's what Sarah said. I never had any contact with him before. But she told me about an underground wing where the rich satisfy their sick desires."

"Don't worry, I won't get in the way if I need to cut that throat."

"You're cool."

Naomi almost froze in place. She wasn't used to being called that. She followed Cecília, who didn't stop. Fortunately, unlike Gabriel, Cecília didn't keep shaking clothes like raincoats or scarves.

The security of the Nest disappeared as they ventured into the night. The Ravens, once frequent, were now scarce. Groups of people walked in all directions, and frequently, someone would emerge from one of the alleys after using drugs.

A girl caught Naomi's attention in an alley. The young woman was talking to a short, fat man who was touching her body lasciviously. When he handed her some coins, the girl immediately bent down to unbutton his pants. Naomi turned her face away, not wanting to witness the scene. Just then, Cecília came up next to her, starting a conversation.

"You became a Corva because of revenge," her blue eyes sparkled under the streetlight. "One of the most human feelings there are."

"I was very young," Naomi spoke. "I lived on the streets with several other kids. We believed that our camaraderie and unity would make a difference in this world."

"Like a power of friendship?" The blonde mocked.

"Something like that," Naomi responded, a bit embarrassed. "Some things happened, and I ended up running away when they needed me most. That illusion of ours was crushed in the worst way possible."

"That's when you learned the true power of our world," Cecília added, trying to finish Naomi's thought. "To deal with monsters, we need to be more than monsters. We need to be at the top of the food chain, strong enough to tear out a throat and take a life without the slightest remorse. In other words, you understood what it means to be human."

"Yes," Naomi confirmed. "You're a bit angry."

Cecília laughed loudly at Naomi's comment as they turned a corner. Some beggars immediately stretched out their hands as they saw them, hoping for a coin. In the streetlights, several moths flew around like a small, living cloud, while geckos waited near the light, patiently waiting for the first slip-up of an insect, ready for their dinner.

Seeing the geckos, Naomi remembered that earlier she had eaten some strange food called shrimp. The vendor from one of the restaurants next to the Gato Malhado had advertised it so much, making her curious. At first, she thought it was insects, but she ended up ordering another serving.

"Did you have the pleasure of meeting the Heirs?" Cecília wanted to know.

The sudden question took Naomi out of her thoughts, making her pause for a few seconds before answering.

"Yes."

"Pathetic," Cecília said. "They seem like a bunch of unhappy people trying to blame the world for their misery."

"I won't disagree. The problem is the number of people. If it spreads, it could cause problems."

"Of course, it will spread, Naomi," Cecília commented in a tired tone. "Think about it, you have a shitty life, but then someone comes along, telling you all the time that you're special, that the blame for your problems lies with another group of people, and to fix your unhappiness, you just need those other people to die."

"Okay," Naomi had to agree. "What you just said reminded me a lot of the reason for the Third War of the Ancients."

Cecília grimaced. The Ancients were a laughingstock for many people. Naomi didn't disagree with that sentiment. A society that had everything to grow and thrive almost destroyed the planet for reasons that bordered on childishness, or the egos of the powerful who wanted something from others, like a child throwing a tantrum. Destroying the world over something like the color of someone's skin, sexuality, or even beliefs was infinitely childish. The Ancients were a joke.

"I think they just had small dicks," joked Cecília.

"What?" Naomi replied, laughing.

"They wanted to compensate with bombs, their 'twigs.'"

"You're sick!" Naomi said, joking.

"And who isn't?" Cecília responded.

Naomi simply agreed. The girl was strange, but Naomi liked the way she thought. Paying closer attention, she noticed that the number of sex workers was only increasing, clearly indicating they were nearing the Pleasure Alley. A question came to her mind.

— Which Nest do you belong to?

— True — Cecília replied. — We didn't mention that. Well, Mateus and I are from the Nest to the north of the city, in an old building from the Ancients, a seaside hotel. Have you been there? — Seeing Naomi shake her head, she continued. — We're next to the entrance of the Pit, we have the most contact with them.

Naomi knew that the Pit of the Second Cove was underground in the city, where the citizens used the sewers to live. Cecília continued talking.

— The other two — she referred to Martha and Gygy. — Stay in the Nest at the city entrance. It's around the next corner.

The Corva straightened up, realizing they were close to the alley. The movement in and out of the place ahead was constant, accompanied by shouts from people advertising the price of their services. A naked man yelled loudly that he was on sale.

A low whistle caught the attention of the Corvas, who immediately turned toward the sound coming from an abandoned house, with many parts decayed by time. Next to the hole that was supposed to be a door, Mateus stood, his silhouette in the dark with most of his face covered by a hood, making his image look eerie. Both approached their friend, who remained still in place. The positive side of this location, Naomi thought, was that two people heading to a hidden, dark spot wasn't worth noting.

— You took your time — Mateus muttered, his voice thick with impatience.

— We were catching up — Cecília shrugged. — Did you find a way in?

— Yes, there's a way in through the back, but I'll wait a bit longer.

— If you were going to wait, then why complain about our delay? — Cecília asked teasingly.

Naomi couldn't see the boy's face, but if she could, he was probably making faces. Crouching against one of the walls, the Corvos waited for the right moment.