409. Of powers, reunions and a little bit of forgiveness

Cassandra Pendragon

When my senses returned to our murky parts of the woods the scene had changed. Dramatically. For one the four girls had, at one point, managed to disentangle themselves only to drop back down to their knees. At the moment they were prostrated on the muddy ground, Constantine standing close by with his mouth wide open. Even Reia and her new friend had found their way out of the cave and the vixen was quietly whispering into the thief's ear, her tails quivering. Judging from the wide eyed, almost haunted stare on her companion's face she wasn't doing a bang up job when it came to assuaging her fears. Not to mention the acidic smell of terror that was slowly permeating the clearing. The humans were scared. Scared out of their wits.

"That's not much of a surprise," Viyara chuckled absentmindedly. The larger part of her concentration was used to figure out what the hell I had just done, where I had been and why her scaly coat had suddenly become streaked with glowing gems. "Look around. If I didn't know you, I'd be well on my way across the ocean, too." I blinked and rubbed my eyes to disperse the lingering sparks in my vision. 

Muddy… the ground was muddy, not frozen. All around me the ice had melted, drenched the soil and turned it into a veritable mud bath. Small rivulets of dirty water were quickly seeping away between gnarly roots and verdant seedlings, the erstwhile barren branches laden with green sprouts. I have mentioned that my proficiency was severely lacking, haven't I? A small part of my magic had decided to take a different path and apparently spread through the clearing, coaxing hibernating plants and buried seeds into premature growth. Even the temperature had changed, but it wouldn't last for long. The biting cold breeze was already rustling through the trees and on the edges of the muddy streams ice crystals were beginning to bloom again. 

I frowned because I couldn't wrap my head around the humans' reactions. Sure, for magic to inadvertently thaw a chunk of the forest it had to be quite strong, but each and every single one present, except for Reia who couldn't access her power, yet, was capable of something similar. I felt a warm breath tickle the fur on my ear when Ahri breathed: "look up." I did and my confusion vanished.

Streaks of silver and blue marred the cloudy white sky like huge jet trails. A crisscrossing maze spanned the heavens for as far I could see, an echo of my power still pulsing through the crystallised light. "How far does it go," I whispered, my gaze following one of the broader streams south. "Can you…"

"I can see it," Ahri replied reverently. "It's not as… just take a look yourself." My vision fractured again and another scene superimposed itself upon my surroundings. I was still there but at the same time I leaned against a balustrade made of dark granite, my head turned towards the sky. Faintly I heard and smelled people behind me but my focus was on the shimmering rivers that had torn the vast expanse of blue above asunder. This far away it looked less like an actual maze and more like starlight come to life in the middle of the day, shrouding the elegant, alien city underneath in stardust and the echos of eternity. From the corner of my eye I saw movement behind me and when I focused I smelled the floral scent of several elves. One I already knew.

"Please, tell me that wasn't her," Zara, the elven prince(ss) mumbled behind my fiancée. "Please tell me I didn't try to bind someone who's capable of that." Using Ahri's mouth I replied merrily:

"Afraid so. But you can apologise in person soon enough and I don't usually hold grudges. Well, not often at least." With the sound of ripping silk Ahri's wings unfurled, simply because I enjoyed the feeling of her warm energies surging through me. "It's been a while," I added without turning around, my eyes still glued to the scintillating celestial phenomenon. "But it won't be much longer. Before the day has run its course you'll have two angels watching over you shoulder. Don't screw it up. I've had one hell of a few months and I'd really love a chance to catch my breath. Then again… we can't always get what we want, can we, and with the realms merging it's bound to become even more interesting. Can you convince the old codger on the throne to pull his head out of his arse for a single night and receive me?" The sharp intake of breath at my back was hard to misinterpret and so was Ahri's laughter. "Said codger is standing right behind me, isn't he," I asked and massaged my temples, which didn't have the desired effect. Hardly surprising since I was standing rigidly in the middle of a forest, apparently talking to myself. The next words I heard, though, intrigued me:

"Royal codger, at the very least," an old but strong and vigorous voice grated. As to why I was intrigued… apparently he hadn't found out, yet, that his son was pushing daisies, but he had accepted Ahri and from the looks of it she had quite a bit of pull, otherwise my loose mouth would have surely earned me more than an admittedly graceful attempt at humour. Damn it, I could thank my lucky star that I hadn't blabbed Zara's name. That would have been an oopsie.

"Tell that to the crystalline dragoness who'll soar through your skies any minute now," I chuckled. "But if it makes you feel any better, your royal highness, I'll try my best to remember. I'll pay my proper respects in a bit." I blinked and the world shifted until I was again somewhere else, far away from any resemblance of civilisation.

Our distant corner of nowhere had changed again, or maybe it'd be more accurate to say it was close to breaking apart all together, the very structure of reality trembling under the weight of yet another immortal. The winds were picking up and the scent of stars and fire was pressing down like a suffocating mass. Despite the shaking trees silence reigned, as everybody, from Ahri to the smallest insect, raised their heads to the heavens. High in the sky the clouds had vanished. A glaringly bright sun was slowly descending and all around it a fine vapour was rising in spirals towards the stars, carried on streams of superheated air. My eyes stung when I allowed my senses to expand and the splendour of my sister filled my vision.

The Lady of Dawn truly lived up to her name. In a way she looked like us, like Ahri and me. She wasn't a kitsune but her features resembled ours much more closely than we resembled our own kin, except for the decided lack of cute ears and fluffy tails. 

Her wings were huge and birdlike, not quite as voluptuous as Reia's and not as elegant or nimble as Ahri's, but rather somewhere in the middle. They were also far less ethereal. Each burning white feather was a touchable, enduring piece of crystallised eternity, immaculately arranged along strong, somewhat slender limbs that surrounded her like a coat. She couldn't even fold them away properly. Ever since she had bound herself to Fenya, the elder phoenix she had saved from the bowels of the Silver City, her wings had been locked in place, a visible reminder of the precious friend she'd always carry with her. 

Flames dripped from them like blood, but they weren't of the powerful, warming crimson I knew so well, but rather of an aggressive, almost blinding yellow, pulsing with deadly white sparks. The heat those flames exuded was indescribable, the parching currents of white hot air around her a visible reminder of the forces under her command. Her fires were a memento of the pain and price of creation, of life and death. She brought the smouldering end, the glowing ash that would allow something new to grow. Ahri… to me she was the warmth of life and Sarai was the heat of new beginnings.

Her eyes, unfathomably deep gems as clear as the most precious ruby, were filled with hope and exhaustion, roaming curiously over the colourful court we had assembled in our clearing. Her long, golden dress danced in the wind when she raised her arms and tilted her wings, their dangerous flames burning lower with every passing moment. The currents that had kept her aloft disappeared and she fell, landing in front of me with barley a sound. A cloud of stardust wafted up and then she stilled entirely, her enigmatic gaze searching for mine. The quiet, scurrying noises behind me told me exactly how comfortable everyone else was with her presence but I didn't care. I only had eyes for my sister, a creature that was connected to me through more blood and sorrow, more hope and happiness than even I could understand.

"You brought me over," she whispered, her voice as rich, as wondrous as the life she had led. It wasn't a question, but I still replied:

"I did." Without sparing a thought for the wisdom of my actions I spread my arms and hugged her tightly, the sparks of eternity I felt igniting between us a welcome reminder that she was real, that she was here. In the flesh and alive. I hadn't been sure.

I breathed in deeply and the rising scent of suns and stars tickled my nose. Memories stirred. Some good, some bad, some disturbing and some reassuring. When her arms tightened around me and her wings whispered across my skin I added in a hoarse whisper: "hello, sister. It's good to finally see you."

Her cheek rustled silkily over mine when she brought her head close to Ahri's small form and replied quietly: "I've missed you. I've missed you both. How long has it been?"

"Barely more than a century," Ahri said, her voice a far cry from steady. Sarai had always meant more to her than she had to me. "But it was still too long. I would have waited another year, but I'm glad I didn't have to. Welcome, welcome, Sarai. How… how was your journey?"

"Really," the angel chuckled throatily. "Turbulent. I don't know if I'd have made it without Cassandra's intervention. Michael's dogs were much closer than I'd have liked. I could already feel them breathing down my neck, when… what did you even do? And how could you do it without inviting every immortal between the Void and the Fringes for supper?" It was my turn to smile, albeit forlornly. It didn't hurt as much anymore, but every time I remembered who I was I felt… dirty, spent. I was going to need a while to get over it.

"I'll be blessed," Lilith interrupted, which made me jerk. I had almost forgotten her… maybe I had tried to. "What in heaven happened to you? You look like an amalgamation of different forces, sprinkled with a generous helping of transcendence. Did Michael and his cronies screw you so thoroughly that your insides became all jumbled up?" It was a testimony to the change Fenya had wrought that Sarai didn't explode. Normally she would have taught the diminished demoness what she had been forced to go through in great detail. Probably with a few hands on examples. But she didn't, instead she chose to ignore the spluttering lightbulb and wrapped her wings more tightly around me, her hot, slender finger travelling up my back. A second later warmth spread from my shoulder and I had to turn my head away as two different flames merged. More than just energies flowed gently between Ahri and her long lost friend, but, despite myself, I didn't feel jealous. I… I was happy for them, even though I did feel like a third wheel.

With a sigh I disentangled myself and gently pushed my fiancée towards my sister. That was a first, but I really didn't mind. "Go," I mumbled and even restricted the connection between Ahri and me so that the two of them could have some privacy. "I'm sure you have much to catch up on and I… I need to tidy up. I'll call once I've sorted out this mess. Just… don't go to far, will you?"

"Are you sure," Ahri breathed. "We can wait. What's happening on Gaya is more important…"

"It's not," I immediately denied and shook my head. "This… this is important. Besides… the first proper conversation between Sarai and me might be a bit more strained than either of us would like."

"What…" she couldn't finish, the newly arrived immortal answered her question immediately:

"Aurelia, isn't it? Do you expect me to make amends?" I shrugged.

"We'll see. But I won't ignore the past. I've tried and I've always payed for it. Look… Viyara is one of my own and her sweetheart is your former slave. Your scarred, discarded puppet. I don't want to let that particular wound fester and I already have an idea what can be done. I…" lost track entirely when Viyara's presence moved in the depths of my mind. Not to mention Lilith's distracting acrobatics as she tried to regain Sarai's attention, or the doom and gloom vibe our human guests were exuding like a particularly nasty smell. At least Reia had managed to calm the slave girl down, even though the subtle glances she shot at the vixen from time to time looked like my next headache in the making. Reia was twelve. No buts, ifs and whens. Considering how a pretty slave had most likely been treated I could just about imagine what would happen if they got even closer. Goddamn it, that was another conversation I wasn't looking forward to. I could already hear her complaints: "you're even younger…" At least I didn't have to deal with it now.

"That would be an amazing trick," the dragoness commented scathingly. "Did you know that Aurelia still wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night, quivering like a kitten? However would your sister be able to make up for what she's done?"

"She can't. We can never really make up for what we've done to others. Trust me, I know. But that doesn't mean we can't be forgiven, does it?"

"And you expect her to simply let bygones be bygones? Are you crazy?" I sighed… again.

"Fine, you want an honest answer? Yes, I expect her to let go. Without forgiveness none of us will make it through the next year alive. If we keep gnawing on old grudges like dogs on their bones we can just as well call it a day. We don't have that luxury. In other words… grow up." I knew how it must have sounded and the reaction came promptly:

"That's rich, coming from you… are you going to forgive Amon if that means saving our world?" Damn it all to hell and back again.

"No. But I would play nice until I'd no longer need him, then throw him off the next cliff. If you think it's wise for your girlfriend to try and assassinate an angel, then, by all means, go for it. Don't come running to me though, when she's dead and gone."

"So you do choose your immortal family over us?" She sounded… hurt and I was starting to get angry.

"I'll pretend you've never said that. Damn it, Viyara, you're in my head! There are five people, five, I truly love and only one… make that two of them are immortals. Do you know why your comparison sucks? Because I've seen, because I've felt what Sarai has gone through to even get here. She's not the same angel she was all those years ago. If Amon should ever sacrifice himself to keep someone safe and in doing so becomes a different person, I promise you, I won't judge him for what he was, only for what he is. Forgiveness is a two way street. You have to give it to receive it, but you also have to work for it. You have to work to be forgiven and also to forgive. It doesn't come easy. Nothing of value ever does."

"Do you always have an answer," she grumbled, but the dark inflection was gone.

"Most of the time," I chuckled. "When you've seen people make the same mistakes over and over again you become quite adept at spotting them. Unfortunately it doesn't work in a mirror."