Cedric infused his veins with the black diamond's power, every speck of awareness attuned solely to the powerful, scarlet-clad figure before him. Asha turned to meet his eyes, and Virolan had the presence of mind to quickly scramble out of the former's reach and huddle in the room's far corner. A burn welt was blooming on his cheek, but he appeared otherwise unharmed.
"You know who I am?" Cedric said.
Asha grinned brightly. "I've known ever since I alighted in that arena. I'd had my suspicions, of course, but upon meeting you properly, there was no mistake. Your eyes--a clever little heretic's trick, I suppose?"
"You were toying with me."
"It has gotten awfully dull around here over the years." The Red King sighed plaintively, like a fitfully bored child. "And would you fault me for taking an interest in my baby brother, especially after his striking performance in my tournament? To think I was ever afraid of you coming to us…" He cocked his head. "Were those the first lives you'd taken? How did it feel?"
Jagged spikes of fear twisted in Cedric's gut, but there was no turning back now. "You haven't given me up to Ayo," he said. "Why?"
"When I could have you all to myself, instead?" Asha's red diamond began to glow like a hellish eye. "What do you say to a bit of fraternal roughhousing? Pass the time while we wait for our sister to do… whatever it is she's planning."
Though the prospect of hurling himself at Asha full-force, if only to wipe that smug, patronizing look off his face, was steadily growing in appeal, Cedric forced himself to attempt one last plea. "Help me to stop Ayo. You've obviously no love for her schemes, and if we worked together--"
"Oh, Lord Noxus, don't start boring me now."
Cedric clenched his jaw. "Very well. May I have your name?"
Asha's brow jumped. "My name? Surely you're not so thick as to…"
"Your real name."
His expression froze.
All Cedric comprehended next was a sudden intensification of that distinct hot-iron scent before a column of fire erupted from Asha's palm and roared straight for him like a giant, flaming serpent.
Cedric's arms shot up on instinct to shield himself, which would have done precious little if not for a burst of dark energy that instantly materialized and enveloped him in a pitch-black cocoon. Inside it, he felt only a brief fluttering of warmth as the flames passed around him and dissipated. Again, the black diamond had saved him of its own will.
The dark shield melted away like smoke. Rather than attempt a second assault, Asha lowered his hand.
"You've forgotten it, haven't you?" Cedric gasped, too giddy from the close call to rein in his tongue. "You've forgotten your own name. The last remnant of your real life, your real family."
Asha's eyes blazed like twin flames. Every speck of levity had been replaced by smoldering anger. "My name is Asha, insolent whelp. The Red King. The Heir of Fire. If you're so keen on another demonstration…"
He abruptly exploded into a human inferno, buffeting Cedric with a wall of scorching air that sent him staggering back. Virolan, still hunched in the corner behind Asha, clapped his hands over his ears, his long hair whipped in frenzied directions by gale-force winds.
Cedric shielded his eyes with an arm; Asha was almost too bright to look at. And his fiery form was growing, too, mutating into the enormous avian creature of their first meeting. He was swelling up toward the high ceiling, filling the chambers with the sheer breadth of his massive elemental body. Soon, he'd trap Virolan where he was in a violent, agonizing death.
Goddess help me, Cedric thought for the second time in less than ten minutes, and sprinted past Asha's towering form, beneath an enormous extended wing, and out to the balcony.
He leapt into the empty expanse beyond. With an inhuman, soul-piercing screech, the Heir of Fire followed.
*
Thick ropes of white blossoms garlanded the face of the Silk Lotus. The establishment was far busier this time of day, and on this day in particular. Scores of patrons crowded the main atrium, their variously-perfumed bodies imbuing the incense with a heavy, feverish potency.
Adrian felt that same spiced fog infuse his mind, soothing him almost against his will. But he'd need to stay sharp for what lay ahead.
Liberate Goddess-knows-how-many children from a packed whorehouse. How hard could it be?
The rest of the blood potion pulsed in his belly. The second dose hadn't made him gag any less, and he'd still been recovering from the first dose's potent consequences--nausea and migraines--but hopefully this would be his last taste of terramancy's darker arts.
A sharp, crystalline note cut sweetly through the dense haze of chatter and perfume, and everyone's heads turned to its source. Lady Salus stood above them, halfway up the wide stairs leading to the private suites, clad in an especially shimmery dress of deep scarlet.
"Welcome, esteemed guests," she said warmly. "As some of you already know, we've a fresh set of young jewels to delight you on this auspicious night. Should you permit them to entertain you this evening, your generosity to these former mudlings will inspire and gratify them for years to come."
Children of varying ages emerged from a curved archway nearby, and stood in a line at the center of the atrium so that the patrons could properly peruse them. Eleven in total, only two who looked older than thirteen. Their complexions were smooth and freshly-scrubbed, their hair oiled and glossy. Their garb was more modest than that of the Silk Lotus' older courtesans, but not by much. They all stood demurely, hands clasped and eyes downcast.
Adelaide wasn't among them. She was probably set aside for Adrian, and the pulsing potion in his stomach confirmed her proximity. At least she’d be spared this particular ordeal.
"Go on, my darlings," Lady Salus called. "Mingle among our honored guests, charm them. And honored guests, blessed Ascension Day to you all!" She descended the remaining stairs to join the crowd, and the ambient chatter resumed.
An attendant found Adrian and offered him a small cup of violet liquid on a silver tray. Adrian's spine crawled upon catching its familiar floral scent, and vivid memories of Destrius' party briefly flashed through his mind.
Adrian shook his head vehemently, and the attendant lowered the tray. "The request you made to Lady Salus has been fulfilled, my lord," he said. "If you'd like for me to escort you now…"
Adrian looked out helplessly at the masses of people around him. A few of the children were already engaged in furtive conversation with patrons, some seated in their laps. He'd need to extricate them all before they were taken to the private rooms, and without anyone catching on.
"In a little while," Adrian said. "I like a look around, you know?"
"Of course, my lord." The attendant withdrew.
Adrian wove between bodies until he found one of the older children not yet snatched up by some grasping noble. She sipped numbly from the same sort of cup offered to Adrian, then upon catching his eye quickly straightened and prepared to greet him.
"Blessed day, my lord," she said, inclining her head. Her green eyes were dull, like those of a thoroughly chastened animal.
Adrian gently took the cup from her hand. "They make you drink this?" he said softly.
"Of course not," the girl said tremulously. A lie.
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"What's your name?"
"Lila."
"Lila, listen to me." Adrian lowered his voice. "I'm here to get you all out, and I need your help."
Her eyes widened, and some welcome life sparked in them. "Really? How?"
"No idea," he admitted. "But let the others of your age know. Keep a close eye on the younger ones, and be ready."
A veil of doubt tempered Lila's brief jubilation. "Where will you take us? Would we all… serve you?"
Adrian shook his head. "I'll simply return you to your families. I swear on the Goddess."
Lila considered, then nodded. She was Gideon's age, short and slight, but she was also intelligent and decisive. Better a slim chance than none at all.
"A diversion," she said in a rapid whisper. "The kitchens are empty… perhaps a fire? I'll gather us all together and flee out the back way, through the gardens."
Adrian's brow arched. "It's a wonder you haven't escaped already."
"Where would we go? And… they beat the little ones to keep me and Edrin in line."
His spine crawled again, accompanied by a caustic surge of hatred.
"But I'll try," she said. "Even if they chase us."
Adrian put a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, the grown-ups will have far bigger fish on their plate tonight."
*
Cedric flew like he was born to it. The Beast's natural instincts guided his breakneck path across the sky, and they did not consume his consciousness as they had the last time he'd fully transformed. Though it probably helped that his intentions and the Beast's more primitive ones were perfectly aligned in this moment.
The massive avian inferno behind Cedric snapped at his tail, and he promptly dropped into a steep dive. The wind whipped deafeningly past him, actively pushing against his rapid descent, and he only pulled up when the roofs of Crystallinus threatened an immediate, deadly impact.
The firebird, ten times the size of Cedric's bestial form, did not maneuver quite so nimbly, and its massive talons raked away thick showers of tile and stone before regaining air. Faint screams and shouts of terror dotted the avenues below.
Cedric's sole advantage was his comparatively diminutive size and agility. He furiously twisted, rolled, and banked, the axis of the world spinning dizzyingly around him in every direction. But for once he could feel the power of his seemingly-inexhaustible black diamond draining away. He would not be able to hold this form, the most demanding of all his abilities, for very much longer.
Surely Asha's red diamond was diminishing at a similar rate, if not by several magnitudes more. The Red King was reckless, unbeholden to the very concept of scarcity. But if that were the case--
The rest of Cedric's thought was dashed to pieces when a giant, searing beak clamped down hard on his hind leg.
*
Adelaide sat at the edge of the private room's luxurious bed. It was absurdly large, but perhaps it was she who was far too small.
The girl's dark eyes were wide. Frightened, too, but tempered by a surprising force of will that a young child should never be expected to muster. Adrian swallowed hard as he shut the door behind him and held up his hands.
"I'm not here to hurt you, Adelaide. Do you remember me?"
Adelaide tugged at her lip in thought, then shook her head.
"I'm Adrian. I made camp near you and your father. I was with Candra… do you remember her? You told her that you wanted to become a healer when you grew up."
Her eyes widened further, this time in recognition, and she nodded. Adrian approached and went down on one knee.
"I'm here to take you back to your father. Would you like that?"
Adelaide nodded again. "They make me play games," she whispered. "I don't like the games. But if I don't play, they say I'm a bad girl, and take my food."
Adrian forced what was hopefully a reassuring smile, then rose and offered his hand. "They're the bad ones, Adelaide. Come, let's stop by the kitchens and whip up a big surprise for them."
Her tiny, hesitant fingers closed around three of his, and she hopped off the bed.
A harsh series of knocks at the door sent a jolt through them both.
"Henry? Henry!" boomed a stern, robust voice from the other side. "You refuse to accompany me into the capital, then I have to hear from Lady Salus that you changed your mind? Son, answer me! Open the door this instant!"
His blood froze. No, please no… not now…
Adelaide was looking up at him expectantly, at the grown-up who surely had all the answers. But Adrian's mind was utterly blank, devoid of all ideas. It was over. He was caught.
More knocks, hard enough to rattle the hinges. "Don't you dare ignore your own father, boy! Do you have the slightest idea how--"
Suddenly a deep, deafening boom rocked the entire building on its foundations. Adrian staggered, but managed to catch Adelaide before she fell.
"What the blazes--" he muttered. The impact had come from above, as if an enormous boulder had fallen from the sky and onto the roof. A terrible possibility came to him as only pure gut instinct could deliver.
Hysterical voices churned outside, accompanied by dozens of hurried footsteps. Adrian couldn't resist; he had to see this for himself.
He sank into a crouch. "On my back, Adelaide, quickly!" She obligingly cinched her thin arms around his neck and her thin legs around his waist. Adrian then burst through the door, past a deeply confused Eudon Avidus for whom he didn't even spare a glance, and raced for the front entrance alongside other scrambling patrons and staff.
Out in the courtyard, where the majority of the Silk Lotus' occupants had congregated, Adrian craned his head up toward the roof.
A beast made of darkness, twice a man's size, splayed like a broken doll amidst a nest of shattered tile and masonry. He lay as if he'd been flung down with titanic force, and that unspoken question was promptly answered when a massive creature of roaring flame descended heavily upon the roof.
Some screamed and cowered while others fled, but Adrian remained rooted in place. The feverish stench of molten iron enveloped him as his eyes remained locked on the miraculous, horrible scene above.
The firebird landed hard over Cedric, crushing the entire top level into clouds of rubble that rained down in chunks onto the courtyard. Cedric thrashed and snarled between its talons like a ferocious wildcat, and the firebird flapped its massive wings for balance. Sweltering air buffeted Adrian's face and swept back his hair.
Adrian resisted the impulse to call out for him; compromising his attention would only endanger him further. But surely there was something he could do besides gawk uselessly as the man he loved fought for his life--
Adelaide's faint whimper in his ear thrust him firmly back down to earth. There was nothing Adrian could contribute to the battle of gods and monsters above their heads, but he could still do something for those who relied on him. And he'd needed a diversion, after all; Eris had apparently seen fit to drop an exceptional one straight from the sky.
With an aching heart, Adrian tore his eyes from the battle, from the wild destruction and the terrible, inhuman sounds, and set himself to finding Lila.
*
In some distant corner of Cedric's mind, he was aware that every one of his recently-acquired wounds--from Aja's spear to Lady Capurnis' meteor hammer--had torn open again. But most of him couldn't afford to care.
Asha's talons cinched like a vice, steadily choking away his resistance. Even within the safety of his shadow form, Cedric could feel the scorching heat worming its way through. Asha would wring the life out of him until he was nothing but a coal-black mass of twisted bone.
With a ferocious burst of will aimed at the desperate protectiveness of the black diamond, Cedric forced the dark energy coursing through his veins back to its source. He was suddenly half his previous size, the molten claws sunken into nothing but air.
Cedric quickly scrambled out of Asha's immediate reach, heedless of the jagged stone chunks that shredded his exposed arms and the dry, bitter dust that coated the inside of his mouth. He unfurled his wings--only wings, this time--and launched himself back up into the air. Asha gave chase again within moments.
Ragged, bloody pain wracked every inch of Cedric's unprotected body, and the bitterly cold rush of air resistance as he soared upwards stung all the more. He prayed that his black diamond wouldn't crumble to dust before his safe return to ground. Its last drops of power, though somewhat preserved by Cedric's current, less demanding transformation, were very nearly spent.
The Red King's firebird roared after him, long neck straining, matching Cedric's steep angle of ascent. Cedric felt the skin of his cheeks pull back, his breath stolen away by the wind, hundreds of icy needles stinging his face. He was now beyond the clouds; nothing stood between him and the infinite expanse of stars above.
For a moment, Cedric merely hovered in place to marvel at the incredible, unobscured clarity of the real night sky. And then, he realized that there was also an absence of something: the oppressive, scorching heat that'd been snapping at his heels ever since he'd leapt the Citadel's balcony.
Cedric turned back and saw Asha, in his original human form, briefly suspended in midair. The cavity at the center of his golden collar was empty, and a blank, strangely innocent expression of surprise suffused his face. Then he was falling, plummeting through the clouds, wrenched inexorably back down to the earth he'd so carelessly abandoned.
Cedric found the Red King's crumpled body atop a roof on the outskirts of the capital. He landed heavily beside him, staggered, and fell to his knees. Fresh blood soaked his white silks, marred also by burn streaks and ragged tears.
Below them, faint shouts of alarm swept the streets. But the unrest was aimless, more confusion than panic; none knew that Asha had fallen, nor where he'd landed, as they'd only seen his elemental form vanish up into the clouds and not return.
A thin line of glossy scarlet ran from the corner of Asha's slack mouth. His eyes darted aimlessly, seeing nothing of the faint starlight reflected in them. The fingers of his upturned hand twitched like the legs of a dying insect.
Asha's amber eyes found Cedric's, and sharpened into focus. "Shasta," he gasped, his voice as faint as a passing breeze. "My name… I remember now…"
On impulse, Cedric took his hand. He was entirely unprepared for the foreign memory that this contact would spark.
His brother lay there, dark eyes as flat and empty as ink spots, his already-pale skin as gray and cold as stone. So tall and imposing in life, so shrunken and diminished in death. His brother, dead by his hand. He looked at his own fingers, pulsing with liquid fire beneath the skin.
And now he looked up at the little brother whose horrified eyes still blazed with remnants of receding power. He would never see beyond his own limited, adolescent pain. He would never understand.
Cedric snatched his hand from Shasta's, and the memory ceased.
His life was rapidly seeping away, an eerie echo of the scene they'd both just relived. In his dying delirium, it was clearly no longer Cedric he saw kneeling over him. A wordless plea cried out from his eyes.
How could you make me kill you? Was that all my love was worth? Why? Why?
Shasta, the Heir of Fire, perished with that final question unanswered.