Author's Note: As I promised, here is the second chapter out of the six I have for all of you. As the insecure writer that I am, I would love to hear all of your opinions on this story. Encouragments are loved, constructive criticism is welcomed, and ideas are a joy to have. So please enjoy and review. I do not own Lords of the Underworld or any of its characters.
Chapter 26 Tomb Raiding
Just as Isolde had said, a few weeks later Danika painted the Hunters looking for the third artifact in the pyramids of Egypt. Isolde declared at the same time that she was going to be sticking to Sabin for a while, much to the man's annoyance. It meant that his life was about to get a little more interesting than the others and she didn't want to miss it. That meant that standing in the catacombs of a pyramid, Isolde wasn't far from him.
They had found the Hunters of course, had fought with them and now had nine of them crowded into a corner. Blood was splattered on the walls, turning the sandy floor into a floor made of black paste. Like Sabin and the others, Isolde was cut and bruised, but she faired better than she had in the last few fights she had gotten into. At the moment, she was squating in front of the captured Hunters, watching them closely with an intent stare, a gun in her right hand as she propped her chin in the left. Under the intense stare of those two-toned eyes, the men shifted uncomfortably.
One Hunter spat at her, but Isolde's only reply was a very human one...she flipped him off. Then again, Sabin had to remind himself that she had been human at one time. What she was now, was beyond all of them. Even herself. For a person who knew just about everything about those around her, Isolde was completely clueless about herself. It was the only thing about her that he actually liked at that point in time.
She wasn't perfect.
"Amun. You know what to do." Sabin said, turning to look at the dark warrior.
Isolde's eyes only darted up briefly when Amun stepped up beside her. The Hunters crowded further into the corner in fear. Amun's eyes swept over the group before he lunged forward to grab one man out of the center of the group, picking him up by the throat.
"Let him go, you flithy demon. You've killed countless innocents, ruined so many lives already!" one Hunter yelled.
"He's a good man. He doesn't deserve to die. Especially at the hands of such evil!" another yelled.
"Hey, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Pot called. He says you're black." Isolde snapped at the Hunter, leaping to her feet to shove him away from Amun.
She caught the man off guard, managing to send him stumbling back into his fellows. Gideon joined her on the other side of Amun, knocking the others back.
"Touch him again, and I'll kiss the hell out of you." Gideon told them.
At the Hunters' confused looks, Isolde clarified for Gideon.
"He means he'll beat the hell out of you. I'd gladly join." Isolde said, eyes flashing as she pulled a knife out to fill her empty left hand.
Amun's captive still then and Amun dropped him into a heap on the floor. Isolde stiffened along side Amun, and reached up to rub at one temple with two fingers. Secrets was trying to cram just as many secrets into her head as he was into Amun's. It made her brain pulse against her skull. But she dealt with it. She took all the useless information Amun shifted through, to ease the burden on his head, leaving him with only the information he was looking for. She had a massive headache afterward, but it was worth it if it eased the torment Amun would go through later.
Amun gave her a strained smile before turning towards the far wall. She rubbed at her temples as he messed with the stones of the wall until a passage way opened up.
"Any Hunters waiting on the other side?" Sabin asked, checking the clip in his Sig Sauer.
"Seven." Isolde answered as she moved to stand beside Amun, twising her head until there was a loud pop from her neck. "And no, they don't know we're here."
Sabin nodded. There was one upside to having Isolde around. When it wouldn't affect the future she knew, she would give them solid answers. She wasn't going to tell them what waited for them, of course, she had no problem telling them how many Hunters were on the other side or that there were no cameras watching them.
"Seven Hunters is child's play. Isolde could handle them alone." Lucien remarked.
"Is that suppose to be a round-about way of saying I'm the weakest one here?" Isolde asked, turning to look at the man.
"Gods, no." Lucien replied.
He knew better than to pull the pin on that gernade by saying yes. Sabin was starting to learn that Isolde's temper was something to be feared. She was in no way, the weakest one of them. She wasn't the strongest either. She was just...plain vicious.
"Just go on without me. I'm fading. I'll soon have souls to escort, anyway. And then I'll have to flash our prisoners to the dungeon in Buda." Lucien said.
Isolde turned then, pegging Lucien with an intense, questioning stare. He gave her a smile, his way of telling her, he would be fine. Isolde's eyes swept him from head to toe. She wouldn't be happy until she heard it from his mouth.
"I'll live. Tomorrow, though, I'll probaby wish I hadn't. A few organs are shredded." Lucien said.
"At least you don't have to regenerate a limb." Sabin said.
"Or a complete organ, like Reyes had to do when Paris decided to play Hide the Pancreas." Isolde added in, Sabin nodding in agreement.
Amun flashed hand signs then, drawing Sabin's attention.
"Not only are there no cameras installed, but they're in a chamber with soundproof walls. This is an ancient prison and the masters did not want anyone to hear their slaves screaming. The Hunters are completely oblivious to our presence, which should make it easy to ambush them." Sabin said.
"You don't need me for a simple ambush. I'll stay behind with Lucien. Besides, someone needs to guard the prisoners." Reyes said, sliding down a wall to sit.
"Your women are going to give me hell." Sabin said, looking at the two.
Danika would be silently disappointed in Sabin, which would make him feel slimier than slim, and Anya would more than likely shoot him where Lucien had been shot, making him feel Lucien's pain.
"They'll kill me if you manage to get hurt too." Sabin added, turning his gaze to Isolde.
As Lucien's and Anya's adopted daughter, Anya would slaughter Sabin for letting her precious daughter get hurt. Danika wouldn't be too pleased either. Isolde though, heaved a sigh.
"I don't see why. I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself. And I told them as much before coming along." Isolde replied.
That wouldn't stop Anya from dismembering him if Isolde was hurt. She had already been shot through the throat because of Sabin. Anya had been furious then but hadn't done anything under request from both Lucien and Isolde. This time she wouldn't hold back.
"Just watch your back." Sabin told her.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Isolde replied.
Isolde turned then, her eyes seeking out her closest confident among the warriors. Paris was standing in front of the Hunters, primed for battle. Sabin had caught Isolde watching the warrior more closely lately. She constantly sought out the warrior and where Paris usually basked in the girl's attention like a big brother with a little sister complex, he had begun to demand Isolde stay away from him. It hurt Isolde. Anyone with eyes could see she didn't like it, but she abided by his wishes. She didn't say a word, not even when Aeron punched a Hunters with no other excuse than he thought the man was about to attack. With his own excuse of keeping them calm, Paris knocked the rest out.
Sabin watched as Isolde stepped up beside Paris, laying a hand on his back. Paris stiffened for a moment before relaxing, letting out a long sigh. He leaned back against Isolde, the girl's shoulder pressing into his back. He took comfort from Isolde, as Aeron sometimes did. Even Cameo sometimes sought out the girl if for no other reason than a break from the constant attention of her demon. With Isolde around, her demon actually let her have peace enough that she could relax and somewhat smile. There had even been a time that Sabin had come across the two in a drawing room. Isolde had been sitting on a couch, book in hand, with Cameo laying across her lap, an arm draped over her eyes and a content, half smile on her face.
Sabin had never sought the comfort as some of the others did. Not that Isolde would offer it to him, he was sure. He had no trust in her and the knowledge of that made her, well...a bitch to him.
Kane passed Sabin than and with Isolde's attention on someone else other than Kane, Disaster decided to be like a child and act up, sending plumes of dust sparying into the room. The others coughed, Isolde waving dust away from her face. Sabin was sure Isolde wouldn't stay behind, and her attention was going to be on other things aside from Kane and his demon. That meant Disaster was going to continue to act up as it was.
"Uh, Kane. Why don't you stay here, too? You can help Reyes watch the prisoners." Sabin said.
Isolde's eyes shot to him sharply and she opened her mouth to say something but Kane just gave a clipped nod. He glanced at Isolde and shook his head. Isolde's eyes darted from Kane to Sabin and her mouth snapped shut with the clicking of her teeth.
"I'll be back soon." she promised Kane.
It was with comments like that that it made the two sound like a couple, but Sabin knew Isolde stuck to Kane's side to miminize the damage his demon caused. For some reason, Disaster loved Isolde and was always too focused basking in her attention and being amused by her own personal disasters, to bother creating any of it's own. Kane gave Isolde a nod. The stone had finally finished sliding open. Amun peered inside, signalling that it was clear. Isolde reached up, patting Paris' back. The man stood up straight, stiffening once he was no longer in contact with her.
"We going to do this or just stand here and wait for them to find us? I'm ready." Aeron said when no one moved to enter the passage.
"Look at you, all unenthusiastic and shit. I'm not impressed." Gideon said.
Isolde looked at Sabin then, as if waiting for him to take charge. In the heat of battle was the only time she would take orders from him. Even then it was only fifty-fifty that she would actually listen to him. Even Lucien couldn't do better than that. Sabin considered the best way to proceed from that point.
"Isolde and I will go first since we're the least injured." Sabin said. "I want you staggered, a less injuried man paired with a more injured one. You'll work together, most injured acting as backup while the healthier takes out the target. Leave as many as you can alive. I know you don't want to, that is goes against every instinct you possess. But don't worry. They'll die soon enough. Once we ferret out the leader-and learn his secrets-they'll be useless to us and you can do what you want to them."
Isolde nodded, moving to his side as those standing in the passage doorway, moved out of their way. Sabin hurried into the hallway, Isolde on his heels, the others following after them. Questions tumbled through Sabin's head and Doubt began to latch onto to them, to pour doubt after doubt into his head until Sabin threatened to spend the next week in his room, reading to stop thought. When the demon whined at that, Sabin caught a grin flashing onto Isolde's face.
At least one of them was amused.
Sabin came to a stop, raising a hand when the doorway to the chamber appeared. Isolde came to a stop beside him, the others stopping behind them. Voices drifted out of the chamber. Sabin unleashed his demon on the unsuspecting humans in the chamber beyond. Conversation in the room beyond trickled away. Sabin raised a finger, counting up to three. When he reached the third, the warriors surged into the room, Isolde moving faster than Sabin, keeping close to the ground. He would have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't do anything to get herself seriously hurt.
-0-0-0-0-
To say she had been shocked the moment the blood covered warriors charged into the room, would have been an understatement. Gwen sank back against the far wall, especially when one, a young girl, approached the cell. Gwen looked her over, taking in the zebra streaked, red-brown hair, the blue lined, vermillion red eyes, the blood splattered, ripped clothes, and two butterfly tattoos peeking up over the collar of her shirt and from between the hem of her shirt and the low belt line of her jeans. Those butterflies were so...menacing looking. Razored wings, both glittering, one orange, the other a purple-red.
The girl tilt her head to the side, taking Gwen in as she had done her. Gwen's eyes shifted past her then, catching the eye of one of the other warriors as he glanced over at his female companion. He too had a butterfly tattoo, his violet in color that wrapped around his right rib cage and dipped down past his waistband. Doubts suddenly plauged her though they weren't any of her own making. The man became annoyed, nails digging into his temples before he snarled to himself.
The girl turned to look at him, calm as could be even as the last standing human came after her friend.
"Incoming." the girl called.
Without looking away from Gwen, the warrior's arm came up to grab the human by the neck. The girl in front of Gwen turned fully.
"You can't kill him." she told her companion.
"She's right, Sabin." another woman said, patting the man on the shoulder. "Like you told us, we might need him."
Sabin turned away from Gwen, dropping the human man.
On the other side of the glass cell, Isolde shook her head, her hands going to her hips.
"Who are these women?" Strider asked.
"Dear gods. That one is pregnant." Maddox added.
"So is that one. What kind of bastards keep pregnant females in these conditions? This is low even for Hunters." Paris added.
"Anyone hear what they're saying?" Maddox asked.
"Believe me, you don't want to know half of it. It's not very nice." Isolde replied.
She turned then to look at Gwen as Sabin did.
"You can hear us, right." she stated instead of asked.
Gwen nodded. She could swear the girl already knew the answer before asking.
"Can they?" Sabin asked, pointing to the other woman.
Gwen shook her head in answer.
"Can you hear me?" she asked.
"I'm reading your lips. I don't know about Isolde." Sabin said, shaking his head.
"I can't hear her. I just already know what she's going to say." Isolde replied.
"Can you get them out of there, baby girl?" Paris asked.
"No. It's godly glass. My shadows aren't wanting to go past it. If I force it, I might get stuck in there too." Isolde replied, shaking her head.
"How do we open the glass?" Sabin asked, looking at Gwen.
Gwen pressed her lips together, not sure if she should answer the question. Isolde turned to fix two toned eyes on Gwen.
"We haven't come to harm you. You have my word. We just want to free you." Sabin told Gwen.
Gwen pushed to her feet, approaching the glass. Isolde didn't move, even when Gwen stood just on the other side of the glass.
"Woman?" Sabin asked.
"Stones." Gwen answered.
"Bones?" Sabin said in confusion.
"She said, stones, not bones." Isolde offered.
"Stones?" Sabin said before spinning on the spot.
Isolde watched as he took in the room, searching it. The others were watching Gwen and Isolde had a good idea what was going through a few of their heads.
"Turn away." Sabin growled at the men.
Isolde watched from the side of her eyes as Gwen spun around, thinking he was speaking to her. Isolde cleared her throat and when Sabin looked at her, she jerked her head towards the cell. He frowned when he saw Gwen.
"I didn't mean you, woman." Sabin told Gwen.
"Aw, come one. You're not serious about-"
"You're scaring her." Isolde said, cutting off Strider for Sabin.
"But she-"
"You want answers or not? I said turn!" Sabin said, cutting off Aeron.
Isolde shook her head as the others groaned and did as told. Sabin turned to Isolde, who raised an eyebrow at him. He wasn't about to get into an arguement with her and he had a feeling that demanding she join the others would only start one. So he focused on Gwen, calling out to her. She turned around to face him again.
"Which stones?" he asked, pressing a hand to the glass.
Gwen pointed to a case beside him.
"Good, that's good. But what do I do with them?" Sabin asked.
"You use them like keys." Isolde replied.
Gwen turned her eyes on Isolde. How did this girl have the answers? She didn't think she was a mind reader, but that could be the case for all she knew.
"Does it matter which stone goes where?" Sabin asked.
Gwen nodded, pointing to a stone and then to the cage it belonged to. Sabin turned to the case, smashing it with one fist. Isolde never so much as flinched, use to such things as she was.
"Grab a stone." Sabin told the others, who turned to do so.
He directed them on which stone went where, Isolde stepping in to correct him when he got a placement wrong. When Gideon was about to pick up the stone to Gwen's cell, Sabin stopped him, telling him that he was taking that one. Gideon grinned.
"Hating what we see, are we?" Gideon asked.
Isolde grinned as Sabin frowned. He shooed her away, thrusting a stone into her hands. Isolde took the stone with a mocking salute. The woman she released was heavily pregnant and sobbing by the time Isolde opened the cell. She threw herself at Isolde, sobbing into Isolde's shoulder and thanking her as Isolde soothed her with a gentle hand on her back. Paris went from one woman to the next, calming them into sleep. When he reached Isolde, he took the woman from her, so the pregnant woman wouldn't knock Isolde over. Isolde smiled up at him, turning as Sabin stood, tossing and catching the stone to Gwen's cell.
"Don't run. Alright? I'm tired and I don't want to chase you, but I will if you make me. And I'm afraid I'll accidently hurt you." Sabin told Gwen.
"You wouldn't be able to catch her." Isolde remarked, but didn't bother explaining when Sabin gave her a questioning look.
"Don't...free her. Dangerous. Deadly." the human leader said, revealing that he had been awake.
With a call from Sabin, Cameo stalked over to the man, picking him up by the back of his shirt and pressing a blade to his neck.
"What do you want me to do with him?" Cameo asked.
"Keep him there. Alive. Feel free to hurt him a bit, though." Sabin replied.
"Don't set the girl free. Please don't." the human man repeated.
If Isolde remembered right, his name was Chris. He was scared of Gwen and rightly so after all the torment he had put her and the other women through.
"Maybe you should leave the redhead in her cell. For now, at least. Just in case." Cameo suggested.
"He's a Hunter. A liar. And I think he hurt her, but doesn't want her able to tell us." Sabin replied, turning to look at Gwen. "Is that right? He hurt you?"
Gwen nodded, her cheeks coloring.
"He'll pay for that. You have my word." Sabin told her.
"Listen to me. Please. I know I'm your enemy, and I won't lie and pretend you're not mine. You are. I hate you with every fiber of my being." Chris said.
"Wow, that's one hell of a way to start out a plea for your life." Isolde remarked, hands on hips, the man ignoring her.
"But if you let her go, she'll kill us all. I swear it." Chris finished.
"Will you try and kill us, little red?" Sabin asked Gwen.
Gwen shook her head, though Isolde knew that if Gwen's Harpy took over, she would do exactly as Chris said.
"That's what I thought. Besides, Isolde wouldn't let us do this if it was dangerous." Sabin said, nodding towards Isolde.
"Oh, no, she's dangerous alright." Isolde said suddenly.
Sabin froze and turned to look at her. All eyes fixed on Isolde.
"That little woman would rip us all to shreds in the matter of seconds and leave nothing but bloody strips in her wake. So is her beast's nature. But at this point, here and now, she's no threat to us. Now him," Isolde gestured to Chris. "he has something to worry about. Then again, I would want to rip him to shreds too if I had been through the hell he put her through."
Sabin frowned, looking from Isolde to Chris who stared at the young woman in horror.
"It's safe?" Sabin asked.
"For us, yes." Isolde replied.
"That's all I need." Sabin said, trusting Isolde for once and popping the stone into it's hole.
The glass lifted, finally freeing Gwen. Sabin was taken off guard by Gwen's appearance. She would have reached out to touch him if Chris hadn't spoken up then.
"Bitch. Stay away from me. Keep her away from me. She's a monster!" he spat.
Isolde heaved a sigh. She knew the man had just signed his death cerficicate. He was a dead man for sure. Had he just kept his mouth shut, he would have lived a little longer. Sure enough, Gwen's eyes went black and then she was gone. One minute she was there in the cell and the next she was gone. Then Chris screamed, the agonized sound dying away before he collapsed onto the floor, blood pooling around him. Then Gwen was back in the cell, sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, blood dripping from her mouth and Chris' trachea in one hand.
Sabin turned to look at Isolde with a what-the-hell look on his face. Isolde was completely unsurprised, her eyes fixed on Gwen. When she looked at him, she shrugged.
"I said she was no threat to us. He was begging for a painful death." Isolde told him.
Sabin turned back to Gwen and took a step inside the cell. He couldn't leave her there.
"Sabin, man. You might not want to rethink going in there. For once, a Hunter was lying." Gideon said.
"Know what we're dealing with here?" Sabin asked.
"No. She's not a Harpy, the spawn of Lucifer who did not spend a year unfettered on earth. I haven't dealt with them before and I don't know that they can kill an army of immortals in mere seconds." Gideon replied.
"When?" Sabin asked.
"Remember when I wasn't imprisoned? One didn't destroy half the camp before a single alarm could be sounded. She didn't take off, for whatever reason, and the remaining Hunters didn't spend the next few days cursing the entire race." Gideon replied.
"Hold on. Harpy? I don't think so. She isn't hideous. How can she be a Harpy?" Strider asked.
"Oh my gods, you are a imbecile." Isolde said, pressing a hand to her face as she shook her head. "Human myths are sometimes, most times, distorted. Just because most legends claim Harpies are hideous doesn't mean they are. I was once human and I know this. Most are actually very beautiful and have skin that would have you on all fours begging to be whipped."
Strider frowned, one at being called stupid, and two at the image she had just put in his head. Isolde just shook her head.
"She's right. Now, everyone out. I'll deal with her." Sabin declared, tossing his weapons.
Protest rose from all of the warriors present. Isolde knew Sabin would win the arguement and soon, he did just that. He was insistent that Gwen was going to be coming with them, alive and safe. But Maddox wasn't about to give up easily.
"Hell, no. I don't want a Harpy anywhere near Ashlyn." Maddox said.
"You saw what she did-"
"Yes, I did, and that's exactly why I don't want her near my pregnant human. The Harpy stays behind." Maddox said, cutting off Sabin.
"She has to hate these men as much as we do. She can help our cause." Sabin insisted.
"No."
"She'll be my responsibility, and I'll make sure she keeps her claws and teeth sheathed." Sabin assured him.
"You want her, she's yours. Maddox will agree because you never pressure Ashlyn to go into town and listen to conversations Hunters might have had, no matter how badly you want to." Strider remarked. "Besides, you can always settle this by asking Isolde."
All eyes turned to Isolde who was stretching, her back popping as she twisted. When she saw their looks, she raised an eyebrow. She hadn't been paying attention.
"What? Whatever it is, I didn't do it." she said.
"I highly doubt that, you guilty little shit." Strider said.
Isolde flipped him off much to his amusement.
"Isolde, will she be a problem?" Sabin asked.
"Not really, no. She's pretty timid." Isolde replied.
Between Strider's comment about Sabin not pressuring Ashlyn, and Isolde's promise that she wasn't going to be a threat to Ashlyn, Maddox couldnt' really argue with this anymore. Lucien would have agree simply because of Isolde's promise.
"We'll have to subdue her." Maddox said, eyes narrowing.
"No. I'll handle her." Sabin told him.
"Let Paris deal with her. He can finesee the cruelest of females into a good mood. You, not so much, and we clearly need this one in a perpetual good mood." Cameo told Sabin.
Isolde stretched again, her eyes drifting. She could hear Disaster faintly, on the edge of her senses, nagging Kane to find her and bring her back. Poor Kane had to be suffering with that constant nagging in his ears. She couldn't leave him to suffer like that.
"Well I'm taking your order, this once, and am leaving. Disaster is about to drive poor Kane up the wall." Isolde said, turning and leaving the chamber.
The others finally followed, taking the other women with them. Isolde returned to where Reyes and Kane were watching over their other prisoners and Lucien's body. Kane looked up as she stepped out of the hall and Disaster let out a cheer.
"I could hear Disaster nagging your ear off, all the way down in the chamber." Isolde said, as he raised an eyebrow at her.
Kane rubbed the back of his neck. Reyes shook his head from where he still sat against one wall. Lucien was slumped against one wall, his body nothing but an empty shell at the moment.
"It really likes you." Kane remarked.
"So I've noticed."
Isolde looked past Kane at Reyes.
"How you doing over there?" she asked.
"Much better without dust flying up every few second because his demon is throwing a fit." Reyes replied, waving a hand at Kane.
"He can't help what Disaster does no more than you can help what Pain does." Isolde said in defense.
Reyes held his hands up in surrender under the intense glare from Isolde. Kane gave Isolde a small smile, thankful for her defense.
"Are they done in there yet?" Kane asked.
"Just about."
Sabin was going to have his hands full and the thought put a grin on Isolde's face. Gwen, herself, was a handful. When her sisters showed up, it was going to be even more so. Isolde was looking forward to that greatly.
-0-0-0-0-
When the others finally had rejoined them, Sabin towing Gwen along, they left and made their camp. Isolde made sure her tent was pitched next to Kane to miminize the damage done by Disaster. Then, dragging her pack with her, she went in search of Sabin's tent. She found Gwen alone, Sabin having gone with Lucien to their rent house in Cario. The other woman looked up at her as she swept aside the tent flap and walked inside. Silently Isolde walked over to Gwen and sat down, pulling her bag off her back and dropping it into her lap.
Gwen silently watched as Isolde unclipped the flap on the bag and opened it. Isolde dug inside, pulling out a can of her favorite Peace Tea, a bottle of water, a box of chocolate Pocky, and a turkey, lettauce, tomatoe, and pickle sandwich she had thrown together. She sat those before her and then sat her bag aside before looking Gwen in the face.
"Alright, you talk to me, give me someone to talk to and answer whatever questions I have, and you'll earn this food." she told Gwen, a smile on her face.
Gwen's eyes came up in surprise. Isolde gave her a wink.
"We have a deal?" Isolde asked, as she opened the box of pocky and waved one of the chocolate covered sticks in her face.
Gwen nodded eagerly. Isolde nodded, popping the Pocky in to her mouth before picking up the sandwich.
"Alright then. You'll have to actually talk though. I'm rather bored at the moment and don't have anyone to talk to. The others are all busy." Isolde said.
"And you aren't busy?" Gwen asked.
Isolde shook her head.
"Daddy doesn't let his little princess do anything on her own either, despite that fact that I'm a grown woman." Isolde said.
She shrugged her shoulders, though Gwen had no idea who she was talking about.
"Oh yeah, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Isolde. Lucien, the big guy with two different colored eyes, is my father." Isolde told her, gesturing to her eyes as she spoke.
Gwen's jaw dropped. Seriously!? Lucien didn't look any older than maybe thirty something. Isolde was young but she wasn't young enough to pass as Lucien's real daughter. Isolde laughed when she saw the look on Gwen's face, almost dropping the pocky she had been nibbling on.
"He's my adoptive father! Him and his woman adopted me." Isolde told her. "But the others are like siblings to me."
Gwen shook her head in confusion. How Isolde kept any of that straight in her own head was beyond her.
"Well, I'm-"
"Gwendolyn the Timid. I know. Nice to meet you, Gwen." Isolde said with a smile.
"How did you know?" Gwen asked.
"Well, you see, I'm not human...anymore. One of the abilities I have is knowledge of the past, present, and future of those I come in contact with." Isolde told her.
Someone who knew everything about her past and future. It was a scary thought. Isolde was quick to assure her that she wouldn't share anything she didn't want her too. And it also explained how Isolde had known that Gwen couldn't eat unless she had earned the food or stolen it.
"Here. So far, you've earned this. Eat slowly though." Isolde said, handing Gwen the sandwich.
Gwen ripped off the wrapping, taking a hearty bite. Isolde was content enough to sit back and watch her eat the food. When she finished, Gwen heaved a content sigh. Isolde held up the bottled water next.
"Anyway, don't worry about me and my knowledge. I'm the least of your problems, I swear." Isolde told her.
"You mean Sabin?" Gwen asked.
"Sabin, despite how much of a douche bag he can be, isn't really all that bad. He's really a big, old softie beneath that hardened shell of his. He acts all big and bad-and don't get me wrong, he can be big and bad-but he's not half as bad as he pretends. He's just a dick." Isolde replied, giving Gwen a wink. "Then again, if you listen to him, I'm a bitch."
"You make that sound like a good thing." Gwen remarked.
"Depends on who you ask."
Gwen wasn't sure how to take any of that. Isolde seemed nice enough, and harmless compared to the others, but Gwen couldn't forget the blood covered, torn state Isolde had been in when she had first seen her. The cuts and bruises had healed already, but the image was a clear one. Gwen doubted Isolde was as harmless as she looked.
"Anyway, don't sweat Sabin too much. He just doesn't really know how to handle someone like you. He'll figure it out sooner or later." Isolde told her.
She handed over the water, claiming Gwen had earned it. Gwen gratefully drank it down. Isolde opened her Peace Tea, drinking it as she watched. Once the water and sandwich were completely gone, Isolde smiled.
"Feeling any better?" she asked.
"A little, yes. Thank you."
Isolde waved it off as she chewed on another piece of pocky.
"You earned the food. With the others busy and not around, and my daddy limiting what I can do out here, I get bored easily. It's nice to have another girl to talk to. Cameo's the only other one here and she's busy too." Isolde told her.
"Can I ask you a question?" Gwen asked.
"Go ahead."
"You said you were once human? What happened?"
Isolde heaved a sigh, leaning back on her hands, before reaching up to scratch one cheek in a thoughtful look.
"That's kind of confusing. Even for me. One day I was driving to the store one morning, minding my own business. Someone ran a red light and hit my car. I suddenly felt like I was falling and crashing through things. When I woke up, I was in the house of my daddy and the five friends he was living with at the time. It turns out I had fallen right through their ceiling. I don't know how I got there, but all of my injuries healed ten times faster than they should of and I started developing powers. I'm not sure how it happened, and I'm not really worried about it. My life before was sucky and I love my life now. So you won't hear me complaining." Isolde explained.
"And your real family?" Gwen asked.
"Don't have one. I was alone before arriving here."
Isolde didn't seem too sad about the change in her life. It made Gwen feel bad for her, having been alone before finding her place with her adoptive father and his friends. It also made her envious of her for finding that place. Isolde smiled at her, like she could read Gwen's thoughts.
"Don't worry too much, Gwen. Things have a weird way of working themselves out." she told her, giving her a wink.
Isolde twisted around then, as if she had heard something, but Gwen couldn't hear anything at all.
"I best get going. Sabin will be back soon. You'll be fine, so hold that chin up. Okay?" Isolde told her, getting to her feet, taking the trash and her food with her.
She gave Gwen a wave and vanished out of the tent. Gwen had to admit, she liked Isolde. She didn't see why Sabin thought she was a bitch. Maybe it was a teasing, playful thing. She had a feeling she couldn't ask Sabin. At least she knew she'd have a friend in Isolde.
-0-0-0-0-
"You okay?"
Gwen looked up as Strider dropped into the seat next to her.
The last few days had been tough. Isolde had come by to talk to her whenever Sabin wasn't around, letting Gwen earn a few snacks here and there, though it wasn't anything great. Then there had been the whole laughable event with the Twinkies. Her stomach still hadn't recovered from throwing those up. And now they were on a private jet heading to Budapest, Hungry.
"You're pale. You need to eat." Strider remarked, offering her some of his Red Hots.
"No thanks. I'm fine." she replied.
"You sure? These are small, but they pack a hell of a punch." he told her, popping a few into his own mouth.
What was it with this weird, family-like group and their junk food? First Isolde with her chocolate Pocky, then Sabin with the Twinkies, and now Strider with his Red Hots. Did all of them have some kind of junk food kick? Thinking of the first two, Gwen's eyes sought them out. Sabin was reclining in a chair across from her, sleeping.
Her eyes traveled to Isolde next.
The girl was constantly hopping seats. One moment she was between Amun and Paris, where she would recline against Paris, who welcomed her readily, and prop her legs up in Amun's lap. Neither had a problem with it and seemed to welcome contact for it seemed to ease them. The next moment she was next to Aeron, managing to coax the large man into playing some kind of childish hand game. At the moment she was leaning into Amun's side, feircely scribbling in a journal. Paris was idly playing with her hair, but she didn't seem to notice one bit. Now and then, she would pause to rub at her temples or to press fingers into her closed eyes. It was at moments like that that Amun seemed to feel a little better, almost like the two were sharing pain.
"Gwendolyn?"
Gwen's attention snapped back to Strider, turning away from Isolde.
"Yes?"
"Lost you again." he told her.
"Oh, sorry."
"I know you won't eat, but are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink?" Strider asked.
"No, thanks."
"At least accept a bottle of water. It's capped, so you don't have to worry that we've done something to it." he told her.
"Actually you can take a needle to the neck of the bottle and no one would ever know." Isolde replied, popping up beside Strider.
"Isolde!" Strider said, hitting her in the side.
Gwen winced since Strider hadn't tried to be gentle. To her surprise though, Isolde doubled up her fist and hit him right back, hard in the shoulder.
"What? I'm being honest. But it's not like any of you have the balls to do it knowing she's under Sabin's care and he'd kill you for it." Isolde repiled.
"He wouldn't kill us for it." Strider repiled.
"Correction...he'd gut you first."
Strider turned a little pale at the thought. Isolde gave Gwen a wink and continued on her way to the bathroom.
"Maybe later for the drink." Gwen told Strider.
Strider couldn't blame her after Isolde had to make comments like that, though it really had nothing to do with what Isolde said.
"Your loss."
Gwen decided to take the chance to ask Strider some questions.
"Why are we flying? I saw the one called Lucien disappear with the other women. We could have reached Budapest in seconds."
"Some of us don't handle flashing all that well." he answered.
"So some of you are babies?"
"Something like that, though Sabin, Reyes, and Paris prefer to think they catch a virus whenever they're flashed somewhere." Strider told her with a laugh, lowering his voice. "Isolde can travel from one place to another in the blink of an eye too, you know. Using the shadows. She's only recently started using it with other people and some of us don't handle that too well either. It's kind of a creepy feeling, being lost in shadows."
"If she can do that, then why is she here?" Gwen asked.
"Since she knows the future, whenever she knows one of our lives is about to get more interesting than the others', she decides to stick to our sides like glue. Sabin likes to say that its for her own personal amusement, but I know it's so she can offer whatever help she can. Though I don't doubt she gets a few laughs here and there." Strider told her.
He leaned back in his seat, falling quiet as Isolde reappeared from the bathroom. She walked past them, unfazed by the rocking and bumps of the plane, and dropped to sit between Paris and Amun. She picked up her pencil and journal as she leaned back into Paris's side and draped her legs over Amun's lap. Strider lowered his voice when he started speaking again.
"Though lately, that choice of hers is tearing her a bit apart." Strider told her.
"Why?" Gwen asked.
"Well lately, Isolde has been joined at the hip with my man, Kane. She hardly ever leaves his side, even moved her bedroom next to his. But recently she's glued herself to Sabin's side, knowing his life is about to get a little more interesting. Some times, like right this instant, that means she can't be with Kane." Strider told her.
Gwen's eyes went to Isodle as she stretched, sprawling out in Paris' lap. The man gave her a small smile and started running a hand through her hair.
"Is she going out with Kane?" Gwen asked in concern.
"Who knows. They've never said anything, though he does spend a lot of time with her. And before you ask, Paris and Isolde don't have a thing going on. Their more like a big brother with a little sister complex and a spoiled ass little sister. Those two are always that close." Strider told her, seeing where her eyes were. "See, watch. Hey you two, get a room!"
Isolde's and Paris' reply to the comment? Both of them flipped Strider off without even looking at him. Strider grinned.
"See. Almost like they were raised together." he told Gwen.
His laughter faded and he turned to look Gwen over.
"You know, you're different than I expected." he told her.
"What do you mean?"
"Well...wait, will what I say offend you?"
"No."
Strider looked her over once more, probably wondering if he should risk it. Finally he nodded and continued what he was saying.
"I think I've said this before, but from what little I know, Harpies are hideous creatures with misshapen faces, sharp beaks, and the lower half of a bird. They're spiteful and pitiless. You...you're none of those things." he told her.
"We have a bad rap, that's all."
"No, it's more than that."
"Humans place a negative connotation on everything they cannot understand. In their minds, good always conquers evil, so anything stronger than they are is evil. And evil is, of course, ugly." Gwen replied.
"Very true. You kind of sound like Isolde when she gets on her wisdom kicks." Strider replied.
Now was the time to see what she really could figure out.
"I know you are immortal, like me, ut I haven't figured out exactly what you are." she remarked.
Strider shifted in his seat, looking at his friends. Everyone looked away, though Isolde shook her head, her eyes focused on her writing. Strider heaved a sigh.
"To start with, what we are, Isolde isn't." he told her.
Gwen's eyes went to the girl. She had figured that out, since Isolde had said she had once been human.
"Isolde was once human, but what she is now, none of us know. She doesn't even know, herself." Strider told her. "As for us...We were once soldiers for the gods."
"But what-"
"How old are you?" Strider asked, cutting her off.
Gwen considered if she should answer and finally decided it was alright.
"Twenty-seven."
"Twenty-seven hundred years, right?" Strider asked confused.
"No. Just twenty-seven plain, ordinary years." Gwen answered.
"You don't mean human years, do you?"
"No. I mean dog years. What's so hard to believe about my age? Do I look ancient?" Gwen asked.
"Consider your answer carefully, Strider." Isolde called from her seat.
Strider shot Isolde a look, but she wasn't looking at him.
"No, no. Of course not. But you're immortal. Powerful." Strider remarked.
"What he means, is he can't believe you can kick his ass and are a baby considering how much of an old geazer he is." Isolde told her, twisting enough to look over at Gwen.
Paris gave her hair a light tug, drawing her attention to him.
"Have you forgotten we're the same age as him?" Paris asked.
Isolde grinned at him.
"That won't stop her from kicking your ass if she has too. And have you all forgotten that I'm younger than her and I've taken chunks out of most of you before?" Isolde asked.
All of the males listening blanched at the reminder and the subject was dropped. With a nod at a job well done, Isolde went back to writing.
"Are all Harpies as young as you?" Strider asked.
"Gee, Strider, that's like asking if all immortal soliders are as stupid as you or if all immortals have to wear women's make-up like Gideon." Isolde remarked.
Gideon and Strider both flipped her off and Isolde returned the gesture. The grin on her face showed she was just joking around.
"No. My three sisters are quite a bit older. Prettier and stronger, too. They wouldn't have been captured. No one can make them do anything they don't want. Nothing scares them." Gwen answered, actually growing use to the random arguements and smart remarks from Isolde.
Isolde snorted then, making Gwen look at her in questioning. Isolde pushed herself up into a sitting position, dropping her journal in her lap.
"No offense, honey, but I know your sisters. They're not as big and bad as you make them out to be. Believe me when I say everyone, and I do mean everyone, has a weakness. Or even a couple of them. I know your sisters' stories better than most. So weaker than them? They wouldn't be captured? You really aren't giving yourself enough credit. Everyone has something that'll bring them down. A fear or weakness. Even that sleeping jackass over there." Isolde told her, waving a hand in Sabin's direction before sprawling back out and picking up her writing.
Gwen stared in surprise. Strider hadn't been kidding when he said Isolde had her own "wisdom kicks". And she was suppose to be younger than her? It made Gwen wonder what Isolde had seen to install such insight in her.
"Hell you should see half the things these guys fear." Isolde added, waving a hand above her to indicate the men around them.
Strider rolled his eyes and Paris gave her hair another tug while Aeron grumbled to himself. Gwen was amazed to see how at ease Isolde was with the men. She had no fear of them, no problem taking anything they dished out. Thinking about that, Gwen turned her attention to Sabin. She wondered how Isolde interacted with Sabin.
"I have a question." Gwen said to Strider, lowering her voice so only he could hear.
Strider looked down at her, leaning closer to hear her.
"What's the relationship between Isolde and Sabin? The way she talked one time, it doesn't seem like a good one." Gwen said.
"Oh, that's a tough one. Most of us are on good ground with Isolde. Once you really get to know her, it's kind of hard not to like her. That smart ass mouth of hers is pretty funny. And she's a great cook too. But Sabin...he's not exactly on good terms with her. He doesn't like how much she knows, though that knowledge isn't her fault. Because of that, he more distant, distrustful of her, and kind of mean. It hurts Isolde, though she won't admit it, and in return, she's a bitch to him. Kind of a brother-sister fued that never ends." Strider told her, keeping his voice low.
Gwen's eyes went to Isolde and then to Sabin where they stuck.
"You do that a lot." Strider said after a while.
"What?" Gwen asked.
"Watch Sabin. Are you interested in him?"
"Of course not!"
"I think you are." Strider said with a chuckle. "And guess what? I've known him for thousands of years, so I've got dirt."
"So."
"So. I don't mind spilling. I mean, I'd be acting as a friend to both of you if I changed your mind about him." Strider told her.
"Oh, no. If you want dirt, Gwen, then I can give it to you." Isolde said, sitting up. "Strider might have known him for thousands of years, but I know everything right down to the very thoughts in his head. If you want dirt to change your mind, I'm the one to go to."
Gwen blanched at the idea of knowing the thoughts is others' head. Especially Sabin's. And that Isolde knew it? No wonder Sabin didn't trust what she knew and didn't know. She wouldn't want someone knowing every thought in her head either.
"I want nothing to do with him, I assure you." Gwen said.
"Then you won't care if I leave you without telling you what I know and make sure Isolde doesn't spill either." Strider said, pushing to his feet.
Gwen quickly yanked him back down, putting a grin on Isolde's face.
"Wait. Tell me." Gwen said, releasing him.
"Anything particular you'd like to know?" Strider asked.
"Why is he so...distant? I mean, is he like that with everyone or am I just a lucky girl?" Gwen asked.
Isolde let out a curt laugh.
"Feel lucky that he's only distant with you. Its better than him being a jackass to you." Isolde replied.
"Don't worry. It's not you. He's like that with all females. He has to be. See, his demon is-"
Isolde threw one of her shoes at him, and Strider had to duck to miss getting a steel toed, heeled boot to the face. It was almost as if she had been waiting for just that moment.
"Strider!" Isolde scolded.
"Demon? Did you just say demon?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, uh...did I say that? No, no. I think I said seaman." Strider said helplessely.
Isolde slapped a hand to her face. It seemed she had a reason for calling Strider an idiot.
"No, you said demons. Demons. Demons and Hunters and that butterfly tattoo. I should have guessed the moment I saw that tattoo, but you seemed so nice. I mean, you didn't hurt me, and thousands of people have butterfly tattoos." Gwen said, jumping to her feet and backing away. "I-I get it now. You're the Lords, aren't you? Immortal warriors the gods banished to earth. M-my sisters told me bedtime stories about your evils and conquests."
"Gwen, clam down. Please." Strider told her.
"You killed Pandora. An innocent woman. You burned ancient Greece to the ground, filling the streets with blood and screams. you tortured men, removed their limbs while they still lived." Gwen ranted.
"Those men deserved it. They killed our friend. Tried to kill us." Strider told her, his expression hardening.
Isolde sat up fully, watching from her seat and getting ready to cover her ears. She knew what was coming next.
"If she screams, wonderful things are going to happen. Don't try and knock her out, and I won't help, okay?" Gideon said, stepping up to Strider's side.
"Wait. Before we do any manhandling and maybe lose our throats, let's try something else. Paris! You're needed." Strider called.
Paris rose to his feet, approaching Gwen. Sabin popped to his feet too. Isolde calmly reached up and covered her ears firmly.
"Gwen. Let's talk about-" Sabin started.
"Demons...all around me."
With that, Gwen screamed, long and loudly. The plane shuddered and started to drop out of the sky. Isolde braced her feet, managing to keep herself in her seat, calmly remaining in place, her hands over her ears. Sabin knew they would be alright, or Isolde would have already gotten them out of there. She wouldn't be so calm.
"You have to stop screaming, Gwen." Sabin said, trying to get her to stop.
"Shut her up, Sabin. My fucking ears are bleeding. No wonder Isolde covered her ears." came a sharp retort from one of the others.
"Not helping, asshole. Gwendolyn, you have to calm down or you'll hurt us. Do you want to hurt us, darling? Do you want to kill us after we saved you, sheltered you? We might harbor demons, but we aren't evil. I think we've proven that to you. Did we not treat you and the others better than your captors? Have I touched you in anger? Forced myself on you? No. And Isolde isn't like us. She doesn't harbor a demon, is innocent of our past crimes. Would you harm an innocent?" Sabin coaxed.
Gwen tried to think logically. If she kept this up the Harpy would get free and go on a rampage. It would kill the pilot, even Isolde. If what Sabin had said was true, Isolde was innocent, wasn't like them. And she had been nothing but kind to Gwen. And Sabin was right. She had alive and well, not even a scratch gained in her time with them. And then she could also end up killing herself too.
Logic won out and calm washed over Gwen. Her screams faded and the plane leveled out. Everything went quiet and Isolde finally peeled her hands away from her ears and went back to writing as if nothing had ever happened.
"That's a good girl. Now back off, guys. I've got her." Sabin told the others.
The others backed off, keeping an eye on Gwen as they moved away. Sabin had his hands raised, palms out as if he was still trying to calm her. Isolde peered over at them, but she was sure Sabin could take care of this. Isolde returned to her writing, ignoring the others as they spoke. She didn't show it, but the plane starting to fall out of the sky had scared her more than she thought it would. Her heart beat was still near stroke levels even now. Paris dropped back into his seat beside her and Isolde leaned into his side.
Maybe dealing with Gwen was going to be more of a heart attack waiting to happen than she thought it would be.