Skies of Blood
Chapter 10
A/N Hey guys, guess what? Here's an extra long chapter for you. In fact, its the length of what two chapters would normally be! Yay! And we're nearing the end... The end of the beginning that is! Yes, now there's just a really long middle to get through before the end... Yeah, there's still a lot to do, so if you like this story, don't worry... Oh, and by the way... A review would be nice... I haven't gotten one of those in a long, long time...
Lysander forced himself to keep a neutral expression on his face as he stared at Lynn. "Rhea? Missing? And why would I know about that?" He kept on his way, ignoring the nervousness gnawing at his gut. She grabbed his arm, making him turn back toward her. "Do you mind? I have things to do... I have to help out Tobias, since the Cyclonians decided to mess around with his family!"
That made her wince. "I wasn't behind that! The Cyclonians do do things on their own you know... Look Lysander, I do what I can to keep my family alive! You'd have done the same thing if they made you the offer they made us!"
"No," he hissed. "I wouldn't. I would never sell out my friends! I have honor, something you seem to lack." His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Well then don't do it for me! Do it for Rhea!" Lynn stared at him. "And if you won't do it for Rhea..." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Maybe you should do it for Tobias."
Lysander stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I just think it would be a shame if Tobias were... arrested." Lynn murmured absently, sending Lysander a sideways glare. His eyes hardened. "He's done nothing wrong!" "Well you know that, and I know that..." Turning to face him, a scowl spread across Lynn's face. "But do the Cyclonians know that?"
"You're lucky you're not a man," Lysander hissed, his fists clenched. It would be dishonorable to hit a woman, no matter how much he wanted too. "I would have done it for Rhea. You had no need to threaten my friend."
Lynn winced, then looked to the ground. "I... I'm sorry... I'm just worried about my sister... Surely you can understand that?"
He snorted, turning away from her. "Whatever. I'll help you look for her after I take care of Tobias."
"Take this," Lynn said, reaching into her pocket. She withdrew a red crystal which had a loop of string tied around it. "It'll let you stay out past curfew."
He took a step back, staring at the glowing red crystal. "I'm not wearing that..."
She stared at him for a few moments. "Of course you are. You're wearing this and looking for my sister! It's not an energy blade, you idiot! The crystal doesn't even do anything." She shoved it into his hands.
His eyes hardened, but he put the crystal around his neck. "Fine..."
"Oh, here, give Tobias one too..." She reached into her pocket for another one.
"No," Lysander hissed. "That's where I draw the line. Tobias is in no condition to be running around looking for your sister. He's under enough stress as it is."
Her eyes narrowed. "Listen you, I want my sister found. I don't know here she's gone, but I know that you and your friends are the cause. I want you all out looking!"
"Why don't you have your Cyclonian cronies out looking?"
"They are," she shot back. "But it's not like she'll reveal herself to them."
"Well whatever," Lysander said, stalking away. When he was out of Lynn's sight, he let out a shaking breath, allowing himself to tremble slightly. "Rhea... What have you done?" If Tobias knew about this, there was little doubt that he would have another breakdown... Which is why he wasn't going to find out. Not unless Lynn went to tell him... His eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought. He opened the door to his house angrily, startling his mother and sister who were just sitting down to dinner.
"Lysander? Why are you home so late, honey? What's that around your neck?" His mother's eyes flickered down to the red crystal. If there was one thing she knew about her son, it was that he hated the color red.
"Some sort of crystal that lets me be out past curfew... Mother, something has happened... Rhea's gone missing and I'm supposed to look for her. That and I need dinner for Tobias and his mother, if you wouldn't mind..."
His mother blinked, confusion clouding her features. "Rhea? Tobias? What?"
"There's no time to explain," he replied. "That and... I, uh... I'm not too sure of the whole situation myself... Just that Tobias is too exhausted to cook for his mother tonight."
"Oh, of course, take them some of the dinner I made," she replied, getting up to retrieve a basket.
"Lysander, who's Rhea? Is she your girrrrlfriend?" his eight year-old sister teased.
"Hush, Zalia," Lysander scolded. "Of course not."
"Suuure, Lysander," she replied, blue eyes sparling with mirth. "I believe you."
"Here, Lysander." His mother handed him a basket. "I put in there all that we could spare. Ham, potatoes, and a loaf of fresh bread straight from the bakery. Tell Robin that I hope she gets better soon... And tell Rhea to stop being such a troublemaker!"
"I will," he promised, already heading towards the door.
"And be careful!"
"I will! Don't worry!" Lysander quickly made his way to Tobias's home. The sun was already setting, causing the sky to be tinted a muddy brown as the light gradually faded. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. If the Cyclonians were to find Rhea she would be safe, right? What had caused her to run off in the first place? His pace quickened further as his friend's house came into view, but he paused as he spotted Lynn knocking at the door. "Lynn? Get out of here!" He scowled at her. "I thought I told you to leave him alone!"
"It's none of your business who I see!" she hissed.
"It is when you involve my friend!" Lysander's hand went to the knob door, but he stepped back, surprised when it opened on its own.
"Lysander?" Tobias asked groggily. "Why are you shout- Lynn!" He took a staggering step backwards, his face paling.
"She was just leaving," the blond hissed, stepping inside and closing the door behind him, right in her face.
"Lysander... What's going on? Why was Lynn standing outside my door? Did Rhea-?"
"Rhea's missing, Tobias," Lysander replied hesitantly, observing his friend's reaction intently.
He took another staggering step back. "Did... Did they take her?"
He was quick to shake his head. "No, no of course not. Her family's the golden family among the Cyclonians after all."
"Then... Where?" It was impossible to miss the worry that haunted his eyes. He could almost see the cracks that stress had inflicted on his fragile mental state, threatening to shatter it again. They were cracks that he wasn't sure could be held together much longer by glue.
"I don't know. I'm going to go look for her..." Lysander hesitated before asking, "Do you have any ideas?"
"No, I..." Tobias trailed off, suddenly paling even further. "If Rhea wanted to find out what we were doing... She'd go to the canyon. She's watched me go there enough times... Lysander! If she gets caught there... My father and the others could be in danger!"
"Shhh... Tobias..." He set the basket down, putting his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Nothing like that is going to happen. Even if they did catch her, they would just throw her in with the others, wouldn't they?"
"I... I don't know... They've wanted to keep that place a secret for some reason. If they think that their secret is revealed... They might try to cover it up by destroying all evidence of the place existing- mainly the workers."
"That won't happen," Lysander replied firmly. "Because I'm going to find her first." He picked up the basket, shoving it in his friend's arms. "Here, that's for your dinner. Now I've got to go."
"Wait, I'm coming with you," Tobias objected, setting the basket down on the counter.
He shook his head. "No, you need to stay here to take care of your mother. Don't worry, I'll get the situation under control."
"No," he replied stubbornly. "I said I'm coming, and I mean it. My mother will understand if it's something to help father."
"Tobias, you just had a mental breakdown, or don't you remember? I'm not risking you having another one."
"You're the one who told me that I should fight even when I'm afraid."
"I didn't mean right this instant! Look Tobias, I know you mean well, but I have enough to worry about without having to worry about you having a breakdown out there..." Lysander inwardly winced, realizing how harsh that must have sounded, but he kept his gaze stern. He didn't want Tobias to be in danger... Or at least not until the cracks had mended.
Tobias dropped his gaze to the floor. "Oh... I... I guess I can't really blame you, can I...?"
"I'm sorry... You've just been pushing yourself to your limits lately. The stress has been getting to you. You're exhausted; you need rest."
"I guess... My limits have never been very high, have they?" He smiled bitterly. "Well you're right, as usual. I'll just stay here out of your way."
"I... I'm glad you understand..." Lysander took a step backwards, then turned to go. "I'll be back soon, don't worry..." When his friend made no reply, he left, risking a glance behind him before he closed the door. Tobias had his back toward him, head tilted downwards, gripping the counter so tightly that his knuckles were white. He shook his head regretfully before turning his attention to the task at hand.
The sunk had sunk below the horizon by this point, plunging the sky into blackness. Few stars were visible to chase away the darkness, leaving the only source of light to be the faint red glow of the crystal around his neck, bathing the small visible area in the tint of blood. The night was silent as it always was, the denizens of the terra all shut up inside. None were allowed out past sundown upon penalty of death. Which is why he jumped when he heard the sounds of footsteps. He turned his head, eyes widening as he saw a flash of red.
The only thing visible through the smoke was the demonic glow of the red blades as those who wielded them cut down everyone in their paths mercilessly, having no feeling, as if the blades had corrupted their very hearts and souls, purging them of their humanity.
Was it one of the Cyclonian patrols, getting ready to kill him for being out past curfew? Was the crystal really not what Lynn claimed? His heartbeat began racing as the red flashed into his vision again.
The blades cut through flesh and bone like a knife through butter. There was such little effort needed to kill a man with one of those weapons. It just took a simple flick of the wrist...
Slowly, he turned the rest of his body to face this new source of light, his breath shaking. "Who... Who's there?" He remained absolutely still as he waited for his answer.
"Lysander? That you?" Soren came into view, holding the red crystal in front of him like a lantern. He let out a sigh of relief when his question was confirmed. "Lynn told me I might find you out here... Any sign of Rhea?"
Lysander let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, the release of tension almost euphoric, making him feel a tad of dizziness. "No, but Tobias thinks she'd be down at the canyon."
He nodded. "That would make as much sense as anythin' else would... Let's get goin'."
"Hey Rhea! Rhea, are you there? This is a weird time to be playing hide-and-seek you know!" Kael's voice cut cleanly through the night air, making the pair jump. "But I'll still find you. No one beats me at hide-and-seek!" He emerged from the darkness, big eyes blinking in surprise as he saw Soren and Lysander. "I didn't know you guys were playing too! Well, I've found you, so you lose!"
Soren blinked, tilting his head to the side, a frown coming to his face as he tried to puzzle out his friend's words. "... Playing? Kael, what are you talking about?"
"Lynn didn't tell you?" His indigo eyes blinked twice when he noticed the confusion on both of their faces. "Lynn came and told me that Rhea was playing hide-and-seek and wanted me to go find her."
His frown deepened annoyance crossing his countenance. Although whether he was annoyed at Kael or of Lynn's lie was yet to be seen. "This is no game, lad. She's actually missing."
This time it was Kael's turn to look confused. "What? But Lynn said-"
"Lynn was trying to keep the truth from you," Lysander replied. "She didn't want to upset you..." Then why didn't Lynn just not get him involved at all? She obviously wasn't thinking straight... Kael was probably the last one you wanted involved in anything... Unless you were really desperate... Like he had been when recruiting him... He blinked, feeling a flash of guilt at his own thoughts. "Now, we think we know where she is, so just stay here and keep quiet. If any Cyclonian asks, don't tell then where we've gone." Doubt... Why must he always have this doubt concerning his friends?
"Huh? Why do I have to stay here?"
"Let him come," Soren suggested, his tone mild, but there was something in his expression that told the blond that he shouldn't argue. "He needs to see that this isn't a game."
Lysander sighed. "Alright... But stay quiet, okay? We can't let the Cyclonains know where we're going..." Even with these crystals, he knew that the Cyclonians would not be pleased to find them at a place they had kept a secret from the whole terra. He began leading the way to the woods, wincing at the sound of Kael's heavy footfalls. He glanced back, shooting the boy a look, which Soren was quick to interpret for him.
"Walk lightly," he instructed.
"Oh... Um, sorry..." His footsteps came quieter, much to Lysander's relief.
Unlike the rest of the terra, the woods was far from silent, the heavy footfalls of Cyclonian patrols echoing through the air, making Lysander draw a shaky breath. The light of lanterns floated all around them in the distance, and he felt a weight settling on him. How could they get the group through this without getting caught?
"Single file," he ordered softly. He glanced back to make sure they had done as he asked before leading them through a winding path through the trees, constantly ducking behind bushes when a lantern came their way. He could hear heavy footsteps behind him and turned to admonish Kael.
He felt Soren stiffen as he heard a sound that would never escape his memory; the snap-hiss of an energy blade being ignited.
"Hey, what are you doing out here?" A gruff voice demanded, a Cyclonian stepping into view. His energy blade was held by his side, and Lysander forced himself not to look down, instead focusing on the man's face. "Don't you know what happens to rats like you who break curfew?" A twisted grin came to his countenance. "Well let me just show you-"
"Wait," he managed. He held out the crystal for the Cyclonian to see. "We have these. We're helping in the search for Miss Rhea."
The Cyconian scowled, annoyance and disappointment clear. "Fine. Just you get out of here then. Even with those damn crystals, you're not allowed deeper into the forest."
Lysander nodded, releasing his breath as the energy blade vanished from sight. The Cyclonian grumbled before disappearing through some trees.
"Let's go," he ordered after the Cyclonian was long out of earshot. "We'll have to be more careful... That was too close for my liking..."
Soren nodded, his face a bit pale. "Agreed."
It took them a long time going through the woods. They had to constantly duck the Cyclonian patrols, some looking for Rhea, others who were not. When they neared the edge, Lysander turned to the other two. "We need to leave the crystals here... We can't risk being seen by the Cyclonians." He dropped his to the ground.
Soren and Kael both nodded silently, leaving their crystals beside Lysander's. The light instantly vanished, leaving the group blinking in the darkness for a few moments, eyes straining to get used to the lack of light.
Lysander was the first to make a move, leaving the woods and dropping to his hands and knees, peering over the edge of the canyon. Kael and Soren were quick to follow his example. "I see no sign of her," he said quietly. But then again, it was really too dark for him to see anything.
Kael shifted next to him. "There." He pointed toward a dark shape that was moving around the canyon.
"Are you sure that's her?" Soren asked quietly. "I can't see anything."
"I'm sure... These big eyes of mine are good for something after all..."
Lysander nodded. "Alright, then let's go get her..." He began to get up, when Kael suddenly shoved him back down.
"I... I hear something..."
Blinking, Lysander listened intently. An instant later, a lantern could be seen below, footsteps echoing through the canyon. The dark shape he had seen earlier, scurried away, but a voice cut cleanly through the air. "Halt! Identify yourself!"
More lanterns appeared, making the entire canyon visible as it became washed in light. Rhea froze, her blue eyes wide with fear as she searched for a way to escape. Flashes of red appeared as they drew their energy blades. They walked toward her slowly, menacingly, enjoying the sight of their prey squirming in their grip.
Kael stood. "We have to help her! She's all by herself... She doesn't stand a chance!" He stared down at the demonic blades intently, unaware of his two friends tensing beside him. When neither of them responded, he frowned. "Soren...? Lysander...?"
Rhea began shaking as she stared at the predatory grins of the Cyclonians; twisted and gleeful at this chance they got to stalk down their prey, ready to tear into her at any moment.
Lysander was the first to respond, looking over at him, something flashing through his eyes before he shook his head. "No, Kael... We can't..." His gaze focused on one of the blades for an instant before he shook his head again. "Not now... We have no weapons, no hope of beating so many..."
His face showed confusion. "But Lysander, I thought we were going to-"
"It's not that simple, Kael! Do you think I like sitting here helpless while someone gets hurt? No! But we don't have any other choice..."
"But... But Lysander... Are we really just going to stand here and watch Rhea...?" He knelt beside Soren, shaking his shoulder. "Soren, tell Lysander that we have to help her!"
Soren closed his eyes for a moment, hiding his haunted look in his eyes away before looking over at him. "Kael... He's right... We don't have a chance of defeating them here... Besides, by the time we got down there..."
A look of frustration crossed Kael's features as he watched the scene below. His muscles were taut, as if her were about to jump down into the canyon to try to stop it all from unfolding.
Rhea backed herself up against a rock in the middle of the canyon. "Get away from me, you pigs!"
One Cyclonian stepped forward. "Why'd you come here, girl?"
"That's none of your business! Just get away from me!"
He grabbed her wrist. "There's no way we can do that... Now that you know what's here..."
"Let me go!" she shrieked, trying to pull away from her. "You pig! Let me go!"
He grabbed her other wrist, pulling her close to him. "Now, now... You need to play nice... Otherwise... You're just going to get into more trouble than you already are... Tell me, does anyone else know you're here?" His finger traced her jawline, making her shudder involuntarily.
"I'm not telling you anything!" Rhea shouted, squirming and kicking.
The Cyclonians all laughed.
"Oh, I think you'll find that we can be very... Persuasive..." He raised his blade, tinting his eyes a blood red as he smirked down at her. He held it next to her cheek as he stroked in gently with the back of the hand that held the blade.
"I'll never talk! Never!" She bit at his arm, making him cry out in pain. She broke free, making a run for it between the space between two Cyclonians.
He was quick to jump forward, grabbing her in his arms. "Now, you'll find that I can be a forgiving person... If you give me what I want..." His breath was hot as he whispered in her ear. His lips brushed against the side of her neck, drawing another shudder from her.
"No," she hissed. "I'll never give you what you want." She squirmed, giving him another solid kick in the shin.
"Little wench!" He slammed the pommel of his blade into her temple, making her go limp in his arms. He shoved her toward one of the others. "Take her to a cell."
"Rhea!" The cry cut through the now still air, echoing off the stone walls below.
The three men jumped, then turned to see Lynn.
"Lynn?" Lysander asked. "How long have you-"
"Rhea!" she shrieked again. She drew in breath to let out a louder scream, only to have Soren jump forward, clasping a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.
"Lynn, shush!" Lysander admonished, staring down at the scene below.
"Sir! I think I heard something!"
"Eh?"
"Someone screaming! I think I heard that!"
"Then go check it out!"
Their voices cut cleanly through the air, causing Soren to straighten. He opened his mouth to say something only to let out a cry of pain as Lynn bit his hand.
"You cowards! You good for nothing cowards! You just stood there and let them hurt my sister!" Lynn shrieked, her eyes were wide, anguish bubbling beneath the surface of her anger.
Kael's face was pale. "I wanted to help... But... But they wouldn't let me!" His eyes filled with tears. "Are they... Are they going to kill her?"
She was about to shriek again when she looked into his sad eyes. "I... No," she lied, walking forward to reach up, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine, okay? It'll all work out."
Soren frowned, stepping forward. "Lynn," he began sternly. "The lad needs to learn that-"
"There's no time for this!" Lysander hissed, grabbing her arm. "They're going to be up here any minute thanks to your screaming!" He began pulling her into the woods. "Come on, let's go!"
"You... You're not going to help her?" she demanded.
"There's nothing we can do! Not now..." He stared at the ground, not meeting her gaze as he began half-dragging her through the woods. The guilt he felt was slowly growing... How could have just stayed there and let it happen? He should have thought of something... Anything that would have helped... He was such a coward! To freeze at the mere sight of those blades... His breath was shaky as he inhaled and he looked back at Kael and Soren to make sure they were safely behind him. Lynn burst into tears and stopped moving her feet, causing him to be jerked backwards. The earlier animosity he had felt toward her lessened as he saw her going through something everyone on the terra went through- the loss of a family member.
Kael frowned. "Lynn... Don't be sad... Everything's going to work out, remember? You told me so... I bet... I bet Lysander will think of a way to rescue her!"
Lysander shifted uneasily as all eyes turned to him. "I... I can't make any promises... I'll... I'll try to think of something... We don't even know if..." He was about to say 'We don't even know if she's still alive,' but thought better of it. Bitting his lip, he began dragging Lynn again, who eventually ran beside him. "Right now, we need to focus on getting home safely."
Two guards walked down the lonely halls of the prison block, laughing and joking to themselves.
"Hey," one of them said. "Did you hear that one of the rats got into the canyon?"
"Yeah, I heard. Hard to believe, isn't it? The night watch is going to get an earful... I hear they think it might have told someone else they were here."
"Yeah... They're going to get the little rat to squeal before execution in three days."
"They're waiting that long? Why?"
"I don't know... I think that it makes them more likely to squeal if they think they have time to change our minds... Apparently they forget that we don't really care enough to let them live..."
Inside one of the cells, Petrel's face paled as he began shaking. "No," he whispered. "Tobias..." He fell to his knees, head spinning. "Tobias!"
His son, the one thing he had left in this world... The one hope he had... They were going to destroy him! His hands were clenched tightly, turning his knuckles white.
A young Tobias stood, looking up at his father, eyes wide in amazement. "So that pretty rock is magic?"
"Magic?" He had laughed. "I suppose it may seem that way, but I can assure you that this is perfectly natural..."
"But it just lit your workbench on fire! Rocks don't usually do that..."
Tears filled his eyes, and he made no effort to hold them back, because what was the point? There was no shame in crying when it was all over... When everything was over...
It was over... The Cyclonians had finally ceased their relentless hunt for blood. Petrel stared around the carnage with dull eyes. His son Magius... Dead... His eyes watered, but he refused to cry. He couldn't cry... Not until it was all over. Tobias... Where was he? Was he gone as well? A father should never have to outlive his children...
His gaze was drawn to a shape huddled on the ground. "Tobias!" He ran to his son, wrapping his arms around him, cradling him to his breast. "Tobias... It's alright... It's over... It's all over..."
His son clutched him tightly, as the pair sobbed together.
It was over... He was about to outlive both his children after all. He stared down at his clenched fists as his entire body began trembling. Tears ran down his cheeks, droplets of wet splashing down on his hands. "No..." There was still time. Three days... He smiled bitterly. It looks like he wouldn't have to outlive his child after all...
"You mus promise me to never give up hope," Tobias had said, his eyes intent on him, shining with newfound hope of his own.
Hope... He had promised his son that hope was just beginning, but he was wrong... Hope has died... And when something has died, it's impossible to bring it back.
A cry on anguish echoed through the silent dark halls.
Kael rubbed his eyes as he stood at the counter of the bakery. Last night... He could hardly believe that happened... Rhea... It was all his fault! If he hadn't been tricked... He straightened as two Cyclonians entered the shop laughing about something.
"So one of them really hung themselves?"
"Yep," the other one confirmed. "Hung himself up sometime in the night. Right after we brought that girl in. One of the new ones... They never last."
"That girl? The one that's going to be killed in three days?"
"Yeah, that one..."
"Think they'll let us play with her?"
"Maybe if we play our cards right..."
Kael knocked a jar of sugar over, hastening to pick it up when the Cyclonians turned to glare at him. Three days... If they were going to rescue her, they had three days...
His mind reached for something, anything that they could do, but he could only reach one conclusion.
They were so screwed...