A Shepherd's Duty

A rushing river crashed over rocks, going white with the strain of passing by them. Birds chirped in the trees above, and squirrels jumped from tree to tree in the canopy. It was quite… serene.

Not something Bianca was used to.

But now, woven in between incidents—between extirpations—she found herself with many an opportunity to sit in this tranquil way, watching the world pass her by, marching ever closer to its inevitable end. As the extirpations grew larger, they grew more spread out, following that strange spiral pattern.

It gave her an abundance of time to think. Perhaps too much.

Her job was the same as ever, and yet it felt different. Something changed.

May’s face entered her mind. She’d avoided thinking about the girl whenever she could now. It would do her no good to linger on her memory. As she recalled her face, her mannerisms, her fervor and passion, she couldn’t help but feel as if maybe it was she that had changed.

But… now that May had glimpsed the truth, what would she think? In the few times that May had strayed too close to her guarded identity, or had been too close to revealing her, Bianca had always pushed her away. Even so, her persistence was something to be admired.

But now, Bianca wasn’t sure what might happen if their paths crossed again.

A useless question, rang Rene’s voice in her mind. Remember what they did to you. What that woman did.

He was right, of course—imaginary though his voice may be. May was dead, after all. He’d confirmed it himself.

Bianca sighed heavily, leaning back to rest on her hands, her feet dangling over the sheer rock hanging over the river. Downstream, the air was becoming more active. Collapse would come any minute now.

A bird, feathers black as the night, fluttered down from overhead, landing on the ground next to her. It chirped faintly. Hopped toward her a step. It cocked its head, staring sidelong at her face, studying.

Bianca reached into her pocket, drawing the silvery oval. She turned it over idly in her hand.

The symbol of her power. Her shepherd’s staff. The object elevating her above the rest of humanity.

An arrogant point of view, that. And yet, she had believed it for so long, and so completely, that she had stopped questioning it. But May, and her family—even her accursed mother—had demonstrated their grit and capability even in the face of insurmountable odds.

That is power, Bianca thought, stowing the device again. All she did was serve as a guide—a medium through which chaos manifested itself. But the difference was in that she accepted the chaos. She welcomed it as an inevitability.

They didn’t. They couldn’t.

She pushed the thoughts away, shaking her head to clear it. The bird on the ground next to her flapped away, leaving her alone again.

But what if I had never become this? she thought.

That scene flashed through her mind again. Her father’s half-consumed corpse, blood pooling behind him. Her mother gone completely. And Irina Alexandrova standing idly, watching the carnage. Smiling. At her test gone awry. That was 10 years ago now. But the memory still bled as freshly as the day it had been made.

Her question answered itself as the memory banished any trace of wistfulness from her mind.

Bianca climbed to her feet. Her toes hung over the edge of the stone, and she stared into the rushing water below.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

R > Good job.
R > Just so you know, the window’s moved up 17 days. I’m sure you’ve noticed the change.

B > Thank you.
B > I did notice deviant intensity, and slightly changed frequency. Is it because of her?

R > Yes.

B > I see… What is my next assignment?

The icon denoting that Rene was typing appeared on the screen, but faded shortly after. Strange, she thought. He usually responded almost instantly.

Her eyes turned up from the phone, looking out through the trees before her. Where she’d seen the waving light before was now just a hole left in the forest. A scar on the landscape, perfectly spherical.

Her phone buzzed again in her hand.

R > (Sent a location)

B > Received.

She tapped the link. Her map panned over into the city limits, and into an area on the north end, down off the very main roads—

Her heart skipped in her chest. She pressed shut her eyes. A deep breath in. And then out.

But she didn’t quite feel the… excitement that she thought she would. The memory was so faint. And so old. But it was still there. That hole in her mind. But… what it made bubble to the surface wasn’t excitement.

No, excitement was not what she felt at that moment.

It was, instead, a sort of palpitant gravity. Unlike anything she’d ever felt.

Her phone buzzed again.

R > Remember your role. Do not endanger any bystanders.

Of course she remembered her role. She was a shepherd, heralding the end. She was to guide the jaws of the wolf, ensuring a smooth, equitable end for all of her flock.

But if the wolf attacks a sheep under the watch of the shepherd, and the shepherd has a chance to retaliate, to do right by all the sheep stolen away by the wolf, why shouldn’t they? Surely, they would be right to.

Bianca thought so, anyway.