Rhydin, 2033

Dusk was slowly losing it?s nightly battle for supremacy over the city of Rhydin. Things had changed over the last seventeen years. Stores had come and gone, their movement noted only in the business section of the yearly phone book. One stood in the same place it had for over two decades. By now the neighborhood buildings had become so permeated with the smell of sulfur coming from Kruger?s Exotic it would take nearly as long for it to subside once the place had shut down. Other things hadn?t changed either, people still walked the marketplace browsing wares or just getting from one place to another. Their faces may be different, but the goals were almost eerily similar.

There were changes to the shop as well, rust coated hinges on a sign that announced the place?s name in weathered paint and wood. That of course would only be obvious to those who?d seen it long ago. The doors still stood wide open, faint light flickering within from the coals of the forge. The almost melodic ringing of a hammer on metal chiming its way to the world beyond. To any who approached, they?d hear a noise of a different sort inside.

?I don?t understand, this is supposed to be done already. You keep making promises and then don?t follow through.? The baritone voice barely carried over the hammering, but from it could be told that the speaker was still young, and that voice would deepen into the one which responded.

?You don?t understand? It?s simple Niko, none of this matters? not anymore at least. There will always be some emergency, someone whose needs outweigh my own. I?m just tired.? That voice, deeper but so similar in tone and tenor was certainly a close relative to the man with the hammer. The sound may have been the same, but the words held on to consonants just a little too long and every *S* held a slur to it.

?You?re drunk. Just be quiet and let me finish.? Frustration laced its way through the words that seemed to carry even more disappointment from the younger man. ?It?s been six months, Pop. You need to get out of this?? The voice trailed off as though unable to find an appropriate word.

By Averia?s estimates, she had exactly twenty-four minutes to get there and back without her disappearance being noticed. That was being generous. But before long, her mother would emerge sans Avy and oh there would be hell to pay for those who let her slip by without notice. She would have to thank Alexander later. He made the best distraction after all. The rooftops were the easiest way to run undetected and so they saw the little archer leaping and dashing from pitch to pitch until Dragon?s Gate gave way to the Marketplace. Vaulting a much too tall wall sealed the deal and so she descended to ground level for the final leg of her breathless journey.

No, we can?t spare anyone right now solely on a feeling, Averia. Her mother had said, wholly unaware of a blood bond forged years prior when she and Adelaide were but children. Who knew that dabbling in witchcraft at a young age would prove to pay off down the line? It was more than just a feeling, she was sure of it. Something was wrong with Addie, the second time she had been given such a feeling in a little over a year and a half?s time. The first she had brushed off, no small feat when she looked back on it. The second she couldn?t ignore. No matter how far Addie had gone, Averia was always aware at the very least of her godsister?s life force and for a few too long moments, it had been extinguished wholly, snuffed like a candle. It was a feeling she didn?t want to ever feel again but the fact she had been subjected to it to begin with unsettled her in ways that she couldn?t quite describe. So she went to her mother, certain that Claire of all people would understand the need to find her and make sure she was okay.

That had blown up in her face.

It also drove her to the front door of Kruger?s Exotic at a late hour in search of her last hope. The quiet disagreement deep in the shop?s forge didn?t quite reach her ears but the energy was unsettled just enough that she hesitated to enter. A few moments of contemplation had her deciding though that if something were truly wrong then she needed to step inside. So the archer crossed the threshold with one last look over her shoulder and followed her ears in hopes of finding the smiths within.

?Nikolai? Mister Allen?? Her voice lifted, a melodic and almost chime like sound that suited the choirs of angels of the highest orders. Perhaps it would serve as enough of a warning to tell of her coming.

?Nick?? He?d heard Averia before he saw her, that instinctive comeback going out at her without thought to the hardness of his tone. He felt a little like a giant when he looked up to see the girl, no she was more than that now. His dark eyes squinted slightly at her, almost recognition gave way to a full dawning that seemed to hinge upon those silver eyes, and perhaps more importantly the way her hair seemed to drink in even the low light of the forge. ?Avy? I don?t think I?d ever have expected to see you? not in here at least. It?s just Nick now. Sorry if I snapped at you.?

Somewhere in the initial shock of being called his full name, and the moment of epiphany to the young woman?s identity Nick missed the rise and approach of Kruger, all at once the hammer and tongs were no longer in his grasp. ?You?re overheating it, keep those things under control boy. She?s just a girl, you?ve seen them before.?

Nick rolled his eyes, but at least his father was actually doing something now. ?You?re one to talk.? The words were mumbled, not wanting to feel the smack on the back of his head for being sassy. ?Go, I doubt she?s here to see me.? Nick moved out of the way, and let Kruger get to work. He licked his lips a little trying to figure out the best way to find out exactly what brought Averia out.

?Are you? Here to see me?? Blunt may not have been it, but it was easiest to get to the point. He pulled the apron free of his torso, and reached for a shirt to cover up with, that half finished dragon tattoo on his shoulder and upper arm became half buried in a sleeve. ?Or are you here for him?? His thumb went over his shoulder, it was his shop after all. The only consolation that Nick could take in his own lack of finesse was knowing that had it been the mother and not the daughter, he?d be the one watching the tripping tongue.

?Nick huh? So you?ve graduated to a grown up name, have you?? Unflinching in the face of brash bluntness, the only sign of her impending impatience came with a gentle bob onto her toes, jostling her quiver as she rocked back onto her heels. There were few places as sacred as a forge, that much had been impressed upon her and her time was short so she knew she shouldn?t linger. ?I didn?t think I?d find myself here either? but circumstances have proven it necessary.?

As Nick neared, she took the briefest of moments to avert her eyes while he pulled a shirt on, thinking polite prudence was better than the inevitable blush that would have filled her cheeks otherwise. It gave her a moment to cast a vague smile toward the older smith, the curve of her mouth limned with inherent sympathy that needed no words. Nick?s question drew her back to him though and she blinked a few times, almost deer in the headlights in the widening of her eyes.

?Um. I, um. Both of you, actually? I need your help and I didn?t have anyone I could ask and trust to do what I need?? It was one hell of a hook, that was for certain. As she led with that, she took a deep breath to steady her thoughts before continuing. ?Something?s wrong with Addie and I don?t know what it is. But I can?t find out on my own so I need someone capable of finding her and making sure she and Kane are okay??

Grown up name? Yeah, maybe those other names make me feel like a kid. Nick only heard a few words from Averia before his own look of concern washed over his face. The hammering had quit behind him, a sure indicator that Kruger was paying far more attention to the pair of them than he was pretending. ?All business then, I should have known.? Kruger?s voice nearly made him jump out of his shoes. He was acutely aware of his father?s presence now, standing there at his side. He was much taller than the silver haired smith, but somehow it still felt like he loomed ever taller. ?What does your mother say??

It was a bit of a surprise to the younger man that his father had yet to say the woman?s name. He could be odd that way about some people. ?What do you need me to do?? Nick?s question ran roughshod over Kruger?s as though it was of lesser concern. Perhaps that was because to him it was. ?What can I possibly do that you can?t with all of your resources?? Maybe it was like she said, a trust thing. Somehow though, Nick felt like he was one of those resources now. So why did that suddenly make him happy? He kept that expression from his face, something made easier by needing to ignore the grunt that Kruger directed his way.

Nick fought the urge to reminisce, Avy seemed more than serious. His head was of a different opinion though, bringing thoughts unbidden. And what about you, Avy? Have you also graduated to a grown up name? He drove his fingernails into his palm and did his best to stay focused on the moment, knowing two things. His thought wasn?t real. It was a defense mechanism that had started not long after his childhood friend had disappeared. That was when he?d started deflecting serious thoughts about her with humor.

"If it were business I'd hire third parties to do this. This isn't business, Mister Allen, it's personal." Little as she may have been, there was no lacking confidence in her tone or the lift of her chin. Defiant to a fault, she set her jaw and squared her shoulders, almost as if she had expected this sort of pushback. No sooner was the m-word out of Kruger's mouth did she speak again. "She isn't here, is she? While I can't speak for her, I can only say that she won't allow me to go personally."

Though her argent eyed gaze lingered on the older Allen for a few unsettling moments of heavy weight, Nick's question snapped her back to him like a taut bowstring released and left to rest. Habit more than anything, really, it was easy to come back to him that quickly. Choosing her words carefully, she tried to frame her request in such a way that the elder of the two might be more inclined to agree. "I think I found the point at which she was sent back to. If I can just get someone there... they can make sure she's okay. But with everything going on, I need to make sure it's someone she knows and trusts. Someone I trust. Impartial enough to act accordingly but close enough to know just when that has to happen. I... I know I'm asking a lot, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't absolutely have to.?

With Nick?s question answered, she turned next toward Kruger, lifting a level eyed gaze to meet the old smith?s. ?You know as much as I do that it?s not what my mother says but rather what she doesn?t say that speaks loudest. And that little crease she gets in her brow when she?s worried and the pull of her mouth that says she?s chewing on the inside of her cheek? Those say far more than ?Blah blah blah, Averia, the balance comes first, no matter how much it pains us?. And you know that too. Don?t you, Kruger??

?Hmmh.. Sure, I know those looks, and the things that don?t get said.? Nick had moved while Averia spoke to his father. Slowly he had gravitated toward her, catching the wistful look on Kruger?s face and having no idea what it meant. He had already decided what he would do. Being close to Avy though, it made the room feel like a scale that had gone completely out of balance. Was there any wonder that he felt like he?d stepped into chaos itself?

?You can do it?? Nick had long ago learned the secret to his father. The man needed a challenge, something complex to wrap his head around. Even now he could see the gears spinning in Kruger. The nod was a barely perceptible thing. It would be missed if you didn?t know how to look for it. What might seem a tick to some, that to abrupt closing of his eyes, and twitch of his chin meant something else to him. He?d already figured it out.

?Before we go any further, I?m going to tell you what I told? What I told Claire when these questions were asked before. I can do it, what I can?t do what I don?t believe is possible is to hide the fact that I?m doing it. You can?t tear holes and not have it be felt. At the time it was better to leave things as they were. What?s changed now?? Kruger?s breath was sucked in, Nick could see him holding it there. He wanted to tell Avy that the man was halfway decided already. He might have if he hadn?t felt like he?d been slapped by discovering only now that there had been a way to go back. One that he?d never been told about. He?d begged for the opportunity only to be told it wasn?t possible.

?Did you know this when you came here?? That wasn?t his real question, that sounded more like. Am I the only one who didn?t know? There was no blame for Averia, just an intense curiosity that needed to be extinguished.

There was a need to reach for the younger smith when he stepped closer, to anchor herself to something or someone solid and present. So much was fleeting, even in the here and now, that for the briefest of moments, a reprieve could have made all the difference. Though her fingers curled as if she might, she instead drew her hands back to cross her arms over her chest instead.

"She died. I felt it. It was only for a few minutes, but she was gone and if that's the case, we have bigger problems than punching holes in the threads of time. Those will heal but she's only mortal." Demi-deified as she was, Averia's mortality was a tenuous thing at best, easily avoided and extended far beyond the span of even the most long lived humans. But that wasn?t the subject at hand, not with Addie in a far off time and place in conditions that Averia couldn?t verify for the sake of her own sanity. Niko?s tone stung, as if accusing them both of hiding things from him when it couldn?t have been further from the case.

?Niko? Nick? there are always ways to do it, it?s just a matter of the cost. What we lose when we do these sorts of things? it can be steep.? Though she may not have been quite an adult, there was an intrinsic wisdom in her words and the regretful look she bestowed upon him. It was then that she extended a hand, reaching for his wrist with a brush of her fingers. Briefly, fleeting, much like everything else was. She dropped her hand soon after. ?I?m running out of time? please, can you do this for me??

?Come on Dad. You have to, and here?s why. You?re here, Aunt Claire?s here everyone is here now. Where?s Kane? Where?s Addie? Don?t you think? I mean shouldn?t they be here? How many times did you tell us that you?d never let anything happen? She?s not here, something happened, where were you?? Later Nick knew he?d feel guilty about that last comment. He knew because despite being angry at the secrets his father was keeping he could still feel the guilt pulling at him. It had come from him though, nerves steeled by something so simple as the needful brush of dainty fingers roughened by that bow strung over her shoulder.

The older man looked from Nick to Averia but said nothing. For what seemed like an hour he just stood there looking at her. Then all at once he started talking. ?I?m afraid I can?t help you Averia? because you were never here.? Just as quickly he had his gaze focused back on Nick. ?Hang the closed for illness in the family sign Nick. We have to go visit a sick cousin.?

Impeccably hard to rattle on the best of days, she still winced at the thinly veiled barb jabbed by son to father. After all, how many times had Claire repeatedly said that what happened was nobody?s fault? They couldn?t have predicted it, they couldn?t have stopped it. But now they had a choice in the matter and the old smith before her was the dwindling beacon of hope. He seemed so close to saying no and truthfully, in his shoes she wouldn?t have blamed him if he had. Surely he understood the cost that she spoke of, of the potential for all that could go wrong. Just thinking about it almost had her wanting to backtrack, to take it all back and implore them both to stay. That she would find another way to fix things. But at last Kruger caved and her elation quickly overwrote any sort of hesitation that might have held her back.

?I wasn?t here,? she repeated, offering him a single nod. It quickly clicked just what he meant and it took everything she had to not spring forward to hug the old man. Instead she settled on the younger one, running right into him for the sort of tight hug that could crack someone?s back if they moved too much.

?Thank you.? Came the quiet murmur, soft words meant for both men but likely only loud enough to be heard by Nikolai?s shirt. When she let him go, she did so slowly, leaving him with parting words given only to him by way of a gentle mental knock, the offering left the doorstep of his consciousness for the taking. I?ve missed you terribly.

I?ve, I?ll. Missed, miss. The sentiment remained but she was out of time and if they didn?t hurry, Addie could be too.

Kruger had turned away, something that meant to him Averia was not there. He knew that his father saw her headlong rush into that hug. For once he was grateful to the man for acknowledging nothing of her presence. Instinct had Nick?s arms going around the young woman. One coarse hand smoothing the hair down the back of her head. He could feel that slight intrusion into his thoughts. It tickled, like spiderweb silk and remained fast in much the same way. The sensation was so innocuous that he wasn?t really sure if it were her or simply his wish for it to be. Either way Nick lowered his head and spoke into those light consuming tresses wondering not for the first time what else they drew into them. ?I?ll miss you too.?

More secrets, and this one probably the longest held of his life. He could see how it affected Nick, maybe he?d done something right with him and there wouldn?t be those same needs from the young smith. Whatever Nick?s thoughts though, he jumped subjects. ?So, what are we doing here?? He looked around at the equipment that Kruger had attached to the pieces of the forge.

?Quantum entanglement. Something Avy said had me thinking of that, her ability to feel Addie?s death. I might have expected her to see it, there are things that I don?t know of course. It?s of less importance than knowing the family has a lot of abilities that aren?t general knowledge and let it be at that. Did she hug you again? Avy I mean?? Kruger curled his finger at Nick calling him closer. He looked closely at the shirt Nick wore then extracted one long and unnaturally dark hair from it. ?Entanglement of particles makes it so that when something happens to one, the other knows about it.? He held up the dark strand. ?This is our end, putting Addie on the other side, but information is easy. Creating a corridor is going to take power, more than just power because we need a gravitational source to bend our path to the right place. There?s a formula on the bench over there, go fill in the variables that Avy gave you.?

Nick let out a huge sigh. ?I know, you hate math, but do it right or this trip will go very wrong. I have a few more things to do to the equipment.? Satisfied that he?d given Nick the proper motivation, Kruger slid another tuning fork from his bag and wrapped the long hair about it in a loose spiral. In his head he could hear the numbers making that spiral up. Fn=Fn-1+Fn-2, ad infinitum.

?You said we need power, where will that be coming from? I think I know where the gravity is going to be supplied.? Something Nick hadn?t gotten from his father was the ability to stay in his own head. He needed to talk to get his work done. Not that Kruger hadn?t talked his way through his share of projects. The real difference would be that for those the smith had no one to talk to.

?I had a few ideas, but since you?re here, it would be easiest to come from you.? He looked up at Nick to gauge his reaction. ?I know, you barely feel like you have control over your gift. We don?t need you to do much, start the chain reaction is all. You?re much more in tune with the fire than I am. Further away from the other elements though. That will always be your challenge in the forge, compensating for the lack. It?s not impossible, eventually it will become second nature to you. Fire is a part of you Nick, just try to remember that fire wishes to consume everything, never realizing that by doing so it is killing itself.?

?Are you ready with that?? Nick didn?t respond verbally. Kruger saw the nod even with the other?s back to him. ?Okay, give me the settings and I?ll set the pendulum to moving.? Nick called off numbers for ventilation, moisture saturation, and heating intensities. With each variable, Kruger adjusted the forge to match. High over head the dome held an image of the night sky, it had altered though, becoming what the smith needed. It spread out to a point that it was a perfect double image. The universe as it is, and as it was displayed in full panoramic view. Kruger went to each amplifier and inserted a tuning fork. Saving the one he?d painstakingly wrapped for the anvil at the center of the forge.

?I?ll need Dark Heart now.? Kruger pointed to where the war hammer laid. Nick looked at it for a moment then shook his head.

?You know I can barely move that thing.? He knew, or he should have known. For the briefest of moments he?d forgotten that fact. Mildly embarrassed by the mistake he went and retrieved it himself.

?All right, start with the bath, and work your way around counter clockwise. Finish in the center. That?ll be my cue to begin.? It had been much as he?d suspected when Nick was born. He?d never understand the tie to the flame like the boy had, and the man would continue to.It offered him benefits as a smith, but there were drawbacks for every other element that he?d need to overcome.

Drawing on that strength of his, Nick set the water to heating, the process causing vibrations to travel through the container and into the tuning fork that had been placed. A process that pulled sound back into the forge and intensified with each stop he made on the circuit. Around them conduits were alive glowing brighter than any had in the tuning. Once Nick started the key element vibrating, key because it was the one most attuned to Avy and, by association Addie, a tunnel began to form. It twisted on itself counterclockwise an echo of the path Nick had taken, but its other end revealed nothing. Kruger waited for Nick to get close to him, then he lifted the war hammer and exposed the tunnel to the singularity within. Sound distorted, light was drawn towards them, and that tunnel they?d created bent like a piece of copper plumbing.

Kruger had no more eyes for Nick, he kept his focus on the dome overhead. It too changed, showing that wormhole as it bored its way through space and time to connect what, if the numbers were correct, could only be the Rhydins of then and now. The damage was done, the butcher?s bill would need to be paid. The moment the two were connected the hammer was sealed once more to the black hole within.

?That should?? A sound in the distance halted Kruger?s words. Stone and metal broke under a barrage of vast strength. Where the door once stood, a gaping hole now was and from it came men and women shrieking cries to some god that Kruger had never heard of. Nick was reacting to it faster than he was, shocked at not having felt anything happening. He?d been concentrating too hard, or maybe that haze he?d been keeping himself in had other effects on him as well. That hesitation was gone now, Kruger?s hands caught hold of Nick lifting him as easily as the hammer and throwing him forcefully through the opening. ?I?ll catch up!?

Kruger went to the stairs leading from the top of the pedestal and started down it. If they wanted him, they?d have to climb the spiral staircase. He would have the high ground and their numbers would be of no use to them. Faceless, he wished to remember none of their features as that heavy hammer impacted head and body ruining everything that it touched with a spaghettification of body parts. He couldn?t stop his mouth from opening, and words coming from it. That thing he?d done for so long was necessary now if he had any hope to get through this. His own voice lifting kept their screams from testing his nerve. Where ever that hammer fell things died, it was the nature of the beast. But it was also more than that, now he felt what was happening. The men coming at him, that was the distraction. On the platform above a portal opened. Three very large robed figures stood by the broken doorway, one of them was casting, the other two were stepping from there to the platform above.

Horror struck his face as the dawning came to him. He?d been too quick to react, suckered in like an amateur. Now all he could do was turn and run towards the newest, and greatest threat. He bowled in to the first one?s side as he stepped through, but beneath that robe was not flesh and blood. Armor greeted his shoulder, and he was pierced in a half dozen places by thorns made invisible by the robe. Kruger pushed through the pain, blood ran purple down his arm and torso, but the bigger man was giving ground. A final mighty shove sent him over the edge, he barely had time to note the glow on the back of the man?s hand as he fell from the platform ninety meters to the floor.

The fight, brief as it was had taken too long. The second of them was out, and Kruger could see more of the less armored zealots bleeding into the opening and heading for that portal to the top. When in doubt run, live to fight another day. Kruger bent his knees and exploded in the direction of the gateway and Nick. He passed by the slow moving warrior, slowing only slightly to reach out and grab hold of the tuning fork attached to the anvil. He pushed even harder toward that now closing gateway. Nearly there, he readied to leap into the thing, but his legs no longer worked. The world had turned dark, for some reason that made him giggle, then there was nothing.

Early August 2016

Annabeth stepped across the threshold from the main room housing the Forge. She'd been here twice since the first time Kruger had brought her, so she knew her way by now. She glanced around, doubting she'd ever really get used to everything down here, but more importantly not seeing Kruger. "I guess he's further down." She'd called to him, but in this labyrinth who knows if he'd hear her. She found herself stopping and watching the stairs where they'd sat and talked. Smiling a bit to herself before ascending up the long spiraling corridor that led out..

A gasp escaped Nick as he heard Annabeth's approach. He stayed very still trying to determine what direction she might be coming from. This place played with sound, or maybe he was still hearing the drone of the tunnel in his ears. He hoped that would go away soon. He determined to try and find a hiding place. He wasn't supposed to be here now or at least not seeing anyone. Or had Kruger done it again and arranged to be here when he knew Annabeth was supposed to show up? One last look at her. That seemed like him.

She looked up at the gasp, and frowned. "Who's there?" She put her hand on the Walther holstered at her waist, and moved toward the exit where she heard the sound.

Somehow no matter where he'd hidden growing up, she'd always managed to find him.If he'd been thinking straight he might have found that suspicious. Right now it was all Nick could do to find a name that wasn't his that he was comfortable with. "It's just... No one. I'm leaving." Maybe no name was even better, get away and leave it as an oddity in the night.

"I don't think so. You're going to come out here where I can see you. And you're going to give me some sort of name." The Walter was in her hand and clear of the holster now.

Nick had no weapons, no armor to speak of, just a set of dirty clothes and blood slowly running from his scalp, and matting down his hair. Crunch time, lie or tell the truth? Why was the decision so hard anyway? He stepped into sight, palms facing Annabeth. "Alex... I'm Alex." His brain had suddenly locked on to Avy's brother for some reason, the name spilling from him like a waterfall.

She almost looked a little disappointed for a moment but then nodded. The gun wasn't put away, yet. "All right, Alex. So tell me what you're doing here. And why don't you come down here so you we don't have to project so much." In an aside almost to herself, "Do 'nuf of that on stage."

Nick's eyes went round as saucers at the suggestion of moving into that tunnel. He wasn't supposed to be here, but even that had very little to do with the absolute horror he would experience if he did. Just the thought of what happened moistened his eye and forced him to pull his lips into his mouth. He shook his head giving her a pleading look not to force that. "I... I just need to go. Please?"

"Then you shouldn't of come down here." Her accent deliberately slipped in. Would you argue with a hillbilly with a gun?

"I didn't mean to, I don't want to be here. I'm not sure how I got here." none of those statements was exactly a lie if taken in the right context. Where had that subtlety come from? He began to wonder if this too were inherited from his father. "Can you... help me get out of here?"

"I can if you come down here and talk to me, Alex." The way she said it indicated that she didn't exactly believe that that was his name, but she'd use it for now.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth... I just can't. I gotta go." He understood now the what and the why. "I miss you." The last was barely said as Nick turned from her and ran.

She blinked and watched him go. He knew her name, and his voice sounded very familiar. She holstered the weapon, and once she was sure he wasn't coming back went in search of Kruger.

--------

Nick had to go, the plan had been not to interact with anyone that wasn?t truly necessary. Where had Annabeth come from? More importantly was the question in Nick?s mind asking if he thought that his father had planned for her to be there, needing perhaps to see her once more whole and healthy. It would be like the man to do something like that. He wasn?t sure if he held that against him now or not. Whatever the reason, that meeting never would happen now. Nick pushed himself to keep moving forward, they?d had a plan, a place that his father said would be safe for them. The disrepair of this area was both a surprise, and a welcome sight. In the intervening years the city?s population had grown, all of these abandoned buildings had long since been cleared away, replaced by new dwellings occupied by families. The place in question, Aunt Raye?s loomed largely before him. How long since he?d played here with Raye affectionately calling him a snotnose? There was affection in it even if she really did feel that way. When he?d gotten older, she?d given him the secret of getting in without triggering the many traps that she?d installed.

Nick couldn?t help but hesitate, could he do it now? Was it still the same? He couldn?t stop his hands from shaking, unable to deal with the events that left him alone in a time when he knew no one. That wasn?t exactly true. He knew many people, it was they who wouldn?t know him. He didn?t use the front gate, only assassins used the front gate in order to lull their victims into a false sense of security. Aunt Raye could be complicated. Instead he vaulted the fence, making sure to keep his hand placements at specific points to avoid the triggers she?d had installed there. Then it was a game of hopscotch along the walkway. He could only use his tip toes as this game had been set up for the stiletto heels Raye favored. There were no points at which Nick could put both feet down, an agility test that was unfair in his estimation considering the innate grace the elfess possessed. That at least brought him to the porch, a sucker?s trap meant for the unwary.

He put his foot on the railing, and sang the song taught to him by Raye. What was it with his family and singing things anyway? ?Niko Niko, bo biko banana fanna fo fiko, Fee Fi Fo Miko, Niko.? It was silly, and maybe that was the point, who in their right mind would guess that the key to getting in would be something so? Raye? He continued to climb, hands going to the places that Raye had drilled into him, while making certain to reach the window by the time he?d gotten to. ?And then I say the name again with an M this time, and there isn't any name that I can't rhyme.?

Getting into the window required something else, another code, that was only an improvement because he didn?t have to sing it. Nick leaned in and spoke to the lock. ?Freddy Mercury has a nice ass.? He had no idea who Freddy Mercury was, or if he really did have a nice ass. None of that really mattered since it was the only way in. The lock snapped and the window opened on its own allowing Nick access to the inner sanctum.

Nick laid on the floor, a fetal ball immune to the moments of time that were slowly ticking by. Five minutes turned into half an hour which almost as quickly turned into three hours and he didn?t move. He lay there, head on the floor staring in the direction of a closed door that he knew to be Rayvinn?s bedroom. He wanted her to come out and catch him, to kill him or clutch him close, but there was no movement in the place. His father had said she might not be there. Raye was unpredictable in her comings and goings. He dragged himself to the bathroom, stripping away his clothes and immersing himself in hot water spewed forth from the shower head. Had they found his father yet? What would happen to Avy? ... there are always ways to do it, it?s just a matter of the cost. What we lose when we do these sorts of things? it can be steep. Avy?s words came back to him and for a brief moment he felt he should be there with her. Selfish thinking, He was needed where he was. ?Where the hell are you Addie?? Would she hate him for what happened? Better to have her cleave his heart in two.

.

Rhydin, September 7th, 2016

Mid-fight he arrived, quiet, inconspicuous. Addie didn?t even notice, so busy dueling that his arrival went unmarked until a call from the crowd drew her attention. It was only by coincidence that her gaze panned across a familiar face that hadn?t been there before. He had made his way inside in a pair of torn jeans and a borrowed belt along with an ill fitting t-shirt in black that read Break all the rules. Apt. The red Converse squeaked as he sat to watch but it took her almost ten minutes to realize he was there and even then she couldn?t believe her eyes.

"That your boyfriend? He?s a looker."

"Wh-what... no. I... I think I'm hallucinating."

I'm pretty sure I can see him.."

"Graceful as ever." The words barely audible over his arms. "You gonna do something up there Addie?"

"Then it's someone who looks like someone else and Rhydin's just ****ing with me." From the ring she couldn't quite hear Nick even though it looked like he might be speaking.

"So he's not your boyfriend?"

She pulled back at the last moment and gave KC plenty of time to crack her one more time. That was going to leave a mark. But she seemed undaunted and threw a vague salute to KC and Kheldar back. "Thanks yo." Then she was stumbling over the ring's ropes before setting off at a dead run for Nick. Watch out, Hurricane Adelaide was about to make landfall regardless of the fact he was sitting. "NIK-NAK!"

If he didn't watch out, she was going to run right into him.

"Looks like she's too busy getting her face busted up." This said to Cyrus as he picked his head up. "That ain't the way to finish things out..." Damn... Nick's bracing for the inevitable collision of Hurricane Adelaide. "Lady!!" He finds a smile, it isn't easy, but it's there.

"Ohmygodisitreallyyou?!" The words came out so quickly that they were almost impossible to make out but she was intent on throwing herself at him for the biggest of hugs.

"Wouldanyoneelsebesittingherelookinglikeme?" He managed to stand in time to catch her and the hug, returning it with possible the tightest squeeze he'd ever managed. "You're all right? I've been worried! Where the hell have you been?" Too much to say and not giving her time to answer anything. "Weeks... It's been weeks! I finally spotted you last night but..." He trailed off with a sigh just enjoying the hugs.

"It's Rhydin! Yes!" She said instantly, still in disbelief that he was there. Tangible, she could touch him even! It was the sort of hug that could realign your back if you did it right but she wasn't going to let go even once he answered. "I've been super busy with life and stuff, you know... it's been, well, it's a long story. But you're here! Ohmygod you're here. Wait. If you're here..." She pulled back just slightly, her hands still touching his upper arms. "Why?"

He actually managed a laugh, it was the first in a long time. He lowered his head until his lips were touching hair and spoke softly. "That's something you need to tell me, that and where the hell Kane is. Shouldn't he be here protecting that ass of yours? I know what happened to you... Some of it. You know you can't hide stuff like that from her."

There was a flicker of conflict across her expression, her gaze tipping side to side, tick-tock. Her hand touched to the hollow of her throat as if to grab a pendant that wasn't there. "I... he's... it's... it's complicated." She began, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip. "That little bitch..." It was an affectionate term even if she was quite perturbed with her god-sister at the moment. "So she sent you to come check on me?"

"Last hope I guess, probably for good reason." It was said flatly, allowing no room for debate on the matter. "And you shouldn't call her that... She's worried, I've been worried, for too long." He might have gotten defensive with Addie, but it disappeared just as quickly.

She blinked slowly before her eyes widened for her to stare at him. Speaking vaguely as he was could have meant so many different things but each one was worse than the one before and her mouth went dry. Addie licked her lips and looked up at him, searching his expression for some kind of a hint. "I can take care of myself." She said softly, as if it would soothe his worries. As an afterthought, she added, "You got taller."

"You can take care of... Not if that up there was an indicator." She wanted to change subjects on him, once he wouldn't even have noticed. "I got taller. Taller than you. You should be home tho..." Nick stopped mid sentence. "No, no stay here Addie Don't try to go back, not yet." He swallowed, and bit the inside of his lip as hard as he could stand.

Addie rolled her eyes. "That was a duel. They're totally different from real fights." Not as though the girl had ever been the fighting sort to begin with. "Took you long enough to pass me up." She'd hit her growth spurt at the unfortunate age of fourteen and left most of the boys in the dust. But the good natured teasing gave way to a studious frown. "Nick, what's going on? Let's go talk, you can tell me about it and it'll be okay, okay?" Reluctantly she stepped away from him, intent on getting her messenger bag from the bar.

"You've seen my father, I'm lucky I passed you at all." The words were forced, as was the chuckle. He looked around the Outback then nodded. "I'd like that, the talking, but everything isn't going to be all right. Nothing is really going to be all right for a while." His eyes squinted slightly, he had so much to say, but couldn't seem to find his voice. Not here... not sober either. "There someplace we can be anonymous?"

"This is true." She conceded with a fond smile. Though they were the only ones aside from Kheldar, she understood the need for a more private setting to catch up on what she had missed. Everything wasn't going to be all right, that had her heart hammering and for a moment, she really, really wanted something strong. "I know a place. C'mon." She grabbed for his hand once she had her bag over her shoulder, ready to drag him for the exit. "Bye Kheldar! Have a good night!"

He had brought nothing that didn't fit in his pockets, so Nick waited for Addie to be ready, hands in pockets he followed her to the door and out. "I've lived here all my life but this city... now is just crazy." He sent a small wave to Kheldar as the door was closing.


((Adapted from Live Play, thanks to KC and Nick both for their contributions))

Rhydin, August 15th, 2016

There were no wise moves for Nick, waiting in the alleyway behind Silverblood Lines lingerie shop was dangerous enough. Every alleyway in this city had its toughs that frequented it. On the other hand, breaking into the access elevator to the apartment above was quite possibly more so. A catch twenty two no matter how he sliced it, but at least he was confident about his ability to defend himself against alley creepers. Something more arcane, that could be suicide and Nick had a job to do and a girl to get home to. That should have meant that he'd remain vigilant enough to stay awake, but really how many hours could he go without proper sleep. He'd only sat down to rest for a moment, but the weariness had chosen that moment to overcome him. At least if the lift door opened it would wake him, though it would leave him sprawled on the floor of the cabin, half in half out and the perfect victim for the guillotine doors to make his life a little less comfortable.

SkipSkipSkip, Camellia, although approaching her 20th, did not act much like a 20 year old. She was skipping along the paved road in the direction of home, with little sound and little fear. Anything nasty enough to cause trouble in this part of town, knew that a vampire lived with a demi-god in this building. So only someone extremely stupid would cause her any trouble. As she rounded to back to the lift, she paused and squinted.....Was...Someone sleeping in front of the door? It didn't look Wait....Was that..? Nooooo....Well, maybe. Addie was here after all, so it was possible, but.... Camellia approached quietly, squinting at Nick as she got closer, actually trying to be quiet now, and doing rather well, too.

Nick's back was indeed against the door, his head forward as light breaths betrayed the sounds of sleep. His knees were bent, the low top converse flat on the pavement, while arms circled his legs to keep everything in place. The dark tank top he wore exposed that half finished dragon tattoo on his left shoulder and bicep, and the jeans he was sporting had more holes in them than a whore monger's alibi. He shifted just a bit, feet pushing his back harder against the door. That had happened fairly
often, and was probably the reason he hadn't fallen over while he slumbered. Oblivious to the world around him, there was no way he would hear the soft step of an elephant, let alone the ones that Camellia was now using.

She drew near, and stopped about arm's reach away, and she squinted at Nick for a long moment......Then she reached out, veeeerrryyyyy slowly....Very Carefully.......And poked him on the nose with her forefinger.

Sleep instinct had his left hand rising, the back of his hand meeting Camillia's wrist and pushing it away. "Stop Hayden." Whatever he was dreaming probably had his younger brothers in it.

Wide eyes. Stare, stare, stare...... She poked him again, just to be sure.....Right on the nose, harder this time.


Nick's eyes flew open and stared at the finger in his face. His hand moved to push it aside again. "I swear to god Hayden, I'm gonna bash you on he head, and I don't care what your mother will..." Looking up, he was disoriented, and more than a little surprised to see not an annoying younger brother, but Camillia. He breathed for several moments before remembering everything. "Cammy?" The question came with a squint at her face with eyes almost too dark. "Shit... I fell asleep! **** me!" He pushed himself upwards and shoved his hands into his pockets looking angry and guilty at the same time. "It is you though... I mean it shouldn't be, but... none of this should be really."

"NNNNIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! !!" Que the squee. Nick stood up. Bad move Nick. You know this girl's a glomper, and glomp she did! Diving straight into Nick and probably dragging him back to the ground all over again. "OHMYGODSITSYOU" Little bit more squeeing before her wit kicked in. "Um...No, I don't think I will, thanks." She retorted with a grin, and poked him on the nose again. "What the hells are *you* doing here, though?! *I* swapped places with myself like, 3 years ago ...." Que confused face as Nick's words start to, you know, filter and register.

Nick's nod was more like a confused circle. "Wait... switched places. How the hell is that.. Never mind. I was hoping that was you I saw yesterday. You sure spent your sweet time coming back here. How would you feel if I were just a blood splatter on the door right now?" It was hard to chastise even teasingly when being hugged and tackled all at once. That blood spatter might happen anyway at the hands of the girl, accidentally of course. There might be a little backlash that came from that, if the body were ever found. "It is me, but I'm not important right now. I'm looking for someone. I was hoping you could help."

"Pft." She snorted at the mere idea of someone murdering Nick here. "This building is probably the safest place in the whole city." Cam replied, picking herself up with a hop and skipped in place. "Aaahhhh, I can't believe it's really yooouuu, Addie's gonna be so pleased!" Clapping her hands, before she stopped, and squinted at Nick. "Hey now, don't go changing the subject." His words register again. "Oh, wait, you're not.....Okay, so...Who're you looking for?" And no, she doesn't offer a hand to help Nick up. He shoulda known better than to get up in the first place!


He didn't need a hand, or expect one really. "I can't either..." but something had him focus on her. "Addie, that's who I'm looking for. You know where she is? I need to find her, make sure she's.. I need to find her." Paranoia, probably inherited from his father, or maybe just a wise precaution after what happened to the man a week earlier. "Can we go there, like, now? The sooner I find her and figure things out the sooner I can start looking for a way home."


Cam frowned for a second or two, before shaking her head softly. Suddenly, she'd become very serious. "No, I don't know where she is at the moment....I never really got around to finding out where she lives... She's been here though..."

It was a weak lead, almost nothing beyond confirmation that he had been dropped in the right place. He took a deep breath, then did the only guy thing he could. He stepped back and checked out Camillia. "Well, you look pretty good. Something must be treating you well." There was no guilt in him, as he'd left off words that might only hurt like. You're too tall, and not dark enough. Damn I miss you. "Do me a favor?" Nick's stomach rumbled. He was hungry, but he'd lift something on the way back through the marketplace. "Don't tell her I'm here if you see her." He didn't know why, it just seemed prudent. "I mean I don't need more unless..." He gave Cam a serious look. "Remember that time that you me and Addie were walking home and you all thought it would be funny to send me on a short cut through that bullpen? I'm calling in a favor for that." He pointed at her. "I don't know whose idea that was... but you owe me."


"I'm part vampiric, doesn't take much to stay in shape!" She replied with a twinkling grin "Well...It worked, didn't it?!" Flails a little, before giggling. Nick running from the bull had been pretty funny, and it *had* been quicker! Giving him a squint, she nodded softly. "Alright...Although it seems like that defeats the purpose of being here, you know....?" She glanced at his stomach, then at Nick, before gesturing around to the front of the shop. "If we go in through the front door, we can head straight for the kitchen if you want....?"


Food sounded good, well better than good really. "If you call near death by impalement working, I guess it did. You two didn't have to laugh so hard though." Hard to believe that his mouth could go so petulant, but there it was. "Okay, I might be a little hungry." He chose to ignore that his stomach was talking louder than he was. "A little bit. That'll give me a chance to tell you what I need to do." Nick looked down the alleyway, both directions as though he expected to see someone there. "You lead the way though." Famous last words that had gotten him into trouble a lot.

"Yes we did. It was funny." Cam replied with a airy tone, before leading the way, a bright grin plastered across her face as she fiddled with her keys. "You can *start* with why you're looking for Addie, and follow that up with why you don't want *her* to know? I mean.....It would really help...." Cam reiterated as she fiddled with the front door to the shop, eventually getting it to open in such a manner that it wouldn't trip a bajillion alarms.

"Mostly, I was sent here, and I don't want that to make her disappear. Besides, you don't want to spoil the surprise of seeing me, right? Take her opportunity to tackle me too. You guys liked to tackle me a lot, I'm starting to see a strange pattern." It was said with a laugh, wrestling as they went from place to place just seemed to happen. "As for why? People are concerned for her, and asked me to come and make sure she's alright." He wasn't about to say who had come, it was hard enough to think about right now. He waited as Cam unlocked the door, her father was kind of paranoid too it seemed.

SUPER PARANOID. Nick would *feel* the charms and spells brush against him as they crossed the threshold. Fun fact, this also meant some of the lights turned on. Don't ask her how, but her dad wired the spells into the lights. Once they were in, she closed and locked the door once again, before forging ahead past all the various lines of clothes and what have you to the counter. Don't mind the posters Nick! No one there you recognise!


Don't mind the posters... one sure fired way to make him mind them. "Wait... What the hell?" There in all her lingerie'd skin and glory was Addie, certainly not acting like the girl he knew. She's not allowed to wear looks like that on her face! "What does Addie have a fear of clothing now? I mean... C'mon you can practically see her..." Points to what he's talking about, then realizing what he's doing looks away only to come face to face with Addie in even less. "fuck."

Cam blinked, and stopped to peer where he pointed. Then looked at Nick and giggled almost hysterically. "Oh, come on! Like you didn't spend *plenty* of time ogling at Thorn's posters!" She swatted him up the backside of his head, before carrying on with another giggle, unlocking yet another door behind the counter, this one leading to a flight of stairs. "Soooo, someone's worried about Addie and sent you back to check up on her, after she got sent back?"

"Well, Thorn is different. I never wrestled with her... in person anyway." Teen aged minds did all kinds of things. "And that actually didn't help at all Cammy! Now all I can think of is some other thirteen year old thinking... THOUGHTS!" He kept his head down, it seemed the only safe way to walk through the place, his eyes straight ahead on Camillia's shoes, as she led the way through to the back and up the stairs. "That's about the long and the short of it. They knew that Addie would recognize me and trust me. I don't disagree, and it will be great to see her... It really will. It's been two years, did you know that?"

"Well....Keep it in your pants, okay?" Cam replied with a snicker, not at all worried about Nick's state of mind. "Well...Yeah, I've been here for two years or so. Makes sense you'd keep going for two years as well." She said, turning on the spot to look at Nick, and walked backwards with an almost eerie confidence in the direction of the fridge, since they'd in fact arrived in the kitchen now.


"Where else would I put it Cam? Maybe don't answer that..." It was probably too late. "Another reason to keep from telling her is that I'm not sure who else might be looking." He was sure someone was though. Paranoia, maybe but they'd sent her here for many reasons. Nick put his backside against a counter and lifted himself up to sit there. "But that's what I need your help with. How do you feel about breaking into a place with me? Security is kind of minimal." Read that as nonexistent. "But I could use the backup."

"Sweetie, if you haven't figured it out after all that 'wrestling' with Thorn...." The reply came back almost before he could tell her not to. Cam tilted her head at him for a moment. "Uhuh..." And then Cam raised an eyebrow. "First you mess with the timeline, now it's breaking and entering?.....Eh, sure...But first you gotta tell me where we're going" She then pulled the fridge open and extracted some leftover lasagna. "And you eat this.


Nick's eyes went wide, and he gathered up a hanging hand towel and lofted it at Cam. "That's just mean! I'm not here for that... If that were my... I wouldn't have come back okay." He did have reasons to go home. Some were better than others. He gladly accepted the leftovers, not even letting her warm them up. That would take too long, when he could do the job himself. He pushed his fork into the saucy mess. "The only place I know that has what I need. Kruger's Exotic. I didn't have a lot of time to prepare when I got... when I stepped through the tunnel." Read that as none because he'd had too much help from his father. "I'm not really sure of his schedule. He's kind of busy these days if I remember, the duels and the theater and whatever other messes he gets himself into."

"Bah" She waved her hand at the towel, her one weakness! "Oookkaayyy, so we're breaking into your dad's shop......I guess it could be stranger." Came said with another small shrug, and went off to rummage in a cupboard. "What...Exactly, are we looking for there?"


"A very specific pair of hammers, some decent light armor. I need to be able to move in it. I hope I can find something that's still tough enough to deal with whatever is coming." He had an idea, and short of heavy plate, he just wasn't sure. "Maybe a little cash, not a lot because it's my dad ya know? I'm sure he'd give it to me if he were here." If he were still alive and walking around. "I mean not the one that is here but the one that's back there. I hate time talk!"

She giggled again, and nodded in understand. "Maaaannnnn if you need cash, just ask. You know my parents are loaded with more than they know how to use." Between the shop, and he dad's adventuring, they had multi-fortunes in the building alone. "Okay then. Shouldn't be too hard. We can set out as soon as you're finished eating...Ah, there it is!" She exclaimed happily, and pulled out a wrapped bundle that had the suspicious look of a look pick set...

His head shook immediately at the offer of cash. "I'd rather pose for one of those naked pictures downstairs than ask for money." To be frank they weren't naked, but they might as well be now in his head. "I'd get a job, but I need to be able to move. I don't have hours to commit to work... no matter how much I hate turning thief." He eyed the lock picks as he finished off the lasagna. "I'm ready now." The plate went into the sink, and Nick's ass slid from the counter top. "Of course if he's there, someone will need to run interference."

That, is because he's a dirty minded boy. "Good! We'll get going then! The sooner the better. Then you can get around to explaining the bit about people after Addie." Yeah, liked she'd let that slip!

(Adapted from Live Play with Camillia's player. Thanks for all your time!)

Rhydin, September 17th, 2016

Things had gone much less awry than he had been expecting. That hadn?t kept him from practicing in the mornings on the beach, as Nick tried to find a way to incorporate the hammers into the capoeira routines that he knew. It should have been like second nature to him, but admittedly he didn?t have his head in the game. He was of course expecting bad men in every shadow, while that might be easily explained by what he?d seen, he couldn?t help but wonder why nothing had happened. He?d been with Addie for over a week. It was great during the day when they found ways to joke and stay busy. At night things were different, especially if Addie?s guy came over. Nick kind of relegated himself to the guest house for those nights.

Tonight wasn?t one of those, it was a walk around quietly trying to find a bottle and finish his letter to Avy night. The sit in a chair focusing so hard that his face was one big brood fest, and he couldn?t hear anything coming if he tried kind of night. Maybe it had something to do with sitting in the dark, but he couldn?t quite get the last few lines out. ?I wonder if this is how Addie feels when she?s stuck on a lyric?? A rhetorical question, since he believed he was in the room all by himself. As quiet as it was, he could have been in the entire house alone.

?Only if I try to find a way to rhyme with ?orange?.? Came an answer unbidden. Padding out of the kitchen barefooted, she had a spoon stuck in a carton of ice cream which she seemed pretty intent on taking with her wherever she was going. Already in her pajamas despite an hour that would usually require some party or another, she instead redirected her path around the corner and over to see what it was he was working on. Pen, paper, that chicken scratch he called handwriting. Sure it was upside down for her but she was trying her best to read it in a most nosy fashion. ?Cha writin???

Once he?d have jumped at being sneaked up on by her. She?d done it so often that it was get used to it or have a heart attack every time. He started to pull the page so she couldn?t read what was in it, then perhaps just to throw her off by acting out of character he just handed it over. ?Just something I?ve been doing since I got here. It started because I didn?t have anyone to talk to, but?? Nick let a huge sigh. ?Maybe I?m just being stupid, but I can?t seem to stop now. I?d hoped to be back by now, but I don?t even know how that will happen. I certainly don?t know what needs doing, and worse than all of that it doesn?t even look like you need me here at all. Not for the reasons I was sent at least.? He picked up his head and peered at the spoon in his hand. ?Is that the last of that?? Indicating the ice cream with a nod of his head. It wasn?t what he wanted to know.

Shaking off the subject change, he was getting too good at that when it came to talking about this. ?Am I being stupid? I mean, she?s way better than I am.?

Sure enough she peered at him suspiciously when he flat out handed it to her instead of playing hide and seek with it. But her curiosity won out and she carefully plucked the piece of paper from his grasp to give it a looksee. Her curiosity bled into confusion and then finally what looked to be annoyance. Pulling one of her bare feet back, she aimed a kick at his shin. It wasn't anything particularly hard (and really, the girl could kick hard), but rather just enough to jar him from his self imposed pity party. Then immediately after, she took the spoon, full of ice cream as it was, and tried to stick it in his mouth.

?You?re being stupid but not for the reason you think.? Addie sighed and then beckoned for him to stand up. ?C?mon, we need alcohol for this.?

Whether or not he followed, she went back to the kitchen where she popped open one of several liquor cabinets so she could rummage through the selection. ?I?m about to drop some real talk on your face so pick our poison because I?m gonna have to drink too. Uhhh tequila, whiskey, or vodka.? Three bottles were taken out and set on the counter.

They?d kind of mastered the forced spoon share over the years. Though it had been a while and there was a bit of tooth contact when she stuck it into his mouth. ?Ow!? It was said with a mouthful of ice cream which he had no problem showing her as he got up to follow. It hadn?t really hurt, but he played like it did going so far as to rub his shin and give her a wounded look.

?Better make it whiskey, vodka makes me want to sing, and tequila makes me forget everything and black out.? She was getting the bottle, so Nick set about getting some glasses for it, large ones because he didn?t know if she was just gonna keep it with her like she was the ice cream. ?Okay, maybe I am having a pity party. Part of me is glad to be right where I am, there?s a lot of things back there that I don?t want to deal with, and at least one of those things is that you?re not there. The rest of me, it knows that I left without telling her anything, but yeah, go ahead with Addie?s words to live by.? He fixed her with a grin that hadn?t changed much over the years. ?Really, I?m all ears. Especially if it will help.?

For his grousing he earned a good natured roll of her eyes as if to say Quit being a baby before she continued on her way. He picked whiskey so she put the other two back in the cupboard and shut it gently. When she turned back, she squinted at the glasses, then at the bottle, and finally at him. But rather than argue, she shrugged and twisted the cap off, filling both glasses far higher than either had any reason to be filled.

?You?re a big dummy. You mean to tell me that all this time, you?ve liked her but you never, like, thought that maybe it?d be a good idea to tell her?? She figured she could start there, gauging just how far gone he was over the girl that Addie pretty much considered the closest thing to a sister that she would ever have. He grinned but she was studious, watching the minute changes in his expression as she asked her question. If anyone was going to get to the bottom of this, she was.

?Of course I?ve liked her. I would?ve thought that was obvious to you. Maybe not?? Asking the question that had already been answered was probably another quirk she hadn?t missed. ?Look, I mean she?s.. Avy, with a destiny and important. Even if I had told her, I had no idea what I could offer her that would have been enough to be bothered. And you know, what if I told her and she just wrecked me? That would?ve changed everything.? Nick raised the glass, hoping that would be enough, but one look at Addie told him that she knew he was holding out on her. He took his lower lip between his teeth, a sure sign that he didn?t want to tell the truth, but wouldn?t be able to hold it in much longer.

?I didn?t want to end up like the old man. Stuck on something or someone that he knew he could never? I just figured that was how things were. How they would be. What is it you aren?t saying Addie?? The knowing each other went both ways. ?You have something stuck in your head too.?

"If it were obvious, I wouldn't be asking. Half the time you picked on her like Alex did and the other half of the time, you'd get this weird look on your face like maybe you needed to go to the bathroom or something." She pointed out with half of a smirk. Her glass was taken up for a sip then set aside in favor of the ice cream. From a drawer, she pulled another spoon and stabbed it into the container so he could partake if he wanted to. With her hand still around the spoon's handle, she paused to stare at him like she was trying to putting pieces together and figure him out.

"Avy. Averia. Little princess girl who tried at every turn to be as strong and fast and cool as you and her brother? You know it had nothing to do with Alexander, right? We all have destinies, dude, me and you and her included, but who are we to say what those are and who gets to be involved?" Though she meant to say more on just why she thought he was being stupid, his soft admission instead rendered her quiet. She dipped her gaze to the stuff on the counter in quick contemplation before she reached for the glass. How right she had been that she was going to need alcohol for this. Without hesitation, she drank down the entirety of the glass's contents and set it down with a hard thunk.

?Nick, that girl has been ridiculously head-over-heels about you, like worse than I was with Kane for all those years?? That still stung. For so long she had pined over the one who had been meant as her protector and in the end she simply let him go. Not only that but he went without a fight. She raked her teeth across the pulp of her bottom lip and worked on refilling her glass. ?She?s gonna kill me for telling you that. Don?t tell her, okay??

He grabbed the spoon and pulled free some of the ice cream only to end up flicking it at her over the comment about how he looked at Avy. ?Why would I think it had anything to do with me? Avy was always competitive. With everyone. I mean? she was right most of the time, but I chalk that up to excessive schooling.? Nick looked away from Addie brows dropping as he remembered how often he and Alex did pick on the girl. He was quick to follow Addie?s example and drain his glass, though his hand went for the bottle and a refill.

?I said things, but maybe it wasn?t for the reasons people thought. Did you ever really watch her face in those moments? There?s a look that comes to it that only lasts for a fraction of a second before that defiant look reappears. I swear it was one of the most beautiful things I?d ever seen. Maybe I could have handled it better, but honestly I only just started to realize exactly how much I do care.? Then his eyes went wider at Addie. ?But don?t think that excuses you! How long have you known and why am I only hearing it now??

He took another drink and chased it down with a spoonful of ice cream. It wasn?t as good as he?d hoped it would be, but he?d tasted much worse, like the night he?d tried to put vodka with mountain dew and had to plug his nose just to finish it. ?Silly me for thinking that her parents, and let?s be really honest and say her father believes he has her destiny lined out already. So I said things, to get that reaction, and to keep myself from having one. I?m not sure that makes any sense, though it might by the end of this glass.?

Ice cream went splat against her upper arm and without hesitation, she leaned her chin down to lick it up. Whatever was left was wiped away with her palm then smeared down the leg of the too short shorts that left even longer legs on display in all of their tanned and toned glory. "She and I were never competitive. But you never realized that she did the things you said because maybe she wanted to impress you? I mean, shit, the girl can read minds and move stuff with a thought and shoot a target from a ridic distance and speak like nine languages... so why would she have to try and impress you by doing more?

"No, you're a dumb boy and dumb boys never notice anything because girls work in more subtle ways. So instead you got to pick on her and hope she realized you were doing it out of the goodness of your heart and to see whatever weird look she'd give you. I oughta punch you in the arm for being so dense."

Addie sighed. It was one of those long suffering sighs that said quite clearly that Nick was a big dummy head and it was obviously all his fault that he never noticed what had been blatantly clear to her for ages. "You remember the summer that you and Alex had the boys only fort and wouldn't let her in? And how she didn't speak to you for weeks after that? Since then abouts. But it wasn?t my place to tell you.?

With her own glass refilled, she drank again. Stealing the spoons away, she tossed them in the sink, put the lid on the ice cream and threw it in the freezer before snatched the whiskey bottle by its neck and beckoning for him to follow her back out into the living room. Liquor and ice cream in the kitchen at a late hour was lame anyways. ?You do know that Aunt Claire and Uncle Noct sorta got together despite, like, everything and everyone going against them. It took until Av and Alex turned five before the Lucian Council declared them legitimate heirs to the kingdom even. It?s like a goddamned soap opera or something and you know what every good soap opera needs? A cute non-royal blacksmith boy to mix things up. Also, you?re a big dummy.?

He?d follow, though it would take a moment as he sat there thinking over what she wa saying. ?Maybe it wasn?t your place, but I wish you?d have done it anyway.? He was a big dummy, but at least he knew that didn?t really matter to Addie. He let six long heartbeats go by, counting the as the alcohol worked its way deeper into him. Then he was moving, following along after Addie as he?d done so many times before. ?I?m big, and dumb, and subtlety is lost on me. That?s the problem with you girls. You spend so much time being subtle that the things you do are only apparent to other girls. It?s like you all completely forget that guys are exactly that.? He dropped down on the couch next to her reaching out to give her a squeeze. ?Don?t worry though, when I get back I?ll let her know how I feel. I?ve spent pretty much the last month trying to tell her in the only way I can. Not that she?ll ever see it.?

Nick slouched down on the couch, kicking off his shoes and letting them fall wherever they decided. ?I?m not sure how to do that yet, but if my dad could figure it out, I?m sure someone else can. I?ve actually considered going and asking him to do it again, but then I remember what happened last time. I didn?t always pick on her ya know. Not when it was just the two of us. I still managed to get her into trouble, but why would that ever change?? Maybe he was starting to feel the whiskey, but he looked at all the furniture, and then Addie. ?We could make an awesome blanket fort in here. Did you ever think of that??

Rhydin, October 3rd, 2016

?October means pumpkin everything is in,? Addie insisted. The white, unlabeled bakery box in her grasp smelled heavily of pumpkin spice, lending credence to her statement. Its twin had been dropped off only ten minutes prior at the Old Temple Baronial Manor up the street. The old cathedral was fast fading behind them amidst the sky reaching spires of the district. Ahead, the wall that separated Old Temple from Dockside was just within view. Beyond that, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to their final destination. It was a walk she had made numerous times but only thrice with Nikolai?s company. It meant no music piped into her ears by way of hot pink earbuds like usual but she didn?t mind. It was nice having someone to talk to on the way.

?And really, Aaaaaaavy likes pumpkin too, so you better get used to it.? Teasing limned her words and her smile as she jutted out an elbow to catch him in the side. The divider wall between Old Temple and Dockside marked a change of sorts. The buildings were older, not so nice. But she knew the place like the back of her hand so her alertness stayed the same, somewhere between aloof and barely paying attention. It was Rhydin. How scary could it be for a girl with no fears? That?s what she told herself at least.

?I like pumpkin, and not just because Avy likes it too. I just don?t get why it has to start so early. By the time November rolls around, a guy gets pumpkined out, yah know?? It had only been three trips, but Nick knew the turns well enough to drop into easy conversation with Addie. The wall Ahead was a landmark that he?d discovered also served as a time indicator of when they?d make it back to the house at Seaside. Unless there were some kind of Addie side adventure, There had been a few of those, mostly to get Nick into some clothes that according to Addie was more cool. He didn?t necessarily disagree, but it had been hard to pick and choose when you were browsing people's laundry lines.

It had only been a few weeks, but with nothing earth shattering happening it had been easy to fall into the habit of paying less attention to his surroundings. Her elbow caught his ribs, and had him laughing. ?Am I going to be mercilessly teased about this until my ass gets sent back?? He?d been about to say something different, but he was still avoiding saying words like Dying out loud. ?I?m kind of surprised that you haven?t picked up a scooter at least to make these trips. All those big numbers rolling in, I?d have figured you would start putting a garage full of vehicles together.? Not that he minded walking, it was just the only way he could think of to tease her back that wouldn?t hurt so bad.

"There's no such thing as pumpkined out, only weak men and babies." Addie lifted her chin and set her shoulders as if to punctuate the point. Skipping stepping over the sidewalk seam that separated the two districts, she turned right from the main street and down a side road. Late in the afternoon, the sun stretched long shadows down the narrow path, leaving Addie and Nick to drift in and out of the patches of sun that managed the permeate the narrow slits between the district?s taller buildings. Adjusting the bakery box from both hands to under one arm, she gave him a light shrug. There were things left unsaid, it was likely better that way. ?I prefer walking. Plus? I can?t drive. Everything sort of went to shit back home before Dad could teach me. And Michi wanted to keep the garage for studio space, so that sort of settled it. The exercise is good, right??

Exercise was always good, but he?d never admit that to her, unless she asked like she just had. ?Okay, so I like the walk. You don?t have to look so smug about it.? He wasn?t looking where he was going. Nick?s eyes were up, he did like Dockside, with so many low angled roof tops, and a myriad of small alleyways to tempt him. ?Besides that, with all those cookies you keep feeding me I need the extra exercise.? He put his hand against his stomach and tried to make it look like he?d been taken out of shape by her. ?But I still say you should get a boatload of cars, just so I can borrow one a day for a month. You know I can teach you right? To drive I mean.? He brought his eyes back on the path, there were piles of pallets outside what was clearly a tiny warehouse. He wouldn?t pay attention to those at all if they weren?t in such a state of disrepair. All he would need was to catch himself on a rusty nail and need to get a tetanus shot. Something ahead had him slowing though. A hint of purple, or maybe it was too dark for purple, he?d only seen it for an instant.

Nick?s eyes lingered on the point for several moments before he kicked himself for being paranoid again. The first trip here he?d been spooked by the sounds of running feet. Not that he?d been hearing things but there were a lot of people who found any number of reasons to run the alleys of Dockside. The pair of sailors had passed them by without even saying two words. The whole incident had Addie in stitches, and him blushing.

Don't look so smug about it? You could bet your ass that Addie was smug. Thankfully for Nick, Addie?s eyes were on the road or at least the twists and turns that could easily lead them astray. Reaching over, she poked at his stomach with an exasperated roll of her eyes. ?You love the cookies, don?t even act like you don?t. Bob paid me a lot for them but now that Jacen?s Keeper of Earth, I don?t think that?s going to keep up. So I gotta save what I?ve gotta and not be crazy rockstar-like with my spending.? Plus the Seaside house had been expensive to buy outright, even with Michi?s help. In a city as walkable as Rhydin, she was going to take advantage of the fresh air and exercise. Surely she?d regret it come winter time but it wasn?t as though the cold bothered her. The snow was a pain in the ass, sure, but the cold? No big deal. Sidestepping a knocked over trash can, she was careful not to step in anything gross and nearly missed Nick?s staring. When she looked up again, nothing seemed amiss. ?So maybe you?ll have to teach me another time or something. Ro doesn?t know how to drive, so I can?t ask him either. Michi can! Yeah, don?t worry about it then, if I gotta learn, I?ll learn from Michi.?

Addie looked down at her Chucks as they turned the corner down a narrow path that would shorten the trip to the Dockside manor by at least a few minutes. ?Ew. I think I got Dockside sludge on my shoe.?

?I love the cookies too much. That?s what I?ve been trying to say.? She seemed to be doing all right, but then again Nick had very little on the expense side of things that included bills. ?Maybe wherever Bob is now he can still make purchases.? Or was that some kind of twilight island thing? He checked out Addie?s shoe in passing. ?You?re the one that likes to go this way, I?d be surprised if that is the first victim you?ve had. Maybe you should hope that it is Dockside sludge and not homeless dude scat that you found.? It was tight quarters after that turn, he actually had to back half a pace off of Addie in order to walk normally. He doubted that the place was wide enough for a full sized city sidewalk. It did keep them from having to go all the way to the main drag though, so he?d take the confinement. ?Maybe next time you?ll bypass this and do things like a normal person. That would make you less fun though.? He shoved his hand into his pocket, not really looking for anything, he was just trying to keep from accidentally smacking it into her ass as they walked.

?I don?t know. Half the reason he was able to pay me so well was because he was stripping mining the Isle? so who knows. Maybe I?ll see?? It was worth a try at the very least. The money was nice. The house was nice. Not worrying about bills was really nice. Cutting him a derisive look aside, she made a disgusted sound at the prospect of having such things on the bottom of her shoe. Adjusting the box under her arm so that she could keep tight to the shortcut?s wall, she looked over her shoulder to him as he fell back a step. ?Next time liiiiike??

It was a question that quickly left her mind as she turned one of the darker corners and came to an abrupt stop. The way ahead was blocked and all over again, it was like she couldn?t breathe thanks to the stifling heat of Nosgoth in high summer. Her first thought was to back up the way she had been coming from but Nick was that way and already the cloaked figures had turned to face the source of noise.

?N-Nick? Nick, we gotta go?,? she hissed and tried to shuffle backwards.

Fortunately the next roof was higher, and there was no gap between them as the two buildings seemed to share a wall. Nick did a quick double step wall run, latched onto the rooftop with one arm and one leg then reached down to give Addie something to shoot for. Shoot for seemed to be the idea going around though as something clattered off the wall beneath him.

Addie refused to look back, even when brick crumbled under the weight of a heavy spell to her right. It was one of the only times in her life where she had been thankful for her height and no sooner was Nick up the second wall that she was scrambling up the worn facade of the rooftop. It was a reminder of what she stood to lose should she stop running and for a few moments she was incredibly grateful that Hope had insisted on such long endurance exercises during training. Though she hadn?t looked back, she did look down and any remaining color in her face drained away.

?We are so high up?? She said softly, mostly to herself. It was nearly lost to the shouts of their pursuers and that fact quickly jarred her back into motion. ?Just go! I?m right behind you.?

?Don?t you freeze up on me Addie!? The robed men were getting closer. Alone he could have outpaced them perhaps. But each time that Addie needed to stop and do a cut check was precious seconds lost. Maybe if he?d had Alex with him it would have been different. The two of them could have surrounded Addie and maybe keep her from over thinking where they actually were in relation to the street far below. In Nick?s head there was only one real solution, he needed to get Addie to a level where she was comfortable. That meant down, the only problem was that everything at this point was going up even higher. There was one path, but he was sure she was going to hate it.

Where the building they were standing on met the next the rooftop rose higher, but that building was also a bit wider, twenty feet below was another level to the building, but it would require precision to leap from the edge, over the sidewalk and land on the patch of roof that was ten feet wide if they were lucky. She?d be right behind him, that was what she had said. ?Come on Addie! Do what I do!? Nick took a last look at the half dozen men, only one was straggling behind. It was likely that one had gotten the rest onto the rooftop. It probably meant that he was the most dangerous of them in terms of pursuit to. It was too bad that except for the exceptionally tall one, they were indistinguishable.

He took off along the front edge of the building, leaping towards the wall that faced the street on the next one over. Three steps he took along that wall before losing the ability to stay high. He tucked, hit the lower roof and rolled. Rather than keep going, he turned to check Addie, to see if she truly were, right behind him.

Had they been on the ground, this wouldn?t have been an issue, or so Addie told herself. On the ground she could run like the wind. The rooftops were Nick and Alex?s domain, a fact proven by the deft ease with which Nick jumped and climbed like they weren?t twenty or more feet up.

He jumped.

She stayed behind.

On the roof?s edge, she rocked onto her toes as if trying to convince herself to follow through. Nick was already on the lower roof and that couldn?t have been nearly as scary down there, right? Addie backed up half a dozen steps and took a deep breath, shaking out her arms.

?Just like in Aladdin, Addie. All you gotta do is jump,? she told herself. It was then that the first heavy footsteps hit the far end of the roof she was currently on. That led to a second pair and then a third while the fourth and fifth lagged behind. No looking back or else you won?t move forward. With a hopstep, she lurched into a sprint and took off. The roof?s edge came quickly but when she reached it, she didn?t stop, arms and legs flailing as she flew across the gap. That was a really narrow landing strip though. It begged the question of why she closed her eyes at the last moment instead of watching where she was going. Maybe she didn?t want to see it if she missed and went splat instead. Perhaps it would be better than facing the fervor of zealots with no task bigger than dragging her back to figurative hell. Unlike Addie, they had no qualms about jumping from the roof after the younger adults.

Nick was moving along the edge of the roof back towards Addie. She was coming down dangerously close to that edge. When she got close enough, he bumped her inwards, a move that nearly cost him as he slid over the edge himself, but caught the edge with his hands. He muscled his way back to the top, but those zealots were already in the air. ?I hope you?ve still got them claws out!? Ten feet wasn?t much of a runway, but he charged the wall, leaped and found a bit of traction, and just flipped backwards. Flames erupted in the air as he lashed out with his other leg. An arc of fire that even if it didn?t knock the first of the zealots from the roof forced his robes to to flare up. The second was already hitting the roof between him and addie, and there wasn?t even heartbeats left before the third fell.

He wasted no motion, turning and punching out at the third man, his fists flaming up on impact. Addie?d have to deal with the one closest to her. He already had his hands full with the one in front of him. How long would it be before the first one was able to roll enough to put his clothing out. Maybe they?d get lucky and he?d roll right off the roof. One flaming zealot falling from the sky like some twisted organic comet. It was certain they didn?t have time for a prolonged fight, The rest would be dropping in at any moment. The man across from him was no slouch, Nick?s opening salvo was timed almost perfectly with his landing, and the blows came easy. Now he seemed to have factored in those flaming limbs and was effectively keeping them at bay. No time for this! The words were a pounding shriek in his head, but knowing and doing were always two different things.

Nick threw another punch, followed by one of those spinning kicks that trailed fire. The zealot dodged it smoothly as he had several times already. This time would be different as Nick reached up grabbed hold of the man?s hood and pulled it backwards. He let himself drop over the side, letting go of the cloak and making a last grab for the rooftop. It bit into palms that were still smoking, their heat melting the seal that kept water from leaking into the building. He brought his feet up, using his toes to give him enough of a boost to pull himself back up.

Addie cried out when he fell for the sake of making sure she made it up but he didn?t go far before he was climbing back up again. She had little time to worry and not much room to work with when two plum clad warriors joined them on the rooftop. It had been well over two years since the last time she had seen a member of the Order of Orion but as clear as day, there they were, intent on killing Nick and taking her far, far away. The Order was made up of more than capable warriors with an unabashed lack of qualms about dying for their cause. Big and bulky beneath the weight of his outfit, the man that came at Addie was far slower than the girl, at least at first. As his first grab missed her, she powered a pair of rabbit punches for where the man?s floating rib should have been.

Her closed fist impacted against the thick armor worn beneath the robes and she winced at the audible crunch of her knuckles. Note to self, don?t punch walls or people wearing enough armor to practically be walls. Shaking out her fingers, the talon tips glinted in the sunlight as she slashed out at his face, raking the razors over his flesh and eliciting a pained yell. He grabbed at her wrist, catching her before she could pull back and wound him again. With a yank, he nearly sent both of them toppling from the ledge but at the last moment she dropped any weight she had on her legs to sink like a stone to the rooftop rather than the ground a story below. The man tumbled with her in a tangle of metal scales and plum robes amidst the grunts and growls of close quarters combat.

Never had she been forced to take one of the Orionites on by herself but she had seen them fight. They were vicious and bloodthirsty but she barely registered the rending of her forearm?s flesh by the hooked thorns protruding from her assailant?s armoring. Instead, she focused on getting him off of her as quickly as possible. Putting long legs to good use, she wriggled her knees between them enough to plant a foot to the man?s abdomen. A hard kangaroo kick sent him rolling off and she clambered to her feet with a look for Nick. She saw him just as he climbed back up and before they could engage once more with the plum robed men, she grabbed for his hand and ran for the roof?s edge. It didn?t matter where they jumped so long as it wasn?t anywhere near the purple clad warriors.

?Why it it always raining men when you?re around Addie.? Okay, it was a horrible joke, but he?d just been so relieved to see her still up there. Nick went to the side of the building and looked around. He could see several options that he?d like to try, but nothing he?d want to do with Addie being right there. There was only one real option left that had a margin of success for someone new. At least she had adrenaline on her side. ?Shit ? You?re going to hate this? and I guess I can get you a new pair of whatever kind of pants those are.? New might be pushing it. He could probably find a place to Nick them from. He pointed at a spot that was impossible to reach with any kind of jump. ?That?s where we?re going, that stairwell over there. Don?t look at me like that we can do this. We?re going to use that roof right there. I know it?s somebody?s house, can?t remember whose, but.. Jump slide and jump.. It?s a cinch!? It wasn?t a cinch, and she?d probably get seasick at the end of it. It was the easiest way.

?You want me to go first? I might be able to catch you on the other side? of course you might end up flashing me too so think hard.? He needed to keep her calm, or himself calm. The jokes came when he was nervous right? He?d say both at once but the landing point was too small. It would have to be one at a time.

?That was just bad, Nikolai.? She groaned at his terrible joke and looked off over the edge of the roof. Her heart was pounding in her throat, barely taking the edge off the gashes in her arm as they trickled sticky red down toward her fingers. Jump, slide, jump. That was easy, right? Focusing on the directions, she gave him a single nod.

?You go. I?ll follow. Go fast, we?re running out of time!? She let go of him and took a few steps back, glancing over her shoulder at the quick approach of a second wave of Orionites, hot on their tails.

Rhydin, October 19th, 2016

?And that was TRASH with one hell of an unplugged playthrough of their new album Highs and Lows. Thanks for stopping by, girls. And random guy with them. You?re cool too. Pick up the album today! Thanks for listening to Richard Head with WBGR, because Bigger is Better.? The sound effect cued up by the DJ was more than lewd and sent the girls giggling in the background. ?Oh myyyyy. Now a word from our sponsors.?


WBGR?s station in Dragon?s Gate was small, despite their station identifier, but they did their best to make up for their size with sheer moxie. It had blown a good portion of their monthly budget to get the up and coming band into the studio, but by the gods, they had done it. There had even been donuts. With donuts in each hand, Michi had led the way out and on the narrow street upon which the station sat, the group split. After all, they could only get Misery out of school for so long before they called her parents to report her truant. So Michi took the banshee one way and Addie took Nick the other.


?So there?s this place down the street from DGO. It?s definitely not there in our time, but they have some pretty bomb tacos and cheap beer. Like even better tacos than Ray Ray?s Taco Shack did.? Riding the high of a well played set, she was all talk as they strolled. It was a nice sort of normal. She could almost get used to it.


Nick had been made to watch from the tech booth, something he might have taken personally and acted out by twisting a knob here and there. What that might have done to the live show he didn?t know, but no one was screaming at him. Maybe that part of the board didn?t connect to anything. ?Tacos sound good, can?t remember the last time I had them.? He was giving a last wave to MnM, something that he?d started to call them when they were together. It too was likely backlash from having to pose as someone who preferred the boys.

?You guys sounded good, I?m a little surprised at the venue though. Doesn?t Michi have an in with WHAM? Don?t like girlfriend points trump almost everything?? His face held a smirk, and trouble twinkled in his eye as he looked sidelong at Addie. ?Lead on oh guru to the taco universe. I?ll be your first disciple. Together we?ll convert the entire city and make you queen? or taco mistress? I don?t know. I lost track of the joke at the word taco.?

Nick had learned from experience. He hadn?t left the house today without taking every precaution. His pilfered hammers were concealed beneath his too long t-shirt. Strapped to his back was the newly won shield, though sometimes he thought Michi was giving him the eye over it. That was probably his imagination. He?d even hounded Addie about bringing something with her that would put a dent into any set of armor. ?Seriously, I could eat. Claire keeps making my runs longer, but she has a real eye for obstacles.?


?WHAM got the exclusive on the release party. We had to make rounds for a few smaller outlets. I think we nailed most of them save for KLIT-AM 900 for obvious reasons. And, ya know, don?t want it to seem like we?re only hanging with Yas for that. Michi legit likes her.? Addie giggled, tucking her hands into the pockets of a hoodie two or three sizes too big. Likely stolen from Ro. Girls are sneaky like that. It also helped hide the shape of the revolver tucked at the small of her back and the switchblade just inside the right pocket. The former could do damage. The latter, less so, but it felt more natural in her grasp.


?Did you ever get to see the twins? training routines? That shit was brutal. Hope used to make me run steps in the Tower of Fire and just for fun she?d keep turning the heat up. Nevermind we were in a tower. Made of fire. In the middle of a volcano.? Rolling her eyes, she kept pace with him, leading the way left and then right, straight and then right again.

Nick?s brows descended slightly as he looked over at Addie. ?Are you really asking me if I?d ever seen Avy move with precision and grace? Or are you asking how hard it was for me to tear my attention from her?? He?d seen it, wanted to see it again. ?Hope sounds a little sadistic. Did she force you to touch each step? You know I?d hate that, no matter how good for me it might be.? He may have been looking at Addie, but ever since their last outing to Old Temple and Dockside manors, Nick had been expanding his field of view. The focus may be on her, but he?d long since stopped devoting all of himself to it.

He?d seen something suspicious, it was enough to have him angling to the right and drifting across the street. He?d put an arm around Addie, in a you are my closest friend kind of way. Even with how he felt about Avy, he knew that Addie?d been that since they were tiny. He shot a look at oncoming traffic. Something that took years of experience on Rhydin streets to perfect, as they crossed halfway up the block, much to the dismay of the cars coming at them. In his head if they were being shadowed, it would be a dead giveaway.

?You should train more? you should train alone.? By now he?d given her enough indications to know that he wasn?t fond of the man that she was squire to. ?Or, you know? with me. But somehow I think when I?m heading out, you're just heading to bed.? At least when Ro was around that?s how it seemed to him. He didn?t hate it. He?d be happy so long as she was. Nick suspected that the sentiment might be shared. He also suspected that the bond between her and Avy was even stronger.

?I promise that I?ll stick to the streets, that you don?t have to do what I do, but I have to do things or I get bored.? Hope might have hated him as a trainee, Nick couldn?t keep things simple. An empty stairwell to him was something that his feet should never touch.


?No, Nikolai, I?m not asking if you?ve stared at Averia?s ass while she got ahead of you. I?m asking if you?ve seen how she and Alex got that freaking athletic. It doesn?t just happen running rooftops, you know.? She elbow checked him for emphasis. ?Hope was a fantastic mentor though. I wouldn?t have advanced as quickly as I did without her. Even if she made me touch every step during my runs.?


Since their run in with the Order of Orion in Dockside, each step she took felt heavier, as if it carried a plethora of possibilities, few of which were positive. They had found her, it was only a matter of time before they did again. And this time, she doubted she?d be able to drop one through a roof. ?Look, I train enough by myself but if it?ll make you feel better, we can train swords stuff together if you want. Not, like, every day or whatever, but maybe a couple times a week. None of that buttcrack of dawn stuff though. I am so not a morning person. Deal??


?Deal.? He rubbed at the spot her elbow had connected. It hadn?t particularly hurt, but it did cover the slight snort at her comment about Averia. ?I have seen it, sometimes the only way to get Alex to go to any kind of training was to tell him I?d be there too.? The talk about mentors only served to remind him that after tomorrow he might have to adapt to someone new. It wasn?t something he looked forward to. ?I guess you got lucky, I kind of feel like I?m in limbo. Not that Claire wouldn?t still work with me, but maybe I was fooling myself with the why of going after the shield. Partly anyway. There was some part of me that needed it to be her. Maybe I?m just trying to make up for some of the stupid things I did.?


?Even if you don?t practice with me, you should with someone.? Talking about roof running was enough to have him looking up. Was that a shadow up there? If so what caused it? ?Think we could move a little faster Addie? I?m feeling a little? exposed I guess.? It had occurred to them that the more public her activities became the easier she would be to find. ?You know that them finding you is probably my fault. I?d change that if I could find a way to. Maybe if there were a way to not come back. I?m not sure where that would leave you though. How long before things get bad again, and force you to make the same kind of choices??


He dropped his attention from the roofs to the girl next to him, catching a glimpse of that odd shadow of hers against a parked car. ?Or you?re faced with another similar situation that you just won?t let stand.? A reference to her bringing back Sandy, though he wasn?t going to get too specific about that with her. She?d told him as much as she was willing to at the time. ?I get why you did it. It?s who you are, and probably why everyone loves you.? She might have elbowed him, but Nick?s retaliation came in the form of an arm around her shoulders and a sound squishing.


?Meaning you don?t want me to be alone. Contrary to popular belief, I?m capable of taking care of myself, you know.? Try as she might to not get offended, she couldn?t help the tinge of bitterness in her tone. It was reminiscent of Kane and how he didn?t seem think she was able to walk a straight line without him there to make sure she didn?t trip. ?You know Aunt Claire?ll help you even if she says she can?t or won?t. For all her big talk about not getting involved in things, she has a knack for doing exactly that anyways.?

Those above had managed to not only catch up but to get ahead, giving them the perfect opportunity to head Addie and Nick off before they could make the turn onto Astoria. Right at the corner, a bright red hydrant marked their turn. Addie took a deep breath and just before they reached it, went skidding to a halt without warning. Such a thing took far more concentration than she could have reasonably put into it at the moment, but when she exhaled, she did so with her palm pressed forward toward the hydrant. The shove of energy burst the regulator and the hydrant?s cap shot off with the sudden pulse of water. Though always more in tune with water more than the other elements, her skill in bending it to her will still lacked compared to Nick?s control over his own internal flame. Water sprayed up toward the sky, wetting the street and sidewalks with each gush. Every moment she stood there was a moment that the Orionites got closer. It took every ounce of self control she had to stay there, live bait in the midst of an impromptu plan that Nick would like strangle her for himself later.


Heavy feet splashed into the vast puddle formed by the broken hydrant and as three plum robed men came toward her, she pushed the entirety of her will into flash freezing the water. Feet stuck within the ice and those that were lucky enough to not be frozen on the spot were sent slipping and sliding across the surface. At the very edge as she was, the ice was minimal but enough to slow her footsteps as she swung a look for Nick to track him back down once she could focus on running again.


Be ready she had said. It would have helped if he?d known what to be ready for. Nick could hear the metal of the hydrant shriek in the moment before metal tore itself apart and released the torrent of water onto the street. That was all the time she had given him, enough to vault a parked car and brave the traffic that had become suddenly erratic as the road froze beneath tires and sent cars crashing into one another. Sometimes he envied Addie and the things she could make. He stood now, staring at the frozen waterspout that the hydrant had become.


He?d discuss her timing later, maybe. For now he shouted out her name so that she knew he was okay, then nodded his approval for her display. The whole situation had him angry, it ran deep and hot. These people had been the ones to take from him. Safety from him and Addie, the way home, they?d taken home from both of them and he hated them for it. They were vulnerable now, Addie?d seen to that. How good would it be to strike back? To take a little vengeance for everyone they?d ever touched?

Nick moved, but he was no longer running. Addie thought he controlled the flame, and maybe in part she was right. All he?d really ever done was learn how to let it free when it needed to be, and perhaps coax it into feeding on that which he needed at the time. How long had it been since she?d seen him try to internalize the flames? His foot slipped on the pavement, but he was nowhere near the patch of ice Addie had created. His next step left the sole of his shoe behind as melted slag. For a moment he thought he heard her calling him, but everything was drowned out by the call from within. Everything burns? It was true, he could see it with each stride closer to the nearest robed figure. Flesh would blister wetly, it would peel and char. Voices would rise, but how was that any different than the squeal of a log as it caught fire and sap boiled from within?


Nick put his weapons away, he needed neither Heaven nor Hell for this. He needed only to reach, to touch them and they?d become so much ash. He would, if only he didn?t feel that fire leeching away from him. Something was stealing his heat. Something attached to his arm. He had only a moment to register it, when it let loose with a flash brighter than any he?d managed in the rings. He felt robbed of victory, and suddenly cold, but the sound of the world had returned. The agonized cries of the robed figure turned his stomach. He couldn?t look at him, or at Addie. He just ducked his head and ran as fast as he could.


There was something strangely satisfying about the screams amidst the blinding light. Addie had listened to her fellow captives scream just like that before they died too. It was a suiting way to go out. She could barely see for the light of the shield but she felt Nick?s familiar presence blazing by and she too ran after him. It gave them a few minutes between the ice and the light, just enough to dash down Astoria Lane. Surging at the last moment, Addie took point and ran up Raven?s stairs with such a fury it would have made Nick proud in the way her feet barely touched even a third of the stairs. No sooner did she reach the top did the front door swing open to show Raven just inside, waiting to intercept the girl.

?Nick too!? Addie cried breathlessly when it looked like Raven might slam the door shut before her friend could get inside. It occurred to Adelaide at that moment that Raven hadn?t met the older boy just yet. But she kept it open just long enough for both of them to make it inside before throwing it shut. A sweep of the older woman?s hand sent latches locking and runes flaring as they blinked to life. The protective magic echoed throughout the brownstone, securing doors and windows alike with a resounding thrum as it sealed the place tight. Addie?s sides hurt and in the foyer, she nearly dropped out of sheer exhaustion.


?Holy? shit.? Was all she managed to spit out, leaving Raven to look between the two with a wary curiosity that Addie couldn?t quite sate just yet.


Nick was limping by the time they?d reached the steps. Where his hands were used to taking a beating on shingles, and a myriad of other things that had toughened them up over the years. His feet were another matter. What was left of his shoes might have been okay, had they been walking. He barely made it through the door before Raven had it shut, warded and locked. His clothes were brittle from the heat he?d been pouring out of him. They smelled of smoke, but all he could get was the memory of burnt hair and skin.


Where Addie had nearly dropped, he just collapsed to the floor and kicked off the once shoes. ?I?m sorry.? He?d lost control, gotten caught up in the strength of the flames. It was the bad guys, sure, but inside he remembered being nearly blind to everything and everyone. What if it had been Addie? ?I?m sorry.? He didn?t know what else to say, or if he?d ever be able to feel the same again. Nick buried his head in his knees. Were they victims or heroes? She was a hero, he knew that, about himself he wasn?t so sure. It didn?t feel like something a hero would do. Maybe he could accept it if he were a victim? At least then he?d be able to believe he?d been pushed too far. He had known before it began though, done it anyway. ?I?m sorry??


I?m a monster.


?What happened?? Raven asked, looking between the two. Addie hadn?t been lying when she said she was in trouble, Raven just hadn?t expected them to show up in such a state. ?C?mon, let?s get you two out of the entryway. Come on.?


At her mother?s urging, Addie straightened up long enough to get to Nick. Once at his side, she knelt beside him with her hand turned palm up for him to take. ?They found me. Us. They?re here and they want me. We ran into them a few weeks ago? but we got away. This time though? they weren?t gonna stop. They were gonna kill Nick and whoever else got in their way.?

Raven had gone stock still as Addie answered, her eyes wide in the dim light of the foyer. It made her mouth go dry and her skin awash with a cold sweat. But for as much as she wanted to run and hide from the impending threat, there were two children in her home who needed her more. ?Addie, bring your friend into the parlor. I?ll get the first aid kit.?


Stepping from the entryway, Raven left the pair alone, Addie still kneeling beside Nick. Her skin radiated cold where his was hot. Too hot. When Raven?s footsteps faded toward the back of the brownstone, Addie quietly whispered. ?Shhh, nothing to be sorry for. You saved me. You saved us. You did good, Nick. I cross my heart, you did. We?re safe now, let?s go sit in there instead of on the floor.?


Addie had to be right, Nick needed her to be. He grabbed hold of the door knob and used it to pull himself to his feet. They hurt with every step, forcing him to put his weight on the sides and avoid both heel and ball. The pain was a good thing, driving him to think about his steps instead of what just happened. When they were kids it wouldn?t have been an issue, they?d all spent as much time barefoot as shoed and probably more. His time in the forge had made it necessary to always wear something on his feet. There were other dangers besides the occasional hot coal to avoid. Dropped tools that were often as sharp as the weapons they made could make short work of an unprotected foot.


He looked at Addie as he sat down, knowing this had to be uncomfortable for her. He?d only had a moment to see Raven, but on her return he?d study her hard. She?d been gone nearly a decade, Nick barely remembered her face, there was nothing that would erase the dark hair from his mind though. ?We shouldn?t have come here. I? It was just the closest place.? There was also the fact that he?d always felt safe here for some reason. He slid all the way over to leave room for Addie to sit if she wanted. What did he say to Raven though? He couldn?t apologize anymore. ?It?s good to see you.? See not meet, he didn?t even try for the lie not when everything was falling apart.


?I told Addie awhile back that she?s always welcome here. I know it?s? weird? but I?m not too worried about it. I?m assuming that you already know who I am for some odd reason, but as a friend of Addie?s you?re welcome here too.? Raven afforded Nick a wan smile. The woman was tired, having pulled a double at the clinic only to be awoken by a frantic call just a few hours after falling asleep. Addie had taken a seat beside Nick to check him over though Raven seemed intent on doing the same. When she spoke next, it was for Addie?s benefit rather than Nick?s. ?She?s not here right now, if that?s what you?re wondering. Over at the Owl playing with the twins. Probably a good thing, all things considered. Did they touch either of you??


?No,? Addie answered quickly. It seemed to relieve Raven if only slightly. Aside from the intense spell taking the wind out of her, Addie was unharmed, if a little drenched thanks to the fire hydrant. ?They aren?t going to find us here, are they??


?Mmm, they shouldn?t. The wards blend the building with the ones on either side of it. If you don?t know what you?re looking for, you can?t even see the front door.? With her Raven had two bottles of water and a metal box. The former she handed to Addie while the latter was opened and perused. ?Why didn?t you tell me they were here??


?I? I didn?t think they?d bother you.? As soon as she said it, it seemed so obvious as to why Raven had asked. ?Oh? oh gods, I?m sorry. I should?ve? they haven?t, have they??


?No, though I expect if they find out we?re in the city too, they may reevaluate.? Raven didn?t sound angry, just concerned. She paused in her rummaging to retrieve her phone, tapping out a quick series of messages to make sure Addie?s younger counterpart was secure. ?Let?s get you two cleaned up and you can tell me more.?


]

?He is, and he isn?t. Here, now he?s alive and well. I?m not from now, though I was born here. This is the crux of my problem I suppose. I?m here, and realizing I shouldn?t be. More than that, I?m having to figure out how to make it back on my own.? He was being too cryptic, he knew that. It was hard to lay all the cards on the table when he didn?t know how the hand would be received.


?I should say that you?re not the first person I have talked to about this. For reasons that I wouldn?t want to see happen, they were unable to give me much help. I have questions, about time, about making changes and knowing them before I step on the proverbial butterfly.? He had more questions, but rather than cloud the issue with those Nick chose to stick to one at a time. ?I?m not looking for some kind of magical solution here. Advice, a plan, somewhere to look that won?t involve more people than is needed.?


?I?ve been here two months, a little more, but it feels like I?m going nowhere. My father had the plan, but he?s not here.? As he talked, it became easier to look to Cane. There was a flood of information in the things he said, but still it was just the first spillage over the dam. These were all things he had tried to think about himself, but the truth was he needed another voice besides his own.


Canaan sat on his corner of the couch in silence, letting the boy chatter nervously without any other interruptions. Even after the silence that settled between them began to stretch in length, he remained thoughtfully quiet. A full minute passed before he cleared his throat and looked up to meet Nick?s gaze.


?Plan for what, exactly?? Cane?s brow furrowed. There were gaping holes in this picture, he didn?t have all the pieces of the puzzle and he wanted them before he gave his opinion, though something told him it wouldn?t change no matter what Nick told him.


Direction. That was exactly what he needed. Someone who hadn?t been there from the beginning to add a little order to Nick?s thoughts. He had begun to realize that he was speaking to Cane as though he already knew things. It was probably part of arguing within himself so often. It was enough to cause a physical change in the boy. His feet pulled inward quickly and planted hard on the floor.

?A plan to rescue Addie, of course. To find a way to bring her home, or failing that figure out what happened to her and stop it. She had a problem a while back, something that was felt by the person who asked us to come and see her.? Nick was skirting the problem that she?d had, not to hide things from the Cajun he was talking to. It was more a measure to protect a little of Addie?s privacy. The story wasn?t his to tell, not that part of it at least.


?It took me quite a while to find her, mostly because I didn?t know where to look. I?m not so sure finding her any sooner would put me any closer to a resolution? not me alone at least. I?m as certain as I am sitting here that Dad knew things already. That he was going to talk about it when we got here, but.. These things cost a lot sometimes, that?s what they told me. Right?? He didn?t expect Cane to know the answer to what he?d been told, rather he was seeking confirmation that it was true. Did it make it easier to accept if he looked at his father?s death that way? No, would be the short answer.


?Do all the good things cost in blood?? Morbid perhaps, but it was something he?d been wondering about for a while now. At least since Addie had talked to him about what she?d done.


?There?s a price fer everything,? Cane murmured. He was frowning, eyes fixed on some spot across the room.


?Don?t get me wrong, I?ve had ideas.? Something Nick had said seemed to have an effect on Cane. He had no idea what was going through the man?s thoughts. Feeling a little guilty for it, he did what he could to push past whatever it was.

?Crazy ideas, things that I know aren?t right. I mean I heard someone say something about locking kids away until they?re thirty so that they won?t get into trouble. I know it was meant as a joke, but that didn?t stop me from thinking about how does one stop the child?? It was a crazy idea, one of many but he?d be cut off before he could expound anymore.


Cane held up a hand, signaling for Nick to take a breath and let him speak. He sighed, then, and pinched the bridge of his nose. ?I?m sorry,? he began, sounding reluctant to be speaking at all. ?Save Addie an? bring her home? I?ll take that ta mean she?s from the future as well.? He hadn?t known that about her. He shook his head, not waiting for confirmation. ?Look, whatever home you wanna take her back to is gone. That--that reality doesn?t exist anymore. Hell, something as mundane as bumping into some random stranger on the street here could have altered the future so entirely that you wouldn?t recognize it when you went back. If you change something now, yer the only person who?s gonna know anything?s different later on down the road.


?****in? with Time is not safe. Maybe? maybe whatever you came back here to save her from is exactly what screws everything up to begin with. It?s shit like that that you can?t account for. You want my advice? Forget yer crazy ideas an? go home. Go back ta whenever it is you came from an? don?t ever come back. An? hope ta whatever higher power you believe in that what you find there is somewhere you wanna continue ta live.?


?I want to go back, because I do know that coming here has made her vulnerable. That?s not my reason though, and as selfish as it is. As bad as I feel for thinking it? Hell I?ve never even said it outloud. Just let it sit in my head like a piece of gum on the sidewalk. You know what I mean, it melts, people step in it, spread it everywhere. It?s impossible to get rid of.? Nick took hold of his lip between his teeth and bit down hard.


?I didn?t really understand this, not til I got here? and believe me I am stuck here for now. One of the last things he said to me. My father, I mean, was that it?s easy to find someone to die for, but hard to find someone that you?d live for? or when you do it?s too late. Go home? I?d go now if I could. Maybe I just figured things out too late. I don?t even know anymore.?


?So what is it you want from me, Nick?? Cane was starting to wonder if the boy was simply at his wit?s end. Things must be dire if he was who the kids were turning to in their time of need. Seemed that was happening more and more these days, a fact that did not escape the Cajun as he sat frowning at the frazzled kid beside him. In truth, Nick Allen was not a child, but it was all Cane could see here in this moment when he was at the end of his rope. ?I can?t send you back, an? even if I could, I wouldn?t do it. I wouldn?t do it for anyone. Not even ta save someone I love. If you don?t got a way back home, then I?d suggest you get as far away from Addie as you can, and get used to the new normal.?


Nick let out a soundless laugh. It was pushed through his nose. It wasn?t a scoff, not at what Cane was saying to him at least. ?See, that is what I?m asking you for. Not the way home, just affirmation I guess. I look at the things I?ve done and realize several things. But since I don?t trust myself to know, I just feel like I?m going crazy. I don?t want to go to someone who knows me, because I don?t need to be coddled, or comforted. I don?t need to be told everything is going to work out. That?s a B.S. answer and I know that, but you know, what if I?m wrong? I?ve been wrong every step of the way.? Resignation pulled all that was jovial out of his face and left him closed eyed and thinking.


?Admitting you ****ed up is a difficult thing ta do. Not very many people can do it with grace.? Cane sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. ?An? too often, the clarity ta find a solution to a problem doesn?t happen until everything?s gone ta hell. Hindsight?s a bitch.?


?I can?t save Addie, I can?t take her home. I can?t get there myself. I sometimes wonder if I could fix her, at least stop her nightmares, the need to block her dreams. The thing that brought me back here in the first place. I?d go, find a spot out there somewhere and just go if I could give her at least that much. I don?t know what it would take. I mean, is there a difference between Necromancy and Resurrection? What is it? I assume there?s soul involved there.? He was convinced that there was a flaw in her ritual, but his faith in his own thoughts had been flagging. At least until Cane brutally confirmed what he knew but didn?t trust.


?That is what I needed though, blunt honesty. See, you are smart.? Nick managed a half smile, that never quite reached the rest of his face. ?I?m sorry, maybe I shouldn?t have come here. I just didn?t know where I should have gone.? Not to his father, that much he understood. Claire was one hundred percent right about him. He?d do what it took and damn the cost of it.


Cane?s expression had gone rather cold. ?You?d do well ta quit while you?re behind, lest you spread the mess she made even more?n it already has been. You don?t **** with time and you don?t **** with the dead. That?s my advice.? And judging by his not-so-subtle cautionary tone, it was also the end of their conversation.


Nick knew that this peculiar therapy session was at an end. He gave several small nods, one for the two points that Cane had emphasized, and a final acknowledgement to the man. Given a choice, he was sure that Cane would have stayed home if he?d known where things were going. Rising he headed for the closed door, pausing for an instant before heading down the stairs. ?I do appreciate your time, and everything you said. I don?t need to do anything, not with time or the dead. If I?m going to give up everything though, I?d like to understand what I?ve given it up for. I won?t be back here. I?m no magic user, just a kid with a talent and a long way to go.?


He slid the shield over his shoulders and headed down the steps. Maybe Cane could see it too. Everything had a cost, that would include his disappearance even if the price was just the answer to the question.

]

?Your letter, you big dummy.? The crumpled letter was withdrawn from her pocket and thrust out in his direction, clutched in her shaking hand. The more he rambled, the more it scared her. What had pushed him to this point and how could she talk him down from what she thought would be the ultimate mistake. ?I? I? Nick, don?t talk like that. Just don?t. Whatever?s going on, we?ll go drink it off and it won?t matter tomorrow.?

Starting toward him, Rhydin?s twin moons shed an eerie light on the rooftop, casting him in a pallid glow. ?I ran. All the ****ing way here along that goddamned wall because it was the fastest way here. And I jumped all those rooftops to come tell you that you?re being crazy.? His question made her falter, ebbing her anger into guilt. Almost two and a half years and she still hadn?t found a viable way back for herself or Kane. ?We?ll find a way for you. I don?t know how long it?ll take, but we?ll find it and you can go home. Okay? Come on, let?s just? just? get down from this roof and we can forget this ever happened.?

He looked at the letter, but her calling him big dummy made him laugh. Maybe he was, big and dumb, that was okay. He knew what he wasn?t though. ?No, it?s okay Addie.? Nick reached behind him and drew out a knife. He stepped towards Addie turning it in his hand to offer it up to her handle first. ?I?ve changed my mind. As much as it would make things not happen in the here and now. I guess I?m selfish. I don?t want to never know the things I do now.? He squinted at her face, looking for something, though he couldn?t say what. ?Some hero huh? I was just a few short feet between taking you out of danger and just couldn?t do it.?

Nick?s head shook a couple of times. ?That really just leaves me with one thing left to do. I need to let Avy know too. You know that I changed my mind, only? In her case it?s a little different. You know?? He wouldn?t blame Addie for not knowing. He wasn?t exactly using all of his words with her. He opened his hand, letting the knife lay on the flat of his palm for her to take. ?You could tell her right? I mean she knows what?s going on with you. Can you project any of that to her??

?Nick?? Her gaze narrowed, supernaturally sharp vision zeroing in on the blade in his hand. Somehow his words could still be heard over the quickening of her heart in her ears. Just barely though. That wasn?t just any knife but rather the dagger she?d used when she brought Sandy back. It had been languishing in her bedside table for months. Addie couldn?t bear the sight of it. But he said he had changed his mind, that was good right? Her shoulders sank as the air left her lungs, her feet carrying her across the flat rooftop toward him. ?Good, you didn?t have to do this. I told you that. That?s the right thing to do, the heroic thing. You made the right choice.?

She tried her best to convince him that everything would be okay but just as quickly as she had been assured that he had changed his mind, he confused her all over again. Her brows knitting, she squinted at him then down at the knife. Only a few steps away, she could have easily reached out for the blade?s handle. ?I don?t? I guess I don?t understand. Talk to me, Nik-Nak. What?re you thinkin? right now??

?I just wish I could talk to her directly. I mean it?s one thing to write to her. If I could get something back from her. If I knew she was answering the things I had to say, or at least could hear them from me instead of waiting.? He moved a little closer to Addie. ?You know that she knows, if she concentrates? if you feel it strongly enough. I may not know how that?s possible, but it brought me here. It did happen.?

Nick clearly wanted to be as far from the knife as he could be. He pressed it into her hand like he was pushing a temptation from him. ?Except there?s too many words, and Avy never said anything about hearing what you?d said. Maybe the distance is too far even for you two. I don?t know.? With the weapon gone from his hand, he let out a relieved sigh. If his choice of weapon surprised her, she?d only have to remember that he wasn?t cruel. He didn?t carry anything but the hammers at his hips. He wouldn?t have used those on a child.

?Maybe just try to give her something for me?? Nick wasn?t giving her time to answer, there just wasn?t time in his mind. Not for long drawn out explanations. Not for denials that would surely come. He really did know better. He closed his eyes for a moment, and called up his last memory of Avy?s face as she swam in the pool with him. He still wished he?d said and done so much more that day. When he opened his eyes, he stepped in and kissed Addie hard the way he?d wanted to do with Avy.

?We made a pact? when we were younger, before my mom died.? Addie turned her hand over, palm up. Moonlight caught a thin barely there scar across her palm just before he pushed the knife into her hand. It was a remarkably well crafted dagger, one of the few truly nice things she owned upon coming to Rhydin. Well, this Rhydin. It had never felt so strange in her grasp, like the entire energy of the thing was off. She wanted to drop it, to throw it far, far away where it couldn?t hurt anyone. ?I?ve felt her, or at least I thought I could. I thought I was just imagining it though??

Addie shook her head, brushing the thought off and looking down to the blade she held in her hand. What could she give Averia from Nick that he wouldn?t be able to give her himself? She found out when she looked up and his lips crushed against hers. It definitely wasn?t like practicing kissing as kids, not in the least. This was way weirder. She froze, at a complete loss for just how to respond.

Nick?s hand closed around Addie?s, tightening her grip on the handle of the knife in her hand. He only had the space of time offered by her confusion. Had she known the truth of why she was here, she?d never have come. One lie successfully told, or maybe writing them didn?t count? His other hand clamped onto the back of her neck to keep her from backing away from him. The only warning she?d get would come from a single tear that he couldn?t hold back as he pulled her knife hand towards his chest. He jerked it hard and quick as though not wanting to give himself a second chance to say no to this. There had been things he wanted to say. Things he thought in his contemplation of the moment that he?d be able to tell her. He?d been wrong, all he could manage was to suck a final breath and slide down her. His grip had loosened on her hand, gravity pulling it and him down to the rooftop. A red rivulet flowed towards Addie, seeking perhaps the hand that had freed it from the body that once contained it. It cared little what it touched along the way, crossing one shadow and another, following the slope of the roof.

It happened so quickly that her brain didn?t even register the motion until it was too late to pull back. She could feel his hands shaking as he held her close, an almost tender desperation in the way he refused to let her go. How could she ever explain that to Averia. A kiss became the least of her worries though, lost to the realization that the dagger in her hand had been yanked with such force that it pierced not only his shirt but the toned flesh underneath. He had driven it so hard that the hilt hit with a muted wump. As if the blade had caught fire she abruptly let it go and sank with him to try and break his fall.

?Nick? oh my gods, Nikolai. No, no, no? what did you do?!? She couldn?t breathe, she couldn?t think, she couldn?t even scream for help. Who could find them on the rooftop anyways? In a tangle of legs and dead weight, she tugged him away from the roof?s edge, cradling him in her arms as she tried to figure out what to do. ?Nicky, don?t do this to me. Please, Nick. I can?t do this, you can?t do this. Please, oh gods, please??

There was blood. So much blood. Think, Addie, think. She had to stop the bleeding first. The knife though, if she removed it would surely do more damage on the way out. Curling her hands around the blade, she pressed against the wet wound, her shoulders shaking with a silent sob that refused to voice itself if only for the fact she couldn?t get enough air to fill her lungs. Beneath the pressure of her hands, the rhythm of his heart was fading faster than she could count.

He was dying.

?No? I can? I can fix this. I can make it better. Stay with me, Nick. Just? hang on a little bit longer, I can fix you.? As she called on every healing arte she had ever encountered to try and funnel life giving energy into his body, a peculiar dance was occurring beneath her. Though her shadow stayed stationary in relation to the moon, the second less Addie shaped shadow quivered and pulsed, reaching for Nick as Addie held him against her. The rattle of a final breath taken furthered her hysterics but pressed a critical tipping point. She had a decision to make and she had to make it quickly.

?I can?? It?s too late to go back and stop what happened, but next time you?ll be able to see things more clearly. Was this the clarity that Nick had spoke of? Any shred of it though was close to being overwhelmed by the torrent of grief that racked her, decimating her composure and pushing her to the very point that had started this so long ago.

?I? can?t.? The change in her conviction bled into a whimper as she clutched him against her, her hand smoothing over his hair as she kissed his forehead once, twice, thrice. ?Oh gods, I?m so sorry, Nick. I?m so sorry??

It was goodbye. Not only to her best friend but to a passenger she had carried for almost two years. Beneath her, her second shadow swelled, seeming to soak up the spreading blood beneath Nick until black and red were indecipherable from one another. As if it were liquid, the shadow shifted and spread until it almost perfectly cradled Nick?s own shadow. Just like that two became one.

Addie could breathe again.

Twenty minutes later, Addie had dropped both the Shield of Gondar and the Scepter of Old Temple at the foot of the Arena?s corkboard with a hastily scribbled note on a sticky note she had found along the way. Blood still stained the shield and had caked an imprint of her hand around the scepter's shaft. She didn?t bother cleaning either off before she turned to walk away from it all. At the bottom of the stairs stood her godmother, waiting for Addie to finish whatever it was she was doing.

?Aunt Claire?? Addie acknowledged her softly as she stopped in front of the pink haired woman who blocked her way out. Her voice was rough and scratchy like gravel thrown in a blender and her eyes were red and puffy. At least the tears had stopped for now.

?What did you do, Addie?? Claire asked, her tone grave and her expression cold. Raven?s texts had detailed what little Addie had said, as crazy as it all had been. Claire wasted no time in finding her goddaughter for an explanation.

?I? I don?t know?? The younger woman?s gaze dropped toward her feet only for the elder to catch her by the chin to yank her back up to look Claire in the eye.

?What. Did. You. Do?? She asked again. ?Did you kill Niko??

?Yes ma?am.? Addie murmured weakly without elaborating further. The fire in Claire?s eyes was impossible to ignore and it made Addie?s mouth go dry and her muscles tense.

?Where is he, Adelaide? How could you do this?!? Claire?s hold on her chin tightened to keep the girl from looking away. For a moment her bottom lip quivered as if the waterworks were going to start all over again but just like that she shut it down, shut everything down as she returned Claire?s stare with a flat expression.

?Nick?s gone and he?s not coming back,? she said quietly and jerked her face to one side to free herself of her godmother?s grasp. With that she shouldered past the woman and climbed the stairs in search of? something else. Anywhere but here. Anything but this.


((Thank you SO much to Nick for bringing this storyline to life and for all of the work he put in. <3 ))