Tale One - The breach
CHAPTER 02
It was none other than Adrian - the twelfth Guardian of the Balance himself. He came running down the stairs to greet her and seemed ready to hug her, though he restrained himself, stopping himself short in front of her. Behind him light slowly grew beyond the open door of the apartment he'd come out of. Apparently, someone else was coming out to meet them, carrying a candle.
"I'm happy to see you too!" April beamed at him and she meant it. Adrian's face, she saw in the pale light, cracked in a hearty smile. Meeting him of all people in that place was very unexpected (in fact, she'd hardly expected to meet him at all) and she was going to ask how he had gotten there, but noticed him looking at her companion. "Oh.. This is father Raul," she gestured to the priest, "and this is Adrian, the twelfth Guardian." she said to Raul, who, instead of reacting to the identity of the man stared at April with a mix of puzzlement and fascination. She stopped for a moment, confused by his behavior.
"And in English?" said Raul after a few moments, smiling kindly. April merely blinked at him, then, after a moment she realized what had happened.
"I'm sorry", she sighed and gave him a sheepish look, "is this English?" Raul nodded, smiling more broadly and she introduced them both to each other again, taking care which language she spoke to either one of them. This time the priest was properly astonished and honored to have met such a special person, while the Guardian expressed his respect to his stature as both a priest in a Christian church and a Sentinel Minstrum. "I never knew the two could coexist in one person!" He exclaimed, while shaking Raul's hand enthusiastically. Their exchange of pleasantries was left for April to translate from English to Na'ven and the other way. The task was slightly confusing at first, considering that both sounded exactly the same to her ears. After a few tries, however, she found that switching was somewhat similar to Shifting. Like all of her magic – as little as she'd done - it was triggered on and off by the power of will and once she knew how it felt, it was nothing but a blink of an eye.
Another person came out of the apartment soon, with a candle in his hand. He was a broad shouldered man with pale gray eyes and sharp features, his dark hair was gray around the temples. He was glaring at them with obvious disapproval, a lot like a stern teacher would when walking in a classroom full of misbehaving students.
"People!" He said loudly, his sharp tenor immediately shutting them up, "Could you go inside first and then proceed to loud introductions?" He jerked his head towards the other two doors on that same floor with a meaningful look.
"Of course, sorry." Raul answered, smiling pleasantly and motioned April and Adrian to precede him. They all followed the irritable man inside the apartment, shuffling single filed into a very narrow and short corridor. Their hosts led the way passing another very small passage to the right and into a tiny guestroom. The candle was set down on a polished dark wooden table in the middle of the room, where it cast dim light around revealing aged walls with once beige paper, now darkened and peeling in a few places. Around the table there were a few wooden chairs as well as a sofa along one wall and two armchairs of a fitting design. All this combined with a set of closets occupying the space along the opposite wall and the apartment's pretty low ceiling, as well as two doors leading out on both sides shut, the guestroom somehow felt even smaller than the room she'd rented at the Border House, with just four people it already felt crowded.
"Well, have a seat, anywhere you like." The man gestured vaguely. "Although I'd prefer our guest to be introduced first." He turned to April expectantly, his expression was not that of suspicion, but it was stony, his body language overbearing. April found his whole demeanor unnerving, she had to remind herself that unlike others in the room this man had no clue who she was, had every reason to be guarded and a long explanation was in order. She would need some patience since, by all accounts this was one of Stark's Sentinels.
"April Ryan, pleased to meet you." She said courtly, extending her hand, which he shook, looking just the same and instead of offering his name in return he glanced at Raul waiting for, or rather, demanding an explanation.
"She's a friend of ours," the priest offered not most helpfully, but that couldn't be helped, April thought. She could already see some storytelling hours ahead of themselves. "She's a Shifter, a local one. And April, this is Euan Clark, or Vestrum Euan, as few people know him." And so she'd expected, given his attitude.
"A Shifter… Can't meet one of those every day. I assume," the Vestrum's voice was slow and steady, he measuring words, eyeing her appraisingly, "she already knows who and what we are and doesn't need any explanations?" He turned his head to the priest, "Your recruit?"
"Umm... Not really, no." Raul answered, "she is recruited, for the lack of a better word, by Cortez. You know… him." April watched Vestrum Euan's reaction carefully. He frowned, his eyes narrowed at him. He obviously recognized the name, and just as obviously didn't find it to be enough of an icebreaker.
"The mysterious old man?" and he turned sharply to April, still not exactly suspicious, but very close now, "A friend of yours?"
April wasn't really sure what to answer to this. "Uh... I don't think that's the word, exactly..." She managed. The man raised his eyebrows, scrutinizing her, as if that would give him any answers.
"It's a very long story, Euan," Raul interjected again, "but rest assured she can be trusted. If everyone would sit down, we'll explain it as quickly as we can and then we also have a lot of talking to do about... Everything that's been going on."
April would never have believed that the last week's events could be summed up and relayed without missing out any essential detail in a time limit of twenty minutes. And yet, as far as she could tell, she ended telling her story just that soon. Father Raul provided some details on his part. When they exhausted their information, or its shortened version, both fell silent and waited for the Vestrum to bombard them with questions, but he seemed to be at a loss as to what he should ask. His forehead was wrinkled and brows drawn together, his eyes searching the empty space between himself and them, lips pursed. April stole a glance at Adrian who had been sitting very quietly in an armchair since the whole time they had been talking. He had a bit of a helpless look about him. It suddenly hit her that he probably didn't understand a word they were saying. Twelve centuries were more than enough to render any language unrecognizable and she had no idea what his native language was to begin with. He jerked his head to her suddenly, aware that she'd been watching him, and rewarded her with a small smile that made him look so much younger than he had seemed before. Although, April reminded herself, if we don't count his time as the Guardian, he can be very young.
"So," Vestrum Euan's voice broke the silence, drawing their attention back to himself, he still seemed caught up in deep contemplation, "that's quite a tale you guys got there. The last part" he glanced at Adrian who straightened somewhat, but was still clearly out of it, "actually sounds familiar. The former Guardian has told me all about his belated replacement. And a young maiden that heroically rescued him from the Vanguard's clutches." He turned to April, tilting his head, "It seems like you've been doing a lot of hard work in our favor, Ms. Ryan."
"Uh... " April found it hard to find the right thing to say to this statement. For one, he was still keeping that undefined tone that made it hard to understand whether he meant what he said or there was sarcasm or something more unpleasant behind his words. And besides, she had been determined to be on friendly terms with the Sentinels, and the only honest retort that came to her mind - your dirty work - would put that alliance in jeopardy before it had formed.
"Well, I know that at least some of what you've told me is true." He went on, pushing her temper with every word, "I guess we will need to discuss and analyze your story in a bit more detail later, but for now let's focus on the most pressing matter - the Armageddon outside. I assume, you've walked all the way here?" He addressed father Raul, who nodded grimly. "It's a relief you got here in one piece, to be honest. The things I've seen these few days..." His eyes widened a bit as he seemed to recall the horrors of the past few days and he wriggled his hands together. "First let me tell you in short what happened here. This gentleman" and with that he gestured towards Adrian, who once again snapped to attention, "emerged from a portal that opened in this apartment's kitchen three days ago. I got the story from him that he was the Guardian and he was finally replaced, although I can't start guessing how he knew about this place. In a few minutes it all started. First I heard screams and sounds of explosion, not just from the outside, but even from apartments. My own screen kicked the bucket and there was a complete blackout afterwards. While we were all busy running around, trying to make heads and tails of the incidents and help... Or something... It became surreal. I'm sure you saw it too - that magical looking vortex and then it started raining vehicles. Most cars have automatic safety pads, as ridiculous as some used to find them. But hovercrafts were smashing into buildings like meteors! I actually went outside…" He sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers, seemingly exasperated by his own stupidity. April exchanged a look with Raul, both were remembering the pandemonium they witnessed on the Hope Street after emerging from their hiding place, trying to imagine going through it and making it back alive and uninjured. "Didn't know how lucky I was to be stuck in this little hole until then." The Vestrum snorted in derision, "Random small explosions and one crashed car aside, also marauders running amok of course, it's been positively peaceful. Except for that... Thing... Whatever the hell it was, I've never seen anything like it, or felt, for that matter…" He ran his fingers through his hair, lost in thought again.
"I have." April offered quietly and everyone's eyes were on her in an instant. "But only in Arcadia. The Chaos storm. I encountered it once, and it was very far away but it looked and felt very similar to that. I don't know what could cause it to appear here in Stark though…"
"I can offer you a guess, Ms. Ryan." The Vestrum cut her off, suddenly more stern and his voice sharp and cold, almost causing her jump. "It was all the chaotic force our friend here" he jerked his head slightly to Adrian, "let through in his overtime hours, which the new Guardian has scraped out of our world, not very gently." April felt her mouth go dry at these words. She herself had tentatively suggested this very possibility to father Raul only a day before, feeling a horrible weight of guilt, even though she couldn't find an alternative solution to the task she had been given. Having a hand in such a catastrophe, no matter how necessary, how inevitable it was, made her insides churn. And now this man had thrown it in her face just like that. She suppressed the urge to gulp and tried to convince herself that she was only imagining his hard stare being accusatory. "Or, at least, that's what the former Guardian is placing his bets on." Vestrum Euan continued, withdrawing his gaze to April's relief and turning it to Adrian, who seemed to have given up trying to pretend he was a part of the conversation and simply glanced back at him without any real interest looking a bit like a bored child. "Personally, I think he has a point. That's the only explanation that works, anyway." Euan leaned back in the chair, folding his arms and looking around at them all.
April turned to Adrian, "Was this necessary?" she asked, "Couldn't Gordon repair the damage any other way? Without causing all..." she fumbled for a suitable word, "this?"
"Could you repeat that in Na'ven?" he asked, sounding a little frustrated but still managing a faint resemblance of a smile.
"Right, sorry." April sighed and clicked the imaginary switch in her head - which she was starting to envision as a Steampunk styled trigger on a desk adorned with neat ornaments - and tried again. Adrian frowned a bit.
"The Guardian only does what the Balance requires. And the Balance only requires the proper channeling of the streams that flow through Stark and Arcadia. That's all. The rest doesn't concern the Balance, therefore it doesn't concern the Guardian."
"But..." April protested more meekly than she'd intended, "doesn't he care about the consequences of his actions? Doesn't he care that so many people can die in freak accidents?"
"He cannot care about such things, April, even if he were somehow aware that such tragedies happened here, and he can't be," Adrian's voice grew in intensity and April swore she heard a defensive note in his words. She didn't know how to feel about him possibly sharing this unjustified twinge of guilt that had been bothering her for the past few days. Him going along with her shame was far from reassuring. But he shouldn't be feeling guilty, there was nothing he could do against the will of the Balance... And neither could I, she told herself stubbornly again while Adrian went on, "A guardian cannot feel the way we do. Whatever my feelings and wishes and dreams were the Realm took them away from me. I was left as a clean vessel to be filled with something else instead. That's what Gordon is at the moment. He is incapable of caring, or feeling anything humans normally do. And, like I said, he cannot be aware of the events that don't concern the Balance of the worlds." There was a vey strained silence stretched between them, almost like a tangible thread. Despite herself April pierced the Guardian that was with the look she was sure he could understand, it was evident in the way he returned it with one of his own, his mouth turned into a thin line. "If the new Guardian had appeared in due time," he said, his voice suddenly deeper and every word emphasized, "I wouldn't have remained in the Tower for two centuries when I was no longer suitable for the job. But it didn't happen that way and unfortunately what the thirteenth Guardian has done was necessary. He had to clean up the mess I... " Adrian stopped abruptly, his expression changed into that of complete confidence to April's surprise and confusion, and when he spoke once more, his voice cut the stuffy air in the room, sharper than knife. "The Vanguard's plans have failed, but it didn't go without a sacrifice. This was the only way left to save the Balance." With that he slumped into his armchair and looked away from them, seemingly taking interest in the furniture around him, rather than people in it.
"Well there you go. As it so often happens, we chose between two evils." Euan said, "Or, rather, you chose between two evils." He amended, tilting his head again and giving April an appraising look.
"You understood that", April stared. "You speak Na'ven too? I thought only..."
"Yes, there's a textbook, actually." He answered nonchalantly. "I didn't learn it the way people usually do. Of course, the textbook is far from perfect and covers just the basics, but it's still very useful. How else do you think I would understand the twelfth Guardian? Or any Shifter that crosses from Arcadia, as few as they are..."
This makes no sense, April thought to herself, giving the Vestrum a look full of disbelief. How could anyone create a textbook for Na'ven if every person who learns it, ends up hearing it as if it's their own native language?
Her thoughts must have been easy to guess, since at that moment father Raul spoke again, answering her unasked question. "It's a continuous work of Shifters throughout thousands of years. Shifters that crossed from Arcadia to Stark, that is. They would quickly realize the need to learn a new language no matter where in Stark they emerged. They would make notes, some would create dictionaries, write down some useful phrases and so on."
"We had a few such works presented to us from Arcadian Sentinels in the past, apparently." Vestrum Euan nodded, scratching his neck. "It took serious work from our own Minsrums to finally assemble a "Na'ven for English Speakers" textbook. I think the source materials were for at least six languages, but they managed to scrap up something."
"Oh..." It was all April could say. Somehow she started to relax a little. Since the moment she'd set foot in the claustrophobic apartment this was the first time she felt like she was in the presence of an actual Vestrum - someone more educated in the matters of the two worlds and the Balance than she was, someone capable and willing to provide useful knowledge, as opposed to some man filled with suspicions that she had to coax usefulness out of - she had met too many of those already.
"Now, I hope you will answer a few of my questions, Ms. Ryan." He straightened in his chair, assuming a somewhat rigid pose.
"Uh, sure," April answered, repeating to herself that honesty was the best option where the Sentinels were involved, that this man was her ally, but still feeling a little uneasy.
"Good. Don't get me wrong, but..." his brows furrowed and he seemed to be looking for the right words, "a part of your story is very disturbing."
April eyed him in surprise, "Disturbing? What do you mean? What part?"
"The part where you said that it was the most coldblooded assassin the Vanguard had who became the thirteenth Guardian. I'm sorry, but that hardly sounds like good news to me."
Of course. She thought to herself. That abridged version of the events can't possibly satisfy anyone. And she mentally growled at the prospect of going into detail about every small eccentricity of her journey - which there were plenty - she felt any resident of Stark, even a Vestrum would find bewildering.
"The thing is," she started, resigned to fill in all the blanks she had left during the first storytelling session, "Gordon was a victim of some seriously messed up experiments the Vanguard performed on him. He was like... Split in two halves and the other half was in Arcadia, that's why he was so messed up in the head, but I uh... Fixed him. I returned his other half to him." This sounds more confusing than any vague claims I made without an explanation before. She thought, quite rightfully so, and she could see from Vestrum Euan's expression that he felt the same way about it.
"His other half?" he asked slowly, emphasizing every word.
"His chaotic part," she struggled to remember how it was explained to her, "when Cortez told me about it, he said it was something you would call a person's soul." She saw his expression grow more skeptical, his eyes widened, yet she pressed on, "I encountered it in Arcadia twice, it had a form of a huge vortex of... Of chaotic energy, I guess. It was terrifying and it chased me all the way to the Guardians Realm. But I managed to capture it and when Gordon showed up in the Guardians Tower, I sort of put it back." For a moment she wondered whether or not she needed to elaborate on the means she used to do all these things, but decided she would be asked later anyway. "All of a sudden he was like a completely different person. He sounded different, acted different, I might have imagined it, but even his appearance seemed to have changed after the... Reunification." She stopped, watching if the Vestrum was taking in all he had heard the way she was hoping he would. It was hard to tell. "And then," she went on, "the Balance chose him, so obviously, he was suitable for the job." He was, wasn't he? She wondered briefly yet again. The apparently crude work he was doing with reigning the worlds was making it hard to cast away her doubts completely, though no matter how she looked at it, all logic pointed to that conclusion.
"You captured his soul and put it back in him..." the man repeated, prompting for an admittedly much needed explanation, "How?"
"I used this!" April answered and she reached for the Talisman of the Balance hanging on her neck. It seemed like they were finally addressing the things she had been bothered by most, the purpose and meaning of the mysterious medallion being not the least of them. She took the golden colored disc out of concealment in her borrowed tunic and showed it to him. The gesture drew a great interest of everyone in the room, Adrian returned his attention to the conversation in earnest. Having seen the magical object in action, his eyes lit with curiosity, he leaned forward to get a better look, so did father Raul who had only glimpsed the Talisman once back at the Cathedral and chosen not to ask about it.
Vestrum Euan extended his hand expectantly, "May I?" he asked politely and with just a tad of reluctance April pulled it off and gave it to him for inspection. The man put it in his palm and peered closely, tracing the symbol of the Balance lightly with his finger. After a few seconds of silence he spoke again without looking up, "What is its purpose?"
"I don't know, really." April answered readily. "It has some powerful magic though. The Arcadian Vestrum gave it to me, he said it was supposed to be given to the thirteenth Guardian and well... He thought it was me, so..." she trailed off, the subject was very sore at that point.
"Then how come you still have it?" Euan asked, still scrutinizing the Talisman, turning it this way and that.
"I..." she had to admit to herself that she didn't have a good enough excuse for having it in her possession, "Gordon never asked for it and didn't seem to need it for anything..." she said clearly on a defensive note, "and... I guess so much was happening that I forgot about that." When said out loud it sounded incredibly stupid of her.
The Vestrum finally took his gaze off the medallion and directed it at her. He sounded rather reproachful when he asked, "you forgot that, Ms. Ryan?"
His tone seemed to hit a nerve, April felt a sudden prickle of pride at being told off like a child. She straightened her back a bit and put her best effort in arranging her face into a cold stony expression not unlike Vestrum Euan's as she answered, "Well, yes, I actually did forget about it."
He snorted, raising April's irritation ever higher. "I guess it was such a small detail, it was easy to miss." he noted sarcastically, and April felt her patience snapping at seams.
"Compared to all the shit that was going on you'd better believe it was!" she retorted, barely keeping her voice level. The other two witnesses of the conversation strained visibly, father Raul shifted uncomfortably and opened his mouth to speak, no doubt volunteering for a peacekeeper's job. Euan, on the other hand, didn't seem too bothered by her sudden show of temper.
"I guess you may have a point," he agreed, "but what are you going to do now? Can you return to the Guardians Realm to give this to the Thirteenth Guardian? Or are you planning to wait for the next thousand years until his term is over?"
April had no answer to this. Neither one was a plausible option, of course. The only way she could see it going to its rightful owner was for someone to give it to him a millennium later when he finally returned to his world, and the most likely candidates for the job were, naturally, the Sentinels. Unreasonably her heart skipped a beat at the very thought of parting with it, especially if it was to be left with Stark's Sentinels, who, save for father Raul, had yet to gain her trust and confidence. But again, she knew it wasn't hers.
"Did they tell you anything about its origins?" Vestrum Euan asked when he was assured she had no response for his question. "I've never read anything about such an artifact in our scriptures. Why would the Thirteenth Guardian need it?"
"They didn't know that either." She said quietly, watching the Talisman still in his hands, "Vestrum Tobias told me the scriptures didn't explain much about it and only one of them even mentioned it. All he knew was that it had been there for over ten thousand years and the Thirteenth Guardian would come to collect it one day."
Something apparently clicked, "Could this be the Talisman of the Balance?" Euan asked abruptly, "The one spoken about in… the thirteenth Scripture? The Scripture of Reunification?"
April felt more excited than she'd felt in days, "Yes!" She exclaimed. "That's it! Can you tell me more about it!?"
The man closed his eyes and recited: "Of no substance that ever was in this realm, of no flames that ever licked its air was the Talisman of the Balance forged. It's worth is not gold, but world. For a great purpose it was born, just like the one by whom it is destined to be worn. A Guardian shall follow a Guardian and the Balance shall not fail. Only the Thirteenth who carried the Balance shall carry the Talisman." He fell silent.
"Is that all?" April asked.
"All the scripture says about the Talisman, yes."
April's excitement dissipated instantly. "It doesn't add anything to all the nothing I already knew", she murmured, disappointed.
"But you claim you've used it a few times already", he said curiously, "and you've just told me you trapped a man's soul in it and gave it back to him. How did you do that? Or know how to do that?"
"I didn't know." she argued feebly, "I just... Acted on instinct, I guess... That thing attacked me, I don't even know why I thought that the Talisman would help me, but the idea was just there in my head. I took it and sort of... Willed it to release its power and it absorbed Gordon's chaotic part into it... And then when Gordon turned up in the Tower, I sort of did the same thing only in reverse. I know it doesn't make sense."
Euan eyed her thoughtfully, "No, I wouldn't say that," he said slowly, "do you happen to be an Artisan, Ms. Ryan?"
April had to rake her brains for a bit to figure out his meaning, until she remembered Benrime telling her just that. "Yes," she answered quickly, "or I would be with proper training," she amended. "That's what a Seer told me in Arcadia."
"But you have not had proper training," he went on "and yet you were able to produce some damn impressive magic if we are to believe your story." If we are to believe? April thought fiercely, not knowing whether or not expressing her full displeasure would do her any good, but knowing she couldn't hide it properly anyway. "Then again," he interrupted her thoughts, "that's definitely a sign of great Artisans - producing magic with their power of will - and could be the reason you were recruited for fixing the world's problems, even though you don't seem to be the most suitable candidate otherwise. Speaking of which…" he turned in his seat and placed the Talisman on the tabletop behind him, April's eyes followed the motion longingly, wanting to ask for it to be returned to her, but reminded herself yet again that it would be considered imprudent of her, since it was, as she herself knew – and she would be better off coming to terms with it soon - not hers. "You said that this old man, this Cortez was one of the Draic Kin, and so was the grand leader of the Church of Voltec." Euan continued, drawing her attention back.
"Yeah, it's true." She replied, eyes still skirting to the medallion.
"You've also told me they both fell off a skyscraper roof, arranged a battle in the air and you have a reason to believe they died?"
"At least one of them, yeah." said April.
"You are aware that the Draic Kin are immensely powerful beings, I'm sure."
"Of course I am!" she answered, affronted.
"Then why do you think that they died after falling off the roof?"
"I don't think they died because of the fall, they were fighting each other. And it's only one of them I have a clue for." She drew the silent pocket watch out of her satchel that lay in her lap and showed it to him. "This used to belong to the Red of the Kin, he gave it to his friend who gave it to me. It had certain magic in it, it helped me Shift at the beginning. Anyway, he referred to it as his heart, and it stopped ticking after their fall."
"That doesn't prove anything." Vestrum Euan argued, "that's an old mechanical watch as far as I see, it could just need winding."
"Do you actually think I haven't tried that?!" April glared at him. "It doesn't work anymore, at all. I know even this may not prove that he's dead, but it definitely means something. It wasn't a coincidence that it stopped when it did, plus I haven't seen or heard either one of them since then. They both vanished!" She put the watch back in the satchel a bit hastily. She felt like she'd needed a small compensation for having the Talisman of the Balance taken from her. Denying Vestrum Euan the right to handle something that had "descended" into her ownership from Cortez was a small consolation, but it was the sort of a petty thing she couldn't deny herself. "Anyway," she continued trying to calm down, "I'll try to find out what happened to them. I hope you'll help me with that."
"Well, naturally, if what you say is true, we want to find them as our top most priority, as soon as circumstances permit. But what do you intend to do? Are you planning on investigating their disappearance yourself?"
"I am," April readily confirmed it, "and I'd be very grateful if you shared what you know about them. Anything that could help me find a lead."
Euan frowned at her, puzzled, "I don't understand what you mean," he started.
"Say, for example, are they reborn when they die, like the White?"
"The White of the Kin is reborn after dying?" Euan frowned at her. This left her speechless. For a moment she wondered If the man was joking. There was no trace of humor, however, neither in his voice nor on his face.
"You mean, you didn't know that?" she asked in wonder.
"No," he answered with the kind of air which implied that his ignorance in the matter was quite natural. "This is the first time I'm hearing this. Is it common knowledge in Arcadia? Because on this side of the Divide we're sort of short on information about the Kin."
April thought back to her visits at the Temple, as well as her little research at the Marcurian Enclave. It was true that the information about the Kin was incredibly scarce. But she'd still found some basic facts about them. Then again, she remembered, she knew about the rebirth of The White of the Draic Kin only because she'd witnessed it herself. Neither Vestrum Tobias, nor anyone among the Magical races – the ones which were closer to the Kin than others - had told her anything about it. It was very much possible that even the Arcadian Sentinels didn't know about the White's life cycle. This was not an encouraging thought. If I know more than they do, what are my chances of finding answers with them?
"I don't know if it's common knowledge or not, bur it's true." she answered stiffly.
"Then you know more than most, I presume. There are a few old scriptures that speak about the Draic Kin, but most of them are vague on details and consist of admiration and praises to their wisdom and power and benevolence."
April snorted, "They need to make one exception there." She muttered.
Curiously enough, Euan narrowed his eyes and looked like he wanted to comment, and by the look of him something unpleasant, but thought better of it. Instead he leaned forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Can you tell me something? Why did the Red of the Draic Kin not want to come in contact with us?"
"I don't know that." April said truthfully. "He never really said anything about the Sentinels of Stark, I didn't know he was avoiding you guys. Since he was friends with father Raul... I never thought…" she glanced at the man in question, who readily came to her aid.
"He was as secretive as ever, it seems," he offered, "I've told you many times before, Euan, he kept everything to himself and there was no knowing of his motives. I knew him for years and you see how little I seem to have known, I had no idea he wasn't human. I guess it's in keeping with the little we know about the Kin - they've never been very forthcoming, now have they?"
"No, they have not", Vestrum Euan agreed, "but this one kept in touch with you, father, while straight up refusing to meet any other Sentinels. And in time of need instead of calling for us - people who knew most about the Balance and the two worlds, people who had already made it our life's mission to serve and protect the Balance - he asked this one girl to carry out such dangerous tasks." He turned to April again, "You may be an Artisan and a Shifter, but you have to agree that going against the Vanguard all alone requires more than that. Do you have special espionage skills? An influential family with a high status? Impressive financial background? Or any useful connections in high places?"
"I don't," she had to confess, "I'm just a lowlife." But that wasn't entirely true, as she had come to know very recently. She might be a simple country girl of no notable background to everyone in Stark, yet in Arcadia, and even here among these people, heads were bound to be turned and ears perked as soon as she mentioned her freshly discovered maternal heritage. Even high and mighty Jacob Macallen couldn't help but be slightly more respectful towards this little piece of her persona. "Except," she said pointedly, "apparently, I'm the daughter of the White of the Draic Kin, so... That may have something to do with it." Sure enough, the effect was just what she'd expected - at least on those that understood her speech, she made a mental note to retell the whole conversation to Adrian later in as much detail as possible, because quite frankly he looked like a lost child and she could just imagine how awkward and out of place she would feel in his shoes – Eyes widened, interests piqued like never before. She hadn't mentioned this even to Raul, not knowing how she would say it to anyone without sounding preposterous and making herself look like the worst of liars. Nevertheless this was one thing she wanted to inquire about more than anything else, and who wouldn't? So she sat and waited for a response to what must have been one of the boldest statements that had ever escaped her mouth. The two Sentinels stared, Vestrum Euan was clearly bewildered, which was saying something after the way he'd handled her equally bizarre story of her saving the two worlds almost singlehandedly.
"I'm sorry," he said, "you're a what?" he turned to father Raul, as if hoping the latter would clear up his confusion but the priest's face clearly said that he was in no way any better informed about the matter.
"She told me that herself," April said, sounding more subdued, "the White Dragon I mean, she told me I was her daughter."
More silence. When Euan finally broke it, his voice was more full of uncertainty than ever before. Of all the things he'd heard since they'd arrived this seemed to be the hardest pill for him to swallow. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked without even bothering to hide his distrust, "That you're a... Draic Kin?"
"No..." April answered slowly, sounding as uncertain as him, "I don't think so, I think I must be a human, mostly at least... I don't know what it means, but that's what she told me and I don't see why she would lie to me. Actually," she tried to look at him as pleadingly as her pride would allow, "that's one of the reasons I'm here. I was hoping you would help me figure it out."
It took still a few seconds, but then Vestrum Euan recovered admiringly from the shock of her revelation, he cleared his throat and straightened in his seat, assuming his initial stony facade. "This is the most extraordinary claim I've heard in my life," he said very carefully, "If what you're saying is true, it's understandable, of course, that you would come to us for help…" He bit down on his lip for a moment and April waited with baited breath. "A child of the White of the Draic Kin who is still a human?" he shook his head, "I've never heard of such a thing. How could this be, miss Ryan?"
This better not become the birds and the bees talk! April thought apprehensively. "You tell me," she said, "up until ten days ago or something I didn't know Arcadia existed, or the Draic Kin, or magic... I'm clearly not an expert here. That's why I thought, with your knowledge and all, maybe you could help me find out and understand what exactly I am!"
"I don't... know... I mean," the man sighed, "like I said, this is unheard of, at least, on this side of the divide. I don't think I have ever glimpsed a scripture or any sort of information that would mention the Draic Kin… mingling with humans in such manner." He paused, deep in thought, "I suppose this matter will need to be explored, but that will take time and effort we can't spare just yet. There are matters at hand that need our full attention, after that..." his gaze wondered a bit before he returned it to April once more. "What can you tell us about your family, Ms. Ryan? Who are they?"
She had been expecting this question. "The only family I ever knew were my adoptive family," she relayed just a fraction faster than she usually talked, "Ryans. They are not in any way notable, just a family of four - not counting myself - living in Fillmore County, they have a small farm there. No Magicals, no people of high station, nothing. And I don't know anything about my biological parents. I mean... Save for what I've just told you about the White of the Kin."
"Have you ever noticed anything unusual about yourself then?" He asked curiously, "Anything out of the ordinary for a human?"
"Oh, you mean except for being able to open portals between worlds, having visions of what's happening somewhere else and doing occasional magic tricks?" She laughed nervously. "Not really, to be honest. And if I did anything truly unusual during the last week, I wouldn't be able to tell what was... Well, ordinary magic and what wasn't. Like I said, I need help to sort through all this."
There was a long pause. April kept her eyes on Vestrum Euan though she could tell father Raul was now staring at her in awe and amazement. He definitely believed every word of hers, she knew she'd had his full trust. However, the same couldn't be said about the Vestrum. She knew she couldn't blame him, every single time she'd imagine how this conversation might go, she would end up convinced that her words would be met with a whole lot of skepticism. Still, she was, she'd discovered, desperate enough for understanding and acceptance to feel offended.
Father Raul carefully broke the silence, "It would make sense," he started quietly, "for Cortez... I mean the Red of the Draic Kin to ask you for help then. He always told me you were the key to saving the Balance. He never elaborated, I never knew the reasoning behind his opinion, but... The Kin were instrumental in creating the Divide, if you were in any way related to them - unusual as it sounds - it would be expected of you to be instrumental to... Fixing it. It's logical, I think."
"Yeah, great." April mumbled, "But that doesn't answer anything. Just opens room for more speculation."
"In any case it will have to wait!" the Vestrum announced, straightening his back, his voice louder, clearer and full of decisiveness. "I intend to look into the matter but it will be later, when the situation has stabilized and we all have the luxury to go where ever we want, to talk to people in the know and visit our libraries. Do the research, so to speak. Until then I'm waiting for others to show up - those who can get here on their own two feet, at least. I daresay Hovercrafts won't be crossing the Pacific ocean any time soon. They don't seem capable of crossing a street these days. But there will be a meeting, whether or not we have full attendance. I hope both of you are present at that time," he looked from April to Raul, "your story will need to be retold and discussed in detail. They will have many questions no doubt, in fact, I have many questions too, and many details I'd like to inquire. When they're here."
Raul was nodding, "Has anyone been in touch with you yet?" he asked.
"No," he answered grimly, "and they won't be. I threw away all means of communication I had in my possession. Including my brand new screen."
"Threw away?" The priest asked incredulously, April also stared in surprise as Euan nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, right out of the window too." he added, leaving both of them lost for words. Then, as if suddenly remembering something very important, he clapped his hand to his forehead. "Damn it!" He exclaimed, grimacing, "Have either of you brought any electronics? A mobile phone or anything of the sort!?"
At this sudden inquiry April exchanged a quizzical look with Raul. She was pretty sure he was thinking about the exact same thing she was: they had been asked that same strange question earlier that day.
"I'm afraid the police lynched my phone on our way here." Raul informed him, "Other than that we were completely tech free. And I suppose now you're going to tell us why this sudden fear of everyday items?"
"They tend to explode, or otherwise misbehave." the man responded, after seeing the looks on their faces he went on, "They do. That's where all the small explosions I mentioned earlier came from. Mostly it was phones, but also other stuff. Receiving a call is dangerous nowadays. I had to run around the whole day helping people put the fires out, or help give the first aid, though I am by far not a medic. It was everywhere."
"Nothing exploded in the cathedral." April said uncertainly. Vestrum Euan's brand new information would explain why the cops confiscated the old wristlet. On the other hand, it never seemed to give Raul any trouble, the priest had used (or tried to use) it on several occasions. There had been no connection, but other than that nothing notable had happened.
"Well, count your lucky stars." Euan answered, mildly surprised. "As far as I noticed it was the same with everyone in the neighborhood. Only there were bigger things happening that may have distracted people. We'll talk more about this too when others are here. I just hope they can get here safely. There are still marauders and robbers running about and police is as dangerous these days as criminals."
April grunted affirmative remembering the guns pointed at her and the nervousness of their wielders. She suddenly felt tired, and the sleep inducing effect of the candle now burning very low only made it worse.
"Are you hungry?" Euan asked her and Raul suddenly, getting up and setting the chair back in its place. "Can't offer you a feast, but I have some descent stuff in the storage."
That seemed to be the abrupt end of their exchange of information for the day. Both Raul and April expressed their gratitude for the upcoming meal, their modest dinner in the basement of the Cathedral seemed ages ago. Hours it took to walk here by foot had taken toll on their energies. When Euan retreated to the kitchen followed by Raul for a few quick words in private - April had a nasty suspicion she and her trustworthiness would be among hot topics of the day - Adrian moved to sit by her side on the sofa, at a considerable distance.
"I'm really happy to see you again," He repeated earnestly, his voice a little lower than usual. "I'm relieved you're safe. When this whole mess started I was scared that something would happen to you, I didn't know whether or not you were safe."
"That's really kind of you," April answered, feeling a bit hot in the face." I had a shelter, thankfully. Honestly, I'm surprised to see you here, how did you find this place?"
"Oh, I didn't, the new Guardian opened the doorway for me and it brought me here. He was the one that chose the direction for me. I would never even dream of looking for anyone or anything in Stark anymore. It's hard to believe that this is the same world I left back when I became the Guardian. I can't even understand anyone's speech, although I was assured you all speak a version of Englisc here."
"Right," said April sheepishly, "so English is your native language after all. It probably sounds very different from how you spoke back then."
"I can't even recognize it!" He agreed with great enthusiasm, "Speaking of which, could you... Tell me in short what you three just talked about? It's frustrating to be the only person in the room who..."
"Of course!" April cut him off. While their host and Raul had been busy exchanging opinions in the kitchen, she told Adrian what she'd told them. Perhaps it was about how grateful Adrian felt towards April who, after all, had come to his aid in his darkest hour, his reactions were completely different from the Vestrum's and bore no sign of skepticism whatsoever. When she revealed her association with the White of the Draic Kin, he stared in wide eyed amazement.
"What does that make you?" He asked.
"That's what I want to know." April answered and for a while Adrian seemed lost in thought. He was brought our of his reveries by Raul returning with his arms lidden with loaves of stale bread, some dry fruit and quite a few cans. Euan followed closely with spoons, forks and glasses. The table was laid quickly.
"Having a crazy next door neighbor who awaits a zombie apocalypse every other week has its perks." Euan announced when he noticed April's surprise at the sheer amount of canned fish and soup piled in front of them. "If not for that, I would've needed to join the marauding marathon. I still might need to though, depending on how things go."
During the supper Raul raised a question of shelter for the night. It made April feel uneasy to think that she'd have to stay for the night in that unfamiliar place. If they had departed from the Cathedral early in the morning as they had originally planned, she would still have had time to walk all the way to Venice till the end of the day and... Then what? She thought while munching on her food. She would have to face Fiona and Mickey and Charlie. They would bombard her with countless questions. She would have to come up with believable explanations because not even for a second did she believe that the truth would suffice. It was too much, she decided, with so much already on her plate to start wreaking her head over how to convince her friends that she was neither a problematic teen that had gotten involved with criminals and let those around her pay the price for her mistake, nor a lunatic lost in her own fantasies, nor a shameless liar. Perhaps it was just as well that she'd have to spend the night here. And necessity was undeniable. It was already very dark outside, the nighttime wanderings in Newport weren't extremely safe at the best of times and she'd be asking for trouble walking the streets she hardly knew for hours until she reached her destination. What state she would find it in was another matter needing serious consideration. April didn't like to think about it, but she couldn't ignore a very real possibility that the Border House could be no longer livable. Yes, she decided in the end, I'd better not poke my head out until tomorrow. As for what she'd do tomorrow, she had been toying with a few ideas, there were a couple of things she intended to do, needed to do. It was only a matter of prioritizing them.
More words was exchanged between Raul and Euan during the meal, mostly commenting on the state of the world outside. Raul told him everything they had seen on their way, about his and April's voluntary imprisonment inside the Cathedral while something like a mini war raged outside its walls, the destruction of the Hope Street, police scouring the neighborhood and confiscating electronic devices to destroy them on the spot. April chatted a bit on the same topic with Adrian, just to spare him the awkwardness of being left out of everything again. From time to time Euan would throw a furtive look in her direction, something she tried her best to ignore, but made her feel uneasy. Her initial impression that he didn't trust her was only further strengthened by his wariness.
Their conversations continued throughout the whole supper and well after it. Nobody bothered to wash the dishes, since there was a water outage and what water they did have had to be rationed. April noted to herself, to her great annoyance, that this would be the fifth day her personal hygiene had been reduced to wet wipes. She had to suppress the urge to groan loudly, instead she tried to console herself with the fact that everyone was in the same boat in this department.
When Vestrum Euan judged it to be time to let his guests rest - they had no way to tell time except to judge by the sky that was now completely black from the lack of more prominent celestials and the rising smoke and smog concealing the blue hue it should've had, stars were still invisible, as always in this city - April took a skeptical look around the apartment. "There's a couch in the drawing room you could use, Ms. Ryan," he pointed vaguely to one of the shut doors. "It would be more hospitable of me to offer my guests a proper bed, but that's the only part in this mockery of an apartment you can get any privacy, and the couch is very comfortable I assure you."
"Yeah, that sounds good to me," April answered quickly, "thank you." She wasn't being modest by settling for it. In fact, she had to think a bit to remember the last time she'd slept in anything approaching a proper bed. Her mind wondered over the corner covered with a blanket in the church basement, a randomly selected spot in the Dark People's ship, the hellish hammocks of The White Dragon, grassy patches of the Northland's forest, the Spirit Dig... It had been a while, she supposed. At this rate it would soon become a standard for her to sprawl wherever she found a large enough space - just another unsettling thought to add to the pile.
At least the couch was as comfortable as promised, and she and Raul (the priest was invited to occupy the sofa in the living room) were given thin blankets just in case it got cooler at night. April didn't feel the temperature require it, especially since she was going to sleep with most of her clothes on, but she found herself wrapping it tightly around her shoulders a few hours after everyone had gone to sleep, contemplating all the events that had taken place that day and what she'd do next. Her situation seemed bleaker by every passing minute. She couldn't get rid of the mental image of the colonial's contract she'd signed to depart to the Morning Star. She was painfully aware of the fact that even if there was a way to annul it, someone like her didn't have an access to the means to do so. And failing to annul it meant that any sort of pleasant life was over for her in this world. She remembered Warren Hughes who had to hide in a dumpster to avoid being taken away and live as a street rat constantly hiding from cops and social services. But she had solved the problem for him, at least partly, could she solve it for herself if she tried really hard? First things first! April said firmly to herself, First I have to go home and see my friends, then I have to find the two Draic Kin, or at least find out what happened to them and if the Red one is alive, get some answers from him and maybe even get help in taking care of the colonial problem... My quest isn't over yet. She flinched from sudden noises from the kitchen - the empty pipes were growling, it sounded like the water problem was being worked on after all - and pulled the blanket up, half covering her face with it, eyes tightly shut. It's not over yet... She repeated stubbornly hanging on to it as she drifted into uneasy sleep.