The Forgotten Zodiac

Marion pushed open the unlocked door, inspecting the chains. They weren't broken or anything. Mirage had just...slipped out. "I thought Lennon had spells to stop transformations," Marion said thoughtfully, not letting the shock get to her head. She quickly moved back to Dmitry's side, though. Mirage could be anywhere. They needed to be extra careful. And they needed to get where there were witnesses. "Let's go talk to Lennon and Izan about all this," She shook her head, pulling on Dmitry's arm.

He slowly followed her, looking shocked. How could he not be? For as long as he could remember, Mirage had always been his baby sister. His little Mirage; there one second, gone the next. She hadn't always been crazy. She hadn't always been so full of hatred. Only after their father had abandoned them.

He moved quickly when Marion pulled again on his arm, turning and trotting with her at his side.

Marion held his arm close, not wanting to let go. She knew exactly what was wrong, and she had no idea how to help but to stick close and help Dmitry walk. When they reached the throne room, though, she stopped. "Do you...need a minute first?" She asked quickly, putting her forehead against the side of his. "I can wait..."

He winced, his glasses shifting a bit, then said "Y-yes, I do..." He slowly sat down, panting a bit from the walk. He was thin, Marion realized. Practically bony. His skin was pale and lacked a general feeling of life. He was becoming a living skeleton, right before her very eyes, and it was hard on the both of them. He rubbed his eyes behind his glasses, praying that he didn't have one of his blood-coughing fits right here and now. He didn't need that on top of everything else.

Marion pushed close to him, eventually making him sit down in her lap. She hugged him tightly, and hugged him close. Her tanned skin was dark compared to his pale pallor. She wasn't fat or flabby, but her frame was thicker than his by a long shot. It was also obvious that she was able to get around, and perhaps even fight, easily. The fact that she could sing became clear as well, when she began doing so a moment later.

"You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go;

But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know.

If I make another move there'll be no more turning back,

Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black.

Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night?

Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?

Am I hurting? Am I sad? Should I stay, or should I go?

I've forgotten how to tell. Did I ever even know?

If I find a way to change, if there really is a light,

Then I'll never be the same, and it all will fade to white."

Silence rang for a few moments after her short song, until she spoke again. "I'm going to ask Izan if we can go out and look for her," She said after a moment or two. "I don't care what happened to Welk and his mess of people. You need to get out, and you need to find your sister. We can...kill two birds with one stone that way, right?"

Dmitry closed his eyes, slowly putting a thin hand up over his eyes. Tears slowly began to drip down his cheeks, and he cried silently there, held by his most trusted friend. Once he felt a bit better, he wiped his eyes and tilted his head back, saying "I should be the one to suggest it. Izan won't take kindly to a 'slave' suggesting something like that." He sighed wearily, seemingly unable to make himself stand, then stared up into Marion's eyes.

The words slipped loose before he could stifle them.

"I love you."

Terror shot through his eyes upon release of the words. He put a hand over his mouth, feeling like he needed to push away. To love a slave in such a natural way was forbidden. Marriage was out of the question for any slave owner. But...Dmitry wanted that.

Marion blinked in surprise. Then her gaze softened. She looked around quickly, not wanting to be seen by anyone, least of all a snitch. The way they were sitting now was bad enough. But Marion, once satisfied that there wasn't really anyone around, moved her head forward and kissed Dmitry on his forehead. A smile spread over her lips. "I love you too...I never really thought to say it before, but..." She pressed her cheek against his head again, sighing heavily. "We need to get away from here. As far away as we can. It's not fair...I hate being here..."

He looked relieved at the return of his feelings. He closed his eyes, just content to sit there with her, then said "Then let's leave." He glanced around again, then said "Go back to my room and gather up anything you have. I'll join you once I get Izan's permission to go. We'll leave..." He smiled. "...to find my sister, yes. But we won't come back. I'm tired of this life! It's clearly not good for me, and I don't want to die yet! I want..." He looked pointedly at her for a moment, then turned away, saying "I don't care if Izan sends men after me, even. We'll leave for another land, if we have to. Maybe...maybe we'll track down Welk and his group! I'm sure they could help us. They seemed willing enough..." He sighed, then stood up, taking her hand and attempting to help her up as well. There was a time when he could've helped her stand completely. There was a time when he could've even carried her everywhere and not tired. But this wasn't that time.

Marion caught him as he nearly fell over. "There, there. Are you sure you'll be okay on your own...?" She questioned quietly, worried for her dear friend. Maybe...more than just friend. But she was still worried.

Lennon entered the castle then, stepping easily into the hallway, making his way to the throne room. He looked...happy. He had a new ring that caught the Naga's attention; a gift from his wife, perhaps, Marion figured. It was pretty, though. Marion shook it off, falling silent. She immediately looked more nervous when some thing followed Lennon into the castle; a tall, dark...evil looking scarecrow of some kind. That was moving on its own! Marion pulled Dmitry behind her, but the Scarecrow didn't even glance at them. It followed after Lennon, who headed straight into the throne room without a glance in their direction.

When they were gone, Marion sighed. "Be...be careful, okay? With Lennon back from his day off, I'm even less inclined to leave you alone...but..." She slowly started down the hall, planning to pack her own bag and his. To save time."

He watched her go, then sighed and steeled himself for his talk with Izan. He made sure his glasses were sitting straight on the bridge of his nose and made certain that his clothing wasn't ruffled.

He exhaled, calming his nerves, then moved to the throne room doors and quietly opened them. He moved in, glancing around, then turned his attention forward, to the throne. "Emperor Izan?" he said, walking forward. "I've just discovered that Mirage has escaped her bonds and has fled the castle, most likely to Herrace's side."

Izan frowned, then looked towards Lennon, who closed his eyes. A few moments passed, and Lennon nodded shortly. "He speaks the truth. Mirage's current location is unknown." He said, opening his eyes again. "But as Dmitry said, she likely fled to the side of our enemy..."

"Hmm..." Izan murmured, shaking his head. "And what would you have me do about this, Dmitry?"

"I wish to be allowed to track her down," he said at once. "As I am her brother, perhaps I can convince her to return peacefully. If you send soldiers after her, she would react with anger and kill them. Maybe I, who shares blood with her, can get her to return with me. I am fast, and there would be less beings involved, so it would be nearly unnoticeable by the enemy. I would take myself and my trusted aide along with me for protection, and bring our princess home."

Izan seemed to consider it. After a long moment, he said, "Absolutely not. If you think I would send you after her...it's almost laughable! Even if you did manage to bring her home, what would keep her from going rogue once more? What would keep her from feeding more information to Herrace? Nothing. They can deal with her. I care not any longer. And you, child, will be going nowhere."

"Might I suggest," Lennon said quietly. "Stopping the problem before it gets loose?"

"Are you suggesting I kill my own son?!" Izan rounded on Lennon.

"Nay," Lennon bit back a sharper response. "Merely that you should inhibit his ability to run. He wants to leave this place, Izan. Leave, and never return."

"Is this true, Dmitry? After all I've given you, after everything I've done for you...you would just leave?" Izan turned back to his 'son', frowning deeply.

Dmitry froze, his eyes going wide, then turned and stared at Lennon in horror. Immediately, Dmitry's frightened gaze turned downwards into a glare. He exhaled, then bent down onto one knee and said "I want to leave, yes. I'm dying here, Izan. You can see it for yourself." He extended a thin hand, showing the scarse bones through the paper-like skin. "You are like a father to me, yes, but I can't live here anymore. I'm not making a life for myself here. Royalty may suit me, but it clearly isn't right for me. I want to seek out a life for myself. Who knows where I will go? Perhaps to Alastor, perhaps to another land entirely. Perhaps I'll stay in the low lands, here in Bulliete. I don't know. But I'm dying here, and I don't want to die yet. I just...want to go. I feel the urge to move on, to seek my fate...wherever it lies."

Izan seemed calm and collected, until he spoke. "You'll not be leaving. I won't allow it, not for a second. Your fate belongs to me, Dmitry. Or have you forgotten that? If you're going to die, then you'll die here!" He snapped his fingers, nodding to Lennon. "Do what you must."

Lennon stood and unstrapped his blade from his side. He didn't unsheath it, though. He moved quickly, first attaching a neck shackle to Dmitry's neck. If he tried to transform, it would strangle him. Lennon then took his sheathed blade and swung; two cracks later, and Dmitry's legs were broken. Painful, but effective. 

Dmitry screamed, struggling to get loose. He was far too weak, however. "Why?!" he screamed at Izan. "Why would y-you do this to me?! What use could I possibly be to you that another of your heirs couldn't fill?!" He clutched his legs, feeling on the verge of passing out. His bones had broken like thin sticks...there hadn't even been a hint of sturdy resistance, because he had none. Using his pain as a focus point, he let his emotions arch outwards, racing out to find Marion. Once he sensed her, he twinned his thoughts so tightly around hers that she nearly sensed his heartbeat.

A desperately thought shoved into her mind, strict and delivered as an order.

Run. Get out of the castle now. You're all I can count on, Marion. Go now!

Lennon seized Dmitry by the collar, picking him up. He supported the prince by the arms. "There are no other heirs!" Izan snarled. "The people are more confident in a throne with many heirs. But there aren't. There's only you, and...and Lennon's son. And he's too young for the throne." Lennon's expression immediately went dark. If anyone had been listening, if anyone knew about his son's inheritance, he would be targeted. The last thing the head guard wanted was someone going after his own child.

"Drop him in the infirmary," Izan ordered. "Make sure they don't heal his legs completely, but make sure he isn't allowed to die."

"Understood." Lennon sighed, lifting Dmitry up a little more to hold him better, then slowly carried him to the infirmary. He gave the orders to the healers and sat down nearby, glaring pointedly at Dmitry. "I do not intend to allow my son to be placed on the throne. I never wanted him to in the first place. So listen up; if you utter a word to anyone about my son, I personally will hunt you down, slice off your limbs, grind your bones and make bread out of them, and mix your blood into wine. I will force-feed you these items and give you nothing else until it's gone. And then, so help me...I'll slay your precious Marion, as well." He snarled, turning on heel and leaving quickly.

Dmitry watched him go, tears of pain leaking from the corners of his eyes. His glasses had a thin crack running through them now, giving him a bit of obscure vision, but the tears in his eyes almost hurt worse than the breaks in his legs. He felt he had let Marion down. And that he had let himself down as well. He would go down fighting, he knew that much. He hated it here, hated it with everything he had in him. But it wasn't just the place and the people here he hated.

He hated his father, his true father, with a burning passion. Because his father was the one who had left that cursed paper, signing the rights to his only children over to Izan.

Dmitry curled up miserably on the bed, resigned to lay there and slowly die off. He would survive as long as he could, of course, but he wouldn't eat or move if he couldn't help it.

He was through.

*

It was a joyous day in Kaislun.

The Divine had reached the age were it could be allowed to roam the city as it pleased, interacting and caring for the people itself. It was still quite small, and it looked just like the old Divine had. Instead of forming a new Place Between Worlds for their baby to live in, Titus and Galai had allowed their new child to live with the people. It would help foster a greater love and feeling to protect them that way.

Sylas was there, walking with it. After the events of around a year ago, he had decided to return to his favorite place for awhile. He didn't know if he'd ever go back to Alastor, but he asked Galai and Titus to check in on his son every now and then. Werr...Sylas knew that his son had gone off to help Bulliete. He was proud of his son, and not a second went by that he didn't regret leaving.

But here he stayed. The Divine knew him as well as the last one did; they were good friends. Leo was here as well. Sylas was quite comfortable here, surrounded by friends and affection. He was clearly getting old, but that was natural. He wasn't so old that he couldn't run around, which was a good thing; Sylas couldn't seem to sit still. Ever. He excersized daily by running laps around Kaislun with Leo, he trained his sword arm a little more each day, he helped his nephew Toroph with the jewelry business. He even befriended the Daughter of Beoth, however impossible it might have seemed. She claimed to dislike him, but hung onto his every word as though he was her own father.

Yes, life was good in the joined worlds of Tartarus and Amnairus. "How do you like the world so far?" Sylas asked his friend, smiling brightly.

The Divine floated along behind him, wiggling its long, serpentine body through the air. It flared its wings, dropping down and clinging to Sylas' shoulders. It chirped happily, then said "You know quite well how much I like it, dear Sylas," it said, sounding young and spry. Which it was. "This is a grand, beautiful world, and I love it greatly." It purred, nuzzling under Sylas' chin. "Just as I am friends with you, I would never give it up," it said, closing its eyes. "Though I might be tempted to give you up if you ever put me to another of those rediculous riddles." It chuckled, and Sylas knew it didn't mean that.