The air hung heavy and still, with only the faintest breeze to stir it. Irikah stretched, heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance, and then closed her eyes again, splaying her arms over her head.
Sleep was proving hard to find, and even harder to hold onto. In dreams her memories tangled together, weaving a web of things that had never happened and dragging her down into them. She was always looking for her mother, a futile chase that only served to wake her with lingering feelings of regret.
It was no use trying to sleep now. Irikah rose from the bed, stretched her limbs and sat looking at the picture beside her bed. It was her mother and father, arms tight around each other.
They looked so happy, just as she remembered them from her childhood. Irikah turned the picture face down then got slowly to her feet, dressing in a thin robe before wandering slowly in to her tiny kitchen. With a cup of tea in hand the memories would retreat to a safe distance, and she could attempt to escape their grasp.
It was the same dream that kept plaguing her. Walking through her parents' house, climbing the stairs looking for her mother only to find the stranger sitting in her place. He never said anything, simply stared at her with his dark, cold eyes.
Irikah sighed and poured the hot water into the small pot, stirring the tea in with practised movements. She had been doing her best not to think about him since her visit to the Illuminated Primacy, but her brain appeared to have other ideas.
A sharp crack of thunder made her jump, and she sloshed hot tea down herself just as the doorbell rang.
A small curse burst from her lips as she sprinted into her bedroom, threw a fresh robe on and ran to the door.
"Who is there, please?"
She paused, hand on the smooth wood of the door.
Her thoughts jumped back to her dream, and then returned to reality. He had no reason to come looking for her again.
"Who's there?"
There was a small sob, a twist of sound that had Irikah wrenching the door open.
Ennai stood there, one eye swollen shut and her lip bleeding. A cut ran down the side of her face, and on the red skin of her neck was what looked like a bite, the smooth flesh ragged and torn.
"Iri…"
Irikah couldn't help trilling as she guided her little sister into her apartment, a comforting hum of sound that she used whenever her children at school hurt themselves.
"Ennai, little one—what happened?" Irikah asked, guiding her sister to the sofa. She took Ennai's coat and stood over her, staring down in disbelief.
"I didn't know where else to go…He tried to…" Ennai sobbed, wiping at her face with bleeding hands.
The blood from her hands smeared across her face, and Irikah darted into the kitchen to grab the med kit she kept there.
When she returned Ennai was sobbing into her hands, her small figure hunched into a tiny ball amidst the brightly coloured cushions of the sofa. It broke Irikah's heart.
"Shush, it's okay now. You're safe here with me," Irikah crooned, taking a wipe from her kit and starting to clean her little sister's face. There was so much blood that it was hard to tell where one injury ended and another began, but she persevered.
"It was Dassan. He…he…"
"Dassan?" Irikah searched her memory. "The son of Master Bristos?"
Ennai nodded, wincing as Irikah applied a medi-gel bandage to her cheek. "I met him on the way home from school. He said he wanted to tell me a few things about the Guild before I started. I thought he was being kind!"
"So you met him. Then what?"
"He invited me to his home, and I…I went with him. I thought he was taking me there. Then we stopped on this street. I hadn't been there before. It was quiet and….he cornered me. I managed to fight him off," Ennai said, almost managing a smile before another sob overtook her.
Irikah felt her blood run cold, an icy fist clutching her heart. "Ennai, did he…did he?"
"No."
They looked at each other, a bright flash of lightning filling the room.
"I can't go home like this," Ennai said, lifting her head as Irikah dabbed medi-gel onto her neck. The skin was ripped, the delicate folds torn and bleeding. It would scar no matter what she treated it with, and Irikah felt rage burst through her.
"You can stay here as long as you need to, you know that. I'll call mother and tell her that you've decided to stay with me for a few days so we can go shopping for Guild."
Ennai burst into fresh tears at the word, covering her face. "How can I go there now? I'll see him every day. And if I say anything they won't let me in! Master Bristos is head of the Guild, Iri."
"We'll figure something out," Irikah said calmly, kissing her sister gently on the head. "Let me make you some tea."
Ennai nodded, and Irikah padded back to the kitchen where the teapot from earlier had grown cold. She emptied it and made another pot, her thoughts running over everything her sister had just told her.
She waited until Ennai fell asleep, curled up in her bed, before making her decision.
Irikah sat down, comm in hand, and made the call. "Cassil, I need to ask you a favour."
She was dozing on the sofa when her comm started beeping a few hours later, and her hand flashed out to grab it.
"Hello?"
An unfamiliar voice responded. "I believe you are looking for someone who can do you a favour. May I pass a message on to him?"
"Yes," Irikah said, looking through the doorway at her sleeping sister. "Tell him I have a have a job for him. Tell him it's from Irikah."
