"Am I?" I whispered against her jaw.
"Mmm-hmm." She kissed my neck. "You used to end it by saying that the old man hoped he never gave his beloved reason to regret her new gifts and curses, or an eternity with him."
"And I stopped when you threatened to beat me within an inch of my life I ever ended it that way again," I said dryly.
"You would deserve it. An ending like that is a disgrace to the old man and the girl after everything they went through together. And what their lives were like before each other."
Tenderly, I cupped her chin. "But it's natural for the old man to fear such a thing. In real life, I'm afraid fear like that never dies in anyone, mortal or immortal."
"Then the old man will remain an old fool forever," Morgan said bluntly, but then she smiled. "It's a good thing the girl loves him so."
My throat tightened, and I kissed her desperately. "You really are much better at telling the girl's side than I am. I want to hear it again soon."
"On one condition."
"Anything."
"Promise me that you'll include me in your next crazy plan to gather information."
"Morgan—"
"I'll even give you a bonus by telling you your favorite part of the girl's side." She ran her hand down my cheek and gazed into my eyes. "The girl had long forgotten what it was like to have a heart. And that's what the old man eventually became. He may want to keep her safe, but that's one of the consequences he will have to live with forever if he wants to be with her."
***
Blackhole
Powerful as my father was, he possessed limits. They were few and based mostly on loopholes, but I did not hesitate to take advantage of a particular one. When he saw something, he saw everything of said something, but he was not omnipotent enough to be in every place at once. I was not the object of his attention at the moment, meaning whatever activity I chose to indulge in right now would be hidden from him. And I was desperate to see Mercedes.
Shadow's previous words stung more than I could say, but he would never understand. Nor would Mercedes. There was no escape from Father for me. For any of us. They had to accept that if they possessed even a shred of desire to survive. My attempts to convince them were not as great as they should have been, but I could not deny that no amount of explaining or begging would persuade them. They were fighters. They would die rather than give in. But even in death, they would not be safe from Father. He would get what he wanted from them one way or the other.
But what does he really want from them? What is his ultimate goal for them?
You are his servant. It is not your place to know.
I shuddered and blocked the questions from my mind. The bond always tormented me when I contemplated various answers. And if Father ever knew I was privy to such knowledge he would destroy me before I could even think of warning Shadow or Mercedes.
Invisible, I crept inside the cave where Mercedes and the dragon king dwelled. They were clinging to one another, weeping. My heart clenched at Mercedes' tears and…and were those scars on her face and arms?
Father, what have you done…?
What he always does. You are his faithful servant. You will not question. You will only serve.
Agonizing as it was to see her pain, a part of me was grateful for it along with the sight of the dragon king in her arms. He was even more undeserving of her compassion than I was, but the fact that she would give it to him after all he had done was proof enough that she was still strong. That she was still Mercedes Strand.
Without warning, she lifted her head and looked around as if hearing a faraway voice. Panic surged through me? Was it Father?
No, I realized when I saw that green, scaled feather. No, it wasn't Father.
I ran. I fled to the farthest dimension I could find. Father could still find me within seconds but in my terror, I didn't care. My mind now contained knowledge that I was not supposed to possess. There was no way he could have known I was watching else he never would have given Mercedes…
His intention had been undoubtedly to give Mercedes the hope she needed to continue. But all Father had to do was look inside my mind and he would gleefully replace that hope with the darkest of despair.
It was him. He is out there. He is going to come back. Does Father know?
He knows, my son.
My legs grew rigid. The slightest wind would have knocked me over.
You…you…you cannot speak to me…
Please listen carefully. I do not have much time.
Stop. You cannot speak to me!
SILENCE! MY BROTHER WILL TURN HIS EYES ON YOU IN MINUTES. IF YOU VALUE THE SANITY OF MERCEDES STRAND, YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!
I listened. I had no choice.
In your silence, in your idleness, you have done a very grave thing, my son. You have allowed people you cherish above all else to suffer. But there is still time to redeem yourself. You must fight this hold my brother has on you.
What will he do to her? I demanded. I must know. What will he do to her!?
You must fight the bond, he continued, ignoring my question. You know as well as I that there are places even he cannot go. Exploit that weakness.
I don't know how! I screamed. He can see every corner of my mind! I cannot hide from—!
He laid a finger upon my mental tongue. That finger then moved to rest on one of the many doors inside my mind. At his command, it opened.
Follow me within.
I did. The room was cramped even for a creature of my size. The only light source was the faint glow of a white rose right in the middle. I went up to it. Its physical beauty did not draw me in. Rather it was the feeling it gave me. The feeling of pure, untainted love wrapping me in a gentle embrace, singing notes of clear laughter, smiling with the kindness and purity of an angel.
I stared at the petals, blindingly white, smooth, and strong. Save for one. This petal was frail and upon peering closer I saw thin veins the color of poisoned rain water.
You can hide from him. You merely have to desire it with all your heart and soul.
He spoke no more after that. I was left alone with the white rose. No, not completely alone. I could hear the bond whispering to me. But these whispers were much fainter than they usually were. In fact, I thought if I immersed myself in the feelings the rose gave me I might have been able to silence the bond for a few precious moments.
Dear child. Where have you run off to?
I could see Father. I could feel him in my mind. But I could also see the locked door of the room I was in. I could feel the presence of the white rose.
Where did you run off to, child?
His voice was pleasantly curious. I made sure mine was as clear as possible.
I went to see the key.
And?
She is filled with despair, as is the dragon king.
Long silence.
Then all is going according to plan. You will continue to watch her while I am otherwise occupied, child. Can I expect an honest report every time?
The light of the white rose was warm against my flesh.
Yes, Father, you can.
He left my mind. I did not leave the white rose.
***
Eulathrin
Ambivalence was not a favorable emotion to a siren. The pride of our people, the virtue of our values were instilled inside of us when we were hatchlings. They never wavered. They remained firm and strong within our spirits until the day we died. I was no different.
Or so I told myself.
"Ambassador?"
I did not turn around. My eyes continued to gaze at the darkening sky as they had for the past hour.
"You do not need to address me by that title anymore, Actaeon," I said. "I was ambassador to the dragon king. And we both know what fate shall befall him and his people."
Actaeon, a young novice intelligence agent, was silent for a moment.
"My sister was so excited when the queen managed to trade beginning sky wat
er spells from King Tarasque six months ago. Her dream was to bring the trees back to the city. She hated that we shunned them long ago. She wanted to seed a forest on the border of the city. Once she mastered sky water spells, she would be able to keep them nourished and strong for decades. Future generations would grow up among the beauty of nature that past generations have long been deprived of by our own foolish choices."
"She will have to find another dream then," I snapped. "We are safe from Smoking Mirror. Ask her if she would rather have her people destroyed instead."
Actaeon did not reply. I heard a faint rustle as he bowed low and then left.
When he was gone, a low hiss escaped between my teeth. My outburst had done nothing to quell my ambivalence. No matter how desperately I tried to convince myself that the choices we made had been out of our wings from the start, peace continued to elude me. I glanced once more at the shadows darkening the unsurpassed golden beauty of the great siren city, hissed again, and proceeded back inside. I had barely taken five steps when something collided against my back, knocking me down on my stomach. An ice cold hand wrapped around my neck, pinning my cheek against the floor. I would have shrieked and attempted to thrash, but sound and movement abandoned me when I felt an even colder, much sharper sensation against my right wing.
"Make any noise and you will never fly again."
Vampire.
Abomination.
I knew he had eluded capture for days, and that there was a strong possibility he would target me. What I did not know was how in the name of the Morning Star he had managed to slip by the magical wards guarding my home.
Terror, confusion, and revulsion made me shudder when I felt his icy breath against my ear.
"I thought I would stake myself before saying this to a siren." A low hiss. "But you and I need to have a little chat."
###
About the Author
Have been stuck in Florida for as long as I can remember, and much as I'd love to see snow sometime in the future I'm happy as can be. I'm a Liberal and Progressive, but also well aware that corruption is always inevitable in politics which explains my strong Machiavellian streak. Since I discovered my passions will always lie in the arts a few years back, I've been teaching myself how to draw and am currently training to be a concert pianist and composer. I also love to transform Barbie dolls into action figures of my favorite fictional characters.
I've always loved to write, but Fanfiction helped me realize my dream career. A bit about my books; The Evanescence Chronicles is a satirical joke (mostly revolving around irony) on modern day paranormal romance. Like Wax Under Flame is a short story that I'm currently developing into a series of novels called Kinesis. The first one is tentatively scheduled to be released in the spring of 2013. A brief warning to all: Though I include these elements with a purpose Like Wax Under Flame is my most violent, dysfunctional, perverse story yet. Even more so than my fan fiction.
My favorite author will always be Matthew Stover, but like the common geek I'm a huge fan of Tolkien, Rowling, George R.R. Martin, and Orson Scott Card. My favorite show is The Vampire Diaries (something I never expected, really, REALLY hoping they never jump the shark), and my favorite movie is a balance between Crash(2004) and The Dark Knight.
My cat is lord and master of the universe.
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