Chapter Five: Reason in the Rhyme

Dear Silas,

You're always complaining that I never write so I decided this would be as good a time as any to write you about the current state in which I find myself. Boot Camp wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it's by no means anything I would ever want you or Lucy to go through. It's demeaning, harsh and hectic. That said it's the best fun I've ever had outside of the Quidditch pitch. It's weird Silly, for the first time in my life I'm happy. There's nothing that I wake up afraid of, and for the first time I feel like I'm doing something. I feel like I'm worth all the acclaim and honor I got back home. I'm doing something to earn. I can't explain it. I don't know if it even makes sense to you, but I'm happy. I'm doing something that makes me happy.

Speaking of, I haven't boasted to you about my assignment yet, have I? I'm a Grunt, which is American slang for a regular soldier. Here at Hecate, there's a clear caste system that rivals Hogwarts any day and don't let Snape tell you otherwise. On top, there's the Priss; the in-Compound Aurors who work in places like Intelligence/Interrogation, Dark Arts and Cults, Troop Placements. They're the fancy pants that prance around in navy colored robes and act all big and bad. It's them who send us out; we're the field men. Think of us as infantry, the expendable ones (don't tell Lucius I said that. He gets scared too easy.) There's the Civilian workers too, which fit somewhere between the Priss and the Grunts. Civies are the ones like Clara, who aren't Aurors but work at the Compound.

And I know writing this probably isn't helping me defend my post in your eyes. I know what mother says about me. Conaire wrote last week saying she's calling me a shameful son, and prodigal child. She disapproves of me but since when has that been new? How's dad? Con says he's been getting sicker. Since I'm not there, you're going to have to make sure he sees a Healer, Sil. You know how mom is. She won't help him. I'm worried, kid and you're the only one there that I can trust to watch after him. Please do this for me.

Clara says Hi and is currently looking over my shoulder demanding that I put that in. You remember, Clare right? She's the Ravenclaw who works in Runes. She says she'll forgive me for being a snake but I have to take her to dinner. I've taken her out many times but she says it's not enough. I swear, make sure you never have to get forgiveness from a woman. They'll make you work for it…

Give me a second, Sil. I have to go check on something.

Sorry, I started writing this letter in the morning but had to put it down to quell a disturbance. It's evening now and I wish you could see it. Mainly during Halloween, the Compound gets all big and rowdy come Halloween. They celebrate some Mexican holiday about the Dead. Anyways, Hecate looks great right now. There's horizon for days and the city that sparkles like a bag of gold someone forgot about in the desert, at least that's what Benny calls it. Benny Laud's my commander, he's Scots-Irish but we don't hold that against him.

Well, I know you're probably wondering where I left to although I'm curious to know how on earth you would know if I really left or if I just wrote that to keep you guessing. Heh. Sorry, there's my attempt at a stupid joke. Don't expect any more.

Truth is, I had to break up a meeting. I was stationed in Geneva when Hecate called us back. She's calling all her Grunts back because of Betonie and Rio. Right, I know you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, and I don't know how much I can write you so let me just write and have the Owl worry about what to censor. Remember what you said about Conaire? About he was a type of slave here at the Compound? Well, you're half-right. The Kaga are this race of super humans but Sil, they're not human at all. They don't feel emotions like we do, have names or keep track of birthdays or even know right from wrong. Their ruling class chooses how they mate and breed. They go into heat like cats and when the kids are born they give them up to be raised in small groups. They're considered adults at age ten and go into service at that age and from birth to death, their leader, a person by the title of Auberon Fay dictates every part of their life. Their service is the most important part of their life too. Laud says they can't live without a cause to serve and that their minds aren't developed enough or something to function on like Werewolves or Veela. They need Hecate and we use them. It's a symbiotic relationship.

But like all races, there's the rabid specimen. There's one Kaga here called Rio, the one Claudia told Con about, who has been inciting the others to riot. She calls them Angels and claiming they have some sort of heavenly right to reject Hecate if we've lost our way. At first, no one paid attention to her, but then the Kaga started to flock to her in droves. She gave them pride. Now she's using words like war and revolution and everyone's nervous. But no worries. Rio's the reason we've been called back, and I have never lost a battle. I won't now.

Besides, Laud doesn't think we're in any trouble. We have Betonie on our side and that's something. He's the Auberon Fay, the political leader of the Kaga. It's kind of hard to describe it, just think of it this way. Auberon Fay is just the title they use for their King and their Prince is called Robin Goodfellow. It's all modeled after Fairy Tales because the Kaga use to interact with Muggles and were originally thought to be Fairy. Just think, all those stories about Puck, and Jenny Greenteeth were a ruse.

Kick Conaire next time you see him for telling us all that junk. I have to go, Sil. Kiss the parents and Lucius for me and send my love to everyone back home. I miss you guys a lot and after this Rio thing blows over, I'll be able to visit. Lots of love, and kick the Pussies' butts on the Quidditch pitch for me.

Your brother,

Gideon Draco Malfoy

Gideon sniffed and read over the letter in his lap. Oddly enough, he had chosen the Gray Library as the place where he could sit down and write in relative peace and quiet. The Library was in the center of the Gray Wing, the home of the Kaga and in these tense times every Auror that came into this room was watched warily from the corners of eyes and over the rims of books. Noting this, Gideon wondered briefly if he should have included all of the history about Kaga but decided again that there was no harm in words. Besides, if he was to die, he wanted Silas to understand what he had died for.

Gideon sure didn't.

This was al political and he knew it and hated this presence "crisis" for it. Rio Hecate was preaching reform and change for the Kaga where no change was needed and the powers that be at Hecate disliked it. What was worst, Rio had a formidable following within the Kaga: including Betonie's seven-year-old successor Aswin Hecate. That's what all the bother was. Aswin was popular and well loved among the Kaga, and the soon to be Boy King was absolutely smitten by Rio. This worried the top brass Aurors, most especially Victory Hawke and Marlowe Stallens who feared that Aswin's claim to power would also be Rio's.

So here Gideon was, waiting for Betonie to die to make sure a war didn't start at Hecate. He grunted angrily at the way his superiors were jumping at shadows but knew better then to comment on it. All he had to do was fight when they said fight. It was not his duty to question orders.

A flicker of color caught the corner of his eye, making Gideon look up, breaking his musing. The Compound's divisions were color-coded, to make it easier for identification; light blue for the Healers, navy blue for Aurors, gray for the Kaga, dark orange for the Potion Masters and so on and while most of Hecate Compound was open to all, the Gray Library was closed to all civilian branches. This made the bright red robe, a Seer's robe; stand out among the gray and blue like streak of lightening in a black sky.

Gideon rose, and folded the letter to put in his pocket as he walked towards the Seer. He had only the vaguest desire to engage this Seer, figuring it was some novice that he meant to scare and then release on his way.

But all of Gideon's intentions blew away when the Seer turned and Gideon saw his face. Gideon had expected the Seer to turn before he called out, but he had not predicted the face that now met his, nor the cool blue eyes that met his own olive with fierce resolve and innate dignity.

Sydney Van Ness turned, his face older now and grimmer then it had been that night at Kaiser's. He looked displaced in the red robes, also bored and his eyes held only death. When he spoke, the voice was tired and impassive. He paused only for a moment while he spoke, to glace Gideon's cuff and read his rank. "And how may I be of service, Apprentice?"

"Patrick?" Gideon whispered uncertain. "You're Patrick Ness."

Sydney arched a brow but looked unhappy at being called that name and he glanced down to stare at the book he held, flipping it open to some random page to break eye contact. "I haven't been called that in years."

"You're Kaiser's protégé!"

"Another title I have not worn in some time." He said idly.

"I knew Kaiser, I'm…"

"Gideon Malfoy, yes I know." Sydney looked back up. "Or Colin Mallory, according to your file. You were the boy who hero-worshipped Kaiser."

"What are you doing in Seer red?"

"The Van Ness family is famous for having the Sight."

"The Van Ness women, yes. But not the men and besides, you were an Auror, under Kaiser! What are you doing?"

"I stopped being an Auror when the Snape family died." Sydney said, slowly and although he didn't mean to, with great pain. "As for my family, you're right. As far as I can tell I'm the first male to be born with the Sight in my family for a long time."

"But you don't belong…"

"While for a short time I followed my father's family and became an Auror," He continued, turning the page of his book. "I have come to my senses since then and have taken my place where I belong."

"You belong in uniform."

"I am in uniform."

"You're in the wrong one."

"And how do you presume to know that?" Sydney countered.

Gideon could tell he was getting on the Seer's nerves but he pressed anyways. He was shocked and angered that Sydney had abandoned the place Caesar himself had left for him. He wanted to understand why. "Because you're Caesar's legacy…"

"Caesar." Sydney spat the name out like a curse. He sidestepped Gideon and moved towards the nearest exit only to stop and turn back to face Gideon. "Do you want to know Caesar's legacy?"

"Yes."

"All he left us was death. Kaiser died before his time." Sydney hissed. "And with him, everything that was noble and worthy about Hecate. We were foolish to think we could change that."

"Change what?"

"What was coming. Let me tell you something, Navy. Kaiser saw Hecate for what it was, a dying hero. An outdated champion and he thought foolishly that because he was Caesar, he could change the world single-handedly. He thought that because he was Snape, he could change what was to happen. But he couldn't and he wasn't meant to and l saw that. I saw in my visions and dreams and on his face every time I looked at Kaiser. I knew he would fail but said nothing because like a fool I believed that he could change it. Because he was Caesar."

"He wasn't trying to change the world." Gideon countered. "He was just fighting for what he could…"

"You English." Sydney laughed scornfully. He smiled bitterly. "It must be something in the water over there. You think words like honor and duty and mission are worth something. You all think you can stare death in the face and deny it exists. But you're wrong. You can't change what's to happen. You can't save those marked to die. I see what is and what is to happen and know this…and I could tell you, like I told him but it would do no good."

Gideon stepped forward, meeting his eyes determinedly. He suddenly felt very young under Sydney's piercing glare but spoke anyways. "You act like you've realize some great truth but all you've done is give up."

Sydney's eyes flashed with anger but he didn't react. Instead, he shook his head and addressed Gideon as he would have a child. "You idealistic fool." He called him. "You're not going to change the world or fight the Devil. You're just going to die like Kaiser did. Torn and alone, following misinformation and some misguided dream that maybe, if you fight a little longer, or push a little harder, you can make the world a better place. Let me tell you something. Death will come regardless of your efforts or exploits."

Gideon trembled from Sydney's words but at the same time longed to counter them. He wanted to believe they were false and wanted to say such to him. He wanted to speak as Kaiser would have (and he knew Kaiser would have just the counter) but could not. He was still too young, and too unsure that his vast dreams and ambitions of honor and valor could realized and made into something beyond dreams.

He looked down at the letter in his hand and inhaled. "It's not about changing the world." He said softly. "It's about finding something worth giving you the desire to try and change it." He looked up, met Sydney's eyes and continued. "It's about finding something not worth dying for but worth living for."

That said, he pushed pass Sydney and walked to the exit to Owlery, to send his letter to Silas. He heard Sydney call out to him.

"And what do you live for, Apprentice?"

Gideon paused short of pushing open the library doors. He thought for a moment about the question. "I don't know." He answered truthfully and tightened the grip on his letter. "But I'll let you know when I do."