by T Ariyanna
Kaitlyn and the ball of fire became nothing more than eerie noises in the darkness within minutes, and Arion was left warring with himself. His rage was becoming unbearable without Kaitlyn right there to control him, though he wasn't sure what was fueling it.
“Good call you had there. That could have been bad. But can we go back to bed now? I feel worse than death.” Just as quickly as he had become active again, Cy fell silent.
“Oh, joy. Another bird. Look, kid, I get that you're getting lonely cooped up in here, but your obsession with these things is starting to concern me. Do I have to stage an intervention for you?”
Cy was looking over his shoulder, and his cold, metal body made Arion shake. The castle retained heat well enough, but his magic couldn't keep up with the maintenance of keeping it warm now that fall had come to beat down his door.
He pushed him away without looking, continuing his work with his other hand. Tighten the last screw, test the mobility of the wings, lock the heart into place, and…
The bird came to life in less of a flourish than his other creations. It blinked its soft, red eyes a few times, focusing on Arion. He smiled at it, petting the large plumes on its head. Long tail feathers trailed off the worktable, and it gripped the edges with large talons.
“I'll admit, I like this phoenix design better than the owls.” Cy leaned on Arion's shoulder so he could reach a hand out toward it. The bird jerked its head to look at him and snapped at his fingers. Cy yanked his hand away. Arion could feel his breath quicken beside him, though he had no need to breathe.
Cy let out a huff and pulled away from Arion. “Stupid thing,” he muttered, but he still didn't leave. “What's this one for, anyway? The owls have pretty much filled the map.”
“It's for Kait,” Arion said simply, patting the bird's wings.
Cy sounded flustered when he spoke. “You sure she's going to want to talk to you after what happened? She may have tried coming here, but she probably had time to get her head on straight. I know you saw the way she looked at you after…” he cut himself off, seemingly unable to finish the sentence.
“After I nearly ripped Kraven's heart from his chest,” he completed bitterly. “And I'd do it again, without a second thought. That bastard has put me through so much that I…”
“Whoa, whoa, easy there. Down, boy.” Arion whirled on Cy, who had a defensive pose with his hands raised. Arion shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, Cy was watching him with a peculiar expression.
Even though they spent all their time together, it was hard to read Cy. He changed bodies often, and each reacted differently to his magic. He didn't like taking a body out of a room, determined to always have one around. He had even been able to jump into solid statues, and he had been eyeing the gargoyles outside ever since. Now he was in a tall, thin suit of armor, one that looked more like it was made for trained assassins rather than brutal warriors. Most of it was loose chain mail and clothe for coverage, with thick metal over the joints. Arion was most caught off guard by the amount of open space in the suit, watching the magic race around inside of it.
“Hey, you still with me, kid? I'm talking to you!” Cy snapped his fingers in his face, though the lack of substance in the cloth gloves meant there was no sound to be made. He scowled at his hands, but he had gotten Arion's attention regardless.
“Sorry, just…thinking,” Arion looked down.
“Whatever. You going to use this thing, or not?” Cy flailed his hands toward the bird, scaring it. It jumped into the air and dove for Cy, talons first. Metal clashed with metal, and the ringing sound hurt Arion's ears. He snapped his fingers once, and the bird pulled away. It landed on Arion's raised arm, glaring at Cy. He made a rude noise, and Arion laughed at the thought of a metal tongue sticking out of his helmet.
“What are you laughing at?” Cy spat, his metal now scratched.
“Nothing,” Arion chuckled, turning back to his desk. He coaxed the bird onto the edge of the table to his right, and pulled out a piece of paper and a quill. He began writing, and it wasn't long before Cy's cold metal was pressed against his back again.
“Can I help you?” Arion muttered.
“What are you going to tell her?”
“What do you care?”
“I…I don't. Who said I did? But I can't have you mentioning the castle. What if the others see the letter and come after us, huh?”
“Okay, sure. That's what's on your mind. You sure you're not just jealous?”
“Jealous?! What the hell are you implying, kid?”
“Nothing at all. I just feel bad that you can't write a letter to her yourself. You know, given that you don't even exist to her.”
“I don't have to take this from you anymore. I can just walk away. In fact, that's just what I'll do.” Cy puffed his chest out and left, though he didn't wander far. He went to the window, then to the nearly barren bookcase in the far corner, taking a seat a few feet behind Arion, facing away from him.
“Looks like you're the one that doesn't know what to do without me,” Arion whispered. He laughed to himself as he finished his letter. There was no response from Cy, and no movement to show he had even heard.
Arion opened the small compartment in the bird's leg, and tucked the note inside. Both boys watched the bird take flight, do a loop in the air, and dart out of the window towards the village, disappearing into the setting sun.
Chapter 13
Cyllorian stared at Arion, asleep and sprawled out in a gigantic armchair. One hand lay on the cold floor, twitching in his sleep. With a sigh, he crept over to the boy and flipped Arion's hand onto his stomach. The boy groaned and rolled over away from Cy.
Though sleep had relaxed his features, Cy could still see the strain on the boy's face. His brown hair was mangled and knotted, wrinkles covering the unscarred half of his face. The burns that gnarled his skin now made Cy cringe, despite how familiar he was with the appearance.
He still didn't understand it himself, though he had his theories. After the blast, Arion's skin had been badly scorched. When Cy had been forced into the boy's body, his magic had been too much for the body to contain. Arion's own body, weak and healing, had been changed into that of Cy's previous form. It seemed it was permanent, not even the demon's absence from the boy's body would right the appearance.
Arion tossed in his sleep again, and fell to the floor. Cy jolted to his side automatically, but Arion didn't wake. He groaned in pain and covered his face with his arms. His jaw fell slack, and his body relaxed again.
Shaking his head, Cy paced the room as quietly as he could. Despite any bitterness he felt toward Arion, he couldn't bear to wake him.
Arion had fallen asleep long before Cy had used all of his energy. The kid thought he had been pouting, but he had merely been saving his strength. Wasn't I pouting, though? What the hell has gotten into me? he asked himself. He shook his head, and stood up to return to Arion, abandoning his frivolous pursuit.
The window creaked open, and in crept the small, mechanical phoenix. It gazed around the room from the windowsill, flying to the center slowly. Cy wasn't sure if the bird noticed him, or if it was just ignoring him as it landed on the work desk where it was made. Its eyes wandered the room, and Cy could read the confusion on its motionless face.
He approached it slowly, hands in front of his face. When it spotted him, it raised its wings and let out a caw.
“Shh, shh,” Cy begged, pressing a finger to his helmet. “Please, I need your help. Please.”
The bird watched him closely as Cy reached for the clasp on his leg. A short letter spilled out, the bird looking at it curiously.
Cy read the words carefully, trying to decipher what Arion could have written to her. He read it again, and again, four times in total.
He glanced behind him at Arion. He had climbed halfway back into the chair, his legs tucked around him on the floor. The moonlight caught the edges of the boy’s face, making the scars from his burns a
nd cuts stand out. Cy thought of the blast, of the little kid that had freed him from his ill-gotten punishment. He wondered if he should go through with his plan, if he should betray him, still.
Then he thought of why he was trapped. He remembered the look on Theresa's face when she told him what she had to do, when she brought out the crystal ball and trapped him. She unraveled him, pulling on the strands of his being until only his soul remained, then she shoved him into the ball to rot. He was left with nothing but his essence, and he was lucky he had gotten control of it by the time Arion had come along.
“You took everything I had from me, kid. Fair is fair.” He whirled away from the boy and snatched up the quill, determined to win Kaitlyn over for himself.
“Cheer up, kid. For all we know, the bird might not have even made it to her. Or maybe it got captured. Who knows?” Cy mused absentmindedly. He tossed a ball into the air, nearly to the high arched ceiling, and caught it easily, over and over.
Arion was glued to the window, staring out towards the village. He had barely moved from that spot in a week.
Arion's head bobbed on its perch, and the boy let out a yawn. He hadn't been sleeping as far as Cy could tell. Whenever he was forced back into his head to rest, the exhaustion washed over him. He would nap during the day occasionally, leaving Cyllorian alone with his thoughts.
“Maybe you should take a nap. Staying awake all the time isn't healthy.”
“I sleep,” Arion groaned, but his yawning said otherwise.
“When? You're never asleep before me, and you're up before I am. I don't take long to recharge, so even if you sleep while I do, it's not long enough. What could you be doing that's worth throwing your health out the window. You need to sleep.”
“What I do is none of your business,” Arion retorted, but his heart wasn't in it. He turned away from Cy, but not before he caught a gleam in the boy's eye.
Cy readied himself to berate the boy, but Arion spoke first.
“Let's go for a walk,” Arion spat suddenly, standing up from the window. His movements were jerky and uneven, as though all of his joints were worn and stiff. He shook his limbs as he pulled Cy back into his mind.
“Do I have to?” he whined. Arion glared at him, and the demon returned to his mind reluctantly. “You wanna tell me why I got to be here for this?”
“For old time's sake. Let's just take a nice walk.” Arion started for the door, and though his limbs were all stretched out, he walked like a machine.
“Sure, whatever you say, kid.” Cy fell silent, enjoying the ride in a way he never thought he would.
Arion marched out of the castle through its large front doors, straight into the forest just outside.
“Why do you want to come here? I've seen your memories of this place. I thought you were still terrified.”
“You mentioned that the messenger bird could have been captured, right?” Cy nodded in his mind. “Then we have to make some necessary precautions.”
“What kind of precautions are you talking about?” Cy asked, but Arion gave no answer. They walked through the forest, into the very depths where the trees were the densest.
Arion stopped in front of a giant tree, nearly falling over under its own weight. Roots were torn out of the ground, looking like dozens of mangled, twisting arms. Arion gave a slow smile, concentrating his magic into his hand. Gripping one of the smaller roots, he sent a surge of magic into the tree. Within moments, it was lurching around, the boughs swinging down to grab at Arion. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and leaned out of the way of each attack.
The shrieks of breaking, bending wood filled the air, and his smile grew. “This tree is the heart of the forest, and its roots run the deepest. Most forests share a collective sum of all the roots, so by putting my life-filled magic into this tree, I've put it into nearly the whole forest. This'll keep anyone from getting in, or out.”
“Out?” Cy asked, but Arion only grinned menacingly in response.
He turned on his heel, but a low growl halted him in place. Before him, a large wolf was ready to pounce. Bright green eyes bore into him; the large teeth were ready to attack. It was as big as Arion was, even on all four legs. Its light gray fur shimmered in the small amount of light.
The wolf lunged for Arion, and he dove under it. Again it jumped, higher this time, and Arion barely spun away in time. It raised its head and howled, a small spot of pure black fur sticking out on his chest. It lowered its head, a triumphant gleam in its eyes.
“Tuft?” Arion breathed, squinting his eyes at the wolf. It reeled back, cocking its head. “You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?”
Its jaw dropped open, and it barked out, “What are you doing here?”
“You can talk?!” Arion screamed, pulling his head back.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry about not telling you before. Alpha was very protective. If people knew we were magical, we'd have more of a problem with hunters than we do.” Tuft walked closer to Arion as he spoke.
Arion's eyes grew wider and wider with every word, and he could feel the astonishment oozing out of Cy. “What about now? Is he still so strict?”
“No. The Alpha's pretty calm now. Really cool even. Strong, handsome, brave, cour…”
“Would you give it a rest already?” a female voice shot out of the darkness. Tuft cringed, but there was a clear smile on his face.
A female wolf with light caramel colored fur slunk out of the trees. She trudged up to Tuft, nipping at his ear. Tuft turned and licked her forehead, and she rubbed against his neck.
“This is my mate, Hylot. We're going to have pups of our own. I don't know how I'll handle if they're anything like I was.” Tuft erupted into a chorus of laughter, but Hylot only rolled her eyes at him. She nipped at his neck, and he cleared his throat to continue, “Hylot, this is the little kid I told about. Arion Luna.”
“Hunts,” Arion offered automatically, but he was ignored.
“Theresa's son?” Hylot asked, inching towards him.
“You knew my Mom?”
“She used to live here, Arion. In that castle I took you to. Man, did I get in trouble for that later.” Tuft broke off in a chuckle, shaking his head. “We haven't seen her in years. No idea where she went. Enough about her, though. What have you been up to?”
Arion told his story, picking through the pieces to give the least amount of the real tale. He told him of his search for his mother, of the death of his father, and of the recent escape from the village.
“Sounds rough there, kid. If there's anything we can do, my pack is at your service.”
“What about your friends from the other night? The ones that I-” Arion started, looking away.
“Don't worry about it. You did me a favor, technically. They were going rogue, just after I became the alpha. We've been trying to hunt them down, but with no luck. When we found your friend, that girl, we agreed to leave her be. That was the last straw, I guess. They disobeyed orders, and attacked her. You didn't do anything we wouldn't have.”
“Are you sure it's fine? It doesn't feel right.”
“Sure I'm sure. The one you took down was my competition. As far as I'm concerned, I owe you. So if you need anything. . .”
“Thank you, Tuft. For now, I'm just trying to survive. To get back to some semblance of normal,” Arion muttered.
“Alright. But you know where to find us, if you ever need us.” With that, Tuft turned away and his mate followed suit.
Arion watched them leave, but called out as they reached the edge of the darkness. “Tuft! I can think of something you can do. You might have noticed the trees moving. They're for my protection. Can you do the same? Keep everyone out of the woods?”
“That's what we always do, but for you, we'll double the efforts.” Tuft nodded once to Arion.
“I mean it, Tuft. Everyone.”
Tuft turned back again and met the boy's eyes. Though there was nothing more said between them, there was understandin
g in the wolf's gaze. He nodded again, and then helped his pregnant mate limp into the darkness.
Upon returning to the castle, Arion sensed something was amiss, though he wouldn't share with Cy. He pushed him out of his mind, and the demon tumbled into the nearest suit of armor. He struggled to keep up as the boy raced through the halls.
They came to the west tower, and Arion froze. Cy ran up behind him, resting against the boy and gasping for air. “You don't breathe,” Arion hushed irritably.
“Right. Sorry.” Cy backed away from the boy and settled his breathing. It felt wrong not to breathe, even though he had no lungs. The magic pulse within him was racing, and it gave him the illusion of living. What am I if I'm not living? I'm not dead, so I must be alive, he asked himself. He had been struggling for the answers for weeks. He was glad to have his mind to himself.
Cy watched the boy as he stared at the door. Arion placed his hand against it, and his shoulders went rigid. He flexed his other hand at his side, his lip caught in his teeth.
“What are you waiting for? No one's going to tell you to come in. Just open the door.”
The boy was frozen solid. Cy groaned behind his helmet, and shoved past him. He flung the door open and stepped inside.
Cy dove to the floor as something lunged at him, a high shriek filling the air. It flew straight past him toward Arion. Cy whirled to warn the boy, but it was too late. The phoenix was already atop his shoulder, glaring at Cy.
Arion held the bird with shaking hands, clutching him to his shoulder. He fidgeted with the clasp on the bird's leg. It opened, and a short letter fell to the floor. Cy remained on the ground as Arion crouched to read the note.
His face went pale with terror, and his shaking became more violent. With the bird spooked from its perch, it flew circles around Arion's head. Dropping the letter, Arion stormed into the room, the bird close behind.
Cy watched in terror as the boy exploded. Lightning and fire was thrown all about the room, powerful enough to erode the stone walls. The tapestries were caught ablaze, lighting up the whole room. Arion screamed and spun in place in the center, and Cy saw the tears streaming freely down his face.