Rising Storm, page 94
For a moment that Avail wasn't quite certain she hadn't imagined, all of Glares characteristic cool composure slipped and the helplessness in his face was apparent; for Avail, this expression was somehow far more terrifying than being in the presence of his rage. "I cannot make you understand," he began, his voice reflecting but a fraction of the self-torment he must have been subjecting himself to. "The idea that through my own actions I might one day land myself at odds with my sovereign… I cannot bear the thought. He is everything to me… He is the very epicenter of my world… Without him, I would be nothing. He has given me all that I have and all that I am and this is how I repay him?"
It wasn't the first time Avail had felt so convinced that there was far more to Glares in comparison to his brethren, but she knew that now would be a poor time to address her own selfish curiosity. Instead she said, "You are repaying him with your diligence and devotion. It is a fine line we walk between duty and insurrection, but you mustn't lose sight of why we are doing this – remember that the repercussions will be far direr in the event that our suspicions one day prove right but we did nothing to act on them. Had I thought you were opposing the High Prince's wishes maliciously I might have protested your intentions, but I know the truth of your actions. I know that all you do is for the good of this realm."
There was one thing still that didn't make sense to Glares, one thing that hadn't made sense from the very beginning; he drew her even closer, marveling at just how slight she felt in his arms, and growled, "Why do you risk everything you have gained simply to satisfy my agenda? We may be in agreement on these matters, but that is still no reason for you to open yourself up for future scrutiny. You are not of Thaliana, and furthermore you have transgressed in the past - the consequences will be far more severe for you if things go ill for us."
Avail snorted as though hardly intimidated by anything he had said, and instead answered his question with an inquiry of her own. "Why did you stake your reputation on my advancement? Were you not in a similar situation – little to gain and everything to lose?"
"I knew that after all you had been through you would be of great use to the enclave if you could only rein in your pride," Glares reminded her disdainfully. "Perhaps it seemed that the risk for me was high, but you could also say that I knew how these events would play out even before they had."
"Precisely why I feel the need to take such a risk for you in return," Avail explained patiently. "I know in my heart that we are right – and even if by some fell design we are not, I owe it to you to support you. As I told you once before, were it not for you sometimes praising me I would most likely still be a prisoner at the mercy of the High Prince, with no status and little fortune to my name. I owe you all that I have, and all that I am, don't you see?"
Glares hadn't the first idea how to respond to such a heartfelt statement, but it was just as well; in the next moment Lamar had appeared at his elbow, the portion of his face that was unmasked looking unmistakably grave. "Brother, Acceptance, I fear I must disturb you – Phenomena has had another vision."
"Of course he has," snapped Glares tersely, rolling his eyes, but Lamar ignored him.
"It's a little more complicated than that… This most recent vision absolves Limit Telltale of all doubt." At Landmark's words Glares and Avail sprang apart, eyes wide and disbelieving, and the Determinist Prime heaved a sigh before finishing, "He is the next target. There is a drop priestess coming here who means to rend his shadow orb and sacrifice him to the Spider Queen."
Avail stared up at the Fourth Prince evenly, watching as realization dawned and transformed his expression into something sour, and knew that on this issue they would never see eye to eye. Though it pained her to place herself at odds with him, she knew what needed to be done. "Prince, we must warn him. If this priestess catches him at unawares – "
"Let her," Glares spat, his voice saturated with poison. "She will be doing us a grand favor by eliminating him – it will erase any suspicion that may already be surrounding us."
"And his deal with the High Prince?!" Avail reminded him hotly, stamping her foot so that her heel sounded a jarring clack upon the wooden floor, her hair quivering in loosely-curled ringlets around her flushed face. "How do you expect he might make good on his end of the bargain if we allow him to die now?! Do you think the Most High will be pleased when he finds out that he voluntarily gifted the power of the shadow to a drop when his motivation for doing so becomes null and void?!"
"The High Prince entered into this ridiculous agreement fully expecting the drop to fail!" Glares reminded her in a dangerously low voice that suggested he was struggling reining in his own mounting anger. "The loss will be a minor inconvenience at worst!"
Avail sucked in a breath and stood her ground, delivering what she knew would be the winning blow in their argument. "Are you prepared to shoulder the blame, then? Will you risk your reputation, your credibility, the High Prince's centuries-long trust in you, all because your misplaced prejudice kept you from making the right decision?"
Glares eyes narrowed dangerously and his arm flashed, impossibly fast, but before the blow could land Lamar reached out and seized his brother by the wrist to stay his hand. Avail stood between them, alternating looks of gratitude for Lamar and betrayal for Glares; the Determinist Prime stepped forward, his face mere inches from his brother's, his voice dripping with disappointment. "How dare you," he growled. "How dare you even attempt to strike this mortal, who not only has our sovereign's favor but has devoted herself completely to your endeavors. I am ashamed of you. This is not how we treat those whom we call friends." With that Lamar released him, and Glares snatched his hand back with a wounded expression; Lamar studiously ignored him and glanced down at Avail with a kinder expression. "Acceptance, allow me to apologize on behalf of my brother. He does not always think and is prone to acting entirely out of anger."
By then Avail had composed herself, and did not even comment on Glares violent outburst. "Take me to Phenomena," she requested. "I will go with him to share what he has seen with Limit. I will work to preserve all of the High Prince's advisors, no matter my personal feelings toward them."
"Your aid is greatly appreciated," Lamar told her with a polite little bow and a smile, and offering her his arm he began to lead her away –
Glares caught her by the upper arm and turned her back to face him, his eyes scorching her skin with silver flame; his expression was impossible to read. "My brother speaks the truth," he told her haltingly, his face contorting in strange way as he spoke the words. "Sometimes… I do and say things I do not mean."
It was a trait she had seen in action dozens of times before and so she didn't doubt the sincerity of his claim, but that didn't stay her retort. "You are blinded by hatred and prejudice, but I do not blame you for that – no one can understand your loathing for Limit Telltale better than I! But until he has proven himself to be our foe we must protect him, just as we are bound to protect all of the High Prince's subjects. I pray you remember that before long, for the Fourth Prince that I know is more benevolent than any other despite his near-constant attempts to hide as much." Then she gently removed her arm from his slackened grip and hurried with Prince Lamar across the ballroom.
They moved quietly together for a moment, weaving between elegantly-dressed party guests, until in a voice barely more than a whisper Lamar said, "I find you much changed, Acceptance."
Avail sighed - a little tiredly and impatiently, it seemed - as her eyes scanned the crowd. "I hear that often enough, though for the life of me I cannot see what has so drastically changed. I simply grew bored of opposing every authority figure I came into contact with – conflict breeds eternal misery, as they say."
The corners of Landmark's mouth twitched with amusement. "It does when those you oppose are the Princes of Shade, that much is true. All joking aside, you really have become a credit to the Most High in every way – Glares may be incapable of seeing the logic in your choice to aid Limit now, but he will in time."
"I have my doubts – he is a stubborn and strong-willed man." They were standing in the shadow of a great marble pillar now, sheltered from the alluring faerie lights by its girth; Phenomena stood with his back to them and his hands moving quickly as he spoke in a low, animated voice, addressing two shades so identical in physical appearance that Avail couldn't immediately determine which was Limit and which was Headhunter. Only the sight of the familiar drafts clutched in Headhunter's right hand, the shadow sorcerer's weapon of choice for centuries, gave away his identity. "What are you doing here?"
Conversation ended abruptly as Phenomena turned to face them, his expression alive with the depths of his gratitude; Headhunter cut his eyes to where Avail stood, still companionably arm-in-arm with Third Prince Lamar, and surveyed her with great disdain. "I serve Limit Telltale at the High Prince's request, you will recall," he reminded her loftily, his voice little more than a sneer. "You find yourself in a similar situation, from what I can tell?"
Avail opened her mouth to protest hotly, but Limit placed himself between them and overrode her. "While I do find the scorned lover look to be a most flattering color on you," he drawled sarcastically to Headhunter, "I feel I must remind you that our goals currently align. Starting a fruitless argument with a potential ally seems foolish, wouldn't you agree?"
Headhunter instantly bristled. "I do not take orders from you."
Limit offered him a casual wink in reply before saying, "But you know I am right in this instance." He turned back to Avail while Headhunter seethed at his side, his eyes flitting momentarily over Lamar and their still-entwined arms before adding, "It is reassuring to see that some things never change… I must admit that I much prefer your current companion to your previous one. Had a falling out, did you?"
"If you must know we had a difference of opinion where helping you was concerned," Avail told him bluntly, though she did slip her arm out of the crook of Landmark's elbow and set her hand on her hip almost defiantly. "He feels rather averse to helping you, for reasons I'm sure aren't unknown to you."
"Then why have you come?" Limit inquired, tilting his head minutely to one side, obviously intrigued. "Are you not… how to put this delicately… of the same mind?"
Avail sighed yet again as though the answer should be obvious. "I am not Glares. I do not have the liberty of defying those whom the High Prince loves on a whim or at my leisure. I am bound to serve those whom he trusts, regardless of my personal feelings toward them."
Limit blinked, taken aback by her answer, and said, "You have changed. I heard rumors, but you know how these matters can become exaggerated in the retelling! I cannot say that I prefer you this way, considering how… vivacious… you were before."
Something resurfaced in Phenomena's memory then, a brief glimpse he had taken of Glares and Avail dancing with almost ethereal grace in the sparse moments before he had plucked up the courage to approach Limit and Headhunter, that prompted him to say, "I cannot say that I knew you well before, Avail, but I do not think you are so different as all that." The Acceptance's answering smile was dazzling; it gave Phenomena the motivation to lead them back to the issue at hand. "We were discussing my vision, and planning for all contingencies. I am glad that you have both joined us – the lack of telling details is making me feel blind and unprepared, and the extra help will be invaluable."
Limb's eyes were on Avail again, all business now. "Phenomena also tells me that our princess-to-be has been named a target as well. Has she been told of the impending danger?"
Avail cut her eyes to Phenomena, who had preemptively dropped his gaze to the ground to avoid her searching glare. It was apparent in his guilt-ridden face that he had not completed what he had set out to do. "It would appear that Sole yet remains unaware of these matters."
"What good can come of telling her now?" Lamar put in. "The wedding is mere days away – can we not resolve this without causing her further stress? Likely she has quite enough on her plate as it is."
"I was of a similar opinion before," Avail agreed, and Limit and Headhunter nodded along in wordless assent as Phenomena's shoulders slumped in defeat. "We five should take these matters into our own hands, and involve no one else if we can avoid it. This occasion is something the Most High has long awaited in great earnest – if we are capable of dealing with further assassins from Newspaperwoman, we should do so without alerting him."
"Then we are all agreed that we must be on high alert on the day of the ceremony," Headhunter summarized for them, his thumbnail working at the deep groove he had habitually worn near the head of his drafts as presumably some further matter vexed him. "But that does not tell us when the priestess will come to sacrifice Limit, or where." He turned back to Phenomena, who was now massaging his temples in a vain attempt to stimulate his memory. "Tell us again what you saw. There may remain some clue we have overlooked, something vital that may work in our favor."
"I have told you all that there is to know, for there was little to see," Phenomena insisted in a pinched, harassed tone. "Candles. A makeshift altar. Sacrificial elements. The dagger the priestess wielded had a hilt shaped in the likeness of a black widow spider – it came alive when it pierced Limb's flesh, clawing his chest open and tearing the shadow orb from his body. I have never seen such a weapon."
Limit was rolling his eyes in obvious disgust, his amber eyes momentarily lost within the bottle-green hue of the eyeless of his mask. "I have. They are standard fare for priestesses ordained by Loath and a symbol of a female dross's rank in society. The goddess herself is said to bless such blades, and they are commonly used in sacrificial rituals that the Spider Queen considers to be of great importance. It is said that if the heart that beats within the victim's breast holds any ill will against Loath, the hilt will come alive and devour the organ that sustains him."
It was further proof that Limit had never really been their enemy, and it made Avail wish fervently that it was Glares at her side and not Lamar and Phenomena; nevertheless she nodded her understanding, her face a mask of almost glacial calm. "At this point I cannot say if it would be better for you to be at odds with Loath or not."
"I can." Limit tossed her another one of his easy winks, this one accompanied by a devious smile. "The Spider Queen will wish she hadn't forsaken me when that which I have waited for finds it way into my possession."
Headhunter was scowling. "This again? The High Prince does not take kindly to secrets."
The drop-shade held up his hands palms-forward as if in reminder of his total innocence. "Can it be called a secret if the particulars are unknown even to me?"
Lamar was alternating glances between Headhunter and Limit with raised eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"He says that the means to eradicate Loath is coming to him, though he will not say what it is or who is bringing it," Headhunter confided, making it plain in the tone of his voice that he had long since grown tired of the dross's fondness and fascination of pointless riddles. "I have badgered him ceaselessly to divulge the rest of his plans, but as you can see I have had little success."
"I have told you all that I know," Limit insisted in a growl, and as the nigh-identical pair of shades glared daggers at one another Phenomena dropped his hands from his temples and blew a frustrated sigh.
"We haven't the time to argue amongst ourselves!" the doppelgänger reminded them in a harsh whisper, for their voices had escalated in volume and with every passing moment they ran the risk of drawing unwanted attention to themselves. "Need I remind you that the conjurer who means to put an end to Avail will appear within our midst this very night?! We have hardly begun to prepare for her arrival, much less the coming of these two others!"
Lamar nodded, looking suddenly introspective, but Phenomena's words served to bring Limit and Headhunter up short; the drop stared back at Phenomena wordlessly, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes brimming with surprise, and it was such a rare occasion to see Limit at a loss for words that Phenomena momentarily lost his train of thought. Headhunter was staring steadily at Avail, his face carefully composed but his eyes betraying his inner turmoil. Avail met both of their stares with her head held high and not a trace of fear to be found in her expression.
At last, Limit remembered how to speak – Phenomena was the recipient of his ire. "I deliberately asked you last night if you had seen anything else, and you lied to me?!"
"Of course I lied to you," Phenomena shot back icily. "But then again, you weren't entirely truthful with me either, were you?"
"On which issue?!" the drop thundered, shaking off the restraining hand that Headhunter laid across his arm, and Phenomena hit him with a devious grin of his own.
"Did you really expect me to believe that you were not at all acquainted with Eek Veneered?" Phenomena pointed out, laughing now, and Limb's scowl deepened. "When I met with Prince Glares this morning and he told me of the dross's death I knew for certain you had killed him. But why? What information was he privy to that you couldn't risk him sharing? And what did you hope to gain in implicating me in his murder?"
Limit offered a shrug in response. "In truth? Absolutely nothing – and I was nothing but truthful with you when I told you I didn't know him. I visited him hoping he had come to deliver me that which I have been eagerly awaiting, but he knew nothing of it – when it became apparent that he would be of no use to me I disposed of him. His usefulness to Prince Glares, and to the Most High, had already ended. I assumed no one would take issue if his life ended also. As for what I hoped to gain in framing you… well, there was nothing in it for me, honestly, I did it for sport." He tossed the doppelgänger a wink, finishing, "No hard feelings."
