Chapter Ten.
Erik was up early the next morning, too early for his liking but with Malik and Eris appearing the night before the brothers were in serious need of training. Erik grumpily removed himself from his bed, taking little time to shower and dress before heading down to the kitchen. As he passed through the lobby he took a moment to glance at the clock… 5am. A small, annoyed growl passed through his lips at the information, remembering that they had agreed to eat breakfast at 7am to start practice sometime after 8am. Erik turned to leave back to his room but the smell of freshly made coffee caught his attention, his confusion and curiosity getting the better of him as he finished his journey and entered the kitchen. To his surprise it wasn't one of his brothers up early, instead it was Sienna who quietly made herself a cup of coffee. She was already dressed for the day ahead of her, the clothing form-fitting but loose enough to move in.
Sienna had heard someone enter the kitchen, her head turning ever so slightly to see who it was. She had slightly stiffened at the thought of another being in her presence but at the reveal of Erik she settled and relaxed after a few moments, a large part of her thankful that it was him.
"I didn't expect you to be up this early" she confessed as she greeted him, grabbing another cup to fill for him. Erik smiled at her thoughtfulness before speaking,
"Me either…" he honestly spoke before continuing,
"Shouldn't you be asleep as well? You was still up early hours of the morning when the rest of us went to bed" he questioned, taking in her facial expressions as she shrugged. The woman seemed tired, as if she hadn't rested properly.
"I'm an early bird" she told him, her tone trying to be light and playful but it was clear she was worn. Erik fell concerned for her, had she stayed up all night?
"Here" she said, breaking his thoughts as she handed him the cup of coffee. He willingly took it, taking a sip that melted him on the spot. Sienna collected her cup in her hands, heading out of the kitchen without a word.
Without a thought Erik found himself following her, surprised that she was heading straight to the back garden. Once again it was a clear, beautiful day but the morning air was still cold to the touch. She took a large gulp of her coffee, taking little notice of the demon trailing behind her.
"Checking the premises again?" Erik questioned her, the woman smiling back at him as she walked. The woman seemed to gleam in the sunlight, as if it had the ability to energise her.
"Not quite" she confessed, halting so he could join her at her side. He paused at her side, looking around the garden wondering what she was up to.
"For a demon you're rather curious" she said her thoughts aloud, her eyes landing onto his for a moment before turning them to the right side of the garden where many trees claimed its territory. Willingly the woman headed in that direction, her knee high boots lightly leaving its mark on the lightly frosted grass.
"What are you up to then?" Erik called after her and she paused, looking back at him. Her expression was curious,
"Why ask when you can see for yourself?" she called back to him, turning her attention back to the trees as she continued walking. Erik stood slightly dumbfounded for a moment, what had gotten into her? He shook his head, a small smile falling on his lips as he hurriedly followed her, returning to her side just before they walked under the shadows of the trees. Sienna took another sip of her coffee as she acknowledged that Erik had joined her, her steps seemingly edging herself closer to his side.
"It's amazing how shadows can play tricks on your mind" she murmured, looking left and right as she walked. It was clear that the woman had walked this path before but not recently. She had halted herself several times, peering into the darkness of the shadows here and there but each time she walked forward without another thought.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Erik found himself asking, enchanted by her untold quest but she remained quiet for a few more moments before hastily halting, her eyes fixed ahead of her.
Before them both was a circular clear space, the branches of the trees not daring to hide the sunlight from the area. As they both walked into the clearing Erik found himself warmed by the morning sunlight, something he didn't quite feel before when entering the garden.
"I didn't realise this was here" he told her, peering around in curiosity. Sienna glanced his way, a smile on her face.
"It's just out of the premises, there's a nice lake roughly a mile away from here but its best we don't stray too far from the others" she explained, taking in a breath of fresh air.
"I used to train here alone when I first started staying here… its quiet and peaceful. When Mika was younger she used to get curious to where I'd disappear to, each time she'd get lost in the shadows of the trees trying to follow me and always end up back in the garden. Eventually I allowed her to come with me and watch… it surprised me that she wanted to learn to fight too" Sienna continued on, musing over the past for a second. She took the final sip of her coffee, rolling her shoulders as she placed it onto the ground. She took a few more steps forward as she lost herself in her own thoughts. Erik, finished with his coffee already, placed his cup next to hers and trailed behind her steps.
"I still find it hard to believe you fight" Erik honestly told her and she laughed in response.
"Why is that?" she asked, her eyes glistening in the sunlight making Erik's heart lurch.
"You seem like a high class woman who suits elegant gowns and fancy balls" he responded to her question, frowning as the glisten lessened in her eyes. At his words Sienna rubbed her chin, looking up to the sky with a thoughtful, almost questionable expression.
"I guess that's easy to assume with the way I look" she quietly spoke, shaking her head with a smile.
"I'm curious about something…" Sienna murmured, her eyes not leaving the sky as she remembered a past conversation. Her expression became more serious, as if she had been wanting to ask something for a while.
"Do you think you and your brothers will be able to defeat Malik when the time comes?" she quietly asked him. Erik smiled at her words,
"Of course we ca-" he replied but Sienna placed her eyes back onto his, silencing him.
"Be honest with me" she requested, her tone soft and pleading. Erik remained silent as he took the time to mull over his thoughts, predicting the outcome.
"Honestly… I don't know. If we fight as five then perhaps we can but we're weak, none of us really have the energy to use our abilities to their full potential" he slowly said, the atmosphere around them becoming tense. Erik closed his eyes, turning his face to the sun.
"I don't like to admit it but I'm afraid… afraid that someone will be killed in the process of taking him down. We can't simply run away from him, he will always find us… and Mika, in our presence she is in danger, a target. Even you are a target now" he continued on in a whisper.
Erik opened his eyes as he felt Sienna's hand lightly grasp onto his, her eyes fixated to the ground. Her touch was cold, the feeling sending a chill through Erik's body but he accepted her touch.
"Sienna?" he quietly called after a moment, the woman unmoving as she stood beside him holding his hand. At his voice it seemed to spark Sienna back to life, her hand gently squeezing him in an attempt to comfort him and herself.
"Mika will not be harmed" she firmly told him but her voice was quiet,
"And neither shall you or your brothers" she continued on, her eyes finally raising back to the sky. It surprised Erik to see a flare of fire in them, a passion that he had never quite seen in her before. It kept him silent long enough for Sienna to clearly process her thoughts.
"If Malik tries anything I will be able to help, even with my limitations" she firmly told him. Erik's expression softened, taking his free hand to gently cup her face. Similar to her hand her face was cold to the touch but he ignored the thought, turning her face to look up at him instead of the sky.
"It is not your fight… I don't want you getting harmed because of us" he softly told her, his heart painfully panging as she didn't submit.
"Do not worry about my safety" she told him with a gentle smile,
"Even if it was not my fight I would still be willing to aid you" she continued on, her words firm but collected. Erik found himself admiring her for a moment but he was concerned for her safety, her life.
"Do you have the ability to stop him?" Erik asked her, not knowing her full potential. He expected the woman to freeze at the personal question but instead her eyes softened into a brief look of defeat.
"I do have the ability to stop him however I… I have my limitations. There is only so much I can do" she started, her wording slow and careful reminding Erik of the night before when they spoke with one another. It was as if there were times she could speak freely and without a care but there were others that were cautious, careful. Sienna knew Erik was starting to pick up on her actions, her expression turning apologetic.
"The ones above me… still have control… If I step out of line…" she tried to continue on but her voice became raspy, the woman struggling to breathe. Erik found his eyes wandering to her neck, a familiar sight reappearing… it was red raw, worse than the night before. There was clearly something dark lingering there, something magical… His eyes returned to hers, almost flinching at the fury brewing in them. Erik was so used to the soft, welcoming look in her eyes that seeing the change, although frightening at first, was almost relieving. Her usual look seemed welcoming but distant; she was a display for others to admire but never to truly know. It was as if the story shown in her eyes didn't connect to her heart, her soul… but right at this moment they seemed alive and true. At the eye contact between them Sienna melted into his purple orbs, taking a large breath of air as she closed her eyes and calmed herself.
"I am on tight chains but I can defend" she shortly told him, turning her face away from his as she gently pulled away from his touch. She took a moment to glare at the sky, shaking her head as she looked back to the trees where they had entered the clearing.
As gently as he could Erik reconnected himself with the woman, his fingertips lingering onto her left shoulder before, slowly, trailing them over the reddened neck. He could see unnatural bruising starting to appear, touches of black, blue and purple noticed beneath the skin. He was surprised that the area wasn't cold to the touch, it was almost painfully hot. Erik expected Sienna to flinch away from his touch, to be pained by it but she seemed to be at ease, as if it took away the pain.
"What cages you?" Erik found himself quietly asking her, keeping his full attention on her. She didn't look up at him, her eyes were closed from his touch and remained that way as she slumped her form. She appeared defeated, dejected but she softly smiled as she finally looked back up at his face. Her expression was open and real, a sad but thankful story written across her face. It threw Erik off for a moment but her answer pained him.
"Duty" was the only thing that left her lips but she remained sadly smiling up at him. He found himself sighing; everything around her seemed to connect to duty. Gently she placed her hand onto his chest, her expression turning pleading.
"No one has truly… noticed before. If you…" she murmured, faltering for a moment as she almost regretted her words. She bit her lip, forcing herself to continue.
"If you are willing to wait… I will find a way around it" she quietly told him, her words making Erik's heart quicken. He searched her eyes carefully, seeing no touch of a lie and it was now that he fully took in the details of her eyes. Within her golden eyes were small flecks of black that were not noticeable unless you were close by, also the barriers in her eyes seemed forced, something she couldn't fully control. Gently Erik moved his fingers away from her neck, pulling her into a soft, gentle embrace. Sienna could feel his heart wildly beating against her, the feeling bringing her closer to him as they both stood together. She hadn't been this close to someone since a young'un, the feeling soothing her worries away. Erik on the other hand had held a few women nearby but it was nothing like now; before he was disgusted following his mother's methods but now… following his own free will he felt whole, as if a part of his heart and soul had been filled.
"I will wait" he lowly murmured in her ear. His tone wasn't seductive, flirtatious or playful. It was soft, genuine and truthful. They both remained like that for a while longer before, finally pulling apart.
"You should return, the others will be up soon" Sienna quietly told him, Erik lightly sighing at the thought. He stepped several steps, awaiting her to join him but she remained in place.
"Are you not coming?" he asked her but she shook her head.
"I will come and find you later… for now I must train alone" she told him. He didn't ask why she wished to train alone, instead he respected her words and nodded, leaving the woman alone in the circular clearing as he returned the two empty cups to the kitchen.