Chapter 184: 184
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"Don't play games with me, Areen. What did he threaten you with?"
I ask firmly, taking a step closer, and then another pushing her back further against the crystal ridden wall. There is a clear look of desperation that ripples across her face in that moment, as she looks between all three of us, her failed trap, and the flaring golden light that sparks around my form as I pursue her with slow, leaden steps.
"I know what Azrael is like," I remark coldly, crunching my knuckles between my fingers. "I would warn you not to lie to me, Siren Queen." Areen freezes, a look of half perplexation, half rage plastered over her pale and scaly face.
"What?" she asks, but there is a quiver in her voice that was not there before, a waver in her grey eyes that looks like it is about to shatter like glass, watery and spilling with tears. I continue pacing forward as she remains spouting strings of excuses, her eyes darting as she says: "I don't know what you are talking about, landwalker. You are talking nonsense."
I narrow my eyes. It doesn't take a genius to realise that she is lying. Yes, it would seem I might just have broken her- by the looks of things, she looks like she wants nothing better than to be rid of us and done with this place. But I have no intention of crushing her, or being rude if I can help it (though being firm with her is another matter). After all, she is a Queen, and even if her mannerisms are questionable, I should desire to treat her with the respect any Queen would deserve. Brushing my hand up against her arm, I reach out to hold her in place.
Then, sucking in a breath, I force a smile.
"Areen, please, I need you to co-operate," I beg, squeezing her arm lightly to reassure her, but the motion only seems to agitate her instead.
"Azrael. What did he say to you when he came down here. He surely couldn't have come here to merely drop off Delina into your hands, that would be too simple for him. Azrael is one for tricks, not obvious simplicities. So tell me, what did he ask of you?" I press, pulling my face close to hers, close enough that I can see the shaking of her lip, the smell of water lilies of her hair and the glisten of sweat upon her brow, shimmering over the light sheen of scales on her skin. Close enough that I can see the most powerful siren known to Faey crumple under the influence of my words. A sob rises and dies in her throat.
"Grandmother..?" Delina asks, coming forward an inch, but I hold my hand up against her, stopping her in her tracks. Not yet, I think, glancing round to Delina with an affirmative nod, I need to hear what Areen has to say.
Realising what has to be done, and what information she is about to lay witness to, Delina's face falls. After a brief silence, just as Areen has choked down her sobs, and the façade of the icy Siren shatters into a thousand pieces of broken glass, a small voice speaks up, wearied and quiet.
"He told me to keep you here," she whispers softly, eyes welling red with tears that pool upon her cheeks. "He told me that if I didn't keep you, he would kill everyone in my kingdom, everyone except Delina and I, so that we would understand exactly what it meant to cross him." Her throat works. There is no lying in this, I think to myself, no lying in the morose beat of her sullen heart.
She sniffs once more, wiping her eyes, attempting to restore that stony expression that had once terrified my companion as we had swum down the halls of the Siren's palace. But there is still a reluctance in her voice, instilling the idea that perhaps she hasn't totally given up on the idea of obeying Azrael's orders. She sniffs once more.
"He used to be such a good boy… I don't… I don't understand what changed."
Tentatively, Kal steps forward, reaching out a hand in an attempt to consul the distraught Siren. But upon his approach, she only tumbles backwards, baring her sharp teeth in disdain, her eyes alight with a taut apprehension.
"We can help you," Kal assures, side stepping around the entrance to the next lair, his pace slowing to a cautious step as his hand remains outstretched, face amiable. I am sure he of all people know the extent of the volatile nature of the sirens, and would be the first to avoid it, but for all his credit, still he tries to subdue her, raising his hand to pacify her worries.
"We won't let him touch your people, Serena and I can cast a spell of protection, you will be safe here, I assure you," he promises, but Areen's eyes are wide and filled with a fear that no amount of promises could subdue into submission.
"You can vouch for nothing," she hisses, splaying her fingers outwards towards Kal, causing an icy loop to wind around his wrists, snapping his hands together. In an instant, Kal's body is draw to a grinding halt, his shoulders stiffening as he works against the icy binding, his plea unrelenting but hopeless all the same. Kal groans.
Perhaps he realises already what a futile battle this is to be.
"Grandmother-" Delina tries to say, but is cut off by another icy shard winding in the direction of the two of us, slicing off crystal shards from the wall in one swift cut. Steadying my breath, I clench my fists. I must remain calm.
Kal however, has yet to give up hope.
"Please Areen, you have to trust us," he begs, wincing as the icy bonds bite into his flesh, causing the pale skin of his wrists to rub red and raw, threatening to spill blood up onto the surface. No, no, no, I think desperately, the last thing I need is for either one of us to get hurt. Hurriedly I dart towards him, but in her panic Areen aims another icy tendril towards me, and before I can fully register what has happened, my legs buckle beneath me. Beads of sweat form on my brow as I fight against the constrictions anchoring my legs together, but the efforts I make are futile, only serving to stick my feet with greater force against the rocky flaw.
"I can't let you go," she whispers darkly as little wisps of ice clawing at both our feet, solidifying around our forms, encapsulating us in crystals of ice. The ice eats away at our form, constricting our legs, and then our torso's, locking us both in place. Behind us, Delina begins to bubble with panic, flitting around our forms, yet simultaneously terrified of touching us in case this icy plague spreads to her as well.
"Grandmother, you don't have to do this, we can work something out," Delina pleads, stumbling forward defeatedly, but Areen raises a hand in Delina's direction, and she stops to an abrupt halt. Dismissively, Areen waves a hand, narrowing her eyes at the two of us with a doubtful expression. After all this, how open we have been with her, she still does not trust us to aid her.
"These two landwalkers cannot help us, Delina my dear. I will keep you safe here. Azrael promised we would both be safe if I do as he asked. Do no medal with business that is not your own," she says emotionlessly, her eyes dead, driven by the motive of self preservation, and the good of her own people.
Maybe if I were in her position, I would have done the same. Faced with two strangers who promise to help save you, who potentially vouch that under their protection nothing bad will happen to you, and yet faced with the destruction of everything you know, who but yourself do you have to trust. At least, that is what the old me would have said. The old me who listened to the word of the council, who played by the rules and never left the borders of my clan no matter how much I ached to do so.
No longer am I the young angel Queen on strings, trained as a divinist and orchestrated as a puppet for creatures who give no care for my wellbeing, only for the spoils of war, and the destruction of their enemies. I have tasted fear, and pain, and love, and sacrifice.
I will not let myself be puppeteered any longer.
"Do you honestly think," I bristle, the familiar hot warmth seeping through my veins, boiling my blood to a fine rage. The ice around my form begins to crack. Shaken and speechless, Areen totters back.. "That Azrael will spare you from his plans. Do you think that just because you cared for him, he has enough compassion to let you be free? That he will spare your people from his spite and hatred just because he 'promised' you? Well?"
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"Don't play games with me, Areen. What did he threaten you with?"
I ask firmly, taking a step closer, and then another pushing her back further against the crystal ridden wall. There is a clear look of desperation that ripples across her face in that moment, as she looks between all three of us, her failed trap, and the flaring golden light that sparks around my form as I pursue her with slow, leaden steps.
"I know what Azrael is like," I remark coldly, crunching my knuckles between my fingers. "I would warn you not to lie to me, Siren Queen." Areen freezes, a look of half perplexation, half rage plastered over her pale and scaly face.
"What?" she asks, but there is a quiver in her voice that was not there before, a waver in her grey eyes that looks like it is about to shatter like glass, watery and spilling with tears. I continue pacing forward as she remains spouting strings of excuses, her eyes darting as she says: "I don't know what you are talking about, landwalker. You are talking nonsense."
I narrow my eyes. It doesn't take a genius to realise that she is lying. Yes, it would seem I might just have broken her- by the looks of things, she looks like she wants nothing better than to be rid of us and done with this place. But I have no intention of crushing her, or being rude if I can help it (though being firm with her is another matter). After all, she is a Queen, and even if her mannerisms are questionable, I should desire to treat her with the respect any Queen would deserve. Brushing my hand up against her arm, I reach out to hold her in place.
Then, sucking in a breath, I force a smile.
"Areen, please, I need you to co-operate," I beg, squeezing her arm lightly to reassure her, but the motion only seems to agitate her instead.
"Azrael. What did he say to you when he came down here. He surely couldn't have come here to merely drop off Delina into your hands, that would be too simple for him. Azrael is one for tricks, not obvious simplicities. So tell me, what did he ask of you?" I press, pulling my face close to hers, close enough that I can see the shaking of her lip, the smell of water lilies of her hair and the glisten of sweat upon her brow, shimmering over the light sheen of scales on her skin. Close enough that I can see the most powerful siren known to Faey crumple under the influence of my words. A sob rises and dies in her throat.
"Grandmother..?" Delina asks, coming forward an inch, but I hold my hand up against her, stopping her in her tracks. Not yet, I think, glancing round to Delina with an affirmative nod, I need to hear what Areen has to say.
Realising what has to be done, and what information she is about to lay witness to, Delina's face falls. After a brief silence, just as Areen has choked down her sobs, and the façade of the icy Siren shatters into a thousand pieces of broken glass, a small voice speaks up, wearied and quiet.
"He told me to keep you here," she whispers softly, eyes welling red with tears that pool upon her cheeks. "He told me that if I didn't keep you, he would kill everyone in my kingdom, everyone except Delina and I, so that we would understand exactly what it meant to cross him." Her throat works. There is no lying in this, I think to myself, no lying in the morose beat of her sullen heart.
She sniffs once more, wiping her eyes, attempting to restore that stony expression that had once terrified my companion as we had swum down the halls of the Siren's palace. But there is still a reluctance in her voice, instilling the idea that perhaps she hasn't totally given up on the idea of obeying Azrael's orders. She sniffs once more.
"He used to be such a good boy… I don't… I don't understand what changed."
Tentatively, Kal steps forward, reaching out a hand in an attempt to consul the distraught Siren. But upon his approach, she only tumbles backwards, baring her sharp teeth in disdain, her eyes alight with a taut apprehension.
"We can help you," Kal assures, side stepping around the entrance to the next lair, his pace slowing to a cautious step as his hand remains outstretched, face amiable. I am sure he of all people know the extent of the volatile nature of the sirens, and would be the first to avoid it, but for all his credit, still he tries to subdue her, raising his hand to pacify her worries.
"We won't let him touch your people, Serena and I can cast a spell of protection, you will be safe here, I assure you," he promises, but Areen's eyes are wide and filled with a fear that no amount of promises could subdue into submission.
"You can vouch for nothing," she hisses, splaying her fingers outwards towards Kal, causing an icy loop to wind around his wrists, snapping his hands together. In an instant, Kal's body is draw to a grinding halt, his shoulders stiffening as he works against the icy binding, his plea unrelenting but hopeless all the same. Kal groans.
Perhaps he realises already what a futile battle this is to be.
"Grandmother-" Delina tries to say, but is cut off by another icy shard winding in the direction of the two of us, slicing off crystal shards from the wall in one swift cut. Steadying my breath, I clench my fists. I must remain calm.
Kal however, has yet to give up hope.
"Please Areen, you have to trust us," he begs, wincing as the icy bonds bite into his flesh, causing the pale skin of his wrists to rub red and raw, threatening to spill blood up onto the surface. No, no, no, I think desperately, the last thing I need is for either one of us to get hurt. Hurriedly I dart towards him, but in her panic Areen aims another icy tendril towards me, and before I can fully register what has happened, my legs buckle beneath me. Beads of sweat form on my brow as I fight against the constrictions anchoring my legs together, but the efforts I make are futile, only serving to stick my feet with greater force against the rocky flaw.
"I can't let you go," she whispers darkly as little wisps of ice clawing at both our feet, solidifying around our forms, encapsulating us in crystals of ice. The ice eats away at our form, constricting our legs, and then our torso's, locking us both in place. Behind us, Delina begins to bubble with panic, flitting around our forms, yet simultaneously terrified of touching us in case this icy plague spreads to her as well.
"Grandmother, you don't have to do this, we can work something out," Delina pleads, stumbling forward defeatedly, but Areen raises a hand in Delina's direction, and she stops to an abrupt halt. Dismissively, Areen waves a hand, narrowing her eyes at the two of us with a doubtful expression. After all this, how open we have been with her, she still does not trust us to aid her.
"These two landwalkers cannot help us, Delina my dear. I will keep you safe here. Azrael promised we would both be safe if I do as he asked. Do no medal with business that is not your own," she says emotionlessly, her eyes dead, driven by the motive of self preservation, and the good of her own people.
Maybe if I were in her position, I would have done the same. Faced with two strangers who promise to help save you, who potentially vouch that under their protection nothing bad will happen to you, and yet faced with the destruction of everything you know, who but yourself do you have to trust. At least, that is what the old me would have said. The old me who listened to the word of the council, who played by the rules and never left the borders of my clan no matter how much I ached to do so.
No longer am I the young angel Queen on strings, trained as a divinist and orchestrated as a puppet for creatures who give no care for my wellbeing, only for the spoils of war, and the destruction of their enemies. I have tasted fear, and pain, and love, and sacrifice.
I will not let myself be puppeteered any longer.
"Do you honestly think," I bristle, the familiar hot warmth seeping through my veins, boiling my blood to a fine rage. The ice around my form begins to crack. Shaken and speechless, Areen totters back.. "That Azrael will spare you from his plans. Do you think that just because you cared for him, he has enough compassion to let you be free? That he will spare your people from his spite and hatred just because he 'promised' you? Well?"
"Don't play games with me, Areen. What did he threaten you with?"I ask firmly, taking a step closer, and then another pushing her back further against the crystal ridden wall. There is a clear look of desperation that ripples across her face in that moment, as she looks between all three of us, her failed trap, and the flaring golden light that sparks around my form as I pursue her with slow, leaden steps. "I know what Azrael is like," I remark coldly, crunching my knuckles between my fingers. "I would warn you not to lie to me, Siren Queen." Areen freezes, a look of half perplexation, half rage plastered over her pale and scaly face."What?" she asks, but there is a quiver in her voice that was not there before, a waver in her grey eyes that looks like it is about to shatter like glass, watery and spilling with tears. I continue pacing forward as she remains spouting strings of excuses, her eyes darting as she says: "I don't know what you are talking about, landwalker. You are talking nonsense."I narrow my eyes. It doesn't take a genius to realise that she is lying. Yes, it would seem I might just have broken her- by the looks of things, she looks like she wants nothing better than to be rid of us and done with this place. But I have no intention of crushing her, or being rude if I can help it though being firm with her is another matter. After all, she is a Queen, and even if her mannerisms are questionable, I should desire to treat her with the respect any Queen would deserve. Brushing my hand up against her arm, I reach out to hold her in place.Then, sucking in a breath, I force a smile."Areen, please, I need you to co-operate," I beg, squeezing her arm lightly to reassure her, but the motion only seems to agitate her instead."Azrael. What did he say to you when he came down here. He surely couldn't have come here to merely drop off Delina into your hands, that would be too simple for him. Azrael is one for tricks, not obvious simplicities. So tell me, what did he ask of you?" I press, pulling my face close to hers, close enough that I can see the shaking of her lip, the smell of water lilies of her hair and the glisten of sweat upon her brow, shimmering over the light sheen of scales on her skin. Close enough that I can see the most powerful siren known to Faey crumple under the influence of my words. A sob rises and dies in her throat."Grandmother..?" Delina asks, coming forward an inch, but I hold my hand up against her, stopping her in her tracks. Not yet, I think, glancing round to Delina with an affirmative nod, I need to hear what Areen has to say. Realising what has to be done, and what information she is about to lay witness to, Delina's face falls. After a brief silence, just as Areen has choked down her sobs, and the faade of the icy Siren shatters into a thousand pieces of broken glass, a small voice speaks up, wearied and quiet."He told me to keep you here," she whispers softly, eyes welling red with tears that pool upon her cheeks. "He told me that if I didn't keep you, he would kill everyone in my kingdom, everyone except Delina and I, so that we would understand exactly what it meant to cross him." Her throat works. There is no lying in this, I think to myself, no lying in the morose beat of her sullen heart. She sniffs once more, wiping her eyes, attempting to restore that stony expression that had once terrified my companion as we had swum down the halls of the Siren's palace. But there is still a reluctance in her voice, instilling the idea that perhaps she hasn't totally given up on the idea of obeying Azrael's orders. She sniffs once more."He used to be such a good boy I don't I don't understand what changed." Tentatively, Kal steps forward, reaching out a hand in an attempt to consul the distraught Siren. But upon his approach, she only tumbles backwards, baring her sharp teeth in disdain, her eyes alight with a taut apprehension."We can help you," Kal assures, side stepping around the entrance to the next lair, his pace slowing to a cautious step as his hand remains outstretched, face amiable. I am sure he of all people know the extent of the volatile nature of the sirens, and would be the first to avoid it, but for all his credit, still he tries to subdue her, raising his hand to pacify her worries. "We won't let him touch your people, Serena and I can cast a spell of protection, you will be safe here, I assure you," he promises, but Areen's eyes are wide and filled with a fear that no amount of promises could subdue into submission."You can vouch for nothing," she hisses, splaying her fingers outwards towards Kal, causing an icy loop to wind around his wrists, snapping his hands together. In an instant, Kal's body is draw to a grinding halt, his shoulders stiffening as he works against the icy binding, his plea unrelenting but hopeless all the same. Kal groans.Perhaps he realises already what a futile battle this is to be."Grandmother-" Delina tries to say, but is cut off by another icy shard winding in the direction of the two of us, slicing off crystal shards from the wall in one swift cut. Steadying my breath, I clench my fists. I must remain calm.Kal however, has yet to give up hope."Please Areen, you have to trust us," he begs, wincing as the icy bonds bite into his flesh, causing the pale skin of his wrists to rub red and raw, threatening to spill blood up onto the surface. No, no, no, I think desperately, the last thing I need is for either one of us to get hurt. Hurriedly I dart towards him, but in her panic Areen aims another icy tendril towards me, and before I can fully register what has happened, my legs buckle beneath me. Beads of sweat form on my brow as I fight against the constrictions anchoring my legs together, but the efforts I make are futile, only serving to stick my feet with greater force against the rocky flaw."I can't let you go," she whispers darkly as little wisps of ice clawing at both our feet, solidifying around our forms, encapsulating us in crystals of ice. The ice eats away at our form, constricting our legs, and then our torso's, locking us both in place. Behind us, Delina begins to bubble with panic, flitting around our forms, yet simultaneously terrified of touching us in case this icy plague spreads to her as well."Grandmother, you don't have to do this, we can work something out," Delina pleads, stumbling forward defeatedly, but Areen raises a hand in Delina's direction, and she stops to an abrupt halt. Dismissively, Areen waves a hand, narrowing her eyes at the two of us with a doubtful expression. After all this, how open we have been with her, she still does not trust us to aid her."These two landwalkers cannot help us, Delina my dear. I will keep you safe here. Azrael promised we would both be safe if I do as he asked. Do no medal with business that is not your own," she says emotionlessly, her eyes dead, driven by the motive of self preservation, and the good of her own people.Maybe if I were in her position, I would have done the same. Faced with two strangers who promise to help save you, who potentially vouch that under their protection nothing bad will happen to you, and yet faced with the destruction of everything you know, who but yourself do you have to trust. At least, that is what the old me would have said. The old me who listened to the word of the council, who played by the rules and never left the borders of my clan no matter how much I ached to do so. No longer am I the young angel Queen on strings, trained as a divinist and orchestrated as a puppet for creatures who give no care for my wellbeing, only for the spoils of war, and the destruction of their enemies. I have tasted fear, and pain, and love, and sacrifice.I will not let myself be puppeteered any longer."Do you honestly think," I bristle, the familiar hot warmth seeping through my veins, boiling my blood to a fine rage. The ice around my form begins to crack. Shaken and speechless, Areen totters back.. "That Azrael will spare you from his plans. Do you think that just because you cared for him, he has enough compassion to let you be free? That he will spare your people from his spite and hatred just because he 'promised' you? Well?"
