The Passage of Twin Disciplines
Chapter Nineteen
Invisible Chains
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"So tell me, Dear... you seem so distracted today, I'm a little insulted nothing I've done has captivated your interest." Cassiopeia pouted, kissing the shoulder of her bed partner and running her nails down his bare sides.
He scowled and stood abruptly, running his thick hands up the back of his neck to twine into his dark brown hair. The Lord seemed to debate with himself, casting his glance over to a closed case sitting on a table against the far wall.
"I'm very good at keeping secrets." Cassiopeia cooed, standing to run her hands over her partner's tense muscles. "Perhaps I can help..."
"Perhaps." He replied, once again pushing away, much to Cassiopeia's growing frustration. It had been almost a week whispering into the infuriating man's ear, and he had yet to loose a single piece of information she could use.
The royal wedding would be upon them soon, and the days she needed to relay the message to Noxus were fast deteriorating. If she did not hear something tonight, she would have to slither back with only the names of the groom and bride and why they were to be wed. While that was a good amount of information, enough that she would normally cut her losses and return to her masters. This time, it was not good enough.
The younger Du Couteau wanted enough to utterly destroy the ice caked region. To obliterate them, to remove all hope of revival for their pathetic race.
A sudden movement drew Cassiopeia out of her thoughts of revenge, and she looked up to see the Lord flicking open the latches of the decorated case.
The case was simple enough, blue wood that was polished to shine brilliantly with golden snakes set within the wood to slither and shine, their forked tongues enchanted to flicker in and out of their mouths.
From within, he pulled out a decorated sword. The blade long and thin, slightly curved to resemble the fang of a snake, a trail of red running down the centre to the tip.
Carvings within the metal began about three quarters of the way up the blade, scales that shone and overrode themselves up to the base of the hilt, which was the neck of three snakes coiled together until their gaping maws pointed up to form the base. Then, deep within their golden mouths, protected under flaring teeth, sat three perfect jewels. One that shone a deep green, another a pale gold, and the third a dark, blood red.
Cassiopeia found herself holding her breath as she stared, captivated by the sword's beauty. She had never seen anything like it, the gems alone would be worth a small fortune, perfectly circular with no imperfections.
As her eyes roamed she noticed one last, small detail. Etched symbols along the hilt and the spine of the snake with the red jewel. The Du Couteau only had a few moments to ponder the meaning of those unrecognized symbols before the Lord cleared his throat and spoke.
"I will tell you everything that has been plaguing me, if you place a blood oath upon this sword that not a word of what I tell you will be told to anyone outside this room without my explicit permission." Cassiopeia narrowed her eyes, her better judgement sending off warning signs and telling her not to, to wait or simply return to Noxus with what she had. The freshly opened wound of her dead father and sister would not let her heed those warnings. Not while every fibre of her being cried out for vengeance.
Changing her wary expression to one of complete agreement, she held out her silky hand and whispered with as sweet a tone as she could muster.
"Whatever will help to put your mind at ease, my Lord."
With one quick movement he grabbed her wrist and ran a finger along her middle one to fully extend it, pressing her fingertip against one of the fangs of the red jewel's mouth.
Cassiopeia winced and waited, watching a drop of her blood roll down the back of the fang and the snake's throat, to settle upon the gem and shimmer, poised like a drop of rain settled upon the curve of a stalk of grass.
"Repeat after me: I swear upon this sword not to divulge the secrets whispered in this room, this night."
Cassiopeia wet her lips and repeated the pledge when the Lord paused. "I swear upon this sword not to divulge the secrets whispered in this room, this night."
"Under the promise of retribution by the serpentine curse."
"Under the promise of retribution by the serpentine curse." As Cassiopeia finished her pledge, a slight sizzle could be heard from the red gem as it absorbed the offered blood and seemed to glow a little more, leaving only a wisp of red smoke as any indication that it had accepted a sacrifice.
"I will begin with the history of our soon to be, 'Queen'." The Lord began, quickly taking away any of the discomfort Cassiopeia had felt from watching her blood being absorbed, as he set the blade back within its case.
~o~
Nidalee slapped away one of Akali's wooden practise weapons with her spear, twisting the weapon to jab it at the ninja's midriff. This time. This time she would land a hit upon her infuriating mind-mirror.
Panting heavily she growled in frustration as Akali seemed to dance around the attack and spun, sweeping the weapon out wide in an attempt to get her while she was still skipping away. The attack barely missed, coming close enough for a slight shock of panic to leak through their bond and Nidalee smiled at the small triumph.
She was getting closer. Before she lost her small advantage, she let the weapon go mid-flight so it flew at an awkward, harmless speed and shifted as quickly as she could. As her spin finished, her back paws raked at the dirt and she sent herself flying after Akali, just as the Kinkou landed on the ball of her back foot.
Akali only had enough time to cross her arms in front of her chest before the cougar slammed into her and she found herself pinned beneath the massive feline. With a deep sigh, Akali let her head rest back against the grass and smiled.
"Alright, fine. You got me." Akali muttered, feeling her cheeks flush as Nidalee sent a wave of pure joy through their bond. Crooning happily, Nidalee began to attack Akali with her large pink tongue, successfully slobbering over every inch of the ninja's face despite the Kinkou's protests and shoving hands.
"Stop it!" Akali whined, kicking at the cougar's stomach only to be ignored completely. "Smite you! Stop it!" Akali swore, shoving one last time. This time Nidalee heeded her pleading and stopped her assault, humming to herself as she moved to sit on the grass beside the young warrior, her tail tapping the ground as she began to groom her paw. Pride in her achievement still rolling off of her and through their bond in waves.
The pair sat in the warm afternoon glow in silence, watching as the sunset cast a stream of colour over the training grounds. The last few days had been uneventful. With no real new information, and an never ending list of small time criminals every morning.
Akali was beginning to think their efforts pointless, with the only real lead she had a whisper in the night by Nidalee's would be assassin. What had she meant, Demacia's unsung heroes? The Kinkou simply could not shake the feeling that they were doing more harm than good.
The day after Nidalee's attack they had returned to look for the crossbow bolt that had been burrowed into the back wall of the tavern, only to find it gone and all damage to the building repaired. As if it had been a dream, something imagined under the effects of a sweet liquor.
It simply made no sense, and Akali found herself growing ever more frustrated and angry. The ninja sighed and shut her eyes, still able to see the dimming light through her shut lids. Her hair rustled by the slight wind Nidalee kicked up from shifting, a soft prickle running over Akali's skin that left her itching slightly. She ignored it, knowing it would fade as quickly as it came and her nails would set her skin on fire if they raked at her flesh so soon after.
After a moment, Nidalee lay down beside the ninja and let her head rest upon Akali's shoulder, yawning as she began to hum an odd tune. It was different, hearing the songs of the forest from someone who had actually taken the time to listen to them as they rolled off the wind or came from the slight groans from the trees. And as time passed, Nidalee's songs became more frequent, as were her dreams of home and pangs of longing.
It was hard not to notice the amount of time the huntress would lose herself as she walked through her home within her mind. It was so tender, and so heart-wrenching, Akali often felt as if she were intruding on a private moment.
Then there were the nightmares, where the cougaress would relive the death of her family and the attack of the poachers. It always ended with the frightened cries of the cubs, right before they disappeared.
Those cries haunted Nidalee in the night. In the morning light, when Akali would pretend to sleep so not to disturbed the huntress from her thoughts, was the only time any sadness or guilt leaked through their bond.
A sorrow so deep, it seemed to blacken everything it touched with despair.
The longer the King ran them in circles, the further away the cubs became. If they did not find a way to end Akali's mission within the next couple of days, they would have to leave for the Summoner's city or risk losing the cubs forever.
Akali let her fingers run through Nidalee's hair, soothing her friend and receiving a happy hum in return. If she failed this mission, she would be severely punished, or exiled from her home. If she were to lose the cubs because of a mission that had no meaning, Akali knew she would never forgive herself.
With each moment that passed, she became a little more desperate.
They had one last chance. To find the crossbow wielding assassin again, and this time take the information they needed from her. Akali smirked, at least Nidalee had a habit of memorizing any new scents she came across, even if her labels for them were sometimes confusing. All they needed was a little luck, or a slight wind in their favour.
~o~
Katarina tapped the side of the blade against her jail cell, her hair matted with blood and sweat as it drooped down to hide her face from passerbys. Her skin was caked in dried blood and bits of human flesh, her eyes wild as she stared endlessly at her neighbouring cell.
The Du Couteau kept her insane smile fixed as she laughed at the minotaur's never ending rages.
After leaving her mansion littered with the bloodied corpses of her staff members, Katarina had became frustrated and travelled through the city killing any she asked who could not tell her where her sister was.
She had raged down the streets, killing guards and citizens alike, on her way to the high councillors headquarters. There, she knew, she would finally get some answers. There, she would find her father sitting in his usual chair, overseeing the Noxian military. He would be so proud of her when he heard her newest tales. He would look upon the blood caked to her flesh as medals of valour, not with horror as her sub-doers had.
He would tell her where she sister was, and why she had not been there on her return. He would not lie to her like all those fools. He had taught her you must not tell lies. To tell a lie is to show cowardice, to want to deny the truth. Cowards were filth that deserved to die.
Katarina shook slightly with silent laughter as she tapped her blade again against the rusted bars of her cell, keeping the same rhythm.
She was only doing them a favour. Once her father came and took her from this place, he would explain, and they would all understand. Then they would all bear their throats willingly to pay for their indiscretions. He would come for her, Katarina knew he would. Her father was a busy man, but he would make time to receive her from this place. He always did.
Perhaps they had simply not told him of her capture yet, because they knew once they did he would rush to her and he would no longer be theirs. Yes. They were keeping her from him, just as they had kept him from her. Barring her entrance from the high-councillors room. Subduing her with poisons.
Katarina snarled and slammed the side of her blade with the next tap, sending a shock-wave through her arm that seemed to calm her slightly. As the tingles left, so did her sudden temper flare and she went back to tapping her blade in rhythm once more.
It was alright. He would come from her. Her father was not dead.
From the next cell over the massive, muscled minotaur roared and slammed his head into the bars of his cell once more. His twisted horns locking with the metal as he tried to break the bars. Dust flew up in clouds under his turning feet, blood dripping down the bars as small cuts were formed against his palms that gripped the metal shafts.
Katarina laughed, "You're going to break your neck upon those bars, you dumb beast. Go on, keep trying the same thing over and over, at least you would make a fine pile of steaks for the rats."
The minotaur turned to glare at the Du Couteau, eyes dark and seething with hatred. His massive bulk disengaged the bars momentarily to snort and roll his shoulders. The large creature stood at seven and a half feet, the light coat of fur hanging on his frame a dark bluey-purple that came out in a slight beard under his steer like head. His face was long, with a snoot and large, flaring nostrils accented with a golden ring.
His most distinguishing features were not something he had been born with, but rather, had been given since his stay within Noxus. Large, red, angry scars littered his body. Some of the cuts were still fresh and oozing puss, others were caked in thick scabs that were flaking off to tangle within his fur.
Katarina smirked and let her head rest against her cell bars, tip-tapping away, creating the only nose in the sudden silence. They were not with the other prisoners, they had been simply been deemed too volatile and dangerous. So instead of residing in the main cells, they were in a four cell square, deep underground with only one entrance which also served as the only exit.
Normally, captives would be stricken of their weapons. However the fury unleashed from touching Katarina's blades had forced her captors to leave her with two. Even if they were magically sealed so they could not draw blood, the comfort the worn leather of their hilts brought was still enough to make the Du Couteau manageable.
Killing her was not an option. Anyone who killed a Champion of Noxus within her walls was executed. Along with those who ordered the kill. High Councillors or not.
Katarina glanced down at the one shackle tied around her ankle and snorted. The chain was long enough for her to move about her cell, but it kept her from the far wall where the minotaur resided.
The captured beast was not so lucky. He had chains binding her hands together, as well as on both of his legs. They were thick, wider than Katarina's calves in width and possibly weighed fifty or more pounds each.
Even with all those precautions, the minotaur had still broken one or more of his shackles multiple times or the past few days which had to be replaced while he was left in a drugged state that never seemed to last long.
All of this waiting. All for what? Fools. The lot of them. Walking corpses who hadn't realized they were already marked with death. Not much longer... Not much longer and her father would fetch her from this place.
Katarina's blade stilled as she focused on that thought and stared through narrowed eyes at the single spot of light that shone through the bars on the door. He would, he had to.
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Alright! Shorterish chapter, mostly filler. Sorry about that. But! The next chapter some questions will -finally- be answered.
A few things I'd like to note from the reviews from the previous chapter:
First, I received my first piece of fan art and loved it! It was by a review tagged, 'Moon Kitty'. Sadly, I couldn't reply because you weren't logged in, but if you read this, I loved it! Thank you! For anyone else who wants to see, here's the link: .
Second, I was surprised when JoBiden answered a question I posed to you all about... ten? Chapters ago. Yes, the name of the fortune teller gave to Lux was Leblanc's name before she became who she is today. And yes, you're right. Not many people know Cassiopeia was a renowned seductress before she became her scaley self. I do like to incorporate some of the lore into my story.
Anywho, that's all for now! Expect the next chapter soon! (Sooner if you review, hint hint) Okay, I'm done begging, thanx - Kiravu