Silent Song

Chapter 9: Invitation to the Tiger's Den

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own the original content in here.

The red liquid crept slowly down the floorboards. Everyone was suspended in time, it seemed. The shrieking alarm cut through the silence, followed by the banging of the door.

"Mr. Elric!" someone on the other side shouted. "Is everything alright in there?"

Both the real Edward Elric and the fake flinched.

"Yeah, I'm fine," The taller of the two regained his composure. He muttered to himself: "Told them not to bother me."

The true Edward scoffed. "Maybe they don't really trust you."

When the other didn't react, he added snidely, "Though I can't see why, except for, you know, lying about who you are."

While Ed wasted his time bothering his counterpart, I surveyed the room. We needed an exit for a quick escape, and my body had steadied, so I walked about the room. The door we had come in through was too dangerous. If we tried to use it again, Ed and I risked getting poisoned again, because we didn't have any gas masks or the antidote. Plus, the guards would have found our little mole hole by now.

A large window caught my eye. I crept to it, flattening my back against the wall next to it. I peeked through it, and found that it was only one story up, with nobody watching.

The sound of something being transmuted brought me back to the commotion in the room. Fletcher, covered in the red water, had blocked the main door using alchemy. Tree roots spread over the entrance, almost obscuring the wall from view.

Edward took advantage of the situation. "Let's run for it," This was directed toward Alphonse and I. "Hurry."

"Brother-"

"If they catch you, we'll all be in trouble," Fletcher interrupted, practically begging us. "So please get out of here quickly. I promise I'll explain everything later."

Reluctantly, Al nodded. The sound of people beating against the door told us to hurry.

"Alright," Ed looked around for an exit. "Let's go."

I gestured toward him, and then deconstructed the glass using alchemy. With one last glance at the impostors, I leaped out. I landed in the ground quietly, as stealthy as a cat. Edward and Alphonse followed me, Al landing with a crash. Ed and I both flinched at the sound. If the security hadn't been busy trying to break down the door, they would have swarmed us.

I took a chance, and sprinted across the open yard. People were yelling, but I kept running. After about fifty yards, I slowed down, the brothers stopping with me. I ducked behind a tree, still paranoid somebody had followed us. When nobody came yelling after us, I relaxed.

We slowly made our way back to Belsio's house. The back door was unlocked, so we crept in quietly. I had expected Belsio to already have gone to bed, and I nearly had a heart attack when I hear somebody say: "A lot of excitement up at the mansion tonight, huh, kids?"

Belsio sat in the living room, softly tending the fire.

Edward laughed nervously. "You don't say."

"Second night in a row. There's not much hope for you, is there?" There really wasn't if Ed remained such a bad liar.

The sound of somebody coughing in the other room caught my attention. It attracted the others', as well.

"Is Elisa still here?" Alphonse questioned.

"Her father's going to be furious, but she wanted to stay here. Like you, she won't listen to reason," Of course he spun this towards us. "I had no choice with her coughing like that, so I put her to bed."

The reason for her coughing was unbeknownst to him. The brothers and I exchanged a look, and we silently decided tell Belsio about what we saw up in the mansion.

"Have you heard of red water?" Ed asked, suddenly. I tilted my head in concern. The question was so sudden; did the toxins already get to his brain?

Belsio flicked on the light as I went into the kitchen to make some tea. As I waited for the water to boil, I heard him say: "Red water?"

"They want to crystallize it to into a red stone, an alchemic amplifier. Stupid," Ed muttered to himself. "Compared to the Philosopher's Stone, it's a cheap imitation. They're wasting their time."

"He said his father put his whole like into that research." Al countered. He must have had a closer connection to Fletcher than I thought he did. Either that or he was thinking about his own father.

The teapot whistled, and I lifted it off the stove. After rummaging through the cupboards, I found some packets of black tea and three mugs. While I steeped the tea in the hot water, I listened to Edward brush his brother off.

"Yeah, yeah," he said flippantly. "Probably another lie."

"Unless," Belsio said quietly. "Maybe they're the sons of Nash Tringham."

Nash Tringham. The name was familiar to me. He was mentioned a few times in my parents' notes, an alchemist seeking to create a Philosopher's Stone, but only succeeded in making a mess. He wasn't put down as the red water's creator, but if one connected the dots, the clues would line up. I frowned at the thought, reorganizing my thinking so they made sense.

"Nash Tringham?" Ed asked. He had apparently heard of him, too. I remembered him saying something about Nash in the tunnel. "You mean that theorist I read about? The guy who came up with the idea?"

I put the cups on a tray and brought it into the living room. I handed one to Edward and Belsio, and then settled onto the couch beside Ed. He muttered a "Thanks", blowing gently on the hot water. Belsio took a sip, and started his story. "He grew up in Xenotime, just like me. He only moved to Central to put his research together on the red water. He was gone for years." His eyes stared faraway, at something we couldn't see.

"And then one night, he just showed up again out of the blue. It was raining that night. He'd left behind everything that mattered to him. But he wouldn't tell me a word on what happened in Central. He was a wet, wounded animal ready to be pounced on, and the town's biggest land baron Mugear had made his fortune smelling blood."

"Ultimately, he gave in. Secluding himself in Mugear's mine, he resumed research. And as the land baron promised, the town was once again lit by gold. Furnaces were aflame; vendors filled the streets with their wares. Life returned to the people."

"But at the same time, a mysterious plague began to spread. We had all the money we wanted, but we couldn't but a cure. Many babies succumbed to the disease soon after birth."

"Elisa was born then," Edward interjected. I nodded thoughtfully in agreement: Elisa's coughing was something I had never seen before.

Belsio nodded and continued. "When she was a baby, an alchemic doctor named Marcoh passed through town and took a look at her. He took something out of his bag, and there was a flash of light. Elisa wasn't cured, but she lived through it."

We goggled at him; the description of the object was familiar.

"It glowed?" Edward said.

"Yes." We all looked at each other in excitement.

"The doctor's tool," Alphonse murmured. "Could it have been the real thing?"

Belsio shrugged. "Whatever it was, we have the treatment to thank for Elisa's survival. I hounded Nash all about the red water. One day, spontaneously, Nash told me how much harm he had done with the red water. I pressed for more, but he wouldn't talk. That was the last time anyone saw him. Soon after, the gold dried up, and the town was once again on the decline."

"If those are indeed Nash's boys, they must have come in search if their father. Or his work." Belsio finished his story.

I took a sip of my tea, surprised to see that it had gotten cold. The others remained silent, until Ed stood up and said: "I need some fresh air."

He went out the door, towards the lemon orchard. Al and I followed him, not sure what else to do.

Ed was reclining on a branch in a tree, staring up at the stars. The night was cool, and the air around us smelled of lemons. We came up beside him, Alphonse standing, and me crouching next to the tree.

"Brother?" Al said suddenly.

Ed glanced at him. "What is it?"

"Is it wrong? They wanted something to bring them closer to their dad."

The more that I thought about it, the closer it seemed to my situation. After my parents' death, Glory and I had pored over their old notes and journals, desperate to find something. We hadn't been looking for anything specific, just something that we could cling on to. Not unlike Fletcher and his brother. Or maybe even possibly the Elric's and their father.

I didn't know much about their father, just that he had left them and their mother when they were young. They never gave a reason; perhaps they didn't know.

"Please, Al," Edward scoffed. "They're just using their father to justify their own selfish causes."

"Maybe. But is it really all that different from what we're doing?"

Ed sighed. He looked just as stumped on the question as I felt. Though it wasn't directed at me, I still got a bit of the sting.

"All I'm saying is: I know how they must feel."

The next day, a messenger from Mugear appeared at Belsio's doorstep. I was up early, as usual, folding the dried clothes, and then I heard knocking at the front door. Since no one else was awake to do it, I answered the door. A man in a guard's uniform stood outside the house.

"Is this where the Elric's are staying?" He asked. He must have heard it from town.

I nodded. He fished a letter out of his pocket. "This is from Mr. Mugear, addressed to Mr. Edward Elric. He wants to see him at his earliest convenience."

I took the letter, and the man bowed. He left without another word, leaving me to wonder what had just happened.

I shut the door quietly behind me as I entered the kitchen. I tossed the letter onto the kitchen table, next to the pancakes I had just made. As I took a bite of one, I realized something.

Everybody thought Fletcher and his brother were the real Elric brothers, so why was this letter here?

Dread filled me. Even though the boys had stolen their identities and I barely knew them, I was still worried. Something must have happened to them.

I snatched up the letter and rushed down the hall to Ed and Al's room. I knocked on the door repeatedly, until Alphonse answered.

"Good morning, Lark," He saw the stricken expression I had on my face. "What's wrong?"

I handed him the letter. He took it and flipped it over to the side that said: "Mr. Edward Elric".

"We should probably show this to Brother." I nodded.

Al let me into the room and shut the door gently behind. He then crossed over to the bed, where Ed was still sleeping.

"Brother, wake up." Al said gently. Edward was sprawled out across the bed, sheets tangled up. One pillow lay beneath his head, the other trapped in his arms. He made no motion that he has heard his brother.

Al poked his flesh arm. "Come on, Ed."

Still no response.

I grabbed Ed's shoulders and shook him. The boy just rolled over in his sleep, away from me. I jabbed a finger at his cheek, and he opened his mouth a little bit. He really was a sound sleeper.

Getting impatient, I snatched the pillow he was holding away. When he still stayed dead to the world, I hit him in the face with it as hard as I could.

"What the-" Edward shot up. He looked around and saw me wielding the pillow. "What the hell was that for?!"

I placed a finger over my lips, telling Ed to quiet down. We didn't want to wake Elisa and Belsio. I glanced over at Al. "There's something important we need to talk about," he answered for me. "We had to wake you up, so Lark just did what she had to."

Ed lowered his voice. "What is the thing that's so important you had to hit me in the face?"

Alphonse gave him the letter. "Lark got it this morning. It's for you."

Edward squinted at the letter. Hurriedly, he tore it open and began reading it to us all out loud in a hushed tone.

"'Mr. Edward Elric, I apologize profusely for the mistake I have made. I genuinely believed that the boys here were the real Elric's. They had tricked us into thinking they were you and your own brother. When I heard you were in town, I became suspicious. I did not know which to believe. However, the impostors have been found, and I have detained them. I am sorry for the trouble they have caused you.'"

Edward cleared his throat, coughing "liar" into his hand, and began reading again. "'On another note, I need another alchemist to continue the research I have been doing. I hope that you can help me. If you are interested, you can come up to my mansion any time during this week and discuss it with me. With regards, Mugear.'"

I took a minute to process what had happened. The letter did not go into much detail about how he found out they were fakes, or what the research was. But we already knew what it was. "So what are we going to do?" Al asked his brother.

Edward ran a hair through his loose hair, pulled out of his usual braid. "I need food first."

He glanced expectantly at me. I sighed, sort of expecting that answer, and pointed toward the kitchen. I stood up from where I was sitting on the bed and walked out of the room, so Ed could get properly dressed.

Edward emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, rubbing his damp hair. I had made more pancakes, steam rising off the stack piled on the plate on the middle of the table. Before Ed could grab one, I placed a fork and knife in his hand. He paused at my silent reminder to use his manners, and dug in.

Al sat down beside Ed. I offered him a plate, but he shook his head. I had noticed he didn't eat or drink before. Perhaps his metal body didn't need it. That brought up many other unanswerable questions, which I avoided thinking about it as much as possible.

I had already finished my breakfast, and Al wasn't eating anything, so we stared at Edward until he finished. About twenty pancakes later, he leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his meal. Al and I waited for him to start thinking. He was usually the one who came up with plans to do crazy things. "Have you thought of what to do yet, Brother?" Al spoke first, considering the fact I couldn't.

Edward smiled, golden eyes lighting up deviously. "We're definitely going back there. Those fakes haven't paid the price of stealing the Fullmetal Alchemist's name, yet."

Maybe it was a bad idea to let him come up with the plan.

That afternoon, we headed over to Mugear's mansion. It was strange seeing the place when it wasn't dark. The mansion was large, much larger than my old home, which had been pretty big. Just looking at it made me feel nervous. We'd broken into it twice, and I was afraid someone would recognize us.

However, no one chased us down, or tried to attack us. I relaxed a little bit, glad that the first step to Ed's plan was in place. He knocked on the large wooden door, rapping it three times, and then going back for a fourth. Before his closed fist could connect with the door, it swung open. Edward froze, his hand just inches away from hitting the person who answered the door.

Said person was a young man dressed in a guard's uniform, the same one from this morning. His eyes out up with recognition when he saw me, but he still demanded: "Who are you, and what is your business here?"

Ed glared up at him. "I am Edward Elric. Mugear sent for me."

The man stared back. "Do you have proof?"

Ed thrust the letter at him without breaking eye contact. "Is this good enough for you, pal?"

The man broke off his staring contest with the blond to inspect the letter. Once he decided that it was real, he let us into the house.

"Mr. Mugear is in the lab waiting for you," he told us stiffly. "Follow me."

The lab Mugear was in was different than the one from the day before. This one was much smaller and had less open space. An older man was by a desk, inspecting a vial of something. He turned around when the guard said, "Mr. Mugear, the visitors are here."

The man, who I was guessing was Mugear, nodded at him. "You may go now." The guard did what he was told; casting one last wary glance at Ed. Ed ignored him, his attention on the man before us.

Mugear didn't look impressive. He was middle-aged, with gray hair and a thick mustache. His stomach protruded a little bit, showing that he had a rich diet. He looked at us greedily, probably already imagining how much money we would make for him. I didn't like him.

Apparently neither did Ed. He put a bored expression on his face when Mugear started speaking to us.

Without bothering to ask for our names, he began talking. "I'm so sorry those impostors stole your identities. I was completely fooled by them. We all were, I'm ashamed to say. The last thing I want to do is add insult to injury. But since you two really are such accomplished alchemists, there's a matter I would like some help with."

He was completely ignoring me. It was like I wasn't even in the room. I hid my annoyance, resolving to hit him in the head with a block later.

Ed raised an eyebrow at the man. "Something with red water, by chance?"

"Oh! So you have heard about it. That will spare me from having to explain," Mugear made no motion to ask how we knew. "The truth of the matter is; I've done my research as well, and I happened to hear some rumors that you're interested in the Philosopher's Stone."

He dug through his pocket and drew something out. It was a small, red stone. The stone caught the light, reflecting it.

Ed remained uninterested. "Uh huh."

"What do you think, Edward? It's the product of crystallized red water. A prototype for the prize you're after."

"So what do I do with that?"

A glint of greed passed through Mugear's beady eyes. "First of all, together we can save Xenotime. Once we revitalize the gold mine, this town can get back on its feet again."

"Sounds like a good cause," Both of them were lying through their teeth now. I was wondering how long Ed could keep up his farce. "So, where are the fakes?"

"Taken care of. They're in the cellar."

Edward clapped his hands together and reached for the stone Mugear was holding between his fingers. With a tap, Ed completely destroyed the stone, the solid vaporizing into the air.

Mugear was outraged. "What did you do that for?!"

"We'll talk about the unfinished work later. First, we execute those prisoners," A dark shadow came over Ed. "We state alchemists aren't the type to forgive liars."

"Oh," Mugear looked taken aback. "Then you're accepting my request for assistance."

"I told you I wanted to take care of those pathetic kids first," Ed snapped at the older man. "It's been a good while since I killed anyone. I kind of miss it."

Edward had an expression of pure insanity pasted on his face. His eyes wide and unblinking, mouth twisted into a sadistic grin. Though I knew it was an act, I still had to stifle the urge to lock him in a dark room and throw away the key.

"You want to watch?" That question was directed at Mugear, who jumped back and pressed himself flat against the wall.

"Uh. No thanks. I'll let you take care of it." Mugear called a guard over to take us to the "prisoners". As we walked out of the room, a satisfied grin made its way onto Ed's face.

Step two done.

The guard led us to the door of the dungeon and let us go in alone. Apparently, he had heard Edward's disturbing declaration of his delight of killing and didn't want to witness it, which was the point we were working for. The plan wouldn't work if anyone saw us.

The stairs down into the dungeon were lit by torches. It was as if we had walked into a medieval castle. At the end of the staircase, there was a hall. It was lined with cells, the furthest one containing the other brothers. Ed grabbed the keys from the table at the other end and unlocked the cell.

Light flooded the cell. The two boys inside squinted, eyes focusing in us.

"Hi." Al said softly.

Fletcher recognized the voice and shot up in surprise. "Al, what are you doing here?"

Ed ignored the previous statements. He met the older boy directly in the eye. "I know who you guys are now. And I know your father was actually Nash Tringham. What I don't know is why you would so foolishly continue his work."

As Ed was speaking, I stepped into the cell. I crouched down next to the Tringham's, checking them for injuries and releasing their bonds. Fletcher showed no signs that he had been poisoned by the red water, so his brother must have healed him. However, both boys were covered in little scrapes and bruises, as well as some rope burn. They must have been beat up by Mugear's men. I immediately set to work, sealing up cuts and repairing blood vessels with alchemy.

"Because it was his dream," said the older Tringham. He and his brother made no movements to stop me. "And as his son, it was my duty to see it through."

"So you honestly think this is why he wanted? You do realize the suffering the toxic water is causing the people of this town, you know," Both boys stared down at the ground in shame. "But your father realized it. That's why he chose to abandon his research, and I can tell you right now you won't find happiness chasing your father's failed dream."

"Live your own life. And stop with all the acting, trying to be someone you're clearly not," Ed gestured towards me. "Come on, Lark."

I got to my feet, finished with healing them, and nodded at the Tringham's. I followed Edward out of the dungeon, leaving the two boys to wonder whether or not to take Edward's words to heart.

Step three done.

Unfortunately, this chapter and the next chapter are going to be a bit shorter. Originally, it was one long chapter, but I had to cut it up so everything wouldn't seem so out of proportion.

I'm also working on improving my writing. I just went back to my first few chapters, and edited them a little so everything went more smoothly. If you can, please reread them and send me a PM or review to give me critiques.

Per usual, thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. To those who didn't: Please do so.