A sound escaped Arie. It was something similar to a wheeze and it took her by surprise. She covered her mouth with her hand in attempt to smother the sound, but her whole body was shaking from the effort. Her laughter just wouldn't seem to stop. It didn't help that she could feel Lerant's gaze boring into her. He probably thought she was going crazy. She glanced back at him and noticed his face was flushed red, but instead of looking at her like she had lost her wits, he looked especially pleased.
"I take it, that's normal for you?" He nodded the way Ralph had gone.
Arie's lip curled in disgust. "Maybe for some, but not myself." Her mother on the other hand. Men had flirted with her quite shamelessly. Having Twitchy with them had made them much more subdued and allowed Arie to worry less. But the undercurrents were still present enough to notice. She wondered how her mother had dealt with such an uncomfortable thing. Arie felt a pang of regret that she wouldn't be able to ask. Then Sir Nealen came up to them.
"Shift change. Shall we head out?" He looked between Arie, Lerant, and Kel. "Where's the other one? The one with the wicked tongue not the little one." He added when Jess came to stand beside Arie.
Kel frowned. "That would be the pot calling the kettle black." Though her expression became thoughtful. "He did leave earlier to run an errand, but he should've been back by now." They glanced at the window where they could plainly see the sun had already set. Avery had been gone for hours.
Arie shrugged. "Avery will find his way. No use sending people to find him, he'll find us." Then she headed out the door with her guards and Jess following close by.
"You two are awfully close, you and the sharp-tongued boy." There was an overt teasing note in Neal's tone. Though Arie wasn't sure if he was teasing her or Lerant. Maybe both, she wondered.
"Happens when we were his mother's doctors."
"Oh? What did she need doctors for?" She was grateful he didn't pry into the 'we' part.
"She was a performer, blessed with the Gift. She would dance and create beautiful flowers of fire. I got to see one of her… tamer shows. As I am sure you know, fire is dangerous, even when it comes from magic."
Neal nodded. "Burns are tricky to heal. Especially the worse they are. Though, ones involving oil I hate the most."
Arie nodded in agreement. "And Maya was very much in demand, even by some of the wealthier denizens of the city."
"Ah." His face flushed when he realized what profession exactly, she had been part of. Arie resisted the urge to point out how naïve the sardonic knight truly was.
"So, you two grew up together?"
Arie scowled. "Not really. Maya tried to keep her son on the straight and narrow path, away from the crooked life. So, we didn't actually meet until she was attacked."
"Who attacked her?" Neal asked.
"A jealous patron. He beat her and stabbed her after she refused to leave the life and run away with him." Neal blinked in shock as if he couldn't comprehend the words she had just spoken. Arie wondered who it was he was thinking of. "It's surprisingly common place."
This time he scowled. His thoughts plainly mirroring her own on this matter. "Did they ever catch the worthless scoundrel?"
This time she snorted and let her tone do the explaining. "The Provost in Corus got time to look into the murder of every prostitute?" While Port Legann was nowhere near as large as the capital, it was still a major port city. Here people died and disappeared all the time. The law was for the those who could afford it or those who couldn't run from it.
Neal looked dissatisfied, but also resigned. "I suppose not. But if she was so popular, why didn't others look into it?"
Arie pitied the noble. "I suspect the right people were paid to look elsewhere. Money tends to speak louder than even the Gods in places like this." She watched the look of frustration cross the nobleman's face. Even Kel and Lerant looked very disquieted by this news. Arie reflected that they were good sorts. For nobles. "While Provost's justice didn't catch up with him, I'd be surprised if Avery hasn't found him yet. That man is likely in the Dark God's realm at this point." She wasn't sure what she expected from the three nobles, but it wasn't the satisfaction she saw. "Just keep it to yourself. He'll not thank me-."
Pain exploded from her cheek cutting off the rest of her warning. A rock clattered at her feet. Kel and Neal swore, drawing their swords. Instantly they were between Arie and a woman who was screeching at her.
"Gimme back my husband, you trull!" She had a wild look in her eyes. "I found er! The necromancer!" People started to gather at the woman's screams. Most were armed with improvised weapons such as fishing harpoons, meat cleavers, and brooms. Arie hissed in equal measures pain and panic. This was just like that time all those years ago. Only now there were other people caught in the crossfire. Jess was gripping the hem of her shirt, staring wide-eyed at the gathering crowd. Lerant had moved to guard her back, drawing his own short sword.
Other voices soon joined the woman. Each of them demanding the release of their particular loved one. Kel roared at them to get back and return to their homes. The crowd had other plans though. People pressed closer and Arie could see the conflict in her guards. They had to keep her safe, but neither of them wanted to hurt all these civilians either. Then a roar caught the crowd by surprise. A blur of motion and then the woman who had been the initial aggressor was pinned to the ground. A man kneeling on her with both hands clamped around her throat. It took Arie all of ten seconds to recognize Avery. His usual calm smiling face was a dark crimson. And there was murder in his eyes.
"Avery!" Arie shouted as she moved towards him and so too did the crowd. He let go of the woman with his left hand and flourished it towards the crowd. Arie felt the burn of magic caress her skin and smell of sulfur fill her nose. A wall of fire roared into existence. Its heat wafting over her face and stinging her lungs. Shrieks of pain and fear echoed off the buildings. The fire made Arie hesitate. Memories crowded her mind. Each one shouting at her to remembered. But she saw the woman's face. One she recognized from Ralph's memories. Rosy. Her face was changing color as she clawed at Avery's face; trying to free herself. A cold creeping sensation crawled up her back and time seemed to slow.
Father.
Arie didn't look for him. Instead, she instinctively reached for her Gift. Wrapping her blue-green fire around Avery, sending over the massive pillar of fire, even Rosy. She felt the power thrum through her blood as her magic consumed the fire. Everything was plunged into darkness as she stole away the power from Avery. The fire sputtered out leaving massive spots on her vision, but she didn't need to see. She could feel all the lives that caught up in her Gift; could feel the damage to their vessels. The power and strength she had stolen she converted into her own power and quickly fed it back to those most in danger. Turning back the worst of the burns. Arie even began stealing from Avery directly in hopes of helping Rosy break free.
'Not enough.' Her father informed her as he began reaching for Rosy.
"No! Stop Avery!" she screamed knowing she would never make it in time.
The young man's grip was broken by Neal, who was able to yank the other man off. Rosy coughed and sputtered dragging in lung fulls of air. She curled on her side in an attempt to protect herself from more harm. Tears rolled down her eyes as she coughed and sobbed for her husband. Arie stepped forward to offer aid and then thought better of it. Her hands shaking.
"Sir Nealen, would you see to her."
He looked her over something similar to surprise on his face, then he looked to the woman on the ground. "What about you?"
Arie waved him off. "I'm fine." Half-truth. She was shaken, badly, but she couldn't feel any of the pain or exhaustion she would have expected. The excitement was still pounding in her veins. That would change in a bit. Before then, she needed to face Avery because this couldn't be allowed. The scale of devastation his fire would have caused was unimageable.
"Arie!" Avery's expression hardened when he saw her face. No doubt she was turning black and blue. She could still taste the coppery tang of blood in her mouth. "Why did you stop me?" His eyes were ice cold.
"You were going to kill them."
"So?" His response clang through her. He couldn't be serious, Arie thought. Being burned alive was unthinkably painful. She would not inflect that kind of suffering on anyone. Not even Ark. Avery snorted, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "They were going to kill you. I was only putting a stop to that." He glared over her shoulder at her guards. Arie opened her mouth to condemn his actions further, but he continued heedless to her thoughts. "You are too soft, my sweet. This is not the first attempt on your life. You should stamp out this kinda thing early, before you live to regret it."
"I will not trade dozens of lives for my safety." She growled at him.
"That kind of thinking got my mother killed." He reached out and gently touched the part of her face that had been struck. His eyes darkened and Arie shuddered. That was not the look of the friend she had known for years. This was something else. She felt the knee-jerk urge to check for poison.
Nothing.
Avery smiled sadly at her. "I wish you would show that same caution with your new friends." A whistle blew and guards poured into the street. They began arresting people who were well enough to be taken away. Neal directed others to be taken to the clinic. "Convenient. They show up now that things have calmed."
Arie didn't like Avery's words. They sat uncomfortably under her skin, especially when she realized her friend was not necessarily wrong. She wasn't even sure when it had happened that she had stopped being suspicious of nobles. It wasn't even just Kel, Lerant, and Neal, all of the King's Own she was comfortable with; relatively. She took a step then her head spun dangerously. The strip from her father's cloak was practically burning her wrist. By the Goddess, she thought to herself, if I faint here, I will be in so much trouble.