‘Alexis!’ she cried, Alexis, mirroring it with another cry of Syline’s name, arms squeezing around the smaller girl as tight as they could. They stood there, quivering and crying, simply holding one another for a good few moments.
‘We thought you were – Where have you been?’ Alexis demanded, pulling back to look at Syline. The familiar on her shoulder let out a warble of greeting as he did his best to nestle into Syline’s scarf again. ‘A-and what’s that!’
‘Th-they’re both long stories. I’m okay though, and after tonight, I’m coming home.’
Alexis gulped back tears and kissed Syline on the cheek before pulling her tight again. Syline returned Alexis’ kiss to the cheek, but slowly pulled out of the hug. ‘My family’s in the dining room, right Alexis?’
‘Y-yes, well, no, your sisters are. Your mother, she’s… she’s very ill –’
‘No, she isn’t,’ Syline interrupted. ‘She’s been poisoned.’
‘What?’ Alexis exclaimed, hurrying to follow as Syline set off for the dining hall.
‘I’ll explain everything in a moment. Don’t worry, Alexis. I’m going to fix this.’
Alexis fell silent, looking at Syline for a moment, seeing a new woman awakening in her friend and master. Her eyes darted to the foyer, and she was tempted to ask about the two strange people standing there, but she decided it could wait. For now, there was no stopping Syline as she opened the door to the dining room to meet with her sisters once more.
Stepping into the dining room had a fresh wave of tears breaking free. Sitting at the table were all three of her sisters: Kassandra, Kat, and Magdova. Mags was the first to see her, and she dropped her fork, throwing herself from her seat to sprint for her near-on twin. Kat watched her, confused until Mags’ dash led her eyes to Syline. Just like that Kat was on her feet, rushing over as Kassandra ran behind Mags, both colliding in an embrace with Syline and wrapping themselves around her.
‘Syline!’ both cried in almost perfect tandem. Syline felt a sob wrack her as she wrapped her arms tight around both of them. Kat touched a hand to her shoulder as if affirming that Syline was real.
‘We thought you were dead,’ Kat said, her voice soft.
‘I-I’ve got quite a story to tell,’ Syline managed with a little, limp smile. ‘It’s so good to see you three again.’ She kissed her younger sisters’ foreheads. ‘Sit, sit. I don’t have much time to hang around here.’
‘Shouldn’t we go to see Mother? She’ll want to know you’re, that you’re not… that you’re home,’ Magdova said, sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes as she pulled away from Syline.
Hurt gave way to relief in her eyes as she looked up at her, and it only occurred to Syline then that this was the longest she’d ever been apart from Magdova, her near-to twin. She pulled her in again to embrace her once more as she spoke, realising then how much her heart had ached for her sisters.
‘She’s awake? Alexis told me she’s very ill,’ Syline said, looking in the direction of her mother’s room.
‘She should be,’ Kat said. ‘A maid just brought her dinner. Come on, let’s save your story for her ears.’
Kat led the way back to the foyer, Alexis trailing after the group of raven-haired sisters, but they all stopped in their tracks at the sight of the hellblooded and half-elf waiting in the foyer.
‘Who’s this, Syline?’ Kat asked as Amberly and Thelonious moved to stand with Syline. Amberly giving a bright and friendly grin whilst Thelonious tried to blend into the wall behind him. He didn’t do a very good job.
Syline turned to face her sisters again, standing now at the head of her little troupe.
‘This is Thelonious, my bodyguard, and Amberly, a dear friend that we saved from unlawful execution,’ she told her sisters. Kat cocked her head curiously, whilst a gleeful little grin lit Magdova’s features. Syline could only imagine what adventures her sister was thinking she’d had.
‘Well, you definitely have a story to tell,’ Kat said, giving Thelonious a quick once over. The ram-horned hellblooded gave her a respectful nod. ‘Let’s not waste any more time.’
‘You two stay here for now, alright? Alexis, can you get someone to bring them something to eat and drink, please?’ Syline said as she and her sisters began to go up the stairs. Alexis seemed a little let down that she wouldn’t get to hear the story straight from Syline’s lips but dashed off all the same. The quartet of sisters headed for their mother’s room.
Stepping into the room at the head of her band of sisters, Syline felt a chill go down her spine. Her mother lay in bed, thin and gaunt, her skin greying but for around her eyes and nose, where it was puffy and red. Syline had never seen her mother looking so weak; she had always been an unstoppable bastion of strength. Her mother was taking dinner slowly, a maid sitting nearby to help her when her hands shook too greatly. When the quartet of sisters entered, Syline and Kat leading, their mother’s mouth fell open, before turning into a trembling little smile, tears budding at her eyes.
She held out her arms for Syline, her voice soft, as if she were short of breath.
‘My little sparrow…’ It was all she could manage, but pure joy welled in her eyes, relief washing away mountains of pain.
Syline stepped forward straight into her mother’s arms, clutching her tight. She forced down her tears. Anger was beginning to take the place of sorrow. That monster Jane had no intent of curing her mother or Anatoly. Even though she thought she was dead, Jane was going to let them die just as petty revenge.
‘I’m here now, Mother. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m going to fix this.’
‘What do you mean, Syline? Where have you been? Who took you? I’m fine now that you’re home. I’m just sick, I’m ju –’
‘No, you’re not,’ Syline mumbled, trying to push back tears still. ‘You’ve been poisoned by Jane Petrov.’
Everyone went silent. Syline ducked her head down slightly, feeling the gaze of the whole of her family upon her. She started from the beginning, that night in the library, and went from there. Corax hopped around her shoulders as she told how she met him, before hopping into Magdova’s arms, immediately taking a liking to his master’s lookalike. She left out only one detail: exactly what had happened in the lumber shed, only saying that the man had forced her to kill him and that she had met Thelonious soon after. She finished by telling them of their battle with Teagan and how they had found out Jane Petrov’s plot. When she was finished, her mother seemed aghast, whilst Kat’s knuckles were bone-white from how tightly she gripped her sword.
‘Now we’re back here and I’m going to face Jane Petrov and take the antidotes, even if I have to kill her.’
A gasp was shared between little Kassandra and Magdova. Her mother’s lips were a harsh, thin line, her eyes blazed with a fresh fury that seemed to further invigorate her. Even as the sheer rage brought tears to her eyes.
‘To my damned face,’ she hissed through gritted teeth, ‘she wished you well, to my damned face. Promised she’d do everything she could to help.’ Syline was about to ask what she meant when Kat cut in.
‘You’re not going without me.’
‘Kat – Katarina, we’re… People are probably going to die, maybe even us,’ Syline said, looking at her older sister.
Kat dismissed their sisters, much to Magdova’s protests, along with her mother’s maid, then shut the door behind them.
’Syline, you say that as if I’ve never killed people, before,’ she said in a soft tone. ‘Also don’t call me Katarina,’ she added, giving a little smile to try and lighten the mood.
