Henry watched Luxa, Temp, and Gregor climb onto Nike's back like in a trance, around an hour and many realizations later. His head spun so badly he could barely keep himself standing. It was not the Starshade... the cure... Hamnet had... Thanatos was... What had he meant by... What had they all meant... they all, the plague...?
Henry winced as he bit down on his lip a little too hard. It was all too much, all that clustered his head, yet as he watched the black and white bat circle above their heads, with the kids on her back, it strangely cleared.
A plague as a weapon... something in him thought if anyone could have conducted this, it was Solovet. Except now the weapon had escaped her control, and everything depended on Luxa convincing the council to provide the antidote like they had the sickness. To the rats, and to him.
Luxa had assured him their agreement stood – if they had the antidote in Regalia, they would give it to the gnawers and the Death Rider, for his services at the Vineyard. He saw her dire face as she had promised.
"Fly you high!" Henry winced as Ripred called after Nike and hesitated before shouting his own "Fly you high!"
"Run like the river, Ripred! Fly you high, Death Rider!", Gregor replied, Luxa was still as stone. Not that the exiled prince could blame her.
He and Ripred stood side by side and watched them disappear out of sight, back into the Vineyard, before the gnawer turned to him. "So, Lapblood and I better get back now and spread the word. What about you?"
Henry slowly turned to him yet drew a blank. The Starshade... the vaccine... a weapon... Thanatos and his... No. The exiled prince angrily squinted and jumped when the flier appeared beside him. "I..." His gaze remained on the rat and suddenly something surfaced from the murky depths of his mind, something that made his objective crystal clear... "Kismet."
"Oh", Ripred grinned, "so you actually wish to try your luck with her?"
Henry nodded grimly, but Thanatos beside him twitched. "Who is Kismet?"
"Oh, did he not tell you?", Ripred eyed the flier and then Henry, who shook his head. "When was I supposed to? We talked for almost as long as it took for the cutters to attack."
"Oh, fair." Ripred stared at him intensely for a few heartbeats but was interrupted by Lapblood who called to depart before any other unforeseen incidents.
"Well, in that case", Ripred eyed Thanatos, "let's give you the short version. Lad here asked me what to do about his perception issue, and well, turns out I'd something for him to try. For that, you must travel to the Firelands and seek out a hermit gnawer named Kismet. If anyone can help ever help him, it's her. And if she can't – well", he grinned sourly, "then nobody can, I'm afraid."
"Wait, hold on", Henry's head jerked in his direction and his brow furrowed, "Kismet... she is a RAT?" He had not even questioned her species so far, and suddenly felt insanely stupid for it. What else could an "old friend" of Ripred's even be?
"A rat...", Thanatos muttered, "The... Firelands, then. Though... are you certain she is trustworthy? I've my doubts in allowing a rat to teach you if I am being honest", he turned to Henry who nodded.
"Agreed. I... He never mentioned she was a rat", the exiled prince pressed his lips together. What did this mean for his decision? He squinted and shuddered, would he...?
"And here comes the dilemma", Ripred snarled in something like amusement, "So, lad, it's time to show me. Show me how serious you're about this. What's more important, hm? Your fighting skills – or your prejudice?"
"It's not prejudice, rats can not be trusted", Thanatos sounded resolute. "You should know that better than most."
"I mean", Ripred laughed, "I can't argue with that. I guess in that case, this is where I find out how much you all trust me, then. Because trust me, she's less allegiance with our kin than even I. And that should mean something."
Henry and Thanatos exchanged glances. The flier looked concerned as ever, yet the exiled prince himself knew, as much as the thought of seeking out a rat of all species to teach him displeased him, he hardly had a choice. Not with how the stakes were at the moment.
"I'll go", he muttered at last and found something like an unidentifiable glimmer in Ripred's yellow eyes.
"But you..." – "I must", Henry cut Thanatos off. "You said it yourself, back on the island. That I'm not doing enough, that I should...", he gritted his teeth, "that the solution will not fall from the sky. And you were right, it will not. So I must grasp any straw I can get."
There was hardly anything Thanatos could say to that.
"Excellent", Ripred grinned and nodded, "but now go, shoo! Go and try her, and once you're at it, tell her I send my regards." He fell to all fours to join the impatiently waiting Lapblood, then turned back again. "Or actually, no, don't mention me. It'll make it a little less likely she'll tear you to shreds instantly. But only a little."
Henry and Thanatos watched the two rats disappear through the larger tunnel on ground level the cutters had created and Ripred's "I can't be held responsible for any Kismet-induced casualties, by the way!", was the last thing they heard of them.
Then they exchanged another glance. "We're... doing this?" The exiled prince couldn't keep his voice from sounding somewhat cautious.
"If it is what you want...", the flier stared at the floor and a shiver suddenly ran down Henry's spine, "we do it."
The flight to the citadel felt longer than usual to Henry, though no cutters bothered them. They were probably busy figuring out where the battalion they had sent to the Vineyard had vanished to.
He told Thanatos he would lie down to sleep, yet sleep was not an option. Not with how he had still not sorted out any of the impressions of before and after the battle.
Henry's face pressed into dark fur, and though the sensation was familiar and should bring comfort, his eye remained wide open. It will not change the fact that he does not care for me. He heard the flier's voice utter the seemingly crystal-clear words, yet Henry spent a full five minutes pondering on what Thanatos could have possibly meant by that.
His brow furrowed, it was... how had he ever even come to say that? What reason could he possibly have to... He remains with me for convenience – or whatever reason, really. I don't even want to know. His teeth gritted as the words sunk in, and he sensed their sharp sting.
It was... not true, he adamantly repeated to himself. But why is he saying it? Henry's eye jolted open. Is this all the faith he has in me? He attempted to suppress the shaking of his hands. Is this what he really thinks of me? He had... proven it often enough, had he not? The exiled prince squinted, he had proven his loyalty and affection for the flier often enough. What is it he even wants from me – Henry angrily tugged at his sword belt. What was he supposed to do? What had he... done wrong?
He allowed the thought to sink in and suddenly flashed back to their argument last night. Maybe I shouldn't have been so angry, he thought and bit his lip. Then again... was Hamnet right when he claimed it was okay for him to keep his history from his own bond?
Or is it that he wants it to be true? The thought clawed its way up into Henry's mind and his lips pressed together, is it all he wants us to be? Did he never want this relationship to become more than convenience?
He squinted, is that why he keeps saying bonding didn't change anything? Because he didn't... want it to have changed anything? Because he never wanted to bond in the first place?
The questions clogged Henry's mind, buzzing louder than a hundred Buzzers, and the exiled prince wished nothing more than to press his hands to his ears and scream at the top of his lungs. Scream it all out, all the fears and confusions and worries, yet... what was he supposed to say? Do you regret bonding to me because you never wanted our relationship to become more than convenience, or do you just not think I'm capable of caring for you?
Henry nearly scoffed.
Why was it okay for you to talk to Hamnet about your past but not me? Who was Persephone? Who Arya? Was the garden part of why you went into exile? Why is it so hard for you to... trust me?
Henry jerked up from where he lied and Thanatos' head twitched, "you okay? Was it a dream?", yet the exiled prince could not answer. Trust me, the words rang in his head over and over. Trust me. Trust me. Trust... me.
"I'm fine." He had no clue as to how he mustered up the strength to respond, but apparently, it was enough for the flier. Trust... me.
Henry squinted and consciously relaxed his rigid muscles. That... must be it. For whatever it is, it is still a bond. I will not break it. The memory of the words hurt more than all previous realizations combined. It is he, Henry forced himself to think, who only stays with me because he has no other choice. I urge you to stay, here with Hazard, Frill, and I.
You wanted to say yes, did you not? Would you have said yes, had they not... He stiffened and shuddered in disgust with himself as for a brief moment he found himself relieved Hamnet had not survived to repeat the offer.
No, he adamantly thought, he could not think like that. He had never wanted this to happen. Yet – Henry squinted in overwhelming shame – had I been forced to choose between losing Thanatos and losing Hamnet...?
Enough, he internally screamed. He did not even know if he would have repeated the offer. If Thanatos would have accepted. Would... you have accepted? He thought the words so clearly he was surprised he could not hear them coming from his mouth.
A wave of much too familiar fear engulfed him and Henry blinked to keep the tears from rising. What... had happened?
He flashed back to the last months, the time since they had bonded, since Thanatos had cowered over him in fear after he had lost his eye. Something... happened, Henry exhaled, suppressing the uprising panic. Something... but what? He searched his frantic mind, yet drew a blank. There was nothing, nothing he could think of, at least. And that, Henry swallowed, relaxing his grip on Thanatos' fur, was the worst part.
I cannot... he thought, quelling the imminent tears. I cannot... lose him. Not now, not ever. Not anymore. For a second the image from his last nightmare flashed in his head. He hadn't had any nightmares ever since they had left the island, yet once in a while the image of Thanatos behind the glass wall, staring at him with that empty amber as he drowned, would appear before his inner eye, and it stung unbearably every time. Now, to his horror, he suddenly asked himself if this was ever something that could truly happen.
Angrily, Henry chased the thought at once. Of course not. What was he thinking? He had probably only dreamed of it because the fear existed somewhere deep inside his gut, but it was groundless. It was... it had to be. For, it was... fine now, was it not? The flier was right here, and he clearly worried for him. Henry desperately pressed his face into his fur. He was here, and he would not ever give him a reason to leave. Not now, not ever. Not anymore.
As much as he wanted, he had no chance at suppressing the tear from rolling down his cheek.
Just as Henry could no longer bear the silence the flier shot out of a tunnel opening into a giant cave with a fortress-like structure on the far end.
Zick and his friends greeted the "Wielder of Light and Rider of Death", as they had modified his name, and his flier with utmost hospitality. Henry had a feeling the crawlers' admiration for him here had only grown the longer he had been absent. They were welcomed with ready supplies and gifts, the crawlers even carried it all outside to not exclude Thanatos who could not fit through the entrance.
Yet when Henry asked if they had heard of a gnawer named Kismet who supposedly lived further north in the Firelands, all happy chatter abated at once. "Do not go to gnawer, do not go", Zick mumbled at last, and the three friends he had brought to keep them all company retreated a little.
"Listen, she's the only reason we are even here", Henry grumbled as he stuffed the materials and supplies they had given him into his backpack. "Nothing personal", he added after a moment of hesitation.
Zick and his companions exchanged glances and Henry feared they would make a scene of it again, yet they only began talking to each other in their own language. Their conversation went on for several minutes and Henry was about to interrupt when Zick pushed one of his friends at them. "Tack can help, Tack can."
Henry and Thanatos listened with growing dread as the crawler described a path leading down from here, and eventually to the Firelands. Apparently, the Shiners and Pinchers they traded with occasionally told rumors of a hermit gnawer who had settled down in the crater of an inactive volcano, on the far east of the Firelands. "Avoided and rejected she is by most, rejected", he whispered, "those who cross her path meet an evil fate, meet an evil fate."
Henry and Thanatos exchanged glances, yet did not interrupt when Tack pointed them to the tunnel named "Path of Styx". "Follow it until the stone turns black, stone turns black", he spoke with a quivering voice, "may you live to return, may you."
"Oh, we will, don't worry." Despite his confident tone, Henry had to consciously unclench his jaw after the crawler finished up his tale. This will be worth it, he told himself as they said their goodbyes to the crawlers shortly, to look for the Path of Styx.
They followed the tunnel on the far left leading out of the cave for half an hour until it forked, from there they took the right path, as Tack had instructed. Soon, the tunnel began declining at an alarming rate, from what Henry saw, he would barely be able to traverse it on foot.
It took more than two hours of travel and much careful navigation from Thanatos until the angle at which the path descended decreased to the point where Henry believed he would be able to traverse it on foot. At the same time, he noticed a difference in the way the walls reflected the light from his torch – the material had changed.
"It's volcanic rock, obsidian, I believe", Thanatos answered when the exiled prince asked. "Tack spoke of black walls. We must be close."
"I guess we're officially in the Firelands then", Henry mumbled and the flier nodded, proceeding with even more caution. The exiled prince couldn't help but feel a strange sense of curiosity rise in him. He had taken short trips to the outskirts of the Firelands when visiting the Fount, though never had had the opportunity to go further in. Apparently, not only was most of the land contaminated with toxic fumes, but dangerous and partially unknown creatures had made the highly volcanic caves their home as well.
Yet he had little time to indulge in his fascination. Only ten minutes later the tunnel began to narrow more and more, and Thanatos was quickly forced to land as it became too tight for him to properly fly. They settled in the last semi-wide part of the path and stared down the only tunnel that led forward, it was at best three feet wide.
"I cannot continue from here", the flier sighed. "Should we turn back and take that side path we crossed five minutes a–"
Yet the flier never finished his sentence. Henry cried from both pain and shock as a strong blow swiped him off his feet. Before he could fall, it catapulted him forward and he crashed into the opposing wall. He saw stars for a second and registered Thanatos' high-pitched cry, then gasped for air as his lungs were forcibly emptied.
Only when he regained his senses, he processed what still pressed him into the wall by the throat was a type of fleshy whip. A... tail.
Henry writhed and attempted to scream yet the tail's owner held him in place relentlessly. In the gleam of the torch he had dropped on impact, he barely caught sight of Thanatos. His leg was fixated by a type of rodent, so much Henry made out, yet before he could properly look, the torch hissed and went out. He heard the last drops of fuel hitting the floor.
A thorn of fear pierced his heart as he found himself in utter darkness. Where did the attacker come from? And how had they snuck past Thanatos' sense of hearing? He desperately choked as the tail around his throat tightened. He had to do... something... something. Henry's hand automatically darted down at Mys' handle. In the blink of an eye he drew the blade, yet heartbeats before it could land, the tail released him.
The exiled prince dropped to the floor and coughed violently, even let go of Mys to feel his own throat.
"A flier and a human down the Path of Styx..."
His head jerked up when the unfamiliar voice sounded for the first time. "I can only presume you were in search of death. It is the only thing you will find here."
Henry thought the voice strangely reminded him of Thanatos when they had first spoken. It held the same type of hoarseness like the owner was not used to speaking. He cleared his throat and coughed one last time before squinting to make something out in the nigh-unbroken darkness. When his eye had adjusted as much as it ever would, he spotted the cowering shape of a rodent in the mound of the tunnel from where they had come.
Female, by the voice, and too large for a nibbler. Henry's mind reeled as he tried to sort out the little information he could gather from observations. Yet his vision did not function well enough in the given sparse lighting to make out more.
"We're looking for... you", he called and slowly rose to his feet. If she was not a nibbler, she was a gnawer, and how big, honestly, were the chances of meeting a different female gnawer than the one they were looking for, in this remote no-mans-land?
"For... me?" Her shape shifted yet Henry could not make out if she relaxed or assumed attack position. "Ha!" Her following laugh was hoarse and spiteful. "And who set you on the suicide mission to look for ME? Have the gruesome rumors I spread among the locally resident species not sufficed to secure my peace and quiet?"
"The truly determined will not be stopped by rumors." Henry's response was met with another laugh. "Or actually", he inched forward to where he more sensed than saw the shape of his torch, "we're looking for Kismet. However much of a difference that makes."
Henry froze in his tracks as he perceived her wince at the name. "For...", she drew back, at last releasing Thanatos' leg. He sensed the flutter of his wings to his left. "Are you okay?"
"Looking for... destiny, are you?" Henry absentmindedly nodded in the flier's direction and couldn't help but shiver at the overwhelming strain her voice suddenly oozed, "And what could someone like you ever want of her?"
It took the exiled prince a few heartbeats to process the word "kismet" meant destiny. He took another step at his torch. "Her help, what else?"
He barely had enough time to scoop up his torch before the rat broke into a proper laughing fit. "Help? MY help? Oh, you must be utterly insane. Can he still not accept I wish to be left at peace", she mumbled the last part to herself, then raised her voice again, "Now LEAVE – before I decide to forget battle is an art and make it messy."
Henry opened his mouth yet closed it again, deciding he could ask who "he" was later. "And what if I refuse?" She remained silent and his hand tightened around the hilt of the torch. We'll see who is more stubborn. He narrowed his eye. "Listen, I've gone out of my way to come here, do you think I did so for fun?"
"Oh, he has spirit." Who he presumed was Kismet, released something like a mix between laugh and scoff. This time Henry was certain her silhouette relaxed as she leaned on the wall. For a moment an image of Ripred doing the same, back when they had first met, near the spinner headquarters, flashed before his inner eye and Henry tensed.
"Then", she audibly sighed, "will you be so kind as to share your apparent reason at last, so that I can officially inform you I cannot, in fact, help, and get back to my business?"
For the first time, something like anger boiled up in Henry. "Right." But before I do that, he raised the torch, I'll even the odds a bit, he thought, and fumbled with the pocket that held his fire stones. The torch re-lit with a sizzling flame and he winced when Kismet instantly darted back, into the shade.
Henry hesitated, then held the torch higher, yet she was concealed by the entrance of the tunnel she had come from. All he could catch was the outskirt of light fur and the pink tip of a tail.
He and Thanatos exchanged glances. "Her eyes must not be used to the light", the flier mumbled and stretched his wings, "wait, will you?"
Henry disliked the thought of waiting for her to draw closer on her own accord, yet if it heightened his chances with her... "Hey, will you hear me out now, or what?", he called in her direction, "Sorry for how I like to actually SEE my conversation partners."
Despite the dripping sarcasm in his voice, his opponent did not immediately react. She remained silent for so long Henry's patience had nearly run out, and only when he'd already lifted a leg to step closer, she spoke – "My... help, you say", her voice was hushed. "I would like to know why, of all whom you could have sought out instead, you came for me, pup."
The exiled prince raised the torch and frowned, then opened his mouth to inform her he was not a pup, yet all previously thought-up words escaped him when she then stepped forth, into the light. Kismet was not overly large for a rat, only marginally taller than he, but maybe it only seemed that way for she was awfully emaciated. Her clumped, messy, and visibly little cared-for fur only undermined her haggard shape, it stood in all directions and he saw the acute points of her shoulder bones and ribs.
Her whole body was covered in countless scars, varying in shape, size, and gruesomeness. They seemed to document a perilous life, though the closer Henry looked, the more he asked himself how she had ever even received some of them. What kinds of battles had she fought that left her with awfully systematic-seeming burn marks? Her paws and tail were tightly wrapped in stained, tattered bandages – though, his gaze trailed down to his own hands, it seemed to be a protective rather than medical measure.
Yet even more striking than any of the scars was the color of her fur itself. Henry had never seen a rat with such light fur, he had to squint and look closer to understand it was of an extremely pale grey.
He had never... Henry's eye suddenly widened, he stared at Kismet and found himself taken back to... It seems like Splintleg found new meat for me, a human pup and a spiritless veteran. This'll be fun.
No. Henry squinted and shook his head, they maybe shared the same size and posture and their fur was of similar color, yet that of Splintleg's late champion Sizzleblood had been of a more saturated grey. Kismet's looked almost bleached out by time. Still, he tilted his head. For all their similarities, they could have been sisters.
Before Henry could step closer, Kismet herself moved. She had presumably adjusted to the light at last and slowly raised her head to, how he thought, look at him. Yet when he first saw her face Henry winced and nearly dropped his torch.
"Nothing for the faint-hearted, I'm afraid." He thought she was grinning, but could not be certain. Not with how... little of her face was left.
Henry knew it was impolite to stare, yet he could not tear his gaze away from her... It is a scar, it flashed in his mind, a scar... not unlike my own. Except the right half of her face was not a bite, it was a burn mark – exposed, charred flesh that had not grown fur in years... or decades. Henry couldn't suppress a shudder. With all the gruesome injuries and mutilations he had seen in his life, he had never seen anything like that. Even what he saw when he looked into a mirror seemed harmless in comparison.
Is this why Ripred sent me to her, it flashed in his mind and his hand darted up to his own face, because she is missing an eye like me? But no – Henry squinted and fixated her other eye. It had been left untouched by whatever had caused the scar, yet it did not look at him, only stared past him blankly. The iris must have been reddish at some point, yet now it seemed clouded, bleached out, like her fur.
Henry frowned, preparing to take a step closer. Was she...? Yet the moment he moved, she moved as well and he nearly dropped the torch again when her tail whizzed down like a whip, inches in front of his foot.
"Do not assume just because I look like I can't see you, I truly can't, pup."
Henry stumbled backward and nearly hit his back on the wall. "Are you...", he squinted again and ignored even the "pup", "... can you... see me?"
Kismet sat up again, retrieving her tail as quickly as she had extended it. "No, I am not blind, if that is what you meant to ask. Not yet at least. The left eye sees, but not in the distance. As for whether I can see you... of course I can. You are right there..."
Before Henry could react she had fallen to all fours and approached, then extended her tail to trace Henry's shape exactly. She brushed his shoulders, the top of his head – avoided the torch and finally the tips of his feet, without a single moment of uncertainty or hesitation.
Then she turned to Thanatos, who seemed equally aghast, and did the same with him. "Ha", she laughed as she turned from him again, "your wings span what, seventeen feet? I'm surprised you even made it this far, with how narrow it gets. Not bad."
"I'm used to it", the flier fixated her from narrowed eyes.
"You surely must be."
Henry stared at the two yet failed to formulate words for what incredible feat she had just so nonchalantly demonstrated. If she was so short-sighted she was nearly blind, how had she... He could count the times he had been at a loss of words on the fingers of a single hand, and he almost felt no shame admitting now was one of them.
"How... how are you doing that?"
Kismet sat back down, relaxed as ever. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Actually, I would."
"Oh?"
Henry took a deep breath – "It's... if I'm not gravely mistaken, it's what you asked earlier. Why I came here. What I need your help with." His fingers trembled as he took the torch into the left hand and reached the right one up to brush off his eyepatch. "We're not so different, it seems."
Kismet narrowed her remaining eye and drew closer until her face was mere inches from his. When she had apparently gotten close enough to see his scar, she snorted and turned. "We are quite different, pup. Your eye problems don't justify comparing yourself to me."
"First of all, I'm not a pup", Henry hissed, "but honestly, I don't care how similar or not we are, as long as you help me with this "eye problem", as you call it!"
Kismet twitched around, her eye widened in something like surprise. "Hold on... he did not send you all the way here in the faulty assumption I would... TEACH you?"
"If by "he" you mean Ripred, then yeah, he did."
The scarred rat was so surprised she remained silent for a second, then broke into vigorous laughter. "Oh, by everything you ever held dear – you must be joking!"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Henry put his hands to his hips. "Whatever happened with you two, I couldn't care less, okay? All I'm looking for is something that will... fix THIS!" He flailed at his face. "And I'm not talking about the physical part!"
She remained silent for so long Henry once more became impatient, yet she once more beat him to breaking the silence. "Ripred, Ripred – when will he learn to keep his snout out of my business?"
"When crawlers learn to fight", Henry mumbled and Kismet snorted, then broke into laughter. "You could say that, oh, you certainly could." Her eye narrowed and she inspected him for a moment, "So you say he sent you here... to learn from me?"
Henry held her gaze determinately. "He did. And if you planned to bring up the whole "this has never been achieved by any human ever" argument, save it, because I'll respond the way I did when HE said that." Henry crossed his arms and stared right at her, "Just because it's never been done before, that doesn't mean it's impossible."
Kismet froze and gazed at him with an unreadable expression, though the exiled prince for the first time felt like he had genuinely gotten through to her. "Oh, is that so?"
"You know it is."
They exchanged a prolonged glance and Henry asked himself if it was a good idea arguing about something being possible or not of which he didn't even exactly know what it was.
"Is... that so", Kismet slowly repeated, "fantastic...", she mumbled, "Ripred sends me a human to teach, a HUMAN, pah! But of course... it is Ripred. You can present the most logical, sensible, objectively convincing arguments and he will still get his way, oh he will. Even now he is still seeking to mess with my life..." She turned to him, "Let me guess, he told you to not hold him responsible, should this trip not work out for you?"
"Well, I mean, that's Ripred for you", Henry shrugged, and Kismet laughed. "He is an insufferable control freak who can not take defeat, so yes – that is Ripred for you." There was little Henry could say to that.
"Seldom has anyone described Ripred so accurately in so little words", Thanatos mumbled and Kismet laughed again. "That impresses you? Well, I've more in store then."
She approached Henry again and tilted her head. "I bet he pretends to hate your guts, Ripred, yet there's also that occasional glimmer of pride when he looks at you, is there not?" She waited not for Henry to even close his agape-standing mouth. "You", she began circling him, "spirited, determined if needed, though can be insanely flakey, when the stakes are lower."
Thanatos let out a short laugh and Kismet smiled. "Extremely conceited, self-centered, and attention-seeking, sure – but since when are those considered flaws out here... You wish to be the center of attention, to always be great at what you do. It is perhaps the most important thing for you, to be... good, and not just at something, at everything."
Henry felt unease yet also excitement rise in his chest as he followed her with his eye. His mind reeled with questions, but she gave him not a moment to ask them. Instead, she continued what felt more and more like an evaluation.
"Yet still, you are a... survivor. You came here on a whim, most likely against all advice, well-knowing it would probably mean your end because Ripred surely told you – and yet you came. Rulebreaker, thrill-seeker, stubborn, thinks himself above all boundaries", she rattled off adjectives, "You follow your instincts, always attack first and ask later, if even. And then again... you are a leader, someone who expects everyone to respect him, and if they don't, you find a way to make them." She came to a halt right in front of him, "How's that so far?"
Henry stared at her, for the second time in the confinements of a single conversation, speechless. Kismet took his silence as a sign of approval. "Pretty accurate, I take. So", she grinned at him sourly, "for the love of my sweet solitude, why would YOU ever need help, especially from someone like me?"
It took Henry considerable effort to close his agape-standing mouth. "Y... you... how did you –?"
"How did I know all of that? It's fairly simple, actually. You know, if you look close, people in themselves can always be divided into recognizable parts, indicated by certain behavior. In the... past I have spent much time studying how those pieces fit together."
"So... what you are trying to say is that people are predictable?"
"You do have a way of oversimplifying things, do you not?"
"Same could go for you and overcomplicating them", he mumbled, and Kismet chose to blissfully ignore it.
Yet just as he had opened his mouth to ask when a hermit like her had had the opportunity to study behavior she interrupted him again – "All insufferable control freaks, eye problems, and behavioral patterns aside... you were leaving, were you not?" Henry jumped as she suddenly fell forward into what seemed way too much like an attack position.
He squinted at Thanatos, it took his brain a moment to process they had just gone from almost friendly chatter to what could turn into a fight any second. And as much as he hated the thought, from the bit of her fighting skill they had seen earlier, they stood no chance.
"But I –"
"It is enough now", she hissed, "You've had your fun, and a neat story to tell Ripred about your visit here, but you should make yourself aware I can kill you in more than a dozen ways, and unless you skedaddle now, your flier will be compelled to collect you from the floor. Piece by piece."
Henry knew her stance and hostile expression should diminish his determination, yet to even his own surprise it was fueled instead. It is... a test, he thought, firmly holding her gaze. A test, it is all a test. The questions, the evaluation, and this attempt at getting rid of me.
"Henry, we should –" He ignored Thanatos and instead took a deep breath, straightening out his back. Whatever this test was, he would not fail it. Not when he had come this far. "Look, if you doubt how serious I am about this, you've got another think coming." He narrowed his eye, "I am not leaving here without getting my way. For whatever it takes."
Kismet didn't move. She only stared in his direction, how Henry thought pensively. "Is that so... you believe you can out-stubborn me? Well, in that case, YOU have another think coming." She at last grinned again, "Not even Ripred could do that."
Henry retreated not an inch. Simply demanding to get his way from her was clearly not the solution. The more he interacted with her, the more Kismet reminded him of Ripred. They were both highly intelligent, resolute, and stubborn, and if he had learned anything about dealing with Ripred, then that stubbornness was never the way.
"No, I don't." His response baffled her and this time she was the one who remained silent, allowing him to continue – "I don't need to. You don't strike me as someone who wouldn't be up to the challenge of potential impossibility, so I just need to give you a... reason. Something that makes it worth your while. And", this time it was Henry who took a step towards her, "as you seem to know so much about me, do you really think I will rest until I have found something?"
Kismet remained silent for maybe a minute, only now Henry patiently waited. She apparently liked to think before she spoke.
"So, you aren't as stupid as you seemed... fine, I will give you that. But still –", she took a step forward as well until they were face to face, and Henry spotted a certain glimmer in her eye when she got close enough to see him – "If you truly wish to try your luck at finding me a reason... then you will have to find the impossible."
With that, she turned around and disappeared into the narrow tunnel ahead, swiftly and silently as she had arrived.
Every step he took echoed in Henry's head like a thundering gong, though he attempted to walk silently. The torch barely emitted enough light for him to not stumble over his feet as he traversed the narrow tunnel, after Kismet, yet he was not about to let that stop him.
You don't even know what you're getting yourself into, Thanatos' voice sounded in his head, for all we know you will walk right into a trap!
Henry angrily pressed his lips together and shook his head. The flier had no idea what he was talking about. And for how willingly he had agreed to come here, it had not even remotely warranted the fight that had broken out between them, after Kismet had disappeared.
Henry narrowed his eye. She would not kill him. He did not know how he was so certain, but something in his gut knew she would not have left him alive so far, had she intended to end his life. It was a test, he told himself over and over, and it was a test he had to pass.
He doesn't understand, it rang in his head, he can't understand. Why I'm here, why I'm doing this, why I'm putting up with – "You're back ALREADY? Honestly, you're disturbing my circles."
Henry stopped so abruptly he nearly ran into the opposing wall as Kismet emerged from an opening ahead. Despite the darkness, he instinctively glanced around. "Circles...?"
"Yes, circles. What are you even looking for?", she hissed and Henry blinked. He saw absolutely nothing. "The... apparently so disturbed circles?"
Kismet broke into hysteric, hoarse laughter. "Oh! Oh, pup, there are no LITERAL circles, I am not Archimedes. I was merely referring to personal space. As you might have figured, I like having a lot of that."
"Archi... who now?"
She resumed laughing. "An ancient Overland-mathematician who... oh, who honestly cares. You probably find math boring anyway. SO", she halted before Henry, "what are you disturbing my FIGURATIVE circles for again?"
"I wasn't done talking to you", he shrugged and glared at her. "You didn't even give me the chance to explain what exactly I want from you."
Kismet seemed to eye him pensively, as well as she could. "Your flier was not happy with your decision to pursue this further."
Henry pressed his lips together. "This is not about him. It's about me. And I'm not backing down on this."
"Because Ripred told you you would?"
Henry froze, then let out a scoff. "Maybe. But not just."
"Alright", the rat approached and began to circle him again, "shoot. What could you possibly want other than to learn how to be a better warrior?"
"That's not why I'm –", Henry interjected, then remembered he was very much here to learn to be useful in battle again. "I mean, I... Ripred claimed you were the only one who could teach me how to get over the negative effects of this bullshit", he tugged at his eyepatch. "Perception... and all that stuff. He said...", Henry hesitated, "you could teach me to see without my eyes."
Kismet now stood directly in front of him, her gaze was more pensive than ever. "Is that so", she hesitated, "What else did he tell you of me?"
Henry shrugged. "Not much. That you were... an old friend, and the only one who could help me with the perception issue. The part with seeing-without-eyes... and that you wouldn't be eager to do this, especially for a human. Which is understandable. Wasn't easy for me to come here either."
To his surprise, Kismet gave a short laugh. "Oh, I have no trouble believing that, making me more and more curious as to what your real motive is."
"Well, you sort of said it earlier", Henry gritted his teeth, "I'm not especially fond of being weak and dependent for the rest of my life. I'll do whatever it takes – also something I already said."
Kismet eyed him, how he thought, curiously, before she took on the same resolute look as earlier. "Not a chance, boy."
"But why not?", Henry cried and Kismet snorted. "Why not, he asks. Have you a year or so?"
"I am serious!", Henry hissed. "Just... give me the short version!"
"The short version!", Kismet echoed mockingly, but soon at least relaxed her stance. "Well, first of all, I have better things to do than attempting to teach a stubborn pup who thinks he knows everything while in fact, he is utterly clueless. And second, presumably the reason you will find more convincing, personally – it would be everything but a pleasant time." She snorted, "You're clearly used to playing by your own rules, you hate authority and being bossed around. Will you still be so adamant when I tell you lots and lots of that is exactly what would await you?"
Henry swallowed. He had not considered what exactly learning under her would entail, discomfort rose in him at the thought of following every order of this rat. No matter how fascinating a conversation partner she was.
"You see", she drew even closer, "if I were to... theoretically... teach you, you would be playing by my rules. You would be compelled to do things that seem pointless and tedious at first, unlearn everything you think you know about perception and orientation, and go far, far out of your little lazy comfort zone." Her eye was but a narrow slit. "How about it?"
Henry snorted. "If that's all... You think I've never left my comfort zone?" Everything he'd gone through, these last seven or so months, had essentially been out of his comfort zone.
"Name an example, then!"
Henry stiffened. He kept his eye on her as he fervently went over his possibilities. He had much to pick from, yet whatever he chose, it would leave an impression on her, and he was determined for it to be a good one. This was perhaps the only chance he would get.
Henry's fingers mindlessly brushed the hilt of the torch in his hand and suddenly his eye widened. With a single, determined movement he pulled the lever, and extinguished the light, leaving them in darkness. Henry suppressed the imminent wave of fear... Focus.
The exiled prince took a deep breath, then snapped his fingers. Click. Click. The cave lied ahead as he remembered and Kismet stood across him still, she had not moved an inch.
Henry determinately stepped forward, towards her, holding the flameless torch in front of himself and snapping his fingers periodically. He narrowly avoided a mid-sized rock in his path but when he then stood in front of her, he extended the hand with the torch. "Want it?"
He could not see Kismet's expression, yet when she spoke, her voice sounded almost delighted. "Now that... is something not many humans are capable of." She paused, "Perhaps I finally understand why Ripred even bothered sending you to me. When have you passed the first threshold? Do not tell me it was Ripred who taught you!"
Henry grinned. "Some... half a year ago. And no, it was Thanatos' idea."
"Thank goodness." She was definitely grinning.
"So, I'm a step closer to convincing you?" Henry put his hands to his hips. He could not exactly tell, but he fervently hoped he was looking at her.
Kismet sighed. "A step. A baby step – but a step."
"Again", he insisted, "I'll do whatever it takes."
"Anything –", Kismet repeated, her voice sounded even closer now, "well then... how about you do what I asked before – the impossible. Shouldn't pose too much of a problem, should it now?"
Henry found his eye had adjusted to the darkness as much as it ever would, he still barely made out her shape in front of him.
The impossible... it was as vague as descriptions came, yet he still thought he somehow grasped what she was referring to. Something possible, yet impossible at the same time. Something that... his eye widened. Henry pictured her shape, her squinting to look at him. And then... he had an idea. "Not in the slightest."