by K Dezendorf
“I can go up on my own,” Vikhail protested.
“You’ll strain yourself. Keep still,” he said as he walked up the stairs like she weighed nothing.
Rose smiled as she followed behind. Could it be possible Addrick was more of a mother hen than Billy?
They went up to the meeting room, which was starting to feel like a second home for how often Rose had been frequenting it. However, when she opened the door she found the room full of people. Her heart sank and fear set in. Just how much trouble was she in?
Edward was there, sitting across from Dimitri. There was also Vindo, Billy, Marrik, Vincent, Lymore, and Bal. Everyone -save for Marrik who was off to the side, ever the silent sentinel- was sitting around the table, and there were three open chairs.
Addrick carried a flustered Vikhail over to a seat before sitting down himself. Rose slowly approached the last chair and sat down, very much aware of all the gazes currently on her. Vincent was the only one in the room who had a relaxed smile on his face.
Dimitri leaned forward. "My dear, are you feeling any better?"
Rose nodded. "Yes, thank you."
The tips of his fingers came together. "So, Vikhail wouldn't give us a full breakdown on what happened until you were awake. Because she felt like she was unable to fully explain what she experienced, since she had never been to that realm before. We would like an explanation as to what happened before you were rescued from Markeos' men."
Rose swallowed, afraid to speak. She couldn’t bear to meet anyone's gaze. She didn't want to tell them what happened. She didn't want to open that door to more questions she didn't want to answer. She didn't want all these people to know. However, she knew at this point, if she didn’t say it now, then it would come back to bite her far worse later.
“Before I came here… I was… friends with Markeos’ people.”
Rose could practically feel the tension in the room thicken and heard Lymore let loose a low growl.
Dimitri, however, held a hand up to him, his gaze focused on Rose. “Why did you hide this?”
“She didn’t,” Edward spoke up before Rose could answer. Everyone looked at him. “She told me about it. She was friends with them during a time when they weren’t taking orders from Markeos.”
“And why did you fail to mention this, Edward?” Dimitri asked slowly.
He shrugged. “It wasn’t important. She’s not involved with them. They were just people she knew. She didn’t even know who Markeos was until she was face to face with him.”
His words were a blow to the gut. Maybe he was right. Maybe she had never really been a part of the group. Just someone to have around when she was useful. Still, she felt grateful to Edward for sticking up for her.
“Is all of this true, Rose?” Dimitri asked her.
She gave a slow nod. “Yes. I had no idea that they were… When I knew them, they weren’t… like that.” Her voice was on the edge of breaking, and she had to take a deep breath, and then another. “They just wanted to save their brother from human captivity.”
No one in the room said anything, but Rose noticed Edward’s tensed shoulders and Billy’s soured expression.
“I’ve been made aware of such… activities,” Dimitri said slowly.
“It’s being handled by another group,” Billy said matter-of-factly. “It’s got little to do with this.”
Dimitri sighed. "Rose, if you would, please. Tell us everything."
For the next several minutes, Rose explained her relations with the elven siblings. How she knew them before she arrived back in the Umbra. How she’d lost touch with them after arriving at Dimitri’s castle. Continuing to her and Vikhail in the human world and their encounter with the police. Then recounting the events after being picked up by Jenkto, and taken to meet Markeos.
Billy leaned forward. "Now, child. If I understand correctly, you were still in the human realm. Was Markeos in the human realm as well?"
Rose shook her head. "No, they had their own portal."
Everybody at the table erupted into hushed conversations. Dimitri cleared his throat loudly and they quieted.
"So, in that building, they had a portal?" Billy asked.
"I'm pretty sure, yeah," Rose said. "Although, it didn't feel like one of yours. It felt shaky and unstable. And it wasn’t there before."
Dimitri and Billy whispered to each other. Once they were finished, Billy nodded to her. "Continue, child."
Rose continued with her story, explaining how Jenkto took her to Markeos’ keep to meet with him. She told them the gist of the conversation.
"At first he was just gonna kill me, but she convinced him not to since I was involved with you, and..." Her sentence trailed off and she gave an unconscious glance over at Edward.
Billy must've seen it because he interrupted. "Wait, are you saying it had something to do with Edward?"
Rose bit her lip and nodded. "The moment Edward's name came up, he became so angry." She shivered a bit, remembering how it had felt like the air would be crushed from her body.
"Damn idiot," Billy muttered, glaring at Edward who blatantly ignored him.
Rose breathed. "And then he offered me a place in his group and asked me to swear an oath, and I said ‘no’. And that's about when you all showed up." As she said this, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, Marrik had put a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Dimitri leaned in, his expression severe. "So you swore no oath?"
"No," she said firmly.
His eyes gave a quick glance over at Marrik, who relaxed and went back to standing at attention.
"Fascinating," Vincent commented, and indeed he truly looked fascinated. “I didn’t realize our Rose had such steel in her.”
Vikhail was then asked to tell her side of the story. She readily divulged the details as she remembered, from being taken to the Umbra, to being saved by Rose, all the way up to when she blacked out. Thankfully, this bit of the story seemed to tilt the mood of the room towards Rose’s favor.
"All right, child," Billy said. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. But it's okay now. We'll get everythin’ sorted."
"What all has been happening while I've been asleep?" she asked, chancing a glance at the other people.
"Not too much. It's been pretty-"
Dimitri interrupted. "I don't think it's appropriate, Billy, that we hide everything from her. She has faced down a Paragon. I don't see the harm in telling her the unbridled truth."
Most everyone stared at Dimitri, including Billy. "Are you sure? I care for her and all but... we need not drag her in any further."
"I'm positive," Dimitri said.
"I can't... I don't... the poor child..." Billy shook his head. "I can't deal with this right now." He stood up and abruptly left the room.
Dimitri repositioned himself. "There has been some changes in alliances over the past two days. We once sought an alliance with Markeos. We are now at war with him. He has sought after us, and has declared he will have our heads. We have made it public and made him aware we will not stand for his actions. We are condemning him for the attempted murder of the two of you, and we stand behind the actions of our soldiers who fought and killed a few of their troops who followed you and the others back when we retrieved you. There has been much bloodshed, and there will continue to be bloodshed until the matter is resolved."
"Dimitri," Rose’s voice cracked. "I'm so-"
He cut her off. "This is not your fault. It was my decision to make. So do not blame yourself." He looked at Vikhail. "Either of you. We have a strong standing here, and many skilled troops and skilled magicians. We will be able to hold. You will be safe here. I would ask you not to return to the human realm for a while to ensure your safety, as it would appear Markeos has means of traveling there outside of what we are aware."
Rose nodded in agreement, but a knot of guilt tangled her insides.
"Edward," Dimitri said looking at him. Edward didn't even bother looking up from the ta
ble. "You have loose ties with us here. We have no true formed alliance. It is quite obvious that Markeos seeks your head. I know not, nor care, what problems you may have caused him. But I know you are fully aware, there is only one way we can end this. I won't ask you to do anything, since we have no alliance, all I can do is request formally that you-"
Edward stood up, knocking his seat back. "I'm not going to let him kill me. That’s final." He walked towards the door.
"That's not what I was going to say. I would request that you take young Rose here as a ward. By your blade, she needs to learn."
Edward stopped halfway to the door. He grunted and then continued to walk out, slamming the door behind him.
Dimitri sighed heavily before looking at Vikhail and Rose. "Have you two any questions?"
Vikhail shook her head. Marrik cleared his throat. "I have a question, Lord Dimitri."
"Yes, Marrik?"
"We are speaking freely in the presence of the children, then?"
"Yes, Marrik. They are young, but after what they've experienced, they are no longer children."
"Very well," Marrik said. "We must surrender Edward. We must end this. Markeos not only outnumbers us but outpowers us. We have to surrender him if there are any hopes of ending this quickly and cleanly."
“No,” Rose blurted out. Everyone stared at her, and her face and neck burned. However, she didn’t back down. “Edward saved me. Saved us. He’s saved others too. You can’t just sacrifice him like that.”
“It’s all right, Rose,” Dimitri said calmingly before turning to Marrik. "Edward is not a resource that we can control. We can no more give up Edward, than I can give up you, or Rose. There will be no forfeited soul to that... man. We will stand strong. He will very quickly learn the error of his ways."
Bal stood up and Rose’s eyes gravitated towards her. “In that case, I better get started gathering any information that would be beneficial to us."
Dimitri inclined his head respectfully towards her. “You have my thanks.”
Bal flashed him a bright smile. “Not at all. And Lymore, please close your mouth before your tongue gets all dusty.”
Rose’s eyes shot to Lymore just in time to see his jaw snap shut and he gave a low growl. Bal just laughed merrily. “Oh, don’t be so stuffy. You know you adore me.” Then she left the room, tail happily swishing behind her.
Glancing around, Rose noticed that nearly everyone’s gaze was fixed on Bal as she left. Oh, good. So it’s not just me then.
Lymore slammed his hands down on the table, shaking it and causing Rose to jump. "You are going to be the death of us, old man. You make a battle decision to enter war with the Paragon of War. How mad are you?"
"Lymore, I am not mad, I assure you. My age affects my mind in no way. The only foolish decision I have made in recent time is that I reached out to him to form a possible alliance. He is truly someone who cannot be contained. He would be our ally no more than would be a sword in our stomachs. We do not need nor want him. We need not beat him, just fend him off."
"Mad, I say. Just mad." Lymore stood up and stalked out of the room.
Addrick got up as well. "As foolish as I think your decision is, I will stay. You have me and my men." He looked to Vikhail. “Are you ready to go?”
Vikhail sighed and nodded reluctantly. Addrick hoisted her up into his arms and exited the room.
"Hm, seems like things will be rather lively around here for a while," Vincent commented. He glanced over at Rose. "You're very brave for someone so small and delicate. I can see why you're the talk of the keep."
"Vincent, please refrain from teasing her," Dimitri told him "She's been through quite enough for now."
"Of course, my apologies, young flower. I'm glad to see you again, and in one piece as a bonus." He winked at her. Or at least she thought he did? It was hard to tell when he only had one eye. His friendly candor gave Rose a feeling of ease, and it was nice seeing an old friend.
“How are the others?” she asked.
“They are well,” Vincent said with a warm smile. “Lara is off having her own adventures, but I’ll be certain to give Seylvin and Kog your regards.”
“Please do.”
He turned back to Dimitri. "Well, Dimitri, my services are still available to you. Any trade you need, I am at your disposal."
"I appreciate that.”
Vincent stood up, approached Rose and extended his hand. She took it and was unable to keep from blushing as he kissed her hand in a very gentlemanly manner. "Best of luck to you, fair Rose."
He then exited the room so that it was only her, Marrik, Vindo, and Dimitri left.
"Dimitri, sir, I hope it's not imprudent of me to ask but... has there been any word about my Guardian?" Rose asked.
"Yes. Galleon sent a messenger yesterday. They found Kyan and are now holding him. Galleon wants to speak with you when you are available to negotiate a possible release. Afraid to say I don't have the resources to aid in freeing your Guardian. We are spread a bit thin at the moment."
Rose shook her head. "It's okay, it's my own mess that I made. It's right I take care of it. And I really am sorry about not telling you about the friends I made on Earth. I honestly had no idea who their father was or that things would turn out like this.”
“I believe you,” he assured her. “When it comes down to it, you have an honest heart. If nothing else, you turned down an offer to which many would have balked and accepted, whether out of fear, or desire for power.”
Rose bit her lip. "What would have happened if I had said 'yes' to him? Markeos, I mean."
"You would have been inducted as one of his followers. You would have been given access to some of his boons. Given great power, but forced into slavery to do his bidding. You would not know free will."
"Is that what it means to serve a Paragon?"
"No," Dimitri said firmly. "No it is not. That is what it means to serve Markeos, Paragon of War and Chaos. There are those of us who feel that followers should be allowed to do what they want, when they want, how they want. If you rule with an iron fist, then no one will be there to help you eat. You can't eat porridge with an iron fist. It's quite impossible. You can't hold the spoon."
Rose laughed a little at that.
He smiled and continued. "I've always preferred a gentle touch."
“I still can’t believe that Jenkto and…” Her heart squeezed painfully when she thought of Macklass. “...the rest of them are children of a Paragon.”
"From our world, we assume gods, like the Greek gods, are higher beings. In this world, Paragons are the closest things to gods the Umbra has, but they are just people who have accumulated power and followers. Magic in this world flows through all of us, but not everyone can use it. Everyone can, however, give it away for others to use. Whenever someone starts following another, they help focus all their energy towards the one they follow, thus making that person even stronger. Thus creating the Paragon hierarchy.
“The Paragons of this world are normal people. Different races, but normal people. They just so happen to have a lot of power. Some prefer not even to have the name 'Paragon' as it were. Some prefer 'friend'. You will find there is a lot to learn about this world. There is much more than what meets the eye, and everything here has not just one other side, but six."
Rose ruminated on his words and it clicked in her mind. When she was hiding inside the castle, the aura... she thought it was Markeos, but it wasn't.
"After the battle... and you were there helping me..." Her eyes met his. "Your aura was overwhelming, like Markeos’."
Dimitri held her gaze for several moments. "If you were to ask some of the people here they will tell you that I am the Paragon of Wind."
Rose blinked, completely dumbfounded by the revelation. So even humans could become Paragons. It was an incredible thing to think about.
"I however, just like to think of myself as a fun old man," he said with a smile. "As I said, we each prefer to rule in our
own way.”
“Wow.” Rose thought about the fear and unease she saw at Jenkto’s garage. “Now I’m really glad I didn’t say ‘yes’.”
“As am I. Promises have power here, and oaths even more so. By you performing an oath to him, not only would you help power him, but his oath allows him to control you.
“I myself prefer to keep my aura suppressed because the frightened young children who occasionally wander in here don't need to see that. Can you imagine if you had seen me like that the first time you met me?"
"It definitely would have been a lot more unnerving," she admitted.
"You needn't worry. You're safe here," he assured.
"Thank you.” She felt like she couldn’t say it enough times. “Really, for everything you all have done for me."
"Every soul deserves kindness. In Markeos' case, it needs to be knocked on its butt, and then offered a hand back up if it so chooses. Kindness after a little pain, but kindness nonetheless."
Rose smiled at that. She hesitated a moment, then asked, "I... would like to meet with Galleon, to make sure Kyan is okay."
He nodded and Vindo, who was already standing at the ready, did his thing to open the portal.
Warmth filled the room and the wings opened up across the table, and there the Shade sat. Why did powerful people have to be so theatrical?
Galleon surveyed her. "I was beginning to wonder if you were even interested in retrieving him."
"Yes, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," she said quickly.
"Our agreement was half Radiant blood, the essence of a broken heart, and a favor yet to be named. In order to track down your guardian and return him to you."
"I remember."
"We have tracked him down," he informed. "He was found injured and dying from infection in the Infernal plane. We had to expend our energies to extract him from where he was being held. The infection has been removed and he is now at my mercy."
"Is he well?" she asked.
"He is no longer afflicted by the poisons of the material plane, if that's what you're referring to." His wings flexed slightly. "Have you brought me the second condition?"
