Cassandra Pendragon

“Indeed… that is, if they’re still around. Gimme a second.” I listened closely and while the mercenaries weren’t talking anymore, I could still hear their heartbeats and their breath, none of them had decided to leave. If that was a mark for or against their sanity was a completely different story, though. Oh well, if their wisdom had been greater than their courage, they probably wouldn’t have become mercenaries, in the first place.

“They’re waiting for me to return,” I sent. “Are you going to stay onboard?”

“Not for much longer. The elves are setting up wards, with Erya’s help. Once they’re done, I’m going to leave. I don’t want you dealing with what’s going to happen to the prisoners by yourself. Alassara is most likely going to extract a pound of flesh, whether it’s helpful or not. I’m not going to let you cope, alone.”

“Do you think it’s going to be that bad?”

“I’m not sure, but… torture leaves a mark on everybody involved. I know, you’re no stranger to pain. This is going to be different, though. Especially since it’s not really necessary. There are other ways for us to get the information we need, but it won’t matter. The vampires will want payback for what they had to endure… I never planned on staying away.”

“How do you know? Have you… before we met, we’re you ever forced to…”

“No, why would you even think that? True enough, my journey wasn’t smooth sailing, for the most part, but I’ve never been forced to do anything but kill in self defence.”

“Then how do you know?” She hesitated and I felt a bunch of contradicting thoughts and emotions surge through her mind. She was contemplating how much she should share and was trying to keep me away from the memories until she made up her mind. I didn’t press and after a moment, she haltingly replied.

“Your brother… when he was under the Emperor’s influence, he’s done some things he hasn’t shared with you or your mother, yet, and maybe he never will. I’m not going to violate his trust, but he’s still struggling with memories he shouldn’t even have. Breaking a person… it either doesn’t affect you, it damages you as well, or you might even come to find it addicting. I know you, Cassy, you’re neither the latter nor the former. It’s going to be hard on you and I want to be there, with you.” I didn’t know what to say, I was torn. That my brother was dealing with more than he let on was plain as day, but I had never imagined how bad it truly was. He had been on Boseiju for most of the time and I didn’t even want to think about whom he might have hurt. And now, they were dead, so he didn’t even have a chance to atone. At least he had opened up to Ahri, and while I did feel slightly envious that he obviously had a stronger connection to her than his own flesh and blood, I couldn’t fault him for it. It was the same for me, after all.

At the same time, I felt a pit of trepidation open in my stomach. She was right, when my anger wasn’t getting to me, the mere idea of pointlessly torturing another being was repulsive and I wasn’t sure if this was a compromise I was willing to make. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know if I wanted to be there, anymore. The last time I had considered it, I had still been flushed with fury and I hadn’t truly given it more than a superficial thought, but now… unfortunately, it wouldn’t change a thing. The decision I had to make was simple, either I was going to let Alassara do as she wished, or I wasn’t. Would I be able to live with myself if I allowed another creature to suffer, without reason? Probably… definitely, I just didn’t know, if I was going to like what I would see in the mirror, the next day.

“We could stop her, you know,” I finally said, still unsure of what to make of the tangled knot my thoughts had become.

“We could, but we shouldn’t. Imagine we had finally caught Amon and someone else would make you show leniency. How would you react?”

“Badly. But if it isn’t our place to judge, why would it hurt us?”

“Have you ever listened to cries of desperation, when you weren’t fighting for your life? Have you ever been regarded as a monster and have been forced to admit it’s the truth?”

“Maybe… a few hours ago.”

“And how did that make you feel? Dirty? Sullied? It’s going to be worse. And before you ask, staying away won’t make a difference. No… I imagine it won’t be the last time, either, but we’ll face it together. This way, neither of us will feel abandoned or isolated, whatever the outcome. If nothing else, we’ll become monsters together.” I didn’t know if she was being serious, but I still loved her for it. Knowing whatever was going to happen, whatever I was going to be forced to do, she’d stick with me until the very end was more than I could ask for.

“I love you,” I simply said. “Please, hurry. Right now, I’m missing you even more than I did before we talked.”

“I’ll try. Stay safe. Love you, too.” I pulled back and the emptiness I felt when our connection severed, nearly brought tears to my eyes. Gods, I didn’t even want to know how my brother had felt. Considering how much of a gods damned wreck I was, despite my connection to Ahri and my heritage, it was nothing short of a miracle that he was still sane. I truly hadn’t given him enough credit. Him and all the others. I might be more powerful, when it came to strength and magic, but I wasn’t sure if I could even compare myself to them in regards to character. There was so much I still had to learn.

One lesson I had just been taught. In the past, I had always thought compromises were what changed us for the worst and I still believed it. But the opposite, rigidly following one’s principles with a singleminded purpose, was just as dangerous. Life wasn’t black and white. The blinders my race, the immortals, wore, made them unable to understand, that, what was right once, didn’t necessarily have to be right again, but I didn’t have that excuse. There was no one fits all approach to life, every decision, every action mattered and we had to struggle through, mistakes and all, for we were all monsters and saints. We only had to decide which face we were going to show to the world, day after day.

Sighing, I got to my feet and shoved away the conflicting thoughts, pulling me in different directions. There was enough going on, without me stupidly adding onto it. Which… by the gods, over the course of the evening I had completely forgotten to mention the seal Amazeroth had placed on Ahri. Another thing to worry about, but it hadn’t harmed her in the last years so it probably didn’t matter too much. But I still couldn’t let it go. As soon as we had half a minute to spare, we were going to… whom was I kidding? We stood about as much of a chance figuring out what the scheming demon had done, as we had of getting through the next week without another fight. We had to try, though. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to her.

Stolen novel; please report.

Tiptoeing around the puddles of half dried blood, I made my way back outside. The scene hadn’t changed, much. The air wasn’t crackling with animosity anymore and all of them had taken a seat, their full mugs indicating that they had already made good use of the keg I had brought.

“You’re still here,” I said, feigning surprise. “I wasn’t sure…”

“Neither were we,” Will said and scooted over, making room for me to sit down. Vanya had already taken possession of my chair. Chuckling, I followed his invitations and asked:

“Then, why are you?” He raised his mug, as if to toast me.

“The keg isn’t empty and that’s a good brew, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one, even in the more wealthy parts of town. Besides, Malique over there,” he indicated the bearded fellow with a jerk of his chin, “has been blabbering on about shadowy cults and vampires. Stories to make you keep your eyes open at night, mind you. Normally, I’d call him a blithering idiot and move on with my life, but considering we found a mythical creature lurking around these parts who hinted at a secret, hidden in that tavern, we can’t help but wonder… so we stayed, at least for now. But I gotta be honest, I’m just as likely going to bolt any second now, as I am to see it through. No offence, but wars, kings and nightmarish beings with claws and fangs aren’t exactly my cup of tea. But for now, my drunk curiosity is still stronger than my survival instincts.”

“That’s completely understandable. But I have to say, your friend is surprisingly knowledgable. He’s also the one who cursed, when I told you my name, isn’t he?” Malique nodded hesitantly.

“I am. I’ve heard the name Pendragon before.” He had a deep, slow voice, almost like a dwarf. “I’ve heard of the kitsune, and their great tree, of their kingdom and their royal families. I don’t know any details but when I saw your tails and the way you moved… it wasn’t hard, once you introduced yourself. I… if what you said is true, I’m truly sorry for your loss. From what I’ve heard, you built yourselves a paradise. I always wanted to visit, but now it seems like I won’t ever get the chance.”

“It was… beautiful and it was my home. If you’re interested I’ll gladly tell you what it was like. It deserves to be remembered.” I blinked rapidly, the weight of what we had lost still felt like bands of iron, tightening around my chest. “How do you know so much about us, anyways,” I quickly added. “Have you had dealings with my people before?”

“Not in the way you’re imagining. I grew up here, I suffered through the Mask’s rise to power… I even saw him once or twice. I tried to find out everything there is to know about him and in doing so, I learned a bit about your people. It’s also the reason why I’m one of the few who would recognise this tavern. The vampires and the Mask are… were closely connected. Which leads me to the part I don’t quite understand. The children of the night aided him in his rise to power until you slew him, but yet, here you are, protecting their hideout. If you came here, as you claimed, to thwart the Mask, why are you helping those who made him powerful?”

“Life’s complicated,” I shrugged. “I never meant to thwart him, as you put it. He took something from me, something I cherish. I simply wanted it back and when he didn’t cooperate but mocked me instead, I lost my temper. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can be a hothead,” I added with a smile. “Anyways, I’ve also learned a bit about him in the meantime, him and his allies. They aren’t… evil, even though he might have been. When they promised to stay well away from what’s mine, there was no reason for me to hold a grudge. Besides… some of the vampires are decent enough. I’m not going to hold a people responsible for a single mistake and as for why I’m helping them… one of their younglings has wormed her way into my heart and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that she’ll still have a home when everything’s said and done. I know the pain of losing one, after all, and I’m not going to expose her to the same.”

Vanya had listened silently up until now, but suddenly she stood up and hugged me briefly, a smell of honey and mint tickling my nose. She must have dressed her cuts while I had been away. A good idea, considering the filthy bits of trash that had been stuck to her face.

“What was that for,” I asked, more surprised than anything else.

“You just looked like you could use it. I don’t know much about kitsune or vampires, by the gods, I thought they were a myth up until tonight, but I’ve got a knack for understanding people and you’re... I’m sorry for your loss and judging from the way you look, every time we even get close to talking about your home, you haven’t gotten over it, yet. I just thought… I know I would want somebody to show, that they cared, if I were in your place, so I thought… did I overstep?” I laughed quietly.

“No, of course not, I just didn’t expect it, is all. Thanks, I… just thanks. You’re not half bad yourself, Vanya. I haven’t had too much luck with people who aren’t of my tribe, you and your friends… maybe I’m not going to regret revealing myself, after all.”

“Why would you,” Lorain inquired. “It’s not like we could pose a threat to you, even if we tried. Which… you know, I’ve been wondering why you even talk to us. You could’ve easily sent us packing and dealt with Will however you saw fit. Why didn’t you? I hate to be the one to ask, but what do you want from us? I don’t buy the whole I’ve got to warn as many people as possible act. You know, we were in town when you… extinguished the Mask. You’ve got the strength to deal with the Captains, why bother with the privates?”

“You’re also not the dullest tool in the shed, are you? I imagine you’ve already speculated quite a bit. What did you come up with?” He avoided my gaze and stared at his boots, sipping his beer in quiet for a moment.

“Mostly rubbish, but for a mythical creature you aren’t unworldly. You know as well as us that your best, no, you’re only chance to get Free Land to fight lies with the Captains, or, judging from your questions, maybe the churches. I assume you want us to put you in touch with Captain Nightshade? Maybe even the other ones?” I nodded slowly.

“That I do. I could try knocking on their doors, but it would be one hell of a lot easier if I had somebody to introduce me. Believe it or not, I’m not looking forward to bullying guards and servants until I’m finally allowed to meet with the head of the household. Your contacts might go a long way, especially if you’re already working for one of the Captains.”

“One of them, right,” Malique interjected. “What’s so special about Nightshade and Brightblaze, anyways? Those are the ones you were most interested in and I’d like to know why.” I spread my hands and shrugged.

“Several reasons, some of which I’m not going to share with you, but for the most part, you are working for Nightshade, so his fleet is the only one, where I can confidently expect you to have some influence. As for Brightblaze… I’ve told you, I’ve met some priests. What I didn’t mention is that our encounter wasn’t exactly peaceful. I want to know if she’s been involved and dissuade her from trying again. The last thing I want is weakening the Captains. I need them to act together against the Pirate King, otherwise they’re doomed to fail and I can’t risk that.”

“A violent encounter with a priest,” Vanya echoed. “I can’t even imagine… they’re usually an unbelievably boring lot. What did you do? Desecrate a church?” I chuckled.

“No, nothing of the sort. I didn’t even give them a reason, as far as I’m aware. That’s why I’m so adamant about finding out what happened.”

“Now, that’s not the whole truth, is it, Cassy,” a silky voice suddenly came from the shadows and the very next moment, a beautiful, sultry, blonde woman stepped from the darkness as if she had just materialised form thin air. Alassara had returned.

“What my dear friend forgot to mention,” she continued while she sashayed closer, her hips swaying mesmerisingly, “those priests attacked my home, burned my children and if it hadn’t been for her, they might very well have finished us off. So, we would quite like to know who has been involved and whose still beating heart I’ll have to devour to get my revenge.”