Author Notes: Currently is a WIP. First story I have ever published so constructive criticism welcome.
Staub Crossing, Mantle
There were three facts that Nikolia knew very well.
One: her mother loved her.
Two: she had more gift with dust than anyone else her age.
Three: that every member of her family dies before they are forty.
Now the overwhelming complex and disturbing nature of that last fact was not something a four-and-a-half-year-old could comprehend, so Nikolia liked to ignore it and concentrate on the first two.
Now how did Nikolia know her mother loved her? It was how no matter how busy her mother got with her work, papers throw hazily everywhere and coffee mugs lining the benches of the lab, she always would heat up Nikolia's blanket before she went to bed. It was always how when she got sick, her mother would abandon the lab in favour of sitting in the rocky chair next to her bed. When this occurred, it would always take a couple of days to migrate the makeshift lab back, but that was ok, because it took days as her mother would explain the different theories that she was working on. Yes, Nikolia knew her mother loved her.
The second fact was something that Nikolia hadn't known until she was four. Sure her mother praised her when she was able to create a small icicle or scolded her that time she set the curtains on fire. It wasn't her fault that the dog from next-door scared her while she was playing with the fire dust that mum had left on the floor.
Nikolia had just thought that everyone grew up surrounded by exploding powders that you could make stone figures from. That idea was broken the first time she played with miner's kids, apparently being able to create spinning circles from nowhere wasn't normal. So at four Nikolia knew she was different. That she was gifted… well that came a little later.
'What are you working on there?' The curious question breaking the crisp spring air. Nikolia started, losing focus on her glyph. Glancing up the first thing she saw was heavy boots, then a black pair of pants covered by a thick green wool coat, finally she arrived at the face of her intruder. A green scarf wrapped around the man's neck, check slightly flushed against the cold air. His eyes sparkly with kindness and his short black hair being pushed around by the slight breeze, the silver streaks that ran through it contrasting sharply with the dark shade.
'Nothing much…' She mumbled back, looking back down at the pile of brown dust before her.
'Is that one of your mother's compounds, what is it a mixture of?' The man asked, Nikolia glanced back at the house, she had taken the dust from her mother's desk but only after her mother had sent her outside to deal with their visitors.
Nikolia was used to visitors to their house, sometimes they were miners asking her mum about something they had found. Other times it was the "stupid bosses who couldn't see their own noses", mum often sent her outside when those people where visiting.
The people visiting todays were not either of these groups. The two men and one women that had arrived today were too well dress for miners, the other men in a suit and the wolf fauns was wearing heels that would have never graced dust caves. On the other hand, this green man in front of her couldn't be a "boss" as finally giving up on awkwardly balancing on his feet, he sat down on the mud and slush covered ground.
'Just earth dust, I like making shapes with it.' She answered back, when the man smiled at her answer, her eyes dropped back to the dust encouraging it to actually solidify into hard rock. The two of them sat in silence as Nikolia continued, tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, until it was broken by the sound of a raised voice from within the house. Nikolia winced as she registered it was her mothers.
'Do you know what my favourite shape is Nikolia?' The green man asked, seemly ignoring the sounds from inside. 'The cogs from clocks, just the way they fit together is so fascinating.'
To demonstrate, the man pulled a gilded pocket watch out from the depths of his coat. Clicking a button on the side, the front of the watch sprung open revealing two hands and a small glass window within which one could see the small movements of the watch. The man preceded to explain what each clog that could be seen controlled.
'Nikolia, time to come inside.' Her mother called from the backdoor a slight smile on her face, grabbing the rock she had created, Nikolia sprinted to the house, the green man walking behind her. Once inside, she clung to her mother's leg as she observed the other two visitors.
'Our visitors were just leaving, Nikolia' The cold gaze that her mother direct at the visitors could have frozen a Grimm.
"Yes we were, it seems Freya isn't interested in our offer.' The man in the suit stated, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes. The visitors turn to leave but not before the green man lower himself before Nikolia where she hid behind her mother's leg.
'It was lovely to meet you Nikolia, I hope you have fun making things' He smiled and left out the door. Just as he was about crossed the threshold, a small hand tugged on his coat. Nikolia held out a closed hand and when the man offered his, she dropped something into it.
His eyes furrowed with confused until he saw what she had given him. 'Thank you, I must say this is the finest dust work I have ever seen.' Nikolia was about to argue when she saw the look in the man's eyes, there was a level of sincerity that she could not deny. Blushing, she ran back to safety of her mother's legs, form which she watches the green man and his companions leave.
And so it was at four and a half that Nikolia was finally believed the fact that she had some gift with glyphs and dust.
It wouldn't be for another three years, with the death of her uncle, that Nikolia would understand the implication of the last fact.
Luxor, Capital of Vacuo
Hope was not a commodity that was seen often in the squalors of Vacuo, for hope was not something that could buy food and safety.
Icarus M. Hamilton had never known anything other than the lower streets of the Luxor, and the ways people tried to carve out a living amongst the punishing taxes and extortion that ran as rampant as the howling dust storms. In Costa End, every resident looked out for each other after a fact, sharing what little they had to ensure that they all survived to the next tax day.
On the roof of his family's apartment, Icarus could observe that entire market square from the small alcove that he had worn throughout the years. His fingers digging into his hands as he watches the enforcers hustle the market for taxes, pushing over displays and food which would quickly spoil on the ground.
'Icarus, what are you doing?' His brother hissed, one foot resting tentatively on the roof. 'Mother says she wanted you to stay inside on tax day after last time.'
It wasn't until Icarus felt his right hand travel to his lip that he realised that he had even moved. Quickly dropping his hand, his tongue flickered out as if it might still taste the blood from last tax day. Icarus turned to Remus who was fidgeting under the fiery stare Icarus levelled at him. 'I…I know I can't stop you… Just… just don't do anything stupid', Remus stammered as he fled back into the house. No longer interrupted, Icarus resumed his observation, the two enforcers now moving close enough for their voice to carry up to his hiding place.
'Money for the Lord, Jim?' The hooked nosed enforcer George asked as his second, the brute Kelan, leaned against the counter of Jim's leather-working shop. Jim's hand shook as he counted out the coins, depositing them into the cloth bag that George held. A coin fell from his grasp, given a dull thud as it bounces off the counter. Jim's daughter Lottie dashed forward, catching the coin before it fell into the sand lining the ground.
'I am sorry sir, here.' Lottie held out the coin to the enforcers, head bowed voice quivering. Kelan opened his hand for it, and the tension seemed to leave Lottie shoulder as she went to hand the coin over. Just as she was about to drop the coin, George's hand shot out gripping tightly onto her slender wrist. His eyes roved over Lottie, until finally setting on the pearl necklace clasped around her neck. The necklace was once Lottie's grandmother; Icarus could remember Lottie talking his ear off about how Flavia might have a pretty dress but she didn't have a pearl necklace. Icarus had tuned out when Lottie had start whinging about the inn keepers' daughter.
George pulled the necklace which rust clasp broke under the pressure. Weighing the pearls in hand, he smiled. "I think this will be payment enough to forget this slight against his majesties' peace enforcers." Lottie eyes brimmed with tears although her father strong gripped kept her still. Nodding to his comrade, George turn and wander off into the direction of the fort. Kelan swiped several more coins into the purse before waddling after him. The enforcer hadn't even left the market before Lottie was bawling, her father whisper words of false comfort to her.
Icarus' stomach turned and a bitter taste pooled in his mouth, without a second thought he launched himself off the building. Just as he was about to land he pushed at his senses, at the strange ball of energy inside him. Stretching it out around him as a protective bubble, that rippled violently as his legs impacted the ground sending a plume of sand up around him. Once the rippling stopped he ran after the the enforcers, finally catching up to them in a small side alley.
'That necklace doesn't belong to you.' Icarus declared as he came to a stop in the middle of the alley, his chest puffed in a desperate attempt to look bigger and more confident than he was. A laugh echoed throughout the street as George turned, his smile wide. 'Well it looks like the little bastard hasn't learnt not to stick his nose into things that don't concern him. I reckon we need to teach him another lesson, huh Kelan." Kelan eyes burned with pitch black fire as he walked towards Icarus.
Kelan was large but his impressive size meant that each swing of his arms was slow, even so it took all Icarus' concentration to avoid each hit. He knew from experience, his own and others, that the enforcer only need one hit. So worried about Kelan that Icarus failed to notice that George had moved until his hand sucker punched Icarus' stomach. The bubble around him rippled again threatening to break. And the bubble did when Kelan land a hit immediately after on Icarus' head although it prevented him from being knocked out as he went spinning to the ground. The two enforcers wasted no time, hitting Icarus relentlessly as he desperately tried to protect his face.
The beating stop as quickly as it had started 'Stupid fucking kid, now why don't you go running home to mummy." George said as he gripped Icarus's chin forcing him to look up deliriously at the older man.
'Oh wait she's too busy whoring herself to kiss your boo boo's better.' George cracked as let go the the face, delivering a bone cracking kicked to Icarus' the chest. Icarus letting out a cry as he felt a rib giveaway underneath the steal toed boot. He collapsed into himself, closing his eyes as he prayed that the two enforcers would feel they had enough fun now their prey wasn't fighting back.
'Now I heard that to experience a city you have to walk through its heart, but I must say I was not expecting this.' A male voice drawled from the entrance of the alley. Cracking one bloody eye open, Icarus tried to look at the poor soul who had decided to interrupt. From his position on the ground, Icarus could barely see through the legs of the enforcers, only seeing a pair of black boots and what looked like the bottom of a cane.
'I suggest you move on mate; this doesn't concern you.' George stated casually as he faced the man.
'Yea move on old man, if ya know what good for ya.' Kelan cracked his knuckles moving a couple of steps towards the man to further demonstrate his point. The movement revealing Icarus behind them. The intruder who didn't look too old barring the streaks of white in his hair, was wearing a somewhat bemused smile that fell as soon as he spotted Icarus. The man brown eyes turning from liquid chocolate to hard stone.
'Two grown man beating up a boy, no older than eight, I must say it does fill me with confidence. When facing an actually criminal can you handle them with just a company, or do you need to bring in an entire army'" A mocking smile appeared on the man's lips as he adjusted his grip on the cane. Enraged Kelan swung forward, George following behind. With a disturbing easy, the man dodged both attacks before launching two furious swings of his cane. Two sickening thud echoed throughout the alley as the enforcers dropped to the ground unconscious.
The man pulled Icarus to his feet so that he was now leaning against the wall, Icarus inhaling sharply as pain radiate throughout his chest and body. The man inspected the damage wrought as Icarus tried to breathe without moving. 'You're a banged up pretty bad so just rest for a moment. You have a cracked rib but I don't think it punched a lung. So now this begs the question of what you were doing to bring the enforcers with such vengeance.' The man asked as he pressed a water skin to Icarus' mouth.
Swallowing he replied, 'They took Lottie's necklace, the one from her grandmother.' Anger overwhelmed him, anger at the enforcers, angry at the monarchy, anger at the unfairness of it all but most of all anger at his own helplessness. 'The enforcers think they can just walk all over us, and they can because no one will stand up to them. The monarchy doesn't give a damn about us little people as long they get their gold and jewels. I am go to show them, I am going to show them all, that us Costa End people are not just going to sit by and let this happen.' He hissed as his impassioned speech aggravated his wounds.
'Now, now, calm yourself. If you keep going after your enemies like this, you are going to get yourself kill.' The man eased him back against the wall, pulling some ointment from a small satchel as his side and applied it to the large bruises forming on his body.
'Better than doing nothing.' Icarus snapped back, the man's eyebrow raised and Icarus squirmed under the mans unimpressed expression. The man sighed.
'Yes but it is not the way to achieve the change you are after. Time...' The man sighed again his glazed turning wistfully away from Icarus, resting on the bodies of the enforcers, 'time is a harsh mistress unwilling to all who court her. However, with time comes the opportunity for change. Now our boorish friends here will never take that opportunity and so change will pass them by. They will not become stronger nor weaker as they will continue as they have.' Turning to Icarus, the man spoke again.
'So you have two option before you. One, you keep rushing head first against them, throwing yourself into fights against people far stronger then you in attempt change the system. Until finally you are sent to prison or more likely end up dead in an alley.' Icarus pulled his arms around him, staring accusingly at the man. He meets the glare with an even stare of his own.
'Or you wait, let time past by and live." The man reached into his pocket pulling out a notepad and pen along with a silk handkerchief "Oh, you would have to let things be as they are, but while your adversaries drink and gamble their way through life, you live and you train. You train until you can come back and give others the opportunity to also live without fear of people stronger and crueller than they. Far better than a grave with the words "The boy who tried and died"'
The man wrote something on a sheet of paper, pulling it out of the notepad and wrapping it in the silk square. He handed the package to Icarus. "Take this and decide what you want to do. For no one else can." With that the man left the alley, cane clipping the ground as he walked.
Several moments, Icarus sat processing what had been said, until he finally opened the package. A pearl necklace fell out none the worst for wear after its adventure expect for the broken clasp. Still stuck to the silk was the paper, a name and address written in looping script.
For the first time in his life, Icarus felt that rare currency of hope.
Author Note 7/06/15: So next part of the first chapter is up, in this part we meet the second of our main characters. There will be two more parts of this chapter to be uploaded and then we will move unto chapter 2. Exams and client projects are a bit hectic atm, so the next parts will take a while.