Physical stimming always helps with focus–but today is doing nothing for her as Julia clenches and unclenches her fists while standing alongside Drenar. The deck on the back side of the house is just like the interior of the house, the wood is well maintained, and there’s an overlook down a small wooded hill. Nick’s house is right on the edge of the dense forest, and a few clouds ride low in the sky. The sun is shining brightly, and the fall foliage of the trees drifts down in the slightest breeze. It’s also chilly, and her jacket barely keeps the biting cold away. Even being a dragon, she isn’t completely immune to it.
“So, I get that you’re pissed off?'' She decides to throw caution to the wind, based on the way he grabs a few errant leaves on the deck, and lets them drift down the hill while he’s leaning on the railing, and taking a much-needed break from the drama in the room. He’s gazing quietly, eyes dimmed and lacking that usual spark of brilliance of his. He does look like the spitting image of his mother…in a more compact form. He got the bad luck end of the height curve. He spends a few seconds tapping on the railing, before settling his hand down, gripping it as if he needs the assurance of the geometry to keep him standing.
“I’m so past that point, Julia. This is just a disaster. I don’t know how I’m keeping it together.” When it’s just them–and maybe Joey and Angela, now–he does open up a lot more than usual. “Dad’s a mage. Mom is the Champion of the Valkyries. That walking heresy exterminator in the tin can armor cut her arm off. She killed dozens of people. She might have pissed off someone in the Conclave so badly, that they sent an army after her. I don’t believe for a second they targeted my dad, and didn’t know about her. That just doesn’t make sense.” He rests his chin on his hands as he leans forward, gripping the railing, and makes a disgusted sound.
She puts an assuring hand on his back. He leans into it, a little, and she runs her finger through the hair at the back of his neck, and he looks like he wants to melt on the spot. “This sucks on so many levels. Your mom is a walking sociopath with the amount of lies she had to tell to keep us out of harm's way. And I cut my wrist as a result of that.”
“You didn’t mean to do it, though.” For the first time since it happened, she finally, finally realizes that he never would have gone through with it on purpose, and certainly not if he’d had any indication his mother was alive. “It was an accident. Brought by a health dose of gross carelessness, maybe.”
“And lies.” He glances her way for a moment, before looking back over the fall vista. “At least I didn’t permanently mess up my wrist. The memory is worse. It’s just something I can look at now, and say it’s part of me…but doesn’t define me. Because I’ve got so many reasons to keep fighting now.”
“Progress. Let’s just say I won’t challenge you to any knife fights.” He scoffs at that, but still manages a faint smirk.
“Well, your mom is right about one thing, though. If they told me she was alive, and that she had to go missing to keep us safe, I would have chased her across the world. No matter where it took me, no matter the danger level.” He glances down at his jacket, and rubs errantly at his wrist. “For the first time, Julia…I have no idea what to do.”
“No one said you needed to have an answer to everything, Drenar. Just being in that room was hard enough.” The soft breeze is a stark contrast to the turmoil likely going through both their heads. A few more leaves drift down, and she leans her head on his shoulder. He doesn’t move, but gently wraps a hand around her back. “I don’t know how to feel about Mom anymore. I get that she did this with the best of intentions, but it was awful for all of us. And she knows what she did was horrible.”
There’s a squeak of a hinge, and she raises her head briefly to look at the newcomers. Angela and Joey are there, looking somber. James eventually filters in behind them. “So, what are they discussing now?”
Joey shrugs. “Hell if I know. Levine and Nick were laying into your mother. I would have been next in line, to put it mildly, and I have some choice words about how I feel about it. Are you two alright?”
Drenar turns around and leans on the railing with his back and runs his fingers through his hair. “Joey, I’m not okay. I’m not going to be okay until I get Mom home, Put Davos into the grave, and make sure Val shares the same fate.”
“That's a tall order. Matilda is going to need an upgrade to put a hole through that man’s helmet,” Julia says plainly. She can already see some merits of making several tweaks on the rifle, and she knows Nick probably has some ideas too, given the limited effect the weapon had on Valosterla. That Boyes rifle had broken his shoulder, so there had to be a middle ground. “Drenar, maybe my mom is right for once. We aren't ready for this. Look at how badly we got beaten up. I'll follow you side by side to the gates of hell if that's what it takes to get your mom home in one piece…but we need a plan. We’re going to need a really good plan.” He nods sharply at that, much to her relief.
“I wouldn’t do this without a plan. I mean we’ve done alright so far.”
“Our plans have all sucked,” James scowls, but softens his tone when Joey glares at him, as does Angela. “What is with you two, are you all networked or something?”
“James, our plans have mostly worked. We saved a hundred people from a deadly fate. Joey’s coworkers and friends. I doubt we could have hoped for anything better, given what we were up against.” Angela looks glum, and folds her arm gently while glancing across the meadow. “Winter’s coming, guys. And I don't mean that in the literal sense. After what we pulled off, we can certainly do even more. I will. I don't care what my parents say. They have no leg to stand on.”
“Okay, our plans have been fine, but we've been up against some absurd odds lately. We need better plans. Better teamwork. Tactical leads. Assuming, of course, the Raven doesn't just lock us down for eternity.” James softens his words and rubs at his cheek–an ugly bruise is still there. “Drenar, what do we do here? We can't fight the world on our own.”
“The Valkyries can. They chewed through Val's forces while they bottlenecked at the power plant. They…could be people to learn from.” Drenar perks up, and gazes at Joey. “Hey, I have a question. How well does Kyle know the Conclave’s history? Could he tell us how the Luminaires formed? Whether there’s some leverage we can use?”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Shouldn't Alex remember that?” She responds testily. Drenar shakes his head.
“No. He was terrible with paperwork. Most of that went to the others–Hanna in particular, but he could lead. He could inspire. And that's what we need. Because a bunch of daring young adults and a few veteran intelligence agents are probably not enough to win this thing.”
“Luminari could. I mean, it responds to you and Angela. Maybe…you could be the next Champion?” Julia proposes with a beaming smile. Even though he gives a toss of his head, he still smiles faintly.
“I don’t think it works like that. I don’t have the tactical acumen to lead the Valkyries, even if that was the case, Julia. That’s time and training I don’t have, and I’m not delusional enough to believe that I could right now. Maybe in the future?” It was a fun idea, but he’s also sadly right. Being a Champion is a lot more than just swinging a sword around.
Joey's eyes brighten, dazzling in the sunlight. “Hey, you know what? There might be something. Alex, was there anything in the Glasgow Accords?”
Drenar squints as if unsure, and his gaze goes skyward–consulting Alex, she figures. She needs a hot mic plugged into Drenar's head to listen on! Or maybe Joey can help, too! Within morally dubious bounds, of course. “He says…consult section fifteen? He remembers something about moments of crisis, but can't remember the rest. I have no idea what that means.”
“One second.” Joey darts back into the house with a creak of the screen door and a slam of the main door. They're on their own again, and Julia steps over to Angela.
“Uh, that reminds me, what kind of fallout are you facing?”
“You mean our parents working at a James Bond Villain Company that had a hand in trying to kill us all? Fallout for days. I'm so disappointed in my mom. She couldn't even look me in the eye, and be proud of what we did. Nothing will ever satisfy her.” Her eyes are flashes of gray lightning, and she thrusts her hands into her pockets. “She can go to hell. I'm so done with her. I'm picking my path. With you, Drenar, Joey, Kyle, and everyone. I’d love to see her try to stop me, because she can't. And she knows it.”
“So, we’re dropping out of school, taking on a death wish mission, fighting the world, and expecting to come out of this alive? I wish I had your bravery," her brother adds solemnly.
“Bravery is one thing, James. This is…” she purses her lips and puts a hand out, palm up, “a calling. Like it's something we have to do. Because no one else can. The mana crystals do weird things to me that have never been recorded before. Drenar has a teleport. Julia is a Tsundere dragon.” She can't help but chuckle at that one.
“Guilty as charged, Angie. Tsunderebolt is something even my mom can barely use. Kinda feels special, knowing there's something I'm better at,” she says while flexing her arms in a bit of a show-off. Angela’s lips crease into a smile after a second, as does Drenar.
“Well, we still need to go back in there and…and hear the rest. Even though I know there's probably more heartache ahead. I need to ask her about Laresten. And what really happened to him? I don't doubt that there was something he was doing, because everything we learned from him…” he slowly nods to Angela, “might have been the edge that kept us alive.”
“I wonder if he's a dragon in disguise too. Wanna hear my theory?” she asks. Drenar tilts his head in curiosity. “What if he was put in your path because she wanted you to meet him? Don't you find that just a little odd, on the timing?”
“Yeah, I haven't unpacked that one just yet. I mean honestly, it just occurred to me that I saw a photo of when he was…less old? He had auburn hair. Green eyes like…” he trails off, and he puts a hand to cover his mouth. “Are you serious? Has the answer been staring me in the face the whole time?”
“Wait, what answer?” She has no idea where he's going with this? Of course, he's still trying to solve a mystery. But which one?
Then, it hits her like lightning and she springs up from her relaxed position. “Holy shit, he’s–”
“--We have a solution, guys!” There's a sound of dashing feet and Joey bursts out, Kyle in tow. She looks more frazzled than usual, and points to Kyle agitatedly. “We have a solution to some of our current problems, but this could be a little risky!”
Well, that awkward reveal can wait. Joey explains the plan, and she can't help but grin.
Julia's mother is either going to love this, or murder her. Drenar is still slightly in shock, and glances at the sword over his shoulder. “You’re sure about this?” Kyle had followed Joey out after a few seconds, and nodded firmly.
“I have scrapped every bit of lore I remember about the Valkyries, the Conclave, and the history of the War Of The Magi. We can’t fight this alone Drenar, and you know that. We need more than just a team if we’re going to get through this alive. I know for a fact you won’t let what Val did go unanswered. Plus, finding your mother might be a tad difficult if we have to fight our way through an army of bloodthirsty killers by ourselves.” Kyle, ever so composed even in the face of immeasurable losses, gives Julia determination that if he can do this, so can they.
Drenar runs his fingers through his hair, before tapping the hilt gently. His expression firms up, and after a moment of contemplation, the determination is back in his eyes. “Alright then. You guys up for this?”
“Like we ever weren’t?” Julia says while arching her body. “Let’s get back in there and make the announcement.”
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