Form
Name: Alerie Delcroix
Age: 27
Power Ability: Combat
Key Traits: Quiet // efficient // sympathetic // decisive // creative // romantic // blunt // oblivious // restrained // pessimist // stubborn // distant
Is your soulmate bond established/recognized? Ahahahahaha. Nope. *sobs*
Crowhallow // To the Leylinei. building steam
Despite everything, Alerie slept well. She would’ve thought between Fayra’s revelations, Verena returning broken, bloodied, and what she had learnt at Brinefell, some modicum of it would slip into her dreams. Instead, her sleep was blank, dreamless - easy, even. She woke up to grey light filtering through curtains, her face smushed into Mallow.
As she roused herself, something heavy, solid collided with the wooden floorboard. She winced, fumbling in the dark for the bedside light. A click, and the warm, magical glow lit her room, and she found the source of the sound. An encyclopedia she’d picked up from the library earlier on, something about alchemy and magical properties and whether paint could be enchanted. Fascinating reading, perhaps to be done one day. After plenty, plenty of practice and preparation.
Outside, footsteps thundered through the hall, followed by what was certainly Lilith telling Isa to wait for her. Alerie hadn’t pegged Isa to be the type to run, but she’d only seen her sitting quietly watching Lilith cook, or on some days, tagging behind Ryuu like his own (adorable) personal shadow.
There were two knocks on the door, and she heard Astrid’s voice.
“Alerie, we have breakfast.”
Alerie debated if she wanted to throw something in the general direction of the door, or if she wanted to pretend she heard nothing. There was a problem with that plan: the closest thing to throw was Mallow, and if she played asleep… best not to think about it. Maybe cold water. Or someone would levitate her out of bed. In this world, she wouldn’t put it past anyone to have telekinetic powers.
“Give me a moment,” Alerie called back, voice sounding more alert and ready for the day than she felt. She heard Astrid’s footsteps get further away, and took it as a sign she was no longer at her door. Still, it was best not to keep the woman waiting: while Astrid had been nothing but kind, albeit gruff to her, there was a temper that Alerie recognised in herself. Just that Astrid seemed to be more open about her fury than Alerie would ever let herself be.
By the time she made her way downstairs, most of House Nyx was already seated and Lilith was bringing out platters of food. Isa, from what Alerie could see, was helping, but mostly tagging along behind Lilith and helping hand out little glasses of - what looked like herbs. The empty space next to Astrid was strange, foreign: Verena had yet to recover, her tongue yet to regrow fully, but part of Alerie expected to see the white-clad woman. Another conspicuous absence was Fayra’s. Judging by the twinned expressions on Maddox and Astrid, Alerie judged it prudent not to say a word.
She had no appetite to make small talk either, so she sat next to Master Tao, nodding her greeting. If anything, she could work in comfortable silence with the man, without an obligation to keep the conversation going. That mood extended to the rest of the house: it was quiet save for the scraping and clatter of cutlery and Isa’s chattering. Isa’s plushie Sealkie had place of honour on Isa’s lap, its mottled grey head peeking out as Isa bounced in her seat, sandwiched between Sarah and Lilith.
“So, we’ll be making plans.”
Astrid’s voice cut through the air. For a moment, it went quiet, as everyone’s attention turned to the scarred, lithe woman standing at the head of the table.
“We’ll need… preparations -” And Alerie could hear the acrid bite in the word “- but before that, we need everyone to be at their full potential, trained or not. Master Tao has arranged for your sessions already, so see him after breakfast, if you’re so inclined.”
These were nothing new to Alerie: if it weren’t for Master Tao’s tutelage, she would still be floundering around, bumping into walls, furniture, corners, the energy thrumming on her skin. But she had something else on her mind - small, tidying up things, clearing out her room, going through the life she’d brought over from Amsterdam, seeing what needed to be replaced, remade.
She made her way down to the training arena, where her eyebrows went up.
In the past training sessions, Master Tao had the dummies, short range weaponry set up for her. Now, the entire arena was empty, save for Master Tao sat at one of the benches.
“Ah, Alerie.”
Alerie bowed, brief, courteous.
“The arcane circles.” She indicated the emptied arena. “No training dummies today?”
“None. You’ve not properly charged up your magics before, have you?”
“I have stayed in a training circle to work, but I don’t believe you have told me what charging up means.”
“Hm.” Master Tao stood up, the man drawing to his full height. “Well, I have some unfortunate news for you then.”
Alerie’s eyebrows climbed higher.
“Unfortunate?”
Master Tao gestured to the arena, and Alerie obeyed. She stepped down the wooden staircase, loud creaking punctuating the silence as the older man waited for her. Alerie took the chalk from her pocket, stepping into the ring.
“Mental and elemental mages are able to quietly sit in their circle to charge their energy.” His voice drifted in behind her, as Alerie got to work going over the patterns, the symbols, watching the white lines flicker. “Being a combat mage, however, you do not have the luxury.”
“Of?” She bit her lower lip as she traced another symbol, another marking. Now that the circle was close to completion, the white was turning into viridian, her fingertips sparking with magic.
“Resting.” When Alerie straightened up, Master Tao was smiling. “To charge up your magic, you need to perform your usual movements within the arcane circle. This means -” He indicated the solitary, beautifully drawn circle on the floor. “You’ll either need to draw a few more, or draw a larger one.”
“I -” Alerie paused, then sighed, air rushing out from her nostrils. “I don’t have to do this on the scale of a big Art Attack, do I?”
“I’m not familiar with that phrase. But you will need a larger circle, or multiple ones.”
Alerie looked a little mournfully the expanse of the arena.
“Is it anything in particular I need to do?”
“Physical activity. Some - strength exercises, combat moves, movement drills - will all work. Some others don’t.”
“So in theory, if a combat mage attempted, say, to do a conga line -”
“No, it would not work.”
Despite herself, Alerie smiled, head bent down to draw a few more arcane circles. That only threw up more questions: if multiple combat mages were to charge their powers, would that mean they could all use the same arcane circle? Or did they have to draw their own? And if so, that would mean…
Alerie caught herself adding another point to her star, and stopped that train of thought. She could read up on theories and how the arcane circles worked once she had access to the library. Something else she ought to read up on was whether there were faster, more efficient ways to draw aforesaid arcane circles, because having to redraw a circle every time was beginning to get tiresome.
She laid down three circles, and worked on filling her reserves. She did have to ask Master Tao if she could get one of the training dummies, because it was easier when she had something to attack, something to focus on. If she wasn’t to rest while charging up her energy, she would use it honing her skill, rendering her blows, faster, harder to predict.
The strange thing was, it was working: with each move, each jab, each thrust, she saw viridian energy curl around her legs, her arms. She felt it sharp and biting against her skin, sparking in her nerves, and each breath she took made her feel stronger, steadier, and -
Something collided heavily with a wall, and her eyes flew open. A few feet away from her, the training dummy lay there, its sturdy wooden body bent in two. She turned to look at Master Tao, giving him a tiny shrug. The elder only smiled, shaking his head.
“I think we’re done for the day. You will need more practice with the circles, but -” His look was appraising, and Alerie stood to attention, hands behind her back. “- Yes. I think you will have enough to last a few days. Remember you will need to do this regularly.”
“Yes.” That wouldn’t be a problem for her - her mornings were still mostly free, and there was only so much sitting her newfound powers would let her endure. Another adjustment she needed to make: where she had been used to the office, papers, documents, her arcane abilities meant if she sat too long, something in the back of her mind would nag at her, tell her she needed to stretch her legs. Of course, that was the deceptive part: now, stretching her legs meant going for a run, and she would invariably find herself doing laps around the mansion just to work off any extra energy.
Painting could still calm her, hold her, as did arts and crafts, but she was being very sparing with the paper and paints. No one had taken her out shopping, and she had no clue where any of the districts were.
Her magic had begun to settle when she ran into Astrid carrying armfuls of maps and books. Alerie raised one eyebrow.
“You look like you just raided the library,” she commented, falling into step next to her guild leader. Astrid looked up, saw Alerie, and a tiny smile emerged on her face.
“Maddox did.” Alerie’s other eyebrow went up. “I did a bit too. We just finished.”
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“I’m always in a good mood if I don’t need to be around him.”
Alerie had no comment for that. Instead, she took a few of the books poking out from the pile, walking with Astrid. Strangers always made Alerie uncomfortable, but even when Verena said Astrid’s name, it was - familiar. An old friend, like she’d always known her. Even now, the silence was easy, amicable. She didn’t need to talk, and Astrid didn’t seem like she was bothered by this.
They had made it to the library when Astrid turned to her, a frown fixed on her face.
“Is someone in the library.”
“No.” Astrid turned to her, scrutinising her. While Master Tao’s was steady, as if reassured it was Alerie and that he was looking at someone he knew, remembered - Astrid’s was frantic, as if trying to grab ahold of some vague, distant recollection. Alerie knew that feeling too well.
“I feel like I’ve done this walk with you before.”
“Books and the library?” Alerie smiled, a tiny thing, but she hoped its sincerity would show.
“No, something -” Astrid paused. Then the fugue cleared, and her eyes were sharp, alert. “Never mind. Let’s get these books back.”
It didn’t take long: Alerie remembered most of the sections now, despite Nikos’s last attempt to re-arrange the books - this time by height. Whatever adrenaline she had been running on had faded when she returned to her room, leaving her more exhausted than she’d been in a while.
You’ll get used to it, a voice piped up. It sounded like hers own, from another time, another age where she was certain hard work and hard graft would get her through the day. She pushed it aside, opting to head for the shower, curl up in bed, and wait for whatever would come in the evening. Maybe if she was lucky, she’d sleep through the dinner bell as well.
ii. acquisition
As she did, Alerie started the day with a plan. Ever since Astrid and Maddox had decided they would leave out of state to find allies, House Nyx had been at work preparing for their departure. Verena still hadn’t woken up, so it was left to Master Tao, his wife, Lilith, and Isa to keep the mansion going, the wards charged up and functional. Everyone else was off gathering information, supplies - and Alerie had taken Master Tao’s words to heart.
Which was to say, Alerie had initially started the day planning to practice in her arcane circle, top up her powers so she wouldn’t be so caught out in an ambush. Even if she still was unsure how much power she had to her, she was sure she could maybe take at least one other person down. So she had been on her way to the arena, chalks in her pocket, when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
Reflexes meant she’d twisted around, eyes flashing. Recognition meant she didn’t suplex Ryuu to the floor.
“You still haven’t learnt not to surprise me like that,” she said finally, blood still roaring in her ears. Ryuu shrugged, pulling his hand away.
“I haven’t lost a limb yet.” He paused. “You’re coming.”
Alerie frowned at him.
“I have an appointment with an arcane circle.”
“You can do that tomorrow.” Ryuu’s face twisted into a scowl. “You’re coming with me and Rafael.”
“You two are out to Crowhallow for weaponry and supplies. My tagging along would be redundant.”
“It wasn’t a request, Delcroix.” He paused. “Your restlessness is showing.”
“I’m alright, thank you for your concern.”
“You broke another training dummy yesterday.”
“And how did you hear about that?”
“Master Tao. I asked him what he needed and he made mention of that.”
“You can get that without me, Ryuu.”
“Just - come.” There was something pained in Ryuu’s expression, something - closer to exasperation, like he was dealing with an unruly, stubborn child. “There’ll be books and paint, and you’re running out of both.”
“That almost sounds like a bribe.”
“Yes, and I’m not proud of it. Get changed, I’ll see you at the door in ten minutes.”
Some part of her was tempted to head off to the training arena, leave him to his shopping trip. Yet, as Ryuu turned away, she caught sight of another figure standing further away, just out of sight. She recognised him as Rafael, as he stepped closer.
“He meant it,” Rafael said, voice quiet as Ryuu strode away. “I think he just wants you to come along.”
“There are better ways to go about persuading someone,” she replied, but there was no real heat in her voice. Rafael smiled faintly, and he turned to follow the vampire. Alerie looked at her tank top, her gloves, her pants and sighed. Books, painting supplies, and general arts and crafts were tempting, if only because she hadn’t properly seen what was on offer.
Thus here she was, stood in Crowhallow, tagging along like a lost child behind Ryuu and Rafael as they went about their chores. As the two men went from shop to shop, Alerie kept a tally of the streets they visited, the paths they took, how people treated them. She still stiffened whenever she saw one of the urchins approach, whenever a townsperson so much looked her direction. The memories were lodged in her mind, the harassment, the looks, the insults thrown her way. Perhaps people thought Crowhallow was warm, welcoming - all Alerie saw was papered-over smiles and civilities that lasted so long as you were one of them.
Still, the stores were bustling, the smell of freshly baked bread and roasted meats wafted in the air, crows flying over head. Alerie caught sight of their shiny feathers, the shadows drifting against the sky above. All she had to do was stay close, and not try and manhandle someone out if they so much came within shoulder-brushing distance of her.
“Alerie, I told you to stay close.”
Ryuu’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and Alerie blinked. She found herself in front of a window display of - she boggled for a moment. What was she looking at? It looked like a taxidermy store of some kind, except she recognised none of the creatures in the window, and the image had an alarming tendency to flicker.
“What am I looking at?”
Ryuu looked at the window display for a moment, then shook his head.
“It’s an illusion. We’re going inside, if you want to have a better look at it.”
A portable illusion sounded awfully handy at the moment. Alerie gave one last look at the chimerical creature, then followed Ryuu inside. She could see Rafael darting between aisles, quiet, efficient. That Alerie could understand.
“Did you bring a shopping list? It would be easier if we split up for the materials.”
The man frowned.
“Rafael and I can. You would get lost.”
“Then point me in the right direction on this floor, and I’ll be intact when you find me.” When Ryuu opened his mouth, Alerie shook her head.
“I’m not trying to be difficult. There are three of us - even if I’m not used to magic, I don’t believe the English alphabet has changed that much.”
“And what if I told you there was Latin?”
Alerie shrugged. “There are enough words in Latin that share the same roots as English. Tell me what needs buying, Ryuu, I’m not going to be dead weight.”
“You never were.”
“Sorry, what?”
Ryuu must’ve realised what he said too, because for the first time since she’d met him, he turned away, coughing. Alerie would’ve needled him more, but he shoved a piece of paper into her hands, and turned her in the direction of several wooden shelves.
“The chalks are that way, go.”
To emphasize his point, he gave her a push. It would’ve irritated her, if Ryuu hadn’t looked so flustered. Or rather, he looked flustered to her. Maybe she had been spending enough time around him, watching him the same way he seemed to be watching her.
“Could you repeat that?” Alerie fought to keep the grin off her face, even as the man looked discomfited by the realisation that yes, he had just said that.
“We don’t have all day, just - get the things and meet me back here.”
Pity magic meant recorders were not viable in paranormal-dominated districts, because she ought to have taken that down and played it to - hm. Who? Maybe Astrid. Astrid would understand, Alerie thought, and maybe she’d have smirked and seen why it was so amusing. Then another thought occurred to her: Astrid had never expressed any interest in Ryuu or his actions. At most, she’d had barely civil discussions that de-evolved into snarking whenever Maddox opened his mouth. Another memory, or was it an impression?
Shrugging it off, Alerie made for the shelves Ryuu had indicated. She was faced with a wall of colours, chalks of varying lengths - even breakability. Some even had magical symbols carved into it, glowing to life at her touch. Frowning, she glanced at her list. The instructions were clear enough, and everything was clearly labelled, categorised. All Alerie needed to do was to follow the list, make a few deductions, and return to the cashier to wait for the two wayward men.
Still, she wasn’t sure if she ought to be offended when Ryuu did a double take at her neatly arranged shopping basket. She wasn’t about to throw the chalks in there like a heathen.
Weaponry was next, and here, Alerie was content to stay nearby, let the two have a go at it. The only weapons Master Tao had let her pick up were her fists, a baton, and on a few occasions, a short sword. Her instincts meant she learnt to pick them up quickly, but her inexperience meant she was unsteady at times, second-guessing what her instincts told her, or giving in to her gut feeling. Master Tao had said it was a balancing act: Alerie wished her training would progress faster.
When Alerie came back to her thoughts, she caught the two men deep in conversation with the weaponsmith, something about the magical properties of so-and-so metal, its inclination for enchantment, and a thousand other things Alerie could not understand. She must’ve known this once, if Fayra’s explanation was anything to go by. Another part that she desperately needed, but had no way of recovering.
They walked out with several orders and a few swords wrapped in oil cloth. Even from here, Alerie could feel the magic humming, reaching out for anyone willing to use the enchantments carved into its surface. All it needed was a little push.
By the time they’d completed their list, Alerie had picked up several tidbits of information from the shops and the market stalls. They were all uncategorised, jumbled fragments, but if she had the proper grounding, reading for it - perhaps she would make sense of it, understand why some things were one way, others were another.
“Maddox will be pleased,” Rafael was saying, as the three fell into step.
“Do we have everything?” she asked instead, turning to look at Ryuu. The man nodded.
“Mostly.” He turned another corner, leaving her and Rafael back. She exchanged glances with the mage, who shrugged.
“There was something else?”
“Ryuu has something in mind.” Rafael’s voice was quiet, but where Ryuu’s had menace, his was calmer - neutral. “I’ve found it’s best to follow him if he’s in one of those moods.”
As far as Alerie was concerned, Ryuu’s mood had really only two settings: cold menace, and cold indifference. Still, Ryuu would keep close to Alerie, and she would catch his eyes flickering to her once in a while. Once, when she was feeling braver, she met his gaze, and her heart stuttered.
This was ridiculous. If she was like that around him, how was she going to survive around her soulmate? Or would having, meeting her soulmate sharpen her senses, keep her focused, more aware? No answers. And no one she could ask without sounding like a lovelorn loon.
“That being said, he’s not always been like this.”
Not always been like this?
“As in, warmer.”
“I -” Rafael winced. “I wouldn’t say warmer, but less curt. But he leads well, and he led us back to Maddox.”
Back to Maddox? But before Alerie could ask Rafael to elaborate, she caught sight of Ryuu - arms crossed, waiting for the two of them to catch up. He was stood in a dimly-lit doorway, but even from this distance, Alerie saw the brightly painted arch above it, and the wooden sign that seemed to change colours in daylight.
“Here.”
Ryuu’s voice was gruff, as he stepped aside. As Alerie stepped closer, she looked up at the shop sign: “Sternbrow & Sons”. Beneath that, in smaller, but beautifully painted font: “Inspiration’s colourmen”. When she looked at Ryuu, he was looking away again, as if the floor was more interesting.
For a moment, the hubbub around them faded, and Alerie’s vision narrowed to Ryuu, the doorway, and the sign swinging gently in the breeze. The indignant part of her wanted to protest that she wasn’t some sort of child, that she didn’t need her equivalent of ice cream for not pitching a fit during the shopping. But Ryuu looked even more discomfited than he had when he sent her off to buy chalks, and that was… strangely endearing.
If he made an effort, Alerie could play nice too. She smiled up at him, faint, but warmer than she’d ever felt.
“Thank you, Ryuu.”
She didn’t wait for his reaction. She stepped past him, pushing the door open, the door chime ringing as she crossed the threshold. She’d not seen a shop like this before: glass baubles hanging in the ceiling, its golden light showcasing shelves upon shelves of paints, inks, papers. There were signs hanging above, indicating where the brushes were, where the embossing stamps and powders could be found. A stairwell led up, and she heard hushed whispers drifting down from the balcony.
Yet, this felt like home. It felt like she’d come here a thousand times, her feet remembering what her mind could not, carrying her to the paints, the graphene sticks, the sketchbooks she desperately needed to replenish.
She could spend a day here, and not tire of it. How large was this store, and how much could she see? They were on a strict schedule, she knew that much, so… the basics. She needed paints, new brushes, and probably a new sketchbook and a palette. The painting studio hidden in the library, after all, was lacking in new materials to work with.
Alerie liked to think she hadn’t gone too overboard: two sets of gouache, some new paintbrushes, two sketchbooks, and paper. Half an hour, in and out, though some part of her was wondering how she knew where to go, what to get, what to pick.
As she went for the cashier, she paused. Peeking out from the corner of the shelf, she saw flowers and leaves. Flowers and leaves, growing from the shelf? She peered at them, reaching a tremulous finger to brush against its petals, and realised: these weren’t true flowers. They shimmered, quivered, yes, but they were made of the finest gossamer silks, its artificial stems bent from a strange, malleable wood. She could make a flower decoration of it - a trinket, to place on top of a stuffed toy. Or perhaps on a child’s head.
When she finally rejoined them outside, Alerie’s pack had something new too: a bouquet of quivering, enchanted flowers, waiting to be used for her next project. Something to keep in mind then, for when she went back to Mansion Nyx.
iii. a half remembered dread
Warning: Mild horror, with all that it entails.
The room was dark when Alerie woke up. She sat up, her back aching, sitting on cold, hard - floor?
Floor. It felt like floor. She must’ve fallen out of bed in her sleep. Woozy, disoriented, she reached behind her, feeling for Mallow, feeling for the bedside table. Instead, her hand landed on smooth, cold stone, with no wooden bedside table.
The realisation cleared her mind, as her hands groped for her bed, for Mallow, for her pillow, for her blanket. The blanket was gone, and in its place was a thin, poor excuse of a bedsheet, clinging onto her. There was no mattress. No bed. Had she been taken in her sleep?
No, it wasn’t right. She’d gone back to Mansion Nyx, after Ryuu and Rafael had made their report. She’d had dinner, she’d gone to her room to unpack her paints, her sketchbooks. If there’d been an attack, someone would’ve woken her… surely?
“If this is a prank,” she called out, voice swallowed in the darkness. “It’s in very poor taste.”
All she heard was silence. Her eyes were not adjusting to darkness, but there was nothing covering her eyes, her head. Where was she?
She tried to get up, but her legs felt leaden, as if it’d been replaced with steel bars. She needed grounding, someone to get to her, a focus, because if she had been taken, kidnapped -
Mallow. Where was Mallow? Her throat was constricting in on itself, because none of this was right, none of this made sense. If she focused enough, concentrated so she could summon her magic to do something…
Her hand brushed against something familiar: pillowy soft, large enough, with a snout and what felt like closed eyes. Alerie let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding - Mallow. There she was, in this bizarre, foreboding space with her. She clutched onto the seal, arms wrapped around it, taking comfort in her warmth, the familiarity.
She’d wished hard enough for Mallow. If she wished for a lantern, with enough thinking, would she get one? But even now, thinking took on a - reluctance. As if her mind was refusing to work, as if it was trapped beneath a fugue. A curse then? Fayra had mentioned a curse.
Alerie would work on that later. If she could will Mallow to her side, a lantern wouldn’t be too far a stretch. She shut her eyes, tried to picture a steel lantern, its light, its warmth. When she opened them again, a lantern sat a few feet away, isolated in on a bedside table, floating in the darkness.
When Alerie stood up again, she could move. Her legs were no longer pinned down to the floor - if it could be called a floor. Now, with the lantern illuminating her surroundings, all Alerie could see was an inky black void, a bedside table levitated above it - and apparently, her.
The floor was opaque, unreflective as she walked towards the lantern. Her feet were cold, making her shiver. She drew the thin bedsheet closer to herself, Mallow tucked protectively to her chest, and finally - the lantern. When she picked it up, the bedside table melted away, sinking into the black floor. The surface rippled as it swallowed up the furniture, then - nothing. Like the table had never existed.
“Hello?”
Her voice was swallowed up by the void, and her mind was beginning to race. Where was she? What had happened? Was she trapped here?
As she thought those words, the floor began to rise up, rumbling beneath her feet, pillars shooting up to the sky. Instinctively, Alerie curled in on herself, onto Mallow, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she was stood in - what could be best described as a hazy, shimmering image. The floor beneath her feet was cobble, the view before her… a town. Blackened, twisting, nothing from Alerie’s memories. Neon signs flickered, but it was - erratic. Broken. If she stared at it took long, the image began to glitch, like those artefacts she’d seen on overused computer screens back when she was human.
“Cara!”
Someone was calling her. No, someone was calling Cara.
“Cara, where are you?”
It sounded so close.
“Cara? Come closer, I see you on the road there, I thought I was meeting you at Brinefell?”
Alerie knew that voice. She’d known it months ago, when she was still knocking back drinks in Amsterdam, trying to pretend she hadn’t realised her world, her memories were implanted forgeries.
“Pasha?” she called back. The name was foreign on her tongue.
Two shadows zipped past, and Alerie whipped her head around, magic curling around her, ready to fight. But there was no one - just the winding road ahead, and a twisted, blackened town with neon signs looming.
“Cara? Or are you too good for that name now?”
It was still Pasha’s voice, but there was a twist to it - mocking, deprecating.
“You’re not meant to be here,” Alerie muttered, but the voice heard her all the same.
“And you weren’t meant to live, Caralerie.”
“You mean leave. Sorry I couldn’t treat you to a last drink.”
There was no response, only laughter. High, thin, reedy, and it hurt Alerie’s ears.
“I mean what I meant. Why don’t you come see?”
As if compelled, Alerie moved forward, Mallow clutched close to her chest, lantern held high. The cobbles were freezing, and with each step forward, the cobbled road behind her dissolved, crumbling beneath her. As if the voice could see - if Pasha’s voice could see - it rang out:
“No turning back now. Come on, just a little closer.”
This was a terrible idea. Everything was a terrible idea. But thinking was hard - controlling her body was harder. She felt leaden, puppeteered - driven. No longer in control. But she had to try, because she’d be damned if she let whatever dream-voice-Pasha-creature tell her where to go, what to do -
She stopped herself, but just barely. When she looked up, she recognised the blackened, flickering town. Brinefell, where Ryuu had taken her to see Astaroth, where she had to dress in the skimpiest outfit she never imagined herself wearing. Where the streets were claustrophobic, lights were too bright, the music hiding her treacherously beating heart…
“You’re in such denial, Caralerie.”
Pasha’s voice again, but it was shifting, multi-layered. A hundred voices speaking at once, too guttural and too hypnotic at once.
“You know why you have that reaction. You know so much, and yet you pretend you don’t. Why?”
“What I do with myself,” Alerie snapped back. “Is my own business. Now are you going to let me out of here, or is there a point to this?”
Silence. Whatever the voice was, the presence was - it had left her, staring at a Brinefell she did not recognise, and in front of its gates. What was she to do now? Keep going? She only had Mallow and a lantern, and she was loathe to lose either.
Something creaked next to her. In any other place, it would’ve been unnoticeable, but here, it was the loudest thing in the landscape. Alerie turned her head, slow, mechanical, and stared at the thing slumped by the gate.
Thing - no, not thing. A girl, long-haired, head lolling, hand limp, dark liquid pooling where she sat. No. This couldn’t be it. Why was she here? Was this a memory? A vision?
Whatever this was, whatever response Alerie wanted to make, it died in her throat when the head lifted up, eyes empty, black. Or at least, it was for a moment, before it blazed into red - infernal, cold, the smile stiff and unnatural, spreading ear-to-ear. The girl said nothing - she couldn’t, not from the state of her injuries, but Alerie saw black smoke leaking from her mouth.
“Do you remember how you fell, Alerie? Do you remember how your house fell?”
The multi-layered, not-Pasha’s voice came from the body. Alerie was no fool. She turned tail and took off, dropping the lantern at her feet. It burst into flame, turning into a roaring inferno, fire licking at her nightdress, at her bedsheet, at poor Mallow as Alerie fled for her life.
Not-Pasha was laughing. No, that was wrong - not laughing. Howling, delighted, maniacal. No matter how far Alerie ran, the laughter was close behind, ringing in her ears, reminding her if she so much slowed…
In her haste to get away, Alerie must’ve forgotten where she was going. She tripped, fell - not onto cold floor, but into the void beneath, Mallow still clutched to her chest, the wind rushing past, and the glow turning from black, to red, to a familiar, soothing viridian, the laughter screaming all the way -
Alerie opened her eyes again, to sweaty bedsheets, clammy palms, and the flicker of moonlight outside her bedroom window. Mallow lay on the bed next to her, whole, untouched. Gingerly, Alerie sat up, patting herself down, fumbling for the bedroom light. When she flicked it on, Alerie saw her bedroom again, exactly as it should’ve been: her belongings tidied away, sketchbook on her table, the artificial flowers in a small glass jar she’d re-purposed as a vase.
She felt cold. She could still hear the laughter ringing in her head. Had she been dreaming? Or something worse?
Putting on her slippers, Alerie picked up Mallow, put on her nightrobe, and cracked open her bedroom door. The hallway lights flickered to life, and Alerie saw the long stretch of corridor, the tree shadows long and grasping. She needed a drink. She needed a warm one, alcohol not-very-optional at this point.
To her surprise, the kitchen was lit when she opened the door, and she saw Lilith and Isa there. Lilith was stood over the stove, while Isa sat there obligingly, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, staring into empty space. At the sound of the door opening, Lilith’s head whipped around - and then relaxed when she saw who it was.
“You wanted a snack?”
“Something to settle myself,” Alerie said quietly, giving Isa a little wave. Isa blinked up at her - and then brightened when she saw Mallow.
“Hello Mallow!”
“Hello Isa.” Alerie paused, and saw the grey seal plushie sat next to her. “And hello Sealkie too. What are you two doing here?”
“Isa had a nightmare.” Lilith smiled ruefully, as Alerie put down Mallow and began to rummage in the kitchen. “I couldn’t wake her.”
“Bad one?”
“Warehouse,” Isa piped up, voice sounding very small, and Alerie was seized by the urge to give the girl a hug. Isa still hadn’t told anyone what had happened in the warehouse, why she was there. That, and Sarah and Lilith were the only ones who seemed to get Isa to open up - and whatever information they knew, they held very close to them. Or perhaps even Isa didn’t want to revisit it. Whatever it was, it wasn’t Alerie’s place to question.
“Mm.” They lapsed into silence, as Alerie found the tea, the rum, and set about warming them both. “May I borrow a stove-top?”
“Oh, sure.” Lilith gestured to one of the free spots, where Alerie set down the saucepan. “I didn’t know you could cook!”
“I can’t. Drinks I can - anything else runs the risk of inconveniencing everyone.”
As Alerie tipped the ingredients into the pot, she heard Isa fidgeting behind her, shifting in the seat.
“Can I try Alerie’s too?” The girl said eventually, voice piping up.
“No.” Both her and Lilith’s reply was instantaneous. Might as well, because Alerie had tipped in a very generous measure of rum into her drink, the smell of spices filling the room. Lilith, of course, was the one who then said, “You can try when you’re older. Not now though.”
Despite that, Lilith eyed Alerie’s saucepan. “Are you alright? That’s quite a lot of rum.”
Alerie shrugged. “The news from Crowhallow.”
“Oh.” Lilith paused, wincing. “I thought you only overheard the conversation?”
“It - stayed.”
Whether that was true, Alerie couldn’t say. It certainly left Alerie shaken when Ryuu and Rafael and her had gone to Master Tao’s inn, sat down for lunch only to hear that conversation. A human girl, murdered in a fit of rage at the entrance of Brinefell. A third one this week, as the mages were saying - and something that Alerie hadn’t recalled Astaroth saying when they last visited. The corpse, as it turned out, was nearly unrecognisable. And aforesaid corpse had managed to find her way into her mind, into - whatever that had been.
It was good to know Alerie’s subconscious had its priorities straight, because what had Alerie had been able to remember and make sense of was Ryuu’s apparent friend Madame Thalia. She’d seen him warm then, soften a little, and say it was alright - that he’d call on her another day. That, and Madame Thalia was precious and lovely.
Something in Alerie jerked violently when he said that, enough to push away whatever horror that had been the murdered human girl. Or perhaps the more reasonable explanation was - it was easier to fixate on people than dead bodies murdered in a fit of rage. Yes, that had to be it.
You’re in denial, not-Pasha’s voice murmured, faint, hideous. Alerie closed her eyes, pushing it out of her mind, and let the smell of Lilith’s drink and her own hot, spiced rum wash over her.
It would be cold when Alerie left the kitchen to go back to her room, but her belly was warm - along with the memory of Isa trying to cuddle both Mallow and Sealkie, only to find her little arms weren’t large enough. Alerie left with a promise to bring Mallow to visit. That would be enough to chase the remnants of the nightmare away. It had to be - otherwise, she did not know how she could sleep with the smoking, red-eyed visage of the girl leering at her.
iv. minute by minute
Master Tao, Lilith, and Isa came to see her and Ryuu off in the late morning. Ryuu was already outside, tightening the bundles on their horse, while Alerie was caught between saying her goodbyes and making sure she’d brought all her essentials with her in her crossbody and her pouches. Her breath misted in the morning chill, her fingers turning to ice even with the sun creeping higher as the minutes ticked by. Fortunate, then, that her coat was thick, warm enough, and she had some good pieces of cashmere on her that could keep her warm without any use of magic.
“You two be careful,” Master Tao said, as he walked her to the horse. “The journey won’t be too long, and the saddle is enchanted so the horse will feel like it is taking on one person, but - still.”
“We will be,” Alerie promised, squeezing the older man’s hands. “Ryuu will be more familiar with these routes. I’ll just keep an eye out.”
Behind Lillith, Isa peeked out, looking up at Alerie. With a solemn look, Alerie bent down to look at Isa in the eye.
“You will do what I asked you?”
Isa bobbed her head enthusiastically.
“Mallow will be with Sealkie!”
“Good.” She patted Isa gently on the head, and nodded to Lilith. “I will see you in a few days.”
“With some good news, I hope.” Master Tao was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Alerie shrugged.
“Astrid has Nikos and Sarah. If anything, Sarah might be able to charm them to make things easier.”
“Nikos has gone ahead and voided Sarah’s ability.” Ryuu’s voice came up, and Alerie turned to see the vampire walking towards them, hands in his pockets. “We’re not even sure if the House will be willing to assist.”
“After House Aurora?”
The man huffed, a short, unhappy sound. He didn’t need to elaborate any more. With a last nod, Alerie followed Ryuu towards their steed, its leather tandem saddle faintly shimmering with runes. One of the more useful inventions, Alerie thought, that paranormal dominated districts had - two riders on one horse traditionally was hell on a horse’s spine, the weight potentially ruining its back for life. But given how ineffective modern transportation was here, it was only natural someone would come up with better ways of horseback riding.
That being said, Alerie didn’t see why they couldn’t have two steeds instead of one like they had before. It would make for a faster - and less awkward experience.
She waited for Ryuu to swing up onto the horse, and she followed suit. She sat snugly on the tandem saddle, mere inches away from Ryuu, legs spread apart to grip onto the horse better. Small mercy that she wasn’t the one sitting in front - or holding the reins.
“You need to hold onto me, Alerie.”
“I am aware, Ryuu. I’m not used to having this little control over my transport.”
“Think of it as those cars humans have back at home.”
“Cars had passenger seats, Ryuu. This is akin to a motorcycle that travels a quarter of its speed.”
“Which is why the faster we get started, the sooner we can reach the Leylines.”
“I’m more worried about whether the route we’re taking isn’t camped, Ryuu.”
Ryuu fell silent, and Alerie could almost picture the grimace on the man’s face.
“We’ll deal with that when it happens. Are you ready yet?”
This was the part she was unsure if she was looking forward to or not.
“Time to go.”
Bodily contact was bizarre. Whenever, wherever she could, Alerie would avoid it, because it intruded too much on her personal space as well as her companion’s. But sat up here, on the horse, there wasn’t anywhere to run - to hide. Only how warm Ryuu was sat up in front of her, and her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.
“Alerie, you need to -”
Ryuu’s hand closed over her gloved one, wrapping it tighter around his waist.
“I won’t fall off.” Her voice was quiet, echoing out in the still morning air. “And you’d be better without a stranger holding onto your waist for dear life.”
“I would feel better if I knew cantering means you won’t topple.”
“We’ll be speeding through this then?”
Ryuu cast her a look, head turned to face her, and there was the tiniest of smiles on his face.
“I did ask for the fastest horse I could get my hands on.”
Alerie shrugged, but wrapped her arms around his waist obligingly. There was no other way to sit comfortably than to lean forward, nestling herself against his back. She felt Ryuu stiffen under her touch, and fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“You told me to hold onto you.”
“I - yes.”
This close, she feel his muscles shifting beneath her grasp, how inordinately warm he was for a species meant to be undead at best. Again, there was the twang of familiarity, how his smell of clove and smoke was tugging on something in her mind. It was the same way she’d felt when he’d thrown his shirt at her when they went to Brinefell, another ghost memory clinging on.
Alerie was beginning to think that the mansion had superimposed some of these memories onto her, the last vestiges of its inhabitants that had once dwelled here. Fayra had said her memories were blocked, wiped after the attack on Obsidian. Who was to say that the people who lived at Mansion Nyx perished too, and she had some remnant of a mage with a puppy-like infatuation for Ryuu? Perhaps that was the best way to explain all of - this. This familiarity, this aching, pained longing for a man who did not care for her.
These were thoughts she did not need, especially if she were to be spending the next hour on horseback with him alone. Perhaps once they reached the Leyline, Alerie could pull out one of the books she’d brought along - this time, the diary of an alchemist, read, hide away in those thoughts as scenery rushed by. But here, now, all she could focus on was to keep her mind off these thoughts, until they reached the station.
COMPLETE
Last edited by Jadis (11/04/2021 at 12:03)
