Pillars and Pyres

Chapter 7

Carolyn emerged six minutes later to a scowling Riddick. "If you wanted it done in five you should have helped me." she snapped turning her back to him.

She peered over her shoulder at him until he reached out and finished raising the zipper for her.

She turned to face him. "It's bad enough that you're keeping me here, but you're making me wear," she held out her hands in frustration, "just what the fuck is this?"

He gave a humorless chuckle as he tied the cloak, pulling the hood up to cover her blonde tresses. "These are robes that the newly converted wear. I'm not interested in drawing attention as we make our way across the ship. There'll be other clothes waiting for you."

Carolyn looked up at him, studying his face for a moment before speaking, her voice low, a plaintiff note to it. "What are we doing, Riddick? You know this isn't going to end well for either of us."

Riddick tilted his head, smoothing a thumb along her jaw before lowering his hands. "We should go. Keep your hands together in front of you and your head down."

Carolyn fell silent, but finally acquiesced with a brief nod of her head.

She fell in behind him as she left his quarters for the first time in weeks, and the "breeder" section since she had arrived. As they reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs they were flanked by what Carolyn assumed were soldiers as she could only see the bottom half of them.

This was also the first time she had spent any significant amount of time standing and walking and her leg was on fire. She wanted to ask just exactly how big this ship was but just bit her lip to distract herself from the pain. She stumbled on one set of stairs, losing her balance and falling to her knees bringing the precession to a stop. Breathing heavily she took a chance, lifting her head and saw Riddick turning to see what the hold up was. Looking up at the soldier beside her, she recognized Vaako staring back at her. His eyes darted towards the railing and back towards her. She swallowed and taking a deep breath reached out for the railing beside her, hauling herself to her feet. Glancing back at Vaako he nodded, tilting his head towards Riddick who once again turned his back to her leading the way.

When they reached a set of doors that opened to reveal a lift, Carolyn could have cried. Riddick wrapped an arm around her bicep before turning to Vaako. "I want guards stationed at this entrance continuously." Vaako nodded and stepped back as Riddick guided Carolyn into the tube.

As soon as the doors closed he swept her up into his arms. She sighed in relief as her head rolled towards his chest, her hand lying limply against his chest. He looked down and could see a streak of blood from where she had caused her lip to bleed. When the doors opened, Riddick circled the pod until he found the main bedroom. Setting Carolyn down on a bench at the end of the bed, he turned the covers back. Making his way back to his captured guest he removed the hooded robe, then her shoes before leaning forward to unzip the dress she wore.

"Mmmm?" she managed to get out raising her face to his. He picked up the gown that he had for her to change into holding it out for her inspection. "It'll make it easier for the Doc to take a look at your leg." She nodded tiredly and allowed him to help her out of the top of the dress she was wearing before slipping the night-gown on and then slipping the other dress out from under her completely before he threw it into a pile with the rest. He would have to be blind not to notice her paler than usual complexion and moved so that he could inspect her injured leg. There was no blood, so he assumed that it was the lack of use that was working against her at the moment. Lifting her once again, he deposited her on the soft sheets before pulling the rest of the bedding up around her.

"You did good," he murmured, staying with her as she fell into an exhausted sleep.

Returning to his quarters, he discovered Persephone sitting at the dinner table by herself, a decidedly put out look upon her face. Not saying anything he made himself a plate and sat down next to her. She refused to look at him and he ate in silence for a few minutes as he watched her shove her food around on her plate.

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, he laid it down beside his plate and pushed away slightly from the table holding his arms out. Persephone pouted for a moment or two before transferring herself from her chair to his lap.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got back."

"Where were you?"

"I had some things I needed to take care of and I lost track of time. It won't happen again. I promise."

"Did you find out anything about Momma?"

"Actually, yes." Riddick said slowly.

Persephone squealed turning in his arms to look at him.

"Did you find her?" She asked excitedly.

"No, but we have some eyewitnesses that saw her just before we arrived and we haven't finished processing all the prisoners yet.

Persephone hopped off his lap and started pacing. "This is so exciting! This is the closest we've ever gotten! Oh, I hope she wasn't injured in the attack. Do we have the lists of fatalities yet?" she asked turning to him wringing her hands.

"Persephone sit down," Riddick chuckled. "Stay here for a moment. I have something for you."

Persephone nodded absently at him, her mind imaging all the things that could have happened to her mother. Again.

Riddick stepped into his room which still smelled of Carolyn and opened the closet pulling down a box from the top shelf. Lifting the lid off, he pulled out a brown envelope and put the box back in its place.

He sat back down at the table and pushed the envelope over to his daughter. "It's probably past time that you saw this." He stated in a neutral tone with nothing showing in his features.

Persephone eyed him cautiously as she reached out for the package. Reaching in, she pulled out the claw necklace turning it over in her hand as she inspected it. "I don't understand. What is this?"

"It's time you learned about your mother. About both of us," he said as she pulled out the first paper that her hand landed on. It was the adoption papers that had both her mother's signature and Father Imam's. Persephone's fingers traced her mother's slightly shaky handwriting.

"May I be excused?" She asked meeting his eyes.

Riddick nodded. "I have to go out for a while. If I don't see you later, I'll see you in the morning."

With a nod of understanding, Persephone scooped her treasures into her arms and entering her room, quietly shut her door behind her.

She didn't emerge again and Riddick waited until the light in her room went off before leaving and making sure extra guards were posted at the door. It was quiet in the Basilica this time of night and he made his way back to Carolyn virtually unseen.

He checked in with the guard who confirmed that the Doctor had come and went and that her dinner had been delivered. Taking the lift down one floor, the only way on or off of this floor, Riddick picked up the tray that sat on a table near the lift doors. It had cooled so he found himself taking it to the kitchen where it could be easily warmed before making any attempt to check on her. He found her propped up in bed asleep and reached a hand out, using his thumb to stroke the side of her face.

Her eyes fluttered opened and she looked at him tiredly. "It's been a long time since taking a walk kicked my ass." She said sitting up a little straighter in bed.

Riddick's faced ghosted a smile at her macabre sense of humor.

"Are you hungry?"

She nodded. "Maybe a little."

"I'll warm your dinner up," he said already half way through the door. Carolyn stared after him with a thoughtful expression on her face.

The next morning he was eating breakfast when Persephone emerged and sat at the table with him spreading her reading material out over it. He leaned back in his chair watching as she processed her thoughts.

Picking up the claw that was now hanging from around her neck, she looked at her Father. "What is this?"

"I can only assume that it came out of your Mother's body."

"Carolyn. My mothers name is Carolyn Amelia Fry."

Riddick gave a brief nod.

"How did you meet? Why was she flying the ship that was taking you to jail? Why weren't you together when you were rescued?"

Riddick shuffled through the papers finding the one that talked about Carolyn's rescue less than forty-eight hours after the crash.

"Carolyn was the docking pilot. A bounty hunter was attempting to take me back to prison. We didn't actually meet until a few hours after the ship crashed."

Persephone glanced down at her birth certificate her mouth forming a small o.

He reached over and thumbed the claw around her neck. "The planet that we crashed on was very unusual in that it had an eclipse once every twenty years or so. Guess when we had the bad luck to arrive?" He asked, not really expecting an answer as he thought back to that time.

"A dozen of us survived the crash. Only three of us made it off the planet. Your Mom was ripped out of my arms before we could make it back to the skiff. I had no idea that she had survived until the day you were brought to me."

"And Father Imam?"

"Was one of the three who made it out."

He watched his daughter pick up the letter penned so long ago by her mother, begging an almost complete stranger to raise her daughter. "Thank you," she said. "That helps me understand this letter a little more."

Riddick nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry."

She looked at her father quizzically. "Sorry for what?"

"That because of who I am, you had to be separated from your mother."

Persephone smiled at him as she gathered up her things. "But I had you. And soon we'll find Momma and we'll be a family."

Riddick's upper lip formed a straight line. "I don't want you to get your hopes up. It's been fifteen years. People and situations change."

Persephone leaned down placing a kiss on his bald head. "It'll be ok. I bet she's been looking for us too." She said before depositing her things in her room and leaving for her classes.

"No baby girl, she hasn't" Riddick muttered. "She thinks your dead."