Galatea was feeling content as she lay against a cluster of satin cushions Isley had gathered for her. Satin over silk. She had told him once how she preferred satin, and he had remembered. As she rested, Isley stood guard outside the tent. She was not as paranoid as he, but there were those she did not trust, Roxanne being one. Isley did what he did to keep her safe, though they never did talk about it. Sometimes it was rather lonely to be the recipient of someone's protection, though.
"Must you stand outside?" Galatea said, "It is far warmer in here…"
She knew he heard it, and soon, the tent flaps opened and he peered inside the tent at her.
"I do not require warmth," Isley said. "I stand outside to deter any would-be attackers,"
"Who do you think is going to try and murder me? Arrylys? Roxanne? Riful, Luciela? Teresa?"
"Riful or Luciela may try to kidnap you," Isley said. "And who knows what Roxanne would do to you if she had the chance. I will never let anyone hurt you, Galatea. Never again."
The look he gave her then humbled her. He was genuinely concerned for her security. He had always told her how he had wanted to take care of her, to protect her from harm so that she could reach her full potential. That was his logic, at least. He saw her as something special. This protective trait of his she found somewhat suffocating but had slowly warmed to and come to accept. They were husband and wife after all. He was the king and she the Queen.
"You can protect me in the tent too. Come inside, please." Galatea said.
He didn't always listen to her, which she found mildly irritating at times, but sometimes, he did exactly as she wanted. This time, he closed the tent flap and Galatea thought he had ignored her request, but then she heard him talking to one of the regulators, and then the flap opened and he entered the tent.
"I suppose I can trust a regulator to take watch for a moment," Isley said.
"I'm sure they will manage…" Galatea said.
Isley walked on over to the make-do kitchen where he prepared to cook her some porridge over a small brazier. She watched him in bewilderment as he made something she did not ask for. He did, however, make it exactly how she liked it, soft and creamy and with honey mixed in and blueberries sprinkled on the top. When he was done, he poured the porridge into a plate, placed a spoon in the bowl, then while holding it, walked on over. He sat down beside the bundle of pillows and handed the bowl out to her.
She gave him that look she always gave when he did something she did not ask for. "I don't recall mentioning that I was hungry,"
"Your powers put great strain on your mind and body. You can recover your mind with rest but you must eat to regain your body's strength."
She wanted to fight him on it, to refuse him just for the sake of being stubborn, but as usual, she realized he was right and in the end relented. She sat upright and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she grabbed the bowl off him. "Yes, Daddy…"
Isley only smiled at that. She had figured out the small things which he liked, and vice versa. It was a strange thing to be with someone for such a short time and yet it felt like it had been a lifetime. She began to eat with small bites, but the taste of food suddenly reminded her how hungry she was and she quickly devoured the whole thing. It did annoy her how he was right most of the time.
He took the bowl off her and returned it to the kitchen, then he came back and resumed sitting next to the pillows. She stared at him and he at her. She had come to notice that he did not blink all that often, and his eyes were like calm storms.
"You're tired," Isley said. "You should rest."
Galatea sighed. "I fear that if I do, she will attempt to contact me in my dreams."
"Arrylys?"
Galatea nodded. "Or awakened Teresa. Or both."
He gave her an assured look. "No one can hurt you in a dream."
"Perhaps not physically, but my mind can be damaged if she worms her way deep enough into my very being.."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"It would help if you are by my side."
He reached for her hand and held it gently, almost too gently as if she were something fragile, which somewhat annoyed her because she was anything but, and yet she liked what it meant.
"Then I will remain by your side." He said.
Galatea almost blushed from the way he was staring at her, and then they kissed on the lips and lay down atop the pillars together. Galatea nuzzled up to him, enjoying his warmth as well as his scent, his slim yet toned body. With Isley she felt safe. Galatea closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of sweet rest.
Galatea found herself in a dark forest. The trees were old, their roots thick and twisting through the earth. A cold, white mist enveloped all, giving the place a haunting beauty. The moon's silver light pierced through the canopy above. Despite the tranquil beauty, an intuition made her feel like something wasn't right. She took a step forward and her boot sunk into mud. At that moment, everything came back to her.
Oh, that's right…
I was with Isley in a tent.
This must be a dream…
Just to make sure of that fact, she peered down at her hands and decided to conduct a test. She remembered Miria once telling her that you could tell a dream from reality by trying to poke a finger through the palm of your other hand. If it's a dream the finger will go straight through. So she tried it, and to her great shock, there was no resistance and the finger went straight through.
Galatea felt a dark presence approaching, and she scanned the area about. The trees were like an endless army of shadows. There came the sound of twigs snapping, and Galatea looked on ahead at the coming threat. A pair of ice-blue eyes shined through that darkness, and then a body form itself out of the mist. The enormous dragon moved almost as if it weighed nothing at all, as agile as a cat stalking its prey. Galatea could not cast away all of the terror she felt at that moment as she and the creature stared each other down.
"Asleep, at last, Galatea," Arrylys said, a familiar sound echoed. "It was only a matter of time."
Galatea smiled. "Invading the mind of another without their consent is rather unbecoming for a prideful dragon, don't you think?"
Arrylys fell into a grin, her expressions eerily similar to her humanoid form, though as a dragon all it did was expose her sharp array of teeth. She laughed, and it was a deep rumble of a laugh. When Arrylys settled down, she came closer yet to Galatea, anger flashing in her eyes.
"…Thee see what the rest of thy kind cannot. A powerful telepath, and a weaver of realities."
"Clearly not as powerful as you, since I can't seem to block you out. This is my dream, so I should be completely in control."
"How can thee be so sure you are not in mine own dream?"
Arrylys advanced for her with a deadly swipe of claw, but Galatea saw it coming and leaped back to avoid it. In her hand she felt herself holding something –– a claymore. The dragon continued to come at her, clawing and snapping at her as she advanced back and weaved in between the trees. Those giant jaws bit in half entire trees, the snaps of wood like loud snaps that was like thunder. She felt the energy flows in the creature's body and could predict its every next move with utmost precision. It was lucky that her body moved somewhat faster in the dream world
snapped at her, and those teeth came dangerously close at times. Galatea wondered what would happen if she were to be eaten. Her body moved a little faster in the dream world than it did in reality, but even with that, her luck did eventually run out.
The dragon's claws connected with her and she was thrown back hard and slammed into a tree. Blood gushed down her face and obscured her vision. She stood on her feet and more blood dripped down from somewhere. Her arms were bleeding. There were deep cuts into both of them. Galatea hissed at the pain. It was all too real.
Now would be a really good time to wake up…
Despite her desperate efforts, she did not wake. Arrylys kept advancing for her, and Galatea was not ready for any more of this. The claymore was still in her hand but the thought of using it against such a monstrosity of nature seemed utterly futile. Just as she was prepared to fight anyway, there came the presence of someone new nearby,
She looked to the side and so did Arrylys, and saw someone she did not quite expect. The ancient claymore,Odette, strode casually towards them. The rays of moonlight reflected brilliantly off her white-gold hair and made her look like she had an ethereal glow.
Arrylys snarled at the intruder. "Another dreamer?"
The ancient claymore casually walked up to Galatea though her gaze was focused upon the dragon. Her face was stone, and there was no fear in her. She looked over at Galatea.
"Wake up."
Galatea woke suddenly, and she saw Isley above her with a look of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"…I need to talk to Odette." Galatea said.
Hysteria talked the whole way back to the mountains. Most of it was gossip and superstition, as well as the odd mention of Teresa here and there in varying contexts. After a while, Miria zoned out for most of it.
"Are you even listening to me?" Hysteria said.
"No, not really."
Hysteria leered at her irritably.
"I'm sorry. I just have other things on my mind." Miria said.
"Like Teresa?"
Miria rolled her eyes. "Not this again…"
"You're worried that she will not be able to deal with her awakened half."
"Aren't we all concerned about that?"
Hysteria flicked at her hair. "You're worried about Arrylys, worried about Odette, about Roxanne. Worried about the Capitol, about Evelina, this and that. All you ever do is worry. It really is rather suffocating"
"Suffocating?"
"What I'm trying to say, Miria, is that you bore me."
"Well then, I'm sorry I'm such a bore."
Hysteria smiled. "Let us assume that we win. What are you even going to do when you have nothing to worry about?"
Miria put a hand on her chin. "I haven't thought about it. Why does it matter?"
Hysteria shrugged. "I wish to know."
Miria pondered"…I guess I'd set out and find a nice isolation section of the world, someplace beautiful where I can meditate all day."
"That sounds utterly boring." Hysteria said.
"Does it? Sounds like paradise to me, especially if I get to spend it with someone special."
"I cannot meditate, Miria. My mind is never at rest."
"It's cute how you assume I'm talking about you," Miria said.
Hysteria flushed. "Well, just so you know, my house would be built as far away as possible from yours. It will have a small farm, and a stable where I will take care of my horses."
"Oh, that does sound nice. Am I allowed to come visit?" Miria said.
"Yes, because I will need help with the horses. They are delicate animals and need a lot of attention…"
"I see. Its a bit unfortunate you live so far away then."
Hysteria smiled. "There will be a guest room where you can stay for a day or two."
"A day or two? Use me then discard me?" Miria said.
"If you are to come visit then you must build the stables."
"Must?"
"Yes, and even the whole house now that I think about it. I am certainly not doing it myself."
Galatea found Odette atop the tallest mountain in the region, staring off in the direction of her dragonlord lover, in the mountains far beyond. Odette did not move a muscle as Galatea approached.
"I do wonder how you managed to wake me in my own dream when I could not?" Galatea said.
Odette didn't say anything for a long moment, as if lost in a trance, then she turned over. "You will never get another good night's rest for as long as the Queen of the dragons lives."
"Help me defeat her, perhaps we can invade her mind and defeat her without there being any bloodshed." Galatea said.
Odette's face lit up with a sudden determination as she stepped up to Galatea, trying to assume dominance though they were the same tall.
"I've already given you my gifts," Odette peered back out at the distance, in the direction of her dragonlord lover. "I owe you or this world nothing."
Miria had a sudden feeling that she had to rush back to the war camp, and so with Hysteria they made quicker pace and arrived earlier than was planned. Upon arrival, they were met by Galatea and Isley. Both of them looked rather grim.
"She is aware."
"Who?"
Galatea appeared unusually tense. "She awaits you at Karter's tent."
Nothing more was said and Miria got the hint and headed straight in that direction. Hysteria went with her for a while but then peered over at her and was about to say something before a regulator came up to them with a package in hand. Miria arched a brow in curiosity as Hysteria accepted the rather large box package.
"Do not take too long…" Hysteria said as she walked away, headed to their nearby shared tent.
Miria wondered about the package for a little but then focused on the task at hand and marched on toward the general's tent. As she approached, Karter emerged out with her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl across her.
"Where were you?" Karter said.
"I had a personal errand," Miria said.
"I don't care what you had. You cannot leave whenever you feel like it."
"With respect, General, I'm not one of your regulators. I had something to take care of and I'm not apologizing for it. Now, where is Odette?"
The general's steely form betrayed no expression, and Miria could not tell whether she was offended by that or not. Kater looked over behind her at the entrance to the tent.
"She will talk only to you," Kater said with a slight twitch in her eye. "Convince her that she is not to leave."
"I can't make her stay if she doesn't want to," Miria said.
"Galatea has warned us of the impending disaster that awaits if she is to leave for that mountain. I cannot let that happen. Convince her to stay."
Miria took in a deep breath and then out, and then entered the tent. The ancient claymore stood before the war table observing the map and its many pieces. Her white gold eyes flicked up from the table and onto her.
"I remember everything…" Odette said, smiling as she touched the part of the map where the dragonlord rested. "I can feel my love's aura, even from here. I must go to him."
Miria walked up to the table and stood on the opposite side of it, staring Odette down. "…You could have left earlier. You didn't have to wait to inform me."
"I thought as a matter of courtesy I would tell you face to face," Odette said.
"But that's not the truth, is it? The truth is you're unsure about this. Deep down, you know going to him is a bad idea."
Odette tapped her fingers rhythmically against the edge of the table.
Miria continued: "I thought we had a deal, Odette. You help us win the war and then we help you with your personal issues."
Odette grabbed the side of the war table and crushed the wood with a death grip "I was imprisoned in ice for millennia…" Odette raised her voice. "And during all that time, I dreamt of nothing but him! I will not be denied my happiness!"
–– "Tell me, did you hypnotize Marcus? or did he tell you everything willingly?"
"It wasn't all that difficult to extract information from him," Odette said. "Believe it or not but I did not manipulate him in any way."
"And if you don't remember your past, how do you know he isn't lying?"
"I do, remember, Miria. There were only fragments. But Marcus has helped me put all the parts together. You must understand, that even if it is folly, I must go to him. For my soul, and for his, I must."
Miria stared her down hard. "And if you both awaken, and kill each other? Or worse? That will be a fate worse than death. Why rush this? Arrylys is our common enemy. Let's focus on her."
"…I will bring him back, and you will gain a powerful new ally."
"You must really love this guy, huh?" Miria said. "Tell me, what makes him so great?"
Odette appeared slightly startled by that question. Miria could tell that made her think, if only for a moment, but then she looked determined narrowed her eyes. "…Everything,"
"Tell me about him," Miria said.
They stared each other down for a moment longer before Odette surprisingly relented and described her life as a regulator, how she had met her dragon lord love and the manners in which they would constantly spare each other in battle. The way she spoke of him was striking. She was almost glowing. Miria listened but her true intent was to distract Odette for as long as possible. After a while, she even had a conversation going where she was hoping to circle back to making the woman doubt herself, but Odette caught on to her.
"I am leaving." Odette said and walked away.
Miria sighed. "You know I can't let you do that."
"I will cut anyone who tries to stop me. Do not make me do that."
Teresa allowed Clare to rest but dared not fall asleep herself. She made sure to keep an eye out at all times and watch out for any danger. It was getting late into the night, and the sun was only a couple of hours away.
"We really should get back to camp," Teresa whispered softly in Clare's ear.
Clare remained half asleep and only responded with a light moan. The two of them lay side by side in the reeds by the stream, their naked bodies pressed against each other. The sound of the moving water nearby was a soothing lullaby.
When someone approached, Teresa tensed but then quickly calmed when she realized it was just Miria. It had crossed her mind to wake Clare so that they could get dressed, but another part of her felt no reason to do so and was actually looking forward to Miria's reaction.
When Miria finally showed up, Teresa was amused by the way Miria quickly turned away and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to interrupt, but it's important…"
Clare instantly woke up and scrambled to cover herself with her nearby clothes. "Miria…did something happen?"
"…Odette is headed for the other dragon lord."
"And?" Teresa said as she sat upright.
"And…you need to stop her, also, do you mind putting something on?" Miria said.
Clare quickly began to get dressed, but Teresa was almost lazy about it, taking her time and staring at Miria. When they had their uniforms back on, Miria turned back to face them.
Teresa walked up to Miria and with a stone-cold glare, said. "What are you actually asking of us? You want us to kill Odette?"
"I would prefer you subdue her instead," Miria said. "But if that's not possible, then you must do what is necessary."
"I don't want to kill Odette," Clare said. "I have nothing against her."
"I don't want this either, Clare, but what if Galatea's prediction comes true? And she will fuse with her dragonlord lover? It would create a new headache for us. "
"Galatea doesn't know the future for certain, nobody can make that claim," Teresa said. "This whole soul fusion thing may not even happen."
"I'm not willing to take a chance on that, are you?" Miria said, turning to Clare. "What do you say, Clare?"
Both Teresa and Miria were staring at her, and Clare felt only a little bit nervous. She took only a moment to think about it. Miria was her friend and someone she greatly respected, but Teresa was something more, and in this case, she tended to agree with her anyway.
"Sorry Miria, but I won't commit murder," Clare said.
"And not even for you," Teresa mused.
Miria was unshaken, though it took her time to gather her words. Clare's harsh tone stung. "Alright, well, if that's how you feel about it. Just know that we are at war with Arrylys, and so hard choices have to be made. We can let Odette get to him, maybe nothing will happen, maybe a nightmare will be born. If it's the latter and catastrophe strikes, I trust you can handle it?"
Miria tried not to be, but she was bothered by what Clare had said. Her friend had described her request as murder, which was a rather unjust interpretation. Odette was a danger to them all, and taking her out was not just the obvious thing to do but also the moral thing too.
Upon returning to her officer's tent, Miria found Hysteria in the bed laying sideways, the linen sheets covering her entirely up to her neck. Beside her was the box of chocolates that were more than half eaten.
"How did it go with Odette?"
Miria walked down to the other end of the tent where the brazier burnt, and sunk her face in her hands. "She's headed off to her dragonlord lover. I asked Teresa and Clare to stop her, but they refuse to."
There was silence until Hysteria said. "By stop her, you meant… kill her?"
Miria gave a nod. "Is ordering the death of someone who could potentially kill thousands, do you think that's murder?"
She turned to Hysteria, and the two locked gazes. Hysteria glared at her with narrowed eyes, pondering, before finally saying. "If I am to be perfectly honest, you do have a history of killing those that do not wish to be killed…I still remember it quite vividly when you almost murdered me…"
Miria put her head down in shame. "I regret that more than anything."
"I know, and I do not with to harp on it, but I did It for a reason." A most curious smile drew across the woman,
Miria called her out on it. "What are you smiling at?"
"I must say, I do enjoy seeing you humbled every now and then."
"Humbled?"
"Seeing you deal with failure…you do not handle it well."
Hysteria raised herself with an elbow, and as she did so, the sheets of the bed slid off her, revealing the dark leathers of what looked to be an instructress she wore beneath. There was a hole cut in center of the torso to expose her bust, which Miria found herself instantly drawn to as was its intended purpose.
They caught each other's gaze and the eye contact was intense. Hysteria was giving her one of those sex looks. Sometimes they would played the silent game of who would look away first, and neither did like losing all that much.
Hysteria threw the rest of the blanket off her, revealing the full body suit in its entirety It fit her perfectly and all her groves, skin tight up to the neck. She even wore black leather boots that went up almost to the knee, and had a tower of interlocking laces. Unlike most of the instructress suits Miria had seen, this one was full of small ornaments and there were complex artistic patterns engraved into the leather.
"It is custom made. Do you like it?"
Miria was left speechless as Hysteria twirled around, showing off herself off in all her glorious different angles. It fit her contours perfectly. Hysteria peered over at the side where across the table was a small flogger with its hundreds of tiny leather straps hanging off the edge. Miria wondered what she was going to do with that, but Hysteria did not go for it and instead advanced towards her, slowly, her gait like a feline prowling. Miria felt a heat in her loins as the woman came to stand before her, staring her down with a rather feisty intensity and a little smile to know that she is going to get exactly what she wants. But it was her eyes that was most intense of all, something that was almost scarily obsessive.
Miria felt a tingle as Hysteria came up and whispered into her ear. "…You are a naughty, girl, Miria. You must be punished for being a murderer."
Murderer?
Why would she say that?
They were sometimes mean to each other but it was merely just games. That last comment was just plain unnecessary. Miria wondered about it, and the strange look to the woman's face. She looked tired. Miria smelt a whiff of alcohol from the woman's breath, and instantly she felt turned off by the whole encounter. She moved her face away before Hysteria could kiss her.
Hysteria gave her a look as if she did not quite understand, or perhaps she knew all too well and the intent was to hurt her. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Miria stepped away. "I'm not in the mood."
"Not in the mood? Are you aware how long it took me to put this contraption on?"
Miria saw a couple glass bottles half tucked away behind the corner of the bed. She moved closer to have a better look. There were three bottles, two of which were completely empty and the last one nearly halfway done. Miria picked up one of the empty bottles and smelled it, realizing it was not wine but something far stronger.
"Since when do you drink?" Miria said,
Hysteria was smiling like a fool. "It came in the package…I thought we could celebrate together…there's plently left for you too."
"You know I don't drink."
"Oh, Don't be so boring, Miria."
"I'm always boring, according to you."
Hysteria came up to her and tried to kiss her again, but again, Miria pulled away. Hysteria's goofy expression turned sour when she realized she was not getting what she wanted. And then everything changed. Hysteria turned around, stormed back to the bed, covered herself with the sheets with her back turned to Miria. Hysteria was clearly in one of her tantrums, and Miria rolled her eyes knowing the woman was going to punish her by giving her the silent treatment.
"Are you really just going to ignore me all night?" Miria said.
Hysteria did not turn around nor did she say anything. Miria did not want to suffer through one of her moods, so she decided to walk away and leave the tent.
Outside, the winds picked up as the night cooled. Miria walked around the war camp and tried to filter out any negative thoughts. All around there was a sea of tents, and every now and then large iron braziers that lit up different portions of the war camp. She came up to one of them, and the heat from the flames was a pleasant sensation that helped ground her.
Someone approached from the side. She thought it was perhaps Hysteria, but was instead pleasantly surprised to see Tabitha.
"Odette is gone," Tabitha said, "Judging by the look on your face, you already know that."
Miria gave the slightest nod. Tabitha came to stand beside her, and for a while, they did not speak. Miria thought she wanted to be alone, but Tabitha's presence was every bit as warm as the nearby flames, if not more so.
"I asked Teresa and Clare to murder Odette, but they refused."
"Murder?"
"It is what it is…"
"…Who called it murder?"
"Clare. And she's right. Who am I to think I have the right to choose who lives or dies?"
Tabitha took a moment to ponder, then she said. "Miria, everyone follows you because you know what it takes to win. You united the Capitol behind us. Evelina now serves you and we have an army of regulators behind us. The choices you made put us in the best strategic position possible."
Miria looked down at the ground. "I was naive, Tabitha. I put myself at the mercy of those I shouldn't have. Honestly, if it wasn't for Hysteria, things would have ended very differently for me."
Tabitha said. "She came to your aid when no one else did, not even me. I must admit that means something."
"I owe her for that. I should have been smarter, but like an idiot, I drank the tea Maddy offered me. I thought it may be poisoned or drugged but I took it anyway."
"If you knew then why?"
"I don't know. I trusted Maddy at the time."
"Well, I hope you learned your lesson."
The wind howled by them, making the fire in the brazier dance. After a moment, Tabitha said. "Don't worry about Odette. You can't change anything now."
"I know."
"Let fate run its course."
There was silence until Tabitha shifted, and then asked. "How is she doing by the way?"
"Hysteria. I sensed that you went back to the academy with her earlier. What happened?"
"Just a follow-up on the cure that Maddy promised. She's working hard at it, though Evelina seems to be having a bit too much fun with her captivity."
"I can imagine," Tabitha said. "Those two hate each other. Maddy and Evelina?"
Miria smiled. "Supposedly the cure will be done by tomorrow afternoon."
"And you believe that?"
"It's in Maddy's best interest to deliver on her promises…I don't think she's lying. She has no reason to." Miria paused and then peered over at Tabitha. "And how are you doing by the way? I'm sorry for being so absent recently."
Tabitha looked away, and Miria swore the girl was blushing, but it could have been the orange from the brazier. "I've been good. Been practicing my sensory skills, and I feel like I'm getting closer to that horizon that is Galatea."
Clare felt bad for describing Miria's request as murder. She did not know why the 'm' word slipped from her lips, but the moment it did, she immediately regretted it. Perhaps she did it unconsciously in order to please Teresa since the two of them were not getting along. For Clare, it was sad to see such a thing because Miria was her friend. They had history together, even more than she had with Teresa.
Teresa was unusually quiet as they walked back together to the war camp.
"Hey, Teresa," Clare said,
"Hmm?"
"What's between you and Miria?"
Teresa's face soured at the question. There was an element of annoyance to her as if it was a topic she did not particularly wish to discuss: "…What makes you think there's something between us?"
"So this tension im sensing, is all in my head?"
Teresa yawned."…Miria believes that I am able to heal Hysteria's resurrection sickness but I choose not to."
"Is she right?"
Teresa smiled faintly. "Yes and no. The answer is complicated."
"How is it? You can either cure Hysteria or you can't."
"The thing is, Clare, If I were to attempt it, I'd be left exhausted. Healing superficial wounds is difficult enough, but to heal a disease that embeds itself into every fiber of a person's being, that is something else. It'll consume a significant portion of my stamina, and there's no guarantee that it would work and I cannot afford to be weakened, not even for a moment. I don't think I need to explain to you why that is.…I would rather have Miria hate me than be weakened and not able to defend you and everyone else from those that wish to kill us. Her 'girlfriend' will be getting a cure anyway. It doesn't even matter."
"And if the cure fails?"
Teresa looked away. "Well that would be most unfortunate, won't it?"
As they neared the war camp, Teresa gazed off to the side, deeper into the mountains.
"Are you still tired, Clare?"
"Not so much anymore. Why?"
"I'm thinking we should at least…monitor the situation with Odette. I think she may be drawing some unwanted attention."
Miria was impressed by Tabitha's endurance. They had known each other for years but the girl still managed to surprise her every now and then. Tabitha was almost equal to her in swordplay, and her movements weren't far behind either. As their swords clashed, Miria found herself sweating from effort. They sparred in a forest clearing a fair ways away from the war camp where the surrounding trees absorbed the sound of their ringing steel.
Afterward, they lay on the ground side by side and looked up at the night sky. Being Tabitha, Miria felt herself come back to balance, her mind clearer and less stressed.
"So, how are you and Hysteria doing?" Tabitha said.
Miria sighed. "What are you really asking of me, Tabitha?"
"I guess I just want to know if you love her."
Tabitha had asked that unashamedly, but Miria thought about it. "She can be a real handful at times, most of the time, actually. But she has good qualities, and I care about her a lot."
"You're dodging the question."
"You're putting me on the spot here."
"She told me once that she loved you, you know," Tabitha said.
"She did?"
Tabitha nodded. "She never told you? Must be afraid of the same non answer you gave me."
Miria sighed. "…I'm surprised you and her actually talk."
"We don't, really. By the way, where is she?"
"Sleeping."
"Did you have a fight?"
"Well, I guess."
Tabitha smiled. "I won't pretend like that doesn't please me a little to hear that. You should probably return to her soon or she may get jealous."
"She gets jealous no matter what I do. She thinks Teresa and I have something going on."
"…Teresa?"
"Which of course is absurd. If she learned the truth about Teresa, she wouldn't think that." Miria said.
"What truth?"
"Nevermind…just pretend I didn't say anything."
"Galatea and I noticed something about Teresa's healing ability," Tabitha said. It doesn't come without a cost."
"What cost?"
"It eats away at Teresa's stamina. The last time she healed Clare's wounds, It took a toll on her. She was exhausted afterward but she did her best not to show it. Galatea insisted that I keep it to myself. She said it served no utility in telling you, that it's Teresa's secret to divulge."
Miria sat upright and spared a curious glance at Tabitha. "Teresa never mentioned this…"
Tabitha said. "I'm really sorry, Miria. I should have told you earlier."
Miria looked back up at the night sky and smiled sadly. "…And all this time I thought Teresa was just being vindictive…I guess healing Hysteria would weaken her too substantially."
Tabitha was about to say something, but then she suddenly went still. "Miria, Teresa and Clare just left the camp."
Teresa and Clare quickly caught up to their target. The ancient claymore rode atop a grey horse following another horse and rider, Marcus. They landed ahead of the horse's way, and forced the animals to come to a haunt. Marcus didn't even look directly at them, while Odette had a beleaguered look, a nerve in her jaw twitching. A claymore sheathed across her back.
Teresa drew out her sword and held it angled down and to the side, a threatening but not threatening gesture. Something Clare found most curious.
"You have no right to stop me," Odette said. "And I have every right to kill anyone that tries."
"You're right," Teresa said. "I'm not here to stop you."
Odette's eyes went down to Teresa's sword. "And yet, your weapon is out of its sheath."
"A precautionary measure should you choose to attack me."
"Move out of my way."
"Glady, but first, I have a few conditions," Teresa said.
"I am not required to adhere to your 'conditions'," Odette said.
"Normally I would agree, but you see, given that there's so much at stake, I feel like I have no choice but to get involved, you know, make sure things turn out well…"
"Are you trying to waste my time?" Odette said.
"Not at all. What I'm trying to say is…"
Clare wasn't sure what she was even listening to. Teresa led the conversation in circles of logic. She had no idea what Teresa was even trying to do. Stall? Piss Odette off?
Eventually, Odette snapped and shouted. "Enough! Move out of my way or I will make you!"
Teresa smiled faintly and then, surprisingly, stepped aside. Odette looked at Clare with distrustful eyes before she trotted forward with her horse and then left with a gallop. Marcus stayed behind, looking only down upon the neck of the black steed.
"Of course, you're the reason for this…" Teresa said scoldingly.
Marcus heaved a heavy sigh. "…I couldn't say no to her."
"You can say no to anyone."
"I'm in love with her."
"You know her better than us. Have you considered the possibility that she's manipulating your thoughts?" Clare said.
"Of course I have, but at this point, I don't really care. My brother has been on that mountain for a very long time waiting for Odette. I feel like I owe it to him to do this."
"And if the world ends?" Teresa said.
Marcus shrugged. "If you wanted to stop Odette you could have done it a long time ago. Like you, I've decided to let her choose her destiny."
Marcus commanded his horse forward and galloped away in pursuit of Odette.
Roxanne effortlessly caught all the knives that Skye had thrown at her. It was all too simple. Her reaction speed had increased dramatically since absorbing the life forces of the regulators. Skye grew visibly annoyed when her last knife was caught just as easily as all the others.
"Well then, see if you can stop this!" Skye said as she reached for her bow.
"How about no?" Roxanne said.
Skye drew the bow anyway, aimed, and fired. Roxanne's eyes went wide when she saw the black tip of the bolt race toward her chest. But knowing she could not stop it. She clasped her hands together in desperate attempt to catch it, but managed to only partially do so. The bolt had still managed to pierce deeply into her chest, blood gushing out in rivers.
"You fucking bitch," Roxanne said, as she pulled the bolt out and tossed it angrily to the side. "You shot me!"
Before Roxanne could even blink, Skye armed her bow with a new bolt and pulled back the string."I spoke to general Karter. There are reports of missing regulators. I wonder, do you have anything to do with it?"
"What? No. I swear it has nothing to do with me!"
Skye sneered. "You suck at lying,"
"If you don't put down that bow, I'm going to kill you…" Roxanne said.
"Answer the next one honestly, or the next one will be a killshot."
Roxanne began to sweat. This brat had her cornered. She was fast but not as fast as that bolt can travel, not from this range. There was no way out of this except to admit the truth.
"I drained the life force of a couple regulators… by accident! I swear I didn't mean to kill them. I only did it to get stronger. So that I can protect you and all the others! Well, maybe not you, but the others, sure."
Skye did not look convinced in the slightest. Roxanne expected another arrow to the chest at any moment. She wondered whether she could turn to her side and have the arrow go through her that way. Would that be worse?
Much to her surprise Skye lowered her bow. "I'll be watching you very closely."
"I'm going to kill you, bitch." Roxanne said.
Skye shouldered her bow and bolts, and smirked. "Go ahead. I invite you to try it."
As Skye walked away, Roxanne's blood boiled with rage. Her chest had a hole in it and she was still leaking blood. It got to her. She wanted revenge. She wanted to beat Skye senseless and drain her for everything that she's worth.
As she headed off after Skye, Roxanne noticed someone watching her from the treeline. It was dark, and she almost looked like an apparition of shadows, but the light of the moon revealed her face, and Roxanne froze in terror as Cassandra glared at her with eyes of death.
Roxanne blinked and Cassandra was gone. Roxanne rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again there was nothing there.
It couldn't have been…
I must be seeing things…