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Chapter 76: Forward Step By Step

Jayce knocked on the door only entering when given entrance. "Good afternoon have a late night studying I see."

"Please hold the wit until I'm properly awake." Hermione groaned.

Chuckling she stepped back out, "Hurry up, maybe this time we'll have more luck finding you a new wand."

Two hours later Jayce found herself waiting and watching paitently as Hermione tried another wand from their first stop. New Orleans had a plethora of wand sellers apparently but Jayce figured the witch would find a new wand eventually.

"I think that's enough for now." Hermione cleared her throat cringing at the mess she made with just the flick of that last one.

"I have more let me get a few more options out."

Both watched him leave to the back but Jayce couldn't help but notice the already tired look of the witch. "Don't tell me you've given up already?"

"It's not that…its just well I know technically my wand is lost but it isn't dead." There was a pause and then, "I'm sorry I know that sounds-"

"Perfectly fine, I get it wands are connected to their owners very much alive in a sense of mutual existence. If we could go back and get it I'd take you there but we can't a substitute will have to do."

"It's the same with your weapons." Hermione commented as memory of her reading Skyler's old tomes came to surface as well as another memory, "I remember that day in the tomb when you first came to help us, when seeing the sword Skyler carried."

Deciding it best to answer Jayce did, no sense in denying the truth. "Yes, though from what I understand the wand chooses the wizard or so the saying goes…we make ours with our own hands."

Before Hermione could ask her next question the wand seller returned and so her focus did too for another wand. As the day drug on so did Hermione's hope of finding a decent replacement, having already gone through three stores, Jayce decided it was time to call it for now being as the sun was beginning to set and the curfew would be going into effect soon. Only those on watch allowed to wander the emptying streets.

"Jayce…" She hummed in reponse, "Forgive me if Im over stepping but the sword Skyler carried when she was with Jenna it matches your own, it belonged to some one else didn't it."

Not answering right away Jayce waited until they walked through the threshold of Marie's home, "It did…my sister."

"So you had more then just Skyler and the twins."

"Looks like Marie's still in her workshop and the others are still out."

"Then I guess I'll leave you until our watch."

With a sigh she halted the witch, "Wait…I apologize for deflecting but I've only ever talked to Diana about this. Its something I still find myself struggling with."

"I get it, but you don't have to talk about things that hurt if you don't want to."

"I think I've done that long enough." Jayce motioned for the younger woman to follow her. Leading the way to her room Jayce motioned for the witch to take a seat while she went to pull something from her bag as she did she began. "Before Skyler and the twins there were four of us. Reagan the eldest, Adrian, Jayden and myself…Jayden was my twin older by three minutes. Nash is the first son my mother's had."

"I take it you were all close in age to remember them?"

Jayce chuckled nodding, "Reagan was five years older then us and Adrian two…but we all got a long well enough fought like cats and dogs but we loved each other." She took a moment to gather herself as memories of her childhood and the smiles and laughter of her sisters rung in her ears, but they were always followed by tragedy. "Reagan being the eldest was my mother's golden child, growing up where and when we did Reagan as the oldest had responsibilities the rest of us wouldn't. She took to it naturally…it suited her…but when the time of her Ascension came, she wasn't strong enough. When she woke up she'd woken up in a blood rage…we all had to watch as my mother ended her suffering." Having finally found it she turned holding the bracelet in her open palm. Tapping the runed covered bead it glowed before a holographic type image appeared. Reagan was the spitting image of their mother though younger with a small mixture of features from their father she could have been Isis incarnate.

"She looks just like Isis…but her face is kinder." At this the figure smalled in kind to prove those words…

"She was my big sister…" Jayce cleared her throat not wanting to succumb to her emotions yet, "She was everything my mother had asked for and more the only one ready and willing to handle the duty given. After she died…my mother's attention turned toward Adrian. They were three years apart but with out knowing it you'd have thought them fraternal twins with the way they acted. Adrian did what was asked of her if only to save face…on the night of her ascension she had come to see us, she was always the quiet one only ever speaking when she felt the need to…so it surprised us when she talked as much as she did though it was more reminiscing" Tapping the stone again another face appeared the prominent black hair though where as Reagan had it styled in neat inticrate braids that fit her regal demeanor, Adrian had her crown braided, top part pulled into the braid that trailed down but the bottom half of her hair hung loose. She also appeared to carry more features of their father though traces of Isis still there. "She denied herself…and didn't wake…" moving to tap the bead once more Jayce hesitated a moment but tapped it.

Hermione was met with a face very much like the one sitting across from her, but the differences between them apparent Jayced looked reserved and more calculative much like her mother, where as the face being shown was bright and full of life with a bright smile, dimples showing proudly (they all share the same smile) Hermione thought. Their eyes opposite of each other, where Jayce had a silver and green mix her twin had green mixed with gold. Hair long and left to fall loosely with a single braid within those thick waves…a small beauty mark beneath the left eye where as Jayce had a half moon scar beneath the right…

"This is Jayden…she was…everything I'm not. Sometimes I think she was a mix of all of us even Skyler…or at least the way she was before the war." Jayce began quietly, "When we lost Adrian her sights as you can guess turned to us…where Jayden excelled I failed…everything came pretty natural to her even when she didn't get it right the first time she always managed to learn one way or another. She strived to live her life the way she wanted, even under my mother's wing….and she was loved for it. Obviously our mother favored her more then me, but it didn't matter, I had Jayde…when it came to our ascension everyone assumed she would take both spirits…so it came as a surprise when we both made it though where I took the dragon she took the phoenix."

"Is that normal during twins' ascension?"

"Well normally one would only take a single essence…so yes." Jayce sighed moving to sit on the floor.

"Did it bother you? That your mother favored Jayden over you?"

"In the beginning it did…but she always showed me that no matter what it was both of us or none of us. She loved life and lived it to the fullest…she had this stupid habit of bugging me just to get me to smile…she always said no matter how bad the day goes there's always a chance to smile."

There was a moment of silence and Hermione watched Jayce, finding that she was lost to her memories of her family. After a minute or so in silence she spoke, "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Don't you want me to finish? Tell you how she died…"

"I think maybe that is for another time." Hermione answered softly, "You and Skyler are the same when it comes to things that hurt so I won't push you to talk." She smiled empathetically, "Although I have to wonder why you four look much more like your mother? Although Adrian I assume looks more like your father with traces of your mother? Yet Skye looks like neither."

"How do you know we all have the same father?"

"I don't."

"We do." Jayce chuckled, "B-"

"Sorry to interrupt you two are up for watch earlier then expected." Reyna cut in from the doorway, both Vajirian and witch looking to her curiously, "There was a small scuffle but the patrol handled it but a little bit of reinforcement won't hurt tonight if that's what we're to expect."

x-x-x

Sending out a burst of flames Skyler felt herself stumble to her knees, magic never being her strong suit so using as much as she has was draining. She applauded Hermione for her use in it especially now… "Get up pup!" Gritting her teeth Skyler moved to her feet, the large spider queen was as battle worn as them but still they kept at it.

"Its just us now!" Yelled Jade who had both wand and sword drawn. Despite her will to keep going Skyler could see the tiredness in those blue eyes, how her body sagged just the slightest from the wear and tear, both of them covered in dirt, blood, and webbing. Clothes singed, torn and dirty.

With shaking hands Skyler called forth her magic and blue flames engulfed her hands,the spider hissed at her clicking menacingly. "Finish it you eight legged freak." She hissed back before they both charged at each other. Jumping at the last moment Skyler was abled to land atop the spider grabbing hold of her exoskeleton using her strength she pulled. The spider reared back but Skye kept at it hearing a satisfying snap just before being knocked off.

Skidding to a stop she turned just in time to watch Jade stun the arachnind closing in on her exposed belly. Stumbling to her feet Skyler rushed again and jumped making sure to knock the spider on her back. Jade gave the finishing blow as the spider let loose one last cry before curling in on itself. Both slumped to their knees looking to each other momentarily…before they wore matching grins.

"I…fucking hate spiders." The Vajirian chuckled.

"Same."

Taking the moment to catch their breaths they both had the curiousness to inspect the queen's dead body. "So how'd you know about the venom?" Jade asked cleaning her blade.

"I ran into a gnome. Thought it was you wrapped in a cacoon…apparently we're in spider territory. The white ones like her are the ones to worry about..."

"Now we know why." The lycan snorted shaking her head. "Are you okay you used a lot of magic and that one stabbed you with its legs."

Looking down to her side Skyler noted the hole ripped into her shirt from the sharpened spider leg of the guard spider. Jade moved to take a look herself only to find unblemished skin from the attack.

"You aren't a normal beast like me are you."

It wasn't a question, but Skyler answered with a shake of her head, "I'll tell you more later lets just get the hell out of here."

Despite the fatigue from the fight the air set off in a light jog Skyler leading the way, though she was unsure about how unnerving the silence was compared to the clicking from when she entered either way the nest they were in was creepy and she had no doubt Jade, Marvim, and Asha would feel a whole lot better away from this place.

As they exited Skyler was met with the sight of Marvim fending of a few of the small tunnel stalker creatures away with a torch. She growled causing the small creatures to scurry off and the gnome to turn surprised at her triumphant return. "Y-you did it?!"

"How's Asha?"

"Not as bad as before but without you I'd no way of getting her to the outpost let alone Merchants Peak."

"Are you saying there's civilization down here?"

"They really don't teach much up there do they?"

Slinging their bags and picking Asha up Skyler cut in before the conversation could go on any longer here. "Look Jade this is Marvim, he helped me learn a little more about the tunnels and whats down here. He says there's an outpost not far from so we can restock and head back up to the surface." She turned to the gnome, "Lead the way the sooner we leave the faster we'll be able to rest with out having to worry about getting eaten for a night."

"How soon can we make it to this out post?"

Marvim adjusted the strap to his own bag, "Considering where we're half a day a full one if we stop to rest."

"Fuck that we keep moving, the sooner we can regroup the sooner we can get back to Aaron and the others, lead the way Professor."

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