Murmurs under Candlelight - from Roe

Candles on the walls shed a soft light, the only source in the otherwise dark basement. Roe sat silently in a chair across from the unexpected Flier who arrived some days ago.

Her dark eyes surveyed his body – hands stuffed into his pockets, shoulders tensed, and a sharp gaze that was far from pleasant. He definitely wasn’t in the best of moods, but a threat? Not quite. She relaxed her grip on the sword, then spoke.

“Madigan Flynn, correct?”

“The one and only,” he replied sarcastically.

“You claim to have witnessed the Nexus drawing in yourself?”

“Where do you think I got these from?”

He rolled up his sleeve, but to his surprise, his skin was perfectly intact. Not a blemish in sight. With a tch, he tugged it back down. “Menders, eh?”

“Of course,” Roe leaned in the chair, her arms crossed. “Flew all the way here from Section 54. Covered in burns, and hypothermia… Yet before you fell unconscious, you threatened to slice off your Mender’s head. An Elder, at that.”

Madigan smirked. “Ah, so that’s why a Guardian is the one questioning me. You all must think I’m ‘dangerous’ or something like that, right?”

“Well, Mr. Flynn, you’ve given us valid reason.”

He shrugged. “Guess I have. So, Guardian, what are you trying to find out?”

“The obvious. What exactly did you see at Section 54?”

Madigan grumbled, shifting in his seat. He broke eye contact momentarily, and it made her impatient. With the Nexus collapsing, there was only so much time to waste.

“Please elaborate,” Roe said, tapping her armored foot.

After a deep breath, Madigan told her everything. The hundreds of anomalies in the devastated landscape, and the wall of flames that reached past the clouds and disintegrated everything it touched into oblivion. Roe listened carefully, her expression unchanging.

“How many survivors of your troop?”

“I’m the only one. My buddy Nix almost made it. Almost.”

“In that case, he’s our only witness,” Roe thought, but aloud she said, “My condolences.”

“Eh – he was a son of a gun, anyway,” his eyes returned to hers, and he asked, “Is there any liquor around here?”

Roe blinked twice. Alcohol at a time like this? Her brow twitched. “No, and if you don’t mind, I suggest you stay focused on the matter at hand.”

“Well – you see here, Guardian—”

“Roe.”

“Roe. There’s not a ‘matter’ to discuss. Not when you think about it. Unless you actually believe there’s a way to stop that thing.”

No, she had no hope. Just as there was no way to stop the Nexus’s expansions, they’d have no control over its self-destruction. But at the very least, the tribes could learn to adapt up until their final breaths – or that’s what Roe was told. In truth, she didn’t see a point in this either. Nevertheless, it was her job.

“However, I got a question for you myself,” Madigan said. “Something’s up, yeah? The Weavers are supposed to know everything about the Nexus, especially them Highs and Elders, but they didn’t see this coming?”

Roe stiffened. She peered towards the door, then listened – no sign of anyone approaching. “You would think,” she murmured. “But the Weavers have been incompetent for quite some time.”

“Incompetent?”

“You’re a Flier, you’ve been around a lot. I’m sure you’re aware of the rise in missing persons.”

“Hard not to be.”

“It’s safe to assume most of them are dead. I brought it up many times, but the Elders insisted the Nexus was stable.”

“You’re very willing to ‘spill the beans’ to a stranger, aren’t you? Thought Guardians were meant to be more… Discreet.”

“If I only have a year left to live, might as well throw caution to the wind and get these things off my chest. Otherwise, I’d never rest in peace.”

Roe watched his expression falter. For a second, he wasn’t aloof. Her words seemed to hit a spot of vulnerability, and she caught on quick. “Can you relate, Mr. Flynn?”

“Everybody has some dilemma.”

“And yours would be?”

Madigan had already said everything she needed. She knew talking so much was unbefitting for her position, let alone asking about his personal issues.

But her mind was mostly quiet, and she wasn’t used to it.

“Well, since you’re so nosey… A High Mender named Yohan. That’s my problem.”

Roe didn’t recognize the name, and despite her curiosity, she felt prying further would be overstepping. Plus, with the cold look in Madigan’s eyes, she already made a conclusion.

She gave him a simple nod, then stood and headed to the door.

“Does this mean I’m free to go?”

“Yes. But if you cause another disturbance, you will be dealt with.”

Roe held the door open for him. Hands still in his pockets, Madigan followed suit, tucking in his wings to fit through the frame. Climbing up the stairway, Roe’s phenomenon persisted – a clear head. Nothing about the Nexus, or her duties as a Guardian. Despite the approaching apocalypse, the long trip she had back to Seris, or the likely occurrence of more riots.

None of it seemed to matter. She didn’t know whether to feel alarmed at her apathy or… Relieved. It did feel like a weight was lifted off her, ironically.

“What do I do now?”

Just then, a face popped into her brain. It looked similar to hers – deep brown eyes, short black hair, and olive skin, except it belonged to a male and was absent of Roe’s sleep deprivation. Insomnia.

At least… There was him.

“But seriously,” Madigan said as they arrived at the exit, cutting her brief daydreaming short. “Is there a pub around here?”

Roe supposed she wasn’t the only one without concern.

“By the blacksmith’s,” she said begrudgingly.