Well. Shit certainly went down last chapter.
I apologize for the long wait, and have no excuse other than lack of motivation. Love that apathy, mhm. Please enjoy!
Sin stumbled out of the courtyard and almost collapsed, but Spider caught his arm and hauled him back up straight. "Shit, man," the older boy said with a slow shake of his head, "What the hell are we going to tell Shade?" As he spoke, Spider grabbed Sin and pulled his arm around his shoulders, nearly carrying him.
They were just out of the walls when an oily voice rang out behind them. "Aren't you going to collect your winnings, boys?" Jerome asked. Spider let out a string of low curses that Sin was sure Hero and Stickler would have lectured him about had they been there. He then turned around and held out his free hand.
Jerome shot him a nasty grin. "Looks like your friend there is a little more than he seems. You've taught him well; next time, though, I doubt he'll be so lucky." He placed a wad of bills in Spider's hand, who looked like he was seconds from punching the guy, when Sin spoke up.
"Home," he croaked, "Please. Just - let's - home." Spider's eyes narrowed as he glared at Jerome before finally tearing his gaze away from the leering man and nodding shortly.
"Let's get you back, Sin," Spider murmured quietly. He let out a quiet laugh of disbelief as they emerged from behind the Chinese restaurant, Sin's eyelids flickering. "Shade is going to murder me," he told Sin as they walked. "I'm as good as dead."
A quarter of an hour later, Spider was sliding open the hidden door to the side entrance of the warehouse. The light was on inside and Spider helped Sin limp into the warehouse. His legs weren't in much pain at all, but his stomach was still queasy, and he was utterly exhausted.
"You're back early," came a voice from their left. "Did Sin not - oh my god! What the hell happened?!" Shade rushed into view, concern written all over her beautiful features. She knelt in front of Assassin, giving him a quick once-over to gauge the level of his injuries. Once she'd realized that Sin wasn't in any immediate danger, the concern on her face started to morphed into a cold rage. "Get Hero," she said coldly, her voice thick with fury. Spider nodded once and left the two of them.
"Oh, Sin…" Shade said sadly, before scooping Sin up into her arms. She walked gently over to his bed, and lent him down on his mattress. "I knew it was a bad idea." Sin barely registered the flurry of motion going on around him as he slipped from consciousness, his fingers curling around the card he'd received from the blue-haired lady.
Shade leant against the wall of the warehouse, her eyes trained on the sleeping form of Assassin. She could taste lead in her mouth, the fury at his injuries tangible. "What happened?" She asked through gritted teeth.
Spider sat on the floor next to her, his face in his hands. "Nobody would challenge Skullfinger. When they called for the old-fashioned way, I tried to get him out, but we got separated in the crowd, and I couldn't get to him, and by then he was already in the pit - I was going to rush in and volunteer, but three of Elena's cronies grabbed me and -" his voice cracked, and he gestured to his black eye and bruised jaw " - well, they held me away until the fight was over."
Shade knelt in front of him, and cupped his face gently in her hands. "Look at me," she said as his gaze dropped to the floor. "Look at me," she repeated firmly. He dragged his gaze back up to meet her brown eyes. "There was nothing you could have done. You know that they prey on weakness, and you know that once they've chosen someone they don't change their minds. You know how Elena is. She likes the dramatics." Shade's mouth tasted foul as she spoke Elena's name, as if just uttering those syllables brought a bitter taste.
"You were right," Spider replied hollowly, his grey eyes full of remorse. "We should have waited."
Shade nodded. "I was. But don't beat yourself up about this." She cast a glance at the sleeping form of Sin, his tiny body still so fragile in her eyes. "I'm more worried about the blow to his ego than anything else. Nobody likes losing their first Fight, even if it's expected, and Sin is very proud. I'm wondering if his confidence will -"
"He didn't lose."
" - and I think - what?" Shade stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows furrowing. "He didn't lose?" She asked incredulously. "But - he's ten. And you said Skullfinger was basically undefeated."
Spider nodded. "He used magic."
Shade sucked in a breath and moved to sit next to him. "What happened?"
"They were fighting. He actually managed to hold her off for quite a while; he did really well, but her experience was too much for him. And then she was going to finish him off, but her fist bounced off of his skull. It bounced."
A strangled noise escaped Shade's throat. "There's a new one."
Spider hummed in agreement. "And then when he shoved her, she flew into the wall. It was - it was like Smitherson all over again, except this time he touched her."
Shade nodded slowly. "If Elena saw -"
Spider shook his head. "I don't think so. I doubt she would have let us leave so easily if she had seen what he can do."
Shade closed her eyes and leant her head on Spider's shoulder. "What are we going to do, Spider?" She asked quietly.
Spider ran a hand through his hair, his eyes still trained on the sleeping form of Assassin. "Whatever we have to to keep us all alive and together." Even if it means other people getting hurt, he added silently. Spider would do anything to protect his family.
Sin blinked slowly, turning around in his bed to bury himself deeper under the covers. His muscles ached, and his stomach was incredibly sore. Even his face felt a little raw. As he shifted, something poked him in the arm. He sat up gently, his eyebrow furrowing in confusion. There was a small card in his bed - what was that about?
Suddenly, everything from the previous night came rushing back. The utter terror, the momentary triumph, and then pure exhaustion. He vaguely remembered a woman in blue handing him a small card, but he hadn't actually looked at it yet.
He sat back and picked up the card, squinting at it. His hand floundered around before finding his glasses, and he shoved them unceremoniously on his nose.
Elena Genovesa
66 Knockturn Alley
Erunt Ultra Genua Flectentibus
Sin's forehead creased further in confusion. It was clearly Latin, but he didn't speak Latin; besides, who used Latin on what was clearly a business card of some sort? He turned it over, and on the back there was just a picture of a red rose, with what seemed to be blood dripping from the petals. Sin snorted quietly.
"That's a little dramatic," he remarked to himself, before yawning and forcing himself to his feet. He swayed slightly before he heard a shout behind him.
"Sin! What the hell are you doing on your feet? You should be resting!" Sin turned to see Shade and Toxic rushing toward him. Shade caught his arm as she continued. "How are you even standing? You've only had eight hours of rest since you were in the fighting pits for the first time - and the magic you used! I - what's that?" Her tone turned from scolding to sharp, and she gestured to the card in his hand. Sin shrugged, still holding on to her for support, and handed her the card.
"I - some girl gave it to me last night."
Shade's eyes narrowed nearly imperceptibly and then she let out a quiet snarl. "That power-hungry bitch," she spat, "couldn't leave well enough alone." The creases in Sin's forehead deepened in confusion.
"Shade? What -"
Shade turned, bending at the knees slightly until she was eye-level with him. He didn't know whether to be insulted or not and the clear - yet most likely accidental - slight to his height. "Assassin, I need you to listen to me, because this is important," Shade said grimly. There was something different about Shade's eyes - they held their usual confidence, but it looked shakier than usual. More unstable. As if Shade was being confident because she had to be, because she had to hold it together and be strong, not because she truly was. "This girl - who gave you the card - what did she look like?"
"Um…" Sin furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember. His mind had been sort of hazy at the time, having just used a lot of magic and won his first street fight. "She had… blue hair, and she was about your age. Her face looked like it had been chipped from stone - all edges and hard lines."
Shade nodded slowly, the intensity in her gaze not lessening. It was starting to unnerve Assassin a little bit, and he took a small step back. "Why? What does the Latin say? Why are you so - what does it mean? The whole card, what's it for?"
Shade bit her lip and turned to Toxic, who had been standing there looking awkward since she'd walked over. "Run and get Spider, make sure everyone's inside for the next couple hours. I don't want anyone leaving the warehouse without permission for at least a day."
Toxic raised her eyebrows but nodded, scratching at the burn on her forearm. She didn't question Shade - nobody but Spider and occasionally Hero every really did - and headed off to find the others.
Shade turned her attention back to Sin, whose mouth was hanging open. Never in all of his time with his new family had Shade ever put anyone on house arrest, and here she was, ordering the whole family to stay inside.
"What? What's the big deal, anyway? It's just a card -"
"It's not just a card, Sin," Shade said patiently. "It's…" She bit her lip, and took Sin's hand in her own. She lead them back to the beds and sat down on her own, patting the space next to her. Assassin sat down, waiting for Shade to explain.
"So yesterday, in the pits, do you know why you won?" She asked. Sin nodded, and his triumphant feeling drained slightly as he had to admit it.
"I used magic," he said dully. It wasn't that he was annoyed to have the magic - he was grateful he had been able to stop Skullfinger from squashing him into the dirt - but it felt like cheating. The glory of winning wasn't quite so untouched anymore.
Shade didn't seem to notice his disappointment. "Yes. You're a wizard and you're magic reacts when you're angry or scared, because you haven't had any training. But the thing is, Sin, I also told you that you weren't the only one. That there are other wizards, and witches, and there are also werewolves and goblins and pixies and vampires and pixies." Sin nodded; he didn't see what any of this had to do with the business card.
"Well the address, Knockturn Alley… that's a street muggles can't go to. It's a purely magical place."
Sin blinked. "Do you think - so - so that means that the girl there - she was a witch? I thought there weren't that many? How could a witch have possibly…" He didn't know how he felt. He was terrified, of course, that they would take him away to some sort of wizard colony - Shade hadn't said anything about that, but there was little chance they would just let him be - but he was also almost… flattered. Someone had actually taken an interest in his abilities. His. He was special.
Shade wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and he rested his head gently on her shoulder. "I don't know about the girl that gave it to you," she admitted, "'But Erunt Ultra Genua Flectentibus' is the motto of a very old, very ancient family. The Van Raus."
"What does it mean?" Sin asked.
"It's Latin for 'will never kneel'. The Van Raus have always been very proud, and they always think they should be in power. But the last of them died out decades ago in a vampire attack."
Sin shoved a finger under his glasses and rubbed his eyes. This was all giving him a headache. "So then why would someone give me a business card with a dead family motto on it?"
Shade didn't answer immediately, and when she did, her voice was quieter. "When - back before my family realised I was a squib, when I still lived with them, there were… rumors. About one of the Van Rau girls, who hadn't been killed by the vampires, but turned. And that she'd started a kind of underground resistance, trying to form their own government, and ignoring the laws of the ministry. None of us really paid much attention to it, we all thought it was just gossip. But - now that I think about it…" Shade's tone turned cold. "The girl, the last Van Rau? Her name was Elena."
Please please please review! It really helps me write better, gives me ideas, and if anything can motivate me to write faster, it's reviews of my work. Things are going to start to move a little faster now, there will probably be between 2 and 4 chapters before Sin gets his letter. You know, the letter we all pretended we didn't want to cry when it didn't come on our 11th birthdays.