The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 1

I

ELI

158 Years After Earth's Fall

Sanctuary Chapel, Eden

Eli tapped his pen in irritation against the corner of his desk as he stared at the towering stack of paper sitting beside the silverwood box in front of him. He sighed and spun in his chair, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as the motion began to blur his vision. He ran his fingers gently over the trio of scars that were raked across his face, then attempted to refocus his efforts as the chair slowly came to a stop. Picking the top page up off the pile, he rubbed his eyes and then began to read.

"'A Brief Summary of the Conditions Concerning the Expulsion of Former Fisher Hosea of Sanctuary,'" Eli read mechanically as his eyes began to glaze over. The title alone was enough to make him groan. Aged parchment's unmistakeable musk filled the air, the cover stiffly resisting but still just barely allowing his attempts to bend back its worn façade.

"Bloodmoon? Hosea, what were you getting into?" Eli muttered as he scanned the first page. He stood up and glanced out the window for one last look at freedom before diving back into the pile of documents.

As he watched Eden's dark night sky, a white light off in distance began to flicker into view. It slowly grew in size and brightness, and then appeared to be falling from the heavens. Eli rubbed his eyes, convinced that this strange phenomenon was a trick of the light or some phantom caused by lack of sleep.

The light did not fade as Eli reopened his eyes, however. Instead, it began rocketing down towards the scattered buildings of Sanctuary below. It moved faster and faster until Eli could at last see its flaming tail, the entire meteor covered in a rage of white heat. The flames blazed fiercer and fiercer against the onyx sky until at last they flew outside the range of vision offered by the window of Eli's study.

He sighed. "This night just keeps getting better," Eli grumbled. "But I suppose if the choice is between death by paperwork or death by flaming sky-rock, I choose sky-rock." He stood up, threw on a black trench coat with an eight-pointed star insignia on the right arm and strapped a sheathed sword to his back. Just as he began to walk towards the door, a low boom rumbled through the air and earth, throwing Fisher Eli to the ground. After quickly steadying himself and darkening his face into a scowl, the warrior threw open the door and walked out into the city of Sanctuary.

Strong brick buildings formed the backbone of Sanctuary's square, with red and gold star-emblazoned banners ornamenting the closest thing to a metropolis in the land of Eden. It was a far-cry from the once-sprawling capitals of Earth, almost more a playset than a place of power in comparison. But it was enough. And enough was more than any in Eden had seen for a very long time. During the day, people would line the broad walkways with warm, bustling bodies while their footsteps filled the town with a near-rhythmic tapping of hurried feet. Were it morning, the scent of sweet-smelling breads and the thick aroma of hearty stews would fill the lungs of its people. Were it morning, the chatter of families out with their children would warm the hard stones that made Sanctuary strong and safe. Were it morning, amber light would filter through the verdant leaves of the surrounding woodlands and a gentle breeze would brush against their limber arms.

But this night, the city was dead and the forest was alive with the uneasy silver glow given off by its heavenly gift. A few dim, orange lights powered by a whimpering stream of Vita flickered insistently, illuminating the streets. The sidewalks, however, bathed only in the dull light of the evening. A few worried citizens had wandered out into the streets in robes and pajamas, wondering what the source of the noise had been. Eli quickly put on a bright smile and shooed them back to their homes, doing his best to divert attention from the thin column of smoke slowly rising from the surrounding forest. "Don't worry about it, official Brigade business. I'm going to take a look right now, you can go back to bed," he reassured them. After a few drowsy thank-you's, they shuffled back into their houses and Eli continued walking towards the outskirts of the city. As he made his journey, a sickly cloud was rising against the night sky.