Vision of Escaflowne: Soulmates

Written by: Meghanna Starsong

"Chapter Thirty"

Standard Disclaimer: Escaflowne is copyright to its creator, Shoji Kawamori, owners, and distributors. I am not making any money off of this fanfiction. None of the Escaflowne characters are mine, although I have inserted my own creations into this universe as well. Please do not steal my original characters or use them without my permission. This is a continuation of Escaflowne the series after Episode 26.

Reuploading this chapter after it was deleted somehow. Anyone else having weird problems with the site in regards to uploading stories, PM notifications and submitting reviews? After reading the Twitter feed, I'm guessing I'm not alone...

Author's Notes: If you're inclined to review earlier chapters, I suggest perusing: Ch.6, Ch.14-17, Ch.19-21, and Ch.24-29. Many thanks to Mystical_Grace for her assistance with this chapter.

Edited: Well, this is the roughest chapter I've ever posted, all for the sake of updating sooner. I'll be revising it over this next week. *thumbs up*

"""""""

Hitomi crept over to Dots. The old mare snuffled her skirt for treats and then grunted in displeasure when she found none. Hitomi's lips curved up, and she pet the yerkle's neck, thankful her gluttonous nature remained unchanged despite last night.

Aldric cleared his throat. "Need a leg up?"

"No, I can do this," she replied. Putting a hand on the saddle horn, she fit her foot into the stirrup on the second attempt and mounted up. Dots shifted beneath her and then settled, more interested in a leftover clump of hay than her inexperienced rider.

As Hitomi tucked her skirt in place around her legs, she caught Aldric quickly look away from her.

"Let's be off then," he said curtly, his eyes roaming everywhere but near her. He hoisted himself up onto Sonny and reached across for Hitomi's reins, leading them away from the market.

They traveled through a still, tense city, one might as well have been abandoned. Only windows lit like glazed ice hinted at the buildings being occupied. Hitomi grasped yerkle mane in one hand and the knob of the saddle horn in the other. She expelled her breath in a ghostly cloud, goosebumps blooming across her bare calves, and was glad once more for her cloak. The yerkles trotted briskly down the streets of the Capital, their cloven hooves hammering the cobblestones.

She alternated between peeking at Aldric's profile and hunting for the Earth in the sky. Although the hour was late, the planet lingered low on the star-dusted horizon, hidden by roofs and poles. Its pearly partner seemed dim tonight, more a nebulous afterimage than a moon. I wonder how my family is and how they're handling me being gone. I hope they're ok, that they aren't too worried. Yukari and Amano must be busy with classes. Have they read my letters yet?

Earth. Japan. It felt like forever ago, a whole different life. Which, in a way, she supposed it really was.

"Er, am I to call you Harriet now?" Aldric asked. They were almost to the foot of the smooth plateau that White Castle sat atop, the road starting to incline.

"Yes," she said, both curious and wary of the general's sudden chattiness.

He reined Sonny around so that the yerkles were nose to tail. "You don't have to this...any of it. You don't owe the old loon anything."

"I realize that."

"And think about it. None of us knows what we're up against, not even you with your abilities. It'll likely be dangerous. You could get seriously hurt."

"I volunteered for this, Aldric, the same as all of you." A current of air blew her bangs into her eyes, and she combed them back with her fingers.

"What I don't get is why you feel the need to go through with this thing."

"I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. If I can do something to help, then I'm going to do it." She shrugged her shoulders. For her, that was reason enough. If the general couldn't or wouldn't understand, then there was nothing more for her to say.

"What about last night? What if something like the Demon attack happens again? Or another bastard prince comes along?" he pressed.

"I'm willing to take those risks."

"It's him, isn't it? My cousin. You care about him that much, huh?" Aldric shook his head. His wavy horsetail whipped around his shoulders.

She nodded and was proud that her cheeks only moderately warmed.

Sonny pawed the ground, his hoof making a scraping sound. The general maneuvered the gelding around to face the road again. "The chances of you two winding up together are disastrously low. Hells, maybe impossible even. You have a lot of obstacles against you, starting with that harem he's hosting."

Her fingers dug deeper into Dots's mane, the strands like rough cotton. "I know."

"What if there was someone else who had an interest in you?" He leaned forward in his saddle.

She bit down hard on her lower lip. Uh oh.

"Someone who wouldn't inevitably take you down a path of heartache."

"Are you telling me that person is you?" Dots's ears swiveled back, listening to the raised pitch of her stunned voice.

"Suppose so." He ran a hand through his unruly locks, so similar to Van's.

"Oh, dear," she said, unconsciously quoting Dane's favorite phrase. Her legs tightened reflexively around the mare's sides.

The general hastily added, "I'm not asking you to marry me or anything so outlandish. After all, you're already tied to a husband with a bladder that the gods would envy. He's probably pissed himself a whole new river by now."

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then laughed despite herself.

"I just want you to know that I'm here and that I...kinda like you."

"I don't think—"

"Okay." With a click of his tongue, he set the yerkles off at a fast walk up the road again. "How about this? I'll make you a deal."

She rocked with the mare's gate. "What?"

"I'll stop trying to change your mind about being 'Harriet,' partly because I see that you're too stubborn to listen. In exchange, all you've gotta do is keep an open mind about me." He grinned at her, teeth bright in the moonlight. "Maybe let me take you out once."

"Aldric, I'm sorry—"

"Hey, hey. What'd I say?"

She rolled her eyes. "To keep an open mind."

"Exactly, your ladyship. Just keep an open mind, and you'll be free of my nagging for keeps."

Hitomi nudged Dots, and the mare picked up her pace. Now at an even stride with the general, she bravely inquired, "Why'd you leave the inn last night?"

"Ah, that. I suppose I need to explain myself, don't I?" He kneaded the back of his neck.

"Yes," she agreed relentlessly.

"It's stupid. I was pissed about Trig—er, the old fart—lording over all of us and putting you in danger."

"And?"

"Erm... And I might've been jealous of you suddenly being surrounded by...male companions." He turned his face away, hiding his expression from her.

So that's what his moodiness was about! Everything clicked neatly into place. Hitomi had been so busy dealing with her own conflicting emotions that she hadn't considered Aldric might have some of his own.

But it was no less weird. She'd never thought of him in a non-platonic way. After mulling over his proposal, she answered honestly, "I can't promise you anything. I-I'm serious about Van, but if 'keeping an open mind' means you'll stop lecturing me, I can maybe do that much."

Aldric beamed at her, obviously satisfied, and his resemblance to the king made her heart beat a fraction faster. She chastised herself mentally for it. Humming, the general encouraged the yerkles to canter up the hill.

"""""""

At the castle stable, Hitomi gracelessly dismounted and lifted her arms over her head with fingers linked, stretching. She groaned, her lower back and thighs aching. With a two-finger salute, Aldric strode off with the horses to care for them. She watched after them a moment before noticing a figure planted in front of the stable door. Waiting like a stern seraph was the buxom Berta in a high necked gown and starched apron, her hair in a tight donut bun. The four-sided metal lantern she held up illuminated the disapproving expression on her plump face.

"You're late, Harriet." She flicked the lid of a small pocket watch hanging from a chain on her bodice closed. Every line of her figure was that of an irritated employer.

"Am I? I'm sorry," Hitomi said. Then, just to be doubly safe, she added, "Ma'am."

"I only hope this won't be a habit."

"N-No, ma'am." Hitomi swallowed. Berta's castle persona truly was intimidating. She much preferred the breast-baring restaurant manager to the gorgon-like housekeeper. Maybe Dawkins wasn't too far off with his battleax description.

"You may be new to the palace, Harriet, but know that will not excuse bad behavior. I will not coddle you, and I pride myself on heading a staff of capable, responsible individuals."

"Yes, ma'am."

Berta directed them across the open flagstone courtyard. Unlike the previous night, they didn't avoid the light seeping from the castle's windows, and so readily passed from bright swatch to shadow and back again. The servants' entrance was an unremarkable wood door, and in its threshold a guard dozed, leaning on her lance. Here Berta paused to loudly harrumph, interrupting the guard's nap. The soldier started awake and almost dropped her weapon. Sighting Berta, she thrust her shoulders back and assumed a more formal posture. Satisfied with this, the housekeeper beckoned Hitomi down a musty passage.

They passed through the kitchens, the embers of stoves still orange and the rooms smelling of bread, and emerged into the hallway of the servants' wing. Berta blew out the lantern's wick, hooked it to a loop on her belt, and began Hitomi's proper debriefing. "Your belongings arrived ahead of you. Normally, you'd be assigned to a room with another maid. However, due to His Majesty holding court, the free beds we had are taken up by foreign servants. For the time being, you'll share quarters with the Lady Merle, who volunteered her guestroom for your use."

"I-I see."

"Be grateful for that, girl. Without her, you'd be keeping the yerkles company in the stable."

After that, the housekeeper ticked off a verbal list of dos and don'ts. There were so many items, in fact, that Hitomi struggled to remember them all. She filed away what knowledge she could, such as her trainer's name; that she'd be rotated through White Castle to learn various aspects of the job; and that she'd be given two uniforms.

As she trailed Berta down intersecting corridors and up a great snaking staircase, she reflected on the precious time spent with Van at the Wolves' store. It seemed like a dream, except that it wasn't. He'd really told her that he loved her. Keeping her head down, she smiled to herself, hiding her delight.

But thinking of the king also inexorably steered her back to the conversation with Aldric, and her gut squeezed itself into a hard lump of reproach.

She should've taken a firmer stance with Aldric rather than capitulating to his needling. Maybe if she'd better explained the situation between Van and her he would've backed off. Then again, maybe not. Stubbornness was a common Fanel trait, and Hitomi suspected the general possessed an amount to rival his cousin's.

Aldric wasn't a bad guy either. Just the opposite.

He'd proven himself to be a kind person when he helped her, a stranger, on the Main Road, and she doubly owed him for saving her life during that first Demon encounter and for his aid with the Daedalians. Since returning to the Capital, he'd been a conscientious, somewhat sardonic, ally and a formidable swordsman. He genuinely loved his country and took pride in serving Van. His humor, while often inappropriate, had cheered her up more than once. And he was cute in a weird, scruffy sort of way.

Though they'd only recently met, she considered Aldric a real friend and trusted him just as much as the Crusaders. This romantic inclination of his boggled her mind. When exactly had he developed such feelings for her?

On one hand, she was incredibly flattered by his attention, and on the other, she felt uncomfortable and almost like she was cheating on Van.

Except they weren't officially together. Not yet, at least.

Hitomi collided with Berta's back when the woman stopped abruptly. Embarrassed, she cupped a hand over her smarting nose and uttered a muffled apology. The housekeeper cast a withering look at her and knocked on a new door. Shuffling could be heard from the other side. Then someone whipped open the door with enough force that Hitomi felt the wind from it.

Cornflower eyes glared at them. "What?"

"Lady Merle, this is the new maid, Harriet Kan. I've escorted her here to spend the night." When Merle said nothing, Berta's eyebrows went up. "You do recall agreeing to temporarily house the girl, don't you?"

"Did I?"

"You certainly did."

"Have her come in. Not like I can take back the offer now." The Catgirl pivoted and stalked into her room, her tufted ears twitching.

Berta called her thanks to Merle before her focus snapped back to Hitomi. She bent over her, gray eyes piercing and nostrils flaring as she spoke. "Your trainer will fetch you at six in the morning. Be ready to leave before then. If you're late to orientation, your punishment will be a week of dishwashing for Cook Astor."

Hitomi vigorously nodded her head to demonstrate her understanding.

"Very well then. Good luck tomorrow." Berta smoothed a brunette tendril of hair back into her bun before striding off. The clicking of her shoe heels echoed down the hallway long after the woman herself was gone.

Hitomi put a quivering hand over her eyes. I'll need as much luck as possible if I'm to find the killer before palace life sends me to an early grave.

"Well?" called an irritated Merle. "Are you coming in or not?"

Biting back her usual retort for the sake of the "Harriet," Hitomi shut the door behind her. No sooner had she entered Merle's common room, which was a combination of eating nook and den decorated in shades of daffodil, when sinewy arms swept her up off of her feet. She exclaimed, her body going taut against an unyielding male torso, her feet dangling. A flash of royal blue and familiar flower-scented hair gave away the man's identity, and she immediately relaxed.

When he set her down, she reared back to gaze at the knight's fine-boned face. "Allen!"

"Hello, Hitomi," he said, pleased with himself. They grinned at each other before launching into a second embrace.

"I can't believe it's you!" She broke away from him, her hands on his elbows, and took in his appearance. Aside from the lines grooved into his cheeks, Allen had changed very little: still golden and handsome. He'd grown his already long hair out even more and tied it back in a low, loose ponytail. Like days past, he wore the heavy uniform of the Knights Caeli, which he kept in impeccable condition.

"I should be saying that to you. You've grown into a lovely woman." He fell to one knee and plucked her hand from his arm, his gloves gliding like velvet over her skin. Lifting her knuckles to his mouth, he kissed them, as was his custom.

In the past, such an amorous gesture would've sent her naïve heart thumping and driven her teenage hormones into a frenzy. She knew as an adult, though, that there wasn't any romantic meaning behind it. To Allen, every woman was a princess and so worthy of such consideration, although there was a good deal more affection behind this particular gesture given their shared history.

"Not sure I'd call her that." Merle propped a slim hip against the door and plucked the red, oval file off of her chest. She swiped it across her claws, jiggling the leather cord as she did.

Now in private, Hitomi had no qualms about sticking her tongue out at the other girl, who likewise pulled her own grotesque face.

"We'd given up hope of seeing you again," Allen said, interrupting their squabble.

"'We?'" she asked, curious.

He rose, as elegant as any storybook prince, and clasped her hands in his. "Princess Millerna, Celena, my men, and myself. We assumed that you were living happily on the Mystic Moon."

"Who else would he mean, dummy?" Merle inserted tartly.

"I can't begin to tell you how much I missed you all." Ignoring the Catgirl, Hitomi squeezed Allen's hands back. "I saw Gaddess, Orto, and Reeden recently. I'm glad they passed along my message to you."

"My men know how dear you are to me. I wouldn't miss seeing you again for anything." He presented her with a fetching smile, his teeth perfect as pearls.

"Thank you, though I wish my return was less complicated."

"Hitomi, circumstances are always complicated when it comes to you. I always found it endearing myself." Allen cocked a hip and rested a hand there. "Though I sense there's a good deal you need to fill me in on."

"I'm at a loss as to where I should start." She plopped down onto Merle's marshmallow of a settee.

He sat beside her and crossed his legs at the knee, boots squeaking. "Perhaps the beginning?"

Merle yawned, her canines protruding. "You're both so boring. I'm gonna take a walk."

"May I stay here for a while?" Allen inquired over a shoulder.

"Meh, do whatever you want. Doesn't matter to me." She shrugged dismissively and licked a fluffy wrist on her way out.

Once the door closed after the Catgirl, Hitomi doused for eavesdroppers nearby, and satisfied there were none, she launched into the latest account of the girl from the Mystic Moon.

"""""""

Allen stayed late into the night listening to Hitomi's story, an arm slung across the back of the settee. Most of the time his expression was neutral, though he patted her hand sympathetically during the more difficult parts. But when she mentioned the Daedalians, the knight's demeanor altered entirely. He scowled and tapped his foot in a fierce tempo, a fairy prince radiating murderous vibes. More than once his hand unconsciously searched for his absent sword, his fingers flexing.

"I believe I shall educate that prince on matters of chivalry," he commented in a deceptively calm voice. She'd heard Allen use that tone in the past right before doing something extreme with said sword.

"I'm not sure much can be done against someone of his level." Hitomi wrapped her arms around herself. "Believe me, I saw a little of what he did to other women. I was lucky."

"And let's also add a very thorough, well-deserved lesson in honor."

Shaking her head, she proceeded on with her tale, leaving out the intimate details involving Van and herself, and emphasizing the evolving Demons. When it came to Lucem and Shadow, Allen rubbed his chin thoughtfully, more inquisitive than skeptical; he knew how she attracted the supernatural. She concluded with her small role in Trigornia's alliance and the murderer prowling White Castle.

"In short, you returned to Gaea because of Van." He loosened his cravat with a finger.

She tried to say something and then stopped. Why deny it when it was true?

"I'm not surprised. You two were always connected in a special way." Allen graced her with another smile, this one wistful. "You've had quite the adventure up until now."

"That's one way of looking at it." Hitomi played with a wrinkle in her skirt.

He smoothed a hand over her head, flattening her antenna, and softly said, "I'm sorry you went through so much, both five years ago and now."

"I-I'm fine." Something in her eyes prickled, but she obstinately blinked the sensation away.

"Are you? You're brave, kindhearted, and sincere, but not a very accomplished liar, Hitomi."

"I have to be fine, Allen." She pressed her chin into her sternum, evading his searching eyes.

With a sigh, he broached a new subject. "The leader of the Demons calls itself Shadow?"

"Yes."

"If it's as dangerous as you say, then Van and you were lucky to have escaped from it. Twice now."

"It's planning something...something big."

"I've no doubt it means to tip Gaea back into chaos." His face lost its brotherly concern, became hard and calculating. "It wouldn't be difficult to accomplish that either given the mistrust between the nations after the Great War and the fear of Plague."

It occurred to her just how little she knew about the present Gaea. She traced the flat of the Dragseye's blade with a thumb. "Does Asturia have many Demons?"

Allen gazed at the rotund sunlamp suspended from the ceiling. "Not like Fanelia, no. A few have been sighted along our southern border with Freid, though."

"And Plague?" she asked, hoping to gain some of knowledge of the illness and how widespread it was.

"We've had outbreaks. Mostly isolated villages have contracted the disease, but Palas itself is infection free. In all of Gaea, Freid has had the worst of Plague." He clenched his gloved hands together in his lap, subconsciously giving away his concern for his illegitimate son. "The princesses tried to convince King Ashton to send aid to Chid, but he refused. That's not surprising, though, considering how he betrayed Freid during the war."

She recalled the image of a five-year-old with a heart-shaped face and sensitive blue eyes. I hope that Chid is safe.

They slid back into silence, each digesting the information that'd been imparted. After a few minutes, Hitomi wriggled uncomfortably. Her backside throbbed from how long she'd been seated. Merle's settee was squishy but not supportive. Groaning, she gave in and got up, all the blood rushing down into her legs in a wave of unpleasant stings.

Taking that as a cue, Allen stood as well. "I should go."

"I think so." Her face fell, but she nodded. "I'm sorry. I wish we had more time to talk. I'd love to hear how everyone is doing in Asturia."

"Surely we can arrange to meet again while I'm stationed in Fanelia." He tugged a glove higher up on his hand.

"That may be hard to do with everything going on. I'm supposed to be a castle maid, remember? I won't have as much freedom to come and go."

"A dinner between old friends can't be impossible even with the current circumstances." He bent down and pecked her chastely on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'll speak with Princess Eries and Van."

She covered her cheek with a hand, flabbergasted by the knight's behavior.

The tails of Allen's coat flapped gallantly behind him as he headed for the door. He bowed once more to her, hair molten yellow in the artificial light, before departing. "Good night. I'm truly happy that you're back. And if you should need me for any reason, you have but to call on me."

"""""""

Merle roved through the castle, happy to put some distance between her guests and herself. Allen had shown up on her doorstep soon after she'd arrived back at White Castle, which she'd expected given all the commotion with the Crusaders. He'd done some poking around before Berta intercepted him and tipped him off to Hitomi's location, mostly so their "big plan" wasn't jeopardized.

Truthfully, there wasn't a safer place for them to converse than Merle's apartment; it was well away from Lord Van's suite and the wing housing the harem. And if the killer happened to figure out Hitomi's identity, then it was better to throw the knight into the mix for extra protection.

She didn't begrudge them using her place either. It wasn't like she was sleepy yet. Her head was too full of—everything. The Demons. The wounded Capital. Lord Van.

Especially Lord Van.

Plus, Allen and Hitomi had things to sort out. Much like Lord Van, she hadn't exactly left on the most definitive of terms with the knight five years ago. The weird girl had issues with making boundaries and keeping them.

And it was true, what Merle had told Hitomi. She really would be fine given some time and space. 'The sun will rise tomorrow though the moons set tonight,' she quoted a Fanelian proverb. I gotta move on. No, I will move on.

If only it were so easy.

When Merle passed a storage room, brooding enough to make Lord Van proud, she paused. She inhaled, widening her nostrils to better assess an alien smell. Cats weren't Wolves; her nose wasn't as powerful in what it could pick up. Nevertheless, there was one thing a Cat could always detect, and that was the unmistakable scent of its own kind.

This wasn't the Catgirl's first time crossing paths with another feline, especially not since the onslaught of puberty and her first heat. She'd fended off more than one Tomcat and a number of jealous Mollies. But in this case, she'd never come across another Cat so close to her territory.

Her sable, triangular ears flattened against her skull. I don't like this. It's too suspicious now of all times.

She twisted the metal ring on the storage room door, tracking the odor. She allowed her pupils to expand and vision to adjust before entering. It was a cramped and dusty enclosure with shelves of linens, towels, and cleaning supplies. Her gladiator sandals scuffed the floor as she walked to a single horizontal window. Small and set high in the wall, it was meant to occasionally air out the room and otherwise went forgotten.

She strained on tiptoe and sniffed the window's base, picking up another whiff of the male Cat. Spying an empty wicker hamper, she tipped it over, dragged it just under the window, and climbed up to better investigate. She wobbled on it but caught herself on the sill, tail tip bobbing in concentration. Releasing the window lever, she pulled the glass pane inward, allowing in fresh air. She boosted herself up, rear claws scrabbling on the wall for purchase, and rested half out of the window.

Below her, the wall dropped away to a narrow, flat expanse of roof tiles over a private balcony. It seemed a benign enough surface to walk on, but experience had taught her that those tiles were deceiving. They were smooth and often slick with moisture. The daredevil testing them could easily plummet into the courtyard below.

She assessed the vertical terrain around the window. The silvery-green vines that graced White Palace grew uncontrolled here, with anchor systems winding deep into seams of granite and marble. It was possible to climb up them from the balcony roof and crawl through the storage room window, or vice versa.

Clearly, that was what the Cat had done recently here. The question was: why?

Grabbing a big, twisted branch, she tested the vine's stability before wriggling out of the window and hanging from it. She fully extended her claws, feeling for hand and footholds as much on the plant as in the stone. No one in White Castle knew the secret world of roofs and turrets like she did, which meant she was the ideal candidate to solve the mystery of the interloping Cat.

Like hells you're sneakin' into my turf, especially now, she growled mentally while descending the vine.

"""""""

Since Merle had yet to return, Hitomi showed herself into the guestroom. The chamber was smaller than the one she'd previously resided in. It had matching cream furniture including a dresser with a half vanity mirror and a circular table with a three-legged chair. Set in the wall above a modest bed was a round window with a flower design in canary yellow, opaque white, and navy glass. The door also had a decent-sized lock which she could bolt from the inside for privacy.

Though simple, the room was clean and tidy. Just like in the Wolf village, she felt at ease here.

Her backpack lay across the patchwork quilt on the bed. She checked for her remaining Earth possessions: the bit of rope, her two university textbooks, her treasured photographs, the flashlight, and her emergency kit. Only, oddly enough, the flashlight was missing. She rooted around in the bag and discovered a new stock of Gaean toiletry items, but no flashlight. Giving up, she concluded that the tool had likely been poached. I only hope whoever took it doesn't know who I am.

Her eyes alighted on a banged up, nut-brown steam trunk shoved into a corner. She padded across the floor and knelt in front of it. Flicking the rusty latches, she opened the top with a squeak. A rainbow assortment of garments, shoes, jewelry, and her work uniforms was inside. She picked up a beautiful shawl of lacy latticework, and though it smelled of age, she could tell it was of a costly make.

She found a scrap of beige parchment mixed in with the clothes. Someone had written in precise, cursive strokes: This is a collection of castoffs from many sources. Much of it once belonged to my sister. Do with them as you will.

Hitomi trailed her fingers appraisingly over a silky blouse embroidered with sapphire peacocks. The phantom image of her pendant swept across the field of her mind, bringing with it a sepia flash of Trigornia. It surprised her enough that she gasped. Stuffing the shawl back into the trunk, she slammed the lid down.

What did the spymaster mean by giving her all this stuff, some of it from a dead woman? She shuddered at the morbid thought. Tomorrow she'd puzzle through everything. Right now she'd better get what rest she could.

She left her earrings and tarot cards on the dresser. For a moment, she considered doing the same for the pendant, but she loathed parting with it despite its chilly, coal dark surface. Retreating to the bed, she shimmied into a nightgown and undergarments that had already been laid out for her there. Her castoff clothes she wadded into a ball and chucked carelessly onto the floor. Climbing into bed, she set the dagger beside her on the mattress and tugged the bedcovers up over her. As she reclined back, she encountered a sizeable lump beneath her pillow. Frowning, she rotated onto her side and yanked out a twine-wrapped bundle.

Curiosity won over sleep. Picking apart the twine with her nails, she unrolled the coarse cloth to reveal an oiled, dark honey-colored sheath with a belt attachment. The scent of new leather wafted off of it. The back of it had a protruding clip and leather cords to secure it in place. It was an obvious replacement for the Dragseye's lost original one.

Groping for the dagger, she slid it into the sheath with a soft hiss of metal, the blade perfectly nestled there, the ruby-eye reticent. Where on Gaea had the sheath come from? This time, to her chagrin, no vision answered her.

"""""""

To Be Continued

"""""""

Hello, all! My message will be brief this time, since much is happening on my side. I hope that everyone is doing well and that life for you all is fantastic. Thank you for continuing to be interested in this crazy story despite its immense length and random update schedule. *many hugs!*

Speaking of updates, I committed to churning out a reasonably timed chapter this once, and after a month and a half, I'm happy to be posting it. Yay!

A huge "shout out" to the patient reviewers from the last chapter: M M Forever, Guest, Nimouway, Saiiwa, and thepinkmartini. : D : )