n_wilkinson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
n_wilkinson) wrote2010-06-29 11:57 pm
n_wilkinson) wrote2010-06-29 11:57 pm
Entry tags:
[Infinity's End] Edge of Tomorrow - Ch 09
Title: The Edge of Tomorrow
Series: Infinity's End, Book One
Summary: Ione makes a difficult decision when her allies call for her imprisonment, forcing her to flee for her life. In the hands of the Theravada, she meets Gale Arlen, rumored leader of the rebels, and learns what it truly means to choose a side.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22)
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Chapter Nine
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Ione woke to whispers and giggles, slipping through her groggy conscious like a trio of chirping and very annoying birds. She groaned as achiness attacked in the same moment that she lifted a hand to her forehead. Her eyes peeled open slowly, and she found herself staring at a ceiling. It was painted sunlight yellow of all things. And just beyond were half a dozen unfamiliar faces hovering over her.
She blinked and yelped, flailing backwards as she clutched the blankets to her like a lifeline. Her heart thudded in her chest as her magic rose on instinct alone, whipping from her body in an attacking torrent. Only to crash against an invisible barrier.
“Tsk, tsk,” a man clucked. “None of that now.”
Her gaze tracked the voice. And she found a strangely familiar face amongst all the strangers.
“Uncle Kieran!” she blurted, face open with shock. “What are you doing--”
She noticed her surroundings. Several oddly dressed men and women – only one of which she actively recognized – who stared at her as though she were a very valuable commodity.
“--here?” she finished weakly. “Scratch that. What the hell am I doing here?” Her eyes flashed, aether threatening to rise around her once again.
One of the men chuckled, a brunet with a black eyepatch. “I like your pet, Gale. She's a spitfire.” He dragged a hand through his hair.
“She's not a pet, Sabriel. How many times do I have to tell you that?” another voice countered, smooth and very familiar. Ione distinctly remembered it echoing from behind a fox-shaped mask.
“Girlfriend, then,” Sabriel – he of the eyepatch – corrected smugly.
That earned him an embarrassed cough and a few laughs.
Disturbed and aching, Ione looked helplessly to the only face she could easily recognize. “Uncle?”
Chuckling, the black-haired man at her side took one of her hands. “You look confused, my dear niece. Don't worry. No one here will hurt you. I can promise that.” His warm fingers squeezed her cooler ones.
Ione arched an eyebrow, lifting her free hand to touch the back of her head. She allowed the blankets fall back down as she was pretty much dressed anyway. They just acted as a small comfort.
“Why do I have a lump on the back of my head then?”
And no, that wasn’t a whine in her voice. Not at all.
“Ah, that would be me,” Sabriel admitted and sheepishly rubbed the side of his face. “We didn't think you'd come quietly.”
“We?” Ione repeated, eyes narrowing into a hard glare.
“Well, the boss to be more exact,” a second person intruded, and for the first time, Ione actually looked at him.
Pale-blond hair that was nearly a light gold framed the man's face. His vivid green eyes were startling and perhaps the most recognizable thing about him aside from his hair. Or perhaps the strange black scarf around his neck. Ione remembered his voice, and she racked her brain, trying to recall where she had seen him before.
The leader of the rebels is a man named Gale Arlen. Former head of that noble house.
“Gale Arlen?” she guessed aloud, startled that they would allow her so close to their leader.
And that pretty much confirmed that she was in Theravada’s custody. Ione didn't really know enough to decide if that was better than the nobles. Or even smarter. Honestly, allowing an unknown this near to him?
Blinking, the man who was very obviously Gale Arlen, glanced around. He even went so far as to lift up an arm and look beneath his sleeve.
“Where?” he asked.
A rather pretty woman sighed then. “Gale, honey… I don't think she's interested in any of your lame jokes.” She shook her head, long hair whipping around her pleasant face.
Sabriel elbowed the former noble in the side. “Yeah. Last time I checked, pets didn't like to be teased all that much! Or girlfriends for that matter.”
“Sabe!”
It was really too much for Ione, whose head began to throb again. These people were crazy, and she was tired, and it had been a long few weeks, and she'd just about had enough. Her fingers rubbed against her forehead, the ache in her skull growing stronger with each passing second.
Kieran squeezed her hands before rounding on the others. “Alright, the lot of you. Out! Give Ione a chance to breathe before you start your comedy routines!”
A chorus of whining echoed from the half dozen grown men and women, protesting the fact that they couldn't play with their new toy anymore. Kieran rose to his feet and ushered them out the door, all but throwing them through. The only one he allowed to remain was Gale, and he promptly shut the door in the face of the man called Sabriel, passing a hand over it. Ione felt the subtle rise of magic and realized that he must’ve used some sort of barrier to seal it shut. She'd forgotten how very good at that sort of thing her adoptive uncle had been.
Had been because he'd been exiled from Meropis half a decade ago.
Ione didn't know the whole story. It involved something about Kieran and daring to mix science with magic and possibly the use of familiars, too. Kieran wasn't in her immediate family, as he was actually the heir to the House of Azura. But he had always been close to her parents, especially Souya. As a result, Ione could remember him from her childhood. She’d been devastated when he was exiled, and more than a bit pissed at her parents at the same time because they hadn't spoken for him at all.
“Well,” Kieran put in brightly, dusting off his hands as he moved back to the bed. The sunlight briefly glinted off his square-rimmed glasses. “Now that the nuisances are gone, we can actually talk like normal people. Like family,” he added softly, nearly too softly for her to hear.
But she still did.
Ione gave him a small smile as she glanced through her fingers. “Normal? And here I thought I was surrounded by crazies,” she drawled, gaze flickering back towards Gale.
Who merely continued to watch her as though she were some unusual oddity. Like a rare sort of slug or a potted plant that had suddenly sprouted legs and started walking around.
“Something wrong?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
To her amusement, a faint flush stained his cheeks. “We're not crazy,” he said instead. “Just free.”
“Free,” Ione repeated doubtfully. “Right. So tell me again why I'm here. I don’t seem to remember anybody answering that question earlier.”
“It's simple really,” Kieran inserted, plopping back down into the seat beside her with fingers rubbing over his goatee. “We couldn't exactly leave you to the Brigade. And well, it’d be nice if you joined us.”
“Though the boss says it's not required,” Gale was quick to interject, moving to sit in the chair beside her uncle. He was all lean arms and legs, Ione noticed, though each movement was inherently graceful. Effortless.
Ione blinked. “I thought you were the leader,” she put in with confusion. “And why are you here, Uncle?”
“Where else would I go?” A fire gleamed in Kieran’s grey-green eyes. “The Azura couldn't defy all of Meropis. Besides A-- I mean, the boss asked me to stay.”
There was something in his tone that made Ione suspicious.
Just who was leading this place anyway? They were all a bunch of nutcases, her uncle included. He'd always been an odd one. After all, he liked Souya. And if that wasn’t crazy, she didn’t know what was.
“And now he wants me to stay, too.” Ione couldn’t keep the almost sarcasm from her tone. Just humor the crazies until she could leave.
“Well, you are pretty special,” Gale commented, eyes flicking away for a minute as he nibbled on his lip.
“Special?” she repeated with a dubious lilt.
Her head still ached. She wanted to sleep. They were throwing randomness at her. Ione felt like she’d wandered into some foreign country where everyone spoke a different language and all the customs were opposite of what she had always known.
These people were the ones who kept defeating the Brigade? It seemed impossible to believe. Or maybe the insanity gave them special powers.
As if to further complicate the situation, the shutters beyond the window gave a sudden rattle. Kieran leapt to his feet to throw aside the gauzy curtains. He fumbled briefly with the small latch before the shutters swung open to admit bright sunlight and the fresh scent of the forest. Ione inhaled it deeply, even as Kieran exclaimed in a voice that better resembled a little girl's squeal of glee and reached decibels previously unknown to man. Any man. Though not to woman.
“Gwydion!”
Ione watched as an owl, just a tiny puff of feathers really, fluttered in through the open window. Only to be snatched midair by Kieran's hand. He cradled her carefully, rubbing his cheek against the softness of her downy feathers. And if an owl had the facial expression of a human, Ione imagined it would show long-suffering as it – she, Ione realized – patiently endured Kieran's embrace.
“Where were you?” Kieran asked – no, cooed more like.
It was rather embarrassing for Ione to witness. It must’ve been for Gale too because he coughed into his hand, watching Kieran sidelong and slowly moving away.
The owl gave a breathy, feminine sigh. “She was wandering around looking frantic. Someone had to show her the way.”
“Who?” Gale questioned.
But Ione had already found the answer. The black and gold butterfly who trailed in after Gwydion at a much more sedate pace and immediately fluttered to Ione's side. Aponi landed eagerly on her ear, a sense of panic and relief running through her aether.
“You left me behind again!” the monarch chastised.
Ione lifted a finger warningly. “Bite me and see what happens,” she muttered, ear twitching as if in remembrance.
Gale titled his head like a mongoose pressed with a math problem. “Butterflies can bite? Do they even have mouths?”
“I'm special,” Aponi replied smugly. “Besides, I wasn't going to bite you this time. You told me not to, and I keep my promises,” she added in a sulky tone.
“For Kaiyu's sake, Kieran, let me breathe,” Gwydion suddenly shouted, breaking free from his hold and retreating to the safety of his shoulder. “I was only gone an hour!”
“It seemed like forever,” the man complained like a child left behind. He even pouted, an expression that prompted a chuckle on Ione's part.
No, her uncle hadn't changed at all. Not one bit.
Feathers ruffling, Gwydion cocked her head in that odd manner all owls seemed to have, and her pale yellow eyes focused on Ione. Gwydion was a tiny thing, barely ten inches if Ione had to give it a guess. And she was rather adorable. Ione couldn't blame Kieran for wanting to cuddle. Her own fingers had the strangest urge to pet.
Until Aponi stirred on her ear, tiny insect feet gripping tightly and reminding Ione of her presence. Almost as if she were jealous of the attention Ione paid to the small bird.
“Aponi was right,” Gwydion continued, voice holding great strength. More than her small body should hold. “Your magic is quite interesting. Fascinating.”
“And that's why the two of you get along so well,” Gale commented as Kieran dragged a finger down Gwydion's back, stroking her feathers. “You're both obsessed with words like ‘fascinating’ and ‘interesting’ and ‘wow, how can I get that to blow up and make a mess?’”
A look of affront briefly crossed Kieran's face. “That's not true,” he denied with a hand flattening against his chest. “I've only destroyed my lab once this week, and it wasn't my fault at all. A-- I mean, the boss distracted me.”
Gale lifted both brows, wagging them strangely. “Distracted, huh? I don't suppose that has anything to do with the reason the boss was ridiculously happy at dinner? Hmmmm?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Kieran had a shifty-eyed look on his face as he turned his head away, refusing to meet Gale's gaze.
“Um, excuse me?” Ione interjected and lifted a hand into the air. She left it hanging and pointed a finger down at herself. “Confused person with a head injury here, still desperately seeking answers if someone would be kind enough to give them.”
The two men looked at her, as if finally remembering her presence. And Kieran chuckled a bit nervously.
“You're more like your mother than you know, Ione,” he said, one finger pushing up the bridge of his glasses as he leaned back in his seat. “So impatient.”
“More like perturbed,” Ione corrected. “Why am I special? Why did you help me? What happened to the villagers? And Antoinette? And where’s Fenris? And--”
Kieran held up a hand, cutting off her stream with a laugh. “One at a time, my dear. And don't worry, Antoinette and the others are fine. Some joined us, and others moved to the surrounding villages. As far as Grayshire is considered, Roublesville was completely abandoned.”
“And we helped you because the boss wanted us to,” Gale added, something earnest in his vivid eyes. His gaze fell on her ear and focused on Aponi's presence. “It's rare for anyone to bond with two spirits like you have.”
Ione bit her lip at that. “I... have?” She was pretty sure she would remember if she'd made a bond to another spirit.
A hand gestured to her ear. “Yes, ma'am. That lovely gold and black creature adorning your ear is a spirit, isn't she?” Gale grinned at her expression.
“But I haven't made a pact.”
Or at least, she didn't remember making one. She certainly hadn't traded anything valuable to Aponi. Not like she had with Fenris.
“You haven't?”
Gale was very obviously surprised, and even Kieran gave a hum of curiosity.
“That's... interesting. She's pretty devoted.”
“Seems a bit lonely, too,” Gale's tunic added.
Ione blinked. Oh, no. Insanity was contagious. Or genetic. Souya and all. And she’d finally caught it. Or maybe that was just the head wound talking. And…And was that a serpentine head popping out from under the collar of Gale's shirt?
Reality asserted itself as she realized what the black coil around Gale's neck actually was. Ione had thought it a fancy scarf, but as the slitted eyes and forked tongue shifted into view, each scale gleaming in the morning light, she understood it for its true form.
She stared. And stared. Unable to fathom why anyone would wear a snake as a necklace.
“There's... a snake around your neck,” she commented with such intelligence that they
should be dazzled.
Gale chuckled. He was seemingly unperturbed by the reptile curled across his collar, head lifting to regard Ione with something like interest. Forked tongue tasting the air.
“And you're stating the obvious.”
“That happens from time to time,” Ione muttered, still staring at the serpent.
She – or possibly a he – was a pretty thing. Glossy black, so dark that each play of light seemed like a winking jewel. She? He? Best resembled a water snake, reddish crescents decorating the underbelly.
Gale lifted a hand, rubbing the tip of his finger over the snake's head. “This is Quetz,” he introduced. “She likes body heat.”
“I see,” Ione put in. “She's your familiar?”
“One of them, yes.” There was fondness in his tone as Quetz slid against him, lazy like a lizard sunning on warm rocks.
One of them?
“You have another?” Ione poised with an added note like she wasn’t quite certain she’d heard that right.
“Inari’s with Fenris right now,” Gale replied. “She was the first, until I met this lovely lady right here.” He ran a finger down her back in a caress.
The sound that Quetz made better resembled a sigh, if such a thing were possible. “Oh, my dearest wind, you compliment me so. A girl might get embarrassed over it.”
How a serpent managed to turn and gaze at him with nothing but love was beyond Ione. But that was exactly what she saw. Apparently, Gale had a way with the ladies. At least, if she judged by the fact that he had two females firmly attached to him.
Kieran stirred. “It's very rare for someone to form a bond with two spirits. But even if you hadn't met Aponi, the boss would’ve taken you in on principle alone, my sweet girl. You are my beautiful niece after all. Family’s important.” He leaned in to grin at her affectionately. “You're welcome to stay. Forever even. We don’t mind at all.”
Quetz turned away from Gale long enough to give him a look. “And no, that didn’t sound creepy at all,” she stated sardonically. “Didn’t you say that you were her uncle? Since that certainly sounded like a proposition to me.”
Gale snorted. But Kieran ignored them both.
“We’re just so happy to have you here, Ione.” He all but beamed at her with the brightness of a thousand suns. “So welcome!”
“Okay…”
Ione edged back from the crazy guy and glanced pointedly at the stark emptiness of her current residence. Obviously, the room didn't belong to anyone as it was devoid of decoration and furniture save the bed and chairs.
“Completely welcome to be confined to quarters, you mean?” she accused.
Kieran shook his head. “That's hardly the proper behavior to win you to our side, now is it?” He chuckled, scratching fingers over his goatee again; she’d forgotten how often he did that. “You're free to walk around anywhere inside Paragon. And if you want to leave, we'll happily take you somewhere beyond our walls.”
Though she’d always loved her uncle dearly, Ione couldn't help but be suspicious. Kieran might be out for her best interest, but he was also working with rebels who weren't exactly bundles of good will and faith. They’d been friendly so far, but Ione was – or had been – a member of the Brigade. She'd brought a good many of them into custody before and defeated even more. She couldn't imagine that she was well-liked among the Theravada. Regardless of whomever she called family.
Kieran exchanged a glance with Gale. The two of them had some inaudible conversation before he patted Ione's hand.
“Think about it. No need to rush.” He rose to his feet, Gale doing the same.
“Just stick your head out the door and shout,” the blond added, looking rather reluctant to leave. “Someone passing by should help you.”
Ione nodded, unable to do much else. Too many things were happening at once for her to absorb them all. Too many revelations that shattered her previous notions.
The two left, finally giving her some breathing room. Ione sighed and sank back against the headboard. Her mana made her restless.
“I think you should trust them,” Aponi suggested. Her wings fluttered against Ione's ear in a tickling motion. “What do you have to lose?”
“You mean, what haven't I already lost?” Ione muttered in return and raked a hand through her loose hair. It was stringy and in desperate need of a good washing, just like herself. “I’ve a complete lack of options here.”
She reached for the covers and threw them back, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her boots had been removed. And someone – hopefully no one embarrassing – had changed her into a cotton sleeping dress similar to what the commoners were fond of wearing. Well, she supposed it was kind of them to strip her out of her soaked clothing. The fact that some stranger – or worse, her uncle – had seen her naked was disturbing.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, Ione wandered to the window, curious to the view beyond the shutters. She folded her arms on the sill and glanced out, eyes widening in surprise. She saw a sea of color that stretched as far as she could see. Verdant green with the occasional batch of bright orange and red, a mixture of browns. The colors of autumn. Some of the trees were taller than the others, standing like proud soldiers amid a stalwart infantry. A few hills jutted out from the landscape, covered in flora and piles of boulders. And beyond it all, the sun rose like a glowing ball of yellow fire, immeasurably bright in the morning hours.
Ione leaned out the window, gaping at the sight of etched stone to either side of her. She was in a mountain, had to be! How had the Brigade missed this? Scratch that. How had Ione not noticed such a large thing?
“We're very high,” Aponi inserted. “The air is so pure here. Light. Like spun silk.”
Ione hummed in agreement, some of the tensions in her shoulders easing as she drew in several deep breaths. If she looked closely enough, she could even see some of the smaller villages through gaps in the large trees. There was really only one land mark in all of Talemar that held this much height: the Whistling Cliffs.
But that was silly, wasn’t it? Wouldn’t someone have noticed the windows on the cliff face before? Unless they were under some type of illusion, which begged the question of who had originally put it there?
“Do you really believe the humans in Grayshire are in the right?” Aponi’s voice cut into her thoughts.
Ione tilted her head, fingers drawing symbols on the windowsill. “It's not so much that I believe they're right, or that the rebels are wrong, as I was protecting something.”
“What are you protecting now?” Aponi questioned, alighting from Ione's ear with a puff of wind against her neck.
“You want me to fight with the Theravada? To switch sides and betray everyone in more than just accusation?”
“That's your choice to make, but from our point of view, we prefer the rebels,” Aponi informed her, surprising Ione with her admission because Fenris had never said as much to her. “Besides, you're the one who told me there is no such thing as sides to you. It is all about protecting what matters. You're an outlaw if you fight with Gale and Kieran or not.”
Ione frowned, Aponi's words ringing of undeniable truth. But her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding her that her last meal had been dinner the night before the Brigade attacked Roublesville. However long ago that was. Possibly hours. Probably at least a day.
Hunger and a desire to be clean forced Ione to pull the shutters shut and consider leaving the safety of her borrowed room. She doubted anyone was going to hurt her, but still, it always paid to be careful. Pulling her nightgown around her – and where the hell were her clothes? – Ione headed for the door as Aponi resettled on her ear.
The floor was made of stone, Ione belatedly noticed as she walked to the door and stuck her head out. Further proving her belief that she was within the cliffs. How had no one had realized that the rebels were hiding right under their noses, in the forest's most notable landmark? Perhaps Kieran had something to do with that.
“You must be Ione.”
She jumped about ten feet in the air and whipped her head around to catch sight of a brightly dressed older woman. Who watched her reaction with evident amusement. She was in various colorful fabrics, and her painted lips were drawn into a wide and nearly blinding smile.
Ione straightened immediately and let the door fall far open. “I'm guessing there isn't a single person here who doesn't know me.”
“There might be a few,” the woman countered with good cheer. She stuck out a hand, fingernails painted the same scarlet shade as her lips. “I'm Talya. And that little curious one is Kalulu.”
Grasping hands, Ione glanced down to find that a white rabbit was sniffing curiously at her feet. Ione wiggled her tones and watched as the small creature bounded back towards Talya, hiding behind the folds of her skirt.
“Does everyone here have a familiar?” Ione had only partially intended to say that aloud.
Talya shrugged. “More or less. It's not a requirement. But it is one of the reasons we've all gathered together.”
“One of them?” Ione was beginning to feel like an actress in play who had lost the script.
“Everyone's story is different,” Talya clarified and offered her another smile, this one more of grin than anything. The cat who had not only found and caught the canary but had taken time while eating.
She was far too happy, Ione decided then. Almost perky.
Talya tilted her head as if privy to that thought. “So you were peeking out into the hallway because...?”
“I was hoping for a bath or something. Somebody's random tidal wave nearly drowned me.” Ione flushed, tugging at her gown as her stomach growled demonstratively.
Talya laughed and gestured for her to follow along. “That would’ve been Gale's handiwork. He's quite proud of it. How wide and big it was. You know how men are about the size of things.”
Ione stared at her, surprised that Talya was willing to so freely give up information like that. Didn't they have any worries? Did they not even consider the possibility that someone might be there to destroy them?
“Why are you being so friendly to me?” Ione inquired as they moved down the hallway, passing by a few nameless faces who greeted them but didn't stop to chat. “Don't you even have an ounce of concern for yourselves? Aren't you suspicious at all?”
“Concern?” Talya swept a handful of mini-braids over one shoulder, a design that must have taken hours for some unlucky person to weave into her hair.
“I could be an infiltrator or something. You never know,” Ione pointed out, bare feet slapping against the stone that was worn smooth either magically or with passing time.
Though last she recalled the Whistling Cliffs weren't exactly hollow. When the hell had that happened?
Talya suddenly stopped, forcing Ione to cease walking as well. Her dark gaze pinned Ione firmly.
“Are you?” she asked, tone light but something glinting dangerously in her eyes.
Resisting the urge to retreat, Ione stood her ground. “No.”
“Then no worries.” The other woman's lips drew into a broad smile.
“But I could be,” Ione countered, just to be contrary. She wasn't fond of being intimidated. It annoyed her that she’d faltered, even if briefly.
Talya chuckled, as though Ione's words couldn't have been construed as a threat.
“But you're not. You said so yourself.”
“You'll trust my word alone?”
“If men – or women in our case – don't have our words, our honor, what do we have?” Talya tilted her head to the side. She folded her arms over her ample bosom, reminiscent of Vivienne. “Besides, we’ve a way of dealing with traitors. The boss is pretty good at sniffing them out.”
Ione gaped. “You're crazy. The entire lot of you are.”
Laughing, Talya gestured broadly. “If Grayshire is the definition of sanity, then I’d prefer to be mad.” She inclined her head towards the door behind Ione. “Enjoy your bath. I'll search out some clothes for you. Though I doubt Gale would mind if you walked around in that.”
The last was said teasingly. And Talya gave a wink before she was gone, humming under her breath as she wandered down the hallway. Leaving Ione to gawk after her in utter disbelief.
“She's funny. I like her,” Aponi said then, reminding Ione of her presence.
In all honesty, she’d forgotten about the butterfly's particular perch.
Ione didn't think she could share Aponi's sentiment. Something about Talya rubbed her the wrong way. She was too… cheerful. Peppy. Like Ophelia if she’d swallowed sunlight and had it shine out her ass.
And wasn’t that a scary thought?
Sighing, Ione pushed her way into the baths. First, to get clean. And hopefully food would come just after that.
* * * * *
a/n: More chapters to come! More questions to have answered! I do hope you enjoyed and feedback would be wonderful.
Series: Infinity's End, Book One
Summary: Ione makes a difficult decision when her allies call for her imprisonment, forcing her to flee for her life. In the hands of the Theravada, she meets Gale Arlen, rumored leader of the rebels, and learns what it truly means to choose a side.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22)
Chapter Nine
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Ione woke to whispers and giggles, slipping through her groggy conscious like a trio of chirping and very annoying birds. She groaned as achiness attacked in the same moment that she lifted a hand to her forehead. Her eyes peeled open slowly, and she found herself staring at a ceiling. It was painted sunlight yellow of all things. And just beyond were half a dozen unfamiliar faces hovering over her.
She blinked and yelped, flailing backwards as she clutched the blankets to her like a lifeline. Her heart thudded in her chest as her magic rose on instinct alone, whipping from her body in an attacking torrent. Only to crash against an invisible barrier.
“Tsk, tsk,” a man clucked. “None of that now.”
Her gaze tracked the voice. And she found a strangely familiar face amongst all the strangers.
“Uncle Kieran!” she blurted, face open with shock. “What are you doing--”
She noticed her surroundings. Several oddly dressed men and women – only one of which she actively recognized – who stared at her as though she were a very valuable commodity.
“--here?” she finished weakly. “Scratch that. What the hell am I doing here?” Her eyes flashed, aether threatening to rise around her once again.
One of the men chuckled, a brunet with a black eyepatch. “I like your pet, Gale. She's a spitfire.” He dragged a hand through his hair.
“She's not a pet, Sabriel. How many times do I have to tell you that?” another voice countered, smooth and very familiar. Ione distinctly remembered it echoing from behind a fox-shaped mask.
“Girlfriend, then,” Sabriel – he of the eyepatch – corrected smugly.
That earned him an embarrassed cough and a few laughs.
Disturbed and aching, Ione looked helplessly to the only face she could easily recognize. “Uncle?”
Chuckling, the black-haired man at her side took one of her hands. “You look confused, my dear niece. Don't worry. No one here will hurt you. I can promise that.” His warm fingers squeezed her cooler ones.
Ione arched an eyebrow, lifting her free hand to touch the back of her head. She allowed the blankets fall back down as she was pretty much dressed anyway. They just acted as a small comfort.
“Why do I have a lump on the back of my head then?”
And no, that wasn’t a whine in her voice. Not at all.
“Ah, that would be me,” Sabriel admitted and sheepishly rubbed the side of his face. “We didn't think you'd come quietly.”
“We?” Ione repeated, eyes narrowing into a hard glare.
“Well, the boss to be more exact,” a second person intruded, and for the first time, Ione actually looked at him.
Pale-blond hair that was nearly a light gold framed the man's face. His vivid green eyes were startling and perhaps the most recognizable thing about him aside from his hair. Or perhaps the strange black scarf around his neck. Ione remembered his voice, and she racked her brain, trying to recall where she had seen him before.
The leader of the rebels is a man named Gale Arlen. Former head of that noble house.
“Gale Arlen?” she guessed aloud, startled that they would allow her so close to their leader.
And that pretty much confirmed that she was in Theravada’s custody. Ione didn't really know enough to decide if that was better than the nobles. Or even smarter. Honestly, allowing an unknown this near to him?
Blinking, the man who was very obviously Gale Arlen, glanced around. He even went so far as to lift up an arm and look beneath his sleeve.
“Where?” he asked.
A rather pretty woman sighed then. “Gale, honey… I don't think she's interested in any of your lame jokes.” She shook her head, long hair whipping around her pleasant face.
Sabriel elbowed the former noble in the side. “Yeah. Last time I checked, pets didn't like to be teased all that much! Or girlfriends for that matter.”
“Sabe!”
It was really too much for Ione, whose head began to throb again. These people were crazy, and she was tired, and it had been a long few weeks, and she'd just about had enough. Her fingers rubbed against her forehead, the ache in her skull growing stronger with each passing second.
Kieran squeezed her hands before rounding on the others. “Alright, the lot of you. Out! Give Ione a chance to breathe before you start your comedy routines!”
A chorus of whining echoed from the half dozen grown men and women, protesting the fact that they couldn't play with their new toy anymore. Kieran rose to his feet and ushered them out the door, all but throwing them through. The only one he allowed to remain was Gale, and he promptly shut the door in the face of the man called Sabriel, passing a hand over it. Ione felt the subtle rise of magic and realized that he must’ve used some sort of barrier to seal it shut. She'd forgotten how very good at that sort of thing her adoptive uncle had been.
Had been because he'd been exiled from Meropis half a decade ago.
Ione didn't know the whole story. It involved something about Kieran and daring to mix science with magic and possibly the use of familiars, too. Kieran wasn't in her immediate family, as he was actually the heir to the House of Azura. But he had always been close to her parents, especially Souya. As a result, Ione could remember him from her childhood. She’d been devastated when he was exiled, and more than a bit pissed at her parents at the same time because they hadn't spoken for him at all.
“Well,” Kieran put in brightly, dusting off his hands as he moved back to the bed. The sunlight briefly glinted off his square-rimmed glasses. “Now that the nuisances are gone, we can actually talk like normal people. Like family,” he added softly, nearly too softly for her to hear.
But she still did.
Ione gave him a small smile as she glanced through her fingers. “Normal? And here I thought I was surrounded by crazies,” she drawled, gaze flickering back towards Gale.
Who merely continued to watch her as though she were some unusual oddity. Like a rare sort of slug or a potted plant that had suddenly sprouted legs and started walking around.
“Something wrong?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
To her amusement, a faint flush stained his cheeks. “We're not crazy,” he said instead. “Just free.”
“Free,” Ione repeated doubtfully. “Right. So tell me again why I'm here. I don’t seem to remember anybody answering that question earlier.”
“It's simple really,” Kieran inserted, plopping back down into the seat beside her with fingers rubbing over his goatee. “We couldn't exactly leave you to the Brigade. And well, it’d be nice if you joined us.”
“Though the boss says it's not required,” Gale was quick to interject, moving to sit in the chair beside her uncle. He was all lean arms and legs, Ione noticed, though each movement was inherently graceful. Effortless.
Ione blinked. “I thought you were the leader,” she put in with confusion. “And why are you here, Uncle?”
“Where else would I go?” A fire gleamed in Kieran’s grey-green eyes. “The Azura couldn't defy all of Meropis. Besides A-- I mean, the boss asked me to stay.”
There was something in his tone that made Ione suspicious.
Just who was leading this place anyway? They were all a bunch of nutcases, her uncle included. He'd always been an odd one. After all, he liked Souya. And if that wasn’t crazy, she didn’t know what was.
“And now he wants me to stay, too.” Ione couldn’t keep the almost sarcasm from her tone. Just humor the crazies until she could leave.
“Well, you are pretty special,” Gale commented, eyes flicking away for a minute as he nibbled on his lip.
“Special?” she repeated with a dubious lilt.
Her head still ached. She wanted to sleep. They were throwing randomness at her. Ione felt like she’d wandered into some foreign country where everyone spoke a different language and all the customs were opposite of what she had always known.
These people were the ones who kept defeating the Brigade? It seemed impossible to believe. Or maybe the insanity gave them special powers.
As if to further complicate the situation, the shutters beyond the window gave a sudden rattle. Kieran leapt to his feet to throw aside the gauzy curtains. He fumbled briefly with the small latch before the shutters swung open to admit bright sunlight and the fresh scent of the forest. Ione inhaled it deeply, even as Kieran exclaimed in a voice that better resembled a little girl's squeal of glee and reached decibels previously unknown to man. Any man. Though not to woman.
“Gwydion!”
Ione watched as an owl, just a tiny puff of feathers really, fluttered in through the open window. Only to be snatched midair by Kieran's hand. He cradled her carefully, rubbing his cheek against the softness of her downy feathers. And if an owl had the facial expression of a human, Ione imagined it would show long-suffering as it – she, Ione realized – patiently endured Kieran's embrace.
“Where were you?” Kieran asked – no, cooed more like.
It was rather embarrassing for Ione to witness. It must’ve been for Gale too because he coughed into his hand, watching Kieran sidelong and slowly moving away.
The owl gave a breathy, feminine sigh. “She was wandering around looking frantic. Someone had to show her the way.”
“Who?” Gale questioned.
But Ione had already found the answer. The black and gold butterfly who trailed in after Gwydion at a much more sedate pace and immediately fluttered to Ione's side. Aponi landed eagerly on her ear, a sense of panic and relief running through her aether.
“You left me behind again!” the monarch chastised.
Ione lifted a finger warningly. “Bite me and see what happens,” she muttered, ear twitching as if in remembrance.
Gale titled his head like a mongoose pressed with a math problem. “Butterflies can bite? Do they even have mouths?”
“I'm special,” Aponi replied smugly. “Besides, I wasn't going to bite you this time. You told me not to, and I keep my promises,” she added in a sulky tone.
“For Kaiyu's sake, Kieran, let me breathe,” Gwydion suddenly shouted, breaking free from his hold and retreating to the safety of his shoulder. “I was only gone an hour!”
“It seemed like forever,” the man complained like a child left behind. He even pouted, an expression that prompted a chuckle on Ione's part.
No, her uncle hadn't changed at all. Not one bit.
Feathers ruffling, Gwydion cocked her head in that odd manner all owls seemed to have, and her pale yellow eyes focused on Ione. Gwydion was a tiny thing, barely ten inches if Ione had to give it a guess. And she was rather adorable. Ione couldn't blame Kieran for wanting to cuddle. Her own fingers had the strangest urge to pet.
Until Aponi stirred on her ear, tiny insect feet gripping tightly and reminding Ione of her presence. Almost as if she were jealous of the attention Ione paid to the small bird.
“Aponi was right,” Gwydion continued, voice holding great strength. More than her small body should hold. “Your magic is quite interesting. Fascinating.”
“And that's why the two of you get along so well,” Gale commented as Kieran dragged a finger down Gwydion's back, stroking her feathers. “You're both obsessed with words like ‘fascinating’ and ‘interesting’ and ‘wow, how can I get that to blow up and make a mess?’”
A look of affront briefly crossed Kieran's face. “That's not true,” he denied with a hand flattening against his chest. “I've only destroyed my lab once this week, and it wasn't my fault at all. A-- I mean, the boss distracted me.”
Gale lifted both brows, wagging them strangely. “Distracted, huh? I don't suppose that has anything to do with the reason the boss was ridiculously happy at dinner? Hmmmm?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Kieran had a shifty-eyed look on his face as he turned his head away, refusing to meet Gale's gaze.
“Um, excuse me?” Ione interjected and lifted a hand into the air. She left it hanging and pointed a finger down at herself. “Confused person with a head injury here, still desperately seeking answers if someone would be kind enough to give them.”
The two men looked at her, as if finally remembering her presence. And Kieran chuckled a bit nervously.
“You're more like your mother than you know, Ione,” he said, one finger pushing up the bridge of his glasses as he leaned back in his seat. “So impatient.”
“More like perturbed,” Ione corrected. “Why am I special? Why did you help me? What happened to the villagers? And Antoinette? And where’s Fenris? And--”
Kieran held up a hand, cutting off her stream with a laugh. “One at a time, my dear. And don't worry, Antoinette and the others are fine. Some joined us, and others moved to the surrounding villages. As far as Grayshire is considered, Roublesville was completely abandoned.”
“And we helped you because the boss wanted us to,” Gale added, something earnest in his vivid eyes. His gaze fell on her ear and focused on Aponi's presence. “It's rare for anyone to bond with two spirits like you have.”
Ione bit her lip at that. “I... have?” She was pretty sure she would remember if she'd made a bond to another spirit.
A hand gestured to her ear. “Yes, ma'am. That lovely gold and black creature adorning your ear is a spirit, isn't she?” Gale grinned at her expression.
“But I haven't made a pact.”
Or at least, she didn't remember making one. She certainly hadn't traded anything valuable to Aponi. Not like she had with Fenris.
“You haven't?”
Gale was very obviously surprised, and even Kieran gave a hum of curiosity.
“That's... interesting. She's pretty devoted.”
“Seems a bit lonely, too,” Gale's tunic added.
Ione blinked. Oh, no. Insanity was contagious. Or genetic. Souya and all. And she’d finally caught it. Or maybe that was just the head wound talking. And…And was that a serpentine head popping out from under the collar of Gale's shirt?
Reality asserted itself as she realized what the black coil around Gale's neck actually was. Ione had thought it a fancy scarf, but as the slitted eyes and forked tongue shifted into view, each scale gleaming in the morning light, she understood it for its true form.
She stared. And stared. Unable to fathom why anyone would wear a snake as a necklace.
“There's... a snake around your neck,” she commented with such intelligence that they
should be dazzled.
Gale chuckled. He was seemingly unperturbed by the reptile curled across his collar, head lifting to regard Ione with something like interest. Forked tongue tasting the air.
“And you're stating the obvious.”
“That happens from time to time,” Ione muttered, still staring at the serpent.
She – or possibly a he – was a pretty thing. Glossy black, so dark that each play of light seemed like a winking jewel. She? He? Best resembled a water snake, reddish crescents decorating the underbelly.
Gale lifted a hand, rubbing the tip of his finger over the snake's head. “This is Quetz,” he introduced. “She likes body heat.”
“I see,” Ione put in. “She's your familiar?”
“One of them, yes.” There was fondness in his tone as Quetz slid against him, lazy like a lizard sunning on warm rocks.
One of them?
“You have another?” Ione poised with an added note like she wasn’t quite certain she’d heard that right.
“Inari’s with Fenris right now,” Gale replied. “She was the first, until I met this lovely lady right here.” He ran a finger down her back in a caress.
The sound that Quetz made better resembled a sigh, if such a thing were possible. “Oh, my dearest wind, you compliment me so. A girl might get embarrassed over it.”
How a serpent managed to turn and gaze at him with nothing but love was beyond Ione. But that was exactly what she saw. Apparently, Gale had a way with the ladies. At least, if she judged by the fact that he had two females firmly attached to him.
Kieran stirred. “It's very rare for someone to form a bond with two spirits. But even if you hadn't met Aponi, the boss would’ve taken you in on principle alone, my sweet girl. You are my beautiful niece after all. Family’s important.” He leaned in to grin at her affectionately. “You're welcome to stay. Forever even. We don’t mind at all.”
Quetz turned away from Gale long enough to give him a look. “And no, that didn’t sound creepy at all,” she stated sardonically. “Didn’t you say that you were her uncle? Since that certainly sounded like a proposition to me.”
Gale snorted. But Kieran ignored them both.
“We’re just so happy to have you here, Ione.” He all but beamed at her with the brightness of a thousand suns. “So welcome!”
“Okay…”
Ione edged back from the crazy guy and glanced pointedly at the stark emptiness of her current residence. Obviously, the room didn't belong to anyone as it was devoid of decoration and furniture save the bed and chairs.
“Completely welcome to be confined to quarters, you mean?” she accused.
Kieran shook his head. “That's hardly the proper behavior to win you to our side, now is it?” He chuckled, scratching fingers over his goatee again; she’d forgotten how often he did that. “You're free to walk around anywhere inside Paragon. And if you want to leave, we'll happily take you somewhere beyond our walls.”
Though she’d always loved her uncle dearly, Ione couldn't help but be suspicious. Kieran might be out for her best interest, but he was also working with rebels who weren't exactly bundles of good will and faith. They’d been friendly so far, but Ione was – or had been – a member of the Brigade. She'd brought a good many of them into custody before and defeated even more. She couldn't imagine that she was well-liked among the Theravada. Regardless of whomever she called family.
Kieran exchanged a glance with Gale. The two of them had some inaudible conversation before he patted Ione's hand.
“Think about it. No need to rush.” He rose to his feet, Gale doing the same.
“Just stick your head out the door and shout,” the blond added, looking rather reluctant to leave. “Someone passing by should help you.”
Ione nodded, unable to do much else. Too many things were happening at once for her to absorb them all. Too many revelations that shattered her previous notions.
The two left, finally giving her some breathing room. Ione sighed and sank back against the headboard. Her mana made her restless.
“I think you should trust them,” Aponi suggested. Her wings fluttered against Ione's ear in a tickling motion. “What do you have to lose?”
“You mean, what haven't I already lost?” Ione muttered in return and raked a hand through her loose hair. It was stringy and in desperate need of a good washing, just like herself. “I’ve a complete lack of options here.”
She reached for the covers and threw them back, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her boots had been removed. And someone – hopefully no one embarrassing – had changed her into a cotton sleeping dress similar to what the commoners were fond of wearing. Well, she supposed it was kind of them to strip her out of her soaked clothing. The fact that some stranger – or worse, her uncle – had seen her naked was disturbing.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, Ione wandered to the window, curious to the view beyond the shutters. She folded her arms on the sill and glanced out, eyes widening in surprise. She saw a sea of color that stretched as far as she could see. Verdant green with the occasional batch of bright orange and red, a mixture of browns. The colors of autumn. Some of the trees were taller than the others, standing like proud soldiers amid a stalwart infantry. A few hills jutted out from the landscape, covered in flora and piles of boulders. And beyond it all, the sun rose like a glowing ball of yellow fire, immeasurably bright in the morning hours.
Ione leaned out the window, gaping at the sight of etched stone to either side of her. She was in a mountain, had to be! How had the Brigade missed this? Scratch that. How had Ione not noticed such a large thing?
“We're very high,” Aponi inserted. “The air is so pure here. Light. Like spun silk.”
Ione hummed in agreement, some of the tensions in her shoulders easing as she drew in several deep breaths. If she looked closely enough, she could even see some of the smaller villages through gaps in the large trees. There was really only one land mark in all of Talemar that held this much height: the Whistling Cliffs.
But that was silly, wasn’t it? Wouldn’t someone have noticed the windows on the cliff face before? Unless they were under some type of illusion, which begged the question of who had originally put it there?
“Do you really believe the humans in Grayshire are in the right?” Aponi’s voice cut into her thoughts.
Ione tilted her head, fingers drawing symbols on the windowsill. “It's not so much that I believe they're right, or that the rebels are wrong, as I was protecting something.”
“What are you protecting now?” Aponi questioned, alighting from Ione's ear with a puff of wind against her neck.
“You want me to fight with the Theravada? To switch sides and betray everyone in more than just accusation?”
“That's your choice to make, but from our point of view, we prefer the rebels,” Aponi informed her, surprising Ione with her admission because Fenris had never said as much to her. “Besides, you're the one who told me there is no such thing as sides to you. It is all about protecting what matters. You're an outlaw if you fight with Gale and Kieran or not.”
Ione frowned, Aponi's words ringing of undeniable truth. But her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding her that her last meal had been dinner the night before the Brigade attacked Roublesville. However long ago that was. Possibly hours. Probably at least a day.
Hunger and a desire to be clean forced Ione to pull the shutters shut and consider leaving the safety of her borrowed room. She doubted anyone was going to hurt her, but still, it always paid to be careful. Pulling her nightgown around her – and where the hell were her clothes? – Ione headed for the door as Aponi resettled on her ear.
The floor was made of stone, Ione belatedly noticed as she walked to the door and stuck her head out. Further proving her belief that she was within the cliffs. How had no one had realized that the rebels were hiding right under their noses, in the forest's most notable landmark? Perhaps Kieran had something to do with that.
“You must be Ione.”
She jumped about ten feet in the air and whipped her head around to catch sight of a brightly dressed older woman. Who watched her reaction with evident amusement. She was in various colorful fabrics, and her painted lips were drawn into a wide and nearly blinding smile.
Ione straightened immediately and let the door fall far open. “I'm guessing there isn't a single person here who doesn't know me.”
“There might be a few,” the woman countered with good cheer. She stuck out a hand, fingernails painted the same scarlet shade as her lips. “I'm Talya. And that little curious one is Kalulu.”
Grasping hands, Ione glanced down to find that a white rabbit was sniffing curiously at her feet. Ione wiggled her tones and watched as the small creature bounded back towards Talya, hiding behind the folds of her skirt.
“Does everyone here have a familiar?” Ione had only partially intended to say that aloud.
Talya shrugged. “More or less. It's not a requirement. But it is one of the reasons we've all gathered together.”
“One of them?” Ione was beginning to feel like an actress in play who had lost the script.
“Everyone's story is different,” Talya clarified and offered her another smile, this one more of grin than anything. The cat who had not only found and caught the canary but had taken time while eating.
She was far too happy, Ione decided then. Almost perky.
Talya tilted her head as if privy to that thought. “So you were peeking out into the hallway because...?”
“I was hoping for a bath or something. Somebody's random tidal wave nearly drowned me.” Ione flushed, tugging at her gown as her stomach growled demonstratively.
Talya laughed and gestured for her to follow along. “That would’ve been Gale's handiwork. He's quite proud of it. How wide and big it was. You know how men are about the size of things.”
Ione stared at her, surprised that Talya was willing to so freely give up information like that. Didn't they have any worries? Did they not even consider the possibility that someone might be there to destroy them?
“Why are you being so friendly to me?” Ione inquired as they moved down the hallway, passing by a few nameless faces who greeted them but didn't stop to chat. “Don't you even have an ounce of concern for yourselves? Aren't you suspicious at all?”
“Concern?” Talya swept a handful of mini-braids over one shoulder, a design that must have taken hours for some unlucky person to weave into her hair.
“I could be an infiltrator or something. You never know,” Ione pointed out, bare feet slapping against the stone that was worn smooth either magically or with passing time.
Though last she recalled the Whistling Cliffs weren't exactly hollow. When the hell had that happened?
Talya suddenly stopped, forcing Ione to cease walking as well. Her dark gaze pinned Ione firmly.
“Are you?” she asked, tone light but something glinting dangerously in her eyes.
Resisting the urge to retreat, Ione stood her ground. “No.”
“Then no worries.” The other woman's lips drew into a broad smile.
“But I could be,” Ione countered, just to be contrary. She wasn't fond of being intimidated. It annoyed her that she’d faltered, even if briefly.
Talya chuckled, as though Ione's words couldn't have been construed as a threat.
“But you're not. You said so yourself.”
“You'll trust my word alone?”
“If men – or women in our case – don't have our words, our honor, what do we have?” Talya tilted her head to the side. She folded her arms over her ample bosom, reminiscent of Vivienne. “Besides, we’ve a way of dealing with traitors. The boss is pretty good at sniffing them out.”
Ione gaped. “You're crazy. The entire lot of you are.”
Laughing, Talya gestured broadly. “If Grayshire is the definition of sanity, then I’d prefer to be mad.” She inclined her head towards the door behind Ione. “Enjoy your bath. I'll search out some clothes for you. Though I doubt Gale would mind if you walked around in that.”
The last was said teasingly. And Talya gave a wink before she was gone, humming under her breath as she wandered down the hallway. Leaving Ione to gawk after her in utter disbelief.
“She's funny. I like her,” Aponi said then, reminding Ione of her presence.
In all honesty, she’d forgotten about the butterfly's particular perch.
Ione didn't think she could share Aponi's sentiment. Something about Talya rubbed her the wrong way. She was too… cheerful. Peppy. Like Ophelia if she’d swallowed sunlight and had it shine out her ass.
And wasn’t that a scary thought?
Sighing, Ione pushed her way into the baths. First, to get clean. And hopefully food would come just after that.
a/n: More chapters to come! More questions to have answered! I do hope you enjoyed and feedback would be wonderful.