The Theory

Jayde's screams pierced our ears and I immediately jumped from my seat to hold him down as he tried to sit up, blood from his wound started to seep through the cloth more and his eyes were glassed over in pain. We worked quickly from there. I held his shoulders while Zierra grasped his ankles and we held him down and Kiara carefully cleaned the wound with Lyon's help. His screaming only died down when he passed out from pain and it was only a short rest before he would wake up, screaming again. After his wounds were properly dressed and tended to Jayde had calmed down enough to sleep again.

"I'll go prepare more ointment and bandages for when he needs them changed," Kari sighed and wiped sweat from her brow as she gathered her supplies to leave. "He'll be scarred but, he'll live," she motioned for Lyon and Malcolm to follow her. "You two come with me so I can mend your wounds as well."

They left, leaving me with Zierra, Shade, and Jayde in an almost eerie silence. Shade had curled up at Jayde's feet and kept a protector's eye on him. I smiled and gave him a few scratches behind his ears. "You did good today," I turned to Zierra, who was slumped forward in a chair, all her worry finally showing on her body. "Thank you. I know I sort of dragged you here but you helped a lot, especially in making sure I didn't kill Malcolm."

"Are we going to talk about that at all?" She looked up at me and her eyes held the question she really wanted to ask. Why did my eyes change?

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind."

We stared at each other for a moment before she relented with a sigh but still gave me her usual flirtatious smile. "As you wish, Sapphyre, but I told you not so long ago that I love a good mystery so don't think I'm done trying to solve you."

My heart skipped a beat at the implication so I changed the subject and made my way to the door. "Shade has a good watch on him and I'll leave the door cracked so he can get us if we're needed but we need to talk about what happened in that basement."

Zierra nodded and we found the others back in the basement, now patched up and going over what had happened again. Kari had a perplexed look as her eyes darted around the room while they spoke. When their recounts were done she knelt by the black ash where the Soulless fell and clicked her tongue in frustration.

"It doesn't make sense," she seemed more like she was talking to herself. "If it came in through that window it should have gone for Lyon first but it went straight for Malcolm. Then there's the matter of why it came here to begin with. We're in the center of town so there was plenty of other people it could have fed on before it even got here, let alone the fact that it got here unnoticed."

"Hart sent it," I interrupted her thought process and caused every one to look at me in shock, all but Lyon who seemed to be thinking the same thing I was.

"How's that even possible?" Malcolm rubbed his, now bandaged, arm.

"You know I'd normally agree with you Saph, but it is a bit of an odd thing to suggest," Kari scooped up some of the ash and scraped it into a small glass vial. Zierra gave her a strange look and Kari simply shrugged as she tucked the vial into her pocket before turning her attention back to me. "What makes you think this was Hart's doing?"

"You mean aside from the fact that it was one of Hart's guys," Lyon huffed and crossed his arms as he answered for me. "How about the fact that we basically compromised the man he hired to kill Soren. We knew it was likely he'd come after Malcolm I just wasn't expecting a lesser daemon to crawl through our basement window."

"And you're sure it was one of his guys?" Malcolm asked. "The Hart gang's tattoos are small so it could have been a smudge of dirt or something."

I shook my head. "I doubt it. I trust Lyon's eye, even in the middle of a fight. As for how it's possible," I tapped my lips in thought, "Soulless are usually driven by a severe lust for blood because until they inhabit someone they are starving but that doesn't mean that they aren't capable of common thought if it's blood lust has been sated."

"You think one of Hart's men were possessed and he kept it chained up somewhere and fed it until it would follow orders?" Zierra began to follow what I was saying. "I've never heard of that happening."

"Because it's never been done," Kari still seemed a bit skeptical. "At least not that's been seen. How would he have even known to do that? Who looks at a Soulless possessed person and think, 'I'm going to catch it.'?"

"Perhaps he had the help of a certain daemonologist that's been lurking around town," Lyon suggested.

"They have been working together," I nodded in agreement with him but froze as Zierra stiffened next to me.

"Hart is working with Ceil?"

I mever told her what happened the night I was hurt! The other's all looked amongst themselves as an awkward air filled the room. Lyon coughed to bring attention back to him and I was thankful for the change of topic until he mentioned that Kari should check on Galen and Malcolm should come with him to get a room set up since the basement was no longer safe. He gave me a sympathetic look as he passed that I returned with a glare. With them gone the awkward air returned and I made my way over to one of the training dummies, halfheartedly smacking it around a bit.

"Sapphyre?" Her voice was low and she said my name with a hint of anger that stung.

"I had meant to talk to you about that night," I walked behind the dummy and draped myself over it's shoulders like it was an old friend.

"It was almost two weeks ago!" She whipped around to face me.

"Yes and I was poisoned then had to begin worrying about Soren's party immediately after waking up," I grew defensive but kept my voice calm. "Forgive me if my mind was a bit muddled."

"So you just have a bad memory," the jab at me not remembering our kiss hurt and she must have seen it on my face as she sighed, letting some of the tension in her shoulders go. "I apologize. It's been stressful for all of us. Would you mind telling me what you know now?"

"You're not going to like it."

"I would imagine not."

"Remember when you told me that you mother said she arranged your marriage for the good of your people?"

She nodded, looking confused. "I remember the conversation quite vividly."

"She wasn't exactly lying," I rubbed the back of my neck. Why am I having such a hard time telling her this? Just spit it out already! I scolded myself.

Zierra, as always, picked up on my uneasiness and placed a hand on the arm I had draped over the front of the dummy. "It's okay, Sapphyre, I'm not expecting the news to be good. Just tell me."

"Deilos wants the elven clans of the northern woods to unite so he can make use of their archers and in exchanged for doing this he has promised to let you keep your forests."

Her green eyes sparked, like a fire was lit behind them, and when she spoke she almost growled. "He threatened my clan? And my mother stood for it?"

"He's the king, Zierra, he's a powerful man."

"He is not my king. If he thinks we will align ourselves with him then he is crazier than the rumors say."

"I doubt he gave Izafera much choice," I reached out an brushed a copper strand of hair from her face. "Hart was tasked with bringing you back so that the marriage can continue."

"No," she grabbed my hand as I drew away and held it like a comfort item. "I am not my mother and I will not bend to a corrupted ruler. I will find Hart and I will be sure that I am the last thing he ever sees."