hello from the island i am on vacation on. i am so tired
review replies:
Lenticel: Cafos IS an angry teenager… maybe Lucius shouldn't have sent him, specifically, after Stephen. Also i am delighted to hear that you enjoy TNQ enough to reread it :D
Okuri-Chan: (dream speedrun music grows gradually louder)
The library was empty.
Micah slipped quietly through the rows of bookshelves, heading for an unassuming door at the back of the library. As he'd suspected, it was ajar.
"My lord?" He called out as he neared the doorway. There was no response, so he pushed the door open, stepping inside the small, dim room.
"Micah." Notch was standing at the far side of the room, facing the other way. Micah bowed.
"I have news from the Overworld."
"Let me guess." Notch turned around, his face pained as tiny, twinkling figures gathered around his head. "Another slaughter." Micah nodded gravely.
"Yes, my lord." This room was where the valkyries' souls would appear once their mortal form had been destroyed. It had unsettled Micah considerably the first few times he had seen it, due to the reminder of his own mortality, but he had grown used to it in time.
"This place has become more crowded of late." Notch murmured, shooing away the souls and causing a small chorus of trills. "Twelve more as of today." He looked up at Micah for an explanation, and the valkyrie went on.
"The Lady of Belmourne was accosted on her way home, and her escort murdered." He explained. "She, her nanny, and her infant son were left alive. They are our only witnesses thus far." Notch's eyes widened.
"Did they see the killer?"
"Yes. They described him as having dark, graying hair and a beard, with prominent scars on his face." Micah consulted his notepad. "His most striking feature by far, though, were his blank and glowing eyes."
"Glowing…" Notch frowned, rubbing at his beard. "I know a man of that description, but…" he trailed off, his face growing cold.
"He's dead." Micah supplied. Notch nodded grimly.
"He should be, for that matter."
"The Lady and her nanny said that he questioned them, whoever he is." Micah went on. "He demanded to know the location of the Aether portal, threatened their lives, but fled when the Lady stuck him with her dagger." A small smirk appeared on Notch's face.
"That's Eydis for you."
"It is most distressing that this man is attempting to reach the Aether." Micah said, setting aside his notepad. "Considering his… track record." Notch sobered, nodding.
"Indeed, it would seem that he seeks a genocide of your kind." He murmured. "But whoever he is, he cannot be invincible." Micah's lips pursed. He didn't wish to argue with his master, but if this man had come back from the dead… "I will set a higher guard on both sides of the portal that Eydis traveled through." Notch continued. "He cannot be allowed to reach the Aether."
"Yes, my lord." Micah bowed, then added, "…thank you."
"You need not worry, Micah." Notch's voice softened. "I will not let this man reach you." Micah nodded, gazing at the floor.
"Thank you, my lord." Casting a final glance at the blue spirits that surrounded his master, Micah slipped out of the room.
Stephen woke slowly to the sounds of distant birdsong.
His body felt like lead, but he peeled his eyes open, gazing up at the sky… or, no, the trees. The huge, wizened trees had branches that interlocked with one another above them, through which little light was allowed and even less sky. A perfect hiding place.
"Stevie?" A quiet voice spoke, and he shifted, turning his head to find Alexis perched cross-legged on a root. Her face was grave, and she held the rusty bucket in her lap. "…you wouldn't wake up again."
"O-oh." His voice cracked, and he coughed softly to clear his throat. "S-orry. Was really tired."
"I can tell." Alexis uncrossed her legs, getting up to come to his side. He was tucked in a hollow between two huge tree roots, where he faintly remembered passing out the night before. Stephen frowned, reaching up to rub at his jaw where he'd been kicked. Cafos had nearly killed them…
"Oh Notch." He exclaimed suddenly, shoving himself up and making Alexis jump. "Cafos knows where I come from."
"What?" Alexis shot him an incredulous look. "How do you-?"
"Didn't you hear him?" Stephen turned to her, scooting back against the tree to keep from wobbling. "Right before you hit him. He said that my father- my father killed his father." Alexis blinked at him.
"I- heard him yelling, but I wasn't listening. Is that- do you believe him? Maybe he was just saying that to psych you out."
"Why would he do that if he intended to kill me right after?" Stephen raked a hand through his hair. Cafos had answered his question, but in the process had brought up a dozen more. Why had Cafos' father been going to 'collect' him? Had his own father killed the man in an attempt to protect his son? How was Lucius involved in all this?
"You were right above one thing." Stephen mumbled, resting his head back against the tree trunk and shutting his eyes. "I wasn't abandoned. I was stolen."
"Mm." Alexis slid down to sit next to him, again setting the bucket in her lap. "Look, it… where you came from doesn't affect where we're going now."
"Yeah, but… I'm still curious." Stephen looked over at her. "Don't you ever wonder where you came from?" Alexis made a face.
"No."
"Well, I do." Stephen heaved a sigh. "I wish there was a way we could get more answers out of him, but, there's… there's no way he'll willingly share."
"We could kidnap him," Alexis suggested. "And torture him."
"No!" Stephen spun to face her, aghast. "Look, moral implications aside, there's no physical way that we can take him prisoner."
"We've knocked him out twice," Alexis pointed out. "Who's to say we can't do it again?"
"The past two times we've fought, I've been exhausted and injured when we've finished." Stephen countered. "And even if we did knock him out, how are we supposed to restrain him? Sit on him?"
Alexis tapped her chin. "That would be funny." Stephen gave her a tired look, but couldn't resist picturing Alexis perched atop a squirming Cafos. "Good point, though. We'd need some ropes or chains."
"Two things we have virtually no access to." Stephen shook his head. "And if we somehow did manage to take him prisoner, we would not be torturing him."
"You're no fun." Alexis told him. Stephen just leaned forward to rest his head between his knees. "So what now?" She spoke again after a moment. "Where do we go from here?"
Stephen grunted quietly. "This forest seems a pretty good place to hide from valkyries. Maybe if we can find a good source of food we can stay here a while."
"Think he'll ever give up?" Alexis asked. Stephen shrugged slightly.
"I don't know." Assuming he was telling the truth, Stephen now knew that the hatred Cafos had for him was born of years worth of pain and loneliness, pain that he held Stephen accountable for. For him to lose his father, then spend years watching his murderer's son be brought up and raised alongside him… Stephen couldn't imagine how that felt. No wonder he was so angry. "I think he hates me too much."
"Because your dad killed his?" Alexis clarified. Stephen nodded. "Well, that's a stupid reason to hate you. Obviously you didn't have anything to do with that."
"He said his father was killed when he went to collect me."
"Well that's even less of your fault!" Alexis gestured to him with both hands. "So his dad went to kidnap a child, and the child's father killed him for it, and it's the child's fault? That makes no sense."
"Maybe not, but he's hated me for the last ten years." Stephen lifted his head, wincing as his skull throbbed from the movement. "I don't think that's changing anytime soon."
"Well…" Alexis rested her elbows on her knees, looking up at him. "I just don't want you to think it's your fault. Because it isn't."
"Yeah…" Stephen pulled a face. "I don't know if I feel better or worse that there's an actual reason for it, though." Alexis nodded, patted his shoulder.
"We should try to find something to eat."
"Mm. Yeah." Stephen agreed, though his head swam at the thought of trying to walk. Reluctantly, he dragged himself upright. "Lead the way."
Lucius shifted his weight from one foot to the other where he stood in the center of camp, watching the valkyrie as he descended towards him.
"Faliel." He addressed the trainee as his feet hit the ground. "Report."
"There are distressing rumors, sir." Faliel said as he straightened before him. The boy was small for his age, but his slight stature made him unassuming and a wonderful scout. "A white-eyed man is working his way through the country, slaughtering valkyries as he goes." Lucius frowned, his face growing dark.
"So Herobrine is on a warpath."
"That is what we suspect." Faliel agreed. "Though he's deviated from his typical mode of operation. He left witnesses."
"Witnesses, eh?" Lucius folded his hands behind his back. "Who?"
"The Lady of Belmourne and her servant."
"I see."
"His path leads in this direction." Faliel said, lowering his voice slightly. "Should we-?"
"We must move camp." Lucius confirmed. "Spread the word, tell everyone to pack up immediately. Dismissed." Faliel nodded, his fist thudding against his chest in a salute, then he hurried away.
After his initial hunt for them several years ago, Lucius mused, Herobrine had gone quiet for a long time. What was he planning? Doubtlessly he knew they were still out here, somewhere.
Perhaps the Lady's testimony could shed light on the situation. Lucius stopped a passing valkyrie, informing him of his plans, then spread his wings and took off.