I jolt upright, banging my head against a metal bar and slumping back. The room around me is dark, aside from the stain-glass window filtering in green light, and I’m in a cage.

“Are you alright?”

My head snaps to the side, Avarice is standing there watching me. I glare back at him. “What did you do?”

“You said it yourself, Lady Ivory would kill you if you returned to Cloud Spire. I can’t let that happen.”

“So your ingenious solution was to throw dust in my face and lock me in a cage while I was unconscious?”

He shrugs.

I snap the green ribbon from my wrist and throw it at him.

He plucks it out of the air and holds it up to examine it. “I thought you would have abandoned this after The Fallen gave you that boon.”

“I could have, couldn’t I? Well, It’s off now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. No you’re not.”

“Yes I am.”

“If you were sorry, you would have set me free by now.” I flick my wrist at him, trying to shoo him away.

Scuff. I flinch. Did Avarice leave something in here with me? There, in the corner. It looks like a chest but something’s off.

It moved! Why was it moving? That should not be moving, well not on it’s own anyway. It unravels into a distinctly Ignaisin figure and stands. A petite pale thing that I think I recognize.

Noodles steps into the light. “I’ve come to repay my debt.”

She approaches silently, plucks a feather off the ground and jams it into my cage lock. After some jostling of the lock, the door pops open and I’m free. Beckoning me with wave, Noodles punches out a panel of the stained-glass window, replacing it after I'm through.

“That was way too easy.”

“It's always easy for me, anyways, I’ll escort you to the shoreline but no further.”

Noodles shows me a more discrete route to the ocean, soaring in silence along the city borders. It’s just as bright as it was when I first really got to see them, this time though, my eyes are used to it and I find it beautiful. The flowers are closed, no dragons fly, and the buildings are painted in swirling patterns that glow in the evening twilight.

Buildings turn to trees, dead and pine alike, then a stretch of sand that seems to go on forever in either direction. 

“Before you go, take this.” Noodles extracts a silver pigeon and drops it into my palms. “The Fallen sent this with me. Says it’ll deliver the shard straight to her if you put it in the thing’s belly.”

“Thanks.” It's super cool, but I don’t say it outloud. Instead I attach it to my belt and get a running start for the floating island.

~~~

The door creaks on it’s hinges when I push on it. I expected this but I am startled to find a stranger snoring in what was once my bedroom.

My replacement? But I've only been missing for two-maybe three-months and Lady Ivory’s already replaced me. Surely Charmeine wouldn’t have forgotten me, she’s probably still pissed about it. A shame I didn’t bump into her on the way here.

I creep across the room, stepping lightly, and crouching down to pull up the rug. Underneath is a loss board that is thankfully not yet nailed down. I carefully pry it up, taking care to make as little noise as possible with the figure sleeping not even a chair’s length away.

My secret nook seems untouched, it’s been a while but my mother’s bracelet is still here and the cloth wrapped shard of metal too. It’s still glowing too, just like the other shards.

I slip the bracelet onto my wrist and tuck the shard under my arm. Replacing the board  and carpeting, I retrace my careful steps and shut the creaky door. Taking out the bird, I place the wrapped shard in it’s chest and set it off. It’s small enough to fit through the latticed sky lights, I’m certain.

Pleased with my work, I start back for the only exit in this forsaken prison.

The faint scent of Lemons and Honey stops me in my tracks, dropping my heart straight off the island. A figure appears from behind a pillar.

“Naughty, Little Sapphire.” He coos.

Evangelos.

I turn on my heel and bolt the other away, running as fast as I can, the need to flee dominating any fear of being caught.

Figures begin to emerge from the halls I dart past and from behind columns. I skitter around a corner and slam face first into the chest of a bulty guardian. Dust is thrown in my face and I am briefly reminded of Avarice. Hands seize me while I’m still desperately trying to rub the blindness away, looping rope around my wrists. They kick out my legs and the tear-blurred world goes flying.