Belden- (Pre-Beaugro) 1x1 Oriel and Redsparrow

[Redsparrow]

Luke expected to wake upon the cold floor of a prison cell, to be tortured until given the mercy of death for being caught with Alec. Or worse to die in the hands of Kern and the Arena, a slavery band latched on his arm and his mind blurred with pain. Fever dreams met his mind the moment he came to again. They spun the world and brought back his worst moments. He had no sense of time and only fleeting moments were he connected to the real world.

As his power seeped back he gingerly extending the static around him he explored his fate. There in the room he could sense a women, fine fur all around her body stood on end in response to his static. Eyes flew open to confirm the figure he had felt. Her emerald green cat eyes met his. “I failed.” Luke said abruptly trying to sit up, despite the world turning every color of the rainbow at once.

“Fail? Hardly.” Her voice was warm, her arms reached out and gently guided him back to a laying position. “Relax, your safe.”

“So we are not dead?” Luke said closing his eyes to the spinning he felt.

“Oh my friend.” Her voice was sad and somewhat disapproving. “What have you done to yourself?”

Luke’s mind worked hard against him, he didn’t believe he was in a bed and that the feline woman was there. Panic and confusion began to overwhelm him, without thinking he gathering all the strength he could and hoisted himself clumsily from the bed. Avoiding her grasp he made his way to the door, the floor stung under his feet. As his hand reached for the doorknob, it was suddenly pulled away to reveal yet another sight Luke preferred not to see at this time.

Mitch stood in the doorway, he moved quickly to catch Luke as he lost his balance.
“What are you doing?” His voice was stern and accusing. His skin was sharply cold against Luke’s, which made his anxiety all the great as he attempted to put distance between them.

“With any luck I am dyeing.” Luke said struggling against the man who was effortlessly moving him closer to the bed. Once the bed meet the back of Luke’s legs he gave in and fell limply onto it. The effort of moving even the short distance was draining, so much so that Luke just lay there wishing for death.

Cold cloths dabbed at his body, pain and fatigue caused him to lay unmoving, free to the will of others help.

“Relax.” Mitch’s voice broke into his mind for a moment. Luke exhaled and worked to slow his mind and body, he must have fallen asleep for he did not notice the people enter the room. Voices soon broke into his mind’s eye and he became slowly aware of the conversation happening around him.

“Has he moved?” Kern asked briskly.

“Not yet.” Mitch answered. “Though I think we had better wait until he is well before interrogating him, don’t you think?”

Kern sneered at the Mitch’s response. “I see no need to interrogate him, we know what happened.”

“Do we?” Mitch inquired with a tone of irritation.

“He was obviously leading a band of rouge elementals to attack passing by carriages, when he realized who was inside he knew it was more trouble then it was worth. The others in his group didn’t feel the same way so he killed them all to cover up the plan and fabricated the scene we found to hide his true intentions.”

“You have no proof of that.” Mitch growled

“What proof do I need? Why else would he be that far out of town, why else drain all his energy then to make a convincing scene?”

“That is completely anecdotal evidence.” Mitch argued back.

“If I may?” the cat eyed women interrupted the two men calmly and quietly.

“Yes Loreley?” A councilman by the name of Samsun said hoping to break into the argument.

“Ashmore freed our soldiers, saved my children’s and my life and might I add, risked his own to draw attention and help from the falcon city. If nothing else he deserves rest, besides I am sure the men who were captured alive will be more than willing to clarify any confusion we are still having here.”

“Speaking of those men.” Mitch added “They should be cross examined by both myself and Kern in front of the council and royal families immediately. This will allow for all parties to ask questions and for the council to bear witness to any testimonies.”

“Grand idea Mitch, shall we?” Samual chimed in not wanting to see Kern argue. “The sooner we get to the bottom of this the sooner we know what to do.”

Luke felt the group leave the room one at a time, Loreley and Mitch hung back for a moment. “He will be fine Loreley, he just needs rest. Besides I need you to help me clear his name.” She didn’t reply but rose to follow Mitch from the room. Luke could feel her presence cling to the door for a moment before it closed and latched leaving Luke alone.

Eyes open Luke sat up and surveyed the place he was now locked in. Food and fluid was abundant in the small hospital like room. His strength was still failing him and his mind drove illogical paranoia and anxiety, he needed to get out of here, he needed to find Alec. He was sure Loreley or at least Zacora had seen Alec, or even worse one of the men who had been trying to raid the carriage. It was only a matter of time before the council knew.

Frustration left his hands shaking; he fumbled as he struggled to make his way across the room. Falling upon the door, fruitlessly he strained against the lock trying to break or melt it, to do anything to escape. There was no way his power would return in time enough to get out. He walked the room checking all the windows, ventilation, anything, any chance to get out.

After the fifth or six lap around the room he gave into the fatigue that was slowly overcoming him. ‘I will just lay here; lay here long enough to gain my strength back. I will be ready when they come for me, ready to fight.’

The soft thud of the door closing jarred Luke awake. The sun had gone down, had he really slept all day? His eyes adjusted to the room just in time to see glowing gaze of a predator glaring back at him. He couldn’t help but wonder if Fey had felt this way the night he had caught her. Trying to calm himself he blinked quickly as the figure lit a small oil lamp near the bed.

Loreley, Luke sat stock still in the bed before dropping his gaze and slouching back into it. His mind flashed strange things, odd sounds were echoing around the room. He didn’t want her to see him this way, in total pieces and full of irrational fear.

A knock came from the door, Loreley hesitated to answer it. Her pause caused the person on the other side to become agitated and nock louder. Luke felt his stomach turn, it was Kern, come to lead him to execution. His eyes pressed shut he felt the power in his body, he gaged its levels and what choices he had.

The door creaked open and Luke was ready to kill whoever stood there, to make a run for his life. Raising out of bed he waited for her to move allowing for a clear path. However it wasn’t Kern who stood in the doorway, but Mitch.

His eyes full of sorrow he confirmed Luke’s fear. Luke held back his blast, he could not attack Mitch, and he would have to wait for another chance at escape. “Come Luke.”

Luke’s legs lifted him despite his mind holding back. With Mitch’s help the two walked down a hall the whole time Luke nervously eyed any chance he had to escape. “Calm down.” Mitch’s voice made Luke jump. He had stopped next to a door and worked quickly to unlock it.

“Yeah, I will get right on that.” Luke growled he called all the energy he could to his command ready for whatever awaited him in that room.

“Have at it.” Mitch said swinging the door open to reveal a room adorned with large windows, and plush furniture. “Quite the execution room if I do say so myself.”

Confusion and relief flooded Luke’s body. “What?” Mitch’s hands took ahold of Luke’s shoulder as the two walked into the room.

“You can thank Loreley, she and the men you didn’t kill were able to clear your name despite Kern’s best efforts.”

Luke lowered himself on a couch. “You’re a jerk you know that.” His mind was still playing games with him, the burning fever grew so warm it melted a hole in the armrest were he sat. “I could have killed you.”

“Unlikely.” Mitch said squatting down to drape a wet towel around Luke. “How are you feeling?”

“Awful.” Luke mumbled.

Mitch hung around all night keeping an eye on and trying his best to keep Luke hydrated and cool. Sleep came in waves; his power came back in surges causing him to wake up in a hot sweat. Pain radiating throughout his body causing his breathing to be irregular, he fought for his life against his very element.

Mitch who had made a bed out of the couch seemed to be watching Luke’s struggles silently. He would tend to Luke from time to time but knew that Luke didn’t like others knowing he was vulnerable in any way. He watched the man forcing his body to lie down in an attempt to not move when pain flowed, not kick off blankets when his very element threatened to cook him alive.

Luke eventually broke from his dream and made a mad dash for the bathroom. After filling the white ceramic tube with water he lowered himself in. It was ice cold but were he touched it began to boil. Water gave his element something to do, something to attack that wasn’t his own body. Fully clothed he noted the chard makes his feet had made to the bathroom floor. He was sure to be acting strange, sure to be paranoid. ‘Say nothing and do nothing’, Luke kept telling himself. Just try to stay calm it’s all in your mind.

At some point Mitch had joined him, he sat on the floor with back against the sink fiddling with a glass of water. Luke wondered how long he had been there, how long had Luke been in the water? At long last Luke fell asleep, the water lapped against his face and cooled the element that struggled so hard against his life. He began to feel a little cold and opened his eyes, the strange colors and sounds were gone. His mind was able to peace together the events of the night.

Now he needed to get out of the water, out of the wet clothes and just sleep. But none of that was going to happen without Mitch’s help. Shifting the hung his head slightly over the edge of the tube.

“Hey.” His voice caused Mitch to jar to attention

“Hey.”

“I think I could use a little help getting back to bed.”

Relief seemed to flow over Mitch’s face “Glad to see your starting to feel better.” Mitch helped Luke clamber out of the water. He led him to his room and provided dry clothing before returning to the couch. Luke lay and watch Mitch from a distance. At some point the man fell asleep on the couch. The two hadn’t talked much since the trial; Mitch had fought so hard for Luke that day. All Luke had done was behave like an ass. It was all part of the act that eventually lead to his dismissal, but Luke couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret in his behavior towards Mitch.


Another day slipped past him almost unnoticed, now that his power was stable it was working to recharge. He ate little and slept most of the time. Mitch was always there then Luke woke, it was a breath of relief to see him and not someone else.

[Redsparrow]

On the third day Luke was strong enough to get around without help. By the fourth day Mitch announced that he was to attend a dinner. “I have a barber coming to see you, I expect you to let him cut your hair and shave that awful beard.”

“Yes mother.”

“That’s more of the Luke I know and love.” Mitch said walking to the dresser and producing a set of dress clothes for Luke. “Your presence is expected at tonight’s dinner.”

“And if I am not feeling up to it?”

“You are.” Mitch responded. A knock at the door alerted the men to the barber. Luke was escorted into his bathroom were with Mitch’s approval he was cleaned up.

After a fresh shave and hair cut Luke was forced into a shower while Mitch hung around talking to him about who would be at the dinner and how he was expected to behave. “Just say nothing, unless someone talks to you, but even then keep it short.”

“Yes sir, nor sir.” Luke mocked as he dried off. The second he was clothed Mitch rushed in to nitpick at every little detail on Luke.

Music slowly grew louder as Mitch led Luke down the halls and passages to the grand dining room. Luke was surprised to see how many people were there, the Feline visit had matched up with a falcon celebration of late summer harvest. Perhaps on purpose, even. It was well known that the falcons talked business around times of plenty, harvest were sure plenty. Impressively long dining tables lined the room creating a horse shoe shape with a large gap in the middle for dancing.

After a short time of mingling were Luke hung back at a table working to steady himself. Everyone was asked to sit. A toast was given to the major members of the council for their fine work. Followed by Julian Falco and Kalkofen Amurensis, two of the three inner ring of the council, each gave a short speech about economics and falcon pride. None of it Luke gave much attention to, Julian even went as far as to praise Luke for his quick acting on behalf of Snowden.

“Luke would you like to add anything?” Julian asked, he had rarely had a soft spot for the elemental and wanted to give him a chance to speak, since after all he had just saved the life of an important ally. Mitch raised an eyebrow at Luke who smiled fondly.

“Yes, in fact I would.” Luke said standing to allow himself to be better heard. “I have been accused of many things in my lifetime, but there is one accusation I will not deny, a sort of elephant in the room you could say.” A small chuckle came from higher officials. “But instead of using my words I think I shall use another to describe my feelings.” Luke cleared his throat.

“Always be drunk.

That's it!
The great imperative!

In order not to feel time's horrid fardel bruise your shoulders,
grinding you into the earth,
Get drunk and stay that way.

On what?
On wine, poetry, virtue, whatever.
But get drunk.
And if you sometimes happen to wake up on the porches of a palace,
in the green grass of a ditch,
in the dismal loneliness of your own room,
your drunkenness gone or disappearing,
ask the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock,
ask everything that flees,
everything that groans or rolls or sings,
everything that speaks,
ask what time it is;
and the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock will answer you:
"Time to get drunk!

Don't be martyred slaves of Time,
Get drunk!
Stay drunk!
On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever!"
(Charles Baudelaire)

Luke raised a glass “Thank you all for this wonderful evening.” With that he sat down, to the growing but delayed applause.

Mitch’s pale face soon returned to color as he took a spot next to Luke to try and be sure he didn’t drink too much. Luke did his best to keep to himself during dinner. Once it was done the rest of the lower council and nobles joined the group for light refreshments and dancing. Luke resigned to being a wall flower out of sight. Mitch pleased with Luke’s choice took a chance to meet with others and enjoy the party.

“How are you?” The voice broke through the noise of the party and made Luke notice just how tired he really was.

“Ross, Sorry. Fine, I have been fine, yourself?” Luke said standing up straight against the pillar which he had slowly been sliding down.

“I am glad you’re on your way to making a full recovery. Can’t imagine Faypine without its top elemental.” Ross’s smile and joy was contagious and Luke couldn’t help but chuckle at the cheerfulness. “I have been well, thank you for asking.”

The falcon prince and Luke had grown up together and had been extremely close for most of their lives. In fact Ross and Mitch were the only reason Luke hadn’t been executed for his crimes in the arena that night. After he had been deemed unfit to serve, he had lost touch with Loreley, Mitch and Ross. All wanted an explanation for what they saw as unjustified murder. Luke had refused to speak to any of them, this included the official summing’s from the Snowden capital.

“It has been nice having Mitch as my assigned guard. Thank you for doing that for me.” Mitch was head of the royal guard, whose job it was to keep the royal family safe. To have Mitch watching someone as lowly as Luke was surly Ross’s doing.

Ross’s eyes sparkled. “But of course, besides Mitch wouldn’t have let me live it down if anything had happened to you.”

“How is he doing?” Luke’s tone said he was asking more than just a surface answer.

“Well, he has been enjoying his new charge. A man by the name of Sylveste, a Clydesdale if I am not mistaken. Of course nothing can replace you in his mind, but I think this comes close. They do a good job of patrolling the boarder.”

“I am glad to hear that. And you?”

“Politics as usual, though my parents are beginning to push me to find a mate. My mom wants to see grandkids before she passes. Though I see little point in it.” Ross said lowering his voice so only Luke could catch the end part. “We are puppets Luke, yet my mother holds her head so high. She refuses to see it.”

“All in time.” Luke said scanning the room. “As for children, I imagine you must find a women first. Unless your partnerships are to be as fortunate as mine.”

“Surprisingly I do get the honor of choosing my own partner. Unfortunately the one I like isn’t all that interested in me. Her eyes are for yet another.” Ross’s voice sounded sad to Luke.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance?” Luke said “With your tittle and charm, what women could resist?”

“I would like that, yes.” Ross noticed his mother gesturing for him to join them. “Excuse me Luke, there must be some ‘polices’ to attend to. I will keep you in the loop, perhaps we can figure out some kind of Morse-Code we could use to give me good pickup lines on the fly eh?” He joked before leaving Luke alone once more.

Luke watched the dancers, the music and their rhythmic movement began to lull him to sleep. Eyes closed he leaned against the pillar, as the piano’s soft song wrapped its arms around him. The music was sweetly sad, the song that had been played for him all those years ago, the song for them.

“Ashmore.” The voice was a cruel awakening from a meaningful moment for Luke. The voice came from the councilmember Luke resented the most. Kalkofen, was the single most evil thing Luke had ever come to know. During his career in Faypine he had singlehandedly taken over the council, extended its power and begun the breeding programs that worked to weaponized elementals. His brilliant mind for economics and politics had given him an edge into the system, once in he had all but removed the royal family from the picture leaving the council to rule over not just the courts but trade and intertribal relations.

Everything Luke resented about his life, about Faypine, was embodied in this single individual. Yet for the past twenty years of Luke’s life he had dedicated every waking moment to perfecting the art that this man preformed on a day to day basis. Here they were face to face, for the first time in five years.

“High councilman Amurensis.” Luke said bowing his head in a sign of respect. “How may I be of service?”

“Service indeed. What a bitter sweet thing it is to see you back. I do so hope this means you will be resuming elemental protocol.”

“If by elemental protocol you mean serving my kingdom to the fullest, then yes.” Luke said, he however knew exactly what the man was about to insist. “However if elemental protocol means killing innocent youth for entertainment of the masses or forcing my will upon young women for whom you seek genetic purification then my previous stance still holds.”

“Serving your kingdom to the fullest means sacrificing yourself for the better good. If that be in the area or a night with one these youth then so be it.” His pointed comment was ignored by those around them.

“We seem to disagree on the better good.”

“Indeed. Regardless I have an offer I feel will catch your attention, after all it will affect a very close friend of yours.” He said offering Luke the seat next to him. To which Luke reluctantly took after snagging two glasses of wine from a passing servant. He offered one to Kalkofen, who took it gingerly. The two sipped at the red fluid for a moment before Luke cut in.

“I am curious to see what and who you consider my friend, seeing how poorly you practice the meaning of that particular word.”

“Oh my boy, one day you will realized the importance of keeping enemies close and friends nonexistent. I do so hope that day will be soon.” Kalkofen sneered. “Your little meetings with Greenheart have not gone as unnoticed as you would have liked. In fact I find the mass shuttling of pathetic low power elementals all too amusing. Who do you think you’re really saving? Children from a life of what? Do you really think orphans living on the streets is a better existence?”

“Then death? Yes, I do.”

Kalkofen smiled a half smile and let a small chuckle escape his tin lips. “Look over there Luke, you see that girl.” Luke looked at the women, she was a tall blond, golden brown eyes and perfect skin. “That is breeding at his perfection, her mother and father were paired for their looks. Yet not a brain in her head, that is the problem with selective breeding Luke. If you focus too heavily on one thing, you lose the bigger picture.”

“I think we have already ruled out inbreeding as a bad thing.”

“Hardly, if done correctly it can be the perfect distiller. However you have no need to fear that, not after you systematically killed off every blood relative. But that can be over looked Ashmore, for you my boy, you’re the brains I need breed back into my beautiful creation. The perfect combination of distilled and concentrated features all purified in a package that can still make calculated choices.”

“Unless you’re looking to take more women out in body bags I recommend finding another ‘perfectly purified’ elemental.”

“Back to that ugly business are we? Did you enjoy killing those women? Because I sure didn’t enjoy replacing them.”

“No, not particularly no. But I will keep doing what I need to, to protect myself.”

“You see that is where your friend comes in.”

“My friend?”

“Yes Greenheart, you see the snakes have been complete rubbish about giving us access to the genes that created such a powerful earthen elemental. So I decided why ask when you can take what is yours.”

Luke began to turn a little pale. “No.” He said standing to leave.

“I wouldn’t be so fast as to turn this offer down. You see if I can’t get you to cooperate with me, I will find someone who will.” Luke paused, he decided to sit back down and hear out the man’s plan.

“Now that’s a good man.”

“Who do you have?” Luke regretted asking the question but needed to know what was at stake.

“A sister, or half-sister anyway. She carries vital elemental connections. These powers could have come from Greenheart line alone, thus giving us a chance at isolating the desired element. But such an effort would need to be distilled through recessive and replaceable genes. Genes such as yours.”

“Alec will kill anyone involved in harming those close to him.” Luke said under his breath.

“What is it among friends? What would anger the elemental more? The mistreatment of the women he loves at the hands of a stranger or the careful even loving wooing from you?” Kalkofen said with a sick satisfaction.

“Childbirth is dangerous at this age. If she dies.”

“A risk worth taking.” Kalkofen interrupted. “I will give you time to think on it. Perhaps mull it over with your ‘Friend’.” With that he stood as if to leave. “You have twenty four hours to give me your final answer.”

Luke watched the man go, his arm prize quickly re-joined him as he mingled among the distinguished. Luke slumped at the table, the golden plate that lay in front of him reflected the tired old man he had become. Looking at it for a moment a small smile relaxed his expression. ‘I am still here, and I will figure this out.’

The last thing Luke was about to do was let Kalkofen get his hands on any more Asmore or Greenheart blood. He wasn’t sure how he could pull this one off, but somehow he needed to get Alec’s sister out of Faypine untouched.

Standing Luke made his way gracefully around the dance floor before slipping out of the room. He was to be escorted at all times in the fourth district but by taking a leave this way he could get a chance at being alone.

Luke walked the hallways of his memory, the castle was so familiar yet foreign. Like visiting your home years after another has moved in. The walls looked right but all the furniture is wrong. He began to hum a song as he walked the halls alone, before long parts of the song began to slip from his lips.

“Red is the rose that in yonder is the garden grows
Fair is the lily of the valley
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne
But my love is fairer than any.”

A noise from down the hall caught his attention, it was a few guards who looked desperate to find someone, most likely him. Having not seen him yet Luke hoisted himself up onto a window ledge before letting himself drop to the swan branch about seven feet below.

Once out on the branch he stood under the castle body while the men passed, after they did Luke walked out along the branch. Plants with flowers and flat stones had been planted along the branch, a sort of garden in the sky. Small lanterns were lit by spells to burn flameless light for years. They glittered lighting up the flakes in his eyes as he walked the path. The branch opened up to a small lake, walking to it he sat down on the shore and watched the swans swim among the flower petals that fell from the bushes all around them.

“Come over the hill, my bonnie lovely lass
Come over the hills to your darling
You choose the road, love, and I'll make the vow
And I'll be your true love forever.”

A soft crunch of grass alerted Luke to company, a beautiful voice told him who he was with.

“'Twas down by Killarney's green woods that we strayed
When the moon and the stars they were shining
The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair
And she swore she'd be my love forever.”

Loreley, her dress shown of silver in the moonlight, her beauty left Luke speechless if only for a moment. The cloth brushed the ground as she approached, it was surpassingly reveling for a gown worn at a Falcon’s dance. The feline tribe was known for its more ‘free’ lifestyle, they were one with nature and promiscuity was common. So much so that huge extended families were the norm, unlike the life at Faypine.


“How long do you plan to continue avoiding me?” Her voice was sad and strangely distant. “Is it something that I have done?”

“As long as needed to be sure you and Zacora are safe. Besides Loreley what could you have possibly done to offend me?” Luke said softly

Her emerald eyes seemed to glow in the dark, her fur sparkled lustered gold. Glancing around her ears swiveled to catch any sound before gingerly sitting next to him. Her body gently brushed his. “I don’t know I just thought after everything, and you didn’t answer my calls and.”

Luke leaned, in his nose gently brushing hers, their eyes meet and she feel silent. “Shh. I have missed you more than a desert misses the sweet kiss of rain. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t longed to be beside you.”

“Then leave with me, we will run. Run far from the reaches of Faypine and Snowden and be free for once in our lives.”

“There is no place in heaven nor earth that Faypine’s reach can’t grasp. If we ran we could never stop running, there would be no rest and what would Snowden be without its princess’s watchful eye?”

“It’s not fair, you belong in Snowden. You have served Faypine loyally and even now they refuse to let you rest. They work you to no end and for what, another fright in the arena a chance at another elite elemental?” Her hands began to shake with frustration. Luke lovingly took hold of them, a comforting smile as he pressed his forehead against hers playfully.

“What can I say, when your hot your hot.”

“Luke stop it, can’t you see I am trying to get properly worked up over this?!” She said pushing his face away in a firm yet playful manner. “I have offered Faypine everything, yet they turn me down each time. Say once.”

Luke’s breath stopped for a moment. “Alec’s children stay in Esterbrush. My freedom is not worth the enslavement of a child.”

Loreley’s eyes seemed to brim with tears. “It’s not fair.”

“It has been less, for so many love.” Luke took her arm gently and checked the damage done by the fire. “You’re healing quickly. How are your legs?”

“Thanks to your quick action, the doctor said I would make a full recovery. One of my men was less lucky.”

“I am sorry to hear that.”

“He will live, but will return to Snowden with on less leg.”

“Less sorry I killed that water elemental.”


“What were you doing out in the swamps, that far from Faypine in the middle of the night?” Her dimmer had changed from that of affection to business.

“Hunting arachnids.”

“With Alec?”

“Excuse me? You and I both know it’s against the law for me to even talk to another elemental without council approval, let alone meet? What do you take me for?”

“Scheming.”

“Ha now that’s funny, how could I scheme? I have a hard time planning dinner.”

“Ahuh.” She said with a pause. “Did you know your heart beat rises just a little when you lie?”

“Yes, but most people can’t hear it so usually I get away with murder.”

“Since you’re alive you know I didn’t tell anyone about who I saw you with that night. What you don’t know is what you’re going to do about my knowledge.”
Her eyes fell to the ground. “Alec’s movements of elementals to Belden has not gone unnoticed. Both Esterbrush and Snowden have been watching this migration of sorts. We also know that Alec would never make a partnership with Jossan, so that is where you come into the picture Luke.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Alec has been recruiting elementals for years, it’s what the man dose for a living. What makes that strange? And come on, your giving me far too much credit, no one could get those two to work together.”

“You’re planning something, you have all the pieces in place, well all except one. Jossan has money and power to hide and protect an army right under the wolves’ noises, Alec knows how to build and command this army and you, you know how all the parts fit together. Luke are you planning to start a war?”


Luke laughed “Wow, have you been drinking tonight? You’re making me out to be something incredible.”

“We at Snowden are taking this as a direct threat. If I cannot reassure my people of your intentions I will be forced to confront the council of our finding.”

“I have no intentions of threatening Snowden or Esterbrush.” Luke said, his tone and body language had changed drastically.

“How can I be so sure?”

“You haven’t told the falcons yet, why?”

“That wasn’t the question.”

“Oh but it is, and I know the answer to it. Both Snowden and Esterbrush have warned the Falcons of these movements. But they won’t believe you, they don’t want to believe you. It has something to do with their dumb bird pride.” Luke’s voice grew dangerous

“Next time you try to blackmail me I recommend you check your sources.” Luke stood to leave the lake.

“Don’t you dare walk off, I have spent five years waiting to speak to you again and I am not about to let you just walk out of my life so easily.” She hissed, her ears pressed back and down in an aggressive stance. “You belong in Snowden and I demand you answer my questions.”

Luke paused if only to amuse her. “Some questions don’t have answerers.”

She paused. “I guess what I am saying is, were are your loyalties and can I return to Snowden in full faith that my people have nothing to fear.”

“Are you questioning my loyalties?” He had caught the use of words, the falcons always told him that he belonged to someone or something. Loreley was wiser than that, she never placed ownership over Luke’s life instead she attempted to give him a home. To create an alliance by saying the belonged somewhere.

“I dare question your intent.” Her voice was calm and soothing, her hand gently touched his arm coaxing him to rejoin her on the shore.

Choosing to sit Luke soon found her climbing into his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck and her emerald eyes aglow. ‘Typical feline moment’, Luke thought to himself. One moment they could be fighting just to break into affection at the blink of an eye. At her touch Luke could feel his cheeks flush red, her sweet laughter taunted his embarrassment.

“Luke you can trust me. I just need to know that I can trust you.” Inching every closer, her pupils dilated as her nose brushed his. She had that fruity smell that so many shifters had, a smell he was sure meant something to an animal’s noise.

“What do I need to do to prove myself?” Luke said gingerly attempting to untangle himself from her. For just this moment he wished he could swap elements with Alec and burry himself deep within the dirt below them.

Her response came as an action, her lips locked with his and Luke gradually let himself give into her temptation. He was sure to regret this choice, but in all honestly it had been what he was hoping for. A chance to be alone with her, a chance to spend time with the one person he loved, for what was likely to be the last time he would ever see her.
___________________________
Dew hung on everything as the morning light slowly spilled upon the branch. The soft fur of Loreley’s forearm lay on his chest. Her ears tickled his face as he attempted not to brush them away despite the powerful urge to scratch. The soft crunch of grass alerted Luke.

Mitch slowly walked the path, a smile crossed his face as a small chuckle excaped his lips. “Good morning.” He chimed approaching the couple. “I see you slept well.”

Luke could feel his cheeks flushing again, Loreley however seemed to not mind Mitch’s rude awakening.

“Very well thank you.” She shifted into a more animal like mode and walked on all fours to great him. Rugging her head against his leg as he passed. “I best be getting back to my family. Oh and Luke, stop by any time.” Her leopard coat shone golden in the morning rays.

Mitch shot Luke a look, that look. The look of ‘I won a bet thanks to you.’
“Don’t even say it.” Luke said standing, and working to re-button his shirt and put back on his shoes.

“Say what?” Mitch teased “Say that Kern spent all night scouring the castle for you. That half the guard is cursing your name for sleep denervation?”

“How did you know where to look?”

“I didn’t I just figured that if they didn’t find you in the castle, you must not be in the castle. So I flew around until the light caught Loreley’s fur and well here we are.”

“Well to breakfast?” Luke said with a smile.

“Yes, lets.” Mitch said as the two made it to the main dining hall.

After breakfast Luke made his way to his room with Mitch. However Luke was shocked to find it was more crowded than he expected. Kern and two of his men sat on his couch, Kalkofen stood in the middle of the room and there behind him sat a women.

“Morning.” Kalkofen said greeting the men. “Ashmore, I was hoping you and I could take a little walk. I am sure Kern and Mitch won’t mind me keeping an eye on you for a bit.”
“Of course.” Luke said eyeing Mitch for a moment before following Kalkofen from the room.

“Cute little trick you have picked up there, breeding with shifters to hide your genes.” Kalkofen had hardly waited for the door to close behind them when the statement hit Luke like a ton of bricks. “If you think this in any way protects those children or thwarts my plans, I have news for you.”

“Perhaps there is a deal we can make.” Luke offered, he wasn’t about to bring Loreley into this and had a bad feeling that Kalkofen was.

“You could only be so fortunate.” Kalkofen responded briskly.

“Give me time, the only way Alec will not rip this place down is if she approves of me. Give me time to win her heart.”

Kalkofen looked at Luke for a long time, his mind working out the options. “How long do you plan to delay me?”

“Two or three months.” Luke said

“One.”

“One if you give me full rights to her, let her roam the fourth district with me. That way there will always be a guard and you maximize the amount of time we spend together.”

“And if you fail to meet my quota in one month?”

“Then you can pick another partner for her.”

“No, how about this instead. If you fail to deliver, Zacora will pay with her life.”

“The feline child? What interest do I have in her wellbeing?” Luke effortlessly responded with little emotion.

“Playing dumb will only get you so far. If the child’s life means nothing to you then so be it.”

“So we have a deal?”

“Yes, your month starts now.” The two had made their way back to the room, the door opened and Luke stepped in to face the women who he would be spending the next thirty days with.

Mitch sat tensely in the room as Kalkofen and Luke re-entered. “Mitch, take the day off. Kern’s men will keep an eye on the pair.” Kalkofen instructed.

“But I.” Mitch started

“I insist!” Kalkofen added with a dangerous inflexion on the words. With that he led the group from the room. “Let’s give our guests a chance to get to know each other.” He said hinting for the guards to stand outside of the room. As the door latched shut Luke faced the women who could very well lead to his death.

[Oriel]

They could not have picked a worse target to attack than Loreley. Although he’d only met her at diplomatic or formal occasions, he knew that Luke genuinely enjoyed her company. That there were children present only added to his friend’s ferocity.

Alec crouched low beside the road, lost in the shadows cast by Luke’s first attack. He knew the trick that came next, the burst of light and fire that blossomed in place of the dark. He ducked his head to avoid the flash but still it clawed at the edges of his closed eyes. In the lingering confusion of words he heard roaring, Luke’s answers, and then the whine of electricity plucking over earth and prying into his element like an apothecary resetting a crooked bone.

Alec dropped to the ground for lack of breath, drowning, crushed again beneath his own shields in the Arena, buried alive. Those among the highwaymen not killed outright in the blast became mired in patches of road that had liquefied into a thick slop of mud and sand.

He recovered in time to watch Luke signal the falcons after defeating the rest of the attackers. The flares began as steady lights and fragmented as he lost energy. Alec bit his teeth on a shout of warning as the other elemental collapsed on the road. He kept his hold on the few he’d managed to save from the earlier strike, wary even of the weaker powers until the feline guards were able to hobble them.

Luke had said that he’d already been seen in Faypine, but none of the guards or the council had been able to offer evidence that it was any more than rumor. Better he left them lacking than risk the plan now, even with the fire elemental pushed to his limits. Loreley could be trusted to snap at the falcons until they gave up any lingering suspicions about what Luke had been doing so far out from the city.

He watched the road as long as he could, his jaw stiff and his eyes stinging with grit, before the arrival of the falcon patrols forced him to choose between retreat and discovery. They were too occupied with the feline dignitary and in treating Luke to look much beyond their immediate perimeter. If they were his to command, he’d have already split them into groups to cover the territory for fleeing attackers. Alec took note of their murmured orders, dipped further into the muck, and then slunk away on his belly until he no longer heard voices.

Faint traces of his power lingering beneath the water provided the trail for his return to Luke’s ramshackle house. By the time he made the doorstep he’d endured swarms of mosquitoes, stumbling into a rancid bog, and an attack by a trapdoor spider that failed only because he sensed the shift in the earth before it snatched at his leg. He shuffled through the door in a daze, smelling like seven kinds of death wrapped in a carpet of rotting moss and looking like a creature cobbled together from mud and brambles.

[Redsparrow]

James who had heard the movement at the door, rushed to open it. He had been staying up hoping to speak to Luke alone. However the man or thing that shuffled into the house made his stomach turn. "Alec?" James asked hoping he had not just let a swam monster in.

"Alec, please this way." James said taking ahold of the man's hand gingerly as he lead him to the bathroom. He could tell he had been through hell and back and looked warn out. It reminded James terribly of his own feelings on that fateful night.

Luke hadn't returned, this concerned James to some degree. True Luke not coming home wasn't new but still, he could tell from Alec's situation that not everything had gone to plan. Josh lay asleep on chair in the living room, he was their guardian for the night.

In the morning the children would go to the neighbors house for what could be called school. All the swamp kids went, there they learned how to read, write and were guaranteed at least one meal a day. It attracted the homeless children like crazy. James considered themselves lucky to live with Luke, even if he wasn't always there when James wanted him to be. Most the children he knew didn't have warm beds to go to, or any adult supervision. James could count on food always being in the cabinets, he could count of falling asleep at night without fear of attack.

Lilly and Peter were quick to stir and rush to see if Luke had returned. Lilly was sure to want to clamber in bed with him, a habit Luke worked to reverse for fear of her attachment to him. But many nights he had given in and awoken to find all three children sprawled around him or worse drooling on him. He was patient and caring, this made James want more then anything to stay.

"What's going on?' Peter growled

"Alec needs to clean up, then rest. He has had a long night."

"Where is Luke?" Peter snapped, taking one look at Alec then jumping to conclusions. "You killed him!"

Lilly's eyes began to grow large, tears pooling. James needed to act quickly to prevent a total break down between Peter and Lilly. "Look help me take care of Alec and then I will ask Draco if Luke is alright. Okay?"

"Take care, that is my plan." Peter said pounding his fist into his palm.

"No Peter, can you just get me a towel or two for Alec."

"What did you do to him?!" Peter demanded.

Lilly in the mean while trapped off and returned with a pile of towels taller then her that made hee bump into the wall from time to time as she carried them to the group. "Here James."

"Thank you Lilly. Nice to see someone around here can be useful." James said glaring at Peter. "Go back to bed Lilly, Luke is fine and I need to help Alec."

Lilly took Peter by the hand. "Tell me as story." She cued.

"I will tell you the story of how this man killed Luke right after I beat the truth out of him." Peter growled

"Peter, I am tired. Please tell me a story." Her sweet tones did wonders on calming Peter down.

"Fine. But don't you think your off the hook." Peter growled at Alec. "As soon as she is asleep I will be back to deal some serious."

"Peter." James growled, he watched the two leave into a bed room before rushing into the bathroom and turning on a hot shower. It was finicky and took a specific trick to balance the water between cook you alive and ice cubes. Leaving the pile of towels on the floor he dashed off to return with a pair of Luke's clothes. "Here is something to change into, it should fit okay. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do."

[Oriel]

Alec brushed a tendril of moss out of one eye and nodded to the eldest of Luke’s young charges. “James.” A name shared with one of his old squad leaders in Esterbrush, a good man, trusted first to scout the territory and later to lie to the serpents about where he’d gone. He felt the approach of the other two children in the shift of the floorboards and weathered Peter’s accusations without so much as a glare in response. They argued around him and amongst each other while he stood like a pillar of muck in their midst.

After Peter had spent his fury and Lilly had taken him off into another part of the house, he turned to James with a faint and weary gratitude.

“Luke was all right when I left him,” he said. “He won’t be kept from you three any longer than necessary. Until then, I’ll stay here with you or close by.” Luke wouldn’t have accepted any other course of action.

A twitch of a smile ghosted over his face at James’ earnest attempts to help. No doubt the clothes belonged to his taller and heavier friend.

“I brought spares with me,” he said, nodding toward a weatherbeaten pack that contained the less valuable half of his earthly possessions. He’d left the other on the outskirts of Faypine. “Just keep the other two calm for now. We can speak more after I’ve rinsed off the rest of the swamp.”

Alec stepped into the small washroom and did his best to divest himself of plant and animal life before rinsing off beneath the stream of hot water, letting the dirt swirl off him in great muddy streams, and then repeating the process until only a faint scent of mud and earth remained. Only then did he bother taking off his sodden overclothes and washing out the remaining garments as best he could. His gauntlets he washed separately, sluicing them off with clean water before rubbing the surfaces with a soap made from a mixture of beeswax and rendered oil. When these had been set aside to dry he rinsed again to loosen the last of the grit from his hair and then dressed in his spares as quickly as his fumbling hands allowed.

No doubt James still had questions and Peter still wanted revenge.

-

Lydia clearly remembered the day Idris had first come to her in order to talk about infiltrating falcon territory. She’d spent all the first part of morning in a guild shop treating all of the silver for tarnish, then she’d gone to visit a jeweler with interesting ideas about a new gold alloy, and last arrived back at home to find her partner watching with open disbelief as Amiran Veres Sirya’s young nephew sprawled in the sunny courtyard and played a clapping game with their children.

The dark scales on the backs of his hands glittered like obsidian in the light. Though he had seen her arrive, he made no move to rise and continued counting along in time, his voice a deeper contrast to Sara and Miri’s bright singing.
“Nafi, do my eyes deceive me or is that the black cobra playing ‘catch-a-mouse’ with our girls?”

Nafi, a python, twitched the end of her long, patterned braid over one shoulder and went back to slicing vegetables for dinner. The knife made thunking sounds into the carved wooden cutting board with each precise movement.
“He said he wanted to speak to you. That it was important. When I told him you were not at home, he said he would wait.” Nafi smiled at the odd group in their courtyard. “He isn’t at all what I expected of Amiran’s …. spy.”

Miri’s squeal of laughter and his answering sigh told her who had won the game.

“Nephew,” Lydia responded absently. “Once near family to my brother and I, though I doubt this is a social call.”
Idris took his leave of the girls with a bow, the motion so controlled and proper that he appeared to resume his dignity as if it were a discarded cloak. The gangling young man she’d known had been thoroughly schooled into this vision of the consummate cobra diplomat.

Nafi huffed under her breath. “Family or no, Lydia, he is still unsettling.”

“Then why did you let him stay?”

“Cobras go where they will,” she answered, her hand stilling on the handle of her knife. “It’s bad luck – not to mention bad manners – to chase one off.”

Idris interrupted their conversation with a discreet cough. “Lady Greenheart, could I have a moment of your time, please?” He glanced at Nafi with apology. “In private.”

Superstition or no, had he demanded rather than asked Lydia would have chased him off without another thought. She nodded in answer and beckoned for him to follow into another part of the outer courtyard that curled around to shelter their kitchen garden. “Certainly, Idris. This way.” Lydia felt Nafi’s eyes following them and made a silent promise to share all with the python once she’d heard what the other serpent wanted.

“It’s the falcons,” he began without preamble. “As you may have heard, some members of their ruling council have made it a bit of a specialty to attempt to refine elemental bloodlines. There have been a few inquiries around Esterbrush about Alec Siryan’s kin among the Greenheart family.”

Lydia hissed. “They wouldn’t dare.”

Idris made a soothing gesture. “Not Alec’s children, no. Even they aren’t reckless enough to steal one of his direct blood from the heart of serpent power. Neither of his sons are earth elementals either, which leaves-”

“Me,” Lydia breathed. “And Miriam.” The youngest of her daughters by Osin Whitebark, a fire elemental who was counted among the powers, though he had much less gift than her half-brother. It was too early to say yet how much earth talent Miriam had inherited. Though, if Talia Whitebark was any judge, Miri would be more than strong enough to take her father’s place in the Arena when she came of age.

“Amiran feels they might also settle for one of the mothers of Alec’s children. In order to blackmail him.”

“Why come to me with this? I haven’t spoken to my brother in years.” If a note of bitterness crept into her words, she had reason. Amiran’s caution had nearly cost Alec his life. She’d been the one to sit with him day after day while he recovered, had coaxed him to eat and to strengthen his arms, had held him together while he lay insensate with a pain so intense that only cobra venom gave him peace.

“Because I need your help,” he said quietly. “We’ve been unable to get close enough to the falcon rulers to discover what they are planning. There are disturbing rumors of elemental children being killed if they don’t manifest powers and of women disappearing from their homes. Alec’s associate, Luke Ashmore, is infamous both for his drinking habits and his utter defiance of falcon commands. As far as we know, he’s killed every potential partner sent to him. Amiran and I believe that they are becoming desperate enough to try to preserve his line and his power that they might present him with someone he would balk at hurting. There’s a falcon spy in Esterbrush we’ve been cultivating. He thinks I’m an elemental trader with enough power in serpent circles to get him the loan of a Greenheart of childbearing age.”

Lydia smiled bitterly. “And aren’t you?”

Idris swore. “The Vere Sirya do not deal in flesh, Lydia! Amiran adopted Alec. Gave him his freedom after that battle with Keystone and even freed you, by proxy. Serpent regard and his own power is all that protects him outside of our territory. I wouldn’t even be able to cross Faypine's borders without being marked by their state police. But if you went willingly to the falcon city they might be too delighted at getting you to give much thought to your ... pet cobra.”

She stared at him. One of the Vere Sirya posing as a common serpent? And a de-venomed and harmless lady’s pet, at that!

“I need to talk to Nafi about this before I can give you an answer,” she told him. “It wouldn’t be fair of me to make this decision without her. How much time do I have to decide?”

“A week,” he said. “I don’t think our merchant contact can be put off much longer than that before our window of opportunity closes.”

“Come back in three days,” she told him. “Nafi and I will have settled our differences by then.”

And they had. Her beloved python knew how much she cared for her absent half-brother and was just as dismayed as she was at hearing that Faypine might be sacrificing children in their quest for ‘perfect’ soldiers. Even Nafi had to admit that her partner was more than capable of protecting herself from most shifters. They had fought a little at the mention of Ashmore’s tendency to kill his female partners until Lydia had reminded her that Earth was the most opposed element to Ashmore’s Lightning and Fire. Even if she were not as powerful, he’d have to work much harder to subdue someone who wasn’t wind or water.

So it was that Lydia packed her traveling bag, met the falcon merchant, and pretended to be excited at the prospect of carrying Ashmore’s child. One of Idris’ colleagues played the part of the serpent broker while Idris himself remained coiled about her neck and shoulders like a particularly dangerous ladies’ stole.

The merchant had looked at him nervously until she laughed and explained that he had no venom. She had extended her hand and swatted at Idris in order to prove her point, as they’d earlier arranged, and he’d sunk his fangs into her skin without injecting the venom that was his birthright. After that the falcon had chatted to her amicably throughout the trip north. She spoke easily of her business as a consultant to jewelers and blacksmiths, of the kinds of metals she could sense, and about the technique that made it possible to produce the tiny wire ornaments he’d bought in Esterbrush’s marketplace.

This illusion of courtesy was maintained even inside the great Swan tree that housed the royal wing, where she’d met the councilman Kalkofen and immediately sensed his disdain for elementals. Lydia did her best to appear as thoughtless and uninteresting as he believed her to be. She remained watchful and roamed about the wing or eavesdropped whenever she was able, but little was said in her presence about the fate of Faypine’s native elementals. Although she was strong enough to resist most shifters and even most elementals shy of the greater powers, having cobra fangs as an extra line of defense gave her more comfort than she expected. Lydia often found herself stroking the dark scales in moments of nervousness, though if Idris either enjoyed or resented the attention he gave no sign.

Days passed without news of either Ashmore or Alec before all at once the palace gossip was full of both men. Alec had been seen in Faypine, Ashmore had saved a feline royal from elemental bandits, Alec had gone full rogue and was plotting with the felines to breed a new class of greater powers (she scoffed at this), and finally that Alec had gotten the worst of a fight with Ashmore. By the time she’d heard all the stories she was almost disappointed at the reality of the man who entered the chamber she’d been given as a private retreat. She caught a look of dread in his gold-flecked eyes and wondered what Kalkofen had told him to make his expression so drawn.

“Luke Ashmore?” she hazarded. “I’m Lydia Greenheart, Alec’s half-sister. He often complained of you when he still worked for the serpents.” The smile she offered him sprang from the roots of better memories. “He may have used the words ‘impossible nuisance’ and ‘raving lunatic’ once or twice.” That they had met so often in the field without seriously injuring each other spoke much of his character. Jossan Keystone was to be avoided and feared, but Ashmore had long been a feature of her brother’s most entertaining stories.

Idris chose that moment to lift his head from where he’d curled over her wrist, his hood flaring into the unmistakable cobra silhouette as he regarded the new arrival.

[Redsparrow]

Luke eyed the snake, he wanted to say something snarky about spies but held back knowing there were guards just outside the door. He was leery of the situation, on one hand was Kalkofen's threat, on the other was a fork tong servant of a foreign nation. Oh what Faypine would pay for one of his offspring, especially if it shared Greenheart blood. Was this a plan on the serpent behalf? How else could Faypine have gotten this women?

"Choice words." Luke said scanning the room, on a nearby desk he found what he had been looking for. A bottle of wine, he didn't care what type and made quick work of the cork. Pouring two glasses, he treated each as a shoot and downed both before pouring more and facing Lydia. "In any other circumstances I would say how it’s a pleasure to meet a women of your beauty and intelligence, unfortunately it’s more a curse right now."

-

James felt a little better when Alec's told him Luke at least not dead. He slid down the wall outside of the bathroom and waited for Alec do be done while sitting on the floor. Draco whispered reassuring statements into the boy's mind. But James's couldn't help feeling like Draco and Alec's were keeping something from him, that Luke was in trouble of some kind and no one was telling him.

"I am not a child." James hissed. "I deserve to know the truth." No one answered him.

[Oriel]

"Cursed with beauty and intelligence, to be sure. Or -- perhaps you meant the flattery?" She regarded the empty wine glasses with speculation and coaxed Idris back into a flattened coil over her arm. Whatever she said next could either doom any possibility of help from Ashmore or begin to convince him that she might not be the curse he expected.

"I volunteered to come," she added softly, her voice pitched low. "It seemed the ... wise choice ... since I've not heard from my brother in more than a year. A friend of ours suggested talking to you, rather than waiting for word out of the desert."

Idris hissed loudly into the silence.

"Don't mind my pet," she said. "Idris looks intimidating, but he's had his venom drawn."

-

Alec near stumbled over James in the hallway and caught himself with a curse. Though he'd sensed the young man nearby, there was a stronger and as yet unfamiliar scent of ash and hot rock beneath the usual domestic aromas of soap and cooked food.

"Sorry, James. Didn't see you there."

[Redsparrow]

Luke sipped at the wine while the women explained her situation. A snicker escaped his lips at her comment, she was beautiful, about his age, perhaps her beauty and intelligence is a curse even if it was not the original intention of the comment. Nonetheless he did not regret voicing his discontent for her company, serpent spies were dangerous ground at this time.

"It is forbidden with the punishment of arena execution for me to be in any kind of communication with another nation's elementals. What makes you think I know anything about your brother?" He sounded tense to even his ears, an unshakable petrifying sensation began to creep up his spine, similar to the unforgiving chill of Snowden's worst winters. Luke rolled his shoulders to try and relax before taking a seat on the couch as far away from her as possible. "You know not what trouble you have gotten yourself into. A Greenheart enslaved by falcons is a death sentence, one I fear will fall into my hands."

Luke paused, a fist was tightly clenched around the back of the couch to the point of bone crushing pain. He slowly released the grip, his tendons snapped as they desperately called control of the useless digest. His mind fell to Alec and how fortunate he was to gain decent control of his arms after that awful event. He sympathized with the man who wore leather to hide the mangled masses, a trick Luke had begun to mimic. Long sleeve shirts or decorative tight fitting brackets covered his wrists. To insure future protection Luke wrapped each in cloth as well, it hid under the decorate leather and few seemed to question it.

His eyes lingered far to long on the hand that only truly uncured with the help of the other. Five years of greatly reduced dexterity, were sword fighting, archery and even penmanship had all but disappeared over night. Years of working to re-master the ability to turn door handles, cut bread or open bottles seemed to haunt his eyes. Few noticed, fewer cared. He passed it off as arena damage, and in many ways it was.

Idri's hiss brought attention back to Lydia. "So you say?" Luke added with an eyebrow raised at the cobra. "I seem to recall a young scout by that name, poor kid, I admit I had less then honorable intentions for him. Alec being the dead beat he is sure put a stop to that though, shame." Luke felt his cheeks flush red, perhaps the wine was working. "Seems odd for the serpent's to de-venom a cobra. After all that is the animal that is so dear to their leaders. Why it would be likes seeing Kern cage an eagle, or me enslaving a dragon."

-

James snapped to alert when Alec stumbled over him. “I am so sorry sir!” He stammered quickly. “What was I thinking? Of course you wouldn’t expect to find someone sitting on the floor. Are you alright? Is there anything I can get you?” James rattled off in embarrassment, each comment sounded more panicked then the last.

Dark circles had formed under the child’s eyes, he shook like a dry leaf as he worked to steady himself. “Draco says I need to rest, but I want to make sure your needs are meet before I turn in.” James cued off unthinking. “When Luke found me..” The blood seemed to vanish from James’s face. “Pushing yourself past your elemental ability is dangerous, do you think Luke will be alright?”

James shook his head seeming to try to clear his thoughts. “How rude of me, you have obviously been through a lot and here I am rattling on about my interests. Um food or water? I am sure you can sleep in Luke’s bed, it is well kept.” James pushed open a door that gave way to an immaculate room with a large bed pushed to the far wall.

Peter’s breathing was faint as he stood in the dark door way. His eyes wide as he clung to the door frame watching James. “Breath.” He whispered. “I can see to Alec if you like.” Fear peaked in his voice as James eyes narrowed at him. “I will make sure he is well cared for, just as you like. I think you need to listen to Draco.”

James leaned against the wall and glared at Peter who seemed to shrink into the door frame. “It’s just that Luke always says you should listen to your body, and Draco seems to have the best intentions for you. Maybe.”

“Luke isn’t here is he, Peter?!”

“No he isn’t, but we are and we are safe so there is no point in getting so upset.” Peter added calmly.

James looked like he was about to let into Peter, but instead he turned to Alec. “My apologies, I am not quite myself right now. If you need anything Peter is more than qualified to help you. If you don’t mind I must lay down for a while.”

Peter seemed to hide behind the door as James passed him and disappeared into another bed room. Peering back at Alec, the color slowly returned to Peter's face “Do you need anything?”

[Oriel]

Idris seized that moment to slither from Lydia’s shoulder and flicker into human form at her side. They had practiced this shift often enough that she knew to step away from him and give him space as he regained his full height. The transition reminded him of breaking the surface after a dive, returning to air and light above the waters of a deep desert oasis. He straightened the sleeve of his dark jerkin with automatic attention to detail. Provided the clothes fit close enough, he’d always been able to carry them through a shift.

“Well, then it’s a good thing Alec Siryan no longer qualifies as belonging to another nation,” he drawled.

Both he and Luke Ashmore were changed since their first meeting six years ago in the desert, in his brother’s command tent.

“Lydia Greenheart has not come to the falcons without the means to escape,” he said quietly. “With my life as ransom, if necessary.”

Lydia swatted him impatiently, a strike more admonitory and painful to his dignity than his shoulder.
“Which he neglected to mention until now.”

“Idris Vere Sirya,” Idris offered, smiling at Luke with all the intensity of a trained diplomat and an edge to the look that suggested he well recalled the dishonorable attentions of the past. “I remember you once tried to make me blush.”

At the time he’d been a lad of nineteen, still too clumsy and embarrassed and not yet full-grown to do more than gawk at the man. Six years had given him the height and presence he needed to command a room, but it was experience that lead him a little closer than was strictly polite, near enough for his keen senses to pick up the smell of the wine, before stopping.

Luke Ashmore had picked up more scars in the interval, Idris noticed, his eyes moving once to the clenched fingers on the back of the chair before settling again on the man, himself, his voice still pitched low to avoid the attention of the falcon guards outside. “I think you might find it a bit more of a challenge now.”

If Lydia wondered at this performance, she said nothing.

[Redsparrow]

As Idris tended to his clothing Luke’s mind ran through about a dozen outcomes of this situation. He needed to focus on his plan with Alec, all of this was terribly inconvenient. He didn’t even know if Alec had made it out of the swamp yet or if the man was still mucking about trying to find a main road. The thought of Alec had hardly left his mind when he noticed the fast pace beat of his heart drumming away chest. He could feel his nerves rattle on as his fire element started to raise his body temperature. Luke focused on punishing the heat away from his core, breathing to slow down his heart, he couldn’t help but suddenly feel trapped.

Eyes fixed on the window he reassured himself of the many ways he could escape, in fact he could most likely just walk out the door if need be. Though he thought twice about it, any resistance form Kern’s men and he wasn’t sure he could control his nerves enough to not just kill them. ‘Why now?’ He wondered as he watched a bird fly across the view. These panic attacks happened from time to time but as of the last year they had all but stopped.

His gaze feel back on Idris as he remembered first meeting the kid, his flamboyant flirtation had been a mask to the bone shattering fear and panic that was running his life at the time. It all started that night, Alec saw through his game and before long Luke was forced to bring up the Arena, the death and why Faypine…. ‘Not helping’ the noted as the blood ran from his face turning it a ghostly shade of white. Idris was bringing back memories, and didn’t seem to just want to talk about them, he seemed to have a vendetta. Revenge? Could Idris be here to square what happened with Alec?

“Foreign nation or no nation, despite many efforts, Alec does not belong to Faypine, and so is viewed as a threat. Thus association would be unfortunate to say the least.” He shifted his weight carefully so to have his feet under him if he decided he had over stayed his welcome.

The disagreement between Lydia and Idris about what seemed to be the overall plan didn’t help Luke’s nerves. This meant Idris wasn’t being straight forward with Lydia, making Lydia a pawn in all of this. “Did you get permission to come here Idris? Or would certain people be surprised to hear of your location?” Idris for some reason wanted to be in this room with Luke, and Luke wasn’t about to let him get his way with anything.

That smile, and comment. What was Idris looking for? It would be one thing to hold Luke accountable for dragging Alec into his mess, a choice that eventually lead to the arena fight. But what was this about blushing? “As I recall I didn’t try, I did.”

Idris’s eyes studied Luke’s body, he followed the gaze knowing the location of each and every scar. The walls felt closer, the light seemed dimmer and suddenly Luke found himself standing without even noticing he had stood. ‘Calm down’ Luke begged his mind to control the sudden panic attack that his body was reacting to. ‘Spy, weakness, trapped’ thoughts that echoed and caused his field of static to change from a sensory to a weapon. Waves of heat started to radiate from Luke, instantly wilting the flowers that sat on the nearby table.

He watched the flowers bend and their petals fall off with the heat. For a moment only a moment he closed his eyes, focused heavily on his element and worked to reign it back in. Once his domineer was again under control and his static field returned, he opened his eyes to look straight at Idris, who seemed to read him like a book. ‘You’re never going to be able to pull your plan off if you can’t deal with one serpent spy.’ The realization of Luke’s crippling mind set seemed to trigger the other set of emotional reactions that so often took hold.

‘If I can’t make this plan work, then I am as good as dead so there is nothing to fear about this situation. If I blow this now, if Idris is here to kill me and I make it so obvious that I fear him then I have no chance against the real heat of dealing with the council, Kern or Joss. Joss… the man who see’s past my diversions. If you give in and mess this up with a serpent spy, you will never be able to pull of your tricks with Joss.’

‘Death, if I die now, if he is here to kill me then so be it.’ The nerves in his damaged wrists sent pain surging up his arm and left his right hand shaking slightly something that putting weight on it stopped. So Luke leaned against a piece of furniture and waited to see Idris’s reaction.