They smelt the smoke before the fire. Asking around the village, they had to been told to look in the mountains to find Marcus Black. Apparently, the assassin lived there with his son. Cinder had smiled at that. Leverage.
But fire complicated matters. Perhaps family of an old target had come looking for revenge. Marcus dying was not something they could afford. Not if they wanted to take down a Maiden...
With the danger clear, they had started running. Even with her training, Emerald soon found herself left far behind by Cinders incredible speed. The thief pushed herself, running faster than was smart, even when the smoke evolved to an ember glow that filled the forest.
Reaching a clearing, Emerald gasped as she saw the source of the carnage. A small house, big enough for two was burning. It must have been a while with the building already having lost structural stability and wooden beams fallen. There was no recovering the house and Emerald could only hope neither Marcus or his son was hurt.
The bang of a gunshot filled the air and suddenly Emerald saw them. Two men fought in the wreckage of the homes. Moving so quickly that if Emerald didn't have Cinders training she wouldn't be able to keep up at all. Even with that training some of it was too fast.
In fact, it took her far too long for Emerald to realise that one of the fighters wasn't a man but a boy, maybe a little older than herself. She couldn't see his face but she could tell he was furious. All his attacks were brutal in their precision.
Emerald knew she should intervene but who to help. Even then she wasn't sure if she was even capable of helping. She would be a distraction but that was about it. And at worst she could distract the wrong person.
Still she had to do something but when she made to move, Cinders hand appeared on her shoulder.
"Wait," Cinder said. "Let them go."
Emerald hesitated but didn't move. Emerald thought they were here for Marcus but if Cinder didn't want to intervene, she would obey.
So, the two of them watched from the tree line as the two men fought. It went on for what felt like hours but really it was only minutes. A brutal and bloody set of minutes that Emerald couldn't bear to watch but dared not look away.
Then it was over. The older man's aura broke and he fell to his knees, looking up just in time to see the kick that crushed into the side of his skull. And then he lay unmoving on the ground as the boy kicked him again and again and again.
Cinder began to walk forward and Emerald followed trying to block out the sounds of bone breaking. Finally, Emerald thought she might have done it, only to realise the boy had simply stopped having noticed their approach.
"What are you looking at?"
He spat blood onto the ground making Emerald grimace. Cinder however remained passive.
"I'm looking for Marcus Black."
"There you go," he said with gesture to the man.
"That's the assassin," Emerald said.
They had come all this way for nothing. Cinder would be furious. Emerald didn't want that. When she was, Emeralds training was always more... intense. Instead however, Cinder looked remarkably calm.
"And you're his son," she said with a smile. "We saw your fight from the tree line. He's taught you well."
Emerald felt her blood run cold. She recognised that tone of voice though she had only ever heard it once.
"Guess so."
She had only needed to hear it once. Since then, Emerald had replayed it over and over again in her dreams.
"What's your name?"
So, Emerald knew what it meant even before Cinder could ask. And she could do nothing but stand silently.
"Mercury."
It was the same voice Cinder had used when they had met. The day that Emeralds life had changed forever. The same voice she had used to recruit her with. And now she was using it with Mercury.
"Mercury," Cinder repeated. "Tell me, are you anything like your father."
No.
The sky was dull and cloudy blocking the sun from shining on the three figures standing in a clearing. It had been a few days since they had picked up Mercury. Honestly, Emerald was amazed he was up and about so quickly. He had lost his legs only days ago, and was somehow up and about.
Still Cinder wasn't taking any chances and had insisted on taking a few days to let their new... partner recover from his operation. Only a few days of course, but an unpleasant few. Emerald was used to being alone with Cinder. That's the way it had been for months now.
Now she was sharing a room with Mercury, not Cinder. Now she was spending the days with Mercury not Cinder. She was never alone with Cinder anymore. Mercury was always there. Cinder had said she wanted her to size Mercury up but under Mercury's gaze, Emerald was the one who felt analysed.
She'd had men (and even a few woman) stare at her before. Emerald could recognise she was pretty enough, even if she didn't really feel it but she had never liked states of lust. However, that's not why Mercury was staring at her.
Emerald was sure that she could walk around Mercury completely naked and the only thing he would be looking at was the way she moved or any weaknesses. Other times he would make a comment and Emerald was reminded that he was still a teenager and walking around naked was a poor idea.
Still she obeyed Cinder and put up with Mercury. At times, it wasn't even that bad but Emerald was glad that his testing day was finally here. If things went well, it would be Mercury's final day. She just had to prove that Mercury wasn't the asset Cinder thought he was.
Emerald just had to beat him.
Mercury stood before her, almost casually standing as though they weren't about to fight at all. Well if he wasn't going to take her seriously that was his mistake. With a growl of annoyance, Emerald shot forward, converting her weapons to sickle form and slashing across his face.
Except he wasn't there anymore. He had stepped backwards neatly avoiding her strike like it hadn't happened. Emerald blinked in surprise but quickly tried again. This time she aimed for his legs hoping he would jump to avoid her and she could catch him in the air.
It didn't work and once again, Emerald was left flailing at nothing and Mercury still stood smirking a few meters away from her. He was enjoying this. The worst part was he wasn't the only one. At the edge of the arena, Cinder let out a titter of laughter.
"Can you please try got take this seriously," she said dryly. "Both of you. I need to know what Mercury can do."
Alright, time to end this. Ignoring the slight sting that always came with her semblance, Emerald vanished from his view. His smirk faltered for a second as Emerald smiled. Weren't expecting that, were you?
Annoyingly though, his smirk was back in an instant.
"Well that's neat trick," he said. "And here I though Cinder just kept you around to look at."
Emerald scowled but didn't react. He was just trying to get her angry. Force her to make a mistake, maybe even talk back and give away her position. Well she wouldn't indulge him. He had made her look stupid enough in front of Cinder.
But he was still smirking.
"Tricks aren't always enough though."
Idiot. He wasn't even looking at her anymore. She had moved quickly and quietly around to his side, prepared for less than clean strike. Normally she would take out the knees but with Mercury... The groin would have to do.
Then suddenly he turned and looked right at her.
"Do you know you still leave foot prints?"
Crack
Emerald let out a cry of pain, clutching at her face from where Mercury's steel had struck her. Only aura had saved her from a broken nose or worse. It still hurt a lot though and despite the shame, Emerald couldn't help her pained screams.
Mercury dropped down beside her as though nothing had happened at all. In fact, he casually offered his hand to her help up. Teeth gritted in pain, Emerald looked at him to see he still had that smug smirk on his face.
"No hard feeling?"
Slapping his hand aside, Emerald pushed herself to her feet, snatching up her weapons that she had dropped upon impact. Not that she needed them. It was clear Mercury's test was over and he had passed with flying colours.
Cinder was going to be disappointed in her. Angry even. What was the point in Cinder taking the time to train her if she couldn't even beat a two-bit assassin's son? Swallowing nervously, Emerald looked up racking her brain for some excuse for her failure.
But it was worse than that. Cinder didn't even care she had lost, she was too interested in Mercury.
"An impressive display Mercury." Emerald hated the way she said his name. "Not many people can see through Emeralds tricks. Certainly not so quickly. Perhaps you can be of some use to me after all."
"Hey, I aim to please," he said. "Though if you want to test me, maybe you and I should dance ourselves."
"Don't you dare talk to her lik-"
"Emerald," Cinder said warningly. Emerald shut her mouth, clenching her fists as Cinder turned her attention back to Mercury. "Believe me Mercury, you would not like it if we were to fight."
"Who said anything about fighting? I just want to dance."
Cinder actually laughed. Emerald couldn't believe it. How was she okay with what he was saying? It was disrespectful. Vulgar. Emerald couldn't even imagine saying anything like that to her. It wasn't right, yet here Cinder was laughing.
"Careful Mercury," she said. "That tongue of yours could get you into trouble."
"Maybe so but it would be fun along the way though. For both of us."
That was it. Emerald glared at him before stomping over to Cinder. Taking her hand in between both of her own, Emerald pleaded with her.
"Cinder please," she said, not noticing the fire spark in Cinders eyes. "We don't need him. Everything was going fine."
Before she could blink, Cinder had pulled her hand free of Emeralds grasp and viscously back handed her across the cheek, knocking her to the mud. Emerald cried, more from the shock of Cinder striking her than the pain, though it still hurt badly.
"Do not mistake your place," Cinder snapped.
"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I just thought-"
"Don't. You "
And then Cinder was smiling again turning back to talk to Mercury. To his credit, Mercury seemed as shocked as Emerald was though he recovered faster.
"So boss," he said. "Where to next?"
Nursing her cheek, Emerald trailed miserably after them.
Not a foot out of place. That's what Cinder had said. Their target was a Maiden and she had the power of a god at her fingertips. If something went wrong, if Emerald made a mistake, it wasn't just her that would suffer. All of them would die.
Even with that hammered into her, Emerald had still failed to distract the Maiden for long enough to disarm Amber. She must have missed something with her illusion, something that had broken the spell and alerted Amber to the trap. Only Mercury's quick reactions (and sturdy prosthetics) had knocked the staff from her hands and put the plan back on track.
Cinders plan had worked. With Emerald and Mercury running interference, Cinder had knocked her from the sky and her arrows exploding had taken the rest of her aura. It was over. They had won.
The adrenaline started to ebb away from her and Emerald grabbed at her head as pain shot through it. She hadn't used her semblance so frequently before. It had been necessary, Cinder had said so. Even with all their skill and strategy, Cinder had said that they wouldn't be able to beat Amber if she could see them properly. It still hurt, but it was a pain she would bare.
Amber was unconscious on the ground lying between Emerald and Cinder. The thief gazed at her mentor hoping that Cinder would look up and tell her she had done well. That she was proud of what they had accomplished. That she was proud of Emerald.
And then a gale of wind blasted Cinder off her feet and before even Mercury could react, lighting struck his chest and he too was down. Emerald stepped forward, unsure of what to do and needing to know Cinder was okay. But what could she do?
A fire ball exploded nearby decimating an illusion that Emerald had quickly thrown up. But it wasn't far enough away and after how ferocious the battle had been, Emerald felt her concentration slip. Her scarlet eyes locked with Ambers and then all she felt was the burning of her aura as she hit the ground.
Her vision blacked and even as Emeralds body screamed to get up, she found herself unable to do so. Her whole body hurt and it just need to rest even though she knew she couldn't.
But it was too late and when Emerald finally managed to look up, the Fall Maiden was already upon her.
Fear froze Emerald in place, preventing her from doing anything but staring up at the merciless eyes and the staff that was about to end her miserable life for good. She couldn't even utter out a plea to spare her. Such was the fury of Fall.
Then there was the sound of slicing air and Ambers body jerked sharply. The eyes that moments ago, been so filled with righteous fury now reflected only fear and pain. Ambers lips quivered unable to vocalise her distress. The staff slipped from her fingers and she toppled over.
It was sight that burned itself into Emeralds memory forever.
Emerald looked away. She looked past the arrow in Ambers back and onto the woman that had fired it. The woman who had saved her life again.
Cinder Fall. The new Maiden.
It had been close, closer than Emerald was comfortable thinking about but in the end, they were had done it. They had fought a Maiden and they had lived. More than that, Cinder had succeeded. She was the Fall Maiden... Almost.
The huntsman had intervened. How he knew that they would be there was a mystery, Cinder had said the Maidens were unguarded. Somehow, he knew they had planned this and his appearance had almost ruined everything. At first Emerald fought it might have after the Maiden had lived.
However, Cinder did have the powers, maybe not all of it but she was confident that the Maiden would soon die and the succession would carry out as normal. It was unlikely the girl could survive untreated though, as Mercury pointed out that there wasn't a precedent for this. Anything could happen.
Regardless of the girl's status, the mission was a success. A success that Cinder was currently reporting to Cinder while Emerald and Mercury rested around the fire. Mercury was currently checking his legs for damage leaving Emerald with nothing to do but watch.
Or try to watch. Most of her focus was taken up by trying not to think of how close she had come to di-... The look in the Maidens eyes. Emerald shuddered. If Cinder hadn't been there.
"You alright?"
Emerald jumped slightly, not expecting Mercury to talk. Surprising really. All Mercury did was talk, all Mercury did was talk. He was staring at her, a screwdriver in hand and his leg still bare from the fire. Disconcerted, Emerald looked at the ground.
"Fine," she muttered. "Just a few scars and bruises. Nothing aura can't heal."
"Sure about that?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well it was your first time, isn't it?"
Emerald glared at him.
"Pig," she said, turning away.
"I'm serious," he said, casually working his leg. "First kill is weird."
"I didn't kill anyone. And weird. Really?"
Mercury shrugged, gesturing with the tool at nothing in particular.
"Technicality," he said dismissively. "You were part of it. And yeah it was weird."
"You thought killing your dad was weird?"
"What? He wasn't my first."
"Really?"
"No."
Mercury pulled out the screwdriver extending and contracting his leg a few times to test its stiffness. Satisfied, he relaxed crossing one leg over the other before continuing the story of how he had murdered someone.
"My first time was in a hospital. A team of travellers had got caught in a Grimm attack. Beowolves I think. Brutal stuff. My dad took me to one of their beds at night. Some blonde kid. Maybe eighteen, nineteen. Around that age anyway."
"The Grimm that had got him, had taken more than they had left. Just chunks out of him. Normally they knock you out but the kid was in so much pain the drugs just weren't working. He was screaming and crying. His life was agony and it wasn't getting any better. "
"So, my dad explained all this to me. Said anymore medication and he would overdose. Then he brought out a needle, put it on the table and then he walked out. I joined him two minutes later. Doctors thought he just gave out. No one ever found out."
It was suddenly very quiet. Emerald didn't realise how intently she had been listening. Both her hands were gripping her legs right and she had leaned forward without meaning to.
"Why did he do that?" she asked softly. "Your dad I mean."
"Desensitise me," Mercury said. "First kill is hard but if you can convince someone it's a good thing, it's a little easier. After that next ones aren't so bad. From there it's not so hard to become..." He paused. "Desensitised."
Emerald shivered and not from the cold. Mercury had a way of coming across as completely normal one second and completely inhuman the next. He was exactly what Cinder wanted him to be. A weapon. He existed to fight and nothing more.
"Emerald."
The thief perked up at Cinders voice, ignoring Mercury's snicker at her movement. Cinder was strolling back to their campsite a smile on her face. She had changed since receiving her powers. More confident, more powerful. Even the way she walked was different. More purposeful.
Evidently her report to... her had gone well. That was good. Cinder hadn't been worried but Emerald didn't like to presume her mood anymore. She had learned that the hard way.
Cinder gestured as she past, the smallest of movements but enough for Emerald to stand up and follow her into Cinders tent. She still had one to herself while Mercury and Emerald shared.
"How are you Emerald," Cinder asked, taking a seat on the makeshift bed. "You took quite a beating."
The new Fall maiden looked at her, giving her permission to sit. Emerald obeyed, kneeling before her.
"I'm okay," she said. "It would have been worse if you hadn't saved me. Up do better next time. I'll make sure I don't make a mistake with my semblance again."
"I'm glad to hear it. What about Mercury?"
"He's fine."
Cinder laughed and Emerald felt herself bristle in embarrassment. She was being too obvious. If Cinder knew how she felt... but right now, Cinder just seemed more amused than anything else. She was still smiling, gazing at Emerald so intent to she began to feel uncomfortable as Cinders eyes scanned over her body.
"What next?" she managed to choke out. "I mean, what's our next move?"
"The White Fang," Cinder said. "I'm sure they'll be much more willing to cooperate now."
As she spoke, Cinder stretched out her hand, extending her palm face up. Emerald watched as a flame burst into life. It crackled and popped, lighting up the tent but in Cinders perfect control.
And then it went out.
"You have no idea what it's like," Cinder whispered. She wasn't smiling anymore. Her face seemed reserved now, almost in awe. "This power. It's like nothing I could ever imagine. It's... an emptiness. It burns. Like hunger."
Emerald swallowed nervously. Part of her had been worried how only having half the Maidens power would affect Cinder. It wasn't natural. And then there was that Grimm beetle that made Emerald shudder.
"I'm sorry," Emerald said. "If my illusion had been better, you would-"
"I like it," Cinder interrupted.
Her eyes drew back to Emerald flashing the golden glow of Fall for just a moment. Her analytical gaze was back even more intently now. She eyes pupils darted across her skin and Emerald felt herself leaning back.
But Cinder merely smiled and leaned forward.
"Tell me Emerald," she whispered. "What would you do with this power?"
She was close now. Very close having moved into a crawling position to get closer to Emerald and the thief found herself struggling to maintain her eye contact. But at the same time, she dared not look away.
"I don't know. I don't think I could handle it. Not like you can."
"Maybe."
Cinder was almost on top of her now. Her movements pushing Emerald back so much she was practically lying on the ground. No more room to run. But why would she want to? This is what she wanted, wasn't it?
Her breathing was heavy as Cinders hairs fell on either side of Emeralds face. Just beyond that were her arms trapping Emerald right where she wanted to be. But there Cinder stayed, not moving any closer.
"Cinder," Emerald breathed.
"Maybe you couldn't handle all of the power," Cinder said. "But what about a little. Would you like that, my dear Emerald. Just a little taste."
And Emerald relinquished, pressing her lips to Cinders and the two of them became one.
Cinder was gone by the time she awoke. Her body ached all over and Emerald could feel slight marks across her neck where Cinder had nipped her skin. But Emerald didn't care about any of that. She would gladly withstand the slight discomfort to feel Cinders warmth against her once again.
To see Cinder in a way that no one else got to see. To just watch her sleep, forcing herself to stay awake until she finally succumb to exhaustion, just so she could savour ever minute detail of this moment.
But now it was morning and there was business to attend to. Even after this, the mission hadn't changed. Cinder hadn't changed and her drive remained. No doubt that was why she was gone now. Letting her sleep a little longer but, Cinder was still Cinder. Emerald had training with Mercury. That couldn't be missed especially not with how close she had come to death at the Maidens hands.
Still Emerald couldn't help but smile. No things hadn't changed that much and maybe this could never happen again. But perhaps it could. Maybe with these new powers, Cinder might yearn for someone to ground her, to make her feel human. Emerald could be that person for her. She could be whatever Cinder wanted.
As she slipped out of the covers, the cold air made her shiver as gathered her clothes and changed. She would need to shower, the scent of sweat and love still upon her and she doubted Cinder would want this broadcasted to Mercury yet. Unfortunately, he would likely be awake by now and leaving the tent would be difficult to explain without using her semblance.
Emerald frowned as she stopped her search. Her shirt was still missing and the thought of facing Mercury in just a bra was an unappealing one, semblance or not. But casting her eyes around the tent confirmed it. The tent wasn't big and it wasn't caught under the bedding or anything. It just wasn't here.
A gust of wind blew open the flap, Cinder must have forgotten to close. Hesitantly, she stepped forward wondering if she could make it to her own tent without being noticed. Thankfully luck was on her side and his back was turned tending to the fire, no doubt waiting for her to come out so they could start their training before breakfast.
Running would be a mistake as it would only make enough noise to get his attention. Dammit. A day ago, she had faced a Maiden, what did it matter if Mercury saw her like this. Grimacing she stepped into the open and quietly started to sneak towards her tent.
Halfway across her foot caught on something, stopping her in her tracks. Mercury didn't react, continuing to face the flames and Emerald breathed a sigh of relief. Looking down though she frowned, realising she had almost tripped on her own shirt. Stooping down she picked it up. It was dry, unaffected by the morning dew. How had it gotten out here? Had it been thrown aside in the heat of their passion and just happened to land outside? And how hadn't Cinder noticed it when she had left before?
A cough made her blood run cold. Her head snapped up to find Mercury looking at her, an amused look on his face.
"You know most people finish getting dressed before going outside."
Too late she spun round, trying to ignore his laughter at her expense as she quickly pulled on the shirt. Now covered she tried to keep her face neutral and make him think she wasn't as embarrassed as she was. The facade lasted until his next comment.
"You know I figured you'd wear green but the red really does bring out your eyes."
"Pervert," she snapped, shoving past him. "Is Cinder here?"
"Nah she left a while back. Said we were to rest for today before moving on tomorrow."
Emerald nodded, not really wanting to look at him. Cinder had probably gone to talk to Sa- her. Update them on their progress before moving on. Haven was the next step and Emerald couldn't say she was looking forward to returning to Mistral and her old home. It didn't matter what she wanted though. Emerald knew now that she would follow Cinder anywhere.
If they had the day though, she should probably get some sleep for a few hours. Maybe go over her cover story a few more times and see if she could come up with a surname. Orphan street rat stuck out too much so a last name was needed.
"Emerald."
Annoyed at being interrupted, the insult on her tongue freezing as she saw the serious look on Mercury's face.
"My dad was a bastard. He drank, beat me if I wasn't good enough and gave me these." He clanked the metal against a rock. "But he was worse to my mother. He didn't get anything from her. He just did it because he could. He beat, abused and used her whenever he wanted it. Yet she stayed with him. She used him and took the abuse right up until he killed her."
Emerald looked at her partner, not sure what to say. Mercury would take about his father often. He'd insult the man or bring up some lesson when sparring with Emerald. But he never talked about his mother.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because love makes you blind," he said simply. "And Cinder sees you very clearly."
His words hit her harder than any of his kicks ever could almost forcing her backwards. He just stared at her, a look of almost pity on his face. Well as close to pity as Mercury was capable of feeling.
"You don't know what the hell your talking about."
Her words were shaky, barely forced out of her throat. Not waiting for his reply, she spun around and stormed into her tent. She half expected Mercury to follow but he seemed to know better and Emerald remained alone. Hands clenched in anger, she dropped to her knees, unable to stand in her suffocating small tent.
Mercury didn't know what he was talking about.
The cold wind blew through her hair but it wasn't the cause of Emeralds nerves. They would be going to Haven tomorrow. That wasn't why she was nervous either. Without schools, they would have to try out to get into the school but they had fought a Maiden. This was barely worth attending. A stepping stone of Cinders plan, but not one that could be called a hurdle.
It had been weeks since she and Cinder had been... It hadn't been repeated, in fact Cinder acted like it had never happened and Emerald hadn't been brave enough to bring it up. Mercury's words had repeated themselves in her head more times than she would like to admit. It wasn't true. Cinder just found it difficult to let her guard down. Maybe the intimacy scared her. Cinder didn't have to rely on anyone, so perhaps the idea of being close to Emerald was hard for her. That must be the reason. It had to be. She just needed time.
But still Cinder had been acting strange all day. Hardly listening when Mercury had read her Romans reports. Staring off into space instead of watching Emeralds training. Her normally razed sharp focus and fiery eyes were distracted, not paying attention when they were this close. It scared Emerald.
And then, when Mercury had already gone to bed, Cinder came to her tent. She had told her to get dressed and get her weapons. They had business to take care of. Without telling her anything else, Cinder had led her away from their campsite and away from Mistral towards a forest.
Through the trees, they had walked in silence. It was dense, thick and despite everything they had been through, the experience was unnerving. It was a juvenile feeling; no Grimm would dare touch them while Cinder was here and no other monsters existed to harm them. Still she felt the fear none the less.
Then the trees broke outward onto a field. And in that field, was a manor house, a mansion that loomed over the them, encased with a fenced wall and wrought iron gate. Across the wall was a plaque that read,
The Aurum Estate
Destined for Greatness
"Wait here," Cinder said. "I have unfinished business to take care of."
"Are you sure," Emerald replied. "I could come with you..."
Cinder gave her a look of pure ice.
"Remember your place."
Her eyes shone gold with the power of Fall and Cinder stepped forward placing her hand on the iron gates lock. Emerald watched in awe as, without dust, Cinder burned through the lock like butter, ignoring the metal slag as it seeped through her hands. Even with aura that should hurt but Cinder payed it no heed.
The gate opened, echoing loudly through the night and Emerald was sure someone would come to look for them. Surely someone must have heard what had seemed thunderous to her.
But Cinder simply summoned her bow from the air and walked into the darkness towards the house. Emerald wanted to follow. She wanted to know what Cinder was doing, what business she had here and why she had brought her if Cinder just wanted Emerald to wait outside.
Instead she waited, willing herself to stay still. It was hard, every instinct in her body wanted to do nothing more than run towards this house and find Cinder. Find her and... do what. Disappoint or anger her.
No Cinder was right. She had to remember her place and no matter how much it hurt for her to admit, that place wasn't at her side. Her place was wherever Cinder needed her to be. Doing whatever Cinder needed her to without question or hesitation.
So, Emerald waited. She stood vigilant ready for Cinder to return, ignoring the cold and howling wind. Seconds passed in minutes, everyone a torture until finally she saw a light appear from the house. Small at first, it quickly grew inside until the mansion was enveloped in an inferno.
It was at that point Emerald knew she could breathe easily. Fire could never harm Cinder and sure enough her mentors form appeared, walking towards her, slower than usual. Her arms and dressed were soaked crimson with blood though she barely seemed to notice it.
"Cinder," she whispered. "Are you okay?"
The Fall maiden turned towards her, as though just noticing Emerald was here. She didn't answer just staring at her. Emerald swallowed nervously, hesitant to press further but needing to knew she was okay.
"Did you find what you were looking-"
Before Emerald could react, Cinder was upon her. One hand locking her head in place while the other clamped firmly over Emeralds mouth. The coppery taste of blood bit at her tongue as Emerald quivered in Cinders arm.
"Tell no one what you saw here tonight," she whispered. "No one, not even Mercury. If you do..." Cinders hand began to heat up behind Emeralds mouth, the promise of fire left unsaid. "Do you understand, my dear Emerald?"
Emerald tried to nod, she tried to speak but Cinders grip barely allowed her to breath let alone do anything else. Panic weld up inside Emerald, her red eyes pleading to Cinders gold, desperately trying to convey that she could never disobey her. Cinder just tightened her grip and even breathing became impossible for Emerald. Her vision began to blur to black as her lungs began to burn.
And then Cinder let go and Emerald dropped to the ground like a stone. Coughing and gratefully gasping for air, the thief forced herself to look up as she heard Cinder begin to walk away.
"Come now Emerald," she said coolly. Tonight hadn't happened after all. "We have work to do. Nothing can hold us back. Nothing."
Scrambling to her feet, Emerald ran to catch up, still seeing stars and coughing slightly. It was only then she realised her mouth was sticky. There was still blood on her face.
"Did you think of a name yet?" Cinder asked as the glow of the manor faded from sight.
"No. Sorry ma'am. I'll have something by tomorrow. I promise."
"Hmm, I've been giving some thought myself."
"Really?"
"Yes. How about Sustrai?"
Emerald blinked, her pace slowly for a few moments as she processed what Cinder had said. Was it a coincidence. A name stirring around Cinders thoughts that she was now just applying to her without meaning.
"Sustrai."
"The street I found you on. I could think of worse names."
Emerald smiled. She couldn't help herself.
"I like it."
"Good, I thought you might."
With that Cinder fell silent and Emerald felt a warm feeling in her heart. Cinder still remembered where they had met. She did care. And even now she was still giving. Food, a purpose and now a name.
Emerald Sustrai.
Cinders.
The illusion broke and Jaune was back in the room. He jolted back without meaning to. The room just suddenly felt so foreign despite the fact he hadn't moved an inch.
"Jaune!"
Rubys arms were around his shoulders instantly, making sure he was alright. To be honest, Jaune wasn't sure. It was all so much to process. Not just sights, but smells sound and a sense of touch. Not just memories but as close as you could get without feeling the emotions.
The experience was separate from his own, but still having Emeralds life with Cinder was like an extremely vivid dream. Not something he quite wanted to feel again but that seemed important regardless.
In a way, he knew about Emerald relationship with Cinder and Mercury better than she did. Jaune could see everything without bias. Objectively he could see the person that Cinder was in a way that Emerald couldn't or perhaps just wouldn't see.
"Jaune," Ruby repeated and he realised he hadn't replied. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah I'm okay Ruby. It's just-
"Of course, he's okay," Emerald panted. "This was a lot harder for me."
She wasn't kidding. Emerald looked terrible and even just speaking made her wince. Her skin looked pale and peaky with sweat plastering her hair to her scalp. The girl looked like she had run a marathon.
"How long were we out?" Jaune asked his partner.
"About five minutes, maybe ten." Had it really only been that long. It felt like days. "What did you see Jaune?"
"I'll explain with the others. It's a lot to repeat."
Ruby helped him to stand as Emerald just fell limply backwards on to the ground, exhausted but conscious. He couldn't help it now, but he really felt bad for her. Emerald hadn't showed him everything and had very much glossed over Beacon but there was no denying she had a hard life.
He was about to turn away to follow Ruby when another voice spoke, belonging to neither her or Emerald.
"Emerald are you okay?"
Jaune froze as he stared at the girl who had suddenly appeared in the room. She hadn't appeared to have noticed him, too intent on Emerald who had just groaned at her appearance.
"Ugh I thought I was rid of you."
The girl couldn't have been here. Jaune had seen her die. He might not have been friends with her like Ruby had but he doubted he would ever forget the face of girl Pyrrha had ripped apart.
"Penny?"
Emeralds eyes snapped open, her pupils shooting from Penny to Jaune, realisation dawning as she realised Jaune could see her too. The mechanical girl vanished as Emerald severed her semblances connection but too late to take back what Jaune had seen.
Ruby too was staring at Emerald. Her expression was unreadable, just a blank face bereft of emotion. Then in a blur of petals, she appeared beside Emerald. Half shaking, she worked in a cold silence on the collar. Then she turned, throwing open the door and running from the room.
Worried for his friend, Jaune turned to follow after her but found himself pausing the doorway. He gave one last glance towards their captive. Emerald wasn't looking at him, her eyes fixed on the ground.
"You weren't meant to see that," she said.
"All the things you showed me," he said. "Were they true?"
Emerald nodded.
"Then tell us where she is? How do we find Cinder?"
"No."
"Emerald-
"I can't," she said miserably. "I can't betray her like that. And if I did, she'd- she would kill me."
Jaune sighed. knowing he wasn't getting anything more from her now. Emeralds loyalty was condition. Affection and reward with the promise of reprimand should she step out of line. Even now, when she was miles away, Cinder still controlled her.
Emerald might not be a good person. She was a thief long before she met Cinder, but the witch held hostage any change of change. Through devotion and fear, Emerald was unable to speak and the only way to make her talk was to take one of those away.
"Cinder will kill you anyway Emerald," he said quietly. "You know that right? You're dangerous to her now. You know too much."
"You don't know her. She wouldn't do that."
"Emerald you just showed me who she was. She'd kill you without thinking twice."