a/n: I know I've been gone a while... I blame classes. Also, I'm applying to work on an honors thesis next year! About absurdist literature! Yay!

Chapter 10: A Damned Saint

Rapunzel decided she was starting to like Gwen.

It was startling how different she was outside of spars and the occasional run-in at the dormitories, where Rapunzel had witnessed Gwen's infamous venom and her penchant for lording over others with her admittedly prodigious talent. But now, outside of the Temple, she was…just a little different. Just as blunt and just as tactless, but that translated into frank, straightforward conversation rather than insults. Maybe her newfound pleasantness, if it could be called that, was for the sake of speeding things along; but all the same, Gwen had failed to make even one derogatory comment despite the holes in Rapunzel's knowledge of the Red Tempest. Instead Gwen had very succinctly explained, and such a simple act shouldn't have been shocking—but for Gwen, bothering to do it at all was absolutely amazing.

"So, just to reiterate, the places that have been attacked…" Rapunzel counted on her fingers. "That's the café, the library, the clock tower, the cathedral, a couple of monuments…that one place…"

"There's no pattern to the locations or times, as far as anyone can tell." Gwen marched forward, but her usual poise was broken by a strange habit of playing with her hair while it was let down. "We'll just have to go to each one."

First they had visited the latest attacked sites, but their efforts yielded little information. At 'that one place' – which was a public park meant to honor some saint whose name Rapunzel could not pronounce because of the abundance of consonants without vowels – curious visitors were milling around the wreck like their loitering would magically give them answers. Questioning hadn't been informative, though one unlucky man, most likely slightly inebriated, had tried to grope Gwen and nearly had his arm broken before Rapunzel intervened. Other people were lackadaisical in their answers.

"Yes, I was here on the day of the explosion," said one man. "At least, just outside. I didn't make it inside yet, luckily. There's not a whole lot to say, just that people started crowding around outside."

"I don't suppose you remember anyone suspicious," Gwen said.

"No, too many people there. I remember the baker who lives close by me…some people who work at the docks…oh, and that one man who runs around selling frankfurters…even my landlord."

Nor had their excursion to the clock tower offered anything useful. Restoration was still taking place, and though the damage wasn't nearly severe enough to topple it, scaffolding was situated all around the base so workers could replace the melted stone. Gwen and Rapunzel had made their way inside to the stairwell. Sheeting was draped over the steps, and at Gwen's suggestion – phrased much more like a command – they had removed it to see the damage.

"Is it just me, or does that look like…"

"Human shadows," Gwen finished.

There were imprints burnt into the stone. Rapunzel could clearly see the outlines of the people who had died here. Like an absurd map, or a bizarre graveyard. Along the stairwell, along the walls, blackened shadows of what had once been real people. She could count them if she wanted to.

Next was the library, and the situation there was similar enough. People who didn't quite know what was going on, the same testimony of different random people being there on the day of the explosion, another citing of the frankfurter man, and human shadows burned into stone. Adults and children both, men and women, all sorts of people of all different shapes and sizes, immortalized by flame.

"Is this bothering you?" Gwen asked.

"No. Yes. I mean…" Rapunzel repressed a shiver, but the chill crawling down her spine seemed like it might never leave. "That could have been me."

Gwen nodded.

Finally they visited the wreckage of the café, and while Rapunzel fought off shudders from her close shave with death, Gwen stepped past the blockade to examine the remains. Any bodies that had survived intact had been moved away, something Gwen described as unfortunate, but Rapunzel watched as she knelt in the ashes looking for anything of note. She had done this at the other sites, but it was still a strange sight. She didn't think Gwen would be willing to do something so undignified, and maybe she wouldn't have, if she were still in her white coat. She wore it like armor against the world.

"Is it even likely we'll find anything? I mean, anything that hasn't been found already."

"Anything. Nothing's been found."

"Wait, what?"

"Like I said, nothing's been found, because nothing's been done." Gwen turned, her displeasure obvious. "Master Judus hasn't allowed anyone to investigate. All we've been doing is…hmm. I couldn't tell you. I think what we've done today is the most anyone has done, aside from those drawings."

Gwen continued sifting through the ashes.

"I don't think we're going to find any remains from an explosive," Rapunzel said, but she continued searching just for completion's sake. They had done it at all the other sites, and each time, there had been nothing. "I'm sure it was magic, just like all the other places. There was a phoenix burned into the ground and everything."

"There was something I meant to ask, actually," Gwen said. "You mentioned that Sol suddenly showed up to save you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did she say how she knew it was going to happen?"

"No," Rapunzel said. "I was curious too. I asked, actually, when she first saved me, but then she just vanished. Oh, but I didn't know she was part of the Order back then. Afterwards, I just assumed she had been sent to help me, or something. Like the Order had gotten wind of it somehow."

"Not that I know of," Gwen said. "She's getting more and more suspicious."

"You really don't like her at all, do you?"

"No. She's a snake, and you'd be able to tell if you hang around long enough to notice how everyone, even Uriah, follows her orders. It's not natural." Gwen snorted. "Don't get me wrong, I might think she's faking her whole angelic thing, but I don't think she's behind everything. That'd just be overestimating…"

Rapunzel turned, and she could only see Gwen's back but she had clearly frozen.

"Is something wrong?"

"Hey, Rapunzel." Gwen turned her head, only her head and not the rest of her body, and the motion looked uncomfortable enough that it had to be deliberate. "Do you mind looking over there for me?"

"S…ure?"

Being asked anything so politely was strange enough that Rapunzel decided to just do it. She looked away from Gwen and scooted to that spot, continuing to sift through the ashes for a few more minutes.

She would fail to see Gwen slide something up her sleeve.

"I think we're done here," Gwen announced.

"Is something wrong?"

"What?" Gwen said sharply.

"I mean…" Rapunzel shrugged. "I don't know. You just seem a little tense all of a sudden, so I was wondering if something was bothering you."

"Absolutely nothing. And, incidentally, that's what we found—absolutely nothing. Of course, no one can actually tell us anything useful either, except for some stupid babble."

"Well, everyone mentioned some frankfurter man," Rapunzel quipped.

Wait.

Frankfurters.

She almost tore the drawings in her haste to unravel them, but there he was, in every drawing—Flynn Ryder. Rapunzel remembered seeing him that day, and she easily picked him out in the crowd outside the café. And at the back corner of the crowd outside the clock tower, there he was again, his features obscured by a hat but obvious once she knew to look for them. And then outside the library, and then again outside the park, looking on the events each time without the surprise on everyone else's faces, without even his distinctive enthusiasm. Only grim composure, like he was made of stone.

"Look," Rapunzel said, and she pointed him out to Gwen.

"It…might be that he's the person making this happen. After all, whether it's magic or an explosive, someone needs to transport it." Gwen's eyes widened with predatory delight. "If that's true, then it would make sense that he might stick around to watch. Some sort of sick pleasure in admiring his work?"

"I…can't quite imagine Flynn Ryder being behind all this."

"It can't be coincidence that he's at every one of these places at the right time."

"All right, that makes sense. I think he's usually at the market around this time, so I guess…I'll lead you to him?" Rapunzel held back a sigh. She really hoped he wasn't involved. Flynn Ryder had been eccentric, and maybe more than a little irritating, but she couldn't see him as dangerous.

"Do that," Gwen said, and she'd taken two steps before she stopped and looked back, looking painfully unsure. "And…I'm glad we did this. People don't usually…I mean, I don't…I don't usually have…"

"It's fine, I get what you're saying," Rapunzel said.

She smiled.

"Let's go!"

"Frankfurters! Buy one get one free! Hell, you can take me home too!"

If this man were guilty, Rapunzel thought, she would probably lose faith in all humanity. She would probably stop trusting herself if someone could act that well. Flynn Ryder was standing innocuously in the middle of the marketplace, waving a giant, probably indecent sign around, his cart at his side and frankfurters sizzling on the grill. Gwen seemed more dangerous than he could ever be, dressed in her coat again and expression hardened until it was as cutting as steel. Her hand was wrapped around the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

It was like that smaller, friendlier side of her had vanished as soon as she wore the white coat again.

"Hey there," Flynn said, either not noticing or not acknowledging the way Gwen was stalking towards him. "I can't believe someone is taking me up on my offer, but I'm gonna have to apologize about false advertising. I'm my own man—"

"I'm taking you into custody under suspicion of being involved in the recent attacks," Gwen said.

Flynn paused. Slowly, he lowered his sign.

"I think you've got something wrong," Flynn said, twirling his finger over his head and making a coo-coo noise. When Gwen didn't respond, he looked towards Rapunzel. "Hey, I remember you! We know each other pretty well. Tell her she's got this wrong, because I'm as innocent as a babe."

"It is a little suspicious that you just happened to be at every incident," Rapunzel said.

"I was spreading the word about our Lord and Savior, the Almighty Frankfurter?"

"All right, that's enough," Gwen said.

She put her hand on Flynn's arm, and all hell broke loose.

Flynn broke out of her grasp and, when Gwen tried once again to seize him, deflected her arm with a much too practiced movement; and then before anyone could react, he fled.

"Everyone out of the way!" Gwen yelled.

Rapunzel hurried to follow as Gwen chased after Flynn. She would never have thought he could move so agilely, but he was clearly outstripping Gwen. No matter what obstacle was in his way, he fluidly moved past without slowing his pace or even causing a disturbance; he weaved his way through crowds, leapt over wheelbarrows and carts, ducked under railings and construction, and rather than slow down when turning corners, he would kick off the wall before resuming his breakneck pace.

Gwen cursed as she ran into a passerby, and Rapunzel caught up, gave a rushed apology to the poor lady, and sped Gwen down an alleyway.

"Trust me, this intersects with the path he's on," Rapunzel said, and Gwen offered no more complaint. Instead, she scaled the window ledges of a housing unit and flung herself onto the roof to pursue.

Her heart was pounding as she gave chase; Rapunzel couldn't think of any reason other than guilt that would make someone run. Only adrenaline was fueling her to ignore the growing stitch in her side. Rapunzel could see Flynn straight ahead, just passing the exit of the alley she was in, and she lowered her head and charged. She was so, so close, and then she leapt towards him.

And missed.

Flynn spun out of the way and Rapunzel landed on her hands, wincing from the impact. He opened his mouth to say something—and then Gwen jumped on him from above, landing square on his shoulders and slamming his whole body to the ground. Even then he managed to roll his body and throw her off, but she had already hit hard enough to disorient him. He wouldn't be running again.

Rapunzel scooted upright and watched as Gwen fought with Flynn, and she was amazed that he was holding his own. More than holding his own. He was blocking all her punches and kicks like she was a novice, and he rarely retaliated, only tried to put space between them; but Gwen pushed more and more, grew angrier and angrier as she failed, and eventually her hand went to her sword.

Flynn slammed her hand back down before she could finish drawing, and before Gwen could react, he had shunted her arm away and taken her weapon in one smooth motion.

"Let's call it a day?" Flynn said, holding Gwen's own sword against her throat.

"Put down the sword," Rapunzel whispered.

Flynn turned, and Rapunzel was holding a knife to his gut. She was trembling so hard that the knife shook in her hands; but she stood her ground. Flynn looked down at the knife, then to her, and Rapunzel stared back. He looked sad. She didn't know why, but suddenly he just looked tired.

"You're making a mistake," Flynn said.

"Put down the sword," Rapunzel said again.

After a moment's hesitation, Flynn lowered his arm.

Gwen struck him on the back of the neck, and he crumpled to the ground.

Brennus watched from above.

Surprising that Gwen and Rapunzel managed to subdue Eugene, but that was for the best. Now he could act without fear of hurting him. His gaze went to Gwen. She wasn't a threat. And Rapunzel…

"Go," Brennus said.

Two shadows flitted down.

They threw Flynn onto a wheelbarrow with his hands and feet bound.

"Did you really need to put straw on there too?" Gwen asked.

Rapunzel shot him a pitying glance. "We don't know anything for sure, so…I felt bad. At least it's a little more comfortable this way?"

Gwen rolled her eyes.

Two masked figures swept out of the alleyways. They resembled nothing so much as ghouls, cloaked and masked, their feet actually floating off the ground as they were propelled through the air by magic. One of them swung a chain at Gwen, and it wrapped her arms to her body; Rapunzel barely had time to yell before she was grabbed by the other figure.

"Get—off!" Gwen swung herself free and drew her sword, batting away the next swing of the chain; and the figure holding Rapunzel threw her down before rejoining the fight.

They have to be Red Tempest.

Rapunzel sputtered for breath as the two ghoulish haunts attacked Gwen together. They were incredibly synchronized; as the one with a chain continued its mad swings, the other ducked and weaved through the web of metal, short knife stabbing for Gwen's vitals. She was doing well until she raised her arm to strike, and the chain snared her wrist; and as it tightened, her hand opened, her sword fell. Rapunzel dashed into the fight and seized the fallen sword, but the knife-wielder deflected her blow with a kick and struck her full in the face. Gwen was flung into a wall, and Rapunzel found herself once again seized by the two masked cultists.

She was being sped away.

Rapunzel screamed and kicked at her kidnapper, but he, or it, was half-shadow, and she felt herself punching and kicking through what felt like a viscous film of grease. She had never felt terror like this. She wondered what these people were planning to do to her once they had her under their power. She wondered if Gwen was even alive, if anyone would know she had been taken at all—

"Hey! Deidre, Naoise!"

Flynn was racing towards them.

"Goddamnit," hissed the ghoul, its voice female – Deidre, then – and Rapunzel was thrown aside again.

Rapunzel scooted towards a wall, whimpering in pain. Her clothes were frayed and blackened where she had been held, and there were angry red burns all along her stomach. But she was so glad she was free. She never wanted to be caught in that shadowy grasp again.

Flynn had caught up to them at a far corner of the docks, moving so fast that Naoise – the one with the knives – did nothing to defend himself when Flynn leapt and kicked him in the chest. Deidre flung her chain at him, and this, he snatched out of the air with his bare hand, ignoring the blood that ran from his torn skin. He jerked the chain towards himself, and Deidre stumbled towards him; Flynn wrapped the chain around her hands with a savage motion, stabbed the sharp end into her back, and flung her into the sea before her scream had even ended. At this sight, Naoise let out a yell and charged him. Flynn stepped back to avoid the first slice, the second, and then he redirected the third—by seizing Naoise's arm, turning his hand, and slamming the knife back into his own gut. Naoise coughed out a globule of blood but Flynn drew out the knife and stabbed him a second time, a third time; before Naoise, too, was thrown into the sea. As the water resettled into its gentle waves, red floated to the surface.

And everything was quiet.

"Are you all right?" Flynn asked.

"I…I…" Rapunzel swallowed. "Th-Thanks. For saving me."

Gwen caught up, panting with exertion, and there was a heavy wound on the side of her head. Rapunzel had never been so glad to see her before; but to her utter surprise, Gwen bypassed Flynn entirely in favor of dropping to the ground next to Rapunzel and checking her for wounds.

"Are you all right?" Gwen demanded.

"Y-Yeah. I think so."

Only then did Gwen turn on Flynn, and it was like she just noticed his presence.

"You're not very good at tying knots," Flynn said, grinning and shaking his freed hands.

"Why didn't you capture them?" Gwen demanded.

Flynn's smile vanished. "Trust me, you have no idea what these people go through. They wouldn't have said anything even if you tortured them. They're too far gone."

"Umm, Flynn." Rapunzel stumbled to her feet. "Wh-Who are you, exactly…?"

Flynn pointed to Gwen's coat.

"Let's just say…I have one of those too."

"Amazing," Elsa said.

"Look," Rapunzel said, "I had no idea it would be so dangerous."

"Absolutely amazing." Elsa peeled the shadow-burn from her stomach, watching with mild disgust as it squirmed in her hold. Before long, it had frozen and crumbled away to nothing. "It's a wonder that you're still alive, but fortune does favor fools."

Rapunzel was too busy wincing to respond.

Meanwhile, Elsa pondered the impossibility of what she was seeing. Shadow magic. Not just similar to Edmund, not like how Markus and Gustaf and Edmund had shared the ability, but absolutely identical. It was his magic, only apparently transposed to multiple people. She had no idea how that was possible, but that was what she saw. She could never forget the sensation of his magic, the feel of it. Each person's magic had its own distinctive feeling, and when Rapunzel was being helped into the infirmary, practically bleeding that magic—Elsa had thought, for one moment, that it was Edmund walking inside.

"Cut me a break," Rapunzel said. She leaned back in bed, head tilting backwards into her pillow, and started puffing out gusts of air to move her hair out of her eyes. "But hey, you're pretty good at this thing. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"I've had experience. Anna was hurt like this before too," Elsa said.

"Oh."

"Have you spoken to her at all?"

"Not…really." Rapunzel shifted. "How's she doing? I know she's going through therapy and all."

"Much better. She's already walking again, albeit with some difficulty." Elsa debated whether or not she wanted to take a seat. No, she decided. She wasn't going to stay long. "She enjoys your company."

"Yeah, I like her too. She seems nice."

"Seems?"

"I mean—I'm not saying she's not," Rapunzel said. "It's just…"

"I understand your wariness," Elsa said.

"No, I know what happened, Sol told me." Rapunzel chewed on her bottom lip. "It's not her fault, but I guess it's just weird to know…well. I mean, I thought it was some messed up nightmare, but I remember suddenly feeling cold and tired and then everything went blurry, and…knowing that was Anna…"

"I've done horrible things, and you're talking to me now."

"I guess.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "You sound skeptical. As I recall, you used to hate me."

"Yeah, but you seem more…human, now. Because I know you as a person." Rapunzel shrugged. "Or maybe there's already so much chaos anyway that war doesn't seem out of the ordinary."

"That's surprisingly perceptive."

"I'm not dumb," Rapunzel huffed.

"At one point," Elsa said, as Rapunzel listened with rapt attention, "I had thoughts about unifying everyone by conquering everyone. Markus always taught me about how territories would shift back and forth between the control of all the different kingdoms, and I thought I would stop the endless battles by...ruling them all, I suppose. Or at least, Markus would rule, and I would be his weapon."

"That sounds like a terrible idea."

"In retrospect," Elsa agreed. "But that was the norm. Border skirmishes every other day, tenuous balance between dozens of kingdoms. You might not know it, but Weselton and Corona were almost always in conflict over trade routes, until your mother married into Corona. And Valen, who was a prince in Weselton, was sent here essentially as a hostage. Arendelle was continuously fending off probes at its borders—some by your family. So, taught all that, taught that war was normal…I did what I did."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"Anna lost her inhibitions," Elsa said. "And I'm saying that I can understand, because her perception, her sense of ethics, while warped from when she was rational…wasn't irrational. It can also be completely sensible with context. Ethics, right or wrong…I'm curious whether you can understand the subtlety."

To her credit, Rapunzel didn't try to answer immediately. Instead she sat and mulled over the question, pored over the new information she had gathered. Nor did she ask Elsa to answer before she left, and Elsa was glad for being able to keep her silence. She wouldn't have known either.

But, she thought, she would figure it out.

"Please wait a moment—!"

She had knocked, and that was more than enough warning.

Gwen stormed into the room, closed the door behind her, and locked it. Sol was looking into a basin of water with her eyes closed and her face set into an expression of deep concentration. Evidently she hadn't wanted to be interrupted, because for an instant, annoyance flashed over her face; but then she recovered, and she looked up with a smile.

"I didn't expect you to visit!" Sol said. "Do you want something to drink? Some tea? You do look kind of stressed, I really think some tea would be good for your complexion—"

"I couldn't find Master Judus, so I came to you instead," Gwen said.

"Whatever about—"

"Who the hell is Flynn Ryder?"

"Just another one of Master Judus's protégés. It's not that strange!"

"Isn't it?"

"Well, he sure doesn't tell you everything, does he?"

"But he'll tell you."

"Oh, no," Sol said. "Master Judus doesn't tell me much more than he does everyone else. I just still happen to know more. But I won't tell you anything! You'd have to force it from me."

"Fine, I don't care," Gwen said. "Second thing, I found this at the wreckage of the café."

She thrust a piece of twisted metal at Sol. Not just any metal, but the fragment of a bomb. She could still smell the gunpowder on it. If it had been the Red Tempest, then there wouldn't have been a need for a bomb. Every other explosion had been the work of magic. All along, she had suspected that the explosion at the café was a different case from the rest—the clock tower, the library, the monument, all of those had been public spaces, but the café was a private business. What was the point, then?

Someone had been trying to kill Rapunzel.

And Sol, being the one to save Rapunzel, must have known this in advance. Flynn, who was apparently part of the Order too, had also been there for whatever ungodly reason.

So then, the person behind it…the person who could command those two…

"Was Master Judus trying to…?"

"Shhhhhhhhhh."

Gwen paused.

"You knoooo—ow," Sol said in a sing-song voice, "I've wanted to say something to you for a long time."

Slowly, Sol rose from her seat.

Gwen swallowed. Something had changed. Her nerves frayed and her hair rose on the back of her neck, as she instinctively perceived danger; but she could neither see nor hear nor touch it. Instead, everything had gone silent. She couldn't hear anything from outside, not the footsteps of other students passing through, not even the crick of the wood from the wind. Something in the air had changed, like it had suddenly twisted and condensed and could just barely flow through her lungs.

"I think it's admirable you're trying so hard," Sol said, smiling sweetly, venom dripping on pink lips. "I know what people say. Your parents were killed in action when you were so young. How old were you? Just seven or eight years old? People pity you, you know. They say you try so hard to advance yourself in the Order because you want to make yourself known, prove that you're the best, to show your parents that you're capable. Because you want them to be proud. I know someone whose parents are alive, and she does everything she can to disappoint their expectations! What a filial daughter you are."

Gwen was frozen. She could do nothing but sit there and listen to those honey-suckled words, like she had been hypnotized. It was horrible to listen to them, but she couldn't leave. She was spellbound.

Sol giggled. "But that doesn't make sense for you to be filial, right? What I think is you ought to be resentful towards your parents. Didn't they leave you by dying? It was their choice to slave away in the Order and risk their lives, even when they knew their duty towards you, their child. That means…they chose to abandon you. They weren't thinking of you at all when they lived, and they certainly weren't thinking of you when they died. No, you didn't matter to them. So they shouldn't matter to you."

"St-Stop it."

Each word felt like a physical blow, like a hand that squeezed her heart.

"There's no one to be proud of you, no one for you to show any of your so-called achievements. Because, Gwen…everyone's left you already."

It hurt.

It hurt to listen.

"St…Stop talking. Stop. Stop it—"

Gwen found herself dragged forward, and Sol's face was inches away.

"If you say anything about this," Sol said, tapping the piece of metal, "Rapunzel will die. All it'll do is provoke Judus, and if Rapunzel dies, I won't just kill you. I'll do something horrible to you. So don't say anything! Actually…I'll make sure you can't say anything about it at all! It's for your own good. Open your mouth, please?"

It was a horrible feeling, to lose control over her own body. Gwen felt her jaw move like someone else was forcing it open, while the rest of her body stiffened like stone had grown over it. She had never known terror until this moment. It wasn't just a girl who was sitting in front of her right now. Those eyes staring into hers—Gwen saw the madness and the power, and worse, wicked enjoyment. Those were the eyes of someone who could not, would not, be stopped. She didn't know what Sol even wanted but whatever it was, she would have it. She would trample anything in her way.

She was a monster in the cradle.

Sol drew a knife from her pocket. As she heated it against candle flame, a lurid light illuminated her face, revealing shadows that hadn't been there before. "Now, stick out your tongue."

Gwen obeyed, screaming silently all the while her body acted on its own.

She's going to—

Sol held up her own hand and cut into her finger until a bead of blood welled to the surface, and before Gwen could even process what was happening, swiped it onto her tongue.

"Let's try not to say anything stupid or accuse anyone of anything, hmm?"

Suddenly she could move again, and Gwen flung herself back, falling to the floor and sputtering for breath. She clutched her throat, half-amazed that she still had a tongue at all, half-angry and fearful.

"What are you?" Gwen screamed.

"Nobody." Sol smiled. "I'm not the hero or the villain of this story."

"What story—"

"I just want to see things happen," Sol said. She opened the blinds of her window and looked out to the sky, her hand placed over her heart. "I want to see the light conquer the darkness. I want to see good win against evil. That's all."

"How can you stand it…?"

"Hmm?"

"How can you stand acting all happy and cheerful and, and…stupid, when you—when you—"

Gwen felt her throat tighten as her windpipe clenched shut, and her words never left her lips. With a growing sense of horror, she realized she would never be able to talk about what had happened. She would never be able to talk about anything without Sol's permission.

"Like I said, I'm only a spectator in this story," Sol said, and then her voice grew cold. "Shouldn't you be leaving? Just make sure to keep Rapunzel safe."

There was no spoken threat there, but the threat didn't need to be said.

Gwen left, with fear of this crazed jester, this mad fool, carved into her soul.

"Deidre and Naoise are dead."

Mani watched out of the corner of her eye as Brennus paced. Honestly! She had no idea why he cared so much. She would have responded with something like, "Mhm," but she was too busy counting stars. She wondered what made them twinkle. Was it true that the souls of the dead became stars? Did they have some magic too, like the sun and the moon? If she reached hard enough, could she touch them?

"They were disposable," Taranis said. "It's not such a great loss that you should fret."

Oh, Taranis. Who would they be left with if they lost everyone disposable?

"Eugene killed them," Brennus said, and he turned on Mani. "Doesn't it bother you that he's not here, with us? And not just him, but Sol, too. Both of them are with the enemy."

It was so hard to hold back a chortle. While still on her back, she scribbled in her notebook and held it up for them to see. Oops. It was upside down. She flipped the notebook and pushed it forward again.

What do you want to do?

"I believe that now is the time to strike," Brennus said. "We should avenge our fallen comrades. And like I've said before, we need to capture Anna before the Order can make use of her knowledge."

Taranis frowned. "What reason—"

"I believe I can make decisions without your approval," Brennus said.

What happened to not being in charge? But everyone was like that. Once they began to wield authority, authority became second nature; they became authority. Slow change, like how someone could become pure good, or pure evil.

Mani held up her hand to silence Taranis, and she straightened with a languid stretch.

Okay.

Just leave Elsa to me.

It didn't take long for her to be left alone. Brennus left to make preparations, and Taranis had offered little argument; Mani knew that he secretly yearned for a direct assault on Judus. Everyone yearned for something, and everyone here yearned for something different. She knew their desires and their fears better than even they knew about themselves. But that wasn't hard. Outsiders always knew more, were always more perceptive. Being part of the game, part of the story…was blinding.

"You'd know all about being blind…but that's what I admired about you, being so invested, being…evil. No one will ever come close to you. Despair and misery and pain…you were its distilled essence."

How liberating to talk aloud! She always had so much to say, but so little paper, so little time to write. She freed a dark orb from the cage of her chest, holding it up to the moonlight as the blue flame inside wreathed and writhed. What everyone else called a dark heart, because they didn't know its name.

Reliquary.

But not hers.

Its owner was…

"We'll see each other soon, Edmund."