Cassandra Pendragon
"You want me to do what, exactly," Viyara complained, even though in a rather meek voice. She still hadn't gotten used to the sea of light and shadows the city had become at dusk and I had to admit, watching from up high as cars turned into sparkling veins that pulsed with the heartbeat of civilisation was a surprisingly beautiful outcome of burning fuel. If only my ears hadn't been sensitive enough to make me grit my teeth every time a lorry honked its horn.
With a few steps I joined her at the glass dome that covered a meticulously cared for rooftop garden and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It can't be too difficult, can it?"
"To search an entire world with nothing much to go on? Sure. Almost as easy as falling off a log." I couldn't see her face, but I was decently sure she was rolling her eyes.
"You're exaggerating. I've told you, she's cared for me. I'm sure you can find her. After all…"
"Your power is running through my veins as well. I know." She sighed and leaned into me. "And what are you going to do while Aurelia and I scour the earth?"
"Oh, I won't get bored, if that's what you're worrying about," I chuckled and jerked my head towards the centre of the garden where the dragoness had uprooted a massive Yunnan Cypress. When I breathed in, the smell of crushed leaves and verdant soil still lingered like a memory of simpler times and I felt my fingers tighten around the little seedling I had brought. "I have a promise to keep, a seedling to plant, a phoenix to question and maybe… oh, whom am I kidding, probably a…" my words trailed off and the dragoness immediately stiffened.
"What's going through your mind, now," she groaned. Instead of answering directly I asked:
"Do you know why some magics need a vessel? The portals Greta has absorbed on Gaya for example?"
"Sure. Some spells put too much of a strain on the caster. Unless you're an immortal or a dragon you would simply crumbled without a proper medium to contain the force."
"A little abbreviated, but you're still right. The gate, which has us all chasing our tails, is definitely one of those spells. I'd even go a step further, unless there's an immortal or a crystalline holding the threads, the thing has to be rooted in something much more sturdy than an artefact…"
"Like a planet," she finished my sentence. "But… what does it matter?"
"It means the gate isn't appearing on Earth. It's a part of Earth. And if that's true… I think I have an idea. Remember Auguros' story? About Gaya's spirit guiding him? He described her as a… force which took on a comprehensible shape so that they could communicate. What if… the gate is just the same? A manifestation of Earth's desires?" She frowned at that.
"Even if you're right, what's the point?"
"Maybe we've been thinking in the wrong direction. What if nobody opened or tempered with the magic, but instead it simply activated in response to… I don't know, Earth's desires, hopes, maybe even her fears?" She stilled before she whispered:
"Like on Gaya. The shadows of a war not yet…"
"No," I cut her off. "What happened on Gaya was or is on Ahri and me. Our birth, our arrival was the catalyst for her to feel the threat to her future, but neither of us has been here in years. Unless another immortal has arrived in the meantime this is something else."
"But… honestly, Cassy, aside from angels and demons, what could make a planet… feel?" I shrugged.
"If I knew I wouldn't have to grope around blindly. But chances are she's trying to tell us. What if the appearances are a message we simply can't understand?"
"Then why has a creature from your past found its way here? Another message?"
"Maybe. Guessing doesn't help much, though. You have to find her. If I'm right… she might carry me where I have to go." I heard the rustling of expensive cloth, curtesy of her measurements being almost the same as Nancy's, when she turned to face me.
"The more you talk the less I want to help. If past experiences are anything to go by, you won't just ride into the sunset. You'll be mauled and hurt when you return, if you're lucky. And I can't imagine that Ahri's fine with it, either. Have you even told her?"
"She's listening in all the time, silly. And yes, she isn't thrilled, but neither am I. Also… she's going to come with me. Reia and Lamia will return home and Ahri will come here. They don't need her. Sarai has revived Mephisto and they're apparently listening to my brothers of all people. We can spare a few days." Her arms snaked around my waist as she pulled me in even closer.
"You didn't think to mention that? What else has happened in the few hours since we left? Has the war ended? Have they caught the Emperor?" She meant it as a joke, but I didn't laugh.
"I only know what Ahri's told me. For now nothing much has changed, but I know Mephisto. He'll be looking for a way around Amazeroth's safeguards, if only to prove that he's just as clever as him. As soon as he tries…" I was rudely interrupted when she shook me. Literally. Even my tails and tresses were sent flying.
"Are you moonstruck," she erupted. "I've played along for the most part, because this… but now, we have to get back! You have to…" I shoved her back as gently as I could.
"Fine, then. What would you have do? Tell me." My voice was cracking and I felt my eyes sting. Didn't she think I knew? "Please, just tell me what I'm supposed to do! Everything I touch, everywhere I go… it just turns to…" I was silenced on the spot when she kissed me. Despite our connection there had been no warning, nothing to tip me off before she had acted. It wasn't a chaste peck either, but a full blown kiss on the lips. For a moment I was utterly paralysed, shock, confusion and no small amount of anger frothing within me like storm swells. Even the surprisingly resigned "you got to be kidding me" in my thoughts went unnoticed. Truth be told, I didn't even break away until she moved on her own.
Panting and probably as red as I had ever been I only stared at her face, barely a handspan away. "Sorry," she mumbled and averted her gaze, but her shyness didn't last long. After she had drawn a shaky breath she quickly added: "you can crucify me all you want later, but now you're going to listen." I was still gaping at her, but the impertinent imp of course took my silence as consent.
"Enough already. Yes, your life… our lives suck at the moment, but that's no excuse to not see the wood for the trees. You're a hothead with a good heart and that's honestly one giant pain in the ass for all of us. Every time something comes up you're working yourself to the bone trying to fix one problem at a time without rhyme or reason. That's got to stop. Cassy… you're not alone. And I don't mean it as a compliment. You're responsible for so many people I sometimes wonder how you even find the strength to stand up straight, but you've made your choices and now it's time to pay the piper. Even you can't be everywhere at once. You have to… let go at some point. Tell me, do you honestly think you have to save a world you've never seen with your own eyes before today while your own home is on the brink of… I don't even know what's happening on Gaya, but I sure as hell know that we, all of us, need you to reign your siblings back in, if we want a place to return to." She was staring at me with an intensity I hadn't seen before, but I still couldn't get my brain to work probably. It was still stuck on the lingering warmth and the taste of molten gold on my lips. Had she actually kissed me? After everything we had been through? Now? Was she bloody mental?
"She isn't insane," Ahri sighed.
"You're… what the…"
"Not my place to tell. Ask her, or rather your audience, once you've cooled down a bit. For now, just try to listen, would you?" What really broke the camel's back, or the angel's in this case, was her almost insulting lack of jealousy and fury. A day ago I wouldn't have put it past her to materialise on the spot and burn the daring dragoness to a crisp. Maybe poke a few holes in her for good measure. Had I missed something important? Had I found my way to a parallel universe instead of Earth? Wait a minute… audience?
"You've brought Aurelia and me for a reason," Viyara continued. Holy… how could she even say the vampire's name without a hint of guilt? "How about you let us do our job while you do yours?" She fell silent and for a long moment I simply stared into her silver and golden eyes while the lights of the city framed her in molten colours.
"Why," I finally breathed and to my utmost surprise she winked and shot a glance over my shoulder.
"Because to them a dragoness who has turned one of their peers into cat food is much more tangible than whatever story you might come up with to keep them away." Like a malfunctioning robot I slowly craned my neck to look at a blushing and admittedly cute gathering of seven perplexed witches and a young monk who looked as if had just found the way into nirvana. With a jolt my mind spluttered back to life, but the entire scene didn't make a lick of sense, even now.
What in the name of all the gods was going on? "And also because I can't keep this up," she added, quietly enough that I wouldn't have heard, if I hadn't been able to see the words in her mind.
I materialised my wings and created a crackling barrier between us and the uninvited peanut gallery. Then I placed my hands on her shoulders and forced her to meet my gaze. She didn't even try to resist and I didn't bother with words, instead I pushed my way through her tumultuous thoughts until I found the reason for her actions. A pretty… oh, judge for yourselves. It had been a goodbye. Not literally, but rather a final gesture to commemorate what would never be and celebrate what we still had.
She couldn't let go, I was a part of her and would always be, but with this she could move on. She could accept that the love we shared was different from what she had hoped for, but it was real nonetheless. And now she didn't have to dream or imagine anymore, she didn't have to lie awake at night, wondering what it would be like. She had something tangible, a memory, a taste and now she was able to look forward without questions… without regret.
I gently cupped her burning cheeks as a wry smile tugged on the corners of my mouth. "Did you know," I asked into my thoughts.
"In a way," Ahri replied. "I didn't know what she actually wanted, but I knew what she was up to. She asked me beforehand. Something about not turning into a piece of charcoal as a result. I told her I would mind, but I wouldn't hold it against her. Was I wrong?"
"No. No, I don't think you were."
"Figures. You enjoyed the kiss, didn't you?"
"I did. And you also know why. Every ending is bittersweet and I'm honestly curious where she's going to go from here. On the other hand… my narcissistic side will surely mourn the lack of attention. It was… exhausting, irritating, but also flattering. And sometimes a much needed reminder that not everything we touch has to turn to ashes. Thank you. That can't have been easy."
"It really wasn't. I'm glad, though… and maybe a little relived." I frowned, but Viyara didn't ask. She knew whom I was talking to.
"You want me to think you're relieved she won't chase after me anymore. But that's not all. There's something… Ahri, is there something you might want to tell me?"
"A few secrets are necessary for a healthy relationship," she shot back, but when she felt my thoughts darkening she immediately added: "come, now. You can figure it out without me telling you. Think, Cassandra, why could I ever possibly be relived?" It didn't take me long.
"Zara. The little elf girl. I guess you spending that much time with her has left a mark. Quite literally, hasn't it? She's where Viyara was a few months ago, isn't she?"
"I think so. But she's simply an elf. A young one at that. She lacks a dragon's maturity. Give it a few weeks and you might be watching the entire play again from the other side of the stage."
"Is that you telling me cautiously that I'll have to deal with someone else kissing you?"
"No… but it could happen. And I'm quite relieved that I won't have to explain why."
"We'll see. I… huh, how did you even keep it from me? Viyara must have talked to you days ago."
"Willpower," she chuckled. "Or maybe we simply have other things on our minds when we're together and when we're not… you usually still have something else going on. Speaking of which… what are you going to do? Viyara's comments rattled you more than they should have. Why?" I sighed at that. Again.
"Long answer… you already know. It feels like I'm failing at everything I try. Short answer: Asura's death and Erya."
"The nameless monk I understand, but what about the fey?"
"I fear… has she already met her children?"
"No… she's… oh, I see. You won't be able to make it here in time, will you?"
"That's just it. I could. But I'm not sure if I'm going to. And I… of everything that's going on that's what's weighing on me. She… I'm not even sure if she actually needs me, but I wanted to be there, if only to hold her hand. She deserves it. That and so much more."
"You do know that she's got a few other friends by now, don't you?"
"I do. But you can't tell me I'm not responsible for her. You know what happened. She's mine, just as much as the dragoness staring at me. I… if I wasn't afraid that I might just doom my friends over here by walking away I would already be on my way back home. But I'm scared. Remember what Lilith said about Amazeroth? That his plans have a far longer reach than just one planet? I'm scared that I have to be here, even though…"
"There isn't much to go on. Don't worry, my love. You'll figure it out. I trust you, Erya trusts you… whatever you do, you'll do what you think is right. That's all there is to it and none of us would ever hold it against you. Unless we stand something to gain, of course. A massage, maybe, or a home cooked meal."
"Are you still speaking for the both of you?"
"I'm sure the fey would kill for either, but… not going to happen. I've already swallowed my pride once, barely ten seconds ago, and that was for a child who needed closure. The fey can go howl at the moon for all I care. She surely has the experience to deal with it." I breathed in deeply and savoured the taste of molten gold on my tongue. On impulse I leaned in closer and kissed Viyara's forehead while my spirits were slowly lifting as if I had finally thrown off a gruelling weight.
"Thank you," I whispered with my voice and with my thoughts. "I think I needed that."