Chapter Fifteen

Insubordination

Alyssa’s mother opened the door. The colour drained from her and she teetered on the spot, somehow managing to remain upright.

‘Lys?’ she gasped.

She was a full woman who came up to Manuel’s chest. Streaks of grey raced through her blond hair, tied back into a tight bun. Her wings, too, were grey. She wore a simple, white, linen frock and strapped boots, with a headband of white flowers interwoven with a band of gold. Her face was soft, empathetic, and considerate; her eyes creased at the corners and her mouth did the same, their laugh lines evident, and her cheeks possessed a rosy hue. An ornate silver amulet hung around her neck, decorated with a snake’s head. Seemed contrary to the first impression she made, in Manuel’s opinion, but a snake’s head it was.

Alyssa pulled at the skin beside her fingernails. Her voice shook ever so slightly. ‘Hi, mother. It has… been a while.’

Her mother gawked at the pair. Eventually, she smiled. Stepping away from the door and creating a gap for them to enter, she gestured them into her home. ‘Come in, come in, my dearies. It’s so wonderful to see you, Lys! We have such a great deal to catch up on!’

Once inside, Alyssa’s mother closed the door, directed Alyssa into an armchair, and clasped Manuel’s hands in her own. Not certain how to respond to this, he gave her a nervous smile.

‘Now, let me go and fetch your father, then you can introduce us to this… fine specimen,’ Alyssa’s mother said. With a wink, she released him and trotted up the stairs.

Manuel sunk into an armchair opposite Alyssa.

‘Sorry about that,’ Alyssa said, her eyes wide and roving over their surroundings. She did not look sorry – rather, as though her mother had been raised from the dead.

Manuel shook his head. He reached out a hand to comfort her, but withdrew it. Alyssa noticed nothing. ‘No matter, there is nothing to forgive.’

They waited in silence and Manuel took the opportunity to examine the room. From the inside, the structure of the house seemed to be identical to that of Jennah’s home, leading him to conclude it was the case for every building in the town – they all looked the same from the exterior. This house, however, had a different character to Jennah’s.

True, bookcases that were chock-full lined the walls, and a fire sputtered in the grate despite the temperature, with figurines dotted around both. That was where the similarities ended. Hanging on the (admittedly frugal) spaces between the bookcases were landscape paintings and hunting trophies. A rough, wooden longbow hung haughty above the fire.

The frames of the furniture were of dark wood, but these were invisible and buried under fur cushions and blankets. In the centre of the room, over the wooden floor space, was a massive, fur rug. The creature from which the fur came, he could not begin to guess – it was delicate, yet rough, and had crimson and white stripes. Nothing he had ever seen, that was for sure. There was a wooden table atop the rug with books strewn all over it.

He looked at Alyssa. ‘Your dad a hunter?’

Alyssa’s gaze slid to the bow and locked onto it. ‘He used to be. He and my brother were hardly ever home, they hunted so much. In fact…’ She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. She nodded at the bow. ‘I fashioned that myself when I was a youngling. From the age of six, I would follow my father and brother into the woods. For a couple of years, all I would do was watch them from a distance. Eventually, a desire grew within me to partake, so I fashioned my own bow and continued to follow them. They never knew I was there - though, I suspect my mother knew where I went, and how often. For a while - and, after a great deal of solitary archery practice, mark you - I would shoot their targets before they got the chance. Their confusion never failed to thrill me.’ She tailed off, lost in the memory.

Manuel raised an eyebrow. ‘I did not know you had a brother.’

‘What you do not know about me could fill the Lorekeeper’s Quarter,’ she said, a sad smile etched on her visage.

‘Is he here?’

‘No. He is not.’ The finality of her tone gave him all the warning he needed. Silence reigned once more.

The only thinking that Manuel found to focus on in the silence was his shirt sticking to his chest - the heat in the home was nigh on unbearable.

Mercifully, there came the sound of heavy, clumping footsteps from the staircase and Alyssa’s mother returned to the room, her husband in tow. He was old like Alyssa’s mother, with grey wings and hair, but possessed firm muscles on his chest, legs, and his arms; the latter were littered with scars. There was a unique air about him, compared with the Kaerqan males Manuel had met so far – this man had the face and body of a fighter: hard, muscly, and stern, his grey eyes were perpetually narrowed; lines cut through every inch of his skin. This was a man Manuel could respect.

Manuel stood and waited for him to approach. He held out his hand, and Alyssa’s father took it in his own firm, calloused grip, his lips tight.

‘Welcome, young man,’ Alyssa’s father said with a voice that rumbled like thunder.

Manuel nodded. ‘Hello, sir. I am Manuel, and I am not all that young, but thank you.’

Alyssa’s father held on a moment longer. His lip curled upwards. ‘I thought I sensed power enter my house. You’re one of those Seven, then, are you?’

Manuel bowed his head.

He retracted his hand and faced his daughter. ‘Well, you certainly keep interesting company, even if it is one of them. I remember you telling us all about them after your first lessons with Morkayn - I never thought I’d meet one. Can’t say I’m thrilled. Regardless, tell me – why have you returned? After all this time? I didn’t expect to see you again after you walked out on us.’

‘Drika,’ Alyssa’s mother said. ‘Go easy.’

He laughed. Manuel felt like he was waiting for the lightning to strike. Alyssa stared up at her father. She was white, but her expression was stiff and unmoving. His admiration for her grew.

‘Go easy?! She broke your heart, Alana! She broke mine too,’ he said, sounding like a thunder crack.

‘Father, with respect,’ Alyssa said. The picking at her fingers intensified. ‘I did what I had to do in order to live my life. Neither you nor mother would have accepted my decision. You would have either persuaded me against it or cast me out. I had to leave and protect myself against either of those eventualities. I know I chose a path you didn’t want for me. I know I let you down.’

Drika stood stock still. Then, he turned away and sunk into the armchair behind him. ‘Indeed? If that was the case, you could have visited us, if only out of courtesy!’

Seeing that things weren’t going to blow up any time soon, Manuel retook his seat, feeling like a spare wheel. Alana perched herself on the arm of the armchair next to Drika’s, ready to spring into action should she need to intervene. For all her impartiality, though, she wouldn’t look at Alyssa.

‘I… to tell you the truth, father, I could not bring myself to it.’ She looked away from Drika and at Manuel. He saw the tears forming and threw her an encouraging smile. ‘I always intended to. Every time I tried to bring myself to return... something would come up. Or… I guess… I made sure that something came up. By the time I was ready, too long a time had passed. No time seemed right.’

‘Didn’t it? When your brother passed? That wasn’t the right time?’ Drika snapped, fists balled on the arms of his chair.

Alyssa closed her eyes. Her eyelashes twinkled, droplets of tears caught between them as though stars in the night sky.

Manuel frowned at her. So that was why she was unsettled earlier. She was blameless for that, gods knew – the deaths of family were the hardest, both to come to terms with, never mind speak about.

‘I… I am sorry, papa. I… I could not. It was… it was too hard. I dove into my work instead. My assignment went wrong, and I went away for a while… grieved him myself.’

‘Mikael would have wanted you at the burning, Lys,’ Alana mumbled.

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Tears began to fall down Alyssa’s white cheeks. She still stared at Manuel. ‘I know, mama… I could not. I could not… have the first time I came back in decades be for that.’

Drika breathed in deeply. ‘We understand, love. I’m… sorry I was hard on you. It’s been difficult, I won’t lie, never knowing whether you were going to come home again, or whether the next news we got of you was that you had… perished, or indeed if we’d even receive the news if that occurred. Losing one child was too much for us to bear. The grey-haired should never have to burn the fair. We… could not do that a second time.’

Finally, Alyssa looked away from Manuel and at Drika. ‘I am sorry, too. I knew you would feel that way, but… I did not know how to reach out.’

Drika’s hand reached over and held Alyssa’s. Her tears fell faster. ‘It’s immaterial now, Lys. You’re here. You didn’t let us down. Never once did you disappoint me or your mother. Even Mikael… he idolised you. You were his heroine. He strove to emulate you in all his endeavours. What you did was unconventional, took guts, and we’re more proud of you than you could ever realise. And look at you,’ he examined her, up and down, head nodding in appreciation. ‘You’re so strong. So big. Rever-Kaer, you could take me in a fight now.’

She laughed. She looked at her lap and shrugged. ‘I have been able to do that for thirty years now, papa.’

He laughed, and Alana joined in. Manuel smiled. Drika reminded him of his own father. But, that was a long time ago.

Alana moved over to Alyssa and placed a hand on her cheek, tracing those beautiful cheekbones. ‘And your face, by Sanhiel’s grace! You haven’t aged a day in three decades! You still look like you did when you left!’

Manuel stood and went outside, leaving the trio to hug it out. He’d served his purpose as an intermediary, as an impartial presence, and as a friend Alyssa could draw strength from to get herself through the situation. Now, that was done, and the family required privacy. He settled into a chair and looked out onto the street. The children, skipping along and chasing one another, were oblivious to his presence. He watched them until the sun faded behind the woods and they retreated into their homes.

When Alyssa opened the front door, a woollen blanket draped around her shoulders, Manuel was staring at the two moons in the sky, lost deep in memories of his childhood.

‘Hey,’ she said. She leaned against the doorframe and he turned in his seat. There was a positive glow about her; her shoulders seemed ten stone lighter.

‘Hello,’ he said and stood. ‘How are you?’

She looked up at him and smiled. ‘Yes. Sorry to drag you into that. Turned out to be a lot more emotional than I hoped it would. Thank you for giving us space. I greatly appreciate it.’

He waved a hand. ‘Don’t mention it, I am happy to have been there as moral support.’

They gazed at each other in the moonlight. He tried his hardest to ignore the way it cast shadows over her cheeks and jaw, exaggerating their prominence. He tried his hardest to ignore the little ball of light that shone in her eyes, the depth of their blue colour, the fullness of her lips, lengthened in a half-smile.

‘So,’ Alyssa said, looking away. ‘They have information on our mission. Shall we?’ She swung the door open wider and leaned back against it, arm wide.

Manuel shook his arms and re-entered the house. ‘Yes, yes. Let’s get back to that and wrap this up.’

‘And…’ She said as he passed. ‘I swear to… well, I would say gods, but you basically are one… I swear, if you ever tell anyone what happened in there, I will kill you. Not one soul.’

Manuel grinned, and so did she.

*

‘Well now,’ Alana said, setting down four cups of wine on the table and shuffling back to her seat. ‘Manuel, can I call you that? I’m not used to meeting… well, a god.’

He chuckled. ‘Of course. I’m not a god, you can call me whatever you wish to.’

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I understand you’re both here to sort out the tragedy that occurred in the woods, yes? And that those vampire things are the cause?’

Manuel sipped at the wine. It was delicious – just the right blend of fruity and bitter. ‘Indeed. We already know where they are – or, Alyssa does – I just wanted to know how often these attacks occurred.’

‘Ooh, there hasn’t been from this town for a century or more, not since my grandmother’s time,’ Alana said. She gave a tinkly chuckle then turned serious. ‘I know of the place you speak. Their little hiding spot. Now, my deary, the problem is, you won’t find the Baobhans you’re looking for there.’

Alyssa’s brow knotted and she looked from her father to her mother. ‘I do not understand. I believed the sole reason that they leave that place is to feed. They do not hang around afterwards. Are they still in the woods?’

Drika eyed her with caution. ‘Alyssa, you have to be careful, whatever you do. These aren’t just your subservient vampire-types. The ones that carried out the attack were the Sithe.’

‘Oh, shit,’ she muttered.

Manuel looked at her, his brow furrowed now. ‘Who are the seeth?’

Alana shook her head. ‘No, deary, the Sithe. They’re stronger and much more formidable than those they control - they could give our Titans a challenge. The four Sithe are the second rung of command of the entire vampire clan, answerable only to the Matron - their leader. They’re a serious threat, to be sure. Not that you need be too worried, of course.’

‘Why is that?’ Manuel said before draining his glass.

‘Why, they’ve already been captured. We got the news yesterday – they’re sentenced to execution tomorrow afternoon. The whole province is awash with excitement. A Sithe has never been caught before, never mind executed. That all four are in custody? Why, that’s quite the achievement.’

‘Where is the execution taking place?’ Alyssa said, leaning forward.

‘The capital, of course. Nomiasaka. The castle courtyard, no less. The Titan, blessed be his soul, wants to make a show of it.’

‘What I don’t understand,’ Drika said, his chin resting on his steepled fingers. ‘Is why you two are still here when they’ve caught the culprits.’

‘We were charged with wiping them out completely,’ Manuel said.

Alana and Drika shared a conspiratorial glance.

‘I see. Well, in that case, you know where to go. Will you be attending the execution?’ Drika said, turning to Alyssa. ‘It’s not something I’d want my daughter to witness normally, but with what you’ve become, I’m sure you’ve witnessed worse.’

Even Manuel was stung by those words.

‘Yes, father, we will be,’ Alyssa said, her expression akin to a cliff wall. ‘Thank you for your time.’ Her face creased, and she was smiling again. ‘It has been good to see you. I am… glad I did. I will not leave it so long next time, I promise that.’

Manuel shook the hand of Drika once more and attempted to extend the same courtesy to Alana, but she’d wrapped him in a bone-breaking hug before he could protest, demonstrating surprising strength for her size. In his ear, she whispered, ‘keep our daughter safe, deary. Don’t let any harm come to her.’

In hers, he whispered back, ‘fear not. Alyssa will come to no harm when she’s with me. I give you my solemn oath.’

With that, they separated, and Manuel departed the house, leaving Alyssa to say her goodbyes in private.

When she had done so, the pair did not speak until they had left the town. Manuel tried to start a conversation twice but was shut down both times. Alyssa’s face was tough and shut off again, and she walked so fast he struggled to keep up.

Once beyond the gate and earshot, she whirled around. ‘We have to stop the execution.’

Manuel looked at her, open-mouthed. ‘What?’

‘We have to stop the execution! We can not let the Sithe be executed!’

‘Why not?! You’ve been paid to do a job, by the Rever-Kaer no less! They will have sanctioned the execution, and I guarantee they will not stop it because you’ve said to.’

She put her hands on her hips. ‘I know. We are going to intervene anyway. We can not let this happen.’

‘Why not?!’

She turned away from him. ‘Because it is not right! They have not done anything wrong!’

A bark of laughter escaped him. When he saw her expression, he knew that was a grievous mistake. ‘They’ve killed people, Lys! That constitutes wrong!’

Alyssa whipped around again. She stormed up to him, holding a pointed finger to his chin. ‘Never call me Lys, first of all,’ she hissed. ‘And you are one to talk. Both of us have killed so many people ourselves we have lost count. Are we to condemn those who do so to survive, not for pleasure or war or money or even questionable morality, to death?’

‘But Sanhiel-’

‘Sanhiel can go fuck himself,’ she said. ‘He wants us to solve a problem that he made. I will not be responsible for the wiping out of a race of people simply doing what they need to do to survive. So, we are stopping that execution.’

Manuel stepped back, holding his hands aloft. ‘Alright, alright. I see where you’re coming from. We will stop the execution. How? It’ll be heavily guarded.’

‘Ha. For us two, that should not be a problem.’

He chuckled. This time, it made her hand drop and features relax. ‘That is a fair point. And what happens after? We’re going to have some very angry, very powerful people on our backs.’

A narrow smile made its way onto her lips. ‘They shall have me to deal with. Sanhiel will not get away with this.