399. Of weapons, trust and a little bit of payback

Cassandra Pendragon

"You really don't have to lead me around like a mother hen, you know," Reia complained and playfully pushed against my tails around her waist. "I can walk perfectly well on my own."

"I'm not leading you around," I corrected and ushered her through the burned out double doors and into the ship. The flames had petered out but we still had to jump over a few entirely charred steps and push through the bitter taste of smouldering wood. "As long as you're treating those weapons like your own blood I can hardly let you out of my sight. What happened to the fans I gave you, anyways? New toy more shiny?"

"If it's all the same to you we can swap," she retorted, pulling the sword and trident closer to her chest. Admittedly, she didn't look as comical as I had expected, considering she was at least a head short for the implements of destruction she was lugging along. With a small smile I called my spear and leaned it against the closest wall.

"Tell you what, if you can lift it you can keep it." She blinked owlishly her gaze travelling from the shimmering weapons in her arms to the pointy stick.

"Where's the catch," she asked. I shook my head.

"No catch. It's simply… awake. The ones you carry aren't. Go on, try. I promise it won't bite." She stared suspiciously for a few heartbeats longer but ultimately her curiosity won out. Grumbling under her breath she handed over her burdens and wrapped her hands around Aiglos shaft. The only evidence of her ensuing struggle were her reddening face, her whitening knuckles and her trembling arms. A few seconds later she even started panting but the silver spear wouldn't budge an inch. My smile widened as I asked:

"Already giving up?"

"There's no way," she huffed as she finally let go. "It doesn't even tilt to the side."

"Doesn't it?" With a thought I recalled it into my hand and made it disappear. "Maybe you just didn't try hard enough?"

"Bite me. Did you just mean to mock me or was there a point I've missed?"

"What do you think? Admittedly watching you struggle is somewhat satisfying… in a very childish way but as you so often insist I am still younger than you. And the point… I was curious. If you had managed to move it even a hair's width I still wouldn't have handed you a weapon but I would have considered giving you this." The diadem of moonstone and silver materialised in my hand. "Funny how it goes sometimes," I added wistfully. "As soon as there's a tool of death and carnage available everybody thinks it's got to be the most powerful, the most coveted thing in the room. Mostly they aren't. Same thing here. Mom and you, you were so focused on the gleaming blades that you didn't even spend a second to look at this. Be honest, if I hadn't brought it up again, would you even have remembered this little piece of jewellery?"

"Probably not," she huffed as she scrutinised the faintly glowing gems, their lustre almost reminiscent of my own magic. "Go on then. What is it and why is so important?"

"A prison, a refuge… an entire world. I don't know. But I do know something else. Watch." A single silver spark travelled lazily along my arm and vanished into largest moonstone. For the fraction of a second its smooth, iridescent surface rippled like water and the shadow of a blood red crown appeared. In the blink of an eye it was gone again, leaving behind nothing but a fragile memory. Reia's eyes went wide and she whispered:

"A prison… like your ring? Is there… is one of your siblings…" I nodded.

"In a way. But while the ring brings change, erases what has once been, this little thing… I think it protects and the demon in there isn't an enemy. I don't know how long it's going to take but one day you'll meet him. His name is Chaleb. He's… he has done more for me than I can ever repay. He even entrusted me with his life, quite literally as you can see." Slowly, hesitantly she extended her hand but she didn't find the courage to touch the sparkling diadem.

"And you considered giving it to me," she breathed. "Why? What for?"

"Have you already forgotten your great plan, your immortal aspirations," I chuckled. "If you want to become one of us, you'll not only need the strength to see it through, but you'll also need the resilience to survive. I can't teach you that. I… I do love you, Reia, and I could never bring myself to…" "Hurt me," she completed the sentence, understanding dawning on her pretty face. 

"Quite so," I admitted. "There will come a day… you've seen it happen before. Ahri and I, what we are, it changes the people around us, quite literally. Even if you weren't determined to force the issue you'd sooner or later find your magic, your essence to be changing. As close as we are it's not going to take too long. When that happens… you'll have to prove that you can shoulder the burdens your choice entails. The power, the heartache, the responsibility and the pain. For that is one thing I have to make very clear. The life of an immortal… it doesn't end in death but it always brings pain. I'm not going to watch you suffer until I know it won't ever silence your laughter."

"And you think he can teach me," she asked with far less trepidation that I would have liked.

"No… no one can teach you. But if you can't… you won't last long in Chaleb's presence. He's not only a demon. He is a knight of hell and while he is honourable, he's also ruthless, cruel, uncaring, hateful. One day you'll stand before him and tell him that you intend to become an immortal. He'll laugh at first but once he realises there's actually a way he'll make sure you are the right choice. Something I can't do. I don't trust myself with you. If you had been able to move my spear it would have been time to put it to the test." Her ears drooped dejectedly.

"And now," she asked, her voice trembling. "Have I failed?" I stored the three items in my stamp and used my tails to pull her closer. When my arms circled around her neck I replied:

"Of course not. It just means we have a little more time. It's your second attempt. My spear, my commands… my magic. In a way they're all the same. I'm not going back on my word, Reia. If there's the slightest chance you can become one of us without losing yourself I will let you try." Her small hands played with the fur on my ears absentmindedly as I felt her tension gradually drain away. Finally she muttered:

"Do you think there is?"

"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have allowed you to take a single step down this path. But… yes, it's going to hurt. Pain can change people. I won't allow anything to change you. If you weren't that stubborn you'd already be pretty perfect. As long as I'm alive nothing and no one will turn you into something you are not, you don't want to be." Her warm breath tickled my cheek when she exhaled deeply. A moment later she asked with the smallest hint of a grin in her voice:

"Does that mean I can try lifting your spear instead of fighting a command? Sounds like a bit more fun. At least I could do it outside."

"As long as you don't expect me to massage your cramping back afterwards. Which reminds me. Not a word to anyone about the diadem. Are we clear?" I could practically feel her roll her eyes.

"I'm not talking about you or Ahri. Not even with Archy or Estrella. I've figured as much out on my own." I felt her squirm as she tried to escape my embrace but I didn't let go just yet.

"I think you can make an exception for them. They've earned it." I kissed the top of her head and finally allowed the young vixen to take a step back. I still kept my tails in place, though. "There's one more thing. When were you going to tell me that you plan on following me to see Gabriel with your own eyes? And when did you even learn about her?"

"Did you read my mind," she flared up. One second she was questioning her existence and the next she was spitting sparks. That girl, too, was becoming more like me with every passing day.

"Superficially but I could also have guessed if I had known you had heard. But that's hardly the point. How? Spill."

"Viyara," she admitted after a token moment of resistance. "First when she lectured you on how she wouldn't allow you to go without her and then when she grudgingly realised that she'd have to nonetheless. She's growing more powerful with every day and her telepathy spills out when she's… troubled. If I listen closely I can hear her." I frowned.

"And you never bothered mentioning this?"

"I did, only not to you. I told her. She reckons she's starting to associate me with you which means some of her thoughts are… getting lost. They can reach me from time to time but there's no way for an outsider to listen in. She asked me not to tell you. She's afraid you might try to put and end to it. She doesn't want that and for the record, neither do I. It feels… like we're growing closer. Like a family. I… we both like that." I blinked.

"Why ever would I want to put an end to it?" I was genuinely puzzled and when the little trouble maker averted her eyes I even became suspicious. I tightened my tails a bit.

"Fine. You're a bloody control freak. You're getting better, but still… she thought you might throw a hissy fit if something happened to us that wasn't related to you. And I'm not so sure she's wrong. Honestly, if the glow in your eyes is any indication you're already pretty angry. Or is the fact that we kept it from you," she added cheekily.

"Would you rather I'd not?" My question was quiet, genuine, but the tension held for about a single heartbeat until Reia chuckled and leaned in closer to kiss my cheek.

"Of course not. I… I think we both love it. It's… indescribable how it feels to know someone's always watching over you whether you want them to or not. Like family. Can you just let this go? It's not that hard, is it?" 

"No, no it isn't," I admitted and reached for her hand. "See? I can let go. But I'd still rather you told me whenever you start hearing strange, draconic voices in your head."

"She's not that strange," Reia laughed and took my hand. "Where to now?"

"We're looking for Indigorath. Come on, it's not far." As if I was accompanying my little sister on her first day of school we strolled deeper into the ship, hand in hand. Once in a blue moon the weight of the future felt surprisingly light, almost comforting. At least I thought so until I realised that there was an actual, warming weight pressing against my aura.

I froze mid step and Reia stumbled when she was suddenly pulled to a halt. "What now," she muttered exasperatedly, a rather accurate summary of my own thoughts, even though I'd have gone with what the hells or something similar. I shook my head and closed my eyes, my wings whispering into existence like a translucent curtain for her to hide behind. Whether she wanted to or not. And then I listened, my senses turned inward, searching, touching… something was trying to get out of my goddamned stamp.

For Christ's sake, it wasn't too difficult to puzzle out what it could be. To even influence the structure of a pocket dimension from within the sheer power behind the sluggishly moving intent had to be transcendent or close to it and there weren't that many creations on our world that could boast such a legacy. Four I know of to be exact and they were all in my possession. Damn it, had the weapons been a trap? Possible but unlikely, considering my own abilities. Gabriel knew what I was capable of and turning one of her priced inventions into molten slag wouldn't challenge me. All I needed was a single touch.

"Stay there," I commanded my sister and opened the seal, allowing the diadem, the trident and the sword to manifest. Two seemed just like they had a minute ago but the trident was… fucking disintegrating, its edges flowing like water before they turned into turquoise sparks, a ghostly, blurry image of what it had once been. Before I could even do more than gasp the whole thing was gone, transformed into flickering motes of stardust. But that wasn't the end of it. Instead of fading away and petering out the motes of frozen light began to… dance, like a swarm of fireflies under the full moon, rotating, pulsing ever more quickly with the longing of an unfulfilled desire I felt but couldn't comprehend.

"Reia," I began hesitantly, the fur on my tails rising up as I felt a distant thrum, like a memory come to life, build within the sparkling maelstrom, "get…" I couldn't finish. A jolt of fear tore through me as the magnificent lights collapsed into a formless wisp and surged unerringly towards the staring vixen. Not. On. My. Watch.

"No," I hissed, the mere echoes of my power slicing through the cramped corridor while my wings swelled with the might of eternity. Ozone, thick and bitter and heavy, drowned out the lingering scent of coal and salt, the wooden walls creaked once and shattered like hot glass in the snow and realty itself groaned as I moved, faster than I had before, and the prowling tentacles on my back finally reached for their first real prey in a century. Not a single spark would touch Reia, not a single one. Or so I thought. Unfortunately I had reckoned without my host and my sister apparently had her own ideas.

"Don't," she hollered, her voice almost lost in the transcendent storm around her but I could still hear her clearly. And even though I didn't mean to I listened and paused, if only for the fraction of a second. Maybe it was her intensity, maybe it was the absurdity of her demand or I had simply started truly treating her like one of my siblings, whatever the reason the cresting tide of eternity made real quivered on the spot, the intricate movement of my wings halted. Gaps appeared in the finely woven mesh and the scintillating stream of blue and green passed through unimpeded.

"No," I cried, immediately redoubling my hold, my energy surging while the world around me already flickered towards the grey shadows of infinite stillness. But I was still too late. Before my eyes a single spark entered Reia's forehead while the rest vanished through her dark garments. The very next moment the dwarven fabric went up in flames and smoke, her attire reduced to nothingness in less than the blink of an eye. She stood there naked, her mouth still open in her faded scream, her eyes shimmering with a hint of turquoise while the two fans I had given her hovered at her side. 

Fear turned into amazement as I saw the stream of power harmlessly dissipate into the metal and the folded sheets of silver unfurled with a metallic whisper. The runes, the engravings were gone on either, replaced by a single, stylised trident, one made of emeralds, the other of sapphires. My mind stuttered to a halt, unable to process the paradoxical scene, when the fans closed again, shimmered and vanished, exactly like my spear would whenever I dismissed it. And then… there was only me left, rushing forward like an idiot in an ravaged corridor, the sun blinking down mercilessly as I just about managed to wrap my tails around Reia before she collapsed.

The child was cold to the touch as I felt her reassuring weight in my arms but her breathing was regular and deep and her heartbeat steady. There was even a faint smile playing around the corners of her mouth as she exhaled in her sleep, her breath sparkling like the first kiss of winter.