Chapter 10: Nothing Is Over
“You’re really… very good at this.”
“I have to be. You’re a challenge.”
IXH
Isabella groaned, falling face-first on the bed. Haruka laughed softly, setting a hand on her hip. “Very graceful.”
“Shush.” Bella turned over, blinking up at her. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Sure, but I don’t need to sleep yet.”
“Oh, okay.” Isabella slipped under the sheets, laying her head on the pillow but staring at the ceiling.
Haruka smirked a little, folding her arms and tilting her head. “Want me to keep you company?”
“Well, I mean, if you want to…”
Haruka chuckled, sitting on the bed and leaning against the wall. Bella happily shifted over and laid her head in Haruka’s lap, closing her eyes and sighing in contentment as the monk gently stroked her hair. “You’re cute when you’re tired, you know.”
“I’m always cute,” Isabella mumbled, getting another laugh from Haruka.
“True.” She smiled, watching Bella fall asleep. She went quickly, exhausted as she was. It made Haruka worry, but still she was happy in this moment. It wasn’t something she’d ever seen coming; this whole situation was a surprise, in fact. It was an odd feeling that she hadn’t even heard of Isabella a month ago, but now any other life than this one seemed odd and, somehow, wrong. Things had changed so much so fast that her life seemed unrecognizable.
It had her worried for the future, but she knew she couldn’t think about the end. She had no idea what her life would be like after Bella was gone, but focusing on that would only drive her insane and prevent her from enjoying life as it was now. She would just have to focus on the present and not deal with the end until it came. Looking down at the woman sleeping against her, she hoped it wouldn’t come for a long, long time.
IXH
Freya sat back in her office’s chair, watching the young man that sat across from her. Able was an odd one with a lot of mystery surrounding him, but then, Freya herself was pretty unknown to most people. Still, the young man wasn’t able to explain nearly enough to satisfy her. His appearance was unusual at best and suspicious at worst, though she didn’t really think he was an enemy. No, in fact, she fully believed what he said. The thing that made her buy his story was his manner; he was frustrated by what he couldn’t explain or remember, and he seemed more annoyed by his situation than anyone.
Freya crossed her legs, tilting her head questioningly. “Y’ smoke? Drink?”
Able stopped inspecting the many things in her office to look at her. “I suppose I could use a drink.”
“Atta boy.” Freya yanked open a drawer and pulled out a bottle and a glass, filling the glass before passing it over to him.
He took the glass and sniffed it once before taking a drink. He immediately began coughing, holding the glass away from him and glaring at it like an enemy. “What the hell is this?”
Freya grinned. “Grog. I thought y’ might like somethin’ strong after th’ day you’ve ‘ad. Drink it down, puts hair on yer chest.” She winked at him before taking a large gulp herself.
Able eyed her warily across the desk. “So how much hair do you have on yours?”
Freya set down the bottle, leaning forward and smiling darkly. “You really wanna go there?”
“Probably not…” He swirled the glass around a bit before draining all of it at once, giving a shudder afterwards as he slammed the glass down on the desk.
Freya laughed, slapping the desk. “I knew I liked you! That took guts. It was a terrible idea an’ yer gonna find out why in a few minutes ‘ere, but still, took guts.”
Able smirked, leaning back in his seat. “I’ll be alright. So what did you wanna talk about?”
“Well, I…” They looked over as someone knocked on the door. “It ain’t locked!” Haruka stepped in, closing the door behind her. “Ah, Ruka. I thought you’d be with Bella?”
Haruka smiled. “She fell asleep about an hour ago. I’m going to go back, but I want to make sure I know what’s going on first.”
“Ah, great, great! Well, take a seat.”
Able watched her as she sat down. “Is she alright?”
“Bella?” Haruka leaned back, folding her arms. “She’s just tired. Tonight took a lot out of all of us, I think.”
“Aye, you’re right about that,” Freya added, leaning forward on her elbows. “It was a bad situation, but we all got out.”
Haruka glanced at Able. “Thanks to you in no small part.”
Able shrugged. “I’d have died if I was alone, as I was before. As far as I’m concerned you saved me.”
“Well, let’s talk about that.” Freya clasped her hands. “Yer a strange kid. You’re missin’ a lotta mem’ries, right?”
Able met her eyes, nodding. “I don’t remember a lot of things, including how I got on that ship or where I got my powers. Basically, I don’t know a big chunk of the first part of my life, and after that there’s a bunch of random gaps, just like the one before I was on the ship.”
Haruka tilted her head. “That doesn’t sound like repression. Do you think it might be some form of severe schizophrenia?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m being jumped through time. Or, maybe I just forget things. I don’t even know if it’s complicated or mundane.”
“You always travel alone?” Freya asked, rubbing her chin in thought as he nodded. “Maybe if you ‘ad someone with you when it ‘appened they could tell you.”
“Are you volunteering?”
“D’ you wanna be a pirate?”
“Not really?”
“Then I ain’t an option.” She leaned back, glancing at Haruka. “But… You could go t’ my nephew. You’d make a good mercenary.”
Able glanced between them. “What kind of mercenary?”
“Oh, not a bad one. It’s an army. Ruka an’ Bella are goin’ that way.”
Haruka nodded. “You could come with us. I know for a fact Bella wouldn’t mind. You should know, though, that we’re being hunted by the Black Sun.”
Able studied her for a long moment before shrugging and leaning back. “Sounds like more reason for me to go with you.”
Freya smiled. “Really do like you, kid.”
Haruka tilted her head. “You want to help us?”
“I have nothing else to do.”
“Well… I will appreciate you helping to keep Bella safe.” Haruka stood up. “Since plans are set, I’m going back to her. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
They bid her goodnight as she left, then Freya turned to Able. “Those girls… I’ve kinda gotten attached to ‘em. They got enough problems; you be sure to keep ‘em safe, alright?”
Able met her gaze seriously. “I’ll do my best.”
IXH
Haruka slipped back into the room, quietly shutting the door. Her brow knit in concern as soon as she entered and heard Bella crying. She was about to ask what was wrong before she realized the woman was still asleep and her expression saddened. Haruka hadn’t seen her experiencing a nightmare before, but she’d figured she suffered a lot of them after the life she’d had. And here was proof; tears were visible even in the dark room, and Bella was curled up and clenching the sheets with something close to ferocity even though soft whimpers came from her.
Not wanting to wake and embarrass her, Haruka removed her mask, jacket, gloves and boots and carefully slid into the bed, cautious not to make any noise. She then gathered Bella into her arms, sighing as the other woman instantly released the sheets and gripped her instead. She stroked her back gently enough to avoid waking her, whispering, “I’m here.” Soon Isabella calmed down and returned to a calmer sleep, leaving Haruka relieved. The monk laid her head back on the pillow, leaving Bella’s head on her chest as she continued the movements of her fingers on her back.
“Damaged” seemed to be an adequate description of her girlfriend. Mentally, emotionally, physically; she just couldn’t catch a break. How much is she hiding? Haruka thought to herself as she stared at the ceiling in the dark. How much does she keep to herself to avoid worrying me? What if it’s because there are things she knows I can’t fix? She sighed, closing her eyes and letting the weight of Bella’s body comfort her. She would ask later, make sure she was being let in on everything. They didn’t have a lot of time, after all. Her thoughts continued along the same lines until she fell asleep a few minutes later, and her mind was dominated by something else…
IXH
Haruka’s Dream
Her eyes shot open at the sound of a scream. Adrenaline flowed through her veins as she looked around, but there was no immediate danger visible. She pushed herself off the wooden floor and inspected her surroundings, finding she was in a small house. It wasn’t an impressive abode but one owned by people of meager means. The furniture was obviously self-made, not fancy but serviceable. The home was clean enough and had a couple pieces of decoration that seemed moderately expensive which were displayed proudly, likely either family heirlooms or the rare extravagant purchases a poor family could sometimes afford.
Following sounds coming from the next room, Haruka went through the doorway to see the four people who presumably owned the home huddling together against a wall. It was a family as she’d expected; a slightly older father, a middle-aged mother, a young daughter and an even younger son, barely a toddler. The young boy was clutched in his mother’s arms while the girl gripped her father’s leg as his hand rested protectively on her head. The little boy cried and hid his face while the other three stared with fear at the opposite wall.
It wasn’t hard to discern why; sounds of chaos echoed outside. Haruka knew well the sound of battle and the dying and it seeped through the wooden walls with a distant, eerie quality, as if the chaos itself was moving towards them. Haruka readied herself for whatever was coming, keeping her gaze fixed on that wall just like the family’s was.
After several minutes during which the fighting died down, that wall of the house suddenly exploded. The family and Haruka all covered their faces as splinters of wood and billows of smoke filled the air. As the smoke slowly cleared, a figure was revealed in the newly-created entrance, a figure with red hair and eyes that Haruka recognized too well. Isabella of Two Faces stood in her demonic form with her large two-handed sword held loosely in one hand, its point scraping the ground. This time her eyes didn’t see Haruka, but they focused on the family coldly.
The elder father made a quick decision at that moment – to protect his family. He pushed his daughter back to his wife and charged forward with a yell, moving to tackle her to give them a moment to escape, but both Haruka and the Isabella of the time knew it was a pointless endeavor. The Golden Butcher disappeared in a flash of movement, reappearing behind him and curling an arm under his chin, catching and stopping his charge. Without hesitation she snapped his neck and let his body drop to the ground, watching him die.
His family, of course, cried out at that, but fear pressed them back into the wall. Isabella slid one foot back and turned her attention to them. Knowing what was coming Haruka tried to look away, but dreams didn’t use reality’s rules so she saw it anyway. She saw the mother beg as the children clung to her, and she saw Bella’s lack of emotion as the blood sprayed across the wall.
IXH
“Haruka, please, wake up!”
The monk jerked awake and sat up rigidly, fully alert and covered in a cold sweat. She slowly released the tension in her muscles as she realized she was back aboard the Black Wake, in bed with Isabella, who was on her knees looking at her worriedly. Haruka sighed, closing her eyes and running a hand over her face. “Sorry I woke you.”
“What was going on?”
She shook her head. “Just a nightmare,” she said dismissively.
Isabella looked away, seeming not to buy it. “About what?”
Haruka shrugged. “Random things. Who knows why the mind picks what it does?” She glanced at Bella, who seemed nervous.
Bella met her gaze. “It wasn’t random. I heard you asking me to stop.”
“I don’t know what that-“
“Haruka, please. Don’t patronize me. What did you dream about?”
The monk sighed. “How is that going to help?”
Isabella slammed her hand into the wall. “Tell me! I have a right to know what’s being shown from my own past!”
Haruka looked away, considering lying but knowing it wouldn’t help. “It was… I don’t know the specific incident, but I think you were clearing out a town. I only saw you kill one family, though.”
“You saw it? Why are you…” She looked down at her fists on the bed. “Why are you seeing these things?! How much are you going to see?!”
Haruka turned to put a hand on hers. “It’s fine, I don’t-“
“No!” Isabella threw off her hand and leapt back out of the bed, stumbling back to support herself on the wall and glaring at her. “You can’t just say it’s fine, you can’t always just try to make me feel better.”
Haruka retracted her hand. “Bella, I don’t care about those things.”
“Yes, you do.” She raised herself up, looking down at her. “It certainly sounded like you cared. You want to keep lying and acting like you don’t care?” she said with a hard voice, her gaze fierce. “You don’t even know how much you ‘don’t care’ about. You want to hear some? One time I hung a four-year-old as a message to a town. You don’t care about that? How about the times – plural – when I set fire to buildings with people inside them? Or when I tortured a woman to get information on her son? Or-“
“Fine,” Haruka said with a sigh, looking over at her. “I do care.”
“Of course you care. Only a monster wouldn’t.” Isabella looked down in frustration, her hands clenched uselessly at her sides. “It’s not… You’re the first person who actually liked me, and now you’re being shown all the reasons you shouldn’t.”
Haruka stood up on the other side of the bed, shaking her head. “That’s not a reason.”
“If you’d met me then, you would’ve been against me.”
“But I didn’t. I met you now. You’re different now; a different person.”
“How long is that going to last?” Bella looked at her sadly. “How many of these visions will it take before the past outweighs the present? There’s already so much going against us, eventually you’ll decide it’s not worth it.”
“Have I ever given you any reason to think that? Have some damn faith in me!”
“I do have faith in you, but it’s hard for that to help when I think that leaving would be the right decision for you.”
“Why would you even think that?”
“Haruka, I’m not…”
Haruka was tired of this argument and tired of that defeated expression. She vaulted the bed and pushed Isabella against the wall, kissing her more fiercely than she had before. Bella returned it immediately as the monk gripped her arms, keeping her there for a long time before ending the kiss but not moving. “Stop confusing the way you feel about you and the way I feel about you.” She lifted a hand to her chin, making sure Bella’s eyes stayed on her. “I love you,” she said more quietly. “And I’m determined and stubborn, and I’m not going anywhere no matter how hard you try. I don’t care if you think it’s a bad decision. And these visions just let me prove to you that I don’t have to be ignorant of your past to feel this way.”
“Why?” Isabella studied her face. “I need to know… Why?”
Haruka was silent for a moment, watching her seriously. “Because you deserve it,” she answered. “And because I have nothing better to do.”
Isabella smiled, looking away. “Now isn’t the time for jokes.”
Haruka tilted her head. “It’s a joke, but it’s true. There’s nothing better I could be doing, even if I had every option.”
“You’re really… very good at this,” Bella said softly without looking back at her.
“I have to be. You’re a challenge.”
Isabella sighed, closing her eyes. “I love you, too.”
Haruka smiled. “I know.” Bella looked back at her and opened her eyes, but there was something different there now, a spark that hadn’t been there before. And the look she was giving… “Bella?” Haruka asked curiously, unsure what was going on in her head. It became clearer when she was shoved back onto the bed and soon had the other woman on top of her, locking her in a kiss that had even more passion than the last one.
It seemed to heat up by the second until Bella finally broke it, leaving both of them panting. She put a hand on either side of Haruka and pushed herself up, tilting her head as she looked down at her. “I hope you got enough sleep already,” she said playfully.
Haruka grinned. “I don’t need a lot of sleep. But…” She caught one of Bella’s wrists, flipping them over and causing the blue-haired woman to yelp in surprise. With their positions now reversed she grinned down at her girlfriend. “…If you think you get to stay on top, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“…I’ll fight you for it.” Haruka just smirked at her, leaning down and kissing her neck as she slid a hand down her side. Isabella’s eyes fell shut as she leaned her head back, catching her breath. “Or… You can have it…”
Haruka chuckled against her skin, her eyes shining. “You won’t be disappointed.”
IXH
Morning seemed to come way too early for Bella these days. She was usually a heavy sleeper these days but this morning she awoke as the sky was barely light, still a good time before sunrise. She reached over and felt that the bed was empty beside her, but still warm. Sounds alerted her to the fact that Haruka was still in the room, and she could see her getting dressed once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. “Haruka?”
“Sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you.” Haruka finished pulling on her longcoat and moved over, sitting on the bed and leaning down to kiss her. “You need to keep sleeping.”
Isabella sighed, laying an arm across her waist. “I’d rather be with you.”
Haruka smirked. “Being with me is the reason you haven’t gotten much sleep.”
Bella grinned. “Oh yeah… It’s worth it, though.”
“I certainly hope it’s worth losing some sleep for.”
“Yep. Just barely, though.”
“Mmm. I’ll work on my technique.”
“Could you? I mean, it was pretty shoddy.”
“Ah. So all those noises you made…?”
“I was trying to make you feel better.”
“Of course. You’re a good person, Bella.”
“I think so. I think I’m a great person.”
“Well sure. And it’s even better that you acknowledge how great you are.”
“Well I mean, modesty is all well and good, but at some point you’re just fooling yourself, right? Sure, I could pretend I don’t realize how awesome I am, but wouldn’t that just be lying?”
“Yes, and lying is wrong. Something about flaming pants.”
“I’m not wearing pants.”
Haruka glanced down at her. “Really…”
“I’m not wearing anything, actually.”
“That’s… very interesting…”
“But I mean, if you were leaving, then-“ Bella cut off with a laugh as Haruka was already back under the sheets and kissing her in seconds.
IXH
Isabella yawned, leaning on the railing of the ship and resting her chin on her arms as she watched the horizon. It was already four hours after sunrise, far later than she’d usually get up, but the smile on her face proved it was worth it anyway. “You’re up late,” a voice said beside her, and she lifted her head a little to glance at the pirate captain.
“Huh?” she said eloquently. She considered coming up with a better response before deciding it wasn’t worth the effort.
Freya raised an eyebrow. “You okay, lass? Y’ seem… out of it.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Bella replied with a smile, laying her head back down. “More than fine, really.”
“I was gonna ask if y’ were feelin’ better, but y’ seem t’ be ‘appy. Y’ also seem tired, though.”
“A little, yes.”
“Weren’t you asleep for about ten hours?”
Bella smiled distantly. “No, I was in bed for about ten hours.”
Freya scratched her head. “I don’t get th’ difference. What were you…” She blinked. “Ah. Ahhhhhh, I get it now,” she said, a grin spreading across her face as Bella giggled at her. “Had a bit o’ fun, did you?”
“Had all the fun.”
“That explains yer mood, fer sure. It’s a bit quick though, ain’t it?”
Bella looked down at the water, her smile fading. “I think a lot of things will have to be quick. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Freya watched her expression change as her own saddened. “It’s that bad, huh?” she asked in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.
Bella nodded and glanced at her. “About a year, I think.”
Freya turned around and sat on the railing, looking at the deck. “You sure ‘andle it well.”
“I’ve known for years now. I’d accepted it already…”
“But now…?”
Bella sighed, straightening and glancing towards the cabins. “Now I’m worried. I have something to lose now, but more than that…”
“You’re worried ‘bout her,” Freya finished for her, receiving a nod from Isabella. “Pretty unfair. What’re you gonna do about it?”
She shrugged and gave a small smile. “Try to help, I guess. It’s easier for me, I think. She has to keep going afterwards, and while I have a pretty low opinion of myself, I know that she doesn’t and it’s going to be hard.”
“Well, I’ll ‘elp however I can,” Freya said with a nod. “An’ she’s welcome t’ join me or my nephew or somethin’.”
Bella smiled at her. “Thank you. It’s good to know she’ll have others when I’m gone. Maybe we’ll meet more people like you.”
“It’s not jus’…” Freya sighed, removing her hat and running a hand through her dark hair. “I’m gonna miss you too, y’know?”
Bella’s smile widened. “Oh, I’m going to miss you as soon as we leave this ship. You’re the best thing to happen to us since this whole thing started.” She turned around to sit on the rail beside her. “I hope I get to see you again.”
Freya folded her arms and looked away. “Yeah… Me too.”
Bella blinked, leaning forward to peek around her. “Freya, are you… crying?”
“Pff.” Freya waved her hand. “I don’t cry. Jus’ saltwater stingin’ my eyes, alright? Gets t’ ya sometimes.”
Bella smiled softly and hugged her. “Thank you.”
Freya sighed. “Jus’ go get ready or somethin’. We’ll make port in an hour or so.”
“Alright.” Bella slid off the rail and walked away as Freya remained in her spot, thinking. The Black Wake came back down into the water as it neared the port town they would be stopping at, as Freya explained that people would understandably get jumpy if she rode in on a storm cloud. The hour passed far too quickly and soon the ship was pulling into the port town of Tower, so-named for the ancient stone tower the town was built around. Tower was about business, not tourism, and so trade ships were visible everywhere. The Black Wake was very well-known and was given no trouble because of that, despite being a known pirate vessel. Isabella stood with Haruka, Able and Freya, asking about that out of curiosity.
“It’s ‘cause I do it right,” Freya explained, gesturing to the many merchant ships surrounding them. “I don’t kill unless I ‘ave to an’ I keep th’ other pirates in line. I’m a stabilizin’ element in these waters. They know that if I weren’t here it’d be more chaotic an’ deadly. It’s kinda like how y’ sometimes go light on organized crime in a city ‘cause it keeps things within certain boundaries.”
“The legends probably help some, too,” Haruka added.
Freya grinned. “Aye, that they do. Th’ Black Wake ‘as all sortsa legends, Bella,” she said, noting the woman’s curious look. “Some say it’s a ghost ship, or that we’re all actually skeletons under th’ moonlight. Others say those who touch th’ Wake are doomed t’ join its damned crew.”
“And you encourage these, I’m guessing?” the knight asked with a look of amusement.
“Well why not? Anythin’ that keeps ‘em off our backs is good for me.” She gave orders to her crew to dock and then turned to the three. “I’m goin’ with you t’ my nephew’s, who should be a short ways south. Th’ Wake needs a rest anyways.”
Bella blinked, tilting her head. “You talk like the ship’s alive.”
Freya winked at her. “I ain’t tellin’ nothin’, lass. Maybe it’s jus’ the words I chose. Now let’s get goin’!”
Bella turned back as the others left, pausing for a moment on the ramp before patting the ship’s railing. “Thank you,” she whispered before following the others. They made their way through the town with Freya stopping once to ask about her nephew before leading them out of the town to the south. Freya said the trip would probably be uneventful and boring; Bella didn’t believe her.
IXH
Areya was in a bad state and worsening by the year. After the departure of The Golden Butcher twenty years earlier, the land had fractured back into the numerous small kingdoms that had once been conquered by Lord Faust through her strength. War had weakened all of them and, as always, the people suffered for it. But in Rainhold, Faust’s former capital, the current young king was paying attention to none of it, for his goals were elsewhere.
The young man’s white hair, ashen skin and haggard appearance combined to make him seem far older than his seventeen years of age. He moved slowly and oddly, sometimes with jerky movements, and he was usually quiet and often found staring at nothing. It seemed difficult for him to focus on things and he rarely made any decisions, leaving the daily run of the now-small kingdom to his advisors. But recently he had grown more animated and this had those in the keep talking.
Today, as his advisors gathered in a room, he burst in to the shock of all of them, slamming his hands down on the table. “We are sending men to Vaelin.”
His head advisor, Malus - a wizened man with brown hair and a thick beard - shared a look of confusion with the others, speaking carefully. “The… Imperial Province, my lord? That is a long way away and has little to do with us-“
“We are sending,” the young man cut him off, fixing him with a piercing glare from maroon eyes, “men to Vaelin.”
“Lord Reis, we have too many problems in our own lands… What is worth such effort?” another one asked, attempting to reason with the young king no one trusted.
“She has been found,” he said softly, raising his head to meet each of their eyes. “Isabella of Two Faces has been found.”
“The Butcher…?” Malus took a seat, as did several others. “You wish to… reacquire her?”
“I wish no such thing,” he spat venomously, lifting his hands from the table and beginning to pace in his odd gait. “She killed my father and she will suffer for her betrayal. Do we not still have an army?”
“Our army is required to protect our lands. Without it we will surely be overtaken.”
Reis moved away, facing the wall for a moment. These men didn’t hunger for vengeance; they would need a reward that would personally benefit them. He turned back, smiling darkly. “Then we shall get her back on our side. With her power we can regain our former glory.” He could see the greed begin to form in their eyes, and he fed it. “We would rule Areya once more, the dominant force. Your decisions would guide the entirety of the land, and their tributes would be yours. Surely such a reward is worth the risk.”
The others seemed willing, but Malus still appeared suspicious. “The Butcher slaughtered her men, killed our king and abandoned us. What makes you think she will change her mind back now?”
“That will not be a problem,” he said with a chuckle as black flames faded into view, licking over his body. “I have spells that will guide her mind.” They all knew of his strange magics, but none of them knew the limits or exactly what he could do. They had no choice but to believe him, and so they did. Excitement began to spark in the advisors as they spoke of a return to glory and power. Reis left the room as they began planning who to send to capture Isabella and how to do it. He would deal with the details later, they could plot for now. Their plans for what to do when she was returned, however, were very, very different from his.
Her body would be quite useful.
IXH
Aranea smiled as she stroked the large white spider on her hand, ignoring the anger of the man beside her. Kazuki was in one of his ‘moods’ and she had tried to outrun it, walking through the monastery in every direction and eventually ending up in the garden, but he had followed her, pestering her about how things were going and how nothing had been done. She sat on a stone bench and played with her children as he jabbered on, continuing to pay little attention to his words.
Finally she saw a moment to interject and looked at him with a smile that she knew would only anger him more. “Dear Kazuki, you worry far too much. Your impatience betrays you. Didn’t I tell you to let me do my work my way?”
He practically seethed, but he knew better than to make a move against her, and she knew it. He folded his arms, glaring stolidly at her. “Have you even made any progress?”
“I had to test things first.” She set the spider on her lap, smiling as she watched it crawl around before finally giving him some attention. She knew treating him like a toddler would infuriate him, but then, that was the reason she did it; she found it enjoyable. “Their relationship is strong. I showed them weakness from each other’s past, but it simply brought them closer. Quite admirable, actually.”
“You’re helping them?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said dismissively. “As I said, it was a test. I had to know if I could play them against each other. If I simply started trying to, they would catch on and any further actions would be fruitless. I now know that such a tactic will not work, so we will have to be more direct. I did, however, learn some very interesting things about her companion.”
“The knight?” Kazuki seemed interested now, his anger dissipating for the moment. “Who is she? What did you learn?”
“Isabella Enyo, She of Two Faces. She’s from Areya, so do not be surprised you haven’t heard of her. She was quite famous there, however. She also has a dangerous enemy who remains in Areya.” Aranea stood up as her white spider moved to her shoulder. She began to stroll through the garden as she spoke, knowing she had successfully calmed Kazuki’s rage. “I have contacted him and he is very interested in getting her back. If we work with him then we should have no trouble splitting the two apart. He can have Isabella, and we will get Haruka.”
Kazuki rubbed his chin. “I dislike your making an alliance without my consent, but this is the appropriate course of action. Can this man be trusted not to kill my daughter?”
“No. We will need to be careful about that and watch the situation. I can aid with that, however. I will be going myself.”
The man raised an eyebrow; Aranea Lith rarely did anything personally, preferring to work through agents or long-distance magic. “You are acting in person?”
Aranea smiled, enjoying putting him off-balance. “I am interested in this situation; it has the potential to be very exciting. Besides, I may take a trip to Areya afterwards and see what fun I could have there.”
Kazuki narrowed his eyes. “You intend to leave?”
The white-haired witch put a hand on her hip, her attractive face darkening into an intimidating visage. “I work with you, Kazuki; I do not belong to you. I may leave at any time I wish to leave. You can find another witch if you like. But do not attempt to stop me forcefully if I choose to live; it will not end well for you.”
The two powerful figures stared each other down for a long moment before Kazuki lifted a hand to point at her. “So long as you do not attempt to betray us, you may do as you like. But try to turn on us and none of your spells will protect you.”
As he walked away Aranea smiled to herself, believing she’d won the confrontation. She did so love power-plays and political games. It was a shame there were so few politics here at this monastery. It was a good position, to be sure; she was provided with whatever she needed and she had no fear of enemies and an endless supply of missions that served as entertaining diversions. Still, she wanted more, and she thought Areya might have it. A fractured land sounded like a place where she could weave such a magnificent web.
As of now, however, other things required her attention. She smiled at the spider on her shoulder, cooing softly. “We have some prey to play with, Sicarius. Let’s start weaving… I know just what to start with.”
IXH
“Haruka, come on!”
The monk remained looking behind her, feeling on edge for some reason. The forest they were in was thick and the trees were massive, giving them no visibility in any direction. Perhaps it was just making her a bit paranoid, but then, was it actually paranoia when people were out to kill you?
Isabella came back to stand beside her. “What is it? You seem really distracted.”
“Nothing, I guess… Just nervous.” Haruka sighed, turning back to see Freya and Able waiting for her. “Let’s keep going.”
As they resumed walking, none of them noticed the massive form that moved silently through the trees behind them.