For the disclaimer, see one of the previous chapters. I'm tired of writing it out.
Chapter 5
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Sara lunged for the door to let Jake in. He stared at her, and she suddenly realized that she must look like an extra from a low-budget zombie film, but it couldn't be helped.
"Pez, I didn't think you'd have a guest...Are you sick, Sara?"
"No, no." She pushed Jake into a chair. "Just some intense stuff. And then Adrienne got an awful bloody nose...I should check on her, she's in the bathroom cleaning up."
There was a blood stained washcloth soaking in the sink when Sara came into the bathroom; she found Adrienne staring at herself in the mirror. She turned to Sara to show her neck. "There's no cut. Nothing at all." Sara sighed.
"We'll have to talk about this later. My partner's here to work on a case. I'd like,...I'd feel best if you spent the night here. You don't mind?"
"No. Not at all."
"Come on. I'll find you a clean shirt. I told Jake you had a bloody nose."
"Thanks. A clean shirt would be great. And a glass of water?"
"Yeah. Shirt first." Sara led Adrienne into her bedroom, and began digging around for an appropriate garment. She finally handed Adrienne a rather faded Yankees sweatshirt. "You can crash in here if you like, while I work with Jake."
"Thanks, but I think I'll go out on the fire escape. I could u the fresh air. Keep your friend Batman company" Adrienne's last remark was lost as she pulled the sweatshirt on. Sara nodded and went to rejoin Jake. Adrienne poured herself a glass of water and climbed out the window, doing her best not to disturb the two detectives.
"Pez?"
"Mmmhmmm?"
"Throw me a bone."
"Ok. Yeah. Right. Sorry Jake. Abridged version, I guess. I was adopted as an infant. Adrienne is my half sister, my mother's fourth and youngest child. My mother is ill; she wanted Adrienne to find me, to explain things, to make peace. And she did. Find me, that is. so now we're in the process of hashing out some confusing family history. Satisfied for the moment?"
"Whoa, Pez, I had no idea."
"Forget it. Let's just look at this case."
Outside the window, Adrienne studied the man sitting on the steps above her, ignorant of her presence. Even with little light, she could tell he was handsome. And unusual. Probably dangerous as well. But she felt a spark of recognition when she looked at him, so she scrambled up to sit next to him regardless of what threat he might pose to her. He was so shocked at her sudden appearance that he looked her full in the face before turning away to compose himself.
"Good evening," Adrienne said, cheerfully and conversationally. It's a lovely night, really." She paused, waiting for her companion to comment, but he remained silent. so, she continued talking. "If only you could see the stars. I always love stargazing, even though I have a terrible time keeping track of all the constellations. The trouble with the city is that you can never see the stars. Not as they're meant to be seen. It's rather like fog distorting a familiar landscape, or a veil obscuring a familiar face. I'm Adrienne, by the way. I noticed you follow my sister, watch her. Why is that? I think I know you of old, but I cannot place you in my memory. Why do you follow Sara?"
No answer came from the black clad man. "You haven't even introduced yourself. That's very rude. I've been trying to be polite and all, asking reasonable questions. But I need the answers one way or another. I guess it will have to be another." Adrienne was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was strained.
"Ian Nottingham. That was not your name when last we met. Warrior, assassin, sword master, body guard, follower of the Witchblade, sometime guardian of the wielder." Adrienne laughed, her voice still strange sounding. "And you love her. Or think you do. How interesting." Ian looked at her suspiciously, but the girl's eyes seemed to be seeing something else. Adrienne shook her head, and then, in a normal voice, "So that's why. You might have told me."
"Sara told you, " Ian growled, but Adrienne was unaffected. "And you are gravely mistaken; we have never met before now."
"Sara told me nothing of you. We had more important things to speak of. As to the other, well, I expect you will remember in time."
"What are you?" Ian's voice was low and threatening, but it still did not phase Adrienne.
"I am the offspring of a man-cloaked demon and a lunatic prophet. An unpleasant birthright and one I have separated myself from, to some degree. I am a witch, trained in many arts and sworn and bound to uphold the sacred balance of existence. And I am Adrienne, sister and guardian of the wielder Sara. But what, pray, or who, are you, Ian Nottingham? You do not really know, do you? I think you have been kept from learning.
The world is a wonderful place, for those who choose joy over sorrow, strength over pain. Do not let yourself be forced into pain and sorrow. Even so briefly in your presence I can tell that you are stronger than that."
They sat in silence for a long while; Adrienne studying her surroundings, and Ian wondering at this creature who heard the echoes of his thoughts. After a time, Adrienne stood up. She turned and took Ian's powerful gloved hand firmly in her own small bare one. "We will be friends, Ian Nottingham," she said smiling. She bent over and gently kissed his cheek.
Ian did something very rare, for him. He raised his head to look Adrienne directly in the eyes. He held her gaze, and then, hardly knowing why he did so, he said in a low voice accompanied by a half smile, "Yes lady. We will be friends."
Adrienne smiled brightly at him again before disappearing through the window, leaving Ian to wonder how this strange girl had affected him so much.
Kenneth Irons did not look up as his servant glided silently into the room.
"Well?"
"A half sister to Miss Pezzini." Irons looked up now, obviously thrown.
"Not,..not the Bronte girl?"
"No. this one is different. Younger, smaller, darker. and she sought out Sara."
"Who is she?"
"She called herself Adrienne. She said that she was the child of a crazed seer and a demon in human guise. I do not know if she meant the latter literally, or as an insult to her father."
'Go on."
"She is a witch of some extensive training and skill. I do not know of what order. She did not say, and there was no indication of any I know."
"What of her connection to the blade? Does she know of it?
"She is sworn to guard the wielder, and she made it clear that her relation to Sara added to her resolve."
"There is something else."
"They shared, I think, some vision provided by the witchblade."
"Yes. I felt it. What can you tell me of it?"
"Their eyes remained open throughout, they seemed involved in something unseen. At one point, they both cried out; the stone of the blade gave off a bright white light. When it ended, they were both weeping, and the one called Adrienne bled from a wound in her throat that was not there."
"This is, unfortunate. They have learned a great deal. They have witnessed the making, the calling forth of the gauntlet. Few have; I have not. And with the witch as her watchdog, it will be harder than ever to remain on good terms with the good detective. The witch must not remain. Bring her to the house, tomorrow night. We shall see what price she asks to relinquish her post."
"I do not think she will come."
"Use any means necessary. But get her here."
"Yes. Sir?"
"What is it, Nottingham?" Irons snapped.
"There is more to her, I think, than it might seem." Irons sent an irritated glare in the direction Ian's bent head.
"You are dismissed for the night." Ian turned to leave. "Adrienne, you said her name was?"
"Yes sir."
"You know, it is said that if a faery once kisses you, you are forever in their thrall."
"Is the witchblade Faery, then?" Ian murmured as he left, loud enough for Irons to hear. Irons frowned at Ian's receding back and then turned his attention back to the book he had been reading.
Jake McCarty was still there when Adrienne came in from outside. "Hello Detective McCarty. Nice to see you again."
"Please, just call me Jake. So, Pez's sister, huh? I gotta say it's the last thing I expected." Adrienne smiled winningly. Jake silently hoped that this girl could get his partner to lighten up. She seemed sensible enough. "Maybe now since she's got you, she'll stop talking to herself all the time." Adrienne glanced at Sara and laughed.
"You'd be surprised, Jake, at how hard such habits are to break." Jake began to pick up his things, and Adrienne, still smiling in amusement, handed him his coat and walked him to the door. Sara was still immersed in some case document. Just as he was leaving, Jake turned, and gripping her arm, pulled Adrienne closer to him.
"You look out for her, ok?"
"I know Jake. that's what I'm here for." Jake left then, pulling the door closed behind him. Maybe this girl might turn out to be Pezzini's guardian angel. He hoped so. If anyone needed one, it was Sara.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 notes. #1- The idea for Ian to respond to Adrienne as 'lady' occurred to me, and was written into my story, before Maelstrom aired. Nothing else he could say seemed to fit.
#2- Regarding Iron's last remarks concerning the fae. This sort of worked its way in by accident. Adrienne, the name, means 'woman of the sea' . But the really interesting part is this- when you take out the additional 'ne' that are used to identify the name as feminine, one finds that Adrienne is an anagram for neriad, which is the name for a water nymph. So ponder that.
Chapter 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sara lunged for the door to let Jake in. He stared at her, and she suddenly realized that she must look like an extra from a low-budget zombie film, but it couldn't be helped.
"Pez, I didn't think you'd have a guest...Are you sick, Sara?"
"No, no." She pushed Jake into a chair. "Just some intense stuff. And then Adrienne got an awful bloody nose...I should check on her, she's in the bathroom cleaning up."
There was a blood stained washcloth soaking in the sink when Sara came into the bathroom; she found Adrienne staring at herself in the mirror. She turned to Sara to show her neck. "There's no cut. Nothing at all." Sara sighed.
"We'll have to talk about this later. My partner's here to work on a case. I'd like,...I'd feel best if you spent the night here. You don't mind?"
"No. Not at all."
"Come on. I'll find you a clean shirt. I told Jake you had a bloody nose."
"Thanks. A clean shirt would be great. And a glass of water?"
"Yeah. Shirt first." Sara led Adrienne into her bedroom, and began digging around for an appropriate garment. She finally handed Adrienne a rather faded Yankees sweatshirt. "You can crash in here if you like, while I work with Jake."
"Thanks, but I think I'll go out on the fire escape. I could u the fresh air. Keep your friend Batman company" Adrienne's last remark was lost as she pulled the sweatshirt on. Sara nodded and went to rejoin Jake. Adrienne poured herself a glass of water and climbed out the window, doing her best not to disturb the two detectives.
"Pez?"
"Mmmhmmm?"
"Throw me a bone."
"Ok. Yeah. Right. Sorry Jake. Abridged version, I guess. I was adopted as an infant. Adrienne is my half sister, my mother's fourth and youngest child. My mother is ill; she wanted Adrienne to find me, to explain things, to make peace. And she did. Find me, that is. so now we're in the process of hashing out some confusing family history. Satisfied for the moment?"
"Whoa, Pez, I had no idea."
"Forget it. Let's just look at this case."
Outside the window, Adrienne studied the man sitting on the steps above her, ignorant of her presence. Even with little light, she could tell he was handsome. And unusual. Probably dangerous as well. But she felt a spark of recognition when she looked at him, so she scrambled up to sit next to him regardless of what threat he might pose to her. He was so shocked at her sudden appearance that he looked her full in the face before turning away to compose himself.
"Good evening," Adrienne said, cheerfully and conversationally. It's a lovely night, really." She paused, waiting for her companion to comment, but he remained silent. so, she continued talking. "If only you could see the stars. I always love stargazing, even though I have a terrible time keeping track of all the constellations. The trouble with the city is that you can never see the stars. Not as they're meant to be seen. It's rather like fog distorting a familiar landscape, or a veil obscuring a familiar face. I'm Adrienne, by the way. I noticed you follow my sister, watch her. Why is that? I think I know you of old, but I cannot place you in my memory. Why do you follow Sara?"
No answer came from the black clad man. "You haven't even introduced yourself. That's very rude. I've been trying to be polite and all, asking reasonable questions. But I need the answers one way or another. I guess it will have to be another." Adrienne was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was strained.
"Ian Nottingham. That was not your name when last we met. Warrior, assassin, sword master, body guard, follower of the Witchblade, sometime guardian of the wielder." Adrienne laughed, her voice still strange sounding. "And you love her. Or think you do. How interesting." Ian looked at her suspiciously, but the girl's eyes seemed to be seeing something else. Adrienne shook her head, and then, in a normal voice, "So that's why. You might have told me."
"Sara told you, " Ian growled, but Adrienne was unaffected. "And you are gravely mistaken; we have never met before now."
"Sara told me nothing of you. We had more important things to speak of. As to the other, well, I expect you will remember in time."
"What are you?" Ian's voice was low and threatening, but it still did not phase Adrienne.
"I am the offspring of a man-cloaked demon and a lunatic prophet. An unpleasant birthright and one I have separated myself from, to some degree. I am a witch, trained in many arts and sworn and bound to uphold the sacred balance of existence. And I am Adrienne, sister and guardian of the wielder Sara. But what, pray, or who, are you, Ian Nottingham? You do not really know, do you? I think you have been kept from learning.
The world is a wonderful place, for those who choose joy over sorrow, strength over pain. Do not let yourself be forced into pain and sorrow. Even so briefly in your presence I can tell that you are stronger than that."
They sat in silence for a long while; Adrienne studying her surroundings, and Ian wondering at this creature who heard the echoes of his thoughts. After a time, Adrienne stood up. She turned and took Ian's powerful gloved hand firmly in her own small bare one. "We will be friends, Ian Nottingham," she said smiling. She bent over and gently kissed his cheek.
Ian did something very rare, for him. He raised his head to look Adrienne directly in the eyes. He held her gaze, and then, hardly knowing why he did so, he said in a low voice accompanied by a half smile, "Yes lady. We will be friends."
Adrienne smiled brightly at him again before disappearing through the window, leaving Ian to wonder how this strange girl had affected him so much.
Kenneth Irons did not look up as his servant glided silently into the room.
"Well?"
"A half sister to Miss Pezzini." Irons looked up now, obviously thrown.
"Not,..not the Bronte girl?"
"No. this one is different. Younger, smaller, darker. and she sought out Sara."
"Who is she?"
"She called herself Adrienne. She said that she was the child of a crazed seer and a demon in human guise. I do not know if she meant the latter literally, or as an insult to her father."
'Go on."
"She is a witch of some extensive training and skill. I do not know of what order. She did not say, and there was no indication of any I know."
"What of her connection to the blade? Does she know of it?
"She is sworn to guard the wielder, and she made it clear that her relation to Sara added to her resolve."
"There is something else."
"They shared, I think, some vision provided by the witchblade."
"Yes. I felt it. What can you tell me of it?"
"Their eyes remained open throughout, they seemed involved in something unseen. At one point, they both cried out; the stone of the blade gave off a bright white light. When it ended, they were both weeping, and the one called Adrienne bled from a wound in her throat that was not there."
"This is, unfortunate. They have learned a great deal. They have witnessed the making, the calling forth of the gauntlet. Few have; I have not. And with the witch as her watchdog, it will be harder than ever to remain on good terms with the good detective. The witch must not remain. Bring her to the house, tomorrow night. We shall see what price she asks to relinquish her post."
"I do not think she will come."
"Use any means necessary. But get her here."
"Yes. Sir?"
"What is it, Nottingham?" Irons snapped.
"There is more to her, I think, than it might seem." Irons sent an irritated glare in the direction Ian's bent head.
"You are dismissed for the night." Ian turned to leave. "Adrienne, you said her name was?"
"Yes sir."
"You know, it is said that if a faery once kisses you, you are forever in their thrall."
"Is the witchblade Faery, then?" Ian murmured as he left, loud enough for Irons to hear. Irons frowned at Ian's receding back and then turned his attention back to the book he had been reading.
Jake McCarty was still there when Adrienne came in from outside. "Hello Detective McCarty. Nice to see you again."
"Please, just call me Jake. So, Pez's sister, huh? I gotta say it's the last thing I expected." Adrienne smiled winningly. Jake silently hoped that this girl could get his partner to lighten up. She seemed sensible enough. "Maybe now since she's got you, she'll stop talking to herself all the time." Adrienne glanced at Sara and laughed.
"You'd be surprised, Jake, at how hard such habits are to break." Jake began to pick up his things, and Adrienne, still smiling in amusement, handed him his coat and walked him to the door. Sara was still immersed in some case document. Just as he was leaving, Jake turned, and gripping her arm, pulled Adrienne closer to him.
"You look out for her, ok?"
"I know Jake. that's what I'm here for." Jake left then, pulling the door closed behind him. Maybe this girl might turn out to be Pezzini's guardian angel. He hoped so. If anyone needed one, it was Sara.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 notes. #1- The idea for Ian to respond to Adrienne as 'lady' occurred to me, and was written into my story, before Maelstrom aired. Nothing else he could say seemed to fit.
#2- Regarding Iron's last remarks concerning the fae. This sort of worked its way in by accident. Adrienne, the name, means 'woman of the sea' . But the really interesting part is this- when you take out the additional 'ne' that are used to identify the name as feminine, one finds that Adrienne is an anagram for neriad, which is the name for a water nymph. So ponder that.
