"Until The Fall" - 27/48
Title: Until The Fall
Author: Rissy James
Characters: DG, Cain, Azkadellia, Jeb, Glitch, Raw, Tutor, the Queen, Ahamo, and some old & new OCs
Pairing: Established Cain/DG; established Jeb/Az
Rating: M
Summary: Sequel to " Of Light". After an annual of living in the O.Z., DG sets out to complete the task given to her by the Gale. Soon, she must learn that there is always more to everything than first meets the eye.
Extras: Cast Page on livejournal.com (updated 07.01.09)
Author's Note: Another long one, hopefully it makes up for the wait. A quick recap, since it has been so long - DG and Cain have run across their new enemy (the Lady Catticalisa) in the Western Mountains, and were saved by their old foe-turned-ally, the Outlanders - and have discovered that Zero has spent the last annual hiding over the border, working as a scout for the Commander. Now they seek a way to keep themselves hidden from The Record, a magic picture book that shows anyone you ask it to see, before returning to the Zone and heading for the Black Forest, and the temple at Deadwood Fall.
Chapter Twenty Seven
DG hurriedly relayed everything the Commander had mentioned about the book, the Lady Catt, and her inadvertent role in putting Dorothy Gale on the throne of the O.Z.
At first, Cain didn't believe her. Not that she'd expected him to.
To his credit, Wyatt had listened patiently. He hadn't asked questions. For ten minutes he stood, barely moving as she paced back and forth in the tiny bathroom, talking fast and flailing her hands. When finally she came to her conclusion, she leaned against the wall opposite him, slightly dizzy.
Wyatt slowly shook his head, putting a hand over his eyes. “You think the girl you've been seein' in the mirror is a princess? No, no... the Lost Princess?”
“It makes perfect sense!”
He groaned. “I think 'perfect' might be a bit too strong a word, Darlin'.”
Frowning, she crossed her arms over her chest. Perhaps he was right that perfect sense it might not be, but it was the only thing that seemed to make any sense. When he saw that she wasn't about to fight him, he sighed, and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
“And what exactly does this girl got to do with what we're tryin' to get done?”
DG felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth; Cain always had a way of simplifying things. “I don't know yet,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe I'll just ask her.”
Cain gave her a half-smile, both of amusement and disbelief. “Ask her?”
Before DG could answer, the sound of the cell door being wrenched open brought to her attention that she'd stayed over-long. Cain bolted upright and away from the sink, and she ran to him for a quick kiss, a whispered promise to return in the morning. Leaving him alone in the bathroom, she put herself between him and the guards, going easily and avoiding any trouble. She caught sight of Zero hovering outside of Cain's door before being escorted up the stairs again.
The guard who took his position outside her door was frightened of her. He refused to physically touch her, unlike most that had come before him, always been eager to push and pull. Her attempts to get his name out of him went unanswered.
DG spent most of the night thinking too much, going over what she knew again and again in her mind before finally passing out into a deep, exhausted sleep. She'd crawled into bed in the borrowed dress because she didn't want to face the mirror in the bathroom to wash up or change. Not just then, at any rate.
Morning - or whatever time it was when she awoke, she couldn't be too sure - was a different story. Her sleep had been plagued by half-dreams, wisps of colour, voice, and event that whirled into a big blur. The image of a leather-bound book slamming shut had jarred her awake, and she sat up with her heart hammering.
In the strange, old bed, it didn't take long for her mind to start buzzing. She couldn't lie around while there were things to be done... her meeting with the Commander the night before had barely touched down on the subject of the Emerald... or the vague promises she'd made him the year before.
“He can have the Emerald... after I've found a way to destroy the magic that dwells within it.”
Unsure of how exactly to do it, DG had paid a visit to the Reader on Az's advice, and the Reader had sent her West on the promise that her problem was not how to destroy the magic of the Emerald, but where it would be possible to do so. So West she'd come, almost blindly. Here she was, waiting for lightning to strike or for the proverbial light bulb over her head to blaze with inspiration. How the hell was the Commander supposed to help her sneak the Emerald into the Black Forest... especially if the Lady Catt could keep an eye on her through Cain? At least, assuming that she herself was protected at all by the cloak on her memories.
Shaking her head, DG put thoughts of the Commander and the Emerald aside as she got out of bed. She gasped when her feet hit the cold cement floor, worse than even her own attic in the dead of Kansas winter. She didn't think about food, or her own clothes. Braiding her hair messily as she went, she left her room with the Commander's nameless guard hot on her heels. She knew she couldn't continue with their plan to infiltrate the Black Forest if the Lady Catt could see them coming. So, she went to the only person she could think of that might be able to help her with her magic.
Raw came to the barred window in his cell door the moment he heard DG arguing with his guards. He grinned toothily at her as she negotiated fifteen minutes alone with him. When the Commander's men finally relented, DG gave the first truly happy smile Raw was sure he'd seen on her in a long time.
When the door was slammed shut and locked behind her, DG hugged her friend. “Second try always better,” Raw said quite sagely as she pulled away.
“How are you holding up?” she asked him tentatively.
“Raw likes quiet. Raw do better than others,” he told her sadly, nodding his head subtly in the vague direction of the cells of Hass and Cain, which she'd found the night before. A knot began to form in her stomach at the thought of Hass pacing his cell like a caged animal, of Cain locked in alone with his memories.
Raw, feeling the dark shift in her emotions, reached out and touched her wrist.
“You are still fine,” he told her, and she smiled, as if she'd needed his reassurance. “But come for reason.”
“Um, yeah,” DG said slowly, as she ran her hands through her hair. Raw watched her patiently, a look of concern in his eyes as he watched her shake loose her jangled nerves. “I need you to take a look at the protection my mother put over my memories.”
Raw's brow furrowed in confusion. “Take... look?”
DG gave him the best pair of puppy-eyes she could manage. “I need to know all I can about the magic before I try and cast the spell on Cain.”
Raw's eyes widened. “Tin Man won't like idea.”
“Raw, the witch we ran into on the road has a book that helps her find anyone in the Zone,” she explained quickly. “I think that the magic protecting my memories hides me from the book's sight.” Raw, as Cain had, looked wary of this fact. Frowning, she continued. “I can't think of any other explanation why Lady Catt didn't know I wasn't in Central City.”
“DG just want Raw to look?” he asked her apprehensively.
Silently, she nodded. She knew that both of their thoughts had gone to the damage done to Lylo when he'd been forced to View her memories, trying to unearth the hidden location of the Emerald. The old Viewer had managed to discover a piece of the secret - “Emerald... is in... the Gray Gale!” - and had paid a most terrible price for it. DG understood Raw's hesitation and fear, but she also knew that if he didn't try to bypass the magic with his own power, no harm would come to him.
Raw seemed to come to the same conclusion, because he dragged an old metal stool into the center of the room and motioned wordlessly for her to take a seat. Perching herself on the stool, she practised her best princess posture and waited with bated breath as he stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
Raw gave the slightest jump, and his breathing quickened almost imperceptibly. DG's teeth sunk into her lower lip as she waited, glancing around the room and feeling nothing out of the ordinary at all, except for the feather-light weight of his hands on her shoulders. The grip of his fingers tightened and loosened rhythmically as the seconds passed... No more than five minutes went by before Raw let go of her shoulders, and took a step back away from her.
DG spun around on the stool. “Are you okay? What did you see?” She tried not to let his dark eyes of misgiving bother her. Not without vocal confirmation.
Raw took a deep breath, and it looked to her for a moment that he might be struggling with his words. But no... “Spell is... woven on memories. Protects through hiding... con- … conceals, like memories not there at all. DG can see but... no one else can see.”
“Is it complicated?” she asked, unsure if he would be able to answer the question as thoroughly as Azkadellia or her mother might. She didn't want to let herself focus on how difficult long-distance communication was; on the Other Side, it would merely have been a case of picking up the phone, or sending an E-mail. Now, there would be no way of asking her mother about the spell short of walking to the Northern Island... and once was enough for her lifetime.
Raw shook his head. “Not hard. Not dangerous. Spell formed from true wish to protect.”
“Is it something I'm going to be able to do?” she wondered aloud.
“DG has power to make spell,” Raw said with a rumbling sigh. “Raw not sure... DG should think more. Meditate, maybe.”
She shook her head. They didn't have much time left; the storm that dumped inches and inches of snow in the mountains couldn't last forever. There was still so much she had yet to accomplished. “I have to try,” she said slowly. “We're all in trouble if Catt can find us and follow us. Even you.”
Raw tapped his temple. “Raw not human. Raw safe.”
DG gave him a weak smile, hoping he was right. “I'll go to Cain soon. We should get this over with as soon as we can.”
“DG must not hurry,” Raw interjected quickly. “Take time. Spell will...” He hesitated, once again stumbling over his second language. “Bind. Spell bring DG and Cain close. Tie with magic. Tie not break easy.”
“Anything that keeps him out of the book's sight is fine by me,” she told her friend. She and Cain were already bound by more than just emotion, or the physical relationship they shared. What difference the spell would make, she didn't know.
Raw put an arm around her shoulders. “DG need rest, then. Magic will take much; be ready for drain.”
Oh... the drain hadn't been something she'd taken into consideration. Leaning into Raw, she nodded. “Thank you,” she told him, and was glad when he smiled at her. “I don't know what I'd do in this crazy place without my friends.”
When she pulled away, she didn't like the sad smile that he was giving her. Without explanation, he led her to the door and rapped hard on it with his gloved hand. “Rest,” he reminded her. “DG meditate in peace before going to Tin Man. Better for all that way.”
***
That afternoon in Central City, the Queen of the Outer Zone and her superior advisor met for lunch. Never mind that the meal was sandwiches and tea at her massive desk, or that they were merely taking a break from combing over Andrus' reports. It was quiet, and private - minus the fifteen-year-old Tory, napping on the exquisitely uncomfortable settee in the corner of the office - and it was a much needed moment of relaxation for both Azkadellia and Ambrose.
To Az, the lengthy reports were a let down, despite the progress the army made. There was no outright mention of one Lt. Jeb Cain, only a tacked-on line at the end of one hand-written letter from the general, stating that the army's scouting efforts continued unnoticed.
“The arrangements for the Harvest celebrations are coming along nicely,” Ambrose mentioned offhandedly, interrupting Azkadellia's thoughts of Jeb. It was a blind attempt at beginning a conversation.
Azkadellia offered him a placating smile. “Glitch, I don't care.”
Ambrose's eyebrows shot up. Az didn't often call him Glitch. The name was too close to the unmentionable subject of his headcasing at the Sorceress' hands.
Az took a careful sip of her hot tea. When Ambrose still hadn't spoken by the time she'd replaced her cup on the saucer, she sighed. “DG was looking forward to the Harvest.” She looked down at her desk, covered in papers and books. “It wasn't celebrated after the Eclipse and when she found out about it...”
Ambrose picked up the Queen's trailing thought. “She felt cheated. I remember. Her first real Ozian holiday and no one told her about it.”
Since the Great Famine, the shifting of the land under the Witch of the Dark, the actual harvesting of the Papay fields wouldn't be taking place for another month or so - though in truth, Az wasn't sure what kind of crop there would be with the cold snap they'd been experiencing. Glitch had mentioned to her several times a desire to research the delayed growing season and the odd weather, but she'd waved him off. The end-of-harvest celebrations held annually in Central City on September the First since before the time of Dorothy Gale would go ahead, harvest or not. An attempt to return to the time before the Sorceress' - her - regime.
“When do you expect DG to return, Ambrose?” she asked him, lowering her voice. There was very little opportunity for her to drill him about her sister; the entire court believed DG and Cain had gone to Finaqua to celebrate their engagement in private as the captain took some much deserved leave. Whispering about her sister or the Tin Man was impossible - the slightest overheard word could undo all the careful planning.
Now, in the privacy of her office she could let down her guard and ask.
Ambrose leaned back in the chair he'd pulled up to her desk. “Well,” he said slowly, “taking into consideration the cold weather lately, it could be another three or four days before they're back anywhere near the Central province. But -” he added on quickly, “ - That is also dependent on how far West they actually travel. They could very well have gone out of the O.Z.”
Azkadellia shivered at the thought, and took another sip of tea to try and warm herself. She cast a quick sidelong glance at Tory, still asleep on the brocaded sofa. She sighed. “I didn't think the days would pass so slowly.”
When she looked up at her advisor, she was glad to see that he was smiling at her. “There was never any indication of how long this would take them,” Ambrose reminded her. “They've been gone nine days. Its possible they could be gone for weeks more, or they could be returning within the next few days.”
Azkadellia sighed deeply. “And DG didn't tell Tutor how close she was?”
“No, she just babbled on about 'The Record', and let slip that you'd sent her to the Reader,” he admonished lightly.
“Oh, that,” Azkadellia said with a blush. “Don't look at me like that. Sending her to Cynthia obviously helped.”
Ambrose frowned. “Obviously.” He sensed his dark mood was too much for her, and gave her a bright grin, turning it on as easily as flicking a switch. “Cheer up, Doll,” he said in the tone that so often calmed DG. Thankfully, it seemed to have somewhat the same effect on Az. The Queen before him smiled weakly - it was a start. “DG and Cain will be back before you know it, and we'll be planning a ridiculously expensive wedding, much to both their chagrin.”
Az rolled her eyes, but her smile widened. She was about to say something - perhaps about pink bows or floral arrangements - when Tory shifted in his sleep on the couch, muttering that he didn't want to clean out the hen-coop one more God-damned time. The two adults sitting at the desk whipped their heads around at the noise before breathing a mutual sigh of relief that the boy hadn't woken.
“And what about young Master Tory?” Azkadellia wondered aloud. “When is summoning a Travel Storm penned into my itinerary?” In DG's absence, her schedule of appearances and speeches had become almost unbearably hectic. She'd expected as much when she'd risen to the throne, but she hadn't anticipated just how much of the burden DG had shouldered before she'd gone on... walk-about.
Ambrose gave her an indulgent, cheeky grin. “You're scheduled to walk through the Fields of the Papay immediately following the Harvest celebrations to observe the preparations for the actual harvest,” he said in an official-sounding voice. “But,” he added, tapping the side of his nose with one long finger, “there may be a quasi-unscheduled detour to a safely undisclosed location.”
Azkadellia nodded slowly. Ah yes, a random out-of-the-way field where no one will notice a twister materializing out of thin air, she thought.
“Have you asked the boy how he plans to explain where he's been?” she asked the advisor pointedly. “Two weeks is a long time to disappear for.”
Ambrose took a moment to turn in his chair and watch the boy, sleeping soundly on the sofa. “He doesn't seem all that concerned about it.” When Azkadellia's brow knit together in confusion, Ambrose shrugged. I'm sure he'll be able to come up with some sort of story. If not, we can concoct one for him.”
“And what of modifying his memory?” Azkadellia's voice lowered further still, until she was speaking in a barely-audible whisper. “To erase all of this.” She looked around at the ornately-decorated office, as if it could encompass all of the Outer Zone and all that the boy had encountered, seen.
“I doubt that will be necessary,” Ambrose said with a small smile. “Lets try to return him in the same condition he came to us.”
Azkadellia said nothing, but drank the last of her tea. She highly doubted it would be possible for the child to return to his world the same as when he'd entered this one. How could anyone be unaffected by the beauty and mystery of the Outer Zone?
***
Relax.
Raw had said rest. DG wondered, as she paced her small room, if he'd sensed that it would be impossible for her.
Her nerves were zinging and her brain racing, and even her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, carrying her from one end of the sparsely furnished room to the next, back and forth until she was sure she'd worn a track in the floor. The muttering would start and stop on its own, and she was thankful she was alone... anyone listening to her would think she was insane.
The bureau in the corner of the room had a tilting mirror, one that she hadn't given much thought to when she'd discovered it. However, the night before she'd turned it to face the ceiling, unwilling to let the glass view her sleep... just in case. After returning from her visit with Raw, she'd righted the mirror and watched it nervously as she paced.
No lights floating behind the glass, no strange images of a girl who looked so eerily similar to her.
Finally... “Who am I kidding?” she asked herself, stalking over to the bureau and placing her palms flat on the bare dresser top. She stared at herself hard, waiting for something to change... but nothing did. With a sigh, she reached out and adjusted the looking glass, tilting it toward her.
She touched the glass, a quick movement as if she were a child dared to do it, leaving a thin smudge. Nothing. The green lights had haunted her for months until she'd avoided all mirrors. She gave a breathy laugh at the sight of herself in the glass now, curious and impatient and just a little bit scared.
“Where are you?” she whispered. Still nothing. With a frustrated growl, she reached out and pressed her palm flat against the center of the glass. “Where are you?” she asked, louder this time. “Show yourself. I know you've been watching me.”
Nothing...
DG didn't quite know what to do. She had been almost certain deep down somewhere that the strange, beautiful face would have appeared, like magic.
Magic... Wyatt. The shield spell... her brain stumbled over this sudden change in focus, and her shoulders fell in defeat as she turned her back on the mirror. She crossed the room and wrenched open the unlocked door. The nameless guard standing in the hall turned his head slightly at her appearance, before staring blankly ahead once more.
“I want the captain of my protection detail brought to my room,” she instructed him. The guard didn't move; DG frowned, holding back a sigh of aggravation. “Send for Captain Cain,” she repeated, trying her very best to channel the regal bearing of her mother and sister, women born to do what she only pretended she could do. “Immediately!” she snapped when the guard continued to hesitate. Another long moment passed, as she stared hard with blue eyes she was sure could bite as sharply as Cain's; finally, the guard gave her a curt nod and headed off down the hallway.
Her heart was pounding as she closed the door, leaning up against the solid wood for support. She glanced around her small cell... and her eyes jumped back to the mirror, widening slightly in disbelief as she took a second good look at the dresser and its looking glass.
The mirror's surface rippled as if water; gentle waves radiating outward from the center, where the tiniest of green lights glowed. DG didn't balk as she walked slowly forward, cocking her head to the side to perhaps change the strange image she was seeing; she wasn't disappointed when she wasn't imagining things, though she felt a bit of cold fear creep up into her belly. The rippling didn't stop, the surface of the glass didn't become solid as she put her hands on the dresser top, and gazed into the mirror, though the green light faded as her reflection... no, the reflection came into view.
The reflection in the mirror wasn't her own, something she wasn't surprised to see; the young woman staring back at her had a pretty smile stretched across her lips, one that crinkled her eyes with silent laughter. “So close...” the girl whispered, a voice farther off than DG had ever heard it, statically displaced. “The Long- ...'s your key.”
DG's shook her head. “I don't understand,” she said; she studied the distorted image behind the still-waving glass... whatever momentum of magic caused the glass to move, the spell was still holding. The dark brown eyes locked onto hers frantically searched her own face.
“Longcoat!” the reflection near moaned; the smile was gone, and she reached a hand up to touch her side of the mirror, flattening her palm and splaying her fingers, causing the waves in the glass to pick up drastically. DG could barely make out the girl's face. “Zero, D- ...to the Fore-”
… Zero? DG felt some part of her inside stop dead in its tracks, whether it be her brain, heart, or courage. “No,” she said, shaking her head almost violently. “He's a murderer!”
“There isn't an- ...'er way,” the girl said, voice breaking and hard to understand; the green light was back, shining at the center of her chest, reminding DG of the chain that had held the Emerald around the Sorceress' neck the night of the Eclipse. “Zero must take y- ...'nd you alone. Its the on- ...to smuggle the Em- ...temple at the Fall.” The girl's second hand came up to the mirror, fingers spreading out in the same way. “The only way,” she repeated, the clarity of her sentence hitting home hard enough to jar DG.
Thoughtlessly, DG raised her hand in the same way, wanting to touch the glass but having enough common sense to be wary. She stood with her hand in mid-air, fingers twitching on their own toward the glass. “It can't be,” she whispered, more to herself than to the reflection. Mirrors reflected the true self, but DG wasn't sure how someone could exist inside the looking glass... “Do you need help?” she asked, her fingers mere centimeters from the liquid surface of the mirror.
“You can't, not yet,” came the last deteriorating whisper from the girl in the mirror.
DG couldn't take it any longer... she let her fingers close the distance, pressing her fingertips to those of the young woman on the other side of the glass, the Lost Princess of the O.Z. In that moment, the glass gave one more violent heave before shattering into a thousand tiny splinters. DG screamed and jumped back, unsure if she'd done something - the door burst open in the next moment, and Cain was saying her name.
“What's goin' on?” he asked carefully as he closed the door behind him, shutting it quite effectively in the face of the guard who'd gone to fetch him.
DG's heart was hammering in her chest, and her body began to shake as she held out her arms for him. She couldn't quite remember being so happy to see someone, anyone. Cain took her silent invitation and went to her, wrapping strong arms around her trembling body, trying as best he could to soothe her while taking in the sight of the shards and dust covering the bureau, and the empty, gaping frame where the glass had been moments before.
“That's seven annuals cursed luck,” he whispered low into her messy dark hair. When she pulled away a few inches to look up at him with a confused expression on her face, he nodded his chin towards the bureau in the corner. She glanced back at it before hiding her face in his chest once again. She mumbled something into his vest. He frowned. “What was that?”
“She wants me to let Zero lead the way,” she said, a little louder but so fast her words strung together into one. She felt him stiffen underneath her hands as there was no mistaking what she'd said.
“Who wants you to?” Cain asked her, although by the looks of the broken mirror, he had a pretty good idea.
“The...” she began, but trailed off, instead absently waving a hand toward the empty wooden frame. “Her.” She couldn't quite bring herself to voice that she was taking instructions from her shifting reflection. “She said... I had to follow him alone, with the Emerald.”
A deep growl rumbled through his chest, one she felt against her cheek. “Ain't gonna happen,” he said, each word coming out clipped. “Not alone, whatever the hell you decide you're gonna do, Princess.” There was no anger in his voice, but there was an emptiness that made her shiver. She pulled away, and leaned up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips; the touch caught him by surprise, and there was a startled moment before his lips moved against hers. The kiss was gentle, chaste, and it ended too soon.
“You sure?” he asked her, whispering against her lips. She leaned away from him and shrugged her shoulders. Cain gave a gravelly chuckle, and pressed his forehead against hers. “Aren't sure of much, are ya?”
DG couldn't help but laugh, a squeaky sound that didn't quite seem like her voice. “Not really, no.”
Cain exhaled deeply. “Can't say this is comin' as a surprise; the bastard's been hoverin' so bad, its like he's expectin'... what, I don't know. I'll - well, let me do the talkin'.”
DG let loose a sigh of relief, and nodded underneath the heavy press of his forehead against hers. Her hands had somehow found their way to the collar of his shirt and her fingers curled around the fabric, clinging for dear life. She wasn't sure she completely understood just how Cain felt when it came to what she was asking him to do, but she knew quite clearly that accepting what she'd suggested was difficult for him, that swallowing his pride and his objections were merely the surface of something that ran much, much deeper. She was worried, and a little afraid, but she held this back.
The silence stretched on between them, as his hands gripped at the small of her back, and her fingers flexed on his collar. After a few minutes had passed, Cain pulled back slightly, raising one hand to run his fingers through the hair at her temple. “So are you gonna tell me why you had me dragged all the way up here?” The smile he gave her was easy.
DG gave him the smallest of rueful grins. “You and me have got to make some magic happen, Tin Man.”
Cain's scarred eyebrow popped upward, and she thought she saw a glimmer in his blue eyes, but it was too quick for her to be sure. “Magic, hmm?” he mused.
She definitely had his attention. The faint, distant words spoken by the girl in the mirror and the sudden shattering of the glass had practically pushed thoughts of 'The Record' and the shield spell from her mind, although she'd sent for Cain not seconds before she'd noticed the oddity of the liquid rippling of the mirror's surface. The addition of Zero and thoughts of his sneering, smug face had her thinking of Cain in a completely different way than intended. But now here she was being reminded by the man standing before her, her Tin Man, that they still had a job to do... one that couldn't be done until they were both safe from prying eyes... and the magic 'Where's Waldo?' book with which the prying eyes spied.
Without speaking, as she wasn't sure what to say, DG chewed on her lip as she reached up to cup Cain's face in her hands. He watched her patiently, icy eyes catching hers and refusing to let go. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, remembering bits and pieces of her lessons with Tutor... talk of visualization, of focus, of Light.
“I think you're going to need to sit down,” she said. There were a few moments of skeptical hesitation before, without a word, Cain backed up a few steps, taking her with him. When his legs hit the edge of the bed, he sat down on the mattress. It made her nervous that he was so trusting of her, that he was about to let her... dive into his cranium... she shook her head, trying to get rid of old memories. She found herself standing in the cradle created by his open legs, his knees pressed against the outside of her own. His hands stayed heavy and comforting on her hips, dragging down to her knees and then back upward again. She looked down at him, running her fingers through his pale blonde hair... every part of him was so different from her... except in the eyes.
“Deeg,” he said steadily. “Stop your thinkin' right now.”
She went back to biting her lip to cut off the words of defence that wanted to tumble out of her mouth. He was right; she was thinking too much. How she could focus without thinking, without putting in the conscious effort, she wasn't sure. The flow of Light had to come as easily as breathing.
DG had always been fascinated by machines, by mathematics and science; figuring out how the thing worked, taking it apart and putting it back together, solving the problem. She could do no such thing when it came to her magic, and she could never know quite how she was able to do what she could. She just... could. Perhaps her Light was a bit like her artwork, the strange other kind of magic she could work with her hands. Holding a pencil lightly in her fingertips as her hand moved the lead fluidly over the page, creating something beautiful out of nothing.
Avoiding Cain's eyes, DG ran her hands over his pale hair again, taking the silliest, briefest moment to enjoy the softness she felt there compared to her own head of frizzy, tangled curls. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, but he reached up and grabbed her wrists, startling her enough for her eyes to pop open and seek out his.
“Kiddo,” he said softly, “quit your worryin'.” His eyes spoke volumes to her, so much more than his simple words were saying; that he trusted her, loved her. He had been right in what he'd said the night before when he'd tried to reassure her. Somehow, they would muck through. As if to reassert himself, Cain pulled her hands down to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, first her right hand, then her left. His lips lingered long next to the ring he'd put on her finger on her birthday.
She released a shaky breath. When he loosed her hands, she returned them to his hair, fingertips skimming lightly. She focused, first concentrating on the power and on her desire to keep him safe. She wanted to protect him from anything that might want to hurt him, but it wasn't his body she needed to center on, but his mind. His memories...
Instantly, her fingertips anchored with a force she couldn't fight against, and her eyes snapped shut as white light flared behind her eyelids. Everything disappeared around her as she was sucked downwards, a rush of wind in her ears though somewhere in the depth of her mind she knew her feet were still planted, that Cain's hands were still on her hips.
She heard it before she saw it, whatever it was... it took another long moment as the cacophony of voices swarmed up around her to realize that it was the very memories and mind she was seeking to keep guarded with the weave of magical protection. Cain's voice called out, echoing deeply, but other voices as well, some she recognized and many others she didn't. There were quiet whispers, rational words, and distant screams that sounded so hauntingly familiar. The empty white space she found herself in began to darken as she walked slowly forward, finding it not at all odd that she could move her legs when she knew she was standing still.
Like dancing on air, her steps carried her; she felt grass beneath her feet, and simultaneously tiled marble, and hardwood, and uneven bricks that she somehow knew were faded yellow. She was both inside, and outside; she could feel the warmth of a hearth fire, of a body pressed against her, but also coldness, a deep empty numbness that penetrated to her very bones as she sank down, down, down. Suffocating.
Scared, she moved faster as the light began to fade around her, until only one spot of brightness appeared before her, a light at the end of a tunnel. Running toward it, she saw faces in the darkness. Those of Jeb, of Adora, of the Mystic Man, her own and so many others that she didn't know. The buzz of voices became the roar of a crowd shouting, a thousand conversations memorized trying to take place at once; the voices and faces chased her, the intruder.
The space she left behind was completely black as she approached the tiny square of illumination. She realized she'd come to the end, and reached up hesitantly on her tiptoes to peek through the thick, dirty glass of the window.
What she saw made her scream!
Arms came up around her, yanking her down again and she fought against the hard body. Her screaming choked off in her throat, cold fear glazing over her as adrenaline shot through her. Gasping for breath, she felt like she'd come up from almost drowning, like she hadn't been breathing at all. As she gulped and struggled, a low and soothing voice sounded in her ear, close enough for her to feel the warmth of it on her neck.
“DG... hey, Princess, its okay. Its okay.”
Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find she'd collapsed onto the floor, and that Cain had left his seat on the bed and was kneeling beside her, leaning over the heap she'd created. The moment that he saw her blue eyes had focused onto him, however hazy, he gathered her into the shelter of her arms, and whispered into her hair.
“Keep breathin', Kiddo. We're safe... sort of.”
Coming out of her terror, she gave a shaky laugh, trying to brush off the emotion still swirling around her, trying to block out the things she'd seen. She wasn't sure if she could process it just yet. “What happened?”
Cain held her tucked underneath his chin, a strong hand cupping her shoulder protectively. “Don't quite know,” he said; he was trembling, even though his skin was hot pressed against hers. “I was hopin' you'd be able to tell me.” His hand swept heavily down her arm until reaching her hand; he tangled their fingers together. “Think you can get on your feet?”
Certain she could trust her own legs with his support, DG nodded. Cain stood first, before hauling her up, grunting a little with discomfort as he did so at the pain from the fight. She stood without swaying; she had her balance, that had to be something. She looked up at Cain, eyes wide as she studied his face; he'd gone pale, and his lips were slightly parted. Though his face was still, his eyes roved endlessly, agitated. Clearing his throat, he reached up to brush her hair away from her face. “How much of me did you see, Darlin'?”
Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face in his neck. “All of it,” she mumbled quietly. “It was so much, Wyatt.” Thinking back on the last thing she'd seen, the totality of what had taken place at the Cain homestead nine annuals before, she shivered violently. She'd been unaware of so much... and the reality of Zero's betrayal and the horror Cain had been made to witness again and again hit her hard enough to hitch her breathing. Biting back her tears, she clung to Cain, disgusted with herself now that she wanted Zero's help.
“Isn't anythin' but memories,” Cain said slowly; she could feel the shaking in his bones calming, though her own body continued to quake. “There are a lot of things we can't do anythin' about now, and its best to leave those things in the past where they belong.”
DG squeezed her eyes shut. Wise words... he'd come to terms with his past already she knew, and she'd just pried into his mind. Startled and frightened as she was, she had no right to be taking on his burden when he wasn't about to give it to her. Swallowing hard and trying to gather herself, she pulled away from his neck and bravely faced him.
“Do you think your spell worked?” he asked her. His eyes were kind.
She sighed, feeling herself relax a little. Between the broken mirror and weaving the spell, she was beginning to feel the drain of it all, but Cain himself seemed... fine. Though she'd jarred him, he didn't seem at all affected by what had taken place, least of all traumatized by it. She tried a smile, but only managed a twitch at the corner of her mouth.
“I felt it... the protection, I mean, going up... its hard to explain. We can have Raw check. Maybe we should do that right now.” She made to move, but he held her fast.
“Don't think so, Kiddo,” he said, a crooked smile quirking his lips. She looked up at him, confused; he leaned down and captured her lips with his, gently at first but pressing harder, becoming more demanding until she moaned low. He chuckled as he pulled away. “Once that adrenaline wears off, you ain't gonna be goin' anywhere for a couple hours at least.”
“What? Why?” she asked, stepping back... and immediately feeling it, the drop inside. Her head gave a little spin, and the room tilted on an axis. Whatever she'd done, she'd used a good deal of magic and needed to sit, at the very least. Sleep, if her body got its way.
However, neither of these options seemed to be in her cards. As she slunk away from Cain and collapsed onto the bed, trying her best to give him a weak smile as he kept a close eye on her, there was a hard, heavy banging on the door, and it burst open.
In marched Zero, uninvited - but to DG's mind, not entirely unexpected. The surprise however came after Zero; Jowan, whom she hadn't seen since before her meeting with the Commander, was carrying a package wrapped in paper in his hands, tied up with twine.
“The Commander requests your presence at his dining table, Your Highness,” Zero announced in authoritative tones.
Jowan walked across the room wordlessly, catching meaningful eye-contact with DG; he told her, without words, that arguing would not be in her best interest. He placed the paper package atop the bureau, where he took in the broken glass with disinterest.
“I'll get someone in here to clean this mess up, Highness,” Jowan muttered gruffly, before leaving the room quickly. Brushing his shoulder against Zero's as he went, the old man was gone before DG had even the thought to speak with him... not that such a thing would have been possible in front of the ex-Longcoat hovering by the door.
DG pushed herself up off the bed, dizzy enough now to feel a little nauseous. “I'm not feeling up to dinner,” she said, glaring hard at Zero with what energy she had left. She couldn't believe how draining hate could be.
“She ain't goin' anywhere,” Cain reaffirmed.
Zero shook his head at Cain. “There isn't a choice to be had, Love,” he said, directing his words at DG. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cain stiffen. “Your Tin Man,” he added derisively, “can accompany all you like. Won't change anything.” Zero nodded toward the package that had been dropped on the dresser-top. “Hurry up and get dressed. An Outlander doesn't like to be kept waiting.”
Author's Note II: I hope against hope the next installment won't take me weeks. This story is draining the life out of me, but I'm similarly pleased at how its going, so... coming soon, a proposal, an interrogation, and... well, it isn't rated "M" for no reason. *wink*
Table Of Contents:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30
31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40
41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48
Author: Rissy James
Characters: DG, Cain, Azkadellia, Jeb, Glitch, Raw, Tutor, the Queen, Ahamo, and some old & new OCs
Pairing: Established Cain/DG; established Jeb/Az
Rating: M
Summary: Sequel to " Of Light". After an annual of living in the O.Z., DG sets out to complete the task given to her by the Gale. Soon, she must learn that there is always more to everything than first meets the eye.
Extras: Cast Page on livejournal.com (updated 07.01.09)
Author's Note: Another long one, hopefully it makes up for the wait. A quick recap, since it has been so long - DG and Cain have run across their new enemy (the Lady Catticalisa) in the Western Mountains, and were saved by their old foe-turned-ally, the Outlanders - and have discovered that Zero has spent the last annual hiding over the border, working as a scout for the Commander. Now they seek a way to keep themselves hidden from The Record, a magic picture book that shows anyone you ask it to see, before returning to the Zone and heading for the Black Forest, and the temple at Deadwood Fall.
Chapter Twenty Seven
DG hurriedly relayed everything the Commander had mentioned about the book, the Lady Catt, and her inadvertent role in putting Dorothy Gale on the throne of the O.Z.
At first, Cain didn't believe her. Not that she'd expected him to.
To his credit, Wyatt had listened patiently. He hadn't asked questions. For ten minutes he stood, barely moving as she paced back and forth in the tiny bathroom, talking fast and flailing her hands. When finally she came to her conclusion, she leaned against the wall opposite him, slightly dizzy.
Wyatt slowly shook his head, putting a hand over his eyes. “You think the girl you've been seein' in the mirror is a princess? No, no... the Lost Princess?”
“It makes perfect sense!”
He groaned. “I think 'perfect' might be a bit too strong a word, Darlin'.”
Frowning, she crossed her arms over her chest. Perhaps he was right that perfect sense it might not be, but it was the only thing that seemed to make any sense. When he saw that she wasn't about to fight him, he sighed, and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
“And what exactly does this girl got to do with what we're tryin' to get done?”
DG felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth; Cain always had a way of simplifying things. “I don't know yet,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe I'll just ask her.”
Cain gave her a half-smile, both of amusement and disbelief. “Ask her?”
Before DG could answer, the sound of the cell door being wrenched open brought to her attention that she'd stayed over-long. Cain bolted upright and away from the sink, and she ran to him for a quick kiss, a whispered promise to return in the morning. Leaving him alone in the bathroom, she put herself between him and the guards, going easily and avoiding any trouble. She caught sight of Zero hovering outside of Cain's door before being escorted up the stairs again.
The guard who took his position outside her door was frightened of her. He refused to physically touch her, unlike most that had come before him, always been eager to push and pull. Her attempts to get his name out of him went unanswered.
DG spent most of the night thinking too much, going over what she knew again and again in her mind before finally passing out into a deep, exhausted sleep. She'd crawled into bed in the borrowed dress because she didn't want to face the mirror in the bathroom to wash up or change. Not just then, at any rate.
Morning - or whatever time it was when she awoke, she couldn't be too sure - was a different story. Her sleep had been plagued by half-dreams, wisps of colour, voice, and event that whirled into a big blur. The image of a leather-bound book slamming shut had jarred her awake, and she sat up with her heart hammering.
In the strange, old bed, it didn't take long for her mind to start buzzing. She couldn't lie around while there were things to be done... her meeting with the Commander the night before had barely touched down on the subject of the Emerald... or the vague promises she'd made him the year before.
“He can have the Emerald... after I've found a way to destroy the magic that dwells within it.”
Unsure of how exactly to do it, DG had paid a visit to the Reader on Az's advice, and the Reader had sent her West on the promise that her problem was not how to destroy the magic of the Emerald, but where it would be possible to do so. So West she'd come, almost blindly. Here she was, waiting for lightning to strike or for the proverbial light bulb over her head to blaze with inspiration. How the hell was the Commander supposed to help her sneak the Emerald into the Black Forest... especially if the Lady Catt could keep an eye on her through Cain? At least, assuming that she herself was protected at all by the cloak on her memories.
Shaking her head, DG put thoughts of the Commander and the Emerald aside as she got out of bed. She gasped when her feet hit the cold cement floor, worse than even her own attic in the dead of Kansas winter. She didn't think about food, or her own clothes. Braiding her hair messily as she went, she left her room with the Commander's nameless guard hot on her heels. She knew she couldn't continue with their plan to infiltrate the Black Forest if the Lady Catt could see them coming. So, she went to the only person she could think of that might be able to help her with her magic.
Raw came to the barred window in his cell door the moment he heard DG arguing with his guards. He grinned toothily at her as she negotiated fifteen minutes alone with him. When the Commander's men finally relented, DG gave the first truly happy smile Raw was sure he'd seen on her in a long time.
When the door was slammed shut and locked behind her, DG hugged her friend. “Second try always better,” Raw said quite sagely as she pulled away.
“How are you holding up?” she asked him tentatively.
“Raw likes quiet. Raw do better than others,” he told her sadly, nodding his head subtly in the vague direction of the cells of Hass and Cain, which she'd found the night before. A knot began to form in her stomach at the thought of Hass pacing his cell like a caged animal, of Cain locked in alone with his memories.
Raw, feeling the dark shift in her emotions, reached out and touched her wrist.
“You are still fine,” he told her, and she smiled, as if she'd needed his reassurance. “But come for reason.”
“Um, yeah,” DG said slowly, as she ran her hands through her hair. Raw watched her patiently, a look of concern in his eyes as he watched her shake loose her jangled nerves. “I need you to take a look at the protection my mother put over my memories.”
Raw's brow furrowed in confusion. “Take... look?”
DG gave him the best pair of puppy-eyes she could manage. “I need to know all I can about the magic before I try and cast the spell on Cain.”
Raw's eyes widened. “Tin Man won't like idea.”
“Raw, the witch we ran into on the road has a book that helps her find anyone in the Zone,” she explained quickly. “I think that the magic protecting my memories hides me from the book's sight.” Raw, as Cain had, looked wary of this fact. Frowning, she continued. “I can't think of any other explanation why Lady Catt didn't know I wasn't in Central City.”
“DG just want Raw to look?” he asked her apprehensively.
Silently, she nodded. She knew that both of their thoughts had gone to the damage done to Lylo when he'd been forced to View her memories, trying to unearth the hidden location of the Emerald. The old Viewer had managed to discover a piece of the secret - “Emerald... is in... the Gray Gale!” - and had paid a most terrible price for it. DG understood Raw's hesitation and fear, but she also knew that if he didn't try to bypass the magic with his own power, no harm would come to him.
Raw seemed to come to the same conclusion, because he dragged an old metal stool into the center of the room and motioned wordlessly for her to take a seat. Perching herself on the stool, she practised her best princess posture and waited with bated breath as he stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
Raw gave the slightest jump, and his breathing quickened almost imperceptibly. DG's teeth sunk into her lower lip as she waited, glancing around the room and feeling nothing out of the ordinary at all, except for the feather-light weight of his hands on her shoulders. The grip of his fingers tightened and loosened rhythmically as the seconds passed... No more than five minutes went by before Raw let go of her shoulders, and took a step back away from her.
DG spun around on the stool. “Are you okay? What did you see?” She tried not to let his dark eyes of misgiving bother her. Not without vocal confirmation.
Raw took a deep breath, and it looked to her for a moment that he might be struggling with his words. But no... “Spell is... woven on memories. Protects through hiding... con- … conceals, like memories not there at all. DG can see but... no one else can see.”
“Is it complicated?” she asked, unsure if he would be able to answer the question as thoroughly as Azkadellia or her mother might. She didn't want to let herself focus on how difficult long-distance communication was; on the Other Side, it would merely have been a case of picking up the phone, or sending an E-mail. Now, there would be no way of asking her mother about the spell short of walking to the Northern Island... and once was enough for her lifetime.
Raw shook his head. “Not hard. Not dangerous. Spell formed from true wish to protect.”
“Is it something I'm going to be able to do?” she wondered aloud.
“DG has power to make spell,” Raw said with a rumbling sigh. “Raw not sure... DG should think more. Meditate, maybe.”
She shook her head. They didn't have much time left; the storm that dumped inches and inches of snow in the mountains couldn't last forever. There was still so much she had yet to accomplished. “I have to try,” she said slowly. “We're all in trouble if Catt can find us and follow us. Even you.”
Raw tapped his temple. “Raw not human. Raw safe.”
DG gave him a weak smile, hoping he was right. “I'll go to Cain soon. We should get this over with as soon as we can.”
“DG must not hurry,” Raw interjected quickly. “Take time. Spell will...” He hesitated, once again stumbling over his second language. “Bind. Spell bring DG and Cain close. Tie with magic. Tie not break easy.”
“Anything that keeps him out of the book's sight is fine by me,” she told her friend. She and Cain were already bound by more than just emotion, or the physical relationship they shared. What difference the spell would make, she didn't know.
Raw put an arm around her shoulders. “DG need rest, then. Magic will take much; be ready for drain.”
Oh... the drain hadn't been something she'd taken into consideration. Leaning into Raw, she nodded. “Thank you,” she told him, and was glad when he smiled at her. “I don't know what I'd do in this crazy place without my friends.”
When she pulled away, she didn't like the sad smile that he was giving her. Without explanation, he led her to the door and rapped hard on it with his gloved hand. “Rest,” he reminded her. “DG meditate in peace before going to Tin Man. Better for all that way.”
***
That afternoon in Central City, the Queen of the Outer Zone and her superior advisor met for lunch. Never mind that the meal was sandwiches and tea at her massive desk, or that they were merely taking a break from combing over Andrus' reports. It was quiet, and private - minus the fifteen-year-old Tory, napping on the exquisitely uncomfortable settee in the corner of the office - and it was a much needed moment of relaxation for both Azkadellia and Ambrose.
To Az, the lengthy reports were a let down, despite the progress the army made. There was no outright mention of one Lt. Jeb Cain, only a tacked-on line at the end of one hand-written letter from the general, stating that the army's scouting efforts continued unnoticed.
“The arrangements for the Harvest celebrations are coming along nicely,” Ambrose mentioned offhandedly, interrupting Azkadellia's thoughts of Jeb. It was a blind attempt at beginning a conversation.
Azkadellia offered him a placating smile. “Glitch, I don't care.”
Ambrose's eyebrows shot up. Az didn't often call him Glitch. The name was too close to the unmentionable subject of his headcasing at the Sorceress' hands.
Az took a careful sip of her hot tea. When Ambrose still hadn't spoken by the time she'd replaced her cup on the saucer, she sighed. “DG was looking forward to the Harvest.” She looked down at her desk, covered in papers and books. “It wasn't celebrated after the Eclipse and when she found out about it...”
Ambrose picked up the Queen's trailing thought. “She felt cheated. I remember. Her first real Ozian holiday and no one told her about it.”
Since the Great Famine, the shifting of the land under the Witch of the Dark, the actual harvesting of the Papay fields wouldn't be taking place for another month or so - though in truth, Az wasn't sure what kind of crop there would be with the cold snap they'd been experiencing. Glitch had mentioned to her several times a desire to research the delayed growing season and the odd weather, but she'd waved him off. The end-of-harvest celebrations held annually in Central City on September the First since before the time of Dorothy Gale would go ahead, harvest or not. An attempt to return to the time before the Sorceress' - her - regime.
“When do you expect DG to return, Ambrose?” she asked him, lowering her voice. There was very little opportunity for her to drill him about her sister; the entire court believed DG and Cain had gone to Finaqua to celebrate their engagement in private as the captain took some much deserved leave. Whispering about her sister or the Tin Man was impossible - the slightest overheard word could undo all the careful planning.
Now, in the privacy of her office she could let down her guard and ask.
Ambrose leaned back in the chair he'd pulled up to her desk. “Well,” he said slowly, “taking into consideration the cold weather lately, it could be another three or four days before they're back anywhere near the Central province. But -” he added on quickly, “ - That is also dependent on how far West they actually travel. They could very well have gone out of the O.Z.”
Azkadellia shivered at the thought, and took another sip of tea to try and warm herself. She cast a quick sidelong glance at Tory, still asleep on the brocaded sofa. She sighed. “I didn't think the days would pass so slowly.”
When she looked up at her advisor, she was glad to see that he was smiling at her. “There was never any indication of how long this would take them,” Ambrose reminded her. “They've been gone nine days. Its possible they could be gone for weeks more, or they could be returning within the next few days.”
Azkadellia sighed deeply. “And DG didn't tell Tutor how close she was?”
“No, she just babbled on about 'The Record', and let slip that you'd sent her to the Reader,” he admonished lightly.
“Oh, that,” Azkadellia said with a blush. “Don't look at me like that. Sending her to Cynthia obviously helped.”
Ambrose frowned. “Obviously.” He sensed his dark mood was too much for her, and gave her a bright grin, turning it on as easily as flicking a switch. “Cheer up, Doll,” he said in the tone that so often calmed DG. Thankfully, it seemed to have somewhat the same effect on Az. The Queen before him smiled weakly - it was a start. “DG and Cain will be back before you know it, and we'll be planning a ridiculously expensive wedding, much to both their chagrin.”
Az rolled her eyes, but her smile widened. She was about to say something - perhaps about pink bows or floral arrangements - when Tory shifted in his sleep on the couch, muttering that he didn't want to clean out the hen-coop one more God-damned time. The two adults sitting at the desk whipped their heads around at the noise before breathing a mutual sigh of relief that the boy hadn't woken.
“And what about young Master Tory?” Azkadellia wondered aloud. “When is summoning a Travel Storm penned into my itinerary?” In DG's absence, her schedule of appearances and speeches had become almost unbearably hectic. She'd expected as much when she'd risen to the throne, but she hadn't anticipated just how much of the burden DG had shouldered before she'd gone on... walk-about.
Ambrose gave her an indulgent, cheeky grin. “You're scheduled to walk through the Fields of the Papay immediately following the Harvest celebrations to observe the preparations for the actual harvest,” he said in an official-sounding voice. “But,” he added, tapping the side of his nose with one long finger, “there may be a quasi-unscheduled detour to a safely undisclosed location.”
Azkadellia nodded slowly. Ah yes, a random out-of-the-way field where no one will notice a twister materializing out of thin air, she thought.
“Have you asked the boy how he plans to explain where he's been?” she asked the advisor pointedly. “Two weeks is a long time to disappear for.”
Ambrose took a moment to turn in his chair and watch the boy, sleeping soundly on the sofa. “He doesn't seem all that concerned about it.” When Azkadellia's brow knit together in confusion, Ambrose shrugged. I'm sure he'll be able to come up with some sort of story. If not, we can concoct one for him.”
“And what of modifying his memory?” Azkadellia's voice lowered further still, until she was speaking in a barely-audible whisper. “To erase all of this.” She looked around at the ornately-decorated office, as if it could encompass all of the Outer Zone and all that the boy had encountered, seen.
“I doubt that will be necessary,” Ambrose said with a small smile. “Lets try to return him in the same condition he came to us.”
Azkadellia said nothing, but drank the last of her tea. She highly doubted it would be possible for the child to return to his world the same as when he'd entered this one. How could anyone be unaffected by the beauty and mystery of the Outer Zone?
***
Relax.
Raw had said rest. DG wondered, as she paced her small room, if he'd sensed that it would be impossible for her.
Her nerves were zinging and her brain racing, and even her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, carrying her from one end of the sparsely furnished room to the next, back and forth until she was sure she'd worn a track in the floor. The muttering would start and stop on its own, and she was thankful she was alone... anyone listening to her would think she was insane.
The bureau in the corner of the room had a tilting mirror, one that she hadn't given much thought to when she'd discovered it. However, the night before she'd turned it to face the ceiling, unwilling to let the glass view her sleep... just in case. After returning from her visit with Raw, she'd righted the mirror and watched it nervously as she paced.
No lights floating behind the glass, no strange images of a girl who looked so eerily similar to her.
Finally... “Who am I kidding?” she asked herself, stalking over to the bureau and placing her palms flat on the bare dresser top. She stared at herself hard, waiting for something to change... but nothing did. With a sigh, she reached out and adjusted the looking glass, tilting it toward her.
She touched the glass, a quick movement as if she were a child dared to do it, leaving a thin smudge. Nothing. The green lights had haunted her for months until she'd avoided all mirrors. She gave a breathy laugh at the sight of herself in the glass now, curious and impatient and just a little bit scared.
“Where are you?” she whispered. Still nothing. With a frustrated growl, she reached out and pressed her palm flat against the center of the glass. “Where are you?” she asked, louder this time. “Show yourself. I know you've been watching me.”
Nothing...
DG didn't quite know what to do. She had been almost certain deep down somewhere that the strange, beautiful face would have appeared, like magic.
Magic... Wyatt. The shield spell... her brain stumbled over this sudden change in focus, and her shoulders fell in defeat as she turned her back on the mirror. She crossed the room and wrenched open the unlocked door. The nameless guard standing in the hall turned his head slightly at her appearance, before staring blankly ahead once more.
“I want the captain of my protection detail brought to my room,” she instructed him. The guard didn't move; DG frowned, holding back a sigh of aggravation. “Send for Captain Cain,” she repeated, trying her very best to channel the regal bearing of her mother and sister, women born to do what she only pretended she could do. “Immediately!” she snapped when the guard continued to hesitate. Another long moment passed, as she stared hard with blue eyes she was sure could bite as sharply as Cain's; finally, the guard gave her a curt nod and headed off down the hallway.
Her heart was pounding as she closed the door, leaning up against the solid wood for support. She glanced around her small cell... and her eyes jumped back to the mirror, widening slightly in disbelief as she took a second good look at the dresser and its looking glass.
The mirror's surface rippled as if water; gentle waves radiating outward from the center, where the tiniest of green lights glowed. DG didn't balk as she walked slowly forward, cocking her head to the side to perhaps change the strange image she was seeing; she wasn't disappointed when she wasn't imagining things, though she felt a bit of cold fear creep up into her belly. The rippling didn't stop, the surface of the glass didn't become solid as she put her hands on the dresser top, and gazed into the mirror, though the green light faded as her reflection... no, the reflection came into view.
The reflection in the mirror wasn't her own, something she wasn't surprised to see; the young woman staring back at her had a pretty smile stretched across her lips, one that crinkled her eyes with silent laughter. “So close...” the girl whispered, a voice farther off than DG had ever heard it, statically displaced. “The Long- ...'s your key.”
DG's shook her head. “I don't understand,” she said; she studied the distorted image behind the still-waving glass... whatever momentum of magic caused the glass to move, the spell was still holding. The dark brown eyes locked onto hers frantically searched her own face.
“Longcoat!” the reflection near moaned; the smile was gone, and she reached a hand up to touch her side of the mirror, flattening her palm and splaying her fingers, causing the waves in the glass to pick up drastically. DG could barely make out the girl's face. “Zero, D- ...to the Fore-”
… Zero? DG felt some part of her inside stop dead in its tracks, whether it be her brain, heart, or courage. “No,” she said, shaking her head almost violently. “He's a murderer!”
“There isn't an- ...'er way,” the girl said, voice breaking and hard to understand; the green light was back, shining at the center of her chest, reminding DG of the chain that had held the Emerald around the Sorceress' neck the night of the Eclipse. “Zero must take y- ...'nd you alone. Its the on- ...to smuggle the Em- ...temple at the Fall.” The girl's second hand came up to the mirror, fingers spreading out in the same way. “The only way,” she repeated, the clarity of her sentence hitting home hard enough to jar DG.
Thoughtlessly, DG raised her hand in the same way, wanting to touch the glass but having enough common sense to be wary. She stood with her hand in mid-air, fingers twitching on their own toward the glass. “It can't be,” she whispered, more to herself than to the reflection. Mirrors reflected the true self, but DG wasn't sure how someone could exist inside the looking glass... “Do you need help?” she asked, her fingers mere centimeters from the liquid surface of the mirror.
“You can't, not yet,” came the last deteriorating whisper from the girl in the mirror.
DG couldn't take it any longer... she let her fingers close the distance, pressing her fingertips to those of the young woman on the other side of the glass, the Lost Princess of the O.Z. In that moment, the glass gave one more violent heave before shattering into a thousand tiny splinters. DG screamed and jumped back, unsure if she'd done something - the door burst open in the next moment, and Cain was saying her name.
“What's goin' on?” he asked carefully as he closed the door behind him, shutting it quite effectively in the face of the guard who'd gone to fetch him.
DG's heart was hammering in her chest, and her body began to shake as she held out her arms for him. She couldn't quite remember being so happy to see someone, anyone. Cain took her silent invitation and went to her, wrapping strong arms around her trembling body, trying as best he could to soothe her while taking in the sight of the shards and dust covering the bureau, and the empty, gaping frame where the glass had been moments before.
“That's seven annuals cursed luck,” he whispered low into her messy dark hair. When she pulled away a few inches to look up at him with a confused expression on her face, he nodded his chin towards the bureau in the corner. She glanced back at it before hiding her face in his chest once again. She mumbled something into his vest. He frowned. “What was that?”
“She wants me to let Zero lead the way,” she said, a little louder but so fast her words strung together into one. She felt him stiffen underneath her hands as there was no mistaking what she'd said.
“Who wants you to?” Cain asked her, although by the looks of the broken mirror, he had a pretty good idea.
“The...” she began, but trailed off, instead absently waving a hand toward the empty wooden frame. “Her.” She couldn't quite bring herself to voice that she was taking instructions from her shifting reflection. “She said... I had to follow him alone, with the Emerald.”
A deep growl rumbled through his chest, one she felt against her cheek. “Ain't gonna happen,” he said, each word coming out clipped. “Not alone, whatever the hell you decide you're gonna do, Princess.” There was no anger in his voice, but there was an emptiness that made her shiver. She pulled away, and leaned up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips; the touch caught him by surprise, and there was a startled moment before his lips moved against hers. The kiss was gentle, chaste, and it ended too soon.
“You sure?” he asked her, whispering against her lips. She leaned away from him and shrugged her shoulders. Cain gave a gravelly chuckle, and pressed his forehead against hers. “Aren't sure of much, are ya?”
DG couldn't help but laugh, a squeaky sound that didn't quite seem like her voice. “Not really, no.”
Cain exhaled deeply. “Can't say this is comin' as a surprise; the bastard's been hoverin' so bad, its like he's expectin'... what, I don't know. I'll - well, let me do the talkin'.”
DG let loose a sigh of relief, and nodded underneath the heavy press of his forehead against hers. Her hands had somehow found their way to the collar of his shirt and her fingers curled around the fabric, clinging for dear life. She wasn't sure she completely understood just how Cain felt when it came to what she was asking him to do, but she knew quite clearly that accepting what she'd suggested was difficult for him, that swallowing his pride and his objections were merely the surface of something that ran much, much deeper. She was worried, and a little afraid, but she held this back.
The silence stretched on between them, as his hands gripped at the small of her back, and her fingers flexed on his collar. After a few minutes had passed, Cain pulled back slightly, raising one hand to run his fingers through the hair at her temple. “So are you gonna tell me why you had me dragged all the way up here?” The smile he gave her was easy.
DG gave him the smallest of rueful grins. “You and me have got to make some magic happen, Tin Man.”
Cain's scarred eyebrow popped upward, and she thought she saw a glimmer in his blue eyes, but it was too quick for her to be sure. “Magic, hmm?” he mused.
She definitely had his attention. The faint, distant words spoken by the girl in the mirror and the sudden shattering of the glass had practically pushed thoughts of 'The Record' and the shield spell from her mind, although she'd sent for Cain not seconds before she'd noticed the oddity of the liquid rippling of the mirror's surface. The addition of Zero and thoughts of his sneering, smug face had her thinking of Cain in a completely different way than intended. But now here she was being reminded by the man standing before her, her Tin Man, that they still had a job to do... one that couldn't be done until they were both safe from prying eyes... and the magic 'Where's Waldo?' book with which the prying eyes spied.
Without speaking, as she wasn't sure what to say, DG chewed on her lip as she reached up to cup Cain's face in her hands. He watched her patiently, icy eyes catching hers and refusing to let go. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, remembering bits and pieces of her lessons with Tutor... talk of visualization, of focus, of Light.
“I think you're going to need to sit down,” she said. There were a few moments of skeptical hesitation before, without a word, Cain backed up a few steps, taking her with him. When his legs hit the edge of the bed, he sat down on the mattress. It made her nervous that he was so trusting of her, that he was about to let her... dive into his cranium... she shook her head, trying to get rid of old memories. She found herself standing in the cradle created by his open legs, his knees pressed against the outside of her own. His hands stayed heavy and comforting on her hips, dragging down to her knees and then back upward again. She looked down at him, running her fingers through his pale blonde hair... every part of him was so different from her... except in the eyes.
“Deeg,” he said steadily. “Stop your thinkin' right now.”
She went back to biting her lip to cut off the words of defence that wanted to tumble out of her mouth. He was right; she was thinking too much. How she could focus without thinking, without putting in the conscious effort, she wasn't sure. The flow of Light had to come as easily as breathing.
DG had always been fascinated by machines, by mathematics and science; figuring out how the thing worked, taking it apart and putting it back together, solving the problem. She could do no such thing when it came to her magic, and she could never know quite how she was able to do what she could. She just... could. Perhaps her Light was a bit like her artwork, the strange other kind of magic she could work with her hands. Holding a pencil lightly in her fingertips as her hand moved the lead fluidly over the page, creating something beautiful out of nothing.
Avoiding Cain's eyes, DG ran her hands over his pale hair again, taking the silliest, briefest moment to enjoy the softness she felt there compared to her own head of frizzy, tangled curls. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, but he reached up and grabbed her wrists, startling her enough for her eyes to pop open and seek out his.
“Kiddo,” he said softly, “quit your worryin'.” His eyes spoke volumes to her, so much more than his simple words were saying; that he trusted her, loved her. He had been right in what he'd said the night before when he'd tried to reassure her. Somehow, they would muck through. As if to reassert himself, Cain pulled her hands down to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, first her right hand, then her left. His lips lingered long next to the ring he'd put on her finger on her birthday.
She released a shaky breath. When he loosed her hands, she returned them to his hair, fingertips skimming lightly. She focused, first concentrating on the power and on her desire to keep him safe. She wanted to protect him from anything that might want to hurt him, but it wasn't his body she needed to center on, but his mind. His memories...
Instantly, her fingertips anchored with a force she couldn't fight against, and her eyes snapped shut as white light flared behind her eyelids. Everything disappeared around her as she was sucked downwards, a rush of wind in her ears though somewhere in the depth of her mind she knew her feet were still planted, that Cain's hands were still on her hips.
She heard it before she saw it, whatever it was... it took another long moment as the cacophony of voices swarmed up around her to realize that it was the very memories and mind she was seeking to keep guarded with the weave of magical protection. Cain's voice called out, echoing deeply, but other voices as well, some she recognized and many others she didn't. There were quiet whispers, rational words, and distant screams that sounded so hauntingly familiar. The empty white space she found herself in began to darken as she walked slowly forward, finding it not at all odd that she could move her legs when she knew she was standing still.
Like dancing on air, her steps carried her; she felt grass beneath her feet, and simultaneously tiled marble, and hardwood, and uneven bricks that she somehow knew were faded yellow. She was both inside, and outside; she could feel the warmth of a hearth fire, of a body pressed against her, but also coldness, a deep empty numbness that penetrated to her very bones as she sank down, down, down. Suffocating.
Scared, she moved faster as the light began to fade around her, until only one spot of brightness appeared before her, a light at the end of a tunnel. Running toward it, she saw faces in the darkness. Those of Jeb, of Adora, of the Mystic Man, her own and so many others that she didn't know. The buzz of voices became the roar of a crowd shouting, a thousand conversations memorized trying to take place at once; the voices and faces chased her, the intruder.
The space she left behind was completely black as she approached the tiny square of illumination. She realized she'd come to the end, and reached up hesitantly on her tiptoes to peek through the thick, dirty glass of the window.
What she saw made her scream!
Arms came up around her, yanking her down again and she fought against the hard body. Her screaming choked off in her throat, cold fear glazing over her as adrenaline shot through her. Gasping for breath, she felt like she'd come up from almost drowning, like she hadn't been breathing at all. As she gulped and struggled, a low and soothing voice sounded in her ear, close enough for her to feel the warmth of it on her neck.
“DG... hey, Princess, its okay. Its okay.”
Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find she'd collapsed onto the floor, and that Cain had left his seat on the bed and was kneeling beside her, leaning over the heap she'd created. The moment that he saw her blue eyes had focused onto him, however hazy, he gathered her into the shelter of her arms, and whispered into her hair.
“Keep breathin', Kiddo. We're safe... sort of.”
Coming out of her terror, she gave a shaky laugh, trying to brush off the emotion still swirling around her, trying to block out the things she'd seen. She wasn't sure if she could process it just yet. “What happened?”
Cain held her tucked underneath his chin, a strong hand cupping her shoulder protectively. “Don't quite know,” he said; he was trembling, even though his skin was hot pressed against hers. “I was hopin' you'd be able to tell me.” His hand swept heavily down her arm until reaching her hand; he tangled their fingers together. “Think you can get on your feet?”
Certain she could trust her own legs with his support, DG nodded. Cain stood first, before hauling her up, grunting a little with discomfort as he did so at the pain from the fight. She stood without swaying; she had her balance, that had to be something. She looked up at Cain, eyes wide as she studied his face; he'd gone pale, and his lips were slightly parted. Though his face was still, his eyes roved endlessly, agitated. Clearing his throat, he reached up to brush her hair away from her face. “How much of me did you see, Darlin'?”
Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face in his neck. “All of it,” she mumbled quietly. “It was so much, Wyatt.” Thinking back on the last thing she'd seen, the totality of what had taken place at the Cain homestead nine annuals before, she shivered violently. She'd been unaware of so much... and the reality of Zero's betrayal and the horror Cain had been made to witness again and again hit her hard enough to hitch her breathing. Biting back her tears, she clung to Cain, disgusted with herself now that she wanted Zero's help.
“Isn't anythin' but memories,” Cain said slowly; she could feel the shaking in his bones calming, though her own body continued to quake. “There are a lot of things we can't do anythin' about now, and its best to leave those things in the past where they belong.”
DG squeezed her eyes shut. Wise words... he'd come to terms with his past already she knew, and she'd just pried into his mind. Startled and frightened as she was, she had no right to be taking on his burden when he wasn't about to give it to her. Swallowing hard and trying to gather herself, she pulled away from his neck and bravely faced him.
“Do you think your spell worked?” he asked her. His eyes were kind.
She sighed, feeling herself relax a little. Between the broken mirror and weaving the spell, she was beginning to feel the drain of it all, but Cain himself seemed... fine. Though she'd jarred him, he didn't seem at all affected by what had taken place, least of all traumatized by it. She tried a smile, but only managed a twitch at the corner of her mouth.
“I felt it... the protection, I mean, going up... its hard to explain. We can have Raw check. Maybe we should do that right now.” She made to move, but he held her fast.
“Don't think so, Kiddo,” he said, a crooked smile quirking his lips. She looked up at him, confused; he leaned down and captured her lips with his, gently at first but pressing harder, becoming more demanding until she moaned low. He chuckled as he pulled away. “Once that adrenaline wears off, you ain't gonna be goin' anywhere for a couple hours at least.”
“What? Why?” she asked, stepping back... and immediately feeling it, the drop inside. Her head gave a little spin, and the room tilted on an axis. Whatever she'd done, she'd used a good deal of magic and needed to sit, at the very least. Sleep, if her body got its way.
However, neither of these options seemed to be in her cards. As she slunk away from Cain and collapsed onto the bed, trying her best to give him a weak smile as he kept a close eye on her, there was a hard, heavy banging on the door, and it burst open.
In marched Zero, uninvited - but to DG's mind, not entirely unexpected. The surprise however came after Zero; Jowan, whom she hadn't seen since before her meeting with the Commander, was carrying a package wrapped in paper in his hands, tied up with twine.
“The Commander requests your presence at his dining table, Your Highness,” Zero announced in authoritative tones.
Jowan walked across the room wordlessly, catching meaningful eye-contact with DG; he told her, without words, that arguing would not be in her best interest. He placed the paper package atop the bureau, where he took in the broken glass with disinterest.
“I'll get someone in here to clean this mess up, Highness,” Jowan muttered gruffly, before leaving the room quickly. Brushing his shoulder against Zero's as he went, the old man was gone before DG had even the thought to speak with him... not that such a thing would have been possible in front of the ex-Longcoat hovering by the door.
DG pushed herself up off the bed, dizzy enough now to feel a little nauseous. “I'm not feeling up to dinner,” she said, glaring hard at Zero with what energy she had left. She couldn't believe how draining hate could be.
“She ain't goin' anywhere,” Cain reaffirmed.
Zero shook his head at Cain. “There isn't a choice to be had, Love,” he said, directing his words at DG. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cain stiffen. “Your Tin Man,” he added derisively, “can accompany all you like. Won't change anything.” Zero nodded toward the package that had been dropped on the dresser-top. “Hurry up and get dressed. An Outlander doesn't like to be kept waiting.”
Author's Note II: I hope against hope the next installment won't take me weeks. This story is draining the life out of me, but I'm similarly pleased at how its going, so... coming soon, a proposal, an interrogation, and... well, it isn't rated "M" for no reason. *wink*
Table Of Contents:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30
31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40
41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48