Jay Posey - Morningside Fall

The group of others halted their advance about ten yards back from the boundary wall. Three men and two women, judging from their builds, though Cass knew that wasn’t always accurate. They were all wearing long cloaks, and two of them had their hoods up. Cass didn’t see any guns on them, but they were all carrying weapons of some kind or another. Blades mostly, though one of the men had a short spear. It was telling that those weapons were on display; the cloaks could’ve easily concealed them. The message was clear enough. Though if those were the weapons they were willing to display, Cass wondered what else they might have hidden.

“Afternoon,” Gamble called.

“Ma’am,” answered one of the hooded figures. A woman, judging by her voice.

“What brings you out this way?”

“We were wondering the same about you.”

“Just traveling through. Thought we might find a friend here.”

“You won’t.”

“Yeah…” Gamble said. She glanced back over her left shoulder and gave a little nod. Mouse and Finn both turned to face that direction. A few seconds later the four missing members of the other group came into view. Gamble looked back at the five. “Well, one thing we’re not doing is looking for trouble.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed that, judging from all the hardware you’re running.”

“Trouble sometimes comes to us.”

Wren stepped around in front of Cass. She grabbed his shoulder, but he tried to shrug it off.

“Let go, Mama.”

“Wren, not now–”

“Let go,” he said, jerking away from her. There was almost a growl in his voice. Cass was shocked by his tone, and she held up her hands. She watched as he squeezed between Swoop and Wick, and went to stand next to Gamble.

“Wren, what’re you doing?” Gamble asked, but he stepped past her.

“We’re looking for a man named Chapel,” he called. “Do you know what happened to him? To the people that lived here?”

The group of five reacted, exchanging glances with one another. Then the hooded woman spoke.

“Wren?” She laid back her hood. She had long brown hair and pale blue eyes. “Wren, is that you?”

“Lil!” Wren yelled, and before anyone could stop him, he took off towards her. She hopped over the low fence and went down on her knees to catch him in her arms. He nearly knocked Lil over with his tackling hug. It was strange for Cass, to see her son so happy to see someone she’d never met.

“So,” Wick said. “I’m guessing we don’t have to kill all of ’em, then?”

“Looks like,” Finn answered.

“Stay sharp,” Swoop said. “Ain’t over yet.”

The two groups started moving towards one another warily, with Lil and Wren at the center. Cass trailed a little behind the main group. Mouse and Finn were a few paces behind her, keeping their eyes on the four-man group that had come around their flank.

“Mama!” Wren called. He’d let go of the woman’s neck with one arm and turned back partially towards them. “Mama, it’s OK! It’s Lil!”

Lil was smiling now as they approached, and Wren was rapidly introducing everyone, pointing to each in turn as he spoke their names.

“That’s Gamble, and Swoop, and that’s Wick, and that’s my mom–”

Lil gasped and shot to her feet. One of the men from her group gave a little shout. Weapons flashed; swords from sheaths, rifles to shoulders. Cass noticed Lil had a grip on Wren’s arm, and had pulled him slightly behind her.

“Wait, no! No,” Wren called, pulling away. He stepped between the two groups, waving his arms. “It’s OK, it’s alright!”

Cass held up her hands, palms out, trying to look as nonthreatening as she could.

“Lil,” she said, keeping her voice calm and controlled. “Wren’s told me so much about you. About you, and Chapel, and Mister Carter.”

She could see the utter confusion on the other woman’s face, the horror mingled with incomprehension of the words Cass was speaking. Cass berated herself for not wearing her veil. A stupid and careless mistake.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s a shock,” Cass said.

The tip of Lil’s blade lowered slightly.

“What… are you?” she half-whispered, fear evident in her voice.

Cass tried to think of how to answer. How could she possibly explain it?

“She’s my mama,” Wren said.

After a long tense moment, Lil lowered her sword, though she still looked confused and a little frightened. The people behind her lowered their weapons as well, but not completely. It was clear they didn’t trust the situation.

“I don’t understand,” Lil said.

“They took her, Lil,” said Wren. “But I got her back. And my friend Painter, too.”

“Are they… human?”

“Not exactly,” Cass answered. “But we are ourselves.”

Lil shook her head, and then did it again more forcefully. The second time almost as if she were chastising herself. She sheathed her weapon and approached with her hand out.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just…”

“Please don’t apologize. It was thoughtless of me. I should’ve let Wren warn you. All of you,” Cass said as she shook Lil’s hand. “My name’s Cass.”

“Lil. It’s amazing to meet you. Really.”

Some of the others kept their distance, but one of Lil’s companions stepped boldly forward and introduced himself as well, a grim-faced man named Elan. After that, with the immediate crisis seemingly averted, the two groups carefully came together and made hesitant introductions. Gamble called Sky back in from his hidden position. Cass gave a brief account of their journey from Morningside, though she was careful to avoid mentioning any details about why they’d left. Lil dispatched several of her companions to carry out whatever business they’d come to attend to, and then with the remainder, escorted Cass and the others back to the large rectangular building.

They went up the steps together and into the large main room, but stopped just inside the entrance. Like the rest of the village, the room had been largely wrecked, but there were a few tables and long benches that were still intact. The group gathered some of the furniture and set it up near the entrance. Swoop, Gamble, Cass, Wren, and Painter sat around the table with Lil and her escort. The rest of Gamble’s team spread out around the room, standing nearby or leaning against walls in various locations.

The first few minutes were awkward, but as they continued conversation, it started to become clear that these people were all cut from the same cloth. Cass had seen it before. Even when they weren’t on the same side, there just seemed to be a natural bond between warriors.

“They came three nights ago,” Lil said. “In overwhelming numbers. We mounted a strong defense, as we had many times before. But this time…” She trailed off, shaking her head.

“Something changed,” Elan said. “The way they moved. And fought.”

“It was like… I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“Like they were one?” Cass said.

Lil looked at her and nodded. “One being, made from many creatures.”

Gamble and Cass looked at each other. “We’ve seen it too,” Gamble said. “Once in Morningside, and then again the night we left.”

“What about Chapel?” Wren asked. “Is he OK?”

Lil looked at him sadly, and reached over to stroke his hair. She shook her head. “We lost Chapel many months ago. He was taken not long after you left. I’m sorry, Wren.”

Wren’s shoulders went slack and he closed his eyes. His face contorted as he tried to hold back the tears, but little coughing sobs escaped. Cass reached over and pulled his head to her shoulder to hold him while he cried. She noticed Lil watching them with a sweet smile tinged with sadness.