To borrow from one of my favorite wizards, we come now to the deep breath before the plunge...
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-Five: Where Mountains are Scaled and Lost Things are Found
Nikolai would be happy if he never had to travel by wind again.
Oskar set them all down as gently as he could, the poor kid exhausted after having to bear most of the travel after the earthquake, but Nikolai still had to fight the urge to vomit the moment his feet touched down a little roughly and his equilibrium adjusted itself. He closed his eyes for several moments after, taking in deep, centering breaths until the nausea faded and he could open his eyes without fear of becoming dizzy. Matthias, of course, looked just fine, like he always did.
Fire and Wind had an affinity for each other and he was clapping Oskar proudly on the back and earning a bright, if tired, smile from the youngest of their family. Berwald also looked fine, his element a steadying force within him which made flight bearable, his face serious as he looked out over the Barrens calmly.
Tino was fine in the air, his element just as steady as Berwald's, but the moment his touched down, he had groaned and swayed, leaning into Berwald to, ah, ground himself. Nikolai looked at him in concern, which was waved off, unsurprisingly.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tino said, looking about as close to retching as Nikolai had moment before.
"Not very convincing, Tino," Matthias chimed in, heading over to Tino with his arm around Oskar. He reached out his other arm for Nikolai, who stared at it for a moment before taking the firebrand's hand. Nikolai could see Oskar grin even bigger when he saw their clasped hands and Nikolai rolled his eyes at him.
Oskar really needed a different hobby other than being too overly invested in his and Matthias' relationship.
"No, I am, I just…" Tino trailed off before he shook his head and gave them all a wan smile. "I was not expecting it to be so bad. The earth."
"N't g'd?" Berwald bit out?
"No, not good at all. Terrible in fact." Tino frowned as he looked out over the Barrens, which from Nikolai's perspective, was much more colorful and alive looking than he would have expected from a place so distinctly named. "All of this, it's, well it's hard to describe exactly, but everything we see here, it's forced. Wrong. Fighting with what's underneath, which is also wrong and corrupted."
Tino shook his head and did not let go of Berwald's arm.
"Honestly, it's making me feel a little loopy."
"Unbalanced?" Nikolai asked flatly.
Tino laughed a little and shrugged.
"So," Matthias said after a moment. "What are we supposed to do now? We're here, in the Barrens, looking out at a bunch of freakishly magical looking flowers and trees and about to get into a big old brawl…should I start lighting things on fire?"
"Matthias," Nikolai sighed.
"No," Berwald grunted.
"That would be wicked," Oskar laughed.
"What? It's a legitimate question?" Matthias defended, glaring at Berwald before giving Nikolai a beseeching look. "Tino said all this plant life is unnatural and wrong! Maybe I need to torch it."
Nikolai stared at him in disdain before Tino spoke up. "Honestly, if I thought it would help, I would tell you too. But it's not just here, it's all across the Barrens. And I think if we added more magic and energy to the already volatile mix, things could just get worse."
Oskar looked around and then shrugged out of Matthias' hold. "Then, what are we supposed to do now?"
Tino smiled at him. "I think we wait."
Matthias groaned. "Are you kidding? End of the world and we're early?!"
"Looks that way," Tino beamed. Next to him, Berwald returned the happy smile with a more sedate one.
"Figures," Nikolai huffed.
It only took them another day to cross into Ruthenia.
After a journey that had taken months on sea and months on land, they had finally crossed over into the homeland of Ivan Braginski and were about to raid his mountain stronghold. No one was at the border when they approached, the entire country line abandoned and desolate. Arthur understood though—he would not see much point in monitoring the borders of Ruthenia from this entry point, not when the KauKhasis mountains did such a thorough job of deterring travelers. There was a path through the mountains they could take the horses and caravan through, and according to Yao's Guiding Spell, Matthew was in this same direction, so they followed it for three days, their travel slow going, when finally, the mountain peak Arthur had seen in Spandow appeared before them.
Strobilus was easily identifiable by the curved peak and its height. While it did not obscenely tower over the other mountains, it certainly was noticeably taller than its brethren. The thought of having to climb it was daunting.
According to the records they could find, the average travel time up the mountain was twelve hours from the trailhead to the peak. They thought it was likely Ivan's base was somewhere around the mid to upper midpoint, as the peak was to narrow and jagged to establish anything livable. They would be hiking up snowy, rocky terrain as quietly, as stealthily as possible, even if Ivan seemed to know they were on their way to him, and while some in their party were experienced climbers, Arthur was not among them, but he had determination and the stubborn moxie of a man set on avenging the wrongs done to him and others.
Eight months since his voice had been stolen and now, Arthur was finally here, ready to have his apparent 'showdown' with Ivan and prove who was to come out on top. Arthur shivered from atop his horse, and it had nothing to do with the winter chill that had surrounded them the moment they crossed into Ruthenia.
"Ugh, this country is the worst," Feliks chimed in from beside Arthur, misunderstanding his shiver as weather related. Alfred has riding up at the front today and Sadiq and Alejandro were both in the rear to protect Yao more easily should they encounter any more of Ivan's agents.
Yao, who was awake and alive, but in no condition to trek up a dangerous mountain.
"Winter can not be terrible, but totally not here. It's, like, all the worst parts of winter, all the time," Feliks continued from beside Arthur.
Arthur shrugged noncommittally. Britannia, being an island, was mostly temperate during the winter. They got rain more than anything else. He could count on one hand the number of times they got truly bad winter weather and were snowed in. Feliks threw a bored look Arthur's way and sighed.
"You know, it's a real drag trying to hold a conversation with people who can't or won't respond."
Alejandro ignored Feliks, to no one's surprise.
Arthur shrugged again, this time in a helpless 'what can you do' fashion.
Sadiq huffed, his breath puffing out white in front of him. "If you haven't noticed, pipsqueak, we are busy trudging through mud-caked ground on how way to dispose of a despot."
Feliks rolled his eyes and pulled up beside Sadiq. "Uh, yeah, I noticed, but that totally doesn't mean we have to be so bored back here. I'm starting to miss the kissy faces Alfred threw towards Eyebrows here, at least that was somewhat entertaining."
Sadiq grumbled under his breath. Arthur was sure it was vehement disagreement with Feliks' choice of entertainment. Before Feliks could pester Sadiq again, their friendship a strange one for sure, they heard Seychelles whistle sharply and then Esther, fully healed, was bringing her horse about into their rear formation.
"Oh thank the gods, are we finally here?" Feliks asked loudly.
"Yes, Seychelles sent Basch ahead and he spotted the trailhead. The guiding spell the sorcerer made for us continues pointing up the trail—Basch said it's gotten warmer and brighter as we've approached."
"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Sadiq asked.
"The trail is narrow, we can't get the caravan through," Esther explained. "Basch spotted a clearing just up ahead, about a half mile from the trail, Seychelles thinks we should set up camp there."
She turned and headed back to the front and they all followed until they arrived at the flat, empty space Basch had found for them. They all went about their usual tasks to establish their camp and after Arthur put up some of the tents, Seychelles asked if he could set up one large tent, using the caravan and some of the extra materials they now had from Yao, as a base of operations. Arthur did so once Yao had been helped from the caravan, supported by both Francis and Kiku, setting up something like what he had done in their last camp. Once everyone was done, and Yao was settled in a makeshift medical ward Kiku set up in the corner, Seychelles called everyone inside the larger tent. Alfred found Arthur immediately, sliding in next to him and giving him a bracing grin.
"All right," Seychelles started. "So, we're here."
She paused as some of the group let out cheers at that, a smile cracking her face as well. It was a momentous occasion, Arthur thought, and he would probably be just as excited as the rest if there was not so much riding on him. "The mountain climb is going to take us nearly a whole day, and that's assuming we don't encounter any trouble. Unfortunately, Master Yao cannot scale a mountain in his condition. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of just leaving him and all of our supplies here for Ivan to send a raiding party to blindside us, especially when we have confirmation that he tried to have him assassinated."
Yao was sitting up in his cot, Kiku nearby, and watching them with a blank expression.
"So, what does that mean, Captain?" Rosa asked.
"It means, I need volunteers to stay behind and help guard Yao and the camp," Seychelles said, a grimace on her face. The fact that the volunteers could not be Arthur or Alfred, as they were obviously going to be needed offensively against Ivan and there was no way in hell Alfred wasn't going after his brother, or Gilbert and Esther, as they were the two with the most mountain climbing experience, went unsaid. However, Arthur also knew none of the rest of their group wanted to even consider sitting this assault out. Not after all their searching.
Seychelles knew it too. "I know everyone here as just as much cause to go after Ivan as the other. But, if we succeed, but then are stranded here without supplies, it will be a waste of our story. I want us to call go back home after this, wherever home is."
There were agreeing nods around the camp, but no one spoke up to volunteer. Seychelles got that pinched expression she always did whenever she was frustrated, but then Francis took her hand, placed a gentle kiss on the back of her palm, and smiled at the group.
"Ah, c'est la vie, I will probably only be a hinderance for you, mon amies," Francis said dramatically. "The horrible light in this place casts everything into shadows and I have been having a hard time as it is 'seeing' my way around. I know it will only become worse as we go up that misérable mountain. So, I shall volunteer to stay behind. I am not completely blind down here yet and can defend our injured magicien if needed."
Seychelles looked torn but ultimately nodded in agreement as Francis did make sense to stay behind. Ever since the darkened sky settled over them, starting in Bulgar and worsening in Ruthenia, he had been having a hard time navigating the shadows he could still see. Up on that mountain, he would struggle even more. Francis smiled and gave Seychelles a flirtatious wink.
"You will just have to bear without my magnifique self, ma chérie," Francis purred, which inspired a laugh out of their captain as she shook her head fondly at the blind man.
"Somehow, I think we'll survive," Seychelles quipped back. She looked back around at the group. "Anyone else?"
"I will stay," Kiku said, holding vigil over Yao's form. "Yao-sama is much improved, but he still needs care. I can also set up stations for additional medical attention, for when it is necessary."
Seychelles nodded at Kiku. "Thank you, Kiku. I appreciate you staying behind with Francis. All right, the rest of us are heading out first thing tomorrow, before dawn, so make sure your packs and gear are ready and get some dinner and sleep tonight. We're going to need it."
The group dispersed then, Arthur lingering back and waving Alfred on when he gave him a questioning look. Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you. I just need to speak with Yao briefly.
Alfred did not look enthused, but he nodded and left without complaint. Then it was just Yao and Kiku in the tent, with Kiku busying himself setting up cots to give Arthur privacy. Arthur spared a small smile for Kiku, appreciating the Kitsune's thoughtfulness, before he turned to face Yao, his smile dropping into a neutral expression.
Can you read my lips, or do I really need to get my tablet? Arthur asked, eyebrow raised.
"I can understand you just fine, Mr. Kirkland," Yao replied softly. "The tablet has never been necessary."
Arthur fought the urge to throw up his hands in frustration, because of course Yao had always been able to bloody well understand him and took heart in the irritated scoff Kiku let out. Arthur looked over and smirked at Kiku's abashed face for a moment before Kiku bustled out of the tent to give him actual privacy for a moment. Yao's face was drawn and stoic when Arthur turned back, too tired, and heartsick, to summon up the veneer of regret at the admission.
Right, well, I suppose I just wanted to tell you that, despite my reservations about my Voice, you were correct. Arthur crossed his arms over his chest and met those old, golden eyes head on. There really wasn't much of a difference in using it against a person in practice, just in how it felt to me. I'll bear that in mind when I—when I confront Ivan.
Yao nodded and inhaled sharply, remorse coloring his face briefly for a moment. "For what it is worth, I am sorry for my role in what is happening. In Ivan."
Arthur nodded, but did not have much of anything else to say, and certainly was not in the mood to accept any apologies, so he inclined his head in farewell, making his way out of the tent.
"Arthur," Yao called, voice weak and reedy, but the use of his first name catching Arthur more than anything else. "Magic, in any form, is ultimately about a give and take, the push and pull of the world around us, manifested in the Balance itself. To bring it forth, you must know what you are willing to give in return and then look for the simplest approach."
Arthur cocked his head at the last-minute advice, his words playing déjà vu in Arthur's memory. Kiku told me something similar, in Stamboul. That it is us who complicate matters and look for complicated solutions, when most often, it is the simplest solution that is needed.
"Then you should remember the advice, when it is time to bring your full Talent to bear," Yao returned, and then said no more. He settled back down into his cot and closed his eyes, leaving Arthur with more of his riddles and cryptic advice.
The rest of the afternoon and night was a blur of preparation, choking down food Arthur could barely taste, and too little sleep. That night, a restlessness shared between him and Alfred left them both silently staring at one another for most of the night, each maybe dozing off in small intervals before they rose before the sun the next morning. Alfred, too consumed with finding and rescuing his brother and confronting Ivan, and Arthur too consumed with the daunting task ahead of him, both with Ivan and in his promise to the Fey for either of them to find much rest. There was comfort shared with each other though, the steady in and out of one another's breath and they laid curled towards each other on the floor of their tent. Arthur clung to it and hoped they would both have these moments after whatever came to pass happened.
Francis and Kiku saw them off that morning; Francis said his goodbyes by snogging the life out of Seychelles and giving supportive farewells to the crew, hugging Gilbert and Alfred bracingly while Kiku gave each person a bag of medicinal herbs he had made for them. He hugged Alfred and lingered with Arthur after he pressed the bag of herbs into his hands.
"You will be able to do what is necessary, Arthur-san," he said, fierce in his own way, dark eyes unwavering and full of faith. "I know it."
Then, surprising Arthur, Kiku gave him a similar hug that he had shared with Alfred, head ducking down as he stepped back to stand beside Francis.
"We'll be back before you guys know it!" Alfred called out as they turned up and began their hike towards the trailhead, smile bright and confident. Arthur glanced back only once at the pair of them before they crested out of sight and then focused on the path forward.
The reached the trailhead to the path up the Strobilus just as the slightly light grey sky of dawn began to creep over the horizon and got into their formation. Esther and Alfred up front, the former serving as their main navigator up and the latter holding the tracker spell for his brother which was acting as their compass. Then came Seychelles, Rosa, Arthur, Feliks and Basch, holding the middle of their group as the ones with least experience with climbing. Alejandro and Sadiq brought up their rear guard, hauling most of the heavier supplies between the pair of them in addition to their own weapons. And in the back was Gilbert; as he had the most experience with mountaineering, he was chosen to take the rear most position to ensure anyone who struggled was not left behind.
"This is how wolves do it," Gilbert had crowed as they got into position. "The most awesome wolf of the pack hangs back to help any of the lame or sickly ones."
"Shut up, Gilbert!" Basch had yelled while Gilbert snickered and ignored him.
That had been hours ago though. Now, after trudging uphill through snow and mud with bitter winds whipping at them, and visibility getting worse the further they went, even Gilbert lost the energy to joke. Alfred had confirmed the guiding spell had started to vibrate as they continued up, letting them know they were getting closer to Matthew, but even he sounded exhausted after several hours of strenuous hiking and cold, wind-whipped skin. They stopped when they had to, break for water or eat something to restore their energy, but other than that, it was a monotonous, grueling trudge up an unforgiving mountain that had Arthur longing for it to end, even if that meant Ivan was waiting for them at the top.
About six hours after they had started their hike, Basch keeping track of the time with his pocket watch, Seychelles estimated they should be about halfway up Strobilus. The air certainly felt thin enough to support that assumption, but it wasn't until Alfred checked the guiding spell and saw that it was now glowing bright in addition to vibrating that they felt that was true. After a brief break, they began again and as they turned a corner on one of the switchbacks, bringing a new face of the mountain into view, that was when they saw it.
There, nestled not that much higher and further away than where they were, was what appeared to be a castle carved into the mountainside. It actually—it looked like the castle in the fairytale Lily had pointed out. Arthur shook his head in disbelief at either the fact the fairytale might have actually been based in truth or someone had made this castle as a replica for the fairytale. Both ideas were ludicrous.
Seychelles held up her hand and called for them to stop and gather around, their trail currently wide enough to support them all. She waited until Gilbert caught up before pulling down the buff covering her face to help protect it from the wind. "Ok, we're fairly confident that's Ivan's hide-out. The spell is going crazy and it's a literal castle on this gods forsaken mountain."
"So, what's the plan?" Alfred asked.
Seychelles looked back over her shoulder at the castle with her one eye, a critical furrow to her brows cataloging their options. "Esther, does that castle look to have two entrances? I think I see two archways."
Esther grabbed the spyglass from her pack and examined the castle. "Yes, one on the northern side and another on the southern facing side. The southern entrance is closest to us, but there is a route to the northern entrance. The trail forks up ahead."
Seychelles looked deep in thought for another few minutes before Feliks stepped forward and nodded to her. They stared at one another, having some sort of silent conversation before she nodded and turned so he could dig into her pack. A few moments later, he pulled out what looked like two copies of the castle's layouts, the one Arthur had made Dmitri complete and a second that Seychelles had been working on for the past few nights. Feliks looked at Alfred and took the tracker spell from him, exchanging it for one of the blueprints.
"We need to split up," Feliks announced, face stony. "Seychelles and I, like, discussed this earlier. Ivan totally knows we're coming, his spy confessed as much, but he doesn't know when or how—this is so our opportunity to gain back our element of surprise. We don't know how many of his crazies he's got in there, but I do know it we ambush them from both sides, cut off their escape routes, we can totally take advantage of their confusion."
"Yes, but that only works if we time it correctly," Basch provided.
Seychelles grinned darkly. "You're right. Which is why we are going to coordinate our attack to midnight tonight. Basch, you can keep track with one group and—does anyone else have a timepiece?"
"I do—it was my cousin's." Sadiq stepped forward, his face hard and eyes grim. Seychelles nodded, eyes sympathetic; Feliks' reached out and patted Sadiq's arm in comfort, which he surprisingly allowed. Arthur once again marveled at their unlikely friendship.
Seychelles clapped her hands. "All right, then, if we all agree, groups will be split up as follows. I'll take Basch, Alejando, Rosa and Gilbert up to the northern entrance and we'll use the spell tracker to make sure we don't get turned around on the longer path. Esther, you lead Alfred, Arthur, Sadiq and Feliks up to the southern entrance. You guys have a shorter trip by the looks of it, but that entrance also looks like the main one. You'll likely need more rest."
"So, go our separate ways, wait until the clock strikes midnight, raise all hell and meet in the middle?" Gilbert summarized, a manic look playing across his face. "I like it."
"Me too," Rosa crowed.
Seychelles and Feliks looked around and gave anyone a chance to voice a dissent, but Arthur was not surprised when no one spoke up. It was a good plan. Better than any other plan they could come up with at this point anyways, and any chance at surprising Ivan was something they had to take advantage of.
"Good—everyone in my group, let's go. Gilbert, take point," Seychelles barked. She hung back and let the rest of her group file after Gilbert before she turned and gave the rest of them a fierce grin. "Wait a bit until we disappear from your line of sight. Then continue and take the fork to the right. We'll see you all on the other side at midnight."
And with that, she followed her team. Arthur watched them until they faded from sight and then looked to Esther and Alfred.
"Let's go," Esther said, taking point while Alfred motioned for Arthur to fall into place behind her. Feliks and Sadiq fell behind Arthur, leaving Alfred to take up the rear position.
They trekked steadily up the mountain, sticking to the tree line as much as possible for additional cover for anyone who might be on look-out. Esther had checked several times with her spyglass and had not seen anyone, but they all knew Ivan had Talents at his disposal that could keep watch through other means. Every step forward through the bitter chill and snow-covered ground felt heavy. Not because Arthur was tired (though that was also true), but because with every step they took, they were that much closer to their inevitable confrontation with Ivan. Arthur felt nerves come and go as they scaled their path, buzzing like bees in his stomach one moment and then fading into fiery determination the next. He knew he was not the only one feeling this way.
A few hours later by Sadiq's timepiece, they could see the southern entrance of the stronghold clearly, no more than five hundred meters or so from their position in the trees. Esther had broken them from the main path some time ago and had guided them mostly through skill and luck to their current spot, overlooking the main trail they had been on as it led up to the castle door. They would not find a better position, Esther had told them, and they had all agreed this was the best place to wait for nightfall and midnight to approach to coordinate their assault with Seychelles' team. Arthur had practically collapsed on a fallen tree stump, his exhaustion more pronounced now that he was not moving. Alfred sat down heavily next to him and offered him some jerky, which Arthur took with a grateful smile.
They all took turns resting, each trading off keeping watch so that the others could try and catch some sort of sleep before night fell. Arthur had volunteered to take the last and longest shift, knowing he would not be able to sleep anyway. Honestly, the only one of their group who did seem to get any actual sleep was Sadiq, face cool and collected in repose, as if this was just another day, not the rest of their lives. Arthur envied his confidence—his nerves were back in full force and he had to forcible tamp down the nervous jitter from his legs and hands.
As night finally fell, Sadiq's timepiece indicating it was past nine, they all had given up any pretense of resting and ate some jerky and bread to replenish energy they had expended climbing. Feliks had pulled out a flask of some sort of liquor from his pack, a mischievous smile on his face, offering it to the group. Sadiq declined, but the rest of them took swigs, Arthur grateful for the burn the alcohol sent down his throat and to his stomach, warming him up despite the cold. They stayed quiet for a spell, Sadiq updating them on the time every half hour or so, passing around Feliks' flask, taking small sips, no one willing to be anything other than alert and ready for Ivan.
Ten-thirty now.
"You know," Esther began, her face a little flushed in the moonlight. "I don't know if I've ever told anyone this before, but I really hate mountain climbing."
Arthur smiled as Feliks and Alfred let out quiet laughs. Sadiq even huffed in amusement.
"I'm serious!" Esther continued, a smile of her own softening his normally stiff face. "We have to, as part of our training, and of course I had missions which required me to do so, but I've always hated it. Give me an open field any day—all this trudging up, up, up, bah! It is not for me."
"It is the worst," Feliks chimed in. "I totally hated every bit of today."
"I don't know, it's not that bad!" Alfred contributed. "I mean, the scenery here is kinda awful, but normally, you get great views and stuff."
Alfred looked over at Arthur, looking for some sort of agreement. Arthur smirked and shook his head, causing Feliks and Esther to both clap their hands softly in victory.
"Really, Artie?"
It's been horrible. Give me a good book any day. I can see the views in pictures, thank you.
"Oh, you're no fun. It's way better seeing it in person than in a smelly old book!"
"My quivering ass cheeks so don't agree with you, Al," Feliks butt in.
"Oi! The last thing I want to hear about is any part of your anatomy, pipsqueak," Sadiq threw at Feliks. "You uncouth heathen."
Feliks rolled his eyes but smiled at Sadiq, who returned the friendly gesture. "Your loss, I'm totally flexible, you know, when I haven't been savaged by a damn mountain."
That got Sadiq to bark out a laugh and Arthur could not help but stare—he could not recall seeing that expression on the large warrior's face before. "You are hopeless, I will pray for you."
They subsided into an easy silence for a time.
Eleven now.
"What's the first thing you're gonna do after we kick Braginski's ass?" Alfred asked. At the groans he scoffed. "Oh come on, I know we've done this before, but Feliks wasn't there! Plus, we're on the eve of battle!"
Esther rolled her eyes. "Fine! I am going to run. Run for as far as I can. I have had enough boats and caravans to last me a lifetime."
She went quiet and then her eyes softened as she got a faraway look on her face. "I'm also going to see my family. It has been so long since I—they had a hard time understanding why I took the theft of my Talent so hard. I am the first Talentborn in my family in three generations, they do not know how much it defines you. Still, I miss them. I would like to see them, and home, again, for longer than a pitstop visit."
"I want to go home too," Alfred shared. He spared Arthur a small, private smile before he continued. "I miss everyone back home, and with Mattie—I know he must miss it too. I want to spend like the next three summers back home and do nothing but lounge around the farm and swim in the lake that's outside our stables. And show Arthur here around a bit if he wants too."
Arthur felt his face heat and he nodded, the nervous bees back in his stomach.
Alfred grinned. "But yeah. Home sounds good."
"You two are disgusting, and not for the reason Sadiq is thinking," Feliks teased. Sadiq grunted but did not say anything further, his face unperturbed by Alfred's romantic overtures, more resigned to having to deal with them than anything else. He really had come a long way in the past few months. "But that totally suits both of you. I can so see you both, like, retiring to some boring, domestic life in the county."
"Hey!" Alfred exclaimed, mock offended. Arthur scowled and smacked at Feliks' arm, who looked even more amused. "Well, what about you? You've got your own love quest going on, right?"
"Toris and I are nothing like you two," Feliks defended. "But fine, yes. After we bury Ivan Braginski, metaphorically or not I'm not fucking picky, sure, I'd like to totally stop travelling all the time and hiding out in super shady hostels."
"With Toris?" Alfred pressed.
"Ugh, fine, yes. Kind of up to him you know, though. Like, he's been a literal captive for years." Feliks paused and his voice went contemplative and sad. "I don't even know if he's going to want to, like, see me. I can't imagine what his life has been like for all this time—probably totally dragged."
"Yeah, but he loves you man," Alfred said bracingly. "We all could see it. I'm sure he'll be happy you came for him."
"I just want him to be safe. And happy." Feliks sniffed, wiping at his face before affecting his normal toe of voice. "Anyway, I'd so ask you Eyebrows, but you can't like, talk so…"
Arthur glared and relayed a message through Alfred, who chuckled as he spoke. "Arthur says to 'stop calling him bloody 'eyebrows', it's not even original, you wanker,' end quote."
"Whatever. Sadiq? What about you?"
"There is nothing for me back home," Sadiq said plainly. "My family is dead and once Braginski is as well, I will have avenged my cousin and fulfilled my promise. It is foolish to look past the fight ahead of you when you have no guarantees, that is my thinking."
"Boring," Feliks huffed. "You're seriously telling me there's nothing you want to do, after this?"
"No," Sadiq said shortly, his voice hard. He took a deep breath and after an awkward silence he continued. "But perhaps Seychelles will permit me to stay on with her and her crew. I have enjoyed the work aboard the ship, and it seems it might suit me more than the life of a mercenary. And, it has been pleasing being part of something again—even if you westerners are all doomed infidels."
They all chuckled at that last, friendly dig, and went quiet again. The quiet was the easy, companionable silence as before and in that quiet, Arthur could pretend that everything had already been won. That Feliks and Toris were reunited and back together. That Esther was running through fields in Zion, surrounded by family. That Sadiq was sailing with Seychelles, heart and soul less burdened by the loss of a cousin he had cared for as his own child. He and Alfred, building a life together, happy and carefree, his brother safe and the world righted again. The pendant around his neck gone, no longer a collar that choked him with the weight of his deal, smiling and happy in the sun. Able to tell Alfred that he loved him in his own voice.
"It is eleven thirty," Sadiq said, his words a cold wave washing away Arthur's daydreams. "We should get ready."
They did, grim and silent in the shuttered patches of moonlight that shined through the heavy clouds. Weapons were holstered and strapped at the ready, their packs stowed away, winter cloaks donned to help conceal the glint of steal and metal as they made their approach. As Sadiq counted down their time, they crept out of their hiding spot and made their approach as midnight approached, only ten minutes away, and Arthur hoped that their hopes for the future did turn out to be only dreams.
Toris led Matthew back to the mess hall and found Oksana waiting for them with both Raivis and Asmin. Both kids look terrified, Raivis more so, but ready to leave. Oksana's cheeks were still damp with her tears, her eyes conflicted, but she looked committed to getting the kids out at least.
"Are we ready?" His question was answered with nods. "Then let's go."
They made their way as quietly as possible to the northern entrance, ducking into pockets of shadows at even the slightest sound echoing off the stone walls. Toris had the crazy thought they they might actually get out of there without being noticed as they turned the final corner to the main northern entrance hall after encountering no problems, hope swelling in his chest. However, as most hope that he had felt during his time here, he felt it stutter and die as Natalia was standing there, waiting for them, a cruel smile on her face. Her smile slipped though, when she saw Oksana was with them as well.
"Traitor," Natalia hissed. Oksana flinched and ducked her head down. "This betrayal I expect from Toris, who I never trusted, but from you, Sister Oksana? You, who Brother Ivan plucked from the streets and squalor to save, to give purpose to? You throw in your lot with them?!"
"Killing people you love tends to make you more open to switching sides," Matthew snapped. "Ivan seems to have underestimated just how much Eduard's murder would go unchallenged."
"Shut up!" Natalia spat. "Brother Eduard was weak and misguided, and he gladly gave himself back to Brother Ivan to make his amends!"
"Eduard was killed because he dared to tell Ivan he had gone too far," Toris yelled. "He did not sacrifice himself, Ivan killed him, Natalia!"
"Even if he did, it would have been necessary then," Natalia challenged. "Necessary for our Vision!"
"Enough, this is a waste of time," Matthew said. "You want to stay here with a madman who kills his own 'family' because it's convenient to him, you go right ahead, Natalia. But we are not staying here anymore!"
"You are not going anywhere, I'll—"
But whatever Natalia was going to detail she would do was interrupted by the gates to the northern entrance blowing open, smoke and fire clouding the hallway and a deafening bomb shaking them all from their feet. Asmin's eyes were wide and Raivis looked like he was about to pass out from fright and Oksana had gathered them close. Matthew though, he was back on his feet and staring incredulously at the door, more specifically at who was coming through.
"Seychelles?" Matthew breathed out.
Seychelles, still as pretty and fierce as Toris remembered, halted in her tracks, and looked at them both as more of the Evangeline crew stormed in behind her. "Toris?!"
If I could have one GIF sum up the end of this chapter, I think it would be the one with all the different Spiderman's pointing at each other.
Next update - Tomorrow (triple weekend update!) 6/20/2021
Mount Strobilus - Based on Mt. Elbrus in Russia, which takes about nine hours to scale during ideal conditions.