Iriona

[athena]

It almost sounded as if Aria was confessing some deep dark secret. As if it was a crime to not fit in or want to stay in Iriona. And in truth, he did not want Aria to return to Springmount. To lose such a woman so connected with the spirits to a realm that had none was the true crime. At least in his opinion. Elion let her work through her concerns before she stumbled upon a rather large one. “What is this Elion? Between us?” He paused, searching for an answer. Surprisingly, the answer was clear in his mind. Yet, he still hesitated. As he grew to know Aria, he realized that she was an extraordinary woman and one he did not want to lose. He wanted endless time to learn all of her quirks and moods, to shower her with love and affection, and to have her constant companionship and wisdom. Elion stared blankly at the tree while Aria waited with baited breath. “I don’t know,” he finally replied. “It seems unwise to pursue whatever we do have, especially if there is no guarantee you will remain here or return. Why cause more pain.” Aria’s face visibly fell. Gently, he took her hand. “And yet, it also seems unwise to not pursue this. It is not often that something so strong and definite shows itself. How often does one find somebody that speaks to their very being? There is also no guarantee that you will return to Springmount. The spirits are known for their...understanding? I can’t quite find the word to describe it.” He paused a moment, watching a sprite dart through the trees. Its laughter echoed about the orchard. Elion took it as a good sign that a sprite was about. It seemed that ever since Adus had begun his killings, the small creatures had disappeared. Their absence had not gone unnoticed by the agente. Perhaps their reappearance meant the end of the investigation was in sight.

Absently, Elion ran he thumb across Aria’s knuckles. “I guess what I am getting at is that I am willing to follow this through and see where it leads us. If you are willing too as well that is.” They sat silently, enjoying the companionable silence. Elion caught Aria’s happy smile and felt a matching grin spread across his own face. She nodded slightly, and he took it that they were both in agreement that they would allow whatever was between them to grow into something more. “Oh and with your mother’s help, I have a small surprise for you for tomorrow. It is your birthday after all.” Elion felt his eyebrow rise as a chuckle escaped. “It’s hardly a surprise now is it?” he asked. “But thank you. I look forward to seeing what you have in store. It has been quite some time since anyone has done something for my birthday.”

The remainder of the day passed in peace. All was ready for the festival tomorrow, and so the family spent the rest of the day relaxing. It was a rare occasion that every member of the family had a chance to rest. And thankfully, it was an uneventful day and night. The next morning, however, dawned with an air of anticipation. As Elion dressed himself, he could feel the excitement crackling in the air. The spirits themselves exuded their enthusiasm. The sprites had returned in droves, and they continued to flit in and out of the house in fits of giggles. The calm winds and cool weather seemed to confirm the disposition of the spirits. There was a thump, and then laughter echoed throughout the house. Zara was home. Elion tugged his boots on and quickly left his room, buttoning his shirt as he walked down the hall.

“Zara!” he exclaimed as he swept her into a great bear hug. His sister laughed playfully and returned the squeeze. “Married life suits you well! You are simply glowing.” She smiled and smacked at his arm. “Oh hush,” she laughed. Lys smiled warmly at her children and shoved slices of warm bread into their hands. It was the traditional Harvest Day loaf, made of left over dried fruits and wheat and drizzled with honey. Elion ate the sweet treat in silence. He watched as his sister tugged lovingly on her husband’s arm when he entered the kitchen. She placed a slice of bread in his hand and laughed. It was obvious they were wrapped up in their own world. Elion felt somewhat envious of their happiness and love. It was something he hoped to have in his life eventually. At that moment, Aria stepped into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Elion smiled warmly at her and approached her. “Good morning,” he said softly. He placed a slice of the bread in her hand. “It’s tradition,” he explained as she looked at lumpy slice of bread. “After breakfast, we’ll go out to the fields for the blessing ceremony. The rest of the day is feasting and celebrating with the family and Saheer’s family. I think they’re already out under the pavilion eating.” The close relatives ate the rest of the loaf and Elammin motioned that they should move out to the freshly plowed field. Elion offered his arm to Aria and together they followed Elammin to the fields.

Saheer’s family smiled as Zara and Saheer approached. There was an exchange of warm smiles and hugs as the families met. The happy atmosphere erupted into friendly chatting and exclamations as the families shared their excitement. Elammin waved a hand and silence descended about them. Although Elammin was a typically silent man, his voice carried across the fields as he introduced himself and offered a brief history of their family and the farm. Next, he invoked the spirits’ attention before ushering his son up. He placed a small seed in his hand and nodded. Elion nodded in return and watched as his father returned to the crowd and stood next to his mother. Elion knelt and dug a small hole in the field. Lovingly, he placed the small seed in the hole. He pulled his small pocket knife and drew it across his palm. It wasn’t a particularly deep cut, but it was enough to dribble a steady stream over the seed and coat the walls of the small dirt hole. He pushed the dirt back over the hole and put his cut hand on top of the mound. He felt the dirt clot around his wound, and felt the earth spirits thrum in anticipation.

“I offer this small sacrifice to repay the earth and its spirits for their continued care and sacrifice. We thank you for your gifts and will celebrate this first day of Ager in dedication to you. We hope that this next season will be as prosperous as the last.”

The spirits hummed with their approval. Elion finished his small blessing and removed his hand. The cut had been mostly healed, however he ignored it as he watched the small rust colored mound. A moment later a small shoot poked through the ground. A happy sigh weaved through the gathering. It was a visible sign of the earth spirit’s approval. The sprout continued to grow until it blossomed into a large, bright sunflower. Gently, the single flower bent its head and dropped a single seed. Every year the seed bloomed differently, and each held a portent for the upcoming season. The sunflower reassured Elion; it spoke of warmth and happiness and of adoration and longevity. Elion took these all as a good sign for not only the future of the farm, but of his own future and relationship with Aria. He held the seed tightly and watched as the stalk straightened and grew taller. It finally finished growing and Elion stood. He bowed politely to the flower, and it seemingly bowed in return. Elion returned to his father’s side and handed him the seed, the ceremony complete. They smiled at each other, both pleased with the results of the blessing. Slowly, Elion moved to Aria’s side. “I hope you enjoyed that,” he said with a grin. “The earth spirits are most pleased, and the season and the next will be blessed and prosperous. Now,” he offered a small clap, “it is time to celebrate!”

[Victoria]

Music started up under the pavilion behind them and Aria felt herself smiling. If they had to leave the farm and this little bubble they had been in since her accident, at least they could cap it off with a happy day full of fun and celebration and not having to worry about what was waiting for them out there. To leave the farm was to put the both of them in immediate danger again. As if her stabbing and Elion’s brief disappearance wasn’t enough she couldn’t help but shudder at what Aus could have in store for them now that he knew they were onto him. But they had something now that they didn’t have before. She had finally broken through and earned that connection with the spirits. Elion may be a spirit walker but his specialty was the earth. If Aria had read the stories and legends correctly her connection was bonded to all four cardinal spirits. But now wasn’t the time to think on all of that. She wanted to enjoy these last few days on the farm, she had grown to adore Elion’s family. She wouldn’t soon forget them, and she certainly wouldn’t ever forget him after all of this was over.

Zara, having caught Elion’s attention, called him off with a brief promise that he would return soon. She smiled at him before he turned to leave. Aria, set on finding Lys or someone else she may know glanced around the group that had gathered. “Today is meant for celebration dear,” a warm voice said from behind her. Turning to look, she came face to face with a woman she had never seen before, but yet there was an air of familiarity to her that she couldn’t deny. She looked to be about middle aged, a little younger than her own parents, but around that age range. But the air she gave off was that of someone who had been around a long while.“What’s troubling you?”
Aria shook her head, “It’s nothing,” she answered, “I’m sorry, but have we met before?” she asked, trying to place how she knew this woman. It wasn’t her face, her features that made her so familiar, it was something about her, something about her presence that felt so unbelievably familiar. Like she knew her in another time, another way.
“We have indeed,” the woman answered, “A few times. My name is Cerintha.”

Aria glanced around, through the crowd of family and friends trying to spot Elion. He would know who this woman was. Though despite her air of mystery, Aria didn’t fear her. She emitted the vibe of warmth, almost motherly affection. There was a strength there that Aria could see in her gaze when she turned back to look at the woman, but at the same time a gentleness too. “Whatever troubles you, know it will work out in the end. For the best of all who are involved.”
Again with the cryptic messages, first Vesta, then Haizea… that thought made Aria pause. “We met in the orchard yesterday,” she said softly, staring at the woman quizzically. “Only not like this.”
Cerintha nodded, “You always were smart, and so observant, even as a young child.” She smiled warmly and Aria found herself laughing slightly. This was all crazy, but at the same time it made perfect sense that she would appear today of all days. It was the day to celebrate the earth after all. “I was the one that brought you to the family of El all those years ago. If there was a family in all the land that would care for you, I knew it could only be them. You were a curious young thing, a trait I see that has not faded.”

“Why did you bring me here?” Aria asked after a long pause, knowing that if she was going to get the answers she needed, her best chances were to question the earth, seemingly the most compassionate of all the spirits.
“We have our reasons,” she answered.
Aria nodded, “Reasons you won’t tell me,” she grumbled.
“The road ahead will be littered with trials you must overcome, it will not be easy,” Cerintha said before reaching out and taking Aria’s hand, along with Elion’s. She hadn’t even noticed that Elion had returned to her side. But she could tell that he didn’t even have to question who she was talking to. He clearly already knew. “Perseverance and faith are the keys to your success,” she added on. Gently she placed Aria’s hand in Elion’s and folded her own around them, “We wouldn’t have given you anything you cannot handle and overcome. Believe in yourselves and each other. Your journey is far from over,” she turned her gaze directly on Aria, “do not be discouraged. Your service will not go unrewarded.”

What the hell was all that supposed to mean?

[athena]

Zara tugged gently at his elbow. Elion smiled politely at Aria and offered told her he would be back shortly. His sister confirmed that it would only be a brief visit. As they walked off, Zara linked her arm through her brother’s and smiled knowingly. “I think there might be another wedding in the future.” Elion only offered a half chuckle. His sister misinterpreted the laugh and nudged him. She had no way of knowing that their future at the moment was uncertain, and in all reality it seemed that the chance of them having a future together was slim. “More importantly, Saheer brought a small piece of our new home. Would you perhaps be willing to bless it for us?” Elion smiled warmly. “Of course!” Saheer had joined his wife and together they handed Elion a small pouch of what he assumed was some of the earth from their property. He murmured a small blessing before returning their pouch. The couple smiled warmly at him before retreating.

Elion looked about for Aria, but he couldn’t seem to find her. It was almost as if she had vanished. We are here, a small voice whispered. He would recognize the sound of the Earth spirit anywhere. Elion’s eyes scanned the crowd again, and finally he found Aria accompanied by Cerintha. It seemed they were having a conversation, but the spirit turned and beckoned to him. Elion approached and bowed deeply to the spirit. My child, Cerintha whispered softly to him. All will be well. Do not fret. He heard her speaking clearly to Aria, and yet, he heard her more clearly in his own head than he heard the actual conversation. She took his hand and patted it gently before wrapping his hand and Aria’s together.

“Perseverance and faith are the keys to your success,” she began. Elion could hear her clearly now. “We wouldn’t have given you anything you cannot handle and overcome. Believe in yourselves and each other. Your journey is far from over,” she turned her gaze directly on Aria, “do not be discouraged. Your service will not go unrewarded.” Elion bowed his head in acknowledgement of her words. He wondered if she meant that their journey to catch Adus was far from over or if she spoke of greater things. His instincts told him that the spirit referred to something far greater than he could possibly anticipate. Elion squeezed Aria’s hand reassuringly. She returned the squeeze. “Thank you Cerintha,” Elion said with strong sincerity. “Do you have any other words of wisdom for us?” The lady of the earth smiled kindly at them both. “Stay strong,” she said softly. “You both will need that strength in the future.” With that Cerintha disappeared, although Elion could still sense her presence nearby. He supposed he would feel her for several days as Ager began. “Well,” Elion said as he turned back to Aria, “I suppose we are on the proper path.” He chuckled to himself. Elion continued to hold Aria’s hand as he led her about the fields. “I suppose we should enjoy the rest of the day. Tomorrow I suppose we should make our way back to Eltal to resume the investigation. I don’t think we can wait much longer.”

The rest of the day passed in much of a blur. There was a plethora of food and ceaseless music. Elion found himself pushing tomorrow’s worries away as he tried to focus on the celebration. He soon found himself laying in bed, trying to put together some semblance of a plan. Grifad had returned to Eltal several weeks ago. He hoped that he had something for him to follow. Knowing Grifad he no doubt did. Sleep began to tug insistently at Elion, and he found he could not resist much longer. As unconsciousness dragged him under Elion briefly wondered if Aria would even be able to travel.

As it turned out, Lys cleared Aria for travel. But only if she took the gentlest mare from the barn and they promised to go at a slow walk the entire way. Elion only nodded and assured his mother that he would follow her orders. “Good,” she declared. “I will visit both of you in Eltal in about a week’s time. It will be Aria’s final check up.” Elion nodded, concentrating hard on saddling Azrel and Dela, a dun mare whose temperament suited Aria. “Elion,” his mother said as she tugged at his elbow. “Please be safe. I don’t know what lies ahead for you two, but I worry.” “We will be fine mother.” Elion swept her into a bear hug as if to reassure them both. Azrel snorted expectantly. “We must go now. I do not want to be on the road after dark.” Although Lys looked distraught, she nodded and patted her son’s cheek. Elion led the two horses out into the sunlight where Aria was waiting. “Ready?” Aria visibly gulped as she looked at the beast. Elion never considered that she may not have been on a horse.

“Dela is a good mare,” he explained. “She’ll keep you safe, and she’ll be tied to my saddle. Nothing to fear.” Aria only offered a small ok before approaching Dela. Elion offered her a boost up and adjusted her stirrups before swinging into his own saddle. He took both is reigns and Dela’s and set a slow plodding pace. I took a while for the farm to disappear and the familiar sounds of the forest to descend. It was all so peaceful. To think that a madman could so easily disrupt this was frightening. Elion remained silent while his mind wandered. He tried to come up with some sort of plan but it really did depend on what Grifad had found. A sinking sense of guilt settled in Elion’s stomach. Even though Aria had been wounded and he felt it was his responsibility to care for her, he still felt as if he had ignored this case for far too long. The weight of it all began to settle on him yet again, and the scowl that had characterized his face before his visit to the farm pulled at his face.

“I suppose we will have to go straight into town. I don’t have much of anything to eat at the house. And we should speak with Grifad to see where we stand. Perhaps we should stay at an inn. There really isn’t much room at my home, and it might be easier to stay close to headquarters. Safer too,” Elion realized he was rambling. “How are you holding up back there?”

[Victoria]

The ride was unnerving to say the least. She would be lying if she had tried to tell him that she had ever been on one of these things before. No, it was easier to pretend like she was doing just fine. That she wasn't completely terrified of falling off of this thing, did they really have to be so big? Thankfully it wasn't like he could see the death grip she had on the saddle horn, she was holding on so tightly and for so long now that she wasn't entirely sure her fingers would regain their normal color. He had said everything would be fine and she trusted him on that, but that didn't stop the nerves from tying her stomach into tight little knots that she wasn't sure would ever come out again.

The truth was, she hadn't been too keen on leaving the farm at all, but it was something she knew they had to do. It wasn't like they had a choice in the matter. They had to catch Adus, they had to close this case to prevent another contention. But she couldn't help the feeling of total unease at what the earth spirit had told them the day before. She had made it clear that what lie ahead for them, in both the case and their lives, wasn't going to be easy. It was more than clear now that they weren't just going to grant Aria a pass to stay in Iriona. She would have to work for it, they both would, if it was what they wanted. Aria's gaze wandered to the horse in front of her and the man that sat on it. She was sure of what she wanted, she wanted to stay here where she finally felt like she belonged. She had weighed the pros and the cons of not returning to Springmount, she knew the consequences, she just didn't have it in her to care anymore. She would miss her parents, sure, but the only thing that had held her off as long as it had was Jack. She felt bad for leaving him behind, but there came a point when she had to stop doing things for everyone else's benefit and she had to start doing them for her own.

She'd be lying if she tried to claim that knowing Elion hadn't swayed her decision even a little. But like he had said in the orchard, how could they walk away from this. Whatever it was between them. It was a lot to deal with, there was no denying that. But Aria knew they had to turn their focus instead to the investigation at hand. They had to figure out what Adus's next move was going to be. It was as if they were back at square one, she could only hope that Grifad had something for them to go off of or else there was no telling how long it would take to catch wind of where he was now. Hell, she didn't even know how big Iriona was. There was no way Adus was stupid enough to go back to Eltal where all of this started, where he knew the agentes would regroup. There would be henchmen sure, because all bad guys had henchemen. God, she wasn't making sense anymore.

When Elion called back to her to ask how she was holding up it snapped her back from her thoughts and back to the tight grip she held on the saddle she was still in. "Can we take a break?" she asked, she didn't know how long they had been travelling, but it had felt long enough that she was starting to get stiff staying in the same position for so long, and that wasn't doing anything to help her still tender wound. It was healing nicely, sure, but that didn't mean she didn't feel it every now and again. He slowed both horses to a stop before jumping off his own horse come back and help her down too. "I'm slowing you down," she said with a shake of her head as she stretched out her tired muscles. "You'd probably be there by now if you didn't have to keep an eye on me." Going over she leaned back against a nearby tree, it just felt good to stand up and move around a little.

But now that she was thinking a little more clearly again she looked up at Elion, "How big is Iriona?" she asked, "Because where I come from the killer tends to not stay where the police are unless there's a reason for it. My killer went to two other towns before he came back around to us, and I'm pretty sure he only did that to try and taunt us because he knew we weren't getting anywhere. But Adam didn't have the smarts and the resources Adus seems to have. He has mercenaries that he can send to watch us. If I were him I would be as far from Eltal as I possibly could be if I wanted to actually succeed." In Aria's opinion, the only ones it would benefit would be them. There was no way Adus would risk having them so close. He had run off to Muula before, what was stopping him from going somewhere else?

[athena]

Elion chewed on Aria’s questions as they took their break. In truth, it seemed highly unlikely that Adus would have returned to Eltal. That is what any logical criminal would have done. But Adus was far from logical. A part of Elion insisted that he would be somewhere in the general area of Eltal. Adus had seemed to take Elion’s involvement in the case rather personally; it seemed the man had a fondness for taunting him. Elion had seen a few criminals such as this, none of Adus’s caliber of course, but they were predictable. Their pride ultimately led to gloating, which in turn led to them making mistakes. It was as if they could not resist showing off. Elion scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Iriona is large,” he finally answered. “If Adus has gone to, let’s say Adale or Caera, it would take days, weeks to reach either of those cities. By the time we got there and collaborated with the agentes there, Adus would no doubt have already moved on. Something tells me that he won’t leave Eltal. His base was there before we discovered it. And I suspect that he will want to taunt us. Show off what he’s got. He is very much one of those types.”

Aria looked skeptically at Elion, but it was clear that she understood that such a thing was possible. The itch to continue towards Eltal made Elion fidget. He knew Aria was still healing and didn’ want to push her, but at the same time he felt as if they were being watched and should hurry. It wouldn’t be too much further to Eltal. Still, something was off. Briefly, Elion extended his senses to search for spirits and sprites within the area. It was disturbingly silent. Had Adus’ reach extended this far? “We should go. Something is not right...there are no spirits here.” Aria’s face twitched as she tried to sense for herself. Elion didn’t wait to see if she reached the same conclusion. He hefted her up into the saddle before swinging quickly into his own. Azrel sensed his urgency and tried to set off at a canter. Elion reigned her in, settling for a brisk walk instead. He doubted Aria knew how to ride a horse and he did not wish to risk reinjuring her.

Luckily there was little that detained them and they made good time. They reached Eltal by mid afternoon; the city bustled as if nothing was wrong. Elion set the most direct course to the large stone building that loomed in the center of the city. Unlike Muula’s headquarters, Eltal’s agente center was imposing and hinted at the power the officers held. And to think that Elion headed them all. His decision to remain away for as long as he did was probably not the wisest course, but he did not regret it. They rode right up to the doors. A smattering of other horses, some bearing the symbol of the agente, stood idly at the hitching posts. Elion dismounted and helped Aria slide from her saddle. Quickly, he tied them to the post and headed toward into the building.

Immediately a sense of wrongness assailed him. From the look on Aria’s face, she felt it too. An eerie silence hung over the building. As they cleared the foyer and stepped into the chamber that held apprentices and interns, the silence only seemed to grow. There were agente scattered among the apprentice. Silently they turned one by one to see who had entered. Eyes widened perceptively as they recognized their dux. Yet nobody moved or resumed work. That pressing feeling of wrongness permeated the air here; it was hard to pinpoint if it was coming from one area in particular. “Where is Grifad?” Elion asked. Although he did not speak loudly, his voice carried as if he had shouted. Everybody stared a moment before somebody finally pointed towards his office.

Elion nodded and headed towards his office, Aria close at his heels. The door was shut, but that did not stop him. After all, it was his office. Elion opened the door to see Grifad standing behind his desk, face pale and eyes wide. “Thank the spirits you are here,” he breathed as he stepped from behind the desk. Elion shut the door behind Aria and felt the sense of evil fill the room. “He said you’d be back today.” “Who?” Grifad silently handed a letter to Elion. His name was emblazoned across the paper in an unfamiliar, scrawling script. He opened it and read the one line. I am getting close. It wasn’t signed. Then again it didn’t have to be for him to know who it was from. “It came with those two jars on your desk.” “When,” Elion asked, a sense of dread growing in his stomach. “About ten minutes ago...” Grifad trailed off. Of course it did. He should have known that Adus would have eyes on them. Elion passed the note to Aria and turned to investigate the jars on his desk.

At first glance they seemed like average glass jars that nearly everybody used for canning. It was the content of the jars that drew his attention. One held water, the other dirt. Elion watched the water slosh about, attacking the lid of its own free will. The earth seemed to be vibrating. Elion backed away slightly in horror as he realized just what Adus had managed to squeeze in those jars. It was the point from which the evil had been emanating. He had succeeded in capturing spirits. How, Elion didn’t know, but the situation was more dire than he thought. It seemed as if Adus had yet to capture an essence of a fire spirit and water spirit. He hoped fervently that the fluid nature of those spirits would prevent him for at least a little while longer. “We are out of time,” Elion said flatly. He turned to look at Grifad and Aria. “He must be stopped now. We cannot let him complete his job. Grifad, get me everything you have gathered on this case since I have been absent. All current investigations are to be put aside. I want the full force of Eltal’s agentes working on this. Now.” Elion’s voice rang with authority. “Aria, we will begin the questioning of these spirits. If we can.” He looked up at her gravely. “I am sorry to have dragged you into this mess.” Elion offered a sad smile before he sat behind his desk. He pushed a stack of papers and a pencil to Aria. He kept a set for himself. “I suspect you will be able to speak with these spirits just as well as I am able too. We will begin shortly.” Elion intended to use those few brief moments to collect himself and think of the proper questions. Spirits only knew what would happen.

[Victoria]

Suddenly things were a lot more serious than they had anticipated. Aria hadn't known what to expect when they had arrived back in Eltal, but it certainly hadn't been the situation they had walked into. She knew, before Elion said anything, what was in those jars. He was right, they were out of time. If they didn't find and stop Adus before he managed to catch the other two spirits, she wasn't sure there would be any need to worry about whether or not she could stay here, there wouldn't be an Iriona left to stay in. She felt an overwhelming surge of guilt wash over her, if she hadn't gotten injured then this case could have been solved by now. If Elion hadn't stayed on the farm with her then he could have been hard at work here in Eltal.

The ground suddenly shook violently beneath them, she could feel the rage bubbling up from under her. It was too late, the earth was angry and it was coming for them. With wide brown eyes she stared at Elion for a long moment before muttering, "You work on those," she nodded to the jars on his desk, "I'll..." she would what? Go outside and put herself directly in the line of fire and do what? It wasn't like this was a misunderstanding, the earth had been violated and it wanted revenge. Which meant, surely, that the water spirit wasn't far behind. Not to mention the chances of the air and fire spirits joining in the fray. "Just keep working on those," she told him before turning from him and heading for the door. She didn't know what she was going to do once she got outside, but she had to do something. Questioning the jarred spirits would take them to Adus, sure, but that wouldn't stop the siege on the city. She had become a cop to save people, to solve cases. And sometimes one took precedence over the other. Elion could handle the case, he could find a way to get to Adus, she couldn't just sit there knowing the spirits were taking their anger out on innocent people.

As she went running through the office she could feel the gazes on her, curious but cautious. She could feel the fear too. She couldn't blame them for being scared, this was the biggest thing they were likely to see in their lifetimes. But Aria had been here before, she had quelled a contention once before when she was nothing more than a child. If she could do it then, well she had to try now. She stopped suddenly when she heard her name called out, turning she saw Grifad coming up behind her. "Innocent people are going to die out there if we don't clear the streets," she told him. She sighed, "I need your help. Just keep him working," she asked. Elion cared about her the same way she cared for him, he needed to stay focused on the task at hand and not worry about her. But she didn't wait for an answer from Grifad. She had been shot, she had been stabbed, really what was the worst the spirits could do to her?

She paused when she reached the doors as the earth shook beneath her once again. She needed to believe in that connections she had forged in the orchard a few days prior, she needed to reach out to them and get them to stop this siege on the city. With a deep breath she pushed the doors open and headed out into the streets. "Hey," she said to no one in particular.
With a swirling gust of air, Haizea appeared in front of her, the anger clear on her face. "I warned you mortal," she hissed, "This city will pay for what its done!"
"This city did nothing wrong," Aria argued, "These people have done absolutely nothing to deserve this. We're working on it, we will find him."
"You have failed!" The wind spirit gusted angrily. "It is only a matter of time before he claims us too."
"We haven't failed, not yet," she challenged, "You brought me here to solve this and dammit that's what I'm going to do, but I can't do that with earthquakes and floods and fires destroying a city of innocent people. We have what he took, we're trying to figure this out. Just give us time."

Aria knew she was asking a lot of the spirits, she knew they were angry because she could feel it coursing through every fiber of her being. But if they wanted Adus caught and dealt with then they had to back off, they couldn't afford to split their forces now, they needed every abled mind hard at work finding the man that had done this. Haizea stared hard at her, she could feel the other spirits in the air around them. With a swirl of leaves and dirt, she was gone again, but there was a harsh bite to the air around her, You have five days.

"Thank you," she said softly before turning back to the building looming over her. Questioning the captured spirits would only get them so far, there had to be more to this, something more that she could do. But for now, they needed to regroup, they needed to know where they stood. Turning back for the doors, she headed back inside, ignoring everyone that looked her way as she headed back to Elion's office. "We have five days," she said, "And then there's nothing we can do to stop them from tearing this city apart." It wasn't a lot of time, but it would have to do.

[athena]

Elion focused intently on the spirits before him. Yet, he couldn’t quite manage the level of connectivity he was accustomed to. He could feel the spirits before him but they were somehow different. Elion pushed harder, searching for that familiar sense. It took him a moment to realize that the essence he sought had been destroyed. The things in the jar weren’t spirits. They were something else completely, and Elion had not the faintest idea of what that might be. As he prodded a little further, it dawned on him that this was how Adus captured them. He had altered their essence. Pure spirit essence would not be able to be contained in a glass jar. But something else could. Sprites.

The feeling was similar to sprites. Warped but eerily similar. The murder of the wind sprites seemed to fall into place now. Adus needed a reference. He needed to understand what a sprite was and what it looked like. It didn’t translate well into the elements of earth and water. Or perhaps Adus hadn’t realized that one aspect of an element couldn’t be applied to all. Despite his failed attempt, he had created earth and water sprites. Beings that had long been considered extinct in Iriona. Under any other circumstances, this would be a moment of awe. Instead, Elion focused even harder. Adus’ attempt had failed, for now, but it would not be long before he mastered the art and turned the spirits as a whole into sprites he could easily control.

“We have five days," Aria said as she burst into the office. "And then there's nothing we can do to stop them from tearing this city apart."

Elion looked up, steel in his blue eyes. He snapped, and instantly an agente materialized. “Go to the electricity fields. Take men with you and watch. I suspect Adus may try to harness a piece of the fire spirit there.” The woman nodded and disappeared. Another officer materialized in her place. “You, take these to the Helm and release them. Watch carefully and report to me fully.” Elion slid the jars across the desk. There would be no questioning. Whatever Adus had done to them, the beings in the jar were unable to communicate. They would be of little help in their current state. The agente stared wide-eyed at Elion, clearly reluctant to take the jars. “Now.” It was enough to send him running, jars in hand.

Aria opened her mouth to protest but before she could slip out a word, another agente appeared. Elion issued orders as if his life depended upon it. In reality, it no doubt did. Minutes dragged into hours as agente after agente swept into the office to report, drop off information, or be issued orders. It was quite some time before Elion finally had a chance to get to Aria’s earlier protests.

“They were not spirits,” he explained matter of factly. “Adus had warped them, changed them into some sort of spirit/sprite hybrid. The essence was so completely...different. They were not able to communicate. I do not think those creatures knew what they were or what their purpose is, but hopefully their return to the Helm of Spirits will ease their confusion. I do not know if they will ever be able to return to their previous form. Only time will tell.” He sighed and pushed away from the table. He wanted to rest, but with the constant flow of information and the few agente who were waiting for orders, Elion knew there was no time to take a break. The pressure was mounting; the first day was almost gone. And yet, at this point he would do no good if he pushed himself to the point of missing something.

An idea dawned upon him. “Aria are you tired?” “Not particularly,” she responded. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. They were partners, and she could be trusted, even if things were somewhat different in Springmount. “Then I have a proposal.” Elion laced his fingers together. “We will accomplish nothing if we are both too tired to function. At this point, all the agente are doing something. I think we should take a short dinner break,” he paused, struggling to find the words. “And then I will rent a room at the inn up the street. I think we should take turns monitoring the case. If you are not tired, then you can have first shift. This way we can work on the investigation without pause, and neither of us will overlook something due to exhaustion. I think it may be the best way to handle our current state of affairs.” He stood, pushing the chair away as he did so.

“Regardless, we should eat while we have this lull. The inn should have something at this hour. You can mull over things while we eat.” Taking Aria by the elbow, Elion guided her out of the silent headquarters and onto the bustling streets. He wasn’t going to allow her any room to argue.

[Victoria]

It was a solid plan, the only issue was that she didn’t know Iriona, pretty much at all. How was she supposed to hand out orders and take notes while he was off resting if she didn’t know what was really going on. Grifad would be a much better head to the investigation, and he had successfully gotten them this far without too much collateral damage. He was a much better choice, but the question at hand was how was she going to make Elion see that. They were much better as a team, even if sometimes they were working against each other rather than together. The most she could offer at this point was her connection to the spirits. To all of them. And she wasn’t even sure of that right now given the precarious circumstances they were faced with. The spirits were starting to doubt them and their ability to solve this case before things got severely out of control, and at this point Aria wasn’t all that sure they could pull it off either. They were working against the clock to solve a case unlike anything they had seen before. Both in Iriona and Springmount. She had come up against conniving killers before, but this was different.

They made it to the Inn quickly and as predicted, they were able to get something to eat. “Look I know we’re on borrowed time and all,” she started, trying to figure out the best way to explain to him that maybe she wasn’t the right one to head the investigation in his absence. “And that at this point, every second counts, but I don’t know that I’m the best choice.” She stated simply. He looked as if he was going to protest so she held up her hand, “Hear me out. If your world was anything like mine I’d be begging for the chance to go after this guy head on,” she started, “But the truth of the matter is that our worlds may be similar, but not enough. I know nothing about Iriona. The Helm? What is that? Electricity fields?” she shook her head, “Do you see what I’m getting at? How can I command a team if I can’t even wander down the street without getting lost?” She had seen the farm, a little of Muula and a flash of Eltal. She didn’t know the other cities around here, she didn’t know the people or the spirits all that well. “I mean I know it would only be for a few hours at a time, but can we afford to lose those few hours with me floundering?” She sighed, “The obvious choice is Grifad. He’s been at this with you since day one, when I haven’t been here.”

Plus, maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn’t want to lose that time with him. They didn’t know how much time they had left. If this really all went to hell in five days, the spirits could pull her out. She didn’t want to spend those final days trading off duty with him, only seeing him in passing. Maybe they would be hard at work on this case, but she wanted to do it together. They needed to do it together. That was how this worked. She brought insight he may not have, he brought logic and structure to her otherwise out there ideas. But the truth of the matter was, this wasn’t her case with Jack. They weren’t up against Adam here, Adus was far more cunning and twisted than Adam ever was. And he had killed girls. Teenaged girls who hadn’t had the resources to defend themselves. But thinking about it, maybe Adus and Adam weren’t so far off. They were both after something. Definitely not the same something, but they were both killers. Maybe it was time to go back to thinking like a Springmount Homicide Detective and stop trying to understand life in Iriona. She had the connection now, she could contact the victims. If they could get their hands on a mercenary, they had to be a way to crack the code Adus had set out before them. And they had to do it fast.

[athena]

Elion rubbed his eyes. Of course it was a bad idea. Aria had pointed out the many flaws in his logic, and Elion was ready to drop his head onto the table. Perhaps if his exhaustion hadn’t been pressing so persistently on him he would have seen the holes in his planning. “Ah yes,” he said tiredly. Grifad was the logical choice. Yet there was a strong gut feeling that it should be Aria heading the other half of the investigation. Perhaps she was. Maybe it was just split three ways instead of two. Somehow the simple concept seemed mind boggling to him. He was more tired than he thought. “Yes, I’ll find Grifad and update him. You get some rest in the meantime. I’ll be back shortly.”
Elion stopped briefly at the bar to collect a set of keys for their rooms. He dropped one off at the table as he walked by. At this hour, both the inns and the streets were fairly deserted. A few people staggered about on their way home, blissfully unaware of the chaos that loomed. Elion almost begrudged them for it, but he didn’t. After all, he had chosen this profession. The soft lights of headquarters lightened the street; it was almost homey. Elion chuckled. Well, it was practically home for him after all. He pushed open the door and found the building full with the quiet thrum of activity. The agente were well trained and had fallen into the familiar pattern of work and rest. Time would not be lost.

He scanned the building, searching for Grifad’s familiar face. It appeared the man was on his rest shift. Elion sighed and rubbed his eyes. He would have to wait until he returned. Waving an agente over, Elion asked, “When is the rest shift due back?” The young man looked at him briefly, then at the water clock in the corner. “About an hour I’d say.” Elion could only manage a grunt. “Send Grifad to me when he returns.” The apprentice nodded before scurrying off. It looked as if he wouldn’t be returning to the inn for at least another hour. Tiredly, Elion trudged into his office and began rifling through papers. The least he could do was draw up a map and evaluate possible bases for Adus.

The hour ticked by as Elion’s mid worked slowly. It felt as if he was forcing his brain through sludge. Nonetheless he managed to create a map of Eltal with several areas marked on it. He also drew up a list of areas outside of his official jurisdiction that Adus might be hiding out in. Based on the arrival of the jars yesterday, he had to be close. Certainly not at the hideout he and Suila had used so long ago, but somewhere in the vicinity. Close enough to know of Elion’s return and close enough to send those jars before he got there. He would send out squads in the morning to look over these areas. Grifad should check his work before any official calls were made. Elion pushed aside the papers just as Grifad peeked his head in.

“Your turn boss,” he said. The younger man looked well rested. “About time,” Elion said with a faint smirk. He passed Grifad the map and explained where he would be should something arise. Grifad nodded and shooed him from the room as if he was a small boy and not his boss. With a laugh, Elion left the building and plodded up the street to the inn. He barely acknowledged the innkeeper and fumbled to unlock the door. Kicking off his boots and tossing aside his shirt, Elion clambered into the bed and savored the cool sheets before dropping off into sleep.

Only two hours had passed when a knock came at his door. Whoever it was did not wait, and a moment later Grifad burst through. He waved a small piece of paper in his hand. “This just came,” he explained. Elion took the paper and stared at it blankly. It took a moment for his eyes adjust enough to make out the scrawl written across the page. Only 4 days left. So close. A. Elion squeezed his eyes shut. “He’s taunting us.” Grifad only nodded. “Please tell me you caught the messenger. Or at least tailed him.” “No. The message was stuck to the door with an arrow...by the time we had a force out searching whoever it was long gone.” A low growl escaped Elion’s lips as he stood. He tugged his boots and shirt on. “Boss you should really rest.” “Get Aria, meet me at headquarters. It seems Adus will not let me rest.”

Elion’s words proved truer than even he intended. Over the course of the next day and a half Adus continued to send messages. Coincidentally, the messages appeared only after Elion and Aria had begun their rest shift. Sometimes it was within thirty minutes, other times he would wait two hours before sending it. His intent was clear; the agente would not rest. Adus somehow knew about their deadline, and he intended to run the agente into exhaustion so that their deadline would be compromised. Adus was, of course, kind enough to send a friendly reminder that time was running out.

It was late in the evening of their third day that Elion and Aria finally caught a break. The messenger had been caught, and when Grifad woke Elion for the umpteenth time, it was with a smile on his face. “We caught the messenger,” Grifad declared, “More like he let himself be caught, but point aside. He is ours.” Elion bolted from the bed. Grifad had already managed to rouse Aria from her bed as well. They remained silent as they walked to the building, as if their conversation would break their luck. The mercenary messenger sat, arms crossed, at a desk. He was unrestrained, which was an unusual breach of protocol, however, the man spoke up. “I’m here on me own. Don’t want no ropes, had me fill o them. I’ll tell ya as it is.” Elion lifted his eyebrow, but offered no complaint. Instead, he ushered the man into a quiet room used for questioning. Aria shut the door behind him. Another strong gut feeling washed over Elion. He suspected the spirits were very subtly pointing him in the right direction. “Aria, you take the lead,” he said as he made way for her. Something told him that interrogation was right up her alley.

[Victoria]

An interrogation, now that she could handle. Elion took a seat behind the table while the man took a spot across from him. Aria, however, remained standing, leaning back against the table next to their suspect. Aria had found that keeping the distance of the table between her and the suspect kept up formalities, it didn’t make them sweat. This wasn’t an average conversation though, in these rooms, they weren’t just chatting. It was her job to get answers and it was one thing she was good at. Jack was always the brunt force, the one to take the person down. But she was the hawk in the interrogation, quietly circling her prey before going in for the kill. She stood there silently for a long moment, both men seemingly waiting for her to make her move.

“Clearly you let yourself get caught,” she finally started, studying her nails as she spoke, “So let’s avoid all pretense and cut to the chase,” she looked up at the man next to her, “Why are you here? What game is Adus playing?”
The man smiled slightly, “Aren’t ya gonna ask me name first?” he questioned.
“I would if I cared,” she said, her tone calm, “Now answer the question.”
“It’s Ivor by the way,” he said, ignoring her, but he shrugged all the same, “there ain’t no game,” he started, “I told ya already, I’m here on me own.”
“Why?”
Leaning back in the chair, he folded his arms across his chest, “How do I know I can trust ya?”
This guy was wearing on her nerves, “Trust us?” she questioned. He had come to them, and now he was questioning if he could trust them?
“You lot don’t know where he is. He’s winnin’ whether you care to admit it or not,” he argued with her.

Aria sighed, “We have our leads, our teams are out there right now closing in on him,” that was a lie, “And if you don’t start talking we’ll take you down with him,” another lie – they had no proof of his involvement. “Now talk and maybe we’ll cut you a break.”
Ivor stared at her for a moment before sighing himself, “Suila was me sister, she was like him. Ain’t no connection with them spirits and all. She had been studyin’ up on how to do it when he found her. Told her of this plan, then gave her the axe when he didn’t need her no more. So I’ve been helpin’ him, see, gettin’ close to him until he trusted me.”
Aria pushed off the table, “And he trusts you now?” she asked, “So you come running to the Agente?”
Ivor leaned forward, “I know where he is.”

Aria glanced back at Elion, there was no way it was this easy. That this guy was going to come walking in and hand them the information they needed on a silver platter. Slowly she turned back to face Ivor. “How do we know you’re not here to play us?” she questioned.
“I told ya already, there ain’t no game,” he argued, “He killed me sister.”
“So then where is he?” she asked, but his answer was interrupted when she glanced down at her hand, it was almost as if she could see through it. But no, she blinked and shook her head, when she looked back everything appeared normal. Clearly the thought that they were nearing the end of the investigation was messing with her head. “I…uh…” she paused, “I’ll be right back,” she said softly before heading for the door.

Once out in the hall, she leaned back against the wall, running her hands over her face. She was seeing things, that had to be it. There was no way the spirits would be sending her back this close to the end. Unless it wasn’t the spirits doing, she could also be waking up. She couldn’t do this right now, she couldn’t deal with both the investigation and the fact that she could vanish at any given moment. It wasn’t until she pulled her hands away that she even noticed that they were wet with tears. God, she had to pull it together. She couldn’t keep this up. They had to solve this case in the next two days if they had any hope at all of preventing another contention. This wasn’t about her, this was about Iriona and saving the people from the wrath of the spirits. But she didn’t like feeling so vulnerable. So weak. She stared down at her hand for a long moment, silently daring it to do it again. But it didn’t. Maybe she was just that tired. It wasn’t like they had been sleeping the last several days. Maybe she really was just seeing things, her mind was playing tricks on her. But they didn’t have time for this. If this guy was telling the truth, then there was little time left before she would be sent back to Springmount. She was done pretending the spirits would be nice enough to let her stay. At the end of this, she would be sent home, she couldn’t prolong it anymore. Aria knew she had to go back in there, but she couldn’t will herself to move. Not yet.

[athena]

Elion unrolled the map and pushed it towards Ivor. He pretended as if Aria had never left the room. She would no doubt be fine after she had a moment to herself. The investigation, however, would not, and Elion felt the need to press ahead while they still had the chance. Ivor moved to point at a location on the map. “In blood if you please,” Elion added quietly. It was a ritual not often used anymore, but he would take no chances. Involving the man’s blood would bind his life. Should he be lying about the location, death was imminent. Ivor would have nothing to fear if he told the truth. His obligation would be considered fulfilled and he would be left alone to live a peaceful life.

The man clearly knew the implications. “Ya know he don’t like you much.” “Clearly,” Elion responded dryly. “He don’t care for walkers in general. Thinks it’s their fault he don’t got any spirit connection.” Elion’s eyebrow slowly rose. Well, that explained the man’s vendetta against him. “You’re stalling,” the agente pointed out. “I suggest you mark the spot or we can assume that you have no idea where he is and you have been lying. At that point you will be arrested and detained until we can clear you. I do not suggest testing me at this moment. I’m sure you are aware of how thin our patience is wearing.” Elion leveled a steady stare at Ivor.

Finally, the man wavered and offered his finger to him. Elion pricked it with his pocketknife. It would not draw much blood, but it was more than enough to seal the binding. Ivor looked at the agente one last time before pressing his index finger onto the spot Adus was hiding. He looked up, fear clearly written across his face. “Wha know?” “If you’re lying we will know,” Elion answered cryptically. A moment passed, and then a few minutes. It didn’t occur to Elion that something must be wrong with Aria since she had yet to return. He was too focused on Ivor and the outcome of the binding. After the five-minute mark Elion was satisfied the man had told the truth. It usually did not take long for the binding to affect liars.

Elion nodded. “Thank you, Ivor. That will be all. Unfortunately for our safety and yours, you must be detained until Adus is caught. I am sure you understand this. You will be released after Adus is sentenced. The process will not take long, and in the meantime you will be kept at the nearby inn under constant guard.” Briefly Elion covered the remainder of the formalities, explaining Ivor’s rather limited rights and how the process would work. Surprisingly, the man took it stoically. “You will be comfortable, Ivor. And I promise that you will not be held any longer than necessary.” Again, the man only nodded. It seemed as if he had resigned himself to his fate. With nothing left to say, Elion left the interrogation room and summoned an agente. He issued his orders before setting out to find Aria. She had vanished.

He found her holed up in his office. “Are you well?” Aria turned, her arms crossed over he chest. Gently, he cupped her elbows and studied her face. Exhaustion was clear on her face. No doubt it was just as clear on his own. “Just tired,” she finally replied. Her voice echoed the sentiment. “The end is in sight. Ivor has given us Adus’ location. Now we plan his capture.” A thought dawned. “One moment.” Elion peeked into the hall and waved at Grifad. “Let Ivor go. Tell him to return to Adus and act as if nothing is wrong. We cannot have the man realize something is off. Follow him and make sure nothing goes awry.” Grifad nodded and disappeared. “Now,” Elion explained as he turned back to Aria, “we will have a little more time to plan.” He pushed the map with its bloody fingerprint onto his desk. “Day four is only a few hours away.” Brushing his hair out of his face, Elion tried to focus on the map, only to have it fuzz out of focus. A bitter laugh escaped. “I need sleep before I can begin planning.”

Normally, Elion would be attentive to Aria and her needs, but at the moment he was so focused on the case that he did not realize something was amiss with the woman. Instead he left the office and headed to the inn. He left orders for an agente to be sent when the next message arrived but not to actually disturb him unless the message was different from normal. Appearances had to be kept up after all. Elion pushed into the inn and made his way to the bed. He fell asleep before his head managed to hit the pillow.

The sun peeping through the blinds woke Elion. He sat up in alarm, and bolted from the bed before he had a chance to collect himself more thoroughly. At headquarters, a lighter air permeated the building. It seemed everybody knew the end was close. Elion met Grifad and Aria in his office. They were both staring intently at the map. “Suggestions,” he asked as he sidled up. “I think a night raid would catch him off guard. More agente, surround the place, neutralize the mercs, and get him. It’s not heavily guarded. If we move fast we can go tonight,” Grifad concluded. Elion stared at the map. “No. We’ve already tried a night raid before. That did not turn out well.” The memory of Aria in the dark, bleeding by his own weapon flashed before him. “Perhaps tomorrow at first light? We could use the day to organize and plan...” Elion sighed. He was just not sure. “At any rate, we will need more agente. Get the shifts worked out and get the men together, the equipment, all of it. Obviously we will need to move soon.” Grifad nodded and left. It was then that Elion had the chance to truly focus on Aria. She seemed pale, disjointed even. “Aria,” he prodded softly. She looked up at him, but her gaze was distant and distracted. “Truly, what is wrong? You seem...distracted.”

[Victoria]

She was at war with herself, she wanted to tell him what was wrong, but she also didn’t want to distract him from what needed to be done. This case was more important, it was why she had been brought here in the first place, it was the reason she had even met Elion. She just had to accept that it would be over soon, that she would have to figure out how to move on without him in a world she wasn’t sure she would understand anymore.

Sure she had grown up in Springmount, she knew how everything worked, but it all felt foreign to her now. After spending weeks, months even, here in Iriona she had become accustomed to how things worked. How could she go back to a world that none of this existed? She knew she wouldn’t be able to forget, she would be forced to live with the memories and know she was capable of so much more than Springmount could offer her, she could be so much more if she stayed here.

The truth was though, she didn’t know how to tell him. At first she had been convinced that it was all in her head, but that morning she had woken up with this lightness spread throughout her body, as if she was only half there. And then it faded away and the weight of everything settled back on her. She wanted to believe that it had just been caused by actually sleeping, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew better.

She knew she had to tell him though, if they really were both open to seeing what this was between them then he deserved to know just how limited their time together now was. “It’s just that…” she started, but faltered. How did she tell him? It wasn’t like it was going to change anything. They still had to work the case as if nothing was happening with her. She had to do it though, like ripping off a band aid. “Yesterday during the interrogation I looked down and I know it sounds insane, but I could see through my hand. Like it was only half here.” Aria looked up at him to try and gauge his reaction, “Which means that tomorrow morning you’ll go after Adus, the case ends. But that also obviously means my time here ends too.”

She shook her head and looked away from him, “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to believe it, I wanted to think that I had just been seeing things. I mean I was so tired, it made sense that the pressure of everything was starting to play with my head.” Without really thinking about her actions she turned around and sank in against him, “But this morning, at the inn, it happened again,” she told him softly. “I can feel it, and I know there’s nothing we can do to stop it, but,” her fingers curled into his shirt like he could somehow keep her there with him, “I don’t want to leave.”

Aria stood there for a long moment, silently praying that she could somehow just stop time. That they could have this moment and everything would still be waiting for them when they returned. But she knew she couldn’t distract him from what needed to be done. He had to plan the raid that would finally bring Adus into custody. He had so much to do and yet she couldn’t quite bring herself to let him go just yet.

She knew it wouldn’t be long before someone came along and she didn’t want to get caught in this position, so finally she managed to pull away from him, “Sorry,” she said softly, “I know you have work to get back to.”

[athena]

Elion squeezed Aria tightly. It hadn’t quite occurred to him that the end of the case would bring about the end of Aria’s time in Iriona. Part of him had just assumed that she would remain there indefinitely. Yet another part of him found it hard to believe that their case was almost over. He wanted to comfort her, but Elion was at a loss himself. And, if he was to be completely honest, terrified. He hadn’t yet come to terms with the prospect of losing her...possibly forever. They had talked briefly in the orchard, but hadn’t truly broached the subject. And now it seemed time was up.

Aria pulled away and withdrew. “Sorry,” she said softly, “I know you have work to get back to.” Her words cut surprisingly deep. There was work to be done, yes, but that didn’t mean Aria was any less important to him. It stung that she thought he cared more about the case than her. He paused a moment. Perhaps it wasn’t that she thought that, but that she recognized the importance of catching Adus and closing the investigation. The fate of Iriona hung by a thread. At that moment though, Elion was torn. He gently took Aria’s hand and laced his fingers through hers. “I only have a few more things to do here, and then we will spend the remainder of the evening together. Aria began to protest but for the first time in a long while, Elion kissed her. It effectively silenced her, and made it known he was serious. “I promise, Aria.” She nodded in response.

As the day wore on though, it seemed abundantly clear that those few things had multiplied and it would take far longer than anticipated. All the agente had been pulled of the sleep schedule and into the office so that they could begin to plan. Teams had to be formed, equipment ordered, maps copied and handed out. It seemed that the dawn raid had been voted the most favorable plan of attack. Now it was down to sorting out the minutiae.

Yet nobody seemed able to handle said minutiae. There was a constant stream of agente flowing in and out of Elion’s office with questions. Not a single one of them needed his attention. Elion remained patient, however. He suspected that the high pressure had everybody worried. There could be no mistakes or it would spell an end for Iriona. And so, they all came to the office to make sure their plans were appropriate and that there were no errors. At some point, Aria had slipped away. At this stage, she wouldn’t be able to offer much assistance. As she had pointed out before, she had little to no knowledge of Iriona’s geographical layout. This whole round of planning no doubt bored her and she had wandered off to find something else to do. At present, Elion was distracted by yet another map to truly contemplate where Aria had run off too. He would find her later.

And later it was. The sun had set and people were hurrying home to their beds. He had promised Aria time together and yet it was already so late in the night. She had probably gone to sleep hours ago. Elion pushed into the inn and plopped down at the table. A warm meal was set before him and the server scurried off. They had most likely been waiting for him to return before locking the place up for the evening. Which meant that Aria had returned at some point. He sat in silence and slowly ate his stew, contemplating great variety of things. How to make up lost time with Aria, how to successfully carry out the raid in the morning, how to capture Adus. His mind was everywhere at once. The sound of the spoon scraping against the bottom of the bowl brought him back to the present.

With a sigh, Elion pushed away from the table. The server would be by soon to collect the empty dishes. Slowly Elion trudged up the stairs. He tried to be as silent as possible, but the stairs squeaked without mercy. He winced the whole way up and only let out a sigh once he was in his room. He took a moment to brush out his wild hair and scrub his teeth. A moment’s thought and he even changed into a clean pair of clothes. He switched off the light before he walked into the hallway.

Hesitantly he knocked on Aria’s door. It didn’t take long for her to open the door. Elion kissed her cheek lightly before he pushed his way into the room and kicked off his boots. She stood staring at him dumbstruck. He only offered her a cheeky smile. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, “but I did promise you we’d spend time together.” He crawled into her messed bed and patted the empty spot. Aria smirked but climbed in bedside him. The last time they had done this, she had been studying and he had meant to annoy her. Now, he meant to simply enjoy the limited time they had left. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin in the crook of her neck and shoulder. They lay that way for sometime before Elion tickled her with his beard. Aria giggled slightly. “I do not think you will be gone from here long,” he whispered into her neck. “The spirits would not have brought you to me only to take you away. This is just another test.” He squeezed her a little more tightly as if that would solve their problems. “All will be well in time.” Elion finally concluded, hopefully with more confidence than he felt.

[Victoria]

Another test? Hadn’t they been tested enough already? But she had learned over her weeks here that the spirits hardly worked in mysterious ways. With mystery there was often logic too, and the spirits didn’t seem too keen on the use of logic. How was taking her away, sending her back to somewhere she didn’t want to be, and having another test thrown their way an adequate way of saying ‘Thank you, without you everyone would be dead’. As selfish as it may have sounded, she almost didn’t want to save Iriona if this was what they would be getting in return. It hardly seemed fair that they had been given ample time to get to know each other, really come to care for each other only for the spirits to rip them apart.

Lys had been right when she spoke of her son, Elion seemed to have unshakeable faith in the spirits, that they wouldn’t let him down, but she was far more skeptical about them. It seemed the people of Iriona believed it some form of partnership between them and the spirits. But as soon as their ways were threatened they threw a hissy fit threatening the lives of countless people. That wasn’t a partnership that was ruling by fear. Maybe she was a touch too bitter and emotional at the moment to really make a clear call, but she found it hard to believe that the ever caring spirits actually gave a damn about her and Elion. As long as Iriona was saved, who cared what happened to them.

“What if this wasn’t part of their plan?” she questioned softly as her fingers curled into his shirt. Hoping with everything that she had that if she held on tight enough they couldn’t send her back. “What if the plan was to bring me here to solve the case, nothing more. What if I wasn’t supposed to fall for you?” It seemed likely enough to think that, mostly because she really didn’t want to think about how the spirits may have control over how she felt too. That was simply too much for her to even consider. It didn’t matter though, because part of their plan or not, it had happened. She had fallen for him. It had snuck up on her when she had least expected it to. She hadn’t counted on going from believing this was all a dream to never wanting to leave. It was real, every last second, every touch, every kiss was so unbelievably, undeniably real.

For the first time in her life she actually felt like she had something to lose by leaving Iriona. Before all of this had happened, things could have ended with Collin and she could have gone on with her life, she could have lost her job, her apartment and she just would have gone out and found something new. Nothing she had before had actually meant as much to her as this did. Whatever this was between them. She had thought she loved Collin, she had convinced herself that what she felt was love. But that didn’t begin to touch what she was starting to feel for this man lying with her in her bed. She had been settling before, because she thought it was never going to get any better, that for some unknown reason she didn’t deserve better. But better was just out of her reach, and it was breaking her heart that she was about to lose it all.

Aria looked up at him, releasing his shirt so that she could instead brush her fingers over his jaw. She wanted to remember every detail. But she didn’t want to bring their final hours down any more than she already had. She wanted these to be moments she wanted to remember. Not ones she’d rather forget because she had focused too much on all the bad creeping up on them. Instead she smiled at him, although it faltered around the edges ever so slightly. They had this time and that would have to be enough to get them through until they saw each other again. Because in that moment she chose to believe him, for her own sanity, that this really was only temporary. Leaning up, she pressed a desperate kiss to his lips. Normally she wouldn’t push it, she wouldn’t push him, she was all for allowing things to develop on their own, but there wasn’t time to take things slow.

Pulling back, she smiled again. “No more talking about what’s coming,” she said softly, “Let’s not make tonight depressing.” She laughed slightly, she would be okay just laying here in his arms. But she didn’t want to sleep. She didn’t want to waste the time they had with her eyes closed. Though she would understand if he had to sleep. He was the one with a raid in the morning. “So what should we do?” she questioned.

[athena]

You’re the one making this depressing,” Elion responded with a chuckle. “I am fairly certain you will return, so I’m only mildly sad.” Aria fixed him with a shocked stare, as if his words stung. They probably did now that Elion thought about it. He squeezed her reassuringly. “I only jest. I do not doubt your return, it is just a matter of when you will return that worries me. And yes, I am sad.” He took the opportunity to brush aside a strand of Aria’s hair as she contemplated yet another possibility. That seemed like yet another horror that they would somehow have to face. He could see the panic begin to creep in around Aria’s eyes and felt a similar terror grip him. Elion shook it off. Aria would return; his brain seemed to distantly recall a conversation with Haizea, or perhaps it was Vesta, that alluded to her return.

Aria began to speak, but Elion cut her off, a smirk playing across his face, “I thought you didn’t want to talk about what was coming, or make it depressing.” He pulled her closer, studying her face as she studied his. “Whatever should we do?” he asked. A teasing edge had entered his voice. Elion suspected Aria had a few things in mind, after all, he had a few floating about in his own. And it was terribly hard to deny that lying beside her wasn’t tempting. Yet, he was torn in so many directions. He was exhausted and needed rest, yet wanted to be with her. But most of all, Elion didn’t want to bungle things up between them. Their relationship was still young, regardless of what they had been through. No matter how strongly Elion felt about Aria, which he admitted to himself was incredibly strong, there were other ways to show his love.

Gently, he readjusted her so that her head was cradled in his lap and his back rested against the headboard. “I know you worry,” he muttered softly. “But you really shouldn’t. All will be well in time. And regardless of where you are, know that I am always thinking of you and sending you my love.” He dragged his fingers lovingly through her hair, gently removing the tangles and massaging her scalp. Elion hoped that Aria could feel his emotions through his caress. She sighed deeply, and a part of him knew that she understood what he was trying to convey.

His hands slid from her scalp to her neck where his fingers expertly found the tension in her muscles. He set to work on untangling those knots. Aria continued to relax beneath his touch and Elion felt his own tension melt as he focused on her. Occasionally his hands would dip beneath the collar of her shirt to brush across the smooth skin of her chest. In those moments, Aria would open her eyes and peek out at him. Elion returned her curious gaze with a soft smile. He was tempted to let his hands wander further to explore Aria’s body but he refrained. He wanted to be sure that Aria knew he loved her for...well being her rather than because he was tempted. Sometimes in such short time spans it was easy to confuse the two. That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Finally, Elion traced a path to her face. He outlined her jaw, lips, eyes. Every detail was studied and captured just like Aria had done earlier. Aria’s breath had taken on a rhythmic quality; he had apparently lulled her into sleep. Elion kissed her lightly on her forehead before slowly rearranging her. It was not the most graceful of movements, but Aria did not wake as he moved her. Elion settled beside her and draped his arm across her stomach. He watched her sleep for some time before he finally fell asleep himself.

***

Elion woke well before dawn. He blamed it on nerves. Aria still slept serenely beside him, and he took a moment to watch her before he tugged himself from the bed. Silently, he opened the shutters a crack to see the predawn gray. A few people stirred in the streets, but not many. They moved quickly and efficiently with their heads bowed. It was then that Elion realized it was raining. He tried to swallow his sense of foreboding as his mind flashed back to the last time they went after Adus. It was raining then too. He paced a moment before deciding his energy would better be spent on the upcoming raid. With a sigh, Elion plopped down into a chair to watch the rain. Only minutes later he was on his feet again, this time headed towards the kitchen. He needed to move, and at least this way he could bring back breakfast for the two of them.