Eight

In the darkness surrounding him, red eyes danced back and forth in a circle around him, dozens of their voices speaking as one.

"Yohee, Yahoo, Yaiho, YATHA, YENTHA"

He clutched at his head with both his hands, falling to his knees as he screamed, louder and louder until his throat was hoarse and still he screamed until blood began to pour out of his mouth.

The eyes parted and their voices silenced as a door made of human bone rose before him on the inky black water he was standing on.

It shook and rattled as though something behind it were beating on it with the force of a hurricane.

A black eyed Auros sat on top of the door, resting on its arched frame as he asked, "What does Gold and Silver do when you lose them?"

Confusion filled the kneeling Auros and he asked, "What...what does that mean?"

The arch Auros answered in Luna's voice, "It means you screwed up!"

Light suddenly filled Auros's eyes as Luna held him, her tears covering his shoulder.

His eyes adjusted and he was in his bed, dim light filtering through the curtains, directly into his eyes.

He needed to move his bed.

The news on his TV jabbered on about destroyed property in an upscale district of Covnan. A small man with an arm in a cast walked in front of the camera and said, "There is a dangerous research material that was stolen from my personal lab. I don't know what its capable of, so please everyone be careful."

The anchor asked him about his arm, and Auros turned away from the television.

He knew the man, of course.

He wondered if the attackers had hurt the researcher's arm...then he remembered giving the gun to Benny's muscle.

Waves of guilt poured over him as he tried to sit up.

Luna held him in place, holding him even tighter.

He wanted to hold her, to return this gesture, to tell her it'd all be ok, that he was ok…but...that Auros had died a long time ago.

He touched her shoulder softly and whispered, his voice strained even then, "Luna...are you ok?"

She started crying harder.

Seemed like that was all he did.

Make people cry.

Make people suffer.

Hurt people.

The giants arm fell through the air and pain raced through Auros's head again.

What was happening?

He felt Yohai's hand on his shoulder, then her body against his.

She was sitting in the bed with him, under the covers in the clothes she'd been wearing in the hospital.

Resting her head on his, she said, "Luna...Auros is ok."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW," Luna shouted furiously.

Looking down at himself, he realized his clothes were covered with dried blood, though he couldn't hazard a guess how much of it was his.

Luna grabbed Auros by the cheeks and stared into his eyes, looking for something, though he didn't know what.

Looking harder and harder, she started crying again, sobbing frantically as she held him.

Mark came into the room and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her.

"What happened," Mark asked, clearly working to remain calm.

"I was attacked," Auros said, his voice uncomfortably level.

"Yes, Yohai told us that, but by who," Mark asked, firmer now.

"I don't know."

"You don't know," Mark asked incredulously, "you don't know?"

"Why would I know?!," Auros shouted, suddenly losing his temper.

Forcing himself to calm down, to focus, Mark said, "When Yohai brought you here, all of your fingers in your right hand were broken. I'm not mad at you, I need to know what's going on, and right now, YOU are the only one who knows anything."

"I was doing my jobs for the day and some fire mage came for me in an alley, Mark. I was literally minding my own business when three of the weirdest people I've seen in my life tried to kill me, for literally no reason."

He knew, somehow, that the Council needed to be secret...needed to be safe.

He didn't know why he was worried about that.

The room was almost silent, with only the sounds of Luna crying quietly and the fan spinning.

Several hours passed before Auros moved to sit back up again. Luna and Mark had left to get groceries, and both of them seemed to have calmed down.

Auros considered leaving.

Whatever was going on with him, Yohai, and the Council...didn't need to endanger them as well.

It was only the sight of Yohai sleeping soundly that changed his mind.

If he left...he'd need to rely solely on Benny for a place to stay...and given their last conversation, he was acutely aware that Yohai would not be welcome.

He looked at his hand and gently flexed his fingers, channeling his intent and mana, conjuring a small flame in his palm.

It danced like it was alive along the creases and folds of his skin, gently bobbing up and down without burning him.

Yohai shifted in bed, reaching for him, and he let the connection go, letting the flame jump up and wink out of existence.

He barely felt his mana drain at all.

He considered checking his numbers, but decided against it.

Whatever was happening to him...he was too afraid to quantify it, to make it real.

No...better that he just...try to avoid it.

A voice in his head called him a coward.

Maybe he was.

Whatever it was they thought they'd seen in him...they were wrong.

He was all the things people had called him, and now...he was becoming some kind of monster.

He should have let them kill him.

Yohai's hand brushed against him and he smiled, despite himself.

If he died, nobody would be there for Yohai...and for now...that might have to be enough.

When Mark and Luna got back, Auros was waiting for them in the kitchen.

"I've got credits for you," he said quietly.

Luna walked past him, gently putting her hand on his side for him to move out of her way.

It was a gentle touch, one of care and concern, maybe even of love.

He was frightened by it.

Stepping aside and toward Mark, he lifted his phone to make the transfer and sighed gently.

It suddenly dawned on him how much this money had really cost.

He transferred eight thousand to Mark, enough for more than a year of rent and utilities and said, "Wanted to make sure I got that to you."

"You're leaving, I take it," Mark responded, a tinge of frustration in his voice.

"Only for a little bit...I'll be back in a little while."

Luna flinched when she heard him...but she didn't say anything, just kept putting groceries away.

About what he'd expected.

"Please be careful, Auros," Mark said, pulling him in for a hug.

Mark was a pretty big guy, standing over six foot with the build of an out of shape sportsman.

Auros nodded and opened the door.

"Auros…" Luna started, as though she were going to ask him to stay.

"Yeah Luna?"

"Please make sure you come home tonight," she said.

He nodded and left, closing the door quietly.