Chapter 6: Valein House

It was on the distant fringe of a village, atop a soft, grassy hill. The only hint of its true purpose was the sturdy stone wall topped by glowing crystals on spires at even intervals around its perimeter. Valein House seemed oddly picturesque for the summoner equivalent of an insane asylum.

Shyvana and Sylus were just off one of the village's streets, at the opening of an alley. Shyvana was positioned so she could look down the street and see the house, Sylus opposite her.

"Since we know the council doesn't really want this exposed, how do you wish to investigate?" Sylus muttered quietly.

Shyvana eyed the house a moment longer, and then focused on her companion. "Innocent benefactors. You and I are visiting because we are concerned about a mutual acquaintance's mental state, but we want to make sure he is properly cared for, not just locked away."

Sylus frowned thoughtfully, nodding. "I see. Logical. We don't know how sympathetic or helpful they will be, however."

"We'll take what they give, and then change plans accordingly. If he's such a powerful summoner, they must have a more secure area. I doubt they'll let us walk into that, but a general knowledge of the interior should at least help."

Sylus nodded again. "Sounds like a plan."

Shyvana smirked at him, and then leaned off the wall, leading the way to the gates of the house's perimeter.

(To the house…)

Ironically, they were allowed past the wall without any kind of resistance. There weren't even any guards present. They walked up the simple path over the hill, and across a gravel lane for carriages, entering the double-doors.

The interior was surprisingly luxurious. It was a waiting room first, but with large couches and tables with refreshments waiting, as if it were a high-class hotel. There were several people scattered around, sitting, some talking quietly, others reading.

At the far side was a broad desk, with a single attendant. An older woman with a stern face.

Shyvana walked directly forward with Sylus in tow, but her eyes danced around, placing the various people in the room.

At the desk, the stern woman greeted them, "How may I help you?"

Shyvana tipped her head. "Good day. We are… concerned for a comrade. A summoner. We believe he may be… troubled. However, we've heard disagreeing rumors about this place, and wanted to see it for ourselves. If it's a place to truly help, we'll be taking the matter to the council."

"Without a writ from the council, no one is allowed beyond the entry hall. We have some dangerous residents. It is for your protection."

Sylus tilted his head down. "Madam, if we take the time to get a writ from the council, how do you think we can spare our friend the attention? Do you want us to at least consider bringing him here?"

"That's not my concern," the woman persisted calmly. "I control the entry, and my rules are clear. None without a writ."

Sylus sighed, glancing to Shyvana. The dragoness eyed the woman for a moment. Then she turned, and looked Sylus in the eyes. The summoner blinked, and saw a very serious darkness in the dragoness' gaze.

Looking back to the attendant, Shyvana put her hands at her back, as if going into an at-ease stance. "Can I ask another question?" she began with raised eyebrows.

The woman just stared at her.

"Why would a council-sanctioned treatment house use mercenaries in disguise for guards?"

In one instant, the room exploded with madness.

Sylus hit the floor as Shyvana wrenched her armored gauntlets up on her arms, fire already bleeding off her fists. The attendant raised her own hands up, energy trailing her fingertips for a spell-strike. The various people in the waiting room shot from their positions, drawing blades and crossbows in a rippling rush.

The purple-black stream of power from the 'attendant' collided with a fire-blast from Shyvana's right, armored fist, both sets of energy bursting apart in a ring-wave across the desk. At the same moment, Shyvana's left fist swept backward, unleashing a wave of fire that caught and incinerated the first volley of bolts from the various mercenaries using crossbows.

Turning with her back-hand swipe, Shyvana sent her right leg out. It shattered through the desk, hit the witch's chest with a sickening crack of fracturing bone, and buried her in the back wall. As her leg fully extended, Shyvana also rammed her two fists toward the two sides of the waiting room, unleashing fresh jets of fire, destroying more bolts and forcing a group of melee mercenaries to duck and roll aside.

Continuing into a full spin, Shyvana stepped over Sylus with a lunge, unleashing another double fire-blast to re-scatter the mercenaries. This time, she hunched after unleashing her flame, and her body warped and empowered, erupting into her full, draconic shape, braced over Sylus like a protective den mother with a cub. Wing-claws digging into the stone floor, she roared and unleashed a breath-blast, panning from her left to right.

The screams of burning mercenaries filled the chamber, a handful breaking through the front doors to escape, another set of groups vanishing into either side hall from the entry chamber.

Shyvana remained tense, her enlarged eyes scanning the room in sharp, precise glances. "…Clear," she growled.

Sylus started to stand up, easing out from under her right wing. It left him standing between her long neck and the muscular upper arm that comprised the wing. Her skin radiated enough heat to make him sweat gently. "Sorry to be so useless, my lady," he muttered quietly, a bit awed at the swift destruction she had brought to the chamber.

"Knowing when to duck is important for any young warrior," she chose to rumble in response, and then hefted her upper body over him to quickly turn, and lope around the far side of the shattered desk, her tail slithering limply along the floor.

Sylus followed her with a wan smile. He watched as she proved quite dexterous with her large claw, opening a simple door just to the side of where the witch was buried in the wall. With a faint glance inside, however, she realized it was too small to maintain her true form. Shyvana reverted in a smooth rush, and waved Sylus inside with her.

Their eyes soon found the fate of the true attendants. Several people, clad in summoners robes, were floating in the air, encased in shimmering pillars of light. They didn't seem aware of their surroundings.

Sylus eased forward, and raised his hands. "…These stasis fields are nearly a month old."

Shyvana frowned, looking up at them, her eyes gliding from each to the next. "So he's been in control long enough to arrange things, probably well before they were even captured like this. Can you free them?"

"Yes," Sylus answered, his stance shifting.

Shyvana gripped his shoulder. "Wait."

He blinked, focusing on her. "Why?"

"They are safer this way. There are still mercenaries in the building, and we still have no true answers. We'll free them… after we investigate."

Sylus started to nod. "You're right. Sorry."

Shyvana flashed a faint smile. "You're learning, summoner. Come." She waved for him to join her as she walked for the exit again.

(A short while later…)

Choosing the right hall to start, the pair hurried through it. They passed many rooms, the residents of which seemed to be either sleeping or in a very deep daze. Harmless, but completely mentally gone. Shyvana felt a disturbing thought when she wondered how close to this fate all summoners came each day. How close was Sylus to it? He really was wading into his kind of war each day. For the League.

A snap-whistle sounded. Sylus' new instincts had him dive to the ground again, and Shyvana caught the bolt in her armored hand before snap-twisting herself, ramming a jet of fire down the hall almost the same instant. It splashed over part of the wall just beside the would-be assassin, and he screamed as his clothes caught fire.

Shyvana shot forward, leaping with each bound from one side to the other as the mercenary's comrades opened fire from further down the hall.

Sylus huddled against the wall near the floor he'd flattened himself to as bolts pinged off the stone around him. His eyes settled on a few of them the next moment, and an idea lit his gaze.

The dragoness caught up to her initial target, ramming her armored fist into his head as she landed from one bound, dropping him instantly. She used a quick spin-slap to deflect a small volley of bolts from the other three mercenaries still rushing back down the hall. Flowing into a two-armed fire-blast again, she dropped the next two with the raw force of her attacks, but the third was just beyond her reach.

With a growl, Shyvana shot forward again. That same moment, Sylus slammed his left hand into the floor, runes scattering over it, the bolts beside him shivering and dancing inside the energy.

Immediately beside the last assassin, the wall started to shimmer and warp, and he gawked in surprise.

Bolts shot out of the solid stone, clipping his arms and legs, one lodging in his shoulder with a shout of pain.

Shyvana was on him the next second, pinning him to the ground. "Who hired you!?"

"They don't… give names! Bad… for business!" he managed around strangled pain.

Sylus was running up to join her at this point.

Shyvana persisted, "You're ordered to take control of a summoner insane asylum, and you don't know who for!?"

"Someone rich, that's all we got!" he yelled back.

The dragoness raised one armored fist as the other arm kept him pinned down. Fire erupted over the metal wreathing her limb. "Give me a reason to let you live, beast!"

Sylus was there, but didn't move to stop her this time, he just waited by tensely.

"Okay, okay! I know one thing!" the merc desperately gasped. "Max security hall. We were… told to keep it locked down tight! No one in or out, not even us!"

Shyvana gripped his collar, lifting him off the ground. "Where is it?"

(Max security…)

They told that merc to call his comrades out of the building, but didn't trust it would work. Sylus stayed in Shyvana's wake like a shadow as they reached the maximum security hall. It was in the top level of the building, behind layered, magic-sealed doors.

Sylus came forward at the doors, and placed his hand on them, closing his eyes. He frowned. "Already broken. They're just closed, not locked."

Shyvana gripped his shoulder, and he followed her silent command to get behind her again. She opened the three special doors in sequence with no trouble, and led him into the hall. These cells were very different. No bars, only walls of golden-green light sealed the little boxes it was segmented into. Each one had a single occupant, all in plain white tunics and pants.

One immediately charged the wall, bashing himself against the energy, screaming like a wild beast… while energy erupted from his eyes and hands in rippling spells waves that ricocheted around his chamber.

Sylus gawked. "…Those are planar alignment bolts…"

Shyvana eyed it warily, but kept walking. "That would normally require a rather calm, calculating mind, yes?"

"Absolutely. I have no idea how a mad man like that could wield them."

"That's a very presumptuous statement," a new voice declared with a faint chuckle.

The two paused, looking to the cell at their current right.

Quite calm, an older man was sitting on his bed, facing them. His eyes and smile were twisted somehow, the only hint, so far, of why he was in the cell in the first place. "Aren't you a cute little summoner, boy? Come to admire your betters?"

Sylus shared a glance with Shyvana, and they silently agreed to see what this inmate knew. Shyvana took the lead, however. "Do you keep track of what goes on here? Would you know about other prisoners who were let out?"

His eyes sharpened. "A mighty specific question, champion."

"You know me?"

He smirked. "You think I never work in the games just because I'm locked in here? Who do you think they bring out for Nocturne or Brand?"

"If they trust you enough for that, why are you locked away here?" Shyvana pushed, impatient.

"The games are preconfigured. Very hard to break them. Everything else? Oh, now that's another story. I kept doing things they didn't like, because they didn't understand how."

Sylus ease forward. "Did they have you develop new spells for the League?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Please. They wouldn't trust anything I did for them. Honestly, you prove to one councilor that Kog'Maw's stomach is actually a void portal, and they just lose their minds!"

Shyvana and Sylus shared a glance.

"That would explain much," Shyvana admitted.

Sylus nodded.

"See? I tried to tell them!" the inmate affirmed.

"But do you know of anyone who was released from here?" Shyvana persisted, leaning forward.

He shrugged. "No idea. The spell walls are warped. We can only see someone directly in front of our little bubble here. I was wondering about the hooligans I've seen walk past a few times. Is there a breakout going on? Would be very exciting!"

Shyvana sighed, and turned to her companion. "They won't know. Come, let's… return to the entry chamber."

Sylus nodded, and silently followed.

The inmate shouted after them, "Do take care! Wouldn't want anything to happen to you, champion!"

Shyvana just growled, narrowing her eyes as she walked.

(Later…)

It had taken nearly an hour to actually free the true attendants. Sylus was drained and tired when he was finally finished, and Shyvana took the time to talk to the understandably confused summoners and guards.

After a bit of panic was calmed by Shyvana's intimidating shouting, they got to the heart of the matter.

The main attendant shook her head. She was actually young, with short blonde hair. "We don't know anything about any maximum security patients being let out, champion."

"Where are the records then?" the dragoness persisted.

Another attendant shifted awkwardly. "There won't be any of such a release, if it happened."

Sylus shared a grim look with Shyvana. The dragoness went on, "Why not?"

The main attendant continued, "We've… all been here less than a year. The entire staff was replaced at the same time, and all the main records were confiscated by the council. We assumed there had been some upset, of course, but… it was made clear we shouldn't pry."

Shyvana growled, looking off. "So it all goes back to the council itself. We have nothing to show for this trouble except suspicion."

Sylus, leaning against a wall, offered, "We still have the fact that this place was overrun with mercenaries. That demands attention. If we informed the major nations, it would force the council to at least open a real inquiry."

"Into themselves," Shyvana snarled, but her frustration was at the situation, not her companion. "They'll just cover it up again. Ugh, this idiotic cowardice, dodging all responsibility." She turned to the rescued attendants. "All of you should go to ground. We don't know who can or can't be trusted now. The mastermind is still at large. I'll make sure a message is sent through public channels if it becomes safe."

"W-where should we go?" the main attendant asked.

"Anywhere you've never been before," the dragon rasped bluntly, and then turned to Sylus. "Come, summoner. We have to return to the League, one way or the other."

"I have one question before we go," Sylus said, easing off the wall to follow her regardless.

Shyvana paused, and let him turn to the others.

"There's a patient in the max wing who spoke to us. Short, gray hair, and he related a story about Kog'Maw's stomach being a void portal. What is his name?"

"Meridian Stalk," one of the guards answered. "He's the worst one of the lot. You didn't let him out, did you?"

Sylus shook his head. "We released no one."

Shyvana actually reached an arm out, and put it across Sylus' shoulders. "Come, summoner. You need rest, but it isn't safe here."

Sylus just nodded, grateful for the support, and let her lead him out of the room.

(Away from the house…)

Sylus slumped down against a tree. Shyvana hadn't felt safe in the town after Diligast's fate. They were about an hour outside the town, well off the main paths leading into it.

"Sorry for slowing our return so much," Sylus managed, sincerely exhausted.

Shyvana crouched at his side with a faint smile. "You did well, Sylus. You followed my lead properly, and your trick with the arrows in that hallway was inspired."

He chuckled softly. "I'm glad you approve." More serious, he added, "I'm sorry we didn't find anything more concrete, my lady. I feel like somehow it's my failing. If I'd come forward immediately-?"

"Don't be foolish, Sylus. This was all in place long before you were aware of it. Take your rest. You earned it. Freeing those summoners was bitter work. I could see that much."

He nodded a little, easing with a wan smile. "My thanks, Shyvana."

Feeling a bit playful, which was a novel sensation in truth, Shyvana added, "And perhaps this will raise your spirits. Once you've rested, I'll be flying us back to the League."

His eyes lit up with surprising life at the idea. "Truly? I can fly with you? Is that not a risk?"

His sincere delight made her smile remain soft and warm. "We only went by foot to avoid detection as much from the council as the mastermind of this plot. Now speed is more important, but you truly need your rest. Yes, you'll fly with me."

He smiled brightly. "You are very kind to me, my lady."

Shyvana chuckled, and actually reached over, tussling some of his hair. "Now rest, or I'll make you walk anyway."

He chuckled, letting his eyes close. "Yes, my lady."

(Later…)

"Summoner?"

For most people, having a deep, rumbling voice call to them in their sleep would have been anything but pleasant. For Sylus, however, he woke up with a completely happy start, turning enough to look up into Shyvana's draconic face looking down at him.

"Feeling rested?" she rumbled kindly, surprising gentleness in her eyes.

He chuckled, rising up. "Much. So… how best shall we fly? In your claws again?" He seemed giddy.

Shyvana chuckled, and actually lowered herself down on her wing-claws, like she was doing a partial push-up. "It works well in an emergency, but I doubt you want to be dangling for a few hours of flight. Here. Climb up."

Blushing a bit, Sylus pushed himself up onto her back, at first gripping parts of her armor. "How do you want me to… hold on?"

She turned her head on her long neck, some humor mingling with her surprisingly gentle expression. "Lie down. Put your arms around the base of my neck. It'll be far easier that way."

Sylus did so, easing forward, lifting his legs up fully, and slowly put his arms around the bottom of her powerful neck. Her scent was particularly strong right at her scales, and he had to specifically take hold of his thoughts before they went too many embarrassing places.

"Settled?" she asked.

"Yes, my lady," he said softly.

She braced down, and then shot up, her wings snapping taut and wrenching them through the air a heartbeat later.

Sylus gave a shout of exhilaration, and then held tight even as he laughed, the air already howling around them.

Shyvana chuckled, soaring high and rushing along, her body snaking through the winds in rhythmic waves.

He could feel her powerful muscles churning her wings, hear her breath rushing through her long, powerful neck. Even more, with his head down against her neck to avoid wind blasting him in the face, his ear was right against her warm scales. He could hear her powerful heart pulsing like thunder in the depths of her core.

Magnificent, he marveled peacefully, his eyes shut out of appreciation rather than just avoiding the wind.

(Flying…)

He had assumed flying for hours straight would quickly sour his appreciation of flying with her, as she obviously had no saddle to hold him properly (and it was a ridiculous notion). However, Sylus found that he was completely at peace flying on her back. Her armor had formed a broad surface across her back, and her way of flying helped keep him to her back rather than threaten to knock him off.

Every so often, he looked forward, squinting against the wind, and watched her head slipping through the air, the fur along the ridge of her neck rippling. It was like a dream, and all the more wonderful for being real.

It was all too short a time later that he felt her start to sink through the air. He had to hold a little tighter with his arms, as her rhythmic flight started to give way for her angled descent. He otherwise might have slipped off behind her as she brought her legs down to land.

Shyvana glided down smoothly, and gave a few steadying flaps of her wings before touching down at the base of the League's main entrance. She let Sylus slide off her back, and she looked back at him, caught by the glow with his smile at her. She found herself smiling back, and then bowed her head, letting herself revert.

A moment later, she stood up straight as a human woman, and waved toward the building. "Come. Let's see if Queen Ashe and Riven have made any more direct progress."

"Excellent plan," Sylus replied happily, following her with more than a little spring in his step.

Shyvana just chuckled, shaking her head as they entered the hall.

(Author's Note)

There are two aspects of this chapter I enjoy greatly myself. 1) Shyvana and Sylus truly working together, and 2) meeting Meridian Stalk. The short interchange between the pair and Stalk worked out better than I'd hoped, and I think strikes the right balance of creep, humor, and intrigue. We'll see if I'm right about that, of course.

I wanted to keep Shyvana as the leader in combat, but also show Sylus taking the job seriously and not just hiding under her coat tails. The trick with the bolts through the wall was borne of that desire. I'm fond of it.

Again, thank you all for reading/reviewing! Got this chapter posted a little early!