FictionPress.com - let the words flow
| FictionPress.com - let the words flow |
|
| Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search | Login Register Extras |
I know. I fail. I’ll try to update more quickly next time, but no promises.
Chapter Ten
Im watched in silence, utter, unshakeable silence, as Luther stroked Noah’s hair, his face revealing his fear and worry and, surprising though Im found it, his anger. It was strange to see such an emotion on Luther’s face - anger was her forte. Luther was meant to be calming her down, convincing her that following every impulse created by her temper was a bad idea. But there, filling his eyes and the stern set of his mouth, was a wild sort of fury that was almost frightening.
There was a shuffling sound to her right and Im glanced over to catch Rune adjusting in his seat, one of three chairs they’d brought in from the kitchen table. She wasn’t sure why it surprised her, except that it always seemed strange when the inhuman Guardians did something so completely human. Rune glanced over and caught her gaze, a question in his own lavender eyes that seemed strangely weary. Im forced a grin and turned her attention back to the bed where Noah lay. Luther was still stroking his hair from his own seat beside the bed, and Im almost made some teasing comment about it before she caught herself. Luther probably didn’t even realize he was doing it and Im wasn’t going to jeopardize his growing willingness to show some less than platonic attention to Noah.
“Has his condition changed?” Cadence’s words seemed to fill the air before she even appeared in Luther’s fairly small bedroom, an unfamiliar Guardian appearing next to her a few seconds later. Luther immediately pulled his hands from Noah and stood, stiff and formal, to face them.
“No. He is still unconscious, but it seems a peaceful sleep.” Luther appeared unfazed by the presence of this new Guardian, though Imogen was feeling a bit overwhelmed, what with the recent encounter with a Litha - her very first time actually meeting one of them - the curse on Noah, and now the sudden influx of Guardians.
“Good. This is Patrick, a healer. Patrick, this is Luther and Imogen, the First and the Third, and that is Noah, the Second.” Cadence’s voice held a slight note of boredom in the practiced, formal tone she’d used when reciting the rules for training at Imogen their first training session.
“Hello,” Patrick greeted with a brief nod. Of all the Guardians she’d met, he was the least otherworldly. His hair was a mass of bright, wild red curls and his eyes a clear, alarming shade of aqua, bringing to mind every beautiful tropical beach Im had wished to visit in her younger days but never had the chance to. He was a good deal taller than Imogen and Rune, but still moved with that odd, slightly unnatural grace inherent in the Guardians.
Luther stepped out of the way and let Patrick take his vacated seat, moving to stand beside Im’s chair. She quickly stood too and attempted to peer around the trio of Guardians surrounding Noah’s bed, but could catch only glimpses of Patrick’s movements - which, from those glimpses, seemed to be few. Mostly, as far as Im could tell, he was running his hands over Noah’s forehead and chest, emitting the same strange, trembling feeling that had hit her when Luther had stopped Noah’s spasms earlier. She sighed quietly when Luther fell suddenly against the wall, his eyes never leaving the bed, despite the fact that all he could see were the backs of the Guardians.
Rolling her eyes and feeling rather stupid, Im reached out and took Luther’s hand, unsurprised when his grip tightened until it was just short of painful. She remembered suddenly, inexplicably, standing at her mother’s bedside with her father, marveling at the size of his hand as it wrapped around hers. She’s been shocked by his tears, young as she as, and had realized just how serious it was as she watched them fall down his cheeks.
“He’s fine,” Patrick announced cheerfully as he turned around to face them. “Just sleeping off Rune’s air.”
“Sleeping off air?” Im echoed quietly, but Luther was already back in his old seat, his relief apparent in his eyes, momentarily drowning out his anger. Im sighed again and folded her arms over her chest, wondering if she should return to her chair or remain standing. She watched the small, oddly tender smile that took Luther’s features as he stared down at Noah and found her eyes suddenly staring fiercely at the ground.
“It’s an aspect of air, being able to put others to sleep.” Im’s head jerked up to see Rune had taken Luther’s spot against the wall beside her, regarding her with strangely solemn violet eyes. “It only works on those who are susceptible to it, and of course the length of time it lasts depends on the power of the wielder, but I’ve found use for it quite often.”
“How did it help Noah, though? Him being asleep doesn’t change the fact that he almost died.”
“No,” Rune agreed quietly, “but the nature of the sleep keeps it free of dreams, essentially stopping, or at least controlling, all thought so that the sleeper cannot remember how he came to be sleeping.”
“So while he was sleeping, he didn’t hurt?” Rune nodded, gaze drifting back to Luther and Noah, and then to the corner where Patrick and Cadence were conversing in hushed tones.
“It was lucky Luther and I were there,” he murmured quietly. “It was a powerful curse on Noah; Cadence and I couldn’t even sense it.”
“So if you couldn’t sense that curse, who’s to say there aren’t more of them on him that you can’t sense?” Im folded her arms over her stomach, feeling cold suddenly. Rune’s eyes, when he looked over at her, seemed to smile gently.
“I believe Patrick would have detected such a thing. However, to be safe, we’ll bring Noah to our expert on Litha curses.” Cadence’s head jerked around to face them, her eyes surprised and just a little angry.
“She’s part of the Council,” Cadence said sharply. Before Rune could respond, Patrick laid a hand on her shoulder, eyes glinting with amusement.
“So are you,” he said in a laughing tone that made Im smile involuntarily before she caught herself and frowned instead. “And besides, did you really think you could hide something like this from them?”
“I suppose not,” Cadence muttered sulkily. “But I still don’t like her.”
“Cadence,” Rune murmured warningly, with a telling glance at Luther, who appeared to be ignoring them in favor of gazing blankly at Noah’s face. But Im knew it was just a façade, as his shoulders were held stiffly still, and his left hand clutched a handful of the blanket covering Noah just a little too tightly.
“No one likes her,” Cadence said defensively.
“Who?” The question blurted out from Im’s mouth as though it couldn’t stand to be contained any longer. Rune folded his hands together in a precise sort of way, as though it took much concentration, and Cadence snorted and looked away.
“Roxanne,” Luther answered quietly in the following silence. “My mother.”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite explain his terror. He knew it had something to do with the fact that this was Luther’s house he was gaping at in awe, but beyond that realization things were rather hazy. He suspected (hoped) it had something to do with the lingering effect of the curse making his brain feel fuzzy and not a sudden, ridiculous fear of meeting Luther’s mother. They weren’t dating or anything, for God’s sake. All he’d done was plant a quick, perfectly chaste kiss….
Noah abruptly cut off that line of thinking and resolutely followed Rune up the staircase to double doors made of some heavy, dark wood. He could practically feel Luther’s presence behind him, but couldn’t work up the courage to turn around and face him. He’d never really cared much for impressing other people, even potential dates, but somehow Luther was different. Everything was fine when Luther was just an attractive, slightly arrogant and adorably vain man living in a shabby but well-kept apartment. Somehow, though, things changed when Luther was an attractive, slightly arrogant and adorably vain man who’d grown up in a mansion that could rival a royal estate.
Noah shook his head forcefully, as though that would chase away his ridiculous thoughts, and stood up a little straighter. He liked Luther, despite all of the strange and sometimes frightening circumstances surrounding their relationship, and he wasn’t going to let such a stupid lack of confidence stand in his way of pursuing the man.
“Roxanne may seem a bit…eccentric, at first,” Rune said in a quiet voice. Luther snorted somewhere behind him and Noah had to glance back.
Luther was standing stiffly, regarding the stairs beneath him with a bitter scowl, his arms folded tightly over his chest. As though sensing Noah’s gaze, he looked up and Noah found himself smiling helplessly. Luther looked flustered for a minute before returning his smile with a determined manner that made Noah break into a full-fledged grin.
Luther stepped in front of Noah and, with a rather loud and dramatic sigh, lifted a bulky silver knocker and let it slam down rather more loudly than strictly necessary. Noah chewed haplessly on his lower lip, feeling a little shaky. He started to lean casually against a pillar, hoping no one would notice and worry, but Im slid up next to him and linked her arm with his before he could. She smiled at him and it wasn’t quite as predatory as most of the smiles she aimed at him.
“We’re both going to need some support in there, facing Roxanne,” Im almost whispered. Luther turned to glare at her but before he could berate her (as the stern set of his lips told Noah he wished to do), the door creaked open and the woman standing behind it drew the attention of all.
She was beautiful. There was really no other word Noah could think of to describe her. Her hair was pure gold, falling down her back in slight waves that almost seemed to flow. Her eyes were so clear, it seemed as though Noah should be able to dive right into them. Her skin had that same ethereal glow that he’d noticed on Cadence and Rune and she wore a thin pale blue dress that revealed a good deal more of her than Noah was capable of appreciating.
“Hello,” she murmured, eyeing them speculatively. Noah didn’t know if it was merely because she was a Guardian that she seemed so stoic and completely unsurprised, as though she’d been expecting them, or if she was just naturally sophisticated.
“Hello, Roxanne.” Rune stepped forward when it was apparent Luther wasn’t going to speak. “This is Noah Rye. The Second.”
“Ah.” Roxanne turned her gaze on him and Noah nearly shuddered. While it had been utterly strange to see the empty faces of Cadence and Rune, he’d at least sensed some emotion in their eyes. But Roxanne…her eyes were cold, either hiding any emotion or completely lacking it.
“He was cursed by Gabriel today. Patrick checked him over, but we wanted to be sure everything was all right.” Roxanne sighed softly and stepped back, puling the door open and waving them in. Her eyes seemed to burn holes through his skin as Noah passed her by, and he glad for Im’s arm, still linked with his, as he followed Luther.
Noah tried not to gawk at his surroundings. There was nothing particularly abnormal in the house, though he’d half-expected shrunken skulls and symbols scrawled in blood from the Guardian. The walls were covered in large paintings and intricately carved mirrors, benches and small tables filled with bulky candles and flawless figurines. It was just that it all looked so expensive. Noah was afraid to touch anything.
Luther led them into a large room with one wall practically completely covered with windows. There were two small, cream-colored couches and four matching chairs gathered around an unlit fireplace. Noah, keeping a firm grip on Imogen’s arm, made a beeline for the nearest couch.
“Have a seat,” Luther murmured, a small smile on his face, as he took the chair next to Noah and Im’s couch. Cadence sprawled out on the other couch, ignoring Rune’s soft, disapproving murmur as she tucked her arms behind her head and closed her eyes.
“Luther,” Roxanne said in a quiet but sharp voice. Luther glared at her for a second before straightening up in his chair and focusing his eyes on the wall behind Noah and Imogen.
“Would anyone care for some refreshments?” he asked stiffly.
“No, thank you,” Rune said in a gentle voice. Cadence snorted.
“Well, then,” Roxanne said before anyone else could speak. “Tell me more about what happened with this curse.”
“We’re assuming Gabriel placed it during one of his three meetings with Noah, probably the latest one. He didn’t spend much time alone with Noah, and Noah didn’t notice anything unusual during that time, but he’s never been trained to guard himself against such attacks. It would have been all too easy for Gabriel to plant his curse.” Rune sounded like he was giving a report to a commander, his voice lacking the gentle concern Noah had already grown accustomed to.
“I see.” Two words, all Roxanne murmured from darkly painted lips, and yet they held in them such meaning. Noah couldn’t guess what they were meant to convey, but he knew it was far from complimentary.
“The hell you do,” Cadence growled softly from her couch, though she didn’t open her eyes. Roxanne ignored her.
“I’ll have to have a look at the Second,” she said briskly, turning her cold gaze on Noah. He couldn’t help shuddering, which he was certain served only to amuse her even if no sign of it showed on her face.
“Kneel at her feet, Noah. It won’t hurt, she’s merely going to perform a gentle search, to see if any more curses are lingering beyond our perception. It might feel a little odd, but there will be no pain.” Noah felt a bit like a child now that he realized Rune’s gentle tone had been for his benefit, and quickly followed orders, hoping none of his fear showed on his face.
Roxanne didn’t speak as she placed cold hands on each of Noah’s temples and shut her eyes. For a few seconds, Noah felt nothing. Then, suddenly, there was a strange pressure in his body, as though it wanted to expand beyond the limitations of skin and bones but couldn’t quite manage it. It was uncomfortable but, as Rune had reassured him, completely painless.
When Roxanne finally released him, Noah quickly scurried back to his seat beside Im, grateful when she pressed her hand back into his.
“No curses,” Roxanne announced brusquely, brushing her skirt in a strangely deliberate manner. “But there was a block on him. An old one, too. Likely of the third class. By now, merely flexing the gift enough should dissolve it.”
“A block?” Noah jumped at Im’s voice and she absently gave his hand a squeeze.
“Yes,” Rune said softly. “They are really only effective when placed on the young and unguarded. They were originally invented so that Guardians could give their children normal lives, if they so desired, though they haven’t been used for that purpose in a very long time. Blocking is almost completely extinct now, although the Litha occasionally use it against our younger members.”
“Without them even knowing it?” Im asked, and beneath her curiosity Noah sensed a hopeful note.
“Yes,” Rune agreed. “I’m sure Roxanne would be willing to check over you.”
“Imogen does not have a block on her,” Roxanne said sharply. “She simply needs better teaching.”
“Cadence,” Rune said, rather loudly as his sister started to rise. “Would you please go outside with the Three while I have a talk with Roxanne. I believe Noah could use the fresh air, but I’d rather not leave him alone after his ordeal.”
Cadence didn’t reply verbally. Instead, she stomped out of the room, leaving Luther to usher Noah and Im after her. He closed the double doors behind him without a word for his mother and led the way out.
“Luther?” Noah murmured when they reached the front doors. Luther glanced back at him, his face nearly as empty as a Guardian’s. For a moment, Noah could only stare at him. He couldn’t imagine it, being raised in such a grand house with a mother who never smiled or laughed or even frowned. Perhaps Noah hadn’t had a happy childhood, but at least he’d heard laughter.
“Yes?” Luther prompted when Noah was silent too long.
“May I use the restroom?” Luther’s smile was small and fleeting, but it made everything seem more bearable.
There was no dust on the furniture, no sign of disuse under Roxanne’s strict keeping, but it still had a lonely feeling about it. Luther couldn’t even look at his old bed without remembering the times it had been occupied by two. He’d allowed his anger and his humiliation over Gabriel’s betrayal to consume his memories, but he’d forgotten the deep grief he’d felt, still lurking in his mind. Being back here brought back all of the old memories, even those he’d fought so hard to suppress.
There, by the window, he’d first tasted Gabriel’s kiss, soft and unexpected but the most beautiful thing Luther had ever experienced. He had gone to sleep that night, after Gabriel left, with his fingers pressed against his lips, as though he could contain that feeling forever. It was impossible to look back at that night without feeling an ache in his heart for his own pitiful innocence. How quickly he’d fallen into Gabriel’s arms. How quickly he’d become so thoroughly enchanted with the man that he’d willingly, eagerly, given him the power to utterly destroy Luther with just a word.
So many nights in this room. It echoed back to him the laughter and the sobs, the sharp voice of his mother’s reprimands and the catching enthusiasm of Gabriel’s impassioned speeches. He hated to remember these times, the days he naively believed in things like love and redemption. He’d been so certain that merely by loving Gabriel he could cure him. By defying his mother and his own lingering fear that his own feelings were unnatural, he would prove his devotion. He’d thought, he’d known, it was enough. It should have been enough.
Luther gritted his teeth, willing away the tears as he heard the sink turn off in the bathroom. A few seconds in his room, nothing more, and he could already feel all the insecurities of his past converging back on him. He straightened his shoulders and folded his arms over his chest as Noah walked out of the bathroom.
“Ready to leave?” he asked, proud of his steady voice. Noah smiled and nodded and Luther struggled to forget a different kiss that had happened only that evening.
“I doubt if anyone sane would hide here.” Rune held out a hand for silence and ignored his sister’s remark. She’d never really cared for Marcus, and so was reluctant to investigate a place merely on his word. But Rune knew she only disliked his friend because he hadn’t been interested in returning her flirtations, and so he forgave her doubts, knowing they stemmed from her wounded pride.
He heard a quiet noise, a soft scuffling somewhere beyond the room they stood in. It was difficult to tell by only the dim light of a moon hidden behind clouds, but he thought they were in what had once been a dining room. He slowly led the way forward, then decided to disregard his own order for silence. If anyone was in the building, they’d certainly announced their presence already between the crunching leaves and Cadence’s words.
“Eric,” he called, though his voice was still fairly quiet. Cadence muttered something under her breath which he determinedly ignored. “Eric!”
“Rune?” The voice that answered was soft and surprised, and Rune couldn’t recognize it other than knowing it didn’t belong to Eric.
“Yes,” he called. “It’s Rune and Cadence.”
The figure that stepped out into the shaft of moonlight falling from a broken window above was still beautiful, in a tragic, fragile sort of way, despite her haggard appearance. Through the dirt and blood staining her face her pure onyx eyes still shone brightly, and she moved with a fluid grace that surpassed the norm even for the Guardians.
“Solace,” he whispered and she ran to him, her shoulders shaking as she clutched at him.
“Oh Rune, I’m so glad you’re here! Eric’s fading so quickly, and no one knows how to stop it. Marcus has been here a dozen times already, but nothing he does seems to help.” Solace stepped back and Rune was alarmed to see how weak she looked, how even now fresh tears fell to cover dried ones.
“Hush, love,” he murmured soothingly. “No more crying. Take us to Eric.”
Solace visibly steeled herself, her eyes dimming as the threat of tears faded. They’d been friends for a long time, almost from the beginning, and it made him feel nauseous to see her so distraught. He took her arm, giving Cadence a warning glance to keep her silent, and allowed Solace to lead him onward.
She took them to a room in the back of the house, where the widows were boarded up and an old cot lay in the far corner. There was a small fireplace next to it, likely lit through Solace’s gift, but otherwise the room was dark. Solace led Rune all the way to Eric’s bedside, and he could feel her trembling as she looked down at her cousin and then away. Rune wished he could do the same.
Eric was abnormally pale, with large bruises around his eyes and his bones protruding too much from his skin. He didn’t have to ask what had caused it, as the effects of the Wasting Curse were well known to every Guardian in existence. Only the very powerful could master it, and it took three Guardians to do it. There was no cure.
“Eric.” Rune could say little more at the sight of the once vibrant Guardian.
“He’s not woken for three days now.” There was a bitter note to Solace’s voice now and Rune flinched at it. “The fucking Council will pay for this Rune, I swear it! As soon as…”
“Solace,” he cut in when her voice broke. “You don’t know that it was the Council that did this. It may have been the Litha.”
“It was the Council!” she shrieked. “Don’t even pretend you believe otherwise! They’re so fucking obsessed with power that they don’t even care how many lives are lost if only they can have more power! As soon as this is over, they’re dead, Rune! Dead!”
“Cadence and I are on the Council, Solace. Do you mean to destroy us as well?” Rune struggled to keep his voice calm. Whatever fury he felt on Eric’s behalf had to be suppressed for the sake of maintaining at least a fraction of hope for his cause.
“I know you weren’t part of it,” Solace snarled, deflating a little. “It was that psychotic bitch Amelia and her lapdogs. I won’t stand for it anymore, Rune. The Guardians are meant to be protectors, the ones who look after the Three. We should be working against the Litha, not fighting out way to powerful positions whatever the cost.”
“Do you forget with whom you’re speaking?” Rune asked softly and Solace closed her eyes, one fresh tear leaking out.
“No, of course not. I know you and Cadence have every reason to desire a Council that isn’t corrupt. I just…I can’t believe they’ve done this to him. He did nothing wrong, Rune. They just feared he would influence this Three against them, all because of the foolish things my aunt did. But Eric isn’t like her. He never was. He barely even knew her. He was only a small child when she died, for Heaven’s sake. How can the blame that on him?”
“I’m sorry, Solace. I wish could explain it to you, but I don’t understand it myself. But I know that seeking revenge, no matter how horribly they’ve wronged you, will solve nothing right now. The Litha are growing stronger already. Gabriel placed a curse on the Second that almost killed him. If we allow any rift to grow among us, we will never be strong enough to stop the Litha.”
“I know,” Solace murmured, though Rune rather doubted that she did.
As they left the house and entered the moonlit street, he looked to Cadence. His sister shrugged and glanced back at the silent house.
“Someone needs to keep an eye on her,” she said.
“Agreed.” Cadence sighed and patted his back.
“I’ll speak to Marcus about it,” she said, pausing with a smile in her eyes, but he didn’t protest. “You can go check on the children.”
“What a wit my sister is,” Rune said, laughter in his voice. Cadence kissed his cheek before disappearing. Rune closed his eyes and allowed himself, just for a moment, to wish for the true, ringing laughter of their childhood.