Silver Linings
Chapter 3 – Treasure of Ishmar
"Bring him inside."
Al looked over his shoulder at the still burning buildings and falling sand. "What about …"
"DePuy doesn't come out in the daylight so we have awhile before we have to worry about him." Lillian said nonchalantly.
"That doesn't make any sense …" Al seemed unsure.
"When do the insane have to make sense? Hurry before your brother bleeds to death in your arms!" By her tone of voice it was clear the topic was closed to discussion.
Al followed Lillian inside her home, one of the few remaining structures left standing in Ishmar. "Lilly, what happened outside?"
"A desperate act from desperate people … lay him here on the cot."
As Ed was gently put down, the only sounds he made were ragged breaths. Lilly glanced over at Al, "Are you going to need healing?"
"No."
She nodded and gestured toward the front door. "Then use your alchemy to fortify us the best you can. I'll tend to Ed."
"Lilly … are you an alchemist?"
"Yes … now hurry."
She waited until Al was safe outside before turning to Ed. "This isn't good," she whispered. Moving quickly to the bag she had packed earlier, she retrieved a small notebook and a bar of silver ore.
With trembling hands she flipped through the notebook, one of the few items left to her by Arthur. Finding the correct page, she laid it down beside Ed and started tracing the alchemy arrays found within on the teen's chest, using his own blood. "Hang in there, Ed."
Lilly finished the circle and took a calming breath. "I have one chance at this … just glad you are on the small side."
"Who … calling … small …" Ed sighed, his eyes never opening.
Shaking her head with a slight smile she removed her right glove and gripped the bar of silver ore tightly. "You know what, Ed, equivalent exchange sucks!" With that proclamation she triggered the power of her circle.
***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***
Al was standing outside on the deserted street wondering more about where the people had gone than how to protect himself and those within, when a horrific scream came from inside. The scene he rushed into was that of a nightmare. There was blood spattered in a large ring around Ed and Lillian. His brother was still on the cot, but Lilly was crumbled on the floor her robe soaked in blood.
As he moved closer Lillian stirred and for a moment he caught a flash of silver but it disappeared under her clothing. "Lilly?"
She drew in a ragged breath and the eyes that looked up at him were laced with pain. "It will be okay now, Alphonse … your brother will be just fine."
Al looked over at Ed. The once shredded skin had seemed to vanish, although there was still a lot of blood including the remains of a transmutation circle. "Lilly … what did you do?"
"What I had to do … we didn't have a lot of time or resources." As she spoke, she crawled away a few feet before collapsing. Al rushed over and picked her up one-handed with ease. Then despite her protest gently laid her down on the remaining cot. "I'll be fine in a few hours … as will Ed … you need to do as I said Alphonse … use your alchemy to protect us until we … until we wake up … it will be okay."
Very few things scare Alphonse Elric … after losing one's body, not many other acts can bring upon terror. However, there was one thing and that would be losing his brother. He did as Lilly had instructed him by turning her wooden walls into solid rock using the ground beneath her floorboards as material. He used her kitchen pans to create iron bars across her windows, but he didn't seal the view completely so he could watch outside for signs of attack. After he did all that he could, he returned to the others.
If it wasn't for the blood, it looked as if the two of them were just sleeping. Beside his brother was a notebook. Picking it up, he read the handwritten pages to see that it was explaining how to use alchemy to heal the skin of burn victims. The notes spoke of using animal flesh as the exchange for destroyed human flesh. "Lilly didn't have any animal …" Al looked over at her blood soaked robes. "What did you do, Lilly?"
With a nervous hand he reached over and started to pull the robes away from her. He didn't get far when suddenly she grabbed his arm. "I told you I was fine, Alphonse."
Al pulled his arm away as Lillian sat up. In his eyes she looked perfectly fine … if you ignored the crimson stains on her robes. "I'm going to go freshen up and change into something a bit cleaner … with any luck your brother will awaken soon as well. But he lost a lot of blood … he may need more rest."
As she stood, Lilly noticed the notebook in Al's hand and asked for it back. "It's Arthur's medical notes … one of the few remaining items I have of him." Waiting until after Al gave it to her, she disappeared into the kitchen.
When she reappeared a short time later, she wore loose long pants tucked into boots that were laced up to almost her knees. Her robes had been replaced with a long sleeve tunic with a sash tied around her waist. The gloves and veil remained the same. "Needed something more efficient for traveling," she answered his unasked question.
Al noticed she carried a basin of water in her hands as she went over to where Ed rested. Using a cloth she began washing the blood from him, erasing all traces of his horrific injuries.
"Will he wake up soon, you think?"
"I don't know, Alphonse." Lillian finished and, after setting the basin down, moved to look out the window. "Judging by the sun we still have a couple hours before nightfall."
"Do you think we'll be able to survive another attack?"
Lillian looked over at the iron man. "Alphonse … I want you to take Ed and get as far away as you can from here. I'll do the best distraction I can to give you and the others time to flee."
"But …"
"This isn't your fight, Alphonse, it never was. Please listen to me! I saved your brother's life but you staying here will kill him."
"Lilly …"
***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***
Lillian watched the silhouette of Alphonse disappear over the horizon, in his arm he cradled Ed, wrapped up in a blanket … still out cold. She had patched the hole from his missing arm with a tarp to keep the sand out. There were questions she wanted to ask but in the end she decided they both had secrets to keep and not knowing was the best action. At her feet was her small bag … she wasn't taking much, just Arthur's notes, a few personal belongings, and the final silver bar she owned.
She stood out in the middle of the street her hands at her side with her gaze on the ground in front of her as time passed. Around her sand swirled and to the east the sun descended behind the hills. It was moments after darkness fell when the stench of his cigar smoke reached her, she slowly looked up and saw him standing among the ruins from earlier, at his side she observed one remaining watchdog.
"Your tyranny ends tonight, DePuy … there is no one left here for me to protect."
His dark chortle carried through the early dusk air. "I should thank you for sending those that remained to Boonville … it was starting to get boring here."
Lillian started to smile but it died on her lips as he continued.
"I'm sure Garnet will lead them there quickly … funny how the life of a child can be such a strong bargaining chip. But that is enjoyment for another day; afraid you have crossed me for the first and last time Little Lilly. Arthur was a fool … even a bigger fool to think he was hiding you from me. I had hoped to use your talents but I'm afraid you just aren't worth the bother."
With lightning speed Lillian reached down and triggered the final array at her feet causing the buildings around them to explode. In the same fluid motion she raced toward DePuy. The quickness of her attack surprised him, however the beast at his side was ready and the knife in her hand found its heart instead of its master's.
As Lillian withdrew her blade a powerful force slammed into her back, knocking her down. She recovered and looked around; she had lost him in the darkness … however his stench still remained. "Damn it!" She had blown her one chance, because once he had the upper hand the game was over. However, she wasn't going to roll over and give up. Racing past the remains of her home she snagged her bag and tried her best to disappear into the night.
"Oh, come now Little Lilly … since when do the shadows hide you?"
She tried to home in onto his voice, feverishly looking for anything that would give his location away. "I know all your tricks, you monster! It was those unearthly beasts that gave you a hand up in the dark. Alerting you to every little infraction made after curfew. Without them you are just a human, a pathetic …"
Her retort was cut off as a large column of sand suddenly appeared in front of her. With skilled athletic abilities she dodged his attack without a pause in her pace. "I am the Alchemist of the Sands! My power is unmatched!" He challenged.
"I know all your secrets, DePuy and you know none of mine!" Out of the corner of her eye Lillian saw the burning ember of his cigar tip. Her whole body began to glow a soft lilac as the blade appeared in her right hand. "Die bastard!"
"Not tonight," was his calm reply, as the ground beneath her seemed to vanish. Lillian's last sight before being completely lost in the sand which poured down on her was that of DePuy's sarcastic smile.
***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***XX***
Al stared back to the East where Ishmar had long since disappeared in the endless desert. "Am I doing the right thing, brother?" He sighed at the silence from the teen. "I'm used to following your lead … wish you would wake up."
Far off he heard the sound of explosions; in the distance he could see a soft red glow in the darkened sky. "Lilly … please be okay." He took another hesitant step and stopped. "Please … wake up, I don't want to leave her … and I can't do this alone. WAKE UP!"
"Oh quit your shouting, Al … just a couple more minutes … still sleepy." The muffled replied startled him and he lost his grip dropping Ed into the sand.
"Hey! What the heck is wrong with you?" There was a short pause. "Um … and where the hell are we?"
"Brother! You're awake! Are you okay?"
Ed stood up, the blanket still draped over his shoulders. "I seem to be … mind explaining what the heck has happened and why I'm standing out in the middle of the desert with not so much as a pair of pants on?"
Al quickly explained all that had happened while Ed had been out cold, as his brother dressed in a second outfit from their bags. When he got to the part about the alchemy Lillian had done to save his life, Ed gave himself a once over.
"I don't remember much once that DePuy guy sucker punched me, but I do recall those shards shredding my auto-mail, along with everything else. Yet, it seems to be working perfectly … not even I can repair my auto-mail with alchemy."
"Well, Lilly has both knowledge of the human body and alchemy … she probably just applied what she knew when reconstructing you."
"Maybe," Ed held his mechanical arm up in the moonlight. "I can see the places she fixed in the metal, they aren't made out of the same material but it looks like silver."
"Brother …"
"Yeah?"
"We need to go back. I left because Lilly told me to and she said you would die if we stayed. But she was all alone … she won't stand a chance. Please fix my arm quickly so we can get back … before it's too late."
"Fix it with what, Al?" Ed looked around at the empty terrain. "I agree about going back, I owe that alchemist, DePuy … your arm will have to wait."
Al opened a second duffle and dumped it out. A small heap of skillets and pans appeared. "Please, it won't be as strong as the rest of me but it will work for now … right?"
Ed answered by clapping his hands together and as the desert glowed blue, he made his brother whole again. Afterwards the pair raced back toward Ishmar hoping that this time they wouldn't be too late.
Chapter 4 - Silver Secrets
"Al," Ed said softly placing a hand on his brother's arm. "She's not here or if she is she's no longer capable of answering."
All Fullmetal Alchemist /Hagane no Renkinjutsushi characters and pictures are copyright © 2004, 2005 HIROMU ARAKAWA/SQUARE ENIX, MBS, ANX, BONES, Dentsu
Fullmetal Alchemist copyright © 2004, 2005 FUNimation Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.