Chapter 22 – A Quiet Place: Lines of Communication
When Blackfeather landed at the larger clearing at her Quiet Place, Selene dismounted hastily. "Mother!" she exclaimed happily. This time there was no hesitation. Mother and daughter embraced, smiling, and stood for many minutes, appraising each other.
"I have missed you, daughter."
"And I you. I have been worried for you."
"Hm. And yet I am in the more secure position. It is you that throws yourself recklessly into the world among countless potential enemies."
"Oh, mother," Selene pouted.
"'Oh mother', she tells me. Truly, I am punished for my many sins with such a rebellious daughter," Salem complained. But there was a smile on her face as she said it. It faded slowly. "But please, I beg of you, take care for your safety. I fear, Selene. It gnaws at me. It begs me go to the Queen, and bid her send her agents and servants to drag you back to me."
"I will, mother. I promise. And I understand," Selene hugged her again. "Please, have faith in me."
"Faith. Hope. I have so little of these left. They have been drained from me, atom by atom, over centuries." She drew back and looked at her daughter. "But yet I have left a tiny seed. And I find that it cannot be only drained, but it can be nourished. I look at you now, and I feel you in my arms, and it grows infinitesimally."
"Yes. I… I could sense this from your letter."
"This is why you asked to meet me?"
"Yes."
Salem closed her eyes at this knowledge and breathed deeply, pulling in the scent of her child along with the feel of her nestled against her. "I am unworthy of such care, but I will accept it."
"Mother," she sighed. "You have shared your hurts and your sins with me. I will not allow you to call yourself unworthy of your daughter's love." She dared to pinch her mother on the arm, earning a scowl, and then a laugh.
"Where did you learn such brutish behavior, child."
Selene stepped away, drawing her mother with her toward the campsite, as they continued talking. "Garek," Selene laughed. "He pesters me when I wallow in self-pity, until I am either laughing, or angry at him instead. He is impossible."
"Oh, really. And you find this endearing?" Her expression said she found this doubtful.
"Despite my better judgment, yes." Selene smiled ruefully. "His mother, however, believes me a saint."
Salem's face stilled, and she paused at the entrance to the campsite. "Selene…"
"I know, mother. I do not forget what I am, and I know there may be… will likely be… pain. But there is that seedling. That kernel of hope. Is it possible that some day, I could reveal myself to Garek's family, and that they might find the Selene they know beneath the skin they do not, and love me regardless? Garek has. Would it be impossible that they could not?"
"But it is not them, love. The more widely you cast this net of yours, to try to… to embrace them, the more the danger grows. Who will be the one to, knowing or unknowing, bring you to the Old Man's attention, or to that of one of his pets?"
"I hear the wisdom in your words, mother. We will be careful. It will be, I suspect, years before we come to that point. I am content with Garek knowing the truth, and likely Cinder-"
"The child you wrote of."
"Yes."
"Why her?"
"In truth? Necessity. We do not see how to avoid it, as we will not give her up, and there will come a moment when my vigilance will falter, and the questions will become unanswerable. But she is a special case. Her youth, her trust of us, her absolute need to obey Rhodes through us. I believe that when the time comes, she will hold my secret and defend it as jealously as Garek." Her face fell. "She was tortured, mother."
There was a long silience. "You know that I have inflicted pain," Salem murmured.
They sat on the log where Selene and Garek often spent their hours, and she leaned into her mother. "Without cause?"
Salem looked away. "Betimes, in my own rage or pain."
Selene frowned, "This woman had not even that excuse. She took the girl in as her own adopted ward, and then treated her worse than any servant. She is the first creature I have ever truly hated."
"Not the second?"
Selene worried at a fingernail before speaking. "I know what you ask. I was terrified, mother. Angry. Hurt. And I inflicted pain in response. It seems we are not unalike in that. But I would take the words back."
"Very well then, I would also regret pain needlessly inflicted, and I would promise to do better as well. As long as you are safe."
"Thank you. And so, I find that I must look out for myself, not only for my own sake, but for the safety of entire peoples." There was disbelief in Selene's low laugh. "This is a heavy burden, mother."
"It is one I cannot take from your shoulders, daughter. I am not strong enough."
"No, you are not. Time and grief have borne you down."
Salem's eyes searched her daughter's face for long moments. "You have grown in wisdom in so short a time. Or were you always like this, and I too coddling to see it?"
"You had not shared your heart with me before, mother. Did you believe it would have no effect? Do you not see how I understand better than I could ever have before? That I do not love you more deeply? That I do not weep for your pain?"
Salem's eyes were wide, and her chest ached. Is this what I have denied myself through my own fear and rage? But it will not last. My Selene, my sweet Selene, will eventually be lost to me through age and death. And then what? "I do, now. But I will lose you. And then…"
"We have time, mother. Let us revel in it while we have it, and see what we can accomplish against next week or month or year. Perhaps you will find joy in grandbabies." She gave her mother a sly look, and Salem's mouth opened. Selene giggled at seeing her mother flummoxed for the first time in her life.
"Grandchildren…"
"You see, like any mother, you are not immune to my secret weapon. Garek's mother was also powerless in the face of my merciless intent." Selene's scarlet eyes danced.
"Grandchildren…" Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice was hissing bitterly to Salem that what she wanted, what Selene was promising, was impossible. That such grandchildren would be hunted as pariahs, or used as tools against her. It tried to rally fear, to choke down the other emotions that flooded through her.
But all she could see was her daughter's face, smiling and teasing her. She could ignore that voice, at least for a time, and pretend she was only a mother. She could pretend to have something in common with a faunus woman in a small town in Mistral. She could pretend that there was something called hope.
"Tell me, daughter, of your Garek. And of his family. I wish to know more."
They spent a full day talking with each other, with only a break to eat the food that Selene had brought with her.
"I thank you, daughter, for this gift you have given me."
"I have another, before I leave." She pulled a scroll from her pack. "Garek and I discussed, and we wish you to have this. It does not work here on our island, so far from cities. We do not believe it will work at Evernight, either. But it will enable you to reach us more quickly by travelling to any vicinity where normal scrolls work." Salem took it and began to examine it, as Selene continued. "It is… special. It hides its communications among normal CCT signals. It cannot be traced, and will destroy itself if tampered with. This is to protect me, and Garek, and those we seek to bring into our confidence."
"And you wish me to have this as well."
"If I cannot trust my mother, I can trust no one," Selene said simply. "I have given you my promise, that we seek to find a way, another way besides those of The Queen or her enemies, to release you from your suffering."
Salem looked from scroll to daughter. "I will not betray your trust. I expect that the Queen's agents must not know if this?"
"I would think it unwise."
"I agree. They will not find it, nor hear of its existence. The Queen will not know of this matter."
The phrasing Salem had used was particular, careful. Is this game or madness? Is this coping mechanism or sickness? Selene wished she knew, but she could only look at the person before her, and believe that this was the right path.
Salem continued. "And you now have… those you are bringing into your confidence? You did not create such a device yourself."
"We did not. We are gaining allies, mother. Those who have no allegiance in this war, other than to protect those they love. We are finding this a powerful motivator." She considered. "We plan to speak with Professor Lionheart, seeking to turn him to our cause."
Salem's eyes widened. "That seems… reckless."
"We are not revealing my nature. Garek will use his own arguments with his former Headmaster. But should we succeed, we would need assurance he will not be punished by The Queen for choosing our third way. We may ask your advice in that matter," she raised a hand in emphasis, "but not your intervention."
"I see. A bold move. I suppose I should expect no less from my daughter," Salem paused, "and her mate."
"Perhaps not." Selene smiled. "I should return. Garek will be worried."
"Yes." They walked back to their mounts, holding to one another in silence until they reached them.
"Selene… be warned. Self-preservation and love of others are powerful motivators. Perhaps the most powerful. But they can also be turned against you." She hugged her again. "Be safe, and thank you."
Selene hugged her back, and took her leave. Soon Blackfeather was winging its way back through a darkened sky. Back toward Mistral and Haven.
Salem put her new gift away, and with new contentment, mounted her own Grimm and began her return to Evernight Castle. She had much to think about. I must see if I can… temper… some of The Queen's methods, if not her goals. Gently, though. Subtly.
[A/N] Thanks to recent reviewer harmgee351 yet again!
Again, a bit of a shorter chapter here, but I felt it warranted its own considering location and topic. This one, again, focused on setting the stage. How will having fast communication between mother Salem and daughter Selene impact their relationship, Salem's mental state, and risk of detection by Watts? Hmm..
Next chapter will include some actual action and I may go ahead and post it later tonight. Thanks for reading!
