The older Petranski was tired and drained, but hardly as much s Syline, who was beaten, bloodied, and with skin that looked like ash. Her wounds were not obvious, but it was astounding she stood at all. Amberly wished she had the power left to help her but knew that she likely wasn’t looking that much better herself.
‘We’re… we’re great, Syline,’ Amberly said with a smile. ‘Well done… we’ll see you back at your house soon, I’m sure.’
With that, Syline nodded and disappeared elsewhere in the house as her far stronger sister slung Ioann over her shoulders and struggled towards the door, grunting under her breath about sorcerers not pulling their own weight.
‘Syline’s going for the antidote. I’ll see you two soon,’ Kat called before disappearing into the snow.
The pair smiled and dipped off into the hidden passage beneath the ruined stairs. Somehow, Amberly knew Rion waited for them there. Descending the steps, they entered into a vast room full of alchemical equipment, a huge brass canister, cages full of strange creatures and chests full of gold and jewels. In the centre of it all was her goddess, Rion, as beautiful as she had been in that place between life and death, radiant and magnificent, beyond any man or woman she had ever seen. She was chained down to a table, and each of the chain links blazed with glowing runes. The demigod lifted her head as they entered, and a grin split her cheeks even as Amberly heard Thelonious gasp behind her. She couldn’t blame him – she couldn’t hope to compete with the goddess, even in so reduced a state.
‘Rion! Hold on, I’ll get you unbound.’
‘Don’t worry, Amberly… You’ve already freed me,’ her goddess cooed to her as they came in close.
‘What do you mean?’ Amberly asked, confused. She came to stand beside her goddess, a hand impulsively reaching out to stroke Rion’s hair. The demigod leaned into it, making a sound deep in her throat not far off purring at the impulsive affection.
‘Now that I have a worshipper, I can finally return to the land of gods and spirits. It was being forgotten that had me trapped on the mortal realm, more than any of these chains. I just wished to stay to meet you in person as soon as I could. I can return, but I’ll be there a long while recovering before that day. Until then…’ The goddess’s golden eyes drew Amberly in closer until Rion leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead. ‘We’ll speak again as soon as my strength allows it, I promise, my lovely Amberly, my knight in shining armour, my hero…’ the goddess cooed, her body slowly turning to embers, whisking away on the unseen wind.
The pair stood still for a few long moments of silence, before Thelonious finally said, snickering, ‘Well, that’s the kind of god I could bend the knee for.’
Amberly laughed raucously and elbowed him in the side.
‘Come on. Maybe I’ll convert you later, but for now, let’s get the hell out of here.’
Syline jogged down the hall, the feelings of power fading as she ran along. The halls weren’t empty, though. As she went, maids and servants poked their heads out of doorways, ducking back in when Syline drew close. They all had a dazed look about them as if they were waking from a dream and were still not totally clear on what was happening around them. She paid them no mind, not right now. Later, she may worry over providing them assistance, making sure the poor things had not lost their minds or something, but right now, she only had the wherewithal to focus upon one thing. She needed to find a lab, a storehouse, or something. Wherever Jane was keeping the antidotes. That’s what this was all for, if she couldn’t find them, it wouldn’t matter at all in the end.
She didn’t find any such room. Instead, she found two familiar faces. Gehrman Petrov, Jane’s husband, owner of the house, looking dazed and unsteady, kept on his feet largely only by Lauralee, Jane’s white-haired assistant, who stood at his side, holding one of his arms with both of hers, helping him stay upright. Hearing her footsteps on the tiles, they looked up. Unlike the others, they did not shy away.
‘So,’ Gehrman said, ‘she’s… it’s over? Jane is dead?’
That was something Syline hadn’t planned for: the fact that Jane, however awful she might be, might have people who cared for her. She found it a little hard to meet Gehrman’s gaze as she awkwardly nodded.
‘She is. Er… Sorry. No, I’m –’ She was cut short before she said what, on a moment’s thought, would have been pretty stupid, by Gehrman limping closer and embracing her. The old man was crying.
‘Thank you. We’re… I’m finally free.’
Syline was unsure of how to react, so she just softly patted him on the back. She was even less prepared for gratitude, than she had been for the anger she’d been expecting.
‘She came to me years ago and so much after that is a blank. Only rarely would her magic on me fail. The things she did to the servants, the things she made me do. I was myself but my strings were hers to pull, however she liked. Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one makes you the villain in this. You’ve saved more people than you know. Who knows how many people in this city she’s been controlling?’
Pride swelled in Syline’s breast; she felt like a hero from a story. Until now, this had been all so personal. Knowing she’d helped people beyond her own circle made this all the better.
‘You’re… uh, I guess you’re welcome, Mr. Petrov, sir. But Jane poisoned my mother and mentor; do you know where the antidotes might be?’
‘I do,’ offered Lauralee. She looked ashamed; her pale eyes didn’t meet Syline’s. ‘I’m sorry Syline, on her orders, I’m the one who poisoned your mother and mentor.’
Syline stiffened slightly, a flush of rage momentarily welling up in her, but it was snuffed out before it could really take root. It was not this girl’s fault, she’d been under Jane’s control, just like the rest of them. Looking at her, Lauralee might have had it even worse, she was so very pale. Syline quietly assumed that must mean Jane had been drinking her blood. Was that why her hair was white as well?
‘It’s fine, Lauralee,’ Syline said gently. Placing a hand on Lauralee’s own. ‘Like Sir Petrov said, you’ve not been yourself for a long time. I can’t blame you for that.’
Lauralee did not correct her. Syline was a kind girl. She needn’t suffer any more than she had. This could be the end of all of this. They’d never see one another again and this kind, bizarrely timid and yet heroic girl, could go back to her normal life.
‘Not always,’ Lauralee said. ‘Sometimes I’d realise what I was doing. I’m strong, she made me do…’ She let crocodile tears well up, she was never the best at faking emotions, but a lot of stress had finally come off her shoulders, the tears weren’t entirely fake. ‘I came to myself a little, at the end, I tried to help.’
Syline blinked slowly and a smile spread across her lips.
‘You were the one who threw the axe?’
Lauralee nodded and then became as stiff as a board as Syline stepped in and embraced her. Syline smelled nice. Of course she smelled nice to Lauralee, because the scent of blood and ash clung to her in bucket loads. She wasn’t used to this. She quelled the urge to breathe deep, ignoring how easily she could sense Syline’s heartbeat, still going a mile a minute, sending life raging through her form. Lauralee awkwardly hugged her back. Funny, all full of fear and adrenaline, it was almost the same as Syline had smelt the first time they’d met, when she was just some scared noble girl, running from a thug.
‘You saved my life, thank you,’ Syline murmured. She was still quivering.
‘Not as many lives as you saved, but I’m glad I could help,’ Lauralee said, unsure what to say. Gratitude was not something she was used to. ‘I’ll,’ she couldn’t keep this moment going, it felt so unnatural, to hold another when not feeding upon them, ‘I’ll go fetch that antidote for you, shall I?’
Syline nodded and let her go. Gerhman gave her a last, grateful smile, before Lauralee helped him depart. Following in his wake to find the antidote. Only whilst Syline waited for them, standing alone in that dark hallway, did she realise her hat was no longer atop her head. She spared a moment of grieving for it, allowing herself a little pout and petulant scuffing of the floor. She loved that hat.
Lauralee returned to the hallway alone, without Gehrman in tow.
‘I found something else that I think might be yours,’ she said as she approached.
Syline began to ask what she could mean, then flinched back slightly as Lauralee reached up towards her. The other girl blinked; she looked as if she might blush, but it did not quite reach her cheeks.
‘Ah, I’m sorry that was a tad forward of me.’ She turned her hand, so Syline could see what she was holding, a slim platinum hair pin, with a beautiful blue gemstone, the one she had lost in the library. Lauralee smiled slightly as she saw delight light up Syline’s features. This time, Syline did not lean away as Lauralee stepped in to pin Syline’s hair back, just above her ear with the pin.
‘There, back where it belongs. Now…’ She held up a slim wooden box, opening it to show Syline two small vials. ‘Mix them with a teacup of milk. It will help them go down. They’re very harsh on the stomach, but if you go now, they should be just fine.’
‘Even.’ Syline’s breath choked slightly, as the thought occurred to her. ‘Even Anatoly? He mustn’t have much time left? They said she gave him a faster acting one.’
