Isadal.

Galavant might have been a pompous prick, but the fay sitting in front of me was in a league of its own. Crimson adorned his lap, legs, and flowed down towards the ground, like the skirt extended Isadal’s grandiose influence all around him. The white jacket was studded with golden metal buttons and tailored with golden threads.

What in the world was that combination? The skirt was a single flat color, but the jacket felt like I was looking at baroque architecture.

I looked towards Yand-Una whose face only showed flatness, but the moment she turned to see me, I could see a wavering shadow in her eyes that was clearly yelling in confusion.

“Odd combination,” I said to break the ice. “I would have never imagined I’d see clouds bleed.”

Yand-Una looked back at me like a mother scolding a child.

“I’m aware my fashion sense is particular,” Isadal said.

“Particular is a nice way to put it.”

“And how would you put it?”

“Confusing. Mind-boggling. Mentally deranged. It makes me want to question whether there really is a god. I sure as hell know now the Devil is real.”

Yand-Una kicked me in the heel. I was so surprised by her violence, that I bent down to caress my bruised leg, and not due to pain.

“Excuse him,” interrupted my warden. “I’m Senior Wizard Yand-Una Grace, and this is the Official Wizard Avarez Edwhite; he’s on parole.”

“I know who he is. I was expecting him. I have his nephew under observation, and he’s been snooping around.”

“Observation?” I challenged between aspirated sounds of lamentation. I was mourning my leg.

“The kid owes us a debt,” he said, matter-of-factly. “We simply want that debt to be paid. One way or another.”

“I choose the ‘another’ option.”

“Avarez…” warned Yand-Una.

“For one who wants to be straight with their words, you seem to like to play around them.”

“Only because you like doing the same.”

“Avarez.”

“Typical human bravado. You are not the first to talk to me this way and you aren’t going to be the last. The act is as old as your kind and I’ve seen enough of it to make me bored and tired.”

“I could tuck you in bed if you want.”

“Avarez!”

“Listen to your handler, wizard. You may want to learn a few things from her.”

“If I wanted advice from the likes of you, I wouldn’t be asking you for it. I think I know a few torviela who would want to take that job from you.”

Before Yand-Una did anything, Isadal laughed whole-heartedly. It was enough to make her turn to look at the Fay disgusted.

“Men…” she said disappointed.

“That is a new one. I’ll give you that one, wizard. I haven’t heard anyone insult me like that in a very long time.

“So, the matter of your nephew. I suppose you’re here to offer me something in return, to take the debt from him to you. And I already know you wouldn’t want to do the same thing he was supposed to do, so I am wondering what you have to offer me that could serve to pay his debt with interests.”

I had yet to think far ahead for something I could effectively do. I had nothing on me right now but myself.

“My power,” I offered.

Yand-Una, at a loss for words, turned to me very slowly.

“You offer your power to vampires and now you offer your power to the Faery. If the Council ever doubted executing you, they will no longer think twice before cutting off your head themselves. Heck, I’d do it myself right now. So, you better retract that offer right now.”

I didn’t look at her. I stared at Isadal, who was staring silently as at me as well. None of us acknowledged her with our eyes. I didn’t want to look like I was wavering when I offered myself as a price.

“Certainly, that is a good offer. But it is far too ambiguous. I could simply tell you to kill your boy for me.”

“I would never do that.”

“Then, what for would I use your power, Mr. Avarez?”

I remember there was a time when I said I shouldn’t be offering or doing deals with the supernatural. I remember when I said I had to watch my language. Right now, I was going against everything I had stood for. There was no other way, unless I kill Isadal and that will never be possible. Not only is Isadal far too powerful – more powerful than a squad of wizards – but there is no chance I could attempt killing him in his territory.

What could I offer him regarding my power? I could never kill my nephew, and I would rather not kill a mortal. My power was restrained to be used against the supernatural, and for the Faery, that wasn’t as useful.

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There were other ways the Faerie could use me, including my magical prowess, and that was related to my Free Will. There were some things that the supernatural can’t simply do.

I suspect the Fay have found out about the vampiric war that was on its course to begin. Such an event, to the scale that we’re about to witness, happens only a few times every millennium. Any Fay would love to get their hands on this conflict and grab a piece of the apple pie for themselves. But without the proper justification, it’s naturally impossible for them to interfere.

Normally, anyone would be against the Faery joining the war – especially wizards. But given the proportions and the disadvantage we’re in, the Faery could pose a latent threat to the vampires. After all, the Fay want to be involved in mortal matters, and the ones holding the biggest power in the mortal world are humans. Control humans and you control the mortal realm.

The Fay would rather have humans in power than vampires, but they also can’t allow humans to be in total control, otherwise, the balance of powers falls too heavily on our side.

It will not take time for them to be involved in this matter, but if we manage to take the initiative, and form a bond with a Fay from the start, it might end up giving us leverage in the long run.

I was gambling with things I shouldn’t.

“I can get you access to the Cabal,” I offered.

The moment I finished opening my mouth, Yand-Una pulled me by the collar, choking me and dragging me away from Isadal.

She leaned closer and whispered to me.

“One more traitorous act from you, Avarez, and I will be dragging your corpse to the Cabal.”

“I have no choice,” I explained. “This is the best I can do.”

“Try something else.”

“There is nothing else. Think about it, Yand-Una. If we have relationships with the Fay from the start, we could have a powerful deterrent for vampires. It will at least give us time to prepare. Vampires don’t want to mess with two enemies at the same time.”

“They will be doing the same. They’ll make allies. We’ll have to fight on two fronts.”

“The Faery will be getting involved regardless. It’s better if we take the first step.”

“And who are you to decide this?”

“I’m desperate. I only do this for myself. But it will benefit us regardless. It’s this or my nephew will be in danger. What about Misa? What’s gonna happen to her?”

If I can help my nephew, I can spare some time to help Misa, as well. But saving my nephew might also save the other people.

“What about the others like my nephew?” I pushed. “Are they gonna take the hit as well simply because you don’t want to associate with a Fay, yet?”

“The Council is not going take this decision lightly, Avarez. Even if you live through the war, after it is over you might as well consider yourself dead; they will kill you.”

I looked at her and I saw in her eyes that she was not exaggerating. Both of us knew what it was going to mean for me to take this further.

To be honest with myself, I did not want to die, and on any other day, before what happened a few weeks ago, I would have agreed with the sentiment that I was just going to have to live with it. But now, I wasn’t so sure that I really wanted to take that route. I had more people now that relied on me. People that were not going to be happy with me giving my life away. Worst of all, Tedet might as well be dead, because he will not let me die without a fight.

I was about to decide my life’s fate – a life that mean more than just a single human. I was going to decide for others as well. I had the right to do it, I could choose whatever I want to do with it, but I would be insulting and disrespecting anyone who ever cared for me. I was not going to be forgiven.

That thought alone, made me consider my next words carefully. I would’ve never imagined I would become this selfish – maybe I was concerned for my life and I was just making excuses. Whatever it was, the faces of my loved ones still popped in my head, and the words of Tedet echoed in my mind.

My life was not mine alone anymore. My life formed part of others'. Taking my life away is it taking away from them too, and I shouldn’t do that to them.

I smirked in my head. Way to excuse yourself from your destiny.

“Fine by me,” I challenged. “If they want to kill me, they can try.”

We looked at each other’s eyes intently and I felt the pull of the soul gaze. I was beginning to see into her soul just like how she was into mine. I wanted to pull away, but I decided to look resolute and kept my sight locked on hers.

She didn’t pull away.

A flurry of sensations assaulted me.

The first thing I saw was a dark world. In front of me, I saw Yand-Una. It was an odd sight. Normally, one would be seeing and feeling things through the perspective gaze – a first-person perspective, not in third-person.

She turned to see me and the moment she smiled she turned to rock. It was like the mythological story of the gorgon Medusa, turning people to stone with a simple gaze.

I reached out to touch the statue of the person before me and I heard myself speak: “sister.”

After that, I saw my twin sister in a hospital bed. Her fingertips were grey. The gray areas were hard and cold to the touch, like a rock. She was slowly turning to stone.

Her arms and legs were amputated, but that did not stop her from turning. What was left of them, her stubs, showed signs of petrification eventually after being discharged.

The doctors didn’t know what it was.

Soon after, I found myself in a bed next to her. My limbs were fine, but my organs were turning to stone instead. My sister had her arms and legs almost completely turned to stone, and her face was beginning to show signs of petrification. The doctors did not know what to do. If the petrification grew into the brain, there would be no turning back. My sister was about to die.

I woke up months later, and I cried. I knew my twin sister had sacrificed herself to give me another chance. With what she had left of herself, after a section of her brain had turned to stone, she had decided to donate all her organs to me.

I managed to live another year before I began showing signs of petrification in my arms and legs, just like how my sister did.

I lost my limbs as well.

A month later, after I had given up on life, I found out about my magical abilities. They were the cause of my and my sister’s condition. Had we known about it earlier, she would’ve lived.

Anger and pain. A pit of darkness looked right into me as I jumped into it. In it, a monster flashed its ugly face for an instant.

I searched and trained kids who were sensitive to magic. But I also fought to defend anyone, and I cannot forgive those that put others at risk.

Edwhite Avarez’s face appeared before me and I felt anger. Recklessness, stupidity. He was a man that put all my efforts in jeopardy. I could not forgive a man for putting so many people in danger. But I did not hate him. I only pitied him.

“You are one broken man, Edwhite Avarez,” said Yand-Una before me after I had returned to my senses. “You need help.”

“What about your help?” I asked.

“Not the kind of help I was talking about,” she said before stopping herself with a sigh. “But I can’t let you screw your nephew’s life. I’ll give you a hand in that.”

“Greenlight on making a deal with Isadal?”

“Yellow.”

“You’re warning me to stop?”

She smirked. “Or to proceed with caution.”

I assented by bowing slightly with my head.

“So, wizard,” interrupted Isadal from far away. “What’s it going to be?”

I turned to find the great Fay looking rather dignified. He was reclining in his seat, looking at us ambivalently, with both expectation and disinterest.

“The Cabal,” I began. “Where do we start?”

That was enough to make it lean forward with a pleasant smile. I never saw a Fay drool like a dog being stopped from eating a piece of cooked, juicy meat. He wasn’t really drooling, but he might as well be.