Luck felt as though the floor had been ripped out from under his feet. He slowly turned around, as though afraid any sudden movement might cause him to fall. No one had come into the apartment, at least not through the front door. And there was no way someone could have climbed up from the street, since the fire escape was at the kitchen window, and the window in Star's room opened out onto the main street. No way someone could have climbed up and gotten in without being seen.
But one look at the person in the room assured Luck that this individual had no need of 'conventional' methods of entry. She sat on the trunk at the far end of the room, one leg dangling to the floor, the other tucked up against her body, used as a rest for her arms. Her clothing was silvery-grey and form fitting, but somehow reminiscent of armor. Her eyes were a deep, dark black, but not unkind, and her hair, which hung long about her face, a pleasant shade of purple.
Amazingly out of all of this, the one thing that seemed to bother Luck the most was the fact that her hair was purple. However, Luck forced the consternation from his mind so he could focus on the larger problem at hand. Whoever this woman was, she was obviously a magic user. That mean that she was more than likely an enemy, and enemy who had come to finish off the one person who could effectively stop them.
Luck moved to stand between the slumbering Star and the intruder. He was painfully aware of the fact that he had no weapon on him. After all, who would be insane enough to attack a Mafioso in their house? Luck knew he lacked Firo's finesse in hand to hand combat, and he didn't even come close to Berga's brute strength. Still, he would do whatever he could to protect Star. That that didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't try to at least talk his adversary into leaving quietly before Luck decided to fall back on blows.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Luck questioned in a commanding voice. He had a feeling that he was at a disadvantage, but he didn't want this woman to know that too.
"Ah, me?" The woman asked, her tone indicating that she completely disregarded Luck's actions. "I supposed you could call me Valkyrie… a lot of people do. Ah, but you people don't like long names, do you? How about Val then? You can call me Val."
Luck hadn't expected to be thrown off his game quite so soon. He wasn't used to people picking a name and handing it to him like someone would pick out a hat. But before Luck could make heads or tails of the woman's response, she spoke again.
"And why I'm here? Well, I'm here for her," Val nodded in Star's direction. "After she dies I'll take her home, so she can have proper rites and all that, and so her soul gets to where it needs to go. You see, if someone dies in a world that isn't their own, their soul gets stuck. And stuck souls can turn into some very, very nasty things if left alone too long. So we take the bodies back, before the souls wander too far from them, so that way everyone can pass on the way they were meant to."
Luck could feel his thoughts jumping around like a jackrabbit. That had been a lot of information to take in and try and process all at once. What was all this about souls and bodies and proper rites and passing on? Did she just say that Star was going to die? And 'we'. Were there more of her? Or more like her?
"We…" Luck began slowly, speaking as his thoughts began to coagulate. Of course he didn't get very far before Val interrupted.
"Watchers," She answered, almost brightly. "We watch over those close to death, and when they die, we take them home."
Well, the name 'Valkyrie' suddenly made sense. But what was more pressing was what Val's words implied.
"She's… going to die…?" Luck felt his mouth go dry as he said the words, and he turned to glance at Star. She didn't look like someone who was going to die of a disease.
"Well… yes, if something isn't done. You see, she's been burning through her seals unconsciously. She just broke her last one. Without a pact, she will die," Val explained.
Luck had never thought of his immortality as a curse before, but he certainly did now. Star had told him a blood pact could save her, but since Luck could not bleed, he could not help her.
Immediately Luck's mind flickered to everyone he knew who wasn't immortal. There was Claire… Tick… Maria… Claire was certainly in the know, but he was so fickle, would he even agree? That left Tick and Maria. Could he get them to accept the concept of magic in time to do what needed to be done?
It was then than another chilling thought struck Luck. Star was the only one who knew how to make a pact, blood or no blood. What if she never woke up?
Adrenaline surged in Luck's body, but with nothing to do, it only made him feel nauseous.
"Would you like to save her?" The way Val said those words, as if she were asking if he would like a sandwich, infuriated Luck.
"Yes I want to save her!" He replied viciously. He felt like stepping over to Val and wringing her neck, just to have something to do.
"Then I can tell you how."
This off of help caught Luck entirely off guard, and he staggered back a step.
"But… I can't… you need blood, right?" Luck felt weak with confusion and hope.
"Usually you do, but there are other ways," Val informed him. "Flesh and bone, breath and blood. Those are how pacts are made. Of course flesh and bone are only if you want a permanent one. Blood is the preferred method."
"So… breath…" Luck ventured.
Val, for the first time, actually giggled. "Where do you think the stories come from? The princess being awakened by a kiss? Although not everyone likes to kiss the person they're making a pact with."
"And you'll do it?" Luck asked. "You make so Star and I can…"
Luck just realized that meant he would be kissing Star and fell into a shocked and slightly embarrassed silence.
"Nope," Val answered matter-of-factly.
"But you said-!" Luck began, feeling his rage boil up again.
"Ah, ah, ah," Val stopped him, wagging a finger in his direction like a mother lightly scolding a child. "I cannot 'do' anything. I am a Watcher. Nothing more."
"Then why are you even telling me this?" Luck burst out. If she wouldn't help him, then he really would kill her.
"Well… I watch… but that doesn't mean I can't talk," Val explained with a slight smirk. "I cannot lift a finger to save those about to die. Of course that doesn't mean that I can't explain to someone else how to save that person."
The relief Luck felt almost overwhelmed him.
"So you'll tell me how to save her…" It was more a statement than a question. "But… why?"
Luck realized that, at this point, he shouldn't care 'why' this strange woman was going to help him save Star, but at the same time he couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Well… I don't really care either way," Val answered with a shrug. "That's all I do, you know. I watch people die. Then I carry their bodies away. But someone asked me to watch over her, someone that I owed a rather large favor to. So I do."
"Someone asked you to…?" And now they had ventured back into strange.
"Yes. She doesn't want Star to die, you see. So she asked me. Because I talk too much. We watchers are supposed to be silent. But handling corpses all the time is boring. So, that is why," Val explained.
"Who?" Luck asked. Part of him wanted to know where this person had been a few days earlier, when Star had gotten stabbed protecting him. Luck also wanted to know if this person might be a potential ally in the eventual showdown that he knew was coming.
"Tillie," Val replied.
Again with the strange names, Luck thought to himself.
"But you might want to hurry, Star doesn't have a lot of time left," Val reminded Luck.
With a jolt, Luck realized that she was right.
"What do I need to do?" Luck asked, all business now.
"Well first, you need to find someone else to help," Val answered. "I know you can't die. We Watchers can tell these sorts of things. That means your body is absorbing more energy than a typical human. You alone can't provide everything that Star needs. You need to find someone else to make a pact with her as well."
Luck felt his stomach sink a little. So even if there was a way for him to make a pact with Star, it still wouldn't be enough? All of this was definitely making him feel inadequate. Then Luck also realized that whoever helped him would also be kissing Star. He knew he shouldn't feel jealous at such a time, but he couldn't help it. Well, if it had to be anyone, Luck knew who he would ask first.
The phone rang two or three times in Firo's apartment before it was finally answered.
"Prochainezo residence," Maiza said amicably.
"Hurry up, Maiza, I'm winning," Czes called from the kitchen table as he studied the chess board in front of him.
Maiza held up a hand for Czes to be quiet. "No, no, Firo isn't here. He and Ennis are out, I'm babysitting."
"I don't need a babysitter!" Czes reminded Maiza, annoyed.
Suddenly Maiza's face darkened. He listened intently to the person the other side of the phone before saying, "I understand. I'll be right there."
He hung up the phone and then turned to Czes. Maiza's expression was grim and determined.
"Sorry Czes, but we'll have to finish the game some other time. I need to be somewhere," Maiza said, before fetching his coat and hat.
"Next time don't run away before I beat you!" Czes said to Maiza's back as he walked out the door.
"Hmph… I wonder what has him so worked up," Czes mused out loud to the empty apartment. Then he lightly tipped over Maiza's queen and watched as the piece rolled off the board, across the table, falling to the floor with a light clunk.
Luck hung up the phone in his apartment, wondering for the first time if there was such a thing as fate. He had called Firo, hoping that his long time, childhood friend would help him. Instead he found that Firo was out and the one to answer his call was Maiza. Luck couldn't help but think back to a few days ago, it had felt like a life time, when he had felt that pang of jealousy at the Alveare. And now the only he could turn to for help was Maiza.
Luck couldn't help but give a slight chuckle as he turned back to face Valkyrie.
"So, what next?"
"Find some chalk and draw a big circle," Val answered. She had seated herself on the kitchen table and was swinging her legs back and forth like a child.
Under Val's directions, Luck drew what he had learned from Star was a spell circle. The entire time Luck felt himself swinging between seriousness and feeling ridiculous. What would other people think if they could see him now, listening to a purple-haired woman wearing a skin-tight something, telling him to make a chalk drawing on the floor in the middle of his living room. Luck was determined to save Star, but he couldn't help but have misgivings about the whole thing. After all, magic was Star's domain, not his.
"Alright then," Val said from her perch on the back on one of Luck's chair. "Bring Star out and lay her down in the middle."
Luck carried Star from her bed to the middle of the spell circle he had just completed. He glanced at her face, and thought to himself that Star seemed unnaturally still. Or perhaps it was just his mind being affected by what Val had told him earlier? Whatever the case, Luck returned his attention to the so-called 'Watcher' who had unceremonious, if not conveniently, entered his apartment.
"So what now?" Luck asked.
"Hmm," Val looked thoughtful, as if something had just occurred to her. "Do you believe in deities?"
Luck felt startled and confused by the question. How did religion come into this?
"I believe in God, if that is what you're asking," Luck answered uncertainly.
"Hmm, I suppose that could do. You see, you each need to invoke the name of a deity, although you will invoke one on Star's behalf. It's preferable to have them both from the same pantheon, you see, although not necessary," Val explained.
"Which god do I invoke for Star?" Luck asked, hoping that Val might have an answer. He never asked Star her religion, and he wasn't sure if invoking the name of God for both of them would be allowed or not. It might be a one god per person sort of thing.
"Not god, goddess. Artemis," Val answered simply.
Luck was surprised by the answer, but at the same time he felt he should have known better. Christianity didn't exactly leave a lot of room for magic in its dogma, and for some reason he could easily picture Star praying to the ancient Greek gods. But, would it work? Christianity, and even Judaism were pretty specific about the 'have no other gods' rule.
"Perhaps I should call the name of a Greek god as well," Luck suggested.
Val cocked her head to the side, considering Luck's suggestion.
"Do you believe?" she asked finally.
"Do I what?" Luck wasn't sure what Val was trying to get at.
"Do you believe in them," Val asked, an intense look in her eyes. "If you do not believe the spell holds no power."
Luck felt a twinge in his gut that was both angry and frantic. He disliked that Val had spoken to him as if he were a slow child. But he also felt nervous about the fact that the spell might hinge on his belief. Luck had been raised Catholic, like just about everyone in Little Italy, but he never really considered himself a true believer in God. Not that he ever gave it too much thought. His religion was more of a habit than a product of faith. Luck gazed at Star for a moment before turning his attention back to Val.
"I believe in her," Luck answered quietly. That was an unwavering truth.
Val considered Luck's answer before she spoke. "If that's true, then invoke the name Hermes for yourself."
"Hermes… a messenger…?" Luck felt confused by the suggestion.
A sly grin crossed Val's face as she answered. "Messenger for the Gods, and God of travelers, thieves, and gamblers."
Luck almost smirked back at her.
"So, what do you need me to do now?"
"Remember these words, and then recite them. After the recitation, kiss her," Val instructed. "I invoke the name Hermes, bear witness to my words. On behalf of Star, I invoke the name Artemis, bear witness to her words. I invoke the rite of sacred oath, let two be bound as one, one life, one spirit. Should I fail this oath, may sacred fury find and desecrate my soul. So mote it be."
The words were heavier than Luck had though they would be, but in retrospect, they were fitting for a blood oath. Reminded Luck a little bit of when he formally joined the family. He cleared his throat and began to recite Val's words.
" 'I invoke the name Hermes, bear witness to my words. Oh behalf of Star, I invoke the name Artemis, bear witness to her words'," as Luck spoke the circle he had drawn on the ground began to glow softly, and a gentle breeze began to stir the air in the room. The momentary shock quickly wore off, and Luck continued. " 'I invoke the rite of sacred oath, let two be bound as one, one life, one spirit. Should I fail this oath, may sacred fury find and desecrate my soul. So mote it be'."
Luck paused. Even though Val had likened it to 'true love's kiss' in a fairy tale, kissing Star while she was unconscious felt awkward, if not downright wrong. But with the circumstances considered, Luck would just have to push those feelings aside.
Luck leaned forwards awkwardly. When he face was just inches away from Star's he paused for a second time. Up close, she looked so peaceful… so normal. Her face didn't betray any trace of the events that she had suffered up until now, or what kind of burden she carried. Luck thought that, perhaps, when all of this was over, Star might have this sort of expression when she was awake as well. Then Luck leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Star's.
This was far from Luck's first kiss, so his mind wasn't locked on novice thoughts of how soft her lips were or anything like that. But what Luck did note as unusual was a quick and sudden heat he felt between his own lips and Star's. Before Luck could even think of pulling away, he felt that heat jump down his throat and fill his lungs, as if he had just breathed in hot cinders. And like anyone who has ever touched anything hot, Luck immediately pulled back. He let out a short gasp and half expected to see steam or something rise from his mouth, but no. In fact, everything was back to normal, save for the spell circle on the floor. No glowing, no phantom winds.
Luck glanced around his apartment, as though the space was suddenly strange to him. After getting his bearings back, Luck turned to address Val, wondering if there was anything else he needed to do afterwards. But much to his shock, Val was gone without a trace. Luck got shakily to his feet and gave the room another look, but Valkyrie was truly gone. Luck though about possibly searching the other rooms when a knock at the door stopped him.
"Who is it?" Luck asked quietly, his hand poised on the door knob.
"Maiza," came a familiar, slightly muffled voice.
Luck let Maiza in. Maiza began to take off his coat and hat, but paused when he noticed what Luck had done with his living room. Being a former alchemist, Maiza knew what the circle was for, even if he didn't understand the configuration or markings. He was more concerned by the fact that Star was laying in the middle of it.
"What's going on?" Maiza asked, concerned.
Luck opened his mouth to speak but then stopped. He thought about what he was about to say, and realized how ludicrous it would sound. Hell, it sounded ludicrous before he even spoke it. Luck glanced at Star. There would be time for full explanations later.
"I can explain later, but right now Star needs help, she's dying," Luck finally said.
Maiza glanced from Star to Luck. He knew the Mafioso wouldn't lie, not about this. But he could be misinformed by an unscrupulous individual.
"Are you sure about this?" Maiza asked seriously.
Luck nodded. "I am."
"Alright, what do you need me to do?" Maiza asked.
Luck was about to explain, but then paused. Maiza's religious leanings weren't any of Luck's business. And then there was the fact that this spell, or whatever, worked better when the Gods were from the same pantheon. Valkyrie had come up with a nice alternative for Luck, but Luck wasn't sure he could do the same for Maiza.
"This is to make a pact," Luck began slowly. "Star needs it, but you need to invoke the name of a God."
Luck watched Maiza's reaction, but the other man simply nodded for Luck to continue.
"I was told it works better when the Gods are from the same pantheon. I invoked the Goddess Artemis for Star."
Luck hoped that Maiza would understand the rest.
"So which God did you invoke?" Maiza asked. He wasn't sure if they could use the same one, but he figured if the name invoked really belongs to a powerful God, it shouldn't matter.
"Hermes," Luck answered.
Maiza nodded. Hermes and Athena were both Greek Gods, and later Roman ones under the names Mercury and Diana. That was about as close as you could get.
"So how do I…?" Maiza began.
"You need to recite a… spell. Then you need to… kiss her," Luck found he had some trouble getting some of the words out.
Maiza was taken aback by the last part. The spell he had understood as a given, but a kiss? And the idea that Luck was actually asking him to kiss Star was astounding. She must really be in dire straits.
"What is this spell?"
"'I invoke the name Hermes, bear witness to my words. Oh behalf of Star, I invoke the name Artemis, bear witness to her words, I invoke the rite of sacred oath, let two be bound as one, one life, one spirit. Should I fail this oath, may sacred fury find and desecrate my soul. So mote it be'," Luck repeated.
"Right," Maiza said and then stepped over to Star. He knelt by her and began to recite the words that Luck had told him.
There was the same sort of magical reaction from the spell circle as when Luck recited the magic words as well. But as Maiza approached the end, Luck found himself looking away. He didn't want to see Maiza kiss Star, even if he knew it was out of necessity, like mouth-to-mouth.
Maiza felt the strange surge of heat run throughout his body when he kissed Star, but didn't have as much of a knee jerk reaction to it as Luck had. Finished, Maiza sat back and glanced at Luck, who he noticed was pointedly looking in the other direction.
"Well… now that this is done, perhaps Star would be more comfortable back in bed?" Maiza suggested to break the somewhat awkward silence between them.
"Right," Luck moved to pick Star back up.
"I'll go find something to clean this chalk up with," Maiza suggested and headed towards the kitchen. He wanted to give Luck a moment with Star, and also potentially temper the other man's jealousy.
Luck cradled Star in his arms for a moment before carrying her back to the bedroom where he laid her on the bed as gently as he could manage. Luck then pulled the covers up and tucked her in with all the care of a mother tucking in her child. Her complexion looked better, Luck thought. She had seemed peaceful before, but it was more the peacefulness of a person who had just passed. Now Star looked like someone who had finally fallen asleep after a very, very long day. Luck lightly brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. Her skin felt cool compared to the feverish state she had been in the last few days. Relieved, Luck returned to the living room.
Maiza had removed most of the spell circle by the time Luck emerged. It was a strange moment for Luck, seeing someone so high-ranked from another family, in shirt sleeves, scrubbing his living room floor.
"How is she doing?" Maiza asked, getting to his feet. He could help the question, despite the fact he had just seen Star moments ago.
"It looks she's finally pulled through it," Luck commented, glancing over his shoulder at the room.
Maiza noticed the slight concern still in Luck's eyes.
"I know she's doing better, but I don't think it'll hurt to keep watch over her for the night," Maiza suggested.
Luck looked back at Maiza. Maiza was a guest, and he had just helped Luck out, although Luck suspected it was more for Star's sake than his own. Luck felt like he should be playing a better host than he was.
Maiza could see the slight conflict in Luck's uncertain expression. He knew the young man had always been extremely polite and formal, even from a young age. And right now that habit was at war with his concern for Star.
"Consider this extenuating circumstances, and we won't mention it after," Maiza assured Luck. He wasn't going to take this as a sign of rudeness, after all Maiza was far too old to be getting worked up over something so small.
"Thank you, Maiza," Luck replied in a quiet voice and then went to rejoin Star.
The trunk gave a small creak as Luck sat down on it. Faint light slid in through the curtains and gave some illumination to the room. Luck could make out the curves of Star's body under the blankets, and he even fancied he could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
In that quiet moment, Luck finally allowed the memory of the last hour or so to play over in his mind. And then the reality of what had happened sunk in. Luck had actually performed magic. He couldn't help but smile at the though. Never in his life, or even the eternity that spread out before him, had Luck dream that one day he would 'perform magic'. Star had certainly brought excitement into his life beyond anything he could have imagined.
The smile slowly faded from Luck's lips and his expression took on a tone of contemplation. He knew he had denied the accusations that he and Star were dating. But perhaps, just perhaps, he really did have feelings for her. Luck had never really considered dating or marriage before, not like his brothers. But maybe Star was that 'one' that everyone supposedly had. That though brought the smile back to Luck's face. It was amazing how one person could have so completely upended his life, and he didn't regret a thing.