Secrets, part 38
The advance team had stopped to camp for the night. A quick shadow in the moonlight caught Lily's eye. His partner, Gajeel, was stretched out for the night nearby. "Did you see that?", asked Lily. "See what?", replied Gajeel, his eyes firmly closed. The exceed stepped over to check on the fey. To his astonishment, Eadmund held his arm out like a hawk master, awaiting a perch from a beloved pet. Sure enough, the shadow from before swirled down to him. Lily stared with interest in at the animal upon the gargoyle's waiting arm. By now, Gajeel, too, had stirred. "What is that?", asked the dragon slayer. Both Eadmund and the small creature on his arm turned to look at the intruding duo. A rather tiny draconian animal stared with huge, dark eyes. The starlight reflected in the dark orbs while the moonlight seemed to dance on its translucent body. It seemed like pale green, living glass. Eadmund stroked the thing's chin with care and a subtle, yet affectionate, grin.
"Her name is Nefeli. She's a drake", he explained. "Smallest dragon I've ever seen", snorted Gajeel, amused, but curious. Once Nefeli had been calmed by her master's soothing touch, she looked at the exceed keenly. She craned her head to an odd angle, her neck as nimble and flexible as an owl's. Eadmund used his free hand to untie a small scroll from her front leg. He glanced at the note's contents, easily able to read in the dim light thanks to his fey eyesight. "Drakes are common where I come from, somewhat like cats or dogs here", said Eadmund, carefully reading. "They act as messengers?", ventured Lily, eying the note. Eadmund nodded, his faint grin falling away. "Faster than any bird I've seen and more reliable, too", he uttered, his face turning grim.
"So, what's it say?", inquired Gajeel, crossing his arms. Glancing around, he noticed Pax was missing. Before he could ask, Eadmund rolled the paper neatly into a scroll and held it near Nefeli's wide, metallic stare. She hissed green fire and the note was instantly vaporized. "As I said, more reliable", grinned Eadmund, stroking the drake softly. She seemed to coo in response. Crawling up his arm, she settled onto his shoulder and wrapped her long tail loosely around his neck for balance. "An edict from the Saturnus squad", stated Eadmund calmly. "And?", said Lily. "We've been officially ordered to destroy all traces of the Noctis organization. This includes the captured sniper", he said without emotion. "Just like that?", asked Gajeel, unsure of the gargoyle's motives. "Just like that", replied Eadmund.
Turning, he returned to his place by the fire and sat down. Nefeli crawled into his lap for petting. he stroked her calmly. "I'm sure you've noticed Pax has gone by now", stated Eadmund. He waited for his colleagues to sit across the flames from him. Once they did, he continued, "She's circled back to check progress on the others. She's highly concerned with Jasper in particular. With her long term goals, I'm not surprised." The partners exchanged glances. What did that mean? Nefeli made several bird like sounds, keeping Eadmund's close attention. "Is that so?", he grinned. Gajeel narrowed his gaze. "You understand that thing?", he asked. Both Eadmund and Nefeli stared at him at the usage of 'thing'. "...Er...her...", he corrected himself. "Yes. My family runs a hatchery back home. Nefeli's been with me my entire life", replied the gargoyle. "What did she say?", inquired Lily. "They aren't far behind us. If they keep the same pace tomorrow, they'll likely catch up", explained Eadmund.
"What did you mean before, about Pax and Jasper? Who is he to you two?", inquired Gajeel. "Verum princeps", said Eadmund, calmly petting the drake in his lap. There was that phrase again! "I don't know what that means", scowled the dragon slayer, annoyed. Eadmund grinned serenely, not as a gesture to be smug, but one of understanding. "Forgive me. You do not speak our tongue...It mean 'true prince'...", he uttered, dropping his blue eyes back to the flames. "Prince?!", repeated lily, shocked. Eadmund grinned peacefully to Nefeli. "He is the last of his line. If he can restore order, our current monarch will fall and peace will return to the various kingdoms. Our people have been at war for some time now...We all held allegiance to the Glaukos throne, descendants of the one man that had united us under a single banner, centuries ago, when we left the human world. Once the usurper took power - ...I'm sorry. You're probably not interested in fey history." Eadmund paused his story with a faint sigh.
Silence overtook the group. Eventually, the drake crept from her master's lap and cautiously approached Gajeel, stretching her long neck to inquisitively sniff his boot. "She likes you. You smell of dragons", stated Eadmund. Nefeli slowly climbing the dragon slayer's leg and curled up on his knee as if to sleep. "She usually doesn't take to strangers", uttered the gargoyle. "Does she have to sleep there?", asked Gajeel stiffly. He still wasn't too sure about the creature. "She won't harm you unless you threaten me or herself", replied Eadmund, prodding the fire. Gajeel's annoyed expression fell flat. "I wasn't worried", he scoffed. Disliking the sound, the drake quickly retreated Eadmund's shoulder, slightly scowling. A soft pet to her chin settled her once more. "Nefeli, I want you to find Pax. Make sure she stays out of trouble", he whispered. The drake nodded and took off. "Sending messages back already?", inquired Lily. "Something like that."
A few miles away, Jasper was struggling to sleep. He'd tossed and turned in his blanket, worried about his family and what was to come. A warm body crept up against his back, a slender arm wrapping over his side. Jasper sighed, "Yona, people can see us." A faint chuckle turned the incubus bright red. That laugh wasn't Yona's. He glanced at the midnight blue limb that hugged him. Quickly rolling away, he tried to look angry despite his red face. "Wh-what are you doing?!", he gaped. "You looked cold", replied Pax, languidly lying in his bed roll. Fighting his blush reflex away, he made a stern expression. "That's not funny...and aren't you supposed to be ahead on the trail?", he said, annoyed. Pax pouted at his tone. "Do you really like that human so much more than me?", she asked with sad eyes. He could feel his face heating up again just as a familiar from came to the rescue. "Hey! You're barking up my tree there, sister! Get in line. If anyone's getting some from Jasper on this trip, it'll be me", snorted Yona. Now deep crimson, Jasper glanced between the two girls staring each other down. "Y-yona! A word!", he managed to utter, getting to his feet and dragging her way by the wrist. The fairies had heard the commotion and now everyone stared at Pax. She simply smiled and waved. She wasn't ashamed of her actions in the least.
Several yards away, Jasper paced anxiously. "Why do you have to say things like that in front of people?!", he vented. "Don't get mad at me. I rescued you just now", said Yona, standing her ground. He paused in his tracks and forced himself to take several deep breaths. "...You're right..." She smirked at his admission. Coming closer, she tugged his chin to make him look her in the eye. "Why do you keep running from me anyway?", she teased. He shied his eyes with a faint blush. "This is hardly the time or place", he mumbled. "Always an excuse with you. Why not just give in and enjoy the distraction? I'm not letting her get to you first", she grinned, coy as ever. Jasper carefully lowered her hands from his face. "Can't we discuss this later?", he uttered shyly. Yona shrugged. "I guess, but if she tried that again, I'll drown her ass", replied Yona. Jasper smiled sheepishly. She would do that. "I'll talk to her", he stated.
Making their way back, they were both shocked and amused at the scene. Erza glared at the succubus with her hand on the hilt of her sword. "Touch him again, I dare you", she said. Pax was on the ground and crossed her arms in a huff. She flexed her wings in irritation. "The dragon slayers off limits, too?! What's with you people? Why so chaste?!", she whined. Natsu had a red handprint the size of Lucy's on his face and he seemed caught off guard. The spirit mage had stormed off. He shouted after her, "What did I do?!". The three exceeds stood in silence. "Rani, make sure she's ok", ordered Yona. She nodded and followed after Lucy, calling her name. "And you", said Yona, glaring at Pax. She grabbed her shirt and jerked her onto her feet. "Those two are off limits, got it?", she said, her tone harsh. "Maybe you'll play with me then", grinned Pax, "I'm liking this dominant thing you're doing." Blushing, Yona dropped her hold and took a step back. "What?!" Pax chuckled. "You guys are boring. We play lots of ways back home. How about you, Red?", she teased, winking at Erza. "That's it!", shouted Yona, "You need a cold shower!". Summoning her magic, she dowsed the succubus in frigid sea water.
Pax spat out a mouthful of salt water with a flat expression. "You're no fun", she grumbled. "I'm heading back ahead. Path's been clear so far. See you when you catch up", she said, casually striding from the group into the woods. Blank, yet red faces stared at one another. "Did that really just happen?", uttered Ronen after a long pause. The silence was broken by Yona and Natsu both cracking up. "You should your face, Jasper!", she laughed. He was redder than ever. Unable to bear it, he simply turned around and silently to his bed roll where he quickly hid under the blanket. Yona offered Natsu a hand to get him up. "She got you good", she taunted, noting the hand print on his face. "What'd we miss exactly?", she asked. "She came out of nowhere", replied Natsu, defending himself. Calming herself, Erza sighed, "Once you two left, she just walked up to Natsu and - ... you can guess the rest." Yona let go of Natsu's hand and crossed her arms. "You two seriously need to have a heart to heart. Where did the princess run off to anyway?" Natsu shifted uncomfortably at the barb. Did Lucy really like him that much?
"She went that way", pointed Happy. "Ok, I'll go get her", sighed Yona, slightly annoyed. "Rani, wait up!", she yelled, hurrying to catch up. Erza was fighting off an eye twitch. "Pax seems like she's going to continue to be troublesome", she grumbled. "No kidding", replied Natsu. "I think she'll listen if Jasper gives her explicit instructions to behave", observed Ronen. The trio glanced at the blanket mass. "I don't think he's coming back out tonight", uttered Erza. "If he ever does", taunted Natsu. "Still, it's our best chance. He has some kind of authority over those two that showed up...Haven't you noticed?", inquired the exceed. Erza silently nodded. "We'll talk about this later. Once everyone gets back, we'll bed down for the night. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow", she stated. "Aye", sighed Happy, sad the amusing parts were over.
Even further away, Noctis kept at their task of awakening the great blood baron. Dubhan was up for his turn. He sat in a back turned chair and stared at his brother in silence for quite some time. Finally, Blythe stirred. His magic was getting much stronger, even working in his sleep now. "How do you do it?", muttered Dubhan, scowling lightly. "Dubhan?", ventured Blythe, focusing his vision. Blood swirled through the air in intricate arcs around them, a faint light flowing through each fluid strand as it mended his battered body. "Do what?...Heal?", asked Blythe, still hazy and confused. "No", said Dubhan coldly. "How do you not hate the world?", he inquired. Blythe smiled faintly. "Hate is a vicious cycle...The only way to beat it is to let it go", he said sincerely. Dubhan's lip twitched into a sneer. "Easy for you to say. You've lived in the light this whole time. The dank hole has been my entire world", he grumbled. Blythe sighed, catching his twin off guard.
"You really have no idea, do you?", he uttered weakly. Dubhan eyed him skeptically. "About what?", he questioned. Blythe shook his head faintly. "My past...but it doesn't matter...It looks like our father treats us the same...", he supplied. Dubhan's eyes darkened. "How could that be? All I hear about it the precious blood baron!", he shouted. Blythe never flinched at the harsh tone. "Your scars...I can feel them", he said meekly. Dubhan eyes trembled. Angrily grabbing his brother's throat, he yelled, "What was that?!" Letting go, he spun around, destroying the chair with his magic. "How do you know about them?", he asked stiffly, staring into the darkness. "It's hard to explain..I guess...I hear them...Since I've been here, my power's gotten stronger...", admitted Blythe begrudgingly. "I'm noticing flaws in people that come and go...Scars, illnesses...Things I never noticed before..." Blythe stared firmly at Dubhan's left wrist with a deep sadness. "Did Yavuz make you do that?", he inquired softly. Feeling the stare, Dubhan clasped his right hand over the deep scar. "He's made me do a lot of things...that's why he'd the master...not my father", explained the shadow mage. "You asked me that once...Now you know", he said, his voice cracking.
Once more facing his brother, Dubhan's broken smile was flinching. "Do you want to know?...About my magic?..How it spawned from sheer terror?...Being locked away in a pitch black room would scare most kids...I was no different...Every time my blood powers failed to appear, I was treated for my wounds and shut away in that black little dungeon...The only way out was the darkness itself...One day it called to me and I accepted its offer...Do you feel bad for me now? Are you sorry?! Go ahead and spout your pity! get it over with!", shrieked Dubhan, surprised at his own admissions. Blythe's calm expression only shook him further. "Stop looking at me like that..Aren't you some saint or something? Why aren't you apologizing for it all?!" Blythe slowly lowered his eyes. "I'm no saint...I do feel bad for what you've been through, but none of it was my fault...or yours", he sighed. ''...What?", said Dubhan sharply. "I said it wasn't your fault...or mine...or mom's", repeated Blythe.
Dubhan grinned in an unnatural way. "I suppose not, but I can still hate you. After all, you got the power from our birth and I was a sacrificed lamb", he sneered. "Did he ever tell you about mom?", asked Blythe. Dubhan stiffened visibly. "Don't speak of that woman...She might hear you...", he mumbled, looking anxiously to the shadows. Blythe could see the fear in his brother's eyes. "What do you mean?...What are you afraid of?..Tell me!", he pleaded, hopeful she might still be alive somehow. "She comes and goes", stated Dubhan, dropping to the floor and clutching his knees to his chest. "She just...appeared one day. I always guessed it was the day the master killed her...Maybe she felt so bad about feeding me to these wolves that she came back", he grinned sadly. Blythe didn't want to think about the possibility that his mother's spirit was in a state of unrest. "Tihanna Sandrunner was the saint...Not me. I never saw her hurt a living thing even on bounty missions...but me...I-...", trailed the bound blood mage. "You what?", inquired Dubhan. His interest had been peaked. Blythe sighed deeply and stared at the blood drifting around him. "I've taken lives...It's something I live with every day...", he stated sullenly.
"You?!", scoffed Dubhan. "You've killed?" He smiled wickedly, amused by the thought. "How many lives did you extinguish? How many widows and orphans did you make, dear brother?", he taunted. Blythe said nothing. "Tell me!", demanded Dubhan. Blythe reluctantly met his gaze. "Seventeen." Dubhan shuddered briefly. Did he hear correctly? It wasn't possible! "You're lying", he stated. Blythe clenched his eyes. "I wish I was", he mumbled. "I remember every face and the horrified looks they gave as the life left their eyes...", he shuddered. "Yet you've fallen for a pacifist dragon slayer? How exactly does that work? Does he know about the blood on your hands? Should I tell him?", taunted the shadow mage. A wan grin crossed Blythe's lips. "He knows everything about me. Everything. I keep no secrets from Kavi", he replied almost calmly. Blythe began smiling to himself. "He cleanses my soul and I keep his darkness at bay. We need one another...Do you understand?", he said, looking into Dubhan's sleep deprived face.
"You're talking about love. The concept is a lie, created to cover lust, the one sin we actually feel bad about", spat Dubhan. "Maybe one day you will", sighed Blythe. "Love? You think it actually conquers all? You said it yourself, he needs you and you agreed to abandon him already", taunted the shadow mage. The color drained from Blythe's face. In his need to save Kavi from Noctis, he'd neglected the fact that his lover would be left alone in the world. Feeling sick to his stomach, he bit his lip. Dubhan chuckled at his discomfort. "All coming back to you now, is it?", he teased. "What have I done?", whispered Blythe, under his breath. Dubhan got to his feet and stared his captive in the face. "You signed your death warrant in exchange for his, effectively dooming that man to suffer the rest of his days or possibly take his own life", he stated. "Don't you say that! Kavi would never - !", argued Blythe, but he couldn't finish his sentiment. He could imagine Kavi doing just that all too easily. He struggled in vain against his shackles in pure frustration. "Too bad. You already agreed to the terms", chided Dubhan.
"However", said the shadow mage, leaving the sentence wide open. Blythe stared in wonder and horror at what would next be uttered. "I can get you both out...If!...If you give me your power. Think about it, you can live as an ordinary human being again, no magic to worry you and your beloved by your side for all time. All you have to do is consign that awful blood magic over to me", said Dubhan. Blythe gaped breathlessly. "That offer...How is it even possible?", he asked carefully. Dubhan grinned. He'd taken the bait. "Because you and I are the same, Blythe. The magic won't know it's traded hosts. Give it me and all your worries will be over." Blythe swallowed hard. "I can't", he said defeatedly. Dubhan eyes narrowed. "Why not?" Blythe shied his face. "Because I know what you'll do with it", he sighed.
A mix of humor and outrage crossed Dubhan's face. "Is that so? Would it really be anything different than you'll be doing once you've been broken? Master Yavuz will weaponize you. You surely know that much", he replied. Blythe held his silence. "He'll turn you into a mage killing machine. Even if he keeps your little deal, he'll eventually hunt down your precious dragon slayer and once your mind is gone, he'll have you kill him yourself." Blythe was torn. "Stop it!", he screamed. "Stop telling the truth? You know what Noctis is. It's part of you and vice versa. You're inseparable. Just accept it", said Dubhan coldly. Grinning to himself, he turned to leave the chamber. "Just think it over. You might just change your mind", he said, fading into the shadows. Blythe waited until he was certain he was alone before breaking down. Tears streamed down his face. "What have I done?"
To be Continued...