Shade of Deception (Two)

Thirteen - SoD

Thirteen:

In comparison to the lax pace of the spires and the nobles, the Nix commoners had us on our journey in only minutes. While they all wished to bask in the presence of their Apex, they all realized that we had a job to do, and a lot of missing young people to locate.

Humans cowered in our wake and dared not look upon us. They seemed to view us like angry tyrannical gods. As best I had seen, almost none of them even knew how to operate the holo-tech computer systems of the city. They seemed largely ignorant and completely blind to reality. While I did not have time for any crusade for humans now, it had been earmarked on my to-do list once I could find Roger, one way or the other.

I felt that pre-dread wash over me and the sense of foreboding that I was about to fight again and shed blood once more. As we reached one broken corner of the lower city, a massive opening seemed to drop off bellow the sewage system, and down for as far as the eye could see--by that I mean my shade eyes.

“What is this?”

I asked Skylar, and she crinkled her brow.

“This was not here when I studied the blueprints of lower city.”

Sky said, and a stubborn Kerry stepped over to us and put in, “This is a rather new development. There was some sort of localized earthquake a few months ago. This opened up and we assumed it was merely a sink-hole, until we noticed the depth.”

Kerry explained in a mysterious tone, and Skylar practically growled out, “And it has not been fixed or searched?! This is an open rift into our people’s sanctum here!”

Sky said, which was a very generous term for that lower district truly was like. Kerry bowed her head slightly, looking downwards in submission to Skylar.

“My princess, I was ordered never to pester the royal family with trivial matters.”

Kerry said in a dutiful tone, and I noticed she was not doing so to snitch, merely to explain her previous marching orders here in Hidden. Sky seemed to fume for a few more moments, then she calmed herself, and she looked at Kerry, and she touched the other young woman’s arm in a cordial manner.

“I am not laying blame faithful guard, merely wondering why such orders would be given. I wish to be bugged with every single issue that plagues our people! I wish to feel every pain that you lot endure, and I wish to work with you to resolve every matter we face!”

Sky said sternly, claiming all that hurt for herself, as well as all that was wonderous. She was Senna’s daughter, and I knew somehow that whatever was happening here Senna had been sheltering Sky for a good reason. The older Apex may seem to be overly dramatic, but she usually acts in the absolute best interest of the Nix and in Sky’s best interest.

“Just remember that you are basically learning all the intricacies of the entire species your mom has ruled for over ten-thousand-years. Stop expecting to know every single issue plaguing a world over night, Sky.”

I said to her taking on an almost sisterly tone. She looked obstinately up at me, and I expelled a haggard breath. I could read her thoughts without need of access to her mind.

“These are my people, my issues! I must be better than this!”

Sky said, applying what any rational being would consider to be excessive pressure to herself! Sky was not going to let this go, and if I knew her half as well as I believed, she was likely to spend the next five years trying to perform some self-imposed penance with her subjects. Sky was not the type who enjoyed the privileges of her noble blood without expecting to also shoulder the burden. She was raised from her birth bed to be the apex of her people. She has not known any reprieve from her obligations. Hers is the last of the true apex blood, and her body is demanded to propitiate the line.

Her three siblings so not share the same measure of pressure. Sky often jokes that she is extremely fortunate to actually be straight, because otherwise, good luck getting a male near her naked! As it stood, neither of us was exactly sure how a girl as dominant as Sky was going to allow her future eternal mate to survive an evening with her.

I was snapped from my inner musings quickly enough as Sky and Clarke moved closer to the massive chasm in the edge of lower district.

“Play this smart, Sky. Someone as strong and alert as Roger was taken. You need to order back for more supplies, and possibly a few more guards. I don’t have a sense for anything beyond this hole yet, but it is giving me the chills dude.”

I told her, and Kerry seemed to cringe at the use of “dude” directed at Sky, but she seemed to be learning not to snap and growl at my every word now, so there was that!

“Do you see any…?”

Clarke began to question, and I cut in with the answer, “Ghosts? No. Besides, it’s not exactly like they would just be floating on the damn edge of the hole like a flag blowing in the breeze.”

Clarke looked a bit sheepish at this, and he put in, “Hey, how am I supposed to know that?! You’re the only one freaky enough to see the damn things!”

This time Kerry did growl, almost like a damn canine, and she leaned in as if Sky could not hear the entire exchange.

“The Apex can see the spirits of the physically departed! You dare not call her ‘freaky!’”

She warned him through glowing slit eyes. Clarke waved her off and said, “Please, she knows she a freak, and she likes being a freak.”

Kerry raised her hand as if to s***h at him with slender but powerful claws that phased into existence where her humanoid hands had been just a moment prior. Sky caught her wrist firmly and spoke in a calm almost bored tone.

“No need to defend my honor from my friend. Clarke is always just kidding.”

Sky commanded Kerry, who slacked her arm instantly. She seemed to be terrified to step over some invisible line with Sky. I could feel that Sky realized this, and she was trying to subtly move that invisible line.

“Yes Apex!”

Kerry chirped quickly after Sky had finished speaking. She seemed to relax marginally, but the stick was still firmly wedged in an extremely uncomfortable location. Not for the first time, I wished I could just yank the damn thing out, and be done with it, but I could not undo her entire abused upbringing in a single afternoon. As annoying as she was, her behavior only made me wonder what exactly the people here were doing to the lower-class children. Beyond just that, I believed there was no reason for such division, even if the masters of this city would disagree on that point.

“I’d like to just jump in and go after my brother.”

Sky stated in a darker tone, as we returned to the topic at hand.

“But you’re going to take my advice?”

I asked in a very pleasant tone that was not too sassy. I did not want to lure her out of this wiser option merely by taunting her. Sky was the most stubborn being I have met, aside from me. Yet we managed to keep a very chill relationship together. We were always real with each other, and we never held grudges where the other was concerned.

“Fine, but only because I believe it is ultimately the faster way to reach Roger.”

Sky relented but held fast to her dignity and her pride. I winked at her almost imperceptibly quick, but I knew those keen dragon eyes caught my expression. Her twitching lip and the slight roll of her eyes told me she absolutely saw me. I could not help the cheesy girlish grin on my lips. Having someone to joke with and banter with twenty-four-seven was key to retaining sanity when one is constantly in danger or at least surrounded by potentially hostile beings. Even in the human world, everyone basically hated me. Yes, it bothered me, it even stung, but there was nothing I could do.

Grendel’s words came reverberating into my mind. She had suggested that her expression of geas would have been so seamless as not to require a situation the towns people already believed possible.

“Works for me, make sure they remember the smores. A girl always needs smores when she goes spelunking!”

I put in, and the other guards looked confused, particularly the older ones who did not regularly visit the mortal world. Sky was smirking and her eyes danged in her amusement.

“I’m sure marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers are easy enough to rustle up, even down here.”

The Volupine turned up his nose in disgust at that combination of items but said nothing. He was supposed to be seen, not heard, so he was quite as a church mouse.

“All joking aside, we could use some more expression material for alchemy, incase we need to shape some spell expressions or transmute on the fly. This hole looks like it might as well lead to the mines of Moria!”

He said, tossing his Tolkien reference into the hat. Even the older beings seemed to recognize that reference it was so universally well known. If it were me, I would have tossed some Lovecraft at them, to really trip their minds up, but I am mean like that!

“Madam Apex, do you always allow the human to talk to you like such?!”

Without any further warning, Sky backhanded the magus guard and gave him a lethal glare through slit blue eyes.

“Your prejudices are not mine! You and your ilk all spawn form mortals or architects or both. You lot have nothing to speak about. You are not superior.”

Sky chastised him, and I heard a slow clap from behind us. Grendel approached us so soundless that even I had not noticed her until now. She masked her expressive aura as if placing on a delicate mask. It was there yet hidden behind a thin veil. I could feel the power suppressed, but only just.

“I would watch my mouth next time, adept. You are far too young to spout off as if superior.”

She finished admonishing the young magus, and the man dropped to one knee as she kept approaching.

“Forgive me my Lady! I shall endeavor to squelch this impudence of mine!”

She stiffly nodded once and said, “See to that, and deliver the order you were being directed to take. Don’t forget the clever Mr. Clarke’s alchemy supplies dear. I do so enjoy playing with him while he mixes me some delightful tonics and transmutations.”

Clarke suddenly went very stiff, almost like he was watching a train approach and it was too late to move. I steeped closer to him, as to send the message that he was one of my people. Grendel did not miss a trick. Her amusement was instant, and her levity seemed to multiply at the challenge presented before her.

“changing teams already?”

I asked her and she chuckled softly and gave me a single shake of her head.

“No, Love, merely appreciating every form of beauty before me, not just the pretty roses.”

She said, and somehow, I knew which part of my body she was likening to a bud. It made me stiffen as well, and I felt my guts flip at her closeness. Her powers of expressive magnitude tickled against me as my senses brushed across the outermost layer of her aura. She stayed just close enough to tease me with the metaphysical agony of my arousal.

Somehow, I knew this was going to be a rough venture for me, one way or the other!