God's Reign

7

The floors creaked as they walked around. There were four people inside, matching the descriptions the woman provided. It was difficult for Meyra to see, as the window was covered in grime. The people were laughing as they opened the hatch to go downstairs.

Meyra was able to hear and see a portion of the basement using the crack. Things were quiet for a bit, only murmuring and whispers of the people walking around. A scream came from someone inside and their shackles dragging against the floor. A woman thumped to the ground and pleaded with the people standing above her.

"You didn't catch enough Peshwen for us this time. Instead, you will be catching Riffen for us to sell to the bars."

"Thank you! Thank you!" The woman smiled as she kept her head held low.

The person standing above her looked down on her. They yanked on her hair, pulling her up by the bundle. The woman screamed and cried, weakly bringing up her shackled arms. They laughed and dropped her to the ground, causing her to hit her head and be knocked unconscious. One of the others came to heal the woman.

"You can't kill them you idiots!" The healer yelled and grumbled, "Making more work for me this way."

After they finished working, they stood up. Their angelic wings poked out from their robe, dragging on the ground. One of them levitated the woman out of view, complaining they were too tired. From a bin they grabbed an unprocessed fish that was decomposing, the stench wafting out of the crack and making her gag. The fish levitated out of her view and she heard a shriek.

Meyra heard a loud thud accompanied by screaming. She staggered away from the building. Her wings dragged on the ground until she was able to shakily stand up. Meyra gripped onto her stomach, trying not to hurl, as she flew out of the village. She made her way back to the cliff where Ren was pacing.

"Where have you been?!" Ren exclaimed, stopping after they saw Meyra's state.

She was still covered in cobwebs and fresh blood. Tears stained her face as she hurled beside a tree. Ren crouched down, placing a hand on her back. Meyra cried, sniffling, until she was done. She cleaned herself up and shakily stood, gripping onto the tree for strength.

"We have some juice back in town, I think it'll be best for you to update us when you're feeling better," Aylin spoke from the portal.

When they reached the other side, Aylin guided them to Stasia's. They gave her a glass of juice and helped her sit down, before heading inside. Ren sat across from Meyra quietly, looking through their notes.

"I am here if you'd ever like to talk," Ren mumbled.

"Thank you," Meyra whispered in-between sips, just trying to keep it down.

"Looks like you could use some rest. Let's get this out of the way first," Stasia spoke from inside.

She was seated in the middle, looking up at the hole in the ceiling. She smiled when Ren and Meyra walked in, motioning for them to sit in front of her. Meyra propped herself up against one of the beams, placing a cushion on her abdomen. She spoke in-between tears about what she had seen, Ren staying silent and keeping their head down.

"We can check on them periodically. We need to get at the roots. Removing them would not be beneficial in the long term," Stasia spoke as she reviewed Meyra's drawings.

"Do you know anything about the fish they were talking about?" Ren asked as they also looked at Meyra's notes.

Riffen is a fish commonly eaten due to it being available in high quantities from the west. It lives right along the shoreline, making it easy to catch high quantities. It needs to be consumed with alcohol to remove the poison, which is why it is served as a bar food. The Mer are the only ones supplying fish from Rildin, bringing the highest quality fish when they come to market.