Madamar lumbered along the rocky ridge surrounding the basin. The sun was low in the sky, brilliantly illuminating the valley below in a honey glow. The ashy wastes of Hoharo at the horizon of the valley shrouded in the cascading shadows of the mountains the sun was beginning to fall behind. He craned his head away and toward the encampment they had prepared for their operations. Several Demraxites moved about amongst the herds of masked cultists. Carts and cages of people and supplies in transit between different parts of the installation. He was awaiting the arrival of his callow teammate who had a knack for tardiness. She never ceased to make him look bad.

  "Madamar, where is Illenith." A night black Demraxite demanded from behind. His austere tone matched his rigid body language as he stood tall over his subordinate.

  Madamar turned to gaze into the fiery yellows of his irises ablaze with impatience. He awkwardly bent his neck, "I- she...she's late sir. She was with Kaludir last I heard."

  A loud thump drew their attention as Illenith touched down. Her stunted landing sending a sum of rocks through the air. A man moving a large barrel stumbling to the ground unconscious as one struck him in the head. His fellow laborers halted and one nearly leaned down to inspect the fallen man.

  "Who said you could stop working! You! Pick up his stuff and move!" She commanded, flicking a talon their way as she avoided the judgmental glares of her fellow Demraxites. The humans squeaked in panic and hustled along, leaving their fellow man face down in the dirt at the mercy of the three.

  "You're late Illenith." The larger authoritative one stated with dissatisfaction.

  "Interrogation ran long Malazina. Not my fault Kaludir takes his sweet time. I nearly finished it all myself." She sassed.

  Madamar remained quiet as she dug herself a hole. The twisted curling of Malazina's scowl worsened with every word out of her mouth. He had to take a deep sigh and grip a rock that subsequently began to crack under the pressure.

  "Well if you covered so much of it then stop wasting my time and tell me what we know of the journal and it's whereabouts. Any updates on a viable translator?"

  Madamar skeptically tilted his head, doubtful the osmium brained pig had anything of use. She grinned anxiously and dragged her tail through the dirt.

  "We did find a translator...but he was killed before we could apprehend him. The boy we captured was the one with the journal according to that slime ball from the village Argas was working with. I was personally going to deal with him for causing us so much trouble but Kaludir insisted it was his unfinished business."

  The rock shattered and Malazina growled intensely as he filtered the fresh gravel through his talons, further reducing it to dust. "So our only translator lead lost before it was found. And the human with journal that might have further information or use to us you both decided would be better off as fodder? By the skyweavers I swear you both have a second stomach where your brains ought to be. Out of all the idiotic, meaningless, personal qualms-"

  Illenith's head was halfway beaten into the ground by the increasing volume of Malazina's thunderous voice halted momentarily. His thoughts stirring his eyes about. "Illenith...I am only going to ask this once...Where. Is. The journal."

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  Illenith swallowed hard as she felt the tremors in his voice. He was about to crack, and she hesitated to bring the hammer down on the egg like barrier holding back his rage. "I don't know sir.."

  The scraggly black locks running down his spine stood on end as he barred his teeth, every joint stiffened. His tail raised to strike at Illenith as he laughed. "Could anyone be more useless... It's no wonder you're such a disgrace to your brood. Get your act together because I will not tolerate any more incompetence!"

  She glanced at Madamar subtly to see if he was enjoying the reprimand she was receiving. Instead he stood at attention, facing in line with her staring head on.

  "I will speak with Kaludir myself and so help me if that journal was consumed I will have you both chained to a hot spot in the glass valley and use your encapsulated corpses as a reminder to not be failures."

  He pinched his spiked brows and took a deep breath. "Madamar I trust I can have some good news today."

  "Well my scouting group found a person of interest. It seems our rogue informant had made connections without our knowledge. There was an accomplice in a town Southwest of here in the valley. Vadik took my lead and found him but he was preemptive and disposed of items of interest to his kin. My men tell me she goes by the name Quillian. He's been hot on her trail."

  Malazina thrummed as he juggled the worth of the young Demraxite's findings. "While I suppose the immediate effects of your efforts are fruitless I have to appreciate the information. With Vadik in pursuit I'm sure it will lead to something. Good work Madamar. Moving on to another manner of business; while I secure the situation of the journal I want you to take Illenith and finish off that pathetic town this fiasco started in. Interrogate everyone and dispatch them after they've exhausted their worth."

  Madamar nodded, "Yes sir, we shall get plans devised and executed before sunrise tomorrow.

  Their superior's menacing maze of twisted horns caught the golden sunlight as he reared back, his gargantuan spackled bronze and orange wings spread.

  "Need I remind you both that journal and its contents are the map and instructions to retrieving Ameth's fragment. My father will reward us all greatly for bringing it home and our names will be remembered in the history of this world's new age."

  A single hearty beat of his wings sent him into the sky. Madamar's wing came up to his face to deflect the sediments that had gone airborne. Illnenith silently sat there with a jaded look.

  "Ilenith I want you to have Argas prep his men for a final raid on that town. Ensure they know to search everyone for the journal, ransack every building for it before they start any fires. We need to find it. If Kaludir did destroy it accidentally its all our heads rolling."

  Illenith coyly smiled and laughed with irritation, "Yeah Argas was the one who killed the translator. Without my knowledge of course. So he's a little preoccupied with a different task he's more suited for."

  He knew that look, and frankly it had gotten old so fast. "You cannot be serious. You've gone through more division heads than I can recall Illenith."

  "Well perhaps they should stop assigning me such shitty ones then." She deflected.

  "Fine then, I'll have my division handle it. Might as well send your remaining resources to my group so they aren't running around without someone telling them what to-"

  Madamar watched Illenith walk over to the motionless body in the rocky soil, her talons reaching down to pick it up. His eyes focusing on the man's chest that still rhythmically drew breaths.

  "What are you doing?" He pressed as he leapt down next to her.

  "If he wants to act like dead meat I'm going to treat him as such." She nonchalantly answered as she began to pick the cultist off the ground. Before she could raise him Madamar's talons slammed hers to the side and pinned them down. "He's only in that state because of your sloppy landing. So how about instead of finding reasons to keep picking off our allies you just focus on your damn job. Or do I need to report to Malazina that the first thing you did after he left was snack on something after just admitting you killed off another head of your group."

  She forcibly ripped her forearm free of his hold while growling, she held her snout below his with resentment in her eyes. "Yeah. Whatever. Let's just go torch that stupid town and get this whole thing over with." She stormed off, her wings flapping in protest. Madamar stood over the man who had just regained consciousness.

  He groaned in pain and rubbed the giant goose egg on his head. Alarmed as he looked up, following the contours of the Demraxites forearm all the way to those frosted coral eyes. He jolted and started to his feet.

  "Get back to work." Madamar snapped. The dazed man entered a hobble plagued sprint toward a loading area without hesitation.