Chapter 50
Chapter Fifty
It took two days for her to recover. She went nowhere without them, was always in their eyeline, and she seemed happy to be there. But Auster couldn’t shake the idea that they’d nearly lost her, and he still didn’t understand what they would have lost her to.
It had looked like Chaos, but it hadn’t been him, and Auster wasn’t certain how Autumn had been able to differentiate between the real one and the one that had tried to kill her. He needed to talk to her about it, but he couldn’t find the words to ask when she was still recovering.
Boreus had been summoned to the Highest that day, leaving Auster to watch over her. He was staring out the window, trying to find the right words, when he felt a light touch on his spine and then a pair of arms went around him.
He turned in the circle of her arms, to tip her chin up and kiss her lightly. “Should you be up?”
She nodded, smiling at him. It made his heart squeeze hard, but all that it felt like was joy.
“I’m alright,” she told him. “I thought we could make lunch since Boreus should be home soon.”
“Alright,” he kissed her again, holding her close. “Autumn, what was that thing?”
“A memory,” she said after a moment. “The way it felt, it was there, but also not there. Eleni feels like that at times, like something from the past clinging to the present.” Autumn shook her head. “Not the same thing at all, but some of the feelings are similar.”
Auster nodded, trying to make that make sense. “Intellect said there was a miasma in your mind.”
Autumn nodded, “I think, and this is strictly my interpretation, that the memory was what truly wanted into my head, and that the miasma was supposed to weaken me enough that it could get close.”
“That is correct, actually,” Intellect’s voice came from the doorway, walking in at Boreus’ side. “I am still running the simulations, but if that had gotten into your head, there is a very strong chance that it would have done serious harm impersonating you before we were able to figure it out.”
“But why is it after me?” Autumn asked, still in the circle of his arms. “That’s the part I don’t understand.”
Intellect nodded, “This is the bit that we are still conjecturing about. In theory, since you sing the Song, and so did Magic, the fragments of his past are being called to you.”
“What can we do to keep her safe?” Auster asked, pulling Autumn slightly closer.
Intellect nodded, “In theory, we know what we’re looking for now, the shape of it and the way it feels. It should prove simpler to excise the shards that managed to escape Charan.”
“In theory?” Autumn asked.
Intellect nodded slowly. “We will need help,” he said. “We would ask for your assistance in tracking the rest of the fragments of memory. They may take any form, be anyone, and Light cannot banish people out of hand if there is a chance they are innocent.”
Autumn smiled at the Highest. “I will help if I can.”
“Thank you,” he replied. “I will report to Light that you are willing to assist us.”
“Would you like to stay for lunch?” Autumn asked as Solace trotted through the door and sat on her feet. “It won’t be anything like you’d have on the summit, but I can promise it will be good.”
“That would be kind,” Intellect replied. “Let me send to the Summit and let my loves know.”
“They can come too,” Autumn said with a smile. “If they’d like.”
Intellect stepped out of their house, and came back a few minutes later with the rest of the Highest in tow. Even Time, looking around as though he wasn’t quite certain that he hadn’t made a grave error.
“Highest,” Autumn stepped from Auster’s arms and bowed. “Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Autumn,” Light nodded, a smile on her lips. “Is there anything I can do to help get lunch ready?”
“There’s a recipe that Eleni used to make for her sisters that I think would be perfect, but it takes a while. Is that alright?”
“Of course,” Light nodded. “We aren’t here to disrupt your routine, Autumn.”
Autumn flitted off into the kitchen, leaving Boreus and Auster in the company of all five of the Highest and without a single idea of what to say to them.
“We should plan,” Light had lost her smile, and was looking at them gravely serious. “I do not believe her danger is ended, and we must be prepared when it comes again.”
“Why is it after Autumn?” Boreus asked, flicking a look at the kitchen where a chorus of chopping was sounding. “What is it about her that caught the thing’s interest?”
“She can sing the Song of the Mountain.” Light said as if it was obvious. “And more than that, she has befriended it. That gives her a great deal of power, North Wind. Enough that she nearly rivals us.”
“She—” Auster stuttered, trying to find the words to say Autumn would never?—
“She is not that sort, East Wind.” Light said, trying to be soothing. “She would have died to give Eleni back to you without a blink, had I allowed it.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Boreus said. “I love Eleni, but Autumn is my future.”
“Mine too,” Auster nodded. “I will always love Eleni, but Autumn is who I gave myself to, and the one I will spend eternity loving.”
“Good,” Light smiled again, flicking her eyes towards the kitchen and sniffing the scents that were beginning to hang in the air. “I know that smell,” she said, looking at at Love and Courage. “I suppose that some things transcend time streams.”
Love smiled, reaching for her hand. “Love is one of those things, Mine.”
“Well do I know it,” Light leaned over and kissed Love on the cheek. “Now, I am going to go help with lunch, you lot make a plan to keep her safe.”
Light vanished into the kitchen, the cooking sounds faltering for a moment and then coming back full force.
Auster turned to Love, who was smiling at him. “Alright, if she’s the only one that’s going to know who’s being impersonated by those things, how do we work as her back up?”
“I believe Light’s plan is to place her at our sides while we interview the residents of the Mountain.” Love said, tapping his chin with one finger. “If there is something off with them, if one of them begins to exhibit more than usual interest in Autumn, we will know to look more closely.”