Chapter 37 #4
We stepped into a wide chamber with nothing at all inside it besides three tall, stone archways which made my heart skip a beat in recognition. But how the leader of Pyros had come by any of them was beyond me. And if she had access to them then why hadn’t they made use of them to wage war yet?
“How long have you had these at your disposal?” I demanded.
“What are they?” Bastian asked, frowning.
“These are the archways I told you of – the same kind I found hidden beneath Never Keep. Including the one which led me to you, defying the laws of time and space,” I hissed and Bastian released a low growl.
“You intend to use these for war?” he asked.
“No. I told you, the war isn’t our focus.
Lazarus built them here after our marriage.
We use these for travel only. And they happen to be able to deliver you to the keystones in both Cascada and Avanis,” Lazarus said.
“So you see, no one from Stormfell will ever know you deviated from your intended path if you choose to return to them. You can help us defy the eschaton star and never let another soul know of what you did. Or you can accept our offer of a new life. The choice is yours.”
“And if we refuse?” I mused, my distrust of those archways making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
No one replied and I exchanged a loaded look with Bastian. This was no offer. It was an ultimatum. Not that either of us was surprised.
“I see,” I muttered.
“So, Sky Witch,” Lazarus purred confidently. “Are you ready to accept our terms and prove yourself in Cascada?”
I exchanged a loaded look with Bastian before replying, but really, it wasn’t like I had much choice.
“Apparently I am,” I said. “But you know what they say about making bargains with witches, don’t you?”
“Enlighten me.”
“You should be careful what you wish for.”
“Oh I know that, believe me. But difficult times call for hard choices. I am hoping this one will pay off for all of us,” Lazarus said.
“Come, eat, sleep. We can leave in the morning when you’re rested.
And you’ll be needing fresh clothes – can’t have you heading into Cascada looking like Stonebreakers now, can we? ”
I looked to Bastian again, protests rising to my tongue then falling away before I sighed, accepting the fact that I had no choice in the way this would play out.
“Fine. But we stay together,” I said.
“Of course. Are you wanting separate beds or…” Lazarus looked between the two of us expectantly and I narrowed my eyes.
“If you are trying to imply something, just say it,” I demanded.
“You are a Succubus,” Mirelle noted.
“Is that an observation or an offer? Because you don’t really look like you could handle me – no offence.”
“I could,” the Wolf blurted before slapping his hands over his mouth.
I scoffed but Bastian’s booming laughter broke over us all. “No pup, you really couldn’t,” he said, stepping closer to me in what felt a lot like a claim from the biggest dog in the room.
I gave my Dragon a scathing look but I couldn’t quite hide my amusement from him all the same.
“We have rooms prepared. But you’ll understand that we ask you not to leave them while you’re here.
This place is a well-kept secret and we can’t have you discovering more about it than entirely necessary.
At least not until we trust you a whole lot more,” Mirelle said.
“And I have a feeling that day won’t ever come. ”
“Of course,” I agreed easily, but we both knew she’d already shown me far too much. I’d have been a fool to believe she didn’t have eight different plans in place to kill me after this was done. But if she was brazen enough to attempt my assassination she’d soon live to regret her mistake.
We headed back out of the room which held the archways and Lazarus and Mirelle diligently locked the door behind us before leading the way deeper into the passages carved through reddish coloured rock.
They guided us through turns designed to confuse and disorient us but I kept count of each one, noting them in my mind the way I’d been trained to.
“It’s her,” a girl whispered and I turned to look as a small child peered out at me from a doorway we passed, an older woman hurrying to take her hand and haul her back inside. “She’s the one who saved us, grandmama.”
My heart skipped a beat as recognition struck me, two more little faces appearing from behind the woman who was still trying to pull the first child back into the room.
“Stars bless you, lady,” the woman breathed, bowing her head to me and pressing a hand over her heart before she managed to tug the children inside and snap the door closed between us.
“Told you she was nice!” one of the girls yelled and Bastian chuckled in amusement.
“I know what you did for those children,” Mirelle said softly, not looking back at me as she continued to lead the way on but her magpie still watched me closely. “And I thank you for your mercy.”
Mercy? Was that what it had been? I knew Dragor never would have named it such.
A barb rose to the tip of my tongue, a dismissal, a deflection, but before I could speak it, Bastian knocked his elbow against my arm and I cleared my throat before forcing different words past my lips.
“You’re welcome.”
Silence followed us until we reached our destination but there was a softness to it which hadn’t been present before.
Finally Lazarus opened the door to a suite of rooms which had already been laid out with food on a wooden table set for two, a fire blazing in the grate to warm the space despite it being beneath the ground.
The walls were bare, reddish rock but there were beds in two of the rooms which led from the central space, both dressed with warm, fluffy blankets in red and brown tones.
To the side of the space, someone had hung two sets of Cascadian clothes from a rail in preparation for the following day.
“Someone was confident we’d agree to their terms,” I said as I wandered into the space, the eyes of my enemies following me.
Bastian turned to Lazarus and held out his wrists. “Will you be taking these cuffs off us?” he asked.
“Not tonight,” the Vampire replied. “But we will remove them before you travel in the morning. And we’ll return your weapons to you then as well. The Order suppressant should wear off by then too, though it will keep your beastly forms subdued tonight.”
“What about the rest of our belongings?” Bastian asked.
“Your bags have been searched and will be kept safe.”
“I need my things,” I said, not turning to look at them while I moved through the suite they’d given us to rest in. “The herbs, specifically–”
“Tomorrow,” Lazarus promised. “But we won’t be providing you with the tools of your craft while you’re sleeping in our home, Sky Witch.”
“Fine. But if I don’t have what I need then I won’t be able to do anything with the keystone. So don’t fuck with my stuff and make sure it’s all accounted for.”
“Of course.” Lazarus made to leave with the others but Bastian called after them.
“I need my tarot cards tonight,” he said. “I need to replenish my magic and they’re the most valuable thing I own. No offence, but your rugs and pillows won’t suffice.”
“North,” Mirelle commanded and the Wolf nodded before turning and hurrying away. “He will deliver them to you. After that, this door will not reopen until the morning. There will be guards posted beyond it all night and the lock will only open at my magical signature.”
“Don’t worry. We have no interest in getting our heads cut off for the sake of exploring,” I said dismissively.
The Wolf returned at a sprint, almost falling over his own feet as he stumbled to a halt in the doorway and tossed Bastian his tarot deck.
The same deck I’d hurled at him in anger.
The one I’d spent days picking out in the antiquities sector of Wrathbane, hunting for the most valuable set I could find so that he would never have to draw magic from mundane items again.
“Sleep well,” Lazarus said in parting and the doors closed heavily behind them as they retreated.
A lock sounded and then we were alone at last.
“Well this is…unexpected,” Bastian said, taking the tarot cards I’d given him out of their protective tin and shuffling them while he moved around the space they’d given us.
“It is,” I agreed, moving to the small table and taking my place at it before loading my plate with food.
“You’re not going to try and break out of here tonight then?” Bastian asked, taking a bread roll from my plate and ripping into it with his teeth before I could manage so much as a bite.
“I figure I may as well keep my word to them,” I said, selecting a roll for myself and chewing thoughtfully. “Besides, they know all of my secrets. It seems like I have little choice.”
“Come now, spectre, there isn’t a Fae alive who is capable of backing you into a corner unless you want to be there,” he taunted.
“True,” I agreed. “Their wants and mine happen to be in alignment. So it makes sense for me to make use of their help in achieving them.”
“The ether still calls your name?”
“Constantly,” I agreed, the sound of it louder as I allowed myself to think of it. Drowning it out with my own thoughts had become a habit.
“Vesper…”
“And when they send us after the keystone in Avanis they’ll be delivering me back to Cayde. If we run from here now, we’ll only be faced with a much longer journey to the same destination.”
“That’s probably true,” Bastian agreed and I gave him a cunning smile.
I was using them of course. And they were using me. I didn’t like it but it seemed fate was always conspiring to keep me in these types of quandaries, my freedom as out of reach as his.