The Silence's Surveyors

In the weeks that followed, Sayane’s legend spread like a controlled blaze. Sealed lips, long familiar with the importance of secrecy in the midst of revolution, circulated tales of the she-hume songstress named Sayane, who sang every night at The Shattered Stone. Rotations of attendees stayed consistently full, as word about the songstress’s gift made its way across the entirety of The Underworld.

After nearly a month of singing for an hour every night, Sayane needed a break. Thankfully, they had begun setting expectations with concert attendees. She would soon only be singing every other day, so that her voice and stamina had time to recharge. No one complained or objected. After a week of giving notice, it was time for Sayane to have a day off.

By the time she awoke from her deep sleep that day, it was already nearly midday. A growling stomach told Sayane it was time for some vegetarian breakfast. That plan was quickly paused when the buzzer on her wrist suddenly began to vibrate.

Wearing it for over a month had caused Sayane to grow familiar with its weight and touch. She had almost forgotten it served a purpose. So as it buzzed, she sleepily looked at it in curiosity until awareness returned to her in a rush and she registered what was being said.

Danger. Something dangerous was near. She needed to hide.

Panic jolted her into awareness and she leapt from bed without a word. Looking around her room, she realized now that it betrayed her presence. Trinkets of hers lay strewn across the shelves. Her clothes hung on the wall. Anyone who saw this would know that a woman lived here.

Azag had shown her where to hide if the buzzer ever sounded. At the end of the hall, in a random closet, there was a secret door whose frame was hidden in the stonewall. That was where she was to go. Attis was not there today, so it was just her. Sayane swiftly gathered everything she could carry. The buzzer continued to buzz.

Clothes. Jewelry. All of it. She threw everything into a pile, then swiftly made the bed to hide that she was ever there. With that, she hoisted her existence into her arms and opened her bedroom door.

At the end of the hall, the main doorway was closed. The buzzer was still sounding. She didn’t know how long she had to hide, so she had to run. The door could open at any moment. Even now, as panic sent chills across her back and chest, she could hear Azag’s deep voice not far away as he spoke to other unrecognizable voices.

Sayane took her chance and rushed into the hall and down to the safe room. Shaking hands struggled to open the latch. Jewelry fell on the ground just as the door opened.

“OOOOHHHhhhh, no,” Sayane groaned as she swung the door open while trying to keep track of what had fallen.

The closet opened and Sayane pushed everything aside to find the hidden door. She pressed both hands into the nondescript pressure locks that Azag had shown. There was a pop, and the secret door opened to reveal the darkened nook. Sayane threw everything into the space with abandon before turning to find her fallen jewelry. Golden bands and bejeweled bracelets were nearby. A small emerald earring was across the hall.

Sayane sprinted to grab all of them. The buzzer was still buzzing. Now she could hear Azag’s voice moving closer. They were near the hallway now it seemed. Panic shook Sayane’s entire body as she gathered all of her trinkets and rushed back to the closet. Finally, she was inside.

Closing the door left her in absolute darkness, but she had to leave it that way. All she could do was calm her breathing as she stepped backwards into the darkness of the secret room and closed herself into its hidden void. Sealing herself in caused all other sounds to fade away. She was alone, with only her shivering breaths to keep her company. She prayed that Azag was safe, and she would not have to hide in this pitch black for long. On her wrist, the buzzer continued its soft warning of danger nearby.

On the other side of the tavern door, Azag was praying that Sayane had felt the buzzer alert and was remembering the hiding plans, because he was face-to-face with two members of The Silence.

It had been several months since anyone from the above realm had visited The Underworld. At best, there were usually just a handful of sweeps each year, as intelligence members of The Silence scoped out updates in the darkness and tried to find intel on The Revolution. He knew the captain, but the other figure with him was unfamiliar. It was snakelike, inky in its color, with rose-colored eyes that shone like deep stones full of dangerous wisdom. It was not in standard uniform, so Azag knew the being must have been from another agency.

For the moment, he was pouring them both drinks and making sure his buzzer alert stayed hidden beneath his glove. Thankfully, his own device did not buzz when it was sending out a signal, so there was no concern of it being heard. Still, he did not want to draw any potential interest to it, so underneath his leather glove it remained.

Turning to his guests, Azag focused on staying in character. For so long, he had been indifferent to The Revolution. Jaded years had turned him calloused to the cause, so even though he hated The Silence, he had never supported The Revolution’s failing strategies either. When The Silence’s intelligence visited him, it was merely for a drink and the occasional request for any extra intel, but by now he was truly believed to be neutral in their eyes. It had kept unnecessary targets off his back. But now, with Sayane, everything was different.

So he focused on staying in character.

“I heard you had quite the skirmish on the topside of the upper rings a few weeks ago,” he said as he handed the two of them their drinks.

“Erosc is a brave warrior, but he has the battle acumen of a stick,” laughed the captain as he held his glass in toast.

“The sun shall never set on us,” he said.

“The sun shall never set on us,” agreed his companion.

As they drank, Azag shifted in his seat.

“You’re lucky I’m as neutral as I am, because I’d apparently be the best strategist in The Revolution just because I have common sense,” Azag said as he forced a chuckle.

“And what would you do differently?” asked the captain.

“For starters, I wouldn’t try to engage with you on the surface, where your airships and undercannons can rain down fire with ease,” Azag said.

“You are not part of The Revolution? Are you not sympathetic to their rebellion against us?” asked the snake.

Azag sighed and faced the snake.

“I am indifferent to everything, except drinking and debauchery,” he said as he toasted them with his own drink.

He turned his back to them to lift his mask above his mouth and consume his beverage. The snakelike figure eyed him with an indecipherable gaze.

“Your face? What is wrong with it?” the snake asked in a flat tone.

Azag paused and smiled a wicked smile.

“Your empire mutilated me for entertainment. What remains is quite grotesque.”

He turned to the snake as he spoke, leaving the mask elevated above his jaw and the place where his mouth should have been. What was visible was unsettling.

Charred, lumped remains of muscle were exposed, as though the entire top layer of skin was permanently gone. Bolted brackets were drilled into flesh for support. Azag’s mouth itself was out of position. Instead of being centered, the left side was burned and bracketed in place, with a scarred rip going along the right side, as though it was cut in place to keep the size of his mouth correct, but shifted over an inch.

A snarl of fanged rage smiled a wicked, hateful smile, and Azag lowered his mask back into position. The snake seemed disturbed and looked away.

The captain laughed to himself.

“Now, you must be wondering why we’re here, Azag.”

Azag shrugged an indifferent shrug.

“I never wonder why you come down here.”

“Well, you probably should, this time.”

Azag’s heart rate elevated in concern. A slight tremor shook his hands, but he locked his muscles to hide the shake as his grip lowered to a specific location on his canes.

“We have heard the most fascinating stories. It is being circulated that a songstress has appeared in this realm…” the captain said as he kept his gaze locked on Azag.

Azag did his best to act as his heart threatened to explode in his chest. He tilted his head and inhaled a slightly annoyed sigh.

“A songstress? Really? It’s been decades since one appeared. Your machina have managed to keep that from ever happening again.”

“Well, it would seem they failed this time. It wouldn’t be impossible. If she were an ethereal...”

Azag laughed.

“Oh, come now, Ennexxis. Fairy tales. Is this all you have to keep you busy? The Revolution must be near its end if this is what you are concerned with.”

“It is not a very tale, Rabal. I saw her myself,” growled the snake.

Its eyes flickered vibrant red as it stepped forward. Azag felt the pull of dread move through his body.

“I was there, at the- …Where she arrived. I found her, deep in a place she should not have been. It was as though she had appeared out of thin air. Like an ethereal. It is not fairy tale; we know it has happened numerous times before. This she-hume arrived then vanished. And we will find her.”

“How’d you lose her?” Azag asked.

The captain sighed in slight embarrassment.

“She escaped during the combat. We do not know where to. We only hope we did not hit her with…”

His voice trailed off.

“Another consequence of indiscriminate shelling. Maybe your guns incinerated her like so many others,” said Azag.

“No. No, I think she’s still alive. We haven’t heard anything yet, but my instincts tell me she is still out there, hiding with The Revolution somewhere. Or… maybe even hiding here in The Underworld…” the captain purred.

Azag’s dread materialized into knots that seized his stomach. He prayed that Sayane was hiding. He knew what came next.

“So, the reason we are here, along with an entire platoon of surveyors, is because we need to search this district. Just like every other district is being searched.”

The captain downed the rest of his drink while the snake kept its gaze on Azag.

“So, old friend, if you don’t mind, we are going to need to see your premises. All of it.”