Cory sighed as Justitia and Raea followed Palan through the curtain leading upstairs. She took one last glance at the treasury before shaking her head. At least they hadn’t taken everything. She only lost half a mountain of weapons that the harpies couldn’t use and a fifth of the yellow crystals. Oh, and that weird skull necklace thing. Cory pouted as she brushed aside the curtain with her wings and pressed a button in the stairwell. The lights behind her turned off, and she ran up the stairs as if a monster was chasing her.

When she stepped out of the stairwell, Solra was right in front of her, sitting on a bone protruding out of the nest. “Cory,” Solra said and nodded. He didn’t dare say anything else with Raea and Palan so close. Raea was inspecting the captured halflings, healing a few broken limbs with her orb.

“Greetings, commander,” Cory said and raised her wing. “And what might this special occasion be? Have you ever been down here? Wait, why are you down here? I don’t think you’re allowed to be down here. How are you down here? Who let you down here?”

“I did,” a nearby harpy said. Her hair and feathers were red like Cory, but her skin was white with a tinge of green.

Cory narrowed her eyes at the harpy. “You know the nest is for the matriarch and her guests only,” she said. Her feathers puffed up as she stuck her chest out. Hints of lightning flashed in her eyes. “Do you think you’re the matriarch, Emily?”

“Fight me,” Emily said and spat on the floor. She spread her wings to their full length and let out a screech. Green mist escaped from her mouth, but instead of floating up, it sank down to the bones of the nest. “You’re not the only evolved harpy around here anymore.”

“I wondered where your ugly mug went,” Cory said and snorted. Lightning crashed next to Emily’s feet, dispersing the mist. “So it turns out you were stuck in a cocoon. You think a newly hatched baby like yourself can be the matriarch?”

“Emily might be a better candidate for the position of matriarch,” Solra said, using his powers to stifle the harpies’. After all, Emily hadn’t caused a massive panic and kidnapping spree. Even if Cory wasn’t working for Pyre, Solra needed someone he could trust in the harpies’ leadership position. “How is this position usually decided?”

“Fight to the death,” Cory and Emily said at the same time. Cory furrowed her brow and bit her lower lip as she took a step back.

“What’s the matter? Scared?” Emily asked with a sneer. She took a step forward, her body swelling in size as her feathers puffed out even further.

Cory glanced at Raea. “The harbinger declared no more fights to the death,” she said, turning her gaze back onto Emily. “Since you were gone, things have changed.”

Emily’s gaze shifted towards Raea, but she remained on guard against Cory. It wouldn’t be the first time a harpy resorted to trickery during a fight. “You said she’s the harbinger?” Emily asked. Her feathers hadn’t reduced in size. Her eyes narrowed at the four wings on Raea’s back. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I’m the matriarch,” Cory said and blinked. “Duh?”

A creased formed on Emily’s forehead as her body deflated. “I guess that makes sense…. Wait, no!” she said as her body inflated again. “I think you said she’s the harbinger so you could order her to declare no more fights to the death. Then you wouldn’t have any competition for the position of matriarch! Isn’t that right?”

Cory gasped. “That’s genius!” she said. “Why didn’t I ever think of that? Then all those butts from before would’ve stopped harassing me without me having to kill them.” Cory nodded and stroked her chin. “Wait. I don’t have to anymore.” She burst out into laughter. “I’m a genius! This is why I’m matriarch and you’re not.”

Solra scratched his head. He knew harpies were a bit odd, but he hadn’t expected something like this to happen. “Are you fighting to the death or not?” he asked and clenched his cane. What exactly was the harbinger? It didn’t matter as long as he could replace Cory. “I can allow you both to use your powers if that’s the case.” The air shimmered as his zone of charity deactivated.

Emily blinked at Cory. She wasn’t so sure anymore. What if Raea was really the harbinger? She decided to just ask the person in question. Her wings flapped, and she landed beside Raea. “Hello,” Emily said, nodding her head once. “Are you the harbinger?”

“Yes,” Raea said. “Yes, I am.”

Emily furrowed her brow. “I greet the harbinger,” she said. “My name is Emily. Um. Can you provide proof that you’re the harbinger?”

“Proof?” Raea asked and raised an eyebrow. Emily was the first one to ask for proof. She never had to do anything to claim the identity of harbinger before. In fact, it was forced on her by Cory. “What kind of proof do you want?”

“I don’t know,” Emily said and tilted her head. “Do harbingery stuff?”

“Harbingery stuff,” Raea muttered to herself. What had Sally said that made her think she was the harbinger? Sun’s hammer? Raea pointed up at the open space of the harpies’ territory. A massive black fireball, emitting a blood-red glow, formed in the air. It began to spiral and elongate. Harpies shrieked as they retreated back into their caves along the walls of the territory, trying to avoid the flame.

“T-that’s enough,” Emily said and gulped at the spinning column of fire. “I believe you. I believe you.”

Raea nodded and the flames dimmed before winking out of existence. She had gotten a lot better at manipulating her flames somehow. Usually, it’d take longer to suppress fire that size. Before she could think about it further, one harpy shouted, “Harbinger!” Then another harpy shouted it. Then another. Soon, the territory was filled with the sound of chanting.

Solra’s eyes widened at the phenomenon. His eyes glazed over as he looked at Raea. Her demeanor reminded him of those people living at the top of the tower. It was a good thing she was on his side. Right?