Pride x Familiar

by Albert Ruckholdt

  Her right forearm was encased in a silver gauntlet, and her palm was facing outwards in my direction.

  I remembered the sleek armor she wore during the fight in the cafeteria.

  This time, she had summoned only a part of her Fragment.

  Caprice lowered her hand, and the wispy black mist surrounded her arm and vanished moments later, taking the gauntlet with it.

  Her voice fell to an icy whisper. “My advice to you…stay away from Caelum Desanto.”

  I stared her, and after a few heartbeats I shook my head. “I can’t do that.”

  She snorted angrily though her face was a blank picture. “You have someone who loves you. Don’t you think you’ve ignored him for long enough? Isn’t it about time you returned his feelings properly?”

  Now her eyes matched her cold tone.

  She turned and began walking away from me, but stopped a few feet down the garden path.

  “Duncan Armand…if you care about him then you should worry over him, and not Caelum.”

  I thought she would resume walking away, yet she stood there and half turned to face me.

  Her voice was low yet it carried, as did the warning it ferried. “You should keep a close eye on Armand. He may choose to do something foolish.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “His hatred toward Familiars…it’s not unlike the hatred Caelum once harbored toward Aventis….”

  Her voice trailed away, and she turned and began walking out of the garden.

  I didn’t follow her, but my eyes did. I watched her until she left the garden and walked out of sight.

  Her words rang inside my head.

  Caelum’s hatred.

  Duncan’s hatred.

  What did she imply when she said Duncan might do something foolish?

  Worry began to etch itself into my stomach, causing it to clench uncomfortably.

  And yet, I couldn’t deny Caprice was right. I had someone who loved me, and yet I was worrying over someone else.

  However, Caelum was special to me.

  And it wasn’t like I’d explicitly rejected Caelum in favor of Duncan. Rather, Duncan had forced a choice – his choice – on me.

  I stood in the quiet of the garden, though I heard the hundreds of students in the distance.

  I heard them making the journey out of the academy, eager to be free of the place for a couple of days.

  Reaching into a skirt pocket, I retrieved my palm-slate.

  I thumbed through the screens, and called up the number that was listed second under Favorites.

  I made the call, and waited for him to pick up.

  “Duncan…can we talk?”

  Chapter 29 – Kallum.

  (Simone)

  School Week Five.

  Monday evening.

  I stood before my mother’s desk in her private study.

  I stood at attention like one of her new recruits.

  I hated the way she made me feel.

  I hated having to report to her as though I was one of her subordinates.

  She made me wait while she finished up the work on the multitude of holo-screens facing her.

  After ten minutes standing rigidly in her study, I felt my resentment grow to a peak.

  At that moment, my mother cleared away the screens and swiveled in her leather chair to face me.

  “At ease, Simone.”

  I clenched my jaw, and fell into a more relaxed posture.

  Gods, I hated her for treating me this way, but I kept my eyes focused on a point above and behind her. And I kept my face a picture of composure.

  “Simone, look at me.”

  I lowered my gaze onto her face.

  She was studying me with unnerving interest.

  Half a minute may have gone by before she broke the silence between us.

  “Troublesome. Such a troublesome child.”

  I bit down on a retort.

  She pressed back into her chair, folded her arms, and continued to study me.

  “I warned you. I warned you not to become involved with him.”

  I swallowed and bundled up my resolve. “Mother, why did you lie to me?”

  My mother blinked yet remained silent.

  I leaned forward slightly and repeated my question. “Why did you lie to me?”

  “Regarding what?”

  “You told me Celica Desanto had infiltrated Crimson Crescent under your orders. That was a lie.”

  “I did not expect you to learn the truth.”

  I touched my sternum. “I lied to Caelum because you lied to me. Do you think he’ll trust anything I say now?”

  “It hardly matters now.”

  I leaned forward sharply. “It matters to me—”

  “Watch your tone with me, young lady.”

  I swallowed and clenched my jaw for a moment. “You used me.”

  My mother humphed and rolled her eyes. “Used you? Hardly. I wanted you to stay clear of him and you betrayed my trust in you.”

  I inhaled slowly but chose to hold my silence.

  My mother tapped her desk with a manicured nail. “You went along with Severin Kell’s foolish idea of protecting Galatea Academy from Crimson Crescent. You came into contact with Desanto, and you initiated a chain of events that spiraled into the present situation. Even after I told you the truth behind his lineage, you still persisted in seeing him. I told you all that to keep you away from him, not the other way around.”

  “You told me he was descended from an Original Twelve bloodline. You didn’t tell me much of anything else. And now I know that you lied to me as well.”

  “Nonetheless, I told you to stop associating with him.”

  “I was doing so on Arisa Imreh’s behalf.”

  “So you disobeyed your mother to fulfill some other woman’s request?”

  I hesitated, then swallowed tightly. “I’m sorry…Mother.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “But Caelum and I attend the same academy. How could we not run into each other?”

  “That’s no excuse. Why did you disobey me? And give me an honest answer, Simone Alucard Raynar.”

  “Because…because I couldn’t forget him. And because you promised him to me. Because I believed he was mine, and I still want him to be mine.” I gave her a firm look. “Wasn’t it your intention to bond him to me, to have my blood Awaken him as a Familiar? Isn’t that what you told me a year ago?”

  “The situation changed. I told you that. Our Primatriarch gave us a clear directive. The Seeress warned Serenity of a dire outcome should we bond him to our Pride.”

  “I didn’t break the directive. He was not Awakened by my blood.”

  “No, he wasn’t. But his fate and yours became entwined, even after the Seeress sent you personal instructions not to persist.”

  “I choose my own fate.”

  My mother’s expression hardened. I thought she would shout at me, but then I saw anguish in her eyes. “Simone, you may be troublesome but you are my precious daughter. You and Silia are the most important people in my life.”

  “I—I know that.”

  “That being said, there are times you really test me.”

  “How? What is so wrong with what I did? Why is everyone so against my contact with Caelum? What is this dire outcome you speak of?”

  Selena Alucard stood up slowly from her chair. She leaned forward, her palms on the edge of her desk. “Simone, if what the Seeress saw—if what all the Seeresses are seeing—there are troubling times ahead.”

  “You mean a war? A second War of Supremacy?”

  “Perhaps. Rumblings of discontent are everywhere in the colonized systems. And there are outside forces at play, disturbing the peace.”

  “You mean Crimson Crescent?”

  “No. Crescent may be the least of our worries.”

  Her words left me confounded.

  Was there another threat to the Prides? Another threat bes
ides Crimson Crescent?

  I inhaled deeply before asking, “What does that have to do with me? What does it have to do with Caelum and I? Will you please tell me what’s going on?”

  “I can’t give you an answer…because I don’t have one. I was warned to keep you away from Caelum. They were adamant about it. I should have listened to them and transferred you out of Galatea Academy. I should have sent you to the farthest of Pharos’s Islands. That would have solved all our problems.”

  “Again, you’re not telling me anything that answers my questions.” I straightened my back. “If you can’t give me an answer, then I’ll find it elsewhere.”

  I turned on my heels and began striding out of her study.

  “Simone—stop right there.”

  My feet betrayed my resolve. I stood before the closed door, and listened to my mother.

  “You want an answer. Very well. Then there’s only one person that can give you that answer.”

  I half turned and looked at her over my left shoulder.

  For the first time, I noticed my mother looked older and wearier than I remembered her since our last encounter two weeks ago. With her rank and position she was hardly home, so it wasn’t uncommon for days or weeks to go by without any direct contact between us.

  For that matter, I was hard pressed to remember when I last saw my elder sister, Silia.

  My mother looked exhausted as she sat back in her chair. The trouble with Crimson Crescent and the aftermath of their incursion had taken its toll on her.

  She sounded beyond weary to me. “Simone, perhaps it’s time you had an audience with our Seeress.” She looked me in the eyes and added, “In fact, I called you here because I received a request from her.”

  I turned round fully and faced her. “The Seeress?”

  “Yes. She wants to see you.”

  I swallowed anxiously, then asked, “When?”

  My mother took a deep breath. “Tonight. I will have a car waiting for you in two hours. You’ll need to pack quickly. You’ll need enough clothes for a few days. On second thought, pack for a few weeks.”

  “A—a few weeks?”

  “Yes, you’ll be going off-colony.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her, wondering if I’d heard her right. “I’m leaving Pharos…for a few weeks?”

  My mother sighed heavily. “Seeress Arcana lives on a starship. Her vessel docked an hour ago. I received her message not long after. It seems the Seeress has come here specifically for you.”

  My stomach tightened uncomfortably. “Then if she’s here, why am I going off-colony?”

  “It seems, she wants to learn more about you. She wants to spend time with you.” My mother stared up at the ceiling. “Arcana is…a strange creature…like all the Seeress’s tend to be.”

  “What about school?”

  “I’ll deal with the school.” She gave me a stern look. “You want answers, well this is your chance. Or was everything you said just for show?”

  I took a couple of deep breaths, then gave her a single nod. “No. I want to know what’s going on.”

  “Then hurry up and get packing. I’ll have a couple of the maids help you out.”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Get going, Simone.”

  I bowed to her quickly. “Yes, Mother.”

  I left her study quickly, and after closing the door behind me I hurried to my room on the third floor.

  I would need to hurry, but even before I arrived at my rooms I had decided on what to pack.

  A few days away from school hardly mattered.

  But a few weeks away was another matter altogether.

  Nonetheless, I truly wished to learn the reasons why my Pride had wanted to keep me away from Caelum.

  I wanted to learn why almost as much as I wanted to see him.

  I walked into my bedroom and approached the tallboy chest standing against a wall. Opening the bottom drawer, I fumbled around the back and pulled out the little jewelry box I hid under the clothes. From inside, I carefully lifted out the locket with the silver chain.

  I thumbed the latch, and it opened with a soft click, revealing a printed photo inside.

  A young boy and a young girl faced the camera, their shoulders lightly touching.

  One smiling and one looking unabashedly embarrassed.

  A memento from my eleventh birthday party.

  For a little while I studied Caelum’s blushing face, and then gently closed the locket.

  I chose to bring it along with me.

  #

  (Selena)

  The holovid representations of seven Primatriarchs stood before the desk in my study.

  Seven unhappy faces.

  Serenity Alucard Raynar was not present. She had sent word she was attending to an important matter.

  I knew very well what that matter entailed.

  Standing directly before me was Xanthia Augustine Avenir. She was the first to speak.

  She brushed back an errant lock of blonde hair. The woman was young, perhaps younger than Serenity, and she fit the bill of an ice queen to the tee.

  Very beautiful.

  Very cold.

  With clear aquamarine eyes.

  Xanthia smiled thinly. “We’ve come to an agreement. Serenity Alucard has been granted provisional guardianship over Caelum Desanto afil Raynar.”

  I kept my expression neutral.

  So Caelum Desanto’s affiliation was only temporarily changed. Whether it was permanently instated would depend on the outcome of Serenity’s foray into danger. But for now, the Lanfears no longer held the leash on him. I refrained from glancing at Yolanda Imreh, but in my peripheral vision I glimpsed the woman stiffen ever so slightly. The holovid representations captured even the slightest shift in body stance and the minutest of facial nuances.

  I swallowed discretely. “Things did not go to plan.”

  “No,” Xanthia agreed while holding onto that thin smile. “They did not. Habitat One suffered extensive damage. The casualty count was quite high. The cost of rebuilding will be too. And the populace is demonstrating severe unrest and lack of confidence in the Pharos leadership. However, the objective we failed to meet five years ago has been met. The Warlord Ravana has been retrieved from the Vault.”

  “But the Black Camellia is gone, and so is Celica Desanto.”

  Xanthia stiffened, as did many of the women standing before me. “Yes, that is most unfortunate. The plan to recapture that demon failed. Celica Desanto is still loose. And now we can consider her armed and extremely dangerous.”

  I swallowed tightly. “We did not anticipate Caelum Desanto’s interference. The Avienda’s Meister had all but secured Celica Desanto when Caelum interceded. Although his manner of involvement was outside of the realm we anticipated, nonetheless the fault lies with me. The plan was mine after all.”

  I started to rise, fully intending to apologize in the time honored tradition.

  Perhaps it would make no difference.

  Perhaps it would.

  Nonetheless, I was prepared to lower myself to my hands and knees and express my apology to the seven Primatriarchs.

  Then my eyes caught sight of something unexpected.

  Xanthia had raised a single hand, forestalling me.

  She shook her head. “No. If you apologize, then so should I.

  “Lady Augustine…?”

  “None of us expected Desanto to be led to the Vault where he would acquire the Ravana. However, we cannot discount the fact he did come to his sister’s aid.”

  “Yes, that is true. However—”

  Xanthia shook her head again, a little more gently. “The blame lies with me. As head of the Primatriarch Council, I approved this plan. I made the students of that Academy unwitting pawns. I even ordered the suppression of the Student Council’s attempt to protect their school. I assume responsibility for this failure.”

  I blinked slowly at the woman who held the center seat of the Primatriarch Council. Because
there were an even number of Prides, the center seat was worth two votes. Xanthia had held that seat of authority for five years now. She was the youngest Primatriarch in Pharos’s history.

  Her smile faded away. “To put it simply, this debacle is my fault.”

  Her admission derailed my thoughts for a heartbeat.

  Why was she letting me off the hook?

  I swallowed quickly and protested. “Lady Augustine, my people were entrusted with preparing the trap for Celica Desanto, but our shortsightedness left the door wide open for them to come and go as the pleased. Crimson Crescent blindsided us. Not only did we fail to incorporate Caelum Desanto adequately in the situational analysis, but we ignored the possibility Crimson Crescent would use trans-space to emerge within the habitat. After all, the navigational calculations are beyond what our starships can perform.”

  One of the Primatriarchs stepped closer to my desk – Marianne Sandoval Sanreal.

  She had short, blonde hair and unnerving crimson eyes that resembled rubies with a dark center.

  She fixed those eyes on me now.

  “We’ve analyzed the data you provided. We believe only a Core equipped starship could have performed the necessary course corrections that allowed it to enter the habitat via trans-space.”

  I felt my stomach fall.

  For Crescent to possess a Core equipped starship meant they were now on equal footing with us.

  If Marianne and her people stated as much, then I had little reason to doubt them. The Sandoval Family owned enterprises dedicated to starship construction and design. In short, they were master shipbuilders.

  Xanthia turned her aquamarine eyes on Marianne. “Core equipped? Then it’s built like—”

  “Yes,” Marianne cut in smoothly and smiled like a huntress, “it’s just like Paloma.”

  The two women eyed each other for a long moment.

  Marianne arched a questioning eyebrow at Xanthia as if to ask ‘what will you do now?’.

  For a heartbeat, I watched Xanthia pressed her lips into a thin line.

  “Very well,” the woman said. “You have permission to head out.”

  Marianne’s smile grew wider and eager. “This will prove most interesting.”

  “And fruitful I hope,” Xanthia added, not sharing in Marianne’s elation.

  Marianne shrugged lightly. “At the very least, it’ll allow us to test our Pathfinder against theirs.”