The Power and the Glory

Book 4 Chapter XVI: In The City

Warning: contains Haliran, who's her own warning.

Fret not, dear heart, let not them hear
The mutterings of all your fears
The flutterings of all your wings
-- The Amazing Devil, The Horror and the Wild

After so many years of knowing Abi and the insanity she seemed to attract, Irímé hadn't thought anything could surprise him much any more. He was wrong. Several times during Lian's story he interrupted with, "You have to be making some of that up!"

"That's what I thought too," Abi agreed. "He hasn't even told you about his time as a spy yet."

Irímé stared at her, then at Lian, then shrugged helplessly. "Go on."

The four of them had moved to a small room that had no dead monsters lying around and an open window in case they needed to make a quick escape. There were no chairs, so all of them sat on the floor. Shizuki leant against Irímé's side and apparently went to sleep. Irímé draped his coat over him.

Lian finished with, "So we came here to get rid of the monsters. I think we've destroyed all the ones in the spaceport. Now we just need to find all the ones in the rest of the countryside."

"How do you intend to do that without killing innocent people?" Irímé asked suspiciously. From what Lian had said he had an unpleasant suspicion that the answer would be 'I don't care how many innocent people die'.

Abi spoke up. "I thought we could find a way to lure all the monsters into one place. That other one, the one at the party, it came to find me. Maybe these ones will too."

Irímé looked down at Shizuki. "First we've got to find a way to get Shizuki home."

"How?" Lian asked. "None of us know how to fly a spaceship, there aren't any pilots around, and I certainly don't intend to take a child through the Void."

Irímé turned to Abi for explanation. She shuddered and muttered something about birds and skeletons.

"We've got to get back home as quickly as possible," she said. "It's not fair to leave Mirio in that mess."

"That mess you got him into," Lian muttered. "Has it not occurred to you that when we go home, I'll be expected to marry him because of your idiocy?"

Abi winced. Irímé looked blankly at her, trying to make sense of this conversation.

"You could always say you failed to complete the challenge," Abi suggested.

Lian rolled his eyes. "I think it would be less embarrassing for him and me if I simply stay here and never return to Gengxin."

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In spite of how unexpected the attack was, there were pockets of survivors hidden throughout Gradoné. Some had taken shelter in cellars. Some had climbed onto roofs. Some had simply been lucky enough to live in houses that the monsters couldn't get into.

The ones hiding on roofs were in the perfect position to see where the monsters went. As soon as they left one area, a survivor kept watch from above in case they returned while another survivor climbed down and hunted for anyone else who was still alive. In this way they managed to meet up with some of the people hiding in houses or cellars. By carefully climbing from building to building they made their way into the city centre, in search of a still-functioning radio.

Finally a survivor found one in the city hall. She turned it on and sent an urgent message to Saoridhlém.

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