“See these?” Clara asked. “What creature has wings?”

There came another pause which meant Clara was closing the space between them too fast. To give them a chance to adjust to her presence, she slowed down.

“Harpy?”

In the background Julia chuckled, but Clara maintained a razor sharp focus. This man must have been briefed, which meant he was playing with her. They are sussing out other potential reasons for my existence.

“A creature that is more bird than woman, renowned for being unbelievably ugly? You might want to get your eyes checked.”

The men facing her gulped, and she was pretty sure that several women in the audience snickered. That might play in my favour.

Even Julia had her hands up by this point. Their opponent was not about to take any chances. With good reason, since Clara handily disarmed the smaller group. I’d do the same here, but they will have a fallback.

There were a few reasons to worry for Julia. No matter the form, Werewolves were creatures of strength and dexterity, not speed. Those ballistas pack one hell of a punch.

That meant the angel needed to bluff, play her hand and hope they decided to stand down. However, that assumed a rational mind, which was the antithesis of zealotry. It might have taken her a century to realise it, but Evelyn did help her to understand that she was in fact a martyr. One who was taught that angels, ghosts, and old gods did not exist.

The man hesitated. Everyone of his heartbeats resounded in her mind, as though some machine was pounding steel rods into the ground.

“Uh,” the man said, denoting a rather inauspicious start. “What?”

“Halt!” A man ordered.

At the hunter’s side there was Adam and surprisingly Silky.

Being this far out of sync with time meant that single word played out longer than any opera singer could ever hope to hold. To avoid giving away her hand, Clara had to avoid showing signs of irritation. It’ll make me look like a vampire.

While they no longer suspected that she was one of them, they were sure to react if she blurred like one. So, Clara played her part and took a long pause before responding in her own operatic voice.

“Or what?” Clara asked while moving forward.

“Sorr…(y)” Agnes said.

A statement that was swallowed whole by this expansive space. Few outsiders had ever seen the heart of The Tower, but the double-helix staircase that weaved to the upper levels at the heart of this structure that all hunters knew well.

The walls were made up of white marble, which contrasted the onyx used for the Terminus perfectly. She often wondered if the choice of materials served to remind hunters they were stepping away from the light… and into danger.

There were bridges that crossed the wide expanse every couple of levels. Clara never before considered how much this architecture resembled a DNA chain. That means the designer had a concept of genetics thousands of years ago.

“Halt!” A man ordered.

Clara guessed there would be additional precautions in place once she entered The Tower. The moment she opened that door, Clara heard several weapons being drawn.

Julia, who was right behind Clara, responded to the sound by stiffening up. By Clara’s count, they were surrounded by sixty hunters, full-fledged and presumably more experienced than the acolytes they dealt with before. The angel maintained a smile even as Agnes slammed into the back of the werewolf.

“Sorr…(y)” Agnes said.

A statement that was swallowed whole by this expansive space.

She dropped the bolts into the fire and returned to mostly in sync with time. I left just enough to react if someone gets smart.

There came the distinct sound of a dozen crossbow arms splintering after losing tension. While several dropped their weapons, everyone had wide eyes and gaping mouths.

“I’m back…” Clara said in a cocky tone.

“You’re a myth,” Silky managed to say.

“They say that all myths are grounded in truth…” Clara said.

The angel opened her wings to their full size creating a shadow that blocked the light of the fire.