Chapter Eighteen
(A/N: ::snicker:: Yeah, so, my mum teaches in the sped department of my high school. Her aid, Adam, apparently told her that if I were any more Gothic, I'd be dead. ::snicker:: Read on, my minions. Read on and review.)
Disclaimer: Anything having to do with Azazel of Belasarius is mine. Elbereth and Nire are mine.
Two pairs of ancient eyes were fixed on a pool of still water. The image inside was an aerial view of a green maze of hedges, and the two people walking within. A long-fingered male hand reached sideways to a scale model of the labyrinth. Before it reached the green carvings, before it could rearrange them, a dainty hand grabbed it.
"Please, don't." The female voice was soft and gentle, pleading.
"She's too smart to be allowed to continue."
Pouty lips extended into the meager light, both faces still hidden in shadow. "Please? It's been so long since there was a child here…"
A third voice came, from deep within the shadows. "There were children here at one point? How did I miss that?"
"My point exactly," the female voice said.
Mistrustful eyes shone briefly, reflecting the dim light. "Fine," the second voice bit off. The hand hovering over the maze dropped sulkily into the shadows again.
Two heads bent back over the scrying pool.
* * * * *
Nire dropped back to walk beside Elbereth. " 'Sup?" she asked.
" 'Sup?" he questioned, his fine brow crinkling slightly in confusion.
"Yeah. 'Sup. What's up? How's it going? I'm attempting to initiate conversation." They split up to go down separate paths,. Nire quickly joining the Lythari in the other branch. "Doesn't this seem too easy to you?"
Elbereth nodded. "Aye, that is does. What do you suggest?"
"That we do?" Nire shrugged. She was getting tired, walking around like this. But she was determined to get to the tower and get the spell. She was going to be ripshit if it was just a legend.
Elbereth snuck quick glances over at her, time and time again, as they walked. She looked nothing like his ting, graceful Makaila. But she exuded the same aura of a vibrant, untapped fountain of youth. There was something else in the young human, something that set her apart from the vivacious elf-girl. Butt he level of independence, the level of scorn for foolish adults - they would have been well matched.
"Well, I'm not recognizing any of the scenery," she said dryly. "I guess I'm going to assume that the walls aren't moving and sending us in circles, as one legend said they did. What say you, oh mighty elven border guard?" She put just the right amount of sarcasm on the words to make them lightly teasing, not malicious as much of her precious speech had been.
Elbereth smiled slightly at her change in humor. "I say that I agree."
A snicker emerged from Nire's throat. "Know what would totally bite? If there wasn't really an exit from this stupid maze. Just a trap, or some such rot, in the middle."
That thought had never presented itself to Elbereth before. She might be right - then what would they do? He had come sorely unprepared for this, expecting it to be over quickly. This child would get bored and return to her him, and eh would return to his, obligation filled. As many people did, he had underestimated the will of the girl-child., As many had underestimated the perseverance of Makaila…
Nire glanced over at Elbereth to see him looking at her, an odd longing in his eyes. Truthfully, he was making her nervous. As always when something began to seriously freak her out, she brought it up. "What's up with you? You keep looking at me like either you know me from somewhere, or you're considering if I could be a good snack."
Elbereth blinked slowly, dragging himself out of the depths of his memories, looking away. "I'm sorry. You just remind me of my daughter."
"You're got kids?" Nire asked curiously. Most of the time, she *hated* the innocuous questions people asked each other just so there was some sort of conversation going. If she didn't know someone, and couldn't think of anything to say, she much referred the since. Even uncomfortable silence. Right now, however, after such a long time of walking, the unnatural silence was getting to her. People liked to talk about their kids, and, as much as she hated hearing about them, it would be better than this silence. Perhaps it would take her mind off the feeling of someone staring at her.
Her balloon was deflated when Elbereth said, "*Had*. She died in a fire."
"Oh," Nire said as through she were enlightened. His fear of the elemental had reason begin it, now. Nire fell silent after that quiet revelation. Bad news, or happening, always left her with nothing to say. Once more, the issue was with those innocuous phrases he hated to hear. She did not know how he felt - although it was apparent in his voice that he still hurt - and phrases like 'I'm so sorry' just pissed *her* off. Verbal diarrhea because she did not know ha to say usually wasn't appreciated, at least, not by her.
They split up once more, this time, Elbereth joined Nire. She growled softly. "This is boring as hell - it's almost worth it to go down the wrong path, just so I can kill something."
She glanced over at Elbereth, but he wasn't responding. He was lost in memories of a happy elven girl laughing on a warm summer's day.
* * * * *
The hand reached for the miniature maze once more. As before, a more feminine hand stopped the movement. This time, a transparent hand was added to the restraint.
"You know you can't stop me,." a male voice said, presumably the owner of the hand.
A second male voice spoke. "However, I can add my disapproval."
The woman's voice added her own disapproval. "What harm can they do? One's just a child. And it's been so long since I've seen faces other than the two of yours."
The solid male hand dropped out of sight. All was silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then, angry footsteps could be hard leaving the room, and a door slamming. A soft sigh whispered through the darkness.
"I should go find him, I suppose."
The remaining male voice, now coming from high in a corner of the room, reassured her. "He'll be over his snit in a little while. But for now, *you* have control of the maze, no?"
A very feminine laugh of delight echoed through room as a dainty hand hovered above the replica of the labyrinth.
* * * * *
Elbereth took a long swig from his waterskin. They had ate lunch as they were walking, and that had been a few hours ago. It felt like someone was following them, watching them. For the hundredth time, he glanced back over his shoulder.
"Knock it off," Nire said crossly. "I feel it too. But d'you *hear* anything following us? If ya can't see it, can't hear it, can't smell it, it doesn't exist."
Elbereth raised an eyebrow at that. "If seeing is believing, then the gods don't exist."
"You need to make that argument with someone who believes there's a god." She shrugged. "Makes no impact on an atheist like-"
She broke off suddenly, a brief look of surprise pacing over her face before her usual jaded look returned. The wall of hedge in front of them that formed the corner disappeared. For a brief moment, the way was completely open. Then, with the sound go field lights at a baseball stadium switching on one by one, sections of hedge appeared in a long, straight row. When the sounds topped and the eerie stillness returned, a straight path led to what was obviously a portal at the end.
Elbereth's eyes opened in a mixture of fear and awe. Nire breathed one word. "Cool."
She took off down the new path, seemingly without checking for safety. Buts he did not see the deeper blue of additional magic, so she assumed she was scot-free. There was the end she was looking for.
It took Elbereth a second to react, but he was soon after her, grabbing her shoulder to make her stop. With almost preternatural speed, she stopped. An utter stillness filled her body that's aid in half a seconds he was going to snap. Unless he removed his hand.
Somewhat unnerved, he let it drop t his side. "Are you crazy?" he asked, somewhat angry. "This could just be some sort of trap."
"Ya only live once, might as well have fun." She glared at him, deliberately taking a step backwards so she was out of reach. "Whether it is or it isn't makes no difference. There's a portal at the tend, and I intend to reach it."
She stalked away from him, her eyes firmly set on her goal. And almost undetectable shudder ran through her body. She had gotten careless, too trusting. Had he malicious intentions, she would have been dead. AS it was, he had been an eighth of a second away from losing his hand, and possible his life. Her knee-jerk reaction of going for her sword whenever someone touched her had only been held in check b a fierce feat of will. And she might still need him - if she needed a distraction, she bet he would work wonderfully.
Elbereth followed behind her, looking around nervously. For a calm, cool Gatekeeper, he had the worst set of nerves of any of them. People painted a mystical picture of the Lythari. But, truthfully, beyond their few special abilities and the fact that they lived and walked between worlds, there was little special about them. They got by mostly on reputation, not by truly being so amazing calm and unflappable. The reaction of the child to his hand gripping her shoulder had heightened his level of jumpiness. What kind of life must she lead to bet hat wary of physical contact? Or was it just him?
She stopped and waited impatiently for him at the end of the hedges. "C'mon, move them lazy legs."
He hastened to join her, not wanting her to go through alone, knowing that she would. One of the downfalls of having been apparent was that lone children provoked a protective instinct in him. So he couldn't just turn around and walk away, leaving her to her own devices.
When he had almost reached her, she grinned and stepped through, disappearing immediately. Elbereth soon followed.
* * * * *
"What have you *done*?" Light footsteps ran down the stairs, their owner still hidden in shadow.
The female voice called soothing from the bottom of the staircase, hidden out of sight. "You worry to much."
"And *you* don't worry enough!"
The second man's voice sounded from above a shadowed bookcase. "What adventurer would bring a child along with him? Peace, my friend. Indulge your wife for once."
A grumpy noise sounded from the shadows, grumpy and mistrustful. But the first man said nothing, and his footsteps followed the lady's outside.
* * * * *
The scene greeting Nire as she stepped out of the end of the hedges took her breath away. She could feel Elbereth at her back, just as stilled with awe as she was. Why, she did not know, for from what she had seen, the land of the Lythari held more beauty than this simple courtyard. It was winter, still, and the bare branches of the trees reflected that. They were cherry trees, like the ones her father had cut out of their orchard so long ago. Nire's fertile imagination supplied her with an image of what they would look like, come springtime. But, as far as she was concerned, this stark beauty and winter sky were much more pleasing to the eye. The deepening darkness of dusk was her favorite time of say, and winter her favorite season. When the two combined, they were the picture of beauty.
Elbereth's stillness was not cause by the scene, as Nire assumed, but by the figures within the scene. A seemingly-young woman stood in the middle of the walkway leading to a tall tower. Untamed curly black hair wildly framed her face, and her broom skirt brushed the cold ground. When Nire's attention finally shifted to the people, she thought the small woman looked like a gypsy. Beside her was a tall, ghost-like man. No, no ghost-*like*, but *a* ghost. Those two were smiling in a relatively welcoming manner. The second man, tall and lanky, stood off to the side, scowling angrily. Sharp-features with a brown ponytail at the base of his neck, he looked at the two as though they had betrayed him.
Nire took half a step forward, once more placing herself away from Elbereth. Two humans and a ghost… Interesting. Her eyes quickly picked up the fact that the humans were much too pale to be mortal. She was assuming that the humans were Azazel and his wife. The spectre, she had no idea of. Khelben had said nothing of a ghost, so perhaps these were different people.
"Hi," she said simply, waiting.
"Good even," the lady said in a friendly manner.
"What do you want?" the human man snapped, glaring at them. The two friendly people cast annoyed glances back to him.
"To see if the legends are true," Nire answered, meeting him squarely in the eyes. She knew that he was the one she needed to talk to, so she focused her attention on him. "Who are you?"
"I believe I should be asking *you* that," he sneered. He noticed how the child stood, ahead of the elf, but turned slightly so she could see everyone. No one was at her back. Interesting…
"I'm Nire, he's Elbereth." Nire grinned smugly at him. "Legend said Azazel of Belasarius died long ago." Of course, she assumed that was who he was. The paleness of his skin only added credence to her thoughts.
"The legends are wrong," was his only comment.
The phantom sighed and stepped forward, 'clearing' his throat. "My friend lacks manners. Allow me to introduce myself and my companions. I am Etienne. This is the lady Adelaide. And he., as you have already surmised, is Azazel of Belasarius."
As Nire digested the information, Elbereth marveled over the way the two more friendly people were acting. Nire and he had invaded *their* home, thusly they should be acting as Azazel was. However, the woman was looking at the two of them as though she hadn't seen a face other than the two men's in æons.
"As I inquired before," Azazel broke in coldly. "What would you like?"
Nire spared the briefest nod of greeting for the two polite people. Azazel was the key, thus he was the only important one. Adelaide and Etienne recognized the look on her face, the gleam in her eye, and sighed together. The times Azazel had the same look, nothing else existed but what he was focused on. Disappointment stuttered through Adelaide - this was no normal child, not one a she was hoping for. A comforting, if ghostly, hand was laid on her shoulder as she and Etienne moved off to the side a little.
"I've been told of a spell, or a potion, or some sort of other magical doohickey that gives special powers to vampires." Nire said it bluntly, waiting for a reaction to see how close she was. The eyes of the ancient mage widened slightly, but that was all she got.
"That depends on what you mean," Azazel answered evasively.
"I think you know." This was fun! "All the upside of mortality, none of the downsides of vampires."
Azazel shut down, going still on the outside. "And what would you want it for?"
Nire laughed. She couldn't help it - the question was ridiculous. "Why, to use it to take over the world of course," she said sarcastically. "Why do you think? I'm sick of seeing the pain in my friend's eyes when he gives me money so I can go buy lunch, the sadness when the sun rises and he can't even *watch* it. I hate feeling the self-loathing rolling off him in waves every fucking night. He deserves better."
Elbereth looked at her in shock. She went through all that to help a *vampire*? Was she insane? The pieces began to fall into place for him. These humans weren't immortal by way of his thinking, they were vampires. Vampires that could come out in the sunlight… Suddenly more alert than he had been all day his eyes flicked back and forth between everyone in the courtyard.
Azazel took his time digesting what she said. He could not hear, smell, or see a lie. Perhaps she was being truthful. "Assuming I even have what you are speaking of, how do you know that this gift should be bestowed upon the one you know?"
"Haven't you ever just *known* something?" she asked.
"Perhaps I have and perhaps I haven't. That is beside the point." He could feel Adelaide attempting to soothe him, to calm him, and he roughly cast her out of his thoughts. She could not understand why he needed to be so suspicious, why he could not allow this magic to fall into just anyone's hands.
"No, it's not," Nire argued. "I just know that he won't. Do you need me to *bring* him here?" She hoped and prayed he would say no. That would completely ruin the surprise.
"No," was his immediate answer. Once more, he regarded her quietly, his thoughts going in circles in his head. Something kept telling him that he could trust the powerful potion to the lass. Glancing over at his petite wife, who was obviously angry with him, he bit back the words about to exit his mouth. For once, as Etienne suggested, he would humor his wife, and discuss the issue with the child.
"We have much to discuss," he finally said. "*You* should come inside." He emphasized the 'you' in hopes that the elf would take the hint and leave.
Elbereth understood the hint, but did not want to leave the girl-child alone. Latent parental instincts were merging again. To Nire, the hint was perfectly clear. She wished the Elbereth would just leave. Ever since it had become apparent that she was here on behalf of a vampire, she could feel his disapproval and shock like bright sparks against her blue lake of calmness. It was worse than the blatant and suffocating mistrust emanating from Azazel, and the stifling longing from Adelaide. Etienne was the most calming of the four of them, a gaseous cloud of joy that there were other faces in the courtyard, and dismay at the way Azazel was treating her.
After a couple of seconds of pointed staring on everyone's part, Nire stepped back slightly towards Elbereth. "Thanks for helping me get this far. I hope you eased your guilt or whatever. See ya."
He stared at her. "I can't just-"
A disgusted snort from Nire cut him off. "Bull shit. You're not my father, you're not my brother, you're not even the same fucking *species* as me. You are not beholden to me in any way."
Elbereth felt himself shrinking back under her glare, which was strong enough to shatter stone. As soon as he realized he was doing it, though, he steeled himself and squarely met her chilling gaze. He could not leave her alone here, not in good conscience. An uncomfortable silence filled the small courtyard. An impatient Azazel glared at Adelaide, mentally telling her that he was going inside very soon.
Ever the peacemaker, Adelaide stepped forwards a couple of steps. She was not going to lose this chance to hold a conversation with someone who knew what was going on in the world. "Nire, what if you and Azazel go into his study and arrange whatever is needed, and Elbereth and the two of us can go to the kitchen and talk." It was obvious, though, that she was really asking Azazel. At his slight nod, a beautiful smile spread across her face.
"Come." Azazel bit off the word like it was a cup of lemon juice. There was no way he would go with the child up to his stuffy and leave his precious Adelaide down on the first floor, all alone. No, he'd speak with the child in the small, empty room off of the kitchen.
Stalking inside, he assumed that the rest would follow him.
