Counting Stars

[TwinCast]

Closed to Rehtul Orlouge

Laughter echoed through the room. People were gathered around a young woman, she seemed to be telling some kind of story keeping the others at rapt attention. Her crystal blue eyes glittered with a wry amusement as she recounted the tale. Crimson looks, deep as blood were in a variety of braids giving her a wild look, feathers and bones holding the braids together. Blue as deep as the ocean covered the areas of her body that preserved modesty even as leather boots stopped just below her knees. Her skin was of clear complexion and a lithe tan, giving her the air of one often in nature.

Beds stood in formation, ready for any illness or tragedy to befall the army she had pledged her loyalty to. Her comrades and confidantes all stood there as she recounted yet another adventure with her and the enigmatic immortal Jensen Ambrose, a close friend of hers. This particular tale involed a loud declaration that the cat was far too promiscuous for its own good. Met with laughter the people were merely enjoyed a day of decreased workload. The time of labor had come and gone, leaving them with freedom to pursue a more important goal, camaraderie.

She reached up with a hand and carefully tucked back the braids that threatened to cover her face, a soft chiming of the various trinkets in her hair following the action as hey all calmed down. Her eyes looked upon each person in the room, as dear as brothers and sisters to her. Even with her witchcraft they were unafraid, bravely standing by her side when others had turned their backs upon her. When she had first joined the Knights of Ixia Castle she had done so reluctantly. She wished to pay back a debt of gratitude she felt Sei Orlouge her younger cousin was owed. She had never expected to build a family among the people she worked with.

Aislinn Orlouge, the Scarlet Witch of the Ixian Knights was for the first time in awhile content.

The sounds of claws upon stone could be heard before the sound of a cat's meow echoed through the room. All turned to see a black cat with eyes as clear as the Scarlet Witch's hop upon a bed, then upon the desk nearby. It brushed up warmly to Aislinn before a hand idly scratched at a tuft of fur behind the cats ear. The ear twitched before the small cat purred rubbing it's face into the hand. Aislinn looked down upon the feline before she mused, “What brings you here dear sister?”

Felicity Orlouge, changed by random tragedy looked up at Aislinn before a voice, all too familiar entered her mind, What's wrong sis? Can't your big sister say hello?

“You are my eldest by mere minutes, do not pretend that gives you any weight over me,” Aislinn quipped back.

The cat hissed at those words before she said, A fact you frequently remind me of.

Aislinn carefully lifted her sister perching the cat on a shoulder before she spoke, “It is still good to see you sister, no matter your motives.”

Felicity looked to the door before she looked abck at her sister and spoke only for Aislinn to hear, Sis, how do you feel about family.

“Why? Is Sei on his way here?” The cat looked her in the eyes before Aislinn's eyes widened, “Who?”

No clue, just that it's a Mystic, I can feel the protection humming in their mind.

She looked to her compatriots before she spoke her tone soft, “If you will excuse me, it seems family has come to call. Feel free to enjoy the rest of the day to yourselves.”

[Rehtul Orlouge]

The young man turned a page in his book, his eyes briefly glancing over the information contained within for what felt like the five thousandth time. Rehtul Orlouge had, in fact, only read the book Elemental Ice around twelve times in total, but he was getting to the point where he could recite the book word for word. He sighed and slammed the cover closed as he finished for the thirteenth time.

“Let’s see… Ice Magic is created from the concentration of magical energy acting on the moisture in the air and surrounding areas. It can be used to draw moisture from any substance, including from the human body itself...” he said to himself before starting mumble incoherently about the other important information in the book. He looked at the off-white walls surrounding him, at the bookshelves, and even the wood floor beneath his feet. His eyes darted back and forth over the room as he imagined different combinations of letters and numbers floating in the air.

Sadly, the more complex spells of the book were far beyond his ability to master. He couldn’t quite decide whether it was due to his lack of skill, or simply because he hadn’t developed a reservoir of magical energy large enough yet.

Shuddering, he thought back to the ice wall incident. He had been able to conjure a wall of ice large enough to block an entryway, but the act of doing took him all of the magical energy he possessed and knocked him out cold for three days.

A knock on his door woke Rehtul up to reality once more.

“Come in,” he said as politely as he could muster. The door opened, and in walked one of the agents of the Knights. Rehtul smiled as best as he could, which felt and looked painful.

“Is there something I can do for you?” he asked, his eyes betraying his annoyance.

“I was sent to check up on you. There’s been talk that you haven’t left your room in almost a week.”

Rehtul raised a single eyebrow at the statement before asking, “Has it really been that long?” Thinking back over the past seven days, he tried to remember leaving his room for longer than a meal, bathroom break, or bath, but for the life of him couldn’t think of a single social interaction he’d had in the entire week.

“Oh, wow... You’re right. I need to get out of this room,” he said. “Thank you for your concern,”

With that, he finally really smiled and waved the man out of his room. The agent bowed ever so slightly and turned and left. The young Mystic left his room for the first time in a week and headed out for a walk. He hadn’t yet considered who he would visit with to break out of the rut he’d been in for the last seven days, but he was sure he’d figure it out if he got the blood pumping to his brain.

After walking the grounds for a few minutes, it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t seen his sister in quite some time. It had been ages since last Aislinn and he had last had a chance to talk, and with all the stuff that had been going on around the Castle, he had neglected to even so much as stop in for small talk in what felt like years.

“Well, that’s awfully rude of me,” he muttered to himself. With a shrug, he continued, “Well, I can at least try to make up for it. We’ve both been busy, so I imagine she didn’t exactly think about it, either.”

With that settled, he began walking toward the infirmary, where the “Scarlet Witch of the Ixian Knights” was usually to be found. He chuckled a bit as he remembered her nickname. He knew why she was known by that name, but for a Mystic to be considered a “witch” was still pretty funny.

He approached the infirmary’s door as people had begun exiting the room. He wondered what could have happened for the staff to be let off this early, but knowing it wasn’t his department, he let it go. He approached the door and knocked on it, even though it was still open.

He smiled in what he hoped was an easy manner and asked, “Mind if I intrude?”

[TwinCast]

Aislinn looked upon her brother as he moved between the sea of beds. Her eyes taking in her younger brother as he shyly asked for time with his siblings. The witch looked upon her sister Felicity who seemed to be brushing up against her in a very catlike behavior. While a learned behavior for certain, it was more a prod into action that she often used to hide the fact she was sentient. The witch nodded before she looked upon her brother and spoke, “Well, yes. I do not see any reason to exclude you from time with me, if that is your wish.”

It had been ages since she had seen her brother. Part of that had to have been the fallout between Aislinn and her family during the Knights of the Dawn's declaration of war against the Mystic race. At the end she had succinctly eliminated the majority of the threat, but at the cost of her humanity it had seemed. Faced with such a wild card, the family had reinstated her ban from the Dranaks, until such time they could be sure her actions were entirely her own. The result was her often avoiding her family, unless one came to condescend her for her witchcraft.

Rehtul looked upon his sister for a good moment, the two of them at a loss for words. Aislinn carefully sat upon her desk, letting her feet carefully rest against the wood using the moments respite. The two sat in uncomfortable silence before she finally broke it, “It is Wednesday, and usually Jensen and I would be meeting for a dinner, perhaps you would like to join in his stead? He cannot make it due to a prior commitment, and it would be advantageous for us to catch up.”

Ice broken her brother nodded as she moved to her room. She moved to her room and carefully grabbed the staff contained within. The gnarled wood polished from handling over years felt as a comfortable weight in her hands. Moving back into the infirmary the trinkets hanging from the small branches that formed to head clinked in the still air. Her gaze moved over to the desk and she moved with a sure confidence, her gaze looking over the papers on the desk. While no longer the head of the infirmary she was often seen as the head when Pierce wasn't present, and took such duties seriously, even if relegated to consultant. A political position that meant she was not expected to work, but still did so. Looking about she grabbed her cloak carefully rolling it up and placing it in her pack, all accomplished she looked upon her brother before she spoke, “If you have no need to gather anything from your room let us go.”

[Rehtul Orlouge]

The two of them walked down the street in Radasanthia, brother and sister, siblings in the world of awkwardness. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was so embarrassing, Rehtul would have laughed aloud at the prospect that he’d be this awkward with anyone in his family. Sadly, his sister and he had very little in the way of social graces, partly the fault of their father, but also because of the way their lives had led them so far. They had not had the good fortune to get to know each other very well over the course of their lives, due to Aislinn leaving the family for a reason that Rehtul still hadn’t managed to get a full explanation of yet.

He audibly sighed as he continued to match stride with the older woman. Even though his curiosity often got the better of it, he knew it had to be a touchy subject for her. Something just didn’t strike him as right. While it was true that their father, Succed, was a master of condescension, and didn’t really show much actual emotion toward anyone, it didn’t mean he was a bad person. It was far from it, actually. Rehtul had learned to truly treasure the few signs of affection his father would show him on very rare occasions,

The sun was dipping in the sky slightly as the two of them walked the crowded streets. The amount of business done in Radasanthia on any given day was enough to make Rehtul’s head spin. He could tell that there was much getting done, but the fact that all these people actually enjoyed being out among this many people confused him. He’d never particularly enjoyed being surrounded by hundreds of people at once, and absolutely hated trying to have small talk with so many people. He wasn’t particularly hateful of anyone, he just didn’t see the point in having small conversations about nothing. Why bother if it wasn’t fun, interesting, or toward a goal?

He mentally scratched that thought out for the time being, because he was almost certain that his sister and he were bound to have their fair share of painfully forced small talk before they got to the meat of their conversation. He wasn’t even entirely sure what she meant by the two of them catching up.

Finally, the two of them reached their destination.

Finally. I was starting to wonder if we’d ever get there, he thought.

“Shall we go in?” he asked.

[TwinCast]

Ashley's Tavern was a quaint little hovel on the outskirts of Radasanth. The small tavern used to serving people on their way into and out of Underwood, it was never meant to be a place to stop for a night. Even still the charm of the country never left it, even as Aislinn fondly pushed open the door and gestured her brother to follow her. Her red hair marking her to the patrons many of who called out to her in greeting. Aislinn moved with grace and confidence, navigating the sea of patrons tables chairs and scents.

Reaching the counter she warmly hugged the woman on the otherside who greeted the Scarlet Witch with a smile, “Aislinn, I was wondering if I'd see you this week, Jensen already pouted about not being able to visit today.”

“Has Mr. Ambrose been by earlier in the week?”

“Yeah, said he wanted to get a pot pie since he couldn't later. He was in a couple of days ago,” Ashley replied. Aislinn shook her head before she smiled and looked back over her shoulder at the approaching form of her brother.

“This is my little brother Rehtul, he is taking Mr. Ambrose's place at my table tonight. Could you perhaps get two pot pies ready and my usual drink?” Aislinn asked politely.

Ashley looked Rehtul up and down before she laughed and nodded, “Sure, two pot pies. You know I like the business just don't get him addicted to them lady.”

Aislinn turned to her brother before she spoke up, “I usually relax while I am here, it is one of the few places I feel I can express my opinions on things and not worry about our dear Uncle finding out. It has much use for me as a societal vent.”

[Rehtul Orlouge]

Rehtul smiled at Aislinn and sat down opposite her at what he could only surmise was the older woman’s usual table. He’d never been in this particular establishment before, and so took the time to take a look around while they were waiting on the order that his sister had made for the both of them. He knew the conversation that the two of them were damned near destined to have at this point, as there had been much drama between the family, especially concerning her and their father.

He turned back toward her as a sigh escaped his lips. He motioned for one of the servers to come over while Aislinn explained her reasoning for coming out to the Tavern. He asked for a cup of tea and smiled as the server walked away to take care of the other patrons.

“I understand your reasoning. Keeping out of Sei’s sight can be a boon at times, especially for those of us who might... disagree with his methodology,” he said, fighting not to keep his voice low to avoid the omnipresent feeling that the man could hear his thoughts even from so far away. He leaned back in the chair and thanked the server for his drink.

He stirred in a bit of sugar to the tea and brought it to his lips. He pursed his lips and blew on the drink, issuing a white mist that brought the drink down to just above freezing before taking a sip and sighing contentedly.

“Well, we’ve beat around the bush long enough, I think. I understand that there are some things the two of us need to talk about,” he said as he placed the cup of tea down on the table between them gently. “There’s a lot that’s gone on since we last had a chance to speak. I think we need to catch up and more importantly decide what we’re going to do from here.” He brought the drink to his lips again and took a sip before looking at her.

“What exactly happened that night?” he asked simply. They both knew exactly what he was talking about, the night of that horrible attack on Ixian Castle. He’d missed so much while he was slung over Steppenwolf’s shoulder, unconscious.

[TwinCast]

Ashley brought over the pies setting them before the siblings before she was thanks politely by the witch. Asilinn quickly paid for the meal and watched the woman walk off before her sole hand brushed hair from her face. She seemed pensive at the moment, her face a stone mask of carefully excersized indifference. When she finally felt ready she tested her voice, letting it ring out.

“Are you sure that is an answer you want?” The question hung in the air as she looked across at her brother. She didn't stop to watch his response, instead digging into her pot pie and letting silence fill the air between them. It was suffocating, and she could see he was watching her before she continued, “I am after all a witch. We are known for our lies. You certainly cannot trust a mystic that refused the trials in favor of a stupid cat. Thayne above save you if I began to fill your head with the notion that Succed Orlouge was anything other than correct.”

Venom laced through the words before she stopped and carefully picked through her pie, letting herself cool down from the heat of anger blossoming in her chest. When she felt the ire cool she began softly, “I maintain to this day that I have been loyal to this family, even when others would accuse me of betrayal. I have given them second and third chances when any sane rational person would have cut ties and been done with it. I have invested myself in the acts of my esteemed Uncle, at great personal risk and nearly died several times in doing so. Nothing, absolutely nothing compares to what I went through at the hands of those animals dearest Brother.”

She looked her brother in the eyes before she spoke, “I know you have many questions about that night, but truthfully I only knew a few things about what happened to the rest of the family. For the course of two days I was held captive by the Knights of the Dawn. Kept in a cage and treated like an animal, if not for the fact the captain had a single shred of mercy for me, I might not be here today. He made a mistake and I showed him no mercy despite the sliver of it he shared with me.”

The tavern about them continued to bustle as people moved in and out of the restaurant. The clinking of glasses the scraping of silverware on plates. It was life, life she used to say she championed, until that day. She sighed softly as she carefully stabbed her fork into the pie, leaving it as a flag claiming it in her name when she looked at her brother.

“If it is your wish to hear the tale I can begin, but I warn you, you may think ill of me once you hear of it,” She finally said and carefully sipped her wine. Enjoying the fruity flavor she went back to her pot pie and sighed, “I know I think less of myself in the wake of it.”

[Rehtul Orlouge]

Rehtul watched his sister with mild interest as she went through several emotions trying to cover everything that had happened between her and the family. It had been a rather sad attempt, ending in a jab at their father, but Rehtul inwardly shrugged at the idea. He knew that Succed Orlouge was always right in his own mind, a combination of his pride and the years of study he’d thrown into the world around himself, always analyzing everything with no real concept of the power that emotions had. In fact, it often seemed that his loyalty to his family, his brothers in particular, was a bit of a weakness he had.

“I’m sure there’s been plenty about our family that has disturbed you. I truly am. Despite you being a witch, however... We are of the same generation of our bloodline, and something hasn’t sat right with me with the previous generation of Orlouges. They seem so high on themselves, unable to see the world except through their own colored lenses. Ciato in particular disturbs me just by being nearby,” he admitted. A short sigh escaped his lips as he took another sip of his cold sweet tea, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the flavor.

“The details of the night are foggy for me, and everything’s been wrapped in bureaucracy and red tape ever since, as if there are some things that the ‘higher ups,’” he scoffed at the term, “seem to think that us lower members are unable to handle, or perhaps that are best forgotten, buried beneath the organization.”

He lowered his eyes back down to the table and carefully replaced his coffee cup with a grimace. With a supreme force of will, he looked up into his sister’s eyes once more.

His voice came out barely in a whisper as he said, “I’m not even sure that we’re the good guys in all of this anymore. Our original goals seemed lofty and gave me such a head rush at the time, but the... manner in which we have gone after our goals... Are we really doing anything worth doing, or are we merely imposing the will of the few onto the backs of the many?”

He sat back and smiled sadly.

“I’m sure we all did things we regret that night... I’m fairly certain in closing off the escape route that Steppenwolf and our group used, that I got many of our own men killed. I truly regret it. However, we must each live with what we did, or we’ll never make progress toward becoming... well, better. So, tell me your story, even if it’s just the abridged version.”

Silently, the young man considered his options. There was so much wrong with the Knights organization that it seemed beyond hopeless to fix it. An organization held to a lofty ideal had seemingly crumbled and slid off of the very foundation it had been built upon. Was there any hope of repair, or was a complete demolition necessary?

That question would haunt Rehtul’s mind as he listened to his sister’s story.

[TwinCast]

Aislinn looked at her brother for a moment before she sighed and looked down at her pot pie. She contemplated how to tell him, what she would tell him, and how to tell him. It was a story only Sei had heard, and she knew he tried so very hard to cover it up. It wasn't for the sake of the knights, nor the sake of his stubborn pride, no.

For once, Sei was protecting her from the ramifications of being a witch.

Finally she spoke, beginning to weave her tale, “I, was captured. We were running out the front of Castle Ixia, trying to evade pursuit when we reached the courtyard. I called upon Shyish, the wind of magic closely associated with death and struck a deal with it. I paid a price, and gained the ability to cover our retreat, at the cost of having to stay behind. I created a fog that presented a person's worst fears, making them fight terrors unseen and dangers not at hand. The issue was, should I get too far from the cloud it would dissipate, and so for Ella and Emma's sake, I made the sacrifice.”

She looked her brother over, trying to catch any sign on his face, any hint of displeasure before she lowered her gaze to the pie. Pushing it forward she spoke once more, “They seemed pleased with capturing me. I was their prized catch, and they immediately tied and gagged me, before they retreated. I was certain they were going to kill me, but their leader only insisted they keep me alive, and had be thrown in a cage. I was treated like an animal, given only basic necessities, and moved out when it was time to clean the cage so to speak. Some of the men once took a shine tome, seeing me as dead anyways but worth fun...”

She shuddered slightly recalling the cat-calls and jeers before she continued, “The only reason I remained untouched by them was their leader said he considered it rutting with animals. If they touched me like that he would kill them like any man who would touch a dog in that way. One tried, and got me out of the cage before he was shot in the back and thrown out of camp for the vultures. No one tried after that.”

Her eyes took a faraway look before she said softly, “Then Uncle Ciato arrived, and everything changed...”

[Rehtul Orlouge]

Rehtul listened silently to his sister’s story, occasionally cocking his brow, but offering little else in terms of reaction, though inside he seethed in rage at the sheer arrogance of the fools who believed themselves so much better than another race that they’d go out of their way to cause that race’s extermination. The older woman’s story was actually making him feel less guilt for killing the soldiers that he had using his own special brand of magic.

He conjured the water in the air around his fingers and pulled a fork seemingly out of the middle of the air. The other patrons looked puzzled at his action, but most of them eventually shrugged and went back around their business. If the young Orlouge man were a betting man, he’d put his money on the theory that magicians of various sorts were not particularly uncommon travelling through these parts and staying at this tavern to rest their legs for a few hours.

He dug into the meaty concoction with the fork and swallowed a bite without really thinking about it. His jaws worked the tender meat for a few moments before he finally registered what he’d put into himself. He worked the meat over with his teeth a few more times and swallowed gently, ensuring not a single morsel would be left behind on his palette before speaking.

“That was divine,” he said, knowing that his sister would more than likely give him an “I told you so” look. He looked away, red-faced, and coughed lightly.

If she rolls her eyes, failed attempt at humor. If she laughs... successful attempt at humor.

He turned back to her, smiling a little and shrugging at his attempt at humor before taking another bite of the pie before him. He never could understand why his older sister intimidated him as much as she did. Perhaps the fact that she’d faced the real world a hell of a lot more often than he had, the fact that she knew the darker side of life is what did it. There was something intractable, hard behind her eyes.

Luther knew that most of his family came off as a little cold, and that he had a reputation for being unemotional, but that as all mostly a misunderstanding. He didn’t show his emotions readily, that much was an absolute fact, but...

“Ciato’s a different story together,” he said, not noticing that the last thought had come out aloud. He munched down on it and then noticed that his voice had indeed issued forth from his mouth.

“Well, then... I can’t imagine that he did anything pleasant. I don’t trust him as much as our father does... or at all, really,” he muttered the last few words in a barely audible tone. It wasn’t seemly to speak about family poorly in public, and when it was called for, it should be done where it wouldn’t be overheard easily.

“If you’d rather stop...” he began.

[TwinCast]

She looked at her brother as he floundered his way through the conversation. It warmed her heart a bit to know that despite being so different, coming from such varied worlds they were still very much the same. She smiled softly at his attempt at a joke, not from mirth but knowing he tried. Thayne bless him he tried. It gave her hope for the family she was bound to by blood, that not all of them were Ciato or Succed, both of whom betrayed her so fully she would never trust them around her anymore.

She took a small sip of her elven wine before she spoke, “No, I've come this far. I may as well finish the tale. What happens next only Succed, Mother, Sei and Ciato know. Though of those that do only Ciato and Sei accepted the truth. I hope one day Ciato realizes just what he has wrought with his callousness.”

She took the moment to finish some more of the pot pie before she spoke carefully, “Understand this is difficult for me to express. I repressed these memories because of what happened. I thought I had hit rock bottom when the man was killed for what amounted in his commanding officers mind as rutting with animals. Then Ciato showed up...”


~*~

The nights air assaulted her from every side. Though it was a late summer day, the chill of autumn and winter were present, beginning to unleash themselves upon the air. Aislinn curled up into the corner of her cage wrapping what she could about her body in an attempt to keep warm. She merely hoped she would be left alone in her cage, which was barely enough for her to crouch inside let alone rest as such. The witch was keenly aware of the sound of footsteps near her cage, and looked up expecting to see one of the Knights of the Dawn doing his nightly patrol only to see a man with slicked back hair the color of the purest snow drifts.

He moved swiftly to the cage as he crouched at the far end of the her cell. He looked at her his dark clothing keeping him from immediate exposure. Aislinn moved to his end of the cage before she said softly, with a voice that had not been used in days, “Uncle?”

He nodded before he looked at her a cruel smile playing on his lips, “It's me dear niece. I see you got yourself into quite a predicament.”

“Help me out of here, they're setting up to execute me as a message!” Her voice held a tone of renewed hope. She wanted to laugh at the prospect of being free of the cage, only so have the rush of elation leave her when he didn't move at all. Why didn't he immediately free her?

“Leave Sei's Ixian Knights. If you do this I will set you free. I want your promise to whatever power you gained your witchcraft from,” The demand shattered through barriers of calm and restraint causing her to look at him confused for a moment.

“What?”

“I see you are confused. Let me elaborate. You are to leave Sei's castle and travel the world looking for whatever eventually led you to Sei's cause. I don't care if its a cure for you sister or the common flu. Leave and never return. If you do this, I will open the cage. If you refuse, I will leave you to the martyred fate you seemed so desperately to crave when you made the stupid decision to sacrifice yourself to save those brats, who aren't even of our blood.”

She was speechless. The cold tone told her he wasn't kidding when he said those words. She felt her hand fall from the bars as she realized what she was looking at was no Man. It was a demon, one who sought to sow chaos and anarchy by destabilizing things in an effort to create a world it favored. If she took the offer, if she left Sei, Ciato knew that would destabilize the knights who saw her as their mascot. The Scarlet Witch that fought for their lives while they fought for the world's life.

“You're mad...” She managed. Ciato stood his eyes looking upon her one last time with a cold that underlined the winter's bite that sought to attack her.

“I seek to improve the world about me, while you are an agent of callous entropy. You seek to keep this world from reaching chaos that will strengthen it. If you are not with me, you are an enemy. I would be remiss in my duties to this world Aislinn Orlouge, if I helped an enemy, even if they are family. Goodbye.”

Aislinn watched wordlessly as he turned and snuck back out of the camp. Leaving her to die in the hands of the enemy. It was at that moment that Aislinn finally understood her stance on leaving her family be. She had been betrayed again, this time by the brother of her first betrayal. Tears of lost innocence fell from her face as she watched her only hope go, and with the ember of that fire kindled dying, she was left much colder than ever before.

It was then she heard the whisper upon the wind, a warmer wind of Summer's wrath. It was the wind not of a lover's caress, but of a pyre destined to consume the dead and engulf the world in flames, Oh Witch, you were not prepared for such torture, but you endure all the same. Give me but a taste of your flesh, and we shall cleanse this world of such petty tyrants.

Heat, heat as pure and dealy as the flames blossomed in her chest as the disbelief gave way to rage. Her hatred fueled her in such ways as one stoked the embers of a flame, turning it to a bonfire. She looked upon the camp, at the humans who sought her death. Her anger now had an outlet. Holding her hand forth she spoke sealing the witch's pact, “Take the hand, and give me one fit for destruction. I swore my hand would never slay, but it won't be mine that acts, merely yours. Right Aqshy?”

Heat blossomed in her hand before it burst into flames. She shrieked in pain before she felt the wind fully engulf her. Her eyes glowing with an otherworldly fire, as the hand griped the wood that imprisoned her. As it brightly lit up she stood fully, the avatar of vengeful wrath. Ciato would pay, but first these dogs would suffer for what she had been put through...

[Rehtul Orlouge]

Rehtul listened politely, though his face betrayed during the continuation of his sister’s story the level of his antipathy for their so-called “Uncle,” Ciato Orlouge. Bound though they may have been by blood, Rehtul felt less than no familial connection with the man. Everything about him, from his semi-constant smirk to the way he carried himself just pissed the young man off, and now he knew why. Ciato was everything he’d been raised to despise in people, the very definition of “unsavory character.”

As Aislinn recounted the very things that sprung from her exchange with their uncle, the young ice mage could feel the air around him slowly beginning to drop in temperature. The air around him began to mist as clouds of white vapor issued forth from within his mouth. The patrons of the tavern turned to look at him, some awestruck, others waiting with bored expressions, just waiting for the mage’s fury to finally die down.

With a great exertion of effort, the young man pulled his power back under control. The air slowly began to warm back to room temperature and he forced out an apology and waved everyone back to what they were doing with a sheepish smile that fooled no one. His eyes were cold, focused, and most could tell that the anger had been merely subdued, not conquered.

He turned back to his older sister with arms crossed over one another, one hand idly drawing circles on the rough old wood of the table as he tapped his foot impatiently waiting for the words he felt he needed to speak to come. What could you say when your sister had been captured and then offered freedom in exchange for abandoning the people she had come to care about as much as she had, and all because of that bastard, no less?

Slowly, deliberately, the young man took a deep breath to steady himself. His eyes shot to the counter of the bar as he heard a man slam down his drink. The Mystic looked around, shrugged, and waved over the woman who’d been waiting on them. In a quick motion, he brought a small pouch of gold out and laid out twenty pieces.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” he said, pointing toward the bar. “Bring the whole bottle.” It wasn’t often that he drank, but this felt like one of the times that he could really use something to take the edge off of his nerves.

A few seconds later the bottle was placed on the table with an empty whiskey glass. Rehtul sighed and put his hand on the bottle and chilled it using his powers. He popped the cap and took a swig, feeling the burning sensation of bourbon tickle the back of his throat.

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve as he looked back to his sister at long last, eyes narrowed.

“You realize I’m going to kill him, I hope?” he asked simply as he took the bottle and poured a glass. “But please, continue...”

[TwinCast]

“Don’t,” The word was quick and hurried. For one brief moment something escaped from Aislinn that was anything less than the regal bearing she had usually put forth. It was the word that seemed to hearken back to when she was a mere child. The warning that slipped before she realized the import of it rang with crystal clarity. She briefly held her solitary hand to her lips before she spoke, “You are not ready to turn on Ciato. Should you do so, they will form ranks and protect their own.”

Warning fully explained she looked upon the face of her brother searching for understanding. Finally when she had spoken, her voice was soft, and yet still it carried. It was almost as if the winds begged her to impart this truth, to let her brother know the danger such thoughts created. She could ponder the truth and what it had meant for later as she closed her eyes and remembered the rest of that fateful night.

“Ciato had left with the intent of leading them from me in punishment for the hubris of protecting what I held dear. When the camp went up in flames, it became harder to tell them where I was not. Eventually they found me, full of the fury and passion of Aqshy, the wind most closely associated with Pyres. I had cremated every last soldier in the main camp. Their general was dead, every last soldier, ashes scattered to the eight winds. There was no more threat in the Knights of the Dawn. When I was discovered the last of the corpses had charred,” She explained softly. This was her secret, the destruction of hundreds of lives, when she had vowed never to take a life. Her hidden shame and Sei’s largest Lie lay bare before her brother.

She paused for a moment before she spoke, “The first to see me was Sei, who was shocked by the devastation that I had wrought. Next came Succed and Mother, who realized what had occurred only a fraction of a moment before Ciato entered the clearing. So lost in rage I assaulted the snake, only to have Succed work to protect his brother. That such poisonous Kin would be protected unleashed my own frustrations towards Succed to the surface and I sought his death along with his brothers.”

It was unnerving to admit she tried to kill family.

“They shut me down, Father holding off the unrelenting assault until Mother could cut my connection to magic. In the end he believes I am a blood traitor and lets Ciato whisper his poisonous words trying to justify the acts he took. As much as I wish for that man’s death, you shall have to wait, until he is alone and there are no brothers to protect him. He will never let you attack if he can do so,” Aislinn explained.

She finished the pot pie and pushed the bowl forward fork clattering. Ashley looked up and with a smile took the bowl before she remarked, “You aren’t usually so hungry. You alright darling?”

“I suppose I was distracted, if I don’t restrain myself I believe I would keep eating anything you put beneath me,” She replied with a forced smile. Ashley giggled before she moved off with the bowl leaving the two of them alone once more, a welcome break from the intense conversation.

“One day, Ciato will reap what he sows. Until that day, wait for your chance, and recognize it when it comes little brother.”