A Scale of Sapphire

Aoife

I know I said we’d be heading home, but we still had a few things to take care of in Sunrise first, and even if I was exhausted, wingless, and in pain, I was still a dragon, and I was still responsible for all that had happened. We made the slow, arduous hike back to camp where we were fortunate enough to find Matt, Evelyn, and Chelsea already waiting for us. Then, with the three of them in tow, we made our way back to the village proper.

There were no angels in the sky, there was no gunfire, and by now most of the fires had been put out. This town had taken a beating, but it was still standing, and if everything went as planned, its people would recover. I didn’t doubt that some of the folks in Sunrise were genuinely that bigoted. I was sure that at least a few of them would’ve become such hateful people even without Cyrus, but I couldn’t believe that all of them were like that. I couldn’t even believe that most of them were. In my experience, people are naturally kind, and hatred is something you learn. Now that they all knew just how awful Cyrus had been, and now that they were free of his influence, I was hoping we could start over. I was hoping they could unlearn what Cyrus had tried to teach them, and that maybe, we could work together. Only time will tell.

The people who were left looked on nervously as we limped through their streets, making our way to what was left of the town square. I took some pleasure in the sight of Cyrus’ temple, now reduced to rapidly cooling magma, melted by his own flames. I climbed to the top of the tallest pile of rubble and took a seat, Erica sat down beside me, and Willow curled up in her lap. The centaurs and goblins fanned out in a wide circle around us as Matt, Chelsea, and Evelyn went off to find Cass.

Before too long, a crowd began to gather. Some had followed us from the village outskirts, others wandered over by chance, and plenty more were drawn over by the commotion. Cass was among them, limping into the square supported by the three who’d gone looking for her. I was glad she was ok. If I hadn’t hesitated-

She was alive, and that’s what matters.

Once I figured most of the remaining humans had arrived, I stood up, kissed my girlfriends, and stepped forward.

“Hi everyone. My name is Aoife… but you probably knew that already. I’m the moon dragon, and I’m here to tell you all that Cyrus is dead. His corpse is lying in the woods a few miles away. He’s not going to hurt anyone ever again.” Why did I keep getting stuck with all the public speaking stuff? “I’m not going to ask you to trust me. I have the same emotional powers Cyrus did, and while I know that I lack the skill to use them to manipulate people like he did, and I know that I would never do such a thing, I won’t ask you to take me at my word. You have no reason to trust me and a dozen reasons to doubt. What I will ask is that you hear me out just this once.”

The crowd was uneasy to say the least, and when I told them about the power I possessed, their discomfort only grew, but I needed to be honest with them. I wouldn’t be like him.

“You all know that Cyrus manipulated you. He twisted you into your worst selves. He took your fear and your anger, and he turned them up as far as they would go, and he pointed it at me, at my friends, and at everyone like us. Of course, even with that knowledge, the lies he told you and the feelings he impressed upon you won’t just disappear. I can see the way you look at us. Some part of you is still angry at people you don’t even know, some part of you still fears them. I want us all to be able to work together, but that’s going to take effort. It’s something we’ll all have to work hard at. With that in mind, I have some people I’d like to introduce.” I waved Chel, Matt, Evelyn, and Cass over, and they walked past the protective ring of centaurs to stand by me. I dropped my voice down quieter as I addressed the four of them directly. “Are you guys sure about this?”

“Completely.” Cass spoke for all of them. She was leaning heavily on Evelyn’s shoulder, but she still carried with her a confidence and certainty that left me feeling way better about what we were about to do.

“You all obviously recognize Matt and Chelsea, and those of you who’ve been here a while probably remember Cass as well. They, along with Matt’s mother, the vampire Evelyn, would like to stay here. Things are… complicated for them back home. We’ve all had our own share of trauma, and there’s only so much you can do. These four want to stay here in order to ease some of the tension in our village, and, ideally, to help you get more comfortable living around monsters. I, uh… I look forward to working with you all.”

The moment I finished speaking, I was crushed in a hug as Matt squeezed me tight, with Chelsea following suit moments later.

“Come visit sometime, ok? You…” He trailed off, his voice shaking. “Thank you, Aoife.”

“Of course, kid.” I squeezed them both back. “I can’t spend too much time around here, I don’t wanna make people nervous, but you aren’t gonna get rid of me that easily. Besides, I might have to borrow your mom sometimes to give Willow a break. She’ll work herself to death otherwise.”

I felt him laugh softly in my arms.

“Yeah, I guess she will.”

I stepped back, reaching up to ruffle their hair.

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’m gonna head back to camp now. We all took a beating today, and it’s a long road back home. I think we could all use some rest.”