63- A Game of Risks

With Quayleigh on the elevator, Tau returned to the apartment, where his two elder brothers sat in silence, sipping on their drinks. Kyffin, who didn't seem the type for small-talk, and Caoimhín, who, more or less, admitted to hating Dylan, made for a very unusual atmosphere.

Returning to his previous spot, Tau picked up his mug and took a drink while reclining on the couch. He already missed the warmth of Quayleigh against him and pondered over what possessed him to stay.

"Is this one of yours?" Kyffin questioned as he pointed towards the photo album on the table.

"It's from our parent's anniversary. We found it on the bottom of that box."

"Come to think of it, where is all your work?" Caoimhín asked as he set down his mug and began to look around the condo.

"He's right. All of your photographs have been removed," Kyffin added as he glared at Tau.

There was something off-putting about the way he shifted his jaw that made Tau suspicious of him.

"I haven't altered anything. It is as it was the first time, I remember seeing it. All that was done, was a thorough cleaning. A necessity. I'm afraid to admit that I had great difficulty in those first few days."

"She helped you?" Kyffin questioned, his eyes shifting to the door momentarily.

"Yes, she did."

"Do you care if I take these?" Caoimhín asked as he looked down at the box of photos. "Not all of them. Just a few. You really are quite good, as a photographer."

"Of course. Take all that you like. They serve so little purpose in a box," Tau replied as he watched Caoimhín gather a handful of the pictures with great care.

Taking his time, Caoimhín looked over each one and separated out a small pile onto the table as Kyffin continued to ask questions.

"Is she responsible for your memory loss?"

"No. I did this to myself."

"What proof do you have of this?"

"None. All I can tell you is that I was here alone. When I first met Quayleigh, she asked for proof of who I was, and I know she had never been here before as the guards didn't recognize her. She also doesn't seem to know…" Tau stopped and took a breath as he put down his mug and sat forward on the couch. "She isn't responsible. I did this to myself." His word should have been enough, but he found the division of his attention to be bothersome and it had made him careless. As curious as he was about what Caoimhín was doing, he realized that he needed to be more careful, promptly un-dividing his attention.

"I see," Kyffin responded. "Did her behavior change after you revealed who you were to her?"

"No."

"Then perhaps she did know."

"She did not. But why do you care?"

"I don't." Kyffin's response was blunt and from Tau's perspective, was spoken with an honest sincerity.

"Then why ask so many questions?"

"I'm assessing the circumstances. Determining the risk and potential threat. Your memory loss is significant. Her involvement could be troublesome, and your capacity to determine that is compromised. As your brother, I will do it for you."

Tau found Kyffin to be peculiar and a strange, inviting source of curiosity; subconsciously tilting his head out of the bewilderment over his brother's declaration. But before he could respond, Caoimhín cleared his throat, garnering their attention.

"I need to leave. Thanks for the pictures, and the coffee. See you around Kyffin."

Tau stood as Caoimhín pocketed the photos and headed towards the door.

"Take care of yourself Caoimhín. I'm deeply sorry that things have not turned out differently."

"As am I, Dylan," he replied with a sharp smirk as he opened the door. "I'm not worried though. Karma's bound to catch up to you. I'm sure one day, you will get exactly what's coming to you."

Tau's mood turned sour as he watched the door close behind Caoimhín. "A foolish veiled threat, nothing more," he spoke to himself before he turned back to Kyffin.

"Well, now that the problem is gone, let us cease this game. Who are you really? And let me save us both the time of the back and forth of unnecessary lies. You are not Dylan, and you are not suffering from any memory loss. Although I do applaud the cover story."

"And how have you come to determine all of that?" Tau asked as he retook his seat on the couch.

Reaching up, Kyffin tapped at the side of his glasses. "No matter how hard one tries, they cannot change the nature of their own energy. And I don't recognize yours. So, I'll ask again, who are you, really?"

Tau closed his eyes and scratched his chin. Quayleigh had been right, Kyffin was different, and while she had told him to trust in Cole with the truth, Kyffin was an entirely different matter. His affiliations, his connections, he was an unknown, and Tau couldn't risk breaking Quayleigh's most recent rule.

"Having difficulty figuring out what lie to tell next? I take it the cover was the woman's idea?"

"Actually, I was trying to decide if there was a way around the rule I can't break. So far, I have found none. Lucky you," he remarked just under his breath. "To answer your question, yes, it was her. I haven't the mind to care for such things, but she is convinced if others learn what has happened with me, I will be in danger, and by extension, so would she. Her reasoning, as sound as it is, doesn't take everything into consideration, but I'm willing to forgo them, for her sake."

"She means something to you," Kyffin commented as he leaned forward and picked up the glass of water, his eyes never leaving Tau for more than the length of involuntary blink at a time.

"She means everything to me."

"And she knows you're an imposter?"

"I've never been an imposter to her. She has always known the truth but are you capable of her level of understanding; I wonder."

"I assure you, I am," Kyffin replied with a smug tone as he lifted the glass and took a sip. Moistening his lips, he set the glass back onto the table. "I must warn you, my patience for this conversation is wearing thin. I despise having to ask the same question more than once, and yet I find myself having to ask the same question of you yet again. Who are you?"

"My name is Tauluthet," he replied, carefully examining Kyffin's reaction, and although subtle, he noticed a minute shift upwards in his brow, revealing a great deal. "Not what you were expecting?"

"I was uncertain if you were aware of who you were," he remarked as he pulled a small book from his inside jacket pocket and placed it on the table sliding it towards Tau.

"What is this?" Tau asked as he picked up the small, plain book with the unmarked blue cover.

"Look through it. Tell me if you recognize anything you see."

Opening the cover, Tau began to examine the pages. Each had a different pattern or ritual circle, sigil or rune, drawn upon it. However, nothing was labeled, and there were no descriptions or explanations.

"What is it that you hope to gain from this?"

"Simply to verify an assumption."

"And here you said you didn't like playing games," Tau remarked as he continued to finger through the pages. "I think you simply don't like boring ones." With a broad smile, he set the book, open, face down, on the table. "This game we are playing now, it is going to rely on a certain amount of trust. So, try again."

"Dylan asked me for something about six months back. If you recognize what I think you will, then he possibly did something I warned him not to."

It was reasonable, and acceptable, and wanting to return as much as he was given, he turned the book over and slid it back to Kyffin. "Quayleigh called it a Rowda'meth sigil, but the one I saw was different. This is the closest thing in your book."

Picking up the book, Kyffin looked at the page, swallowed, and put it back into his pocket. "Tauluthet, was it?"

"That is correct."

"Where is my brother, Dylan, now?"

"He is dead. If he can be recovered and returned to this body though, that has yet to be determined. But it is possible that since I am here, he is inhabiting my body… elsewhere."

"Have you any idea how you ended up like this?"

"Yes. Dylan performed a ritual, and as a result I have become trapped in his body. Exactly what he did or how he did it, that remains unclear. Quayleigh is trying to find a way to free me though."

"I take it Dylan never actually knew the girl then?"

"No. They have never met, and her connection to me goes back many years, although it is true that we only recently met in person," he explained as he picked up his mug. "I suspect you have many questions and I have no qualms with answering them, if possible. But as of yet, I have no reason to believe that you aren't a threat to myself or Quayleigh. As it is, I have already told you too much. Merely confirming your assumptions has put me in a very delicate situation. I find myself needing you to convince me that this game is worth playing to its conclusion, Kyffin."

"Do you want out of that body?"

"Eventually, yes. For now, it serves a purpose, but there is a limit to how long I can stay before this becomes dangerous."

"Dangerous to who?"

"Everyone," Tau replied, no longer seeing a reason to hold back. This had become a game of risks, and he was curious for his 'brother's response.

"I'm going to need to know everything."

"But what will you do once you know?"

"My goal is to send you back to wherever you came from."

"In order to save your brother?"

Kyffin paused as he removed his glasses. "Dylan was not a wise man, Tauluthet. He made a great many mistakes, and I'm nearly certain that this one, given the extraordinary amount of magic required, that even with the reduced penalty he was allotted, Dylan wouldn't have survived."

"I'm glad you understand the situation. I allow Quayleigh to hope, but my presence alone should confirm the truth. You have my condolences."

"I've no use for such things. Dylan died with his obsession well over a year ago. He may have been family by blood, but I despised the man he was."

"He was your brother though," Tau remarked finding Kyffin's attitude strange, but refreshing as his cold and stoic demeanor reminded him of the shepherds.

"As you are now. In appearance anyways. That alone is reason enough for me to say nothing. Caoimhín may hate you, but emotions prove he still cares. And it will devastate him to know the truth. At least until he finds a way to forgive what Dylan did. Are you truly committed to assuming the life he left behind?"

"I am. For now, it seems the wisest course, although initially it was only my intention to ease the worry of his family. I can't deny that I am benefitting to some degree from this unintended exchange, despite the involuntary nature of my participation. Quayleigh told me that not knowing would be worse than finding Dylan alive with no memories. So, playing this part seemed the appropriate way to thank him."

"I give her credit. Most would have only deemed to take advantage of such a windfall. The two of you could have taken everything and disappeared. Gone to live your lives however you wished with no concern for those he left behind. It's commendable, her disregard for taking advantage of the situation. I can't say I would have done the same," Kyffin remarked as he cleaned the lenses of his glass with the small block of fabric that he had pulled from his pocket before putting them back on.

"Then I can hope that you will understand why I must ask that you keep this conversation between us."

"You can ask, but will my word be enough to assure you?" Kyffin questioned.

"I believe it will be," Tau replied, a smile creeping across his face. "Especially once you understand the extent of the situation. But if you would be so kind, could you answer me one last question?"

"By all means," Kyffin said as he looked directly at Tau.

"How much value do you truly place on your life?"