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Disclaimer: I own nothing. WHEE!!!
Devil's Rain
By Lyra Matsuoka
Rated PG-13
Chapter 10 : Honor, Glory, Leadership and Love
If you're starting to think that all this sounds a little to much like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' for comfort, allow me to assure you that I felt the same way. I was literally thinking over that opening blurb that they played at the first part of virtually every 'Buffy' episode for the first season or so. You know, 'Into each generation a Slayer is born.' There was just a little too much of this 'Chosen One' talk going around for comfort.
After the Labyrinth decided to make itself known via me, the entire table stood around and stared at each other for a little while. This was both amazingly productive and vastly entertaining. Or not. Still, it was a lot to absorb that a mortal could both summon magic and communicate with an ages old magical creation. Everyone seemed to be in shock. Everyone, that is, except for Jareth, Sarah, Varian and, naturally, me.
I stood quietly, blinking and waiting for someone to make something clear to me. Or better yet, to offer a solution. But no one was jumping up and down in a desperate effort to be heard. I had a few suggestions, and a few questions to ask, but this still seemed like a rather formal occasion, so I did exactly what my first grade teacher had trained me to do.
I raised my hand.
Interestingly enough, that didn't break the silence. It did, however, catch Jareth's attention. When in doubt, revert to basics.
"Yes, Zora?"
"Question. What's the Circle of Ages?"
//I will tell you.//
"Never mind. The Labyrinth is going to tell me." That got me a few strange looks.
"What?" I said as I retreated into a mental conversation.
//The Circle of Ages is a gathering of powerful magical creatures, the greatest in the Underground, one from each magical race. The Circle is built with a focus at the center and the focus gains control of the Circle and bends its power to their will.//
//Ten bucks says I'm the focus.//
//Correct.//
Okay. Good information to have. I opened my eyes and surveyed the surroundings once more.
"Why is everyone sitting around doing nothing? There's a Circle of Ages to be formed, if I'm not much mistaken."
"It is not that simple, Zora," Jareth said, pressing three fingers to the bridge of his nose. I snorted, which got me a few startled glances.
"Wrong again. It is *just* that simple. There is, in fact, nothing simpler. Either you get the Circle of Ages operational, or all the power of the Labyrinth gets released."
No response. I shrugged...and I slammed on the brakes, both mentally and physically, remembering something that the Labyrinth had said. I slowly turned to Uncle Jareth.
"If you all don't gather the Circle of Ages, what happens to me?"
Jareth looked at me with sad eyes.
"What happens to me?"
I knew that my voice was rising with each word, and I didn't care. Because I was remembering the all-consuming pain that had accompanied the initial release of power, and that had just taken the edge off. I felt cold seeping into my limbs. I could feel the vast amounts of power that rested just beneath the surface of the Labyrinth and I knew, suddenly, that I would never be able to withstand that much magic passing through my body. And if I couldn't withstand it and it happened anyway, that could mean only one thing.
"I'll die."
And suddenly no one at the table could meet my eyes. I looked at each of them individually, but received no response.
"I'll die."
I said it again, just to get used to the feel of it in my mouth. Of all the things I had ever been confronted with, this was the most terrifying. I wasn't sure what my future plans were, but I knew that in order to finalize anything I had to *have* a future. The thought that someone might have the power to take those years off my life was a little disconcerting. I felt the blood rushing from my brain and the room began to sway.
"I think I need to sit down."
No sooner said than done. Without further ado, Varian picked me up and carried me to his empty chair. Of course, he didn't just place me in the chair and allow me to recover my wits. Oh no. Instead, the gorgeous Faerie King sat down in his chair and held me on his lap. It was a sign of my distress that I actually let him get away with it for a few seconds. But those few seconds were short lived. Because after shock comes anger, and I know how to deal with that.
//Is there some way that I can handle this on my own?//
//Of course there is.//
//Feel like sharing?//
//You can begin now and channel more and more of the power until all the energy is drained from the Labyrinth.//
//And how long will that take?//
//Roughly four hundred years.//
//And I'd be unconscious for most of that, yes?//
//For all of that.//
//I don't like Plan A. What's Plan B?//
//The Circle of Ages.//
//Damn.//
I looked at Varian and then looked down at our positions.
"Excuse me, have we met?"
Varian laughed and I made sure that I glared before I stood up. He let me go, which sent twinges of relief and disappointment through my body. I ignored both.
"If you people don't gather the Circle of Ages and solve this problem that *you* created, then I'm the one who pays the price?"
Silence. I was remarkably okay with this. If everyone in the world wanted to be quiet while I worked myself into a full-blown temper tantrum, that was fine with me. I was just getting started.
"No way. No freaking way. I am not going to lay down and *die* just so you people can plod on through your immortal existence without a blip on the screen. No way. So you all put your immortal heads together and you figure out a way to fix this, because by every god high and low, if I'm going down I am taking every single one of you with me."
This probably would have been a great deal more dramatic if I had managed to stalk from the room. Instead, I made it to the archway before another wave of pressure, magic, and pain swamped my mind and body and I muffled my scream as I fell to the ground. There was absolutely no way that I was going to let anyone in this room know just how much this whole episode sucked. Another wave hit and I whimpered, and everyone in the room sprung into action.
"I will go to the kingdoms and explain our need."
"And I."
"And I."
On and on went the offers of assistance as I was turned over little by little. I opened my eyes and saw Aunt Sarah bending over me. It was the first time I noticed that she wore a crown. I reached up a hand and touched it.
"Nice look for you," I said, and she smiled weakly. I could see the lines of worry around her face. "Don't worry, Aunt Sarah. I'll pass out in a minute and everything will be just fine."
The last word was a gasp as the power flowed through me, seeking a new home. What was odd was the sensation it evoked. It didn't really hurt anymore. Instead it felt...well, not good but not really bad. It felt interesting...it was a good pain. Like when a broken bone is set or a baby tooth falls out. I gasped again, but smiled afterward. The pain was receding, and I was falling into cobwebs and shadow. I was being lifted, cradled against a very male chest.
I'll give you three guesses. First two don't count.
Varian lifted me up off the ground. "Which way to her room?" he asked.
"I'll show you," Sarah said. "The two of you cannot, after all, be un-chaperoned."
I would have laughed, but I wasn't sure I could manage it. Instead I smiled lightly. That was really amusing. Varian didn't seem to find it so. Instead, he turned to face the room at large.
"You will find a means to solve this. All of you will find a solution. There is no other option open to you."
"A method will be found, will it not?" That was Uncle Jareth, and he sounded pissed. So had Varian, truth be told. That was kind of nice. Varian swung around and carried me toward my room. And I felt like it was the appropriate time to pass out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When I woke up, the pain was gone. In its place was a steady throbbing. Unless I missed my guess entirely, that throbbing was the result of the immense amounts of magic pouring through my very mortal body. Except it was no longer mortal, according to Varian. I pondered that briefly just before I opened my eyes.
The room was as plain as I remembered it, and once again I was totally uninterested in my surroundings. Instead I tried to sit up...and found that two rather large hands were keeping me firmly in place.
I opened my eyes a little wider and looked up, attempting to find the body that logic told me must be attached to the hands. There was a body, which was comforting. There was also a cold compress being gently pressed across my face. I squinted and finally opened my eyes wide.
Aunt Sarah was standing over me, and an unknown figure was holding me in place. A male figure that looked really familiar.
"Zane!" I gasped, reaching out for him. I was restrained.
"Don't move, Zora. You're really sick."
"I'm not sick. I'm just going through a phase. A phase where I act like a living conductor for a force that I don't understand. I'm a rebel," I said. But I didn't try to sit up again. That would have been silly. I looked around the room and frowned. Deliah, Jerrick and Asher were all standing around my bed.
"I'm sure watching me sleep is fascinating, but don't any of you have hobbies?" Nonetheless, when Asher crawled up on the bed I wrapped an arm around him. Deliah and Jerrick looked relieved that I was talking.
"We were concerned that you would be unable to speak or move."
"I'm not even going to ask."
"A great deal of magic passed through you, Zora," Asher imparted knowledgably. "Most beings would go mad after experiencing a magical transfer of that magnitude."
"I never was one to do the expected."
"You can say that again," my brother drawled, and we glared at each other.
"When I want your opinion I'll give it to you. And just out of curiosity, what are you doing here? Not that I mind, you understand, but I am a little curious. I thought they sent you back."
"They did."
My brother sounded displeased. I couldn't blame him. It was interesting that he glared at Jerrick as he spoke, but I was entertained by it so I didn't reprimand him.
"You asked to be sent back," Jerrick said calmly. I observed, however, that a muscle was twitching in his jaw. I looked down at Asher and saw that he had noticed as well. I raised my eyebrows up and down several times and Asher giggled. No one noticed.
"And then they, that would be the ultimate they, decided that it might be useful for you to have someone around who could..." he broke off, his ears turning red. Obviously he was embarrassed. I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Someone who could deal with my moods, yell at me when I'm being stubborn and unreasonable, restrain me if I try to kill someone and deflate my ego?"
Zane nodded and I grinned. "They couldn't have found a better man for the job."
"Surely it isn't as bad as all that," came the reply. The only problem was that Zane hadn't voiced said reply. Don't get me wrong; I love my brother, but he has never, and I doubt he will ever have a 'come hither' voice. And the voice that had spoken was definitely 'come hither'.
Oh baby.
Zane stepped protectively between the door and me, effectively blocking my view of the proceedings. Good thing he was close enough that I could smack him lightly.
"Welcome to the party," I said, using the flip tone to put some distance between us. Or rather, between my mind and my raging hormones. I sure thought it was necessary. Varian smiled at me, his earring glinting in the sunlight.
"I'm delighted to see you up and about, my lady."
"If by up you mean awake," I said dryly.
"Varian. Glad you could make it," Jerrick said, walking over to the King of the Faerie. The exchanged handshakes and embraced in that manly, back slapping sort of way. And interestingly enough, I noticed that Deliah was watching Varian with a dazed, dreamy expression on her face. I stifled my laughter, which escaped as a cross between a choking noise and a cough. Zane pounded me helpfully on the back. I waved him away and shook my head helplessly. This was just too fun for words.
Varian turned and introduced himself to my brother, leaving me with nothing to do. Fortunately for me, Sarah reappeared with a doctor in tow. That's right, a doctor. And the doctor banished everyone from the room while he asked me questions, checked my pupils, my teeth and my ears before scanning me with his eyes and pronouncing me in perfect health. I resist the urge to ask him if he had any news for me that I didn't already know. Of course I was fine. If I wasn't much mistaken, I was going to stay that way for a very long time.
"Stay in bed, young lady. You are in perfect health, but falling down is never a healthy pastime, and you seem to fall down more than you stay standing."
After the doctor left I waited for a few moments for something to happen. And something did. Everyone came trooping back into the room. I raised an eyebrow.
"Does everyone here know something I don't?"
"Yes," Varian supplied. I nodded. I'd expected as much.
"And this something that everyone knows requires that I be watched at all times?"
"Yes."
"Communicative lot you are," I said, turning to the entity that would answer my questions.
//Why do I require babysitters? Is someone trying to kill me?//
//Not at all. If these friends of yours would pause and think for a moment, they would realize that nothing can harm you while you are within the boundaries of the Labyrinth.//
//That makes sense.//
//However, none of them seem inclined to leave you alone. The Faerie King especially has taken it into his head to protect you.//
There were worse things in life than that. I turned back to the room at large.
"I realize that this may come as a surprise to the lot of you, but I am a big girl and am fully capable of taking care of myself."
"You are a mere child in our terms," Jerrick said, a slight smirk on his face. Zane looked at me and blanched. Smart boy. He knew that this had trouble written all over it. In typical Zane fashion he began backing out of the room. Varian and Jerrick noticed this, which meant that Zane needed to defend his actions.
"Hey, if you want to antagonize her, be my guest. But I'm leaving before this gets ugly. I would suggest you all do the same."
Asher and Deliah seemed inclined to believe my brother, and they followed him out, though Deliah left reluctantly and with many a languishing glance at Varien's back. I resisted the urge to make a smart remark. I drew upon my small reserve of tact and let it lie. Varian and Jerrick were made of sterner stuff than the others - they stayed where they were. Brave souls.
"Perhaps I missed something," I said to Varian. "Who died and put you in charge?"
"No one has died yet. And we intend that it stay that way. You have been pronounced a danger to yourself and others by the High Council and as such, you require constant surveillance." Jerrick gave that little speech. Varian said nothing, but he was starting to smile.
"And you two are my baby-sitters?"
"Oh, come now. Surely our company is not as boring and tedious as your tone would suggest," Varian teased. I was not in the mood. I threw my head back and closed my eyes.
"Why me? Can someone tell me what I've done to deserve this?"
Varian laughed, and Jerrick joined him. Just what I needed - to be the primary source of entertainment for two immortals. And, as luck would have it, the Labyrinth took that very moment to further complicate my life.
//Come down to the Labyrinth as soon as you are able.//
//Why?//
//I require your presence. We have much to discuss.//
//Can you be a little more vague? I'm not real great with straightforward instructions.//
So I returned to the outer world and proceeded to spend a good hour being talked at. It wasn't much fun, since none of the conversation seemed to require my participation. Deliah wandered in and out a few times to laugh at Varian's jokes and listen attentively and Zane came by to bring me lunch and to remind me to behave. Through it all, Varian and Jerrick kept up a lively stream of conversation, but I noticed that Varian's eyes strayed to me more often than they focused anywhere else. Even while listening he displayed the rather unnerving tendency to look straight at me rather than paying attention to the speaker. I thought I was imagining things until Deliah started glaring at me.
//I don't suppose you know why Varian keeps staring at me?//
//Of course I do.//
//Naturally. Silly of me to even ask.//
//Yes it was.//
//And do you feel like sharing?//
//He is attracted to you.//
I waited. Further information was not forthcoming.
//Do I need to drop a quarter in the slot to get another sentence?//
//It is that simple. The Faerie King is intrigued by you. He finds you amusing and unpredictable. And he is attracted to you just as strongly as you are attracted to him.//
//Whoa, whoa. Back up a minute. Who said I was attracted to him?//
//Aren't you?//
I paused and glanced up. Varian was staring at me again. This time our eyes met and held. A shiver shot down my spine and Varian smiled slowly. Hello.
//Forgive me my skepticism, but that's all it is? No prophecy, no destined love, no the-world-will-end-if-we-are-torn-asunder? Just ordinary body chemistry?//
//Correct.//
I didn't ask any more questions. Attraction I could deal with. To be honest, I was thrilled to finally encounter something that I understood. And if the budding situation between Varian and I was desperately complex, I really didn't feel the burning desire to know.
I decided that this eye game and conversation had gone on long enough, closed my eyes and gradually pretended to drift off to sleep. I've always been good at this, but it seemed to me that the Labyrinth was helping me out since everyone crept quietly out of the room and pulled the door shut behind them. I sat up, swung my legs off the bed, used the bedpost to support my weight while my legs decided whether or not to hold the rest of my body up and I started toward the door.
//Your cousin is standing guard.//
Okay, the door was out. I walked to the window and opened it. No balcony on my floor, but there was a balcony just below my window. I looked to the sides and glimpsed...a drainpipe. That is correct, a drainpipe. Now, under ordinary circumstances I would have banished the thought of shimmying down a drainpipe from my mind, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The drainpipe ended at the ground, and the green carpet of grass stretched down the hill that the castle sat upon, past several gardens and a gazebo right to the edge of the Labyrinth.
Ideal.
Sadly, I was not dressed for the occasion. The white gown was very fitting in a virgin-sacrifice sort of way, but it was not designed for strenuous physical activities such as the one that I was about to attempt. Where had they put my jeans? I glanced around and saw them resting over the back of a chair. The problem? The chair hadn't been there before. But I was willing to go on a little faith, and thus donned my jeans and shoes. I picked up my shirt, and it did not look happy. Neither did my wool duster. I made a face. I liked those two things. I threw the top over my head, left the duster on the chair, and walked back toward the window.
//Have you ever done this before?//
//Nope.//
//Do you know how to accomplish this?//
//I've seen it in movies.//
//Very reassuring.//
Without further ado, I swung one leg out the window and grabbed on to the drainpipe. The other half of my body followed in due time, and I began my slow and dizzying descent to the ground. I figured I was a good four stories up, which was nice. They might have put me in a tower or something equally archaic. But that thought wasn't very comforting until I was close enough to the ground that, should I slip, I probably wouldn't die on impact. I had also been lucky that no one had seen me slipping down the side of the castle. I was reasonably certain that a sight like that would not have gone unnoticed. But I hadn't heard any shrieks or laughter as yet, so I figured I was safe.
Never make assumptions. Don't do it.
I was almost to the ground when I heard a rather solicitous voice wafting down from the window I had so recently crawled out of. I couldn't make out the words, but I knew the voice. Varian. Damn it all to hell.
I'm reasonably certain that it was the empty bed that first alerted him, followed closely by the discarded white gown. And as there were only two ways out of the room and it was relatively obvious that I had not walked out the door, Varian would quickly realize that I had gone out the window.
So much for my smooth getaway.
I looked down and groaned. I was still ten feet or so off the ground, and it didn't look like I was going to be able to make it much closer before I would be forced to jump. I slid a little closer to the comforting, solid earth.
"Zora? ZORA?!"
Oh, goody. I looked up and saw Jerrick leaning out the window, staring at me. He seemed unable to formulate any sort of intelligent remark, or so I surmised based on the way his mouth was opening and closing. I smiled up at him just as Varian joined the party. Varian did not look pleased. In fact, he looked a little angry. I could think of several reasons for this, not the least of which being that I had climbed out an open window and shimmied down a drainpipe in a bold escape attempt. I gave a salute and slid a little closer to the ground. I glanced up again just in time to see Varian whirl away from the window and Jerrick climb out of it to join me on the drainpipe.
This would not end well, I was just sure of it.
//Where did Varian go?//
//I'm not entirely sure I ought to tell you.//
//Stop being difficult. I need to decide on a course of action. Is he running down here to intercept me?//
//Yes.//
//And you are absolutely certain that you have to talk to me right this second?//
//Yes.//
//I hate my life. I really, really do.//
I glanced up. Jerrick was better at this drainpipe thing than I was. He was gaining on me. And if Varian were on his way, there was only one thing left to do.
I jumped.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
To Be Continued...(cue suspenseful movie theme)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. WHEE!!!
Devil's Rain
By Lyra Matsuoka
Rated PG-13
Chapter 10 : Honor, Glory, Leadership and Love
If you're starting to think that all this sounds a little to much like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' for comfort, allow me to assure you that I felt the same way. I was literally thinking over that opening blurb that they played at the first part of virtually every 'Buffy' episode for the first season or so. You know, 'Into each generation a Slayer is born.' There was just a little too much of this 'Chosen One' talk going around for comfort.
After the Labyrinth decided to make itself known via me, the entire table stood around and stared at each other for a little while. This was both amazingly productive and vastly entertaining. Or not. Still, it was a lot to absorb that a mortal could both summon magic and communicate with an ages old magical creation. Everyone seemed to be in shock. Everyone, that is, except for Jareth, Sarah, Varian and, naturally, me.
I stood quietly, blinking and waiting for someone to make something clear to me. Or better yet, to offer a solution. But no one was jumping up and down in a desperate effort to be heard. I had a few suggestions, and a few questions to ask, but this still seemed like a rather formal occasion, so I did exactly what my first grade teacher had trained me to do.
I raised my hand.
Interestingly enough, that didn't break the silence. It did, however, catch Jareth's attention. When in doubt, revert to basics.
"Yes, Zora?"
"Question. What's the Circle of Ages?"
//I will tell you.//
"Never mind. The Labyrinth is going to tell me." That got me a few strange looks.
"What?" I said as I retreated into a mental conversation.
//The Circle of Ages is a gathering of powerful magical creatures, the greatest in the Underground, one from each magical race. The Circle is built with a focus at the center and the focus gains control of the Circle and bends its power to their will.//
//Ten bucks says I'm the focus.//
//Correct.//
Okay. Good information to have. I opened my eyes and surveyed the surroundings once more.
"Why is everyone sitting around doing nothing? There's a Circle of Ages to be formed, if I'm not much mistaken."
"It is not that simple, Zora," Jareth said, pressing three fingers to the bridge of his nose. I snorted, which got me a few startled glances.
"Wrong again. It is *just* that simple. There is, in fact, nothing simpler. Either you get the Circle of Ages operational, or all the power of the Labyrinth gets released."
No response. I shrugged...and I slammed on the brakes, both mentally and physically, remembering something that the Labyrinth had said. I slowly turned to Uncle Jareth.
"If you all don't gather the Circle of Ages, what happens to me?"
Jareth looked at me with sad eyes.
"What happens to me?"
I knew that my voice was rising with each word, and I didn't care. Because I was remembering the all-consuming pain that had accompanied the initial release of power, and that had just taken the edge off. I felt cold seeping into my limbs. I could feel the vast amounts of power that rested just beneath the surface of the Labyrinth and I knew, suddenly, that I would never be able to withstand that much magic passing through my body. And if I couldn't withstand it and it happened anyway, that could mean only one thing.
"I'll die."
And suddenly no one at the table could meet my eyes. I looked at each of them individually, but received no response.
"I'll die."
I said it again, just to get used to the feel of it in my mouth. Of all the things I had ever been confronted with, this was the most terrifying. I wasn't sure what my future plans were, but I knew that in order to finalize anything I had to *have* a future. The thought that someone might have the power to take those years off my life was a little disconcerting. I felt the blood rushing from my brain and the room began to sway.
"I think I need to sit down."
No sooner said than done. Without further ado, Varian picked me up and carried me to his empty chair. Of course, he didn't just place me in the chair and allow me to recover my wits. Oh no. Instead, the gorgeous Faerie King sat down in his chair and held me on his lap. It was a sign of my distress that I actually let him get away with it for a few seconds. But those few seconds were short lived. Because after shock comes anger, and I know how to deal with that.
//Is there some way that I can handle this on my own?//
//Of course there is.//
//Feel like sharing?//
//You can begin now and channel more and more of the power until all the energy is drained from the Labyrinth.//
//And how long will that take?//
//Roughly four hundred years.//
//And I'd be unconscious for most of that, yes?//
//For all of that.//
//I don't like Plan A. What's Plan B?//
//The Circle of Ages.//
//Damn.//
I looked at Varian and then looked down at our positions.
"Excuse me, have we met?"
Varian laughed and I made sure that I glared before I stood up. He let me go, which sent twinges of relief and disappointment through my body. I ignored both.
"If you people don't gather the Circle of Ages and solve this problem that *you* created, then I'm the one who pays the price?"
Silence. I was remarkably okay with this. If everyone in the world wanted to be quiet while I worked myself into a full-blown temper tantrum, that was fine with me. I was just getting started.
"No way. No freaking way. I am not going to lay down and *die* just so you people can plod on through your immortal existence without a blip on the screen. No way. So you all put your immortal heads together and you figure out a way to fix this, because by every god high and low, if I'm going down I am taking every single one of you with me."
This probably would have been a great deal more dramatic if I had managed to stalk from the room. Instead, I made it to the archway before another wave of pressure, magic, and pain swamped my mind and body and I muffled my scream as I fell to the ground. There was absolutely no way that I was going to let anyone in this room know just how much this whole episode sucked. Another wave hit and I whimpered, and everyone in the room sprung into action.
"I will go to the kingdoms and explain our need."
"And I."
"And I."
On and on went the offers of assistance as I was turned over little by little. I opened my eyes and saw Aunt Sarah bending over me. It was the first time I noticed that she wore a crown. I reached up a hand and touched it.
"Nice look for you," I said, and she smiled weakly. I could see the lines of worry around her face. "Don't worry, Aunt Sarah. I'll pass out in a minute and everything will be just fine."
The last word was a gasp as the power flowed through me, seeking a new home. What was odd was the sensation it evoked. It didn't really hurt anymore. Instead it felt...well, not good but not really bad. It felt interesting...it was a good pain. Like when a broken bone is set or a baby tooth falls out. I gasped again, but smiled afterward. The pain was receding, and I was falling into cobwebs and shadow. I was being lifted, cradled against a very male chest.
I'll give you three guesses. First two don't count.
Varian lifted me up off the ground. "Which way to her room?" he asked.
"I'll show you," Sarah said. "The two of you cannot, after all, be un-chaperoned."
I would have laughed, but I wasn't sure I could manage it. Instead I smiled lightly. That was really amusing. Varian didn't seem to find it so. Instead, he turned to face the room at large.
"You will find a means to solve this. All of you will find a solution. There is no other option open to you."
"A method will be found, will it not?" That was Uncle Jareth, and he sounded pissed. So had Varian, truth be told. That was kind of nice. Varian swung around and carried me toward my room. And I felt like it was the appropriate time to pass out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When I woke up, the pain was gone. In its place was a steady throbbing. Unless I missed my guess entirely, that throbbing was the result of the immense amounts of magic pouring through my very mortal body. Except it was no longer mortal, according to Varian. I pondered that briefly just before I opened my eyes.
The room was as plain as I remembered it, and once again I was totally uninterested in my surroundings. Instead I tried to sit up...and found that two rather large hands were keeping me firmly in place.
I opened my eyes a little wider and looked up, attempting to find the body that logic told me must be attached to the hands. There was a body, which was comforting. There was also a cold compress being gently pressed across my face. I squinted and finally opened my eyes wide.
Aunt Sarah was standing over me, and an unknown figure was holding me in place. A male figure that looked really familiar.
"Zane!" I gasped, reaching out for him. I was restrained.
"Don't move, Zora. You're really sick."
"I'm not sick. I'm just going through a phase. A phase where I act like a living conductor for a force that I don't understand. I'm a rebel," I said. But I didn't try to sit up again. That would have been silly. I looked around the room and frowned. Deliah, Jerrick and Asher were all standing around my bed.
"I'm sure watching me sleep is fascinating, but don't any of you have hobbies?" Nonetheless, when Asher crawled up on the bed I wrapped an arm around him. Deliah and Jerrick looked relieved that I was talking.
"We were concerned that you would be unable to speak or move."
"I'm not even going to ask."
"A great deal of magic passed through you, Zora," Asher imparted knowledgably. "Most beings would go mad after experiencing a magical transfer of that magnitude."
"I never was one to do the expected."
"You can say that again," my brother drawled, and we glared at each other.
"When I want your opinion I'll give it to you. And just out of curiosity, what are you doing here? Not that I mind, you understand, but I am a little curious. I thought they sent you back."
"They did."
My brother sounded displeased. I couldn't blame him. It was interesting that he glared at Jerrick as he spoke, but I was entertained by it so I didn't reprimand him.
"You asked to be sent back," Jerrick said calmly. I observed, however, that a muscle was twitching in his jaw. I looked down at Asher and saw that he had noticed as well. I raised my eyebrows up and down several times and Asher giggled. No one noticed.
"And then they, that would be the ultimate they, decided that it might be useful for you to have someone around who could..." he broke off, his ears turning red. Obviously he was embarrassed. I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Someone who could deal with my moods, yell at me when I'm being stubborn and unreasonable, restrain me if I try to kill someone and deflate my ego?"
Zane nodded and I grinned. "They couldn't have found a better man for the job."
"Surely it isn't as bad as all that," came the reply. The only problem was that Zane hadn't voiced said reply. Don't get me wrong; I love my brother, but he has never, and I doubt he will ever have a 'come hither' voice. And the voice that had spoken was definitely 'come hither'.
Oh baby.
Zane stepped protectively between the door and me, effectively blocking my view of the proceedings. Good thing he was close enough that I could smack him lightly.
"Welcome to the party," I said, using the flip tone to put some distance between us. Or rather, between my mind and my raging hormones. I sure thought it was necessary. Varian smiled at me, his earring glinting in the sunlight.
"I'm delighted to see you up and about, my lady."
"If by up you mean awake," I said dryly.
"Varian. Glad you could make it," Jerrick said, walking over to the King of the Faerie. The exchanged handshakes and embraced in that manly, back slapping sort of way. And interestingly enough, I noticed that Deliah was watching Varian with a dazed, dreamy expression on her face. I stifled my laughter, which escaped as a cross between a choking noise and a cough. Zane pounded me helpfully on the back. I waved him away and shook my head helplessly. This was just too fun for words.
Varian turned and introduced himself to my brother, leaving me with nothing to do. Fortunately for me, Sarah reappeared with a doctor in tow. That's right, a doctor. And the doctor banished everyone from the room while he asked me questions, checked my pupils, my teeth and my ears before scanning me with his eyes and pronouncing me in perfect health. I resist the urge to ask him if he had any news for me that I didn't already know. Of course I was fine. If I wasn't much mistaken, I was going to stay that way for a very long time.
"Stay in bed, young lady. You are in perfect health, but falling down is never a healthy pastime, and you seem to fall down more than you stay standing."
After the doctor left I waited for a few moments for something to happen. And something did. Everyone came trooping back into the room. I raised an eyebrow.
"Does everyone here know something I don't?"
"Yes," Varian supplied. I nodded. I'd expected as much.
"And this something that everyone knows requires that I be watched at all times?"
"Yes."
"Communicative lot you are," I said, turning to the entity that would answer my questions.
//Why do I require babysitters? Is someone trying to kill me?//
//Not at all. If these friends of yours would pause and think for a moment, they would realize that nothing can harm you while you are within the boundaries of the Labyrinth.//
//That makes sense.//
//However, none of them seem inclined to leave you alone. The Faerie King especially has taken it into his head to protect you.//
There were worse things in life than that. I turned back to the room at large.
"I realize that this may come as a surprise to the lot of you, but I am a big girl and am fully capable of taking care of myself."
"You are a mere child in our terms," Jerrick said, a slight smirk on his face. Zane looked at me and blanched. Smart boy. He knew that this had trouble written all over it. In typical Zane fashion he began backing out of the room. Varian and Jerrick noticed this, which meant that Zane needed to defend his actions.
"Hey, if you want to antagonize her, be my guest. But I'm leaving before this gets ugly. I would suggest you all do the same."
Asher and Deliah seemed inclined to believe my brother, and they followed him out, though Deliah left reluctantly and with many a languishing glance at Varien's back. I resisted the urge to make a smart remark. I drew upon my small reserve of tact and let it lie. Varian and Jerrick were made of sterner stuff than the others - they stayed where they were. Brave souls.
"Perhaps I missed something," I said to Varian. "Who died and put you in charge?"
"No one has died yet. And we intend that it stay that way. You have been pronounced a danger to yourself and others by the High Council and as such, you require constant surveillance." Jerrick gave that little speech. Varian said nothing, but he was starting to smile.
"And you two are my baby-sitters?"
"Oh, come now. Surely our company is not as boring and tedious as your tone would suggest," Varian teased. I was not in the mood. I threw my head back and closed my eyes.
"Why me? Can someone tell me what I've done to deserve this?"
Varian laughed, and Jerrick joined him. Just what I needed - to be the primary source of entertainment for two immortals. And, as luck would have it, the Labyrinth took that very moment to further complicate my life.
//Come down to the Labyrinth as soon as you are able.//
//Why?//
//I require your presence. We have much to discuss.//
//Can you be a little more vague? I'm not real great with straightforward instructions.//
So I returned to the outer world and proceeded to spend a good hour being talked at. It wasn't much fun, since none of the conversation seemed to require my participation. Deliah wandered in and out a few times to laugh at Varian's jokes and listen attentively and Zane came by to bring me lunch and to remind me to behave. Through it all, Varian and Jerrick kept up a lively stream of conversation, but I noticed that Varian's eyes strayed to me more often than they focused anywhere else. Even while listening he displayed the rather unnerving tendency to look straight at me rather than paying attention to the speaker. I thought I was imagining things until Deliah started glaring at me.
//I don't suppose you know why Varian keeps staring at me?//
//Of course I do.//
//Naturally. Silly of me to even ask.//
//Yes it was.//
//And do you feel like sharing?//
//He is attracted to you.//
I waited. Further information was not forthcoming.
//Do I need to drop a quarter in the slot to get another sentence?//
//It is that simple. The Faerie King is intrigued by you. He finds you amusing and unpredictable. And he is attracted to you just as strongly as you are attracted to him.//
//Whoa, whoa. Back up a minute. Who said I was attracted to him?//
//Aren't you?//
I paused and glanced up. Varian was staring at me again. This time our eyes met and held. A shiver shot down my spine and Varian smiled slowly. Hello.
//Forgive me my skepticism, but that's all it is? No prophecy, no destined love, no the-world-will-end-if-we-are-torn-asunder? Just ordinary body chemistry?//
//Correct.//
I didn't ask any more questions. Attraction I could deal with. To be honest, I was thrilled to finally encounter something that I understood. And if the budding situation between Varian and I was desperately complex, I really didn't feel the burning desire to know.
I decided that this eye game and conversation had gone on long enough, closed my eyes and gradually pretended to drift off to sleep. I've always been good at this, but it seemed to me that the Labyrinth was helping me out since everyone crept quietly out of the room and pulled the door shut behind them. I sat up, swung my legs off the bed, used the bedpost to support my weight while my legs decided whether or not to hold the rest of my body up and I started toward the door.
//Your cousin is standing guard.//
Okay, the door was out. I walked to the window and opened it. No balcony on my floor, but there was a balcony just below my window. I looked to the sides and glimpsed...a drainpipe. That is correct, a drainpipe. Now, under ordinary circumstances I would have banished the thought of shimmying down a drainpipe from my mind, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The drainpipe ended at the ground, and the green carpet of grass stretched down the hill that the castle sat upon, past several gardens and a gazebo right to the edge of the Labyrinth.
Ideal.
Sadly, I was not dressed for the occasion. The white gown was very fitting in a virgin-sacrifice sort of way, but it was not designed for strenuous physical activities such as the one that I was about to attempt. Where had they put my jeans? I glanced around and saw them resting over the back of a chair. The problem? The chair hadn't been there before. But I was willing to go on a little faith, and thus donned my jeans and shoes. I picked up my shirt, and it did not look happy. Neither did my wool duster. I made a face. I liked those two things. I threw the top over my head, left the duster on the chair, and walked back toward the window.
//Have you ever done this before?//
//Nope.//
//Do you know how to accomplish this?//
//I've seen it in movies.//
//Very reassuring.//
Without further ado, I swung one leg out the window and grabbed on to the drainpipe. The other half of my body followed in due time, and I began my slow and dizzying descent to the ground. I figured I was a good four stories up, which was nice. They might have put me in a tower or something equally archaic. But that thought wasn't very comforting until I was close enough to the ground that, should I slip, I probably wouldn't die on impact. I had also been lucky that no one had seen me slipping down the side of the castle. I was reasonably certain that a sight like that would not have gone unnoticed. But I hadn't heard any shrieks or laughter as yet, so I figured I was safe.
Never make assumptions. Don't do it.
I was almost to the ground when I heard a rather solicitous voice wafting down from the window I had so recently crawled out of. I couldn't make out the words, but I knew the voice. Varian. Damn it all to hell.
I'm reasonably certain that it was the empty bed that first alerted him, followed closely by the discarded white gown. And as there were only two ways out of the room and it was relatively obvious that I had not walked out the door, Varian would quickly realize that I had gone out the window.
So much for my smooth getaway.
I looked down and groaned. I was still ten feet or so off the ground, and it didn't look like I was going to be able to make it much closer before I would be forced to jump. I slid a little closer to the comforting, solid earth.
"Zora? ZORA?!"
Oh, goody. I looked up and saw Jerrick leaning out the window, staring at me. He seemed unable to formulate any sort of intelligent remark, or so I surmised based on the way his mouth was opening and closing. I smiled up at him just as Varian joined the party. Varian did not look pleased. In fact, he looked a little angry. I could think of several reasons for this, not the least of which being that I had climbed out an open window and shimmied down a drainpipe in a bold escape attempt. I gave a salute and slid a little closer to the ground. I glanced up again just in time to see Varian whirl away from the window and Jerrick climb out of it to join me on the drainpipe.
This would not end well, I was just sure of it.
//Where did Varian go?//
//I'm not entirely sure I ought to tell you.//
//Stop being difficult. I need to decide on a course of action. Is he running down here to intercept me?//
//Yes.//
//And you are absolutely certain that you have to talk to me right this second?//
//Yes.//
//I hate my life. I really, really do.//
I glanced up. Jerrick was better at this drainpipe thing than I was. He was gaining on me. And if Varian were on his way, there was only one thing left to do.
I jumped.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
To Be Continued...(cue suspenseful movie theme)