Janaxia was awoken by the scent of garbage, strong and pungent. She wrinkled her nose, before slowly opening her eyes. Garbage at least meant something alive, rather than endless cold and old stone. As she stood up, something squelched beneath her, an unpleasantly clinging moistness and stickiness adhering to her back. The low light of dawn, a brick-walled alley, the vague thrum of other people, all jangled together in her senses.

Semari jumped down, splashing more grimy water around from a puddle, as Janaxia began to clean herself grime and garbage peeling itself off her skin.

‘Ah, so you survived as well? Some force pushed me. I don’t suppose you have any information as to where we are? This alley is very nondescript.’

‘Back in Belazaan. But the shit part this time. Think it’s the morning after, but there’s stories going around about an attack at a fancy party yesterday, so that might be us, I reckon. Apparently an angel, like, showed up and fought off some assassins. Something about ancient and great evil, there’s a bit of a mob out. No pitchforks though, guess you only get them in, like, rural places.’

Janaxia concentrated – yes, the general sounds of movement did seem a little more frantic and urgent than usual. She brushed more dirt off herself, trying not to think about how long she had been marinating in fetid garbage. ‘If only a little time has passed, then perhaps we should return to Anytha? He may have more knowledge than ourselves, and it is likely Vrintar and Sen will still be there. And Kita, I imagine, unless she has managed to get herself killed.’

Someone poked their head around the corner and saw them, then quickly withdrew.

‘And an angel, you say? It has been some time since we have been blessed with any divine visitations. Perhaps I do have a guardian in the heavens.’

‘Um, sure. I’m pretty sure that this isn’t the same one as before though.’

The light changed as someone stood at one end of the alleyway, before pointing at Janaxia and yelling. ‘She’s here! A devil-woman!’

The nearby sounds changed, a sudden ugly focus seeming to come over the previously disparate sounds. Janaxia spun to face her accuser. ‘I would thank you to retract any accusations! I am a noble in good standing…’

Arms suddenly wrapped around her and then she was airborne, as Semari somehow managed to vault up the alley walls, finding purchase on the rough brick, until they were on the flat roof of an apartment block, near the docks. Shouts of ‘she’s up there!’ and ‘get her!’ came from below them.

‘That seems rather inhospitable. I cannot think of anything I have done to attract such ire.’

‘Well, you do look a bit evil. Maybe tone down the spikes?’

Janaxia looked down at herself – her garb was still the alluring, if admittedly somewhat ominous-looking, flows of black. The door to the roof burst open, and Semari ran, still with Janaxia in her arms, jumping onto the next rooftop. The impact jolted through Janaxia, as she was rattled against Semari’s bony body. Stathis was far better at carrying her, even when wearing armour! Janaxia glanced backwards, where she could see the mob on the rooftop, gesticulating angrily with a fearsome-looking set of tools and implements, as Semari made her escape.

Janaxia gestured, summoning up blasts of darkness, trying to thin the mob a little, although she was rapidly moved out of range. Despite the jolting rattles of movement, at least from up here it was easy to navigate, moving from the built-up and crowded bustle of the working area, into the rather more refined quarters of the better part of town. Semari landed on a roof terrace, a gardener looking at them in surprise, secateurs decapitating an unfortunate rose.

Janaxia smiled at him, trying to set him at ease. ‘My apologies. We are on our way to see Prince Anytha.’ He continued to stare at her in slack-jawed dread, apparently unused to such grandeur as herself descending without warning. Without waiting for her to finish, Semari moved again, dropping without ceremony to the ground into yet another back-alley, although this one was noticeably less fragrant. Janaxia wriggled around until Semari got the hint and let her go, allowing her to stand.

‘Shoulda left you behind. Been ages since I’ve seen a proper mob! There’s normally good food afterwards, free beer, proper party atmosphere. And you do look proper eldritch. Like, not a good look when someone got attacked by the evils yesterday?’

‘It is scarcely my fault if the commons are unable to appreciate my style. But I suppose you may have a point.’ She took a deep breath and focused, closing her eyes and letting her power flow through herself, feeling the pressure on her arms and about her waist and bust shift slightly. She opened her eyes and looked down, glad to find herself in one of her usual outfits, a tight red dress slit high to allow easy movement. ‘This should suffice, I think.’ She tweaked it into position, as Semari scouted ahead.

‘There’s guards and stuff out, but I guess you’ll pass. Mind cleaning me off? Probably easier than looking like shit.’

Janaxia gestured, magical forces coalescing and scrubbing the worst of the garbage off Semari. Irksome though it was to be treated like a menial, Semari did raise a valid point; if she looked scruffy, then being stopped by the guard would become more likely. Once it was done, then Semari looked a little more presentable – certainly not noble, but she could at least pass for the staff of a noble household, albeit a seedy and disreputable one.

Even in the wealthy quarter, there was a febrile tension in the air, bodyguards present everywhere, the promenaders bearing their own blades, their hirelings just a few steps away, the conversation all happening in huddled groups, outsiders receiving suspicious glances. The attack must have been more than some of the usual politicking and assassination attempts then. Janaxia kept her back straight and her posture even, meeting the eyes of those that stared at her, taking their gazes as praise and admiration of her looks.

The entrances to the square around Anytha’s apartments had members of the Crystal Guard standing attendance, marked out by the shining blue of their breastplates, crossed polearms barring their way. Janaxia grabbed Semari as she tensed herself, clearly preparing to leap upwards. Instead, she swept forward, calling up her grandeur and meeting the looks of the guards with the full force of her blood, as they moved to block her path.

‘I am the companion of Prince Anytha. I’m sure he would be most aggrieved were he to be alone in such a trying time, and to know that it was you that were responsible for keeping me from his side.’

The crossed halberds didn’t move, but the guard couldn’t meet her eyes and looked away. A runner was dispatched, quickly returning with Tamura in tow. She looked tired, still dressed in her clothing from yesterday, although she had strapped more armour over the top, her arms now sheathed in shining metal. As she crossed towards the square towards them, a hand grabbed her shoulder.

‘Where have you been? You need to come with me.’

Tamura was walking faster now, and Janaxia could see that there were heavy scratches down her breastplate, as she recognised Vrintar’s voice. Vrintar pulled her backwards, as Tamura started to jog towards them.

Janaxia let herself be moved, following along behind Vrintar, ignoring the yell she heard, as they wove through side alleys and backstreets, before coming to a stop in a quiet and shaded square, one side cut off by a canal.

‘Where have you been?’ Vrintar looked as though she had been fighting, with several deep scratches and gouges along her shoulders and chest, although seemed otherwise hale enough. ‘Did you summon those things?’

‘I resent such accusations! That pillar seemed to function as transportation to… somewhere else. It took some time to travel through and return to this world. But I am glad to see you are doing well.’

‘Kivata’s virtually paralytic, she keeps gibbering and screaming. You may wish to talk to her. And you seem to have found the time to get changed? Armour would be sensible.’

‘There appears to be a certain animus amongst the commons towards my aesthetic, so it seemed safer to change my appearence somewhat. There is something of a mob mentality developing. I imagine the guard will soon be deployed to beat them down?’

‘Get in here.’ Vrintar hustled them across the square, and then inside one of the buildings, pulling down a shutter before lighting a candle.

‘How was the party? Such a shame that we were caught in that… inverse planar conjunction. The attackers must have had access to potent magic.’

Vrintar locked the door, before opening the shutter a crack, keeping an eye on the square outside. ‘They were shapeshifters or something. Unarmoured, but they regenerated continually, and so we were unable to defeat them. One sliced me a few times, their claws were as sharp as a demon’s. Their primary target appeared to be Anytha, he was quite heavily injured. But then an angelic being showed up, helped me to fight them off and then healed him of the worst of the injuries. We lost Sen in the confusion as well.’

Kita was sat on the floor in the corner, curled up in a ball, hands on her head, shaking slightly. Janaxia ignored her as she spoke. ‘Well, that sounds appropriately heroic. I would have thought we would be welcome as heroes. And it is nice to know that the angel has returned, it has been some time since they were last seen.’

‘It was discovered that you had been tampering with the pillar.’

‘The light! It burns!’ Kita shivered and twitched, still holding her face in her hands.

Kita, there’s no time for laying about and being useless.

She twitched and shuddered, as Vrintar spoke again. ‘There was the angelic being, but then Carissia of the Iristari blew down a wall and started to attack. We were able to drive the things off, but it seemed safest to escape in the confusion. She appeared rather insistent on seeking you out, and to believe that you had some malign purpose in mind.’

‘Ah. Yes, that may complicate matters.’

‘Oooooo, she’s going to want to blow you up! And then probably resurrect you and blow you up again.’

‘Yes, thank you, Semari. I am quite aware that she has… unfriendly designs upon my person. Although I am not yet convicted of anything; is the reach of the Iristari sufficient to overpower the neutrality of the Crystal Guard?’

‘I think that it is her own private action – Anytha seemed somewhat disapproving, but lacks the power to restrain her. Nevertheless, he was displeased at your deception of him.’

Janaxia waved away the complaint. ‘I daresay he will enjoy the scandal! Criminals and rogues are always renowned as lovers. But it is concerning. I saw the item I seek, but it was warded. If we could gain access again, then we may be able to acquire it. And given the strangeness of that other place, then it may also serve as an escape route.’

Semari was investigating the room – nothing more than a single chamber, with a small slot through which food could be bought, it was clearly the sort of place that catered to suspicious individuals needing a rendezvous, and likely rented by the hour, if not the minute. She poked Kita, who twitched and shuddered again.

Really, Kita, do show a little spirit. I know that combat can be a little startling, but you really must endeavour to pull yourself together.

‘It burns! The light, searing, bright…’ She was virtually babbling now, gulping in breaths, sounding like she was about to cry.

‘Tell me what happened.’ And look at me when I’m talking to you. Kita shuddered and whined, shuffling to her feet while still holding her face in her hands. Blood, dried and black, covered her hands, clots cracking and breaking away. Janaxia carefully reached out and patted her hair. ‘Well, at least you managed to retain this, somewhat. After all the work I put in, you have managed to retain some of the stylings I imparted onto you. Now, look at me.’

It was tempting to simply use magic to command her but doing that with an audience might seem cruel. So she would have to use more mundane techniques. She patted Kita on the head again, before gently taking her hands, ignoring the gritty feeling of dried blood. Tell me what happened. And look at me when I’m talking to you.

She peeled Kita’s hands away from her face to reveal her dark skin, tinted black with blood. Beneath her right eyes was thick lines of dried blood, her eyelid scabbed shut with the stuff. Janaxia called up her magic and tried to clean Kita’s face, as carefully as she could, peeling away blood and cleaning up her face. As the eye was un-gummed, it slowly peeled open, the orb beneath shot through with blood-red veins, painful and sore-looking. Janaxia carefully brushed a strand of hair out of the way, watching as a jet-black magical seal blinked into existence, spinning for a moment before juddering to a stop and disintegrating, gritty metal powder spilling from empty air.

She whimpered and tried to pull away, but Janaxia kept hold of her. ‘Now, don’t worry, I’m here now.’ Janaxia tidied another strand of hair. ‘I am aware that one’s first exposure to combat can be a little shocking, but there’s no reason to be so upset. It is likely that there will be more fights in the future, and you will likely die if you go to pieces like this every time. Now, why don’t you tell me what you saw?’ Or do I need to be more persuasive?

That got through to Kita, a flare of panic raising up beneath the dull glaze of shock. ‘I… I ran upstairs and monsters were attacking! They looked like people but their shapes warped and shifted, I…’ Tears welled up in her eyes.

‘Do remember your training, Kita. What would Mother think if she were to see you like this?’

That had the intended effect, Kita looking scared, but more aware and awake. ‘A human core, I think, but able to alter their forms. They had attacked when we were busy, and Anytha was injured.’

‘And the angel?’

‘I… I couldn’t see it, it made my eyes burn! A thing of fire and light. I couldn’t look at it, my eye bled. And then Vrintar attacked it as well. Fire burnt out, melting them, but they regenerated. The wall exploded, and that woman appeared, clad in pure fire and light. My eyes, they burned!’

‘You see, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, that means we now need a plan. It seems as though multiple forces are in play? And we do not know quite what they are, or what they want. But I’m sure Tamura will be able to deal with some of the mundane defences. I assume you have not seen anything similar in your studies? It would be helpful if there was some method to ward them.’ She shook her head and whimpered again. ‘Well, do keep an eye out, and let me know if you think of anything.’ Janaxia moved her hand from side-to-side, watching Kita’s eyes. Can you see?

She nodded her head.

Very good. ‘I would imagine that the two of you are also being sought?’

Vrintar nodded, face stony. ‘Indeed. So it seems I have been dragged into something rather larger than anticipated.’ She fingered her axe, staring down at Janaxia, expression inscrutable. ‘This is somewhat beyond what was expected. And then there is that being of light. Such things are spoken of in the oldest legends, of being great blessings… or great ruin. Is there anything you know of this?’

‘Ah, well… the being has appeared a few times before. In Redcastle, for example, it fought against Galondwyn, helping to save the town from demons. It has been some time since the thing last appeared.’ Kita, do stop whimpering. You really must attempt to endure such things, it is unlikely that this will be your last fracas. ‘It is something of a concern that Carissia is here though. She does seem to bear something of a grudge.’

‘She believes you slew Stathis, or at the least stole her soul. She would seem to have good reason for this belief. And your outfit does little to help.’

Janaxia glanced down at herself – Vrintar did have something of a point, her outfit, impressive and attractive though it was, did draw the eye somewhat, while being rather reminiscent of some of the more vulgar stories of villainous sorceresses. ‘I will have to address that shortly. Nevertheless, as we cannot currently get out of this place, then it seems that we may have to hide ourselves and attempt to prove our innocence. Semari, I imagine that you know some reprobates on whom we can impress ourselves? At least as a temporary measure. I’m sure that when this angel reappears, it shall become manifestly obvious that we are innocent of whatever we have been accused of.’