The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 63

XXXXXXIII

VIGILANT

Day Ten. Three Days Remain.

Outside Lady Vigilant's Office, Morningstar Keep

"I should've seen it," Lady Vigilant cursed, her sharp steps echoing down the hallways of the Keep. "All this time, he was right beneath my nose. I invited him into the Brigade, I oversaw his training, I even led him straight to the Tree of Life with all the others." Her embers flared angrily. "I should've known," she growled, furiously tearing through document after document in a manila folder labeled "Operation Chariot." She cast her head to the skies, looking to Morningstar for some answer. "I just don't understand why Morningstar didn't tell me. Didn't give me some warning. Maybe this is punishment. Maybe I've been arrogant."

The Accuser shook his head, walking beside the Vigilant. "This isn't your fault, Lady Vigilant," he said, a dark scowl on his face. "Isaac was a Shepherd. Any suspicious actions were supposed to be under my watch. The failure is mine." He looked away. "Shepherd Jonathan's blood is on my hands."

Vigilant crossed thrust her arms into the folds of her cloak as they continued towards their office. "Don't talk like that. Jonathan would never want you to blame yourself. There's no way you could have possibly anticipated this, Accuser," she argued. "The Brigade has had no precedent for abilities like Isaac's. Even if we had known those sorts of mutations could exist in Nephilim, signs like body aches and slight migraines around the Tree of Life are vague at best."

"Then you can't blame yourself either," the Accuser said, stepping out in front of Lady Vigilant. He jabbed a finger towards her chest. "I know you. You'll let this eat at you until there's nothing left. You can't let that win," he warned softly. "Forgive yourself."

"My job," Vigilant said, swatting the Accuser's finger away, "is to protect all of humanity. Each and every last person." She crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall. "If Morningstar would let me, I would disband this entire Brigade and fight the Nephilim alone. I can't stand the suffering." Her flames began to die down. "The dying wears on me. This isn't what I was meant to be. This isn't what any of us were meant to be."

The Accuser offered his friend a weak smile. "I know."

Vigilant shook her head sadly. "No, you don't. I know you're trying to offer comfort, but you haven't seen it. You haven't seen the way that it was supposed to be." She pushed off the wall and continued down the hallway. "It was so beautiful."

"We're still doing good," he reminded Vigilant as they turned a corner. "The Black Cats retrieved Fisher Abraham in time. He's alive because the Brigade was there to help him."

"And an entire team of Shepherds died because our organization provided the perfect cover for a Nephilim to plant a bomb in the Brigade's own transit system. Solomon's device, our one chance at stopping this advance, is half-destroyed and he's scrambling to get it in some kind of working order. The advance has stopped for now, but he can't meet the solstice deadline for reconstruction..." Vigilant let out some gutteral expression of frustration. "We're not doing enough good. I'm not doing enough good."

The Accuser sighed. "How are the Black Cats doing?" he asked, desparate to change the subject.

"They're alive," Vigilant replied. "It will take some time before their bodies fully recover, however." She rubbed her temples wearily. "An infusion of the Fruit of Life's juice can bring a human back from the brink of death, but a hasty introduction of that much raw energy into a body takes a toll."

"Come now, Lady Vigilant," the Accuser said with a frown as they weaved, "You know full well that's not what I meant."

"You know that I'm your commander, don't you?" the flaming figure said grumpily. "I could blast you through a wall right now and no one would even bat an eye."

The Accuser rolled his eyes. "Then do it," he challenged. "If we're going to talk, then we're going to talk honestly. Neither of us have time for politics."

Vigilant's flames blazed brightly for a moment, but then began to simmer. "The team is taking the loss hard. They're resilient, but that kind of betrayal coupled with the loss of a mentor isn't something you can be prepared for." Her face melted into concern. "I'm becoming worried about Uriel, especially. He's becoming... volatile."

He nodded and then fell silent as they reached Vigilant's office door.

"I know what you want to ask, so just ask it already," Lady Vigilant said as she turned to face the Accuser.

The Accuser ran a finger along his chin thoughtfully. "Do you think it's really over?" he asked. "Do you think Jonathan really succeeded? You haven't taken down your wards."

"I don't know," Vigilant answered.

He nodded. "Then I'll make sure we remain ready."

The words "I don't know" were sour on Vigilant's tongue as the Accuser walker away. Her hand angrily shot forward and opened the door to the office, nearly throwing the massive door off its hinges as the leader of the Morningstar Brigade stormed inside. Vigilant hurled the Operation Chariot files across the room and slammed the heel of her fist against the doorframe. The fire covering her body burned with a dark silver.

"Having a rough day?" Uriel asked, leaning forward in the Vigilant's chair and settling his elbows on the desk. His eyes were red, his cheeks stained with dried tears. "Join the club."