Aug 28, 2012 09:08
Inside the room, the darkness was near absolute. The fog hanging over Kingsmouth like a seething blanket kept out much of the sun’s light, let alone the moon’s weak rays. Risska and Landa lay next to each other on a large sleeping pad, the larger, darker-skinned woman’s arm draped over her friend’s stomach. Their breathing was deep and regular, the wards on the doors and windows the only faint glow, keeping out raven, zombie and spirit alike.
Risska’s eyes snapped open suddenly, betraying the illusion of sleep. Gently, slowly, she lifted her arm up off of the smaller woman and then slowly climbed to her feet. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as the blankets slipped off, exposing her body to the chill air. She moved to put on a pair of pants and a shirt to hold off the worst of the cold. She’d felt more at home in Egypt, oddly enough, even though the damp, chilly climate of New England was more like her home in Siegen.
She couldn’t fall asleep. She’d helped Landa relax, and it’d even taken her own mind off things for a while, but soon she was thinking about it again. Black-Jade would hopefully be able to find out more information. She is much better with people than I am, Risska thought to herself. She had grown increasingly frustrated and angry with their pointless lies and denials. To pretend they hadn’t taken Minou away and then babble on about how she’d probably run away because she didn’t feel safe? Idiocy. The Dragon would have probably allowed it if she had, but watched her.
They think we try to control everything, using chaos as the tool. No, we aren’t stupid enough to try to manipulate every drop of water in the river. It is enough to dip a hand in at the right place, and let the water flow around the right places on its own. Risska thought back to when she’d first been recruited. They told her she would be their soldier now, and that she would be able to see changes in the world. They had not lied to her. She bowed her head, closing her eyes and let her mind focus.
Her body snapped into a fighting stance, the bare skin of her feet hissing quietly over the hard wooden floor. She let her body execute the forms, her muscles flowing into position, arms and legs lashing out in the familiar patterns. Using the claws was so much different than just bare fists. The thin, sharp metal of the blades could not withstand a direct clash, and so she learned the proper way. Rake and slash. She’d looked up videos online of great hunting cats bringing down prey, and she’d learned to apply their techniques to her own body. Nature had been hunting with claws since before humans existed. Why should she not learn from the master?
I am the claws, I strike where I am told, she thought to herself as the exercise helped her mind to unwind. Black-Jade’s words, at least, held the ring of truth, even if they caused her to doubt. What if the attack on the safe house had not been related to Minou’s disappearance? Clever claws, Minou had called her when they first met. Risska grinned, finishing her exercises. Sweat shone on her face and bald scalp and her breaths came deep and heavy. She would prove Minou right, and would first trace her steps from where she’d seen her last. No more assumptions. I will know where she was, and where she has gone. It’s the only way to find her.
Zhi Zhang should know more of the destruction caused at the safe house, and Rena was the last one that Risska had seen her with. I will not strike until ordered, Risska thought to herself, but the more I know where to strike, the deeper the cut will be. She laced her fingers together and pushed her arms up over her head, humming contentedly as she felt the familiar, welcome burn of the muscles stretching.
She started to shiver, and then took off her shirt and pants. She used the shirt to quickly wipe the sweat from her face before slipping back under the blanket next to Landa. She pulled up close to her friend and smiled as the warmth of the blankets and Landa’s body helped her grow still again. Risska did not regret the time she’d spent helping Landa; I don’t see the ripples, but I know they are there. Landa kept much of herself hidden, her face rarely showing much. The times that she’d managed to get more of a reaction; when she’d given her friend her birthday presents, or the first bite she’d taken of the stroopwaffel.
Risska smiled, squeezing Landa’s body in a hug, her friend letting out a soft sigh. She didn’t know how much sadness or pain lay behind those tall, thick walls that Landa kept up around her. Risska suspected Landa herself did not know the depth of it herself. I will help you to break down the sadness, one smile at a time, Risska promised silently.