Iriona

[athena]

Elion was glad that Aria returned to normal. Her silence throughout the day had been rather disconcerting; she always had something to say. Although he had to admit she seemed rather caught up on the whole idea that only she could save Iriona. And only if she was able to find the gift the spirits had given her so long ago. It was not as if he doubted Aria’s abilities, but clearly the spirits had indicated that they needed to work together to accomplish their goals. Elion was not entirely sure that hunting down Aria’s past in Iriona would help them with the investigation, but he decided to humor her instead. He vaguely sensed that if he argued with her on this point, it would not only be a monstrous fight, but he would lose it as well. Not to mention her excitement was somewhat cute.

Silently he listened as Aria brainstormed and ran through the possibilities. Her logic seemed sound to him. He simply shrugged as a form of acceptance. Aria huffed and fished the orb from her pocket.

“What do these orb things do?” she asked, “Why are they so important?”

Elion scratched thoughtfully at his beard. How best to explain the concept. “They are gifts,” he started slowly. “Thanks for that,” Aria retorted sarcastically. Elion shot her a hard look, clearly indicating that he was far from finished. “They are also sacrifices,” he resumed as Aria fell silent. “There has to be some sort of sacrifice for the orb to be made. In the instance of the one I gave you, I made a blood sacrifice.” Aria looked at the orb, her face wrinkling in slight disgust. Elion chuckled slightly.

“They are all different though. And so is their purpose. I imbued yours with my desire to assist you. And so it shall. Whatever form the help takes depends on you and when it is used. But the problem with the one you received all those years ago is that neither of us know who made it or what purpose they made it with. To help Iriona, yes, but how? Was it meant for you to return should you use it? Or grant you some special insight into the minds of men or spirits? There is no telling what it was meant to do.”

“Then I need to find it,” Aria said firmly. “There is also a possibility that it will not do anything anymore,” Elion interjected before she could travel further down that path. “It has been, what, two hundred or more years since it has been made. The powers in it could have simply faded away. Or you have already accomplished what the orb was meant to do. Again, there is no telling. But,” Elion leveled his blue eyes on Aria, “I do not think there is harm in finding it and seeing what it could do. Anything is better than nothing.”

“But where would I have put it,” Aria asked aloud. She set the children’s book aside and began to pace, trying to think. Elion dragged the book to himself and flipped through it idly. “Where would a five year old you think a safe place was?” He asked. Aria shook her head. “Aria.” She stopped pacing at the sound of her name. She turned to face him. Slowly, he turned the book around, showing her a picture of her and her stuffed toy. “Who did you trust most in the world then?” She stared at the picture as realization dawned across her face. “My teddy bear.”

Elion nodded. “I think that would be a pretty good bet.” Aria’s smile grew broader. “I think I know where it is too,” she concluded. “Good,” Elion affirmed. “When you return to Springmount perhaps you will have the time to look for it. And just maybe we will be lucky enough that it will do something for us.”

[Victoria]

She vaguely remembered her mother having to patch her teddy bear when she was about that age, which she supposed it was entirely possible that she had somehow stuffed the orb thing inside the bear. But that didn’t help them right then and there. That had to wait. Turning towards the table where he had the satchel sitting from the guy that had been watching her, she reached for it and ran her fingers carefully over the material. “This bag,” she started with a curious look in his direction, “Is it possible that it could tell us where the killer is from?” she questioned. “I mean Grifad figured out quite a bit from just a thread after all. Is there anyway to know at least the general area the killer might be from? It might push us in the right direction.”

Aria sank back into the chair she had previously occupied and ran her fingers through her hair. “To know the habits of the areas inhabitants, what he might be used to, what he might be like. Really get inside his head and it might actually lead us straight to him.” Sometimes that was the only thing that could be done to really understand what it was that the killer was thinking. “Like with my guy, we’re figuring he’s based out of Charleston somewhere because the few things he has left behind all indicate he’s from the city and all three jurisdictions that have been hit are equidistant from Charleston. That’s our center point. Knowing he’s from the city explains the cold nature of the kill, he’s not personable, it’s not a crime of passion. It’s a crime of control. It’s a crime to be noticed, otherwise he would just commit the murders in the city where he would blend in. So with that in mind, what does our killer’s hometown say about him? Plus in a place like this, someone has to know of the spiritless that lives in their town or city. We find where he comes from, we find his friends, his family, and eventually, him.” Up until this point they had been on a wild goose chase to stop the murders before they happened. Unfortunately that wasn’t the game anymore. They were losing and they had to get the upper hand. “Alert Baiae and any other agentes in nearby cities. Get them serious about all of this, while we head for what’s most important to a man. His home.”

She looked down t her hands, giving her words a chance to sink in through his thick skull. He was open to ideas, sure, but he was also stubborn and set in his ways of doing things. Granted she didn’t entirely understand how things worked around here. But she was brought here for a reason. Something about this investigation required him to think outside of the box he was accustomed to. And she was here to provide that type of thinking. While she sat there in her silence though, she noticed a light fading along her fingers. “What the hell?” she questioned as she stared intently at her hand.

She sat up quickly, nearly knocking Colin in the head with her own. “Whoa,” he backed up with a slight chuckle, “You okay there?”
Aria shook her head, “Where’s the phone?”
“It’s the middle of the night,” Colin argued.
“I don’t care. I have to call my mother.”

[athena]

A slow burning frustration rooted itself deeply in Elion’s chest. He had contacted the other agentes. That was why they were in Muula, and as far as he knew, there had been no reports of similar instances in the other cities. He wanted to argue that they found his home in Eltal, but Elion stopped himself. Was he really sure that it was his permanent residence? It could have easily been a temporary hide out. On top of that, finding the killer’s home would be next to impossible. Cities associated with spirits. People from certain cities almost always had some type of connection with said spirit, although it may not be their primary connection. A spiritless child though, that was a different matter. They would not be recorded in the records. Or if they were, it would be under a lie. Spiritless children were rare, but they would undoubtedly be considered an embarrassment to both the family and the community. Not to mention the bag could have been purchased anywhere. Elion took a brief moment to let his usual calm to return. While Aria’s ideas may not be applicable in Iriona, she was still trying to move the investigation forward.

“I am not sure if,” he trailed off, noticing for the first time that Aria had been unusually silent. He glanced at the chair she had only moments before been occupying. “Damned woman,” he muttered under his breath. She would disappear at a time like that. Part of Elion wondered if she had some sort of control over when she appeared and disappeared, but he shook it off. Aria had about as much control over the situation as he did. Grumbling, Elion repositioned himself at the desk. Aria had been right about one thing: he certainly did need Grifad. Elion wrote a short note explaining the situation and a request for confirmation that the letter had been received. He read over it briefly and sealed it. Typically, Elion did not trust sprites to deliver his missives but he needed speed today. He flung the window open and whispered into the breeze. A few moments passed before a sprite decided to grace Elion with its presence. It flittered about giggling as Elion waited patiently for it to settle. He explained what he wanted and, surprisingly, the sprite agreed without any need for a bribe. It flew off into the evening. Elion sighed. There was not much he could do in the way of investigating tonight. The shops were closing in preparation for the evening festivities, and Elion found he had no heart to go out and explore. Instead he decided a bath would better suit his needs. As he headed towards the bathing facilities, Elion chuckled at himself. It seemed as if he was becoming a crotchety old man.

One bath and a meal later, Elion felt more calm and relaxed. The night festival was in full swing and the noises drifting from the street through the cracked window were more soothing than annoying. Elion collected the stack of books and moved them to the side of the bed. He had already gone through one in an attempt to explain spiritlessness, but there would be no harm in skimming the rest of the books for information. At least he would feel somewhat productive that way. Burrowing into the sheets and pillows Elion created a rather comfortable nest. He swiped the first book from the pile and skimmed through it. When he finished with the book, he set it aside and began with the next. Occasionally, he paused to fold a page corner or make some note. The entire process carried Elion through most of the night. When he noticed that the sounds of the festival outside were dying down, he shut the last book and stretched out of bed to flip the switch for the lights. It was a matter of moments before he drifted off to sleep.

Elion was woken early in the morning by an insistent tugging on his hair. For a moment he thought Aria had returned, but the hair pulling was in a rather small, concentrated area. Not to mention that the proper time hadn’t lapsed, especially if Aria’s time hypothesis was true. And Elion was prone to believe it was. Groggily he opened his eyes to see the sprite from the evening before hovering over his face. It looked incredibly grumpy. It squeaked at him rapidly before depositing a letter on his chest. With a huff the sprite zoomed out the window. Elion propped himself up and cracked the seal on the letter.

“Message received. On the way. Left last night. – G”

He pulled himself from the bed and tossed Grifad’s letter aside. It would still be at least a week before he arrived. Maybe less if Grifad had a horse and stopped to rest. Regardless, there was work to be done. Elion shrugged on his shirt and buttoned it up. His first stop would be at headquarters to pay Baiae. He skipped breakfast and only waved briefly before pushing his way out the door and into the streets of Muula. Shopkeepers called out to Elion as he strode by, however he paid them little mind. He walked into headquarters and straight into Baiae’s office. She looked up at him, her face rather haggard.

“Too much festival?” he asked sarcastically. “Hardly,” she retorted as she stood and combed her long hair from her face. “I actually spent the night in the office. Spirits know when I last did that.” Elion raised an eyebrow. She waved him off. “I was looking for the names Adus and Suila like you asked. You’re in luck. I have a lead.”

She slowly slid the papers across him to the desk. “Now what?” Elion looked at her, a slow smile crossing his face. “We find these fellows,” he responded.

[Victoria]

“Aria, listen to me, it’s four in the morning,” Colin tried to rationalize as she bounced around their room looking for clothing. “You already called your mother, we’re having dinner with them tonight. And whatever is so important, you’ll figure out. You always do.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair from where he leaned back against the headboard, “Now please come back to bed.”
Aria turned on him sharply, “I don’t expect you to understand,” she all but hissed, “You’ve never understood Colin. But then being a high school history teacher isn’t exactly life or death.”
Colin sat up straighter at that. “Hey. What I don’t get is what the hell has been with you the last day or so,” he snapped right back at her. “It’s like you’ve been off in another world.” If only he knew just how right he was about that.

“Look, I don’t have time for this. These girls, their lives are my responsibility now. I’ve got Stephanie’s blood on my hands Colin, you don’t know what that’s like.” Not to mention she had the whole of Iriona bearing down on her too. If this was the spirits idea of giving her some form of stress relief, they needed to reevaluate their choices here. “I have to go to the station, I have to talk to Jack and I have to figure out what the hell is going on.” In more than one world. Before Colin could say more on the subject, Aria’s phone started ringing from the night stand beside the bed where she had left it. Where she always left it.
“That thing’s been ringing like crazy,” Colin said, waving it off.
Aria couldn’t help the stunned look that played across her face, “And you didn’t think to tell me?” she asked. But shaking her head, she grabbed the phone and headed for the door. “Detective James,” she answered as she slammed the apartment door behind her.

“What the fuck, James?” Jack’s haggard voice broke through the speaker as she slipped into her car. “I’ve been trying to call you for over an hour.”
“I was asleep and Colin didn’t bother to let me know the phone was ringing. Not all of us can be lucky and get someone like Deanna. Who actually gives a fuck about the jobs we do. What’s so important?” Jack sighed and suddenly the weight in his voice caught her attention, how tired and worn down he sounded. Almost like he hadn’t slept in a week. When he didn’t answer right away Aria spoke softer, “Jack?”
“You need to get in here,” he finally answered. He didn’t want to have to discuss this over the phone. She would understand when she got to the office.
“What is it?” she all but demanded of him. There was something seriously bothering him. And it wasn’t like him to let their cases get the best of him. Normally Aria didn’t let them in either, but this time it was different. This time it hit way too close to home for her. And Jack had stood by her through all of it. Understanding and strong. That was more than she could say for Colin.
The line went silent for a long moment before he finally spoke again, “Kyra didn’t come home last night.”

[athena]

Surprisingly Baiae opted to accompany Elion to the address she had recovered. Along the way she explained how new residents or leaseholders in Muula worked and that that had been how she had found them. Elion only listened with half an ear as he surveyed the streets to their location. Baiae was, for once, professional; Elion knew she had it in her somewhere; it apparently just took situations such as this to awaken it. Baiae finally stopped in front of a two-story home. It was in a wealthier district of Muula. “I’m assuming our suspects are wealthy?” Baiae shrugged. “Hard to tell. They certainly had no trouble paying the fees associated with this place, but that doesn’t necessarily make them wealthy. They could have easily swiped the money from some unsuspecting sap.” Elion shrugged. His gut instincts told him that at least one of them was from a wealthy family. How else could they afford the ingredients for the potions, or the nice house in Eltal, or all the books? Such items did not come cheap. He had a feeling that if Aria were there, she would have confirmed his feelings. Instead he asked, “Are they home?”



Baiae paused a minute, listening to the wind. “No,” she started slowly. “I don’t hear anybody inside.” “Good.” Without waiting much longer, Elion jimmied the front door open and slid inside, Baiae close at his heels. The main floor was dimly lit, the curtains drawn against the sun. Books were scattered haphazardly across the many tables, chairs, and even the floor. Elion prodded the nearest book. It wasn’t a book per say, but more of a journal. Sloppy handwriting filled the pages. “I want these collected.” Baiae nodded in agreement. “Later though. I do not want Adus and Suila aware that we have been here; you will need to station a watch on the place though. Somebody who will not be obvious.”

The duo moved slowly through the main floor, carefully examining each room for more clues. They paused a moment in the kitchen to examine the herbs and powders; they had become rather familiar to Elion. Briefly, Elion lingered and picked up a small leather sack. A local merchant’s insignia was stamped into the bag. He committed it to memory; it would have to be investigated later when he had a chance. Carefully Elion returned the bag to its place. Baiae pointed out the nearby stairs and waggled her eyebrow. A simple nod prompted them both up the stairs. Elion was filled with apprehension. They had found plenty of condemning evidence on the first floor alone; however, part of Elion wanted more evidence. Something that would doom Adus and Suila beyond a shadow of a doubt. A much smaller portion of Elion cried out in terror. What if there was nothing there? Or worse, more deceased sprites? He braced himself for whatever lie ahead.

The upper floor, at least that he could see, proved to be fairly normal. A narrow hallway branched off into several rooms. Quickly Baiae and Elion checked the first rooms. They were simply bedrooms. Clothing and personal effects were scattered about the room. When Elion finally decided to raid the place, these belongings would prove useful for identifying their suspects. For now though, they would remain as they were. The last room, however, was locked. Much like the entryway, Elion crouched and jimmied the lock open. “What a useful skill,” Baiae stated sarcastically. “You know what you’re doing isn’t technically legal right?” Elion shrugged. “We are not doing anything other than looking,” he retorted just as dryly. He was fairly certain Aria would have supplied her own set of questionable hidden skills had she been here. And she most likely would have been egging the exploration on. But, Aria wasn’t there, and beggars couldn’t be choosers.

An eerie silence hung over the room. “Goddess,” Baiae breathed. Elion looked at her sharply. He didn’t know that Baiae believed in the goddess figure. There had always been debate as to whether a higher entity had created the spirits, but Elion had hardly expected Baiae to take a stance in it. She had always been so blasé about it all. He paused; something had elicited a response from Baiae. He turned and looked over the low table. A series of sinister instruments lined the table ending in the corpse of a sprite pinned to the table. Baiae paled and stepped away. “Damn, damn, damn it to all the hells,” Elion swore violently under his breath. He wheeled on Baiae. “Were the bodies secure at headquarters?” He needed to establish if it was another death on their hands or if this Adus and Suila and stolen one of the bodies. Elion was not sure which was more disturbing. Hurriedly, he shoved Baiae from the room and shut the door. Hopefully, the two murders wouldn’t notice. Elion had all the evidence he needed. Now it was a matter of pinning the faces down. “We must move fast,” Elion stated as he practically dragged Baiae from the home. Already he felt the clock counting down to the next contention. He would have to move faster than fast if he were to avert this danger.

[Victoria]

“Would you just sit down,” Aria said as she watched Jack pace back and forth across their office for the thousandth time. “Let’s go over it one more time.”
“It’s not going to change that my daughter is missing,” Jack bit back. But when he realized the harshness of his tone he mumbled a ‘sorry’ before leaning back against his desk. It had been three hours since Aria had arrived at the office. And there had still been no word from Kyra. As they encroached on seven in the morning now Aria tried to be optimistic about it all. “She went out last night with her friend Gina to a party. Gina’s parents said she returned home around 1 am without Kyra. I haven’t yet been able to talk to Gina because her parents refused to wake her up.”
“It’s seven now, try Kyra’s phone again, if she doesn’t answer, call Deanna and see if anything has changed at home. I’ll try the Hamilton’s one more time. Coming from me, they might be a little more apt to answer my questions.” Aria suggested. Jack just nodded and slipped behind his desk. She felt bad for him. At least with Steph she knew the end result. She was dead. There weren’t a million questions parading through her mind wondering if she was okay, if she was hurt or worse. And Stephanie was just her cousin. This was Jack’s daughter, his first born. That alone made it that much worse.
“I’m sorry too,” Jack started, “About Stephanie, I didn’t know she was your cousin. Makes your crazy determination make so much more sense.”
Aria smiled sadly, “You didn’t know because I didn’t tell you,” she told him, “Now let’s do what we do best Jack, we’ll bring Kyra home.”
He nodded again and reached for his phone, having nothing more to say. Aria meant it though, they would bring Kyra home, no matter what they had to do.

Picking up her own phone, she dialed the number Jack had scrawled down. The phone on the other end rang a few times before a tired voice picked up. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mrs. Hamilton?”
“Yes?” the tired voice asked.
Aria sighed, “I’m Detective Aria James with the Springmount Police Department, I’m calling in regards to your daughter Gina. She was supposedly out last night with Kyra Barnett, was she not?”
The voice was more clear now on the other end of the phone, “Yes she was, I told Kyra’s father that Gina got home around one. A few minutes past curfew. She didn’t say anything to us when she got home.”
Aria nodded even though Gina’s mother couldn’t see it, “Unfortunately Kyra hasn’t been located yet and we feel as if your daughter might hold information that could lead our investigation to a quick end. All we want is to find Kyra as soon as possible so that she’s safe and sound at home with her family. Would you be willing to bring her in for some questioning?”
“Gina’s still sleeping, but we can be there in twenty minutes, she’d want to help.”
“Thank you very much,” Aria said before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. Aria then turned expectantly towards Jack, hoping that dragging a seventeen year old girl out of bed was all a waste of time.
“Her phone’s turned off,” Jack said, before it had been ringing through with no answer, now there was nothing. “Deanna hasn’t heard from her and neither have the girls.”
“We’ll find her Jack, I promise,” Aria said. “Gina Hamilton will be in with her mother in twenty. I’m thinking given the nature of the case that I should go in alone.”
“No,” Jack shook his head, “Whatever she has to say, I need to hear it.”

Thirty minutes later they found themselves sitting across from a young teenaged girl, obviously fresh out of bed. “So my mom told me Kyra never came home,” Gina said, her gaze set on Jack. He shook his head and the girl sighed. “I never would have let her leave early if I’d known this would happen.”
“She left early?” Aria asked.
Gina nodded, “Around 11:30, said she was tired and she had to be home by midnight. I didn’t want to leave yet so she said she’d catch a ride with someone else.”
Aria jotted down a few notes and threw a glance in Jack’s direction. He had agreed to let Aria do the questioning as long as he could be present in the room, “Do you know who she left with?”
“Some guy we go to school with, Adam I think his name is.” Gina looked down at her hands, “He’s in her French class. She’s mentioned him a few times, but nothing more than the fact that she thinks he’s cute. That he doesn’t notice her. You know, typical girl stuff.”
“Have you ever met Adam?” Aria questioned and Gina shook her head.
“Honestly I wasn’t even sure he existed. Kyra’s been acting funny around me since I started dating Danny. It was after we started dating that suddenly she was mentioning Adam. I thought she just felt left out. That’s why we went to the party together last night. Just some girl time for us. Without the boys.”
There was a knock on the door and Jack was waved out, Aria watched him go before she turned back to Gina, “Do you know Adam’s last name?”
Once again, Gina shook her head, “No, I don’t.”

Suddenly Jack came tearing back into the room, “Patrol found her,” he said, overflowing with happiness. But there was a certain level of uncertainty to his voice too. They hadn’t told him how they found her. What condition she was in. “They’re bringing her in.”

As soon as Kyra walked through the door less than twenty minutes later Jack had her wrapped in his arms and she was crying against his shoulder. “I’m sorry Daddy,” she whispered. “Adam said he’d drop me off but he just kept driving and he went up to Eagle Point. When I told him no, he kicked me out of the car. I left my phone in his car, and I know I should have called…” the rest was lost to her sobs and Jack’s comforting words. At least this one ended well, at least she wasn’t going to be another face on their murder board up next to Heather Dixon. Jack wouldn’t have been able to handle that. They got lucky this time around and for that Aria was more than thankful.

[athena]

Grifad had arrived a few days previously. Since his arrival, the investigation had been progressing rapidly and relatively smoothly. Baiae had stepped down and let Elion and Grifad take over; the agentes of Muula were at their complete disposal. Honestly, Elion was surprised Baiae had stepped down. Apparently, she had been more disturbed by their findings at the house than she had initially let on. She would assist as far as possible, but she refused to further look into specifics. And Aria had yet to return to Iriona. Her theory of time passing differently between the worlds seemed to be holding true. He had hoped that Aria would have returned by now so that she would have been able to help close, and see the close, of this case. The time was nigh, however. They could no longer wait.

Elion and Grifad had both been monitoring the house on Pear Street. Occasionally, they had even tailed Adus or Suila. Elion was not sure which was which; he had not gotten close enough to hear any of their conversations. However, one did clearly match the description of the scarred man that the shopkeeper in Eltal had given him. Regardless, Elion had been afraid that they would have caught on to the fact that they were being watched and maintained a distance. As far as Elion could tell, neither Adus nor Suila had caught on to them. The two had continued to purchase books and ingredients from local shops. If Elion didn’t know better, he would have assumed the two were scholars.

Soon though, the raid would come. It had been planned for the following evening under the cover of a new moon. Elion and Grifad would lead the raid. Baiae would provide support with the Muulan agentes. As they didn’t know the capabilities of either man, all participating would be armed to the teeth with their preferred weapons of choice. The current plan was to scout the house and area. Should Elion and Grifad give the all clear signal, the team would progress into the home, arrest Adus and Suila, collect evidence, and be back at headquarters by daybreak. It was a relatively simple plan, but one that had always worked for Elion. He hoped that in two days he would have both men in custody. Maybe on the third he would have a confession. And by the fourth the investigation would be nothing more than paperwork and rather close call to chaos. Briefly, Elion wondered what would happen to Aria if the case were closed. Would she return to Iriona once her supposed purpose had been fulfilled? It was a thought for after the investigation.

Elion pushed around the papers on his temporary desk. Everything seemed straightforward and simple. And that bothered him. A heavy feeling of dread lay on Elion’s stomach. He had learned long ago not to disregard those feelings as superstitious; it had often meant a spirit was sending some sort of vague warning. A peal of thunder broke over the city. Elion paused, and listened a moment. Another followed shortly after. It seemed as if the spirits were at odds over something. The sense of dread grew stronger. Elion couldn’t help but feel as if the raid would be doomed. As much as he tried, the feeling would not dissipate. The only thing he could do at this point was ride it out and hope that the raid went off without a hitch.

[Victoria]

The rest of the day moved slowly as Aria was once again able to focus her time to the investigation in Iriona. She knew she had to find that bear while she and Colin were at her parents in a few hours. The trick would be to do it without raising too much suspicion with her mother. The interrogations were bad enough on a normal night, let alone when she needed to dig around the attic for an old stuffed toy. “Why so tense?” Colin asked, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her bare shoulders.
Aria sighed and watched his reflection in the mirror in front of them, “We’re having dinner with my parents,” she reminded him. He knew that was always a stressful endeavor for her.
“As per your request,” he pointed out, “We weren’t due for that for another two weeks yet. But you called, at four in the morning I might add, and demanded that we do it tonight.” Leaning in he kissed her cheek and smiled, “We’ll get tonight over with and come back here and spend some time alone together.”
She knew what she had to do in terms of Colin, her little argument with Elion had been a bit of an eye opener. When they had first started dating Colin challenged her. He pushed her to succeed in all aspects of her life, he was the reason she had the courage to go for the open detective position when it came up. But somewhere in the last year or so he had lost that. Her job had become more demanding which meant less time for him. It was as if he almost regretted her taking the job. Not to mention they wanted different things, they could only hold onto this for so long before it would all come crashing down around them. “Let’s get this over with,” she said quietly as she pulled from his arms and grabbed her coat from the chair. She couldn’t think of what was coming their way as a couple, there were far more important matters that needed to be taken care of first.

***

“For the last time, I’m not pregnant Mom!” Aria huffed as they trudged up the steps into the attic. Her mother had been at this now for the last two hours, insisting that had to be the reason she needed to look through her old baby things.
Gwen shook her head, “Than I don’t understand what’s so important about this teddy bear Aria,” she sighed, “You haven’t shown interest in it since you were ten.”
Aria turned around at the top of the steps, “Go back to the table,” she told her.
“Not until you explain,” Gwen argued, “I think I have a right to know if I’m going to be a grandmother or not.”
“You’re not Mom,” Aria argued, “I told you, I’m never getting married, I’m never having kids. It’s just not the life I want. You chose to become a wife and a mother, to work and try and raise a daughter. Do you know how screwed up in the head I am because I never got to spend time with mommy and daddy when I needed them? Instead I had Sarah, Grace, Megan, and countless other babysitters who couldn’t handle me. You and Dad weren’t bad parents, but your careers came first. Is it so damn wrong that I don’t want my kids to go through the same damn thing?” Aria turned away from her mother, not wanting her to see the tears that had formed in her eyes. “Just tell me where the boxes are,” she added on softly.
“I never wanted you to feel like that sweetheart,” Gwen said softly, “The bear isn’t up here.” Reaching out she took her daughter’s hand in her own and squeezed it gently. Leading Aria back down the attic steps, she pulled her into her room. There, on top of the tall dresser across the room, was the old worn teddy bear. “After you moved out I came across it while sorting through some boxes. If it means that much to you…”
Aria shook her head, “No, I want you to keep it. There’s just something I have to do first.”
Nodding, Gwen smiled, “I’ll be downstairs then.”

Aria waited for her mother to leave before reaching for the bear. Finding the small hole along the back seam where her mother hadn’t patched it. It took some digging before she felt the smooth surface of the small orb. Pulling it out, she studied it closely, a swirl of reds, blues, greens and yellows all came together in the center. The one Elion had given her had been red, obviously because of the source it had come from. It was a blood sacrifice. Which still freaked her out a little. But this one was different. Tucking it safely in her bag, she placed the bear back up on the high stand where it had previously sat before turning for the door and heading for the study.

Out in the hall she all but ran into Colin, “We should get going,” he said softly. There was something off about his tone, but Aria was otherwise too distracted to really pay it any mind.
“I just have to check something first,” she explained.
Colin just shook his head, “I’m tired,” he countered, “I have work tomorrow.”
“Congratulations, so do I,” Aria argued, “In fact I’m working now.”
“You never let it go, do you?”
“No, because when I stop trying, more people die,” she all but hissed.
“I’m leaving,” Colin said throwing his hands up, “Stay if you want.”

He knew though that she had to go with him, she didn’t have her car out here and she had to get back into town to talk to Jack. She couldn’t let both cases slide tonight. Too much was going on. Begrudgingly she followed Colin back down the steps and said a quick goodbye to both of her parents. If he knew her at all, Colin would know this fight was far from over. He would be hearing about it once they were out of earshot in the car. “What the hell was that all about?” she asked as soon as the doors were closed.
“I heard you talking to your mother,” Colin answered, refusing to look at her. “I thought you were at least considering marriage as an option.”
“When did I ever say that?” Aria asked, her gaze fixated on the profile of his face, “Never once have I even insinuated that I was considering it Colin, you knew that about me and our relationship when you moved in.”
“It’s the next logical step, I just thought…”

The car was silent for a long moment as Aria turned her gaze out the window of the car. She had known this moment was coming, she just hadn’t quite expected it so soon. And just because she knew it was the right thing to do didn’t make it hurt any less. She loved Colin, there was no denying that. They had been together for five years, you didn’t stick around that long if you didn’t really love someone. “We want different things Colin,” she said softly as she stared out the window.
Colin sighed, it seemed as if he knew it was coming too, but a part of him begged to make her say it, “What do you mean?”
“You want marriage, and kids, the family dog, all of it,” she said finally looking back at him, “And I want to catch the bad guy. And let’s just say this doesn’t end here. Either we’ll never get married and somewhere down the line you’ll hate me for ruining your chance at finding someone who wants what you want, or you’ll shanghai me into marrying you and having kids and I’ll resent you for it. It’s a no win situation.” She sighed, “Our best bet is to just end it here.”
“Aria…”
She shook her head, “No, Colin, please understand. I love you, I do, but this isn’t healthy for either one of us.” Reaching over the center console, she took his hand in hers. “I’m sorry, but this is how it has to be. You deserve to find someone who makes you happy, who wants what you want. I deserve the same. We’re just not that person for each other.”

Before Colin could really answer, the sudden flash of blue and red lights caught her gaze. The sudden recognition of Jack’s car came across her face and she was pulling her hand from Colin’s “Pull over,” she demanded.
“What?”
“That’s Jack’s car, pull over!” Before the car was even fully stopped, Aria was pushing open the door and fighting with her seatbelt. “Stay in the car,” she said pointedly to Colin before pushing up out of the seat, “Jack!” she called as she ran across the street.
Jack looked up and smiled, “We got him James,” he cheered, “We got the bastard cornered.”
“How? Who?” Aria asked, suddenly confused.
“Janie Moore woke up today,” Jack answered, “We got a sketch artist in there as soon as possible and ran it through facial. We got a hit. A guy named Adam Kitzen.”

Adam.

“Jack, the guy Kyra was with last night, Gina said his name was Adam…” Aria pointed out and the older detective paled.
“He’s making a move!” one of the patrolmen yelled, but before Aria could really respond shots were fired and there was a sharp sudden pain in her side before everything went completely numb.

[athena]

Elion hunched miserably against the wall with Grifad near by. The storm broke earlier in the day drenching Muula and flooding many of the streets. At first, Elion had taken it as a sign of the spirit’s displeasure or a warning of some sort, but as the rain grew heavier and the lack of spirit chatter finally convinced him otherwise. It was a simple Facis storm. Nonetheless, the cold rain put a damper on the general excitement of finally cornering Adus and Suila. Idly he toyed with the knives strapped to his chest and waist, ensuring that each one was secured but easily accessible. His dark clothing clung tightly to his body, having been soaked only moments after he and Grifad had stepped out into the weather. They both ignored the wet clothes and uncomfortable cramps.

A tense moment passed as they surveyed the home. While the rain muffled their noises and provided excellent cover, it also made it difficult for the team to see the building. Finally Grifad nodded. It seemed he had not been able to detect anything out of the norm. Elion returned the nod and signaled the team to move. They moved across the street as stealthily as possible and lined themselves up outside the door, Elion first and Grifad right behind him. Taking a deep breath, Elion motioned for them to advance. He pushed through the door, daggers drawn. In that brief moment the residents of the home were alerted. Or perhaps they were already aware of the agentes’ approach. It was hard to tell which in such a short span. Elion caught a gleam of metal in the dim light and instinctively he ducked. Grifad followed suit. The Muula agente behind them wasn’t so lucky. The weapon buried itself deeply in the man’s chest with a solid thud. The poor agente didn’t even have the time to recognize what had happened.

“Damn it all,” Elion swore, only moderately relieved that he had worn his leather armor. His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and Elion let out another string of swears. The scarred man stood before him, a smirk on his face; a team of threatening mercenaries fanned out behind him.

“I’ve been waiting for you agente,” he spat. “You and your companions have been quite the nuisance, but after tonight you will not trouble me any longer.”

Elion carefully reached for the dagger at his hip. “Where’s Suila?” he asked, hoping that he had guessed the names right. Apparently he had. Adus raised his eyebrow. “She is no longer a part of my quest.” Well, that was certainly unexpected. Elion had assumed Suila was a man, after all most spiritualists were, not to mention in all the surveillance encouters she had been dressed as a man. More concerning, however, was what had happened to Suila. Adus’s words had been rather cryptic. She could have simply left, or he could have killed her. “She assisted to her fullest,” Adus added with a smile. His phrasing and demeanor left little for Elion to doubt. Suila had been killed. And recently too; she had been seen yesterday. He drew his weapon.

“Adus,” he started, voice firm. “You are under arrest for murder.” The man laughed wildly, as if the idea of arrest was so farfetched that it was impossible. “I think not,” he hissed. With a slight hand gesture he signaled his henchmen. Yet another dagger was loosed, catching an agente in the leg. She swore as she went down. In return, Elion threw one of his own daggers missing Adus, but successfully taking down a mercenary. Grifad threw his own weapon, relieving Adus of another mercenary. A flash of fear crossed the man’s face before he laughed wildly and summoned a small group of mercenaries to accompany him. The agentes pushed through the door, coming into contact with the remaining goons. A fight broke out, and Elion struggled to keep Adus and his guards in view. He signaled to a group of agentes and Grifad and he pushed through the fray, following his target. A moment later he broke through the door and onto the street. He caught sight of Adus running towards the city gates and immediately followed without taking a moment to see if he had support. Adus swung onto a horse and snapped a command at his squad. Two mercenaries nodded and broke away from the group. Without hesitating, Elion threw two small knives hitting both targets on the mark. They collapsed. Racing to the gates, Elion reached out and grabbed the harness of a nearby horse. He pulled himself up.

“Elion wait!” He turned in the saddle. He could dimly see Grifad running after him. “Where are the others?” Elion yelled, reigning in his mount. “I don’t think they saw the signal. It’s just us.” Grifad reached him and scrambled onto another horse. Elion nodded. “May the spirits guide us,” Elion mumbled before he urged the horse into a gallop. Together, the two followed Adus. He seemed to wink in and out of their line of sight. He pushed his horse harder, feeling as if they were gaining ground. There was no way he would let this murderer escape. Suddenly, two figures blossomed in the rode. Elion reigned in his horse and dismounted, drawing his sword. The metal unfolded, sliding into place to create a longer, more deadly weapon. Grifad followed suit.

“I’ll take left, you take right,” Elion commanded. Grifad only nodded and advanced. The mercenaries grunted as they hefted their own weapons. Elion raised his sword in defense and braced himself as the mercenary brought the full force of his attack onto him. Elion gritted his teeth and rooted his feet into the mud drawing his strength from it. Shifting his weight, he slid in under the mercenary’s guard and pushed his sword through the man’s chest under a rib. He withdrew his sword and wiped water from his eyes. It seemed that the rain had only increased, making it more difficult to see. He saw Grifad a few feet away, although he was nothing more than an indistinctive blob. Suddenly, he heard him call out. “Elion! A third! Behind you, coming in fast!” Whirling, Elion turned and pierced the third mercenary in the stomach. He knew, however, his aim was somewhat off, landing more to the side. His balance had been off; regardless the injury, if not treated, would lead to the death of the man. When he pulled the blade out however, a distinctly feminine noise erupted from the figure. For the first time, Elion really studied the figure. It was definitely smaller than the mercenaries. He approached, staring hard in the darkness. A distinctly familiar face greeted him.

Elion felt the blood rush from his face as he scooped up a handful of mud. Hurriedly, he smeared it across the sword wound. Elion drew on the earth spirits, hoping that they could staunch the blood flow long enough for him to get her to a true healer. He hoisted the unconscious body and placed it on the horse. Elion pulled himself up behind her and directed the horse towards Haleah, towards home and his gifted mother. “Griad,” Elion called out into the darkness. “Try not to loose the trail!” Grifad yelled his agreement and remounted, forcing his horse into a haphazard gallop. Elion pushed his own horse to move as quickly as possible without causing further injury to the victim.

“Spirits,” he breathed, “please let me reach Haleah soon. Keep Aria safe from further injury.” He pulled her closer hoping to stabilize her. “I know it’s not enough, but I am so terribly sorry Aria. I will make this right.” He pressed the horse even harder. This mistake would be fixed, even if it cost him his own life in the process.

[Victoria]

Everything around her was fading in and out, voices were all blending together to the point where she didn’t know who was talking anymore. She heard Colin yell, she heard Jack on the radio, and she thought she heard Elion too. There were lights flashing, red and blue, mixed with bright white. Everything was mixing together that she couldn’t figure anything out. It felt like she was outside her own body, hovering over two different scenes. One where she laid out on the street, bleeding out between two men that cared for her. The other a man held a man on horseback who rushed her to the safety of a nearby town. A man that again, she liked to think cared in some fashion about her well being. She could feel the desperate need to choose between the two worlds she was faced with. She couldn’t stay an active part of both worlds, it just wasn’t possible.

Suddenly the pain hit, sharp and intense in her stomach. She cried out, her eyes shot open and she clearly saw Jack and Colin leaning over her. “Aria, stay with us,” Jack told her, urgency in his voice. “Where the fuck is the ambulance?!” he yelled over his shoulder at the patrol officers. “Get that guy! I swear to god!”
Aria looked between the two men leaning over her, a soft whimper passing through her lips. Colin reached out and took her hand in his free hand, “I’m here,” he whispered. It was then that the realization hit that she had been injured in some fashion, that Colin was trying to slow the bleeding. That was the pain she was feeling, that was the pressure on her stomach. She could feel the blood, warm and sticky against her skin. But everything else in her body felt cold.
“I…” she tried to choke out, but Colin only shook his head, hushing her. Now was not the time to talk. She had to save all of her strength for getting better.

Just as quickly as she had found herself on the ground with Colin, now she was back on the horse with Elion. The galloping gate of the animal jostling her back against the man sat behind her. Her breaths came shallow and quick, but as she struggled to open her eyes, she lightly grazed her fingers over the spot on her stomach, she was hoping this was all just some dream. The pain surged through her once again, so harshly this time that she couldn’t find her voice to cry out against it. Raising her fingers for closer inspection, she didn’t know what she expected, or why she whimpered at the sight of her own blood. “El…” she tried to say his name, anything to catch his attention to the fact that she was awake. But her tongue felt swollen in her mouth, struggling to form around the syllables in his name. She felt more out of it as the pain increased with each footfall of the horse below her.

She found herself fading in and out again. Caught between two men in two different worlds. A life that was, and a life that could be. The choice was hers. And hers alone.

[athena]

The horse’s hooves sucked and caught in the muddy road. Still, Elion pushed the animal hoping to gain some kind of speed. Aria whimpered as the horse staggered. He tried to steady her as best as possible but she had bled through the mudpack and her blood mixed with the rain had grown slick against the leathers of the saddle. Elion tightened his grip on her, trying to avoid her gaping wound. She was fading in and out of consciousness. Briefly, he wondered what would happen to Aria if she lost consciousness. Would she remain in Iriona, or would she return to Springmount? Worse, would her body suffer damage there as well? He shoved the thoughts from his mind and focused on riding. Haleah wasn’t too far.

Elion followed the bend and the road, and suddenly, although not surprisingly, the small town center rose up in the rainy darkness. They rode passed it for several lengths before the road forked. A nudge with his knees sent the horse careening down the right pathway. Aria had grown silent, not even whimpering as she was jostled about by the horse’s awkward gait. It concerned him, and in the darkness it was hard to tell if she was still even breathing. A ragged gasp erupted from her as the horse staggered into a rut. It was a relief to hear it. Elion turned the horse down a small side road; it would only be a matter of minutes before he arrived at his father’s farm. Hopefully, with dawn only an hour off, Elammin would be up. He had always been an early riser, and Elion would need his father’s assistance if he were to get Aria into the infirmary room without further injury. He was not disappointed.

Elammin stood on the porch surveying the weather. No doubt he was trying to decide if the rain would let up with the break of day or whether he should attend to the financial matters of the farm – indoors that is. His father spotted the horse, however it took him a moment to recognize that the rider was his son. And that he had somebody with him. In a moment, Elammin was off the porch and had grabbed the reigns of the horse. He had always been a rather quiet man, and only watched as Elion slid off the horse. Efficiently, Elammin slid the reigns over the exhausted horse and tied them to a post. He would deal with the animal later. “I’ll go fetch your mother,” he stated simply and disappeared into the house. Elion had hoped his father would have helped bring Aria into the house, but he supposed that that was the next best thing. Carefully, he slid Aria from the horse and cradled her in his arms and carried her into the house.

He walked down the familiar hallways, well acquainted with the layout and all the squeaks of the floorboards. He carried her to the small infirmary room his mother kept for just such situations. Although there was a clinic at the center of Haleah, Lys had always preferred to maintain her own area for exceptionally ill or injured patients. His mother insisted the comfort of home, any home, had healing powers in itself. Elion had been skeptical of it, but at the current moment, he was happy that his mother kept such a room.

As delicately as possible, Elion placed Aria on the freshly pressed bed. Lys entered the room moments later, her usual coiffed hair loosely braided down her back. She had changed into an old gown, and concern was plastered on her face as she approached her son. Elion only shook his head. “Not me,” he murmured and stepped aside. His mother quickly took in the sight of the injured woman on the bed and instantly snapped into healer mode. She gently pushed Elion aside and pulled a chair near the bed as well as her table full of equipment. Without looking, Lys picked one up and began to scrape the mud and blood away. She pursued her lips, a look Elion knew very well. “Dear, I know they say to rub dirt in a wound, but I do wish you would stop doing it. It makes quite a mess of things and does nothing to help. I know it might for you dear, but not everybody is you.” Elion refrained from rolling his eyes. Of all times for his mother to scold him about his first aid prowess, she chose now. Lys turned back to Aria, gently cleaning the wound. “Ah what a mess,” Lys breathed to herself.

Hastily, she rested her hands over the wound. Eyes shut Lys muttered to herself, communing with spirits Elion had no inkling of how to access. He was connected with the elements, his mother to more abstract concepts. In this case, it was the spirits of health, healing, and rejuvenation. He remained quiet, knowing his mother needed to concentrate as she sounded out the depth of Aria’s wound. “This will take...a lot,” Lys finally muttered. “The entry point is clean, but there is internal damage. The stomach lining is intact, but there seems to be trauma to the surrounding tissue and organs. Not to mention the shock of blood loss and bodily damage from the ride. I must get to work immediately.”

Lys turned, filling a small syringe with clear liquid meant to ease pain and numb the patient. Skillfully she injected the fluid into the area around the wound. Elion watched as Aria’s face seemed to relax. Lys placed a hand gently over Aria’s eyes and forehead. Soon, Aria’s face completely relaxed as she fell into a deep sleep. Once again Elion wondered what would happen. She didn’t vanish like usual, so he assumed that she was probably asleep in Springmount. The real problem would occur when she woke up there. Spirits help them all when that happened.

“Elion,” his mother started. “I need you to leave the room now. I will let you know when it is clear to return. In the meanwhile I suggest you bathe and change into something dry.” Elion stood firmly, hesitant to leave Aria’s side. His mother shot him a stern look. “Elion, leave now! You will be more of a hindrance than help. She is safe in my hands.” Elion waited a moment longer, still unsure. He knew his mother was a skilled healer and Aria was safe, but still he felt responsible. Lys shot him one last warning look. “Elion,” she started. He knew the tone in her voice. She would not be crossed. He bowed his head and left the room, bowing to his mother’s wrath. All he could do now was wait and hope that his mother could save her.

[Victoria]

“What happened Barnett?” the paramedic asked as he sank to the ground next to the young woman, assessing the damage done.
Jack looked back at the swat team converging in on the house behind them. God damn he wished he could be part of that team. He wanted nothing more than to make that bastard pay for what he had first done to Kyra and now Aria too. They weren’t going to add another kill to his tally, Aria would pull through this. But looking back to her lifeless form where she lay in the middle of the pavement, he wasn’t so sure she would survive. “We were hot on the tail our killer, he opened fire,” he explained as Zak Duncan waved over his partner with the stretcher. Aria was in their hands now, but ultimately he knew whether she lived or died was up to her. She could pull through this or she could just give up. God he really hoped she chose to fight through this. She was the best of the best out there. She kicked ass at her job, and hell if she actually cared about the people she watched over. It took a lot out of person to still be feeling in a line of work like theirs, especially for her to be female too. It wouldn’t have surprised him if she had calloused herself off, acted tougher than she was to get the respect she deserved. But she didn’t. She earned that respect by being a damn good detective. One their precinct couldn’t afford to lose to some damn kid killer.
“Jack, we need you to back up,” the paramedics voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back around to the situation at hand. They had to get her to the hospital. They had to move her. He could hear one of the paramedics on the radio behind him, “Caucasian female, mid to late twenties. Single GSW to the lower abdomen area. En route, ETA fifteen minutes.”

Fifteen minutes. That was enough time for her to bottom out, to make the choice to not fight. That was enough time for her to let go. Fifteen minutes was too long. Jack stood back as they loaded her onto the waiting stretcher and into the back of the nearby ambulance. There was nothing he could do now to help his partner. Everything rested on the doctors at that hospital being able to beat the odds. And it rested on Aria too, it didn’t matter how good the doctors were, if Aria didn’t want to survive, she wouldn’t. But he had to believe that his partner had every reason to live.
“She ended things,” he heard Colin say as the younger man stepped up beside him. “In the car just before she spotted you.” Colin looked over at Jack and Jack could see the pain in his eyes. “Take care of her for me, will you?” he requested, “She’s special.”
Jack nodded, “She’s in good hands,” he promised Colin before he turned to walk away. It was clear that he wasn’t going to the hospital, that Aria had meant her words when she had ended things. “I’ll let you know how she does,” he called after Colin, knowing he would want to know how she faired. After all, broken up or not, it was clear he still loved the stubborn young detective.

Turning back to his squad car, he jumped in. He wasn’t going to wait around for news on their killer, it was in the FBI’s hands now. His first concern was his partner. She had been more like a little sister to him than anyone else since they had been partnered up. He was going to stand by her, call her family, do everything a friend was supposed to do in this situation. She needed him, and damn it, he was going to be there.

[athena]

Lys bent over her patient and focused her energies. The young woman’s heartbeat was surprisingly strong given her condition. She was no doubt a fighter and would pull through this without anything more than a scar. Carefully, Lys cut away the ragged clothing she was wearing. She took extra care to pick out the fabric from her wound. Sighing, Lys centered herself and ignored the sound of Elion pacing in the hallway. Her son was stubborn and had never really listened. Gently, she placed her hands over the wound, ignoring the warm, sticky blood that coated her hand. She focused, drawing the spirits’ power into her. Lys felt the warmth of the healing spirits and they whispered their assent. Together, they felt out Aria’s wounds, finding everything that was a danger to her health.
They targeted the most serious of the injuries, and Lys bent her head to channel the power of the spirits more efficiently. Slowly, she knit the damaged tissues and organs back together. They replenished the lost blood and burned away the beginning signs of infection. She worked her way outward, pulling together muscle. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she struggled to maintain focus; the amount of energy she was expending was enormous and it would be moments before her concentration and strength gave out. Lys hoped that it would be enough to mend the most serious issues. A ripple of whispers alerted the healer that the spirits were at their limit as well. The spirits left with a faint apology and Lys was left alone to finish mending Aria. Shaking of her exhaustion, she collected her tools and surveyed what remained.

Luckily the spirits had healed most of the internal damage. While it wasn’t completely healed, the young woman would no doubt recover in time. She would simply have to rest like any normal person. All that remained was for her to stitch the wound together and clean and bandage the small variety of cuts. It shouldn’t take too much longer. Lys set about collecting the fine silk thread, a tapered needle, linen, and antiseptic. With an air of efficiency Lys cleaned the needle and re-cleaned the wound site. She would take no chances of infection; she had a sterling reputation to maintain. Threading the needle, Lys turned her attention back to the infirmary bed. Much to her surprise her patient had simply vanished. She blinked several times unsure of what had just occurred. There was no way the young woman could have simply woken up and left. Lys herself had ensured her slumber was deep enough to avoid the pain. Not to mention she would have heard if the woman got up.

“Elion,” she called. Her son was in the bedroom in a matter of seconds. The mother in her sighed when she noticed her son had yet to clean himself up and that he had left muddy footprints in the hallway. Instead of dryly commenting on it, she looked helplessly at the bed as if her son could explain what happened. “Oh,” was all he said as the color drained from his face. “That is not an explanation,” Lys retorted. She understood quite well what her son’s tone and facial expression meant. He stood silently. “Elion.” Her threatening tone was all it took. Hastily her son explained the scenario. Lys felt her face settle into a scowl. Her son was a spirit walker, and hence more prone to the spirits; his faith in them was unshakeable. She, however, did not have such strong faith in the spirits, nor did she communicate with them closely or on a daily basis like her son. Even though Elion had access to information she did not, Lys found this tale farfetched, even for him. She opened her mouth, ready to press Elion for the truth but he cut her off. “Mother, I ask that you trust me for now. It may seem rather strange, but please. Aria will confirm the story when she returns.”

Lys narrowed her eyes, but did not press the matter. Elion seemed earnest. Besides, they had a more pressing problem. Namely, where her patient was and what they were going to do. “Well then, what am I supposed to do? How do we get her back?” Elion only shrugged. It was an infuriating gesture of her son’s. Was she supposed to sit and wait for her return? Would it even be soon? Lys had no idea and it was just as frustrating as her son. “Well,” she started only to find that Aria had returned. And she was conscious. The look on the poor woman’s face was frantic as she tried to place her setting. Elion approached the bed. Aria’s attention focused on him and it seemed she relaxed if only a little. “Aria,” Lys pressed, hoping that she had enough in her to focus. She shouldn’t be awake at this stage, but obviously something had happened. “I need you to relax. I need to finish stitching your wound. I am going to reapply the numbing agent, but I am afraid to induce sleep again. I cannot have you disappearing on me again.” Aria looked terribly confused, but gave a slight nod. “You will not feel a thing,” Lys assured as she dabbed the area with antiseptic before injecting the area with numbing agent. She waited a moment before prodding the area with a finger. When she was satisfied that Aria couldn’t feel anything, she took her needle and skillfully pierced one edge of the wound. The edges were smooth so the stitching would be fairly straightforward; it should also heal well too.

Both Aria and Elion watched Lys quickly and efficiently sew up the hole in her side. With a sharp snap, Lys cut the thread. She wrapped the stitches and then proceeded to clean and wrap the variety of other cuts she had acquired. Finally finished, Lys stood and stretched. The rain had moved out and the sun beamed through the window. It was well in the afternoon; she hadn’t realized she had spent much of the day healing the young woman. Stepping aside, Lys smiled kindly at Aria. “You need to rest now. I’m not terribly worried about you disappearing again now that I’ve cared for you, so I will prepare a traditional sleep draught. You should sleep well for a few hours. And do not worry, somebody will remain in the infirmary with you at all times.” Lys shot a pointed look at Elion. He nodded and finally left to presumably clean himself off. In the meantime, Lys mixed a small drink together and handed the simple clay cup to Aria. She smiled encouragingly as the young woman eyed the cup skeptically. “It’s fine, I promise.” Eventually, Aria drank the beverage and settled into the pillows. Lys eyed the sheets and pillows. They would have to be changed, but it could wait until after she had recovered more strength.

Lys sat with the sleeping woman for a full hour before Elion returned. He had bathed and changed. He simply nodded at his mother. She nodded in return. “Fetch me when she wakes.” And with that simple command Lys left her son to his vigil.

[Victoria]

“Caucasian female, single GSW to the abdomen, doesn’t appear to have an exit wound,” the paramedics relayed to the emergency staff as they unloaded her from the back of the ambulance. “Fading in and out, but she seems to be down for good.”
“We got her,” the doctor ordered, “Get her into trauma three and prepare an OR, we’ll be needing it!” Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she watched the scene unfold around her. But she wasn’t lying on the table, no, she was watching from above. Did that mean she was dead? But as soon as they hooked her up to the machines she could hear the beat of her heart, erratic as it may be. But she was still breathing. But if she was unconscious here, then why wasn’t she back in Iriona? Had the portal closed? Leaving her to fight for her life on her own? But as the doctors converged in on her seemingly lifeless form to start their work, she felt the pain hot and piercing in her stomach.

First she cried out, her hand clutching at her stomach. When she opened her eyes though, it was Elion that stood over her. But he was blurry at best. Her vision swam mixed with spots of black as she once again yelled out in pain. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Like they were ripping something right from her insides, slow and painful. She could feel the skin tearing, each little pull and pinch. The tears were hot against her face as she curled in on herself. Anything to try and make the pain stop. Anything to just make it go away. Shaky as it were, she forced herself to pull her hand away from her stomach, expecting to see it covered in blood. But when she finally got her gaze to focus in on her fingers, there wasn’t a spot on them. All too soon though another wave came over her and she doubled in on herself. “Make it stop,” she begged of no one in particular, though it came out more like a choked sob than actual, distinguishable words. She wasn’t even entirely sure there was anyone in the room with her anymore. She couldn’t focus on anything other than making the pain stop, anything to just make it stop.

Her mind twisted as she writhed against the table she was on, trying to escape whatever it was that was tearing at her insides. Whatever it was that was hurting her. She had never felt anything this intense before. It was what she could only imagine it felt like to be shot. But that was what was wrong wasn’t it? She had been shot. She could vaguely remember the hot metal piercing her flesh, the sudden shot of pain before everything went absolutely numb. She forced her eyes open again, she wasn’t in a hospital, she was somewhere else. With a woman leaning over her. She was saying something but through the sobs and occasional screams she couldn’t make out the words. Someone just had to end it. And then it was as if something dug deep inside her, slowly pulling a jagged object back through the hole. Every inch burned as it retraced its path and once again her vision blurred as her cries turned silent. The pain was so much, she didn’t have it in her to make noise anymore. Nothing more than a strangled gasp for air. What the hell was happening to her?

[athena]

Elion was beginning to drift off to sleep when Aria suddenly began screaming. He launched himself out of the chair and was at her side in mere seconds. Aria writhed about the bed clutching at her stomach. “Please,” she begged, “make it stop.” He stood dumbfounded. Lys had mostly healed Aria. There would be some pain as it wasn’t a complete healing, but she should not be in such pain. Elion stood helplessly, not sure what to do. Luckily, Lys flew into the room.

“What is going on?” she demanded as she pushed Elion aside. “I don’t know,” Elion replied. “She was fine and then she started screaming.” He watched as his mother surveyed her patient. Finally, she shook her head at a loss. “I can’t find anything wrong. It is so strange.” Lys straightened. “Perhaps she is experiencing pain due to activities in Springmount. I am not sure how this works, but it seems plausible,” his mother finished. Elion only stared. He had never considered such a possibility. He stared at his mother and then at Aria. “How long?” he asked simply. Lys shrugged. “However long whatever is happening in Springmount takes.” Exasperation bubbled up in Elion’s chest. “Can you not do anything to ease the pain?” he asked, perhaps a little too sharply. Lys only shrugged. “I have already given her medicine for the pain and sleep. I cannot give her anymore right now.” Another scream abruptly tore from Aria. Elion looked at his mother pleadingly. “I cannot Elion,” Lys replied firmly. “It would cause more damage at this point. We will all just have to ride this out.”

Lys left the infirmary to attend to other matters; as she left, she tossed her son a sympathetic look. Elion paced back and forth. Aria had fallen mostly silent. The only sign she was in pain was an occasional whimper and the constant stream of tears. She seemed to fade in and out of awareness, and although he knew his mother was an incredibly gifted healer, he still had doubts if Aria would pull through her injuries. It had never occurred to him that she might also be injured in Springmount. A double injury...how would she cope with it? Elion looked at Aria, accepting that she was his partner and he cared for her. He admired her strong personality and even her stubbornness. In the short time that he knew her, Elion had learned she was a fighter. He just hoped that two severe injuries would not fell her.

Elion tried to sit in the chair, but as soon as he did Aria began to scream again. Again, Elion was on his feet at her side, trying to do something. There was nothing to be done though and Elion resumed pacing the small room. He was fairly certain his mother would have scolded him for being so disturbing. At this stage Elion doubted that he was being disturbing. Aria’s screams were becoming more frequent and she clutched at her stomach once more. Lys did not return to the room this time, and so Elion was left to weather this bout alone. Her screams of pain were tapering off and Elion began to return to his chair. “Elion,” Aria cried out weakly. He was at her side, carefully slipping his hand into her outstretched palm. “Don’t leave,” she mumbled weakly. “I won’t,” he responded softly and squeezed her hand reassuringly. He thought she smiled faintly, but it was hard to tell if it was a smile or a grimace.

Briefly, he looked for a nearby chair to sit in but it was wedged in the corner. Elion dropped Aria’s hand to collect the chair. She began to whimper. “No,” was all she managed. He sighed and picked up her hand. He couldn’t very well just stand there. He had no idea how long her pains from Springmount would be a factor, or how long she would demand his presence. “You’ll have to scoot over then,” Elion told her softly. He waited a moment, knowing that she would be unable to move. However, Elion was positive that if he tried to move her without saying anything, there would be some form of hell to pay. Finally he gently scooted Aria to the other side of bed. She whimpered, but didn’t scream or indicate that her pain was severe. Carefully he sat on the bed and then stretched out so that he lay parallel to her. Elion propped himself up on the headboard and tried to remain relatively still. Aria’s breathing had somewhat evened out and she seemed to be content for the time being. Perhaps whatever was happening in Springmount had finally stopped. Elion smiled to himself before he shut his eyes against the afternoon sun.

Hours later, Lys popped her head into the infirmary to check on Aria. Peeping her head in, she found her son and her patient squished together in the small bed. Aria’s head rested on his shoulder and in turn his head rested upon her head. Their hands were laced together on Elion’s lap, and they both seemed perfectly content. Lys smiled knowingly and shut the door, glad that her patient was resting soundly and her son was getting some much needed sleep.